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Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society
July, 1996 [Etext #603]
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Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society
LETTER: February 10th, 1833
To the Rev. J. Jowett
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
FEB. 10TH, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have just received your communication, and
notwithstanding it is Sunday morning, and the bells with their loud
and clear voices are calling me to church, I have sat down to
answer it by return of post. It is scarcely necessary for me to
say that I was rejoiced to see the Chrestomathie Mandchou, which
will be of no slight assistance in learning the Tartar dialect, on
which ever since I left London I have been almost incessantly
occupied. It is, then, your opinion, that from the lack of
anything in the form of Grammar I have scarcely made any progress
towards the attainment of Mandchou; perhaps you will not be
perfectly miserable at being informed that you were never more
mistaken in your life. I can already, with the assistance of
Amyot, TRANSLATE MANDCHOU with no great difficulty, and am
perfectly qualified to write a critique on the version of St.
Matthew's Gospel, which I brought with me into the country. Upon
the whole, I consider the translation a good one, but I cannot help
thinking that the author has been frequently too paraphrastical,
and that in various places he must be utterly unintelligible to the
Mandchous from having unnecessarily made use of words which are not
Mandchou, and with which the Tartars cannot be acquainted.
What must they think, for example, on coming to the sentence . . .
APKAI ETCHIN NI POROFIYAT, I.E. the prophet of the Lord of heaven?
For the last word in the Mandchou quotation being a modification of
a Greek word, with no marginal explanation, renders the whole dark
to a Tartar. [Greek text which cannot be recorded]; APKAI I know,
and ETCHIN I know, but what is POROFIYAT, he will say. Now in
Tartar, there are words synonymous with our seer, diviner, or
foreteller, and I feel disposed to be angry with the translator for
not having used one of these words in preference to modifying
[Greek text]; and it is certainly unpardonable of him to have
Tartarized [Greek text] into . . . ANGUEL, when in Tartar there is
a word equal to our messenger, which is the literal translation of
[Greek text]. But I will have done with finding fault, and proceed
to the more agreeable task of answering your letter.
My brother's address is as follows:
Don Juan Borrow,
Compagnia Anglo Mexicana,
Guanajuato, Mexico.
When you write to him, the letter must be put in post before the
third Wednesday of the month, on which day the Mexican letter-
packet is made up. I suppose it is unnecessary to inform you that
the outward postage of all foreign letters must be paid at the
office, but I wish you particularly to be aware that it will be
absolutely necessary to let my brother know in what dialect of the
Mexican this translation is made, in order that he may transmit it
to the proper quarter, for within the short distance of twenty
miles of the place where he resides there are no less than six
dialects spoken, which differ more from each other than the German
does from the English. I intend to write to him next Thursday, and
if you will favour me with an answer on this very important point,
by return of post, I shall feel obliged.
Return my kind and respected friend Mr. Brandram my best thanks for
his present of THE GYPSIES' ADVOCATE, and assure him that, next to
the acquirement of Mandchou, the conversion and enlightening of
those interesting people occupy the principal place in my mind.
Will he be willing to write to the Gypsy Committee concerning me?
I wish to translate the Gospel of St. John into their language,
which I could easily do with the assistance of one or two of the
old people, but then they must be paid, for the Gypsies are more
mercenary than Jews. I have already written to my dear friend Mr.
Cunningham on this subject, and have no doubt that he will promote
the plan to the utmost of his ability. I must procure a letter of
introduction from him to Joseph Gurney, and should be very happy to
obtain one also from Mr. Brandram, for in all which regards the
Gospel and the glory of Christ, Joseph Gurney is the principal
person to look to in these parts. I will now conclude by
beseeching you to send me as soon as possible WHATEVER CAN SERVE TO
ENLIGHTEN ME IN RESPECT TO MANDCHOU GRAMMAR, for had I a Grammar, I
should in a month's time be able to send a Mandchou translation of
Jonah. In the meanwhile I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most
humble and obedient servant,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 18th March, 1833
To the Rev. J. Jowett
18TH MARCH, 1833,
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
DEAR SIR, - As yourself and Mr. Brandram expressed a desire to hear
from me occasionally concerning my progress in Mandchou, I now
write to inform you that I am advancing at full gallop, and am able
to translate with pleasure and facility the specimens of the best
authors who have written in the language contained in the
compilation of Klaproth. But I must confess that the want of a
Grammar has been, particularly in the beginning of my course, a
great clog to my speed, and I have little doubt that had I been
furnished with one I should have attained my present knowledge of
Mandchou in half the time. I was determined however not to be
discouraged, and, not having a hatchet at hand to cut down the tree
with, to attack it with my knife; and I would advise every one to
make the most of the tools which happen to be in his possession,
until he can procure better ones, and it is not improbable that by
the time the good tools arrive he will find he has not much need of
them, having almost accomplished his work. This is not exactly my
case, for I shall be very glad to receive this same tripartite
Grammar which Mr. Brandram is hunting for, my ideas respecting
Mandchou construction being still very vague and wandering, and I
should also be happy if you could and would procure for me the
original grammatical work of Amyot, printed in the MEMOIRES, etc.
Present my kind regards to Mr. Hattersley, and thank him in my name
for his kind letter, but at the same time tell him that I was sorry
to learn that he was putting himself to the trouble of transferring
into Mandchou characters the specimens which Amyot has given in
Roman, as there was no necessity for it in respect to myself, a
mere transcript being quite sufficient to convey the information I
was in need of. Assure him likewise that I am much disposed to
agree with him in his opinion of Amyot's Dictionary, which he terms
in his letter 'something not very first-rate,' for the Frenchman's
translations of the Mandchou words are anything but clear and
satisfactory, and being far from literal, frequently leave the
student in great doubt and perplexity.
I have sent to my brother one copy of St. Luke's Gospel with a
letter; the postage was 15s. 5d. My reason for sending only one
was, that the rate of postage increases with the weight, and that
the two Gospels can go out much cheaper singly than together. The
other I shall dispatch next month.
I subjoin a translation from the Mandchou, as I am one of those who
do not wish people to believe words but works; and as I have had no
Grammar, and been only seven weeks at a language which Amyot says
ONE MAY ACQUIRE IN FIVE OR SIX YEARS, I thought you might believe
my account of my progress to be a piece of exaggeration and vain
boasting. The translation is from the Mongol History, which, not
being translated by Klaproth, I have selected as most adapted to
the present occasion; I must premise that I translate as I write,
and if there be any inaccuracies, as I daresay there will, some
allowance must be made for haste, which prevents my devoting the
attention necessary to a perfectly correct rendering of the text.
I will conclude by observing that I believe myself at present
competent to edit any book in Mandchou, IF THAT BE WHAT IS WANTED,
and beg leave to remain, dear Sir, your obedient humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 9th June, 1833
To the Rev. J. Jowett
JUNE 9TH, 1833
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have mastered Mandchou, and I should feel
obliged by your informing the Committee of the fact, and also my
excellent friend Mr. Brandram.
I assure you that I have had no easy and pleasant task in acquiring
this language. In the first place, it is in every respect
different from all others which I have studied, with perhaps the
exception of the Turkish, to which it seems to bear some remote
resemblance in syntax, though none in words. In the second place,
it abounds with idiomatic phrases, which can only be learnt by
habit, and to the understanding of which a Dictionary is of little
or no use, the words separately having either no meaning or a
meaning quite distinct from that which they possess when thus
conjoined. And thirdly the helps afforded me in this undertaking
have been sadly inadequate. However, with the assistance of God, I
have performed my engagement.
I have translated several pieces from the Mandchou, amongst which
is the . . . or Spirit of the Hearth ([GREEK TEXT]), which is a
peculiarly difficult composition, and which had never previously
been translated into a European language. Should you desire a
copy, I shall have great pleasure in sending one.
I shall now be happy to be regularly employed, for though I am not
in want, my affairs are not in a very flourishing condition.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 3rd July, 1833
To the Rev. J. Jowett
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
JULY 3rd, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Owing to the culpable tardiness of the post-
office people, I have received your letter so late that I have
little more than a quarter of an hour to answer it in, and be in
time to despatch it by this day's mail. What you have written has
given me great pleasure, as it holds out hope that I may be
employed usefully to the Deity, to man, and myself. I shall be
very happy to visit St. Petersburg and to become the coadjutor of
Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to avail myself of his acquirements in what you
very happily designate a most singular language, towards obtaining
a still greater proficiency in it. I flatter myself that I am for
one or two reasons tolerably well adapted for the contemplated
expedition, for besides a competent knowledge of French and German,
I possess some acquaintance with Russian, being able to read
without much difficulty any printed Russian book, and I have little
doubt that after a few months' intercourse with the natives I
should be able to speak it fluently. It would ill become me to
bargain like a Jew or a Gypsy as to terms; all I wish to say on
that point is, that I have nothing of my own, having been too long
dependent on an excellent mother, who is not herself in very easy
circumstances.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 4th August, 1833
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 13, 1833)
HAMBURG, AUGUST 4TH, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I arrived at Hamburg yesterday after a
disagreeable passage of three days, in which I suffered much from
sea-sickness, as did all the other passengers, who were a medley of
Germans, Swedes, and Danes, I being the only Englishman on board,
with the exception of the captain and crew. I landed about seven
o'clock in the morning, and the sun, notwithstanding the earliness
of the hour, shone so fiercely that it brought upon me a transient
fit of delirium, which is scarcely to be wondered at, if my
previous state of exhaustion be considered. You will readily
conceive that my situation, under all its circumstances, was not a
very enviable one; some people would perhaps call it a frightful
one. I did not come however to the slightest harm, for the Lord
took care of me through two of His instruments, Messrs. Weil and
Valentin, highly respectable Jews of Copenhagen, who had been my
fellow-passengers, and with whom I had in some degree ingratiated
myself on board, in our intervals of ease, by conversing with them
about the Talmud and the book Sohar. They conveyed me to the Konig
von Engeland, an excellent hotel in the street called the
Neuenwall, and sent for a physician, who caused me to take forty
drops of laudanum and my head to be swathed in wet towels, and
afterwards caused me to be put to bed, where I soon fell asleep,
and awoke in the evening perfectly recovered and in the best
spirits possible. This morning, Sunday, I called on the British
Consul, Mr. H. Canning, to whom I had a letter of recommendation.
He received me with great civility, and honoured me with an
invitation to dine with him to-morrow, which I of course accepted.
He is a highly intelligent man, and resembles strikingly in person
his illustrious relative, the late George Canning. Since visiting
him I have been to one of the five tall churches which tower up
above the tall houses; I thought its interior very venerable and
solemn, but the service seemed to be nothing more than a low-
muttered chanting, from which it was impossible to derive much
spiritual edification. There was no sermon, and not more than
twenty persons were present, though the edifice would contain
thousands conveniently. Hamburg is a huge place, and the eastern
part of it is intersected by wide canals communicating with the
Elbe, so that vessels find their way into most parts of the city;
the bridges are consequently very numerous, and are mostly of wood.
Some of the streets are planted with trees, which have a pretty
appearance, though upon the whole it has certainly no claim to the
appellation of a handsome town. But no observer can fail to be
struck with the liveliness and bustle which reign in this emporium
of continental Europe, worthy to be compared with Tyre of old or
our own Liverpool. Another city adjoins it called Altona, the park
of which and the environs are the favourite Sunday lounge of the
Hamburgers. Altona is in Holstein, which belongs to the Danish
Government. It is separated from the Hanseatic town merely by a
small gateway, so that it may truly be said here that there is but
one step from a republic to a monarchy. Little can be said in
commendation of the moral state of this part of the world, for
rope-dancers were displaying their agility in the park to-day, and
the dancing-saloons, which I am informed are most infamous places,
are open to the public this evening. England with all her faults
has still some regard to decency, and will not tolerate such a
shameless display of vice on so sacred a season, when a decent
cheerfulness is the freest form in which the mind or countenance
ought to invest themselves. I shall depart for Lubeck on the sixth
(Tuesday), and shall probably be on the Baltic on my way to St.
Petersburg on the eighth, which is the day notified for the
departure the steamboat. My next letter, provided it pleases the
Almighty to vouch-safe me a happy arrival, will be from the Russian
capital; and with a fervent request that you will not forget me in
your prayers, and that you will present my kind remembrances and
best respects to Mr. Brandram, and also remember me to Mr.
Hattersley and Mr. Tarn, I have the honour to remain, Revd. and
dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: Undated
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 26th, 1833)
ST. PETERSBURG, No. 221 GALERNOY ULITZA.
[Undated.]
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - My last letter was from Hamburg, which I hope
and trust you received. I started from thence on the 24th, and
embarking at Travemunde I arrived at the Russian capital on the
31st July (old style) after an exceedingly pleasant passage,
accomplished in the short space of 72 hours; for the wind was
during the greatest part of our way favourable and gentle, the sea
being quite as smooth as a mill pond, so that the paddles of our
noble steamer, the NIKOLAI, were not at all impeded in their
working by any rolling or pitching of the vessel. Immediately on
my arrival I sought out Mr. Swan, one of the most amiable and
interesting characters I have ever met with, and delivered to him
your letter, the contents of which were very agreeable to him; for
from applying himself too un-interruptedly to transcribing the
manuscript of the Mandchou Old Testament he had in some degree
injured his health; and the arrival of a coadjutor in the task was
exceedingly opportune. In a day or two I went with him to pay a
visit to Mr. Schmidt, who resides a few miles out of town. He
assured us that he had no doubt of permission being granted for the
printing of the Mandchou New Testament, and promised to make all
the necessary inquiries, and to inform Mr. Swan and myself of the
result. He was at the time we saw him much occupied with his
Mongolian Grammar and Dictionary, which are in the press. We have
not heard from him since this visit, and I shall probably call upon
him again in a week or two to hear what steps he has taken. I
resided for nearly a fortnight in a hotel, as the difficulty of
procuring lodgings in this place is very great, and when you have
procured them, you have to furnish them yourself at a considerable
expense. During this time I collated with Mr. Swan the greatest
part of what he had transcribed, and eventually I took up my abode
with Mr. Egerton Hubbard, a friend of Mr. Venning's, where I am for
the present very comfortably situated, and I do assure you exerting
myself to the utmost to fulfil the views of the Society. I have
transcribed from the Mandchou Old Testament the second book of
Chronicles, which when I had done, I put aside the Old Testament
for a season, and by the advice of Mr. Swan began to copy St.
Matthew's Gospel from the version of the New, executed by the same
hand as the Old, with the purpose of comparing it with that of Mr.
Lipoftsoff. This task I have just completed, and am now about to
commence a transcript of the Acts. Respecting this manuscript
translation of the Old and New Testaments I must here observe, that
with scarcely one exception it is the most laborious and best
executed work of the kind which I have ever seen, and I cannot but
admire the diligence and learning of him who, probably unasked and
unrewarded, engaged in and accomplished it. The style, as far as I
can judge, is to an eminent degree elegant and polished, and likely
to captivate those whose taste is cultivated, and with this
advantage, it exhibits none of that obscurity which too frequently
attends refinement of language; and as for fidelity - it is upon
the whole executed as literally, and with as much adherence to the
original, as the genius of the Tartar language and the
understandings of the people, for whose edification it is intended,
will permit. But the notes and elucidations (which I copy not)
which follow every chapter, both of the Old and New Testament,
constitute the most surprising feature of this work. They are so
full and copious, that they occupy far more space than the text;
indeed, I think I speak quite within bounds when I say that for
every page of text there are two of explanatory matter. The author
was a French Jesuit, and when did a Jesuit any thing which he
undertook, whether laudable or the reverse, not far better than any
other person? Staunch Protestant though I be, I am not ashamed to
say that all the skill and talent of our own missionaries, in
acquiring languages and making versions of the Scriptures, are,
when compared with the capabilities displayed by the seminary
priests, faint and seemingly insignificant; and yet it is singular
enough that the labours of the latter in this line have had almost
invariably no other fate than to be buried in continental public
libraries or in the literary collections of the learned and
curious; from which it is manifest that the Lord smiled not upon
their undertakings. They thought not of His glory but of the glory
of their order, and the consequence has been that 'He has put down
the mighty from their seat and has exalted the humble and meek.'
