{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_603/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_603","id":"gutenberg_603","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/603","summary":null,"tags":["Authors, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence","British and Foreign Bible Society","Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Language & Communication","Category: Religion/Spirituality","English letters"],"text":"Transcribed from the 1911, Hodder and Stoughton edition by David Price,\nemail ccx074@pglaf.org\n\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS OF\nGEORGE BORROW\nTO THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN\nBIBLE SOCIETY\n\n\n Published by Direction of the Committee\n\n EDITED BY\n T. H. DARLOW\n\n HODDER AND STOUGHTON\n LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO\n 1911\n\n TO\n WILLIAMSON LAMPLOUGH\n CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE\n OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN\n BIBLE SOCIETY\n THESE LETTERS FROM\n THE SOCIETY'S DISTINGUISHED AGENT\n ARE DEDICATED WITH\n MOST SINCERE RESPECT AND REGARD\n BY\n THEIR EDITOR\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,\n _Feb._ 10_th_, 1833.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have just received your communication, and\nnotwithstanding it is Sunday morning, and the bells with their loud and\nclear voices are calling me to church, I have sat down to answer it by\nreturn of post. It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I was\nrejoiced to see the Chrestomathie Mandchou, which will be of no slight\nassistance in learning the Tartar dialect, on which ever since I left\nLondon I have been almost incessantly occupied. It is, then, your\nopinion, that from the lack of anything in the form of Grammar I have\nscarcely made any progress towards the attainment of Mandchou; perhaps\nyou will not be perfectly miserable at being informed that you were never\nmore mistaken in your life. I can already, with the assistance of Amyot,\n_translate Mandchou_ with no great difficulty, and am perfectly qualified\nto write a critique on the version of St. Matthew's Gospel, which I\nbrought with me into the country. Upon the whole, I consider the\ntranslation a good one, but I cannot help thinking that the author has\nbeen frequently too paraphrastical, and that in various places he must be\nutterly unintelligible to the Mandchous from having unnecessarily made\nuse of words which are not Mandchou, and with which the Tartars cannot be\nacquainted.\n\nWhat must they think, for example, on coming to the sentence . . . _apkai\netchin ni porofiyat_, _i.e._ the prophet of the Lord of heaven? For the\nlast word in the Mandchou quotation being a modification of a Greek word,\nwith no marginal explanation, renders the whole dark to a Tartar. [Greek\ntext]; _apkai_ I know, and _etchin_ I know, but what is _porofiyat_, he\nwill say. Now in Tartar, there are words synonymous with our seer,\ndiviner, or foreteller, and I feel disposed to be angry with the\ntranslator for not having used one of these words in preference to\nmodifying [Greek text]; and it is certainly unpardonable of him to have\nTartarized [Greek text] into . . . _anguel_, when in Tartar there is a\nword equal to our messenger, which is the literal translation of [Greek\ntext]. But I will have done with finding fault, and proceed to the more\nagreeable task of answering your letter.\n\nMy brother's address is as follows:\n\n Don Juan Borrow,\n Compagnia Anglo Mexicana,\n Guanajuato, Mexico.\n\nWhen you write to him, the letter must be put in post before the third\nWednesday of the month, on which day the Mexican letter-packet is made\nup. I suppose it is unnecessary to inform you that the outward postage\nof all foreign letters must be paid at the office, but I wish you\nparticularly to be aware that it will be absolutely necessary to let my\nbrother know in what dialect of the Mexican this translation is made, in\norder that he may transmit it to the proper quarter, for within the short\ndistance of twenty miles of the place where he resides there are no less\nthan six dialects spoken, which differ more from each other than the\nGerman does from the English. I intend to write to him next Thursday,\nand if you will favour me with an answer on this very important point, by\nreturn of post, I shall feel obliged.\n\nReturn my kind and respected friend Mr. Brandram my best thanks for his\npresent of _The Gypsies' Advocate_, and assure him that, next to the\nacquirement of Mandchou, the conversion and enlightening of those\ninteresting people occupy the principal place in my mind. Will he be\nwilling to write to the Gypsy Committee concerning me? I wish to\ntranslate the Gospel of St. John into their language, which I could\neasily do with the assistance of one or two of the old people, but then\nthey must be paid, for the Gypsies are more mercenary than Jews. I have\nalready written to my dear friend Mr. Cunningham on this subject, and\nhave no doubt that he will promote the plan to the utmost of his ability.\nI must procure a letter of introduction from him to Joseph Gurney, and\nshould be very happy to obtain one also from Mr. Brandram, for in all\nwhich regards the Gospel and the glory of Christ, Joseph Gurney is the\nprincipal person to look to in these parts. I will now conclude by\nbeseeching you to send me as soon as possible _whatever can serve to\nenlighten me in respect to Mandchou Grammar_, for had I a Grammar, I\nshould in a month's time be able to send a Mandchou translation of Jonah.\nIn the meanwhile I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most humble and\nobedient servant,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n 18_th_ _March_, 1833,\n WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.\n\nDEAR SIR,--As yourself and Mr. Brandram expressed a desire to hear from\nme occasionally concerning my progress in Mandchou, I now write to inform\nyou that I am advancing at full gallop, and am able to translate with\npleasure and facility the specimens of the best authors who have written\nin the language contained in the compilation of Klaproth. But I must\nconfess that the want of a Grammar has been, particularly in the\nbeginning of my course, a great clog to my speed, and I have little doubt\nthat had I been furnished with one I should have attained my present\nknowledge of Mandchou in half the time. I was determined however not to\nbe discouraged, and, not having a hatchet at hand to cut down the tree\nwith, to attack it with my knife; and I would advise every one to make\nthe most of the tools which happen to be in his possession, until he can\nprocure better ones, and it is not improbable that by the time the good\ntools arrive he will find he has not much need of them, having almost\naccomplished his work. This is not exactly my case, for I shall be very\nglad to receive this same tripartite Grammar which Mr. Brandram is\nhunting for, my ideas respecting Mandchou construction being still very\nvague and wandering, and I should also be happy if you could and would\nprocure for me the original grammatical work of Amyot, printed in the\n_Memoires_, etc. Present my kind regards to Mr. Hattersley, and thank\nhim in my name for his kind letter, but at the same time tell him that I\nwas sorry to learn that he was putting himself to the trouble of\ntransferring into Mandchou characters the specimens which Amyot has given\nin Roman, as there was no necessity for it in respect to myself, a mere\ntranscript being quite sufficient to convey the information I was in need\nof. Assure him likewise that I am much disposed to agree with him in his\nopinion of Amyot's Dictionary, which he terms in his letter 'something\nnot very first-rate,' for the Frenchman's translations of the Mandchou\nwords are anything but clear and satisfactory, and being far from\nliteral, frequently leave the student in great doubt and perplexity.\n\nI have sent to my brother one copy of St. Luke's Gospel with a letter;\nthe postage was 15s. 5d. My reason for sending only one was, that the\nrate of postage increases with the weight, and that the two Gospels can\ngo out much cheaper singly than together. The other I shall dispatch\nnext month.\n\nI subjoin a translation from the Mandchou, as I am one of those who do\nnot wish people to believe words but works; and as I have had no Grammar,\nand been only seven weeks at a language which Amyot says _one may acquire\nin five or six years_, I thought you might believe my account of my\nprogress to be a piece of exaggeration and vain boasting. The\ntranslation is from the Mongol History, which, not being translated by\nKlaproth, I have selected as most adapted to the present occasion; I must\npremise that I translate as I write, and if there be any inaccuracies, as\nI daresay there will, some allowance must be made for haste, which\nprevents my devoting the attention necessary to a perfectly correct\nrendering of the text.\n\nI will conclude by observing that I believe myself at present competent\nto edit any book in Mandchou, _if that be what is wanted_, and beg leave\nto remain, dear Sir, your obedient humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n _June_ 9_th_, 1833\n WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have mastered Mandchou, and I should feel obliged\nby your informing the Committee of the fact, and also my excellent friend\nMr. Brandram.\n\nI assure you that I have had no easy and pleasant task in acquiring this\nlanguage. In the first place, it is in every respect different from all\nothers which I have studied, with perhaps the exception of the Turkish,\nto which it seems to bear some remote resemblance in syntax, though none\nin words. In the second place, it abounds with idiomatic phrases, which\ncan only be learnt by habit, and to the understanding of which a\nDictionary is of little or no use, the words separately having either no\nmeaning or a meaning quite distinct from that which they possess when\nthus conjoined. And thirdly the helps afforded me in this undertaking\nhave been sadly inadequate. However, with the assistance of God, I have\nperformed my engagement.\n\nI have translated several pieces from the Mandchou, amongst which is the\n. . . or Spirit of the Hearth ([Greek text]), which is a peculiarly\ndifficult composition, and which had never previously been translated\ninto a European language. Should you desire a copy, I shall have great\npleasure in sending one.\n\nI shall now be happy to be regularly employed, for though I am not in\nwant, my affairs are not in a very flourishing condition.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,\n _July_ 3rd, 1833.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Owing to the culpable tardiness of the post-office\npeople, I have received your letter so late that I have little more than\na quarter of an hour to answer it in, and be in time to despatch it by\nthis day's mail. What you have written has given me great pleasure, as\nit holds out hope that I may be employed usefully to the Deity, to man,\nand myself. I shall be very happy to visit St. Petersburg and to become\nthe coadjutor of Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to avail myself of his acquirements\nin what you very happily designate a most singular language, towards\nobtaining a still greater proficiency in it. I flatter myself that I am\nfor one or two reasons tolerably well adapted for the contemplated\nexpedition, for besides a competent knowledge of French and German, I\npossess some acquaintance with Russian, being able to read without much\ndifficulty any printed Russian book, and I have little doubt that after a\nfew months' intercourse with the natives I should be able to speak it\nfluently. It would ill become me to bargain like a Jew or a Gypsy as to\nterms; all I wish to say on that point is, that I have nothing of my own,\nhaving been too long dependent on an excellent mother, who is not herself\nin very easy circumstances.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 13, 1833)\n HAMBURG, _August_ 4_th_, 1833.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived at Hamburg yesterday after a disagreeable\npassage of three days, in which I suffered much from sea-sickness, as did\nall the other passengers, who were a medley of Germans, Swedes, and\nDanes, I being the only Englishman on board, with the exception of the\ncaptain and crew. I landed about seven o'clock in the morning, and the\nsun, notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, shone so fiercely that it\nbrought upon me a transient fit of delirium, which is scarcely to be\nwondered at, if my previous state of exhaustion be considered. You will\nreadily conceive that my situation, under all its circumstances, was not\na very enviable one; some people would perhaps call it a frightful one.\nI did not come however to the slightest harm, for the Lord took care of\nme through two of His instruments, Messrs. Weil and Valentin, highly\nrespectable Jews of Copenhagen, who had been my fellow-passengers, and\nwith whom I had in some degree ingratiated myself on board, in our\nintervals of ease, by conversing with them about the Talmud and the book\nSohar. They conveyed me to the Konig von Engeland, an excellent hotel in\nthe street called the Neuenwall, and sent for a physician, who caused me\nto take forty drops of laudanum and my head to be swathed in wet towels,\nand afterwards caused me to be put to bed, where I soon fell asleep, and\nawoke in the evening perfectly recovered and in the best spirits\npossible. This morning, Sunday, I called on the British Consul, Mr. H.\nCanning, to whom I had a letter of recommendation. He received me with\ngreat civility, and honoured me with an invitation to dine with him\nto-morrow, which I of course accepted. He is a highly intelligent man,\nand resembles strikingly in person his illustrious relative, the late\nGeorge Canning. Since visiting him I have been to one of the five tall\nchurches which tower up above the tall houses; I thought its interior\nvery venerable and solemn, but the service seemed to be nothing more than\na low-muttered chanting, from which it was impossible to derive much\nspiritual edification. There was no sermon, and not more than twenty\npersons were present, though the edifice would contain thousands\nconveniently. Hamburg is a huge place, and the eastern part of it is\nintersected by wide canals communicating with the Elbe, so that vessels\nfind their way into most parts of the city; the bridges are consequently\nvery numerous, and are mostly of wood. Some of the streets are planted\nwith trees, which have a pretty appearance, though upon the whole it has\ncertainly no claim to the appellation of a handsome town. But no\nobserver can fail to be struck with the liveliness and bustle which reign\nin this emporium of continental Europe, worthy to be compared with Tyre\nof old or our own Liverpool. Another city adjoins it called Altona, the\npark of which and the environs are the favourite Sunday lounge of the\nHamburgers. Altona is in Holstein, which belongs to the Danish\nGovernment. It is separated from the Hanseatic town merely by a small\ngateway, so that it may truly be said here that there is but one step\nfrom a republic to a monarchy. Little can be said in commendation of the\nmoral state of this part of the world, for rope-dancers were displaying\ntheir agility in the park to-day, and the dancing-saloons, which I am\ninformed are most infamous places, are open to the public this evening.\nEngland with all her faults has still some regard to decency, and will\nnot tolerate such a shameless display of vice on so sacred a season, when\na decent cheerfulness is the freest form in which the mind or countenance\nought to invest themselves. I shall depart for Lubeck on the sixth\n(Tuesday), and shall probably be on the Baltic on my way to St.\nPetersburg on the eighth, which is the day notified for the departure the\nsteamboat. My next letter, provided it pleases the Almighty to\nvouch-safe me a happy arrival, will be from the Russian capital; and with\na fervent request that you will not forget me in your prayers, and that\nyou will present my kind remembrances and best respects to Mr. Brandram,\nand also remember me to Mr. Hattersley and Mr. Tarn, I have the honour to\nremain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 26th, 1833)\n ST. PETERSBURG, No. 221 GALERNOY ULITZA.\n [Undated.]\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--My last letter was from Hamburg, which I hope and\ntrust you received. I started from thence on the 24th, and embarking at\nTravemunde I arrived at the Russian capital on the 31st July (old style)\nafter an exceedingly pleasant passage, accomplished in the short space of\n72 hours; for the wind was during the greatest part of our way favourable\nand gentle, the sea being quite as smooth as a mill pond, so that the\npaddles of our noble steamer, the _Nikolai_, were not at all impeded in\ntheir working by any rolling or pitching of the vessel. Immediately on\nmy arrival I sought out Mr. Swan, one of the most amiable and interesting\ncharacters I have ever met with, and delivered to him your letter, the\ncontents of which were very agreeable to him; for from applying himself\ntoo un-interruptedly to transcribing the manuscript of the Mandchou Old\nTestament he had in some degree injured his health; and the arrival of a\ncoadjutor in the task was exceedingly opportune. In a day or two I went\nwith him to pay a visit to Mr. Schmidt, who resides a few miles out of\ntown. He assured us that he had no doubt of permission being granted for\nthe printing of the Mandchou New Testament, and promised to make all the\nnecessary inquiries, and to inform Mr. Swan and myself of the result. He\nwas at the time we saw him much occupied with his Mongolian Grammar and\nDictionary, which are in the press. We have not heard from him since\nthis visit, and I shall probably call upon him again in a week or two to\nhear what steps he has taken. I resided for nearly a fortnight in a\nhotel, as the difficulty of procuring lodgings in this place is very\ngreat, and when you have procured them, you have to furnish them yourself\nat a considerable expense. During this time I collated with Mr. Swan the\ngreatest part of what he had transcribed, and eventually I took up my\nabode with Mr. Egerton Hubbard, a friend of Mr. Venning's, where I am for\nthe present very comfortably situated, and I do assure you exerting\nmyself to the utmost to fulfil the views of the Society. I have\ntranscribed from the Mandchou Old Testament the second book of\nChronicles, which when I had done, I put aside the Old Testament for a\nseason, and by the advice of Mr. Swan began to copy St. Matthew's Gospel\nfrom the version of the New, executed by the same hand as the Old, with\nthe purpose of comparing it with that of Mr. Lipoftsoff. This task I\nhave just completed, and am now about to commence a transcript of the\nActs. Respecting this manuscript translation of the Old and New\nTestaments I must here observe, that with scarcely one exception it is\nthe most laborious and best executed work of the kind which I have ever\nseen, and I cannot but admire the diligence and learning of him who,\nprobably unasked and unrewarded, engaged in and accomplished it. The\nstyle, as far as I can judge, is to an eminent degree elegant and\npolished, and likely to captivate those whose taste is cultivated, and\nwith this advantage, it exhibits none of that obscurity which too\nfrequently attends refinement of language; and as for fidelity--it is\nupon the whole executed as literally, and with as much adherence to the\noriginal, as the genius of the Tartar language and the understandings of\nthe people, for whose edification it is intended, will permit. But the\nnotes and elucidations (which I copy not) which follow every chapter,\nboth of the Old and New Testament, constitute the most surprising feature\nof this work. They are so full and copious, that they occupy far more\nspace than the text; indeed, I think I speak quite within bounds when I\nsay that for every page of text there are two of explanatory matter. The\nauthor was a French Jesuit, and when did a Jesuit any thing which he\nundertook, whether laudable or the reverse, not far better than any other\nperson? Staunch Protestant though I be, I am not ashamed to say that all\nthe skill and talent of our own missionaries, in acquiring languages and\nmaking versions of the Scriptures, are, when compared with the\ncapabilities displayed by the seminary priests, faint and seemingly\ninsignificant; and yet it is singular enough that the labours of the\nlatter in this line have had almost invariably no other fate than to be\nburied in continental public libraries or in the literary collections of\nthe learned and curious; from which it is manifest that the Lord smiled\nnot upon their undertakings. They thought not of His glory but of the\nglory of their order, and the consequence has been that 'He has put down\nthe mighty from their seat and has exalted the humble and meek.'\n\nA few days since I called upon Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to my surprise\ndiscovered that he was totally unaware of any plan being in agitation for\nthe printing of his translation of the Scriptures. He said that he had\nhad no communication with Mr. Schmidt for several months; and far from\nbeing able to furnish me with any information respecting the probable\ndestiny of his work, he asked questions of me concerning it. He is a\ngentleman rather advanced in years, probably between sixty and seventy,\nbut is nevertheless surprisingly hale and robust. He was very kind, and\npromised to give me any assistance in his power towards acquiring a\nthorough knowledge of the Mandchou; and, permit me to say, that\nPetersburg is the only place in Europe where such a knowledge can be\nobtained, for the manuscripts and printed books in that tongue are very\nplentiful here, and there are moreover several individuals who speak and\nwrite it. I of course most gladly accepted such an offer, and shall\nendeavour to turn it to the best account. Mr. L. speaks no European\nlanguage but Russ, which I am not sorry for, because frequent\nconversation and intercourse with him will improve my knowledge of that\nlanguage. It is a great error to suppose that a person resident in this\ncountry can dispense with Russ, provided he is acquainted with French and\nGerman. The two latter languages, it is true, are spoken by the French\nand German shop-keepers settled here. French is moreover spoken (to\nforeigners) by the nobility and a few of the officers in the army; but\nneither are so generally understood as in England--German far less so;\nand as for the Russians being the best general linguists in Europe, I am\ntotally unable to guess how the idea could have originated, but am\ncertain from personal experience that they are quite the contrary.\n\nPetersburg is the finest city in the world; neither London nor Paris nor\nany other European capital which I have visited has sufficient\npretensions to enter into comparison with it in respect to beauty and\ngrandeur. Many of the streets are miles in length, as straight as an\narrow and adorned with the most superb edifices. The so-called Nevsky\nProspect, a street which runs from the Admiralty to the Monastery of St.\nAlexander Nevsky, is nearly three miles in length and for the greatest\npart of the way floored with small blocks of wood shaped octagonally.\nThe broad and rapid Neva runs through the centre of this Queen of cities,\nand on either side is a noble quay, from which you have a full view of\nthe river and of what is passing on its bosom. But I will not be diffuse\nin the description of objects which have been so often described, but\ndevote the following lines which my paper will contain to more important\nmatters.\n\nThe lower orders of the Russians are very willing to receive Scriptural\ninformation, and very willing to purchase it if offered to them at a\nprice which comes within their means. I will give an interesting example\nof this. A young man of the name of Nobbs, in the employ of Mr. Leake,\nan English farmer residing a few _versts_ from Petersburg, is in the\nhabit on his return from the latter place, whither he is frequently sent\nby his master, to carry with him a satchel filled with Russian New\nTestaments and religious tracts, with which he is supplied by an\nexcellent English lady who dwells there. He says that before he has\nreached home, he has invariably disposed of his whole cargo to the\nsurrounding peasantry; and such is the hunger and thirst which they\ndisplay for the word of salvation that his stock has always been\ninsufficient to answer all the demands made, after it was known what\nmerchandise he brought with him. There remain at present three hundred\ncopies unsold of the modern Russian New Testament at the shop which has\nthe disposal of the works of the late Russian Bible Society; these\ncopies, all of which are damaged from having been immersed during the\ninundation of 1824, might all be disposed of in one day, provided proper\nindividuals were employed to hawk them about in the environs of this\ncapital. There are twenty thousand copies on hand of the Sclavonian\nBible, which being in a language and character differing materially from\nthe modern Russ character and language, and only understood by the\nlearned, is unfit for general circulation, and the copies will probably\nremain unsold, though the Synod is more favourable to the distribution of\nthe Scriptures in the ancient than in the modern form. I was informed by\nthe attendant in the shop that the Synod had resolved upon not permitting\nthe printing of any fresh edition of the Scriptures in the modern Russ\nuntil these twenty thousand copies in the ancient language had been\ndisposed of. But it is possible that this assertion is incorrect.\n\nI must now conclude; and with an earnest request that you will write to\nme speedily, and deliver my kindest remembrances to Mr. Brandram and to\nmy other good friends at the Society House, I remain, Revd. and dear Sir,\nyour most obedient servant,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n ST. PETERSBURG, _August_ 27, 1833.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--The bearer of this letter is Mr. Glen, the son of\nthe celebrated missionary of Astracan. He is desirous of forming your\nacquaintance, and I take the liberty of making him known to you. He is a\nyoung man of considerable learning, and a devout Christian. His object\nin visiting England is to qualify himself for the missionary calling, in\nthe hope that at some future period he may tread in the steps of his\nfather and proclaim a crucified Saviour to the Oriental heathens. I am\nat present, thanks be to the Lord, comfortable and happy, and am every\nday busily engaged in transcribing the Mandchou Old Testament and\ncollating with Mr. Swan.\n\nIn the hope that these lines will find you in good health, I have the\nhonour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient servant,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 17th, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, 20_th_ _January_ (old style), 1834.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I received in due time your epistle of the 2nd\nJanuary, which gave me considerable pleasure, as it is exceedingly\ncheering in a foreign land to hear from one's friends and to know that\none is not forgotten by them. I now proceed to give an account of my\nstewardship up to the present time, which account I humbly trust will\nafford perfect satisfaction to the Society which has honoured a frail\ncreature like myself with a charge, the importance and difficulty of\nwhich I at present see much more clearly than I originally did.\n\nMy dear Sir, even when transcribing the Mandchou Scripture, I was far\nfrom being forgetful of the ulterior object of my mission, and therefore,\nas in duty bound, applied to Dr. Schmidt for advice and information, who\nwas the person upon whom I mainly depended. But I found that gentleman\nso involved in a multiplicity of business that it was utterly impossible\nfor him to afford me either; and though he was kind enough to promise to\nmake inquiry, etc. etc., it is very probable that he forgot to fulfil his\npromise, for the result never came to my ears.\n\nThus circumstanced, and being very uneasy in my mind, I determined to\ntake a bold step, and directly and without further feeling my way to\npetition the Government in my own name for permission to print the\nMandchou Scriptures. Having communicated this determination to our\nbeloved, sincere, and most truly Christian friend Mr. Swan (who has\nlately departed to his station in Siberia, shielded I trust by the arm of\nhis Master), it met with his perfect approbation and cordial\nencouragement. I therefore drew up a petition, and presented it with my\nown hand to his Excellence Mr. Bludoff, Minister of the Interior. He\nhaving perused it, briefly answered, that he believed the matter did not\nlie with him, but that he would consider. I now began greatly to fear\nthat the affair would not come to a favourable issue, but nevertheless\nprayed fervently to God, and confiding principally in Him, resolved to\nleave no human means untried which were within my reach.\n\nSince residing here I have assiduously cultivated the friendship of the\nHonourable Mr. Bligh, His Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary at the\nCourt of Russia, who has shown me many condescending marks of kindness,\nand who is a person of superb talents, kind disposition, and of much\npiety. I therefore, on the evening of the day of my presenting the\npetition, called upon him, and being informed that he was out of town,\nand was not expected till late at night, I left a letter for him, in\nwhich I entreated him to make use of whatever influence his high official\nsituation was calculated to give him with the Minister, towards procuring\na favourable reply; assuring him that the Mandchou version was not\nintended for circulation nor calculated for circulation in any part of\nthe Russian Empire, but in China and Chinese Tartary solely. I stated\nthat I would call for an answer the next morning. I did so, and upon\nseeing Mr. Bligh, he was kind enough to say that if I desired it he would\napply officially to the Minister, and exert all his influence in his\nofficial character in order to obtain the accomplishment of my views; but\nat the same time suggested that it would, perhaps, be as well at a\nprivate interview to beg it as a personal favour; and to this I instantly\nassented. He spoke twice to Mr. Bludoff upon the subject; and I shortly\nafterwards received a summons to appear at the Asiatic Department,\nwhither I went, and found that Mr. Bludoff had been enquiring whether any\nperson was to be found capable of being employed as Censor over the work,\nand that it had been resolved that Mr. Lipoftsoff, who is one of the\nclerks of the Asiatic Department, should be appointed Censor, and that I\nshould be the Editor of the work, provided permission were granted to\nprint it. I went away, and having received no intelligence during the\nspace of a fortnight, I waited upon Mr. Bligh and begged that, provided\nit were not disagreeable to him, he would make a fresh application to the\nMinister. And, singularly enough, Mr. Bludoff was to dine at Mr. Bligh's\nthat evening, and the latter amiable gentleman assured me that he would\nnot let so excellent an opportunity slip of saying what was calculated to\nbring the matter to a conclusion. That same night I received a message,\nwhereby I was requested to wait on Mr. Bludoff the next day, at one. I\ndid so, and he received me in the most polite manner and said that the\nmatter did not entirely depend upon him, but that it would be necessary\nto obtain the permission also of the Director of Worship, that however he\nwould give me a letter to that Dignitary, which he doubted not would have\nsome effect. I received the letter, and without losing any time repaired\nto the Director's Office and having delivered my letter, after waiting\nsome time, was told to call at the Asiatic Department on the first day of\nthe next week (the very day your letter arrived). On calling there _I\nfound that permission had been granted to print the Mandchou Scripture_.\n\nI hope that the honourable Committee and yourself will feel no\ndispleasure at my presuming here to make a slight suggestion. We are\nunder great obligations to Mr. Bligh; and I have certainly taken great\nliberties with the friendship with which he has thought proper to favour\nme, liberties which I should certainly not have felt myself authorised to\nhave taken in any affair, the end of which was not the glorifying of God,\nas the aim of this certainly is. I therefore should wish to hint the\nexpediency of a letter in which the thanks of the Committee be presented\nto Mr. Bligh for the interest which he has been pleased to take in this\nbusiness, and for the trouble he has given himself. You are well aware\nthat a handsome acknowledgement of a kindness received is never taken\namiss; and as it is not impossible that Mr. Bligh, at another time and\neven at another place, may have an opportunity of promoting the excellent\nviews of the Society, I cannot help thinking that such an acknowledgement\nwould be unwise neither in respect to what has occurred or may occur\nhereafter.\n\nIn reply to your inquiries respecting my progress in the Mandchou\nlanguage, I have to observe that for some time past I have taken lessons\nfrom a person who was twelve years in Pekin, and who speaks Mandchou and\nChinese with fluency. I pay him about six shillings English for each\nlesson, which I grudge not, for the perfect acquirement of Mandchou is\none of my most ardent wishes; as I am convinced that it is destined by\nprovidence to be the medium for the spiritual illumination of countless\nmillions of Chinese and Tartars. At present I can transcribe the Manchou\ncharacter with much greater facility and speed than I can the English. I\ncan translate from it with tolerable facility, and have translated into\nit, for an exercise, the second homily of the Church of England \"On the\nMisery of Man.\" I have likewise occasionally composed a few hymns in\nthis language, the difficulty of which I am at present more fully aware\nof than when I left England. It is one of those deceitful tongues, the\nseeming simplicity of whose structure induces you to suppose, after\napplying to them for a month or two, that little more remains to be\nlearned, but which, should you continue to study a year, as I have\nstudied this, show themselves to you in their veritable colours, amazing\nyou with their copiousness, puzzling with their idioms. In a word\nMandchou is equally as difficult as Sanscrit or Persian, neither of which\nlanguages has ever been thoroughly acquired by any European, though at\nfirst acquaintance they flatter the student with their deceitful\nsimplicity. I take the liberty of sending you a short original epigram\nin rhymed Mandchou, which if it answers no other purpose will afford you\nsome idea of my running Mandchou hand, which, as I now write\nperpendicularly, is very different from that hand which I wrote\npreviously to my coming hither. The epigram is upon the exploits of the\nTartars.\n\n[Here follow four upright lines in Manchu characters.]\n\nMilites qui e Manjurico deserto exierunt, bellando silvas, campos et\noppida Sinensis imperii captarunt.\n\nWant of room obliges me to defer making a report upon Mr. Lipoftsoff's\ntranslation until my next letter, which will follow in a week or two; for\nI am unwilling in a matter of such immense importance to deliver a brief\nand hurried opinion. I have much to communicate also respecting the\nproper means to be pursued for the introduction and circulation of the\nvolume, when printed, in China and Tartary. This information I have\nderived from the most authentic sources, namely from individuals who have\nspent many years in these countries, and whose acquaintance I have\neagerly sought.\n\nFrom England I have lately received a letter in which is an extract from\nan epistle of my brother in Mexico, amounting to this--that there is no\nnative language in that country entitled to the appellation of _the_\nMexican language; that it is as incorrect to make use of such an\nexpression, as it would be to say definitely _the_ European language;\nthat setting aside the Spanish there are upwards of twenty languages and\ndialects spoken in Mexico, none of which are read (except perhaps here\nand there by a few individuals) but communicated by the mouth and only\nacquired by the ear; that my brother has shown the sheet of St. Luke's\nGospel, which I transmitted to him, to various Spaniards and Indians, but\nit was unintelligible to them, the latter not recognising the words when\nread to them. I should therefore advise that the copies of this version\nbe sent, if possible, to the place where the version was purchased, as it\nwas probably made in the language or dialect of that place or\nneighbourhood, and where there is a chance of its being of some utility.\nShould my brother have survived the late dreadful commotions in Mexico, I\nhave no doubt that he will be exceedingly happy to assist in flinging the\nrays of Scriptural light over that most benighted and miserable region;\nbut having lately read in the Russian newspapers that the town of\nGuanajuato, where he resided, has been taken and sacked by the murderous\nbands of the insurgents, I have great reason to fear that his earthly\ncourse is terminated, for the former, incited by their demoniacal\npriests, in comparison with whom the Shamans of Manjuria and the lamas of\nMongolia and China are innocent and holy, lay hold of every opportunity\nof shedding the blood of Protestants and foreigners.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. March 10th, 1834, with Report on the Mandchou New\n Testament.)\n ST. PETERSBURG, GALERNOY ULITZA,\n 4 _February_ (old style) 1834.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In compliance with the request of the Committee,\nexpressed in your epistle of the 2nd January, I herewith send a report\nupon Mr. Lipoftsoff's translation; and as there were many things which I\nwished to mention in my last letter, but was unable from want of room, I\ntake this opportunity of stating them, with the hope that they will meet\nwith your approbation.\n\nIn the first place, whatever communication you wish to make to Mr.\nLipoftsoff I think you had best charge me with to him, for in that case\nyou will be certain that he will receive it, without loss of time. But I\nmust inform you that he is rather a singular man, and to all appearances\nperfectly indifferent to the fate of his excellent translation, caring\nnothing whether it be published as a powerful instrument to open the\nclosed eyes and soften the hard hearts of the idolators of China and\nTartary, or whether it be committed to the flames, and for ever lost to\nthe world. You cannot conceive the cold, heartless apathy in respect to\nthe affair, on which I have been despatched hither as an _assistant_,\nwhich I have found in people, to whom I looked, not unreasonably, for\nencouragement and advice. But thanks be to the Lord, the great object\nhas been accomplished, permission has been obtained to print the New\nTestament, and have no doubt that permission for the whole Bible is\nwithin our reach. And in regard to what we have yet to do, let it be\nborne in mind, that we are by no means dependent upon Mr. Lipoftsoff;\nthough certainly to secure the services which he is capable of performing\nwould be highly desirable, and though he cannot act outwardly in the\ncharacter of Editor, he having been appointed Censor, he may privately be\nof great utility to us. Therefore let the attempt to engage his services\nbe made without delay.\n\nAt the Sarepta House is a chest containing Mandchou characters, belonging\nto the Bible Society, which I shall cause to be examined for the purpose\nof ascertaining whether they have sustained any injury from rust during\nthe long time they have been lying neglected; if any of them have, my\nlearned friend Baron Schilling, who is in possession of a small fount of\nMandchou types for the convenience of printing trifles in that tongue,\nhas kindly promised to assist us with the use of as many of his own as\nmay be necessary. There is one printing office here, where they are in\nthe habit of printing with the Mongolian character, which differs but\nlittle from the Mandchou; consequently the Mongolian compositors will be\ncompetent to the task of composing in Mandchou. There are no Mandchou\ntypes in St. Petersburg, with the exception of our own and Baron\nSchilling's.\n\nI suppose that it will be thought requisite to print the town for a year\nor so, it is my humble opinion, and the opinion of much wiser people,\nthat if he were active, zealous and likewise courageous, the blessings\nresulting from his labours would be incalculable. It would be by no\nmeans a difficult thing to make excursions into Tartary and to form\nfriendships amongst the Tartar hordes, and I am far from certain that\nwith a little management and dexterity he would be unable to penetrate\neven to Pekin, and to return in safety, after having examined the state\nof the land. I can only say that if it were my fortune to have the\nopportunity, I would make the attempt, and should consider myself only to\nblame if I did not succeed.\n\nIn my last letter I informed you that I had procured myself an instructor\nin Mandchou, and that I was making tolerable progress in the language. I\nshould now wish to ask whether this person could not be turned to some\nfurther account; for example, to assist me in making a translation into\nMandchou of the Psalms and Isaiah, which have not yet been rendered. A\nfew shillings a week, besides what I give him for my own benefit, would\nsecure his co-operation, for he is a person in very low circumstances.\nHe is not competent to undertake any thing of the kind by himself, being\nin many respects very simple and ignorant; but as an assistant I think he\nmight be of considerable utility, and that between us we could produce a\nversion which, although it might not be particularly elegant, would be\nclear, grammatical and faithful to the original. In the mean time I\nshall pursue my studies, and be getting every thing in readiness for\nsetting the printers at work; and with a humble request for _speedy\ninstructions_, in order that as little time as possible may be lost in\nthe work of the Lord, I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nYour most obedient and humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nP.S.--My kindest regards to Mr. Brandram and my other dear friends at the\nBible House. I thank you heartily for your kind advice in the latter\npart of your last epistle. Do me the favour to inform Dr. Richardson\nthat I have followed his instructions in regard to clothing, etc., and\nhave derived great benefit therefrom.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. Joseph Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. March ---, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Febry._ 15 (old style), 1834.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Having forgotten in my last letter to say something\nwhich I intended, I take the liberty of troubling you with these lines.\nBut first of all I must apologise for certain slips of the pen in the\nReport which I transmitted; for it left me without having been corrected,\nBaron Schilling having called upon me just as I sat down to the task, and\nwhen he had departed, I had barely time to seal it and despatch it by\nthat week's post. There was in it, I believe, nothing of much importance\nwhich required alteration, but, if I mistake not, I had written, in the\nthird side, vibebam, instead of _viverem_, and unaparelled, or some such\nword, instead of _unparalleled_, in the fourth. Now to the point.\n\nWhat is to be done with the transcript of Puerot's translation of the\nActs of the Apostles, which I made, and which is now in my possession?\nThe translation is in every respect an admirable one; clear, faithful,\nand elegant. It would not do to print it in lieu of Mr. Lipoftsoff's\ntranslation of that part of the New Testament; because the styles of the\ntwo individuals are so different, that to mix up the writings of the one\nwith those of the other would only serve to disfigure the work, and Mr.\nLipoftsoff's translation is well worthy of being printed separately and\nentire; but I conceive that we possess a treasure in Puerot's writings,\nand that it would be a great pity to hide any portion of them from the\nworld. Pray communicate this hint to the Committee, and pardon me for\ntroubling you.\n\nI remain, Rev. and dear Sir, most sincerely yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd, May 16th, 1834)\n GALERNOY ULITZA, ST. PETERSBURG,\n 15_th_ _April_ (old style) 1834.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Upon the receipt of your letter of the [21st] ult.\n[date omitted], I lost no time in endeavouring to obtain the necessary\ninformation upon the points to which you directed my attention; and I\nhave some hope that what I am about to communicate will not be altogether\nunsatisfactory; but I must first of all state that it was not acquired in\na day, and that I have been obliged to go to many people and many places,\nwhich will account for my not having sooner returned an answer.\n\nFirst, respecting the most important point, the expense of printing the\nNew Testament in Mandchou. I was quite terrified at the enormous sums\nwhich some of the printers to whom I made application required for the\nwork. At length our friend Dr. Schmidt recommended me to the University\nPress, and I having spoken to the directors of the establishment, they\nsent me in the course of a week an estimate which neither Dr. Schmidt nor\nmyself considered to be unreasonable, and of this estimate I here subjoin\na translation:\n\n To Mr. Borrow.\n\n 'After much consultation with the compositor, I have come to the\n following result concerning the Mandchou business about which you\n consulted me. If the work be printed on as thin paper as that of the\n original, it can only be printed on one side. Now supposing that the\n size is to be folio like that of the original, two sides will make a\n sheet, and the price of composition will be 26 roubles, 20\n copecks--that is to say; 12R. to the compositor, wages 2R. 50c.,\n percentage to the printing office 11R. 60c., making 26R. 20c. The\n printing of 1000 on one side 2R. 50c., percentage 2R., making 4R.\n 50c. Thus for composition and printing 30R. 60c. for 1000; for 2000,\n 35R. 10c.; for 3000, 39R. 60c.--\n\n Your very obedient servant,\n\n KORLER.'\n\nIn the meantime I had become acquainted with two German printers, Schultz\nand Beneze, who being young men and just entered into business are very\neager to obtain the printing of a work of such importance, which they\nhope will serve to bring them into notice, as well as being advantageous\nto them in a pecuniary view. The difference, as to the expense of\nprinting, in the estimate made by these gentlemen and that of the\nUniversity Press, will doubtless as much surprise you, as it did me.\nHere it follows:\n\n 'In respect to the printing of the New Testament in the Manchou\n language, the undersigned oblige themselves to undertake the printing\n of the said work. In the first place, as the Bible Society, and in\n particular their agent Mr. Borrow, think fit to furnish the printers\n with the necessary types and paper, the undersigned offer to supply\n the sheet consisting of four pages with composition, clean and black\n printing, at the rate of 25 roubles, paper currency, for a thousand\n copies; for two thousand copies, five additional roubles assignats,\n so that the same sheet, only by a greater edition, amounts to 30\n roubles assignats; thirdly, for 3000 copies in the above proportion,\n 35 roubles. Fourthly, we promise during the interval of a certain\n period to supply at the rate of three sheets per week.\n\n SCHULTZ & BENEZE.'\n\nYou will perceive that the amount of this estimate is less, by more than\none-half, than the amount of the other. Schultz and Beneze's sheet\nconsists of four sides, and they charge less for it than the printers of\nthe University charge for theirs which consists only of two. I should\ntherefore think that upon this ground they are entitled to the\npreference, were there nothing else to recommend them, which, in my\nhumble opinion, there is; for being young beginners, and not having very\nmuch to do, they are more likely to push the work forward, than a firm\noverwhelmed with business, from whom, whatever might be promised, a sheet\nper week is the utmost to be expected, by which much valuable time must\nbe lost. Dr. Schmidt is acquainted with Messrs. S. & B., and highly\napproves of their being employed.\n\nSecondly, concerning paper, with which the printer has no concern. I can\nas yet say little for certain upon this matter, which has been the\noccasion of no little trouble and expense; for I have been obliged to\ntake no less than three journeys to Peterhof, a town about 30 _versts_\ndistant, where stands the paper manufactory, for there is no such paper\nas we want in the Russian capital. In this manufactory they have about\n50 _stopes_ or reams (we should require ten times that quantity for only\n1000 copies) of the very paper, I believe, on which the Mandchou Gospel\nof St. Matthew was printed, and some of the workmen said that they could\nmake as much more as should be required. Concerning the price of this\npaper, I could obtain no positive information, for the director and first\nand second clerks were invariably absent, and the place abandoned to\nignorant understrappers (according to the custom of Russia). And\nnotwithstanding I found out the director in Petersburg, he himself could\nnot tell me the price, but informed me that he would inquire, and\nspeedily send me word; but as I have as yet heard nothing from him, I\nwrite lest it should be supposed in England that I am sleeping on my\nstation. _I shall write again in a few days on this point_; _in the mean\ntime you would oblige me by causing the accounts of Dr. Pinkerton's\nexpenses to be referred to_, for the purpose of ascertaining how much he\npaid per ream for this kind of paper. I believe it to be extravagantly\ndear, at least five times dearer than good common paper, which can be\nprocured for fifteen roubles per ream; and if that be the case, common\npaper must be used and the book printed in the common fashion, unless the\nSociety be prepared to disburse thousands instead of hundreds; for if the\nwork were printed on this Chinese paper, four times more paper would be\nrequired than if it were printed on the other, as five multiplied by four\nmake twenty, the expense of paper would be twenty times greater.\n\nThirdly, respecting Mr. Lipoftsoff, with whom I have of late had much\nconversation. He has behaved very handsomely. He has made an immense\nnumber of alterations in his translation, all of which are excellent\nimprovements, and all these are to be at our disposal gratis. He says\nthat he cannot receive any remuneration for looking over the work, being\nbound to do so as Censor. I shall therefore edit it, and have the\nsupervision of the proof sheets, which he will peruse last of all. He\nhaving examined me in Mandchou did me the honour to say I required no\nassistance at all; but should the Committee and yourself be of opinion\nthat it would be advisable to procure a little, the 'pundit' would be\nvery happy for an extra six or seven shillings per week to collate with\nme when wanted. I have derived great benefit from this man, who though\nin many respects a most singular and uncouth being speaks Mandchou\ngallantly, with the real pronunciation of _Pekin_, which differs\nconsiderably from that of _Pekhan_ (the desert), being far more soft and\nmelodious. During the interval which will elapse between my writing to\nyou and hearing from you, I shall borrow from Baron Schilling the\nMandchou Old Testament and reperuse the notes in order to be able to give\na suitable opinion as to their value. My present opinion of them is no\nmean one. In answer to your query _respecting the transcript of the Old\nTestament_, I beg leave to inform you that it is in the hands of a Mr.\nMerrilies, an English merchant, to whom Mr. Swan entrusted it. I believe\nhe starts for England by the first steam-boat.\n\nI have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, sincerely yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nP.S.--Since my last letter I have been laid up for some time with a\nnervous fever, but thank God I am quite recovered. My best respects to\nMr. Brandram. Pray excuse the haste in which this letter is written, it\nwill be barely in time for the post.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 26th, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, April 28 (old style) 1834.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Being at length able to communicate some positive\ninformation respecting the price of the paper, which we are in need of, I\nlose no time in doing so. The day after I despatched my last epistle,\nwhich I hope you have received, I was favoured with a communication from\nthe director of the Peterhof Fabrik or Manufactory, a gentleman who\namongst other titles bears that of Councillor of State. He was kind\nenough to say that I should have the 50 reams of paper which remained,\nand which I before alluded to, at 75 roubles per ream; but that if any\nmore were necessary, one hundred roubles per ream would be required, and\nnot any reduction would be made. You may easily guess that I was\nsomewhat startled at this piece of information, for upon making a\ncalculation I found that one ream of paper would be little more than\nsufficient for two copies of the entire Mandchou New Testament. There\nare 480 sheets in a Russian ream, and I suppose that our book will\nconsist of seven parts, each containing about the same number of sheets\nas the printed Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew. Now that Gospel contains\n31 sheets, and 31 multiplied by 7 amounts to 211 [_sic_], which\nmultiplied by 2 makes 422 sheets, leaving only a surplus of 58.\nTherefore the paper necessary for 1000 copies only would amount to about\n450 reams, the price of which, after allowance had been made for the 50\nreams at 75 roubles, would exceed 40,000 roubles. The next day I hired a\ncalash, and spent the best part of a week in causing myself to be driven\nto all the places in the vicinity of Petersburg where paper is made.\nKnowing but too well that it is the general opinion of the people of this\ncountry that Englishmen are made of gold, and that it is only necessary\nto ask the most extravagant price for any article in order to obtain it,\nI told no person, to whom I applied, who I was, or of what country; and I\nbelieve I was supposed to be a German. In some places I had now the\npleasure of hearing that I could have the paper at 60 roubles per ream.\nAt last I came to a person whom, after having informed him that I was in\nneed of a very great quantity, perhaps a thousand reams or more, I beat\ndown from 50 to 40 roubles, from 40 to 35, and it is probable that I may\nbe able to obtain a large quantity at 30. I must inform you that I also\nemployed two agents, and we three going various ways have ascertained\nthat the necessary paper may be procured for between 30 and 40 roubles\nper ream, paper of as good a quality--nay, better than that on which the\nGospel of St. Matthew was printed, and that for which 100 roubles were\ndemanded at Peterhof. It is therefore now time for the Committee to come\nto a decision respecting the number of copies to be printed, and I wish\nit to be borne in mind that the price of the paper per ream in some\ndegree depends upon the quantity required. I do not think it possible to\nobtain any where paper of a similar quality at a less price than 30 or 35\nroubles; for the specimens which I have obtained are very beautiful, and\na work printed on such paper need not be ashamed to show its face amongst\nthe most fastidious Tartars and Chinese. To print the Testament on\ncommon paper would certainly not be advisable, as in that case the\nprobability is that notwithstanding the reverence of those singular\npeople for written or printed characters, the sacred volume, if put into\ntheir hands, would be destroyed.\n\nI am in conformity with your expressed desire getting every thing into\nreadiness for commencing printing, and therefore earnestly beg for a\nspeedy communication, informing me how much paper I am to bespeak, and in\nwhat manner I am to pay for it. I must here observe that in all dealings\nwithin Russia the purchaser must have his money ready in his hand;\nconsequently, if I am authorised to purchase any quantity of paper, I\nmust have a letter of credit upon some firm here resident, that I may be\nable to pay for the article immediately upon its delivery.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nP.S.--With respect to the paper, if purchased; would you have me deliver\nthe whole of it into the printer's hands at once, or should a small\napartment be hired in which to keep part of it until wanted? In this\ncountry the wisdom of the serpent is quite as necessary as the innocence\nof the dove.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Thornton, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 22nd, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _June_ 27_th_, 1834.\n\nSIR,--Having drawn upon Messrs. Simondsen and Company of St. Petersburg\nfor the sum of 2000 roubles (two thousand roubles) as a deposit upon an\norder for 450 reams of Chinese paper, at _twenty-five roubles_ per ream,\nI have to request that you will honour their draft to the like amount.\n\nI remain, Sir, yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Our types are in the hands of the printer, they have\nbeen cleaned and set in order. St. Matthew's Gospel has been corrected,\nand the work of printing commences next week. Most truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo John Jackson, Esq.\n\n\n _Octr._ 1 (old style), 1834, ST. PETERSBURG.\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--I am exceedingly sorry that you should have had the trouble\nof writing to me to no purpose; for in respect to the letter, which it\nseems by your favour of the 29th ult. you committed to a private hand to\nbe forwarded to me, I beg leave to state that I have never received it,\nor heard anything of it. I must earnestly intreat that in future all\nletters relating to business be despatched by the regular post, otherwise\ngreat inconvenience and misunderstanding will be the result. Private\nindividuals seldom give themselves the slightest trouble to deliver\nletters. If they chance to fall in with the persons for whom they are\nintended--well and good! if not, the letters are flung aside and\nforgotten. In respect to the monies furnished me by our friend Mr. Tarn\nfor my journey I have sent an account of the disbursement on the other\nside, and also of what I have expended already upon the Mandchou New\nTestament, of which _St. Matthew's Gospel has been completed and St.\nMark's entered upon_.\n\nI remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.,\n_Under-Treasurer of the British and Foreign Bible Society_.\n\n\nAccount of the disbursement of certain monies received by me for my\njourney to St. Petersburg in the service of the B. S.:--\n\nReceived of Mr. Tarn (if I mistake not) 30 pounds, and 7 pounds, making\ntogether 37 pounds.\n\nPaid for fare to Hamburg by steam-boat, diet not included, 7 pounds, 0s\n0d\n\nFor expenses of conveying myself and baggage to the custom-house wharf,\nand of getting on board, 0 pounds, 6s, 0d\n\nCarry forward, 7 pounds, 6s, 0d\n\nBrought forward 7 pounds, 6s, 0d\n\nExpenses on board the packet, viz. diet, servants, and baggage fees at\nStade on the Hanoverian coast, 1 pound, 9s, 0d\n\nExpenses attending my landing at Hamburg, conveyg. baggage to the hotel,\netc., 0 pounds, 5s, 0d\n\nExpenses on the day of my arrival, for medical advice, physic, etc.,\nhaving been seized by severe illness, 0 pounds, 7s, 0d\n\nExpenses during three days' sojourn at Hamburg, viz. for lodging, diet,\nand _valet de place_, 1 pound, 19s, 0d\n\nExpenses of journey to Lubeck, namely hire of calash, driver, etc., 1\npound, 10s, 0d\n\nExpenses of two days' sojourn at Lubeck, 1 pound, 7s, 0d\n\nExpenses for removal of baggage to the river-side and journey down the\nriver Trave to steam-boat at Travemunde, 0 pounds, 7s, 0d\n\nFare from Travemunde to St. Petersburg, diet not included, 1 pound, 0s,\n0d\n\nFor diet, servants, etc., 1 pound, 17s, 6d\n\nTotal, 27 pounds, 7s, 6d\n\nSurplus of money, 9 pounds, 12s, 6d\n\nFrom which surplus of 9 pounds, 12s. 6d. are to be deducted 7 pounds,\n4s., or the salary of twelve days not drawn for, which twelve days were\nspent in the journey. The salary commencing from the hour of\nembarcation.\n\nSurplus due to Mr. Tarn, 2 pounds, 8s, 6d\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--At the expiration of this quarter I shall draw for the sum\nof 47 pounds, 11s. 6d. instead of the usual 50 pounds, whereby my account\nwith you will be liquidated. I have, according to your suggestion when\nwe parted, deducted the salary of the days passed in journeying from the\nmoney which I received from you, Messrs. Simondsen having received advice\nto pay me from the day of my arrival at St. Petersburg, whereas by the\nwords of my agreement (see books) the salary commences from the time of\nembarcation. I believe, previous to my departure, that I accounted to\nyou for the sums advanced for passports. I have had the good fortune, as\nI suppose you are aware, to procure for 25 roubles per ream the paper for\nwhich I was originally asked 60, and of which previously the very lowest\nprice has ever been 35. This paper is far superior to that for which the\nSociety formerly paid 40 (and which was not dear at 40), being far\nstronger and more glossy. You will particularly oblige me by taking care\nthat Messrs. Simondsen's drafts are honored without the slightest delay.\nIf I were unable to pay for the paper at the stated time I should\nprobably be arrested, and, what would be far more lamentable, the\ncontract with the merchants would be broken; and upon a fresh contract I\ncould not obtain the paper in question for less than 60 roubles per ream,\nfor the winter has already come upon us, during which most of the paper\nmanufactories are at a stand-still, and an order for paper would be\nconsequently given under every possible disadvantage. I have forwarded,\naccording to your desire, an account of the sums of money hitherto drawn\nfor, and of the manner in which they have been disbursed. I intended to\nhave reserved my account for Christmas, by which season I hope, with the\nblessing of God, to have brought out the four Gospels. Excuse these\nhasty lines, and believe me, dear Sir, ever yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 10th, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Oct._ 8 [old style], 1834.\n\nI have just received your most kind epistle, the perusal of which has\ngiven me both pain and pleasure--pain that from unavoidable circumstances\nI have been unable to gratify eager expectation, and pleasure that any\nindividual should have been considerate enough to foresee my situation\nand to make allowance for it. The nature of my occupations during the\nlast two months and a half has been such as would have entirely unfitted\nme for correspondence, had I been aware that it was necessary, which, on\nmy sacred word, I was not. Now, and only now, when by the blessing of\nGod I have surmounted all my troubles and difficulties, I will tell, and\nwere I not a Christian I should be proud to tell, what I have been\nengaged upon and accomplished during the last ten weeks. I have been\nworking in the printing-office, as a common compositor, between ten and\nthirteen hours every day during that period; the result of this is that\nSt. Matthew's Gospel, printed from such a copy as I believe nothing was\never printed from before, has been brought out in the Mandchou language;\ntwo rude Esthonian peasants, who previously could barely compose with\ndecency in a plain language which they spoke and were accustomed to, have\nreceived such instruction that with ease they can each compose at the\nrate of a sheet a day in the Mandchou, perhaps the most difficult\nlanguage for composition in the whole world; considerable progress has\nalso been made in St. Mark's Gospel, and I will venture to promise,\nprovided always the Almighty smiles upon the undertaking, that the entire\nwork of which I have the superintendence will be published within eight\nmonths from the present time. Now, therefore, with the premise that I\nmost unwillingly speak of myself and what I have done and suffered for\nsome time past, all of which I wished to keep locked up in my own breast,\nI will give a regular and circumstantial account of my proceedings from\nthe day when I received your letter, by which I was authorised by the\nCommittee to bespeak paper, engage with a printer, and cause our type to\nbe set in order.\n\nMy first care was to endeavour to make suitable arrangements for the\nobtaining of Chinese paper. Now those who reside in England, the most\ncivilised and blessed of countries, where everything is to be obtained at\na fair price, have not the slightest idea of the anxiety and difficulty\nwhich, in a country like this, harass the foreigner who has to disburse\nmoney not his own, if he wish that his employers be not shamefully and\noutrageously imposed upon. In my last epistle to you I stated that I had\nbeen asked 100 roubles per ream for such paper as we wanted. I likewise\ninformed you that I believed that it was possible to procure it for 35\nroubles, notwithstanding our Society had formerly paid 40 roubles for\nworse paper than the samples I was in possession of. Now I have always\nbeen of opinion than in the expending of money collected for sacred\npurposes, it behoves the agent to be extraordinarily circumspect and\nsparing. I therefore was determined, whatever trouble it might cost me,\nto procure for the Society unexceptionable paper at a yet more reasonable\nrate than 35 roubles. I was aware, that an acquaintance of mine, a young\nDane, was particularly intimate with one of the first printers of this\ncity, who is accustomed to purchase vast quantities of paper every month\nfor his various publications. I gave this young gentleman a specimen of\nthe paper I required, and desired him (he was under obligations to me) to\nenquire of his friend, _as if from curiosity_, the least possible sum per\nream at which the _printer himself_ (who from his immense demand for\npaper should necessarily obtain it cheaper than any one else) could\nexpect to purchase the article in question. The answer I received within\na day or two was 25 roubles. Upon hearing this I prevailed upon my\nacquaintance to endeavour to persuade his friend to bespeak the paper at\n25 roubles, and to allow me, notwithstanding I was a perfect stranger, to\nhave it at that price. All this was brought about. I was introduced to\nthe printer, Mr. Pluchard, by the Dane, Mr. Hasfeldt, and between the\nformer gentleman and myself a contract was made to the effect that by the\nend of October he should supply me with 450 reams of Chinese paper at 25\nroubles per ream, the first delivery to be made on the 1st of August; for\nas my order was given at an advanced period of the year, when all the\npaper manufactories were at full work towards the executing of orders\nalready received, it was but natural that I should verify the old\napophthegm, 'Last come, last served.' As no orders are attended to in\nRussia unless money be advanced upon them, I deposited in the hands of\nMr. Pluchard the sum of 2000 roubles, receiving his receipt for that\namount.\n\nHaving arranged this most important matter to my satisfaction, I turned\nmy attention to the printing process. I accepted the offer of Messrs.\nSchultz and Beneze to compose and print the Mandchou Testament at the\nrate of 25 roubles per sheet, and caused our fount of type to be conveyed\nto their office. I wish to say here a few words respecting the state in\nwhich these types came into my possession. I found them in a kind of\nwarehouse, or rather cellar. They had been originally confined in two\ncases; but these having burst, the type lay on the floor trampled amidst\nmud and filth. They were, moreover, not improved by having been immersed\nwithin the waters of the inundation of '27 [1824]. I caused them all to\nbe collected and sent to their destination, where they were purified and\narranged--a work of no small time and difficulty, at which I was obliged\nto assist. Not finding with the type what is called 'Durchschuss' by the\nprinters here, consisting of leaden wedges of about six ounces weight\neach, which form the spaces between the lines, I ordered 120 pounds\nweight of those at a rouble a pound, being barely enough for three\nsheets. I had now to teach the compositors the Mandchou alphabet, and to\ndistinguish one character from another. This occupied a few days, at the\nend of which I gave them the commencement of St. Matthew's Gospel to\ncopy. They no sooner saw the work they were called upon to perform than\nthere were loud murmurs of dissatisfaction, and . . . [four Russian\nwords] which means 'It is quite impossible to do the like,' was the\ncry--and no wonder. The original printed Gospel had been so interlined\nand scribbled upon by the author in a hand so obscure and irregular,\nthat, accustomed as I was to the perusal of the written Mandchou, it was\nnot without the greatest difficulty that I could decipher the new matter\nmyself. Moreover, the corrections had been so carelessly made that they\nthemselves required far more correction than the original matter. I was\ntherefore obliged to be continually in the printing-office, and to do\nthree parts of the work myself. For some time I found it necessary to\nselect every character with my own fingers, and to deliver it to the\ncompositor, and by so doing I learnt myself to compose. We continued in\nthis way till all our characters were exhausted, for no paper had\narrived. For two weeks and more we were obliged to pause, the want of\npaper being insurmountable. At the end of this period came six reams;\nbut partly from the manufacturers not being accustomed to make this\nspecies of paper, and partly from the excessive heat of the weather which\ncaused it to dry too fast, only one ream and a half could be used, and\nthis was not enough for one sheet; the rest I refused to take, and sent\nback. The next week came fifteen reams. This paper, from the same\ncauses, was as bad as the last. I selected four reams, and sent the rest\nback. But this paper enabled us to make a beginning, which we did not\nfail to do, though we received no more for upwards of a fortnight, which\ncaused another pause. At the end of that time, owing to my pressing\nremonstrances and entreaties, a regular supply of about twelve reams per\nweek of most excellent paper commenced. This continued until we had\ncomposed the last five sheets of St. Matthew, when some paper arrived\nwhich in my absence was received by Mr. Beneze, who, without examining\nit, as was his duty, delivered it to the printers to use in the printing\nof the said sheets, who accordingly printed upon part of it. But the\nnext day, when my occupation permitted me to see what they were about, I\nobserved that the last paper was of a quality very different from that\nwhich had been previously sent. I accordingly instantly stopped the\npress, and, notwithstanding eight reams had been printed upon, I sent all\nthe strange paper back, and caused Mr. Beneze to recompose three sheets,\nwhich had been broken up, at his own expense. But this caused the delay\nof another week.\n\nThis last circumstance made me determine not to depend in future for\npaper on one manufactory alone. I therefore stated to Mr. P[luchard]\nthat, as his people were unable to furnish me with the article fast\nenough, I should apply to others for 250 reams, and begged him to supply\nme with the rest as fast as possible. He made no objection. Thereupon I\nprevailed upon my most excellent friend, Baron Schilling, to speak to his\nacquaintance, State-Councillor Alquin, who is possessed of a paper\nmanufactory, on the subject. M. Alquin, as a personal favour to Baron\nSchilling (whom, I confess, I was ashamed to trouble upon such an affair,\nand should never have done so had not zeal for the _cause_ induced me),\nconsented to furnish me with the required paper on the same terms as Mr.\nP. At present there is not the slightest risk of the progress of our\nwork being retarded--at present, indeed, the path is quite easy; but the\ntrouble, anxiety, and misery which have till lately harassed me, _alone_\nin a situation of great responsibility, have almost reduced me to a\nskeleton.\n\nMy dearest Sir, do me the favour to ask our excellent Committee, Would it\nhave answered any useful purpose if, instead of continuing to struggle\nwith difficulties and using my utmost to overcome them, I had written in\nthe following strain--and what else could I have written if I had written\nat all?--'I was sent out to St. Petersburg to assist Mr. Lipoftsoff in\nthe editing of the Mandchou Testament. That gentleman, _who holds three\nimportant situations under the Russian Government_, _and who is far\nadvanced in years_, has neither time, inclination, or eyesight for the\ntask, and I am apprehensive that my strength and powers unassisted are\nincompetent to it' (praised be the Lord, they were not!), 'therefore I\nshould be glad to return home. Moreover the compositors say that they\nare unaccustomed to compose in an unknown tongue from such scribbled and\nillegible copy, and they will scarcely assist me to compose. Moreover\nthe working printers say (several went away in disgust) that the paper on\nwhich they have to print is too thin to be wetted, and that to print on\ndry requires a two-fold exertion of strength, and that they will not do\nsuch work for double wages, for it ruptures them.' Would that have been\na welcome communication to the Committee? Would that have been a\ncommunication suited to the public? I was resolved 'to do or die,' and,\ninstead of distressing and perplexing the Committee with complaints, to\nwrite nothing until I could write something perfectly satisfactory, as I\nnow can; and to bring about that result I have spared neither myself nor\nmy own money. I have toiled in a close printing-office the whole day,\nduring 90 degrees of heat, for the purpose of setting an example, and\nhave bribed people to work whom nothing but bribes would induce so to do.\n\nI am obliged to say all this in self-justification. No member of the\nBible Society would ever have heard a syllable respecting what I have\nundergone but for the question, 'What has Mr. Borrow been about?' I hope\nand trust that question is now answered to the satisfaction of those who\ndo Mr. Borrow the honour to employ him. In respect to the expense\nattending the editing of such a work as the New Testament in Mandchou, I\nbeg leave to observe that I have obtained the paper, the principal source\nof expense, at fifteen roubles per ream less than the Society paid\nformerly for it--that is to say, at nearly half the price.\n\nAs St. Matthew's Gospel has been ready for some weeks, it is high time\nthat it should be bound; for if that process be delayed, the paper with\nbe dirtied and the work injured. I am sorry to inform you that\nbook-binding in Russia is incredibly dear, and that the expenses\nattending the binding of the Testament would amount, were the usual\ncourse pursued, to two-thirds of the entire expenses of the work.\nVarious book-binders to whom I have applied have demanded one rouble and\na half for the binding of every section of the work, so that the sum\nrequired for the binding of one Testament alone would be twelve roubles.\nDr. Schmidt assured me that one rouble and forty copecks, or, according\nto the English currency, fourteenpence halfpenny, were formerly paid for\nthe binding of every individual copy of St. Matthew's Gospel. I pray\nyou, my dear Sir, to cause the books to be referred to, for I wish to\nknow if that statement be correct. In the meantime arrangements have\nbeen made, and the Society will have to pay for each volume of the\nTestament the comparatively small sum of forty-five copecks, or fourpence\nhalfpenny, whereas the usual price here for the most paltry covering of\nthe most paltry pamphlet is fivepence. Should it be demanded how I have\nbeen able to effect this, my reply is that I have had little hand in the\nmatter. A nobleman, who honours me with particular friendship, and who\nis one of the most illustrious ornaments of Russia and of Europe, has, at\nmy request, prevailed on his own book-binder, over whom he has much\ninfluence, to do the work on these terms. That nobleman is Baron\nSchilling.\n\nCommend me to our most respected Committee. Assure them that in whatever\nI have done or left undone, I have been influenced by a desire to promote\nthe glory of the Trinity and to give my employers ultimate and permanent\nsatisfaction. If I have erred, it has been from a defect of judgment,\nand I ask pardon of God and them.\n\nIn the course of a week I shall write again, and give a further account\nof my proceedings, for I have not communicated one-tenth of what I have\nto impart; but I can write no more now. It is two hours past midnight.\nThe post goes away to-morrow, and against that morrow I have to examine\nand correct three sheets of St. Mark's Gospel, which lie beneath the\npaper on which I am writing. With my best regards to Mr. Brandram, I\nremain, dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--I wrote to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Tarn last week.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 14, 1834)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Oct._ 13_th_ (old style) 1834.\n\nREVEREND AND DEAR SIR,--In pursuance of the promise given in my epistle\nof last week, which I trust in the Lord you have received, I again\naddress you. In the first place I must intreat you to peruse and to read\nto the Committee the enclosed Latin certificate penned by Mr. Lipoftsoff,\na gentleman as little inclined to be prodigal of praise, as was of old\nthe learned Scaliger himself, to whom in many points indeed, he bears no\nfaint resemblance. In the second place, I must inform you that a few\nhurried lines are all that I can afford to write at present; my proof\nsheets are rushing in so fast that time is exceedingly precious to me,\nand I grudge every moment that is not devoted to my Maker or to my great\nundertaking.\n\nBefore this letter reaches you St. Mark's Gospel will have passed through\nthe press. The two remaining Gospels will be printed before the arrival\nof Christmas, and by the first of May the entire New Testament, in the\nMandchou language, will have been published. I wish this intelligence to\nbe communicated to the public, who are at liberty, provided the Lord does\nnot visit me with some heavy affliction, to hold me culpable, if my\nassertion is belied by the event.\n\nIt is true that were I to pursue the common practice of editors, it would\nbe impossible to complete the work in less than two years; the quantity\nof proofs, successively required for every sheet, fail not, in general,\nto retard the progress of all such undertakings. My beloved friend Mr.\nSwan published in this city a small tract in Mongolian; he found that it\nwas absolutely necessary to demand six proofs of every sheet, for in the\nsecond, nay the third proof, there were frequently as many errors as in\nthe first, from the compositors not being able properly to read the\ncorrections. But I never entrust the task of making alterations in the\npress to other hands than my own. Having corrected the first proof at\nhome, I proceed to the printing office and rectify all errors myself. I\nconsequently never require more than two proofs; the second, which I\ngenerally show to Mr. Lipoftsoff, is frequently faultless. I am so\nperfectly convinced of the excellence of this plan, that it is my firm\nintention to pursue it in whatever foreign, or even English works, it may\nbe my destiny to edit.\n\nI wish now to say a few words upon a subject, on which I have previously\nsaid something. At the present moment my principal inducement to such a\nstep is the observation every now and then made to me, both by Christians\nand no Christians, namely: 'You are printing Testaments for which you\nwill never find readers. Do not tell us that you can distribute them at\nCanton and its environs, or on the coasts of China; there are not ten\nindividuals amongst a million of the aboriginal Chinese, and such\nconstitute the inhabitants of Canton, of the coasts and of the isles, who\nunderstand the language in which your Testaments are printed. If you\nwish for readers you must seek them amongst the masters of Pekin and the\nfierce hordes of desert Tartary; but what means do you possess for\nintroducing them to Tartary or Pekin?' I stated in a former letter that\nthe town of Kiachta, upon the northern frontier of China, appeared to me\nto be in many respects a suitable head-quarters for any person on whom\nmight devolve the task of endeavouring to supply the Mandchou Tartars\nwith the word of life in their own language. I am still of opinion, and\nso are many individuals much more experienced than myself, that if a\npassport could be obtained from the Russian Government, the Bible Society\nwould do well in despatching an agent to Kiachta, to see what might be\ndone at, or rather from, that place in the great cause. Kiachta is\nlittle more than 800 miles from Pekin, and not more than half that\ndistance from Manjuria; he might therefore, trusting in the Lord, not\nunreasonably hope to be able to penetrate to the Tartar of the capital\nand the desert. True it is that his undertaking would not 'come within\nthe limits of safe and prudent speculation.' But is it possible for a\nplan to come within the limits of safe speculation, which has in view the\nconversion of the Tartar? Far be it from me to advise that the entire\nstock of Testaments be hazarded in such an enterprise; 200 is the extreme\nnumber which should be ventured, the others shipped for England, for a\nseizure upon the agent and his books would be no improbable event. I am\na person of few words, and will therefore state without circumlocution\nthat I am willing to become that agent. I speak Russ, Mandchou, and the\nTartar or broken Turkish of the Russian steppes, and have also some\nknowledge of Chinese, which I might easily improve at Kiachta, half of\nthe inhabitants of which town are Chinamen. I am therefore not\naltogether unqualified for such an adventure. Were the attempt to be\nmade, the winter of the ensuing year would be the proper time for\nstarting, because the book will not be ready before next spring, and the\nexpenses of a summer journey would be enormous.\n\nA few days since, upon taking leave of Prince Abbas Khoulgi, who has\ndeparted from this place to his patrimonial territories, near the\nCaucasus, I presented him with a Testament in the Russian-Tartar\nlanguage, which is his native tongue. He is without one exception the\nmost interesting man I have ever met. Though by religion a Mahometan he\nis totally divested of the blind bigotry which so peculiarly\ncharacterises the followers of the Camel-driver-warrior-pseudo-prophet,\nbut on the contrary is possessed of a mind ever restless in the pursuit\nof truth, and which will doubtless eventually lead him to the narrow path\nwhich leadeth unto salvation. The Testament which he received from me\nwas the very last, in the Tartar language, which remained in the shop at\nwhich are sold the publications of what was once the Russian Bible\nSociety. It is a sad fact that though there are upwards of three\nthousand Tartars in St. Petersburg, most of whom can read and write the\nTurkish dialect which they speak, not one Testament is at hand suited to\ntheir understandings. I have formed many acquaintances among these most\nsingular people, whose language I have acquired, during my residence in\nthe Russian capital, chiefly from conversing with my servant Mahomet\nDjaffier, a native of Bucharia, son of the Iman or Mahometan priest of\nthis place. Notwithstanding the superstition and fanaticism of these men\nI am much attached to them; for their conscientiousness, honesty, and\nfidelity are beyond all praise. They stand in strong contrast with the\nlower orders of the Russians, a good-natured, lowly-vicious, wavering\nrace, easily excited, easily soothed; whilst the former are sedate,\nsober, temperate beings, with minds like Egyptian granite, from which it\nis no easy matter to efface an impression, once made. How lamentable\nthat such people should in the all-important matter of religion have\nembraced error instead of truth; what ornaments they would prove at the\npresent day to Christianity, if, instead of Mahometanism, Christianity\nhad originally come in their way! Of a surety they would reflect much\nmore lustre on the religion of Christ than millions whose deeds and\nbehaviour are more worthy of the followers of the impostor than of Him\n'in whose mouth was found no craft or subtlety.'\n\nI have much more to write and wish so to do, but I have really no time.\nIt is probable that you will not hear from me again before Christmas (old\nstyle), but I entreat _you_ to inform me as soon as possible whether my\nproceedings give satisfaction or not; but I must here take the liberty of\nstating that if I were moved one inch from my own course, the\nconsequences might prove disastrous to the work, as I should instantly\nlose all power of exertion. I want no assistance but that of God, and\nwill accept of none. Pray, I beseech you, that _That_ be granted.\n\nYou would, my dear Sir, be conferring a great favour upon me, if you\nwould so far trouble yourself as to write a few lines to my venerated\nfriend Mr. Cunningham of Lowestoft, informing him that I am tolerably\nwell, and that the work is going on most prosperously.\n\nI remain, Reverend and dear Sir,\n\nYour most humble and obliged servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nP.S.--Baron Schilling wishes to have a Chinese Testament of the large\nedition: pray, send one if possible, and direct it to me at the Sarepta\nHouse. Be particular to remember that it must be of the large edition,\nfor he has one of the small already in his possession. He wishes\nlikewise to have Gutzlaff and Lindsay's Voyages.\n\n_Enclosed in the letter is the following certificate_.\n\nTestifico--\n\nDominum Burro ab initio usque ad hoc tempus summa cum deligentia et\nstudio in re Mantshurica laborasse.\n\n LIPOVZOFF.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.\n\n\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Decr._ 15/27, 1834.\n\nOn the other side I send an account of the money disbursed since the\nperiod of my last writing to you until the present moment. In respect to\nthe 75 roubles charged for the reprinting of three sheets of St. Matthew,\nI beg leave to observe, that after several sheets of that Gospel had been\nprinted, after the same manner as that adopted in the first edition, Mr.\nLipoftsoff, the Censor, gave me notice that he had determined that the\nposition of the vowel-points should be altered; and I did not think\nproper to make any opposition. But as common-sense informed me that it\nwas by no means expedient to exhibit two systems of pointing in the same\nwork, I subsequently caused the first sheets to be reprinted. I think it\nnecessary to offer this short explanation to prevent any\nmisunderstanding; for this superfluous expense must be attributed to the\nCensor's not knowing originally his own mind, and not to any negligence\non my part. I am so pressed for time that I have not been able to refer\nto my last account, which lies buried amongst the ocean of my papers, and\nin stating that I retained in hand 123 roubles, I have merely trusted to\nmemory and calculation; but I am sure the Committee and yourself will\nexcuse my little inaccuracy, when I state my situation. My two\ncompositors, whom I had instructed in all the mysteries of Mandchou\ncomposition, are in the hospital down with the brain fever, for every\nkind of sickness is at present raging in this place; and during the last\nthree days I have been running about in all directions in quest of people\nto fill their situation, until they recover.\n\nThanks be to the Lord, I have discovered and engaged the person who\ncomposed the first Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew, ten years since; and\nas next week I shall again station myself in the printing office for the\npurpose of assisting and instructing, the great work will not be delayed,\nand in a fortnight or ten days I trust to be able, provided an\nopportunity occurs, to transmit to England copies of the four Gospels.\nWith my best rewards to Mr. Brandram and Mr. Jowett (whose last letter I\nhave received), I remain, etc.,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.\n\n\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Feb._ 1, 1835.\n\nThe last account which I had the honour of transmitting to you detailed\nexpenses in the editing of the Mandchou Testament as far as the first two\nsheets of St. John. That Gospel having by the blessing of the Almighty\npassed through the press, and a copy of it bound, and also copies of the\nthree other Gospels, having been forwarded to London, I snatch a moment\nfrom my occupation to give an account of my late outgoings, the sums\ndrawn for having been considerable on account of my having many and large\nbills to discharge. When I last wrote, I retained in hand 75 roubles 50\ncopecks, of the sum of 3500 drawn for; since which sum I have drawn for\nthe separate sums of 5000 and 500 according to the books of the Sarepta\nHouse. I had advanced to the printer in consequence of the illness of\nhis compositors the sum of 250, which being deducted from the 5000 I\nshall, in order to prevent confusion, take no notice of, and proceed to\ngive an account of the disbursement of\n R. C.\n 5575 50\n\n11 Jany. 4125\n1835, paid\nMr.\nPluchard\nfor one\nhundred and\nsixty-five\nreams of\npaper at\n25R. per\nream\n27 Dec. 450\n1834, paid\nMr.\nLauffert\nfor the\nbinding of\nSt. Matthew\nDo. for 2 10\nchests to\ncontain St.\nMatthew\nJan. 2, 200\n1835, to\nprinter for\n3, 4, 5, 6,\n7, 8, 9, 10\nof St. John\nDo. for 60\nprinting\n6000\ntitles,\nbeing\nsufft. for\n6 of the 8\nparts of\nthe Test.\nJany. 9, 150\nfrom 10 to\n16 of St.\nJohn\nDo. for the 4\ncasting of\n6 large\ntype, for\ntitles, not\nin Baron\nSchilling's\ncolln., the\nrest being\nfurnished\nby him\nDo. 16. 150\nFrom 16 to\n22 of St.\nJohn\nDo. 22. To 450\nMr.\nLauffert\nfor bindg.\nSt. Mark's\nGospel\nChests 10\nDo. 22,. 22 112 50 5721 50\nto 26 and a\nhalf of St.\nJohn\nThe Society 146R. 0C.\nare\ntherefore\nat the\npresent\nmoment\nfurther\nindebted to\nme\n\n\nShould you discover at any time any inaccuracy in the accounts which I\ntransmit, you will much oblige me by instantly making me acquainted with\nthe same, in order that a satisfactory explanation may be given. The\nsacrifice of time to the correction of the manuscript and proof-sheets\nscarcely allows me a moment's leisure, and I am moreover compelled to\nsuperintend the printers and book-binders, for everything goes wrong\nwithout a strict surveillance.\n\nBy the time these lines reach you the Acts of the Apostles (the Lord\nwilling) will have passed through the press. Next week I hope to write\nto the Revd. J. Jowett.\n\nI remain, etc.,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\nP.S.--I believe that the seven shillings may be accounted for in this\nmanner. I charged seven _pounds_ for my passage to Hamburg, whereas I\npaid seven _guineas_.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. March 23, 1835)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Febry._ 20 [old style], 1835.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I take advantage of the period of the Russian\nCarnival, during which all business is at a stand-still, to transmit to\nyou some account of the manner in which I have been engaged, since the\ntime when I last addressed myself to you. True it is, that I have not\nmuch to communicate; for the history of one day is that of a week, and a\nmonth; and when I state that the printing of the Mandchou New Testament\nis advancing rapidly to a conclusion, I shall have stated all I can of\nmuch importance; but as you and our excellent friends at home have a\nright to demand particulars, I will endeavour to be as particular as lies\nwithin my power.\n\nAbout a month since I placed in the hands of Baron Schilling bound copies\nof the first four parts of the Testament, the Gospels; he having kindly\npromised to cause them to be conveyed to London by one of the couriers\nbelonging to the Foreign Department, to which the Baron is attached. I\nhave reason to believe, however, that you have not received them yet, as\nI have been informed that they remained in Petersburg some weeks after\nthey had been deposited in the Foreign Office; but in this respect I am\nnot culpable; and having no direct means of sending packets to London, I\nam glad to embrace any which may come in my way, especially those not\nattended with expense to the Society. In the mean time, I wish to inform\nyou that I am at present occupied on the last sheets of the fifth volume\nof the Testament, namely, the Acts of the Apostles, in getting which\nthrough the press I have experienced much difficulty, partly from the\nillness of my compositors, and partly from the manner in which the\ntranslation was originally executed, which has rendered much modification\nhighly necessary.\n\nHow I have been enabled to maintain terms of friendship and familiarity\nwith Mr. Lipoftsoff, and yet fulfil the part which those who employ me\nexpect me to fulfil, I am much at a loss to conjecture; and yet such is\nreally the case. It is at all times dangerous to find fault with the\nstyle and composition of authors and translators, even when they come to\nyour door to ask for your advice and assistance. You may easily conceive\nthen, that my situation has been one of treble peril. Mr. L. is the\nCensor of his own work, and against the Censor's fiat in Russia there is\nno appeal; he is moreover a gentleman whom the slightest contradiction\nnever fails to incense to a most incredible degree; and being a strict\nmember of the Greek Sclavonian Church, imagines that the revealed word\nand will of the Supreme are only to be found in the Sclavonian\nScriptures, from which he made his Mandchou version. Yet whenever\nanything has displeased me in his translation, I have frankly told him my\nopinion; and in almost every instance (and the instances have been\ninnumerable: for in translations of the sacred writings omissions and\nadditions must ever be avoided) he has suffered himself to be persuaded\nto remodel what he originally concluded to be perfect, and which perhaps\nhe still does. So that in what has been hitherto printed of the\nTestament, there is little, if any thing, with which any one but a\nprofessed caviller can find fault.\n\nI confess that in one instance I have not been able to carry my point;\nthough I assure you that I did not yield until I found that it was\nabsolutely of no avail to offer any further opposition. For although I\nwas convinced that Mr. L. was wrong, and I think when I state the\nparticulars that you will be of my opinion, he had on his side the\nChinese scholars of St. Petersburg, Baron Schilling amongst the rest, and\nmoreover being Censor he could have prohibited the work from proceeding\nif I had been too obstinate. I will tell you the ground of dispute; for\nwhy should I conceal it? Mr. L., amongst what he called his improvements\nof the translation, thought proper, when the Father Almighty is\naddressed, to erase the personal and possessive pronouns _thou_ or\n_thine_, as often as they occur, and in their stead to make use of the\nnoun as the case may require. For example, 'O Father, thou art\nmerciful,' he would render, 'O Father! the Father is merciful'; 'Our\nFather which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,' by 'Our . . . may the\nname of the Father be made holy, may the kingdom of the Father come, may\nthe will of the Father be done on earth,' etc. I of course objected to\nthis, and enquired what reason he had for having recourse to so much\ntautology. He replied that he had the best of reasons; for that amongst\nthe Chinese and Tartars none but the dregs of society were ever addressed\nin the second person; and that it would be most uncouth and indecent to\nspeak to the Almighty as if He were a servant or a slave. I told him\nthat Christians, when they address their Creator, do not address Him as\nif He were a great gentleman or illustrious personage, but rather as\nchildren their father, with a mixture of reverence and love; and that\nthis mixture of reverence and love was one of the most characteristic\ntraits of Christianity. But he said that in China children never address\ntheir parent in this manner; and that it was contrary to all received\nusage; and that in speaking to a parent the children observe the same\nrespectful formula of phraseology as in addressing an Emperor or Viceroy.\nI then observed that our object in sending the Bible into China was not\nto encourage the Chinese in any of their customs or observances, but\nrather to wean them from them; and that however startling any expression\nin the Bible might prove to them at first, it was our hope and trust that\nit would eventually cease to be disagreeable and extraordinary, and that\nthe Chinese were at present in a state which required stirring and\npowerful medicine, medicine which must necessarily be disagreeable to the\npalate to prove beneficial in another quarter. However, he said that I\ntalked '_pustota_' (emptiness or nonsense), and as he was not to be\nmoved, I was compelled to acquiesce with his dictum. This occurred some\nmonths since, and I rejoice to see in the last letter with which you\nfavoured me a fortuitous corroboration of my views on this subject. I\nallude to that part of your letter where you state that you do not desire\nthe Chinese to consider the Bible the work of a Chinese, etc. Nor do I;\nand throughout the progress of the work I have collated every sheet with\nthe Greek Testament, and whenever I have found anything still adhering to\nthe translation which struck me as not being faithful to the original, I\nhave invariably modified it, so that, with the exception of the one\ninstance above mentioned, I can safely assert that the Word of God has\nbeen rendered into Mandchou as nearly and closely as the idiom of a very\nsingular language would permit.\n\nI have now received and paid for, as you will perceive by my accompts,\n495 reams of paper, which will be barely sufficient for the work, which\nwill consist of eight parts, instead of seven, as we at first supposed.\nI take the liberty of requesting that when the books arrive you will\nexamine the texture of the paper on which they are printed. Mr. L. is\nexceedingly pleased with it, and says that it is superior to the paper of\nthe first edition of St. Matthew by at least ten roubles per ream; and\nthat it is calculated to endure for 200 years. It certainly does possess\nuncommon strength and consistency, notwithstanding its tenuity, and the\ndifficulty of tearing it is remarkable. By my direction it received a\nslight tinge of yellow, as no books are printed in China upon paper\nentirely colourless. I must be permitted to say that the manner in which\nthe book-binder, Mr. Lauffert, is performing his task is above all\npraise; but he has been accustomed for many years to this kind of work,\nthe greatest part of Baron Schilling's immense collection of Chinese\nworks having been bound by him. We may esteem ourselves very fortunate\nin having met with a person so competent to the task, and whose terms are\nso remarkably reasonable. Any other book-binder in St. Petersburg would\nhave refused double the price at which he has executed this important\npart of the work, and had they undertaken the affair, would probably have\nexecuted it in a manner which would have exposed the book to the scorn\nand laughter of the people for whom it is intended.\n\nA few months since I saw Mr. Glen, the missionary from Astracan, as he\npassed through St. Petersburg on his return to England. He is a very\nlearned man, but of very simple and unassuming manners. The doom which\nhad been pronounced upon his translation seems to have deeply affected\nhim; but he appears to me to labour under a very great error respecting\nthe motives which induced the Editorial Committee to reject his work, or\nat least to hesitate upon publishing it. He assured me that all that was\nurged against it was the use, here and there, of Arabic words, which in a\nlanguage like the Persian, which on an original foundation exhibits a\nsuperstructure nearly one moiety of which is Arabic, is unavoidable. As\nI was totally unacquainted with the facts of the case, I said nothing\nupon the subject; but I now suspect, from a few words dropped in your\nletter, that the objection is founded not on the use of Arabic words, but\non attempts at _improving_ or _adorning_ the simplicity of the Bible.\nHowever this may be, there can be no doubt that Mr. Glen is a Persian\nscholar of the first water. Mirza Achmed, a Persian gentleman now living\nat St. Petersburg, who resided some time at Astracan, informed me that he\nhad seen the translation, and that the language was highly elegant; but\nwhether or not the translation was faithful, and such as a translation of\nthe sacred volume ought to be, he of course was entirely ignorant; he\ncould merely speak as to the excellence of the Persian. Mirza Djaffar\nalso, the Persian professor here, spoke much to the same effect.\n\nMr. Stallybrass, the Siberian missionary, is at present here on his way\nto England, whither he is conducting his two sons, for the purpose of\nplacing them in some establishment, where they may receive a better\neducation than it is possible for him to give them in Siberia. I have\nseen him several times, and have heard him preach once at the Sarepta\nHouse. He is a clever, well-informed man, and in countenance and manner\nmuch like Mr. Swan--which similarity may perhaps be accounted for by\ntheir long residence under the same roof; for people who are in the habit\nof conversing together every day insensibly assume each other's habits,\nmanner of speaking, and expression of countenance. Mr. Stallybrass's\nyoungest son, a lad of fifteen, shows marks of talent which may make him\nuseful in the missionary field for which he is intended. The most\nsurprising instance of precocious talent that I have ever seen, or ever\nheard of, is exhibited in a young nobleman, who visits me every day. He\nis the eldest son of Count Fredro, Marshal of the Imperial Court, and\nthough only fourteen years of age, speaks eight languages perfectly well,\nis a good Grecian and Latinist, is one of the best draftsmen in Russia,\nis well acquainted with physics, botany, geography, and history, and to\ncrown all, has probably the most beautiful voice that ever mortal was\ngifted with. A admirable _Chrishna_ again by metempsychosis; the\nreligion of the family, with whom I am very intimate, is the Romish. I\nnow and then attend the service of the Armenian Church, for the purpose\nof perfecting myself in the language, and have formed many acquaintances\namongst the congregation: there are several very clever and very learned\nArmenians in this place; one of them I will particularly mention, a\nlittle elderly gentleman of the name of Kudobashoff, who is the best\nArmenian scholar at present in existence. He is on the eve of publishing\na work, calculated to be very interesting to us: an Armenian and Russian\nDictionary, on which he has been occupied for the space of thirty-seven\nyears, and which will be of the highest assistance to any future editor\nof the Armenian Scriptures; and be it known, that no place in Europe,\nwith perhaps the exception of Venice, offers more advantages to the\nediting of the A.S. than St. Petersburg.\n\nI will now conclude, and repeat the assurance that I am ready to attempt\nanything which the Society may wish me to execute; and, at a moment's\nwarning, will direct my course towards Canton, Pekin, or the court of the\nGrand Lama. With my best respects to Mr. Brandram, I have the honour to\nremain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May, 1835)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _April_ 28th [old style], 1835.\n\nI send you an account of monies spent in the editing of the Acts of the\nApostles and the first volume of the Epistles. I beg leave at the same\ntime to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Jackson's letter. I am sorry that\nany mistake should have occurred, but the cause of the one in question\nwas, that at the time I last wrote to you, I was unable to refer to my\nprevious account; however, the mistake now stands rectified.\n\nI take this opportunity of informing you that I shall be obliged to order\nsixty or seventy more reams of paper, as the quantity which I at present\npossess will not be sufficient to complete the work. You will see the\nreason of this in the account which I now send you. In the first volume\nof the Epistles there are forty-three sheets, and in the second there\nwill be nearly the same number; these two volumes in thickness will be\nequal to three of the previous parts. During the last month I have\nexperienced great difficulty in keeping the printers at work on account\nof the festivals of the season, but I am glad to say that I have never\nfailed to obtain six sheets every week.\n\nI have received the Revd. Mr. Jowett's letter, and shall write to him in\na few days.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 1, 1835)\n _May_ 3, 1835 [old style], ST. PETERSBURG.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write a few hasty lines for the purpose of\ninforming you that I shall not be able to obtain a passport for Siberia,\nexcept on the condition that I carry not one single Mandchou Bible\nthither. The Russian Government is too solicitous to maintain a good\nunderstanding with that of China to encourage any project at which the\nlatter could take umbrage. Therefore pray inform me to what place I am\nto despatch the Bibles. I have had some thoughts of embarking the first\nfive parts without delay to England, but I have forborne from an\nunwillingness to do anything which I was not commanded to do. By the\ntime I receive your answer everything will be in readiness, or nearly so,\nto be forwarded wherever the Committee shall judge expedient. I wish\nalso to receive orders respecting what is to be done with the types. I\nshould be sorry if they were to be abandoned in the same manner as\nbefore, for it is possible that at some future time they may prove\neminently useful.\n\nAs for myself, I suppose I must return to England, as my task will be\nspeedily completed. I hope the Society are convinced that I have served\nthem faithfully, and that I have spared no labour to bring out the work,\nwhich they did me the honour of confiding to me, correctly and within as\nshort a time as possible. At my return, if the Society think that I can\nstill prove of utility to them, I shall be most happy to devote myself\nstill to their service. I am a person full of faults and weaknesses, as\nI am every day reminded by bitter experience, but I am certain that my\nzeal and fidelity towards those who put confidence in me are not to be\nshaken. Should it now become a question what is to be done with these\nMandchou Bibles which have been printed at a considerable expense, I\nshould wish to suggest that Baron Schilling be consulted. In a few weeks\nhe will be in London, which he intends visiting during a summer tour\nwhich he is on the point of commencing. He will call at the Society's\nHouse, and as he is a nobleman of great experience and knowledge in all\nthat relates to China, it would not be amiss to interrogate him on such a\nsubject. _I again repeat that I am at command_.\n\nIn your last letter but one you stated that our noble President had been\nkind enough to declare that I had but to send in an account of any\nextraordinary expenses which I had been put to in the course of the work\nto have them defrayed. I return my most grateful thanks for this most\nconsiderate intimation, which nevertheless I cannot avail myself of, as\naccording to one of the articles of my agreement my salary of 200 pounds\nwas to cover all extra expenses. Petersburg is doubtless the dearest\ncapital in Europe, and expenses meet an individual, especially one\nsituated as I have been, at every turn and corner; but an agreement is\nnot to be broken on that account.\n\nI have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your obedient humble\nservant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Thornton, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 20, 1835)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _June_ 15, 1835.\n\nSIR,--Having drawn upon Messrs. Asmus, Simondsen & Compy. of St.\nPetersburg for the following sums, I have to request that you will honour\nthis draft to a like amount,\n\n1000 roubles (one thousand), received the 11th May.\n\n2000 (two thousand), received at the present moment.\n\nI take the liberty of stating that the printing of the Mandchou Testament\nis brought to a conclusion, and that six of the eight parts are bound.\nAs soon as the other two are completed I shall take my departure for\nEngland.\n\nI have the honour to remain, Sir,\n\nYour most obedient and most humble servant,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. 17 Aug. 1835)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _July_ 16, 1835.\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--I herewith send you a bill of lading for six of the eight\nparts of the New Testament which I have at last obtained permission to\nsend away, _after having paid sixteen visits to the House of Interior\nAffairs_. The seventh part is bound and packed up; the eighth is being\nbound and will be completed in about ten days. It would have been ready\na month since, having been nearly six weeks in the book-binder's hands,\nbut he was disappointed in obtaining the necessary paper; I hope to have\nshipped all off, and to have bidden adieu to Russia, at the expiration of\na fortnight. I take this opportunity of informing you that I was obliged\nto purchase additional 85 reams of paper, of every sheet of which I shall\ngive an account. 1020 copies of every sheet I ordered to be printed, that\nwe might have a full 1000 at the conclusion. 20 reams have at various\ntimes been sent to the binder for frontings and endings to the work, and\nthere were 36 sheets in the seventh and 33 in the eighth part,\nconsequently the demand for paper is not surprising. Since my last\ndrafts upon the Treasurer I have received two thousand roubles from\nAsmus, Simondsen and Co., for which I shall give them a draft on my\ndeparture when I receive my salary. My accompt since the period of my\nlast writing to you, when I held in hand 518 roubles of the Society's\nmoney, I shall deliver to you on my arrival.\n\nI have the honour to remain, Dear Sir,\n\nTruly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\nPray excuse this hasty letter, which I write from the Custom House.\n\n\n\n\nTo Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 14th, 1835)\n ST. PETERSBURG, _Aug._ 12, 1835.\n\nAs it is probable that yourself and my other excellent and Christian\nfriends at the Bible House are hourly expecting me and wondering at my\nnon-appearance, I cannot refrain from sending you a few lines in order to\naccount for my prolonged stay abroad. For the last fortnight I have been\ndetained at St. Petersburg in the most vexatious and unheard-of manner.\nThe two last parts of our Testaments have been bound and ready for\nshipping a considerable time, and are at present in the warehouse of a\nmost pious and excellent person in this place, whom the Bible Society are\nwell acquainted with; but I have hitherto not been able to obtain\npermission to send them away. You will ask how I contrived to despatch\nthe first six volumes, which you have doubtless by this time received.\nBut I must inform you that at that time I had only a verbal permission,\nand that the Custom House permitted them to pass because they knew not\nwhat they were. But now, notwithstanding I obtained a regular permission\nto print, and transacted everything in a legal and formal manner, I am\ntold that I had no right at all to print the Scriptures at St.\nPetersburg, and that my coming thither on that account (I use their own\nwords) was a step in the highest degree suspicious and mysterious, and\nthat there are even grounds for supposing that I am not connected with\nthe Bible Society or employed by them. To-day, however, I lost patience,\nand said that I would not be trifled with any longer; that next week I\nshould send away the books by a vessel which would then sail, and that\nwhosoever should attempt to stop them would do so at his peril--and I\nintend to act up to what I said. I shall then demand my passport and\nadvertise my departure, as every one before quitting Russia must be\nadvertised in the newspapers two weeks successively. Pray do me the\njustice to believe that for this unpleasant delay I am by no means\naccountable. It is in the highest degree tormenting to myself. I am\nvery unwell from vexation and disquietude of mind, and am exposed to\nevery kind of inconvenience. The term for which I took my chambers is\nexpired, and I am living in a dirty and expensive hotel. But there is\nOne above who supports me in these troubles, and I have no doubt that\neverything will turn out for the best.\n\nI take this opportunity of sending my accounts to Mr. Tarn; if there be\nany inaccuracy let him excuse it, for the post hurries me.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nReport of Mr. George Borrow\n\n\n_To the Members of the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible\nSociety_.\n\nGENTLEMEN,--It is now about two years since I quitted England for St.\nPetersburg in consequence of the duty which you have been pleased to\nconfide to my hands, namely, that of editing at the Russian capital the\nNew Testament in the Mandchou language which has been translated by Mr.\nLipoftsoff, at present Councillor of State and Chinese Translator at that\nplace, but formerly one of the members of the Russian mission at Pekin.\nOn my arrival, before entering upon this highly important and difficult\ntask, I, in obedience to your command, assisted Mr. Swan, the missionary\nfrom Selinginsk, to complete a transcript which he had commenced some\ntime previous of a manuscript translation of the principal part of the\nOld Testament into Mandchou executed by Puerot, who, originally a Jesuit\nemissary at Pekin, passed the latter years of his life in the service of\nthe Russian mission in the capacity of physician. The united labours of\nMr. Swan and myself speedily brought the task in question to a\nconclusion, so that the transcript has for a considerable time been in\nthe possession of the Bible Society. I will here take the liberty of\noffering a few remarks upon this translation; but as the work is not at\nthe present moment before me, it is impossible to enter upon a critical\nand minute examination of its merits. Nevertheless, having either\ntranscribed or at various times perused it, I have formed a general\nopinion concerning it which, though very probably a faulty one, I shall\nlay before you in a few words, which at any future time I hope you will\npermit me to recall, if fresh lights upon the subject compel me to\nbelieve that my original conclusion was an erroneous one; having no doubt\nthat those who are embarked in so noble a cause as the propagation of The\nGreat Truth, will be at all times willing to excuse error when confessed,\nas by the confession of error the truth becomes more glaringly manifest.\n\nThe merits of this translation are, upon the whole, of a very high order;\nbut it would be an untruth and an absurdity to say that it does not\nexhibit defects and blemishes of a striking and peculiar kind--peculiar,\nfrom the singular fact that those portions of the original which, being\nnarrative are exceedingly simple as to idea and style, have been\ninvariably rendered in a manner the most liable to censure, exhibiting\nnot only a slovenly carelessness in regard to diction, but not\nunfrequently a disregard of accuracy when the slightest particle of\nattention was only necessary to render the meaning which the sacred\nwriter endeavours to convey. These are its greatest, and, it may perhaps\nbe said, its only defects; for if a regard for truth compel me to state\nthat the style of the translation frequently sinks far below the original\nwhen at its lowest grade, that same regard compels me to say that in yet\nmore instances it rises with the same [to a degree] which I believe it is\nscarcely possible for any individual with the limited powers of\nuninspired man to surpass. This soaring tendency is particularly\nobservable in the version of the Book of Job, which is certainly the most\nbeautiful, is believed by many to be the most ancient, and is confessedly\none of the most important portions of the Old Testament. I consider\nmyself in some degree entitled to speak particularly of this part of the\nMandchou version in question, having frequently at the time I was engaged\nupon it translated into English several of the chapters which\nparticularly struck me, for the purpose of exhibiting them to Mr. Swan,\nwho invariably sympathised with my admiration. The translation of most\nof the writings of the prophets, as far as Puerot went, has been executed\nin the same masterly manner, and it is only to be lamented that, instead\nof wasting much of his time and talents upon the Apocryphal writings, as\nis unfortunately the case, the ex-Jesuit left behind him no Mandchou\nversion of Isaiah and the Psalms, the lack of which will be sensibly felt\nwhenever his work shall be put in a printed state into the hands of those\nfor whose benefit it is intended, an event most devoutly to be wished for\nby all those who would fain see Christ reign triumphant in that most\nextraordinary country of which the Mandchou constitutes one of the\nprincipal languages, being used in diplomacy and at court, and being\nparticularly remarkable for possessing within it translations of all the\nmasterpieces of Chinese, Tibetian, and Brahmanic literature with which it\nhas been enriched since the period of the accession of the present Tartar\ndynasty to the Chinese throne, the proper language of which dynasty it is\nwell known to be.\n\nTo translate literally, or even closely, according to the common\nacceptation of the term, into the Mandchou language is of all\nimpossibilities the greatest; partly from the grammatical structure of\nthe language, and partly from the abundance of its idioms. The Mandchou\nis the only one of any of the civilised languages of the world with which\nthe writer of these lines has any acquaintance, whose grammar stands far\naloof from the rest in wonderful singularity; the most remarkable feature\nof which is the want of some of those conjunctions generally considered\nas indispensable, and which are certainly of the first utility. The\nresult of this peculiarity is that such a combination of other parts of\nspeech must be employed as will express the idea without the aid of the\nconjunction; but as these combinations are invariably and necessarily\nlengthy, much more space is required in the translation of a sentence\ninto this language than the original occupies. I am induced to make this\nremark, which I am afraid will be considered an excursory one, from the\napprehensiveness that some, observing the translations of the Scriptures\ninto this language to be bulkier than the originals, might conclude that\nextraneous and unnecessary matter had crept in, which a knowledge of the\nabove fact will prevent.\n\nThe transcript of the Mandchou Old Testament having been brought to a\nconclusion and permission having been obtained to print the New at St.\nPetersburg--the accomplishment of which last point was, as you are well\naware, attended with much difficulty--I set myself seriously to work upon\nthe principal object of my mission. With the recapitulation of my\nlabours I wish not to trouble you, the various particulars having been\ncommunicated to you in letters written at various times upon the subject.\nI will content myself with observing that within ten months from the\ncommencement of printing, the entire work, consisting of eight volumes,\nhad with the blessing of the Almighty passed through the press, and, I\nbelieve, with as few typographical errors as would have been the case had\na much more considerable portion of time been devoted to the enterprise,\nwhich, it is true, I was in haste to accomplish, but in a manner not\ncalculated to render the undertaking futile nor cast discredit upon the\nSociety and myself [being well aware that an edition of the Scriptures\nexhibiting marks of carelessness must at best be a futile work, and that\nthe speed with which it was executed could be no apology; as few will be\ntempted to deny that no edition at all of the sacred volume in the\nlanguages of the heathen is far preferable to one whose incorrectness\nwould infallibly and with some reason awaken ridicule, which, though one\nof the most contemptible, is certainly one of the most efficacious\nweapons in the armoury of the Prince of Darkness and the Enemy of Light,\nas it is well known that his soldiers here on earth accomplish by its\nmeans what they would never be able to effect by the utmost force of\neloquence and carnal reasoning, in the use and management of which they\nare, however, by no means unskilled, as many a follower of Jesus from his\nown individual experience can testify].\n\nAfter the termination of my editorial task, having little to employ\nmyself upon whilst the two last volumes were undergoing the process of\nbinding, I determined upon a journey to Moscow, the ancient capital of\nthe Russian Empire, which differs widely from St. Petersburg in\nappearance, structure, and in the manners, habits, and opinions of its\ninhabitants. I arrived there after a journey of four days. Moscow is by\nfar the most remarkable city it has ever been my fortune to see; but as\nit has been frequently described, and with tolerable correctness, there\nis no necessity for me to enter into a particular account of all that\npresented itself to my observation. I ascended the celebrated tower of\nIvan Velike, situated within the walls of the Kremlin, from the top of\nwhich there is a glorious view of Moscow and of the surrounding country,\nand at the foot of which, in a deep hole in the earth, is the gigantic\nbell which weighs 27,000 _poods_, or eight hundred and seventy thousand\npounds. I likewise visited the splendid church of the Kremlin, and had\nmuch conversation with the priest who is in the habit of showing its\ncuriosities to strangers. He is a most intelligent and seemingly truly\npious person, and well acquainted with English spiritual literature,\nespecially with the writings of Bishops Taylor and Tillotson, whom he\nprofessed to hold in great admiration; though he asserted that both these\ndivines, great men as they undoubtedly were, were far inferior writers to\nhis own celebrated countryman Archbishop Teekon, and their productions\nless replete with spiritual manna--against which assertion I felt little\ninclined to urge any objection, having myself perused the works of the\ngreat Russian divine with much comfort and satisfaction, and with which I\ncan only regret [that] the devout part of the British public are up to\nthe present moment utterly unacquainted.\n\nAs one of the principal motives of my visit to Moscow was to hold\ncommunication with a particular part of its population, which from the\naccounts I had received of it had inspired me with the most vivid\ninterest, I did not fail shortly after my arrival to seek an opportunity\nof accomplishing my work, and believe that what I have now to communicate\nwill be of some interest to the Christian and the philosopher. I allude\nto the people called Zigani or Gypsies, or, as they style themselves,\nRommany, of which there are several thousands in and about Moscow, and\nwho obtain a livelihood by various means. Those who have been accustomed\nto consider these people as wandering barbarians, incapable of\ncivilisation and unable to appreciate the blessings of a quiet and\nsettled life, will be surprised at learning that many of those in Moscow\ninhabit large and handsome houses, appear abroad in elegant equipages,\nand if distinguishable from the genteel class of the Russians [are] only\nso by superior personal advantages and mental accomplishments. Of this\nsingular phenomenon at Moscow the female Gypsies are the principal cause,\nhaving from time immemorial cultivated their vocal powers to such an\nextent that, although in the heart of a country in which the vocal art\nhas arrived at greater perfection than in any other part of the world,\nthe principal Gypsy choirs in Moscow are allowed by the general voice of\nthe public to be unrivalled and to bear away the palm from all\ncompetitors. It is a fact notorious in Russia that the celebrated\nCatalani was so filled with admiration for the powers of voice displayed\nby one of the Gypsy songsters, who, after the former had sung before a\nsplendid audience at Moscow, stepped forward and with an astonishing\nburst of melody ravished every ear, that she tore from her own shoulders\na shawl of immense value which had been presented to her by the Pope, and\nembracing the Gypsy compelled her to accept it, saying that it had been\noriginally intended for the matchless singer which she now discovered was\nnot herself. The sums obtained by these performers are very large,\nenabling them to live in luxury of every description and to maintain\ntheir husbands in a princely way. Many of them are married to Russian\ngentlemen; and every one who has resided for any length of time in Russia\ncannot but be aware that the lovely, talented, and domesticated wife of\nCount Alexander Tolstoi is by birth a Gypsy, and was formerly one of the\nornaments of a Rommany choir at Moscow as she is now one of the principal\nornaments of the marriage state and of illustrious life. It is not,\nhowever, to be supposed that all the female Gypsies in Moscow are of this\nhigh, talented, and respectable order; amongst them there are a great\nnumber of low, vulgar, and profligate females who sing in taverns, or at\nthe various gardens in the neighbourhood, and whose husbands and male\nconnections subsist by horse-jobbing and such kinds of low traffic. The\nprincipal place of resort of this class is Marina Rotche, lying about two\n_verses_ from Moscow, and thither I drove, attended by a\n_valet-de-place_. Upon my arriving there the Gypsies swarmed out from\ntheir tents and from the little _tracteer_ or tavern, and surrounded me.\nStanding on the seat of the _caleche_, I addressed them in a loud voice\nin the dialect of the English Gypsies, with which I have some slight\nacquaintance. A scream of wonder instantly arose, and welcomes and\ngreetings were poured forth in torrents of musical Rommany, amongst\nwhich, however, the most pronounced cry was: _ah kak mi toute\nkarmuma_--'Oh, how we love you,' for at first they supposed me to be one\nof their brothers, who, they said, were wandering about in Turkey, China,\nand other parts, and that I had come over the great _pawnee_, or water,\nto visit them. Their countenances exactly resembled those of their race\nin England and Spain, brown, and for the most part beautiful, their eyes\nfiery and wildly intelligent, their hair coal-black and somewhat coarse.\nI asked them numerous questions, especially as to their religion and\noriginal country. They said that they believed in 'Devil,' which,\nsingularly enough, in their language signifies God, and that they were\nafraid of the evil spirit, or 'Bengel'; that their fathers came from\nRommany land, but where that land lay they knew not. They sang many\nsongs both in the Russian and Rommany languages; the former were modern\npopular pieces which are in vogue on the stage, but the latter were\nevidently very ancient, being composed in a metre or cadence to which\nthere is nothing analogous in Russian prosody, and exhibiting an internal\ncharacter which was anything but European or modern. I visited this\nplace several times during my sojourn at Moscow, and spoke to them upon\ntheir sinful manner of living, upon the advent and suffering of Christ\nJesus, and expressed, upon my taking a final leave of them, a hope that\nthey would be in a short period furnished with the word of eternal life\nin their own language, which they seemed to value and esteem much higher\nthan the Russian. They invariably listened with much attention; and\nduring the whole time I was amongst them exhibited little in speech or\nconduct which was objectionable.\n\nI returned to Petersburg, and shortly afterwards, the business which had\nbrought me to Russia being successfully terminated, I quitted that\ncountry, and am compelled to acknowledge, with regret. I went thither\nprejudiced against the country, the government, and the people; the first\nis much more agreeable than is generally supposed; the second is\nseemingly the best adapted for so vast an empire; and the third, even the\nlowest classes, are in general kind, hospitable, and benevolent. True it\nis that they have many vices, and their minds are overshadowed by the\ngloomy clouds of Grecian superstition, but the efforts of many excellent\nand pious persons amongst the English at St. Petersburg are directed to\nunveiling to them the cheering splendour of the lamp of the Gospel; and\nit is the sincere prayer of the humble individual who now addresses you\nthat the difficulties which at present much obstruct their efforts may be\nspeedily removed, and that from the boundless champains of Russia may\nsoon resound the Jubilee hymn of millions, who having long groped their\nway in the darkness of the shadow of death, are at once blessed with\nlight, and with joyful hearts acknowledge the immensity of the blessing.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 27, 1835)\n _Oct._ 26 [1835.] WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Pray excuse the liberty I take in troubling you with\nthese lines, which I write for the purpose of informing you that I am\nperfectly ready to undertake anything which yourself or Mr. Brandram may\ndeem expedient. I should be most happy to explore Portugal and Spain,\nand to report upon the possibility of introducing the Gospel into those\ncountries, provided that plan has not been given up; or to commence the\nArmenian Testament forthwith, if the types are ready. If you would so\nfar condescend as to return an answer as soon as it suits your\nconvenience, you would confer no slight obligation upon me, for I am\nweary of doing nothing, and am sighing for employment.\n\nI have the honour to remain, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obliged and\nmost obedient servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 28,1835)\n WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,\n 27 _Octr._, 1835.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter of the 26th, as I\nsuppose Mr. Jowett has received mine of the same date which I needlessly\nsent. As you ask me to favour you with my thoughts, I certainly will;\nfor I have thought much upon the matters in question, and the result I\nwill communicate to you in a very few words. I decidedly approve (and so\ndo all the religious friends whom I have communicated it to) of the plan\nof a journey to Portugal, and am sorry that it has been suspended, though\nI am convinced that your own benevolent and excellent heart was the\ncause, unwilling to fling me into an undertaking which you supposed might\nbe attended with peril and difficulty. Therefore I wish it to be clearly\nunderstood that I am perfectly willing to undertake the expedition, nay,\nto extend it into Spain, to visit the town and country, to discourse with\nthe people, especially those connected with institutions for infantine\neducation, and to learn what ways and opportunities present themselves\nfor conveying the Gospel into those benighted countries. I will moreover\nundertake, with the blessing of God, to draw up a small volume of what I\nshall have seen and heard there which cannot fail to be interesting, and\nif patronised by the Society will probably help to cover the expenses of\nthe expedition.\n\nOn my return I can commence the Armenian Testament, and whilst I am\nediting that, I may be acquiring much vulgar Chinese from some unemployed\nLascar or stray Cantonman whom I may pick up upon the wharves; and\nthen--to China. I have no more to say, for were I to pen twenty pages,\nand I have time enough for so doing, I could communicate nothing which\nwould make my views more clear. Many thanks to you for enclosing the\nletter from St. Petersburg: it was written in Danish, and came from a\nvery dear and excellent friend who rendered me in Russia services of no\ncommon nature.\n\nI have the honour to be, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obedient servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nP.S.--There has been a Bible meeting at Oulton in Suffolk, to which I was\ninvited. The speaking produced such an effect that some of the most\nvicious characters in the neighbourhood have become weekly subscribers to\nthe Branch Society. So says the _Chronicle_ of Norfolk in its report.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. J. Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 8, 1835)\n LISBON, 30 _Nov._ 1835.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived safe at Lisbon on the twelfth of the\npresent month after a passage which, considering the season in which it\nwas made, may be termed a fair one. On the morning of the tenth we found\nourselves about two leagues from the coast of Galicia, whose lofty\nmountains gilded by the rising sun presented a magnificent appearance.\nWe soon passed Cape Finisterre, and standing farther out to sea speedily\nlost sight of land. On the morning of the eleventh the sea was very\nrough, and a most remarkable circumstance occurred. I was on the\nforecastle, discoursing with two of the sailors, [and] one of them who\nhad just left his hammock told me that he had had a most disagreeable\ndream, for, said he, pointing up to the mast, 'I dreamt that I fell into\nthe sea from off the cross-trees.' He was heard to say this by several\nof the crew besides myself. A moment after, the captain of the vessel,\nperceiving that the squall was increasing, ordered the topsails to be\ntaken in, whereupon this man with several others instantly ran up aloft.\nThe yard was presently loosened, and in the act of being hauled down,\nwhen a violent gust of wind whirled it round with violence, and a man was\nstruck down from the cross-trees into the sea, which was raging and\ntumbling below. In a few moments he emerged, and I saw his head\ndistinctly on the crest of a wave, and I recognised in the unfortunate\nman the sailor who shortly before had been relating his dream. I shall\nnever forget the look of agony he cast us whilst the ship hurried past\nhim. The alarm was given, and in a moment everything was in confusion.\nIt was at least two minutes before the vessel was stopped, and the man\nwas left a considerable way behind, but I still kept my eye upon him, and\ncould perceive that he was struggling gallantly with the waves. A boat\nwas at length lowered, but the rudder unfortunately was not at hand, and\nonly two oars could be procured, with which the men who manned her could\nmake but little progress in the tremendous sea; however, they did their\nbest, and had arrived within ten yards of the man who had continued\nstruggling for his life, when I lost sight of him, and the men on their\nreturn said that they saw him below the waters at glimpses, sinking\ndeeper and deeper, his arms stretched out and his body to all appearance\nstiff, but they found it impossible to save him. Presently afterwards\nthe sea, as if satisfied with the prey it had received, became\ncomparatively calm, and the squall subsided. The poor fellow who was\ndrowned in this singular manner was a fine young man, twenty-seven years\nof age, the only son of a widowed mother. He was the best sailor on\nboard, and beloved by every one who was acquainted with him. The event\noccurred on the 11th of November 1835, the vessel was the 'London\nMerchant' Steamship, commanded by Captain Whittingham. Wonderful indeed\nare the ways of Providence.\n\nI experienced some difficulty in landing at Lisbon, the custom-house\nofficers being exceedingly dilatory in examining the baggage. I had yet\nmore difficulty in obtaining a lodging, but at last found one, dark,\ndirty, and exceedingly expensive, without attendance. I shall not\ntrouble you with a description of Lisbon, for as I have much that is\nimportant to communicate I must not waste paper with uninteresting\ndetails. I will merely observe that it is a noble town, situated on\nseven hills on the left bank of the Tagus, the houses are very lofty,\nlike castles, the streets are in general precipitously steep, and no\nanimals of burden but mules, asses, and oxen can traverse them with\nsafety. I found the streets by no means so dirty as they have been\nrepresented, and at night they are tolerably well lighted, but between\nthe hours of nine and twelve they swarm with robbers and assassins.\n\nI should have written to you before, but I wished to transmit in my first\nletter a stock of information which would enable you at once to form some\nidea as to the state of this country; and in order to acquire such I have\nvisited every part of Lisbon, entered into discourse with the people on\nall occasions, and have made a journey of nearly one hundred miles about\nthe country, during which I visited Cintra and Mafra, at the former of\nwhich places I remained four days, making excursions in the meanwhile on\nfoot or on a mule amongst the mountains, and visiting whatever villages\nare contained within its beautiful and picturesque neighbourhood.\n\nIn Lisbon carelessness for religion of any kind seems to prevail. The\npeople appear in general to have shaken off the old superstition and to\nfeel no inclination to bend their necks to another yoke. Many of them\nhave told me that the priests are the veriest knaves in the world, and\nthat they have for many years subsisted by imposing upon them, and that\nthey wished the whole body was destroyed from the face of the earth. I\nhave enquired of many of the lower orders whether they ever confessed\nthemselves, whereupon they laughed in my face and said that they had not\ndone so for years, demanding what good would result to them for so doing,\nand whether I was fool enough to suppose that a priest could forgive sins\nfor a sum of money. One day whilst speaking to a muleteer I pointed to a\ncross over the gate of a chapel opposite to us, and asked him if he\nreverenced it; he instantly flew into a rage, stamped violently, and\nspitting on the ground said it was a piece of stone, and that he should\nhave no more objection to spit upon it than the stones on which he trod:\n'I believe that there is a God,' he added, 'but as for the nonsense which\nthe priests tell us I believe no part of it.' It has not yet been my\nfortune during my researches in Lisbon to meet one individual of the\npopulace amongst the many I have addressed who had read the Scripture or\nknew anything of its contents; though many of them have assured me that\nthey could read, which in many instances I have found to be the fact,\nhaving repeatedly taken from my pocket the New Testament in Portuguese\nwhich I constantly carry with me, and requested them to read a few\nverses, which they were able to do. Some of these individuals had read\nmuch in their own language, which indeed contains a store of amusing and\ninstructive literature--for example, the chronicles of the various kings\nof Portugal and of the heroes who distinguished themselves in the various\nwars of India, after Vasco da Gama had opened the way into the vast\nregions of the East by doubling the Cape.\n\nAmongst the many public places which I have visited at Lisbon is the\nConvent of San Geronymo, the church of which is the most beautiful\nspecimen of Gothic architecture in the Peninsula, and is furnished with\nthe richest shrines. Since the expulsion of the monks from the various\nreligious houses in Portugal, this edifice has served as an asylum for\norphans, and at present enjoys the particular patronage of the young\n[Queen]. In this establishment upwards of five hundred children, some of\nthem female, are educated upon the Lancastrian system, and when they have\nobtained a sufficient age are put out to the various trades and\nprofessions for which they are deemed most suited, the tallest and finest\nof the lads being drafted into the army. One of the boys of his own\naccord became my guide and introduced me to the various classes, where I\nfound the children clean and neat and actively employed upon their tasks.\nI asked him if the Holy Scripture (_Santa Escritura_) was placed in the\nhands of the scholars. He answered in the affirmative; but I much doubt\nthe correctness of his answer, for upon my requesting him to show me a\ncopy of the Holy Scripture, he did not appear to know what I meant by it.\nWhen he said that the scholars read the Holy Scripture he probably meant\nthe vile papistical book called 'Christian Doctrine,' in which the office\nof the mass is expounded, which indeed I saw in the hands of the junior\nboys, and which, from what I have since seen, I believe to be a standard\nschool-book in Portugal. I spent nearly two hours in examining the\nvarious parts of this institution, and it is my intention to revisit it\nin a short time, when I hope to obtain far better information as to the\nmoral and religious education of its inmates.\n\nOn my arrival at Lisbon I was disappointed in my expectation of finding\nMr. Wilby, who was in the country and was not expected for a week. I\ntherefore had at first no person to whom I could apply for counsel as to\nthe best means of proceeding; but unwilling to remain idle till the\nperiod of his arrival, I at once commenced operations at Lisbon as I have\nnarrated. At the end of four or five days I started for Cintra, distant\nabout four leagues from Lisbon, situate on a ledge of the northern\ndeclivity of a wild and picturesque mountain. Cintra contains about\neight hundred inhabitants, and in its environs are many magnificent\n_quintas_ or country seats of some of the first families in Portugal; it\nis likewise a royal residence, for at its north-eastern side stands an\nancient palace, which though unfurnished is preserved in [good repair],\nand which was the favourite residence of the ancient kings. On one of\nthe ridges of [this] mountain are seen the ruins of an immense castle,\nwhich for centuries was the stronghold of the Moors in this part of the\nPeninsula. The morning after my arrival I was about to ascend the\nmountain to examine it, when I observed a person, advanced in years,\nwhom, by his dress, I judged to be an ecclesiastic; upon enquiry I found\nin effect that he was one of the three priests of the place. I instantly\naccosted him, and had no reason to repent for so doing, for I found him\naffable and communicative. After praising the beauty of the scenery, I\nmade some enquiry as to the state of education amongst the people beneath\nhis care. He told me that he was sorry to [say that] they were in a\nstate of great ignorance, that very few of them could either write or\n[read], that there was no school in the place but one at which a few\nchildren were taught the alphabet, but which was not then open, that\nthere was a school at Colhares, about a league [distant]. He said that\nnothing so surprised him as to see English, the most learned and\nintelligent people in the world, visiting a place like Cintra, where\nthere was no literature and nothing of utility (_aonde no ha nem\nleitura_, _nem sciencia_, _nem alguma cousa que presta_). You may easily\nguess that I was in no slight degree surprised to hear a priest of\nPortugal lament the ignorance of the populace, and began to entertain\nhopes that I should not find the priests in general so indisposed to the\nmental improvement of the people as I at first imagined.\n\nThat same day I visited Colhares, a romantic village lower down the\nmountain to the west, near the sea. Seeing some peasants collected round\nthe smithy I enquired about the school, and one instantly offered to be\nmy guide thither. I went upstairs into a small apartment where I found\nthe master with about a dozen pupils standing in a row, for there was but\none chair, or rather stool, to which, after having embraced me, he\nconducted me with great civility. After some discourse he shewed me the\nbooks which he used for the instruction of his pupils; they were\nspelling-books like those used in our village schools and the\nbefore-mentioned 'Christian Doctrine.' Upon my enquiring whether it was\nhis custom to use the Scripture in his school, he told me that long\nbefore the children had acquired sufficient intelligence to understand\nthe Scriptures their parents took them from school in order that they\nmight assist them in the labours of the field, and that in general they\nwere by no means solicitous that their children should learn anything, as\nthey considered the time occupied in acquiring learning as squandered\naway. He added that all the village schools in Portugal were supported\nby the Government, but that many of them had lately been discontinued, as\nthe schoolmasters experienced the greatest difficulty in obtaining their\nsalaries; but that he had heard that it was the intention of the\nGovernment to establish schools in all parts of the country on the\nLancastrian system--which since my return to Lisbon I have discovered to\nbe a fact. He told me that he had a copy of the New Testament in his\npossession, which I desired to see; but on examining it I discovered that\nit was only the Epistles (from Pereira's version) with long Popish notes.\nI asked him whether he considered that there was any harm in reading the\nScripture without notes; he said that there was certainly no harm in it,\nbut that simple people without the assistance of notes could derive but\nlittle benefit therefrom, as the greatest part that they read would be\nunintelligible to them. Whereupon I shook hands with him, and on\ndeparting said that there was no part of Scripture so difficult to\nunderstand as those very notes which were intended to elucidate it, and\nthat the Almighty would never have inspired His saints with a desire to\nwrite what was unintelligible to the great mass of mankind.\n\nFor some days after this I traversed the country in all directions,\nriding into the fields where I saw the peasants at work, and entering\ninto discourse with them; and notwithstanding many of my questions must\nhave appeared to them very singular, I never experienced any incivility,\nthough they frequently answered me with smiles and laughter. (I have now\ncommunicated about half of what I have to say; the remainder next week.\nG. BORROW.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 10, 1836)\n EVORA IN THE ALEMTEJO, 15_th_ _Dec._, 1835.\n\nAt length I departed for Mafra; the principal part of the way lay over\nsteep and savage hills, very dangerous for horses, and I had reason to\nrepent, before I got back to Cintra, that I had not mounted one of the\nsure-footed mules of the country. I reached Mafra in safety; it is a\nlarge village, which has by degrees sprung up in the vicinity of an\nimmense building, originally intended to serve as a convent and palace,\nand which next to the Escurial is the most magnificent edifice in the\nPeninsula. In this building is to be seen the finest library in\nPortugal, comprising books in all sciences and languages, and which, if\nnot suited to the place in which the building stands, which is almost a\ndesert, is yet well suited to the size and grandeur of the building which\ncontains it. But here are now no monks to take care of it; they have\nbeen driven forth, some of them to beg their bread, some of them to serve\nunder the banners of Don Carlos in Spain, and many, as I have been\ninformed, to prowl about as banditti. The place is now abandoned to two\nor three menials, and exhibits an aspect of solitude and desolation which\nis truly appalling. Whilst I was viewing the cloisters an exceedingly\nfine and intelligent-looking lad came up to me, and asked (I suppose in\nthe hope of obtaining a trifle) if I would permit him to show me the\nvillage church, which he told me was well worth seeing. I said 'No,' but\nthat if he would show me the village school, I should be much obliged to\nhim. He looked at me with astonishment, and assured me that there was\nnothing to be seen in the school, at which not more than half a dozen\nboys were instructed, and that he himself was one of the number; but I\ntold him that he should show me no other place, and he at last\nunwillingly attended me. On the way he said that the schoolmaster was\none of the brothers of the convent who had lately been expelled, and that\nhe was a very learned man and spoke French and Greek. We went past a\nstone cross, and the boy bent and crossed himself with much devotion: I\nmention this circumstance, as it was the first instance of devotion which\nI had observed amongst the Portuguese since my arrival. When near the\nhouse where the schoolmaster resided, he pointed it out to me and then\nhid himself behind a wall, where he waited till I returned.\n\nOn stepping over the threshold I was confronted by a short stout man,\nbetween sixty and seventy years of age, dressed in a blue jerkin and grey\ntrousers, without shirt or waistcoat. He looked at me sternly, and\nenquired in the French language what was my pleasure. I apologised for\nintruding upon him, and stated that, being informed that he occupied the\nsituation of schoolmaster to the place, I had come to pay my respects to\nhim, and to beg to be informed respecting the manner of instruction which\nhe adopted. He said that whosoever told me that he was a schoolmaster\nlied, for that he was a brother of the convent. I replied that I had\nheard that all the friaries had been broken up and the brothers\ndismissed; whereupon he sighed, and said it was too true. He was then\nsilent for a minute, and his better nature overcoming his angry feelings\nhe produced a snuff-box and offered it to me. The snuff-box is the\nolive-branch of the Portuguese, and he who wishes to be on good terms\nwith them, or to conciliate them, must never refuse to put his finger and\nthumb into it when preferred; I took therefore a large pinch, though I\ndetest the dust, and we were soon friendly enough. He was eager to\nobtain news, especially from Lisbon and Spain. I told him that the\nofficers of the regiments at Lisbon had the day before I left that place\ngone in a body to the Queen, and insisted upon her either receiving their\nswords or dismissing her Ministers; whereupon he rubbed his hands and\nsaid, 'I am sure that things will not remain tranquil at Lisbon.' Upon\nmy saying that the affairs of Don Carlos were on the decline, he frowned,\nand said that it could not possibly be, for that God was too just to\nsuffer it. I felt for the poor man, who had been driven from his home in\nthe noble convent close by, and from a state of comfort and affluence\nreduced in his old age to indigence and misery, for his dwelling seemed\nto contain scarcely an article of furniture. I tried twice or thrice to\ninduce him to converse on the school, but he always avoided the subject\nor said shortly that he knew nothing about it; the idea of being a\nschoolmaster was evidently humiliating to him.\n\nOn my leaving him, the boy came from his hiding-place and rejoined me; he\nsaid his reason for hiding himself was fear that his master might know\nthat it was he who brought me to him, for that the old man was ashamed of\nappearing in the character of a schoolmaster. I asked the boy whether he\nor his parents were acquainted with the Scripture and ever read it; but\nhe did not understand me. I must here observe that the boy was fifteen\nyears of age, and that he was in many respects very intelligent and had\nsome knowledge of the Latin language; nevertheless he knew not the\nScripture even by name, and I have no doubt that at least one half of his\ncountrymen are, in that respect, no wiser than himself. I have\nquestioned the children of Portugal at the doors of village inns, at the\nhearths of their cottages, in the fields where they labour, at the stone\nMountains by the way-sides where they water their cattle, about the\nScripture, the Bible, the Old and New Testament, and in scarcely one\ninstance have they known what I was alluding to or could return me a\nrational answer, though in all other instances I had no reason to\ncomplain of their want of apprehension. Indeed nothing has surprised me\nmore than the free and unembarrassed manner with which the Portuguese\npeasantry sustain a conversation, and the purity of the language in which\nthey express their thoughts; and yet very few of them can write or read,\nwhereas the peasantry of our own country, whose education is in general\nmuch superior, are in their conversation coarse and dull almost to\nbrutality, and absurdly ungrammatical in the language which they use,\nthough the English tongue, upon the whole, is more simple in its grammar\nthan the Portuguese.\n\nOn my way back from Mafra to Cintra I very nearly lost my life. As the\nnight was closing in fast, we left the regular road by the advice of the\nguide, and descending the hill on which Mafra stands reached the bottom\nof the valley, from which there is a narrow pathway winding round the\nnext hill, exceedingly steep, with a precipice on the left side; the\nhorse on which I was mounted, and which was by no means suited for such\nclimbing, in his violent struggles to accomplish the ascent burst the\ngirth of the saddle, so that I was cast violently off, with the saddle\nbeneath me. Fortunately, I fell on the right side, or I should have\nrolled down the hill and probably have been killed; as it was, I remained\nstunned and senseless for two or three minutes, when I revived, and with\nthe assistance of the guide and the man who waits on me, walked up the\nremaining part of the hill, when, the saddle being readjusted, I mounted\nagain. I was very drowsy and stupid for two or three days, from the\ninfluence of the fall, but I am happy to say at present, thanks to the\nAlmighty, I have long ceased to feel any inconvenience from it.\n\nOn my return to Lisbon I saw Mr. Wilby, who received me with great\nkindness; the next ten days were exceedingly rainy and prevented me from\nmaking any excursions into the country, and during this time I saw him\nfrequently and had a good deal of conversation with him, concerning the\nbest means of causing God's glorious Gospel to be read in Portugal. He\ninformed me that four hundred copies of the Bible and New Testament were\narrived, and he thought that we could do no better than put them into the\nhands of the booksellers; but I strongly advised that at least half of\nthem should be entrusted to colporteurs, to hawk about, upon receiving a\ncertain profit on every copy they sold. He thought the idea a good one,\nas far as regards Lisbon, but said that no colporteur would venture to\ncarry them about the country, as the fanatical priests would probably\ncause him to be assassinated. He was kind enough to promise to look out\nfor people suited to make the essay in the streets of Lisbon; and as the\nlower orders are very poor I wrote to Mr. Whiteley at Oporto, requesting\nto be informed whether he had any objection to our selling the books to\nthe populace at Lisbon at a lower price than a _cruzado novo_, which he\nhad determined to sell them at. I thought it but right to consult him on\nthe subject, as the Society are under great obligations to him; and I was\nunwilling to do anything at which he could possibly take umbrage. During\none of my conversations with Mr. Wilby I enquired which was the province\nof Portugal, the population of which he considered to be the most\nignorant and benighted: he replied, 'The Alemtejo.' The Alemtejo means\n'the other side of the Tagus.' This province is not beautiful and\npicturesque like the other portions of Portugal, it has few hills or\nmountains; the greatest part of it consists of heaths, broken by knolls\nand gloomy dingles, swamps, and forests of stunted pine. These places\nare infested with banditti, and not a week passes by without horrible\nmurders and desperate robberies occurring. The principal town is Evora,\none of the most ancient cities in Portugal, and formerly the seat of an\nInquisition far more cruel and baneful than the terrible one of Lisbon.\nEvora lies about sixty miles from the farther bank of the Tagus, which is\nat Lisbon three leagues broad; and to Evora I determined on going with a\nsmall cargo of Testaments and Bibles. My reasons I need not state, as\nthey must be manifest to every Christian; but I cannot help thinking that\nit was the Lord who inspired me with the idea of going thither, as by so\ndoing I have introduced the Scriptures into the worst part of the\nPeninsula, and have acquired lights and formed connections (some of the\nlatter most singular ones, I admit) which if turned to proper account\nwill wonderfully assist us in our object of making the heathen of\nPortugal and Spain acquainted with God's holy word. My journey to Evora\nand my success there shall be detailed in my next letter.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 15, 1836)\n Badajoz, _Janry._ 8, 1836.\n\n\n\nJOURNEY TO EVORA\nAn Extract from My Journal\n\n\nOn the afternoon of the sixth of December I set out for this place,\naccompanied by my servant Anthonio. I had been informed that the tide\nwould serve for the _felouks_, or passage-boats, employed in crossing the\nTagus, at about four o'clock, but on reaching the river's side opposite\nAldea Gallega, between which place and Lisbon they ply, I found that the\ntide would not permit them to start before eight o'clock. Had I waited\nfor them I should probably have landed at Aldea Gallega at midnight, and\nI felt little inclination to make my _entree_ in the Alemtejo at that\nhour; therefore as I saw small boats which can push off at any time lying\nnear in abundance, I determined upon hiring one of them for the passage,\nthough the expense would be thus considerably increased. I soon agreed\nwith a wild-looking lad to take us over, who told me that he was in part\nowner of one of the boats. I was not aware of the danger in crossing the\nTagus at any time in these small boats at its broadest part, which is\nbetween Lisbon and Aldea Gallega, but especially at close of day in the\nwinter season, or I should certainly not have ventured. The lad and his\ncomrade, a miserable object, whose only clothing, notwithstanding the\nseverity of the weather, was a battered jerkin and trousers, rowed until\nwe had advanced about half a mile from the land; they then hoisted a\nlarge sail, and the lad, who seemed to be the principal and to direct\neverything, took the helm and steered. The evening was now setting in;\nthe sun was not far from its bourne in the horizon, the air was very\ncold, the wind was rising, and the waves of the noble Tagus began to be\ncrested with foam. I told the boy that it was scarcely possible for the\nboat to carry so much sail without upsetting; upon which he laughed, and\nbegan to gabble in a most incoherent manner. He had the most harsh and\nrapid articulation that has ever come under my observation; it was the\nscream of the hyena blended with the bark of the terrier; but it was by\nno means an index of his disposition, which I soon found to be light,\nmerry, and anything but malevolent; for when I, in order to show him that\nI cared little about him, began to hum: '_Eu que sou contrabandista_'\n('I, who am a smuggler'), he laughed heartily, and clapping me on the\nshoulder said that he would not drown us if he could help it. The other\npoor fellow seemed by no means averse to go to the bottom; he sat at the\nforepart of the boat looking the image of famine, and only smiled when\nthe waters broke over the side and drenched his scanty clothing. In a\nlittle time I had made up my mind that our last hour was come; the wind\nwas becoming higher, the short dangerous waves were more foamy, the boat\nwas frequently on its beam-ends, and the water came over the lee side in\ntorrents; but still the wild lad at the helm held on, laughing and\nchattering, and occasionally yelling out parts of the Miguelite air\n'_Quando el Rey chegou_' ['When the King arrived'], the singing of which\nin Lisbon is punished with imprisonment. The stream was against us, but\nthe wind was in our favour, and we sprang along at a wonderful rate. I\nsaw that our only chance of escape was in speedily getting under the\nshelter of that part of the farther bank of the Tagus, where the bight or\nbay commences at the extremity of which stands Aldea Gallega, as we\nshould not then have to battle with the waves of the adverse stream,\nwhich the wind lashed into fury. It was the will of the Almighty to\npermit us speedily to gain this shelter, but not before the boat was\nnearly filled with water, and we were all wet to the skin. At about\nseven o'clock in the evening we reached Aldea Gallega, shivering with\ncold and in a most deplorable plight.\n\nAldea Gallega, or the Galician Village, for the two words have that\nsignification, is a place containing, I should think, about four thousand\ninhabitants. It was pitchy dark when we landed, but rockets soon began\nto fly about in all directions, illumining the air far and wide. As we\npassed along the dirty unpaved street which leads to the _Largo_ or\nsquare in which the town is situated, a horrible uproar of drums and\nvoices assailed our ears. On enquiring the cause of all this bustle, I\nwas informed that it was the Eve of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin.\nAs it was not the custom of the people of the inn to provide provisions\nfor the guests, I wandered about in search of food, and at last seeing\nsome soldiers eating and drinking in a sort of wine-house, I went in and\nasked the people to let me have some supper. In a short time they\nfurnished me with a tolerable meal, for which, however, they charged two\ncrowns.\n\nHaving engaged with a person for mules to carry us to Evora, which were\nto be ready at five next morning, I soon retired to bed, my servant\nsleeping in the same apartment, which was the only one in the house\nvacant. I closed not an eye during the whole night; beneath us was a\nstable in which some _almocreves_, or carriers, slept with their mules,\nand at our back in the yard was a hog-stye. How could I sleep? The hogs\ngrunted; the mules screamed; and the _almocreves_ snored most horribly.\nI heard the village clock strike the hours until midnight, and from\nmidnight till four in the morning, when I sprang up and began to dress,\nand despatched my servant to hasten the man with his mules, for I was\nheartily tired of the place, and wished to leave it.\n\nAn old man, but remarkably bony and hale, accompanied by a bare-footed\nlad, brought the beasts. He was the proprietor of them, and intended to\naccompany us to Evora with the lad, who was his nephew. When we started\nthe moon was shining brightly, and the morning was piercingly cold. We\nsoon entered a sandy, hollow way, emerging from which we passed by a\nlarge edifice, standing on a high, bleak sand-hill, on our left. We were\nspeedily overtaken by five or six men on horseback, riding at a rapid\npace, each with a long gun slung at his saddle, the muzzle depending\nabout two feet below the horses belly. I questioned the old man as to\nthe cause of their going thus armed; he answered that the roads were very\nbad (meaning that they abounded with robbers), and that these people\ncarried arms for their defence. They soon turned off to the right\ntowards Palmella.\n\nWe reached a sandy plain studded with stunted pine; the road was little\nmore than a footpath, and as we proceeded the trees thickened and became\na wood, which extended for two leagues with clear spaces at intervals, in\nwhich herds of cattle and sheep were feeding. The sun was just beginning\nto show itself, but the morning was misty and dreary, which together with\nthe aspect of desolation which the country exhibited had an unfavourable\neffect on my spirits. I got down and walked, entering into conversation\nwith the man. He seemed to have but one theme of conversation, 'the\nrobbers' and the atrocities they were in the habit of practising in the\nvery spots we were passing. The tales he related were truly horrible,\nand to avoid them I mounted again and rode on considerably in front.\n\nIn about an hour and a half we emerged from the forest and entered upon\nwild broken ground covered with _mato_ or brushwood. The mules stopped\nto drink at a shallow pool, and on looking to the right I saw a ruined\nwall. This, the guide informed me, was the remains of the Vendal Velhas,\nor the old inn, formerly the haunt of the celebrated robber Sabocha.\nThis Sabocha, it seems, had, about sixteen years since, a band of forty\nruffians at his command, who infested these wilds, and supported\nthemselves by plunder. For a considerable time Sabocha pursued his\natrocious trade unsuspected, and many an unfortunate traveller was\nmurdered, in the dead of night, at the solitary inn by the wood's side,\nwhich he kept; indeed a more fit situation for plunder and murder I never\nsaw. The gang were in the habit of watering their horses at the pool,\nand perhaps of washing therein their hands stained with the blood of\ntheir victims. The brother of Sabocha was the lieutenant of the troop, a\nfellow of great strength and ferocity, particularly famous for the skill\nhe possessed in darting a long knife and transfixing his opponents.\nSabocha's connection with the gang at last became known, and he fled with\nthe greatest part of his associates across the Tagus, to the northern\nprovinces. He and his brother eventually lost their lives on the road to\nCoimbra, in an engagement with the military. His house was razed by\norder of the Government.\n\nThe ruins of this house are still frequently visited by banditti, who eat\nand drink amongst the stones and look out for prey, as the place commands\na view of the road. The old man assured me that about two months\nprevious, on returning from Aldea Gallega with his mules from\naccompanying some travellers, he had been knocked down, stript naked, and\nhad all his money taken from him, by a fellow who, he believed, came from\nthis murderers' nest. He said that he was an exceedingly powerful young\nman with immense moustaches and whiskers, and was armed with an\n_espingarda_ or musket. About ten days subsequently he saw the robber at\nVendas Novas, where we were to pass the night. The fellow on recognising\nhim took him aside and threatened, with horrid imprecations, that he\nshould never be permitted to return home if he attempted to discover him;\nhe therefore held his peace, as he said there was little to be gained and\neverything to be lost by apprehending him, as he would have been speedily\nset at liberty for want of evidence to criminate him, and then he would\nnot have failed to have his revenge, or would have been anticipated\ntherein by his comrades.\n\nI dismounted and went up to the place, and saw the vestiges of a fire and\na broken bottle. The sons of plunder had been there very lately. I left\na New Testament and some tracts amongst the ruins, and hastened away.\n\nThe sun had dispelled the mists and was beaming very hot; we rode on for\nabout an hour, when I heard the neighing of a horse in our rear, and our\nguide said that there was a party of horsemen behind. Our mules were\ngood, and they did not overtake us for at least twenty minutes. The\nforemost rider was a gentleman in a fashionable travelling dress; a\nlittle way behind were an officer, two soldiers, and a servant in livery.\nI heard the principal horseman, on overtaking Anthonio, enquiring who I\nwas, and whether I was French or English. He was told I was an English\ngentleman, travelling. He then asked whether I understood Portuguese;\nthe man said I understood it, but that he believed I spoke French and\nItalian better. The gentleman then spurred on his horse and accosted me,\nnot in Portuguese, or in French, or Italian, but in the purest English\nthat I have ever heard spoken by a foreigner. It had indeed nothing of\nforeign accent or pronunciation in it, and had I not known by the\ncountenance of the speaker that he was no Englishman (for there is a\npeculiarity in the English countenance which, though it cannot be\ndescribed, is sure to betray the Englishman), I should have concluded\nthat I was conversing with a countryman. He continued in company and\ndiscourse until we arrived at Pegoens.\n\nPegoens consists of about two or three houses and an inn; there is\nlikewise a species of barrack, where half a dozen soldiers are stationed.\nIn the whole of Portugal there is no place of worse reputation, and the\ninn is nicknamed _Estalagem de Ladroens_, or the hostelry of thieves; for\nit is there that the banditti of the wilderness, which extends around it\non every side for leagues, are in the habit of coming and spending the\nfruits of their criminal daring; there they dance and sing, feast on\nfricasseed rabbits and olives, and drink the muddy but strong wine of the\nAlemtejo. An enormous fire, fed by the trunk of a cork-tree, was blazing\nin a niche on the left hand on entering the spacious kitchen; by it,\nseething, were several large jars, which emitted no disagreeable odour,\nand reminded me that I had not yet broken my fast, although it was now\nnearly one o'clock and I had ridden five leagues. Some wild-looking men,\nwho, if they were not banditti, might easily be mistaken for such, were\nseated on logs about the fire; I asked them some unimportant question, to\nwhich they replied with readiness and civility, and one of them, who said\nhe could read, accepted a tract which I offered him.\n\nMy new friend, who had been bespeaking dinner, or rather breakfast, now\nwith great civility invited me to partake of it, and at the same time\nintroduced me to the officer who accompanied him, and who was his\nbrother, and also spoke English, though not so well as himself. I found\nI had become acquainted with Don Geronimo Joze d'Azveto, Secretary to the\nGovernment at Evora. His brother belonged to a regiment of hussars,\nwhose headquarters were at Evora, but which had outlying parties along\nthe road; for example, at the place where we were stopping. Rabbits at\nPegoens seem to be a standard article of food, being produced in\nabundance on the moors around. We had one fricasseed, the gravy of which\nwas delicious; and afterwards a roasted one, which was brought up on a\ndish entire. The hostess having first washed her hands proceeded to tear\nthe animal to pieces, which having accomplished she poured over the\nfragments a sweet sauce. I ate remarkably heartily of both dishes,\nparticularly of the last, owing perhaps to the novel and curious manner\nin which it was served up. Excellent figs from the Algarves and apples\ncompleted our repast, which we ate in a little side room with a\nmud-floor, which sent such a piercing chill into my system as prevented\nme from deriving that pleasure from my good fare and agreeable companions\nwhich I might otherwise have experienced. Don Joze d'Azveto had been\neducated in England, in which country he passed his boyhood, which to a\ncertain degree accounted for his proficiency in the English language, the\nidioms and pronunciation of which can only be acquired by a residence in\nthe country at that period of one's life. He had also fled thither\nshortly after the usurpation of the throne of Portugal by Don Miguel, and\nfrom thence had passed over to the Brazils, where he had devoted himself\nto the service of Don Pedro, and had followed him in that expedition\nwhich terminated in the downfall of the Usurper and the establishment of\nthe constitutional government in Portugal. Our conversation rolled\nchiefly on literary and political subjects, and my acquaintance with the\nwritings of the most celebrated authors of Portugal was hailed with\nsurprise and delight; for nothing is more gratifying to a well-educated\nPortuguese than to observe a foreigner taking an interest in the\nliterature of his nation, of which he is so justly proud.\n\nAbout two o'clock we were once more in the saddle, and pursued our way\nthrough a country exactly resembling that which we had previously been\ntraversing, rugged and broken, with here and there a clump of pines. The\nafternoon was exceedingly fine, and the bright rays of the sun relieved\nthe desolation of the scene. Having advanced about two leagues, I caught\nsight of a large edifice in the distance, which I learnt was a royal\npalace, standing at the farther extremity of Vendas Novas, the village\nwhere we were to halt. It was considerably more than a league from us,\nyet, seen through the clear transparent atmosphere of Portugal, it\nappeared much nearer. Before reaching it, we passed by a stone cross, on\nthe pedestal of which was an inscription commemorating a horrible murder\nof a native of Lisbon, which had been perpetrated on that spot. It\nlooked ancient, and was covered with moss, and the greatest part of the\ninscription was illegible, at least it was to me, who could not bestow\nmuch time on the deciphering of it.\n\nHaving arrived at Vendas Novas and bespoke supper, my new friends and\nmyself strolled forth to view the palace. It was built by the late King\nof Portugal, and presents little that is remarkable in its exterior. It\nis a long edifice with wings, and is only two stories high, though it can\nbe seen afar, owing to its being situated on elevated ground. It has\nfifteen windows in the upper and twelve in the lower story, with a\npaltry-looking door something like that of a barn, the ascent to which is\nby a single step. The interior corresponds with the exterior, offering\nnothing which can gratify curiosity, if we except the kitchens, which are\nindeed magnificent, and so large that food enough might be prepared in\nthem to serve as a repast to all the inhabitants of the Alemtejo. I\npassed the night with great comfort in a clean bed, remote from all those\nnoises in general so rife in a Portuguese inn, and the next morning at\nsix we again set out on our journey, which we hoped to terminate before\nsunset, as Evora is but ten leagues from Vendas Novas. The preceding\nmorning had been cold, but the present one was far more, so much so that\njust before sunrise I could no longer support it whilst riding, and\ntherefore dismounting ran and walked until we reached a few houses, at\nthe termination of these desolate moors. It was in one of these houses\nthat the commissioners of Don Pedro and Miguel met, and it was there\nagreed that the latter should resign the crown in favour of Donna Maria;\nfor Evora was the last stronghold of the Usurper, and the moors of the\nAlemtejo the last area of the combats which so long agitated unhappy\nPortugal. I therefore gazed on the miserable huts with considerable\ninterest, and did not fail to scatter in the neighbourhood several of the\nprecious little tracts with which, together with a small quantity of\nBibles, my carpet-bag was provided.\n\nThe country began to improve, the savage heaths were left behind, and we\nsaw hills and dales, cork-trees and _azineirias_, on the last of which\ntrees grows that kind of sweet acorn called _bolota_, which is pleasant\nas a chestnut, and forms in winter the principal food on which the\nnumerous swine of the Alemtejo subsist. Gallant swine they are, with\nshort legs and portly bodies, of a black or dark-red colour, and for the\nexcellence of their flesh I can avouch, having frequently partaken of it\nin the course of my wanderings in this province. The _lumbo_, or loin,\nwhen broiled on the live embers, is delicious, especially when eaten with\nolives.\n\nWe were now in sight of Monte Moro, which as the name denotes was once a\nfortress of the Moors; it is a high, steep hill, on the summit and sides\nof which are ruined walls and towers. At its western side is a deep\nravine or valley, through which a small stream rushes, traversed by a\nstone bridge; farther down there is a ford, through which we passed and\nascended to the town, which commencing near the northern base, passes\nover the lower ridge towards the north-east; the town is exceedingly\npicturesque, and many of the houses are very ancient and built in the\nMoorish fashion. I wished much to examine the relics of Moorish sway on\nthe upper part of the mountain, but time pressed, and the shortness of\nour stay in this place did not permit me to gratify my inclination.\n\nMonte Moro is the head of a range of hills crossing this part of the\nAlemtejo, and from hence they fork towards the east and south-east, in\nthe former of which directions lies the direct road to Elvas, Badajoz,\nand Madrid, and in the latter the road to Evora. A beautiful mountain,\ncovered to the top with cork trees, is the third in the chain which\nskirts the way in the direction of Evora. It is called Monte Almo; a\nbrook brawls at its base, and as I passed it the sun was shining\ngloriously on the green herbage, on which flocks of goats were feeding\nwith their bells ringing merrily, so that the _tout ensemble_ resembled a\nfairy scene; and that nothing might be wanted to complete the picture, I\nhere met a man, a goat-herd, beneath an _azineiria_ whose appearance\nrecalled to my mind the Brute-man mentioned in an ancient Danish poem:\n\n 'A wild swine on his shoulders he kept,\n And upon his bosom a black bear slept,\n And about his fingers with hair o'erhung\n The squirrel sported and weasel clung.'\n\nUpon the shoulders of the goat-herd was a beast, which he told me was a\n_lontra_ or otter, which he had lately caught in the neighbouring brook,\nit had a string round its neck which was attached to his arm; at his left\nside was a bag from the top of which peeped the heads of two or three\nsingular-looking animals; and beside him was squatted the sullen cub of a\nwolf, which he was endeavouring to tame. His whole appearance was to the\nlast degree savage and wild. After a little conversation, such as those\nwho meet on the road frequently hold, I asked him if he could read; but\nhe made no answer. I then enquired if he knew anything of God or Jesus\nChrist; he looked me fixedly in the face for a moment, and then turned\nhis countenance towards the sun which was beginning to sink, nodded to\nit, and then again looked fixedly upon me. I believed I understood this\nmute reply, which probably was, that it was God who made that glorious\nlight which illumines and gladdens all creation; and gratified with this\nbelief I left him, and hastened after my companions who were, by this\ntime, a considerable way in advance.