A few days since I called upon Mr. Lipoftsoff, and to my surprise
discovered that he was totally unaware of any plan being in
agitation for the printing of his translation of the Scriptures.
He said that he had had no communication with Mr. Schmidt for
several months; and far from being able to furnish me with any
information respecting the probable destiny of his work, he asked
questions of me concerning it. He is a gentleman rather advanced
in years, probably between sixty and seventy, but is nevertheless
surprisingly hale and robust. He was very kind, and promised to
give me any assistance in his power towards acquiring a thorough
knowledge of the Mandchou; and, permit me to say, that Petersburg
is the only place in Europe where such a knowledge can be obtained,
for the manuscripts and printed books in that tongue are very
plentiful here, and there are moreover several individuals who
speak and write it. I of course most gladly accepted such an
offer, and shall endeavour to turn it to the best account. Mr. L.
speaks no European language but Russ, which I am not sorry for,
because frequent conversation and intercourse with him will improve
my knowledge of that language. It is a great error to suppose that
a person resident in this country can dispense with Russ, provided
he is acquainted with French and German. The two latter languages,
it is true, are spoken by the French and German shop-keepers
settled here. French is moreover spoken (to foreigners) by the
nobility and a few of the officers in the army; but neither are so
generally understood as in England - German far less so; and as for
the Russians being the best general linguists in Europe, I am
totally unable to guess how the idea could have originated, but am
certain from personal experience that they are quite the contrary.
Petersburg is the finest city in the world; neither London nor
Paris nor any other European capital which I have visited has
sufficient pretensions to enter into comparison with it in respect
to beauty and grandeur. Many of the streets are miles in length,
as straight as an arrow and adorned with the most superb edifices.
The so-called Nevsky Prospect, a street which runs from the
Admiralty to the Monastery of St. Alexander Nevsky, is nearly three
miles in length and for the greatest part of the way floored with
small blocks of wood shaped octagonally. The broad and rapid Neva
runs through the centre of this Queen of cities, and on either side
is a noble quay, from which you have a full view of the river and
of what is passing on its bosom. But I will not be diffuse in the
description of objects which have been so often described, but
devote the following lines which my paper will contain to more
important matters.
The lower orders of the Russians are very willing to receive
Scriptural information, and very willing to purchase it if offered
to them at a price which comes within their means. I will give an
interesting example of this. A young man of the name of Nobbs, in
the employ of Mr. Leake, an English farmer residing a few VERSTS
from Petersburg, is in the habit on his return from the latter
place, whither he is frequently sent by his master, to carry with
him a satchel filled with Russian New Testaments and religious
tracts, with which he is supplied by an excellent English lady who
dwells there. He says that before he has reached home, he has
invariably disposed of his whole cargo to the surrounding
peasantry; and such is the hunger and thirst which they display for
the word of salvation that his stock has always been insufficient
to answer all the demands made, after it was known what merchandise
he brought with him. There remain at present three hundred copies
unsold of the modern Russian New Testament at the shop which has
the disposal of the works of the late Russian Bible Society; these
copies, all of which are damaged from having been immersed during
the inundation of 1824, might all be disposed of in one day,
provided proper individuals were employed to hawk them about in the
environs of this capital. There are twenty thousand copies on hand
of the Sclavonian Bible, which being in a language and character
differing materially from the modern Russ character and language,
and only understood by the learned, is unfit for general
circulation, and the copies will probably remain unsold, though the
Synod is more favourable to the distribution of the Scriptures in
the ancient than in the modern form. I was informed by the
attendant in the shop that the Synod had resolved upon not
permitting the printing of any fresh edition of the Scriptures in
the modern Russ until these twenty thousand copies in the ancient
language had been disposed of. But it is possible that this
assertion is incorrect.
I must now conclude; and with an earnest request that you will
write to me speedily, and deliver my kindest remembrances to Mr.
Brandram and to my other good friends at the Society House, I
remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient servant,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 27th August, 1833
To the Rev. A. Brandram
ST. PETERSBURG, AUGUST 27, 1833.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - The bearer of this letter is Mr. Glen, the
son of the celebrated missionary of Astracan. He is desirous of
forming your acquaintance, and I take the liberty of making him
known to you. He is a young man of considerable learning, and a
devout Christian. His object in visiting England is to qualify
himself for the missionary calling, in the hope that at some future
period he may tread in the steps of his father and proclaim a
crucified Saviour to the Oriental heathens. I am at present,
thanks be to the Lord, comfortable and happy, and am every day
busily engaged in transcribing the Mandchou Old Testament and
collating with Mr. Swan.
In the hope that these lines will find you in good health, I have
the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient
servant,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 20th January, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Feb. 17th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, 20TH JANUARY (old style), 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I received in due time your epistle of the
2nd January, which gave me considerable pleasure, as it is
exceedingly cheering in a foreign land to hear from one's friends
and to know that one is not forgotten by them. I now proceed to
give an account of my stewardship up to the present time, which
account I humbly trust will afford perfect satisfaction to the
Society which has honoured a frail creature like myself with a
charge, the importance and difficulty of which I at present see
much more clearly than I originally did.
My dear Sir, even when transcribing the Mandchou Scripture, I was
far from being forgetful of the ulterior object of my mission, and
therefore, as in duty bound, applied to Dr. Schmidt for advice and
information, who was the person upon whom I mainly depended. But I
found that gentleman so involved in a multiplicity of business that
it was utterly impossible for him to afford me either; and though
he was kind enough to promise to make inquiry, etc. etc., it is
very probable that he forgot to fulfil his promise, for the result
never came to my ears.
Thus circumstanced, and being very uneasy in my mind, I determined
to take a bold step, and directly and without further feeling my
way to petition the Government in my own name for permission to
print the Mandchou Scriptures. Having communicated this
determination to our beloved, sincere, and most truly Christian
friend Mr. Swan (who has lately departed to his station in Siberia,
shielded I trust by the arm of his Master), it met with his perfect
approbation and cordial encouragement. I therefore drew up a
petition, and presented it with my own hand to his Excellence Mr.
Bludoff, Minister of the Interior. He having perused it, briefly
answered, that he believed the matter did not lie with him, but
that he would consider. I now began greatly to fear that the
affair would not come to a favourable issue, but nevertheless
prayed fervently to God, and confiding principally in Him, resolved
to leave no human means untried which were within my reach.
Since residing here I have assiduously cultivated the friendship of
the Honourable Mr. Bligh, His Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary
at the Court of Russia, who has shown me many condescending marks
of kindness, and who is a person of superb talents, kind
disposition, and of much piety. I therefore, on the evening of the
day of my presenting the petition, called upon him, and being
informed that he was out of town, and was not expected till late at
night, I left a letter for him, in which I entreated him to make
use of whatever influence his high official situation was
calculated to give him with the Minister, towards procuring a
favourable reply; assuring him that the Mandchou version was not
intended for circulation nor calculated for circulation in any part
of the Russian Empire, but in China and Chinese Tartary solely. I
stated that I would call for an answer the next morning. I did so,
and upon seeing Mr. Bligh, he was kind enough to say that if I
desired it he would apply officially to the Minister, and exert all
his influence in his official character in order to obtain the
accomplishment of my views; but at the same time suggested that it
would, perhaps, be as well at a private interview to beg it as a
personal favour; and to this I instantly assented. He spoke twice
to Mr. Bludoff upon the subject; and I shortly afterwards received
a summons to appear at the Asiatic Department, whither I went, and
found that Mr. Bludoff had been enquiring whether any person was to
be found capable of being employed as Censor over the work, and
that it had been resolved that Mr. Lipoftsoff, who is one of the
clerks of the Asiatic Department, should be appointed Censor, and
that I should be the Editor of the work, provided permission were
granted to print it. I went away, and having received no
intelligence during the space of a fortnight, I waited upon Mr.
Bligh and begged that, provided it were not disagreeable to him, he
would make a fresh application to the Minister. And, singularly
enough, Mr. Bludoff was to dine at Mr. Bligh's that evening, and
the latter amiable gentleman assured me that he would not let so
excellent an opportunity slip of saying what was calculated to
bring the matter to a conclusion. That same night I received a
message, whereby I was requested to wait on Mr. Bludoff the next
day, at one. I did so, and he received me in the most polite
manner and said that the matter did not entirely depend upon him,
but that it would be necessary to obtain the permission also of the
Director of Worship, that however he would give me a letter to that
Dignitary, which he doubted not would have some effect. I received
the letter, and without losing any time repaired to the Director's
Office and having delivered my letter, after waiting some time, was
told to call at the Asiatic Department on the first day of the next
week (the very day your letter arrived). On calling there I FOUND
THAT PERMISSION HAD BEEN GRANTED TO PRINT THE MANDCHOU SCRIPTURE.
I hope that the honourable Committee and yourself will feel no
displeasure at my presuming here to make a slight suggestion. We
are under great obligations to Mr. Bligh; and I have certainly
taken great liberties with the friendship with which he has thought
proper to favour me, liberties which I should certainly not have
felt myself authorised to have taken in any affair, the end of
which was not the glorifying of God, as the aim of this certainly
is. I therefore should wish to hint the expediency of a letter in
which the thanks of the Committee be presented to Mr. Bligh for the
interest which he has been pleased to take in this business, and
for the trouble he has given himself. You are well aware that a
handsome acknowledgement of a kindness received is never taken
amiss; and as it is not impossible that Mr. Bligh, at another time
and even at another place, may have an opportunity of promoting the
excellent views of the Society, I cannot help thinking that such an
acknowledgement would be unwise neither in respect to what has
occurred or may occur hereafter.
In reply to your inquiries respecting my progress in the Mandchou
language, I have to observe that for some time past I have taken
lessons from a person who was twelve years in Pekin, and who speaks
Mandchou and Chinese with fluency. I pay him about six shillings
English for each lesson, which I grudge not, for the perfect
acquirement of Mandchou is one of my most ardent wishes; as I am
convinced that it is destined by providence to be the medium for
the spiritual illumination of countless millions of Chinese and
Tartars. At present I can transcribe the Manchou character with
much greater facility and speed than I can the English. I can
translate from it with tolerable facility, and have translated into
it, for an exercise, the second homily of the Church of England "On
the Misery of Man." I have likewise occasionally composed a few
hymns in this language, the difficulty of which I am at present
more fully aware of than when I left England. It is one of those
deceitful tongues, the seeming simplicity of whose structure
induces you to suppose, after applying to them for a month or two,
that little more remains to be learned, but which, should you
continue to study a year, as I have studied this, show themselves
to you in their veritable colours, amazing you with their
copiousness, puzzling with their idioms. In a word Mandchou is
equally as difficult as Sanscrit or Persian, neither of which
languages has ever been thoroughly acquired by any European, though
at first acquaintance they flatter the student with their deceitful
simplicity. I take the liberty of sending you a short original
epigram in rhymed Mandchou, which if it answers no other purpose
will afford you some idea of my running Mandchou hand, which, as I
now write perpendicularly, is very different from that hand which I
wrote previously to my coming hither. The epigram is upon the
exploits of the Tartars.
[Here follow four upright lines in Manchu characters.]
Milites qui e Manjurico deserto exierunt, bellando silvas, campos
et oppida Sinensis imperii captarunt.
Want of room obliges me to defer making a report upon Mr.
Lipoftsoff's translation until my next letter, which will follow in
a week or two; for I am unwilling in a matter of such immense
importance to deliver a brief and hurried opinion. I have much to
communicate also respecting the proper means to be pursued for the
introduction and circulation of the volume, when printed, in China
and Tartary. This information I have derived from the most
authentic sources, namely from individuals who have spent many
years in these countries, and whose acquaintance I have eagerly
sought.
From England I have lately received a letter in which is an extract
from an epistle of my brother in Mexico, amounting to this - that
there is no native language in that country entitled to the
appellation of THE Mexican language; that it is as incorrect to
make use of such an expression, as it would be to say definitely
THE European language; that setting aside the Spanish there are
upwards of twenty languages and dialects spoken in Mexico, none of
which are read (except perhaps here and there by a few individuals)
but communicated by the mouth and only acquired by the ear; that my
brother has shown the sheet of St. Luke's Gospel, which I
transmitted to him, to various Spaniards and Indians, but it was
unintelligible to them, the latter not recognising the words when
read to them. I should therefore advise that the copies of this
version be sent, if possible, to the place where the version was
purchased, as it was probably made in the language or dialect of
that place or neighbourhood, and where there is a chance of its
being of some utility. Should my brother have survived the late
dreadful commotions in Mexico, I have no doubt that he will be
exceedingly happy to assist in flinging the rays of Scriptural
light over that most benighted and miserable region; but having
lately read in the Russian newspapers that the town of Guanajuato,
where he resided, has been taken and sacked by the murderous bands
of the insurgents, I have great reason to fear that his earthly
course is terminated, for the former, incited by their demoniacal
priests, in comparison with whom the Shamans of Manjuria and the
lamas of Mongolia and China are innocent and holy, lay hold of
every opportunity of shedding the blood of Protestants and
foreigners.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 4th February, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. March 10th, 1834, with Report on the Mandchou New
Testament.)
ST. PETERSBURG, GALERNOY ULITZA,
4 FEBRUARY (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - In compliance with the request of the
Committee, expressed in your epistle of the 2nd January, I herewith
send a report upon Mr. Lipoftsoff's translation; and as there were
many things which I wished to mention in my last letter, but was
unable from want of room, I take this opportunity of stating them,
with the hope that they will meet with your approbation.
In the first place, whatever communication you wish to make to Mr.
Lipoftsoff I think you had best charge me with to him, for in that
case you will be certain that he will receive it, without loss of
time. But I must inform you that he is rather a singular man, and
to all appearances perfectly indifferent to the fate of his
excellent translation, caring nothing whether it be published as a
powerful instrument to open the closed eyes and soften the hard
hearts of the idolators of China and Tartary, or whether it be
committed to the flames, and for ever lost to the world. You
cannot conceive the cold, heartless apathy in respect to the
affair, on which I have been despatched hither as an ASSISTANT,
which I have found in people, to whom I looked, not unreasonably,
for encouragement and advice. But thanks be to the Lord, the great
object has been accomplished, permission has been obtained to print
the New Testament, and have no doubt that permission for the whole
Bible is within our reach. And in regard to what we have yet to
do, let it be borne in mind, that we are by no means dependent upon
Mr. Lipoftsoff; though certainly to secure the services which he is
capable of performing would be highly desirable, and though he
cannot act outwardly in the character of Editor, he having been
appointed Censor, he may privately be of great utility to us.