\n\nI have always found amongst the children of the fields a more determined\ntendency to religion and piety than amongst the inhabitants of towns and\ncities, and the reason is obvious; they are less acquainted with the\nworks of man's hands than with those of God; their occupations are\nsimple, and requiring less of ingenuity and skill than those which engage\nthe intention of the other portion of their fellow-creatures, are less\nfavourable to the engendering of self-conceit and sufficiency, so utterly\nat variance with that lowliness of spirit which constitutes the best test\nof piety. The sneerers and scoffers at religion do not spring from\namongst the simple children of nature, but are the excrescences of\noverwrought refinement, and though their baneful influence has indeed\npenetrated to the country and corrupted many there, the fountain-head was\namongst crowded houses where nature is scarcely known. I am not one of\nthose who look for perfection amongst the rural population of any\ncountry; perfection is not to be found amongst the children of the fall,\nbe their abode where it may; but until the heart disbelieve the existence\nof a God, there is still hope for the possessor, however stained with\ncrime he may be, for even Simon the Magician was converted. But when the\nheart is once steeled with infidelity, infidelity confirmed by carnal\nreasoning, an exuberance of the grace of God is required to melt it,\nwhich is seldom or never manifested; for we read in the blessed book that\nthe Pharisee and the Wizard became receptacles of grace, but where is\nmention made of the conversion of the sneering Sadducee? and is the\nmodern infidel aught but a Sadducee of later date?\n\n_To be continued_.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. Andrew Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 29th, 1836)\n _Journal continued_\n\n BADAJOZ, 10th _January_ 1836.\n\nThe night had closed in before we reached Evora, and having taken leave\nof my friends, who kindly requested me to consider their house my home,\nmyself and my little party proceeded to the Largo de San Francisco, where\nwas a hostelry, which the muleteer informed me was the best in the town.\nWe rode into the kitchen, at the extreme end of which was the stable, as\nis customary in Portugal. The house was kept by an aged gypsy-like\nfemale and her daughter, a fine blooming girl about eighteen years of\nage. The house was large; in the upper story was a very long room, like\na granary, extending nearly the whole length of the house; the further\nend was partitioned off, and formed a tolerably comfortable chamber, but\nrather cold, the floor being of tiles, as was that of the large room in\nwhich the muleteers were accustomed to sleep on the furniture of their\nmules. Having supped I went to bed, and after having offered up my\ndevotions to Him who had protected me through a dangerous journey, I\nslept soundly till the morning.\n\nEvora is a walled town, but not regularly fortified, and could not\nsustain a siege of a day. It has five gates; before that to the\nsouth-west is the principal promenade of the inhabitants; the fair on St.\nJohn's Day is likewise held there. The houses are mostly very ancient;\nmany of them are unoccupied. It contains about five thousand\ninhabitants, though twice that number would be by no means\ndisproportionate to its size. The two principal edifices are the See or\nBishop's Palace, and the Convent of San Francisco, opposite to which I\nhad taken up my abode. A large barrack for cavalry stands on the\nright-hand side on entering the south-west gate. The adjacent country is\nuninteresting; but to the south-east, at the distance of six leagues, is\nto be seen a range of blue hills, the highest of which is called Serra\nDorso. It is picturesquely beautiful, and contains within its recesses\nwolves and wild boars in numbers. About a league and a half on the other\nside of this hill is Estremoz.\n\nI passed the day succeeding my arrival principally in examining the town\nand its environs, and as I strolled about I entered into conversation\nwith various people that I met. Several of these were of the middle\nclasses, shopkeepers and professional men; they were all\nConstitutionalists, or pretended to be so, but had very little to say,\nexcept a few commonplace remarks on the way of living of the friars,\ntheir hypocrisy and laziness. I endeavoured to obtain some information\nrespecting the state of instruction at Evora, and from their replies was\nled to believe that it must be very low, for it seemed that there was\nneither book-shop nor school in the place. When I spoke of religion,\nthey exhibited the utmost apathy, and making their bows left me as soon\nas possible. Having a letter of introduction to a person who kept a shop\nin the market-place, I called upon him, found him behind his counter and\ndelivered it to him. I found that he had been persecuted much whilst the\nold system was in its vigour, and that he entertained a hearty aversion\nto it. I told him that the nurse of that system had been the ignorance\nof the people in religious matters, and that the surest means to prevent\nits return was to enlighten them in those points. I added that I had\nbrought with me to Evora a small stock of Testaments and Bibles, which I\nwished to leave for sale in the hands of some respectable merchant, and\nthat if he were desirous to lay the axe to the root of superstition and\ntyranny he could not do so more effectually than by undertaking the\ncharge of these books. He declared his willingness to do so, and that\nsame evening I sent him ten Testaments and a Bible, being half my stock.\n\nI returned to the hostelry, and sat down on a log of wood on the hearth\nwithin the immense chimney in the common apartment. Two men were on\ntheir knees on the stones; before them was a large heap of pieces of\niron, brass, and copper; they were assorting it and stowing it away in\nvarious large bags. They were Spanish _contrabandistas_, or smugglers of\nthe lowest class, and earned a miserable livelihood by smuggling such\nrubbish from Portugal into Spain. Not a word proceeded from their lips,\nand when I addressed them in their native language they returned no\nanswer but a kind of growl. They looked as dirty and rusty as the iron\nin which they trafficked. The woman of the house and her daughter were\nexceedingly civil, and coming near to me crouched down, asking various\nquestions about England. A man dressed something like an English sailor,\nwho sat on the other side of the hearth, confronting me, said: 'I hate\nthe English, for they are not baptized, and have not the law' (meaning\nthe law of God). I laughed, and told him, that according to the law of\nEngland no one who was not baptized could be buried in consecrated\nground; whereupon he said; 'Then you are stricter than we.' He then\nasked: 'What is meant by the lion and the unicorn which I saw the other\nday on the coat of arms over the door of the English consul at St. Uves?'\nI said that they were the arms of England. 'Yes,' he replied; 'but what\ndo they represent?' I said I did not know. 'Then,' said he, 'you do not\nknow the story of your own house.' I answered: 'Suppose I were to tell\nyou that they represented the lion of Belem (Bethlehem) and the horned\nmonster of the flaming pit in combat as to which should obtain the\nmastery in England, what would you say?' He replied: 'I should say that\nyou gave a fair answer.' This man and myself became great friends; he\ncame from Palmella, not far from St. Uves; he had several mules and\nhorses with him, and dealt in corn and barley.\n\nI again walked out in the environs of the town. About half a mile from\nthe southern wall is a stone fountain, where the muleteers and other\npeople approaching the town are accustomed to water their cattle. I sat\ndown by it, and there I remained about two hours, entering into discourse\nwith every one who halted at the fountain; and I will here observe that\nduring the time of my sojourn at Evora I repeated my visit every day, and\nremained there about the same time, and by following this plan I believe\nthat I spoke to near two hundred of the children of Portugal upon matters\nconnected with their eternal welfare. Of those whom I addressed I found\nvery few had received any species of literary education; none of them had\nseen the Bible, and not more than half a dozen had the slightest\nknowledge of what the Holy Book consisted. I found that most of them\nwere bigoted Romanists and Miguelites at heart. When they told me they\nwere Christians, I denied the possibility of their being so, as they were\nignorant of Christ and His commandments, and rested their hope of\nsalvation in outward forms and superstitious observances which were the\ninventions of Satan, who wished to keep them in darkness in order that at\nlast they might stumble into the pit which he had digged for them. I\nsaid repeatedly that the Pope whom they revered was a deceiver and the\nprime minister of Satan here on earth, and that the monks and friars, to\nwhom they had been accustomed to confess themselves, and whose absence\nthey so deplored, were his subordinate agents. When called upon for\nproofs, I invariably cited the ignorance of my hearers respecting the\nScripture, and said that if their spiritual guides had been really\nministers of Christ they would not have permitted their flocks to remain\nunacquainted with His word. Since this occasion I have been frequently\nsurprised that I received no insult or ill-treatment from the people\nwhose superstitions I was thus attacking, but I really experienced none;\nand am inclined to believe that the utter fearlessness which I displayed,\ntrusting in the protection of the Almighty, may have been the cause.\nWhen threatened by danger the best policy is to fix your eye steadily\nupon it, and it will in general vanish like the morning mist before the\nsun; whereas if you quail before it, it becomes more imminent. I have\nfervent hope that the words which I uttered sunk deep into the hearts of\nsome of my hearers, as I observed many of them depart musing and pensive.\nI occasionally distributed tracts among them, for although they\nthemselves were unable to turn them to much account, I thought that by\ntheir means they might become of service at some future time, and might\nfall into the hands of others to whom they might be instruments of\nregeneration; as many a book which is cast on the waters is wafted to\nsome remote shore, and there proves a blessing and a comfort to millions\nwho are ignorant from whence it came.\n\nThe next day, which was Friday, I called at the house of my friend\nAzveto; I did not find him there, but was directed to the Episcopal\nPalace, in an apartment of which I found him writing with another\ngentleman, to whom he introduced me. It was the Governor of Evora, who\nwelcomed me with every mark of kindness and affability. After some\ndiscourse we went out together to examine an ancient edifice, which was\nreported to have served in ancient times as a temple to Diana. Part of\nit was evidently of Roman architecture, for there was no mistaking the\nbeautiful light pillars which supported a dome, under which the\nsacrifices to the most captivating and poetical divinity of the heathen\nTheocracy had probably been made; but the original space between the\npillars had been filled up with rubbish of a modern date, and the rest of\nthe building was apparently of the architecture of the latter end of the\nmiddle ages. It is situated at one end of the building which was once\nthe seat of the Inquisition, and I was informed that before the erection\nof the present See, it served as the residence of the Bishop.\n\nWithin the See, where the Governor now resides, is a superb library,\noccupying an immense vaulted room, like the aisle of a cathedral, and in\na side apartment is a collection of pictures by Portuguese artists,\nchiefly portraits, amongst which is that of Don Sebastian. I hope it did\nnot do him justice; for it represents him in the shape of an awkward lad,\nof about eighteen, with staring eyes and a bloated booby face, and\nwearing a ruff round a short apoplectic neck.\n\nI was shown several beautifully illuminated missals and other\nmanuscripts, but the one which most arrested my attention, I scarcely\nneed say why, bore the following title:--\n\n_Forma sive ordinatio Capelli illustrissimi et xtianissimi principis\nHenrici sexti Regis Anglie et Francie am diu Hibernie descipta serenissio\nprincipi Alfonso Regi Portugalie illustri per humilem servitorem sm Willm\nSav Decanum capelli supradicti_.\n\nIt seemed a voice from the olden times of my dear native land. This\nlibrary and picture-gallery had been formed by one of the latter Bishops,\na person of commendable learning and piety.\n\nIn the evening I dined with Don Joze d'Azveto and his brother; the latter\nsoon left us, in order to attend to his military duties. My friend and\nmyself had then much conversation of considerable interest. He lamented\nfeelingly the deplorable state of ignorance in which his countrymen were\nat present buried, and said that his friend the Governor and himself were\nendeavouring to establish a school in the vicinity, and that they had\nmade application to the Government for the use of an empty convent called\nthe _Espinhero_, or thorn-tree, at about a league's distance, and that\nthey had little doubt of their request being complied with. I had before\ntold him who I was; and now, after expressing my joy at the plan which he\nhad in contemplation, I urged him in the most pressing manner to use all\nhis influence to cause the knowledge of the Scripture to be the basis of\nthe education of the pupils in the intended school, and added that half\nof the Testaments and Bibles which I had brought with me to Evora were\nheartily at his service. He instantly gave me his hand, [and] said he\naccepted my offer with the greatest pleasure, and would do all in his\npower to further my views, which were in many respects his own. I now\ntold him that I did not come to Portugal with the view of introducing the\ndogmas of any particular sect, but with the hope of introducing the\nBible, which is the well-head of all that is useful and conducive to the\nhappiness of society and individuals; that I cared not what people called\nthemselves, provided they read the Scripture, for that where the\nScripture was read neither priestcraft nor tyranny could long exist; and\ninstanced my own country, the cause of whose freedom and happiness was\nthe Bible, and that only, for that before the days of Tyndal it was the\nseat of ignorance, oppression, and cruelty, and that after the fall of\nignorance, the oppression and cruelty soon ceased, for that the last\npersecutor of the Bible, the last upholder of ignorance--_the bloody and\ninfamous Mary_--was the last tyrant who had sat on the throne of England.\nWe did not part till the night was considerably advanced; and the next\nday I sent him the books, in the steadfast hope that a bright and\nglorious morning was about to rise upon the night which had so long cast\nits dreary shadow over the regions of the Alemtejo.\n\nThe day after this interesting event, which was Saturday, I had more\nconversation with the man from Palmella. I asked him if in his journeys\nhe had never been attacked by robbers; he answered 'No,' for that he\ngenerally travelled in company with others; 'however,' said he, 'were I\nalone I should have little fear, for I am well protected.' I said that I\nsupposed he carried arms with him. 'No other arms than this,' said he,\nand he pulled out a long, desperate-looking knife of English manufacture,\nlike that with which every Portuguese peasant is provided, and which I\nshould consider a far more efficient weapon than a dagger. 'But,' said\nhe, 'I do not place much confidence in the knife.' I then enquired in\nwhat were his hopes of protection. 'In this,' he replied; and\nunbuttoning his waistcoat he showed me a small bag, attached to his neck\nby a silken string. 'In this bag is an _oracam_ (or prayer), written by\na person of power; and as long as I carry it about me no ill can befall\nme.' Curiosity is one of the leading features of my character, and I\ninstantly said that to be allowed to read the prayer would give me great\npleasure. 'Well,' he replied, 'you are my friend, and I would do for you\nwhat I would do for few others. I will show it you.' He then asked me\nfor my penknife and proceeded to unrip the bag, and took out of it a\nlarge piece of paper closely folded up. I hurried with it to my chamber,\nand commenced the examination of it. It was scrawled over in a very\nillegible hand, and was moreover much stained with perspiration, so that\nI had considerable difficulty in making myself master of its contents;\nbut at last I accomplished the following literal translation of the\ncharm, which was written in bad Portuguese, but which struck me at the\ntime as being the most remarkable composition I had ever seen.\n\n\n\nThe Charm\n\n\n 'Just Judge and divine Son of the Virgin Maria, who wast born at\n Bethlehem, a Nazarene, and who wast crucified in the midst of all\n Jewry! I beseech Thee, O Lord, by virtue of Thy sixth day {137} that\n the body of me, Francisco, be not caught nor put to death by the\n hands of Justice! Pazes teco (pax tecum), pazes Cristo. May you\n receive peace, said Christ to His disciples. If the accursed Justice\n should distrust me, or have its eye on me, in order to take me, or to\n rob me, may it have an eye which shall not see me; may it have a\n mouth which shall not speak to me; may it have an ear which shall not\n hear me; may it have a hand which shall not seize me; may it have a\n foot which shall not overtake me; for may I be armed with the arms of\n Saint George; may I be covered with the cloak of Abraham; and\n embarked in the ark of Noah; so that it can neither see me, nor hear\n me, nor draw the blood from my body! I also conjure Thee, O Lord, by\n those three blessed crosses--by those three blessed chalices--by\n those three blessed clergymen--by those three consecrated hosts, that\n Thou give me that sweet company which Thou gavest the Virgin Maria,\n from the gates of Bethlehem even unto the portals of Jerusalem, that\n I may go and come with peace and joy with Jesus Christ, Son of the\n Virgin Maria, the prolific, yet nevertheless the eternal Virgin Maria\n our Lady.'\n\nThe woman of the house and her daughter had similar bags tied to their\nnecks, containing charms, which they said prevented the witches having\npower to harm them. The belief in witchcraft is very prevalent amongst\nthe peasantry of the Alemtejo, and I believe of other provinces of\nPortugal. This is one of the relics of the monkish system, the aim of\nwhich in all countries where it has existed, or does exist, seems to be\nto besot the minds of the people that they may be the more easily\nplundered and misled. The monks of the Greek and Syriac Churches\nlikewise deal in this kind of ware, which they know to be poison, but\nwhich, as it brings them a price and fosters delusion by which they are\nmaintained in luxury and idleness, they would rather vend than the\nwholesome drug.\n\nThe Sunday morning was fine, and the plain before the church of the\nConvent of San Francisco was thronged with people going to mass or\nreturning. After having performed my morning devotions and breakfasted,\nI went down to the kitchen. The fine girl Geronima was seated by the\nfire. I asked if she had heard mass; she replied, 'No,' and that she did\nnot intend to hear it. Upon my inquiring her motive for absenting\nherself, she replied that, since the friars had been expelled from their\nchurches and convents, she had ceased to attend mass or to confess\nherself, for that the Government priests had no spiritual power, and\nconsequently she never troubled them. She said the friars were holy men\nand charitable; for that every morning those of the convent over the way\nhad fed forty poor persons with the remains of their meals of the\npreceding day, but that now these people were allowed to starve. I\nreplied that the friars who had lived upon the dainties of the land could\nwell afford to bestow a few bones on the poor, and that their doing so\nwas not the effect of charity, but merely a part of their artful policy,\nby which they hoped to secure to themselves friends in time of need. The\ngirl then said that as it was Sunday I should perhaps like to see some of\nher books, and without waiting for a reply she produced them. They\nconsisted principally of popular stories and lives and miracles of\nsaints, but amongst them was a translation of Volney's _Ruins of\nEmpires_. I inquired how she became possessed of this book; she said\nthat a young man, a great Constitutionalist, had given it her some months\nsince and had pressed her much to read it, telling her that it was the\nbest book in the world. Whereupon I told her that the author of the book\nin question was an emissary of Satan and an enemy of Jesus Christ and the\nsouls of mankind; that he had written it with the sole view of bringing\nall religion into contempt, and that he had inculcated therein the\ndoctrine that there was no future state nor rewards for the righteous nor\npunishments for the wicked. She made no reply, but going into another\nroom, returned with her apron full of dry brushwood and faggot; all of\nthis she piled upon the fire, and produced a bright blaze. She then took\nthe book from my hand, and placed it upon the flaming pile; then sitting\ndown, took her rosary out of her pocket, and told her beads till the\nvolume was consumed. This was an _Auto-da-fe_, in the true sense of the\nword.\n\nOn the Monday and Tuesday I paid my usual visits to the fountain, and\nlikewise rode about the neighbourhood for the purpose of circulating\ntracts. I dropped a great many in the favourite walks of the people of\nEvora, as I felt rather dubious of their accepting them had I proffered\nthem with my own hands; whereas if they found them on the ground, I\nthought that curiosity might induce them to pick them up and examine\nthem. I likewise on the Tuesday evening paid a farewell visit to my\nfriend Don Azveto, as it was my intention to leave Evora on the Thursday\nfollowing; in which view I had engaged a cabriolet of a man who informed\nme that he had served as a soldier in the _Grande Armee_ of Napoleon, and\nhad been present throughout the Russian campaign. He looked the image of\na drunkard; his face was covered with carbuncles, and his breath\nimpregnated with the fumes of strong waters. He wished much to converse\nwith me in French, in the speaking of which language, it seems, he prided\nhimself much; but I refused, and told him to speak the language of the\ncountry, or I would hold no discourse with him.\n\nWednesday was stormy, with occasional rain. On coming down I found that\nmy friend from Palmella had departed, but several _contrabandistas_ had\narrived from Spain. They were mostly fine fellows, and, unlike the two I\nhad seen the previous week, who were of much lower degree, were chatty\nand communicative; they spoke their native language and no other, and\nseemed to hold Portuguese in great contempt; their magnificent Spanish\ntones were heard to great advantage amidst the shrill chirping dialect of\nPortugal. I was soon in deep conversation with them, and was much\npleased to find that all of them could read. I presented the eldest of\nthem, a man of about fifty years of age, with a tract in Spanish. He\nexamined it for some time with great attention; he then rose from his\nseat, and going into the middle of the apartment, began reading it aloud,\nslowly and emphatically; his companions gathered round him, and every now\nand then expressed their satisfaction at what they heard. The reader\noccasionally called upon me to explain particular passages which, as they\nreferred to Scripture, he did not exactly understand, for not one of the\nparty had ever seen either the Old or New Testament. He continued\nreading for nearly an hour until he had finished the tract, and at its\nconclusion the whole party were clamorous for similar ones, with which I\nwas happy to be able to supply them. Most of them spoke of priestcraft\nand the monks with the utmost abhorrence, and said that they should\nprefer death to again submitting to the yoke which had formerly galled\ntheir necks. I questioned them very particularly respecting the opinion\nof their neighbours and acquaintances on this point, and they assured me\nthat in their part of the Spanish frontier all were of the same mind, and\nthat they cared as little for the Pope and his monks as they did for Don\nCarlos, for the latter was a dwarf (_chicotito_) and a tyrant, and the\nothers were plunderers and robbers. I told them that they must beware of\nconfounding religion with priestcraft, and that in their abhorrence of\nthe latter they must not forget that there is a God and a Christ, to whom\nthey must look for salvation, and whose word it was incumbent upon them\nto study on every occasion; whereupon they all expressed a devout belief\nin Christ and the Virgin.\n\nThese men, though in many respects far more enlightened than the\nsurrounding peasantry, were in others quite as much in the dark; they\nbelieved in witchcraft and in the efficacy of particular charms. The\nnight was very stormy, and about nine we heard a galloping towards the\ndoor, and then a loud knocking; it was opened, and in rushed a\nwild-looking man mounted upon a donkey. He wore a jerkin of sheepskin,\ncalled in Spanish _zamarras_, with breeches of the same as far down as\nhis knee; his legs were bare. Around his _sombrero_, or shadowy hat, was\ntied a large quantity of the herb called in English rosemary, in Spanish\n_romero_, and in the rustic language of Portugal _ellecrin_, which last\nis a word of Scandinavian origin, and properly signifies the elfin plant.\n[It was probably] carried into the south by the Vandals or the Alani.\nThe [man seemed] frantic with terror, and said that the witches had been\npursuing him, and hovering over his head, for the last two leagues. He\ncame from the Spanish frontier with meal and other articles; he informed\nus that his wife was following him and would soon arrive, and within a\nquarter of an hour she made her appearance, dripping with rain, and also\nmounted upon a donkey. I asked my friends the _contrabandistas_ why he\nwore the rosemary in his hat, and they told me that it was good against\nwitches and the mischances of the road. I had no time to argue against\nthis superstition, for as the chaise was to be ready at five o'clock next\nmorning I wished to make the most of the few hours which I could devote\nto rest.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 15, 1836)\n\nThe following Translations into the Romanee, or language of the Spanish\nTchai, Tchabos, Gitanos, Callos, or Gypsies, were made by me at Badajoz\nduring the first two weeks of January 1836.\n\n THE 15TH CHAP. OF THE BLESSED GOSPEL OF SAINT LUKE.\n\n[Here follow thirty-two verses of the translation, followed by a version\nof the Lord's Prayer.]\n\n SPECIMENS OF THE HORRID CURSES IN USE AMONGST THE SPANISH GYPSIES.\n\n[Here follow sixteen of these 'curses,' to each of which is added a\nrendering in English.]\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 29th, 1836)\n MADRID, CALLE DE LA ZARZA,\n _Feby._ 13_th_, 1836.\n\nThe game is now in our own hands, and it is our fault if we do not win\nit, for a little patience and a little prudence is all that is required.\nI came to Madrid without a single letter of introduction, and without\nknowing an individual there. I have now some powerful friends, and\nthrough the kindness of Sir Geo. Villiers, the British Ambassador at the\nSpanish Court, I have had an interview with that most singular man,\nMendizabal, whom it is as difficult to get nigh as it is to approach the\nNorth Pole. I have obtained his promise that when matters are in some\ndegree settled in this country, he will allow us to commence our\noperations; but the preposterous idea, which by some means or other he\nhas embraced, that we have been endeavouring to foment disturbances\namongst the slaves of Cuba, prevents his looking upon us with favourable\neyes.\n\nI now write for orders; if you have received my letters and journals\n(copious extracts from which you had better print), you will see how\nsuccessful I have been in the Alemtejo, as our books are now for sale at\nEvora and Elvas, the two principal towns, and the Gospel of Christ has\nbeen preached to many who were ignorant of it even by name; you will see\nwhat I have been doing at Badajoz, especially amongst the Spanish\nGypsies, whose dialect of the Rommany I have so far mastered as to be\nable to translate into it with tolerable ease. Now, until my friends\nhere and myself can claim the fulfilment of Mr. Mendizabal's promise, do\nyou wish me to go to Granada, or back to Badajoz, and finish my\ntranslation of St. Luke into Rommany, with the assistance of the Gypsies\nof those places, who are far more conversant with their native language\nthan their brethren in other parts of Spain; or shall I return to Lisbon\nand exert all my interest towards the execution of the plan which I\ncommunicated first to Mr. Wilby, and then to yourself, namely, attempting\nto induce the Government to adopt the Scriptures in the schools which\nthey are about to establish? Since I have been at Madrid I have obtained\nletters to individuals of great importance at Lisbon, and I know that Don\nJose d'Azveto will do anything to serve me within the limits of reason.\nTherefore let the Committee be summoned, and a resolution forthwith\nadopted as to my next course. I think all our negotiations in the\nPeninsula may be brought to a successful termination in a few months;\nthen you must send over an agent, a plain man of business, to engage\ncolporteurs and to come to arrangements with booksellers, both in Spain\nand in the provincial towns of Portugal, but let him not be a hesitater\nand starter of needless doubts and difficulties; anything may be\naccomplished with a little shrewdness, a little boldness, and a great\ntrust in God. I hope that my exertions have afforded satisfaction at\nhome, but if not, let me be allowed to state that it was not in my power\nto accomplish more than I have. I have borne hunger and thirst, cold and\nfatigue, I have exposed myself to danger from robbers, and was near\nlosing my life from the ruffian soldiery at Arrayolos, whose bullets so\nnarrowly missed me. I have been as economical as possible, though the\ncharges in Portugal for everything are enormous, and a stranger there is\nlike a ship on shore, a mark for plunder. In Spain the people are far\nmore honest, and the charges, though high, reasonable in comparison.\nBefore leaving Lisbon I drew on excellent Mr. Wilby for 75 pounds; of\nthis sum 12 pounds was remitted to Malaja, through which place I shall\nprobably pass on my return to Lisbon. I have still remaining by me money\nsufficient for two months, I therefore need not enter into a detail of my\nexpenses. I now wait for a letter from you; and when you write, please\nto remit to me a small letter of credit on some one at Madrid, or request\nMr. Wilby to do so, as he has correspondents here, and in that case\ncommunicate my address to him. I give you below an abridgment of my\ninterview with Mr. Mendizabal. I think it will make you laugh. I have\nthe honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, etc.,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\nInterview with Mr. Mendizabal\n\n\nAt about 8 o'clock in the morning of the 7th inst. I went to the palace,\nwhere Mr. Mendizabal resides. I informed the usher that I came from the\nBritish Ambassador, whereupon I was shown into a room, and after waiting\nabout three hours I was admitted to the presence of the Prime Minister of\nSpain. He was dressed in a morning gown and sat behind a table covered\nwith papers. He is a man of about five-and-forty, somewhat above the\nmiddle height, with very handsome features, aquiline nose and large\nsparkling eyes; his hair is partly grey. I presented him the letter with\nwhich Sir Geo. Villiers had furnished me, and when he had read it, I said\nthat before entering upon the matter which more immediately brought me to\nhim, I begged leave to set him right upon a point relating to which he\nwas labouring under considerable error: Sir Geo. Villiers had informed me\nthat Mr. M. entertained an opinion that the Bible Society had been\nendeavouring to exercise an undue influence over the minds of the slave\npopulation of Cuba by means of their agents; but that I could assure him\nwith truth, that neither directly nor indirectly had they exerted or\nattempted to exert any influence at all over any part of the inhabitants\nof that island, as they had neither sent agents there, nor held any\ncommunication with the residents. While I was saying this, he\ninterrupted me several times, insisting that it was so, and that he had\ndocuments to prove it. I told him that it was probable he confounded the\nBible Society with some other institution for the propagation of\nreligion, perhaps with one of the missionary societies, more especially\none of those belonging to the United States, which might have sent\nindividuals to the island in question for the purpose of communicating\nreligious instruction to the slaves--but all I could say was to no avail;\nhe would have it that it was the British Bible Society who had despatched\nmissionaries to Cuba to incite the blacks to rise up against their\nmasters. The absurdity of this idea struck me so forcibly that it was\nwith difficulty I restrained myself from laughing outright. I at last\nsaid that, whatever he might think to the contrary, the Committee of the\nBible Society were by no means of that turbulent and outrageous\ndisposition; that they were for the most part staid, quiet gentlemen, who\nattended to their own affairs, and a little, and but a little to the\npromulgation of Christ's Gospel, which, however, they too much respected\nto endeavour to kindle a spirit of insurrection anywhere, as they all\nknow full well that it is the Word of God says that servants are to obey\ntheir masters at all times and occasions. I then requested permission to\nprint the New Testament in Spanish at Madrid. He said he should not\ngrant it, for that the New Testament was a very dangerous book,\nespecially in disturbed times. I replied that I was not aware that the\nholy book contained any passages sanctioning blood-shedding and violence,\nbut I rather thought that it abounded with precepts of an entirely\nopposite tendency; but he still persisted that it was an improper book.\nI must here observe that it was with the utmost difficulty I obtained an\nopportunity of explaining myself, on account of the propensity which he\npossesses of breaking in upon the discourse of the person who is\naddressing him; and at last, in self-defence, I was myself obliged to\ninfringe the rules of conversation, and to hold on without paying any\nattention to his remarks--not that I gained much by so doing, for he\nplainly told me that he was an obstinate man, and that he never abandoned\nhis opinions. I certainly do not think him the most tractable of men,\nbut I am inclined to think that he is not ill-natured, as he preserved\nhis temper very well during the interview, and laughed heartily at two or\nthree of my remarks. At last he said: 'I will not give you permission\nnow: but let the war be concluded, let the factious be beaten, and the\ncase will be altered; come to me six months hence.' I then requested to\nbe allowed to introduce into Spain a few copies of the New Testament in\nthe Catalan dialect, as we had lately printed a most beautiful edition at\nLondon, but he still said 'No, no,' and when I asked if he had any\nobjection to my calling again on the morrow and showing him a copy, he\nmade use of these remarkable words: 'I do not wish you should come, lest\nyou should convince me, and I do not wish to be convinced.'\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. April 2, 1836)\n _Mar._ 22, 1836,\n CALLE DE LA ZARZA, MADRID.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I received your letter of the 8th inst., which gave\nme much pleasure, as I understood from it that my humble efforts had\nafforded satisfaction. I also received the two letters from St.\nPetersburg which were written by a dear friend of that place, to whom I\nshall trouble you to forward a letter as soon as I have an opportunity of\nwriting, which at present I have not, as my time is much occupied.\n\nI have to communicate to you what will not fail to be interesting. The\nSpanish press have taken up our affair, and I am at present engaged in\nattempting to lay the foundation of a Bible Society at Madrid, to\naccomplish which the editor of the influential newspaper, the _Espanol_,\nhas promised me his assistance. There has already appeared in that\njournal a most brilliant article which gives the history of our Society,\nand states the advantages which would result to Spain from the\nestablishment within its bosom of a society whose aim should be the\npropagation of the Scripture, in the Spanish language, amongst the\npopulation. Of this article I send extracts below, and shall probably,\nwhen I have more time, send the whole. The person whom we are looking\nforward to as a head of the projected institution is a certain Bishop,\nadvanced in years, a person of great piety and learning, who has himself\ntranslated the New Testament in a manner, as I am informed, far superior\nto that of any of his predecessors; but I have not as yet seen it, and\ntherefore cannot speak positively as to its merits. However, he is\ndisposed to print and circulate it, and if the translation be really an\nexcellent one it would not be unwise in us to patronise it, if by so\ndoing we could induce him to co-operate with us in our plans for\nenlightening unhappy Spain. But more of this anon. I have little doubt\nthat the time is almost at hand when the cause of God will triumph in\nthis country, and I am exerting every means which I can devise in\nhumbleness of heart to help to bring about an event so desirable. I\nintend to remain a few weeks longer at Madrid at all events, for the\npresent moment is too fraught with interest to allow me to quit it\nimmediately. As far as self is concerned I should rejoice to return\ninstantly to Lisbon, for I am not partial to Madrid, its climate, or\nanything it can offer, if I except its unequalled gallery of pictures;\nbut I did not come hither to gratify self but as a messenger of the Word.\n\nMay I take the liberty of begging you to write a line to my dear and\nrevered friend Mr. Cunningham, informing him that I am in tolerable\nhealth, and that I hope to write myself speedily. The three letters\nwhich you say have not arrived were, I believe, destroyed by a servant\nfor the sake of the postage, but I shall send you parts of my journal to\nsupply the deficiency.\n\n\n\nExtracts from the 'Espanol'\n\n\n'The first founders of the Bible Societies (for by this name they were\nknown) immediately comprehended their philosophic and civilising mission,\nand fulfilled the thought of its inventor. In a short period the circle\nof their action expanded itself, and not content with making Great\nBritain alone a participator of this salutary institution, they wished to\nextend it to all countries, and therefore called to their assistance the\nmajority of the known languages. To all the quarters of the inhabited\nworld they sent at their own expense agents to traverse the countries and\ndiscover the best means of disseminating the truths of the Bible, and to\ndiscover manuscripts of the ancient versions. They did more: convinced\nof the necessity of placing themselves above the miserable considerations\nof sectarian spirit, they determined that the text should not be\naccompanied by any species of note or commentary which might provoke the\ndiscord which unhappily reigns among the different fractions of\nChristianity, which separates more and more their views instead of\nguiding them to the religious end which they propose.\n\n'Thus the doctrine of the Nazarene might be studied with equal success by\nthe Greek schismatic and the Catholic Spaniard, by the sectary of Calvin\nand the disciple of Luther: its seed might bless at one and the same time\nthe fruitful plains of Asia and the sterile sands of desert Arabia, the\nburning soil of India and the icy land of the ferocious Esquimaux.\nAntiquity knew no speedier means of conveying its ideas than the\nharangues which the orators pronounced from the summit of the tribune,\namidst assemblies of thousands of citizens; but modern intelligence\nwished to discover other means infinitely more efficacious, more active,\nmore rapid, more universal, and has invented the press. Thus it was that\nin the preceding ages the warm and animated words of the missionary were\nnecessarily the only organ which Christianity had at command to proclaim\nits principles; but scarcely did this invention come to second the\nprogress of modern civilisation, than it foresaw the future ally destined\nto complete the intelligent and social labour which it had taken upon\nitself.'\n\n(After stating what has been accomplished by the B. F. B. Society, and\nhow many others have sprung up under her auspices in different lands, the\narticle continues:)\n\n'Why should Spain which has explored the New World, which has generalised\ninoculation in order to oppose the devastations of a horrid pest, which\nhas always distinguished herself by zeal in labouring in the cause of\nhumanity--why should she alone be destitute of Bible Societies? Why\nshould a nation eminently Catholic continue isolated from the rest of\nEurope, without joining in the magnificent enterprise in which the latter\nis so busily engaged?'\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n(My best respects to Mr. Jowett.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 5, 1836)\n MADRID, No. 3, CALLE DE LA ZARZA,\n 20 _April_ 1836\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter of the 6th inst., in\nwhich you request me to write to you a little more frequently, on the\nground that my letters are not destitute of interest; your request,\nhowever, is not the principal reason which incites me to take up the pen\nat the present moment. Though I hope that I shall be able to communicate\nmatter which will afford yourself and our friends at home subject for\nsome congratulation, my more immediate object is to inform you of my\nsituation, of which I am sure you have not the slightest conception.\n\nFor the last three weeks I have been without money, literally without a\nfarthing. About a month ago I received fifteen pounds from Mr. Wilby,\nand returned him an order for twenty, he having, when I left Lisbon, lent\nme five pounds, on account, above what I drew for, as he was apprehensive\nof my being short of money before I reached Madrid. 12 pounds, 5s. of\nthis I instantly expended for a suit of clothes, {153} my own being so\nworn, that it was impossible to appear longer in public with them. At\nthe time of sending him the receipt I informed him that I was in need of\nmoney, and begged that he would send the remaining 30 pounds by return of\npost. I have never heard from him from that moment, though I have\nwritten twice. Perhaps he never received my letters, or I may not have\nreceived his, the post of Estremadura having been three times robbed; I\ncan imagine no other reason. The money may still come, but I have given\nup all hopes of it, and am compelled to write home, though what I am to\ndo till I can receive your answer I am at a loss to conceive. But God is\nabove all, and I am far from complaining; but you would oblige me, upon\nreceiving this, to procure me instantly a letter of credit on some house\nin Madrid. I believe Messrs. Hammersley of London have correspondents\nhere. Whatever I undergo, I shall tell nobody my situation: it might\nhurt the Society and our projects here. I know enough of the world to be\naware that it is considered as the worst of crimes to be without money.\nAbove all, let me intreat you never to hint of this affair in any\ncommunication to Mr. Wilby; he is a most invaluable man, and he might\ntake offence.\n\nA week ago, after having spent much time in drawing up a petition, I\npresented it to the Ecclesiastical Committee of Censors. It was strongly\nbacked by the Civil Governor of Madrid, within whose department the\nCensorship is. In this petition, after a preamble on the religious state\nof Spain, I requested permission to print the New Testament without note\nor comment, according to the version of Father Scio, and in the same form\nand size as the small edition of Paris, in order that the book might be\n'_al alcance asi de los pobres como de los ricos_' (within the reach of\nthe poor as well as of the wealthy). {154} The Ecclesiastical Board are\nat present consulting about it, as I was informed to-day, upon my\nrepairing to their house for the purpose of knowing how matters were\ngoing on. I have hopes of success, having done all in my power to\nprevent a failure by making important friends since the moment of my\narrival. I was introduced to the Governor by his most intimate\nacquaintance Synudi, the Deputy of Huelba, to whom I was introduced by\nthe celebrated Alcala de Galiano, the Deputy of Cadiz, who will sooner or\nlater be Prime Minister, and to him I was introduced by--but I will not\ncontinue, as I might run on for ever, much after the fashion as\n\n'This is the house which Jack built.'\n\nAnd now I have something to tell you which I think will surprise you, and\nwhich, strange as it may sound, is nevertheless true. The authority of\nthe Pope in this country is in so very feeble and precarious a situation,\nthat little more than a breath is required to destroy it, and I am almost\nconfident that in less than a year it will be disowned. I am doing\nwhatever I can in Madrid to prepare the way for an event so desirable. I\nmix with the people, and inform them who and what the Pope is, and how\ndisastrous to Spain his influence has been. I tell them that the\nindulgences, which they are in the habit of purchasing, are of no more\nintrinsic value than so many pieces of paper, and were merely invented\nwith the view of plundering them. I frequently ask: 'Is it possible that\nGod, who is good, would sanction the sale of sin?' and, 'Supposing\ncertain things are sinful, do you think that God, for the sake of your\nmoney, would permit you to perform them?' In many instances my hearers\nhave been satisfied with this simple reasoning, and have said that they\nwould buy no more indulgences. Moreover, the newspapers have, in two or\nthree instances, taken up the subject of Rome upon national and political\ngrounds. The Pope is an avowed friend of Carlos, and an enemy of the\npresent Government, and in every instance has refused to acknowledge the\nBishops who have been nominated to vacant sees by the Queen. Therefore\nthe editors say, and very naturally, if the Pope does everything in his\npower to impede the progress of Spanish regeneration, it is high time to\ncut the ties which still link Spain to the papal chair. It is my sincere\nprayer, and the prayer of many of those who have the interest of Spain at\nheart, that The Man of Rome will continue in the course which he is at\npresent pursuing, for by so doing he loses Spain, and then he is nothing.\nHe is already laughed at throughout Italy--Ireland will alone remain to\nhim--much good it may do him!\n\nIn respect to the Apocrypha, let me be permitted to observe that an\nanticipation of that difficulty was one of my motives for forbearing to\nrequest permission to print the entire Bible; and here I will hint that\nin these countries, until the inhabitants become Christian, it would be\nexpedient to drop the Old Testament altogether, for if the Old accompany\nthe New the latter will be little read, as the former is so infinitely\nmore entertaining to the carnal man. Mr. Wilby in his [last] letter\ninforms me that 30 Bibles have been sold in Lisbon within a short time,\nbut that the demand for Testaments has not amounted to half that number.\nMy best respects to Mr. Jowett.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 1, 1836)\n MADRID, _May_ 22, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write in the greatest hurry. I shall receive the\npermission, the Lord willing, in a few days; the Duke de Rivas has this\nmoment told me so, and he is Minister of the Interior.\n\nThe Ecclesiastical Court declined deciding upon the matter, and left it\nentirely in the hands of the Ministers. Just as the English Ambassador\nwas about to remind Mr. Mendizabal of his promise to me, the latter\ngentleman and his colleagues retired from office; a new Ministry was\nformed composed entirely of my friends, amongst them Alcala Galiano (turn\nto my last letter).\n\nAs soon as the Minister of Finance, with whom I am very intimate, returns\nfrom France, I shall request to be permitted to introduce the Catalan New\nTestament upon paying a reasonable duty.\n\nI received Mr. Jackson's letter containing the money, and yours, also\nwith money, and a rap on the knuckles besides; it was scarcely merited,\nas I can prove in five words.\n\nNot having the Scripture to offer to the people, I was obliged to content\nmyself with mentioning it to them; the people here know not the Scripture\neven by name, but they know a certain personage well enough, and as soon\nas the subject of religion is brought up they are sure to bring him\nforward, as they consider him the fountainhead of all religion. Those\ntherefore in the situation of myself have three things at their option;\nto speak nothing--to speak lies--or to speak the truth. In simpleness of\nheart I thought proper to adopt the last principle as my line of conduct;\nI do not think I have erred, but I shall be more reserved in future.\n\nIn conclusion let me be permitted to observe that the last skirts of the\ncloud of papal superstition are vanishing below the horizon of Spain;\nwhoever says the contrary either knows nothing of the matter or wilfully\nhides the truth.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 2, 1836)\n 10 AT NIGHT,\n [MADRID, _May_ 22, 1836.]\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--There has been a partial disturbance at Madrid, and it is\nnot impossible that the new Ministry will go out and Mr. M. be\nreinstated--which event, however, will make little difference to us, as\nthe British Ambassador has promised to back the application which I shall\ninstantly make. There are so many changes and revolutions here that\nnothing is certain even for a day. I wish to let you know what is going\nforward, and am aware that you will excuse two letters arriving at one\ntime.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 4, 1836)\n [MADRID], _Monday night_, half p. 11, _May_ 30.\n\nThe post will presently depart, therefore I have no time to lose. Every\nthing, thank God, is again tranquil, and it appears that the present\nMinistry will stand its ground. I am just returned from the house of one\nof the Ministers; I can consequently speak pretty positively. The Queen\nwill not accept their resignations, and the army is on their side. The\nCortes have been dissolved. The whole Cabinet are of opinion that my\npetition is just and reasonable and ought to be granted. I have been\nrequested to appear next Thursday at the Office, when I expect to receive\nthe permission, or to hear that steps have been taken towards making it\nout.\n\nThe reason of Mr. Mendizabal's resignation was his inability to\naccomplish the removal of General Cordova from the head of the army. It\nis not for me to offer an opinion on the General's military talents, but\nhe is much beloved by the soldiers, whose comforts and interests he has\nmuch attended to; to deprive him of command would therefore be attended\nwith danger. I have no complaint to make against Mr. M.; he is a kind,\nwell-meaning man, and had he remained in office I have no doubt that he\nwould have acceded to my petition.\n\nI hope you will pray that God will grant me wisdom, humbleness of spirit,\nand success in all that is right.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 11, 1836)\n CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO, MADRID,\n _June_ 30, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--As I have little doubt that you are anxiously\nawaiting the arrival of some intelligence from me, I write a few lines\nwhich I have no doubt will prove satisfactory to you, and in the course\nof a few days I hope to write again, when I shall probably be able to\nannounce the happy termination of the affair which brought me to Spain.\n\nThe difficulties which I have had to encounter since I last wrote to you\nhave been so many and formidable that I have been frequently on the verge\nof despairing ever to obtain permission to print the Gospel in Spain,\nwhich has become the most ardent wish of my heart. Only those who have\nbeen in the habit of dealing with Spaniards, by whom the most solemn\npromises are habitually broken, can form a correct idea of my reiterated\ndisappointments and of the toil of body and agony of spirit which I have\nbeen subjected to. One day I have been told, at the Ministry, that I had\nonly to wait a few moments and all I wished would be acceded to; and then\nmy hopes have been blasted with the information that various\ndifficulties, which seemed insurmountable, had presented themselves,\nwhereupon I have departed almost broken-hearted; but the next day I have\nbeen summoned in a great hurry and informed that 'all was right,' and\nthat on the morrow a regular authority to print the Scriptures would be\ndelivered to me; but by that time fresh and yet more terrible\ndifficulties had occurred--so that I became weary of my life.\n\nDuring the greatest part of the last six weeks I have spent upon an\naverage ten hours every day, dancing attendance on one or another of the\nMinisters, and when I have returned home I have been so fatigued that I\nhave found it impossible to write, even to my nearest friends. The heat\nhas been suffocating, for the air seems to be filled with flaming\nvapours, and the very Spaniards are afraid to stay out, and lie gasping\nand naked on their brick floors; therefore if you have felt disappointed\nin not having heard from me for a considerable time, the above statement\nmust be my excuse.\n\nDuring the last fortnight the aspect of my affair has become more\nfavourable, and, notwithstanding all the disappointments I have met, I\nnow look forward with little apprehension to the result. The English\nAmbassador, Mr. Villiers, has taken me by the hand in the most generous\nmanner and has afforded me the most effectual assistance. He has spoken\nto all the Ministers, collectively and individually, and has recommended\nthe granting of my petition in the strongest manner, pointing out the\nterrible condition of the people at present who are without religious\ninstruction of any kind, and the impossibility of exercising any species\nof government over a nation of atheists, which the Spaniards will very\nshortly become if left to themselves. Whether moved by his arguments or\nby a wish to oblige a person of so much importance as the British\nAmbassador, the Cabinet of Madrid now exhibit a manifest willingness to\ndo all in their power to satisfy me; and though by the law of Spain the\npublishing of the Scripture in the vulgar tongue without notes is\nforbidden, measures have been taken by which the rigor of the law can be\neluded and the printer be protected, until such time as it shall be\ndeemed prudent to repeal the law made, as is now generally confessed, in\na time of ignorance and superstitious darkness.\n\nI herewith send you a letter which I received some days since from Mr.\nVilliers; I have several others on the same subject, but I prefer sending\nthis particular one as it is the last. Since I received it, the\nMinisters have met and discussed the petition, and the result was, as I\nhave been informed, though not officially, in its favour.\n\nYou would oblige me by mentioning to his Lordship the President of the\nBible Society the manner in which Mr. Villiers has befriended me, and to\nbeg that he would express by letter an acknowledgment of the favour which\nI have received; and at the same time, I think that a vote of thanks from\nthe Committee would not be amiss, as I may be again in need of Mr. V.'s\nassistance before I leave Spain. The interest which he has taken in this\naffair is the more surprising, as Mr. Graydon informed me that upon his\napplying to him he declined to interfere.\n\nI saw Mr. Graydon twice or thrice. He left Madrid for Barcelona about a\nmonth since, because the heat of the former place in the summer months is\nmore than he can bear, and as he found I was so far advanced, he thought\nhe might be of more utility in Catalonia.\n\nI have at present nothing more to say, and am so weak from heat and\nfatigue that I can hardly hold the pen. I have removed from my old\nlodgings to those which Mr. Graydon occupied; therefore when you write,\ndirect as above. With my best remembrances to Mr. Jowett, I remain, my\ndear Sir, very truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 18, 1836)\n 7 _July_, 1836, MADRID,\n CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--The affair is settled--thank God!!! and we may begin\nto print whenever we think proper.\n\nPerhaps you have thought I have been tardy in accomplishing the business\nwhich brought me to Spain; but to be able to form a correct judgment you\nought to be aware of all the difficulties which I have had to encounter,\nand which I shall not enumerate; I shall content myself with observing\nthat for a thousand pounds I would not undergo again all the\nmortifications and disappointments of the last two months.\n\nThe present Ministry have been afraid to offend the clergy, and with\ngreat reason, as they are not of the movement or radical party, and many\nof their friends are bigoted papists; nevertheless, influenced by the\npressing applications of the British Ambassador and being moreover\nwell-disposed to myself, they have consented to the printing of the\nTestament; but it must be done in a private manner. I have just had a\nlong interview with Mr. Isturitz, who told me that if we were resolved\nupon the enterprise we had best employ the confidential printer of the\nGovernment, who would keep the matter secret; as in the present state of\naffairs he would not answer for the consequences if it were noised\nabroad. I of course expressed my perfect readiness to comply with so\nreasonable a request.\n\nI will now candidly confess to you that I do not think that the present\nMinistry, or, as it is generally called, the Court Ministry, will be able\nto stand its ground; nevertheless a change of Ministry would not alter\nthe aspect of our affair in the least, for if the other or movement party\ncome in, the liberty of the press (a great misfortune for Spain) would be\nprobably granted; at all events, the influence of the English Ambassador\nwould be greater than it is even at present, and upon his assistance I\nmay rely at all times and occasions.\n\nI am not aware that there is any great necessity for my continuance in\nSpain; nevertheless, should you think there is, you have only to command.\nBut I cannot help thinking that in a month or two when the heats are over\nMr. Graydon might return, as nothing very difficult remains to be\naccomplished, and I am sure that Mr. Villiers at my entreaty would extend\nto him the patronage with which he has honoured me. But, as I before\nobserved, I am ready to do whatever the Bible Society may deem expedient.\n\nDo not forget _the two_ letters of thanks to the Ambassador, and it would\nnot be unwise to transmit a _vote_ of thanks to 'His Excellence Antonio\nAlcala Galiano, President of Marine,' who has been of great assistance to\nme.\n\nI have the honour to be, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient servant,\n\n G. B.\n\nP.S.--In about six weeks I shall want some more money.\n\nMy best remembrances to Mr. Jowett.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 30th, 1836)\n MADRID, _July_ 19th, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--As I believe you have no account of my proceedings\nat Badajoz, I send you the following which will perhaps serve for your\n'Monthly Extracts.' I have corrected and improved my translation of the\nLord's Prayer into Rommany, and should it be printed, let it be done so\nwith care. Perhaps in a few days I shall send a general account of what\nI have been about since my arrival at Madrid, but I am at present very\nfeeble and languid, and can scarcely hold a pen. There is nothing new\nhere, all is quiet, and I hope will continue so. My time does not pass\nvery agreeably, I am without books or conversation, for all my\nacquaintance have left the place to escape from the intolerable heat. I\noften sigh for Russia, and wish I was there, editing Mandchou or\nArmenian; pray remember me kindly to Mr. Jowett and to my other friends.\nI remain, etc.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\nAbout one o'clock in the afternoon of the 6th of January, 1836, I crossed\nthe bridge of the Guadiana, a boundary river between Portugal and Spain,\nand entered Badajoz, a strong Spanish town containing about 8000\ninhabitants, and founded by the Romans. I instantly returned thanks to\nGod who had protected me during a journey of five days through the wilds\nof Alemtejo, the province of Portugal the most infested by robbers and\ndesperate characters, and which I had traversed with no other human\ncompanion than a lad, nearly idiotic, who was to convey back the mules\nwhich carried myself and baggage. It was not my intention to make much\nstay at Badajoz, and as a vehicle would set out for Madrid the day next\nbut one after my arrival, I proposed to depart therein for the capital of\nSpain.\n\nThe next morning I was standing at the door of the inn where I had taken\nup my residence; the weather was gloomy, and rain seemed to be at hand.\nI was thinking of the state of the country I had lately entered, which\nwas involved in bloody anarchy and confusion, and where the ministers of\na religion, falsely styled Catholic and Christian, were blowing the trump\nof war, instead of preaching the love-engendering words of the blessed\nGospel. Suddenly two men wrapped in long cloaks came down the narrow and\nalmost deserted street. They were about to pass me, and the face of the\nnearest was turned full towards me. I knew to whom the countenance which\nhe displayed must belong, and I touched him on the shoulder. The man\nstopped and his companion also; I said a certain word, to which after an\nexclamation of surprise he responded in the manner which I expected. The\nmen were of that singular family, or race, which has diffused itself over\nevery part of the civilized globe, and the members of which are known as\nGypsies, Bohemians, Gitanos, Zigani, and by many other names, but whose\nproper appellation seems to be 'Rommany,' from the circumstance that in\nmany and distant countries they so style themselves, and also the\nlanguage which they speak amongst each other. We began conversing in the\nSpanish dialect of this language, with which I was tolerably well\nacquainted. Upon inquiring of my two newly-made acquaintances whether\nthere were many of their people at Badajoz and in the vicinity, they\ninformed me that there were nine or ten families residing in the town,\nand that there were others at Merida, a town about nine leagues distant.\nI asked by what means they supported themselves, and they replied that\nthey and their brethren gained a livelihood by jobbing in horses, mules,\netc., but that all those in Badajoz were very poor, with the exception of\none man, who was exceedingly _mubalballo_ or rich, as he was in\npossession of many horses and other beasts. They removed their cloaks\nfor a moment, and I saw that their undergarments were rags.\n\nThey left me in haste, and went about the town informing the rest that a\nstranger was arrived, who spoke Rommany as well as themselves, who had\nthe eyes and face of a Gitano, and seemed to be of the _eratti_, or\nblood. In less than half-an-hour the street before the inn was filled\nwith the men, women, and children of Egypt. I went out amongst them, and\nmy heart sank within me as I surveyed them; so much squalidness, dirt,\nand misery I had never before seen amongst a similar number of human\nbeings. But the worst of all was the evil expression of their\ncountenances, plainly denoting that they were familiar with every species\nof crime; and it was not long before I found that their countenances did\nnot belie them. After they had asked me an infinity of questions, and\nfelt my hands, face, and clothes, they retired to their homes. My\nmeeting with these wretched people was the reason of my remaining at\nBadajoz a much longer time than I originally intended. I wished to\nbecome better acquainted with their condition and manners, and above all\nto speak to them about Christ and His Word, for I was convinced that\nshould I travel to the end of the universe I should meet with none who\nwere more in need of Christian exhortation, and I accordingly continued\nat Badajoz for nearly three weeks.\n\nDuring this time I was almost constantly amongst them, and as I spoke\ntheir language and was considered by them as one of themselves, I had\nbetter opportunities of coming to a fair conclusion respecting their\ncharacter than any other person, whether Spaniard or foreigner, could\nhave hoped for, not possessed of a similar advantage. The result of my\nobservations was a firm belief that the Spanish Gitanos are the most\nvile, degraded, and wretched people upon the earth.\n\nIn no part of the world does the Gypsy race enjoy a fair fame and\nreputation, there being no part where they are not considered, and I\nbelieve with justice, as cheats and swindlers; but those of Spain are not\nonly all this, but far more. The Gypsies of England, Russia, etc., live\nby fraud of various descriptions, but they seldom commit acts of\nviolence, and their vices are none or very few; the men are not\ndrunkards, nor are the women harlots; but the Gypsy of Spain is a cheat\nin the market-place, a brigand and murderer on the high-road, and a\ndrunkard in the wine-shop, and his wife is a harlot and thief on all\ntimes and occasions. The excessive wickedness of these outcasts may\nperhaps be attributed to their having abandoned their wandering life and\nbecome inmates of the towns, where to the original bad traits of their\ncharacter they have super-added the evil and vicious habits of the\nrabble. Their mouths teem with abomination, and in no part of the world\nhave I heard such frequent, frightful, and extraordinary cursing as\namongst them.\n\nReligion they have none; they never attend mass, nor confess themselves,\nand never employ the names of God, Christ and the Virgin, but in\nimprecation and blasphemy. From what I learnt from them it appeared that\ntheir ancestors had some belief in metempsychosis, but they themselves\nlaughed at the idea, and were decidedly of opinion that the soul perished\nwhen the body ceased to breathe; and the argument which they used was\nrational enough, so far as it impugned metempsychosis: 'We have been\nwicked and miserable enough in this life,' they said; 'why should we live\nagain?'\n\nI translated certain portions of Scripture into their dialect, which I\nfrequently read to them, especially the parables of Lazarus and the\nProdigal Son, and told them that the latter had been as wicked as\nthemselves, and both had suffered as much or more; but that the\nsufferings of the former, who always looked forward to a blessed\nresurrection, were recompensed in the world to come by admission to the\nsociety of Abraham and the prophets, and that the latter, when he\nrepented of his crimes, was forgiven and received into as much favour as\nthe just son had always enjoyed. They listened with admiration, but\nalas! not of the truths, the eternal truths I was telling them, but at\nfinding that their broken jargon could be written and read. The only\nwords of assent to the heavenly doctrine which I ever obtained, and which\nwere rather of the negative kind, were the following, from a woman:\n'Brother, you tell us strange things, though perhaps you do not lie; a\nmonth since I would sooner have believed these tales, than that I should\nthis day have seen one who could write Rommany.'\n\nThey possess a vast number of songs or couplets which they recite to the\nmusic of the guitar. For the purpose of improving myself in the language\nI collected and wrote down upwards of one hundred of these couplets, the\nsubjects of which are horse-stealing, murder, and the various incidents\nof gypsy-life in Spain. Perhaps a collection of songs more\ncharacteristic of the people from whom they originated was never made,\nthough amongst them are to be found some tender and beautiful thoughts,\nthough few and far between, as a flower or shrub is here and there seen\nspringing from the interstices of the rugged and frightful rocks of which\nare composed the mountains and sierras of Spain.\n\nThe following is their traditionary account of the expulsion of their\nfathers from Egypt. 'And it came to pass that Pharaoh the King collected\nnumerous armies for the purpose of war; and after he had conquered the\nwhole world, he challenged God to descend from heaven and fight him; but\nthe Lord replied, \"There is no one who shall fight with Me\"; and\nthereupon the Lord opened a mountain, and He cast therein Pharaoh the\nKing and all his numerous armies; so that the Egyptians remained without\ndefence, and their enemies arose and scattered them wide abroad.'\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n No. 16 CALLE DE SANTIAGO, MADRID,\n _July_ 25th, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I enclose you a letter from a Spanish gentleman who\nwishes to become a subscriber to the Society. He is a person of great\nrespectability, great learning, and is likewise one of the editors of the\n_Espanol_, the principal newspaper in Spain. Should you accept his offer\nof becoming a correspondent, he may be of infinite service, as the\nnewspaper which he superintends would be always open to the purposes of\nthe Society. He has connections all over Spain, and no one could assist\nmore effectually in diffusing the Scriptures when printed. He wishes\nvery much to have an account of the proceedings of the Society, therefore\nany books you could send him relating thereto would be highly acceptable.\nGreat things might be done in Spain, and I am convinced that if there was\na Protestant church in Madrid it would be crammed.\n\nI have spoken to Mr. Wood, an Englishman, the printer of the _Espanol_,\nwho has the best printing presses in Spain, and he is willing to begin\nthe work whenever you think proper: he will engage to bring it out in\nthree months, in the same shape as the Catalan Testaments. In order that\nyou may have as little trouble as possible, I have translated Dr. Usoz's\nletter. I have not thought fit to transmit the printed paper which he\nalludes to, as it would make this letter very bulky. It is an official\naccount of his studies, and the honours he attained at the University.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nMost truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\nTRANSLATION OF DR. USOZ'S LETTER.\n\n\nGentlemen of the British and Foreign Bible Society,\n\nHaving by good fortune become acquainted with your Agent, Mr. G. Borrow,\nat present residing in this city, and having learnt from him that I might\ntake the liberty of addressing myself to you for the purpose of inquiring\nwhether you would have any objection to insert my name in your list as a\nmember, I avail myself of the present opportunity to do so, and hope that\nmy wishes will be gratified. I believe it is necessary for every member\nto pay 1 pound sterling, or 100 _reals_ of our coin, annually; perhaps\nyou will inform me when, and in whose hands, I may deposit this sum. As\nI have no other object in this than to endeavour, by all the means in my\npower, to cause the Scriptures to be read as much as possible in my\nunhappy country, I should wish to be considered in the light of a\ncorrespondent, as I flatter myself that if you would consent, after\ntaking the necessary precautions, to entrust me with copies of the\nScripture, I should find no difficulty in circulating them in every\nprovince of my country.\n\nBeing fully convinced that nothing but the reading of the Bible can form\nthe basis of solid liberty in Spain, I will employ every effort to\npromote it, if your philanthropic Society will assist me. It would\nanswer no purpose to occupy your attention by speaking prolixly of the\npurity of my intention and my zeal; time and experience will speak either\nfor or against me; I will merely enclose this printed paper, by which you\nwill learn who he is who has taken the liberty of writing to you. It is\nsuperfluous to add that, should you consent to my desire, I should want\nall the notices and documents respecting your Society which you could\nsupply me with.\n\nAs I possess some knowledge of English, you might avail yourselves of\nthis language in your answer, provided the letters used be written\nclearly.\n\nI have the honour, etc.\n\n LUIS DE USOZ Y RIO.\n\nP.S.--Should you direct to me directly, or by other means than the post,\nmy address is: A D. Luis de Usoz y Rio, Calle de Santa Catalina, No. 12\nnuevo, Madrid.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Jackson, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 26th, 1836)\n MADRID, _Aug._ 10, 1836.\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--I have received your two letters containing the 50 pounds\nand the resolution of the Society; I have likewise received Mr.\nBrandram's.\n\nI shall make the provisional engagement [to print] as desired, and shall\nleave Madrid as soon as possible; but I must here inform you that I shall\nfind much difficulty in returning to England, as all the provinces are\ndisturbed in consequence of the Constitution of 1812 having been\nproclaimed, and the roads are swarming with robbers and banditti. It is\nmy intention to join some muleteers and attempt to reach Granada, from\nwhence, if possible, I shall proceed to Malaga or Gibraltar, and thence\nto Lisbon, where I left the greatest part of my baggage. Do not be\nsurprised therefore, if I am tardy in making my appearance. It is no\neasy thing at present to travel in Spain. But all these troubles are for\nthe benefit of the Cause, and must not be repined at.\n\nI remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nReport of Mr. Geo. Borrow's late Proceedings in Spain\n\n\n LONDON, _October_ 17, 1836.\n\nOn the 16th of January I quitted Badajoz, a Spanish town on the frontier\nof Portugal, for Madrid, whither I arrived in safety. As my principal\nmotive for visiting the Spanish capital was the hope of obtaining\npermission from the Government to print the New Testament in the\nCastilian language in Spain, I lost no time upon my arrival in taking\nwhat I considered to be the necessary steps. I must here premise that I\nwas an entire stranger at Madrid, and that I bore no letters, of\nintroduction to any person of influence whose credit might have assisted\nme in this undertaking; so that notwithstanding I entertained a hope of\nsuccess, relying on the assistance of the Almighty, this hope was not at\nall times very vivid, but was frequently overcast with the clouds of\ndespondency. Mr. Mendizabal was at this time Prime Minister of Spain,\nand was considered as a man of almost unbounded power, in whose hands\nwere placed the destinies of the country. I therefore considered that if\nI could by any means induce him to favour my view I should have no reason\nto fear interruption from other quarters, and I determined upon applying\nto him; but though I essayed two or three times to obtain an interview\nwith him, I failed, as he was far too much engrossed in important\nbusiness to receive a humble and unknown stranger. In this dilemma I\nbethought me of waiting upon Mr. Villiers, the British Ambassador at\nMadrid, and craving with the freedom permitted to a British subject his\nadvice and assistance in this most interesting affair. I was received by\nhim with great kindness, and enjoyed a conversation with him on various\nsubjects, before I introduced the matter which I had most at heart. He\nsaid that if I wished for an interview with Mr. M. he would endeavour to\nprocure me one; but at the same time told me frankly that he could not\nhope that any good would arise from it, as Mr. M. was violently\nprejudiced against the British and Foreign Bible Society, and was far\nmore likely to discountenance than encourage any efforts which they might\nbe disposed to make for introducing the Gospel into Spain. I however\nremained resolute in my desire to make the trial, and before I left him\nobtained a letter of introduction to Mr. Mendizabal, with whom I had an\ninterview a few days after. The particulars of this interview have been\ndetailed on a former occasion. It will be sufficient to state here that\nI obtained from Mr. Mendizabal, if not immediate permission to print the\nScriptures, a promise that at the expiration of a few months, when he\nhoped that the country would be in a more tranquil state, I should be at\nfull liberty to do so, with which promise I departed well satisfied, and\nfull of gratitude to the Lord, who seemed to have so wonderfully smoothed\nmy way in an enterprise which at first sight seemed particularly arduous\nand difficult.\n\nBefore three months had elapsed Mr. Mendizabal had ceased to be Prime\nMinister; with his successor, Mr. Isturitz, I had become acquainted, and\nalso with his colleagues, Galiano and the Duke de Rivas, and it was not\nlong before I obtained--not however without much solicitation and\ndifficulty--the permission which I so ardently desired. Before, however,\nI could turn it to my account, the revolution broke out in Spain, and the\npress became free.\n\nThe present appears to be a moment peculiarly well adapted for commencing\noperations in Spain, the aim and view of which should be the introducing\ninto that singularly unhappy portion of the world the knowledge of the\nSaviour. The clouds of bigotry and superstition which for so many\ncenturies cast their dreary shadow upon Spain, are to a considerable\ndegree dispelled, and there is little reason for supposing that they will\never again conglomerate. The Papal See is no longer regarded with\nreverence, and its agents and ministers have incurred universal scorn and\nodium; therefore any fierce and determined resistance to the Gospel in\nSpain is not to be apprehended either from the people themselves, or from\nthe clergy, who are well aware of their own weakness. It is scarcely\nnecessary to remark that every country which has been long subjected to\nthe sway of popery is in a state of great and deplorable ignorance.\nSpain, as might have been expected, has not escaped this common fate, and\nthe greatest obstacle to the diffusion of the Gospel light amongst the\nSpaniards would proceed from the great want of education amongst them.\nPerhaps there are no people in the world to whom nature has been, as far\nas regards mental endowments, more bounteously liberal than the\nSpaniards. They are generally acute and intelligent to an extraordinary\ndegree, and express themselves with clearness, fluency, and elegance upon\nall subjects which are within the scope of their knowledge. It may\nindeed be said of the mind of a Spaniard, as of his country, that it\nmerely requires cultivation to be a garden of the first order; but,\nunhappily, both, up to the present time, have been turned to the least\npossible account. Few amongst the lower class of the population of the\ntowns are acquainted with letters, and fewer still amongst the peasantry;\nbut though compelled to acknowledge the ignorance of the Spaniards in\ngeneral, I have great pleasure in being able to state that during the\nlatter years it has been becoming less and less, and that the rising\ngeneration is by no means so illiterate as the last, which was itself\nsuperior in acquirements to the preceding one. It is to be hoped that\nthe progress in improvement will still continue, and that within a few\nyears the blessings of education will be as generally diffused amongst\nthe Spaniards as amongst the people of France and England. Government\nhas already commenced the establishment of Normal Schools, and though the\nstate of the country, convulsed with the horrors of civil war, precludes\nthe possibility of devoting to them the care and attention which they\ndeserve, I have no doubt that when it shall please the Lord to vouchsafe\npeace unto Spain they will receive all the requisite patronage and\nsupport, as their utility is already generally recognised.\n\nBefore quitting Madrid I entered into negotiation with Mr. Charles Wood,\na respectable Englishman established there, for the printing of 5000\ncopies of the New Testament in Spanish, which number, if on good paper\nand in handsome type, I have little doubt might be easily disposed of\nwithin a short time in the capital and in the principal provincial towns\nof Spain, particularly Cadiz and Seville, where the people are more\nenlightened than in other parts in most respects, and where many would be\nhappy to obtain the sacred volume in a handsome yet cheap form, and some\nin any shape whatever--as there the Word of God is at least known by\nreputation, and no small curiosity has of late years been manifested\nconcerning it, though unfortunately that curiosity has not hitherto been\ngratified, for reasons too well known to require recapitulation.\n\nIn the rural districts the chances of the Scriptures are considerably\nless, for there, as far as I am aware, not only no curiosity has been\nexcited respecting it, but it is not known by name, and when mentioned to\nthe people, is considered to be nothing more or less than the mass-book\nof the Romish Church. On various occasions I have conversed with the\npeasantry of Estremadura, La Mancha, and Andalusia respecting the holy\nBook, and without one exception they were not only ignorant of its\ncontents, but ignorant of its nature; some who could read, and pretended\nto be acquainted with it, said that it contained hymns to the Virgin, and\nwas written by the Pope; yet the peasantry of these three provinces are\nby no means the least enlightened of Spain, but perhaps the reverse. In\na word, great as the ignorance of the generality of the Spaniards upon\nmost essential points is, they are principally ignorant of the one most\nessential of all, the religion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.\n\nNo time, however, ought to be lost in supplying those with the word who\nare capable of receiving it; though millions in Spain are undoubtedly\nbeyond the reach of any efforts which the Bible Society can make to\nassist them, however much it may have at heart their eternal salvation,\nit is gratifying to have grounds for belief that thousands are able and\nwilling to profit by the exertions which may be made to serve them.\nThough the days of the general orange-gathering are not arrived, when the\ntree requires but a slight shaking to scatter its ripe and glorious\ntreasures on the head of the gardener, still goodly and golden fruit is\nto be gathered on the most favoured and sunny branches; the quantity is\nsmall in comparison with what remains green and acid, but there is enough\nto repay the labour of him who is willing to ascend to cull it; the time\nof the grand and general harvesting is approaching, perhaps it will\nplease the Almighty to hasten it; and it may even now be nearer than the\nmost sanguine of us dares to hope.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 30th, 1836)\n LISBON, _Novr._ 15_th_, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--On taking leave of you I promised to write from\nCadiz, and I still hope to perform my promise; but as I am apprehensive\nthat several days will elapse before I shall reach that place I avail\nmyself of the present opportunity of informing you that I am alive and\nwell, lest you should become uneasy at not hearing from me at the time\nyou expected. It is owing to the mercy of God that, instead of being\nable to pen these lines, I am not at the present moment floundering in\nthe brine, a prey to the fishes and monsters of the ocean.\n\nWe had a most unpleasant passage to Falmouth. The ship was crowded with\npassengers, most of whom were poor consumptive individuals and other\ninvalids, fleeing from the cold blasts of England's winter to the sunny\nshores of Portugal and Madeira. In a more uncomfortable vessel,\nespecially steam-ship, it has never been my fate to make a voyage; the\nberths were small and insupportably close, and of the wretched holes mine\nwas amongst the worst, the rest having been for the most part bespoken\nbefore I arrived on board, so that to avoid the suffocation which seemed\nto threaten me I lay upon the floor of one of the cabins, and continued\nto do so until my arrival here. We remained at Falmouth twenty-four\nhours, taking in coals and repairing the engine, which had sustained\nconsiderable damage.\n\nOn Monday the 7th inst. we again started and made for the Bay of Biscay;\nthe sea was high and the wind strong and contrary, nevertheless on the\nmorning of the fourth day we were in sight of the rocky coast to the\nnorth of Cape Finisterre. I must here observe that this was the first\nvoyage that the captain who commanded the vessel had ever made on board\nof her, and that he knew little or nothing about the coast towards which\nwe were bearing; he was a person picked up in a hurry, the former captain\nhaving resigned his command on the ground that the ship was not\nsea-worthy, and that the engines were frequently unserviceable. I was\nnot acquainted with these circumstances at the time, or perhaps I should\nhave felt more alarmed than I did when I saw the vessel approaching\nnearer and nearer to the shore, till at last we were only a few hundred\nyards distant. As it was, however, I felt very much surprised, for\nhaving passed it twice before, both times in steam-vessels, and having\nseen with what care the captains endeavoured to maintain a wide offing, I\ncould not conceive the reason of our being now so near the dangerous\nregion. The wind was blowing hard towards the shore, if that can be\ncalled a shore which consists of steep abrupt precipices, on which the\nsurf was breaking with the noise of thunder, tossing up clouds of spray\nand foam to the height of a cathedral. We coasted slowly along, rounding\nseveral tall forelands, some of them piled up by the hand of nature in\nthe most fantastic shapes, until about the fall of night. Cape\nFinisterre was not far ahead, a bluff brown granite mountain, whose\nfrowning head may be seen far away by those who travel the ocean. The\nstream which poured round its breast was terrific, and though our engines\nplied with all their force, we made little or no way.\n\nBy about eight o'clock at night, the wind had increased to a hurricane,\nthe thunder rolled frightfully, and the only light which we had to guide\nus on our way was the red forked lightning which burst at times from the\nbosom of the big black clouds which lowered over our heads. We were\nexerting ourselves to the utmost to weather the cape, which we could\ndescry by the lightning on our lee, its brow being frequently brilliantly\nlighted up by the flashes which quivered around it, when suddenly, with a\ngreat crash, the engine broke, and the paddles on which depended our\nlives ceased to play.\n\nI will not attempt to depict the scene of horror and confusion which\nensued: it may be imagined, but never described. The captain, to give\nhim his due, displayed the utmost coolness and intrepidity, and he and\nthe whole crew made the greatest exertions to repair the engine, and when\nthey found their labour in vain, endeavoured by hoisting the sails and by\npractising all possible manoeuvres to preserve the ship from impending\ndestruction. But all was of no use; we were hard on a lee shore, to\nwhich the howling tempest was impelling us. About this time I was\nstanding near the helm, and I asked the steersman if there was any hope\nof saving the vessel or our lives; he replied, 'Sir, it is a bad affair;\nno boat could for a minute live in this sea, and in less than an hour the\nship will have her broadside on Finisterre, where the strongest\nman-of-war ever built must go to shivers instantly. None of us will see\nthe morning.' The captain likewise informed the other passengers in the\ncabin to the same effect, telling them to prepare themselves, and having\ndone so he ordered the door to be fastened, and none to be permitted to\ncome on deck. I, however, kept my station, though almost drowned with\nwater, immense waves continually breaking over our windward side and\nflooding the ship; the water-casks broke from their lashings, and one of\nthem struck me down, and crushed the foot of the unfortunate man at the\nhelm, whose place was instantly taken by the captain. We were now close\non the rocks, when a horrid convulsion of the elements took place; the\nlightning enveloped us as with a mantle, the thunders were louder than\nthe roar of a million cannon, the dregs of the ocean seemed to be cast\nup, and in the midst of all this turmoil the wind, without the slightest\nintimation _veered right about_, and pushed us from the horrible coast\nfaster than it had previously drawn us towards it.