Therefore let the attempt to engage his services be made without
delay.
At the Sarepta House is a chest containing Mandchou characters,
belonging to the Bible Society, which I shall cause to be examined
for the purpose of ascertaining whether they have sustained any
injury from rust during the long time they have been lying
neglected; if any of them have, my learned friend Baron Schilling,
who is in possession of a small fount of Mandchou types for the
convenience of printing trifles in that tongue, has kindly promised
to assist us with the use of as many of his own as may be
necessary. There is one printing office here, where they are in
the habit of printing with the Mongolian character, which differs
but little from the Mandchou; consequently the Mongolian
compositors will be competent to the task of composing in Mandchou.
There are no Mandchou types in St. Petersburg, with the exception
of our own and Baron Schilling's.
I suppose that it will be thought requisite to print the town for a
year or so, it is my humble opinion, and the opinion of much wiser
people, that if he were active, zealous and likewise courageous,
the blessings resulting from his labours would be incalculable. It
would be by no means a difficult thing to make excursions into
Tartary and to form friendships amongst the Tartar hordes, and I am
far from certain that with a little management and dexterity he
would be unable to penetrate even to Pekin, and to return in
safety, after having examined the state of the land. I can only
say that if it were my fortune to have the opportunity, I would
make the attempt, and should consider myself only to blame if I did
not succeed.
In my last letter I informed you that I had procured myself an
instructor in Mandchou, and that I was making tolerable progress in
the language. I should now wish to ask whether this person could
not be turned to some further account; for example, to assist me in
making a translation into Mandchou of the Psalms and Isaiah, which
have not yet been rendered. A few shillings a week, besides what I
give him for my own benefit, would secure his co-operation, for he
is a person in very low circumstances. He is not competent to
undertake any thing of the kind by himself, being in many respects
very simple and ignorant; but as an assistant I think he might be
of considerable utility, and that between us we could produce a
version which, although it might not be particularly elegant, would
be clear, grammatical and faithful to the original. In the mean
time I shall pursue my studies, and be getting every thing in
readiness for setting the printers at work; and with a humble
request for SPEEDY INSTRUCTIONS, in order that as little time as
possible may be lost in the work of the Lord, I have the honour to
remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Your most obedient and humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - My kindest regards to Mr. Brandram and my other dear friends
at the Bible House. I thank you heartily for your kind advice in
the latter part of your last epistle. Do me the favour to inform
Dr. Richardson that I have followed his instructions in regard to
clothing, etc., and have derived great benefit therefrom.
LETTER: 15th February, 1834
To the Rev. Joseph Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. March -, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, FEBRY. 15 (old style), 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Having forgotten in my last letter to say
something which I intended, I take the liberty of troubling you
with these lines. But first of all I must apologise for certain
slips of the pen in the Report which I transmitted; for it left me
without having been corrected, Baron Schilling having called upon
me just as I sat down to the task, and when he had departed, I had
barely time to seal it and despatch it by that week's post. There
was in it, I believe, nothing of much importance which required
alteration, but, if I mistake not, I had written, in the third
side, vibebam, instead of VIVEREM, and unaparelled, or some such
word, instead of UNPARALLELED, in the fourth. Now to the point.
What is to be done with the transcript of Puerot's translation of
the Acts of the Apostles, which I made, and which is now in my
possession? The translation is in every respect an admirable one;
clear, faithful, and elegant. It would not do to print it in lieu
of Mr. Lipoftsoff's translation of that part of the New Testament;
because the styles of the two individuals are so different, that to
mix up the writings of the one with those of the other would only
serve to disfigure the work, and Mr. Lipoftsoff's translation is
well worthy of being printed separately and entire; but I conceive
that we possess a treasure in Puerot's writings, and that it would
be a great pity to hide any portion of them from the world. Pray
communicate this hint to the Committee, and pardon me for troubling
you.
I remain, Rev. and dear Sir, most sincerely yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 15th April, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd, May 16th, 1834)
GALERNOY ULITZA, ST. PETERSBURG,
15TH APRIL (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Upon the receipt of your letter of the [21st]
ult. [date omitted], I lost no time in endeavouring to obtain the
necessary information upon the points to which you directed my
attention; and I have some hope that what I am about to communicate
will not be altogether unsatisfactory; but I must first of all
state that it was not acquired in a day, and that I have been
obliged to go to many people and many places, which will account
for my not having sooner returned an answer.
First, respecting the most important point, the expense of printing
the New Testament in Mandchou. I was quite terrified at the
enormous sums which some of the printers to whom I made application
required for the work. At length our friend Dr. Schmidt
recommended me to the University Press, and I having spoken to the
directors of the establishment, they sent me in the course of a
week an estimate which neither Dr. Schmidt nor myself considered to
be unreasonable, and of this estimate I here subjoin a translation:
To Mr. Borrow.
'After much consultation with the compositor, I have come to the
following result concerning the Mandchou business about which you
consulted me. If the work be printed on as thin paper as that of
the original, it can only be printed on one side. Now supposing
that the size is to be folio like that of the original, two sides
will make a sheet, and the price of composition will be 26 roubles,
20 copecks - that is to say; 12R. to the compositor, wages 2R.
50c., percentage to the printing office 11R. 60c., making 26R. 20c.
The printing of 1000 on one side 2R. 50c., percentage 2R., making
4R. 50c. Thus for composition and printing 30R. 60c. for 1000; for
2000, 35R. 10c.; for 3000, 39R. 60c. -
Your very obedient servant,
KORLER.'
In the meantime I had become acquainted with two German printers,
Schultz and Beneze, who being young men and just entered into
business are very eager to obtain the printing of a work of such
importance, which they hope will serve to bring them into notice,
as well as being advantageous to them in a pecuniary view. The
difference, as to the expense of printing, in the estimate made by
these gentlemen and that of the University Press, will doubtless as
much surprise you, as it did me. Here it follows:
'In respect to the printing of the New Testament in the Manchou
language, the undersigned oblige themselves to undertake the
printing of the said work. In the first place, as the Bible
Society, and in particular their agent Mr. Borrow, think fit to
furnish the printers with the necessary types and paper, the
undersigned offer to supply the sheet consisting of four pages with
composition, clean and black printing, at the rate of 25 roubles,
paper currency, for a thousand copies; for two thousand copies,
five additional roubles assignats, so that the same sheet, only by
a greater edition, amounts to 30 roubles assignats; thirdly, for
3000 copies in the above proportion, 35 roubles. Fourthly, we
promise during the interval of a certain period to supply at the
rate of three sheets per week.
SCHULTZ & BENEZE.'
You will perceive that the amount of this estimate is less, by more
than one-half, than the amount of the other. Schultz and Beneze's
sheet consists of four sides, and they charge less for it than the
printers of the University charge for theirs which consists only of
two. I should therefore think that upon this ground they are
entitled to the preference, were there nothing else to recommend
them, which, in my humble opinion, there is; for being young
beginners, and not having very much to do, they are more likely to
push the work forward, than a firm overwhelmed with business, from
whom, whatever might be promised, a sheet per week is the utmost to
be expected, by which much valuable time must be lost. Dr. Schmidt
is acquainted with Messrs. S. & B., and highly approves of their
being employed.
Secondly, concerning paper, with which the printer has no concern.
I can as yet say little for certain upon this matter, which has
been the occasion of no little trouble and expense; for I have been
obliged to take no less than three journeys to Peterhof, a town
about 30 VERSTS distant, where stands the paper rnanufactory, for
there is no such paper as we want in the Russian capital. In this
manufactory they have about 50 STOPES or reams (we should require
ten times that quantity for only 1000 copies) of the very paper, I
believe, on which the Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew was printed,
and some of the workmen said that they could make as much more as
should be required. Concerning the price of this paper, I could
obtain no positive information, for the director and first and
second clerks were invariably absent, and the place abandoned to
ignorant understrappers (according to the custom of Russia). And
notwithstanding I found out the director in Petersburg, he himself
could not tell me the price, but informed me that he would inquire,
and speedily send me word; but as I have as yet heard nothing from
him, I write lest it should be supposed in England that I am
sleeping on my station. I SHALL WRITE AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS ON THIS
POINT; IN THE MEAN TIME YOU WOULD OBLIGE ME BY CAUSING THE ACCOUNTS
OF DR. PINKERTON'S EXPENSES TO BE REFERRED TO, for the purpose of
ascertaining how much he paid per ream for this kind of paper. I
believe it to be extravagantly dear, at least five times dearer
than good common paper, which can be procured for fifteen roubles
per ream; and if that be the case, common paper must be used and
the book printed in the common fashion, unless the Society be
prepared to disburse thousands instead of hundreds; for if the work
were printed on this Chinese paper, four times more paper would be
required than if it were printed on the other, as five multiplied
by four make twenty, the expense of paper would be twenty times
greater.
Thirdly, respecting Mr. Lipoftsoff, with whom I have of late had
much conversation. He has behaved very handsomely. He has made an
immense number of alterations in his translation, all of which are
excellent improvements, and all these are to be at our disposal
gratis. He says that he cannot receive any remuneration for
looking over the work, being bound to do so as Censor. I shall
therefore edit it, and have the supervision of the proof sheets,
which he will peruse last of all. He having examined me in
Mandchou did me the honour to say I required no assistance at all;
but should the Committee and yourself be of opinion that it would
be advisable to procure a little, the 'pundit' would be very happy
for an extra six or seven shillings per week to collate with me
when wanted. I have derived great benefit from this man, who
though in many respects a most singular and uncouth being speaks
Mandchou gallantly, with the real pronunciation of PEKIN, which
differs considerably from that of PEKHAN (the desert), being far
more soft and melodious. During the interval which will elapse
between my writing to you and hearing from you, I shall borrow from
Baron Schilling the Mandchou Old Testament and reperuse the notes
in order to be able to give a suitable opinion as to their value.
My present opinion of them is no mean one. In answer to your query
RESPECTING THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, I beg leave to
inform you that it is in the hands of a Mr. Merrilies, an English
merchant, to whom Mr. Swan entrusted it. I believe he starts for
England by the first steam-boat.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, sincerely yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - Since my last letter I have been laid up for some time with
a nervous fever, but thank God I am quite recovered. My best
respects to Mr. Brandram. Pray excuse the haste in which this
letter is written, it will be barely in time for the post.
LETTER: 28th April, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. May 26th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, April 28 (old style) 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Being at length able to communicate some
positive information respecting the price of the paper, which we
are in need of, I lose no time in doing so. The day after I
despatched my last epistle, which I hope you have received, I was
favoured with a communication from the director of the Peterhof
Fabrik or Manufactory, a gentleman who amongst other titles bears
that of Councillor of State. He was kind enough to say that I
should have the 50 reams of paper which remained, and which I
before alluded to, at 75 roubles per ream; but that if any more
were necessary, one hundred roubles per ream would be required, and
not any reduction would be made. You may easily guess that I was
somewhat startled at this piece of information, for upon making a
calculation I found that one ream of paper would be little more
than sufficient for two copies of the entire Mandchou New
Testament. There are 480 sheets in a Russian ream, and I suppose
that our book will consist of seven parts, each containing about
the same number of sheets as the printed Mandchou Gospel of St.
Matthew. Now that Gospel contains 31 sheets, and 31 multiplied by
7 amounts to 211 [SIC], which multiplied by 2 makes 422 sheets,
leaving only a surplus of 58. Therefore the paper necessary for
1000 copies only would amount to about 450 reams, the price of
which, after allowance had been made for the 50 reams at 75
roubles, would exceed 40,000 roubles. The next day I hired a
calash, and spent the best part of a week in causing myself to be
driven to all the places in the vicinity of Petersburg where paper
is made. Knowing but too well that it is the general opinion of
the people of this country that Englishmen are made of gold, and
that it is only necessary to ask the most extravagant price for any
article in order to obtain it, I told no person, to whom I applied,
who I was, or of what country; and I believe I was supposed to be a
German. In some places I had now the pleasure of hearing that I
could have the paper at 60 roubles per ream. At last I came to a
person whom, after having informed him that I was in need of a very
great quantity, perhaps a thousand reams or more, I beat down from
50 to 40 roubles, from 40 to 35, and it is probable that I may be
able to obtain a large quantity at 30. I must inform you that I
also employed two agents, and we three going various ways have
ascertained that the necessary paper may be procured for between 30
and 40 roubles per ream, paper of as good a quality - nay, better
than that on which the Gospel of St. Matthew was printed, and that
for which 100 roubles were demanded at Peterhof. It is therefore
now time for the Committee to come to a decision respecting the
number of copies to be printed, and I wish it to be borne in mind
that the price of the paper per ream in some degree depends upon
the quantity required. I do not think it possible to obtain any
where paper of a similar quality at a less price than 30 or 35
roubles; for the specimens which I have obtained are very
beautiful, and a work printed on such paper need not be ashamed to
show its face amongst the most fastidious Tartars and Chinese. To
print the Testament on common paper would certainly not be
advisable, as in that case the probability is that notwithstanding
the reverence of those singular people for written or printed
characters, the sacred volume, if put into their hands, would be
destroyed.
I am in conformity with your expressed desire getting every thing
into readiness for commencing printing, and therefore earnestly beg
for a speedy communication, informing me how much paper I am to
bespeak, and in what manner I am to pay for it. I must here
observe that in all dealings within Russia the purchaser must have
his money ready in his hand; consequently, if I am authorised to
purchase any quantity of paper, I must have a letter of credit upon
some firm here resident, that I may be able to pay for the article
immediately upon its delivery.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - With respect to the paper, if purchased; would you have me
deliver the whole of it into the printer's hands at once, or should
a small apartment be hired in which to keep part of it until
wanted? In this country the wisdom of the serpent is quite as
necessary as the innocence of the dove.
LETTER: 27th June, 1834
To J. Thornton, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. July 22nd, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, JUNE 27TH, 1834.
SIR, - Having drawn upon Messrs. Simondsen and Company of St.
Petersburg for the sum of 2000 roubles (two thousand roubles) as a
deposit upon an order for 450 reams of Chinese paper, at TWENTY-
FIVE ROUBLES per ream, I have to request that you will honour their
draft to the like amount.
I remain, Sir, yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: Undated
To the Rev. J. Jowett
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Our types are in the hands of the printer,
they have been cleaned and set in order. St. Matthew's Gospel has
been corrected, and the work of printing commences next week. Most
truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 1st October, 1834
To John Jackson, Esq.
OCTR. 1 (old style), 1834, ST. PETERSBURG.
MY DEAR SIR, - I am exceedingly sorry that you should have had the
trouble of writing to me to no purpose; for in respect to the
letter, which it seems by your favour of the 29th ult. you
committed to a private hand to be forwarded to me, I beg leave to
state that I have never received it, or heard anything of it. I
must earnestly intreat that in future all letters relating to
business be despatched by the regular post, otherwise great
inconvenience and misunderstanding will be the result. Private
individuals seldom give themselves the slightest trouble to deliver
letters. If they chance to fall in with the persons for whom they
are intended - well and good! if not, the letters are flung aside
and forgotten. In respect to the monies furnished me by our friend
Mr. Tarn for my journey I have sent an account of the disbursement
on the other side, and also of what I have expended already upon
the Mandchou New Testament, of which ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL HAS BEEN
COMPLETED AND ST. MARK'S ENTERED UPON.
I remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
To J. Tarn, Esq.,
UNDER-TREASURER OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.
Account of the disbursement of certain monies received by me for my
journey to St. Petersburg in the service of the B. S.:-
Received of Mr. Tarn (if I mistake not) 30 pounds, and 7 pounds,
making together 37 pounds.
Paid for fare to Hamburg by steam-boat, diet not included, 7
pounds, 0s 0d
For expenses of conveying myself and baggage to the custom-house
wharf, and of getting on board, 0 pounds, 6s, 0d
Carry forward, 7 pounds, 6s, 0d
Brought forward 7 pounds, 6s, 0d
Expenses on board the packet, viz. diet, servants, and baggage fees
at Stade on the Hanoverian coast, 1 pound, 9s, 0d
Expenses attending my landing at Hamburg, conveyg. baggage to the
hotel, etc., 0 pounds, 5s, 0d
Expenses on the day of my arrival, for medical advice, physic,
etc., having been seized by severe illness, 0 pounds, 7s, 0d
Expenses during three days' sojourn at Hamburg, viz. for lodging,
diet, and VALET DE PLACE, 1 pound, 19s, 0d
Expenses of journey to Lubeck, namely hire of calash, driver, etc.,
1 pound, 10s, 0d
Expenses of two days' sojourn at Lubeck, 1 pound, 7s, 0d
Expenses for removal of baggage to the river-side and journey down
the river Trave to steam-boat at Travemunde, 0 pound, 7s, 0d
Fare from Travemunde to St. Petersburg, diet not included, 1 pound,
0s, 0d
For diet, servants, etc., 1 pound, 17s, 6d
Total, 27 pounds, 7s, 6d
Surplus of money, 9 pounds, 12s, 6d
From which surplus of 9 pounds, 12s. 6d. are to be deducted 7
pounds, 4s., or the salary of twelve days not drawn for, which
twelve days were spent in the journey. The salary commencing from
the hour of embarcation.
Surplus due to Mr. Tarn, 2 pounds, 8s, 6d
MY DEAR SIR, - At the expiration of this quarter I shall draw for
the sum of 47 pounds, 11s. 6d. instead of the usual 50 pounds,
whereby my account with you will be liquidated. I have, according
to your suggestion when we parted, deducted the salary of the days
passed in journeying from the money which I received from you,
Messrs. Simondsen having received advice to pay me from the day of
my arrival at St. Petersburg, whereas by the words of my agreement
(see books) the salary commences from the time of embarcation. I
believe, previous to my departure, that I accounted to you for the
sums advanced for passports. I have had the good fortune, as I
suppose you are aware, to procure for 25 roubles per ream the paper
for which I was originally asked 60, and of which previously the
very lowest price has ever been 35. This paper is far superior to
that for which the Society formerly paid 40 (and which was not dear
at 40), being far stronger and more glossy. You will particularly
oblige me by taking care that Messrs. Simondsen's drafts are
honored without the slightest delay. If I were unable to pay for
the paper at the stated time I should probably be arrested, and,
what would be far more lamentable, the contract with the merchants
would be broken; and upon a fresh contract I could not obtain the
paper in question for less than 60 roubles per ream, for the winter
has already come upon us, during which most of the paper
manufactories are at a stand-still, and an order for paper would be
consequently given under every possible disadvantage. I have
forwarded, according to your desire, an account of the sums of
money hitherto drawn for, and of the manner in which they have been
disbursed. I intended to have reserved my account for Christmas,
by which season I hope, with the blessing of God, to have brought
out the four Gospels. Excuse these hasty lines, and believe me,
dear Sir, ever yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 8th October, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Nov. 10th, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, OCT. 8 [old style], 1834.
I HAVE just received your most kind epistle, the perusal of which
has given me both pain and pleasure - pain that from unavoidable
circumstances I have been unable to gratify eager expectation, and
pleasure that any individual should have been considerate enough to
foresee my situation and to make allowance for it. The nature of
my occupations during the last two months and a half has been such
as would have entirely unfitted me for correspondence, had I been
aware that it was necessary, which, on my sacred word, I was not.
Now, and only now, when by the blessing of God I have surmounted
all my troubles and difficulties, I will tell, and were I not a
Christian I should be proud to tell, what I have been engaged upon
and accomplished during the last ten weeks. I have been working in
the printing-office, as a common compositor, between ten and
thirteen hours every day during that period; the result of this is
that St. Matthew's Gospel, printed from such a copy as I believe
nothing was ever printed from before, has been brought out in the
Mandchou language; two rude Esthonian peasants, who previously
could barely compose with decency in a plain language which they
spoke and were accustomed to, have received such instruction that
with ease they can each compose at the rate of a sheet a day in the
Mandchou, perhaps the most difficult language for composition in
the whole world; considerable progress has also been made in St.
Mark's Gospel, and I will venture to promise, provided always the
Almighty smiles upon the undertaking, that the entire work of which
I have the superintendence will be published within eight months
from the present time. Now, therefore, with the premise that I
most unwillingly speak of myself and what I have done and suffered
for some time past, all of which I wished to keep locked up in my
own breast, I will give a regular and circumstantial account of my
proceedings from the day when I received your letter, by which I
was authorised by the Committee to bespeak paper, engage with a
printer, and cause our type to be set in order.
My first care was to endeavour to make suitable arrangements for
the obtaining of Chinese paper. Now those who reside in England,
the most civilised and blessed of countries, where everything is to
be obtained at a fair price, have not the slightest idea of the
anxiety and difficulty which, in a country like this, harass the
foreigner who has to disburse money not his own, if he wish that
his employers be not shamefully and outrageously imposed upon. In
my last epistle to you I stated that I had been asked 100 roubles
per ream for such paper as we wanted. I likewise informed you that
I believed that it was possible to procure it for 35 roubles,
notwithstanding our Society had formerly paid 40 roubles for worse
paper than the samples I was in possession of. Now I have always
been of opinion than in the expending of money collected for sacred
purposes, it behoves the agent to be extraordinarily circumspect
and sparing. I therefore was determined, whatever trouble it might
cost me, to procure for the Society unexceptionable paper at a yet
more reasonable rate than 35 roubles. I was aware, that an
acquaintance of mine, a young Dane, was particularly intimate with
one of the first printers of this city, who is accustomed to
purchase vast quantities of paper every month for his various
publications. I gave this young gentleman a specimen of the paper
I required, and desired him (he was under obligations to me) to
enquire of his friend, AS IF FROM CURIOSITY, the least possible sum
per ream at which the PRINTER HIMSELF (who from his immense demand
for paper should necessarily obtain it cheaper than any one else)
could expect to purchase the article in question. The answer I
received within a day or two was 25 roubles. Upon hearing this I
prevailed upon my acquaintance to endeavour to persuade his friend
to bespeak the paper at 25 roubles, and to allow me,
notwithstanding I was a perfect stranger, to have it at that price.
All this was brought about. I was introduced to the printer, Mr.
Pluchard, by the Dane, Mr. Hasfeldt, and between the former
gentleman and myself a contract was made to the effect that by the
end of October he should supply me with 450 reams of Chinese paper
at 25 roubles per ream, the first delivery to be made on the 1st of
August; for as my order was given at an advanced period of the
year, when all the paper manufactories were at full work towards
the executing of orders already received, it was but natural that I
should verify the old apophthegm, 'Last come, last served.' As no
orders are attended to in Russia unless money be advanced upon
them, I deposited in the hands of Mr. Pluchard the sum of 2000
roubles, receiving his receipt for that amount.
Having arranged this most important matter to my satisfaction, I
turned my attention to the printing process. I accepted the offer
of Messrs. Schultz and Beneze to compose and print the Mandchou
Testament at the rate of 25 roubles per sheet, and caused our fount
of type to be conveyed to their office. I wish to say here a few
words respecting the state in which these types came into my
possession. I found them in a kind of warehouse, or rather cellar.
They had been originally confined in two cases; but these having
burst, the type lay on the floor trampled amidst mud and filth.
They were, moreover, not improved by having been immersed within
the waters of the inundation of '27 [1824]. I caused them all to
be collected and sent to their destination, where they were
purified and arranged - a work of no small time and difficulty, at
which I was obliged to assist. Not finding with the type what is
called 'Durchschuss' by the printers here, consisting of leaden
wedges of about six ounces weight each, which form the spaces
between the lines, I ordered 120 pounds weight of those at a rouble
a pound, being barely enough for three sheets. I had now to teach
the compositors the Mandchou alphabet, and to distinguish one
character from another. This occupied a few days, at the end of
which I gave them the commencement of St. Matthew's Gospel to copy.
They no sooner saw the work they were called upon to perform than
there were loud murmurs of dissatisfaction, and . . . [four Russian
words] which means 'It is quite impossible to do the like,' was the
cry - and no wonder. The original printed Gospel had been so
interlined and scribbled upon by the author in a hand so obscure
and irregular, that, accustomed as I was to the perusal of the
written Mandchou, it was not without the greatest difficulty that I
could decipher the new matter myself. Moreover, the corrections
had been so carelessly made that they themselves required far more
correction than the original matter. I was therefore obliged to be
continually in the printing-office, and to do three parts of the
work myself. For some time I found it necessary to select every
character with my own fingers, and to deliver it to the compositor,
and by so doing I learnt myself to compose. We continued in this
way till all our characters were exhausted, for no paper had
arrived. For two weeks and more we were obliged to pause, the want
of paper being insurmountable. At the end of this period came six
reams; but partly from the manufacturers not being accustomed to
make this species of paper, and partly from the excessive heat of
the weather which caused it to dry too fast, only one ream and a
half could be used, and this was not enough for one sheet; the rest
I refused to take, and sent back. The next week came fifteen
reams. This paper, from the same causes, was as bad as the last.
I selected four reams, and sent the rest back. But this paper
enabled us to make a beginning, which we did not fail to do, though
we received no more for upwards of a fortnight, which caused
another pause. At the end of that time, owing to my pressing
remonstrances and entreaties, a regular supply of about twelve
reams per week of most excellent paper commenced. This continued
until we had composed the last five sheets of St. Matthew, when
some paper arrived which in my absence was received by Mr. Beneze,
who, without examining it, as was his duty, delivered it to the
printers to use in the printing of the said sheets, who accordingly
printed upon part of it. But the next day, when my occupation
permitted me to see what they were about, I observed that the last
paper was of a quality very different from that which had been
previously sent. I accordingly instantly stopped the press, and,
notwithstanding eight reams had been printed upon, I sent all the
strange paper back, and caused Mr. Beneze to recompose three
sheets, which had been broken up, at his own expense. But this
caused the delay of another week.
This last circumstance made me determine not to depend in future
for paper on one manufactory alone. I therefore stated to Mr.
P[luchard] that, as his people were unable to furnish me with the
article fast enough, I should apply to others for 250 reams, and
begged him to supply me with the rest as fast as possible. He made
no objection. Thereupon I prevailed upon my most excellent friend,
Baron Schilling, to speak to his acquaintance, State-Councillor
Alquin, who is possessed of a paper manufactory, on the subject.
M. Alquin, as a personal favour to Baron Schilling (whom, I
confess, I was ashamed to trouble upon such an affair, and should
never have done so had not zeal for the CAUSE induced me),
consented to furnish me with the required paper on the same terms
as Mr. P. At present there is not the slightest risk of the
progress of our work being retarded - at present, indeed, the path
is quite easy; but the trouble, anxiety, and misery which have till
lately harassed me, ALONE in a situation of great responsibility,
have almost reduced me to a skeleton.
My dearest Sir, do me the favour to ask our excellent Committee,
Would it have answered any useful purpose if, instead of continuing
to struggle with difficulties and using my utmost to overcome them,
I had written in the following strain - and what else could I have
written if I had written at all? - 'I was sent out to St.
Petersburg to assist Mr. Lipoftsoff in the editing of the Mandchou
Testament. That gentleman, WHO HOLDS THREE IMPORTANT SITUATIONS
UNDER THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, AND WHO IS FAR ADVANCED IN YEARS, has
neither time, inclination, or eyesight for the task, and I am
apprehensive that my strength and powers unassisted are incompetent
to it' (praised be the Lord, they were not!), 'therefore I should
be glad to return home. Moreover the compositors say that they are
unaccustomed to compose in an unknown tongue from such scribbled
and illegible copy, and they will scarcely assist me to compose.
Moreover the working printers say (several went away in disgust)
that the paper on which they have to print is too thin to be
wetted, and that to print on dry requires a two-fold exertion of
strength, and that they will not do such work for double wages, for
it ruptures them.' Would that have been a welcome communication to
the Committee? Would that have been a communication suited to the
public? I was resolved 'to do or die,' and, instead of distressing
and perplexing the Committee with complaints, to write nothing
until I could write something perfectly satisfactory, as I now can;
and to bring about that result I have spared neither myself nor my
own money. I have toiled in a close printing-office the whole day,
during 90 degrees of heat, for the purpose of setting an example,
and have bribed people to work whom nothing but bribes would induce
so to do.
I am obliged to say all this in self-justification. No member of
the Bible Society would ever have heard a syllable respecting what
I have undergone but for the question, 'What has Mr. Borrow been
about?' I hope and trust that question is now answered to the
satisfaction of those who do Mr. Borrow the honour to employ him.
In respect to the expense attending the editing of such a work as
the New Testament in Mandchou, I beg leave to observe that I have
obtained the paper, the principal source of expense, at fifteen
roubles per ream less than the Society paid formerly for it - that
is to say, at nearly half the price.
As St. Matthew's Gospel has been ready for some weeks, it is high
time that it should be bound; for if that process be delayed, the
paper with be dirtied and the work injured. I am sorry to inform
you that book-binding in Russia is incredibly dear, and that the
expenses attending the binding of the Testament would amount, were
the usual course pursued, to two-thirds of the entire expenses of
the work. Various book-binders to whom I have applied have
demanded one rouble and a half for the binding of every section of
the work, so that the sum required for the binding of one Testament
alone would be twelve roubles. Dr. Schmidt assured me that one
rouble and forty copecks, or, according to the English currency,
fourteenpence halfpenny, were formerly paid for the binding of
every individual copy of St. Matthew's Gospel. I pray you, my dear
Sir, to cause the books to be referred to, for I wish to know if
that statement be correct. In the meantime arrangements have been
made, and the Society will have to pay for each volume of the
Testament the comparatively small sum of forty-five copecks, or
fourpence halfpenny, whereas the usual price here for the most
paltry covering of the most paltry pamphlet is fivepence. Should
it be demanded how I have been able to effect this, my reply is
that I have had little hand in the matter. A nobleman, who honours
me with particular friendship, and who is one of the most
illustrious ornaments of Russia and of Europe, has, at my request,
prevailed on his own book-binder, over whom he has much influence,
to do the work on these terms. That nobleman is Baron Schilling.
Commend me to our most respected Committee. Assure them that in
whatever I have done or left undone, I have been influenced by a
desire to promote the glory of the Trinity and to give my employers
ultimate and permanent satisfaction. If I have erred, it has been
from a defect of judgment, and I ask pardon of God and them.
In the course of a week I shall write again, and give a further
account of my proceedings, for I have not communicated one-tenth of
what I have to impart; but I can write no more now. It is two
hours past midnight. The post goes away to-morrow, and against
that morrow I have to examine and correct three sheets of St.
Mark's Gospel, which lie beneath the paper on which I am writing.