\n\nThe oldest sailors on board acknowledged that they had never witnessed so\nprovidential an escape. I said from the bottom of my heart, 'Our Father:\nhallowed be Thy name.' The next day we were near foundering, for the sea\nwas exceedingly high, and our vessel, which was not intended for sailing,\nlaboured terribly, and leaked much. The pumps were continually working.\nShe likewise took fire, but the flames were extinguished. In the evening\nthe steam-engine was partially repaired, and we reached Lisbon on the\n13th. Most of my clothes and other things are spoiled, for the hold was\noverflowed with the water from the boiler and the leak.\n\nThe vessel will be ready for sea in about a week, when I shall depart for\nCadiz; but most of the passengers who intended going farther than Lisbon\nhave abandoned her, as they say she is doomed. But I have more trust in\nthe Lord that governeth the winds, and in whose hands the seas are as a\ndrop. He who preserved us at Finisterre can preserve elsewhere, and if\nit be His will that we perish, the firm ground is not more secure than\nthe heaving sea.\n\nI have seen our excellent friend Mr. Wilby, and delivered to him the\nparcel, with which I was entrusted. He has been doing everything in his\npower to further the sale of the sacred volume in Portuguese; indeed his\nzeal and devotedness are quite admirable, and the Society can never\nappreciate his efforts too highly. But since I was last at Lisbon the\ndistracted state of the country has been a great obstacle to him;\npeople's minds are so engrossed with politics that they find no time to\nthink of their souls. Before this reaches you, you will doubtless have\nheard of the late affair at Belem, where poor Freire (I knew him well)\none of the ex-Ministers lost his life, and which nearly ended in an\naffray between the English forces and the native. The opinions of the\nPortuguese seem to be decidedly democratic, and I have little doubt that\nwere the English squadron withdrawn the unfortunate young Queen would\nlose her crown within a month, and be compelled with her no less\nunfortunate young husband to seek a refuge in another country. I repeat\nthat I hope to write to you from Cadiz; I shall probably be soon in the\nallotted field of my labours, distracted, miserable Spain. The news from\nthence is at present particularly dismal; the ferocious Gomez, after\nhaving made an excursion into Estremadura, which he ravaged like a\npestilence, has returned to Andalusia, the whole of which immense\nprovince seems to be prone at his feet. I shall probably find Seville\noccupied by his hordes, but I fear them not, and trust that the Lord will\nopen the path for me to Madrid. One thing I am resolved upon: either to\nbe the instrument of doing something for Spain, or never to appear again\nin my native land.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 28th, 1836)\n SEVILLE, _Dec._ 5_th_, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived safely at Cadiz on the 21st ult.; the\nsteam-engine had been partially repaired at Lisbon, and our passage was\nspeedy and prosperous. I was happy to have reached the shores of Spain,\nbeing eager to enter upon my allotted task. Cadiz is a small but\nbeautiful city, built upon a tongue of land and surrounded on all points\nbut one by the sea, which dashes up against its walls: the houses are\nlofty, and of a dazzling whiteness; the streets are straight and narrow.\nOn my arrival I found great confusion reigning: numerous bands of the\nfactious were reported to be hovering in the neighbourhood, an attack was\nnot deemed improbable, and the place had just been declared in a state of\nsiege. I took up my abode at the French Hotel, in the Calle de la\nNiveria, and was allotted a species of cock-loft or garret to sleep in,\nfor the house was filled with guests, being a place of much resort on\naccount of the excellent _table d'hote_ which is kept there. I dressed\nmyself and walked about the town. I entered several coffee houses: the\ndin of tongues in all was deafening; in one no less than six orators were\nharanguing at the same time on the state of the country, and the\nprobability of an intervention on the part of England and France. As I\nwas listening to one of them he suddenly called upon me for my opinion,\nas I was a foreigner, and seemingly just arrived. I replied that I could\nnot venture to guess what steps the two Governments would pursue under\nthe present circumstances, but thought that it would be as well if the\nSpaniards would exert themselves more, and call less on Jupiter. As I\ndid not wish to engage in any political conversation I instantly quitted\nthe house, and sought those parts of the town where the lower classes\nprincipally reside.\n\nI entered into discourse with several individuals, but found them very\nignorant; none could write or read, and their ideas respecting religion\nwere anything but satisfactory, most professing a perfect indifference.\nI afterwards went into a bookseller's shop, and made enquiries respecting\nthe demand for literature, which he informed me was small. I produced\nour 24mo edition of the New Testament in Spanish, and asked the\nbookseller whether he thought a book of that description would sell in\nCadiz. He said it was exceedingly beautiful, both in type and paper, but\nit was a work not sought after, and very little known. I did not pursue\nmy enquiries in other shops, for I reflected that I was not very likely\nto receive a very favourable opinion from booksellers respecting a\npublication in which they had no interest. I had, moreover, but two or\nthree copies of the New Testament with me, and could not have supplied\nthem had they given me an order.\n\nThat night I became very unwell, and was apprehending that I had been\nseized with the cholera, as the symptoms of my complaint were very\nsimilar to those which accompany that disorder. I was for some time in\nmost acute pain, and terribly sick; I drank oil mixed with brandy, and in\nsome degree recovered, and for the two succeeding days was very feeble,\nand able to undertake nothing. This attack was the cause of my not\nwriting to you from Cadiz as I had fully intended.\n\nEarly on the 24th I embarked for Seville in the small Spanish steamer the\n_Betis_. The morning was wet, and the aspect of nature was enveloped in\na dense mist, which prevented my observing surrounding objects. After\nproceeding about six leagues, we reached the north-eastern extremity of\nthe bay of Cadiz, and passed by Saint Lucar, an ancient town close by\nwhere the Guadalquivir disembogues itself. The mist suddenly\ndisappeared, and the sun of Spain burst forth in full brilliancy,\nenlivening all around, and particularly myself, who had till then been\nlying on the deck in a dull melancholy stupor. We entered the mouth of\nthe 'Great River,' for that is the English translation of _Qued al\nKiber_, as the Moors designated the ancient Betis. We came to anchor for\na few minutes at a little village called Bonanca, at the extremity of the\nfirst reach of the river, where we received several passengers, and again\nproceeded. There is not much in the appearance of the Guadalquivir to\ninterest the traveller: the banks are low and destitute of trees, the\nadjacent country is flat, and only in the distance is seen a range of\ntall blue sierras. The water is turbid and muddy, and in colour closely\nresembling the contents of a duck-pool; the average width of the stream\nis from 150 to 200 yards. But it is impossible to move along this river\nwithout remembering that it has borne the Roman, the Vandal, and the\nArab, and has been the witness of deeds which have resounded through the\nworld, and been the themes of immortal song. I repeated Latin verses and\nfragments of old Spanish ballads, till we reached Seville at about nine\no'clock of a lovely moonlight night.\n\nBefore entering upon more important matter I will say a few words\nrespecting Seville and its curiosities. It contains 90,000 inhabitants,\nand is situated on the left bank of the Guadalquivir, about eighteen\nleagues from its mouth. It is surrounded with high Moorish walls, in a\ngood state of preservation, and built of such durable materials that it\nis probable they will for many centuries bid defiance to the encroachment\nof time. The most remarkable edifices are the cathedral and Alcazar or\npalace of the Moorish kings. The tower of the former, called La Giralda,\nbelongs to the period of the Moors, and formed part of the Grand Mosque\nof Seville. It is 220 ells in height, and is ascended not by stairs or\nladders, but by a vaulted pathway, in the manner of an inclined plane;\nthis path is by no means steep, so that a cavalier might ride up to the\ntop, a feat which Ferdinand the Seventh is said to have accomplished.\nThe view from the summit is very extensive, and on a fine clear day the\nridge called the Sierra de Ronda may be discovered though the distance is\nupward of twenty-two leagues. The cathedral itself is a noble Gothic\nstructure, reputed the finest of the kind in Spain. In the chapels\nallotted to the various saints are some of the most magnificent paintings\nwhich Spanish art has produced. Here are to be seen the far-famed 'Angel\nof the Guard,' by Murillo, his 'Saint Anthony at Devotion,' the celestial\nspirits hovering around him, and Saint Thomas of Villa Nueva bestowing\nCharity'; there are also some pictures by Soberan [? Zurbaran] of almost\ninestimable value. Indeed, the cathedral at Seville is at the present\ntime far more rich in splendid paintings than at any former period,\npossessing many very recently removed from some of the suppressed\nconvents, particularly from the Capuchin and Franciscan.\n\nNo one should visit Seville without paying particular attention to the\nAlcazar. It is perhaps the most perfect specimen of Moorish architecture\nwhich is at present to be found in Europe. It contains many splendid\nhalls, particularly that of the Ambassadors, so called, which is in every\nrespect more magnificent than the one of the same name within the\nAlhambra of Granada. This palace was a favourite residence of Peter the\nCruel, who carefully repaired it, without altering its Moorish character\nand appearance. It probably remains in much the same state as at the\ntime of his death.\n\nOn the right side of the river is a large suburb called Triana,\ncommunicating with Seville by means of a bridge of boats; for there is no\npermanent bridge across the Guadalquivir owing to the violent inundations\nto which it is subject. This suburb is inhabited by the dregs of the\npopulace, and abounds with Gitanos or Gypsies. About a league and a half\nto the north-west stands the village of Santo Ponce; at the foot and on\nthe side of some elevated ground higher up are to be seen vestiges of\nruined walls and edifices which once formed part of Italica, the\nbirth-place of Silius Italicus and Trajan, from which latter personage\nTriana derives its name. One fine morning I walked thither, and having\nascended the hill I directed my course northward. I soon reached what\nhad once been bagnios, and a little farther on, in a kind of valley\nbetween two gentle acclivities, the amphitheatre. This latter object is\nby far the most considerable relic of ancient Italica; it is oval in its\nform, with two gateways, fronting the east and west. On all sides are to\nbe seen the time-worn broken granite benches, from whence myriads of\nhuman beings once gazed down on the area below, where the gladiator\nshouted, and the lion and leopard yelled. All around beneath these\nflights of benches are vaulted excavations, from whence the combatants,\npart human, part bestial, darted forth by their several doors. I spent\nseveral hours in this singular place, forcing my way through the wild\nfennel and brushwood into the caverns, now the haunts of adders and other\nreptiles, whose hissings I heard. Having sated my curiosity, I left the\nruins, and returning by another way reached a place where lay the carcase\nof a horse half-devoured. Upon it with lustrous eyes stood an enormous\nvulture, who, as I approached, slowly soared aloft till he alighted on\nthe eastern gate of the amphitheatre, from whence he uttered a hoarse\ncry, as if in anger that I had disturbed him from his feast of carrion.\n\nAnd now for another subject. You are doubtless anxious to know what are\nmy projects, and why I am not by this time further advanced on my way to\nMadrid; know then that the way to Madrid is beset with more perils than\nharassed Christian in his route to the Eternal Kingdom. Almost all\ncommunication is at an end between this place and the capital, the\ndiligences and waggons have ceased running, even the bold _arrieros_ or\nmuleteers are at a stand-still; and the reason is that the rural portion\nof Spain, especially this part, is in a state of complete disorganisation\nand of blackest horror. The three fiends, famine, plunder, and murder,\nare playing their ghastly revels unchecked; bands of miscreants captained\nby such--what shall I call them?--as Orejita and Palillos, are prowling\nabout in every direction, and woe to those whom they meet. A few days\nsince they intercepted an unfortunate courier, and after scooping out his\neyes put him to death with most painful tortures, and mangled his body in\na way not to be mentioned. Moreover, the peasantry, who have been\nrepeatedly plundered by these fellows, and who have had their horses and\ncattle taken from them by the Carlists, being reduced with their families\nto nakedness and the extreme of hunger, seize in rage and desperation\nupon every booty which comes within their reach, a circumstance which can\nawaken but little surprise.\n\nThis terrible state of things, staring me in the face on my arrival at\nSeville, made me pause. I thought that the tempest might in some degree\nsubside, but hitherto I have been disappointed. My mind is at present\nmade up. I shall depart for Madrid in two or three days, at all risks.\nThe distance is 300 miles. I shall hire, in the first place, horses, and\na guide, as far as Cordova (twenty-six leagues). I shall have to pay a\ngreat price, it is true, but I have money, praised be God, who inspired\nme with the idea of putting fifty sovereigns in my pocket when I left\nLondon. I should otherwise be helpless. From Cordova I must endeavour\nto obtain horses to Val de Penas (twenty leagues), which is half way to\nMadrid. Were I at Val de Penas, I should feel comparatively at ease; for\nfrom thence I know the road, having traversed it in my ways from Madrid\nto Grenada; it moreover runs through La Mancha, which, though infested\nwith banditti, is plain open ground, and if I could obtain no guide or\nhorses, or had been plundered of my money, I might hope to make my way on\nfoot. But I am ignorant of the country between Seville and Cordova, and\nfrom Cordova to Val de Penas. The route is through the dismal and savage\nmountains of the Sierra Morena, where I should inevitably be bewildered,\nand perhaps, if not murdered, fall a prey to the wolves. Were the whole\nway known to me, I would leave my baggage here and dressed as a beggar or\nGypsy set out on foot; strange as this plan may sound in English ears, it\nwould be the safest course I could pursue. Should I perish in this\njourney, keep the affair secret as long as possible from my dear mother,\nand when it should be necessary to reveal it to her, do me the favour to\ngo to Norwich on purpose; should I reach Madrid, you will hear from me in\nabout five weeks, from the time you receive this. It would be of no\nutility to write to you from Cordova; the letter would never reach you, I\nhope this will.\n\nGomez had not hitherto paid a visit to Seville; when I arrived here, he\nwas said to be in the neighbourhood of Ronda. The city was under watch\nand ward, several gates had been blocked up with masonry, trenches dug,\nand redoubts erected, but I am convinced that the place would not have\nheld out six hours against a resolute assault. Gomez has proved himself\nto be a most extraordinary man, and with his small army of Aragonese and\nBasques has within the last four months made the tour of Spain; he has\nvery frequently been hemmed in with forces three times the number of his\nown, in places whence escape seemed impossible, but he has always baffled\nhis enemies, whom he seems to laugh at. The most absurd accounts of\nvictories gained over him are continually issuing from the press at\nSeville; the other day it was stated that his army had been utterly\ndefeated, himself killed, and that 1200 prisoners were on their way to\nSeville. I saw these prisoners; instead of 1200 desperadoes, they\nconsisted of about twenty poor lame ragged wretches, many of them boys\nfrom fourteen to sixteen years of age; they were evidently\ncamp-followers, who, unable to keep up with the army, had been picked up\nstraggling in the plains and amongst the hills. It now appears that no\nbattle had occurred, and that the death of Gomez was a fiction. The\ngrand defect of Gomez is not knowing how to take advantage of\ncircumstances; after his defeat of Lopez he might have marched to Madrid\nand proclaimed Don Carlos there, and after sacking Cordova, he might have\ncaptured Seville.\n\nThere are several booksellers' shops in Seville, in two of which I found\ncopies of the New Testament (our own 12mo edition of 1826); they had been\nobtained from Gibraltar about two years since, during which time six\ncopies had been sold in one shop and four in the other. I have become\nacquainted with an elderly person, a Genoese by birth, who, should we\nsucceed in bringing out an edition of the sacred volume at Madrid, may be\nof service to us, as a colporteur in this place and the neighbourhood,\nwhere he is well known. He has assured me of his willingness to\nundertake the task, and, if required, to visit Cordova, Grenada, or any\npart of Andalusia, town or country; he has been accustomed to\nbookselling, and at one time he also brought some of our Testaments from\nGibraltar, all of which were however taken from him by the Custom House\nofficers with the exception of one copy, which he afterwards disposed of\nto a lady for 30 _reals_ (6s. 6d.). Should the Bible Society be desirous\nto circulate the book in the rural districts of Spain, they must be\nprepared to make considerable sacrifices. In some of the towns,\nespecially the sea-ports, it is probable that many copies may be disposed\nof, at a fair price; but can it be expected that amongst myriads, who are\nin want of the common necessaries of life, who are without food, fuel or\nclothing, and on whose wretched heads the horrors which civil war--and\nsuch a civil war--have principally fallen, [men] can have money for\nbooks? I am willing to visit every part of Spain, and to risk my life a\nthousand times in laying God's Word before the people, but I can promise\nno more. I have no extraordinary powers, indeed scarcely those allotted\nto the average of humanity; God, it is true, can operate wonders by any\ninstrument, but we must bide His will.\n\nI have had the good fortune to form the acquaintance of Mr. Wetherell, an\nEnglish gentleman, who has for many years been established in a very\nimportant branch of business at Seville. He takes a warm interest in my\nmission, and has frequently informed me that nothing will afford him\ngreater pleasure than to further the cause at this place and in the\nneighbourhood; as he employs a vast number of individuals, I have little\ndoubt that he has the power, as he certainly has the will. He is a\nvirtuoso and possesses a singular collection of the ancient idols of\nMexico, which bear a surprising resemblance to those used by the\nfollowers of the Buddhist superstition. In return for a translation of\nan Arabic inscription which I made for him, he presented me with a copy\nof the Cabalistic book Zohar, in the Rabbinical language and character,\nwhich on the destruction of the Inquisition at Seville (1820) he obtained\nfrom the library of that horrible tribunal.\n\nPray remember me to Mr. Jowett and Mr. Browne and my other friends. May\nthe Lord bless you, my dear Sir.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jany. 6, 1837)\n MADRID, _December_ 26_th_, 1836.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I am just arrived at Madrid in safety. It has\npleased the Lord to protect me through the perils of a most dismal\njourney. I reached Cordova in three days, attended by the old Italian\nwhom I mentioned in my last letter, for I could procure no other guide.\nFrom Cordova I have ridden to Madrid in the company of a\n_contrabandista_, or smuggler, whose horses I insured, and to whom I am\nto give a gratuity of 42 dollars. We passed through the horrible pass of\nDespena Perros in the Sierra Morena. Providence here manifested itself;\nthe day before, the banditti of the pass committed a dreadful robbery and\nmurder by which they sacked 40,000 _reals_; they were probably content\nwith their booty and did not interrupt me and my guide. We entered La\nMancha, where I expected to fall into the hands of Palillos and Orejita.\nProvidence again showed itself. It had been delicious weather; suddenly\nthe Lord breathed forth a frozen blast, the severity of which was almost\nintolerable; no human being but ourselves ventured forth; we traversed\nsnow-covered plains and passed through villages and towns without seeing\nan individual; the robbers kept close in their caves and hovels, but the\ncold nearly killed me. We reached Aranjuez late on Christmas day, and I\ngot into the house of an Englishman, where I swallowed nearly two bottles\nof brandy; it affected me no more than warm water. I am now at my\njourney's end, and shall presently fall to work, for I must lose no time,\nbut profit by the present opportunity. All is quiet in Madrid and in the\nneighbourhood; Gomez has returned to Biscay. If my letter be somewhat\nincoherent, mind it not. I have just alighted, and the cold has still\nthe mastery of me; I shall send a journal in a few days which will be\nmore circumstantial. Write to my mother and say I am in safety. I shall\nwrite myself to-morrow, I can no more now.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo J. Tarn, Esq.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jany. 9, 1837)\n No. 16 PISO 3RO CALLE SAN IAGO,\n MADRID, _Dec._ 31_st_, 1836.\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--I forward the bill of my expenses from the moment of my\nquitting London up to the time of my arrival at Madrid. When it is\nconsidered that I have been nearly two months on this most perilous\njourney, it will probably not be deemed extravagant; should that however\nbe the case, I shall be very willing to defray from my salary any\ndeduction which may be made. I beg leave to call your attention\nparticularly to the expense of horse-hire. I paid an ounce of gold for\ntwo miserable animals from Seville to Cordova, I had to maintain them by\nthe way, to pay their expenses back, and to provide a guide. Neither of\nthe horses was worth what I paid for their hire; it is true their master\nrisked their being captured by the bands of robbers from whom I\nprovidentially escaped. It will in future be much cheaper to purchase\nhorses. You will oblige me by informing me how my account with you\nstands, for it seems I was indebted to you on departing. I have seen Mr.\nO'Shea and Mr. Wood; with the assistance of the former gentleman I hope\nto obtain the paper for the work at a considerable less price than that\nstated in Mr. W.'s estimate, as Mr. O'Shea is connected with the\npaper-mills of Catalonia. I shall write to Mr. Brandram in a few days\nand in the meanwhile remain, etc.,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jany. 24, 1837)\n _Jany._ 14, 1837, MADRID.\n CALLE SAN IAGO No. 16, PISO 3RO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Immediately on my arrival at Madrid, which occurred\non the 26th of last month, I despatched letters to yourself and Mr. Tarn,\nin that to Mr. T. was enclosed an account of my expenses, both of which\nletters I hope have arrived in safety. I now take up the pen to acquaint\nyou with what I have done since my arrival, and what I, with the Lord's\nassistance, purpose doing.\n\nMy first care was to wait on my excellent friend, Mr. Villiers, who\nreceived me with his usual kindness. I asked him if it were his opinion\nthat I might venture to commence printing the Scriptures without an\napplication to the present Government, as the law is doubtful on the\npoint. His reply was satisfactory: 'You obtained the permission of the\nGovernment of Isturitz,' said he, 'which was a much less liberal one than\nthe present; I am a witness to the promise made to you by the former\nMinisters, which I consider sufficient; you had best commence and\ncomplete the work as soon as possible, without any fresh application, and\nshould any one attempt to interrupt you, you have only to come to me,\nwhom you may command at any time.'--I went away with a light heart.\n\nI next visited Mr. O'Shea, who was very glad to see me again, and assured\nme that he took the greatest interest in my undertaking, and should be\nhappy to further it to the utmost of his power. I knew that he had been\nconnected with the paper-manufactories of the south, and a thought struck\nme. You will remember that I brought over specimens of paper from thirty\nto eighty _reals_ per ream, and that I was authorised to purchase 600\n{197} reams of paper at 60 _reals_ per ream. I asked Mr. O'Shea if he\ndid not think that, through his connections, he could procure me such\npaper as I wanted at a much cheaper rate than it was possible for me to\nobtain it; he said he would make enquiries. I returned in a few days: he\nhad performed more than I expected, and he showed me paper at 45 _reals_,\nbetter than what I could have purchased at 70, likewise some very good at\n37. I hesitated for some time between these two specimens; I at length,\nhowever, determined to purchase that at 45 _reals_. I am therefore able\nto communicate that in paper alone 9000 _reals_ will have been saved to\nthe funds of the Society, and at the same time a superior article have\nbeen procured.\n\nI found that during my absence from Madrid Mr. Wood had quitted Mr.\nBorrego, and had accepted a situation in another printing establishment;\nbut as Mr. Borrego is in possession of the only English press at Madrid,\nis moreover an intimate friend of Mr. O'Shea, and above all enjoys the\ngood opinion of Mr. Villiers who interests himself in his welfare, I am\ndetermined to entrust the printing to him. Mr. Borrego has agreed to\nmake a reduction of 10 _reals_ per sheet in his estimate, which I\nconsider very liberal conduct, as the former charge, considering the rate\nof printing at Madrid, was by no means high. We have resolved to print\nthe work precisely the same in shape and size as the copy entrusted to my\ncharge, except that we shall substitute single for double columns.\n\nI shall look over each sheet of the work myself, but in order to bring\nout as correct an edition as possible I have engaged the literary\nassistance of Dr. Usoz, the gentleman who some time since addressed a\nletter to the Society, in which he expressed a wish to become a member.\nHe is one of the best Castilian scholars in Madrid, and, as he feels zeal\nin the cause, will, I have no doubt, prove eminently useful. Any\nremuneration for his labour he will leave to the consideration of the\nBible Society and myself.\n\nWe shall commence printing within a few days, and I expect to have the\nwork ready within ten weeks.\n\nNow permit me to propose a very important question to you. What is to be\ndone with the volumes when the work shall have passed through the press?\nAs I am sure you will feel at a loss to give a satisfactory answer, allow\nme to propose the only plan which appears feasible. Believe me when I\nsay that it is not the result of a few moments' cogitation. I have mused\non it much and often. I mused on it when off Cape Finisterre in the\ntempest, in the cut-throat passes of the Morena, and on the plains of La\nMancha, as I jogged along a little way ahead of the smuggler. It is\nthis.\n\nAs soon as the work is printed and bound, I will ride forth from Madrid\ninto the wildest parts of Spain, where the Word is most wanted, and where\nit seems next to an impossibility to introduce it. I will go through the\nwhole of the Asturias and Galicia, and along the entire line of the\nPyrenees, not forgetting to visit every part of Biscay. To accomplish\nthis I must have horses and a man to take care of them. To purchase\nhorses will be much more economical than to hire them, as the hire of an\nanimal for a journey of only thirty leagues generally amounts to nearly\nits full value; the purchase of three horses will not amount to more than\n36 pounds, and a servant may be obtained for 9d. per day and his board.\n\nI will take with me 1200 copies, which I will engage to dispose of, for\nlittle or much, to the wild people of the wild regions which I intend to\nvisit. As for the rest of the edition it must be disposed of, if\npossible, in a different way--I may say the usual way; part must be\nentrusted to booksellers, part to colporteurs, and a depot must be\nestablished at Madrid. Such work is every person's work, and to any one\nmay be confided the execution of it; it is a mere affair of trade. What\nI wish to be employed in is what, I am well aware, no other individual\nwill undertake to do: namely, to scatter the Word upon the mountains,\namongst the valleys and the inmost recesses of the worst and most\ndangerous parts of Spain, where the people are more fierce, fanatic and,\nin a word, Carlist,--parts where bookshops are unknown, and where none of\nthose means can be resorted to for the spread of the Bible which can be\nused in the more civilised portions of the kingdom.\n\nThis is the plan which I most humbly offer to the consideration of the\nCommittee and yourself. I shall not feel at all surprised should it be\ndisapproved of altogether; but I wish it to be understood that in that\nevent I could do nothing further than see the work through the press, as\nI am confident that whatever ardour and zeal I at present feel in the\ncause would desert me immediately, and that I should neither be able nor\nwilling to execute anything which might be suggested. I wish to engage\nin nothing which would not allow me to depend entirely on myself. It\nwould be heart-breaking to me to remain at Madrid, expending the\nSociety's money, with almost the certainty of being informed eventually\nby the booksellers and their correspondents that the work has no sale.\nIn a word, to make sure that some copies find their way among the people\nI must be permitted to carry them to the people myself; and what people\nhave more need of Christian instruction than the inhabitants of the\ndistricts alluded to?\n\nEre the return of the _contrabandista_ to Cordova, I purchased one of the\nhorses which had brought us to Madrid. It is an exceedingly strong,\nuseful animal, and as I had seen what it is capable of performing, I gave\nhim the price which he demanded (about 11 pounds, 17s.). It will go\ntwelve leagues a day with ease, and carry three hundred-weight on its\nback. I am looking out for another, but shall of course make no further\npurchase until I hear from you. I confess I would sooner provide myself\nwith mules, but they are very expensive creatures. In the first place,\nthe original cost of a tolerable one amounts to 30 pounds; and they,\nmoreover, consume a vast quantity of fodder, at least two pecks of barley\nin the twenty-four hours with straw in proportion, and if they are\nstinted in their food they are of no manner of service; the attendance\nwhich they require is likewise very irksome, as they must be fed once\nevery four hours night and day; they are, however, noble animals, and are\nmuch in vogue amongst the principal nobility.\n\nHoping to hear from you soon, I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly\nyours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Mar. 6, 1837)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANT. IAGO,\n _Feby._ 27, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter of the 27th ult.\ncontaining the resolution of the Committee, and also yours of the [17th]\nult. with my account. I was exceedingly grieved at learning that poor\nMr. Tarn has been removed, for he was a most worthy person, and the Bible\nSociety will experience a severe loss in his death; but I hope and trust\nthat eventually some one will be found worthy to succeed him. He is\ndoubtless at present in the other world receiving the reward of his faith\nin this; let us pray that we may be counted worthy to join him there!\n\nBy the time these lines reach you the four Gospels will have passed\nthrough the press; for the work is going on well and prosperously, and I\nhave little doubt that within five weeks it will be completed. I have\nalready entered into arrangements respecting the binding with Mr.\nBorrego, who is about to unite bookbinding with printing; the terms are\nvery reasonable, considering the current prices of the country, as I am\nto pay but three _reals_ per volume for a calf binding similar to that of\nthe copy which was entrusted to me. I have reckoned that the expense of\neach book, printing, paper, and binding included, will but barely amount\nto 15 _reals_; and cheaper than this it is utterly impossible to bring\nout a work of the size of the New Testament, handsomely and creditably in\nSpain.\n\nWithin a few days I shall despatch letters circular to all the principal\nbooksellers in Spain, specifying the nature, size and quality of the\nwork, and inviting them to subscribe at 15 _reals_ per copy, the prime\ncost; for if anything will tempt them to a speculation of the kind, it\nwill be the hope and prospect of making a very handsome profit. Yet they\nare so short-sighted and, like all their countrymen, so utterly\nunacquainted with the rudiments of business, that it is by no means\nimprobable that they, one and all, take no notice of this proposal, which\nis however the only plan which at present appears available for promoting\nthe _general_ circulation of the Scriptures.\n\nDr. Usoz, the gentleman who is at present assisting me in the editing of\nthe work in question, is very anxious to become a member and a\ncorrespondent of the Bible Society. His letter on that subject I\ntranslated and transmitted previous to my last visit to England, but he\nhas never received an answer. I beg leave to say that I am extremely\ndesirous that his request be granted, and that he be written to without\ndelay; and I must moreover beg to be furnished with a written or printed\nauthority to establish a branch Bible Society in Madrid, and to nominate\nDr. Usoz as secretary.\n\nThat part of my last letter, where I stated my wish of making a tour\nthrough the Asturias, Galicia, and the Biscays, as soon as the work\nshould be completed, does not seem to have been clearly understood. I\ndid not intend to devote myself entirely to _the wild people_, but to\nvisit the villages and towns as well as the remote and secluded glens. I\nintended to take letters of introduction to some of the most respectable\npeople of Oviedo, of Corunna, of Lugo, of Vigo, Pontevedro, Barbastro,\nBilboa, etc., and to establish depots of Bibles in those towns; but in my\nway I intended to visit the secret and secluded spots amongst the rugged\nhills and mountains, and to talk to the people, after my manner, of\nChrist and to explain to them the nature of His book, and to place that\nbook in the hands of those whom I should deem capable of deriving benefit\nfrom it. True it is that such a journey would be attended with\nconsiderable danger, and very possibly the fate of St. Stephen might\nbefall the adventurer; but does the man deserve the name of a follower of\nChrist who would shrink from danger of any kind in the cause of Him whom\nhe calls his Master? 'He who loses his life for My sake, shall save it,'\nare words which the Lord Himself uttered, and words surely fraught with\nconsolation to every one engaged in propagating His Gospel in savage and\nbarbarian lands.\n\nAbout a fortnight since I purchased another horse, for these animals are\nat present exceedingly cheap. A royal requisition is about to be issued\nfor 5000, and the consequence is that an immense number are for sale; for\nby virtue of this requisition the horses of any person not a foreigner\ncan be seized for the benefit of the service. It is probable that when\nthe number is made up the price of horses will be treble what it is at\npresent, which consideration induced me to purchase this animal before I\nexactly want him. He is a black Andalusian stallion of great size and\nstrength, and capable of performing a journey of 100 leagues in a week's\ntime, but he is unbroke, savage and furious. However, a cargo of Bibles\nwhich I hope shortly to put on his back will, I have no doubt, thoroughly\ntame him, especially when labouring up the flinty hills of the north of\nSpain. I wished to purchase a mule, according to my instructions, but\nthough I offered 30 pounds for a sorry one, I could not obtain her;\nwhereas the cost of both the horses, tall, powerful, stately animals,\nscarcely amounted to that sum.\n\nI will now say a few words respecting the state of Spain, though what I\ncommunicate will probably startle you, as in England you are quite in the\ndark respecting what is going on here. At the moment I am writing,\nCabrera, the tiger-friar, is within nine leagues of Madrid with an army\nnearly ten thousand strong; he has beaten the Queen's troops in several\nengagements, and has ravaged La Mancha with fire and sword, burning\nseveral towns; bands of affrighted fugitives are arriving every hour\nbringing tidings of woe and disaster, and I am but surprised that the\nenemy does not appear, and by taking Madrid, which is at his mercy, put\nan end to the war at once. But the truth is, the Carlist generals do not\nwish the war to cease; for as long as the country is involved in\nbloodshed and anarchy, they can plunder and exercise that lawless\nauthority so dear to men of fierce and brutal passions. Cabrera is a\nwretch whose sole enjoyment consists in inflicting pain and torture and\ncausing woe and misery to his fellow creatures; he is one of the\ninstruments of the anger of the Almighty, a scourge in the hand of\nProvidence to chastise a land whose wickedness had become intolerable.\nFor the elect's sake, and there are a few even in Spain, may it please\nthe Lord to shorten the affliction of these days, or all flesh must\nsuccumb.\n\nI remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._--Pray let me hear from you shortly, and remember me particularly\nto Mr. Jowett and Mr. Browne.\n\n_P.S._ 2.--I have already paid, in part, for the printing and paper, as\nyou will have concluded by my draft. The Gospel of Saint Luke, in the\nRommany language, is nearly ready for the press. It is my intention to\nsubjoin a vocabulary of all the words used, with an explanation in the\nSpanish language.\n\nBefore I left England I was authorised to look out for a person competent\nto translate the Scriptures in Basque (Spanish). I am acquainted with a\ngentleman who is well versed in that dialect, of which I myself have some\nknowledge. Perhaps it would not be unwise to engage him to translate St.\nLuke as a trial of his powers.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Mar. 25, 1837)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANT IAGO PISO 3RO.\n [_March_ 16th, 1837].\n\nREVD. SIR,--I write a few lines for the purpose of informing you that the\nNew Testament in Castilian will be ready in a few days, probably before\nyou receive this epistle, should it reach you, which I have some doubts\nof from the terrible and distracted state of Spain at the present time.\n\nThe work has been printed on the best paper, and no pains have been\nspared, at least on my part, to render it as correct as possible, having\nread every proof-sheet three times. I must here take the liberty of\nobserving that the work executed in London, and of which a copy was\ndelivered to me to print from, abounds in errors of every kind and\nreflects little credit on the person who edited it; no systematic order\nis observed either in the orthography or the use of accents or capitals,\nand whole sentences frequently appear in a mangled and mutilated state\nwhich renders them unintelligible.\n\nOn my final settlement with Mr. Borrego I shall send a regular account of\nmy disbursements; he has already received two-thirds of his money, as you\nwill have conjectured from the bills I have drawn. I wish very much that\nthe Committee would vote a letter of thanks to Mr. Henry O'Shea for the\ninterest which he has taken in this affair and the assistance which he\nhas rendered. I shall write again in a few days. I am afraid that you\ndid not receive my last letter.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most faithfully yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Decr. 1, 1837)\n MADRID, _April_ 27, 1837.\n\nMY DEAR SIR,--Please to let the bearer have the under-mentioned Bibles;\nthey are for Dr. Usoz, from whom I have received their value.\n\nEntire Bible in German.\n\nEntire Bible in Modern Greek.\n\nDo. do. in Portuguese.\n\nIf possible, I should wish to have the New Testament in Persian, for my\nown private use.\n\nMost sincerely yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\nThe Basque translation of St. Luke is completed and in my possession; the\nwhole expense attending it amounts to 8 pounds and a few odd shillings.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 13, 1837)\n [MADRID, 29 _April_, 1837].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Do me the favour after reading the enclosed letter,\nand making what use of it you please, to seal it, pay the postage, and\ndespatch it to Russia. It contains all I have at present to say, and is\nas much intended for yourself, as for the person to whom it is directed.\nI leave Madrid in about three days, and it is my intention to write\nfrequently whilst upon my journey; but should few letters reach you, be\nnot surprised, but attribute it to the state of the country, which is\nterrible indeed. I am first going to Salamanca, by the pass of the\nGuadarama; from thence to Burgos; then to the Asturias, Galicia, and\nBiscay, and along the whole chain of the Pyrenees.\n\nSome hundreds of our books have been placed in the hands of a bookseller\nat Madrid, and I have ordered them to be advertised, once a week, in the\nprincipal journals. Dr. Usoz and another friend will do what they can in\nmy absence.\n\nTo-morrow I send the bill of my expenses; it would have been despatched\nsooner, but I could not obtain my account from Mr. O'Shea.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most faithfully yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--My best remembrances to Mr. Jowett, Mr. Browne, and all my\nfriends.\n\n\n\n\nTo Mr. John Hasfeldt\n\n\n MADRID, 29 _April_, 1837.\n\nI received your letter of last January a few weeks since, and I sincerely\nhope that mine of February may have reached your hands. The principal\nreason of my taking up the pen at present is the long and adventurous\njourney which I am about to engage in, and which I am afraid will\npreclude the possibility of my writing to you for some months. In a few\ndays I quit Madrid, it being my intention to visit the mountainous\ndistricts of Spain, particularly Galicia and the Basque Provinces, for\nthe purpose of disposing of part of the edition of the New Testament in\nSpanish, lately completed at Madrid, under my superintendence. It was my\nintention to have set out sooner, but the state of the weather has been\nsuch that I thought it more prudent to defer my departure; during the\nlast two months violent and bitter winds have blown without ceasing,\nbefore whose baneful influence animal and vegetable nature seems to have\nquailed. I was myself, during a fortnight, prostrated, body and limb, by\na violent attack of _la grippe_, or, as it is styled in English, the\n'influenza.' I am, however, by the blessing of the Almighty, perfectly\nrecovered and enjoying excellent spirits, but multitudes less favoured\nhave perished, especially the poor.\n\nI expect to be absent on my journey about five months, when, if I am\nspared, not having fallen a prey to sickness, Carlists, banditti, or wild\nbeasts, I shall return to Madrid for the purpose of carrying through the\npress my own translation of the Gospel of St. Luke in the language of the\nSpanish Gypsies, and also the same Gospel in Cantabrian or Basque,\nexecuted by the domestic physician of the Marquis of Salvatierra. What I\nam destined to do subsequently I know not; but I should wish to visit\nChina by a land journey, either through Russia, or by Constantinople\n[and] Armenia as far as the Indian Gulf; as it is my opinion that, with\nGod's permission, I might sow some seed by the way which might in time\nyield a good harvest.\n\nSpeaking of these matters reminds me that in your next letter (written in\nyour usual choice Danish) you might send me some useful information\nrespecting what might be done in Russia. Do you think permission might\nbe obtained to print the New Testament in Russ, and that the Russian\nHierarchy would be inclined to offer any serious opposition? I wish you\nwould speak to Gretsch on the subject, to whom you will, as usual,\npresent my kindest remembrances. I believe you are acquainted with Mrs.\nBiller, but if not, you would confer a great favour upon me by calling on\nher, and requesting her opinion, as she is better acquainted than perhaps\nany person in Russia with the course to be pursued if the attempt were to\nbe hazarded. Perhaps at the same time you will enquire of her as to what\nhas become of my translation into Russ of the second and third Homilies\nwhich I left with her, and whether license to print has been obtained.\nIf not, I should wish that energetic steps be taken to that effect, and\nas you are an energetic person, and she may possibly have too many\nimportant affairs upon her hands, I pray you to take the matter up, but\nat all events to follow her advice; pray remember me to her likewise.\nThe translation was corrected by that unfortunate man Nicanoff, who,\nthough he lived and died a drunkard, was an excellent Russian scholar;\ntherefore I think that no objection can reasonably be made in respect to\nstyle, though indeed the original is very plain and homely, being adapted\nto the most common understanding. I offer no apology for giving you all\nthis trouble, as I am fully aware that you are at all times eagerly ready\nto perform anything which I may consider as a service rendered to myself.\n\nSpain at present, I am sorry to say, is in a more distracted and\nconvulsed situation than at any former period, and the prospect is gloomy\nin the extreme. The Queen's troops have sustained of late grievous\ndefeats in the Basque provinces and Valencia, and a Carlist expedition of\n18,000 men, whose object is to ravage Castile and to carry the war to the\ngates of Madrid, is shortly expected to pass the Ebro. From what I have\nseen and heard of the demoralised state of the Cristinos forces, I\nbelieve they will meet with no effectual resistance, and that Cristina\nand her daughter will be compelled to flee from the capital to Cadiz, or\nto some strong frontier town. Nevertheless, such is the nature of the\nSpanish people, that it is impossible to say whether the liberal cause\n(as it is called) be desperate or not, as neither one party nor the other\nknows how to improve an advantage. Twice might Don Carlos have marched\nto Madrid and seized the crown; and more than once his army has been at\nthe mercy of the Cristinos; yet still is the affair undecided, and will\nperhaps continue so for years. The country is, as you may well conceive,\nin a most distracted state; robbery and murder are practised with\nimpunity, and the roads are in such an insecure state that almost all\ncommunication has ceased between one town and another; yet I am going\nforth without the slightest fear, trusting in God; for if He is with me,\nwho shall stand against me?\n\nI have a servant, a person who has been a soldier for fifteen years, who\nwill go with me for the purpose of attending to the horses and otherwise\nassisting me in my labours. His conduct on the journey is the only thing\nto which I look forward with uneasiness; for though he has some good\npoints, yet in many respects a more atrocious fellow never existed. He\nis inordinately given to drink, and of so quarrelsome a disposition that\nhe is almost constantly involved in some broil. Like most of his\ncountrymen, he carries an exceedingly long knife, which he frequently\nunsheaths and brandishes in the faces of those who are unfortunate enough\nto awaken his choler. It is only a few days since that I rescued the\nmaid-servant of the house from his grasp, whom otherwise he would\nundoubtedly have killed, and all because she too much burnt a red herring\nwhich he had given her to cook. You perhaps wonder that I retain a\nperson of this description, but, bad as he is, he is the best servant I\ncan obtain; he is very honest, a virtue which is rarely to be found in a\nSpanish servant, and I have no fear of his running away with the horses\nduring the journey, after having perhaps knocked me on the head in some\nlone _posada_. He is moreover acquainted with every road, cross-road,\nriver, and mountain in Spain, and is therefore a very suitable squire for\nan errant knight, like myself. On my arrival in Biscay I shall perhaps\nengage one of the uncorrupted Basque peasants, who has never left his\nnative mountains and is utterly ignorant of the Spanish language, for I\nam told that they are exceedingly faithful and laborious. The best\nservant I ever had was the Tartar Mahmoud at St. Petersburg, and I have\nfrequently repented that I did not bring him with me on my leaving\nRussia; but I was not then aware that I was about to visit this\nunfortunate country, where goodness of every description is so difficult\nto find.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 23, 1837)\n MADRID, _May_ 10_th_, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I herewith send the long promised account of my\nprivate expenses, which I hope will be found correct. I start to-morrow\nfor Salamanca, at which place I should now be, but for the misconduct of\nmy servant, whom I have been compelled to turn away. I have experienced\ngreat difficulty in obtaining another; my present one is a Greek, who\nformerly waited on Mr. O'Shea; I hope he will turn out well. Mr. O'Shea\nhas given me a general letter of credit to his correspondents in various\nparts of Spain. You will receive my draft in a few days. I shall write\nfrom Salamanca, and various other places, detailing all my proceedings\nand adventures. I hope you received my last letter.\n\nI remain, etc.,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 21, 1837)\n SALAMANCA, June 7, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I arrived at Salamanca about a fortnight since, in\nsafety and in tolerable good health. I shall defer for a few days\ncommunicating the particulars of my journey, though they are not\ndestitute of interest, having at present information to afford which I\nconsider of more importance, and which I hope will afford the same\nsatisfaction to yourself and our friends at home which I myself\nexperience in communicating them.\n\nSome days previous to my departure from Madrid I was very much\nindisposed. Owing to the state of the weather--for violent and biting\nwinds had long prevailed--I had been attacked with a severe cold which\nterminated in a shrieking disagreeable cough, which the many remedies\nwhich I successively tried were unable to subdue. I had made preparation\nfor departing on a particular day, but owing to the state of my health I\nwas apprehensive that I should be compelled to postpone my journey for a\ntime. The last day of my stay in Madrid, finding myself scarcely able to\nstand, I was fain to submit to a somewhat desperate experiment, and by\nthe advice of the barber-surgeon who visited me, I determined to be bled.\nLate on the night of that same day he eased me of sixteen ounces of\nblood, and having received his fee, left me, wishing me a pleasant\njourney, and assuring me upon his reputation that by noon the next day I\nshould be perfectly recovered.\n\nA few minutes after his departure, whilst I was sitting alone, meditating\non the journey which I was about to undertake, and on the rickety state\nof my health, I heard a loud knock at the street-door of the house, on\nthe third floor of which I was lodged, not very comfortably. In a minute\nor two Mr. Southern of the British Embassy entered my apartment. After a\nlittle conversation he informed me that Mr. Villiers had desired him to\nwait upon me, to communicate a resolution which he, Mr. Villiers, had\ncome to. Being apprehensive that alone and unassisted I should\nexperience considerable difficulty in propagating the Gospel of God to\nany considerable extent in Spain, he was bent upon exerting to the utmost\nhis own credit and influence to further my views, which he himself\nconsidered, if carried into proper effect, extremely well calculated to\noperate beneficially on the political and moral state of the country. To\nthis end it was his intention to purchase a very considerable number of\ncopies of the New Testament, and to despatch them forthwith to the\nvarious British consuls established in different parts of Spain, with\nstrict and positive orders to employ all the means, which their official\nsituation should afford them, to circulate the books in question and to\nassure their being noticed. They were moreover to be charged to afford\nmyself, whenever I should appear in their respective districts, all the\nprotection, encouragement, and assistance I should stand in need of, as a\nfriend of Mr. Villiers, and a person in the success of whose enterprise\nhe himself took the warmest interest.\n\nI could scarcely believe my ears on receiving this information; for\nthough I had long been aware that Mr. Villiers was at all times willing\nto assist me, he having frequently given me sufficient proof, I could\nnever expect that he would come forward in so noble, and to say the least\nof it, considering his high diplomatic situation, so bold and decided a\nmanner. I believe that this is the first instance of a British\nAmbassador having made the cause of the Bible Society a national one, or\nindeed to favour it directly or indirectly. What renders the case of Mr.\nVilliers more remarkable is that on my first arrival at Madrid I found\nhim by no means well disposed towards the Society. The Holy Spirit has\nprobably illumined his mind on this point. Honour be to him: I hope that\nby his means our institution will shortly possess many agents in Spain\nwith far more power and opportunity than I myself can ever expect to\npossess, who will scatter abroad the seed of the Gospel, and make of a\nbarren and thirsty wilderness a green and smiling corn-field.\n\nThe next day verified the prediction of the barber. I had to a\nconsiderable degree lost my cough and fever, though, owing to the great\nloss of blood, I was very feeble and weak. Precisely at twelve o'clock\nmyself and man rode forth from the gate of Saint Vincent, directing our\ncourse to the lofty mountains which separate Old from New Castile. That\nnight we rested at Guadarama, a large village at their foot, distant from\nMadrid about twenty-five miles. The journey to Salamanca occupied four\ndays, and I disposed of five Testaments by the way.\n\nSince my arrival at Salamanca I have been taking measures that the Word\nof God may become generally known in this place, so celebrated in many\nrespects. The principal bookseller of the town, Blanco, a man of great\nwealth and respectability, has consented to become our agent here, and I\nhave deposited in his shop a certain number of New Testaments. He is the\nproprietor of a small printing press, where the official bulletin of the\nplace is published. For this bulletin I have prepared an advertisement\nof the work, in which amongst other things I have said that the New\nTestament is the only guide to salvation. I have also spoken of the\nBible Society, and the great pecuniary sacrifices which it is making with\nthe view of proclaiming Christ crucified, and of making His doctrine\nknown. This step will perhaps be considered by some as too bold, but I\nam not aware that I can take any more calculated to arouse the attention\nof the people--a considerable point. I have also ordered numbers of the\nsame advertisement to be struck off in the shape of bills which I am\ncausing to be stuck up in various parts of the town. I have great hope\nthat by means of these a considerable number of New Testaments will be\nsold. I shall repeat this experiment in Valladolid, Leon, St. Jago, and\nall the principal towns which it is my intention to visit in my\nwanderings, and I shall likewise distribute them as I ride along. The\nchildren of Spain will thus be brought to know that such a work as the\nNew Testament is in existence, a fact of which not five in one hundred\nare at present aware, notwithstanding their so frequently repeated boasts\nof their Catholicity and Christianity.\n\nI carry with me the Gospel of St. Luke in the Cantabrian or Basque\nlanguage. It is my intention to print this little book, either at San\nSebastian or Pamplona; as it would be unwise not to avail myself of so\nfavourable an opportunity of circulating it as my visit to the provinces\nwhere the language is spoken will afford me. I have examined it with\nmuch attention, and find it a very faithful version. The only objection\nwhich can be brought against it is that Spanish words are frequently used\nto express ideas for which there are equivalents in Basque; but this\nlanguage, as spoken at present in Spain, is very corrupt, and a work\nwritten entirely in the Basque of Larramendi's Dictionary would be\nintelligible to very few. I have read passages from it to the men of\nGuipuscoa, who assured me that they had no difficulty in understanding\nit, and that it was written in the colloquial style of their province.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 25, 1837)\n ASTORGA, 5_th_ _July_, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I avail myself of the present opportunity of giving\nan account of what has befallen me since I last wrote to you from\nSalamanca, which I shortly after quitted. By that time my advertisements\nhad been affixed in all parts of the city, and several New Testaments had\nbeen sold; I myself had the pleasure of seeing three despatched in less\nthan a quarter of an hour that I remained in the shop. From Salamanca I\nproceeded to Valladolid, distant about twenty-five leagues, where I\nemployed the same means which I had adopted at Salamanca for the\npromulgation of God's Word. I must here observe that Valladolid is a\nplace where literature of every description is at the lowest ebb, and\nbookselling there is merely carried on in connexion with other business,\nit being in itself quite insufficient to afford a livelihood to those who\npursue it. Nevertheless during the five days that I continued there my\nlabours were so far favoured that twenty copies were disposed of, and a\nfair prospect opened that many more would be demanded. Before leaving I\ngave orders that the advertisements should be renewed every week, as\nevil-disposed, persons probably of the Carlist or Papist party, had\ndefaced or torn down a great number of those which had been put up. From\npursuing this course I expect that much and manifold good will accrue, as\nthe people of these parts will have continual opportunities of\nacquainting themselves that a book which contains the _living word_ is in\nexistence and within their reach, which may induce them to secure it and\nconsult it even unto salvation.\n\nQuitting Valladolid, I directed my route to Leon by the Palencia road;\nthe greatest part of the way was barren and uninteresting to a high\ndegree, consisting of wide dusty plains scantily sown with barley, but\nunrelieved with trees or waters. The people are ignorant and brutal,\nthough they boast themselves to be Old Castilians, which is however not\nthe fact, as these desolate and benighted regions belong to what was once\nthe kingdom of Leon. Their inhospitality is so great that I have been\nrefused a glass of water in their villages, though I asked it in the name\nof God; though I have subsequently obtained it by paying for it, for\ntheir hearts can always be opened by the key of interest, though\ninaccessible to every noble and generous sentiment. I suffered\ndreadfully during this journey, as did likewise my man and horses, for\nthe heat was the fiercest which I have ever known, and resembled the\nbreath of the simoom or the air from an oven's mouth. Leon is\nbeautifully situated in a smiling blooming country abounding in grass and\ntrees, and watered by many streams which have their source in a mighty\nchain of mountains in the neighbourhood, which traverse a great part of\nSpain and are connected with the Pyrenees; but unfortunately it is\nexceedingly unhealthy, for the heats of the summer-time raise noxious\nexhalations from the waters, which generate all kinds of disorders,\nespecially fevers and tertian agues. It is the Feversham of Spain.\n\n_Nomen cui infausta Fata dedere febris_ [sic].\n\nI had scarcely been at Leon three days when I was seized with a fever,\nagainst which I thought the strength even of my constitution would have\nyielded; for it wore me almost to a skeleton, and when it departed, at\nthe end of about a week, left me in such a deplorable state of weakness\nthat I was scarcely able to make the slightest exertion. I had however\npreviously persuaded a bookseller to undertake the charge of vending the\nTestaments, and had published my advertisements as usual, though without\nvery fervent hope of success, as Leon is a place where the inhabitants,\nwith very few exceptions, are furious Carlists and ignorant and blinded\nfollowers of the old Papal Church. It is, moreover, a Bishop's see,\nwhich was once enjoyed by the prime councillor of Don Carlos, whose\nfierce and bigoted spirit still seems to pervade the place. Scarcely had\nthe advertisements appeared when the clergy were in motion; they went\nfrom house to house, banning and cursing and denouncing misery on\nwhomsoever should either purchase or read 'the accursed books' which had\nbeen sent into the country by heretics for the purpose of perverting the\ninnocent minds of the population. They did more: they commenced a\nprocess against the bookseller in the ecclesiastical court. Fortunately\nthis court is not at present in the possession of much authority, and the\nbookseller, who is a bold and determined man, set them at defiance, and\nwent so far as to affix an advertisement to the gate of the very\ncathedral. Notwithstanding the cry raised against the work several\ncopies were sold at Leon, two were purchased by ex-friars, and the same\nnumber by parochial priests from neighbouring villages. I believe the\nwhole number disposed of during my stay amounted to fifteen, so that my\nvisit to this dark corner has not been altogether in vain, as the seed of\nthe Gospel has been sown, though sparingly. But the palpableness of the\ndarkness which envelops Leon is truly lamentable, and the ignorance of\nthe people is so great that printed charms and incantations against Satan\nand his host and against every kind of misfortune are publicly sold in\nthe shops and are in great demand; such are the results of Popery, a\ndelusion which more than any other has tended to debase and brutalise the\nhuman mind.\n\nI had scarcely risen from the bed where the fever had cast me, when I\nfound that my servant had become alarmed; he informed me that he had seen\nseveral soldiers in the uniform of Don Carlos knocking at the door of the\n_posada_, and that they had been making enquiries concerning me. It was\nindeed a singular fact connected with Leon that upwards of fifty of these\nfellows, who had on various accounts left the ranks of the pretender,\nwere walking about the streets dressed in his livery, and with all the\nconfidence which the certainty of the protection of the local authorities\ncould afford them, should any one be disposed to interrupt them. He\nmoreover informed me that the person in whose house we were living was a\nnotorious _alcahuete_, or spy to the robbers in the neighbourhood, and\nthat unless we took our departure speedily and unexpectedly, we should to\na certainty be plundered on the road. I did not pay much attention to\nthese hints, but my desire to quit Leon was great, as I was convinced\nthat as long as I continued there I should be unable to regain my health\nand vigour. Accordingly, at three o'clock in the morning of the fourth\n(yesterday) we departed, taking the route for Lugo, a principal town in\nthe province of Galicia. We had scarcely proceeded half a league when we\nwere overtaken by a thunderstorm of tremendous violence. We were at that\ntime in the midst of a kind of wood which extends to some distance in\nthat direction. The trees were bowed to the ground or torn up by their\nroots by the wind, whilst the ground was plowed up by the lightning which\nburst all around and nearly blinded us. The horse which I rode upon,\nwhich was a spirited Andalusian stallion, became furious and bounded into\nthe air as if possessed; owing to my state of weakness I had the greatest\ndifficulty in maintaining my seat and in avoiding a fall which might have\nbeen fatal. A tremendous discharge of rain followed the storm, which\nswelled the brooks into streams and flooded the surrounding country,\ncausing great damage amongst the corn. After riding about five leagues\nwe began to enter the mountainous district which surrounds Astorga; the\nroad was flinty and very trying to the poor horses, who suffered much,\nwhilst the heat was suffocating. It was with the utmost difficulty that\nwe reached Astorga, covered with mud and dust and our tongues cleaving to\nthe roofs of our mouths from thirst. We were compelled to take up our\nabode in a wretched hovel, full of pigs, vermin, and misery, and from\nthis place I write, for this morning I felt myself unable to proceed on\nmy journey, being exhausted with illness, fatigue and want of food, for\nscarcely anything is to be obtained. But I return God thanks and glory\nfor being permitted to undergo these crosses and troubles for His Word's\nsake. I would not exchange my present situation, unenviable as some may\nthink it, for a throne.\n\nPray excuse the style and writing of this letter, both are inevitably\nbad. I hope in a few days to have reached Lugo, where I shall be more at\nmy ease.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. 12th August 1837)\n CORUNNA, 20_th_ _July_ [1837].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--My last letter was dated from Astorga, and I stated\nthat I was suffering from the relics of the fever which had assailed me\nat Leon; in a day or two, however, I was sufficiently recovered to mount\nmy horse and proceed on my journey to Lugo. I shall send a regular\naccount of this journey next post, from which those at home, interested\nin Bible proceedings in Spain, may gather some idea of this very strange\ncountry and people. I arrived safely at Lugo, but much fatigued, for the\nway thither lay through the wildest mountains and wildernesses. The Lord\ndeigned to favour my humble efforts at Lugo; I brought thither thirty\nTestaments, all of which were disposed of in one day, the Bishop of the\nplace himself purchasing two copies, whilst several priests and friars,\ninstead of following the example of their brethren at Leon by persecuting\nthe work, spoke well of it, and recommended its perusal. I was much\ngrieved that my stock of these holy books was exhausted, for there was a\ngreat demand for them; and had I been able to supply them, quadruple the\nquantity might have been sold [during] the four days that I remained at\nLugo.\n\nMidway between Lugo and Corunna I was near falling into the hands of\nrobbers. Two fellows suddenly confronted me with presented carbines,\nwhich they probably intended to discharge into my body, but they took\nfright at the noise of my servant's horse, who was following a little way\nbehind. This affair occurred at the bridge Castellanos, a spot notorious\nfor robbery and murder, and well adapted for both, for it stands at the\nbottom of a deep dell surrounded by wild desolate hills. Only a quarter\nof an hour previous, I had passed three ghastly heads, stuck on poles\nstanding by the wayside; they were those of a captain of banditti [and\ntwo of his men], who had been seized and executed about two months\nbefore. Their principal haunt was the vicinity of the bridge I have\nalready spoken of, and it was their practice to cast the bodies of the\nmurdered into the deep black water which runs rapidly beneath. These\nthree beads will always live in my remembrance, particularly that of the\ncaptain, which stood on a higher pole than the other two; the long hair\nwas waving in the wind, and the blackened distorted features were\ngrinning in the sun. The fellows whom I met were themselves of his band.\n\nI have a depot of five hundred Testaments at Corunna, from which it is my\nintention to supply the principal towns of Galicia. I have as usual\npublished my advertisements, and the work enjoys a tolerable sale--seven\nor eight copies per day on the average. Perhaps some will say that these\nare small matters and not worthy of being mentioned; but let these\nbethink them that till within a few months the very existence of the\nGospel was almost unknown in Spain, and that it must necessarily be a\ndifficult task to induce a people like the Spaniards, who read very\nlittle and who in general consider money expended in books of any kind as\ncast away, to purchase a work like the New Testament, offering them\nlittle prospect of amusement, and which, though the basis of all true\nreligion, they have never been told is useful as a guide to salvation.\n\nLet us hope that the present is the dawning of better and more\nenlightened times, and though little has been accomplished, still it is\nmore than nothing that Testaments are being sold in unhappy benighted\nSpain, from Madrid to the northernmost part of Galicia, a distance of\nnearly four hundred miles.\n\nIn about a fortnight I shall depart for Santiago, where I intend to pass\nseveral days; then retracing my steps to Corunna I shall visit Ferrol,\nwhence I shall perhaps shape my course for Oviedo in the Asturias, either\nalong the seashore or by the mountain route, in which latter case I\nshould have to revisit Lugo. Every part of Galicia abounds with robbers\nand factious, so that almost all travelling is at an end, and the road to\nSantiago is so bad that no one is permitted to travel it unless in\ncompany with the weekly post, which goes attended by a strong military\nescort. This gives me some uneasiness, as the stallion I ride is so\nvicious and furious that it is dangerous to bring him in contact with\nother horses whom, with the exception of his companion, he invariably\nattacks, getting me into all manner of scrapes. An old Castilian\npeasant, whose pony he had maltreated, once said to me, 'Sir Cavalier, if\nyou have any love for yourself, get rid of that beast, who is capable of\nproving the ruin of a kingdom.' But he is a gallant creature who seldom\ntires, and he has borne me too far to permit me to think of parting with\nhim.\n\nSince my arrival at Corunna I have received advice from my agent at\nValladolid that the forty copies which I deposited in his hands have been\nsold, and that he was anxious for a fresh supply. I have accordingly\nordered fifty more to be sent him from Madrid. Since my departure from\nthe capital I have myself disposed of sixty-five, without including those\nsold at Lugo and other places by means of the advertisements, on which I\nprincipally rely, as they speak at all times whether I am present or\nabsent.\n\nI wish it to be distinctly understood that throughout my journey I have\ngiven away none of the books, having invariably received money for them,\nviz., from 10 to 12 _reals_. The enemies of the Bible Society have\nstated in several publications that it has no vent for the Bibles and\nTestaments which it publishes in many foreign languages but by sending\nthem to the various countries, and there distributing them gratis or\nselling them by auction, when they are bought for waste paper (see in\nparticular Wiseman's _Letters_). My conduct in this point has been\nprincipally influenced by a desire to give, in the case of Spain at\nleast, the direct lie to this assertion, and this conduct I shall pursue\nuntil I receive direct orders to abandon it. I will now conclude by\nrepeating that in a few days you will receive my journal, which will\nprove more interesting than the above hasty scrawl.\n\nI remain, etc.,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. Andrew Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 23, 1837)\n _Journey from Astorga to Lugo_\n\nBefore proceeding to narrate what befell me in this journey, it will\nperhaps not be amiss to say a few words concerning Astorga and its\nvicinity. It is a walled town containing about five or six thousand\ninhabitants, with a cathedral and college, which last is, however, at\npresent deserted. It is situated on the confines, and may be called the\ncapital, of a tract of land called the country of the Maragatos, which\noccupies about three square leagues, and has for its north-western\nboundary a mountain called Telleno, the loftiest of a chain of hills\nwhich have their origin near the mouth of the river Minho, and are\nconnected with the immense range which constitutes the frontier of the\nAsturias and Guipuscoa. The land is ungrateful and barren, and niggardly\nrepays the toil of the cultivator, being for the most part rocky, with a\nslight sprinkling of a red bricky earth. The Maragatos are perhaps the\nmost singular caste to be found amongst the chequered population of\nSpain. They have their own peculiar customs and dress, and never\nintermarry with the Spaniards. Their name is a clue to their origin, as\nit signifies 'Moorish Goths,' and at this present day their garb differs\nbut little from that of the Moors of Barbary, as it consists of a long\ntight jacket, secured at the waist by a broad girdle; loose short\ntrowsers which terminate at the knee, and boots and gaiters. Their heads\nare shaven, a slight fringe of hair being only left at the lower part.\nIf they wore the turban, or barret, they could scarcely be distinguished\nfrom the Moors in dress, but in lieu thereof they wear the sombrero or\nbroad slouching hat of Spain. There can be little doubt that they are a\nremnant of those Goths who sided with the Moors on their invasion of\nSpain, and who adopted their religion, customs, and manner of dress,\nwhich, with the exception of the first, are still to a considerable\ndegree retained. It is, however, evident that their blood has at no time\nmingled with that of the wild children of the desert, for scarcely\namongst the hills of Norway would you find figures and faces more\nessentially Gothic than those of the Maragatos. They are strong,\nathletic men, but loutish and heavy, and their features, though for the\nmost part well-formed, are vacant and devoid of expression. They are\nslow and plain in speech, and those eloquent and imaginative sallies so\ncommon in the conversation of other Spaniards seldom or never escape\nthem; they have, moreover, a coarse, thick pronunciation, and when you\nhear them speak, you almost imagine that it is some German or English\npeasant attempting to express himself in the language of the Peninsula.\nThey are constitutionally phlegmatic, and it is very difficult to arouse\ntheir anger; but they are dangerous and desperate when once incensed, and\na person who knew them well told me that he would rather face ten\nValencians, people infamous for their ferocity and blood-thirstiness,\nthan confront one angry Maragato, sluggish and stupid though he be on\nother occasions.\n\nThe men scarcely ever occupy themselves in husbandry, which they abandon\nto the females, who plough the flinty fields and gather in the scanty\nharvests. Their husbands and sons are far differently employed, for they\nare a nation of _arrieros_ or carriers, and almost esteem it a disgrace\nto follow any other profession. On every road of Spain, particularly\nthose north of the mountains which divide the two Castiles, may be seen\ngangs of fives and sixes of these people lolling or sleeping beneath the\nbroiling sun on their gigantic and heavily laden mutes and mules, the\nboast of Spain, but dearly purchased by the debasement and degeneration\nof a once noble breed of horses. In a word, almost the entire commerce\nof nearly one half of Spain passes through the hands of the Maragatos,\nwhose fidelity to their trust is such that no one accustomed to employ\nthem would hesitate to entrust them with the transport of a ton of\ntreasure from the sea of Biscay to Madrid, knowing well that it would not\nbe their fault were it not delivered safe and undiminished even of a\ngrain, and that bold must be the thieves who would seek to wrest it from\nthe far-feared Maragatos, who would cling to it whilst they could stand,\nand would cover it with their bodies when they fell in the act of loading\nor discharging their long carbines.\n\nBut they are far from being disinterested, and if they are the most\ntrustworthy of all the _arrieros_ of Spain, they in general demand for\nthe transport of articles a sum at least double of what others of the\ntrade would esteem a reasonable recompense. By this means they\naccumulate large sums of money, notwithstanding that they indulge\nthemselves in a far superior fare to that which contents in general the\nparsimonious Spaniard--another argument in favour of their pure Gothic\ndescent; for the Maragatos, like true men of the north, delight in\nswilling liquors and battening upon gross and luscious meats, which help\nto swell out their tall and goodly figures. Many of them have died\npossessed of considerable riches, part of which they have not\nunfrequently bequeathed to the erection or embellishment of religious\nhouses. On the east end of the cathedral of Astorga, which towers over\nthe lofty and precipitous wall, a colossal figure of lead may be seen on\nthe roof. It is the statue of a Maragato carrier, who endowed the\ncathedral with a large sum. He is in his national dress, but his head is\naverted from the land of his fathers, and whilst he waves in his hand a\nspecies of flag, he seems to be summoning his race from their unfruitful\nregion to other climes where a richer field is open to their industry and\nenterprise.\n\nI spoke to several of these men respecting the all-important subject of\nreligion; but 'I found their hearts blunted, and with their ears they\nheard heavily, and their eyes were closed.' There was one in particular\nto whom I showed the New Testament and addressed for a considerable time.\nHe listened, or seemed to listen, patiently, taking occasional copious\ndraughts from an immense jug of whitish wine which stood between his\nknees. After I had concluded, he said: 'To-morrow I set out for Lugo,\nwhither I am told yourself are going. If you wish to send your chest, I\nhave no objection to take it at so much (naming an extravagant price).\nAs for what you have told me, I understand little of it and believe not a\nword of it; but in respect to the books which you have shown me, I will\ntake three or four. I shall not read them, it is true, but I have no\ndoubt that I can sell them at a higher price than you demand.'\n\nSo much for the Maragatos.\n\nIt was four o'clock of a beautiful morning that we sallied from Astorga,\nor rather from the suburbs in which we had been lodged; we directed our\ncourse to the north in the direction of Galicia. Leaving the mountain\nTelleno on our left, we passed along the eastern skirts of the land of\nthe Maragatos over broken uneven ground, enlivened here and there by\nsmall green valleys and runs of water. Several of the Maragato women\nmounted on donkeys passed us on their way to Astorga whither they were\ncarrying vegetables; we saw others in the fields handling their rude\nploughs drawn by lean oxen; we likewise passed through a small village in\nwhich we however saw no living soul. Near this village we entered the\nhigh road which leads direct from Madrid to Corunna, and at last having\ntravelled near four leagues we came to a species of pass formed on our\nleft by a huge lumpish hill (one of those which descend from the great\nmountain Telleno), and on our right by one of considerably less altitude.\nIn the middle of this pass which was of considerable breadth, a noble\nview opened itself to us. Before us, at the distance of about a league\nand a half, rose the mighty frontier chain of which I have spoken before;\nits blue sides and broken and picturesque peaks still wearing a thin veil\nof the morning mist, which the fierce rays of the sun were fast\ndispelling. It seemed an enormous barrier threatening to oppose our\nfurther progress, and it reminded me of the fables respecting the\nchildren of Magog, who are said to reside in remotest Tartary behind a\ngigantic wall of rocks which can only be passed by a gate of steel a\nthousand cubits in height.\n\nWe shortly after arrived at Manzanal, a village consisting of wretched\nhuts, and exhibiting every sign of poverty and misery. It was now time\nto refresh ourselves and horses, and we accordingly put up at a kind of\n_venta_, the last habitation in the village, where, though we found\nbarley for the animals, we had much difficulty in procuring anything for\nourselves. I was at last fortunate enough to obtain a large jug of milk,\nfor there were plenty of cows in the neighbourhood feeding in a\npicturesque valley which we had passed by, in which there was abundance\nof grass and trees and a run of water broken by tiny cascades. The jug\nmight contain about half a gallon, but I emptied it in a few minutes, for\nthe thirst of fever was still burning within me though I was destitute of\nappetite. The _venta_ had something the appearance of a German baiting\nhouse. It consisted of an immense stable, from which was partitioned a\nkind of kitchen and a place where the family slept. The master, a robust\nyoung man, lolled on a large solid stone bench which stood within the\ndoor. He was very inquisitive respecting news, but I could afford him\nnone; whereupon he became communicative, and gave me the history of his\nlife, the sum of which was that he had been a courier in the Basque\nprovinces, but about a year since had been despatched to this village\nwhere he kept the post-house. He was an enthusiastic liberal, and spoke\nin bitter terms of the surrounding population, who, he said, were all\nCarlists and friends of the friars. I paid little attention to his\ndiscourse, for I was looking at a Maragato lad of about fourteen who\nserved in the house as a kind of ostler. I asked the master if we were\nstill in the land of the Maragatos, but he told me that we had left it\nbehind nearly a league, and that the lad was an orphan, and was serving\nuntil he could rake up a sufficient capital to become an _arriero_. I\naddressed several questions to the boy, but the urchin looked sullenly in\nmy face, and either answered by monosyllables or was doggedly silent. I\nasked him if he could read: 'Yes,' said he, 'as much as that black brute\nof yours who is tearing down the manger.'\n\nQuitting Manzanal, we continued our course, the ground gradually\ndescending; we soon arrived at a place where the road took a turn to the\nwest, though previously it had tended due north. We now found that we\nhad to descend the steep sides of a deep and narrow valley which wound\namongst mountains, not those of the chain which we had seen before us and\nwhich we had left at our right, but those of the Telleno range, just\nbefore they unite with that chain. Arrived at the brink of the valley we\nturned into a foot-path, to avoid making a considerable circuit, for we\nsaw the road on the other side of the valley opposite to us about a\nfurlong [distant], and the path appeared to lead direct towards it. We\nhad not gone far before we met two Galicians on their way to cut the\nharvests of Castile. One of them shouted, 'Cavalier, turn back: in a\nmoment you will be amongst precipices where your horses will break their\nnecks, for we ourselves could scarcely climb them on foot.' The other\ncried, 'Cavalier, proceed, but be careful, and your horses, if\nsure-footed, will run no great danger; my comrade is a fool.' A violent\ndispute instantly ensued between the two mountaineers, each supporting\nhis opinion with loud oaths and curses; but without stopping to see the\nresult I passed on. But the path was now filled with stones and huge\nslaty rocks, on which my horse slid, frequently on his haunches. I\nlikewise heard the sound of water in a deep gorge, which I had hitherto\nnot perceived, and I soon saw that it would be worse than madness to\nproceed. I turned my horse and was hastening to regain the path which I\nhad left, when Antonio, my faithful Greek, pointed out to me a meadow, by\nwhich he said we might regain the high road much lower down than if we\nreturned on our steps. The meadow was brilliant with short green grass,\nand in the middle there was a small rivulet of water. I spurred my horse\non, expecting to be in the high road in a moment; the horse, however,\nsnorted and stared wildly, and was evidently unwilling to cross the\nseemingly inviting spot. I thought that the scent of a wolf or some\nother wild animal might have disturbed him, but was soon undeceived by\nhis sinking up to the knees in a bog. The animal uttered a shrill sharp\nneigh, and exhibited every sign of the greatest terror, making at the\nsame time great efforts to extricate himself, and plunging forward, but\nevery moment sinking deeper. At last he arrived where a small vein of\nrock showed itself, on this he placed his fore feet, and with one\ntremendous exertion freed himself from the deceitful soil, springing over\nthe rivulet and alighting on comparatively firm ground, where he stood\npanting, his heaving sides covered with a foamy sweat. Antonio, who had\nbeen a terrified observer of the whole scene, afraid to venture forward,\nreturned by the path by which we came and shortly afterwards rejoined me.\nThis adventure brought to my recollection the meadow with its foot-path,\nwhich tempted Christian from the straight road to heaven, and finally\nconducted him to the dominions of the Giant Despair.\n\n _No hay atajo_\n _Sin trabajo_.\n\n 'There is no short cut\n Without some deep rut.'\n\nsays the Spanish proverb.\n\nWe now began to descend the valley by a broad and excellent _carretera_,\nor carriage road, which was cut out of the steep side of the mountain on\nour right. On our left was the gorge, down which tumbled the run of\nwater which I have before mentioned. The road was tortuous, and at every\nturn the scene became more picturesque. The gorge gradually widened, and\nthe brook at its bottom, fed by a multitude of springs, [grew] more\nconsiderable; but it was soon far beneath us, pursuing its headlong\ncourse till it reached level ground, where it flowed in the midst of a\nbeautiful but confined prairie. There was something silvan and savage in\nthe mountains on the further side, clad from foot to pinnacle with trees,\nso closely growing that the eye was unable to obtain a glimpse of the\nhill-sides which were uneven with ravines and gulleys, the haunts of the\nwolf, the wild boar and the _corso_ or mountain-stag; the last of which,\nas I was informed by a peasant who was driving a car of oxen, frequently\ndescended to feed in the prairie and were shot for the sake of their\nskins, for the flesh being strong and disagreeable is held at no account.\nBut notwithstanding the wildness of these regions, the handiworks of man\nwere visible. The sides of the gorge though precipitous were yellow with\nlittle fields of barley, and we saw a hamlet and church down in the\nprairie below, whilst merry songs ascended to our ears from where the\nmowers were toiling with their scythes, cutting the luxuriant and\nabundant grass. I could scarcely believe that I was in Spain, in general\nso brown, so arid and cheerless, and I almost fancied myself in Greece,\nin that land of ancient glory, whose mountain and forest scenery\nTheocritus has so well described.\n\nAt the bottom of the valley we entered a small village washed by the\nbrook, which had now swelled almost to a stream. A more romantic\nsituation I had never witnessed. It was surrounded and almost overhung\nby huge mountains, and embowered in trees of various kinds; waters\nsounded, nightingales sang, and the cuckoo's full note boomed from the\ndistant branches, but the village was miserable. The huts were built of\nslate-stones, of which the neighbouring hills seemed to be principally\ncomposed, and roofed with the same, but not in the neat tidy manner of\nEnglish houses, for the slates were of all sizes, and seemed to be flung\non in confusion. We were spent with heat and thirst, and sitting down on\na stone bench I entreated a woman to give us a little water. The woman\nsaid she would, but added that she expected to be paid for it. My Greek\non hearing this burst into horrid execrations, and speaking Greek,\nTurkish and Spanish invoked the vengeance of the _Panhagia_ on the\nheartless woman, saying 'If I were to offer a Mahometan gold for a\ndraught of water, he would dash it in my face; and you are a Catholic\nwith the stream running at your door.' I told him to be silent, and\ngiving the woman two _cuartos_ repeated my request; whereupon she took a\npitcher, and, going to the stream, filled it with water. It tasted muddy\nand disagreeable, but it drowned the fever which was devouring me.