With my best regards to Mr. Brandram, I remain, dear Sir, most
truly yours,
G. BORROW.
P.S. - I wrote to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Tarn last week.
LETTER: 13th October, 1834
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Nov. 14, 1834)
ST. PETERSBURG, OCT. 13TH (old style) 1834.
REVEREND AND DEAR SIR, - In pursuance of the promise given in my
epistle of last week, which I trust in the Lord you have received,
I again address you. In the first place I must intreat you to
peruse and to read to the Committee the enclosed Latin certificate
penned by Mr. Lipoftsoff, a gentleman as little inclined to be
prodigal of praise, as was of old the learned Scaliger himself, to
whom in many points indeed, he bears no faint resemblance. In the
second place, I must inform you that a few hurried lines are all
that I can afford to write at present; my proof sheets are rushing
in so fast that time is exceedingly precious to me, and I grudge
every moment that is not devoted to my Maker or to my great
undertaking.
Before this letter reaches you St. Mark's Gospel will have passed
through the press. The two remaining Gospels will be printed
before the arrival of Christmas, and by the first of May the entire
New Testament, in the Mandchou language, will have been published.
I wish this intelligence to be communicated to the public, who are
at liberty, provided the Lord does not visit me with some heavy
affliction, to hold me culpable, if my assertion is belied by the
event.
It is true that were I to pursue the common practice of editors, it
would be impossible to complete the work in less than two years;
the quantity of proofs, successively required for every sheet, fail
not, in general, to retard the progress of all such undertakings.
My beloved friend Mr. Swan published in this city a small tract in
Mongolian; he found that it was absolutely necessary to demand six
proofs of every sheet, for in the second, nay the third proof,
there were frequently as many errors as in the first, from the
compositors not being able properly to read the corrections. But I
never entrust the task of making alterations in the press to other
hands than my own. Having corrected the first proof at home, I
proceed to the printing office and rectify all errors myself. I
consequently never require more than two proofs; the second, which
I generally show to Mr. Lipoftsoff, is frequently faultless. I am
so perfectly convinced of the excellence of this plan, that it is
my firm intention to pursue it in whatever foreign, or even English
works, it may be my destiny to edit.
I wish now to say a few words upon a subject, on which I have
previously said something. At the present moment my principal
inducement to such a step is the observation every now and then
made to me, both by Christians and no Christians, namely: 'You are
printing Testaments for which you will never find readers. Do not
tell us that you can distribute them at Canton and its environs, or
on the coasts of China; there are not ten individuals amongst a
million of the aboriginal Chinese, and such constitute the
inhabitants of Canton, of the coasts and of the isles, who
understand the language in which your Testaments are printed. If
you wish for readers you must seek them amongst the masters of
Pekin and the fierce hordes of desert Tartary; but what means do
you possess for introducing them to Tartary or Pekin?' I stated in
a former letter that the town of Kiachta, upon the northern
frontier of China, appeared to me to be in many respects a suitable
head-quarters for any person on whom might devolve the task of
endeavouring to supply the Mandchou Tartars with the word of life
in their own language. I am still of opinion, and so are many
individuals much more experienced than myself, that if a passport
could be obtained from the Russian Government, the Bible Society
would do well in despatching an agent to Kiachta, to see what might
be done at, or rather from, that place in the great cause. Kiachta
is little more than 800 miles from Pekin, and not more than half
that distance from Manjuria; he might therefore, trusting in the
Lord, not unreasonably hope to be able to penetrate to the Tartar
of the capital and the desert. True it is that his undertaking
would not 'come within the limits of safe and prudent speculation.'
But is it possible for a plan to come within the limits of safe
speculation, which has in view the conversion of the Tartar? Far
be it from me to advise that the entire stock of Testaments be
hazarded in such an enterprise; 200 is the extreme number which
should be ventured, the others shipped for England, for a seizure
upon the agent and his books would be no improbable event. I am a
person of few words, and will therefore state without
circumlocution that I am willing to become that agent. I speak
Russ, Mandchou, and the Tartar or broken Turkish of the Russian
steppes, and have also some knowledge of Chinese, which I might
easily improve at Kiachta, half of the inhabitants of which town
are Chinamen. I am therefore not altogether unqualified for such
an adventure. Were the attempt to be made, the winter of the
ensuing year would be the proper time for starting, because the
book will not be ready before next spring, and the expenses of a
summer journey would be enormous.
A few days since, upon taking leave of Prince Abbas Khoulgi, who
has departed from this place to his patrimonial territories, near
the Caucasus, I presented him with a Testament in the Russian-
Tartar language, which is his native tongue. He is without one
exception the most interesting man I have ever met. Though by
religion a Mahometan he is totally divested of the blind bigotry
which so peculiarly characterises the followers of the Camel-
driver-warrior-pseudo-prophet, but on the contrary is possessed of
a mind ever restless in the pursuit of truth, and which will
doubtless eventually lead him to the narrow path which leadeth unto
salvation. The Testament which he received from me was the very
last, in the Tartar language, which remained in the shop at which
are sold the publications of what was once the Russian Bible
Society. It is a sad fact that though there are upwards of three
thousand Tartars in St. Petersburg, most of whom can read and write
the Turkish dialect which they speak, not one Testament is at hand
suited to their understandings. I have formed many acquaintances
among these most singular people, whose language I have acquired,
during my residence in the Russian capital, chiefly from conversing
with my servant Mahomet Djaffier, a native of Bucharia, son of the
Iman or Mahometan priest of this place. Notwithstanding the
superstition and fanaticism of these men I am much attached to
them; for their conscientiousness, honesty, and fidelity are beyond
all praise. They stand in strong contrast with the lower orders of
the Russians, a good-natured, lowly-vicious, wavering race, easily
excited, easily soothed; whilst the former are sedate, sober,
temperate beings, with minds like Egyptian granite, from which it
is no easy matter to efface an impression, once made. How
lamentable that such people should in the all-important matter of
religion have embraced error instead of truth; what ornaments they
would prove at the present day to Christianity, if, instead of
Mahometanism, Christianity had originally come in their way! Of a
surety they would reflect much more lustre on the religion of
Christ than millions whose deeds and behaviour are more worthy of
the followers of the impostor than of Him 'in whose mouth was found
no craft or subtlety.'
I have much more to write and wish so to do, but I have really no
time. It is probable that you will not hear from me again before
Christmas (old style), but I entreat YOU to inform me as soon as
possible whether my proceedings give satisfaction or not; but I
must here take the liberty of stating that if I were moved one inch
from my own course, the consequences might prove disastrous to the
work, as I should instantly lose all power of exertion. I want no
assistance but that of God, and will accept of none. Pray, I
beseech you, that THAT be granted.
You would, my dear Sir, be conferring a great favour upon me, if
you would so far trouble yourself as to write a few lines to my
venerated friend Mr. Cunningham of Lowestoft, informing him that I
am tolerably well, and that the work is going on most prosperously.
I remain, Reverend and dear Sir,
Your most humble and obliged servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - Baron Schilling wishes to have a Chinese Testament of the
large edition: pray, send one if possible, and direct it to me at
the Sarepta House. Be particular to remember that it must be of
the large edition, for he has one of the small already in his
possession. He wishes likewise to have Gutzlaff and Lindsay's
Voyages.
ENCLOSED IN THE LETTER IS THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATE.
Testifico -
Dominum Burro ab initio usque ad hoc tempus summa cum deligentia et
studio in re Mantshurica laborasse.
LIPOVZOFF.
LETTER: 15/27 December, 1834
To J. Tarn, Esq.
ST. PETERSBURG, DECR. 15/27, 1834.
ON the other side I send an account of the money disbursed since
the period of my last writing to you until the present moment. In
respect to the 75 roubles charged for the reprinting of three
sheets of St. Matthew, I beg leave to observe, that after several
sheets of that Gospel had been printed, after the same manner as
that adopted in the first edition, Mr. Lipoftsoff, the Censor, gave
me notice that he had determined that the position of the vowel-
points should be altered; and I did not think proper to make any
opposition. But as common-sense informed me that it was by no
means expedient to exhibit two systems of pointing in the same
work, I subsequently caused the first sheets to be reprinted. I
think it necessary to offer this short explanation to prevent any
misunderstanding; for this superfluous expense must be attributed
to the Censor's not knowing originally his own mind, and not to any
negligence on my part. I am so pressed for time that I have not
been able to refer to my last account, which lies buried amongst
the ocean of my papers, and in stating that I retained in hand 123
roubles, I have merely trusted to memory and calculation; but I am
sure the Committee and yourself will excuse my little inaccuracy,
when I state my situation. My two compositors, whom I had
instructed in all the mysteries of Mandchou composition, are in the
hospital down with the brain fever, for every kind of sickness is
at present raging in this place; and during the last three days I
have been running about in all directions in quest of people to
fill their situation, until they recover.
Thanks be to the Lord, I have discovered and engaged the person who
composed the first Mandchou Gospel of St. Matthew, ten years since;
and as next week I shall again station myself in the printing
office for the purpose of assisting and instructing, the great work
will not be delayed, and in a fortnight or ten days I trust to be
able, provided an opportunity occurs, to transmit to England copies
of the four Gospels. With my best rewards to Mr. Brandram and Mr.
Jowett (whose last letter I have received), I remain, etc.,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 1st February, 1835
To J. Tarn, Esq.
ST. PETERSBURG, FEB. 1, 1835.
THE last account which I had the honour of transmitting to you
detailed expenses in the editing of the Mandchou Testament as far
as the first two sheets of St. John. That Gospel having by the
blessing of the Almighty passed through the press, and a copy of it
bound, and also copies of the three other Gospels, having been
forwarded to London, I snatch a moment from my occupation to give
an account of my late outgoings, the sums drawn for having been
considerable on account of my having many and large bills to
discharge. When I last wrote, I retained in hand 75 roubles 50
copecks, of the sum of 3500 drawn for; since which sum I have drawn
for the separate sums of 5000 and 500 according to the books of the
Sarepta House. I had advanced to the printer in consequence of the
illness of his compositors the sum of 250, which being deducted
from the 5000 I shall, in order to prevent confusion, take no
notice of, and proceed to give an account of the disbursement of
R. C.
5575 50
11 Jany. 1835, paid Mr. Pluchard for
one hundred and sixty-five reams
of paper at 25R. per ream, 4125
27 Dec. 1834, paid Mr. Lauffert for
the binding of St. Matthew, 450
Do. for 2 chests to contain St.
Matthew, 10
Jan. 2, 1835, to printer for 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10 of St. John, 200
Do. for printing 6000 titles, being
sufft. for 6 of the 8 parts of the
Test., 60
Jany. 9, from 10 to 16 of St. John, 150
Do. for the casting of 6 large type,
for titles, not in Baron Schilling's
colln., the rest being furnished
by him, 4
Do. 16. From 16 to 22 of St. John, 150
Do. 22. To Mr. Lauffert for bindg.
St. Mark's Gospel, 450
Chests, 10
Do. 22,. 22 to 26 and a half of St.
John, 112 50 5721 50
The Society are therefore at the present moment further indebted to
me 146R. 0C.
Should you discover at any time any inaccuracy in the accounts
which I transmit, you will much oblige me by instantly making me
acquainted with the same, in order that a satisfactory explanation
may be given. The sacrifice of time to the correction of the
manuscript and proof-sheets scarcely allows me a moment's leisure,
and I am moreover compelled to superintend the printers and book-
binders, for everything goes wrong without a strict surveillance.
By the time these lines reach you the Acts of the Apostles (the
Lord willing) will have passed through the press. Next week I hope
to write to the Revd. J. Jowett.
I remain, etc.,
G. BORROW.
P.S. - I believe that the seven shillings may be accounted for in
this manner. I charged seven POUNDS for my passage to Hamburg,
whereas I paid seven GUINEAS.
LETTER: 20th February, 1835
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. March 23, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, FEBRY. 20 [old style], 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I take advantage of the period of the Russian
Carnival, during which all business is at a stand-still, to
transmit to you some account of the manner in which I have been
engaged, since the time when I last addressed myself to you. True
it is, that I have not much to communicate; for the history of one
day is that of a week, and a month; and when I state that the
printing of the Mandchou New Testament is advancing rapidly to a
conclusion, I shall have stated all I can of much importance; but
as you and our excellent friends at home have a right to demand
particulars, I will endeavour to be as particular as lies within my
power.
About a month since I placed in the hands of Baron Schilling bound
copies of the first four parts of the Testament, the Gospels; he
having kindly promised to cause them to be conveyed to London by
one of the couriers belonging to the Foreign Department, to which
the Baron is attached. I have reason to believe, however, that you
have not received them yet, as I have been informed that they
remained in Petersburg some weeks after they had been deposited in
the Foreign Office; but in this respect I am not culpable; and
having no direct means of sending packets to London, I am glad to
embrace any which may come in my way, especially those not attended
with expense to the Society. In the mean time, I wish to inform
you that I am at present occupied on the last sheets of the fifth
volume of the Testament, namely, the Acts of the Apostles, in
getting which through the press I have experienced much difficulty,
partly from the illness of my compositors, and partly from the
manner in which the translation was originally executed, which has
rendered much modification highly necessary.
How I have been enabled to maintain terms of friendship and
familiarity with Mr. Lipoftsoff, and yet fulfil the part which
those who employ me expect me to fulfil, I am much at a loss to
conjecture; and yet such is really the case. It is at all times
dangerous to find fault with the style and composition of authors
and translators, even when they come to your door to ask for your
advice and assistance. You may easily conceive then, that my
situation has been one of treble peril. Mr. L. is the Censor of
his own work, and against the Censor's fiat in Russia there is no
appeal; he is moreover a gentleman whom the slightest contradiction
never fails to incense to a most incredible degree; and being a
strict member of the Greek Sclavonian Church, imagines that the
revealed word and will of the Supreme are only to be found in the
Sclavonian Scriptures, from which he made his Mandchou version.
Yet whenever anything has displeased me in his translation, I have
frankly told him my opinion; and in almost every instance (and the
instances have been innumerable: for in translations of the sacred
writings omissions and additions must ever be avoided) he has
suffered himself to be persuaded to remodel what he originally
concluded to be perfect, and which perhaps he still does. So that
in what has been hitherto printed of the Testament, there is
little, if any thing, with which any one but a professed caviller
can find fault.
I confess that in one instance I have not been able to carry my
point; though I assure you that I did not yield until I found that
it was absolutely of no avail to offer any further opposition. For
although I was convinced that Mr. L. was wrong, and I think when I
state the particulars that you will be of my opinion, he had on his
side the Chinese scholars of St. Petersburg, Baron Schilling
amongst the rest, and moreover being Censor he could have
prohibited the work from proceeding if I had been too obstinate. I
will tell you the ground of dispute; for why should I conceal it?
Mr. L., amongst what he called his improvements of the translation,
thought proper, when the Father Almighty is addressed, to erase the
personal and possessive pronouns THOU OR THINE, as often as they
occur, and in their stead to make use of the noun as the case may
require. For example, 'O Father, thou art merciful.' he would
render, 'O Father! the Father is merciful'; 'Our Father which art
in heaven, hallowed be thy name,' by 'Our . . . may the name of the
Father be made holy, may the kingdom of the Father come, may the
will of the Father be done on earth,' etc. I of course objected to
this, and enquired what reason he had for having recourse to so
much tautology. He replied that he had the best of reasons; for
that amongst the Chinese and Tartars none but the dregs of society
were ever addressed in the second person; and that it would be most
uncouth and indecent to speak to the Almighty as if He were a
servant or a slave. I told him that Christians, when they address
their Creator, do not address Him as if He were a great gentleman
or illustrious personage, but rather as children their father, with
a mixture of reverence and love; and that this mixture of reverence
and love was one of the most characteristic traits of Christianity.
But he said that in China children never address their parent in
this manner; and that it was contrary to all received usage; and
that in speaking to a parent the children observe the same
respectful formula of phraseology as in addressing an Emperor or
Viceroy. I then observed that our object in sending the Bible into
China was not to encourage the Chinese in any of their customs or
observances, but rather to wean them from them; and that however
startling any expression in the Bible might prove to them at first,
it was our hope and trust that it would eventually cease to be
disagreeable and extraordinary, and that the Chinese were at
present in a state which required stirring and powerful medicine,
medicine which must necessarily be disagreeable to the palate to
prove beneficial in another quarter. However, he said that I
talked 'PUSTOTA' (emptiness or nonsense), and as he was not to be
moved, I was compelled to acquiesce with his dictum. This occurred
some months since, and I rejoice to see in the last letter with
which you favoured me a fortuitous corroboration of my views on
this subject. I allude to that part of your letter where you state
that you do not desire the Chinese to consider the Bible the work
of a Chinese, etc. Nor do I; and throughout the progress of the
work I have collated every sheet with the Greek Testament, and
whenever I have found anything still adhering to the translation
which struck me as not being faithful to the original, I have
invariably modified it, so that, with the exception of the one
instance above mentioned, I can safely assert that the Word of God
has been rendered into Mandchou as nearly and closely as the idiom
of a very singular language would permit.
I have now received and paid for, as you will perceive by my
accompts, 495 reams of paper, which will be barely sufficient for
the work, which will consist of eight parts, instead of seven, as
we at first supposed. I take the liberty of requesting that when
the books arrive you will examine the texture of the paper on which
they are printed. Mr. L. is exceedingly pleased with it, and says
that it is superior to the paper of the first edition of St.
Matthew by at least ten roubles per ream; and that it is calculated
to endure for 200 years. It certainly does possess uncommon
strength and consistency, notwithstanding its tenuity, and the
difficulty of tearing it is remarkable. By my direction it
received a slight tinge of yellow, as no books are printed in China
upon paper entirely colourless. I must be permitted to say that
the manner in which the book-binder, Mr. Lauffert, is performing
his task is above all praise; but he has been accustomed for many
years to this kind of work, the greatest part of Baron Schilling's
immense collection of Chinese works having been bound by him. We
may esteem ourselves very fortunate in having met with a person so
competent to the task, and whose terms are so remarkably
reasonable. Any other book-binder in St. Petersburg would have
refused double the price at which he has executed this important
part of the work, and had they undertaken the affair, would
probably have executed it in a manner which would have exposed the
book to the scorn and laughter of the people for whom it is
intended.
A few months since I saw Mr. Glen, the missionary from Astracan, as
he passed through St. Petersburg on his return to England. He is a
very learned man, but of very simple and unassuming manners. The
doom which had been pronounced upon his translation seems to have
deeply affected him; but he appears to me to labour under a very
great error respecting the motives which induced the Editorial
Committee to reject his work, or at least to hesitate upon
publishing it. He assured me that all that was urged against it
was the use, here and there, of Arabic words, which in a language
like the Persian, which on an original foundation exhibits a
superstructure nearly one moiety of which is Arabic, is
unavoidable. As I was totally unacquainted with the facts of the
case, I said nothing upon the subject; but I now suspect, from a
few words dropped in your letter, that the objection is founded not
on the use of Arabic words, but on attempts at IMPROVING or
ADORNING the simplicity of the Bible. However this may be, there
can be no doubt that Mr. Glen is a Persian scholar of the first
water. Mirza Achmed, a Persian gentleman now living at St.
Petersburg, who resided some time at Astracan, informed me that he
had seen the translation, and that the language was highly elegant;
but whether or not the translation was faithful, and such as a
translation of the sacred volume ought to be, he of course was
entirely ignorant; he could merely speak as to the excellence of
the Persian. Mirza Djaffar also, the Persian professor here, spoke
much to the same effect.
Mr. Stallybrass, the Siberian missionary, is at present here on his
way to England, whither he is conducting his two sons, for the
purpose of placing them in some establishment, where they may
receive a better education than it is possible for him to give them
in Siberia. I have seen him several times, and have heard him
preach once at the Sarepta House. He is a clever, well-informed
man, and in countenance and manner much like Mr. Swan - which
similarity may perhaps be accounted for by their long residence
under the same roof; for people who are in the habit of conversing
together every day insensibly assume each other's habits, manner of
speaking, and expression of countenance. Mr. Stallybrass's
youngest son, a lad of fifteen, shows marks of talent which may
make him useful in the missionary field for which he is intended.
The most surprising instance of precocious talent that I have ever
seen, or ever heard of, is exhibited in a young nobleman, who
visits me every day. He is the eldest son of Count Fredro, Marshal
of the Imperial Court, and though only fourteen years of age,
speaks eight languages perfectly well, is a good Grecian and
Latinist, is one of the best draftsmen in Russia, is well
acquainted with physics, botany, geography, and history, and to
crown all, has probably the most beautiful voice that ever mortal
was gifted with. A admirable CHRISHNA again by metempsychosis; the
religion of the family, with whom I am very intimate, is the
Romish. I now and then attend the service of the Armenian Church,
for the purpose of perfecting myself in the language, and have
formed many acquaintances amongst the congregation: there are
several very clever and very learned Armenians in this place; one
of them I will particularly mention, a little elderly gentleman of
the name of Kudobashoff, who is the best Armenian scholar at
present in existence. He is on the eve of publishing a work,
calculated to be very interesting to us: an Armenian and Russian
Dictionary, on which he has been occupied for the space of thirty-
seven years, and which will be of the highest assistance to any
future editor of the Armenian Scriptures; and be it known, that no
place in Europe, with perhaps the exception of Venice, offers more
advantages to the editing of the A.S. than St. Petersburg.
I will now conclude, and repeat the assurance that I am ready to
attempt anything which the Society may wish me to execute; and, at
a moment's warning, will direct my course towards Canton, Pekin, or
the court of the Grand Lama. With my best respects to Mr.
Brandram, I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most
truly yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 28th April, 1835
To J. Tarn, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. May, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, APRIL 28th [old style], 1835.
I SEND you an account of monies spent in the editing of the Acts of
the Apostles and the first volume of the Epistles. I beg leave at
the same time to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Jackson's letter.
I am sorry that any mistake should have occurred, but the cause of
the one in question was, that at the time I last wrote to you, I
was unable to refer to my previous account; however, the mistake
now stands rectified.
I take this opportunity of informing you that I shall be obliged to
order sixty or seventy more reams of paper, as the quantity which I
at present possess will not be sufficient to complete the work.
You will see the reason of this in the account which I now send
you. In the first volume of the Epistles there are forty-three
sheets, and in the second there will be nearly the same number;
these two volumes in thickness will be equal to three of the
previous parts. During the last month I have experienced great
difficulty in keeping the printers at work on account of the
festivals of the season, but I am glad to say that I have never
failed to obtain six sheets every week.
I have received the Revd. Mr. Jowett's letter, and shall write to
him in a few days.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 3rd May, 1835
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. June 1, 1835)
MAY 3, 1835 [old style], ST. PETERSBURG.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write a few hasty lines for the purpose of
informing you that I shall not be able to obtain a passport for
Siberia, except on the condition that I carry not one single
Mandchou Bible thither. The Russian Government is too solicitous
to maintain a good understanding with that of China to encourage
any project at which the latter could take umbrage. Therefore pray
inform me to what place I am to despatch the Bibles. I have had
some thoughts of embarking the first five parts without delay to
England, but I have forborne from an unwillingness to do anything
which I was not commanded to do. By the time I receive your answer
everything will be in readiness, or nearly so, to be forwarded
wherever the Committee shall judge expedient. I wish also to
receive orders respecting what is to be done with the types. I
should be sorry if they were to be abandoned in the same manner as
before, for it is possible that at some future time they may prove
eminently useful.
As for myself, I suppose I must return to England, as my task will
be speedily completed. I hope the Society are convinced that I
have served them faithfully, and that I have spared no labour to
bring out the work, which they did me the honour of confiding to
me, correctly and within as short a time as possible. At my
return, if the Society think that I can still prove of utility to
them, I shall be most happy to devote myself still to their
service. I am a person full of faults and weaknesses, as I am
every day reminded by bitter experience, but I am certain that my
zeal and fidelity towards those who put confidence in me are not to
be shaken. Should it now become a question what is to be done with
these Mandchou Bibles which have been printed at a considerable
expense, I should wish to suggest that Baron Schilling be
consulted. In a few weeks he will be in London, which he intends
visiting during a summer tour which he is on the point of
commencing. He will call at the Society's House, and as he is a
nobleman of great experience and knowledge in all that relates to
China, it would not be amiss to interrogate him on such a subject.
I AGAIN REPEAT THAT I AM AT COMMAND.
In your last letter but one you stated that our noble President had
been kind enough to declare that I had but to send in an account of
any extraordinary expenses which I had been put to in the course of
the work to have them defrayed. I return my most grateful thanks
for this most considerate intimation, which nevertheless I cannot
avail myself of, as according to one of the articles of my
agreement my salary of 200 pounds was to cover all extra expenses.
Petersburg is doubtless the dearest capital in Europe, and expenses
meet an individual, especially one situated as I have been, at
every turn and corner; but an agreement is not to be broken on that
account.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir, your obedient
humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 15th June, 1835
To J. Thornton, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. July 20, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, JUNE 15, 1835.
SIRS, - Having drawn upon Messrs. Asmus, Simondsen & Compy. of St.
Petersburg for the following sums, I have to request that you will
honour this draft to a like amount,
1000 roubles (one thousand), received the 11th May.
2000 (two thousand), received at the present moment.
I take the liberty of stating that the printing of the Mandchou
Testament is brought to a conclusion, and that six of the eight
parts are bound. As soon as the other two are completed I shall
take my departure for England.
I have the honour to remain, Sir,
Your most obedient and most humble servant,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 16th July, 1835
To J. Tarn, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. 17 Aug. 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, JULY 16, 1835.
MY DEAR SIR, - I herewith send you a bill of lading for six of the
eight parts of the New Testament which I have at last obtained
permission to send away, AFTER HAVING PAID SIXTEEN VISITS TO THE
HOUSE OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS. The seventh part is bound and packed
up; the eighth is being bound and will be completed in about ten
days. It would have been ready a month since, having been nearly
six weeks in the book-binder's hands, but he was disappointed in
obtaining the necessary paper; I hope to have shipped all off, and
to have bidden adieu to Russia, at the expiration of a fortnight.
I take this opportunity of informing you that I was obliged to
purchase additional 85 reams of paper, of every sheet of which I
shall give an account. 1020 copies of every sheet I ordered to be
printed, that we might have a full 1000 at the conclusion. 20
reams have at various times been sent to the binder for frontings
and endings to the work, and there were 36 sheets in the seventh
and 33 in the eighth part, consequently the demand for paper is not
surprising. Since my last drafts upon the Treasurer I have
received two thousand roubles from Asmus, Simondsen and Co., for
which I shall give them a draft on my departure when I receive my
salary. My accompt since the period of my last writing to you,
when I held in hand 518 roubles of the Society's money, I shall
deliver to you on my arrival.
I have the honour to remain, Dear Sir,
Truly yours,
G. BORROW.
Pray excuse this hasty letter, which I write from the Custom House.
LETTER: 12th August, 1835
To Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 14th, 1835)
ST. PETERSBURG, AUG. 12, 1835.
As it is probable that yourself and my other excellent and
Christian friends at the Bible House are hourly expecting me and
wondering at my non-appearance, I cannot refrain from sending you a
few lines in order to account for my prolonged stay abroad. For
the last fortnight I have been detained at St. Petersburg in the
most vexatious and unheard-of manner. The two last parts of our
Testaments have been bound and ready for shipping a considerable
time, and are at present in the warehouse of a most pious and
excellent person in this place, whom the Bible Society are well
acquainted with; but I have hitherto not been able to obtain
permission to send them away. You will ask how I contrived to
despatch the first six volumes, which you have doubtless by this
time received. But I must inform you that at that time I had only
a verbal permission, and that the Custom House permitted them to
pass because they knew not what they were. But now,
notwithstanding I obtained a regular permission to print, and
transacted everything in a legal and formal manner, I am told that
I had no right at all to print the Scriptures at St. Petersburg,
and that my coming thither on that account (I use their own words)
was a step in the highest degree suspicious and mysterious, and
that there are even grounds for supposing that I am not connected
with the Bible Society or employed by them. To-day, however, I
lost patience, and said that I would not be trifled with any
longer; that next week I should send away the books by a vessel
which would then sail, and that whosoever should attempt to stop
them would do so at his peril - and I intend to act up to what I
said. I shall then demand my passport and advertise my departure,
as every one before quitting Russia must be advertised in the
newspapers two weeks successively. Pray do me the justice to
believe that for this unpleasant delay I am by no means
accountable. It is in the highest degree tormenting to myself. I
am very unwell from vexation and disquietude of mind, and am
exposed to every kind of inconvenience. The term for which I took
my chambers is expired, and I am living in a dirty and expensive
hotel. But there is One above who supports me in these troubles,
and I have no doubt that everything will turn out for the best.
I take this opportunity of sending my accounts to Mr. Tarn; if
there be any inaccuracy let him excuse it, for the post hurries me.
G. BORROW.
Report of Mr. George Borrow
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE
SOCIETY.
GENTLEMEN, - It is now about two years since I quitted England for
St. Petersburg in consequence of the duty which you have been
pleased to confide to my hands, namely, that of editing at the
Russian capital the New Testament in the Mandchou language which
has been translated by Mr. Lipoftsoff, at present Councillor of
State and Chinese Translator at that place, but formerly one of the
members of the Russian mission at Pekin. On my arrival, before
entering upon this highly important and difficult task, I, in
obedience to your command, assisted Mr. Swan, the missionary from
Selinginsk, to complete a transcript which he had commenced some
time previous of a manuscript translation of the principal part of
the Old Testament into Mandchou executed by Puerot, who, originally
a Jesuit emissary at Pekin, passed the latter years of his life in
the service of the Russian mission in the capacity of physician.
The united labours of Mr. Swan and myself speedily brought the task
in question to a conclusion, so that the transcript has for a
considerable time been in the possession of the Bible Society. I
will here take the liberty of offering a few remarks upon this
translation; but as the work is not at the present moment before
me, it is impossible to enter upon a critical and minute
examination of its merits. Nevertheless, having either transcribed
or at various times perused it, I have formed a general opinion
concerning it which, though very probably a faulty one, I shall lay
before you in a few words, which at any future time I hope you will
permit me to recall, if fresh lights upon the subject compel me to
believe that my original conclusion was an erroneous one; having no
doubt that those who are embarked in so noble a cause as the
propagation of The Great Truth, will be at all times willing to
excuse error when confessed, as by the confession of error the
truth becomes more glaringly manifest.