\n\nWe again mounted and proceeded on our way, which for a considerable\ndistance lay along the margin of the stream, which now fell in small\ncataracts, now brawled over stones, and at other times ran dark and\nsilent through deep pools overhung with tall willows--pools which seemed\nto abound with the finny tribe, for huge trout frequently sprang from the\nwater catching the brilliant fly which skimmed along its deceitful\nsurface. How delightful! The sun was rolling high in the firmament,\ncasting from its girdle of fire the most glorious rays, so that the\natmosphere was flickering with their splendour; but their fierceness was\neither warded off by the shadow of the trees or rendered innocuous either\nby the refreshing coolness which rose from the waters or by the gentle\nbreezes which murmured at intervals over the meadows 'fanning the cheek\nor raising the hair' of the wanderer. The hills gradually receded, till\nat last we entered a plain where tall grass was undulating, and mighty\nchestnut-trees in full blossom spread their giant and umbrageous boughs.\nBeneath many stood cars, the tired oxen prostrate on the ground, the\ncross-bar of the pole which they support pressing heavily on their heads,\nwhilst their drivers were either employed in cooking or were enjoying a\ndelicious _siesta_ in the grass and shade. I went up to one of the\nlargest of these groups and demanded of the individuals whether they were\nin need of the Testament of Jesus Christ. They stared at one another and\nthen at me, till at last a young man who was dandling a long gun in his\nhands as he reclined demanded of me what it was, at the same time\nenquiring whether I was a Catalan, 'for you speak hoarse,' said he, 'and\nare tall and fair like that family.' I sat down amongst them and said I\nwas no Catalan, but I came from a spot in the western sea many leagues\ndistant to sell that book at half the price it cost, and that their\nsouls' welfare depended upon their being acquainted with it. I then\nexplained to them the nature of the New Testament and read to them the\nParable of the Sower. They stared at each other again, but said that\nthey were poor and could not buy books. I rose, mounted, and was going\naway, saying to them: 'Peace bide with you.' Whereupon the young man\nwith the gun rose, and saying; '_Caspita_! this is odd,' snatched the\nbook from my hand, and gave me the price I had demanded.\n\nPerhaps the whole world might be searched in vain for a spot whose\nnatural charms could rival those of this plain or valley of Bembibre,\nwith its wall of mighty mountains, its spreading chestnut-trees, and its\ngroves of oaks and willows which clothe the banks of its stream, a\ntributary to the Minho. True it is that when I passed through it the\ncandle of heaven was blazing in full splendour, and everything lighted by\nits rays looked gay, glad and blessed. Whether it would have filled me\nwith the same feelings of admiration if viewed beneath another sky I will\nnot pretend to determine, but it certainly possessed advantages which at\nno time could fail to delight; for it exhibited all the peaceful beauties\nof an English landscape blended with something wild and grand, and I\nthought within myself that he must be a restless dissatisfied man who\nborn amongst those scenes would wish to quit them. At the time I would\nhave desired no better fate than that of a shepherd on the prairies or a\nhunter on the hills of Bembibre.\n\nThree hours passed away, and we were in another situation. We had halted\nand refreshed ourselves and horses at Bembibre, a village of mud and\nslate, and which possessed little to attract attention. We were now\nascending, for the road was over one of the extreme ledges of those\nfrontier hills which I have before so often mentioned; but the aspect of\nheaven had blackened, clouds were rolling rapidly from the west over the\nmountains, and a cold wind was moaning dismally. 'There is a storm\ntravelling through the air,' said a peasant, whom we overtook mounted on\na wretched mule, 'and the Asturians had better be on the look-out, for it\nis speeding in their direction.' He had scarce spoken when a light so\nvivid and dazzling that it seemed the whole lustre of the fiery element\nwas concentrated therein broke around us, filling the whole atmosphere,\nand covering rock, tree and mountain with a glare indescribable. The\nmule of the peasant tumbled prostrate, while the horse I rode reared\nhimself perpendicularly, and turning round dashed down the hill at\nheadlong speed which for some time it was impossible to check. The\nlightning was followed by a peal almost as terrible, but distant, for it\nsounded hollow and deep; the hills, however, caught up its voice,\nseemingly pitching it along their summits, till it was lost in\ninterminable space. Other flashes and peals succeeded, but slight in\ncomparison, and a few drops of rain; the body of the tempest seemed to be\nover another region. 'A hundred families are weeping where that bolt\nfell,' said the peasant, when I rejoined him, 'for its blaze has blinded\nmy mule at six leagues' distance.' He was leading the animal by the\nbridle, as its sight was evidently affected. 'Were the friars still in\ntheir nest above there,' he continued, 'I should say that this was their\ndoing, for they are the cause of all the miseries of the land.'\n\nI raised my eyes in the direction in which he pointed. Half-way up the\nmountain over whose foot we were wending jutted forth a black, frightful\ncrag, which at an immense altitude overhung the road and seemed to\nthreaten destruction. It resembled one of those ledges of the rocky\nmountains in the picture of the deluge, up to which the terrified\nfugitives have scrambled from the eager pursuit of the savage and\ntremendous billow, down on which they are gazing in horror, whilst above\nthem rise still higher and giddier heights to which they seem unable to\nclimb. Built on the very rim of this crag stood an edifice, seemingly\ndevoted to the purposes of religion, as I could discern the spire of a\nchurch rearing itself high over wall and roof. 'That is the house of\n\"The Virgin of the Rocks,\"' said the peasant, 'and it was lately full of\nfriars, but they have been driven out, and the only inmates now are owls\nand ravens.' I replied that their life in such a bleak exposed abode\ncould not have been very enviable, as in winter they must have incurred\ngreat risk of perishing with cold. 'By no means,' said he; 'they had the\nbest of wood for their _braseros_ and chimneys, and the best of wine to\nwarm them at their meals, which were not the most sparing; moreover they\nhad another convent down in the vale yonder, to which they could retire\nat their pleasure.' I asked him the reason of his antipathy to the\nfriars, to which he replied that he had been their vassal, and that they\nhad deprived him every year of the flower of what he possessed.\nDiscoursing in this manner we reached a village just below the convent,\nwhere he left me, having first pointed out to me a house of stone with an\nimage over the door, which he said once also belonged to the _canalla_\n(rabble) above.\n\nThe sun was setting fast, and, eager to reach Villafranca, where I had\ndetermined on resting and which was still distant three leagues and a\nhalf, I made no halt at this place. The road was now down a rapid and\ncrooked descent which terminated in a valley, at the bottom of which was\na long and narrow bridge. Beneath it rolled a river descending from a\nwide pass between two mountains, for the chain was here cleft probably by\nsome convulsion of nature. I looked up the pass and on the hills on both\nsides. Far above on my right, but standing out bold and clear, and\ncatching the last rays of the sun, was 'the Convent of the Precipices';\nwhilst directly over against it, on the further side of the valley, rose\nthe perpendicular side of the rival hill which, to a considerable extent\nintercepting the light, flung its black shadow over the upper end of the\npass, involving it in mysterious darkness. Emerging from the centre of\nthis gloom with thundering sound dashed a river, white with foam and\nbearing along with it huge stones and branches of trees, for it was the\nwild Sil, probably at that [time] swollen by the recent rains, which I\nnow saw hurrying to the ocean from its cradle in the heart of the\nAsturian hills. Its fury, its roar, and the savage grandeur of the\nsurrounding scenery which was worthy of the pencil of Salvator recalled\nto my mind the powerful lines of Stolberg addressed to a mountain\ntorrent--\n\n 'The pine-trees are shaken, they yield to thy shocks,\n And, crashing, they tumble in wild disarray;\n The rocks fly before thee--thou seizest the rocks\n And whirlst them, like pebbles, contemptuous away.'\n\nHours again passed away. It was now night, and we were in the midst of\nwoodlands, feeling our way, for the darkness was so great that I could\nscarcely see the length of a yard before my horse's head. The animal\nseemed uneasy, and would frequently stop short, prick up his ears, and\nutter a low mournful whine. Flashes of sheet-lightning frequently\nillumed the black sky and flung a momentary glare over our path. No\nsound interrupted the stillness of the night save the slow tramp of the\nhorses' hoofs, and occasionally the croaking of frogs from some pool or\nmorass. I now bethought me that I was in Spain, the chosen land of the\ntwo fiends, assassination and plunder, and how easily two tired unarmed\nwanderers might become their victims. We at last cleared the woodlands,\nand after proceeding a short distance the horse gave a joyous neigh and\nbroke into a smart trot. A barking of dogs speedily reached my ears, and\nwe seemed to be approaching some town or village. In effect we were\nclose to Cacabelos, a town about five miles distant from Villafranca.\n\nIt was now near eleven at night, and I reflected that it would be far\nmore expedient to tarry in this place till the morning than to attempt at\npresent to reach Villafranca, exposing ourselves to all the horrors of\ndarkness in a lonely and unknown road. My mind was soon made up on this\npoint--but I determined without my hosts, for at the first _posada_ which\nI attempted to enter I was told that we could not be accommodated, and\nparticularly our horses, as the stable was full of water. At the second\n(there were but two), I was answered from the window by a gruff voice\nnearly in the words of Scripture: 'Trouble me not, the gate is already\nlocked, and my servants are also with me in bed; I cannot arise to let\nyou in.' Indeed we had no particular desire to enter, as it appeared a\nwretched hovel; though the poor horses pawed piteously against the door,\nand seemed to crave admittance.\n\nWe had now no choice but to resume our doleful way to Villafranca, which\nwe were told was a short league distant, though it proved a league and a\nhalf. We however found it no easy matter to quit the town, for we were\nbewildered amongst its labyrinths and could not find the outlet. A lad\nabout eighteen was, however, persuaded by the promise of a _peseta_ to\nguide us, whereupon he led us by many turnings to a bridge which he told\nus to cross and to follow the road, which was that of Villafranca; he\nthen, having received his fee, hastened from us.\n\nWe followed his directions, not, however, without a suspicion that he\nmight be deceiving us. The night had settled darker down upon us, so\nthat it was impossible to distinguish any object, however nigh. The\nlightning had become more faint and rare. We heard the rustling of trees\nand occasionally the barking of dogs, which last sound, however, soon\nceased, and we were in the midst of night and silence. My horse, either\nfrom weariness or the badness of the road, frequently stumbled; whereupon\nI dismounted, and leading him by the bridle, soon left my companion far\nin the rear. I had proceeded in this manner a considerable way when a\ncircumstance occurred of a character well suited to the time and place.\n\nI was again amidst trees and bushes, when the horse, stopping short,\nnearly pulled me back. I know not how it was, but fear suddenly came\nover me, which, though in darkness and in solitude, I had not felt\nbefore. I was about to urge the animal forward, when I heard a noise at\nmy right hand, and listened attentively. It seemed to be that of a\nperson or persons forcing their way through branches and brushwood. It\nsoon ceased, and I heard feet on the road. It was the short, staggering\nkind of tread of people carrying a very heavy substance, nearly too much\nfor their strength, and I thought I [heard] the hurried breathing of men\nover-fatigued. There was a short pause in the middle of the road; then\nthe stamping recommenced until it reached the other side, when I again\nheard a similar rustling amidst branches; it continued for some time, and\ndied gradually away.\n\nI continued my road, musing on what had just occurred and forming\nconjectures as to the cause. The lightning resumed its flashing, and I\nsaw that I was approaching tall black mountains--But I will omit further\nparticulars of this midnight journey.\n\n'_Quien vive_,' roared a voice about an hour from this time, for I had at\nlast groped my way to Villafranca. It proceeded from the sentry at the\nsuburb, one of those singular half soldiers, half _guerillas_, called\nMiguelets, who are in general employed by the Spanish Government to clear\nthe roads of robbers. I gave the usual answer '_Espana_,' and went up to\nthe place where he stood. After a little conversation, I sat down on a\nstone, awaiting the arrival of Antonio, who was long in making his\nappearance. On his arrival I asked him if any one had passed him on the\nroad, but he replied that he had seen nothing. The night, or rather\nmorning, was still very dark, though a small corner of the moon was\noccasionally visible. On our enquiring the way to the gate, the Miguelet\ndirected us down a street to the left, which we followed. The street was\nsteep, we could see no gate, and our progress was soon stopped by houses\nand wall. We knocked at the gates of two or three of these houses (in\nthe upper stories of which lights were burning) for the purpose of being\nset right, but we were either disregarded or not heard. A horrid\nsqualling of cats from the tops of the houses and dark corners saluted\nour ears, and I thought of the night-arrival of Don Quixote and his\nsquire at Tobosa, and their vain search amongst the deserted streets for\nthe palace of Dulcinea. At length we saw light and heard voices in a\ncottage at the further side of a kind of ditch. Leading the horses over,\nwe called at the door, which was opened by an aged man, who appeared by\nhis dress to be a baker, as indeed he proved, which accounted for his\nbeing up at so late an hour. On begging him to show us the way into the\ntown, he led us up a very narrow alley at the end of his cottage, saying\nthat he would likewise conduct us to the _posada_. The alley led\ndirectly to what appeared to be the market-place, at a corner house of\nwhich our guide stopped and knocked. After a long pause an upper window\nwas opened, and a female voice demanded who we were. The old man replied\nthat two travellers had arrived who were in need of lodging. 'I cannot\nbe disturbed at this time of night,' said the woman, 'they will be\nwanting supper, and there is nothing in the house; they must go\nelsewhere.' She was going to shut the window, but I cried that we wanted\nno supper, but merely a resting-place for ourselves and horses, that we\nhad come that day from Astorga, and were dying with fatigue. 'Who is\nthat speaking?' cried the woman. 'Surely that is the voice of Gil, the\nGerman clock-maker from Pontevedra. Welcome, old companion, you are come\nat the right time, for my own is out of order. I am sorry I kept you\nwaiting, but I will admit you in a moment.'\n\nThe window was slammed to; presently light shone through the crevices if\nthe door, a key turned in the lock, and we were admitted.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 11, 1837)\n SAINT JAMES (SANTIAGO) OF COMPOSTELLA,\n 19_th_ _Aug._ [1837].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I left Corunna about ten days since for this town,\ntravelling with the courier or weekly post, who was escorted by a strong\nparty of soldiers in consequence of the distracted state of the country.\nNothing particular worth relating occurred during the journey, which\noccupied a day and a half, though the distance is barely ten leagues.\nSantiago, or Saint James, is, as you are aware, the capital of Galicia,\nand the residence of the Metropolitan. It is, or was, the most\ncelebrated resort for pilgrims in the whole world, with the exception of\nJerusalem, as it is said to contain the bones of Saint James the Elder,\nthe Child of the Thunder, who according to the legend of the Roman Church\nfirst preached the Gospel in Spain. The cathedral, though built at\nvarious periods and by no means uniform, is a majestic, venerable\nedifice, in every respect calculated to excite awe and admiration; indeed\nit is almost impossible to walk its long dusky aisles and hear the solemn\nmusic and the noble chanting and inhale the incense of the mighty\ncensers, which are at times swung so high by machinery that they smite\nthe vaulted roof, whilst gigantic tapers glitter here and there amongst\nthe gloom from the shrine of many a saint, before which the worshippers\nare kneeling, breathing forth their prayers and petitions for help, love,\nand mercy, and entertain a doubt that we are treading the floor of a\nhouse where God delighteth to dwell. Yet the Lord is distant from that\nhouse. He heareth not, He seeth not: or, if He hear and see, it is with\nanger. What availeth that solemn music, that noble chanting, that\nincense of sweet savour? What availeth kneeling before that grand altar\nof silver, surmounted by that figure with its silver hat and breastplate,\nthe emblem of one who, although an Apostle and Confessor, was at best an\nunprofitable servant? What availeth hoping for remission of sin by\ntrusting in the merits of him who possessed none, or by paying homage to\nothers who were born and nurtured in sin, and who alone by the exercise\nof a lively faith granted from above could hope to preserve themselves\nfrom the wrath of the Almighty? Yet such acts and formalities constitute\nwhat is termed religion at Compostella, where, perhaps, God and His will\nare less known and respected than at Pekin or amid the wildernesses where\ngraze the coursers of the Mongol and the Mandchou. Perhaps there is no\npart of Spain where the Romish religion is so cherished as throughout\nGalicia. In no part of Spain are the precepts and ordinances of that\nChurch, especially fasting and confession, so strictly observed, and its\nministers regarded with so much respect and deference. The natural\nconclusion therefore would be that, if the religion of Rome be the same\nas that founded by Christ, the example of the Saviour is more closely\nfollowed, and the savage and furious passions more bridled, bloodshed and\nrapine less frequent, unchastity and intemperance less apparent, and the\nminds of the people more enlightened and free from the mists of\nsuperstition in Galicia than in other provinces.\n\nWhat is the fact? Almost every road is teeming with banditti, who under\nthe name of Carlists plunder friend and foe, and to robbery join cruelty\nso atrociously horrible that indignation at the crime is frequently lost\nin wonder; for the Galician robbers are seldom satisfied with booty, and\nunlike their brethren in other parts generally mutilate or assassinate\nthose who are so unfortunate as to fall in their hands; prostitution is\ncarried on to an enormous extent, and although loathsome concustant [sic]\ndiseases stare the stranger in the face in the street, in the\nmarket-place, in the church, and at the fountain; 'Drunken as a Galician'\nis a proverb; and superstitions forgotten, abandoned in the rest of\nSpain, are clung to here with surprising pertinacity, the clergy exerting\nthemselves to uphold them by carrying on a very extensive sale in charms,\nverifying the old saying, 'Witches are found where friars abound.'\n\nAn unhappy man, whilst collecting vipers amongst the hills, which he was\nin the practice of selling to the apothecaries, was lately met near\nOrense by some of these monsters. Having plundered and stripped him,\nthey tied his hands behind him and thrust his head into the sack, which\ncontained several of these horrible reptiles alive! They then fastened\nthe sack at the mouth round his neck, and having feasted their ears for a\ntime with his cries, they abandoned him to his fate. The poor wretch,\nstung by the vipers in the face and eyes, presently became mad and ran\nthrough several villages, till he fell dead.\n\nI am now in the heart of this strange country and people. It has pleased\nthe Lord to bless my humble endeavours more than I had reason to expect;\nsince my arrival Santiago between thirty and forty copies of the New\nTestament have been despatched. The bookseller of the place, Rey Romero,\na venerable man of seventy, very wealthy and respected, has taken up the\ncause with an enthusiasm which doubtless emanates from on high, losing no\nopportunity of recommending the work to those who enter his shop, which\nis very splendid and commodious.\n\nIn many instances, when the peasants of the neighbourhood have come with\nthe intention of purchasing some of the foolish popular story-books of\nSpain, he has persuaded them in lieu thereof to carry home Testaments,\nassuring them that it was not only a better and more instructive, but\neven a far more entertaining book than those they came in quest of. He\nhas taken a great fancy to me, and comes to visit me every evening, when\nhe accompanies me in my walks about the town and environs. Every one who\nis aware how rare it is to meet with friendship and cordiality in Spain\nwill easily conceive my joy at finding such a coadjutor, and I have no\ndoubt that when I am absent he will exert himself as much, and I hope as\neffectually, as now that I am present.\n\nI leave Saint James to-morrow for Pontevedra and Vigo, carrying with me\nsome Testaments which I hope to dispose of, notwithstanding there are no\nbooksellers in those places. I shall then return to Corunna, either by\nCompostella or by some other route. I trust the Lord will preserve me in\nthis journey as He has done in others. From Corunna I propose to travel\nthrough the mountains to Oviedo in the Asturias, provided that town be\nnot speedily in the hands of the factious. By the time these lines reach\nyou, you will doubtless have heard of the irruption of a part of the\nPretender's hordes into Old Castile; they have carried everything before\nthem, and have sacked and taken possession of the city of Segovia,\ndistant only one day's march from Madrid. From the aspect of things I\nshould say that the miseries of this land, far from having reached their\nclimax, are but commencing. Yet let no one mourn for Egypt: she is but\npaying the price of her sorceries and superstitions.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n_P.S._--At San Sebastian I shall need Davison's Turkish Grammar, which\nyou have in the Library. It will be of assistance to me in editing the\nBasque St. Luke; the two languages are surprisingly connected.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 9, 1837)\n CORUNNA, _Sep._ 15, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--About ten days have elapsed since my return to\nCorunna. I stated in my last letter, from Compostella, that it was my\nintention to visit Pontevedra and Vigo, which I carried into effect. In\nthe first of these places I left, as I passed through, eight copies of\nthe New Testament in the hands of Senor Garcia, the public notary; three\ndays subsequent, on my return, I found that he had disposed of them, and\nI have since sent him a fresh supply. He is a very zealous and exceeding\nintelligent person, and I have no doubt will prove a highly useful agent\nin Pontevedra and its beautiful neighbourhood, which is the garden of\nGalicia. In Vigo I disposed of four Testaments, but was not so fortunate\nas to find any person willing or calculated to undertake the charge\naccepted by my friend in the former town.\n\nHaving reached Padron, in my journey back, I sent my servant and horses\nforward to Saint James, and guided by a peasant, proceeded across the\ncountry to Cape Finisterre, on whose rocky sides I so narrowly escaped\nbeing shipwrecked last year. The distance was fifteen leagues, and the\nroute lay over wild mountains and valleys, where we suffered much from\nfatigue and the heat of the sun. Arrived at Finisterre we were seized as\nCarlist spies by the fishermen of the place, who determined at first on\nshooting us, but at last contented themselves with conducting us\nprisoners to Corcubion, where the _Alcalde_ of the district, after having\nexamined me and perused my passport, ordered me to be set at liberty, and\ntreated me with all manner of civility. By this journey I accomplished\nwhat has long been one of the ardent wishes of my heart. I have carried\nthe Gospel to the extreme point of the old world, having left a Testament\nin the hands of Antonio de Trava, an ancient mariner of Finisterre, who\ntook my part in a very friendly manner, and probably saved me from\nexperiencing much violence at the hands of his companions. Finisterre is\na place of wonders, which I hope at some future time to have the pleasure\nof narrating; but at present I must speak of other matters. About one\nhundred Testaments have been disposed of at Saint James of Compostella,\nand there is at present a steady regular demand for them there which\ninspires my heart with gratitude to the Almighty. Shortly previous to my\njourney to Saint James, I despatched fifty copies to Lugo, where the Lord\nvouchsafed me good success on a former occasion; this second supply being\nalmost exhausted, I have sent more. Only fifty-eight copies have\nhitherto been sold at Corunna, for its inhabitants are far too much\nengrossed by party politics to entertain much relish for heavenly manna.\nI pray every night and morning that their eyes may be opened to their\neternal welfare.\n\nHaving now arranged matters in Galicia, as well as circumstances will\npermit, I am about to quit this province, directing my course to Oviedo\nin the Asturias. The way is long, and is infested by robbers and\nfactious; yet I go forth without much fear, hoping that the Lord will\nprove my shield and guard as on other occasions. From Oviedo I proceed\nto Santander, and from thence to the Basque provinces. Santander, being\na large and flourishing town, affords me a tolerable prospect of success,\nand I have accordingly directed my agent at Madrid to despatch thither\nforthwith 150 Testaments. The intermediate country is, however, in a\nmost distracted state, a great part of it being in the hands of the\nCarlists; it is therefore probable that the books may never reach me, in\nwhich event I shall have to apply to England. To the Basque provinces I\nhope to carry Saint Luke in a Biscayan version, which I shall print at\nSantander should an opportunity present itself.\n\nNo time must be lost in accomplishing all that is possible in Spain,\nwhich in the course of a few months may be entirely in the hands of the\nPretender. I received the lines which you directed to the care of the\nBritish consul at Corunna, and was thankful for them. Pray present my\nkind remembrances to Mrs. Brandram and family, to Mr. Jowett, and Mr. and\nMrs. Browne.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 17, 1837)\n OVIEDO, ASTURIAS, 29 _Septr._ 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--A day or two after the date of my last letter I\nquitted Corunna and passed over the bay to Ferrol, where I left twenty\nTestaments in the hands of a person who has just established a small\nbook-shop in that place. My servant Antonio went round by land with my\nhorse, the only one which I now possess, I having disposed {251} of the\nlargest of the two at Corunna, as I thought he was unable to support the\nfatigue of a journey to Oviedo. At Ferrol I hired a horse and guide as\nfar as Ribadeo, a distance of twenty leagues, and somewhat less than half\nthe way to Oviedo. This journey was a terrible one; during the greatest\npart of it we had to toil up and down mountain gorges and ravines, to\nforce our way through bushes and thickets, and to wade rivulets and\ntorrents swollen by the rain, which descended continually; our guide\nproved perfectly ignorant of the country, and we had to bribe various\npeasants to accompany us, though we incurred great risk by so doing of\nbeing conducted to some den of thieves, and stripped and murdered. At\nRibadeo we procured a fresh horse and guide, and continued our way to\nOviedo, encountering still greater difficulties, the ground being still\nmore rugged and broken than that which we had previously passed over. My\nown horse rolled down a precipice, and was much maimed, whilst that of\nthe guide was so worn out by the time he reached Gijon, four leagues from\nOviedo, that he foundered. As for Antonio and myself, we arrived\nbarefooted and bleeding, for I need scarcely say that during all this\njourney, which amounted at least to 130 miles, we went on foot, the poor\nhorses being scarcely able to carry our books and baggage.\n\nI am now by the blessing of the Almighty in the city of Oviedo, the\ncapital of the Asturias, although at an unpropitious season, for the bray\nof war is at the gate, and there is the cry of the captains and the\nshouting. Castile is at the present time in the hands of the Carlists,\nwho have captured and plundered Valladolid, in much the same manner as\nthey did Segovia. They are every day expected to march on this place, in\nwhich case they will probably experience an obstinate resistance, very\nexcellent redoubts having been erected, and several of the convents\nstrongly fortified, especially that of Santa Clara de la Vega. All minds\nhere are at present in a state of feverish anxiety and suspense, more\nespecially as no intelligence at present arrives from Madrid, which by\nthe last accounts was beleaguered by the bands of Cabrera, Palillos, and\nOrejita.--But I am interrupted, and I lay down my pen.\n\nA strange adventure has just occurred to me. I am in the ancient town of\nOviedo, in a very large, scantily furnished and remote room of an ancient\n_posada_, formerly a palace of the Counts of Santa Cruz. It is past ten\nat night and the rain is descending in torrents. I ceased writing on\nhearing numerous footsteps ascending the creaking stairs which lead to my\napartment--the door was flung open, and in walked nine men of tall\nstature, marshalled by a little hunch-backed personage. They were all\nmuffled in the long cloaks of Spain, but I instantly knew by their\ndemeanour that they were _caballeros_, or gentlemen. They placed\nthemselves in a rank before the table where I was sitting; suddenly and\nsimultaneously they all flung back their cloaks, and I perceived that\nevery one bore a book in his hand, a book which I knew full well. After\na pause, which I was unable to break, for I sat lost in astonishment and\nalmost conceived myself to be visited by apparitions, the hunch-back\nadvancing somewhat before the rest said in soft silvery tones: '_Senor_\nCavalier, was it you who brought this book to the Asturias?' I now\nsupposed that they were the civil authorities of the place come to take\nme into custody, and rising from my seat I exclaimed, 'It certainly was\nI, and it is my glory to have done so. The book is the New Testament of\nGod; I wish it was in my power to bring a million.' 'I heartily wish so\ntoo,' said the little personage with a sigh. 'Be under no apprehension,\nSir Cavalier; these gentlemen are my friends. We have just purchased\nthese books in the shop where you have placed them for sale, and have\ntaken the liberty of calling upon you in order to return you our thanks\nfor the treasure you have brought us. I hope you can furnish us with the\nOld Testament also.' I replied that I was sorry to inform him that at\npresent it was entirely out of my power to comply with his wish, as I had\nno Old Testaments in my possession, but did not despair of procuring some\nspeedily, from England. He then asked me a great many questions\nconcerning my Biblical travels in Spain, and my success, and the views\nentertained by the Society in respect to Spain, adding that he hoped I\nshould pay particular attention to the Asturias, which he assured me was\nthe best ground in the Peninsula for our labour. After about\nhalf-an-hour's conversation, he suddenly said in the English language,\n'Good night, sir,' wrapped his cloak around him, and walked out as he had\ncome. His companions, who had hitherto not uttered a word, all repeated,\n'Good night, sir,' and adjusting their cloaks followed him.\n\nIn order to explain this strange scene I must inform you that this\nmorning I visited the petty bookseller of the place, Longoria, and having\narranged preliminaries with him I sent him in the evening a package of\nforty Testaments, all I possess, with some advertisements. At the time\nhe assured me that, though he was willing to undertake the sale, there\nwas nevertheless not a prospect of success, as a whole month had elapsed\nsince he had sold a book of any description, on account of the\nuncertainty of the times and the poverty which pervaded the land. I\ntherefore sat down to write this letter much dispirited; this incident\nhas, however, admonished me not to be cast down when things look\ngloomiest, as the hand of the Lord is generally then most busy: that men\nmay learn to perceive that whatever good is accomplished is not theirs\nbut His.\n\nI shall quit Oviedo in a few days, but whither I shall now direct my\ncourse I have not determined. It would be easy for me to reach\nSantander, which is but thirty leagues [distant] and the road tolerably\nfree from accidents; but the state of affairs at Madrid gives me\nconsiderable uneasiness, for I remember that Madrid is the depot of our\nbooks, and I am apprehensive that in the revolutions and disturbances\nwhich at present seem to threaten it, our whole stock may perish. True\nit is that in order to reach Madrid I should have to pass through the\nmidst of the Carlist hordes, who would perhaps slay or make me prisoner;\nbut I am at present so much accustomed to perilous adventure, and have\nhitherto experienced so many fortunate escapes, that the dangers which\ninfest the route would not deter me a moment from venturing. But there\nis no certain intelligence, and Madrid may be in safety or on the brink\nof falling; perhaps a few hours will inform us, when I shall at once\ndecide. My next letter will therefore be either from Santander or the\ncapital of Spain.\n\nOviedo is picturesquely situated between two mountains, Morcin and\nNaranco; the former is very high and ragged, and during the greatest part\nof the year is covered with snow; the sides of the latter are cultivated\nand planted with vines. The town itself possesses nothing very\nremarkable with the exception of the cathedral, the tower of which is\nvery high, and is perhaps the purest specimen of Gothic architecture at\npresent in existence. The interior of the edifice is neat and\nappropriate but simple and unadorned, for I observed but one picture, the\nConversion of St. Paul. One of the chapels is a cemetery, in which rest\nthe bones of eleven Gothic kings, whose souls I trust in Christ have been\naccepted.\n\nI will now conclude in the words of Heber:\n\n 'From Greenland's icy mountains,\n From India's coral strand--\n Where Afric's sunny fountains\n Roll down the yellow sand--\n From many an ancient river,\n From many a palmy plain,\n They call us to deliver\n Their land from error's chain.'\n\nMost truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._--Morning [Sept.] 30th, twenty Testaments have been sold.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 13, 1837)\n MADRID, _Novr._ 1, 1837.\n CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In my last letter, from Oviedo in the Asturias, I\nstated that my next would be dated either from Santander or the capital\nof Spain. I arrived yesterday at Madrid, but I previously visited\nSantander, which I reached with my usual good fortune, without accident,\nafter a fatiguing journey of six days. When there, I found to my great\nsorrow that the two hundred Testaments which I had ordered to be sent\nfrom Madrid were not come; and I supposed that they had either been\nseized on the way by the Carlists or that my letter had miscarried. {256}\nI then thought of applying to England for a supply, but I abandoned the\nidea for two reasons; first, that I should have to remain idly loitering\nat Santander for at least a month before I could receive them--a place\nwhere every article is so dear that my expenses with the strictest\neconomy would have amounted to nearly two pounds _per diem_; secondly,\nthat I was very unwell, and unable to procure medical advice at\nSantander: for, to tell the truth, ever since I left Corunna I have been\nafflicted with a terrible dysentery, and latterly with an ophthalmia, the\nresult of the other malady.\n\nI therefore determined on returning to Madrid. To effect this, however,\nseemed almost impossible. Parties of the army of Don Carlos, which in a\npartial degree had been routed in Castile, were hovering about the\ncountry through which I should have to pass, more especially that part\ncalled 'The Mountains,' so that all communication had ceased between\nSantander and the southern districts. Nevertheless I determined to\ntrust, as usual, in the Almighty and to venture. I purchased, therefore,\na small horse and sallied forth with Antonio, notwithstanding I was so\nunwell as to be scarcely able to support myself. I wished to have\nwritten to you from Santander, but I was exceedingly dispirited and could\nnot collect my thoughts. Before departing, I of course entered into\nconference with the booksellers as to what they should do in the event of\nmy finding an opportunity of sending them a stock of Testaments from\nMadrid, and having arranged things to my satisfaction I committed myself\nto Providence. I will not dwell long on this journey of three hundred\nmiles. We were in the midst of the fire, yet, strange to say, escaped\nwithout a hair being singed; robberies, murders, and all kinds of\natrocity were perpetrated before, behind, and on both sides of us, but\nnot so much as a dog barked at _us_, though in one instance a plan had\nbeen laid to intercept us. About four leagues from Santander, whilst we\nwere baiting our horses at a village hostelry, I saw a fellow run off\nafter having held a whispering conversation with a boy who was dealing\nout barley to us. I instantly enquired of the latter what the man had\nsaid to him, but only obtained an evasive answer. It appeared afterwards\nthat the conversation was about ourselves. Two or three leagues further\non there was an inn and village, where we had proposed staying, and\nindeed had expressed our intention of doing so; but on arriving there,\nfinding that the sun was still far from its bourn, I determined to\nproceed further, expecting to find a resting-place at the distance of a\nleague; though I was mistaken, finding none until we reached Montaneda,\nnine leagues and a half from Santander, where was stationed a small\ndetachment of soldiers. At the dead of night we were aroused from our\nsleep by a cry that the 'factious' were not far off. A messenger had\narrived from the _Alcalde_ of the village where we had previously\nintended staying, who stated that a party of Carlists had just surprised\nthat place, and were searching for an English spy whom they supposed to\nbe at the inn. The officer commanding the soldiers, upon hearing this,\nnot deeming his own situation a safe one, instantly drew off his men,\nfalling back on a stronger party stationed in a fortified village near at\nhand; as for ourselves we saddled our horses and continued our way in the\ndark. Had the Carlists succeeded in apprehending me, I should instantly\nhave been shot, and my body cast on the rocks to feed the vultures and\nwolves. But 'it was not so written'--said my man, who is a Greek and a\nfatalist. The next night we had another singular escape; we had arrived\nnear the entrance of a horrible pass, called _El puerto de la puente de\nlas tablas_, or the pass of the bridge of planks, which wound through a\nblack and frightful mountain, on the further side of which was the town\nof Onas, where we meant to tarry for the night. The sun had set about a\nquarter of an hour. Suddenly a man with his face covered with blood\nrushed out of the pass. Turn back, sir,' he said, 'in the name of God;\nthere are murderers in that pass; they have just robbed me of my mule and\nall I possess, and I have hardly escaped with life from their hands.' I\nscarcely can say why, but I made him no answer, and proceeded; indeed I\nwas so weary and unwell that I cared not what became of me. We\nentered--the rocks rose perpendicularly right and left, entirely\nintercepting the scanty twilight, so that the darkness of the grave, or\nrather the blackness of the valley of the shadow of death, reigned around\nus, and we knew not where we went, but trusted solely to the instinct of\nthe horses, who moved on with their heads close to the ground. The only\nsound which we heard was the splash of a stream which tumbled down the\npass. I expected every moment to feel a knife at my throat, but--_it was\nnot so written_. We threaded the pass without meeting a human being, and\nwithin three quarters of an hour after the time we entered it, we found\nourselves within the _posada_ of the town of Onas, which was filled with\ntroops and armed peasants expecting an attack from the grand Carlist\narmy, which was near at hand.\n\nWell! we reached Burgos in safety, we reached Valladolid in safety, we\npassed the Guadarama in safety, and now we are safely housed in Madrid.\nPeople say we have been very lucky; Antonio says, 'It was so written';\nbut I say, 'Glory be to the Lord for His mercies vouchsafed.'\n\nI did not find matters in a very prosperous state in Madrid. Few copies\nof the New Testament have been sold; yet what else could be rationally\nexpected in these latter times? Don Carlos with a large army has been at\nthe gates; plunder and massacre were expected, and people have been too\nmuch occupied in planning to secure their lives and property to have much\ntime to devote to reading of any description. I have had an interview\nwith Dr. Usoz, and have just received a most interesting letter from him,\nreplete with patriotism and piety; amongst other things he says, 'only\ncircumstances and the public poverty are the cause of the works not\nhaving met with sale at Madrid.' Of this letter I shall send a\ntranslation. It contains some remarks respecting Father Scio's version,\nwhich I consider to be of high importance, and humbly recommend to the\nattention of the Committee.\n\nBut I am at present in Madrid, and am thus enabled to superintend in\nperson the measures calculated to secure the sale of the work. I shall\nforthwith cause a thousand advertisements to be printed and affixed from\ntime to time in every part of the city. I shall likewise employ\ncolporteurs to vend them in the streets, and shall perhaps establish a\nstall or small shop, where Testaments and Testaments alone will be\nsold.--No exertion of which I am capable will be spared, and if 'the Word\nof the Lord' become not speedily better known at Madrid, it will be\nbecause the Lord in His inscrutable wisdom does not so will it.\n\nWhilst in the northern provinces I ordered a hundred copies to be\ndespatched from Madrid to each of the three great towns, Valencia,\nSeville, and Cadiz, with advertisements; I am glad to be able to state\nthat advice has been received that the books have reached their\ndestination. At the commencement of the coming year it is my intention\nto visit those parts; for no work seems to prosper in Spain which is not\nclosely attended to by the master. Whilst at Valladolid I ordered all\nthe copies which remained unsold of the second supply to be sent to\nBurgos, and I am now going to despatch a third fifty to the former town,\nand a still larger quantity to Oviedo, those which I carried thither\nhaving been all sold during my short stay.\n\nIn a few days it is my intention to commit to the press Luke in Basque\nand in Rommany, the latter of which versions I propose to carry with me\nto Andalusia and Valencia, the two provinces which most abound with the\nRommany-Chai, of whom, by the way, I found no trace in Old Castile,\nGalicia, or the Asturias. As for the Basque version, it is probable that\neven in Madrid it will not be without demand, as many Biscayans residing\nthere will doubtless be eager to read the Gospel when placed within their\nreach in their native tongue.\n\nI will now conclude by begging pardon for all errors of commission and\nomission. I am a frail foolish vessel, and have accomplished but a\nslight portion of what I proposed in my vanity. Yet something, though\nbut little, has been effected by this journey, which I have just brought\nto a conclusion. The New Testament of Christ is enjoying a quiet sale in\nthe principal towns of the north of Spain, and I have secured the\n_friendly interest_ and co-operation of the booksellers of those parts,\nparticularly him, the most considerable of them all, Rey Romero of\nCompostella. I have, moreover, by private sale disposed of one hundred\nand sixteen Testaments to individuals entirely of the lower classes,\nnamely, muleteers, carmen, _contrabandistas_, etc.\n\nMy accounts will follow in a few days. Now may the Lord bless you, and\ndispose you to pray for myself and all in this land of misery and sorrow.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 2, 1837)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO PISO 3RO.\n _Novr._ 20, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--On the other side you have an account of the money\nwhich I expended during my journey, and also of what I have laid out in\nthe Society's service since my return. In respect to my expenses, I wish\nto state that most articles are very dear in Spain, especially in the\nparts where I have travelled, and that I have been subjected to many\nexpenses which I have not specified in the account, for example the\ngate-dues for the books, in every town where I have introduced them--the\nprinting of advertisements--and particularly farriers' bills, as the poor\nhorses were continually ailing from over-work, bad provender and falls\nreceived amongst the mountains. In the account of Testaments sold you\nwill observe that I make no mention of by far the greater number, namely\nthose disposed of at Lugo, Saint James, etc., etc., as I have not yet\nreceived the money from the booksellers. About a week since I received\nadvice from Leon that the forty copies which I had left there had been\nall sold, and that the money was in readiness; I have despatched a fresh\nsupply of fifty to that important town, where last summer I nearly lost\nmy life in a burning fever. I am expecting every day a fresh order from\nSalamanca, and hope that, as the circle widens in the lake into which a\nstripling has cast a pebble, so will the circle of our usefulness\ncontinue widening until it has embraced the whole vast region of Spain.\n\nI have delayed writing for nearly a fortnight, as during that period I\nhave been looking out for a suitable shop in which to commence operations\nin Madrid. I have just found one quite to my mind, situated in the\n_Calle del Principe_, one of the principal streets. The rent, it is\ntrue, is rather high (eight _reals_ per diem); but a good situation, as\nyou are well aware, must be paid for. I came to the resolution of\nestablishing a shop from finding that the Madrid booksellers entrusted\nwith the Testaments gave themselves no manner of trouble to secure the\nsale, and even withheld advertisements from the public with which they\nwere supplied. But now everything will be on another footing, and I have\nsanguine hopes of selling all that remain of the edition within a short\ntime.\n\nA violent and furious letter against the Bible Society and its\nproceedings has lately appeared in a public print; it is prefixed to a\nPastoral of the Spiritual Governor [_i.e._ Bishop] of Valencia, in which\nhe forbids the sale of the London Bible in that see. About a week since\nI inserted in the _Espanol_ an answer to that letter, which answer has\nbeen read and praised. I send you herewith an English translation of it.\nYou will doubtless deem it too warm and fiery, but tameness and\ngentleness are of little avail when surrounded by the vassal slaves of\nbloody Rome. It has answered one purpose--it has silenced our\nantagonist, who, it seems, is an unprincipled benefice-hunting curate.\nAs you read Spanish, I have copied his own words respecting the omission\nof the Apocrypha; nevertheless, lest you should find some difficulty in\nunderstanding it, I subjoin here the English.\n\n'If the works of Luther were to be given to the world curtailed of their\n_principal chapters_, and his maxims and precepts to a certain degree\ntransformed, what would his followers and disciples do? Would they not\nrise with one accord in numerous bands, and, in order to sustain the\nhonour of their preceptor, would they not recur to the original writings\nand produce in his support his manuscripts? Would they not resort to all\nkinds of argument to prove the spuriousness of that edition, and employ\ndeclamation and reasoning in order to blacken the illicit and fraudulent\nmeans which the Catholics were employing?' etc., etc., etc.\n\nI deemed it my duty, as Agent of the Bible Society in Spain, not to\npermit so brutal an attack upon it to pass unanswered. Indeed I was\ncalled upon by my friends to reply, and though I am adverse to all\ntheological and political disputes, I feared to refuse, lest the motives\nof my silence should be misconstrued. But now I must be permitted to say\n(between ourselves) that it was a very unadvised act to send such a Bible\nas the London one over to Spain, a Bible which does the editor no credit\nand the Society less; and it was a still more unadvised act to advertise\nin the prints of Valencia that it would be given _gratis_ to the poor.\nMr. Villiers, whom I consulted, made use of these words: 'How is it\npossible for you (meaning myself) to sell books at Madrid and other\nplaces, when it becomes known that those very same books are being given\naway at Valencia? Moreover, giving away Bibles to the multitude will\nseem to imply that there is some plot or conspiracy in the wind, and the\nGovernment, with some shadow of reason, may be called upon to interfere,\nand the proceedings of the Society may be brought to a sudden stop in\nSpain.' I hope you will excuse these hints; they are well meant, and in\nuttering them I have, as you know, the prosperity of our hallowed cause\nsolely at heart.\n\n G. B.\n\n(I am still very unwell.)\n\n\n\nTo the Editors of El Espanol\n\n\nGENTLEMEN,--My attention has this moment been directed by a friend to a\nletter which appeared in your journal of the 5th instant, signed Jose\nFrancisco Garcia and prefixed to a circular of the Governor of the See of\nValencia, the object of which is to forbid the purchasing or reading of\nthe Castilian version of the Bible by Father Felipe Scio, as edited in\nLondon by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and which the Agent of\nthe Society at Valencia has announced for sale.\n\nDid the principles of the Bible Society permit them to rejoice at the\nmisfortunes of their fellow-creatures, even of their enemies, the style\nand tone which the writer of this epistle has, unfortunately for himself\nand his cause, adopted, would afford them plenteous matter for\ncongratulation. He calls himself an ecclesiastic and talks about 'the\nsacred duty of his august ministry,' and for the purpose, I suppose, of\nshowing how strictly he fulfils the precepts of his mild Master and\nRedeemer, he styles the Society in question 'an infernal Society,' and\nspeaks of 'its accursed fecundity.' Goodly words! Charitable words!\nMay I be permitted to enquire in what part of the sacred writings he\nfound them recommended? Perhaps in the following text of the Vulgate:--\n\n 'Vae vobis Scribae et Pharisaei hypocritae, qui decimatis mentham, et\n anethum, et cyminum, et reliquistis quae graviora sunt legis,\n _judicium_, _et misericordiam_, et fidem. Haec oportuit facere, et\n illa non omittere.'\n\n Matt. cap. xxiii. vers. 23.\n\n Ay de vosotros, Escribas y Phariseos hipocritas, que diezmais la\n yerba buena, y el eneldo, y el comino, y habeis dexado las cosas, que\n son mas importantes de la Ley, _la justicia_, _y la misericordia_, y\n la fe! Esto era menester hacer, y no dexar lo otro.\n\nThe British and Foreign Bible Society is an infernal society and\nconsequently its members, one and all, are children of the devil. Now,\nwhat is required to constitute a child of the devil, according to the\nopinion of the Founder of Christianity--of Jesus--the Living Word--the\nEternal God? Let me quote _His_ own words, according to the Vulgate, the\nbook of the Church of Rome:\n\n 'Vos ex patre diabolo estis: et desideria patris vestri vultis\n facere. Ille homicida erat ab initio, et in veritate non stetit,\n quia non est veritas in eo: cum loquitur mendacium, ex propriis\n loquitur, quia mendax est et pater ejus.'\n\n Joan. cap. viii. vers. 44.\n\n 'Vosotros sois hijos del diablo, y quereis cumplir los deseos de\n vuestro padre: el fue homicida desde el principio, y no permanecio en\n la verdad; porque no hay verdad en el: quando habla mentira, de suyo\n habla; porque es mentiroso, y padre de la mentira.'\n\nBy this it should appear that the infernal Bible Society by the\npropagation of the Scriptures merely fulfils the desire of its father the\ndevil, and disseminates that which is his. Being a child of the devil it\ncannot propagate truth; it propagates the Gospel, and nothing\nelse--_ergo_, the Gospel is a lie and the father of it the devil.\n\nBut the Bible Society is accused, not only in the circular, but in the\nepistle which introduces it to the _Espanol_, of vending a mutilated and\ncurtailed version of the holy books. It is accused of omitting six of\nthe books which are generally bound up with what is denominated the\nBible; viz., Tobias, Judith, Baruch, Sabiduria, Eclesiastico, y 1o y 2o\nde los Machabeos. The _Christian ecclesiastic_, the author of the\nepistle, in indignation at this omission becomes suddenly argumentative,\nand puts a case to the heretics, which he deems in point; 'Si vieran la\nluz publica las obras de Lutero mutiladas en sus _principales capitulos_,\ny transformadas en cierto modo sus maximas y preceptos; que diligencias\nno practicarian sus secuaces y discipulos? Se levantarian a una en\ntropas numerosas para sostener el honor de su preceptor, y con el fin de\ndejar en su justo lugar a su amado maestre, recurririan a sus escritos\noriginales, manifestarian en su apoyo los manuscritos, apelarian a todo\nlinage de argumentos para acreditar la ilegitimidad de aquella edicion, y\nemplearian sus declamaciones y raciocinios para ascar los medios rateres\ne ilicitos de que se valia el catolicismo.'\n\nHear it in Gath! hear it in Gilead! hear it on the hills of Israel! yea\nlet the furthest corners of the earth hear it! The _principal chapters_\nof the Bible are not those of the New Testament, which contains the will\nand words of the Saviour, by whom we are to be judged--not those of\nIsaiah, who foretold so beautifully and distinctly the coming of that\nSaviour to the world--not those of Moses, who wrote of things in their\nearliest date, and so nobly depicted the progress of the creation,--but\nthose of the books of Tobit, Baruch, etc., books which the Roman Church\nitself has called apocryphal, and the greater part of which exhibit an\ninternal character of spuriousness which precludes the possibility of\ntheir being the offspring of inspired minds, though they contain some\nthings useful and instructive, such as may be found in the writings of\nthe early doctors, who however never claimed nor were deemed to possess\nthe gift of inspiration from on high.\n\nLet me here ask: what is to be discovered in the chapters of Tobit, etc.,\nof first rate importance to the Christian in his worldly pilgrimage, or\nwhich serves to corroborate and illustrate other parts of Scripture?\nAbove all, is Christ crucified spoken of or hinted at, as in the\nauthenticated writings of the Prophets? If not, what is their value in\ncomparison with that of other books of Scripture, even could their\nauthenticity be proved?\n\nNow to that point. This Christian ecclesiastic calls with a loud voice\nupon his brethren to prove by pamphlets and writing the divinity of the\nbooks of Tobit, Judith, etc. Yea, let them accomplish that--let them\nbring sufficient evidence that these apocryphal writings were held in\nveneration by the Jews, that they enjoyed a place in the sanctuary along\nwith the inspired writings, let them show that they were penned by\nProphets, above all _let them produce the originals_--and the Bible\nSociety will immediately admit them into its editions. Why not? I am\nnot aware that one point of doctrine, either Protestant or Roman, depends\nupon their reception or rejection.\n\nIn conclusion. What struck me most on the perusal of this singular\nepistle, all the main points of which I believe I have tolerably well\nanswered, and without much trouble, was the ignorance more than childish,\nthe extraordinary, unaccountable ignorance, which the author displays on\nthe subject on which he has written, and all which relates to it,\nnotwithstanding that subject is a religious one, and he, an ecclesiastic\nas he gives the world to know, standing forward as champion of the Church\nof Rome. He is evidently as well acquainted with Scripture and the works\nof the Fathers as with the Talmud and Zend-avesta, and with the ideas and\ndogmas of those whom he calls heretics, as with the religious opinions of\nthe Mongols and the followers of the Lama of the Himalayan hills. The\nmiserable attack which, in his rancorous feebleness, he has just\ncommitted on the Bible Society will redound merely to his own shame and\nridicule, and the disgrace of the sect to which he belongs. What could\npersuade him to speak of the Vulgate? What could induce him to grasp\nthat two-edged sword? Does it not cut off his own hands? Does the\nVulgate allude to the Bible Society, or to him and his fellows, when it\ncries:--\n\n Vae vobis legisperitis, quia tulistis clavem scientiae, ipsi non\n introistis: et eos, qui introibant, prohibuistis.--Lucae, cap. xi.\n vers. 52.\n\n 'Ay de vosotros, Doctores de la Ley que os alzasteis con la llave de\n la ciencia! vosotros no entrasteis, y habeis prohibido a los que\n entraban.'\n\nAnd again:--\n\n Qui ex Deo est, verba Dei audit. Propterea vos non auditis, quia ex\n Deo non estis.--Joan. cap. viii. vers. 47.\n\n 'El que es de Dios, oye las palabras de Dios. Por eso vosotros no\n las ois, porque no sois de Dios.'\n\nWhat could induce him to speak of Luther and his works? What does he,\nwhat do his abettors, know of Luther and his writings, or of the ideas\nwhich the heretics entertain respecting either? I will instruct them.\nLuther was a bold inquiring man, with some learning; he read the\nScriptures in the original tongues, and found that their contents were in\nentire variance with the doctrines of the Church of the Seven Hills; he\ntold the world so, as other men had done, with feebler voices, before,\nand the best part of the world believed--not him--but the Scripture, for\nhe gave it to them in a shape which they could understand. The heretics\nlook not for salvation by the merits either of Luther or Calvin, for\nmerits they had none--being merely the instruments which Providence\nselected to commence a great work which He has hitherto not thought\nproper to perfect. The heretics look for salvation to Christ and hope to\nbe forgiven by lively faith in Him and by virtue of His blood-shedding.\nThey trust not in Peter nor in Paul--both men and sinners--in Luther nor\nin Calvin--greater sinners still--but in Christ alone. They trust not in\nstick nor stone, in picture nor in image, in splinter of cross nor bone\nof saint, but in Christ alone--not in His mother or His brother--He\nHimself has said: 'those that do the will of my Father that is in heaven,\nthey are my mother, they are my brethren.'\n\nQuae est mater mea, et qui sunt fratres mei? . . .\n\nQuicumque fecerit voluntatem Patris mei, qui in coelis est, ipse meus\nfrater et soror et mater est.--Matt. cap. xii. vers. 48-50.\n\nChrist alone is the foundation and cope-stone of the true Church.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 8, 1837)\n 28_th_ _Novr._ 1837, MADRID,\n No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO, PISO 3RO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have just received your letter [of Nov. 15th], for\nwhich I thank you heartily. I write these lines in a great hurry, as no\ntime must be lost. The shop opened yesterday, and several Testaments\nhave been sold, but three parts of the customers departed on finding that\nonly the New Testament was to be obtained; and I may here state that if\nthe books which I carried to the provinces had been Bibles, I could have\nsold ten times the amount of what I did. I must therefore be furnished\nwith Bibles instanter. Send me therefore the London edition, bad as it\nis, say 500 copies. I believe you have a friend at Cadiz, the consul,\nwho would have sufficient influence to secure their admission into Spain.\nBut the most advisable way would be to pack them in two chests, placing\nat the top Bibles in English and other languages, for there is a demand,\nviz.: 100 English, 100 French, 50 German, 50 Hebrew, 50 Greek, 10 Modern\nGreek, 10 Persian, 20 Arabic. _Pray do not fail_.\n\nDirect the books thus:--\n\n DESPACHO DE LA SOCIEDAD BIBLICA,\n No. 25 CALLE DEL PRINCIPE, MADRID.\n\nI start to-morrow for Toledo with 100 Testaments, for I must spare no\nexertion in such a cause. I go as usual on horseback. I am in a great\nhurry and can write no more.\n\nYours most truly,\n\n(Send, with the books, a Modern Greek grammar and dictionary. You must\nlikewise renew my credit on Messrs. O'Shea & Compy.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jany. 8, 1838)\n MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO No. 16,\n _Dec._ 25, 1837.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of\nthe 5th instant, and also my friend Mr. Jackson's of the 8th. I should\nhave replied ere this, had not my time been entirely occupied since my\nreturn from Toledo. The versions of St. Luke in Gitano and Basque have\nbeen committed to the press; and as the compositors are entirely ignorant\nof these languages a most strict surveillance is required, which I hope\nwill be admitted as an excuse for having so long delayed to answer. I\nexpect that within a fortnight my task will be completed.\n\nYou are aware that I have established in Madrid a shop, or _despacho_, as\nit is here called, for the sale of Testaments, and you are doubtless\nanxious to receive information as to its success. It succeeds well, nay,\nI may say very well, when all circumstances are taken into consideration;\nfor it ought to be known that I have ventured upon this step in the very\nplace which of all in Spain, affords the least chance of a successful\nissue, yet at the same time in the place where such a step was most\nneeded, provided it be the imperative duty of Christians to make the Word\nof their Master known in the dark portions of the earth. It was a step\nfraught with difficulties of every kind. Madrid, it is true, is the\ncapital of Spain; yet let no one for a moment suppose that being so it is\nconsequently the largest, richest and most enlightened town in the\nPeninsula. In the first place, it is inferior in population to Valencia\nand Barcelona; in the second, misery and distress reign here to an extent\nunknown elsewhere; and so far from its being peculiarly enlightened, I\nbelieve that of all places in the Peninsula it is the least so. It is\nthe centre of old, gloomy, bigoted Spain, and if there be one inveterate\ndisgusting prejudice more prevalent and more cherished in one spot than\nanother, it is here, in this heart of old, popish, anti-christian Spain,\nalways difficult of access, but now peculiarly so, as it is scarcely\npossible to travel a league from its gates without being stript naked and\nmurdered. Yet in this singular capital, in the midst of furious priests\nand Carlists, I have ventured upon establishing a shop which bears on its\nfront in large letters: 'Despatch of the British and Foreign Bible\nSociety.' To call the attention of the people to this establishment, I\nprinted three thousand advertisements on paper, yellow, blue, and\ncrimson, with which I almost covered the sides of the streets, and\nbesides this inserted notices in all the journals and periodicals,\nemploying also a man after the London fashion to parade the streets with\na placard, to the astonishment of the populace.\n\nThe consequence has been that at present every person in Madrid, man,\nwoman, and child, is aware of the existence of the establishment. You\nmust feel convinced that such exertions would in London or in Paris have\ninsured the sale of the whole edition of the New Testament within a few\ndays. But hitherto I have had to contend with ignorance--and such\nignorance, with bigotry--and such bigotry, and with great and terrible\ndistress. So that since the opening of the establishment, which I hope\nthe Lord will deign to bless, I have contrived to sell, and I may say\nthat every copy sold has cost me an exertion, and no slight one, between\n70 and 80 New Testaments {274} and 10 Bibles. You will doubtless wonder\nwhere I obtained the latter: in the shop of a bookseller who dared not\nsell them himself, but who had brought them secretly from Gibraltar. Of\nthese Bibles there were two of the large edition, printed by William\nClowes, 1828 (I would give my right hand for a thousand of them); these I\nsold (on the bookseller's account) for 70 _reals_ or 17 shillings each,\nand the others, which were of the very common edition, for 7 shillings,\nwhich is, however, far too dear. My own Testament I sell for 10 _reals_,\nwhich every person allows to be unaccountably cheap, but I deem it best\nto be moderate, on account of the distress of the times. Permit me here\nto observe that this Testament has been allowed by people who have\nperused it, and with no friendly feeling, to be one of the most correct\nworks that have ever issued from the press in Spain, and to be an\nexceedingly favourable specimen of typography and paper: and lucky it is\nfor me that it is impossible to say anything against the edition. {275a}\nYou will easily suppose that such an establishment in Madrid has caused a\ngreat sensation. The priests and bigots are teeming with malice and\nfury, which hitherto they have thought proper to exhibit only in words,\nas they know that all I do here is favoured by Mr. Villiers; {275b} but\nthere is no attempt, however atrocious, which may not be expected from\nsuch people, and were it right and seemly for _me_, the most\ninsignificant of worms, to make such a comparison, I would say that, like\nPaul at Ephesus, I am fighting with wild beasts.\n\nI receive daily a great many applications for copies gratis, as it is\nhere the generally received opinion that the Bible Society invariably\ngives away its publications; and I must confess that this opinion,\nhowever it may have originated, is very prejudicial to the sale of the\nTestament.\n\n'Wait a while,' say many, 'and these books may be had for nothing.\nFriends of ours who have been in England have had them pressed upon them,\nand _cart-loads_ have been given away in Cadiz and other places.' Such a\nconversation was related to me yesterday, by my excellent friend and\ncoadjutor Doctor Usoz, who had just heard it in a coffee-house. Of this\ngentleman I cannot speak in too high terms of admiration; he is one of\nthe most learned men in Spain, and is become in every point a Christian,\naccording to the standard of the New Testament.\n\nMy projects are these. As soon as ever my Gospels are ready, I mount the\nsaddle once more, entrusting the _despacho_ and shopman to the care of\nDr. Usoz. My course will be directed to Andalusia, a rich and tolerably\nenlightened province. Hitherto I have only had to deal with poverty,\nignorance, and bigotry; but I hope with God's assistance to accomplish\nmuch at Seville and Cadiz. It is true that to arrive there I shall have\nto pass through La Mancha and the Morena district, which are entirely in\nthe hands of the swarms of banditti whose general is Palillos (he has\nupwards of 9000 under his command), or through Estremadura, occupied at\npresent by the hordes of Jara and Orejita. But I fear nothing, and trust\nthat One above will preserve me. In the meantime let me beg and pray\nthat you will send Bibles, Bibles, Bibles of all sizes and prices, and in\nall languages to Madrid. You cannot conceive how helpless and forlorn I\nfeel, 400 miles from the sea-coast, on being begged to supply what I\npossess not. I received an order the other day for 20 Hebrew Bibles. I\nreplied with tears in my eyes, 'I have nothing but the New Testament in\nSpanish.'\n\nYou wish to know my reasons for censuring the London edition of the\nSpanish Bible. I will state them in a few words: the utmost confusion\nreigns throughout, both as to accentuation and punctuation; words are\nfrequently omitted or misspelt, and occasionally a short sentence is left\nout. All this is very annoying, but I was perhaps wrong in sending home\n'so unmitigated a censure.' It may possibly occur that a Spanish\nedition, unless superintended by very zealous and careful people, may\nturn out yet more incorrect. Therefore I should not be sorry to see any\nnumber arrive at Madrid.\n\nIn reply to your observation that I am in a mistake in supposing that\nBibles have been given away to any extent in the south of Spain, permit\nme to observe, and always with the greatest humility, that I never\nventured to form any supposition respecting the matter. But the Vicar\nGeneral of Valencia gave as a reason for publishing the circular in which\nhe forbids the Bible, an advertisement inserted in the Commercial Diary\nof Valencia, to the effect, that a person was commissioned in that city\nto sell at cheap prices, and even to give away gratis to those who might\nnot have money at their disposal, copies of the Spanish Bible printed in\nLondon; and on this passage his commentator observes, 'Fine generosity!\nCharity worthy of applause and gratitude!' The friend who brought me the\nnewspaper stated at the time that the advertisement was calculated to do\nharm. It is certainly liable to much misconstruction.\n\nAnd now, my dear Sir, having detailed my whereabouts, permit me to\nsubscribe myself,\n\nYours most truly,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 26, 1838)\n MADRID, _January_ 15, 1838.\n No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--The priests have at length 'swooped upon me,' and I\nhave received a peremptory order from the Political Governor of Madrid to\nsell no more New Testaments. I have been apprehensive of something\nsimilar for some little time, on account of the late change of Ministry,\nthe present head of the Cabinet, Ofalia, being one of the most furious\nbigots in Spain. I have just paid a visit to Sir George Villiers, who\nhas promised to do all in his power to cause the veto to be annulled.\nBut I must here state that he has not at present much influence, he\nhaving opposed with all his power the accession of Ofalia to the\npremiership, to which station the latter has been exalted for the mere\npurpose of serving as an instrument of the priestly party. I therefore\ndo not place much reliance in Sir George Villiers' power of assisting me;\nbut I have still great confidence in myself, through the Almighty in\nwhose cause I am engaged.\n\nMatters were going on very well before this check. The demand, even for\nTestaments, was becoming considerable, so much so that the clergy were\nalarmed, and the consequence has been this step. But they had previously\nrecourse to another well worthy of them; they attempted to act upon my\nfears. One of the ruffians of Madrid, called _Manolos_, came up to me\none night in a dark street, and told me that unless I discontinued\nselling 'my Jewish books' I should have a knife '_nailed in my heart_';\nbut I told him to go home, say his prayers, and tell his employers that I\npitied them, whereupon he turned away with an oath. A few days after, I\nreceived an order to send two copies of the Testament to the office of\nthe Political Governor, with which, after consulting with Sir George\nVilliers, I complied, and in less than twenty-four hours, namely, on the\nevening of last Saturday, an _alguacil_ arrived at the shop with the\nnotice prohibiting the further sale of the New Testament, permission to\nprint which I had obtained from the Ministry of Isturitz after so much\ntrouble and anxiety.\n\nOne circumstance rejoices me. They have not shut up my little\n_despacho_, and as soon as ever the Bibles arrive (and I have advice from\nBarcelona of their being on the way) I shall advertise them, for I have\nreceived no prohibition respecting the sale of any work but the New\nTestament. Moreover, within a few days the Gospel of Saint Luke in\nRommany will be ready for delivery, so that I hope to carry on matters in\na small way till better times arrive. I have been advised to erase from\nthe shop windows the words 'Despatch of the British and Foreign Bible\nSociety,' but I intend to do no such thing; those words have tended very\nmuch to call attention, which was my grand object. Had I attempted to\nconduct things in an underhand manner, I should at the present moment\nscarcely have sold 30 copies instead of nearly 300, which in Madrid are\nmore than equivalent to 3,000 sold on the littoral. People who know me\nnot, nor are acquainted with my situation, may be disposed to call me\nrash; but I am far from being so, as I never adopt a venturous course\nwhen any other is open to me. But I am not a person to be terrified by\nany danger, when I see that braving it is the only way to achieve an\nobject. The booksellers refused to sell my work; I was compelled to\nestablish a shop of my own. Every shop in Madrid has a name. What name\nshould I give mine but the true one? I was not ashamed of my cause nor\nmy colours. I hoisted them, and have fought beneath them not without\nsuccess.\n\nThe Levitical party in Madrid have, in the meantime, spared no effort to\nvilify me. They have started a publication called 'The friend of the\nChristian religion,' in which has appeared a furious attack upon me,\nwhich I have however treated with the contempt it deserves. But not\nsatisfied with this, they have endeavoured to incite the ignorant\npopulace against me, by telling them that I am a sorcerer and a companion\nof Gypsies and witches, and I have been called so in the streets. That I\nam an associate of Gypsies and fortune-tellers I do not deny, and why\nshould I be ashamed of their company when my Master mingled with\npublicans and thieves? Many of the poor Gypsy race come frequently to\nvisit me, receive instruction, and hear parts of the Gospel read to them\nin their own language, and when they are hungry and faint I give them to\neat and drink. This may be deemed sorcery in Spain, but I am not without\nhope that it will be otherwise estimated in England; and were I to perish\nto-morrow I think there are some who would be disposed to say that I have\nlived not altogether in vain (always as an instrument of the 'Most\nHighest'), having been permitted to turn one of the most valuable books\nof God into the speech of the most oppressed and miserable of His\ncreatures.\n\nNo more at present, but I hope to write again within a few days.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Mar. 27, 1838)\n MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16.\n 17 _March_, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--As I entertain little doubt that yourself and my\nother good friends are anxious to obtain information respecting the\ncourse of matters in Madrid, I write the present letter, although I could\nhave wished to tarry a little longer, in the hope of being able to afford\nmore satisfactory intelligence. In the first place, allow me to state\nthat about six weeks since I despatched to England a copy of Saint Luke\nin Rommany, by the courier of the Embassy, which I hope you received, and\nthat it afforded you satisfaction. I may also add that yesterday the\nprinting of the Basque translation of the same Gospel was brought to a\nhappy conclusion, to my very great satisfaction, as it has caused me much\ntrouble and anxiety, the press having been brought to a stop three times\nfrom the necessity of casting fresh type, the usual Spanish founts being\ninsufficient to print a sheet in this singular language, owing to all its\nwords being contained within the compass of six or seven letters, the\ndemand for which is in consequence tremendous. With the Rommany I had no\ndifficulty whatever. Within a week or two it is my intention to publish\nboth Gospels simultaneously. With this preamble, I will now proceed to\nother matters.\n\nDuring the last two months I have been almost incessantly engaged in\nnegotiations with the Ministry of Count Ofalia, for the purpose of\nobtaining permission to sell the New Testament in Madrid and the\nnullification of the prohibition. I have experienced, as might be\nexpected, great opposition, which I have not yet surmounted; but I am by\nno means dispirited, as these obstacles are merely temporary. I have had\nto contend against six Bishops at present resident in Madrid, and amongst\nthem him of Toledo, the Primate of Spain, who have denounced the Bible,\nthe Bible Society, and myself. Nevertheless, notwithstanding their\npowerful and united efforts, they have been unable to effect their\nprincipal object, namely, my expulsion from Madrid and Spain. The Count\nOfalia is a very good and excellent man, though weak and superstitious to\nan exceeding degree; and notwithstanding he has permitted himself to be\nmade the instrument, to a certain extent, of these people, he will not\nconsent to be pushed to such a length. Throughout this business, as far\nas it has proceeded, I cannot find words sufficiently strong, to do\njustice to the zeal and interest which Sir George Villiers has displayed\nin the cause of the Testament. He has had six interviews with Ofalia on\nthe subject, and in these he has expressed to him his sense of the\ninjustice and tyranny which have been practised in this instance towards\nhis countryman, as he does me the honour of calling me. Ofalia has been\nmuch moved by these remonstrances, and on several occasions has promised\nto do all in his power to oblige Sir George; but then the Bishops, and\nparticularly his confessor, whom he consults every night, again beset\nhim, and playing upon his religious fears, prevent him from acting a\njust, honest, and honourable part.\n\nAt the desire of Sir George Villiers, I drew up, a little time since, a\nbrief account of the Bible Society and an exposition of its views,\nespecially in respect to Spain, which he himself presented with his own\nhand to the Count. Of this memorial I send you a translation, and I\nthink that you will do me the justice to say that, if I have not\nflattered and cajoled, I have expressed myself honestly and frankly, as a\nChristian ought. Ofalia on reading it, said, 'What a pity that this is a\nmixed society, and that all its members are not Catholics.' A few days\nsubsequently, to my great astonishment, he sent a message to me by a\nfriend, requesting that I would send him a copy of my Gypsy Gospel. I\nmay as well here state that the fame of this work, although unpublished,\nhas spread like wildfire through Madrid, and every person is passionately\neager to possess a copy; indeed, several grandees of Spain have sent\nmessages with similar requests, all of which I have, however, denied. I\ninstantly resolved to take advantage of this overture on the part of\nCount Ofalia, and to call on him myself. I therefore caused a copy of\nthe Gospel to be handsomely bound, and proceeding to the palace, was\ninstantly admitted to him. He is a dusky, diminutive person, between\nfifty and sixty years of age, with false hair and teeth, but exceedingly\ngentlemanly manners. He received me with great affability, and thanked\nme for my present; but on my proceeding to speak of the New Testament, he\ntold me that the subject was surrounded with difficulties, and that the\nwhole body of the clergy had taken up the matter against me; but he\nconjured me to be patient and peaceable, and he would endeavour to devise\nsome plan to satisfy me. Amongst other things, he said that the Bishops\nhated a sectarian more than an atheist; whereupon I replied, that, like\nthe Pharisees of old, they cared more for the gold of the Temple than the\nTemple itself. Throughout the whole of our interview he evidently\nlaboured under great fear, and was continually looking behind and around\nhim, seemingly in dread of being overheard, which brought to my mind an\nexpression of Sir George Villiers, that if there be any truth in\nmetempsychosis, the _anima_ of Count Ofalia must have originally belonged\nto a mouse. We parted in kindness, and I went away wondering by what\nstrange chance this poor man had become Prime Minister of a country like\nSpain.\n\nI have now given a plain narrative of what I have been about up to the\npresent moment, by which you will see that I have accomplished all that\nlay within the circumscribed sphere of my ability, and have brought every\nengine into play which it was in my power to command. Let it always be\nborne in mind that it was no fault of mine that, immediately after my\narrival in Madrid from my journey, a retrograde Ministry came into power,\nthe head of which is a weak, timid, priest-ridden man. Sir George has\nseveral times told me, that had the Ministry of Calatrava and Mendizabal\nremained in place, he himself would have answered that I should have\nreceived no interruption in my labours, and that he will almost say the\nsame in respect to any future Ministry; and it is impossible that the\npresent can long maintain its ground, as it is disliked by the Court and\ndespised by the people.\n\nI therefore write at present for instructions. Shall I wait a little\ntime longer in Madrid; or shall I proceed at once on a journey to\nAndalusia and other places? I am in strength, health and spirits, thanks\nbe to the Lord! and am at all times ready to devote myself, body and\nmind, to His cause. Therefore I pray that my friends at home will point\nout the course which they think I ought to pursue under these\ncircumstances. In a few days I shall send my account to Mr. Hitchin. I\nhave hitherto delayed, not having yet settled for the printing of the\nBasque St. Luke. I received your kind letter of the 8th ultimo.\n\nI remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._--I have received the 500 Bibles in sheets from Barcelona.\n\n\n\nTranslation of a Memorial to his Excellence the Count D'Ofalia\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: Memorial of Mr. G. Borrow to Count Ofalia, Madrid, recd.\n March 28,1838.)\n\nTo His Excellence The Count D'Ofalia\n\nSIR,--I have the honour to inform you that, being a member and Agent of\nthe British and Foreign Bible Society, I some months since printed, with\npermission, at Madrid, an edition of the New Testament of Jesus Christ in\nthe Castilian language according to the authorised version of Father\nFelipe Scio, Confessor of the late King Ferdinand of happy memory.\n\nThat to effect the sale of the said work, in which the Society had\nsubjected itself to an expense of more than 100,000 _reals_, I\nsubsequently established a Despatch at Madrid, where the work was\npublicly sold at a moderate price until the 12th of January last, when\nthe person intrusted with the management of the said Despatch received a\nnotice from Don Francisco Gamboa, Civil Governor of Madrid, forbidding\nthe further sale of the New Testament until fresh information.\n\nAs very erroneous ideas are generally entertained in Spain concerning the\nconstitution of the Bible Society and the views in which its proceedings\noriginate, I will endeavour in a few words to afford some correcting\ninformation respecting both. I beg to state that the Bible Society is\ncomposed of Christians attached to many and various sects and forms of\nworship--for example, members of the Roman, Greek, Anglican, Calvinistic,\nand Lutheran Churches, and of all ranks and grades in society, who,\nthough they may differ from each other in points of religious discipline,\nform and ceremony, agree in the one grand and principal point: that there\nis no salvation from the punishment due to original sin but through vivid\nfaith in Christ, manifested and proved by good works, such being the\namount of the doctrine found in those inspired writings known as the New\nTestament which contain the words of the Saviour whilst resident in flesh\non earth, together with the revelations of the Holy Spirit to His\ndisciples after He had ascended to the throne of His heavenly glory.\n\nHaving said thus much respecting those who constitute the Bible Society\nand the religious feeling which unites them, I will now devote a few\nwords to the explanation of their views, than which nothing can be more\nsimple or easily defined. They have no other wish or intention in thus\nassociating together than to assist, as humble instruments under Christ,\nin causing His doctrine to be propagated and known in all the regions of\nthe vast world, the greatest part of which is still involved in\nheathenism and ignorance; and looking upon their earthly goods as of\nlittle or no value in comparison with such a glorious end, they expend\nthem in printing editions of their Master's Word in all languages, and in\ntransporting them to the remotest corners of the earth, that their\nbenighted fellow-creatures may see the lamp of salvation, and enjoy the\nsame spiritual advantages as themselves. Such is their wish, such their\nview, totally unallied with commerce or politics, hope of gain and lust\nof power. The mightiest of earthly monarchs, the late Alexander of\nRussia, was so convinced of the single-mindedness and integrity of the\nBritish and Foreign Bible Society, that he promoted their efforts within\nhis own dominions to the utmost of his ability, and established at St.\nPetersburg a Bible Society of his own, whose publications have been a\nsource of blessing not only to Russia, but to many other lands.\n\nAfter the above statement it is unnecessary for me to dilate on the\nintentions of the Society with respect to Spain, a country which perhaps\nmost of any in the world is in need of the assistance of the Christian\nphilanthropist, as it is overspread with the thickest gloom of heathenish\nignorance, beneath which the fiends and demons of the abyss seem to be\nholding their ghastly revels; a country in which all sense of right and\nwrong is forgotten, and where every man's hand is turned against his\nfellow to destroy or injure him, where the name of Jesus is scarcely ever\nmentioned but in blasphemy, and His precepts [are] almost utterly\nunknown. In this unhappy country the few who are enlightened are too\nmuch occupied in the pursuit of lucre, ambition, or ungodly revenge to\nentertain a desire or thought of bettering the moral state of their\ncountrymen. But it has pleased the Lord to raise up in foreign lands\nindividuals differently situated and disposed, whose hearts bleed for\ntheir brethren in Spain. It is their belief that ignorance of God's Word\nis the sole cause of these horrors, and to dispel that ignorance they\nhave printed the Gospel in Spain, which they dispose of at a price within\nthe power of the poorest to command. Vain men would fain persuade\nthemselves and others that the Society entertains other motives, by which\nuncharitableness they prove that they themselves are neither Christians,\nnor acquainted with the spirit of Christianity. But let the most fearful\nand dubious reassure themselves with the thought, that should the Bible\nSociety foster the very worst intentions, it would baffle their power, if\neven assisted by Satanic agency, to render Spain worse than it at present\nis.\n\nI beseech you, Sir, to co-operate in a good cause, and not seek to retard\nits progress; for be assured that sooner or later it will triumph.\n\nI have the honour to remain,\n\nSir,\n\nYour Excellence's obedient servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Apr. 9th, 1838)\n _March_ 30, 1838. MADRID,\n 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Without waiting for an answer to my last, which I\ndespatched some ten days since, I shall take the liberty of again\ntroubling you with a short letter. My principal motive for so doing is a\nvisit which I have just been favoured with from our friend Mr. Rule of\nGibraltar, a gentleman who has much interested me, and of whose zeal,\npiety, and discretion I have formed the highest opinion. It seems that\nthe little congregation at Cadiz has been broken up and dispersed by\norder of the Government, and in consequence he has travelled to Madrid to\nmake intercession in its behalf. I am happy to say that Sir George\nVilliers has promised to befriend him to the utmost of his ability.\nSince his arrival here he has received intelligence which has filled him\nwith much uneasiness, and he has entreated me to write home in\nconjunction with himself respecting the affair, with which indeed I am in\nsome degree concerned. I, however, beg leave to state, that it is with\nthe utmost reluctance I say a word upon the subject, being at all times\nunwilling to interfere in the slightest degree in the projects or\nmovements of another party; but I feel that entire silence in this case\nwould be wrong and unadvisable.\n\nI come now to the point. A friend of ours, who by your last favour I was\ninformed was about to leave Spain for the benefit of his health, has, it\nappears, changed his mind, and is on his way to visit Andalusia and the\nprincipal towns, namely Cadiz, Malaga, and Seville. Now Mr. Rule is far\nbetter acquainted with him than I can pretend to be, and he has told me\nthat knowing him perfectly well, he entertains great dread as to the\neffect which our friend's visit to those parts will have over the issue\nof the affair which has brought him, Mr. R., to Madrid. I must here\nobserve that I had myself made preparations to visit Andalusia, having\nindeed been advised to do so by Sir George Villiers, who will afford me\nall the recommendations and assistance which I can possibly desire. I\nmay add that some time since I despatched thither a considerable number\nof Testaments, which are now being sold at Seville, etc. I therefore\nhumbly conceive that the arrival of another edition is likely to produce\na clash highly detrimental to the interests of the Society, and to\nperplex the minds of the people of the west of Spain respecting its\nviews. But I confess I am chiefly apprehensive of the reacting at\nSeville of the Valencian drama, which I have such unfortunate cause to\nrue, as I am the victim on whom an aggravated party have wreaked their\nvengeance, and for the very cogent reason that I was within their reach.\nI think, my dearest sir, you know sufficient of my disposition to be\naware that I am one of the last people disposed to make complaint,\nwhether with or without cause; but that passage in your affectionate and\nkind letter which implied, though in the gentlest terms, that I had been\nrash in my proceedings in Madrid, gave me a pang, more especially as I\nknew from undoubted sources that nothing which I had done, said, or\nwritten was the _original_ cause of the arbitrary step which had been\nadopted in respect to me.\n\nThere is another matter which gives me much uneasiness and which I wish\nto confide to your bosom and yours alone, though you will, of course,\ncommunicate it to such friends as you may deem proper. I have received\ntwo letters from an ex-priest at Valencia of the name of Marin, to the\nfirst of which I have replied, though very cautiously. This very\nunfortunate individual, who it seems for some time past has felt the\nworkings of the Spirit, was last year induced by certain promises, and\nhopes thrown out, to leave Valencia, where he enjoyed a benefice on which\nhe supported himself and an aged mother, and to repair to Gibraltar for\nthe purpose of receiving Christian instruction under Mr. Rule. After\nremaining some time at that place, where, Mr. R. informs me, his conduct\nwas in most points exemplary, he returned to Valencia, where his\napostasy, as the Papists termed it, having become known, his salary of\nsix _pesetas_ daily was sequestrated, and himself and his parent in\nconsequence deprived of their only means of subsistence. But this is not\nall. The aid and assistance which he had been led to expect from England\nwere withheld in his great pinch and need, and the very persons who had\ntaken advantage of the commotion within him to induce him to take what I\nmust term a rash and hazardous expedition, were the first to forsake him,\nand Mr. Rule states that there is cogent reason for fearing that this\nunfortunate man and his aged parent are at present perishing with hunger\nin the barbarous streets of Valencia. I wish it to be known that the man\nhimself in his letters told me nothing of the promises which had been\nheld out to him, nor breathed a word of complaint, I being indebted to\nMr. R. for my knowledge on this point, who has a very high opinion of his\nsincerity, although he has been termed an impostor, though the fact of\nhis having lost his salary by the opinions which he has embraced ought to\nhave precluded such an idea. Now the Lord forbid that this man and his\nmother perish, so that his death be laid by the enemy at the threshold of\nthe humble but unworthy servants of Christ. I therefore this day have\nsent him a small sum on my own account to relieve the pinch of utter\nneed, till more can be known of him.\n\nPray excuse this letter written with a heart full of trouble and doubt.\nDispose of me as you think proper, my dear sir, who am truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 1, 1838)\n MADRID, _April_ 19, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I enclose a letter from Mr. Rule, dated Valencia,\n12th inst., which I have just received, and upon which I beg to make a\nfew observations.\n\nIn this very extraordinary espistle I am requested to take charge of an\nex-priest of the name of Pascual Marin, on his arrival at Madrid, where\nit appears he is hastening, to furnish him with cash, make an estimate of\nhis probable expenses, and moreover to write home to the Society, without\ndelay, for the purpose of advising the Committee to join with the\ngentlemen of another religious institution in affording the said Marin\nthe means for supporting himself in the Spanish capital, where it is the\nwriter's opinion that he may be usefully employed in _distributing_ the\nScriptures, and in preparing the way for a future mission. Well and\ngood! But my friends at home, discreet as I know them to be, will\ndoubtless be anxious to be informed by virtue of what correspondence or\ncommunication with me does Mr. Rule now write from Valencia, consigning\nto my hands this person, whom I have never seen, and whom I know not,\nalthough, as I have stated on a former occasion, I have received two\nletters from him, to one of which I returned a cautious and guarded\nanswer.\n\nMr. Rule suddenly arrived at Madrid, upon some business connected with\nthe Society to which he belongs; he called upon me, and I, upon learning\nfrom him that he was a perfect stranger in Madrid, without friends or\nacquaintances, received him with the hospitality which the Scripture\nenjoins, and which I continued during his stay in the capital, a period\nof about ten days. In the course of our conversations he spoke to me of\nthe peculiar hardships of the case of Pascual Marin of Valencia, who, as\nhe informed me, had been induced, partly by conviction, and partly by\npersuasion, to secede from his own Church, but who not having received\nfrom England the assistance which he had been led to expect, was in\ndanger of perishing, with his mother, in the streets of Valencia, he\nhaving lost the benefice which constituted their support. Whereupon\nthrough the medium of Mr. Rule I sent him 500 _reals_ on my own account,\nwithout, however, directly or indirectly pledging myself to do anything\nmore in his behalf, or to attempt to engage the Bible Society to do so.\n\nMr. Rule left Madrid for Valencia, and on his departure informed me that\nit was his firm intention to carry Marin with him to Gibraltar, to which\nresolution I, of course, made no objection, as I conceived that it was a\nmatter with which I had little or no connection, and in which it would be\nadvisable not to involve myself, more especially on account of the\npeculiar state of the affairs at Madrid with which the Society had done\nme the honour to entrust me.\n\nI was aware that in my situation peculiar caution in every step was\nnecessary and indispensable, and after Mr. Rule's departure I harboured\nnot the slightest surmise that my attentions to himself, or the slight\nconversation which I had held with him respecting Marin, could possibly\ntend to compromise me in any point. I was, however, mistaken.\n\nIn the name of all that is singular, what does Mr. Rule mean, without the\ncourtesy of asking my permission, by sending this man to me at Madrid?\nAssist in preparing the way for a mission! Very probably; but that\nmission will be my own, over the frontiers, under an escort of lancers.\nAssist in distributing the Scriptures! Probably again; but it will be to\nthe wild winds of Madrid, when they are torn to pieces by the common\nhangman in the Plaza Mayor, and cast into the air. I must confess that I\nam vexed and grieved that as fast as I build up, some intemperate friend\nrushes forward, and by his perhaps well-meant zeal casts down and\ndestroys what has cost me much labour.\n\nThings are beginning to assume a more favourable aspect. I have opened\nmy shop once more, though not at present for the sale of Testaments. The\npriests are frantic, and through the medium of one or other of the\nMinisters, are continually giving me trouble; but Sir George Villiers has\nvowed to protect me, and has stated so publicly, and he is every day\nacquiring more and more influence here. He has gone so far as to state\nto Ofalia and Gamboa, that provided I be allowed to pursue my plans\nwithout interruption, he will be my bail (_fiador_) and answerable for\neverything I do, as he does me the honour to say that he knows me, and\nthat he can confide in _my_ discretion. Therefore let me call upon my\nbeloved and respected friends at home, as they love their Lord and the\ncredit of His cause, to offer no encouragement to any disposed 'to run\nthe muck' (it is Sir George's expression) against the religious or\npolitical _institutions_ of Spain, to keep clear of the _exaltado_ or\nrepublican party, and to eschew tracts, with political frontispieces,\nconcerning any _uncertain_ future dispensation; but to confine themselves\nstrictly and severely to the great work of propagating the Word which\nsooner or later is doomed to christianise the entire world.\n\nI hope I shall be excused the freedom of these observations, when it is\nreflected that I, being the Agent of the Bible Society, have to answer to\nthose who protect me here for all that is done in any part of Spain under\nthe sanction of the Society.\n\nConcerning Marin and what is to be done in his respect, I feel myself\nafter much reflection and private prayer totally incompetent to offer a\nsuggestion. He can be of no possible service to me in Madrid, but the\ncontrary. One thing, however, is evident, that, thanks to particular\nindividuals, we are to a certain extent compromised.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. Andrew Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 3rd, 1838)\n MADRID, _April_ 23, 1838,\n CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of\nthe 10th inst. and also my friend Mr. Jackson's of the 5th, containing\nthe resolution of the Committee in my respect, which I shall of course\nattend to.\n\nMy reason for troubling you with these lines is an apprehension that my\nlate communication has not been understood by you; for there is something\nin the tone of your reply which has made me rather unhappy, though I can\neasily conjecture that at the time you wrote it you were labouring under\na considerable pressure of business. Had you paid a little more\nattention to my letter, you would have perceived that it was written\nunwillingly on my part, but Mr. Rule thought his province had been\ninvaded. As for myself I wish to say nothing, but it will be as well to\nremind you that all the difficulty and danger connected with what has\nbeen accomplished in Spain have fallen to my share, I having been\nlabouring on the flinty rock and sierra, and not in smiling meadows\nrefreshed by sea breezes. I hoped in Seville and other towns of\nAndalusia to have secured the sale of more Testaments than it is probable\nthat I shall be able to do in Spain proper, where I was afraid that my\nefforts had not been appreciated; but if my good friend Mr. Graydon has\npreceded me to those regions let him remain there and let no one\ninterrupt him. I hope in the Lord that he will be permitted to prosper.\nWhen you write to him, present my cordial regards, and assure him that at\nall times I shall be happy to hear from him.\n\nI hope nothing in my last letter, in which I forwarded Mr. R's\ncommunication, will be taken in bad part. I repeat that I was grieved to\nhave Marin saddled upon me, in a place where I am surrounded by spies and\npersecuted by many and vindictive enemies. The idea, however, of his\nhaving gone back to Rome is preposterous, the Bishop of Jaen having\nassured Mr. R. that he had turned a deaf ear to all the promises which\nhad been made to him, with the view of inducing him to recant. He has\nnot yet made his appearance.\n\nI remain, my dear Sir, yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--You have never had the urbanity to acknowledge the receipt of my\nGypsy Gospel. In the Spanish newspapers it has been called a great\naccession to the literature of Spain.\n\n\n\n\nTo Mr. William Hitchin\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 8, 1838)\n MADRID, _April_ 26, 1838.\n\nI take the liberty of herewith sending you my accompt. It is still an\nimperfect one, the printing of the Basque Gospel not being charged for,\nwhich I have not defrayed, together with some other items, for which I am\nindebted to my printer, who, having lately fought a duel, is laid up with\nhis wounds, and cannot for the present transact business. I have charged\nhere, as you will observe, for the translation of the Basque St. Luke, an\nitem, which I sent in, in a former accompt, but which appears to have\nbeen overlooked in your favour of Decr. 28, 1837. Independent of the\nDespatch, I have charged for the hire of a room as a general depot for\nthe Scriptures. I am afraid to place my whole stock in the shop, owing\nto the continual persecution to which I am subjected, notwithstanding I\nenjoy powerful protection. Only last week a band of _alguazils_ rushed\ninto the premises and seized 25 copies of the Gospel of St. Luke in\nRommany which I had advertised. To the present accompt of the money\nwhich I have disbursed, you will please to add the previous one of Novr.\n1837, which I sent in, which will enable you to see how I stand.\n\nI hope the Financial Committee and yourself will excuse any inaccuracies,\nsupposing I have fallen into any, respecting money drawn, as I am much\nbusied in negociations, and have lately been so harassed by vexatious\nproceedings, that I believe my mind has somewhat suffered. However,\nglory to God, the Society's shop is open _at Madrid_, though we are not\nallowed to advertise and though it be but a small taper burning amongst\nEgyptian darkness. I hope it will serve as a watch-light and beacon to\nsome.\n\nI remain, etc.,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--The reprint of 1.5 sheet was owing to want of care on my part, in\nthe translation. I therefore wish that the amount be struck out from my\ndisbursements.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 22, 1838)\n PRISON OF MADRID, _May_ [11], 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write, as you see, from the prison of Madrid, in\nwhich I have been confined for the last ten days; for it has pleased God\nto confer upon me the highest of mortal honours, the privilege of bearing\nchains for His sake. I shall not at present detail the circumstances\nwhich occasioned my arrest, as doubtless the English newspapers will\nafford you all the particulars, nor shall I dwell upon the situation in\nwhich I find myself, but be content with observing that the violence, the\npreconcerted violence and atrocity, which have been practised towards me,\nwill prove the means of accomplishing not what my enemies hoped and\nwished, the destruction and disgrace of the Bible-cause in Spain, but its\ntriumph, its pure and sublime triumph.\n\nSatan has, as usual, foiled himself, and his poisoned shafts have\nrecoiled, and pierced his own bosom. You will have heard how gallantly\nSir George Villiers has taken my part, and how he has made a national\nquestion of the persecution of which I have been the object, and which\nlately reached its climax. It will be necessary to tell you here that I\nhave always communicated to him the steps which I intended to take in\norder to promote the circulation of the Bible, and they have uniformly\nmet with his approbation; therefore you will easily conceive that in what\nI have done there has been no rashness nor anything which savoured of the\narts of the charlatan: I have too much respect for the Gospel and my own\ncharacter to have recourse to them.\n\nI will now state a fact which speaks volumes as to the state of affairs\nat Madrid. My arch-enemy the Archbishop of Toledo, the Primate of Spain,\nwishes to give me the kiss of brotherly peace. He has caused a message\nto be conveyed to me in my dungeon, assuring me that he has had no share\nin causing my imprisonment, which he says was the work of the Civil\nGovernor, who was incited to that step by the Jesuits. He adds that he\nis determined to seek out my persecutors amongst the clergy and to have\nthem punished, and that when I leave prison he shall be happy to\nco-operate with me in the dissemination of the Gospel!!!\n\nI cannot write much now, for I am not well, having been bled and\nblistered. I must, however, devote a few lines to another subject, but\nnot one of rejoicing or Christian exultation. Marin arrived just after\nmy arrest, and visited me in prison, and there favoured me with a scene\nof despair, abject despair, which nearly turned my brain. I despised the\ncreature, God forgive me, but I pitied him; for he was without money and\nexpected every moment to be seized like myself and incarcerated, and he\nis by no means anxious to be invested with the honours of martyrdom. I\nhave offered him some relief--what else could I do? He seems partly\ninsane. I reap, as I expected, the full credit of his conversion. The\nBishop of Cordova got up the other day in council, and said that I was a\ndangerous pestilent person, who under the pretence of selling the\nScriptures went about making converts, and moreover employed\nsubordinates, for the purpose of deluding weak and silly people into\nseparation from the Mother Church.\n\nOf this man I have said in a letter to Mr. Rule, not yet sent: 'I hope\nthat Marin's history will prove a warning to many of our friends, and\ntend to a certain extent to sober down the desire for doing what is\ncalled at home _smart things_, many of which terminate in a manner very\ndifferent from the original expectations of the parties concerned. To do\na great and a good thing requires a heart replete with the love of Christ\nand a head cooled by experience and knowledge of the world; both of which\ndesiderata I consider incompatible with a wish to shine.'\n\nIt is probable that I shall leave prison to-morrow. Pray write to my\nmother and beg her not to be alarmed.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nYours faithfully,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 23, 1838)\n MADRID, May 13 [1838].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Post is just about to start, but I am compelled to\nwrite a few words. The Bible cause has triumphed in Spain. Whatever I\ndo in future connected with the Gospel is to have the sanction of the\nGovernment, who have expressed a desire to co-operate with the Bible\nSociety towards the civilization of the country.\n\nI left prison yesterday, and this morning was sent for to the British\nEmbassy, where Sir George entered into an infinity of details which I\ncannot state at present. Sir George has commanded me, however, to write\nto the following effect:--\n\nMr. Graydon must leave Spain, or the Bible Society must publicly disavow\nthat his proceedings receive their encouragement, unless they wish to see\nthe Sacred Book, which it is their object to distribute, brought into\nuniversal odium and contempt. He has lately been to Malaga, and has\nthere played precisely the same part which he acted last year at\nValencia, with the addition that in printed writings he has insulted the\nSpanish Government in the most inexcusable manner. A formal complaint of\nhis conduct has been sent up from Malaga, and a copy of one of his\nwritings. Sir George blushed when he saw it, and informed Count Ofalia\nthat any steps which might be taken towards punishing the author would\nreceive no impediment from him.\n\nI shall not make any observation on this matter further than stating that\nI have never had any other opinion of Mr. Graydon than that he is\ninsane--insane as the person who for the sake of warming his own hands\nwould set a street on fire. Sir George said to-day that he, Graydon, was\nthe cause of my harmless shop being closed at Madrid and also of my\nimprisonment. The Society will of course communicate with Sir George on\nthe subject: I wash my hands of it.\n\nI remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 28, 1838)\n MADRID, May 17, 1838.\n\nExcuse the haste in which my last letter was written; it doubtless seemed\nsomewhat incoherent, I will now endeavour to be more explicit. Moreover,\nsince sending it, I have had an interview of nearly two hours with Count\nOfalia, and have much that is new to communicate. But previously to\nstating what is likely to afford pleasure and satisfaction, I must\nproceed to disburden myself of what I heard with the greatest pain, and\nwhich I communicate with sorrow and reluctance.\n\nSir George Villiers and Mr. Southern, first Secretary of Legation, were\nthe persons who first informed me of what has taken place at Malaga. It\nappears that Mr. Graydon arrived there a short time before my\nimprisonment at Madrid; and instead of endeavouring to circulate the\nScriptures in a quiet and reasonable manner, such as becomes a gentleman\nand a Christian, and such as had been recommended to me previous to my\nlate long journey in the north of Spain and which I have always\nendeavoured to follow, he had recourse to means the most improper and\ndisreputable, very similar to those which he is said to have followed in\nall the other towns which he has visited. In order to excite curiosity\nand cause a sensation, he published advertisements and handbills replete\nwith the lowest abuse of the Spanish clergy and Government, and\ncontaining his own private opinions concerning religion. However, not\ncontented with this, he had the cruelty--I will not call it baseness--to\nspeak of _myself_, with, whom he asserted that he was co-operating in\nevery point, and that all he was doing was under the sanction of the\nBible Society.\n\nIntelligence of these proceedings was of course sent to Madrid, with one\nof the handbills, which I have not seen, but of which Mr. Southern, a\nliterary and accomplished gentleman, has said that its abusive virulence\nis only to be equalled by its stupidity and folly. Sir George Villiers,\nthough very unwell, was deeply engaged in my affair, and exchanging\nofficial notes with the Government. He had just informed Count Ofalia\nthat unless full and summary satisfaction were afforded me, he should\ndemand his passports, and write to the commanders of all the English\nships of war engaged in furnishing assistance to Spain, commanding them\nto suspend operations forthwith. Suddenly Count Ofalia arrived at the\nEmbassy, and flinging down on the table one of Graydon's handbills,\nexclaimed: 'Peruse that, and then tell me, as a Cavalier and a gentleman,\nand the Envoy of a powerful and enlightened nation, whether you can any\nlonger uphold the cause of your friend in prison, and persist in saying\nthat he has been cruelly and unjustly treated. You see that he is in the\nclosest connexion with an individual whose conduct every civilised man\nmust reprobate, it being a most flagrant breach of common decency and\norder.'\n\nThis unexpected incident occurring at such a critical moment almost\nstunned Sir George; but, recovering himself, he denied in the most\npositive manner that I had any connexion with Graydon, and asserted that\nhe did not believe the latter was an Agent of the Bible Society, and that\nat all events he was quite sure that he had acted in this case without\nits knowledge and concurrence, and that it would be willing to declare so\nin the clearest and most satisfactory manner.\n\nCount Ofalia, finding Sir George so positive, said that since I had such\na voucher he could not reasonably doubt my innocence; and that with\nrespect to the Society he supposed that it too well understood its own\ninterest to trust its affairs to a person whose conduct was calculated to\nbring odium and misfortune on the fairest and most promising cause. But\nSir George has subsequently assured me that, but for this unfortunate\noccurrence, he could have made much better terms for me with the Spanish\nGovernment than from that period he thought it politic to demand.\n\nI will now state one circumstance, and the Lord knows how true it is. It\nwas my prayer night and morning in my dungeon that I might hear of no\nfresh outbreak of this man, whose character I was but too well acquainted\nwith, as I think you will concede when you call to mind my letter written\nimmediately after I had received intelligence that he was on the way to\nAndalusia. He has up to the present moment been the 'Evil Genius' of the\nBible cause in Spain and of myself, and has so chosen his means and\nmoments of operation that he has been almost invariably successful in\nshaking to the ground every feasible plan which my friends and myself\nhave devised for the propagation of the Gospel in a _steady and permanent\nmanner_. But I wish not to dwell upon this subject, and shall only\nobserve that his insane career (for in charity I believe him to be\ninsane) must be instantly brought to a termination. Sir George has\nalready written him a letter, in which I believe he advises him to quit\nthe country. Mr. Southern the other day made the following observation,\nwhich I shall ever remember:--\n\n'Sir George Villiers up to the present moment has been disposed to render\nyou (meaning myself) every assistance, and especially the Bible Society,\nwhich he looks upon as the most philanthropic institution which the world\nhas ever known. Take care, however, that he be not wearied and\ndisgusted. He must not be involved in such affairs as this of Malaga,\nand it must not be expected that he is to put his lance in rest in\ndefence of every person who visits Spain to insult the authorities, and\nwho, after having received merited reproof and correction, writes home to\nhis friends that he is a martyr in the holy cause of religion.'\n\nI may perhaps give offence by what, I have written. I shall be grieved\nif it prove so. But I have had no other resource, and I have stated the\ntruth and what my conscience commanded me; and permit me here to observe,\nthat if any one in the world has a right to be thus free it is myself,\nwho have ventured and suffered much in Spain.\n\nExcuse me now for speaking one moment of myself. Notwithstanding I have\ntravelled very extensively in this strange country, and have established\nmany depots of Testaments most of which are flourishing (I have just\nreceived intelligence from my correspondent at Valladolid that forty\ncopies have been sold at Burgos, the heart of Old Castile), not one word\nof complaint has been transmitted to the Government; and though I have\nsuffered so much persecution in Madrid, I have been but paying (one of my\nsources of information is Count Ofalia himself) the account of others who\nseem to have been reckless as to how much woe and misery they might heap\non my head, provided they could play the part with impunity which their\nown distempered desires dictated.\n\nNow to pleasanter subjects. Count Ofalia has given me very excellent\nadvice, which it will be well if the Society permit me to follow.\nAmongst other things he said:--'Be very cautious for some time, and even\nsuspend the sale of the Gospel in Madrid, and devote all your energies to\nmake friends amongst the clergy, very many of whom are disposed to favour\nyour enterprise. It would not be prudent at present for the Government\nto interfere with ecclesiastical matters, as the war is not yet\nterminated, but much can be done in a quiet way by yourself.'\n\nI must here state that there is a board of ecclesiastics at present\nsitting, occupied in examining the Spanish Bible as printed by the\nSociety. It has been denounced by the Jesuits as not being a faithful\nedition of Father Scio's version, independent of the omission of the\nApocrypha; but hitherto the opinion of the board has been decidedly in\nour favour, and the Bishop of Vich has, moreover, declared that it\nprobably will be expedient to co-operate with the Society in printing\ncheap editions of the Scripture for the use of the people, as daily\nexperience shows that the old system cannot be carried on and that the\nsacred writings must be thrown open.\n\nThe chief difficulty to settle will be the Apocrypha; but I have\nauthorised a friend to state that the Society is disposed to make every\npossible concession, and to go so far as to relinquish the Old Testament\nentirely and to content itself with circulating the New. Perhaps I went\ntoo far in this advance; but I believe a similar concession has been made\nin the case of Ireland, and I feared to lose all by aiming at too much.\nHowever flattering affairs may appear at present, I am well aware that a\nherculean labour is to be surmounted before matters can be placed on a\nsafe footing in Spain. Prudence, coolness and firmness are at this\nmoment particularly necessary; and let it never for a moment be supposed\nthat religious instruction and the knowledge of genuine Christianity can\nbe introduced into Spain by scurrilous handbills and the low arts of the\nmountebank.\n\nA split with Rome will very shortly ensue, by which I mean that no\nattention will be paid to Bulls, against which several of the principal\necclesiastics have spoken; with these puissant auxiliaries we must act in\nconcert.\n\nAllow me in conclusion to state a beautiful piece of conduct of Sir\nGeorge Villiers. I have commissioned one of the Bishops to request for\nme an interview with the Archbishop of Toledo. Sir George on hearing\nthis said:--'Tell the Archbishop that I also am anxious for the favour of\nan interview, in order that I may assist in clearing up any doubt, which\nhe may still entertain, respecting the intentions of the Bible Society;\nhe has only to state the day, and I will wait upon him.'\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n_P.S._--I yesterday transmitted you a Spanish newspaper in which I have\npublished an advertisement, disclaiming in the name of the Bible Society\nany writings which may have been circulated tending to lower the\nauthorities, civil and ecclesiastic, in the eyes of the people, and\ndenying that it is its intention or wish to make proselytes from the\nCatholic form of worship. I took this step by advice, I had likewise a\nparticular reason of _my own_.\n\nMarin is still here looking out for some secular employ, but he is\ncontinually haunting me. He tells me that he is preparing an accounts of\nall his dealings with G [Graydon] and R [Rule], in which he details the\npromises made him to induce him to sign a document purporting to be a\nseparation from the Roman Church. He says that he was abandoned because\nhe refused to preach publicly against the Chapter of Valencia, which step\nwould have insured him a dungeon. This may be true or false, but I have\ntaken my precautions.\n\n\n\nTranslation of the Advertisement\n(_Endorsed_: recd. May 28, 1838)\n\n\nA rumour having been spread that some individuals, calling themselves\nagents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, under the pretext of\ncirculating copies of the Holy Scriptures, have traversed several towns\non the eastern and western coasts of Spain, and have published writings\nin which the respect due to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities of\nSpain has not been observed, but on the contrary an intention has\nevidently been manifested in them to disparage them in the eyes of the\npopulation of those parts, I hasten to make the following public\nDeclaration:\n\nThat such individuals--if it be certain that there are such--have in this\nrespect acted upon their own responsibility, without permission and even\nin direct opposition to the intentions of the Bible Society, inasmuch as\non the principles of the New Testament similar attempts are to be\nreprobated and regarded with horror, being in direct opposition to the\nexpress commands of the Saviour and His Apostles, who in their addresses\nand writings have on various occasions exhorted the faithful to shew\nrespect and obedience to their masters and superiors, even when they were\nheretics or idolaters.\n\nAnd as it has been stated that certain persons, under pretext of being\nagents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, have shown zeal in\npersuading, and have actually in some cases persuaded, various\nindividuals to sign documents purporting to be declarations of separation\nfrom the Catholic Faith--I herewith publicly declare that the British and\nForeign Bible Society has no connection with such persons; and should\nthere be any such, it is not disposed either to confirm or to approve\ntheir proceedings, but on the contrary is desirous of stating in the most\nenergetic and solemn manner that it disavows and rejects all connexion or\nintercourse with them.\n\nThe British and Foreign Bible Society is composed of individuals\nbelonging to all sects, in which those are divided who follow the faith\nof Jesus Christ, amongst whom are seen co-operating for one grand and\nholy object, followers of the Apostles, Romans, and members of the Greek\nand [of the] English Church, whose design is the propagation of the word\nof Christ in all countries, separating wholly from the forms of\ndiscipline of the Church, [which are] matters of secondary consideration,\nwhich for a long time have filled the world with bloodshed and calamity,\nand have tended to keep up in the hearts of Christians unhappy and\nmalignant feuds. Far from being desirous of making proselytes among\nthose professing the Catholic worship, the Bible Society is at all times\ndisposed to hold out the hand of Christian fraternity to the clergy of\nSpain and to co-operate with those who believe, as the Catholic clergy\nassuredly do, 'that all shall be saved, who, believing in Jesus Christ,\nshow it by their good works.'\n\nMadrid _May_ 12, 1838,\n\nOffice of the Bible Society,\n\nCalle del Principe.\n\n (Signed) GEORGE BORROW,\n Sole authorised Agent of the British\n and Foreign Bible Society in Spain.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 2, 1838)\n MADRID, [_May_ 23rd, 1838].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have just had an interview with the Archbishop [of\nToledo]. It was satisfactory to a degree I had not dared to hope for.\n\nIn the name of the _Most Highest_ take steps for preventing that\nmiserable creature Graydon from ruining us all.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 4, 1838)\n MADRID, _May_ 25, 1838,\n CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Events follow each other so quickly in this singular\ncountry, and my situation is so peculiar, and I am afraid so little\nunderstood at home, that I am obliged to take up the pen more frequently\nthan I am inclined. Do not think me intrusive in again troubling you. I\ndo it in the hope of preventing any alarm which an incorrect report of\nthe following circumstance might cause you.\n\nImmediately on receiving intelligence of the scenes which had taken place\nat Malaga, the Spanish Government resolved to put an end to all Bible\ntransactions in Spain, and forthwith gave orders for the seizure of all\nthe Bibles and Testaments in the country wherever they might be deposited\nor exposed for sale. They notified the same to Sir George Villiers,\nexpressly stating that the resolution was taken in consequence of the,\n'_Ocurrido en Malaga_.' I have now learnt that several of my depots have\nbeen seized in various parts of Spain, for example, at Salamanca,\nSeville, and of course at Malaga. This, however, gives me little\nuneasiness, for, with the blessing of God, I shall be able to repair all,\nalways provided I am allowed to follow my own plans, and to avail myself\nof the advantages which have lately been opened especially to cultivate\nthe kind feeling lately manifested towards me by the principal Spanish\nclergy.\n\nBut now prompt measures must be taken on the part of the Bible Society.\nKnowing as I do the character of the unfortunate man who has lately\ncaused so much havoc, I am apprehensive that he may be guilty of some\nfresh excess. From Mr. Rule's letter, which I forwarded to you, it\nappears that for some time it has been his intention to quit Spain, but\nnot quietly, witness this last affair of Malaga. Now my fear is that on\nhis return to Barcelona, on finding that the books and Bibles intrusted\nto his discretion have been seized, he will publish as a parting legacy\nsome tirade against the Government and clergy. If he do, he will\nprobably bring himself into trouble and at all events destruction on our\ncause; for the Government is quite despotic, as indeed is necessary at\nthe present time, and the whole of Spain is under martial law. Therefore\nfor his own sake, if not for the sake of the cause, let him instantly\nretire, abandoning the Bibles to their fate. They shall not be lost.\n\nI have had, as you are aware, an interview with the Archbishop of Toledo.\nI have not time to state particulars, but he said amongst other things,\n'Be prudent, the Government are disposed to arrange matters amicably, and\nI am disposed to co-operate with them.' At parting he shook me most\nkindly by the hand, saying that he liked me. Sir George intends to visit\nhim in a few days. He is an old, venerable-looking man, between seventy\nand eighty. When I saw him, he was dressed with the utmost simplicity,\nwith the exception of a most splendid amethyst ring, the lustre of which\nwas truly dazzling.\n\nMy poor servant, a Basque from Hernani, is, I am afraid, dying of the\njail-fever, which he caught in prison whilst attending me. He has\ncommunicated this horrible disorder to two other persons. Poor Marin is\nalso very ill, but I believe with a broken heart; I administer to his\nneeds as far as prudence will allow me, for I am grieved for him. I have\nnot yet despatched my letter to Mr. Rule, as I wish not to offend him;\nbut I cannot approve of his forcing Marin to come up to Madrid, contrary\nto his wishes. Zeal is a precious thing, when accompanied with one grain\nof common sense.\n\nIn conclusion, I beg leave to say that Sir George Villiers has authorised\nme to state that provided the Bible Society entertain any doubts\nrespecting my zeal in the Christian cause, or the correctness of my\nconduct during my sojourn in Spain, he hopes they will do him the\nsatisfaction to communicate with him.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 23, 1838)\n _June_ 13, 1838, MADRID,\n No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO,\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter of June 1st, but not\nthat of the 30th May which you allude to in the same, therefore I am\nstill in the dark upon many points.\n\nAnother bitter cup has been filled for my swallowing. The Bible Society\nand myself have been accused of blasphemy, sedition, etc. A collection\nof tracts has been seized in Murcia, in which the Catholic religion and\nits dogmas are handled with the most abusive severity; these books have\nbeen sworn to as having been left _by the Committee of the Bible Society\nwhilst in that town_, and Count Ofalia has been called upon to sign an\norder for my arrest and banishment from Spain. Sir George, however,\nadvises me to remain quiet and not to be alarmed; as he will answer for\nmy innocence.\n\nI am now compelled to ask a blunt question. Will the Bible Society look\ncalmly on and see itself compromised and my life and liberty exposed to\ndanger by the lunatic vagaries of that unfortunate Graydon, who, like a\nswine in a field newly sown, has of late been solely occupied in rooting\nup the precious seed and destroying every hope of a glorious harvest?\nThe newspapers are teeming with articles against us, for we are no longer\nlooked upon as a Society founded on the broad principles of Christianity,\nbut as one instituted for the carrying into effect of sectarian purposes.\n\nIn justice to me, it behoves the Society to communicate with Sir George\nVilliers, who has abstracts of all the letters which I have written to\nthe Society, and who will vouch for their correctness.\n\nDo not be cast down; all will go well if the stumbling block be removed.\nI write in haste.\n\n G. BORROW.\n\nP.S.--What do you mean, my dear Sir, by the '_grano salis_'?\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. June 25, 1838)\n MADRID, _June_ 14, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Immediately after having despatched my letter of\nyesterday, I received through my friend, Mr. Wood, a communication from\nthe Bishop of ---, the president of the body of ecclesiastics at present\nengaged in examining our Bible.\n\nHe is of my opinion that the Committee of the Bible Society should in the\npresent exigency draw up an exposition of their views respecting Spain,\nstating what they are prepared to do, and what they are not prepared to\ndo--above all, whether in seeking to circulate the Gospel in this country\nthey harbour any projects hostile to the Government and the established\nreligion; moreover, whether the late distribution of tracts was done by\ntheir connivance or authority, and whether they are disposed to sanction\nin future the publication in Spain of such a class of writings.\n\nIt of course does not become me to advise the Committee and yourself upon\nthis point. I merely take the liberty of communicating the circumstance,\nand observing that the Prelate in question is a most learned and\nrespectable man, and one of the warmest of our friends.\n\nI have not seen any of the tracts seized at Murcia, nor do I wish. If\nexamined by the Council, I shall declare on oath that I am innocent and\nignorant of the matter, and that I believe the Bible Society to be the\nsame. Sir George assured me that one or two of them were outrages not\nonly to common sense but decency.\n\nI forgot to tell you yesterday that my poor servant is dead. He died of\nthe pestilential typhus caught in the prison; his body at the period of\nhis death was a frightful mass of putridity, and was in consequence\nobliged to be instantly shovelled into the Campo Santo or common field of\nthe dead near Madrid. May Christ be his stay at the Great Day; a more\naffectionate creature never breathed.\n\nHear now what the _Madrid Gazette_ says of our Society, in an article in\nwhich it reproves in the strongest terms the conduct lately pursued by\npseudo-agents, and gives me a rap on the knuckles for an anti-catholic\nexpression or two in the advertisement in which I denounced them. The\n_Gazette_ is the official organ of the Government, and all it says is\nunder authority:--\n\n'We will not conclude this article without bestowing the merited tribute\nof praise on the project truly magnificent of the Bible Society,\nconsidered not under the religious but the social aspect. Christianity\nhas been, is, and will be the grand agent in the civilisation of the\nworld; and the preaching of its doctrine, and the propagation of its\nmaxims among the nations who know it not, is the most costly present\nwhich can be offered them, and the pledge of belonging one day to the\ncivilised world; or if they already belong to it, of ameliorating their\nactual condition in society.\n\n'Excellent moral results must also be produced among the poorer classes\nof the people in Christian countries by the distribution of copies of the\nsacred writings; and the Bible Society acts with the highest prudence, by\naccommodating itself to the civil and ecclesiastic laws of each country,\nand by adopting the editions there current. In Spain, where every\ntranslation of the Bible is forbidden, and in general every book of\nreligion, without previous censure and license of the ecclesiastical\nauthority, much good may arise from distributing either of the two\ntranslations, that of Father Scio or that of Amat; but precisely as they\nare, and without the suppression of the notes, which explain some\ndifficult passages. If the great object be the propagation of the\nevangelic maxims, the notes are no obstacle, and by preserving them we\nfulfil our religious principle of not permitting to private reason the\ninterpretation of the sacred Word.'\n\nExcuse me this long extract.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--I should wish to make another Biblical tour this summer, until\nthe storm be blown over. Should I undertake such an expedition, I should\navoid the towns and devote myself entirely to the peasantry. I have\nsometimes thought of visiting the villages of the Alpujarra mountains in\nAndalusia, where the people live quite secluded from the world. What do\nyou think of my project?\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. 27th June, 1838)\n MADRID, _June_ 16, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have received your communication of the 30th ult.,\ncontaining the resolutions of the Committee, to which I shall of course\nattend.\n\nOf your letter in general, permit me to state that I reverence the spirit\nin which it is written, and am perfectly disposed to admit the\ncorrectness of the views which it exhibits. [Greek text]. But it\nappears to me that in one or two instances I have been misunderstood in\nthe letters which I have addressed [to you] on the subject of Graydon.\n\nI bear this unfortunate gentleman no ill will, God forbid, and it will\ngive me pain if he were reprimanded publicly or privately; moreover I can\nsee no utility likely to accrue from such a proceeding. All that I have\nstated hitherto is the damage which he has done in Spain to the cause and\nmyself, by the--what shall I call it?--imprudence of his conduct; and the\nidea which I have endeavoured to inculcate is the absolute necessity of\nhis leaving Spain instantly.\n\nTake now in good part what I am about to say, and O! do not misunderstand\nme! I owe a great deal to the Bible Society, and the Bible Society owes\nnothing to me. I am well aware and am always disposed to admit that it\ncan find thousands more zealous, more active, and in every respect more\nadapted to transact its affairs and watch over its interests. Yet with\nthis consciousness of my own inutility I must be permitted to state that\nlinked to a man like Graydon I can no longer consent to be, and that if\nthe Society expect such a thing, I must take the liberty of retiring,\nperhaps to the wilds of Tartary or the Zigani camps of Siberia.\n\nMy name at present is become public property--no very enviable\ndistinction in these unhappy times, and neither wished nor sought by\nmyself. I have of late been subjected to circumstances which have\nrendered me obnoxious to the hatred of those who never forgive, the\nbloody Church of Rome, which I have doubt will sooner or later find means\nto accomplish my ruin; for no one is better aware than myself of its\nfearful resources, whether in England or Spain, in Italy or in any other\npart. I should not be now in this situation, had I been permitted to act\nalone. How much more would have been accomplished, it does not become me\nto guess.\n\nI had as many or more difficulties to surmount in Russia than I\noriginally had here, yet all that the Society expected or desired was\neffected without stir or noise, and that in the teeth of an imperial\n_Ukase_ which forbade the work which I was employed to superintend.\n\nConcerning my late affair, I must here state that I was sent to prison on\na charge which was subsequently acknowledged not only to be false but\nridiculous. I was accused of uttering words disrespectful towards the\n_Gefe Politico_ of Madrid; my accuser was an officer of the police who\nentered my apartment one morning before I was dressed, and commenced\nsearching my papers and flinging my books into disorder. Happily,\nhowever, the people of the house who were listening at the door heard all\nthat passed, and declared on oath that, so far from mentioning the _Gefe\nPolitico_, I merely told the officer that he, the officer, was an\ninsolent fellow and that I would cause him to be punished. He\nsubsequently confessed that he was an instrument of the Vicar General and\nthat he merely came to my apartment in order to obtain a pretence for\nmaking a complaint. He has been dismissed from his situation, and the\nQueen has expressed her sorrow at my imprisonment. If there be any doubt\nentertained on the matter, pray let Sir George Villiers be written to!\n\nI should be happy to hear what success attends our efforts in China. I\nhope a prudent conduct has been adopted; for think not that a strange and\nloud language will find favour in the eyes of the Chinese; and above all,\nI hope that we have not got into war with the Augustines and their\nfollowers, who, if properly managed, may be of incalculable service in\npropagating the Scriptures.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--The documents, or some of them, shall be sent as soon as\npossible.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (Endorsed: recd. July 5, 1838)\n MADRID, _June_ 26, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I shall not be able to send the documents in\nquestion, as they are lodged in the archives, and are now become\nstate-papers. Those that relate to the affair at Malaga I have not yet\nbeen able to obtain a perusal of; it will therefore perhaps suffice for\nthe present to say that in one of them the Government was stigmatized as\nbeing '_voraz de pesetas_' (voracious of pesetas), and the Catholic\nreligion termed '_un sistema del mas grosero fanatismo_' (a system of the\ngrossest fanaticism). It was well for the writer of this trash that the\nGovernment were at the time alarmed at the step which they had taken in\nimprisoning myself, and did not wish to press the matter home: otherwise\nhe could not have escaped so easily as he did. Yet what must we think of\nan Englishman, who, relying for protection on the fear and respect which\nthe mighty country to which he belongs everywhere inspires, visits a\nSpanish town in a state of revolution--as Malaga was--and, for the\nbringing about a particular object, adds to the ferment by appealing to\nalready excited passions? But I shall not dwell further on this subject.\nThe Society are already aware of the results of the visit of our friend\nto Malaga, all their Bibles and Testaments having been seized throughout\nSpain, with the exception of my stock in Madrid (upwards of 3000)--Count\nOfalia having in a communication to Sir George declared that he had full\nconfidence in my honour and good faith, being well persuaded that I\nharboured no designs but those I professed.\n\nI send you on the other side some extracts from one of the tracts which\npurports to be 'A true history of the Virgin of Sorrows, to whom Don\nCarlos, the Rebel and Fanatic, has dedicated his cause, and the ignorance\nwhich he trumpets.' The one, however, which has given most offence is 'A\nCatechism on the Principal Controversies between Protestants and\nCatholics,' translated from the English.\n\nI now await your orders. I wish to know whether I am at liberty to\npursue the course which may seem to me best under existing circumstances,\nand which at present appears to be to mount my horses which are neighing\nin the stable, and once more to betake myself to the plains and mountains\nof dusty Spain, and to dispose of my Testaments to the muleteers and\npeasants. By doing so I shall employ myself usefully, and at the same\ntime avoid giving offence. Better days will soon arrive, which will\nenable me to return to Madrid and reopen my shop; till then, however, I\nshould wish to pursue my labours in comparative obscurity.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n_P.S._--I am engaged in translating the Acts of the Apostles into Basque.\n\n_On the fly-leaf of this letter appear the following extracts_.\n\n Historia Verdadera de la Virjen Dolorosa\n a Quien el rebelde y fanatico D. Carlos\n Ha Dedicado su causa y la ignorancia que Pregona.\n\n\n\nEXTRACTOS\n\n\nP. 17. 'Echase de ver en todos estos epitetos grandiosos prodigados a\nMaria la obra del enemigo de Dios, el cual, ensencialmente idolatra, ha\nsabido introducir la idolatria bajo las apariencias del Cristianismo, y\nse esfuerza en desviar sobre una criatura, y hasta en la imagen de esta,\nla adoracion que se debe a Dios tan solo. Sin duda que con igual objeto\nse colocan por todas partes las estatuas de Maria, adornadas con una\ncorona, y llevando en brazos un tierno infante, como para acostumbrar al\npueblo al concepto entranable de [la superi] oridad de Maria sobre\nJesus.'\n\nP. 30. 'Tal es nuestra conclusion. Reconociendo y sancionando este\nculto, la Iglesia de Roma se constituye iglesia _idolatra_, y todos sus\nmiembros que no saben buscar la verdad detras del monstruos-o\nhacinamiento de impiedad con que la oculta, son supuestos por la misma\ncondenados a la perdicion. El caudillo de esta Iglesia, que no se\naverguenza de prohibir y hacer que se prohiba, por donde quiera alcanza\nsu ferula, la palabra de Dios, debiera saber cuando menos, se atesorase\nel espiritu de Cristo, que mejor empleara sus bulas barriendo la Iglesia\nRomana de todas sus iniquidades, que no promulgando tan injustas\nprohibiciones. Pero ya que, afferrandose contra mejora, esta iglesia\nproteje y consagra por todas partes un sinnumero de supersticiones y\ncultos erroneos, claro esta que con esto se alza y caracteriza como uno\nde los principales ajentes del Anticristo.'\n\n\n\n\nTo Mr. W. Hitchin\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 20, 1838)\n MADRID, _July_ 9, 1838.\n\nOn the other side I beg leave to present my account. One or two items\nrequire some explanation.\n\n1st, Mr. Borrego's bill of 3084 _reals_, of which 1760 are for the\nprinting of the Basque Gospel, the remainder is for advertisements,\nboxes, package and freight of books to various parts of Spain, namely, to\nValencia, Malaga, Santander, Corunna, etc. The original bill I shall\nforward as soon as it has been signed and vouched for by Messrs. O'Shea,\nwho paid the money.\n\n2nd, As to prison expenses, I must observe that the Government after\nplacing me at liberty offered to indemnify me for all the expense I had\nincurred in prison, but I refused to accept their offer; should, however,\nthe Committee think that I ought to have done so, they will deduct the\namount.\n\n3rd, 60 _reals_ for porterage; on receiving intelligence that my depots\nhad been seized in various parts of the country, I thought it advisable\nto place my stock in Madrid in safety, and in consequence under cover of\nnight removed it from the shop, and concealed it in portions in the\nhouses of various friends.\n\nIn conclusion, I must beg that you will collate my present account with\nmy last, as I am apprehensive that I may have charged the same outlay\ntwice; the copy of my last account was lost when my papers were seized.\n\nI make an excursion to-morrow to the rural districts of New Castile,\nwhich will probably occupy a fortnight. I have sent before me two\nhundred Testaments.\n\nI remain, etc.,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 28, 1838)\n VILLA SECA, DISTRICT OF TOLEDO,\n _July_ 14, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write these lines from Villa Seca, a village\nsituated on the bank of the Tagus about nine leagues from Madrid. A few\nminutes before my departure I received your letter of the 29th June, in\nwhich you mention letters being on the way for me. I, however, could not\nwait for them for many reasons, principally because in that event I\nshould have lost a considerable number of Testaments, which I had sent\nbefore me. I am moreover tolerably well acquainted with the contents\n[of] those communications from the one which I have already received.\n\nFor some time past I have been determined at whatever risk to make an\neffort to circulate the Scriptures in the rural districts of New Castile,\nwhere I am grieved to say the most profound ignorance of true religion\nprevails. I have been induced to take up my quarters for the present in\nVilla Seca, from being well acquainted with a labourer of the place;\nmoreover its situation is favourable to my views as there are many other\nvillages in its vicinity. Poverty it is true abounds, but I am perfectly\nsure that our friends at home are disposed to make every reasonable\nsacrifice, and not for a moment to balance the dust of Mammon against the\neternal welfare of their fellow-creatures.\n\nFor the last two days I have been riding in various directions. It is a\ngreat blessing that heat agrees with me wonderfully, as we have no less\nthan thirty-six degrees according to Reaumur; otherwise it would be\nimpossible for me to accomplish anything, the atmosphere resembling the\nflickering glow about the mouth of an oven. I have already disposed of\nabout thirty Testaments, of course at exceedingly low prices. To-day,\nhowever, I have commenced a new course, and have sent abroad various\npeasants with some parcels of Testaments; my host, whom it has pleased\nthe Lord to render favourable to the cause, has himself taken the field,\nand has proceeded to the neighbouring village of Vargas mounted on his\ndonkey. If success do not attend my efforts, the Lord knows that it will\nbe no fault of mine. It will be the working of His own holy will.\n\nI had scarcely written the above lines when I heard the voice of the\ndonkey in the court-yard, and going out I found my host returned. He had\ndisposed of his whole cargo of twenty Testaments at the old Moorish\nvillage of Vargas, distant from hence about two leagues, and all in the\nspace of about half an hour. Eight poor harvest-men, who were refreshing\nthemselves at the door of the wine-house, purchased each a copy; whilst\nthe village schoolmaster took all the rest for the little ones beneath\nhis care, lamenting at the same time the great difficulty he had long\nexperienced in obtaining religious books, owing to their scarcity and\nextravagant price. Many other persons were also anxious to procure\nTestaments, but my envoy (Juanito Lopez) was unable to supply them. At\nhis departure they requested him to return within a few days.\n\nI will not conceal from you that I am playing a daring game, and it is\nvery possible that when I least expect it I may be seized, tied to the\ntail of a mule, and dragged either to the prison of Toledo or Madrid.\nYet such a prospect does not discourage me in the least, but rather urges\nme on to persevere; for I assure you--and in this assertion there lurks\nnot the slightest desire to magnify myself and produce an effect--that I\nam eager to lay down my life in this cause, and whether a Carlist's\nbullet or the jail-fever bring my career to an end, I am perfectly\nindifferent. But I have other matters now to speak of.\n\nYou hint that a desire is entertained at home to have a personal\nconference with me. In the name of the Highest I entreat you all to\nbanish such a preposterous idea. A journey home (provided you intend\nthat I should return to Spain) could lead to no result but expense and\nthe loss of precious time. I have nothing to explain to you which you\nare not already perfectly well acquainted with by my late letters. I was\nfully aware at the time I was writing them that I should afford you\nlittle satisfaction, for the plain unvarnished truth is seldom agreeable.\nBut I now repeat, and these are perhaps among the last words which I\nshall ever be permitted to pen, that I cannot approve, and I am sure no\nChristian can, of the system which has lately been pursued in the large\nsea-port cities of Spain, and which the Bible Society has been supposed\nto sanction, notwithstanding the most unreflecting person could easily\nforesee that such a line of conduct could produce nothing in the end but\nobloquy and misfortune.\n\nIt was unkind and unjust to taunt me with having been unsuccessful in\ndistributing the Scriptures. Allow me to state that no other person\nunder the same circumstances would have distributed the tenth part. Yet\nhad I been utterly unsuccessful, it would have been wrong to check me\nwith being so, after all I have undergone--and with how little of that\nare you acquainted. You are perfectly correct in concluding that certain\npersons are laughing in their sleeve. But at what? At the success of\ntheir own machinations? Not at all! They are laughing at the\ninconceivable fatuity which induces those whom _they once dreaded_ to\ndestroy themselves and their own labours. The stone with immense toil is\nrolled up to the brow of the mountain, when they see it recoil, not at\nthe touch of Jupiter but at the impulse of the insane Sisyphus, who pulls\nit down on his own body. With common sense and prudence very much might\nhave been accomplished in Spain, and still may. I am sorry to say that\nhitherto very little of [that] has been used.\n\nYou are surprised that I should presume to hint that I have been linked\nto G. [Graydon], but at the same time admit that my identification with\nhim by my enemies has been unavoidable. Now in the name of all that is\nreasonable, to what does such an admission amount but that I have been\nlinked to this man, and it matters very little whether or not I have been\nbrought into personal contact with him. But now farewell to him: and in\ntaking leave of this subject, I will add that the unfortunate M. [Marin]\nis dying of a galloping consumption, brought on by distress of mind. All\nthe medicine in the world would not accomplish his cure.\n\nWith God's permission I will write again in a few days and till then,\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 30, 1838)\n VILLA SECA, NEW CASTILLE, 17 _July_ 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I addressed a letter to you on the 14th instant,\nwhich I hope you will receive in course of time, together with the\npresent; in that letter I informed you where I was, stating my\nproceedings and intentions. It has pleased the Lord to permit me to be\nhitherto very successful in these regions, so much so that during less\nthan a week I have disposed of the entire stock of Testaments which I\nbrought with me, namely two hundred; only three or four remain, which are\nalready bespoken. Last night I sent off a messenger to Madrid for a\nfresh supply, which I expect will arrive in a day or two.\n\nI must here observe that up to the present moment I have endeavoured as\nmuch as possible to avoid noise, and notoriety. Advertisements and\nhandbills I have utterly eschewed. I brought none with me, and in these\nrural places, the name of a printing press is unknown; nor have I much\nendeavoured to work upon the mind of the simple peasantry around me by\nwords. I merely tell them that I bring them the words and life of the\nSaviour and His saints at a price adapted to their humble means.\nNevertheless the news of the arrival of the book of life is spreading\nlike wild-fire through the villages of the Sagra of Toledo, and wherever\nmy people and myself direct our course we find the inhabitants disposed\nto receive our merchandise; it is even called for where not exhibited.\nLast night as I was bathing myself and [my] horse in the Tagus, a knot of\npeople gathered on the bank crying: 'Come out of the water, Englishman,\nand give us books; we have got our money in our hands.' The poor\ncreatures then held out their hands filled with _cuartos_, a copper coin\nof the value of a farthing, but I had unfortunately no Testament to\nafford them. My servant, however, who was at a short distance, having\nexhibited one, it was instantly torn from his hands by the people, and a\nscuffle ensued to obtain possession of it. It has very frequently\noccurred that the poor labourers in the neighbourhood, being eager to\nobtain Testaments and having no money to offer us in exchange, have\nbrought various other articles to our cottage as equivalents--for\nexample, rabbits, fruit and barley; and I have made a point never to\ndisappoint them, as such articles are of utility either for our own\nconsumption or that of the horses.\n\nIn Villa Seca there is a school in which fifty-seven children are taught\nthe first rudiments of education. Yesterday morning the schoolmaster, a\ntall slim figure of about sixty, bearing on his head one of the peaked\nhats of Andalusia and wrapped notwithstanding the excessive heat of the\nweather in a long cloak, made his appearance, and having seated himself\nrequested to be shown one of our books. Having delivered it to him, he\nremained examining it for nearly half an hour without uttering a word.\nAt last he laid it down with a sigh and said that he should be very happy\nto purchase some of these books for his school, but from their\nappearance, especially from the quality of the paper and binding, he was\napprehensive that to pay for them would exceed the means of the parents\nof his pupils, as they were almost destitute of money, being poor\nlabourers. He then commenced blaming the Government, which, he said,\nestablished schools without affording the necessary books, adding that in\nhis school there were but two books for the use of all his pupils, and\nthese he confessed contained but little good. I asked him what he\nconsidered the Testaments were worth. He said, '_Senor Cavalier_, to\nspeak frankly I have in other times paid twelve _reals_ for books\ninferior to yours in every respect, but I assure you that my poor pupils\nwould be utterly unable to pay the half of that price.' I replied, 'I\nwill sell you as many as you please for three _reals_ each; I am\nacquainted with the poverty of the land, and my friends and myself in\naffording the people the means of spiritual instruction have no wish to\ncurtail their scanty bread.' He replied: '_Benedito seo Dios_' ('blessed\nbe God'), and could scarcely believe his ears. He instantly purchased a\ndozen, expending therein, as he said, all the money he possessed with the\nexception of a few _cuartos_. The introduction of the reading of the\nWord of God into the country schools of Spain is therefore now begun, and\nI humbly hope that it will prove one of those events which the Bible\nSociety after the lapse of years will have most reason to remember with\njoy and gratitude to the Almighty.\n\nAn old peasant is at present reading in the portico. Eighty-four years\nhave passed over his head, and he is almost entirely deaf; nevertheless\nhe is reading aloud the second [chapter] of Matthew. Three days since he\nbespoke a Testament, but not being able to raise the money he has not\nredeemed it until the present moment; he has just brought thirty\nfarthings. As I survey the silvery hair which overshadows his sun-burnt\ncountenance, the words of the song occur to me: 'Lord, now lettest Thou\nThy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have\nseen Thy salvation.'\n\nI will now conclude these anecdotes with one not divested of singularity.\nOver a branch of the Tagus by the bridge Azeca there is a large\nwater-mill. I have formed an acquaintance with the tenant of this mill,\nwho is known in the neighbourhood by the name of Don Antero. Two days\nago, taking me into a retired place, he asked me to my great astonishment\nif I would sell him a thousand Testaments at the price at which I was\ndisposing of them to the peasantry, saying that if I would consent he\nwould pay me immediately; in fact he put his hand into his pocket, and\npulled it out filled with gold ounces. I asked him what was the reason\nfor his wish to make so considerable a purchase. Whereupon he informed\nme that he had a relation in Toledo whom he wished to establish, and that\nhe was of opinion that he could do no better than take a shop there and\nfurnish it with Testaments. I told him that he must think of nothing of\nthe kind, as probably the books would be seized on the first attempt to\nintroduce them into Toledo, as the priests and canons were much averse to\ntheir distribution. He was, however, not disconcerted, and said his\nrelation could travel, as I myself was doing, to dispose of them to the\npeasants with profit to himself. I confess I was disposed at first to\naccept his offer, but at length declined it, as I did not wish to expose\na poor man to the risk of losing money, goods, and perhaps liberty and\nlife. I was likewise averse to the books being offered to the peasantry\nat an advanced price, being aware that they could not afford it; and the\nbooks, by such an attempt would lose a considerable part of that\n_prestijio_ (I know no English word to express my meaning) which they now\nenjoy. Their cheapness strikes the minds of the people with wonder, and\nthey consider it almost as much in the light of a miracle as the Jews\n[did the] manna which dropped from heaven at the time they were\nfamishing, or the spring which suddenly gushed from the flinty rock to\nassuage their thirst in the wilderness.\n\nThe following is a list of the villages of the Sagra; or champaign\ncountry of Toledo, already supplied with Testaments.\n\nIt will perhaps be expedient to print this list in the 'Extracts.'\nVargas Mocejon Villa Seca\nCobeja Villaluenga Yuncler.\nIn about a week I shall depart from hence and proceed to another\ndistrict, as it would not be prudent to make a long sojourn in any\nparticular district under existing circumstances. It is my intention to\ncross the country to Aranjuez, and endeavour to supply with the Word the\nvillages on the frontier of La Mancha. Write to me as soon as possible,\nalways directing to my lodgings in Madrid. I wish to know the lowest\nprice at which I am at liberty to dispose of Testaments, and conclude\nwith hoping that what I have narrated will meet the approbation of you\nALL.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 2nd, 1838)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,\n _July_ 23, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--As, I was about to leave Villa Seca for Aranjuez I\nreceived your letters of the 3rd and 7th inst., on the perusal of which I\ninstantly returned to Madrid instead of pursuing my intended route.\n\nMy answer will be very brief, as I am afraid of giving way to my\nfeelings; I hope, however, that it will be to the purpose.\n\nIt is broadly hinted in yours of the 7th that I have made false\nstatements in asserting that the Government, in consequence of what has\nlately taken place, had come to a resolution of seizing the Bible depots\nin various parts of this country.\n\nIn reply, I beg leave to inform you that by the first courier you will\nreceive from the British Legation at Madrid the official notice from\nCount Ofalia to Sir George Villiers of the seizures already made, and the\nmotives which induced the Government to have recourse to such a measure.\n\nThe following seizures have already been made, though some have not as\nyet been officially announced:\n\nThe Society's books at Oviedo, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Santiago, Seville,\nand Valladolid.\n\nIt appears from your letters that the depots in the south of Spain have\nescaped. I am glad of it, although it be at my own expense. I see the\nhand of the Lord throughout the late transactions. He is chastening me.\nIt is His pleasure that the guilty escape and the innocent be punished.\nThe Government give orders to seize the Bible depots throughout the\ncountry on account of the late scenes at Malaga and Valencia. I have\nnever been there, yet only _my_ depots are meddled with, as it appears!\nThe Lord's will be done, blessed be the name of the Lord!\n\nI will write again to-morrow. I shall have then arranged my thoughts,\nand determined on the conduct which it becomes a Christian to pursue\nunder these circumstances. Permit me in conclusion to ask you:\n\nHave you not to a certain extent been partial in this matter? Have you\nnot, in the apprehension of being compelled to blame the conduct of one,\nwho has caused me unutterable anxiety, misery, and persecution, and who\nhas been the bane of the Bible cause in Spain, refused to receive the\ninformation which it was in your power to command? I called on the\nCommittee and yourself, from the first, to apply to Sir George Villiers;\nno one is so well versed in what has lately been going on as himself.\nBut no. It was God's will that I, who have risked all and lost almost\nall in the cause, be taunted, suspected, and the sweat of agony and tears\nwhich I have poured out be estimated at the value of the water of the\nditch or the moisture which exudes from rotten dung. But I murmur not,\nand hope I shall at all times be willing to bow to the dispensations of\nthe Almighty.\n\nSir George Villiers has returned to England for a short period; you have\ntherefore the opportunity of consulting him. I _will not_ leave Spain\nuntil the whole affair has been thoroughly sifted. I shall then perhaps\nappear and bid you an eternal farewell.\n\nFour hundred Testaments have been disposed of in the Sagra of Toledo.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n_P.S._--I am just returned from the Embassy, where I have had a long\ninterview with that admirable person, Lord Wm. Hervey. He has requested\nme to write him a letter on the point in question, which with the\nofficial documents he intends to send to the Secretary of State in order\nto be laid before the Bible Society. He has put into my hands the last\ncommunication from Ofalia. It relates to the seizure of _my_ depots at\nMalaga, Pontevedra, etc. I have not opened it, but send it for your\nperusal.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 14th, 1838)\n No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO, MADRID,\n _August_ 3, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Since writing to you last I have been at some\ndistance from Madrid. Indeed my affairs at the time were in such a\ncondition and so much depended upon my personal superintendence, that I\nwas obliged to depart almost immediately after dispatching my answers to\nyour two last. I am now returned principally on account of a rather\nunfortunate accident which occurred on the frontier of La Mancha, the\nparticulars of which I shall give you presently. I shall, however, only\ntarry sufficient time to rest the horses and again go forth, for I am but\ntoo well aware that no time must now be lost, my enemies being numerous\nand watchful.\n\nOn leaving Madrid I proceeded in the direction of Aranjuez, selling from\ntwenty to forty copies in every village that lay in the way or near it;\nmy intention was to penetrate deep into La Mancha, and in that view I had\nforwarded a large supply of books to Aranjuez. Having arrived there I\nmade a sojourn of three days, during which time, myself, [my] servant and\nJuan Lopez, of whom I have previously spoken to you, visited every house\nin the town. We found a vast deal of poverty and ignorance amongst the\ninhabitants, and experienced some opposition; nevertheless it pleased the\nAlmighty to permit us to dispose of about eighty Testaments, which were\npurchased entirely by the very poor people, those in easier circumstances\npaying no attention to the Word of God, but rather turning it to scoff\nand ridicule. One circumstance was very gratifying and cheering to me,\nnamely, the ocular proof which I possessed that the books which I\ndisposed of were read, and with attention, by those to whom I disposed of\nthem, and that many others participated in their benefit. In the streets\nof Aranjuez and beneath the mighty cedars and gigantic elms and plantains\nwhich compose its noble woods, I have frequently seen groups assembled,\nlistening to individuals who, with the New Testament in their hands, were\nreading aloud the comfortable words of salvation.\n\nIt is probable that had I remained a longer period in Aranjuez I might\nhave sold many more of our divine books, but I was eager to gain La\nMancha and its sandy plains, and to conceal myself for a season amongst\nits solitary villages; for I was apprehensive that a storm was gathering\naround me. But when once through Ocana, the frontier town, I knew well\nthat I should have nothing to fear from the Spanish authorities as their\npower ceased there, the rest of La Mancha being almost entirely in the\nhands of the Carlists, and overrun by small parties of banditti, from\nwhom however I trusted that the Lord would preserve me. I therefore\ndeparted for Ocana, situate about three leagues from Aranjuez.\n\nI started with my servant about six in the evening, having early in the\nmorning sent forward Lopez with between two and three hundred Testaments.\nWe left the high road and proceeded by a shorter way, through wild hills\nand over very broken and precipitous ground. Being well-mounted we found\nourselves just after sunset opposite Ocana, which stands on a steep hill.\nA deep valley lay between us and the town; we descended and came to a\nsmall bridge which traverses a rivulet at the bottom of the valley, at a\nvery small distance from a kind of suburb; we crossed the bridge, and\nwere passing by a deserted house on our left hand when a man appeared\nfrom under the porch.\n\nWhat I am about to state will seem incomprehensible to you, but a\nsingular history and a singular people are connected with it. The man\nplaced himself before my horse so as to bar the way, and said _Schophon_,\nwhich in the Hebrew tongue signifies a rabbit. I knew this word to be\none of the Jewish countersigns, and asked the man if he had anything to\ncommunicate. He said: 'You must not enter the town, for a net is\nprepared for you. The _Corregidor_ of Toledo, on whom may all evil\nlight, in order to give pleasure to the priests of Maria, in whose face I\nspit, has ordered all the _Alcaldes_ of these parts and the _Escribanos_\nand the _Corchetes_ to lay hands on you wherever they may find you, and\nto send you and your books and all that pertains to you to Toledo. Your\nservant was seized this morning in the town above as he was selling the\nwritings in the streets, and they are now awaiting your arrival in the\n_posada_; but I knew you from the accounts of my brethren, and have been\nwaiting here four hours to give you warning, in order that your horse may\nturn his tail to your enemies and neigh in derision of them. Fear\nnothing for your servant, for he is known to the _Alcalde_ and will be\nset at liberty, but do you flee, and may God attend you.' Having said\nthis, he hurried towards the town.\n\nI hesitated not a moment to take his advice, knowing full well that, as\nmy books had been taken possession of, I could do no more in that\ndirection. We turned back, in the direction of Aranjuez, the horses\nnotwithstanding the nature of the ground galloping at full speed, and\nlike the true Moorish breed bearing their tails erect and stiff; but our\nadventures were not over. About mid-way, and about half a league from\nthe small village of Antigola, we saw close to us on our left hand three\nmen on a low bank. As far as the darkness would permit us to distinguish\nthey were naked, but each bore in his hand a long gun; these were\n_rateros_, or the common assassins and robbers of the roads. We halted,\nand cried out 'Who goes there?' They, replied, 'What's that to you? Pass\nby.' Their drift was to fire at us from a position from which it would\nbe impossible to miss. We shouted: 'If you do not instantly pass to the\nright side of the road, we will tread you down beneath the horses'\nhoofs.' They hesitated, and then obeyed, for all Spanish assassins are\ndastards, and the least show of resolution daunts them. As we galloped\npast, one cried with an obscene oath, '_Tiraremos_' ('fire') but another\nsaid, '_No_! _hay peligro_' ['there's danger']. We reached Aranjuez,\nwhere early next morning Lopez rejoined us, and we returned to Madrid.\n\nI am sorry to state that two hundred Testaments were seized at Ocana,\nwhere they were sealed and despatched to Toledo. Lopez informed me that\nin two hours he could have sold them all, the demand was so great; as it\nwas, twenty-seven were sold in less than ten minutes. He is just\ndeparted on another expedition, and I am about to follow, for with God's\nleave I will fight it out to the last.\n\nI enclose you a list of all the towns and villages hitherto visited. I\nhave nothing more to say for the present, but that you may make what use\nyou please of this letter.\n\nSuch is my life in Spain.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n _Pueblos_.\nVilla Seca. Azana.\nMocejon. Ylleicas.\nMagan. Forrejon.\nOliar. Parla.\nVargas. Pinto.\nVillaluenga. Baldemoro.\nYuncler. Zetafe.\nAlameda. Leganez.\nAnober. Aranjuez.\nCobena. Ocana.\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 12, 1838)\n [LABAJOS, PROVINCE OF SEGOVIA,\n _Aug._ 23_rd_, 1838.]\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Lord William Hervey was perfectly satisfied with my\nconduct in the affair stated on the other side, and so was Count Ofalia,\nwho expressed his regret that circumstances had compelled her Majesty's\nGovernment to take those steps against the circulation of the Scriptures\nwith which you are already acquainted.\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\nCopy of Letter to the Right Hon. Lord William Hervey\n\n\n LABAJOS, PROVINCE OF SEGOVIA,\n _August_ 23rd, 1838.\n\nMY LORD,--I beg leave to call your attention to the following facts. On\nthe 21st instant I received information that a person in my employ of the\nname of Juan Lopez had been thrown into the prison of Villallos, in the\nprovince of Avila, by order of the _Cura_ of that place. The crime with\nwhich he was charged was selling the New Testament. At the time I\nalluded to, I was at Labajos, in the province of Segovia, and the\ndivision of the factious chieftain Balmaseda was in the immediate\nneighbourhood. On the 22nd, I mounted my horse and rode to Villallos, a\ndistance of three leagues. On my arrival there, I found that Lopez had\nbeen removed from the prison to a private house. An order had arrived\nfrom the _Corregidor_ of Avila, commanding that the person of Lopez\nshould be placed in full and perfect liberty and that the books which had\nbeen found in his possession should be alone detained. Nevertheless, in\ndirect opposition to this order, a copy of which I herewith transmit, the\n_Alcalde_ of Villallos, at the instigation of the _Cura_, refused to\npermit the said Lopez to quit the place, either to proceed to Avila or in\nany other direction. It had been hinted to Lopez that, as the factious\nwere expected, it was intended on their arrival to denounce him to them\nas a liberal, and to cause him to be sacrificed. Taking these\ncircumstances into consideration, I deemed it my duty, as a Christian and\na gentleman, to rescue my unfortunate servant from such lawless bands,\nand in consequence defying opposition I bore him off, though perfectly\nunarmed, through a crowd of at least one hundred peasants. On leaving\nthe place I shouted '_Viva Isabela Segunda_.'\n\nAs it is my belief that the _Cura_ of Villallos is a person capable of\nany infamy, I beg leave humbly to entreat your Lordship to cause a copy\nof the above narration to be forwarded to the Spanish Government.\n\nI have the honour to remain, my Lord, your Lordship's most obedient and\nmost humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. G. Browne\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 6th, 1838)\n MADRID, _Aug._ 29, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I am this moment arrived at Madrid from my\nexpedition in Old Castile, and I have received your kind lines appended\nto my friend Mr. Brandram's communication.\n\nI will set out for England as soon as possible; but I must be allowed\ntime. I am almost dead with fatigue, suffering and anxiety; and it is\nnecessary that I should place the Society's property in safe and sure\ncustody.\n\nIt has pleased the Lord to assist me visibly in my last journey. In the\nmidst of a thousand perils I have disposed of nine hundred Testaments\namongst the peasantry on the north side of the precipitous hills of the\nGuadarama range, and all in the space of three weeks. In a day or two I\nshall write to Mr. Brandram with particulars.\n\nPray excuse these hasty lines; present my kindest remembrances to Mrs.\nBrowne, and believe me, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nGratefully and truly yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 10, 1838)\n MADRID, _Sept._ 1, 1838.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--From my letter to the Revd. Geo. Browne of the 28\nult. you are already doubtless aware of my arrival at Madrid from my\nexpedition in Old Castile. I now proceed to detail to you a few\noccurrences, premising that my notices will necessarily be brief, as I am\nconsiderably indisposed, and am moreover much occupied in making\npreparations for my departure for England, and in arranging the affairs\nof the Society in Spain in as satisfactory a manner as circumstances will\npermit.\n\nI set out for my journey on the 4th of last month on horseback and\naccompanied by my servant. The first day brought us to La Granja, a\ndistance of twelve leagues from Madrid, where I expected to find Lopez\nand another man whom I had sent before. Nothing particular occurred\nduring this day's journey, except that notwithstanding my haste I sold\nsome Testaments in the villages near the roadside and that it pleased God\nto permit us to traverse the pass of Pena Cerrada without coming in\ncontact with the banditti that haunt the gloomy pine forests which\nembower it and extend for leagues in every direction. Arrived at La\nGranja, I could hear nothing of Lopez nor of the other individual, and in\nconsequence after a stay of a day which was necessary to refresh the\nhorses, I departed for Segovia. I did not attempt to distribute the Word\nat La Granja, being well aware that orders had been transmitted to the\nauthorities of the place to seize all copies of the sacred writings which\nmight be offered for sale. I may say the same with respect to Segovia,\nwhere still none of my people made their appearance. At Segovia I\nreceived from a friend a chest containing two hundred Testaments, and\nalmost immediately after, by the greatest chance in the world, I heard\nfrom a peasant that there were men in the neighbourhood of Abades selling\nbooks. Abades is about three leagues distant from Segovia, and upon\nreceiving this intelligence I instantly departed for the former place,\nwith three _burricos_ [asses] laden with Testaments.\n\nI reached Abades at nightfall, and found Lopez in the house of the\nsurgeon of the place, where I also took up my residence. He had already\ndisposed of a considerable number of Testaments in the neighbourhood, and\nhad that day commenced selling at Abades itself. He had, however, been\ninterrupted by two of three _Curas_ of the village, who with horrid\ncurses denounced the work, threatening eternal condemnation to Lopez for\nselling it and to any person who should purchase it; whereupon Lopez,\nterrified, forebore until I should arrive. The third _Cura_, however,\nexerted himself to the utmost to persuade the people to provide\nthemselves with Testaments, telling them that his brethren were\nhypocrites and false guides, who by keeping them in ignorance of the word\nand will of Christ were leading them to the abyss. Upon receiving this\ninformation, I instantly sallied forth to the marketplace, and that same\nnight succeeded in disposing of upwards of thirty Testaments. The next\nmorning the house was entered by the two factious _Curas_; but upon my\nrising to confront them they retreated, and I heard no more of them,\nexcept that they publicly cursed me in the church more than once, an\nevent which as no ill resulted from it gave me little concern.\n\nI will not detail the events of the next week; suffice it to say that\narranging my forces in the most advantageous way I succeeded by God's\nassistance in disposing of in that period from five to six hundred\nTestaments amongst the villages from one to seven leagues distance from\nAbades. At the expiration of that period I received information from\nSegovia, in which province Abades is situated, to the effect that my\nproceedings were known in Segovia, and that an order was about to be sent\nto the _Alcalde_ of Abades to seize all books in my possession.\nWhereupon, notwithstanding that it was late in the evening, I decamped\nwith all my people and upwards of three hundred Testaments, having a few\nhours previously received a fresh supply from Madrid. That night we\npassed in the fields and next morning proceeded to Labajos, a village on\nthe high road from Madrid to Valladolid. In this place we offered no\nbooks for sale, but contented ourselves with supplying the neighbouring\nvillages with the Word of God; we likewise sold it in the highways. We\nhad not been at Labajos a week, during which time we were remarkably\nsuccessful, when the Carlist chieftain Balmaseda at the head of his wild\ncavalry made his desperate inroad into the southern part of Old Castile,\ndashing down like an avalanche from the pine woods of Soria. I was\npresent at all the horrors which ensued--the sack of Arrevalo--and the\nforcible entry into Martin Munoz and San Cyrian. Amidst these terrible\nscenes, we continued our labours undaunted, with the exception of my\nservant, who seized with uncontrollable fear ran away to Madrid. I now\nlost Lopez for three or four days, and suffered dreadful anxiety on his\naccount, apprehending that he had been shot by the Carlists. At last I\nheard that he was in prison at Villallos, at the distance of three\nleagues. The steps which I took to rescue him you will find detailed in\nthe communication which I deemed it my duty to transmit to Lord Wm.