The merits of this translation are, upon the whole, of a very high
order; but it would be an untruth and an absurdity to say that it
does not exhibit defects and blemishes of a striking and peculiar
kind - peculiar, from the singular fact that those portions of the
original which, being narrative are exceedingly simple as to idea
and style, have been invariably rendered in a manner the most
liable to censure, exhibiting not only a slovenly carelessness in
regard to diction, but not unfrequently a disregard of accuracy
when the slightest particle of attention was only necessary to
render the meaning which the sacred writer endeavours to convey.
These are its greatest, and, it may perhaps be said, its only
defects; for if a regard for truth compel me to state that the
style of the translation frequently sinks far below the original
when at its lowest grade, that same regard compels me to say that
in yet more instances it rises with the same [to a degree] which I
believe it is scarcely possible for any individual with the limited
powers of uninspired man to surpass. This soaring tendency is
particularly observable in the version of the Book of Job, which is
certainly the most beautiful, is believed by many to be the most
ancient, and is confessedly one of the most important portions of
the Old Testament. I consider myself in some degree entitled to
speak particularly of this part of the Mandchou version in
question, having frequently at the time I was engaged upon it
translated into English several of the chapters which particularly
struck me, for the purpose of exhibiting them to Mr. Swan, who
invariably sympathised with my admiration. The translation of most
of the writings of the prophets, as far as Puerot went, has been
executed in the same masterly manner, and it is only to be lamented
that, instead of wasting much of his time and talents upon the
Apocryphal writings, as is unfortunately the case, the ex-Jesuit
left behind him no Mandchou version of Isaiah and the Psalms, the
lack of which will be sensibly felt whenever his work shall be put
in a printed state into the hands of those for whose benefit it is
intended, an event most devoutly to be wished for by all those who
would fain see Christ reign triumphant in that most extraordinary
country of which the Mandchou constitutes one of the principal
languages, being used in diplomacy and at court, and being
particularly remarkable for possessing within it translations of
all the masterpieces of Chinese, Tibetian, and Brahmanic literature
with which it has been enriched since the period of the accession
of the present Tartar dynasty to the Chinese throne, the proper
language of which dynasty it is well known to be.
To translate literally, or even closely, according to the common
acceptation of the term, into the Mandchou language is of all
impossibilities the greatest; partly from the grammatical structure
of the language, and partly from the abundance of its idioms. The
Mandchou is the only one of any of the civilised languages of the
world with which the writer of these lines has any acquaintance,
whose grammar stands far aloof from the rest in wonderful
singularity; the most remarkable feature of which is the want of
some of those conjunctions generally considered as indispensable,
and which are certainly of the first utility. The result of this
peculiarity is that such a combination of other parts of speech
must be employed as will express the idea without the aid of the
conjunction; but as these combinations are invariably and
necessarily lengthy, much more space is required in the translation
of a sentence into this language than the original occupies. I am
induced to make this remark, which I am afraid will be considered
an excursory one, from the apprehensiveness that some, observing
the translations of the Scriptures into this language to be bulkier
than the originals, might conclude that extraneous and unnecessary
matter had crept in, which a knowledge of the above fact will
prevent.
The transcript of the Mandchou Old Testament having been brought to
a conclusion and permission having been obtained to print the New
at St. Petersburg - the accomplishment of which last point was, as
you are well aware, attended with much difficulty - I set myself
seriously to work upon the principal object of my mission. With
the recapitulation of my labours I wish not to trouble you, the
various particulars having been communicated to you in letters
written at various times upon the subject. I will content myself
with observing that within ten months from the commencement of
printing, the entire work, consisting of eight volumes, had with
the blessing of the Almighty passed through the press, and, I
believe, with as few typographical errors as would have been the
case had a much more considerable portion of time been devoted to
the enterprise, which, it is true, I was in haste to accomplish,
but in a manner not calculated to render the undertaking futile nor
cast discredit upon the Society and myself [being well aware that
an edition of the Scriptures exhibiting marks of carelessness must
at best be a futile work, and that the speed with which it was
executed could be no apology; as few will be tempted to deny that
no edition at all of the sacred volume in the languages of the
heathen is far preferable to one whose incorrectness would
infallibly and with some reason awaken ridicule, which, though one
of the most contemptible, is certainly one of the most efficacious
weapons in the armoury of the Prince of Darkness and the Enemy of
Light, as it is well known that his soldiers here on earth
accomplish by its means what they would never be able to effect by
the utmost force of eloquence and carnal reasoning, in the use and
management of which they are, however, by no means unskilled, as
many a follower of Jesus from his own individual experience can
testify].
After the termination of my editorial task, having little to employ
myself upon whilst the two last volumes were undergoing the process
of binding, I determined upon a journey to Moscow, the ancient
capital of the Russian Empire, which differs widely from St.
Petersburg in appearance, structure, and in the manners, habits,
and opinions of its inhabitants. I arrived there after a journey
of four days. Moscow is by far the most remarkable city it has
ever been my fortune to see; but as it has been frequently
described, and with tolerable correctness, there is no necessity
for me to enter into a particular account of all that presented
itself to my observation. I ascended the celebrated tower of Ivan
Velike, situated within the walls of the Kremlin, from the top of
which there is a glorious view of Moscow and of the surrounding
country, and at the foot of which, in a deep hole in the earth, is
the gigantic bell which weighs 27,000 POODS, or eight hundred and
seventy thousand pounds. I likewise visited the splendid church of
the Kremlin, and had much conversation with the priest who is in
the habit of showing its curiosities to strangers. He is a most
intelligent and seemingly truly pious person, and well acquainted
with English spiritual literature, especially with the writings of
Bishops Taylor and Tillotson, whom he professed to hold in great
admiration; though he asserted that both these divines, great men
as they undoubtedly were, were far inferior writers to his own
celebrated countryman Archbishop Teekon, and their productions less
replete with spiritual manna - against which assertion I felt
little inclined to urge any objection, having myself perused the
works of the great Russian divine with much comfort and
satisfaction, and with which I can only regret [that] the devout
part of the British public are up to the present moment utterly
unacquainted.
As one of the principal motives of my visit to Moscow was to hold
communication with a particular part of its population, which from
the accounts I had received of it had inspired me with the most
vivid interest, I did not fail shortly after my arrival to seek an
opportunity of accomplishing my work, and believe that what I have
now to communicate will be of some interest to the Christian and
the philosopher. I allude to the people called Zigani or Gypsies,
or, as they style themselves, Rommany, of which there are several
thousands in and about Moscow, and who obtain a livelihood by
various means. Those who have been accustomed to consider these
people as wandering barbarians, incapable of civilisation and
unable to appreciate the blessings of a quiet and settled life,
will be surprised at learning that many of those in Moscow inhabit
large and handsome houses, appear abroad in elegant equipages, and
if distinguishable from the genteel class of the Russians [are]
only so by superior personal advantages and mental accomplishments.
Of this singular phenomenon at Moscow the female Gypsies are the
principal cause, having from time immemorial cultivated their vocal
powers to such an extent that, although in the heart of a country
in which the vocal art has arrived at greater perfection than in
any other part of the world, the principal Gypsy choirs in Moscow
are allowed by the general voice of the public to be unrivalled and
to bear away the palm from all competitors. It is a fact notorious
in Russia that the celebrated Catalani was so filled with
admiration for the powers of voice displayed by one of the Gypsy
songsters, who, after the former had sung before a splendid
audience at Moscow, stepped forward and with an astonishing burst
of melody ravished every ear, that she tore from her own shoulders
a shawl of immense value which had been presented to her by the
Pope, and embracing the Gypsy compelled her to accept it, saying
that it had been originally intended for the matchless singer which
she now discovered was not herself. The sums obtained by these
performers are very large, enabling them to live in luxury of every
description and to maintain their husbands in a princely way. Many
of them are married to Russian gentlemen; and every one who has
resided for any length of time in Russia cannot but be aware that
the lovely, talented, and domesticated wife of Count Alexander
Tolstoi is by birth a Gypsy, and was formerly one of the ornaments
of a Rommany choir at Moscow as she is now one of the principal
ornaments of the marriage state and of illustrious life. It is
not, however, to be supposed that all the female Gypsies in Moscow
are of this high, talented, and respectable order; amongst them
there are a great number of low, vulgar, and profligate females who
sing in taverns, or at the various gardens in the neighbourhood,
and whose husbands and male connections subsist by horse-jobbing
and such kinds of low traffic. The principal place of resort of
this class is Marina Rotche, lying about two VERSES from Moscow,
and thither I drove, attended by a VALET-DE-PLACE. Upon my
arriving there the Gypsies swarmed out from their tents and from
the little TRACTEER or tavern, and surrounded me. Standing on the
seat of the CALECHE, I addressed them in a loud voice in the
dialect of the English Gypsies, with which I have some slight
acquaintance. A scream of wonder instantly arose, and welcomes and
greetings were poured forth in torrents of musical Rommany, amongst
which, however, the most pronounced cry was: AH KAK MI TOUTE
KARMUMA - 'Oh, how we love you,' for at first they supposed me to
be one of their brothers, who, they said, were wandering about in
Turkey, China, and other parts, and that I had come over the great
PAWNEE, or water, to visit them. Their countenances exactly
resembled those of their race in England and Spain, brown, and for
the most part beautiful, their eyes fiery and wildly intelligent,
their hair coal-black and somewhat coarse. I asked them numerous
questions, especially as to their religion and original country.
They said that they believed in 'Devil,' which, singularly enough,
in their language signifies God, and that they were afraid of the
evil spirit, or 'Bengel'; that their fathers came from Rommany
land, but where that land lay they knew not. They sang many songs
both in the Russian and Rommany languages; the former were modern
popular pieces which are in vogue on the stage, but the latter were
evidently very ancient, being composed in a metre or cadence to
which there is nothing analogous in Russian prosody, and exhibiting
an internal character which was anything but European or modern. I
visited this place several times during my sojourn at Moscow, and
spoke to them upon their sinful manner of living, upon the advent
and suffering of Christ Jesus, and expressed, upon my taking a
final leave of them, a hope that they would be in a short period
furnished with the word of eternal life in their own language,
which they seemed to value and esteem much higher than the Russian.
They invariably listened with much attention; and during the whole
time I was amongst them exhibited little in speech or conduct which
was objectionable.
I returned to Petersburg, and shortly afterwards, the business
which had brought me to Russia being successfully terminated, I
quitted that country, and am compelled to acknowledge, with regret.
I went thither prejudiced against the country, the government, and
the people; the first is much more agreeable than is generally
supposed; the second is seemingly the best adapted for so vast an
empire; and the third, even the lowest classes, are in general
kind, hospitable, and benevolent. True it is that they have many
vices, and their minds are overshadowed by the gloomy clouds of
Grecian superstition, but the efforts of many excellent and pious
persons amongst the English at St. Petersburg are directed to
unveiling to them the cheering splendour of the lamp of the Gospel;
and it is the sincere prayer of the humble individual who now
addresses you that the difficulties which at present much obstruct
their efforts may be speedily removed, and that from the boundless
champains of Russia may soon resound the Jubilee hymn of millions,
who having long groped their way in the darkness of the shadow of
death, are at once blessed with light, and with joyful hearts
acknowledge the immensity of the blessing.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 26th October, 1835
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 27, 1835)
OCT. 26 [1835.] WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Pray excuse the liberty I take in troubling
you with these lines, which I write for the purpose of informing
you that I am perfectly ready to undertake anything which yourself
or Mr. Brandram may deem expedient. I should be most happy to
explore -Portugal and Spain, and to report upon the possibility of
introducing the Gospel into those countries, provided that plan has
not been given up; or to commence the Armenian Testament forthwith,
if the types are ready. If you would so far condescend as to
return an answer as soon as it suits your convenience, you would
confer no slight obligation upon me, for I am weary of doing
nothing, and am sighing for employment.
I have the honour to remain, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obliged
and most obedient servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 27th October, 1835
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 28,1835)
WILLOW LANE, ST. GILES, NORWICH,
27 OCTR., 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have received your letter of the 26th, as I
suppose Mr. Jowett has received mine of the same date which I
needlessly sent. As you ask me to favour you with my thoughts, I
certainly will; for I have thought much upon the matters in
question, and the result I will communicate to you in a very few
words. I decidedly approve (and so do all the religious friends
whom I have communicated it to) of the plan of a journey to
Portugal, and am sorry that it has been suspended, though I am
convinced that your own benevolent and excellent heart was the
cause, unwilling to fling me into an undertaking which you supposed
might be attended with peril and difficulty. Therefore I wish it
to be clearly understood that I am perfectly willing to undertake
the expedition, nay, to extend it into Spain, to visit the town and
country, to discourse with the people, especially those connected
with institutions for infantine education, and to learn what ways
and opportunities present themselves for conveying the Gospel into
those benighted countries. I will moreover undertake, with the
blessing of God, to draw up a small volume of what I shall have
seen and heard there which cannot fail to be interesting, and if
patronised by the Society will probably help to cover the expenses
of the expedition.
On my return I can commence the Armenian Testament, and whilst I am
editing that, I may be acquiring much vulgar Chinese from some
unemployed Lascar or stray Cantonman whom I may pick up upon the
wharves; and then - to China. I have no more to say, for were I to
pen twenty pages, and I have time enough for so doing, I could
communicate nothing which would make my views more clear. Many
thanks to you for enclosing the letter from St. Petersburg: it was
written in Danish, and came from a very dear and excellent friend
who rendered me in Russia services of no common nature.
I have the honour to be, Revd. and Dear Sir, your most obedient
servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - There has been a Bible meeting at Oulton in Suffolk, to
which I was invited. The speaking produced such an effect that
some of the most vicious characters in the neighbourhood have
become weekly subscribers to the Branch Society. So says the
CHRONICLE of Norfolk in its report.
LETTER: 30th November, 1835
To the Rev. J. Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. Dec. 8, 1835)
LISBON, 30 NOV. 1835.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I arrived safe at Lisbon on the twelfth of
the present month after a passage which, considering the season in
which it was made, may be termed a fair one. On the morning of the
tenth we found ourselves about two leagues from the coast of
Galicia, whose lofty mountains gilded by the rising sun presented a
magnificent appearance. We soon passed Cape Finisterre, and
standing farther out to sea speedily lost sight of land. On the
morning of the eleventh the sea was very rough, and a most
remarkable circumstance occurred. I was on the forecastle,
discoursing with two of the sailors, [and] one of them who had just
left his hammock told me that he had had a most disagreeable dream,
for, said he, pointing up to the mast, 'I dreamt that I fell into
the sea from off the cross-trees.' He was heard to say this by
several of the crew besides myself. A moment after, the captain of
the vessel, perceiving that the squall was increasing, ordered the
topsails to be taken in, whereupon this man with several others
instantly ran up aloft. The yard was presently loosened, and in
the act of being hauled down, when a violent gust of wind whirled
it round with violence, and a man was struck down from the cross-
trees into the sea, which was raging and tumbling below. In a few
moments he emerged, and I saw his head distinctly on the crest of a
wave, and I recognised in the unfortunate man the sailor who
shortly before had been relating his dream. I shall never forget
the look of agony he cast us whilst the ship hurried past him. The
alarm was given, and in a moment everything was in confusion. It
was at least two minutes before the vessel was stopped, and the man
was left a considerable way behind, but I still kept my eye upon
him, and could perceive that he was struggling gallantly with the
waves. A boat was at length lowered, but the rudder unfortunately
was not at hand, and only two oars could be procured, with which
the men who manned her could make but little progress in the
tremendous sea; however, they did their best, and had arrived
within ten yards of the man who had continued struggling for his
life, when I lost sight of him, and the men on their return said
that they saw him below the waters at glimpses, sinking deeper and
deeper, his arms stretched out and his body to all appearance
stiff, but they found it impossible to save him. Presently
afterwards the sea, as if satisfied with the prey it had received,
became comparatively calm, and the squall subsided. The poor
fellow who was drowned in this singular manner was a fine young
man, twenty-seven years of age, the only son of a widowed mother.