\nHervey at Madrid, a copy of which, together with the letter of Lopez\nwhich informed me of his situation, I transmit herewith. After the\nrescue of Lopez, I thought it advisable to return to Madrid, more\nespecially as my stock of Testaments was exhausted, we having in the\ncourse of little more than a fortnight disposed of nearly nine hundred\nTestaments--not in populous and wealthy towns but in highways and\nvillages, not to the spurious Spaniards of Madrid and the coasts, but to\nthe sun-blackened peasantry of Old Castile, the genuine descendants of\nthose terrible men who subjugated Mexico and Peru.\n\nMy men returned by Pena Cerrada, whilst I, encumbered by two horses,\ncrossed the Guadarama. I nearly perished there, having lost my way in\nthe darkness and tumbled down a precipice. But I am now in Madrid and,\nif not well, trusting in the Lord and defying Satan. I shall probably be\nin England within three weeks.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Sept. 28, 1838)\n MADRID, 19 _Sepr._ 1838,\n No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write this to inform you that for the last ten\ndays I have been confined to my bed by a fever. I am now better, and\nhope in a few days to be able to proceed to Saragossa, which is the only\nroad open.\n\nI bore up against my illness as long as I could, but it became too\npowerful for me. By good fortune I obtained a decent physician, a Dr.\nHacayo, who had studied medicine in England, and aided by him and the\nstrength of my constitution I got the better of my attack, which however\nwas a dreadfully severe one.\n\nI hope my next letter will be from Bordeaux. I cannot write more at\npresent, for I am very feeble.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\nAccount of Proceedings in the Peninsula\n\n\nGENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY--\n\nI beg leave to call your attention to the following statements. They\nrelate to my proceedings during the period which embraces my second\nsojourn in Spain--to my labours in a literary point of view--to my\ntravels in a very remarkable country, the motive in which they originated\nand the result to which they led--to my success in the distribution of\nthe Scripture, and to the opposition and encouragement which I have\nexperienced. As my chief objects are brevity and distinctness I shall at\nonce enter upon my subject, abstaining from reflections of every kind,\nwhich in most cases only tend to embarrass, being anxious to communicate\nfacts alone, with most of which, it is true, you are already tolerably\nwell acquainted, but upon all and every of which I am eager to be\ncarefully and categorically questioned. It is neither my wish nor my\ninterest to conceal one particular of what I have been doing. And with\nthese few prefatory observations I commence.\n\nIn the first place, my literary labours. Having on my former visit to\nSpain obtained from the then Prime Minister Isturitz and his Cabinet\npermission and encouragement for the undertaking, I published on my\nreturn an edition of the New Testament at Madrid, a copy of which I now\npresent to you for the first time. This work, executed at the office of\nBorrego, the most fashionable printer at Madrid, who had been recommended\nto me by Isturitz himself and most particularly by my excellent friend\nMr. O'Shea, is a publication which I conceive no member of the Committee\nwill consider as calculated to cast discredit on the Bible Society, it\nbeing printed on excellent English paper and well bound, but principally\nand above all from the fact of its exhibiting scarcely one typographical\nerror, every proof having been read thrice by myself and once or more\ntimes by the first scholar in Spain.\n\nI subsequently published the Gospel of Saint Luke in the Rommany and\nBiscayan languages. With respect to the first, I beg leave to observe\nthat no work printed in Spain ever caused so great and so general a\nsensation, not so much amongst the Gypsies, that peculiar people, for\nwhom it was intended, as amongst the Spaniards themselves, who, though\nthey look upon the Roma with some degree of contempt as a low and\nthievish race of outcasts, nevertheless take a strange interest in all\nthat concerns them, it having been from time immemorial their practice,\nmore especially of the dissolute young nobility, to cultivate the\nacquaintance of the Gitanos as they are popularly called, probably\nattracted by the wild wit of the latter and the lascivious dances of the\nfemales. The apparition therefore of the Gospel of Saint Luke at Madrid\nin the peculiar jargon of these people was hailed as a strange novelty\nand almost as a wonder, and I believe was particularly instrumental in\nbruiting the name of the Bible Society far and wide through Spain, and in\ncreating a feeling far from inimical towards it and its proceedings. I\nwill here take the liberty to relate an anecdote illustrative of the\nestimation in which this little work was held at Madrid. The Committee\nare already aware that a seizure was made of many copies of Saint Luke in\nthe Rommany and Biscayan languages, in the establishment at which they\nwere exposed for sale, which copies were deposited in the office of the\nCivil Governor. Shortly before my departure a royal edict was published,\nauthorising all the public libraries to provide themselves with copies of\nthe said works on account of their philological merit; whereupon, on\napplication being made to the office, it was discovered that the copies\nof the Gospel in Basque were safe and forthcoming, whilst every one of\nthe sequestered copies of the Gitano Gospel had been plundered by hands\nunknown. The consequence was that I was myself applied to by then agents\nof the public libraries of Valencia and other places, who paid me the\nprice of the copies which they received, assuring me at the same time\nthat they were authorised to purchase them at whatever price which might\nbe demanded.\n\nRespecting the Gospel in Basque I have less to say. It was originally\ntranslated into the dialect of Guipuscoa by Dr. Oteiza, and subsequently\nreceived corrections and alterations from myself. It can scarcely be\nsaid to have been published, it having been prohibited and copies of it\nseized on the second day of its appearance. But it is in my power to\nstate that it is anxiously expected in the Basque provinces, where books\nin the aboriginal tongue are both scarce and dear, and that several\napplications have been made at San Sebastian and in other towns where\nBasque is the predominating language.\n\nI now proceed to the subject of my travels in Spain. Before undertaking\nthem I was little acquainted with the genius of the Spanish people in\ngeneral, having resided almost entirely in Madrid, and I was fully\nconvinced that it was not from the inhabitants of one city that an\naccurate judgment could be formed of a population of nine millions,\nthinly scattered over a vast country so divided and intersected by\nmountain barriers as is the Peninsula. With this population under all\nits various circumstances and under all its various phases, the result of\ndescent from a variety of foreign nations, I was anxious to make myself\nacquainted; for I reflected that he who builds a city on ground which he\nhas not fully examined will perhaps discover when too late that his\nfoundation is in a swamp, and that the whole of his labour is momentarily\nin danger of being swallowed up. I therefore went forth not so much for\nthe purpose of distributing the Scriptures as to make myself acquainted\nwith the prefatory steps requisite to be taken in order to secure my\ngrand object. Before departing from Madrid I consulted with the many\nfriends, some of them highly distinguished, which I had the honour to\npossess in that capital. Their unanimous advice, whether Catholics or\nProtestants, was that for the present I should proceed with the utmost\ncaution, but without concealing the object of my mission which I\nconsidered to be the simple propagation of the Scripture--that I should\navoid with diligence the giving offence to the prejudices of the people,\nespecially in the rural districts, and endeavour everywhere to keep on\ngood terms with the clergy, at least one-third of whom are known to be\nanxious for the dissemination of the Word of God though at the same time\nunwilling to separate themselves from the discipline and ceremonials of\nRome. I bore this advice in mind, which indeed perfectly tallied with my\nown ideas, and throughout the two thousand miles of my peregrination\nduring the summer of last year, I performed much if not all of what I\nproposed, and am not aware that in one single instance my proceedings\nwere such as could possibly merit reproof. I established depots in all\nthe principal towns of the north of Spain, and in all gave notice to the\npublic of the arrival of the New Testament in a mild yet expressive\nadvertisement which I here exhibit, and which I beg leave to state is the\nonly advertisement which I ever made use of. The consequence was that\nthe work enjoyed a reasonable sale, and I experienced no\nopposition--except in the case of Leon, a town remarkable for its\nultra-Carlism--but on the contrary much encouragement especially on the\npart of the ecclesiastics. I visited Salamanca and Valladolid the chief\nseats of Castilian learning, I visited Saint James of Compostella, the\ntemple of the great image of the Patron of Spain, and in none of these\ncities was a single voice raised against the Bible Society or its Agent.\nBut I did not confine myself to the towns, but visited the small and\nlarge villages, and by this means became acquainted with both citizens\nand rustics; amongst the former I found little desire for sober serious\nreading, but on the contrary a rage for stimulant narratives, and amongst\ntoo many a lust for the deistical writings of the French, especially for\nthose of Talleyrand, which have been translated into Spanish and\npublished by the press of Barcelona, and for which I was frequently\npestered. I several times enquired of the book-sellers of the various\ntowns which I visited as to the means to be used towards introducing the\nScripture amongst the villagers; but to this question they invariably\nreplied that, unless the villagers came to the towns and purchased the\nwork, they saw no means of making it known amongst them, unless I made\nfriends in the villages in whose hands I could deposit copies for sale,\nthough in such a case the difficulty of recovering the money would be\nimmense. I therefore at last resolved to make an experiment, the result\nof which fully corresponded with an opinion which I had for some time\nformed--namely, that in the villages, sequestered and apart amongst the\nmountains and in the sandy plains of Spain, I might at any time be sure\nof a glorious harvest, far more rich than that which it was possible for\nme to expect in towns and cities, unless I had recourse to means\nunwarranted, nay forbidden, by the Book which I distributed, and which\nmeans had been proscribed by the Society itself on my departure for\nSpain. But now to proceed at once to the experiment, which I made at\ndifferent periods and in different provinces.\n\nI twice sallied forth one morning alone and on horseback, and proceeded\nto a distant village, bearing behind me a satchel of books. On my\narrival, which took place just after the _siesta_ or afternoon's sleep\nhad concluded, I proceeded in both instances to the market-place, where I\nspread a horse-cloth on the ground, on which I deposited my books. I\nthen commenced crying with a loud voice: 'Peasants, peasants, I bring you\nthe Word of God at a cheap price. I know you have but little money, but\nI bring it to you at whatever you can command, at four or three _reals_\naccording to your means.' I thus went on till a crowd gathered round me,\nwho examined the book with attention, many of them reading it aloud. But\nI had not long to tarry; in both instances I disposed of my cargo almost\ninstantaneously, and then mounted my horse without a question having been\nasked me, and returned to my temporary residence lighter than I left it.\nThis occurred in Castile and Galicia, near the towns of Santiago and\nValladolid.\n\nThe above are incidents which I have hitherto kept within the privacy of\nmy own bosom and which I have confided to none; they were but\nexperiments, which at that time I had no wish to repeat, nor to be\nrequested so to do. I was perfectly aware that such a line of conduct,\nif followed before the proper time, would give offence to the clergy, not\nonly to the Carlist but the liberal clergy, and likewise to the\nGovernment; and it formed no part of my plan to be on ill terms with\neither. For I remembered that I was a stranger and a labourer on\nsufferance in Christ's cause in a half-barbaric land, on which the light\nof freedom and true religion was just beginning to dawn, and I was\nunwilling by over-precipitance and for the sake of a mere temporary\ntriumph to forego the solid and lasting advantages which I foresaw, and\nhad been told that patience and prudence would assure. I resolved to use\nthe knowledge which I had obtained by these experiments only as a last\nresource, provided any accident which it was impossible for me then to\nforesee should overturn all the plans which my friends and myself had\nbeen forming for the quiet and peaceful introduction of the Scriptures\namongst the Spaniards with the consent or at least with the connivance of\nthe Government and clergy, knowing well that a great part of the latter\nwere by no means disposed to offer any serious opposition to such a\nmeasure, they having sense and talent enough to perceive that the old\nsystem can no longer be upheld of which the essential part is, as is well\nknown, to keep the people in ignorance of the great sterling truths of\nChristianity. I now come to the most distressing part of my narrative\nand likewise to the most miserable of my own life.\n\nI returned to Madrid from my long, fatiguing and most perilous journey,\nin which I must be permitted to say that independent of a thousand\nmiraculous escapes from the factious and the banditti I had been twice\narrested as a spy, namely, once at Vigo and subsequently at Cape\nFinisterre, in which latter instance I narrowly escaped with life, the\nignorant fishermen having determined upon shooting me and my guide. Upon\nfinding the booksellers of Madrid, with the exception of Razola, a man of\nno importance, averse to undertake the sale of the New Testament I\ndetermined upon establishing a shop of my own, a step to which I was\nadvised by many sincere friends of the Cause and of myself. Having\naccomplished this, I advertised the work incessantly, not only in the\npublic prints but by placards posted in all the streets of the city; but\nI wish it to be distinctly understood that the advertisement which I used\nwas the same quiet innocent advertisement, a copy of which you possess,\nand of which I have availed myself in the provinces, an advertisement\nwhich had never given offence nor was calculated to give offence if\nsquandered about the streets by millions. I make this statement in\nself-justification, I having, in consequence of a letter in which I made\nsome observations respecting advertisements and handbills, received a\nparagraph in a communication from home, in which I was checked with\nhaving made a plentiful use of advertisements and handbills myself. It\nwould have been as well if my respected and revered friend the writer had\nmade himself acquainted with the character of my advertisements before he\nmade that observation. There is no harm in an advertisement, if truth,\ndecency and the fear of God are observed; and I believe my own will be\nscarcely found deficient in any of these three requisites. It is not the\nuse of a serviceable instrument, but its abuse that merits reproof, and I\ncannot conceive that advertising was abused by me when I informed the\npeople of Madrid, that the New Testament was to be purchased at a cheap\nprice in the _Calle del Principe_.\n\nI had scarcely opened my establishment at Madrid when I began to hear\nrumours of certain transactions at Valencia, said to be encouraged by the\nBritish and Foreign Bible Society. As these transactions, as they were\nreported, were in the highest degree absurd and improper, and as I was\nconvinced that the Bible Society would sanction nothing of the kind, I\nplaced little or no credit in them, and put them down to the account of\nJesuitical malignity. In less than a fortnight appeared in the\nnewspapers what I conceived to be a gross and uncalled-for attack upon\nthe Bible Society, appended to a pastoral of the Bishop of Valencia, in\nwhich he forbade the sale of the Bible throughout his diocese. The\nCommittee are acquainted with my answer to that epistle; they are well\naware with what zeal and fervour I spoke against the spirit of Popery,\nand defended the Society and their cause as far as my feeble talents\nwould permit. Yet I here confess that the said answer was penned, if not\nin perfect ignorance of what had been transacted in Valencia, at least in\nalmost utter disbelief; for had it been my fortune at the time to have\nbeen as well informed as I have subsequently been, so far from publishing\nthe answer in question I would at once have publicly disclaimed, as I\nafterwards did, any participation or sympathy in transactions which were\nnot only calculated to bring the Bible cause into odium, but the Bible\nSociety into difficulties, into discredit, and worst of all, into\ncontempt. A helpless widow was insulted, her liberty of conscience\ninvaded, and her only son incited to rebellion against her. A lunatic\nwas employed as the _repartidor_ or distributor of the blessed Bible, who\nhaving his head crammed with what he understood not, ran through the\nstreets of Valencia crying aloud that Christ was nigh at hand and would\nappear in a short time; whilst advertisements to much the same effect\nwere busily circulated in which the name, the noble name, of the Bible\nSociety was prostituted; whilst the Bible exposed for sale in an\napartment of a public house served for little more than a decoy to the\nidle and curious, who were there treated with incoherent railings against\nthe Church of Rome and Babylon, in a dialect which it was well for the\ndeliverer that only a few of the audience understood. But I fly from\nthese details, and will now repeat the consequences of the above\nproceedings to myself; for I, I, and only I, as every respectable person\nin Madrid can vouch, have paid the penalty for them all, though as\ninnocent as the babe who has not yet seen the light.\n\nI had much difficulty at Madrid, principally on account of the state of\npolitical matters which absorbed the minds of all, in bringing the New\nTestament into notice. However by dint of perseverance I contrived to\ndirect the public curiosity towards it, indeed I was beginning to average\na sale of twenty copies daily, when the shop was suddenly closed by order\nof the Government in consequence of the complaints from Valencia, myself\nbeing supposed to be the instigator and director of the scenes in that\nplace already narrated. For the next four months I carried on\nnegotiations with the Government through the medium of Sir George\nVilliers, who from my first arrival in the Peninsula, had most generously\nbefriended me. But in his endeavours to forward my views he found\nexceeding difficulties. The clergy were by this time, both Carlist and\nliberal, thoroughly incensed against me, and indeed with much apparent\nreason; the former denounced me to the populace as a sorcerer and a\nheretic, and the latter spoke of me as an accomplished hypocrite. I was\nat last flung into prison--into the pestilential _Carcel de la Corte_,\nwhere my faithful servant Francisco caught the gaol-fever, of which he\nsubsequently died. But in this instance my enemies committed a very\nimprudent act, an act which had very nearly produced the result for which\nI had been so long unsuccessfully negotiating. My protector, Sir George\nVilliers, informed the Spanish Prime Minister, Ofalia, that unless full\nsatisfaction was offered me, he should deem it his duty to cease any\nfurther transactions with the Spanish Government, and to order all the\nBritish land and sea-forces, co-operating with those of the Queen to\nterminate the rebellion, to desist from further operations.\n\nI was about to obtain all I wished, when at the critical moment the news\nof the scenes at Malaga arrived at Madrid, and Sir George had little more\nto say than that Satan seemed to mingle in this game. Nevertheless I\nleft prison, with the understanding that the Government would connive at\nthe circulation of the Scriptures in a quiet manner, not calculated to\nproduce disturbances nor to give scandal to the clergy.\n\nBut speedily followed the affair of the sectarian tracts of Carthagena,\nwhich tracts were sworn to as having been left there by agents of the\nBible Society; and I instantly knew that I had nothing more to expect\nfrom the Government. But some time previous I had formed an unalterable\nresolution that, come what might, I would no longer bear the odium of\nactions, which in whatever motive they originated had already subjected\nme to unheard-of persecution, loathsome imprisonment, loss of friends,\nand to the grief of seeing prudent and long-brooded plans baffled and\nbrought to nought, and the Society to which I belonged subjected to\nopprobrium as I believed undeserved; and I therefore published in the\njournals of Madrid an advertisement, in which I disowned, in my own name\nand that of the Society, any sympathy with the actor or actors in those\ntransactions, which had given so much cause of offence to the\nauthorities, civil and ecclesiastic, of Spain.\n\nMy principal reason for taking this step originated from my having become\npersonally acquainted with the ex-priest Pascual Marin, who arrived at\nMadrid the very day in which I was committed to prison. His narrative\nserved to confirm all the rumours which I had previously heard. The\nCommittee are fully aware with what unwillingness I formed the\nacquaintance of that man, who was sent up to me in order that I might\nprovide for him, without my consent being obtained or even demanded; but\nI now rejoice in the circumstance, without which I might still have been\nplaying the odious, disgraceful, and heart-breaking part which I had\nsupported so long. But by the decided step which I now took, the burden\nof obloquy fell at once from my shoulders, as the bundle of sin from the\nback of Christian, and rolling into a deep pit was seen no more.\n\nThat advertisement gave infinite satisfaction to the liberal clergy. I\nwas complimented for it by the Primate of Spain, who said I had redeemed\nmy credit and that of the Society; and it is with some feeling of pride\nthat I state that it choked and prevented the publication of a series of\nterrible essays against the Bible Society, which were intended for the\nofficial Gazette, and which were written by the Licentiate Albert Lister,\nthe editor of that journal, the friend of Blanco White, and the most\ntalented man in Spain. These essays still exist in the editorial drawer,\nand were communicated to me by the head manager of the royal printing\noffice, my respected friend and countryman Mr. Charles Wood, whose\nevidence in this matter and in many others I can command at pleasure. In\nlieu of which essays came out a mild and conciliatory article by the same\nwriter, which, taking into consideration the country in which it was\nwritten and its peculiar circumstances, was an encouragement to the Bible\nSociety to proceed, although with secrecy and caution. Yet this article,\nsadly misunderstood in England, gave rise to communications from home\nhighly mortifying to myself and ruinous to the Bible cause.\n\nIn the meantime my depots had been seized in various parts of Spain,\ndepots the greatest part of which I had established with immense\ndifficulty and peril, some of them being in the remote and almost\ninaccessible province of Galicia, at the distance of almost four hundred\nmiles from Madrid. I now deemed that the time was at hand to avail\nmyself of my resource, and to sell at all risks the Testament amongst the\npeasantry of Spain, by whom I knew that it would be received with\ntransport and with gratitude. I determined to commence with the Sagra of\nToledo, where resided an honest labourer of my acquaintance; my foot was\nin the stirrup when I received a letter from home, which I can only\nconsider as having originated with the Enemy of mankind for the purpose\nof perplexing my already harassed and agitated mind. In this letter I\nwas told, amongst other matter which I need not repeat, to prepare to\nquit Spain. But by the shaft I knew the quiver from which it came, and,\nmerely exclaiming, 'Satan, I defy thee,' I hurried to Sagra, and disposed\nof amongst the peasantry in one fortnight four hundred copies of the New\nTestament. But it is hard to wrestle with the great Enemy; another shaft\narrived in the shape of a letter, which compelled me to return to Madrid,\nwhilst the cause of God was beckoning me to Aranjuez and La Mancha, to\nwhich places I indeed hurried as soon as I had arranged matters at\nMadrid.\n\nWithout losing time or being dispirited by the events of the last\njourney, I repaired to Old Castile; here my success was almost\nmiraculous, nine hundred copies of the Holy Book being sold in less than\nthree weeks, but not in peace and tranquillity, as the province became\nsuddenly a scene of horrors which I shall not attempt to describe. It\nwas not the war of men, or even of cannibals, which I witnessed; it\nseemed a contest of fiends from the infernal pit. But God guided me safe\nand unharmed through this 'valley of the shadow,' and permitted me to\nregain Madrid; where, upon finding myself formally recalled, I deposited\nthe Society's property in as safe a place as I could find, and was about\nto return home when a fever which had been long lurking in my blood at\nlast prostrated me, confining me to my bed for many days, at the\nexpiration of which, though very unfit for travel, I departed for\nEngland, where at last by God's will I am arrived in safety.\n\nBefore concluding, I have a communication to make, the importance of\nwhich few, I believe, will be tempted to deny.\n\nI have at various times stated that the Bible Cause had many and powerful\nfriends in Spain, though my statements up to the present moment seem to\nhave been hailed with little attention. I remember in one particular\nletter recommending prudence, patience, and co-operation with the liberal\nclergy, who were sincerely disposed to help us on, provided that by\nintemperateness of conduct we gave them no reasonable ground for offence.\nThere is now a society formed at Madrid, determined upon making the Word\nof God, without note or comment, known amongst the children of Spain.\nThe laws concerning the publishing the Scripture have been diligently and\nminutely examined, and it has been discovered that by none of the laws of\nSpain, ancient or modern, whether made by Cortes or by kings, is the\npublication of the Scripture, in the whole or in parts, with or without\ncomment, forbidden--but merely and solely by particular Bulls of various\nBishops of Rome, which Bulls though respected by many of the Spaniards\nform no part of the law of Spain. Provided resistance be offered to the\nundertaking either by the Government or any portion of the ecclesiastics,\nit has been determined to bring the matter before the Cortes, from whom a\nfavourable decision may be expected with certainty. An individual has\nbeen selected as the ostensible manager of this great and glorious\nundertaking, this individual is Mr. C. Wood, whom I have already had\noccasion to mention, though it is in my power to state that but for the\nmanner in which the name of the Bible Society has on various occasions\nbeen brought before the public, and almost invariably to its\ndisadvantage, myself its well-known Agent, would have been the person\nselected. If it be here asked who are the respectable and influential\npersons who are at the head of this undertaking and who patronise it, I\nreply the Archbishop of Toledo, the Primate of Spain, and the Bishops of\nVich and Jaen.\n\nNow merely one word in conclusion. I have related facts, and to attempt\nto contravene them would be as futile as to endeavour to breast the\nbillows of the Atlantic. For the fact that I have throughout my\nresidence in Spain conducted myself as becomes a gentleman, a Christian\nand an Agent of a Christian Society, I can at all times command the\nevidence of Sir George Villiers. For the fact that no act of mine has\ngiven offence to the Spanish Government, or was calculated to do so, I\ncan, if required, produce a communication from Count Ofalia, who has in\nwriting expressed to Sir George Villiers his full reliance in my prudence\nand good faith. For the fact that the establishment at Madrid was\nclosed, not in consequence of my own imprudence, but on account of\ncertain proceedings at Valencia, I can receive, if I need it, a\ntestimonial from Count Ofalia. For the fact that proceedings of a highly\nobjectionable nature were transacted in the south of Spain, I have the\naffidavit of the unhappy ex-priest Pascual Marin, who can likewise\nafford, when called upon, information on various points. For the fact\nthat my depots in various provinces of Spain were seized in consequence\nof doings with which I had no connexion, I can cite official\ncorrespondence. For the fact that my advertisement, in which I disowned\nin the name of the Society and in my own any sympathy with the scenes\nalluded to, was productive of infinite benefit to the Cause, I can at any\ntime produce incontestable evidence. And lastly, for my zeal in the\nBible Cause, whilst employed in the Peninsula, I can have the evidence\nnot only of some of the most illustrious characters resident in Madrid,\nbut likewise that of the greatest part of Spain, throughout which I\nbelieve my name is better known than in my native village in East Anglia.\n\n\n\nMr. G. Borrow's Report on Past and Future Operations in Spain\n(_Endorsed_: recd. Nov. 28, 1838)\n\n\n LONDON, _Novr._ 1838.\n\nHaving been requested to commit to paper my opinion respecting the mode\nmost advisable to be adopted for the propagation of the Word of God in\nSpain, provided the Committee of the Bible Society should consider it\ntheir duty to resume operations in that country, I shall as briefly as\npossible communicate the results of an experience which three years'\nresidence has enabled me to acquire. The Committee are already aware\nthat I have traversed the greatest part of Spain in all directions, and\nhave lived for a considerable time in Madrid and other large towns. I\nhave therefore had opportunities of forming a tolerably accurate idea as\nto the mode of thinking upon religious subjects of the Spaniards, whether\nof town or country, and of their character in general. I need not enter\ninto a repetition of my labours during my last sojourn in Spain. It is\nwell known that, after printing the New Testament at Madrid, I\nendeavoured to distribute it in the principal towns, and also in the\nrural districts. Particular circumstances prevented my experiencing in\nthe former the success which I had hoped for, and with some reason, at\nthe commencement of my Biblical labours; and indeed I did not find the\nminds of the inhabitants of the great cities which I visited so well\ndisposed as I could have wished, for receiving and relishing the\nimportant but simple truths of the Bible. I cannot say that a spirit of\nfanatic bigotry was observable amongst them, except in a very few\ninstances, but rather of lamentable indifference; their minds being\neither too much engrossed by the politics of the period to receive the\ndoctrine of the Bible, or averse to it owing to the poison of infidelity\nimbibed from the deistical writings of the French. My success among the\npeasants was however very different, nearly two thousand copies having\nbeen disposed of in an extraordinarily short space of time, and under\nmuch disadvantage owing to the peculiarly unhappy situation of those\nparts which it was my fortune to visit. I will now, without further\npreamble, state the line of conduct which I should wish to see pursued in\nSpain under existing circumstances.\n\nAs the minds of the inhabitants of the cities, from the causes above\nstated, do not appear to be exactly prepared for the reception of the\nScripture, it seems most expedient for some time to come to offer it\nprincipally to the peasantry, by the greater part of whom there is so\nmuch ground for believing that it will be received with gratitude and\njoy. True it is that the Spanish peasantry are in general not so well\neducated as their brethren of the cities, their opportunities of\nacquiring a knowledge of letters having always been inferior;\nnevertheless it would be difficult to enter a cottage of which at least\none of the inmates could not read, more or less. They are moreover a\nserious people, and any book upon religious subjects is far more certain\nof captivating their attention than one of a lighter character, and,\nabove all, their minds have hitherto never been tainted by those unhappy\nnotions of infidelity too prevalent amongst the other class. There is\none feature which I wish to mention here, which is indeed common to the\nSpanish people in general but more particularly to the peasantry, namely,\nthat whenever a book is purchased, whether good or bad, the purchaser\nentertains a firm intention of reading it, which he almost invariably\nputs into execution. I do not make this observation merely upon\nhearsay--though I have frequently heard it from quarters which I am bound\nto respect--many examples tending to substantiate the fact having come\nunder my own knowledge. It is at least a great consolation to the\ndistributor of the Word of God in Spain, that the seed which he casts\naround him is in general received by the earth beneath the surface, from\nwhich he is induced to trust that it will some day spring up and produce\ngood fruit.\n\nI now beg leave to repeat from a previous communication the manner in\nwhich I made my first attempt to distribute the Scriptures amongst the\npeasantry. I must here remind the Committee that until [I] myself solved\nthe problem of the possibility, no idea had been entertained of\nintroducing the Bible in the rural districts of countries exclusively\nPapist. This remark, which I make with the utmost humility, merely\nsprings from an idea that a similar attempt, if made with boldness and\ndecision, might prove equally successful in Italy, Mexico, and many other\ncountries, even pagan, which have not yet been penetrated, particularly\nChina and Grand Tartary, on the shores of which the Bible labours under\ngreat disadvantage and odium from being put into the hands of the natives\nby people seemingly in connection with those for whom it is impossible\nthey can entertain much respect, as they are well known to contribute\nlargely towards the corruption of the public morals. But I now return to\nmy subject, and proceed at once to the experiment which I made at\ndifferent periods and in different provinces.\n\nI twice sallied forth alone and on horseback, and bent my course to a\ndistant village. On my arrival, which took place just after the _siesta_\nor afternoon's nap had concluded, I proceeded in both instances to the\nmarket-place, where I spread a horse-cloth on the ground, upon which I\ndeposited my books. I then commenced crying with a loud voice:\n'Peasants, peasants, I bring you the Word of God at a cheap price. I\nknow you have but little money, but I bring it you at whatever you can\ncommand, at four or three _reals_, according to your means.' I thus went\non till a crowd gathered round me, who examined the books with attention,\nmany of them reading aloud, but I had not long to wait. In both\ninstances my cargo was disposed of almost instantaneously, and I mounted\nmy horse without a question being asked me, and returned to my temporary\nabode lighter than I came. These instances occurred in Castile and\nGalicia, near the towns of Santiago and Valladolid.\n\nIt is the firm conviction of the writer from subsequent experience that\nevery village in Spain will purchase Testaments, from twenty to sixty,\naccording to its circumstances. During the last two months of his\nsojourn in Spain he visited about forty villages, and in only two\ninstances was his sale less than thirty copies in each. The two villages\nwhich he alludes to were Mocejon in the Sagra of Toledo, and Torre\nLodones about four leagues from Madrid in the road which leads to the\nGuadarama hills. The last village is indeed a mere wretched assemblage\nof huts, the inhabitants of which labour under the most squalid poverty,\nowing to the extreme niggardness of the neighbouring soil, which consists\nalmost entirely of rock from which scarcely anything can be gathered, so\nthat the people are proverbially thieves. Only three copies of the\nsacred volume were purchased in this unhappy place, and only nine in the\ncomparatively rich village of Mocejon--which, it is true, was visited on\nthe day of a festival, when the inhabitants were too much occupied with\ndancing and other amusements to entertain any serious thoughts.\n\nThere are at the present moment about two thousand copies of the New\nTestament in Madrid. It appears to the writer that it would be most\nexpedient to distribute one-half of these books in La Mancha, commencing\nfrom the town of Ocana, and concluding with Argamasilla at the other end\nof the province; the remaining thousand might be devoted to the many\nvillages on the road towards Arragon, especially to those of Alcarria\nwhere the people are honest, mild and serious. The writer would by no\nmeans advise for the present an attempt to distribute the entire Bible\namongst the peasantry, as he is of opinion that the New Testament is much\nbetter adapted to their understandings and circumstances. If it be\nobjected to the plan which he has presumed to suggest that it is\nimpossible to convey to the rural districts of Spain the book of life\nwithout much difficulty and danger, he begs leave to observe that it does\nnot become a real Christian to be daunted by either when it pleases his\nMaker to select him as an instrument; and that moreover if it be not\nwritten that a man is to perish by wild beast or reptiles, he is as safe\nin the den even of the cockatrice as in the most retired chamber of the\nking's palace; and that if on the contrary he be doomed to perish by\nthem, his destiny will overtake him notwithstanding all the precautions\nwhich he, like a blind worm, may essay for his security.\n\nIn conclusion the writer begs leave to remind the Committee that a\nsociety of liberal Spanish ecclesiastics is being formed for printing and\ncirculating the Scripture without note or comment. He does not advise\nthe entering into an intimate alliance and co-operation with this\nsociety, but he ventures to hope that if it continue to progress, there\nwill be found Christian hearts in England to wish it success and\nChristian hands to afford it some occasional assistance. If the work of\nthe Lord be done, it matters little whether Apollos or Paul be the\nlabourers.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 4, 1839)\n SEVILLE, _Jany._ 12, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I reached Cadiz in safety, after crossing the Bay of\nBiscay in rather boisterous weather. I have been in Seville about a\nweek, part of which time I have been rather indisposed with an old\ncomplaint; this night at ten o'clock I leave, with the letter-courier,\nfor Madrid, whither I hope to arrive in something less than four days. I\nshould have started before now, had an opportunity presented itself. I\nhave been much occupied since coming here in writing to my friends in\nSpain apprising them of my arrival, amongst others to Sir George\nVilliers. I have of course visited the Sevillian bookseller, my\ncorrespondent here. He informed me that seventy-six copies of the\nhundred Testaments entrusted to his care were placed in embargo by the\nGovernment last summer. They are at present in the possession of the\nEcclesiastical Governor. I visited him also the other day, to make\nenquiries concerning our property. He lives in a large house in the\n_Pajaria_, or straw-market. He is a very old man, between seventy and\neighty, and like almost all those who wear the sacerdotal habit in this\ncity is a fierce persecuting Papist. I believe he scarcely believed his\nears when his two grand-nephews, beautiful black-haired boys, who were\nplaying in the courtyard, ran to inform him that an Englishman was\nwaiting to speak with him, as it is probable that I was the first heretic\nwho ever ventured into his habitation. I found him in a vaulted room\nseated on a lofty chair, with two sinister-looking secretaries, also in\nsacerdotal habits, employed in writing at a table before him. He brought\npowerfully to my recollection the grim old inquisitor who persuaded\nPhilip the Second to slay his own son as an enemy to the Church. He\narose as I entered, and gazed upon me with a countenance dark with\nsuspicion and dissatisfaction. He at last condescended to point me to a\nsofa, and I proceeded to state to him my business. He became much\nagitated when I mentioned the Testaments to him; but I no sooner spoke of\nthe Bible Society and told him who I was, than he could contain himself\nno longer, and with a stammering tongue and with eyes flashing fire like\nhot coals, he proceeded to rail against the Society and myself, saying\nthat the aims of the first were atrocious and that as to myself, he was\nsurprised that being once lodged in the prison of Madrid I had ever been\npermitted to quit it; adding that it was disgraceful in the Government to\nallow a person of my character to roam about an innocent and peaceful\ncountry, corrupting the minds of the ignorant and unsuspicious. Far from\nallowing myself to be disconcerted by his rude behaviour, I replied to\nhim with all possible politeness, and assured him that in this instance\nhe had no reason to alarm himself, as that my sole motive in claiming the\nbooks in question was to avail myself of an opportunity, which at present\npresented itself of sending them out of the country, which indeed I had\nbeen commanded to do by an official notice. But nothing would soothe\nhim, and he informed me that he should not deliver up the books on any\ncondition, save by a positive order of the Government. As the matter was\nby no means an affair of consequence I thought it wise not to persist,\nand also prudent to take my leave before he requested me. I was followed\neven down into the street by his niece and grand-nephews, who during the\nwhole of the conversation had listened at the door of the apartment and\nheard every word.\n\nI have at present little more to say, having detailed everything worth\nmentioning which has occurred since [my] landing in the Peninsula for the\nthird time. As soon as I reach Madrid I shall proceed to make\npreparations for a fresh expedition, but in what direction I have\nscarcely determined. Please therefore to pray that I may be enlightened,\nand that the angel of the Lord may smooth my path before me. Greet all\nmy friends in my name; I hope speedily to be able to write to each, and\nin the meantime remain, Revd. and dear Sir, yours ever,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feb. 4, 1839)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,\n 25 _January_, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--My last letter was from Seville, in which I gave you\nan account of my proceedings in that place, at the same time stating that\nI was about to repair to Madrid with the courier. After travelling four\ndays and nights we arrived, without having experienced the slightest\naccident; though it is but just to observe, and always with gratitude to\nthe Almighty, that the next courier was stopped.\n\nA singular accident befell me immediately after my arrival. On entering\nthe arch of the _posada_, called La Reyna, where I intended to put up, I\nfound myself encircled in a person's arms, and on turning round in\namazement beheld my Greek servant Antonio; he was haggard and\nill-dressed, and his eyes seemed starting from their sockets. As soon as\nwe were alone he informed me that since my departure he had undergone\ngreat misery and destitution, having during the whole period been unable\nto obtain a master in need of his services, so that he was brought nearly\nto the verge of desperation; but that on the night immediately preceding\nmy arrival he had a dream in which he saw me, mounted on a black horse,\nride up to the gate of the _posada_, and that on that account he had been\nwaiting there during the greatest part of the day. I do not pretend to\noffer any opinion concerning this narrative, which is beyond the reach of\nmy philosophy, and shall content myself with observing that only two\nindividuals in Madrid, one of them Lord Clarendon (late Sir George\nVilliers), were aware of my arrival in Spain. I was very glad to receive\nhim again into my service, as notwithstanding his faults, and he has\nmany, he has in many instances proved of no slight assistance to me in my\nwanderings and Biblical labours, as indeed I have informed you on\nprevious occasions.\n\nI was soon settled in my former lodgings, when one of my first cares was\nto pay a visit to Lord Clarendon. I need not dilate on the particulars\nof our interview; suffice it to say, that he received me with more than\nusual kindness, and assured me that I might invariably rely upon him, if\nI should ever chance to be in need of his assistance and protection. I\ntold him that it was not our intention to take any steps towards\npreventing the civil or ecclesiastical authorities of Toledo from\ndestroying the Testaments seized at Ocana; and he smiled when I added\nthat the only wish we ventured to express concerning the matter was that,\nin the event of these books, which contain the Word of God, being\ncommitted to the flames, the said authorities, civil or ecclesiastic,\nwould commit the act with all the publicity possible.\n\nMy preparations for taking the field are now nearly completed, and within\nforty hours I hope to commence operations. My first attempt will be made\nin a large village [at] about a league's distance; and if it please the\nLord to permit me to succeed there, it is my intention to proceed to all\nthose villages or hamlets in the vicinity of Madrid hitherto not\nsupplied. I then wend towards the east, to a distance of about thirty\nleagues. I have been very passionate in prayer during the last two or\nthree days; and I entertain some hope that the Lord has condescended to\nanswer me, as I appear to see my way with considerable clearness. It\nmay, of course, prove a delusion, and the prospects which seem to present\nthemselves may be mere palaces of clouds which a breath of wind is\nsufficient to tumble into ruin; therefore bearing this possibility in\nmind it behoves me to beg that I may be always enabled to bow meekly to\nthe dispensations of the Almighty, whether they be of favour or severity.\n\nTwo days ago I received my largest and most useful horse from the Sagra\nof Toledo and likewise a note from Lopez; he is unable to come himself at\npresent to assist me, but he sent a countryman who, he is of opinion,\nwill be of equal utility, at least for a time. I yesterday despatched\nhim to the low parts of Madrid, or as they are styled, _Los Barrios\nbajos_; he succeeded in disposing of twelve Testaments, amongst the very\npoor people, in a few hours. My other horse is at Salamanca, in Old\nCastile; but he suffered so much during my late expeditions, that it will\nhardly answer my purpose to send for him.\n\nIn passing through La Mancha we stayed for four hours at Manzanares, a\nlarge village which I hope to visit again shortly. I was standing in the\nmarket-place conversing with a curate, when a frightful ragged object\npresented itself; it was a girl about eighteen or nineteen, perfectly\nblind, a white film being spread over her huge staring eyes; her\ncountenance was as yellow as that of a mulatto. I thought at first that\nshe was a Gypsy, and addressing myself to her, enquired in Gitano if she\nwere of that race. She understood me; but shaking her head replied, that\nshe was something better than a Gitana, and could speak something better\nthan that jargon of witches, whereupon she commenced asking me several\nquestions in exceeding good Latin. I was of course very much surprised,\nbut summoning all my Latinity, I called her Manchegan prophetess, and\nexpressing my admiration at her learning begged to be informed by what\nmeans she became possessed of it. I must here observe that a crowd\ninstantly gathered around us who, though they understood not one word of\nour discourse, at every sentence of the girl shouted applause, proud in\npossession of a prophetess who could answer the Englishman. She informed\nme that she was born blind, and that a Jesuit priest had taken compassion\non her when she was a child, and had taught her the 'holy language,' in\norder that the attention and hearts of Christians might be more easily\nturned towards her. I soon discovered that he had taught her something\nmore than Latin, for upon telling her that I was an Englishman, she said\nthat she had always loved Britain which was once the nursery of saints\nand sages--for example, Bede and Alcuin, Colombus [_sic_] and Thomas of\nCanterbury; but she added, those times had gone by since the\nre-appearance of Semiramis (Elizabeth). Her Latin was truly excellent;\nand when I, like a genuine Goth, spoke of Anglia and Terra Vandalica\n(Andalusia), she corrected me by saying that in her language those places\nwere called Britannia, and Terra Betica. When we had finished our\ndiscourse, a gathering was made for the prophetess, the very poorest\ncontributing something. What wonderful people are the Jesuits! When\nshall we hear of an English rector instructing a beggar girl in the\nlanguage of Cicero?\n\nEver yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Feby. 25, 1839)\n MADRID, 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,\n 15 _Febry._ 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In my last communication I stated that I had got\neverything in readiness to commence operations in the neighbourhood of\nMadrid, and indeed since that period I have entered upon my labours in\nreality, though unforeseen circumstances produced an unavoidable delay of\nseveral days. It is with feelings of gratitude to the Almighty that I\nnow state that considerable success has attended my feeble efforts in the\ngood cause. All the villages within the distance of four leagues to the\neast of Madrid have been visited, and Testaments to the number of nearly\ntwo hundred have been disposed of. It will be here necessary for me to\ninform you that these villages, for the most part, are very small; some\nof them consisting of not more than a dozen houses, or I should rather\nsay miserable cabins. I left my servant Antonio to superintend matters\nin Madrid, and proceeded with Vitoriano, the peasant from Villa Seca, in\nthe direction which I have already mentioned. We however soon parted\ncompany, and pursued different routes. The first village at which I made\nan attempt was Cobenna, about three leagues from Madrid. I was dressed\nin the fashion of the peasants of the neighbourhood of Segovia in Old\nCastile, namely, I had on my head a species of leather helmet, or\n_montera_, with a jacket and trowsers of the same material. I had the\nappearance of a person between sixty and seventy years of age, and drove\nbefore me a _burrico_, with a sack of Testaments lying across its back.\nOn nearing the village I met a genteel-looking young woman leading a\nlittle boy by the hand. As I was about to pass her with the customary\nsalutation of '_Vaya usted con Dios_,' she stopped, and after looking at\nme for a moment she said; 'Uncle (_Tio_), what is that you have on your\n_burrico_? Is it soap?' I replied, 'Yes; it is soap to wash souls\nclean.' She demanded what I meant; whereupon I told her that I carried\ncheap and godly books for sale. On her requesting to see one, I produced\na copy from my pocket, and handed it to her. She instantly commenced\nreading it with a loud voice, and continued so for at least ten minutes,\noccasionally exclaiming, '_Que lectura tan bonita_, _que lectura tan\nlinda_!' ('What beautiful, what charming reading!') At last, on my\ninforming her that I was in a hurry and could not wait any longer, she\nsaid, 'True, true,' and asked me the price of the book. I told her 'But\nthree _reals_'; whereupon she said that though what I asked was very\nlittle, it was more than she could afford to give, as there was little or\nno money in those parts. I said I was sorry for it, but that I could not\ndispose of the book for less than I had demanded, and accordingly\nresuming it, wished her farewell and left her. I had not, however,\nproceeded thirty yards, when the boy came running behind me, shouting out\nof breath: 'Stop, uncle! the book, the book.' Upon overtaking me he\ndelivered me the three _reals_ in copper, and seizing the Testament, ran\nback to her, who I suppose was his sister, flourishing the book over his\nhead with great glee.\n\nOn arriving at the village I directed my steps to a house around the door\nof which I saw several persons gathered, chiefly women. On my displaying\nmy books their curiosity was instantly aroused, and every person had\nspeedily one in his hand, many reading aloud. However, after waiting\nnearly an hour I had disposed of but one copy, all complaining bitterly\nof the distress of the times and the almost total want of money, though\nat the same time they acknowledged that the books were wonderfully cheap\nand appeared to be very good and Christian-like. I was about to gather\nup my merchandise and depart, when on a sudden the curate of the place\nmade his appearance. After having examined the books for some time with\nconsiderable attention, he asked me the price of a copy, and upon my\ninforming him that it was three _reals_, he replied that the binding was\nworth more, and that he was much afraid that I had stolen the books, and\nthat it was perhaps his duty to send me to prison as a suspicious\ncharacter. He added however that the books were good books, however they\nmight be obtained, and concluded by purchasing and paying for two copies.\nThe poor people no sooner heard their curate recommend the volumes, than\nall were eager to secure one, and hurried here and there for the purpose\nof procuring money, so that between twenty and thirty copies were sold\nalmost in an instant. This adventure not only affords an instance of the\npower still possessed by the Spanish clergy over the minds of the people,\nbut likewise that such influence is not always exerted in a manner\nfavourable to the maintenance of ignorance and superstition.\n\nIn another village on my showing a Testament to a woman, she said that\nshe had a child at school for whom she should like to purchase one, but\nthat she must first know whether the book was calculated to be of service\nto him. She then went away, and presently returned with the\nschoolmaster, followed by all the children under his care. She then,\nshowing the schoolmaster a book, enquired if it would answer for her son.\nThe schoolmaster called her a simpleton for asking such a question, and\nsaid that he knew the book well, and there was not its equal in the\nworld. (_No hay otro en el mundo_.) He instantly purchased five copies\nfor his pupils, regretting that he had no more money, 'For in that case,'\nsaid he, 'I would buy the whole cargo.' Upon hearing this, the woman\npurchased four copies: namely, one for her son, another for her husband\nwho was dead, a third for herself, and a fourth for her brother, whom,\nshe said, she was expecting home that night from Madrid.\n\nIn this manner we proceeded, not however with uniform success. In some\nvillages the people were so poor and needy that they had literally no\nmoney; even in these, however, we managed to dispose of a few copies in\nexchange for barley or refreshments. (Is this right?)\n\nOn entering one very small hamlet, Vitoriano was stopped by the curate,\nwho on learning what he carried told him that unless he instantly\ndeparted, he would cause him to be imprisoned, and write to Madrid in\norder to give information of what was going on. The excursion lasted\nabout eight days. Immediately after my return, I despatched Vitoriano to\nCaramanchel, a village at the distance of half a league from Madrid, the\nonly one towards the west which had not been visited last year. He\nstayed there about an hour and disposed of twelve copies, and then\nreturned, as he is exceedingly timid and was afraid of being met by the\nthieves who swarm on that road in the evening. In a few days I depart\nfor Guadalajara and the villages of Alcarria.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Mar. 15, 1839)\n NAVAL CARNERO, NEW CASTILE,\n _March_ 4, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have to acknowledge the receipt of your kind\nletter of the 6th ult., which I hope to be able to answer in all points\non another occasion. I am now in a small town on the road to Talavera,\nto which place it is possible that I may proceed. I take up the pen in\norder to give you a brief account of what has taken place since I last\nwrote. I have that to communicate which I am confident will cause\nyourself and the remainder of my dear friends in Earl Street to smile;\nwhile at the same time it will not fail to prove interesting, as\naffording an example of the feeling prevalent in some of the lone and\nsolitary villages of Spain with respect to innovation and all that\nsavours thereof, and the strange acts which are sometimes committed by\nthe rural authorities and the priests, without the slightest fear of\nbeing called to account; for as they live quite apart {392} from the rest\nof the world, they know no people greater than themselves, and scarcely\ndream of a higher power than their own. In my latest communication I\nstated that I was about to make an excursion to Gaudalajara and the\nvillages of Alcarria; indeed I merely awaited the return of Vitoriano to\nsally forth: I having despatched him in that direction with a few\nTestaments as a kind of explorer, in order that from his report as to the\ndisposition manifested by the people for purchasing, I might form a\ntolerably accurate opinion as to the number of copies which it might be\nnecessary to carry with me. However I heard nothing of him for a\nfortnight, at the end of which period a letter was brought to me by a\npeasant, dated from the prison of Fuente La Higuera, a village eight\nleagues from Madrid, in the _campina_, or champaign of Alcala. This\nletter, written by Vitoriano, gave me to understand, that he had been\nalready eight days imprisoned, and that unless I could find some means to\nextricate him there was every probability of his remaining in durance\nuntil he should perish with hunger, which he had no doubt would occur as\nsoon as his money was exhausted and he was unable to purchase the\nnecessaries of life at a great price. From what I afterwards learned it\nappeared that after passing the town of Alcala he had commenced\ndistributing, and with considerable success. His entire stock consisted\nof sixty-one Testaments, twenty-five of which he sold without the least\ndifficulty or interruption in the single village of Arganza, the poor\nlabourers showering blessings on his head for providing them with such\ngood books at an easy price. Not more than eighteen remained when he\nturned off the high road towards Fuente La Higuera. This place was\nalready tolerably well known to him, he having visited it of old when he\ntravelled the country in the capacity of a vendor of _cacharros_ or\nearthen pans. He subsequently stated that he felt some misgiving whilst\non the way, as the village had invariably enjoyed a bad reputation. On\nhis arrival, after having put up his _caballejo_, or little pony, at a\n_posada_, he proceeded to the _Alcalde_ for the purpose of demanding\npermission to sell books, which that dignitary immediately granted. He\nnow entered a house and sold a copy, and likewise in a second.\nEmboldened by success he entered a third, which it appeared belonged to\nthe barber-surgeon of the village. This personage, having just completed\nhis dinner, was seated in an arm-chair within his doorway when Vitoriano\nmade his appearance. He was a man of about thirty-five, of a savage,\ntruculent countenance. On Vitoriano's offering him a Testament he took\nit into his hand to examine it; but no sooner did his eyes glance over\nthe title-page than he burst into a loud laugh, exclaiming: 'Ha, ha, Don\nJorge Borrow, the English heretic, we have encountered you at last.\nGlory to the Virgin and the Saints! We have long been expecting you\nhere, and at length you have arrived.' He then enquired the price of the\nbook, and on being told three _reals_, he flung down two, and rushed out\nof the house with the Testament in his hand. Vitoriano now became\nalarmed, and determined upon leaving the place as soon as possible. He\ntherefore hurried back to the _posada_, and having paid for the barley\nwhich his pony had consumed, went into the stable, and placing the\npack-saddle on the animal's back was about to lead it forth when the\n_Alcalde_ of the village, the surgeon, and twelve other men, some of whom\nwere armed with muskets, suddenly presented themselves. They instantly\nmade Vitoriano prisoner, and, after seizing the books and laying an\nembargo on the pony, proceeded amidst much abuse to drag their captive to\nwhat they denominated their prison, a low damp apartment with a little\ngrated window, where they locked him up and left him. At the expiration\nof three quarters of an hour they again appeared, and conducted him to\nthe house of the curate, where they sat down in conclave, the curate who\nwas a man stone-blind being president, whilst the sacristan officiated as\nsecretary. The surgeon having stated his accusation against the\nprisoner, namely, that he had detected him in the fact of selling a\nversion of the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, the curate proceeded to\nexamine Vitoriano, asking him his name and place of residence--to which\nhe replied that his name was Vitoriano Lopez, and that he was a native of\nVilla Seca in the Sagra of Toledo. The curate then demanded what\nreligion he professed, and whether he was a Mahometan or freemason, and\nreceived for answer that he was a Roman Catholic. I must here state that\nVitoriano, though sufficiently shrewd in his way, is a poor old labourer\nof sixty-four, and until that moment had never heard of Mahometans or\nfreemasons. The curate becoming now incensed, called him a _tunante_ or\nscoundrel, and added, 'You have sold your soul to a heretic; we have long\nbeen aware of your proceedings, and those of your master. You are the\nsame Lopez, whom he last year rescued from the prison of Villallos, in\nthe province of Avila. I sincerely hope that he will attempt to do the\nsame thing here.' 'Yes, yes,' shouted the rest of the conclave, 'let him\nbut venture here, and we will shed his heart's blood on our stones.' In\nthis manner they went on for nearly half-an-hour; at last they broke up\nthe meeting and conducted Vitoriano once more to his prison.\n\nDuring his confinement he lived tolerably well, being in possession of\nmoney; his meals were sent him twice a day from the _posada_, where his\npony remained in embargo. Once or twice he asked permission of the\n_Alcalde_, who visited him every night and morning with his armed guard,\nto purchase pen and paper, in order that he might write to Madrid; but\nthis favour was peremptorily refused him, and all the inhabitants of the\nvillage were forbidden under terrible penalties to afford him the means\nof writing, or to convey any message from him beyond the precincts of the\nplace, and two boys were stationed before the window of his cell for the\npurpose of watching everything which might be conveyed to him. It\nhappened one day that Vitoriano, being in need of a pillow for his head,\nsent word to the people of the _posada_ to send him his _alforjas_ or\nsaddle-bags, which they did. In these bags there chanced to be a kind of\nrope or, as it is called in Spanish, _soga_, with which he was in the\nhabit of fastening his satchel to the pony's back. The urchins seeing an\nend of this rope hanging from the _alforjas_ instantly ran to the\n_Alcalde_ to give him information. Late at evening the _Alcalde_ again\nvisited the prisoner, at the head of his twelve men as usual. '_Buenas\nnoches_,' said the _Alcalde_. '_Buenas noches tenga usted_,' replied\nVitoriano. 'For what purpose did you send for the _soga_ this\nafternoon?' demanded the functionary. 'I sent for no _soga_,' said the\nprisoner, 'I sent for my _alforjas_ to serve as a pillow, and it was sent\nin them by chance.' 'Thou art a false malicious knave,' retorted the\n_Alcalde_, 'you intend to hang yourself, and by so doing ruin us all, as\nyour death would be laid to our door. Give me the _soga_.' No greater\ninsult can be offered to a Spaniard, than to tax him with an intention of\ncommitting suicide. Poor Vitoriano flew into a violent rage, and after\ncalling the _Alcalde_ several uncivil names, he pulled the _soga_ from\nhis bags, and flinging it at his head, told him to take it home and use\nit for his own neck.\n\nAt length the people of the _posada_ took pity on the prisoner,\nperceiving that he was very harshly treated for no crime at all. They\ntherefore determined to afford him an opportunity of informing his\nfriends of his situation, and accordingly sent him a pen and inkhorn,\nconcealed in a loaf of bread, and a piece of writing-paper, pretending\nthat the latter was intended for cigars. So Vitoriano wrote the letter;\nbut now ensued the difficulty of sending it to its destination, as no\nperson in the village dare have carried it for any reward. The good\npeople, however, persuaded a disbanded soldier from another village, who\nchanced to be at Fuente La Higuera in quest of work, to charge himself\nwith it, promising that I would pay him well for his trouble. The man,\nwatching his opportunity, received the letter from Vitoriano at the\nwindow; and it was he who, after travelling on foot all night, delivered\nit to me in safety at Madrid.\n\nI was now relieved from my anxiety, and had no fears for the result. I\ninstantly went to a friend who is in possession of large estates about\nGuadalajara, in which province Fuente La Higuera is situated, who\nfurnished me with letters to the Civil Governor of Guadalajara and all\nthe principal authorities, and at Antonio's request, I despatched him\nupon the errand of the prisoner's liberation. He first directed his\ncourse to Fuente La Higuera, where entering the _Alcalde's_ house he\nboldly told him what he had come about. The _Alcalde_, expecting that I\nwas at hand with an army of Englishmen for the purpose of rescuing the\nprisoner, became greatly alarmed, and instantly despatched his wife to\nsummon his twelve men. However, on Antonio's assuring him that there was\nno intention of having recourse to violence, he became more tranquil. In\na little time Antonio was summoned before the conclave and its blind\nsacerdotal president. They at first attempted to frighten him, by\nassuming a loud bullying tone and talking of the necessity of killing all\nstrangers, and especially the detested Don Jorge and his dependents.\nAntonio, however, who is not a person apt to allow himself to be easily\nterrified, scoffed at their threats, and showing them his letters to the\nauthorities of Guadalajara said that he should proceed there on the\nmorrow and denounce their lawless conduct; adding that he was a Turkish\nsubject, and that should they dare to offer him the slightest incivility\nhe would write to the Sublime Porte, in comparison with whom the best\nkings in the world were but worms, and who would not fail to avenge the\nwrongs of any of his children, however distant, in a manner too terrible\nto be mentioned. He then returned to his _posada_. The conclave now\nproceeded to deliberate among themselves, and at last determined to\ndespatch their prisoner on the morrow to Guadalajara, and deliver him\ninto the hands of the Civil Governor.\n\nNevertheless, in order to keep up a semblance of authority, they that\nnight placed two men armed at the door of the _posada_ where Antonio was\nlodged, as if he himself were a prisoner; these men as often as the clock\nstruck the hours, shouted, '_Ave Maria_! Death to the heretics!' Early\nin the morning the _Alcalde_ presented himself at the _posada_, but\nbefore entering he made an oration at the door to the people in the\nstreet saying amongst other things: 'Brethren, these are the fellows who\nhave come to rob us of our religion.' He then went into Antonio's\napartment, and after saluting him with great politeness said that as a\nroyal or high mass was about to be celebrated that morning, he had come\nto invite him to go to church with him; whereupon Antonio, though by no\nmeans a mass-goer, rose and accompanied him, and remained two hours, as\nhe told me, on his knees on the cold stones to his great discomfort, the\neyes of the whole congregation being fixed upon him during the time.\n\nAfter mass and breakfast, he departed for Guadalajara, Vitoriano having\nbeen already despatched there under a guard. On his arrival he presented\nhis letters to the individuals for whom they were intended. The Civil\nGovernor was convulsed with merriment on hearing Antonio's account of the\nadventure. Vitoriano was set at liberty and the books were placed in\nembargo at Guadalajara: the Governor stating, however, that though it was\nhis duty to detain them at present, they should be sent to me whenever I\nchose to claim them. He moreover said that he would do his best to cause\nthe authorities of Fuente La Higuera to be severely punished, as in the\nwhole affair they had acted in a most cruel, tyrannical manner, for which\nthey had no authority. Thus terminated this affair, one of those little\naccidents which chequer missionary life in Spain.\n\nVitoriano is now with me at Naval Carnero, as he begged me almost on his\nknees to be permitted to attend me and to be employed as before. At his\nimprisonment he smiles. Antonio and myself have lately been very\nsuccessful at Madrid, having sold considerably upwards of a hundred\nTestaments and several Bibles. It is with deep gratitude I state that\nthe poor of Madrid receive the Scripture with gladness: to the rich I\noffer it not, their hearts are hard. I am writing a journal of the\npresent expedition.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo Mr. W. Hitchin\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. March 21, 1839)\n MADRID, _March_ 9, 1839.\n\nOn the other side I send you my account, which I hope you will find\ncorrect. In order to prevent confusion, I have charged my expenses from\nthe period of my leaving London until my arrival at Cadiz in the Spanish,\ninstead of the English currency. Respecting the item of Vitoriano, it\nwill be as well to observe that, when employed in journeying, I allow him\nsix _reals_ per diem and his diet, and two when in Madrid. I do not know\nthat there is anything else to which I need direct your attention, except\nthat I have not noted my quarter's salary because ignorant of the rate of\nexchange. If you please, you can credit me to the amount.\n\nI did not go further than Naval Carnero on the way to Talavera, on\naccount of an accident which occurred, the clergy having raised the\ncountry against me. Glory to God, they are becoming thoroughly alarmed,\nand with much reason. I have disposed of all the Bibles bound already,\nand have been compelled on account of the demand to order the rest of the\nsheets to be got in readiness. We shall be compelled to evacuate our\nstorehouse and to seek another, as the rats are doing prodigious havoc to\nthe stores.\n\nPray, remember me to all friends, and believe me, etc.,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Apr. 8, 1839)\n 20 _March_ 1839,\n MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Having much to communicate, and of no slight\nimportance, I shall offer no apology for now addressing you. My last\nletter was from Naval Carnero, in which I informed you of various\ncircumstances, connected with the distribution of the blessed Gospel,\nwhich had recently occurred. I likewise stated that it was very probable\nthat I should proceed to Talavera, for the purpose of seeing what might\nbe done in that neighbourhood. The day, however, subsequent to\ndispatching my letter ushered in events which compelled me to alter my\nresolution; twenty Testaments were seized in a village in the\nneighbourhood of Naval Carnero, and I learned that our proceedings, on\nthe other side of Madrid, had caused alarm amongst the heads of the\nclergy, who made a formal complaint to the Government--who immediately\nsent orders to all the _Alcaldes_ of the villages, great and small, in\nNew Castile to seize the New Testament wherever it might be exposed for\nsale, but at the same time to be particularly careful not to detain or\nmaltreat the person or persons who might be attempting to vend it. An\nexact description of myself accompanied these orders, and the\nauthorities, both civil and military, were exhorted to be on their guard\nagainst me, and my arts and machinations; for, as the document stated, I\nwas to-day in one place and to-morrow at twenty leagues distance. On\nreceiving this intelligence, I instantly resolved to change for a time my\nstrategic system, and not to persist in a course which would expose the\nsacred volume to seizure at every step which I might take to circulate\nit. I therefore galloped back to Madrid, leaving Vitoriano to follow.\nIt will be as well to observe here, that we sold twenty and odd\nTestaments in villages adjacent to Naval Carnero, before the orders had\narrived.\n\nArrived at Madrid, I lost not a moment in putting into execution the plan\nwhich I had formed. Having an extensive acquaintance amongst the lower\norders, I instantly selected eight of the most intelligent to co-operate\nwith me, amongst whom were five women. All these I supplied with\nTestaments, and then sent them forth to all the parishes in Madrid. I\nwill at once state the result which, I confess, has more than answered my\nexpectations. Since my return from Naval Carnero nearly six hundred\ncopies of the life and words of Him of Nazareth have been sold in the\nstreets and alleys of Madrid, a fact which I hope I may be permitted to\nmention with gladness and with decent triumph in the Lord. There is a\nplace in Madrid called the Puerta del Sol, which is a central spot,\nsurrounded with shops, into which the four principal streets disembogue,\nif I may be allowed the expression. These streets are the Calle Alcala,\nthe Calle Montera, the Calle Mayor, and that of Carreta. The wealthiest\nof all these is the Calle Montera, where reside the principal merchants\nand shop-keepers of Madrid; it is in fact the street of commerce, and is\nin many respects similar to the Zacatin of Granada. Every house in this\nstreet is supplied with its Testament, and the same may be said with\nrespect to the Puerta del Sol; nay, in some instances every individual in\nthe house, man and child, man-servant and maid-servant, is furnished with\na copy, which we have invariably sold, and never given. My Greek Antonio\nhas made wonderful exertions in this quarter, and it is but justice to\nsay that but for his instrumentality, on many occasions, I might be by no\nmeans able to give so favourable an account of the spread of the Bible in\nSpain, as I now conscientiously can. There was a time when, as you are\nwell aware, I was in the habit of saying, 'Dark Madrid,' an expression\nwhich I thank God I may now drop; for can that city justly be called\n'dark' in which thirteen hundred Testaments, at least, are in circulation\nand in daily use?\n\nIt appears to me that a glorious reform is commencing in Spain; indeed\nmatters have lately come to my knowledge, which had they been prophesied\nonly a year ago by the Spirit of truth itself, I should have experienced\nmuch difficulty in believing. You will be surprised when I tell you that\nin two churches of Madrid, the New Testament is regularly expounded every\nSunday evening, by the respective curates, to about twenty children who\nattend, and who are provided with copies of the Society's edition of\nMadrid, 1837. The churches which I allude to are those of San Gines and\nSanta Cruz. Now I humbly conceive that this fact alone is more than\nequivalent to all the expense which the Society has incurred, in the\nefforts which it has hitherto made to introduce the Gospel into Spain;\nbut be this as it may, I am certain, if I may judge by my own feelings,\nthat it has amply recompensed me for all the anxiety and unhappiness\nwhich I underwent last year. Whenever I am now called upon to\ndiscontinue my labours in the Peninsula, I shall comply without the\nslightest murmur or remonstrance, my heart being filled with gratitude to\nthe Lord for having been permitted, useless vessel as I am, to see at\nleast some of the seed springing up which during two years I have been\ncasting on the stony ground of the interior of Spain.\n\nThere is at present a great demand for Bibles; since the time of writing\nlast we have sold upwards of one hundred copies. Indeed the demand is\nfar greater than I can answer, as the books are disposed of faster than\nthey can be bound by the man whom I employ for that purpose, and in whose\nsecrecy and honour I have perfect confidence. Eight-and-twenty copies\nare at present bespoken and paid for. Many of these Bibles have found\ntheir way into the best houses in Madrid. The Marquis of Santa Coloma\nhas a large family, but every individual of it, old or young, is now in\npossession of a Bible and likewise of a Testament, which, strange to say,\nwere recommended by the chaplain of the house. One of my most zealous\nagents in the propagation of the Bible is an ecclesiastic. He never\nwalks out without carrying one beneath his gown, which he offers to the\nfirst person he meets whom he thinks likely to purchase. Another\nexcellent assistant is an elderly gentleman of Navarre, enormously rich,\nwho is continually purchasing copies on his own account, which he, as I\nam told, sends into his native province, for distribution amongst his\nfriends and the poor.\n\nI have at present sold as many Testaments as I think Madrid will bear,\nfor a time. I have therefore called in the greatest part of my people,\nand content myself with the sale of twelve or fourteen a week, for I am\nafraid to over-stock the market, and to bring the book into contempt by\nmaking it too common. The greatest part of those which still remain\n(about one thousand) I reserve for Seville, Granada, and some of the\nother inland cities of Andalusia, specially Jaen, the bishop of which is\nvery favourable to us and our cause. I have likewise my eye on Ceuta,\nits garrison, its convicts, and singular inhabitants, half Spaniards,\nhalf Moors. To Andalusia I shall probably proceed in about three weeks.\n\nI beg leave to call your attention to the work I sent you, and the\nferocious attack which it contains against the Bible Society, and\nespecially to the letter of the curate, which I sincerely wish you would\ninsert in your Extracts. This publication was established and is\nsupported by money sent by the Cardinals of Rome, and is principally\ndirected against us. Its abuse, however, is our praise; and the world\nmay form some judgment of what we are accomplishing in Spain by attending\nto some of the remarks and observations which appear in this work, and\nwhich are in all points worthy of Rome and its clan.\n\nMy respects to Mr. Josiah Forster, who I hope will have received the\nbiography of Ripoll, the Quaker, executed at Valencia in 1826.\n\nWhat news from China?\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. Joseph Jowett\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. April 22, 1839)\n _April_ 10, 1839,\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In a few days I shall leave Madrid for Seville; and\nbeing anxious to write a few lines before my departure in order that\nyourself and others friends may be acquainted with the exact state of\naffairs in Spain, I embrace the present opportunity. In the first place\nhowever I beg leave to apologise for not having ere this performed my\npromise of writing. Many causes unnecessary to recapitulate prevented\nme; but I steadfastly hope that already with your usual considerate\ngoodness you have imputed my tardiness to anything but neglect.\n\nA convoy starts for Andalusia on the 13th, and I intend to avail myself\nof it so far as to send therewith my servant Antonio with the horses and\nthe Testaments which I destine for circulation in that province. I shall\nmyself follow with the courier. True it is that I had determined to\nproceed by Estremadura, but circumstances have occurred which have\ninduced me to alter my resolution. The roads in Spain are in a worse\nstate than ever; and in Estremadura particularly, which for some time\npast has enjoyed a tolerable state of tranquillity, a band of Carlist\nrobbers have lately made their appearance, who murder, make prisoner, or\nput at ransom every person who has the misfortune to fall into their\nhands. I therefore deem it wise to avoid, if possible, the alternative\nof being shot or having to pay one thousand pounds for being set at\nliberty, which has already befallen several individuals. It is moreover\nwicked to tempt Providence systematically. I have already thrust myself\ninto more danger than was perhaps strictly necessary, and as I have been\npermitted hitherto to escape, it is better to be content with what it has\npleased the Lord to do for me up to the present moment, than to run the\nrisk of offending Him by a blind confidence in His forbearance, which may\nbe over-taxed. As it is, however, at all times best to be frank, I am\nwilling to confess that I am what the world calls exceedingly\nsuperstitious; perhaps the real cause of my change of resolution was a\ndream, in which I imagined myself on a desolate road in the hands of\nseveral robbers, who were hacking me with their long ugly knives.\n\n\n\nWe have been very successful of late, having, since my last letter to Mr.\nBrandram, sold no less than two hundred Bibles, so that not more than one\nhundred and fifty remain of the five hundred which were sent to me from\nBarcelona in sheets. I have discontinued selling Testaments in Madrid,\nas it appears to me that we shall have barely sufficient, unless\nsomething unforeseen occurs, for Andalusia and one or two other points\nwhich I wish to visit. When I recollect the difficulties which have\nencompassed our path, I can sometimes hardly credit all that the Almighty\nhas permitted us to accomplish within the last year: a large edition of\nthe New Testament almost entirely disposed of in the very centre of old,\ngloomy, fanatic Spain, in spite of the opposition and the furious cry of\nthe sanguinary priesthood and the edicts of a tyrannical, deceitful\nGovernment; moreover a spirit of religious enquiry excited, which I have\nfervent hope will sooner or later lead to blessed and most important\nresults. Till of late the name most abhorred and dreaded in these parts\nof Spain was that of Martin Luther, who was in general considered as a\nspecies of demon, a cousin-german to Belial and Beelzebub, who under the\ndisguise of a man wrote and preached blasphemy against the Highest. Yet\nnow, strange to say, this once abominated personage is spoken of with no\nslight degree of respect. People, with Bibles in their hands, not\nunfrequently visit me, enquiring with much earnestness and with no slight\ndegree of simplicity for the writings of the great Doctor Martin, whom\nindeed some suppose to be still alive. It will be as well here to\nobserve that of all the names connected with the Reformation, that of\nLuther is the only one known in Spain, and let me add that no\ncontroversial writings but his are likely to be esteemed as possessing\nthe slightest weight or authority, however great their intrinsic merit\nmay be. The printing, therefore, of tracts in the Spanish language, of\nthe description hitherto adopted, appears to be pregnant with no good or\nbenefit whatever. Of what might be the result of well-executed\ntranslations of judicious selections from the works of Luther, it is not\nmy business to offer an opinion.\n\nBefore commencing this journey to Andalusia I must take the liberty of\nmaking one humble request to my friends of the Bible Society, which is to\nbe patient. It may not be in my power to send them for a long time any\nflattering accounts of operations commenced there. I shall be surrounded\nwith enemies, bitter, malignant, and powerful, against whose efforts it\nis very possible that I may not be able to stand my ground; or the books\nwhich I carry with me may be seized and sequestrated, in spite of all the\nplans which I have devised for their safety. The great failing of\nProtestants, in general, is a tendency to spring suddenly to the pinnacle\nof exultation, and as suddenly to fall to the lowest bathos of dejection,\nforgetting that the brightest day as well as the most gloomy night must\nnecessarily have a termination. How far more wise are the members of\nthat object of my undying detestation, the Church of Rome; from mixing\nwith whom I have acquired one principal point of wisdom, which may be\ntermed, _Ever to expect evil_, _and ever to hope for good_; by attending\nto which maxim we find that Church ever regaining the ground which it has\nlost. Yesterday seeming a lifeless stick, as in the case of England,\nto-day it is a magnificent tree, glorious with leaves and fruit. Excuse\nthese observations which, I assure you, are well meant. No one\nacquainted with me will lay undue partiality to the Roman Church to my\ncharge, yet there are some points about it which I highly admire; and you\nknow well enough that it is lawful to receive instruction from an enemy.\n\nI have been lately going through Morrison's Chinese Matthew. I confess\nthat I am the merest tyro in the language, nevertheless I am compelled to\nstate that upon the whole I do not like the translation. It appears to\nme that in various instances the characters are not grammatically placed;\nI mean, not as they are placed in the writings if the best Chinese\nauthors to express the same ideas. Moreover he has translated the sacred\nName by the character which the Chinese are in the habit of bestowing on\nthe spirits whose idols they worship, and which is by no means applicable\nto the one great God, whom the missionaries of the Greek and Roman\nChurches for want of an equivalent in Chinese have always styled, and\nwith justice [three Chinese characters] (_tien tsz hwang_), or King of\nHeaven. The Holy Ghost, he renders by _tching fung_, or Holy Wind, which\nis a Hebraism, and which can scarcely be understood by the Chinese. In\nLipoftsoff's Mandchou version it is happily translated by the Holy\nSpirit. You will recollect that on my second return to Spain you\nrequested me to look into Morrison's Testament, on which account I shall\noffer no excuse for these trifling remarks.\n\nDo me the favour, my dear Sir, to inform Mr. Hitchin that within a day or\ntwo I shall send him another account of money received and disbursed. I\nhope you forwarded the packet containing the life of Ripoll to Mr.\nForster.--Having now said my say for the present, I have the honour to\nremain, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nYour most obedient humble servant,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram.\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. May 21, 1839)\n SEVILLE, SPAIN, _May_ 2, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have been in Seville one week. Perhaps on\nlearning this you will be disposed to demand the reason of my not having\nwritten previously to this, knowing, as I do, the anxiety of my friends\nto know the fate of their adventurer in his wanderings in wild Spain; but\nbelieve me that I had several reasons for deferring, the principal being\nan unconquerable aversion to writing blank letters. At present I have\nsomething to communicate besides my arrival, indeed one or two odd\nthings. The courier and myself came all the way without the slightest\naccident, my usual wonderful good fortune accompanying us. I may well\ncall it wonderful. I was not aware when I resolved to venture with the\nmail that I was running into the den of the lion, the whole of La Mancha\nwith the exception of a few fortified places being once more in the hands\nof Pollillos and his banditti, who whenever it pleases them, stop the\ncourier, burn the vehicle and letters, murder the paltry escort which\nattends, and carry away any chance passenger to the mountains, where an\nenormous ransom is demanded, which if not paid, brings on the dilemma of\nfour shots through the head, as the Spaniards say. The upper part of\nAndalusia is becoming rapidly nearly as bad as La Mancha. The last time\nthe courier had passed, he was attacked at the defile of La Rumblar by\nsix mounted robbers; he was guarded by an escort of as many soldiers; but\nthe former suddenly galloped from behind a solitary _venta_ and dashed\nthe soldiers to the ground, who were taken quite by surprise, the hoofs\nof the robbers' horses making no noise on account of the great quantity\nof mud. The soldiers were instantly disarmed and bound to olive-trees,\nwith the exception of two who escaped amongst the rocks; they were then\nmocked and tormented by the robbers, or rather fiends, for nearly half an\nhour, when they were shot, the head of the corporal who commanded being\nblown to fragments with a blunderbuss. The robbers then burnt the coach,\nwhich they accomplished by igniting the letters by means of the tow with\nwhich they light their cigars. The life of the courier was saved by one\nof them who had formerly been his postillion; he was, however, robbed and\nstripped. As we passed by the scene of the butchery the poor fellow\nburst into tears, and, though a Spaniard, cursed Spain and the Spaniards,\nsaying that he shortly intended to pass over to Morocco to confess\nMahomet and to learn the Law of the Moors, for that any country and\nreligion was better than his own. He pointed to the tree where the\ncorporal had been tied; though much rain had fallen since, the ground\naround was still saturated with blood, and a dog was gnawing a piece of\nthe unfortunate wretch's skull. A friar travelled with us the whole way\nfrom Madrid to Seville; he was _of the Missionaries_, and was going to\nthe Philippine Islands to conquer (_para conquistar_), for such was his\nword, by which I suppose he meant preaching to the Indians. During the\nwhole journey he exhibited every symptom of the most abject fear, which\noperated upon him so that he became deadly sick, so that we were obliged\nto stop twice in the road and lay him amongst the green corn. He said\nthat if he fell into the hands of the factious he was a lost priest, for\nthat they would first make him say mass and then blow him up with\ngunpowder. He had been a professor of philosophy, as he told me, in one\nof the convents (I think it was San Tomas) of Madrid, before their\nsuppression, but appeared to be grossly ignorant of the Scripture, which\nhe confounded with the works of Virgil.\n\nWe stopped at Manzanares as usual; it was Sunday morning and the market\nwas crowded with people. I was recognised in a moment, and twenty pairs\nof legs instantly hurried away in quest of the prophetess, who presently\nmade her appearance in the house to which we had retired to breakfast.\nAfter many greetings on both sides, she proceeded in her admirable Latin\nto give me an account of all that had occurred in the village since I had\nlast been there, and of the atrocities of the factious in the\nneighbourhood. I asked her to breakfast and introduced her to the friar\nwhom she addressed in this manner; _Anne Domine Reverendissime facis\nadhuc sacrificium_? But the friar did not understand her, and waxing\nangry anathematized her for a witch and bade her begone. She was however\nnot to be disconcerted, and commenced singing in extemporary Castilian\nverse the praises of friars and religious houses in general. On\ndeparting I gave her a _peseta_, upon which she burst into tears and\nentreated that I would write to her if I reached Seville in safety.\n\nWe did arrive at Seville in safety, and I took leave of the friar telling\nhim that I hoped to meet him again at Philippi. I must now be brief. In\na few days Antonio arrived with the horses. Difficulties now began to\nshow themselves. All the Testaments were stopped at the custom house,\nthey were contained in two large chests: but I now know Spain and the\nSpaniards. For a few dollars I procured a _fiador_ or person who engaged\n_that the chests_ should be carried down the river and embarked at San\nLucar for a foreign land. Yesterday I hired a boat and sent them down,\nbut on the way I landed in a secure place all the Testaments which I\nintend for this part of the country. The chests therefore, with the\ncopies required for Tangiers and England, with the hundred Gospels in\nGitano and Basque for the Library of the Bible Society, are at present at\nSan Lucar in the custom house, from which I expect to receive to-morrow\nthe receipt which the authorities here demand, and which will be\nnecessary for the security of my voucher. Indeed the whole affair,\nthough attended with considerable trouble and expense to me, was a mere\nformality, as I was given to understand. I was myself treated with the\ngreatest politeness, and was told that my intentions were known and\nhonoured. Late last night Antonio and myself returned from an excursion\non foot, bringing beneath our cloaks, as if they were smuggled goods, a\nconsiderable number of Testaments; our path lay along the banks of the\nGuadalquivir, the rain poured and the river roared, and by the time we\nreached Seville we were wet through and covered with mud from head to\nfoot. To-day I am laid up, being so _stiff_ and sore that I can hardly\nmove; but anything for the Gospel's sake.\n\nIt is my opinion, and I am not one of those who hazard an opinion rashly,\nthat much may be accomplished in this place, which, though by no means\nthe most populous and wealthy, is the most interesting town in all Spain,\nand stands beneath the most glorious heaven, and amidst the most\ndelightful environs; but to effect anything, patience must be exhibited\nand prudence employed, and much of both. Consider my situation here. I\nam in a city by nature very Levitical, as it contains within it the most\nmagnificent and splendidly endowed cathedral of any in Spain. I am\nsurrounded by priests and friars, who know and hate me, and who, if I\ncommit the slightest act of indiscretion, will halloo their myrmidons\nagainst me. The press is closed to me, the libraries are barred against\nme, I have no one to assist me but my hired servant, no pious English\nfamilies to comfort or encourage me, the British subjects here being\nranker papists and a hundred times more bigoted than the Spanish\nthemselves, the consul a _renegade Quaker_. Yet notwithstanding, with\nGod's assistance I will do much, though silently, burrowing like the mole\nin darkness beneath the ground. Those who have triumphed in Madrid, and\nin the two Castiles where the difficulties were seven times greater, are\nnot to be dismayed by priestly frowns at Seville. All I dread is the\nimprudence of very excellent people, whose aim is good, but who are doing\nexactly what is calculated to further the views of the enemy. I wish\nthey could be brought to see the absolute necessity of changing their\nsystem. I suppose you heard of the affair of Cadiz.\n\nI have of late written several letters home, which I wish may have been\nreceived as they contain information which I think will be considered of\nimportance; nevertheless as the road to France has for some time past\nbeen in the hands of the Carlists, it is very possible that they may have\nmiscarried. I shall therefore take the liberty of telling you that about\na thousand Testaments have been sold, and all the Bibles, to the amount\nof 463, since my return to the Peninsula. I shall be happy to receive a\nletter from you as soon as possible: you can direct either to my lodgings\nat Madrid, or to Posada de la Reyna, Calle Gimios, Sevilla.\n\nPray excuse this letter, it is badly written, with a bad pen and with bad\nink. I am moreover sick and in pain. Present my respects to Mr. Jowett,\nMr. Browne, and all friends, not forgetting Dr. Steinkopff, to whom I\nshortly hope to write.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. G. Browne\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 1, 1839)\n SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA, No. 7,\n _June_ 12, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I received in due course of time your exceedingly\nkind letter of the 16th April, and am very grateful for the various\nintelligence which you were pleased to communicate. I should have\nreplied ere this; but I am one of those, as I believe you are aware, who\nare averse to writing, especially from a considerable distance, unless\nthey possess matter of sufficient consequence to fill creditably the\npages of an epistle. I could wish that at the present moment I had more\nto write upon, and more interesting details to send you than these which\nfollow. For two or three weeks after my arrival at Seville I was unable\nto accomplish anything, on account of the seizure of the books, with\nwhich you are doubtless acquainted. I however by the assistance of the\nAlmighty, for which I prayed, was enabled, though not without\nconsiderable trouble, to overcome that difficulty, and to obtain all the\nTestaments of which I was in need, to the number of two hundred and\nupwards. But still I commenced not operations; indeed I was quite at a\nloss, being in a strange place and under very peculiar circumstances, to\nimagine the best course to pursue. I therefore waited with perfect\npatience until it should please Providence to assist me, and true it is\nthat help came in rather a remarkable manner.\n\nI was standing in the courtyard of the Reyna _posada_, where for the time\nI had taken up my abode, when a man singularly dressed and gigantically\ntall entered. My curiosity being excited, I enquired of the master of\nthe house who he was, when he informed me that he was a foreigner who had\nresided a considerable time in Seville, and he believed a Greek. Upon\nhearing this I instantly went up to the stranger, and accosted him in the\nGreek language in which, though I speak it very ill, I can make myself\nunderstood. He replied in the same idiom, and, flattered by the interest\nwhich I a foreigner expressed for his nation, was not slow in\ncommunicating to me his history. He told me, that his name was\nDionysius; that he was a native of Cephalonia, and had been educated for\nthe Church, which however not suiting his temper, he had abandoned in\norder to follow the profession of the sea, for which he had an early\ninclination; that after many adventures and changes of fortune he found\nhimself one morning on the coast of Spain--a shipwrecked mariner; and\nthat, ashamed to return to his own country in poverty and distress, he\nhad remained in the Peninsula, residing chiefly at Seville, where he now\ncarried on a small trade in books. He said that he was of the Greek\nreligion, to which he professed strong attachment, and soon discovering\nthat I was a Protestant, spoke with unbounded abhorrence of the Papal\nsystem, nay of its followers in general, whom he called Latins, and whom\nhe charged with the ruin of his own country, inasmuch as they sold it to\nthe Turk. It instantly struck me that this individual would be an\nexcellent assistant in the work which had brought me to Seville, namely\nthe propagation of the eternal Gospel; and accordingly after some more\nconversation, in which he exhibited considerable learning, I explained\nmyself to him. He entered into my views with considerable eagerness; and\nhitherto I have had no reason to repent my confidence, he having disposed\nof a considerable number of New Testaments, and even contrived to send a\ncertain number of copies to two small towns, at some distance from\nSeville.\n\nOn account of the extreme dearness of every article at the _posada_,\nwhere moreover I had a suspicion that I was watched, I removed with my\nservant and horses to an empty house in a solitary part of the town,\nwhere I still am, and where I purpose to remain during my stay in\nAndalusia. Here I live in the greatest privacy, admitting no person but\ntwo or three in whom I have the greatest confidence, who entertain the\nsame views as myself and who assist me in the circulation of the Gospel.\nOne of these is a very remarkable person: an aged professor of music, by\nbirth an old Castilian, and one of the very few who retain traces of the\nancient Spanish character, which with all its faults, its stiffness, its\nformality, and its pride, I believe (always setting the character of the\nChristian aside) to be the most estimable and trustworthy in the world.\nThis venerable individual has just brought me the price of six Testaments\nand a Gypsy Gospel, which he has this day sold under the heat of an\nAndalusian sun. What was his motive? A Christian one, truly. He says\nthat his unfortunate countrymen, who are at present robbing and murdering\neach other, may probably be rendered better by the reading of the Gospel,\nbut cannot be injured: adding, that many a man has been reformed by the\nScripture but that no one ever yet became a thief or assassin from its\nperusal.\n\nI have not yet addressed myself much to the lower orders in these parts.\nIndeed the quantity of books, at my disposal, at present remaining unsold\nin Spain is so small, that I am almost tempted to be niggard of them,\nlest in an unprovided hour an extraordinary call should be made.\nHowever, before leaving Seville, it will be well to pay some attention to\nthe poor. I have an agent awaiting my orders, another Greek, introduced\nto me by Dionysius; he is a labouring brick-layer, a native of the Morea,\nand has been upwards of thirty-five years in this country, so that he has\nalmost entirely lost his native language; nevertheless his attachment to\nhis own country is so strong, that he considers whatever is not Greek to\nbe utterly barbarous and bad. Though entirely destitute of education he\nhas, by his strength of character and by a kind of rude eloquence which\nhe possesses, obtained such a mastery over the minds of the labouring\nclasses of Seville that to everything he asserts they assent, however his\nassertions may shock their prejudices and Spanish pride; so that\nnotwithstanding he is a foreigner he may at any time become the\n_Masaniello_ of Seville. I am happy to be able to add that he is an\nhonest, industrious man notwithstanding his eccentricities, so that\nshould I employ him, which I have not yet resolved upon, I may entertain\nperfect confidence that his actions will be no disparagement to the book\nhe vends.\n\nWe are continually pressed for Bibles, which of course we cannot supply;\nTestaments are held in comparatively little esteem. Allow me to make\nhere a remark which it is true I ought to have made three years ago; but\nwe live and learn. It is unwise to print Testaments, and Testaments\nalone for Catholic countries. The reason is plain. The Catholic, unused\nto Scripture reading, finds a thousand things which he cannot possibly\nunderstand in the New Testament, the foundation of which is the Old.\n'Search the Scriptures, for they bear witness to Me,' may well be applied\nto this point. It may be replied that New Testaments separate are in\ngreat demand and of infinite utility in England. But England, thanks be\nto the Lord, is not Spain; and though an English labourer may read a\nTestament and derive from it the most blessed fruit, it does not follow\nthat a Spanish peasant will enjoy similar success, as he will find many\ndark things with which the other is well acquainted and competent to\nunderstand, being versed in the Bible history from his childhood. I\nconfess however that in the campaign of last summer we could not have\naccomplished with Bibles what Providence permitted us to do with\nTestaments, the former being far too bulky for rural journeys. In\nconclusion, I am glad to be able to say that one of my principal reasons\nfor leaving Madrid was an inability to answer the pressing demands for\nBibles which came pouring upon me every instant, and to which every\nperson in the house where I lived can bear witness. Let the Revd. Doctor\nWiseman get over this fact, who in his unchristian and unfounded attack\non the Bible Society has stated that it cannot dispose of its books at\nany price, nor indeed get rid of them gratis!\n\nDear Mrs. Browne shall have her letter.\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._ I have just received Mr. Brandram's epistle. Present to him my\nbest thanks for it, and above all for the remarks, which I will remember.\nPray let him send me the Pamphlet of the T. S. I wish to see their\nobservations on the Vulgate. Likewise the other papers.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. July 15, 1839)\n SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA, No. 7,\n 28 _June_ 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I received your letter of the 22nd May, and likewise\nMr. Jackson's of the 5th June, containing the conclusion of the [Annual]\nReport, which you were so kind as to send me. I wish in the first place\nto say a few words, which some passages in your communication suggest.\nThink not I pray you that any observation of yours respecting style, or\nany peculiarities of expression which I am in the habit of exhibiting in\nmy correspondence, can possibly awaken in me any feeling but that of\ngratitude, knowing so well as I do the person who offers them, and the\nmotives by which he is influenced. I have reflected on those passages\nwhich you were pleased to point out as objectionable, and have nothing to\nreply further than that I have erred, that I am sorry, and will endeavour\nto mend, and that moreover I have already prayed for assistance so to do.\nAllow me however to offer a word not in excuse but in explanation of the\nexpression 'wonderful good fortune' which appeared in a former letter of\nmine. It is clearly objectionable, and, as you very properly observe,\nsavours of pagan times. But I am sorry to say that I am much in the\nhabit of repeating other people's sayings without weighing their\npropriety. The saying was not mine: but I heard it in conversation and\nthoughtlessly repeated it. A few miles from Seville I was telling the\ncourier of the many perilous journeys which I had accomplished in Spain\nin safety, and for which I thanked the Lord. His reply was: '_La mucha\nsuerte de Usted tambien nos ha acompanado en este viage_.'\n\nYour reply to the Trinitarian Society, for I suppose that it was written\nby you, afforded me the highest satisfaction. I admired its tone and\nspirit, and said at the time that a more convincing piece of reasoning\nhad never been penned on any subject. The case of Luther and the early\nReformers, who were converted from the errors of Popery by the perusal of\nthe Vulgate, the book of the Popish Church, is certainly exceedingly\nstrong; as it at once does away with any argument which may be raised\nagainst the propriety of circulating versions made from it. Perhaps it\nwould have been as well to add that the Lollards' Bible, the book which\nconverted England, was a literal translation from the Vulgate and not\nfrom the original tongues, which, as is well knows, Wickliffe did not\nunderstand. Those who decry the Vulgate should please to remember that,\nthough adopted by the Popish Church, its foundation was laid before\nPopery existed, and that before criticising a book it is desirable to\nhave read it. There are faults in the Vulgate, indeed far too many; but\nI believe them to be more the result of infirmity than malice, all the\nheavy and strong texts most dangerous to the Papal system appearing in it\nuncurtailed and unmodified. No people dread the Vulgate more than the\nPapists themselves, which they know to be _a terrible two-edged sword\nwhich will cut off their hands if they handle it_.\n\nI now beg leave to send you an extract of a letter which I received\nyesterday morning from Madrid. It is from my landlady, who is my agent\nthere, and I consider it to be my duty to communicate it to the Society,\nas I consider that it speaks volumes as to the state of affairs in the\ncapital and the spirit of enquiry abroad; at the same time I presume not\nto offer any comment upon it. The rest of the letter treats of\nindifferent matters.\n\n'The binder has brought me eight Bibles, which he has contrived to make\nup out of _the sheets gnawn by the rats_, and which would have been\nnecessary even had they amounted to eight thousand (_y era necesario se\npuvieran vuelto_ 8000), {422a} because the people are innumerable who\ncome to seek more. Don Santiago has been here with some friends, who\ninsisted upon having a part of them. The Aragonese gentleman has\nlikewise been, he who came before your departure and bespoke twenty-four.\nHe now wants twenty-five. I begged them to take Testaments, but they\nwould not.' {422b}\n\nWe go on selling Testaments at Seville in a quiet satisfactory manner.\nWe have just commenced offering the book to the poor. That most\nremarkable individual, Johannes Chrysostom, the Greek bricklayer, being\nthe agent whom we employ. I confess that we might sell more than we at\npresent do, were we to press the matter; but we are cautious, and\nmoreover our stock of Testaments is waning apace. Two or three ladies of\nmy acquaintance occasionally dispose of some amongst their friends, but\nthey say that they experience some difficulty, the cry for Bibles being\ngreat. Dionysius also tells me that for every Testament which he sells\nhe could dispose of with ease fifty Bibles. Within a few weeks I propose\nto cross the water to Ceuta and Tangiers with part of the books at\npresent in embargo at San Lucar. I shall take the liberty of giving you\na full and minute description of the state of those places, the first of\nwhich has, I believe, never been visited by any one bearing the Gospel.\nWhen I consider the immensity of what remains to be done, even in this\ninconsiderable portion of the globe, before wretched mortals can be\nbrought to any sense of their lost and fallen state, I invariably lose\nall hope of anything efficient being accomplished by human means, unless\nit shall please the Almighty to make of straws and rushes weapons capable\nof cleaving the adamantine armour of superstition and unbelief.\n\nIt is eight o'clock at night, and Johannes Chrysostom has I just arrived\nfrom his labour. I have not spoken to him; but I hear him below in the\ncourtyard detailing to Antonio the progress he has made in the last two\ndays. He speaks barbarous Greek, plentifully interlarded with Spanish\nwords; but I gather from his discourse that he has already sold twelve\nTestaments among his fellow-labourers. I hear copper coin falling on the\nstones and Antonio, who is not of a very Christian temper, reproving him\nfor not having brought the proceeds of the sale in silver. He now asks\nfor fifteen [Testaments] more, as he says the demand is becoming great,\nand that he shall have no difficulty in disposing of them in the course\nof the morrow whilst pursuing his occupations. Antonio goes to fetch\nthem, and he now stands alone by the little marble fountain, singing a\nwild song, which I believe to be a hymn of his beloved Greek Church.\nBehold one of the helpers which the Lord has sent me in my Gospel labours\non the shores of the Guadalquivir.\n\nShould you wish to transmit to me any part of the Report, I should\nconceive that you had best direct it to the care of Mr. Brackenbury at\nCadiz, on whom I propose to call on my way to Ceuta, etc. As for Cadiz\nitself, I have no intention of attempting to do any thing there, at least\nfor the present. After a great deal of gloomy and unsettled weather the\ngenuine Andalusian summer has come upon us at last. The brilliancy of\nthe sun and the azure of the heavens are perfectly indescribable. The\npeople here complain sadly of the heat, but as for myself, I luxuriate in\nit, like the butterflies which hover about the _macetas_, or flowerpots,\nin the court. Hoping that you will present my remembrances to Mrs.\nBrandram, and likewise to all other dear friends, I remain Revd. and dear\nSir, yours truly,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Aug. 5, 1839)\n SEVILLE, No. 7 PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA,\n 18_th_ _July_ 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--As I am about to leave Seville in a few days for San\nLucar, Tangiers, and Ceuta, I wish before setting out to send a word or\ntwo in order that you may be acquainted with the state of matters up to\nthe present moment. Our work is concluded here for the season, and for\nthe very efficient reason that I have no more Testaments to sell,\nsomewhat more than two hundred having been circulated since my arrival.\nA poor Genoese, the waiter at a Swiss ordinary, has just been with me\nrequesting a dozen, which he says have been bespoken by people who\nfrequent the house, but I have been obliged to send him away, it not\nbeing in my power to supply him. About ten days since I was visited by\nvarious _alguacils_, headed by the _Alcalde del Barrio_, or headborough,\nwho made a small seizure of Testaments and Gypsy Gospels which happened\nto be lying about. This visit was far from being disagreeable to me, as\nI considered it to be a very satisfactory proof of the effect of our\nexertions in Seville. I cannot help here relating to you an anecdote. A\nday or two subsequent, having occasion to call at the house of the\nheadborough to complain of an act of dishonesty which had been committed\nby my porters, I found him lying on his bed, for it was the hour of the\n_siesta_, reading intently one of the very Testaments which he had taken\naway--all of which, if he had obeyed his orders, he would have deposited\nin the office of the Civil Governor. So intently indeed was he engaged\nin his reading that he did not at first observe my entrance; when he did,\nhowever, he sprang up in great confusion, and locked the book up in his\ncabinet; whereupon I smiled and told him to be under no alarm, as I was\nglad to see him so usefully employed. Recovering himself he said that he\nhad read the book nearly through, and that he had found no harm in it,\nbut on the contrary everything to praise, adding that he believed that\nthe clergy must be possessed with devils (_endemoniados_) to persecute it\nin the manner which they did.\n\nIt was Sunday when the seizure was made, and I happened to be reading the\nLiturgy. One of the _alguacils_ when going away made an observation\nrespecting the very different manner in which the Protestants and\nCatholics keep the Sabbath, the former being in their houses reading good\nbooks, and the latter abroad in the bull ring, seeing the wild bulls\ntearing out the gory bowels of the poor horses. The bull amphitheatre at\nSeville is, as you perhaps may have heard, the finest in all Spain, and\nis invariably on a Sunday, the only day in which it is open, filled with\napplauding multitudes.\n\nI am happy to be able to say that the soil of Spain is now tolerably well\nbroken up, and to a certain degree prepared for the labours of any future\nmissionaries bearing the blessed Bible, who may visit this interesting\npart of the world. We have had considerable difficulty hitherto in\ncirculating Testaments, and we have merely been enabled to scatter about\nthe thousands, which are now being read, by very extraordinary exertions.\nNevertheless when I take a large view of the subject I feel inclined to\nbelieve that we were right in commencing our labours in the interior of\nSpain by printing an edition of the New Testament at Madrid. I much\ndoubt whether the astonishing demand for the Bible, which almost\ncompelled me to leave the capital, and which now shows itself at Seville\nand other places, for example, Burgos, Valladolid, and Saint James of\nGalicia, to the great mortification of the Popish clergy, would have\narisen but for the appearance of the New Testament which awaked in\npeople's minds the desire of possessing the entire Scripture. With great\nhumility, however, I feel disposed to advise that provided at any future\ntime the Society should think itself called upon to recommence its\nexertions here in the cause of a crucified Saviour, it employ, as its\nmighty instrument the Bible, the entire blessed Bible; having\nnevertheless always ready for distribution a certain quantity of\nTestaments, the wishes of weak human beings being influenced by such\nstrange causes that it is probable that were it known at Madrid, or in\nother places, that there was a dearth of Testaments, the demand for the\nsame would instantly become greater than for the entire Bible.\n\nA few days since I received a communication from my correspondent at\nSaint James at Galicia, old Rey Romero, whom I have mentioned on a former\noccasion when residing there. The good old man has sent me in his\naccount, by which it appears that 115 copies of the New Testament were\nsold at Saint James between the months of August 1837 and May 1838, at\nwhich time the further sale of the work was forbidden, and 35 copies,\nwhich remained unsold, placed in embargo. The balance of the account in\nour favour is 950 _reals_ after deducting all expenses. I shall preserve\nthis letter with care, as I attach some importance to it. Who has not\nheard of Saint James of Compostella, the temple of the great image of the\npatron of Spain, and the most favourite resort in the world of benighted\nPopish pilgrims? Nevertheless 115 copies of the pure unadulterated Word\nof God were purchased there in a few months at the high price of ten\n_reals_ each. I humbly beg leave to refer you to my account of that\nremarkable place, and to hope that in the statement of proceedings in\nSpain it will not be forgotten. 64 copies, it appears, were also sold in\nthe small town of Lugo, also in Galicia, and 56 at Leon, the capital of\nthe ancient kingdom of the same name, and which perhaps may be considered\nas the least enlightened and most fanatic place in all Spain.\n\nBy advice from Madrid from Mrs. Maria Diaz, whom I charged with the care\nof the property of the Bible Society in that place, it appears that there\nremain unsold:--\n\nOf Testaments, 962\n\nOf Gospels in the Gypsy tongue, 286\n\nOf ditto in Basque, 394\n\nThe quantity of Testaments would not have been so large had I not\nrecovered before leaving Madrid upwards of two hundred, which had been\nplaced in embargo at Santander and subsequently removed to the capital.\nOn a rough account, therefore, I should say that about three thousand\nhave been sold during the last twelve months in the interior of Spain,\nfor which I give praise to God with the humility and gratitude due. Of\nthose which remain I should wish to be permitted on my return from my\npresent expedition to circulate some in La Mancha, especially at\nManzanares and Valdepenas. The state of that province is truly horrible;\nit appears peopled partly with spectres and partly with demons. There is\nfamine, and such famine; there is assassination, and such unnatural\nassassination. There you see soldiers and robbers, ghastly lepers and\nhorrible and uncouth maimed and blind, exhibiting their terrible\nnakedness in the sun. I was prevented last year in carrying the Gospel\namongst them. May I be more successful this.\n\nI now beg leave to conclude my tedious letter with requesting that you\nwill be kind enough to send the enclosed communication to my friend in\nRussia. I hope you will pardon the trouble I am giving you, but I have\nno other resource, as there is no direct mode of communication between\nRussia and Spain. Present my kind remembrances to dear Mr. Jowett and\nother friends, and believe me to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,\n\nEver truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 7, 1839)\n TANGIERS, _September_ 4, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I have now been nearly one month in this place, and\nshould certainly have written to you before had I possessed any secure\nmeans of despatching a letter; but there is no mail from Tangiers to any\npart of the world, so that when writing one is obliged to have recourse\nto the disagreeable necessity of confiding letters to individuals who\nchance to be going to Gibraltar to be put into the post there, who not\nunfrequently lose or forget them. One which I wrote for Spain has\nalready miscarried, which circumstance makes me cautious. I will now\nrelate the leading events which have occurred to me since my departure\nfrom Seville, observing however that I have kept a regular journal, which\non the first opportunity I shall transmit for the satisfaction of my\nfriends at home. You are already aware that I had determined to carry\nthe Scripture in Spanish to the Christian families established on the\nsea-coast of Barbary, and more especially Tangiers, the Spanish language\nbeing in general use among them, whether Spaniards by birth or Genoese,\nFrench or English. To enable me to do this, having no copies of the\nsacred volume at Seville, I determined to avail myself of a certain\nnumber of Testaments in embargo at the custom-house of San Lucar a town\nat the mouth of the Guadalquivir, forming part of the stock seized by\norder of the Government and which I had been officially requested to\nremove from Spain. I started from Seville on the night of the 31st of\nJuly in one of the steamers which ply upon the Guadalquivir, arriving at\nSan Lucar early in the morning. I shall now make an extract from my\njournal, relative to the Testaments.\n\n'It will be as well here to curtail what relates to these books,\notherwise the narrative might be considerably embarrassed. They\nconsisted of a chest of Testaments in Spanish, and a small box of Saint\nLuke's Gospel in the Gitano or language of the Spanish Gypsies. I\nobtained them from the custom-house of San Lucar with a pass for that of\nCadiz. At Cadiz I was occupied two days, and also a person whom I\nemployed, in going through all the required formalities and in procuring\nthe necessary papers. The expense was great, as money was demanded at\nevery step I took, though I was simply complying with the orders of the\nSpanish Government in removing prohibited books from Spain. The farce\ndid not end till after my arrival at Gibraltar, where I paid the Spanish\nconsul a dollar for certifying on the back of the pass that the books had\narrived, which pass I was obliged to send back to Cadiz. It is true that\nhe never saw the books nor enquired about them; but he received the\nmoney, for which alone he seemed to be anxious.\n\n'Whilst at the custom-house of San Lucar, I was asked one or two\nquestions respecting the books contained in the chests; this afforded me\nsome opportunity of speaking of the New Testament and the Bible Society.\nWhat I said excited attention, and presently all the officers and\ndependents of the house, great and small, were gathered around me, from\nthe governor to the porter. As it was necessary to open the boxes to\ninspect their contents, we all proceeded to the courtyard where, holding\na Testament in my hand, I recommenced my discourse. I scarcely know what\nI said, for I was much agitated and hurried away by my feelings, when I\nbethought me of the manner in which the Word of God was persecuted in the\nunhappy kingdom of Spain. My words however evidently made impression,\nand to my astonishment every person present pressed me for a copy. I\nsold several within the walls of the custom-house. The object, however,\nof most attention was the Gypsy Gospel, which was minutely examined\namidst smiles and exclamations of surprise, some individual every now and\nthen crying '_Cosas de los Ingleses_.' A bystander asked me whether I\ncould speak the Gitano language. I replied that I could not only speak\nit but write it, and instantly made a speech of about five minutes in the\nGypsy tongue, which I had no sooner concluded than all clapped their\nhands, and simultaneously shouted, '_Cosas de los Ingleses_! _Cosas de\nlos Ingleses_!' I disposed of several Gypsy Gospels likewise, and having\nnow settled the business which brought me to the custom-house, I saluted\nmy new friends and departed with my books.\n\n'I strolled from the inn to view the town. It was past noon, and the\nheat was exceedingly fierce . . . I became tired of gazing, and was\nretracing my steps, when I was accosted by two Gypsies, men who by some\nmeans had heard of my arrival. We exchanged some words in Gitano, but\nthey appeared to be very ignorant of the language, and utterly unable to\nmaintain a conversation in it. They were clamorous for a _gabicote_, or\nbook, in Gypsy. I refused it them, saying that they could turn it to no\nprofitable account; and learning that they could read, promised them each\na Testament in Spanish. This offer, however, they refused with disdain,\nsaying that they cared for nothing written in the language of the _Busne_\nor Gentiles. They then persisted in their demand, to which I at last\nyielded, being unable to resist their importunity; whereupon they\naccompanied me to the inn, and received what they so ardently desired.'\n\nI arrived at Cadiz on the second day of August, when I waited upon Mr.\nBrackenbury, the British consul-general. His house, which is the corner\none at the entrance of the _Alameda_ or public walk, enjoys a noble\nprospect of the bay, and is very large and magnificent. I had of course\nlong been acquainted with Mr. B. by reputation. I knew that for many\nyears he had filled with advantage to his native country and with honour\nto himself the distinguished and highly responsible situation which he\nholds in Spain. I knew likewise that he was a good and pious Christian,\nand moreover the firm and enlightened friend of the Bible Society. Of\nall this I was aware; but I had never enjoyed the advantage of being\npersonally acquainted with him. I saw him now indeed for the first time.\nI was much struck with his appearance; there is much dignity in his\ncountenance, which is, however, softened by an expression of good humour\ntruly captivating and engaging. His manner is frank and affable in the\nextreme. I am not going to enter into minute details of our interview,\nwhich was a very interesting one to myself. He knew already the leading\nparts of my history since my arrival in Spain, and made several comments\nthereon which displayed his intimate knowledge of the situation of Spain,\nas regards ecclesiastical matters, and the state of opinion respecting\nreligious innovation. I was flattered to find that his ideas in many\npoints accorded with my own, and we were both decidedly of opinion that,\nnotwithstanding the great persecution and outcry which had lately been\nraised against the Gospel, the battle was by no means lost in Spain, and\nthat we might yet hope to see the holy cause triumph.\n\nDuring my stay at Cadiz I experienced every kind of hospitality from Mr.\nB. and his charming family. Upon my departure he supplied me with a\nletter of introduction to Mr. Hay, the British consul at Tangiers, which\nI have since learned was most flattering to myself and worded in the most\nenergetic manner. I quitted Cadiz on the morning of Sunday, the 4th\nAugust, in the steamer _Balear_, arriving at Gibraltar on the evening of\nthe same day. Nothing particular occurred to me during my stay at\nGibraltar, where I engaged my passage on board a small trading vessel for\nTangiers. We were detained by various causes until Thursday the 8th,\nwhen we sailed about noon, and assisted by a strong and favourable wind\nwe reached the harbour of Tangiers before sunset. I was not permitted to\ngo on shore that night, my passport and bill of health having first to be\nexamined by the authorities. Early however on the following morning, Mr.\nHay, who had received Mr. Brackenbury's letters of introduction, sent a\nMoorish soldier and his own servant to conduct me to his house, where he\nreceived me in the kindest manner. He had already procured me a\ncomfortable lodging in the house of a Christian woman where I have\nremained ever since my arrival at Tangiers, constantly receiving every\nspecies of attention and civility from Mr. Hay.\n\nTangiers stands on the side of a rather steep hill which rises above the\nsea. It is a walled town, and towards the water is defended with\nbatteries mounted with heavy cannon. The streets are very numerous and\nintersect each other in all directions; they are narrow and precipitous,\nand the houses low, small and mean. The principal mosque, or _jamma_\n[_djmah_] is rather a handsome edifice, and its tower, or _sumah_, which\nis built of bricks of various colours, presents a picturesque appearance\nwhen viewed from the sea: of its interior I can of course say little, as\nany Christian who should venture to intrude would be instantly cast forth\nand probably killed by the populace. About half way up the hill within\nthe town there is a small market-place called in the language of the\ncountry _soc_. It is surrounded with little shops or booths, in which\nall kinds of dry fruits, such as dates, raisins, almonds, and walnuts are\nexposed for sale, and also honey, soap, sugar, and such other articles of\ngrocery. These little shops are not in general kept by Moors, but by\npeople from the country of Suz, who speak a different language from the\nMoors, and are of a different race, being a branch of the Berber stem;\nthey are the grocers of Barbary and are, in comparison with the Moors, an\nhonest, peaceable, and industrious people. The castle of the Governor\nstands at the northern extremity of Tangiers, on the top of a high\neminence which towers above the town; its outer walls embrace a very\nlarge portion of ground, which is principally occupied by large edifices\nin the greatest dilapidation and decay. The castle itself when I visited\nit was undergoing repair, during the absence of the pasha who has since\nreturned. All its inlets and outlets and also the greatest part of the\napartments were choked up with ruins, rubbish, and mortar. The courtyard\nhowever is very fine, and is adorned with a fountain distilling limpid\nwater, which is a rare spectacle in Tangiers where water is not in\nabundance. At each end of this court there is a hall of audience, highly\nmagnificent in its way, with a roof of rich fretted work in the old\nMoorish taste, such as I have seen in the Alhambra of Granada, and in\nthat truly fairy palace the Alcazar of Seville.\n\nTangiers contains a population of about twenty thousand souls, of which\nat least one-third are Jews: the Christian portion does not amount to\nabout two hundred and fifty individuals, including the various consuls\nand their families. These latter gentlemen enjoy considerable authority\nin the town, so much so that in all disputes between Moors and Christians\nthey alone are the judges, and their decision is law; they are a very\nrespectable body, being without one exception exceedingly well-bred\ngentlemanly individuals, and several of them, particularly Mr Hay, the\nBritish consul-general, possessed of high literary attainments. They\nenjoy very large salaries from their respective governments, varying from\nten to sixteen thousand dollars per annum, so that, as all the\nnecessaries and indeed many of the luxuries of life may be obtained at a\nvery cheap price at Tangiers, they live in a state of magnificence more\nakin to that of petty kings than consuls in general. The most perfect\nharmony exists amongst them, and if, at any time, any little dispute\noccur between two or three of them, the rest instantly interfere and\narrange matters; and they are invariably united to a man against the\nslightest infringement of their privileges and immunities on the part of\nthe Moorish Government, and a slight or injury to one is instantly\nresented by all. The duties of the greatest part of them are far from\nbeing onerous, more especially as each is provided with a vice-consul,\nwho is also an exceedingly well-bred and very well-paid gentleman. They\npass the greatest part of their time in cultivating their delicious\ngardens, which, surrounded by hedges of _ksob_, which is a species of\ngigantic reed, cover the hills in the vicinity of Tangiers. Their\nhouses, which are palace-looking buildings in the European taste and\nwhich contrast strangely with the mean huts of the Moors, are all\nsurmounted by a flag-staff, which on gala days displays the banner of its\nrespective nation. It is curious then to gaze from the castle hill on\nthe town below; twelve banners are streaming in the wind of the Levant,\nwhich blows here almost incessantly. One is the bloody flag of the Moor,\nthe natural master of the soil; but the eleven are of foreigners and\nNazarenes, and are emblems of distant and different people. There floats\nthe meteor banner of England beside the dirty rags of Spain and Portugal.\nThere the pride of Naples, of Sardinia, and Sweden. There the angry\ntricolor; and not far from it the most beautiful of all, the Dannebrog of\nDenmark, a white cross gleaming consolingly amidst blood and fire, as\nwhen first seen by Waldemar; neighbour to it the Austrian; there the\nOrange; and yonder, far remote from all, like the country, the stripes\nand stars of the United States. Tangiers, with a Moorish and Jewish\npopulation, is not the city either of the Moor or the Jew: it is that of\nthe consuls.\n\nWere it possible for any unprejudiced and rational being to doubt for a\nmoment that the religion of Mahomet is a false one and uncalculated to\npromote the moral and political improvement of mankind, a slight glance\nat this Mahometan country would be sufficient to undeceive him. The\nMoors are the most fanatic of all Mahometans, and consider the Turks,\nPersians, and other followers of the Desert-Prophet, as seceders from the\nsevere precepts of their religion. What is their state? They are\ngoverned in their towns and provinces by arbitrary despots called Pashas,\nwho are accountable to no person but the Emperor, whose authority they\nfrequently set at nought, and who is himself a despot of the most\nterrible description. Their lives, properties, and families are\nperfectly at the disposal of these men, who decapitate, imprison,\nplunder, and violate as their inclination tempts them. In this country\nit is every person's interest, however wealthy, to exhibit an appearance\nof abject poverty; as the suspicion of wealth instantly produces from the\nSultan or Pasha a demand for some large sum, which must be forthwith paid\nor decapitation or torture are the severe alternatives. Here justice is\nindeed an empty name, the most atrocious criminals escaping unpunished if\nable to offer a bribe sufficient to tempt the cupidity of those whose\nduty it is to administer it. Here money is sought after with insatiable\navidity by great and small, for its own sake, and not for what it will\nproduce. It is piled up in the treasury or is buried underground,\naccording to the situation in life of its possessors. In this land there\nis neither public peace or individual security; no one travels a league\nbut at the extreme danger of his life, and war is continually raging not\nagainst foreign enemies but amongst the people themselves. The Sultan\ncollects armies and marches against this or that province, which is sure\nto be in a state of rebellion; if successful, a thousand heads are borne\nbefore him on his return in ghastly triumph on the lances of his\nwarriors; and if vanquished, his own not unfrequently blackens in the sun\nabove the gate of some town or village. Here truth and good faith are\nutterly unknown, friendship exists not, nor kindly social intercourse;\nhere pleasure is sought in the practice of abominations or in the chewing\nof noxious and intoxicating drugs; here men make a pomp and a parade of\ntheir infamy; and the cavalcade which escorts with jealous eye the wives\nand concubines of the potentate on a march or journey is also charged\nwith the care of his _zammins_, the unfortunate youths who administer to\nhis fouler passions. Such is the moral, and the political state of\nMorocco! Such are the fruits of a religion which is not that of the\nBible.\n\nThe state of the Jews in this country is in every respect pitiable. It\nis one of great thraldom, yet is nevertheless far superior to what it was\nprevious to the accession of the present monarch Muley Abd al Rahman to\nthe throne; before that period they enjoyed scarcely any of the rights of\nhuman beings, and were plundered, beaten, and maimed by the Moslems at\npleasure. As the Moors of Barbary are the most fanatic amongst the\nMahometans, so are the Barbary Jews the most superstitious of their race,\nobserving in the strictest manner the precepts of the Talmud and the\nsages. A great many singular ceremonies and usages are to be found\namongst them which are not observed by the Hebrews in any other part of\nthe world, more especially at their wedding festivals which are carried\non during a period of eleven days, during which the house which is open\nto all comers exhibits a continual scene of dancing, feasting, and\nrevelry of every description. There is much at these marriages which has\nserved to remind me of those of the Gitanos of Spain at which I have been\nfrequently present, especially the riot and waste practised; for like the\nGitano, the Barbary Jew frequently spends during the days of his wedding\nnot only all that he is possessed of, but becomes an embarrassed man for\nthe rest of his life by the sums which he is compelled to borrow in order\nnot to incur the opprobrium of appearing mean on so solemn an occasion.\nThe books current among them are the Bible with the commentaries of the\nrabbins, parts of the Mischna, and the prayers for all the year;\nlikewise, but more rare, the Zohar, which all speak of with unbounded\nveneration, though few pretend to understand it. I have not unfrequently\nseen at their synagogues the Bible Society's edition of the Psalms, and\nthey appeared to prize it highly.\n\nA market is held on every Thursday and Sunday morning beyond the walls of\nTangiers in a place called the _Soc de Barra_ or outward market-place.\nThither repair the Moors from the country, bringing with them corn, fruit\nand other articles, the productions of their fields and gardens for the\nconsumption of the town. It is my delight to visit this spot which is on\nthe side of a hill, and sitting down on a stone to gaze. What a singular\nscene presents itself to the view: a wild confusion of men and horses, of\ndonkeys and camels, of countenances of all hues, swarthy and black, livid\nand pale, of turbans of all dyes, white, green and red, of Jewish\nskull-caps with here and there an Andalusian hat, of haiks and\ngaberdines, of arrogant Moors, indifferent Europeans and cringing\nHebrews, the latter walking barefooted in the place where the corn is\nsold, which the Moor says is sacred and unfit to be pressed by the\nsandals of the dog-Jew. What a hubbub of sounds: the unearthly cry of\nthe enormous camels and the neighing, braying, and bleating of other\nquadrupeds, mingled with the discordant jabber of various and strange\ntongues. I have been in many singular places in the course of my\nexistence, but certainly in none more so than the _Soc de Barra_ of\nTangiers.\n\nThere is much Spanish spoken in this place, especially amongst the Jews;\nit is also generally understood by the Europeans. The prevalent language\nhowever is the Arabic, or rather a dialect of it called by some\nMograbbin. I was glad to find that I could make myself very well\nunderstood with the Arabic of the East, notwithstanding that it differs\nin many points from the Mograbbin, or language of the West. One thing\nhas particularly struck me; namely that the wild people, who arrive from\nthe far interior and who perhaps have never before seen a European,\ninvariably understand me best, and frequently in conversation designate\nobjects with the same words as myself, which however are not intelligible\nto the Moors of the coast. I am by this time exceedingly well known at\nTangiers, indeed I take the best means of being so by entering into\ndiscourse with every person. I believe I am liked by the Moors and am\ncertainly treated with much respect by the Jews amongst whom a report\nprevails that I am a Polish rabbi. Shortly after my arrival I was\nvisited by the most wealthy Jewish merchant of Tangiers, who pressed me\nin the strongest manner to take up my abode at his house, assuring me\n[that I should live] at free cost, and be provided with all the comforts\nand luxuries which could be procured.\n\nI will now proceed to relate what has been accomplished in the cause of\nthe Gospel since my arrival at Tangiers. I will endeavour to be as\nconcise as possible, reserving some particulars until a future occasion.\nFor the first fortnight I accomplished nothing, and indeed attempted\nnothing in the way of distribution, being occupied in making myself\nacquainted with the place and studying the character of its inhabitants.\nI occasionally spoke to the Christians, who are principally Genoese and\nSpanish sailors and their families, on the subject of religion, but with\nthe greatest caution, being unwilling to alarm the two or three friars\nwho reside in what is called the Spanish convent, who are the only\nofficiating Christian priests of the place, and who might have warned\ntheir flock against the heretic intruder. I found, as I had anticipated,\ngreat ignorance among these poor people respecting the most important\npoints of the religion which they profess, and the Gospel of God they had\nnever seen nor heard of. At the end of the above-mentioned period I\nemployed a Jewish youth to carry the Testament to their houses and to\noffer it to them for sale. It is with humble gratitude to the Lord that\nI am able to state that considerable success crowned our efforts. The\nblessed Book is now in the hands of most of the Christians of Tangiers,\nfrom the lowest to the highest, from the fisherman to the consul. One\ndozen and a half were carried to Tetuan on speculation, a town about six\nleagues from hence; they will be offered to the Christians who reside\nthere. Other two dozen are on their way to distant Mogadore. One\nindividual, a tavern-keeper, has purchased Testaments to the number of\nthirty, which he says he has no doubt he can dispose of to the foreign\nsailors, who stop occasionally at his house. You will be surprised to\nhear that several amongst the Jews have purchased copies of the New\nTestament, with the intention as they state of improving themselves in\nSpanish, but I believe from curiosity. Whatever their motive be, let\nthem but once read this holy Book and I have no fear of their remaining\nenemies of the Lamb whom their fathers crucified. I regret that only few\ncan read the Spanish language, their law forbidding them to read or write\nany characters but the Hebrew. Had I the New Testament to offer them in\nthe latter tongue, I believe that I could dispose of thousands of copies\nin Barbary. My work being completed here for the present, I now hasten\nback to Seville; pray write to me speedily directing to the usual place.\n\nI remain, Revd and dear Sir,\n\nTruly yours,\n\n G. BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. G. Browne\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Oct. 7, 1839)\n CADIZ, _Sepr._ 21 [1839].\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR AND EXCELLENT FRIEND,--I arrived at Cadiz this morning\nby a small coasting-vessel, after undergoing a quarantine of four days at\nTarifa. On calling at Mr. Brackenbury's I received your kind\ncommunication of the 29th July, acquainting me with the resolution of the\nCommittee.\n\nHad I been aware of that resolution before my departure for Tangiers, I\ncertainly should not have gone. My expedition, however, was the result\nof much reflection. I wished to carry the Gospel to the Christians of\nthe Barbary shore who were much in want of it; and I had one hundred and\nthirty Testaments at San Lucar which I could only make available by\nexportation. The success which it has pleased the Lord to yield me in my\nhumble efforts at distribution in Barbary will, I believe, prove the best\ncriterion as to the fitness of the enterprise.\n\nI stated in my last communication to Mr. Brandram the plan which I\nconceived to be the best for circulating that portion of the edition of\nthe New Testament which remains unsold at Madrid, and I scarcely needed a\nstimulant in the execution of my duty. At present however I know not\nwhat to do; I am sorrowful, disappointed, and unstrung.\n\nI wish to return to England as soon as possible; but I have books and\npapers at Madrid which are of much importance to me and which I cannot\nabandon. This perhaps alone prevents me embarking in the next packet. I\nhave moreover brought with me from Tangiers the Jewish youth who so\npowerfully assisted me in that place in the work of distribution. I had\nhoped to have made him of service in Spain; he is virtuous and clever.\nMy servant Antonio I was compelled to send back to Madrid ere my\ndeparture from Seville on account of his many irregularities.\n\nI am almost tempted to ask whether some strange, some unaccountable\ndelusion does not exist. What should induce me to stay in Spain, as you\nappear to suppose I intend? I may, however, have misunderstood you. I\nwish to receive a fresh communication as soon as possible either from\nyourself or Mr. Brandram; in the meantime I shall go to Seville, to which\nplace and to the usual number pray direct.\n\nI enclose the last letter which I received from the firm of O'Shea, from\nwhich it will appear that I received [word missing] thirty of the fifty\npounds drawn for: the residue covers the expenses at Madrid, of which I\ndefray one-half, the books being deposited at my lodgings. I shall\nshortly send in my account for the last four months. Pray present my\nkind remembrances to Mrs. B. and believe me to remain, Revd. and dear\nSir,\n\nEver truly yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._--Best regards also to Messrs. Brandram and Jowett.\n\nI have this moment received a letter from Seville, which was awaiting my\narrival at the post office. The British consul states that the Bibles in\nembargo there are at the disposal of the Society; this is the work of my\nfriend Mr. Southern at Madrid, for had he not exerted his powerful\ninterest in the matter they were lost, and could not even have been\nexported. To whom shall I send them? To Gibraltar, or to England?\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram (Private)\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Octr. 14, 1839)\n SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA No. 7,\n 29_th_ _Sepr._ 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I beg leave to return you my best thanks for your\nkind communication of the 27th Aug. which I found awaiting me on my\nreturn from Tangiers, and for which I was already to a certain degree\nprepared by my dear friend Mr. Browne's letter directed to the care of\nMr. Brackenbury at Cadiz. I shall act up as soon as possible to the\nCommittee's request, that I take immediate measures for selling the\nremainder of our Bible stock in Spain, or leaving it in safe custody. I\nwill now tell you in a few words the steps which it appears to me most\nadvisable to take in the present emergency.\n\nI shall mount my horses and depart for La Mancha; where I shall take up\nmy abode for a few weeks in a town with which you are already acquainted\nand where I believe I have friends, and to which place I shall order a\nchest of Testaments to be despatched from Madrid, on the receipt of which\nI shall endeavour with the assistance of Hayim Ben Attar to put as many\ncopies as possible into circulation. I have always wished to do\nsomething in La Mancha, which is in every respect the worst part of\nSpain. I distinctly see that it must be now or never. God has granted\nme success in many difficult enterprises: perhaps it will please Him to\nfavour me in this.\n\nI shall then move upon Madrid, and arrange matters in that capital. If I\nmay be permitted here to offer my advice, I would strongly recommend that\nfour hundred copies of the New Testament be left there in deposit, with\nthose of Saint Luke in Gypsy and Basque which remain unsold. Of the\nformer Gospel, indeed, there are not many, nearly one hundred copies\nhaving been circulated amongst the Rommanees of Andalusia during my\npresent visit. I then purpose to make for France, passing through\nSaragossa, in which place, which is large and populous, I hope to\naccomplish some good in the Lord's cause. This is the outline of my\nplan, which I shall attempt to put into execution without delay; though\nif any one could propose a wiser, and better adapted to the present\ncircumstances, I shall at once relinquish it.\n\nI have just received a communication from Mr. Brackenbury, in which he\nhas done me the honour to furnish me with a copy of a letter which he has\naddressed to yourself and in which he has spoken of me. The principal\nconsolation of a person in misfortune is the being able to say, 'In\nwhatever I have done, I have had the glory of God at heart'; and\ncertainly next to this consolation is the knowledge that his deeds and\nactions meet the approbation of the good, the wise, and the\ndistinguished. I wish not to recapitulate what I have done, but I beg to\nbe permitted to say that wherever I have been I have endeavoured to\nelicit the kindly feelings of my fellow-creatures, not for my own benefit\nbut for the advancement of the true doctrine. I found Mr. B. during my\nlast visit in a state of considerable agitation. He showed me a letter\nfrom Lord. P [Palmerston], a circular as it appeared, in which the\nBritish consuls and their assistants in Spain are strictly forbidden to\nafford the slightest countenance to religious agents. What was the cause\nof this last blow? Mr. B. says it was an ill-advised application made to\nhis Lordship to interfere with the Spanish Government in behalf of a\ncertain individual whose line of conduct needs no comment. There are\npeople in Spain who remember the time when those very consuls received\nfrom a British Ambassador at Madrid instructions of an exactly contrary\ncharacter; but when dead flies fall into the ointment of the apothecary,\nthey cause it to send forth an unpleasant savour.\n\nI am very glad that I went to Tangiers, for many reasons. In the first\nplace, I was permitted to circulate many copies of God's Word both\namongst the Jews and the Christians, by the latter of whom it was\nparticularly wanted, their ignorance of the most vital points of religion\nbeing truly horrible. In the second place, I acquired a vast stock of\ninformation concerning Africa and the state of its interior. One of my\nprincipal associates was a black slave, whose country was only three\ndays' journey from Timbuctoo, which place he had frequently visited. The\nSoosi men also told me many of the secrets of the land of wonders from\nwhich they come, and the rabbis from Fez and Morocco were no less\ncommunicative. Moreover I consider it a great advantage to have obtained\nthe friendship of Mr. Hay, who is a true British gentleman. I found him\nat first reserved and distant, and I thought averse to countenance the\nobject of my mission. In a few days, however, his manner changed\nsurprisingly, and at my departure he begged me to communicate to the\nBible Society that at all times and seasons he should be happy to receive\nits commands, and to render all the assistance in Fez and Morocco which\nhis official situation would permit him, should the views of the Society\nat any future time be directed to those regions.\n\nPermit me, my dear Sir, to correct in your letter something which savours\nof inaccuracy. You hint at the issues of the Scriptures in Spain having\nbeen small. Now during the last year I have issued three thousand\nTestaments and five hundred Bibles, which is certainly no small\ncirculation of the Word of God in such a country. But pray inform me why\nthe circulation has not been ten times greater? Surely you are aware\nthat among the many peculiarities of my situation was this distressing\none, namely, that I was scarcely ever able to supply the people with the\nbooks that they were in want of. They clamoured for Bibles, and I had\nnothing but Testaments to offer them. Had I been possessed of twenty\nthousand Bibles in the spring of the present year, I could have disposed\nof them all without leaving Madrid; and they would have found their way\nthrough all Spain. I beseech you always to bear this fact in mind in\nyour reports to the public, otherwise that public will remain strangely\nin the dark respecting the spirit of enquiry which is abroad in Spain.\n\nYou are quite right in supposing that I entertain a favourable opinion of\nMr. Wood. I know him to be a good husband and father, and a man who\nfears the Lord: he is likewise possessed of considerable ability; but I\nam entirely unacquainted with any plan which he may have formed\nrespecting printing the Scriptures in Spain, or any memorial which he may\nhave sent in to the Bible Society on the subject, so that of course I\ncannot be expected to express an opinion. It is my intention in a few\ndays to depart from hence on my expedition, so that should you be\ndesirous of writing to me, you had perhaps best address to Madrid.\n\nWhen the Bible Society has no further occasion for my poor labours, I\nhope it will do me justice to the world. I have been its faithful and\nzealous servant. I shall on a future occasion take the liberty of\naddressing you as a friend respecting my prospects. I have the materials\nof a curious book of travels in Spain; I have enough metrical\ntranslations from all languages, especially the Celtic and Sclavonic, to\nfill a dozen volumes; and I have formed a vocabulary of the Spanish Gypsy\ntongue, and also a collection of the songs and poetry of the Gitanos with\nintroductory essays. Perhaps some of these literary labours might be\nturned to account. I wish to obtain honourably and respectably the means\nof visiting China, or particular parts of Africa. I call this letter\nprivate, but communicate such parts of it as you think proper.\n\n (UNSIGNED.)\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Dec. 19, 1839)\n PRISON OF SEVILLE, Novr. 25, 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I write these lines as you see from the common\nprison of Seville, to which I was led yesterday, or rather dragged,\nneither for murder nor robbery nor debt but simply for having endeavoured\nto obtain a passport for Cordova, to which place I was going with my\nJewish servant, Hayim Ben Attar.\n\nIt is necessary for me here to give you some information respecting my\nproceedings since I last wrote. I wished to distribute some more\nTestaments in Seville before I left the country, and accordingly procured\na considerable number from Madrid. Everything was accomplished with the\nutmost secrecy, and the blessed books obtained considerable circulation.\nI likewise sent agents into the country, and went myself in my accustomed\nmanner. All went well, the entire stock which had reached me was\ncirculated, and I rested from my labours for a little time; for indeed I\nhad need of quiet, being indisposed.\n\nSome English people now came to Seville and distributed tracts in a very\nunguarded manner, knowing nothing of the country or the inhabitants.\nThey were even so unwise as _to give tracts instead of money on visiting\npublic buildings_, _etc._ These persons came to me, and requested my\nco-operation and advice, and likewise introductions to people spiritually\ndisposed amongst the Spaniards, to all which requests I returned a\ndecided negative. But I foresaw all. In a day or two I was summoned\nbefore the _Gefe Politico_ or, as he was once called, _Corregidor_ of\nSeville, who I must say treated me with the utmost politeness, and indeed\nrespect; but at the same time he informed me that he had (to use his own\nexpression) terrible orders from Madrid concerning me, if I should be\ndiscovered in the act of distributing the Scriptures or any writings of a\nreligious tendency. He then taxed me with having circulated both lately,\nespecially tracts: whereupon I told him that I had never distributed a\ntract since I had been in Spain, nor had any intention of doing so. We\nhad much conversation and parted in kindness. I went away for a few\ndays, though without intending to do anything, and wrote to the firm of\nO'Shea for money, of which I stood in need and which I received. I now\ndetermined to make for La Mancha and to put my plan into execution, which\nI should have done sooner had the roads been a little more secure.\nYesterday I sent my passport to be signed by the _Alcalde del Barrio_.\nThis fellow is the greatest ruffian in Seville, and I have on various\noccasions been insulted by him; he pretends to be a liberal, but is of no\nprinciple at all, and as I reside within his district he has been\nemployed by the Canons of the cathedral to vex and harass me on every\npossible occasion. (By the way, the hatred which these last people\nnourish against me amounts almost to frenzy, and scarcely a day passes by\nin which they do not send in false accusations against me to the _Gefe\nPolitico_; they have even gone so far as to induce people to perjure\nthemselves by swearing that I have sold or given them books, people whom\nI have never seen nor heard of; and the same system was carried on whilst\nI was in Africa, for they are so foolishly suspicious that they could not\nbe persuaded that I was out of Seville.) The above-mentioned _Alcalde_\nrefused to sign the passport, though he was bound to do so, it being\nquite in form, and insulted the messenger: whereupon I sent the latter\nback with money to pay any fees lawful or unlawful which might be\ndemanded, as I wished to avoid noise and the necessity of applying to the\nconsul, Mr. Williams. But the fellow became only more outrageous. I\nthen went myself to demand an explanation and was called all the vilest\nnames contained in the Spanish _Germania_ (Billingsgate), whereupon I\ntold him that if he proceeded in this manner I would make a complaint to\nthe authorities through the consul. He then said that if I did not\ninstantly depart he would drag me off to prison, and cause me to be\nknocked down if I made the slightest resistance. I dared him repeatedly\nto do both, and said that he was a disgrace to the Government which\nemployed him and to human nature. He called me a heretic. We were now\nin the street and a mob was collected, whereupon I cried '_Viva\nInglaterra_, _y viva La Constitucion_.' The populace seemed disposed to\nside with me, notwithstanding the exhortations of the monster to them\nthat they would knock down _the foreigner_, for he himself quailed before\nme as I looked him in the eyes defying him. He at last ran to a\nneighbouring guard-house, and requested the assistance of the Nationals\nin conducting me to prison. I followed him and delivered myself up at\nthe first summons, and walked to the prison without uttering a word: not\nso the ruffian, who continued his abuse until we arrived at the gate. I\nwas asked my name by the authorities of the prison, which I refused to\ngive unless in the presence of the consul, and indeed to answer any\nquestions. I was then ordered to the _patio_ or courtyard, where are\nkept the lowest thieves and assassins of Seville, who having no money\ncannot pay for better accommodation, and by whom I should have been\nstripped naked in a moment as a matter of course, as they are all in a\nstate of raging hunger and utter destitution. I asked for a private\ncell, which I was told I might have if I could pay for it. I stated my\nwillingness to pay anything which might be demanded, and was conducted to\nan upper ward, consisting of several cells and a corridor. Here I found\nsix or seven prisoners who received me very civilly, and instantly\nprocured me paper and ink for the purpose of writing to the consul. In\nless than an hour Mr. Williams arrived and I told him my story, at which\nhe wondered, as he well might, and presently departed in order to demand\nredress of the authorities. The next morning I was informed that the\nruffian the _Alcalde_ had upon his own authority entered my house and\nsearched for prohibited books, hoping, if he found any, to justify to a\ncertain degree his conduct to me. He found none, and is now quite in my\npower, without a shadow of excuse--he having entered by force the house\nof a foreigner, without authority, and not in the presence of the consul\nof the nation. I have now been here four-and-twenty hours, and am\nassured that my liberation will have been effectuated before another day\nshall have passed over. My fellow-prisoners have treated me with\nunbounded kindness and hospitality, and I have never found myself amongst\nmore quiet and well-behaved men. Yet--what is their history? The\nhandsome black-haired man who is now looking over my shoulder is the\ncelebrated thief Palacio, the most expert housebreaker and dexterous\nswindler in Spain--in a word, the modern Guzman Dalfarache. The brawny\nman who sits by the _brasero_ of charcoal is Salvador, the highwayman of\nRonda, who has committed a hundred murders. A fashionably dressed man,\nshort and slight in person, is walking about the room: he wears immense\nwhiskers and mustachios; he is one of that most singular race the Jews of\nSpain; he is imprisoned for counterfeiting money. He is an atheist, but\nlike a true Jew the name which he most hates is that of Christ. Yet he\nis so quiet and civil, and they are all so quiet and civil, and it is\nthat which most horrifies me, for quietness and civility in them seem so\nunnatural.\n\nNovr. 26th. Since writing the above, I have been set at liberty. I am\ngoing to Madrid in a few hours to demand redress, and to make\npreparations for leaving Spain as soon as possible. There is nothing\nmore to be done here for the present in the cause of the Gospel. I\nreceived your letter, which I read with great pleasure. You are quite\nright in most of your observations, and especially in one. That circular\n_was_ uncalled for.\n\nEver yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 3, 1840.)\n _Decr._ 24, 1839,\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.\n\nREV. AND DEAR SIR,--The last letter which I wrote to you was from\nSeville, and in that I gave you an account of what I had been doing for\nsome time previous and likewise of my imprisonment. I have now been in\nMadrid nearly three weeks, and immediately after my arrival I demanded\nredress of the Spanish Government for the various outrages which I have\nrecently been subjected to at Seville. Mr. Aston, the British Minister,\nnot having yet arrived at Madrid, I presented my complaint through Mr.\nJerningham the first secretary of Legation, who has superseded Mr.\nSouthern, the latter gentleman having been appointed to Lisbon. Mr.\nSouthern introduced me to Mr. Jerningham, who received me with great\nkindness and took up my cause very warmly. Whether I shall be able to\nobtain justice I know not, for I have against me the Canons of Seville;\nand all the arts of villainy which they are so accustomed to practise\nwill of course be used against me for the purpose of screening the\nruffian who is their instrument. An instance which I am about to give\nwill speak volumes as to this person's character. When I was in prison,\nhe forced his way into my house and searched it for Testaments, but found\nnone. When he was questioned by the vice-consul as to the authority by\nwhich he made this search, he pulled out a paper purporting to be the\ndeposition of an old woman to the effect that I had sold her a Testament\nsome ten days before. This document was a forgery. I had never seen the\nfemale in question, and during the whole time that I have been in\nAndalusia I have never sold a book of any description to any such person.\n\nI have been, my dear Sir, fighting with wild beasts during the greatest\npart of the time which has elapsed since I had last the pleasure of\nseeing you. None but myself can have an idea of what I have undergone\nand the difficulties which I have had to encounter; but I wish not to\ndilate on that subject. Thanks be to the Most High that my labours are\nnow brought to a conclusion. The Madrid edition of the New Testament has\nbeen distributed, with the exception of a few hundred copies, which I\nhave no wish should be sold at present, for reasons stated on a prior\noccasion, and which I shall endeavour to leave in safe custody. The fate\nof this edition has been a singular one, by far the greatest part having\nbeen dispersed among the peasantry of Spain and the remainder amongst the\nvery poor of the towns, the artisans of Madrid and Seville, the\nwater-carriers and porters. You will rarely find a copy of this work in\nthe houses of the wealthy and respectable, but you will frequently light\nupon it in the huts of the labourers, in the garrets or cellars of the\npenniless, and even in the hulks and convict-garrisons (_presidios_). I\nmyself saw it in the prison of Seville. As for the few copies of the\nentire Bible which I had at my disposal, they have been distributed\namongst the upper classes, chiefly amongst the mercantile body, the\nmembers of which upon the whole are by far the most intellectual and best\neducated of the subjects of the Spanish monarchy.\n\nI have thus cast my books upon the waters. It is for the Lord on high to\ndetermine the quantity of good which they are to operate. I have a\nhumble hope however that they will be permitted to do some. If the eyes\nof only a few of these unhappy people amongst whom I am still sojourning\nbe through them opened to one of the damning errors of popery, I shall\nesteem myself amply remunerated for all the pain, the anxiety, and I may\nalmost say misery (for the flesh is weak) which I have experienced in the\nwork, even for that--to me, the most heart-breaking of everything--the\nstrange, the disadvantageous light in which, I am aware, I must\nfrequently have appeared to those I most respect and love. My situation\nthroughout has been a most peculiar one, rocks and quicksands have\nsurrounded me on every side, and frequently I have been compelled to give\noffence to my friends in order not to afford a triumph to the enemies of\nGod and His cause.\n\nIn your last kind communication, I think, you said that neither our\nexcellent friend Mr. B. [Brackenbury] nor myself appeared properly to\nappreciate the worth of two other of our friends who had been labouring\nin Spain. Permit me here to observe that we both appreciate their\nsterling worth of character and piety; they are both very extraordinary\nindividuals, one particularly so, and the zeal which both have displayed\nin a holy cause is quite above praise. But it is necessary in order to\naccomplish much good in a country situated as this is at present, that\nthe greatest prudence and foresight go hand in hand with zeal and piety.\nA corrupt Government, influenced by an atrocious priesthood, has for the\nlast three years been on the look-out to take advantage of every rash\nmovement of the helpers in God's cause in Spain. It ought always to be\nborne in mind that though nominally a constitutional country, Spain is\ngoverned by despotism the more infamous and dangerous as it decks itself\nin the garb of liberty. Whenever a native becomes obnoxious to the\nGovernment, he is instantly seized and imprisoned, though perhaps guilty\nof no crime which can be punished by law; foreigners have by law\nparticular privileges, but these privileges are every day violated, and\nredress is seldom or never obtained; which proves that the law is a dead\nletter.\n\nI know perfectly well that it is no infraction of the _law_ to print or\nsell the Holy Scriptures, either with or without comment, in Spain. What\nthen? Is there not such a thing as _A Royal Ordinance_ to the effect\nthat the Scriptures be seized wherever they are found? True it is that\nordinance is an unlawful one: but what matters that, provided it be put\ninto execution by the authorities civil and military? Too many\nEnglishmen who visit Spain imagine that they carry their own highly\nfavoured country at their back, a country in which the law rules supreme;\nbut let them once be brought into collision with the Government, and they\nwill soon learn how little it avails them to have right on their side\nwhilst brute force is always at the call of their adversaries.\n\nI have informed Mr. Jerningham that for some time past I have\nrelinquished distributing the Scriptures in Spain--which is the truth. I\ntherefore claim the privileges of a British subject and the protection of\nmy Government. I shall return to England as soon as I can obtain some\nredress for this affair. It is then my intention to attempt to obtain an\ninterview with some of the members of the House of Lords. I have\nimportant disclosures to make respecting the system of persecution which\nstill exists in this country with respect to Protestants, who are not\nonly debarred the exercise of their religion but to whom the common\nprivilege of burial is denied: so much for the tolerance of Popery. Yet\nthere are journals of talent and learning in England who, observing that\nBritish Protestants, alarmed at the progress which the Papal doctrine is\nmaking in the British islands, are concerting measures for their own\ndefence, accuse them of raising once more the _senseless bray against\nPopery_; as if every unprejudiced person was not aware that Popery is an\nunrelenting fiend which never spares when it has the power to crush--and\nthat power I am afraid it will soon possess in Britain, unless the poor\ndown-trodden Protestants stand back to back and combat the monster to the\ndeath. This is no vain alarm, I assure you; therefore I beg that you\nwill not smile. Few people know more of the secrets of Popery than\nmyself, or the stand which she intends to take when time and place serve.\nTherefore in conclusion let me entreat those of our friends who may hear\nthese lines read to be on their guard, to drop all petty dissensions, and\nto comport themselves like brothers. Protestants must no longer be\ndisunited.\n\nI will write again in a day or two.\n\nMay the Lord be with you, Revd. and dear Sir.\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 7, 1840)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE, SANTIAGO,\n 28_th_ _Dec._ 1839.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--I lose not a moment in writing to you in consequence\nof an article in one of the London papers (the _Courier_, I believe)\nwhich has just been shown me. It relates to my late imprisonment at\nSeville, and contains part of a letter which I showed to a friend and\nwhich indeed was a copy of that which I sent to yourself. With respect\nto the letter I have little to observe, save that I showed it to various\nindividuals (who took copies) in order that an incorrect account of the\naffair might not get abroad; but I beg leave solemnly to assure you that\nI disavow and give no countenance to any remarks or observations\nrespecting it which may find their way into print. I am not ashamed of\nthe _Methodists of Cadiz_; their conduct in many respects does them\nhonour, nor do I accuse any one of fanaticism amongst our dear and worthy\nfriends; but I cannot answer for the tittle-tattle of Madrid. Far be it\nfrom me to reflect upon any one: I am but too well aware of my own\nmultitudinous imperfections and follies. I am going instantly to write\nto Mr. Rule, and I would also to our other friend did I but know his\naddress. Should you have an opportunity of communicating with him, pray,\npray say something on the subject, and present to him my kind love. I\nhope sincerely no further notice will be taken of this affair in the\nnewspapers, but to attempt to correct their errors would merely make bad\nworse. Pray excuse my agitation, but I write in haste.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, yours sincerely,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. Jan. 13, 1840)\n MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,\n 2 _January_ 1840.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--To-morrow I depart in order to return to Seville. I\nhave laid a full account of the late outrageous assault before the\nBritish Embassy, and a strong representation has been made to the Spanish\nGovernment. I have now nothing further to detain me in the Spanish\ncapital, and I hope that within a very short time I shall be able to bid\nadieu to the shores of Spain, which I shall quit with as little regret as\nthe tired labourer at nightfall quits the filthy ditch in which he has\nbeen toiling during the whole of a dreary day.\n\nI should feel much obliged if you would write me a line or two, directed\nto my usual address, No. 7 Plazuela de la Pila Seca, Sevilla, with any\nlittle information respecting matters of serious import, as I am almost\nentirely unacquainted with what has been going on during the last six\nmonths, the public journals containing little which has any interest for\nme. Is it possible that the British Government is going to bombard the\ncoast of China because the Emperor of that country is not disposed to\ncountenance opium smuggling? I have frequently difficulty in believing\nmy eyes when I read of the proceedings of Christians and people high in\nauthority, whom it is of course my wish and duty to respect. Is it\nwonderful that the Chinese cling to Buddh and refuse to confess the Son\nof the Eternal, when they see the professors of the Christian religion\ncommit such acts of cruel violence and flagrant injustice?\n\nI have drawn for twenty pounds, which will liquidate the expenses of the\njourney from Seville and back again. I shall require no more until my\ndeparture for England. In the meanwhile I am preparing my accounts and\nvarious other papers. Pray present my best remembrances to all my\nfriends. If there be anything which I can perform for any of them before\nI leave Spain, let them but inform me and it shall be done.\n\nI remain, Revd. and dear Sir, ever yours,\n\n GEORGE BORROW.\n\n\n\n\nTo the Rev. A. Brandram\n\n\n (_Endorsed_: recd. March 31st, 1840)\n SEVILLE, _March_ 18, 1840.\n\nREVD. AND DEAR SIR,--Last night I received a letter from my worthy friend\nMr. Brackenbury, in which he informed me that he had received a\ncommunication from Mr. Jackson stating that since my departure from\nMadrid the Society had heard nothing from me and that it was anxious on\nmy account. This intelligence astonished me; as towards the end of\nJanuary and beginning of February I wrote two letters, one to yourself\nand the other to Mr. Hitchin. From yourself I had expected an answer,\nand your silence made me very, very unhappy. For upwards of five months\nI have not heard a word from England, though during that period I have\nwritten twelve letters, of which seven were to the Bible Society.\n\nI did not return to England immediately after my departure from Madrid,\nfor several reasons. First, there was my affair with the _Alcalde_ still\npending; second, I wished to get my papers into some order; third, I\nwished to effect a little more in the cause, though not in the way of\ndistribution as I had no books; moreover the house in which I resided was\npaid for, and I was unwilling altogether to lose the money; I likewise\ndreaded an English winter, for I have lately been subjected to attacks,\nwhether of gout or rheumatism I know not, which I believe were brought on\nby sitting, standing and sleeping in damp places during my wanderings in\nSpain. The _Alcalde_ has lately been turned out of his situation, but I\nbelieve more on account of his being a Carlist than for his behaviour to\nme; that however, is of little consequence, as I have long forgotten the\naffair. I have again been in trouble; and the Government and clergy seem\ndetermined on persecuting me until I leave Spain. I embark on the third\nof next month, and you will probably see me by the sixteenth. I wish\nvery much to spend the remaining years of my life in the northern parts\nof China, as I think I have a call to those regions, and shall endeavour\nby every honourable means to effect my purpose. I have a work nearly in\nreadiness for publication, and two others in a state of forwardness. The\ntitle of the first I take the liberty of sending you on the other side.\nI hope yet to die in the cause of my Redeemer.\n\nI have at present nothing further to say of importance.\n\nI therefore remain, as usual, Revd. and dear Sir, most sincerely yours,\n\n G. B.\n\n_P.S._--What an admirable man and Christian is Mr. Brackenbury!\n\nThe title George Borrow wrote on the fly-leaf was...\n\n THE ZIN-CALI\n OR AN ACCOUNT OF THE GYPSIES\n OF SPAIN\n WITH AN ORIGINAL COLLECTION OF THEIR SONGS\n WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS\n AND A COPIOUS VOCABULARY OF THEIR LANGUAGE\n EXPLAINED IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH\n BY\n G. B.\n IN TWO VOLUMES.\n\n\n\n\nFootnotes:\n\n\n{137} Friday, or the day of Crucifixion.\n\n{153} Almost all other articles in Madrid are proportionably dear.\n\n{154} Amat's Bible sells for 4 dollars.\n\n{197} The Spanish sheet is but one-fourth the size of the English.\n\n{251} This animal cost the Society about two thousand _reals_ at Madrid;\nI, however, sold him for three thousand at Corunna, notwithstanding that\nhe had suffered much from the hard labour which he had been subjected to\nin our wanderings in Galicia, and likewise from bad provender.\n\n{256} I have since discovered that they were only despatched the day\nbefore my arrival at Madrid.\n\n{274} I think the sale is becoming brisker; this very day we have sold\neight.\n\n{275a} I wish much that I had the Old Testament apart, precisely in the\nsame form.\n\n{275b} Mr. Villiers has hitherto taken but 50 copies, which he has\ndistributed amongst his friends; his situation has been such lately, that\nmore could not be reasonably expected from him. Even his is not a bed of\nroses.\n\n{392} [Greek text] as Antonio says.\n\n{422a} I send the original phrase which is remarkable, and in remarkable\nSpanish.\n\n{422b} They were supplied six months ago.","title":"Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":126157}