He was the best sailor on board, and beloved by every one who was
acquainted with him. The event occurred on the 11th of November
1835, the vessel was the 'London Merchant' Steamship, commanded by
Captain Whittingham. Wonderful indeed are the ways of Providence.
I experienced some difficulty in landing at Lisbon, the custom-
house officers being exceedingly dilatory in examining the baggage.
I had yet more difficulty in obtaining a lodging, but at last found
one, dark, dirty, and exceedingly expensive, without attendance. I
shall not trouble you with a description of Lisbon, for as I have
much that is important to communicate I must not waste paper with
uninteresting details. I will merely observe that it is a noble
town, situated on seven hills on the left bank of the Tagus, the
houses are very lofty, like castles, the streets are in general
precipitously steep, and no animals of burden but mules, asses, and
oxen can traverse them with safety. I found the streets by no
means so dirty as they have been represented, and at night they are
tolerably well lighted, but between the hours of nine and twelve
they swarm with robbers and assassins.
I should have written to you before, but I wished to transmit in my
first letter a stock of information which would enable you at once
to form some idea as to the state of this country; and in order to
acquire such I have visited every part of Lisbon, entered into
discourse with the people on all occasions, and have made a journey
of nearly one hundred miles about the country, during which I
visited Cintra and Mafra, at the former of which places I remained
four days, making excursions in the meanwhile on foot or on a mule
amongst the mountains, and visiting whatever villages are contained
within its beautiful and picturesque neighbourhood.
In Lisbon carelessness for religion of any kind seems to prevail.
The people appear in general to have shaken off the old
superstition and to feel no inclination to bend their necks to
another yoke. Many of them have told me that the priests are the
veriest knaves in the world, and that they have for many years
subsisted by imposing upon them, and that they wished the whole
body was destroyed from the face of the earth. I have enquired of
many of the lower orders whether they ever confessed themselves,
whereupon they laughed in my face and said that they had not done
so for years, demanding what good would result to them for so
doing, and whether I was fool enough to suppose that a priest could
forgive sins for a sum of money. One day whilst speaking to a
muleteer I pointed to a cross over the gate of a chapel opposite to
us, and asked him if he reverenced it; he instantly flew into a
rage, stamped violently, and spitting on the ground said it was a
piece of stone, and that he should have no more objection to spit
upon it than the stones on which he trod: 'I believe that there is
a God,' he added, 'but as for the nonsense which the priests tell
us I believe no part of it.' It has not yet been my fortune during
my researches in Lisbon to meet one individual of the populace
amongst the many I have addressed who had read the Scripture or
knew anything of its contents; though many of them have assured me
that they could read, which in many instances I have found to be
the fact, having repeatedly taken from my pocket the New Testament
in Portuguese which I constantly carry with me, and requested them
to read a few verses, which they were able to do. Some of these
individuals had read much in their own language, which indeed
contains a store of amusing and instructive literature - for
example, the chronicles of the various kings of Portugal and of the
heroes who distinguished themselves in the various wars of India,
after Vasco da Gama had opened the way into the vast regions of the
East by doubling the Cape.
Amongst the many public places which I have visited at Lisbon is
the Convent of San Geronymo, the church of which is the most
beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture in the Peninsula, and is
furnished with the richest shrines. Since the expulsion of the
monks from the various religious houses in Portugal, this edifice
has served as an asylum for orphans, and at present enjoys the
particular patronage of the young [Queen]. In this establishment
upwards of five hundred children, some of them female, are educated
upon the Lancastrian system, and when they have obtained a
sufficient age are put out to the various trades and professions
for which they are deemed most suited, the tallest and finest of
the lads being drafted into the army. One of the boys of his own
accord became my guide and introduced me to the various classes,
where I found the children clean and neat and actively employed
upon their tasks. I asked him if the Holy Scripture (SANTA
ESCRITURA) was placed in the hands of the scholars. He answered in
the affirmative; but I much doubt the correctness of his answer,
for upon my requesting him to show me a copy of the Holy Scripture,
he did not appear to know what I meant by it. When he said that
the scholars read the Holy Scripture he probably meant the vile
papistical book called 'Christian Doctrine,' in which the office of
the mass is expounded, which indeed I saw in the hands of the
junior boys, and which, from what I have since seen, I believe to
be a standard school-book in Portugal. I spent nearly two hours in
examining the various parts of this institution, and it is my
intention to revisit it in a short time, when I hope to obtain far
better information as to the moral and religious education of its
inmates.
On my arrival at Lisbon I was disappointed in my expectation of
finding Mr. Wilby, who was in the country and was not expected for
a week. I therefore had at first no person to whom I could apply
for counsel as to the best means of proceeding; but unwilling to
remain idle till the period of his arrival, I at once commenced
operations at Lisbon as I have narrated. At the end of four or
five days I started for Cintra, distant about four leagues from
Lisbon, situate on a ledge of the northern declivity of a wild and
picturesque mountain. Cintra contains about eight hundred
inhabitants, and in its environs are many magnificent QUINTAS or
country seats of some of the first families in Portugal; it is
likewise a royal residence, for at its north-eastern side stands an
ancient palace, which though unfurnished is preserved in [good
repair], and which was the favourite residence of the ancient
kings. On one of the ridges of [this] mountain are seen the ruins
of an immense castle, which for centuries was the stronghold of the
Moors in this part of the Peninsula. The morning after my arrival
I was about to ascend the mountain to examine it, when I observed a
person, advanced in years, whom, by his dress, I judged to be an
ecclesiastic; upon enquiry I found in effect that he was one of the
three priests of the place. I instantly accosted him, and had no
reason to repent for so doing, for I found him affable and
communicative. After praising the beauty of the scenery, I made
some enquiry as to the state of education amongst the people
beneath his care. He told me that he was sorry to [say that] they
were in a state of great ignorance, that very few of them could
either write or [read], that there was no school in the place but
one at which a few children were taught the alphabet, but which was
not then open, that there was a school at Colhares, about a league
[distant]. He said that nothing so surprised him as to see
English, the most learned and intelligent people in the world,
visiting a place like Cintra, where there was no literature and
nothing of utility (AONDE NO HA NEM LEITURA, NEM SCIENCIA, NEM
ALGUMA COUSA QUE PRESTA). You may easily guess that I was in no
slight degree surprised to hear a priest of Portugal lament the
ignorance of the populace, and began to entertain hopes that I
should not find the priests in general so indisposed to the mental
improvement of the people as I at first imagined.
That same day I visited Colhares, a romantic village lower down the
mountain to the west, near the sea. Seeing some peasants collected
round the smithy I enquired about the school, and one instantly
offered to be my guide thither. I went upstairs into a small
apartment where I found the master with about a dozen pupils
standing in a row, for there was but one chair, or rather stool, to
which, after having embraced me, he conducted me with great
civility. After some discourse he shewed me the books which he
used for the instruction of his pupils; they were spelling-books
like those used in our village schools and the before-mentioned
'Christian Doctrine.' Upon my enquiring whether it was his custom
to use the Scripture in his school, he told me that long before the
children had acquired sufficient intelligence to understand the
Scriptures their parents took them from school in order that they
might assist them in the labours of the field, and that in general
they were by no means solicitous that their children should learn
anything, as they considered the time occupied in acquiring
learning as squandered away. He added that all the village schools
in Portugal were supported by the Government, but that many of them
had lately been discontinued, as the schoolmasters experienced the
greatest difficulty in obtaining their salaries; but that he had
heard that it was the intention of the Government to establish
schools in all parts of the country on the Lancastrian system -
which since my return to Lisbon I have discovered to be a fact. He
told me that he had a copy of the New Testament in his possession,
which I desired to see; but on examining it I discovered that it
was only the Epistles (from Pereira's version) with long Popish
notes. I asked him whether he considered that there was any harm
in reading the Scripture without notes; he said that there was
certainly no harm in it, but that simple people without the
assistance of notes could derive but little benefit therefrom, as
the greatest part that they read would be unintelligible to them.
Whereupon I shook hands with him, and on departing said that there
was no part of Scripture so difficult to understand as those very
notes which were intended to elucidate it, and that the Almighty
would never have inspired His saints with a desire to write what
was unintelligible to the great mass of mankind.
For some days after this I traversed the country in all directions,
riding into the fields where I saw the peasants at work, and
entering into discourse with them; and notwithstanding many of my
questions must have appeared to them very singular, I never
experienced any incivility, though they frequently answered me with
smiles and laughter. (I have now communicated about half of what I
have to say; the remainder next week. G. BORROW.)
LETTER: 15th December, 1835
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jan. 10, 1836)
EVORA IN THE ALEMTEJO, 15TH DEC., 1835.
AT length I departed for Mafra; the principal part of the way lay
over steep and savage hills, very dangerous for horses, and I had
reason to repent, before I got back to Cintra, that I had not
mounted one of the sure-footed mules of the country. I reached
Mafra in safety; it is a large village, which has by degrees sprung
up in the vicinity of an immense building, originally intended to
serve as a convent and palace, and which next to the Escurial is
the most magnificent edifice in the Peninsula. In this building is
to be seen the finest library in Portugal, comprising books in all
sciences and languages, and which, if not suited to the place in
which the building stands, which is almost a desert, is yet well
suited to the size and grandeur of the building which contains it.
But here are now no monks to take care of it; they have been driven
forth, some of them to beg their bread, some of them to serve under
the banners of Don Carlos in Spain, and many, as I have been
informed, to prowl about as banditti. The place is now abandoned
to two or three menials, and exhibits an aspect of solitude and
desolation which is truly appalling. Whilst I was viewing the
cloisters an exceedingly fine and intelligent-looking lad came up
to me, and asked (I suppose in the hope of obtaining a trifle) if I
would permit him to show me the village church, which he told me
was well worth seeing. I said 'No,' but that if he would show me
the village school, I should be much obliged to him. He looked at
me with astonishment, and assured me that there was nothing to be
seen in the school, at which not more than half a dozen boys were
instructed, and that he himself was one of the number; but I told
him that he should show me no other place, and he at last
unwillingly attended me. On the way he said that the schoolmaster
was one of the brothers of the convent who had lately been
expelled, and that he was a very learned man and spoke French and
Greek. We went past a stone cross, and the boy bent and crossed
himself with much devotion: I mention this circumstance, as it was
the first instance of devotion which I had observed amongst the
Portuguese since my arrival. When near the house where the
schoolmaster resided, he pointed it out to me and then hid himself
behind a wall, where he waited till I returned.
On stepping over the threshold I was confronted by a short stout
man, between sixty and seventy years of age, dressed in a blue
jerkin and grey trousers, without shirt or waistcoat. He looked at
me sternly, and enquired in the French language what was my
pleasure. I apologised for intruding upon him, and stated that,
being informed that he occupied the situation of schoolmaster to
the place, I had come to pay my respects to him, and to beg to be
informed respecting the manner of instruction which he adopted. He
said that whosoever told me that he was a schoolmaster lied, for
that he was a brother of the convent. I replied that I had heard
that all the friaries had been broken up and the brothers
dismissed; whereupon he sighed, and said it was too true. He was
then silent for a minute, and his better nature overcoming his
angry feelings he produced a snuff-box and offered it to me. The
snuff-box is the olive-branch of the Portuguese, and he who wishes
to be on good terms with them, or to conciliate them, must never
refuse to put his finger and thumb into it when preferred; I took
therefore a large pinch, though I detest the dust, and we were soon
friendly enough. He was eager to obtain news, especially from
Lisbon and Spain. I told him that the officers of the regiments at
Lisbon had the day before I left that place gone in a body to the
Queen, and insisted upon her either receiving their swords or
dismissing her Ministers; whereupon he rubbed his hands and said,
'I am sure that things will not remain tranquil at Lisbon.' Upon
my saying that the affairs of Don Carlos were on the decline, he
frowned, and said that it could not possibly be, for that God was
too just to suffer it. I felt for the poor man, who had been
driven from his home in the noble convent close by, and from a
state of comfort and affluence reduced in his old age to indigence
and misery, for his dwelling seemed to contain scarcely an article
of furniture. I tried twice or thrice to induce him to converse on
the school, but he always avoided the subject or said shortly that
he knew nothing about it; the idea of being a schoolmaster was
evidently humiliating to him.
On my leaving him, the boy came from his hiding-place and rejoined
me; he said his reason for hiding himself was fear that his master
might know that it was he who brought me to him, for that the old
man was ashamed of appearing in the character of a schoolmaster. I
asked the boy whether he or his parents were acquainted with the
Scripture and ever read it; but he did not understand me. I must
here observe that the boy was fifteen years of age, and that he was
in many respects very intelligent and had some knowledge of the
Latin language; nevertheless he knew not the Scripture even by
name, and I have no doubt that at least one half of his countrymen
are, in that respect, no wiser than himself. I have questioned the
children of Portugal at the doors of village inns, at the hearths
of their cottages, in the fields where they labour, at the stone
Mountains by the way-sides where they water their cattle, about the
Scripture, the Bible, the Old and New Testament, and in scarcely
one instance have they known what I was alluding to or could return
me a rational answer, though in all other instances I had no reason
to complain of their want of apprehension. Indeed nothing has
surprised me more than the free and unembarrassed manner with which
the Portuguese peasantry sustain a conversation, and the purity of
the language in which they express their thoughts; and yet very few
of them can write or read, whereas the peasantry of our own
country, whose education is in general much superior, are in their
conversation coarse and dull almost to brutality, and absurdly
ungrammatical in the language which they use, though the English
tongue, upon the whole, is more simple in its grammar than the
Portuguese.
On my way back from Mafra to Cintra I very nearly lost my life. As
the night was closing in fast, we left the regular road by the
advice of the guide, and descending the hill on which Mafra stands
reached the bottom of the valley, from which there is a narrow
pathway winding round the next hill, exceedingly steep, with a
precipice on the left side; the horse on which I was mounted, and
which was by no means suited for such climbing, in his violent
struggles to accomplish the ascent burst the girth of the saddle,
so that I was cast violently off, with the saddle beneath me.
Fortunately, I fell on the right side, or I should have rolled down
the hill and probably have been killed; as it was, I remained
stunned and senseless for two or three minutes, when I revived, and
with the assistance of the guide and the man who waits on me,
walked up the remaining part of the hill, when, the saddle being
readjusted, I mounted again. I was very drowsy and stupid for two
or three days, from the influence of the fall, but I am happy to
say at present, thanks to the Almighty, I have long ceased to feel
any inconvenience from it.
On my return to Lisbon I saw Mr. Wilby, who received me with great
kindness; the next ten days were exceedingly rainy and prevented me
from making any excursions into the country, and during this time I
saw him frequently and had a good deal of conversation with him,
concerning the best means of causing God's glorious Gospel to be
read in Portugal. He informed me that four hundred copies of the
Bible and New Testament were arrived, and he thought that we could
do no better than put them into the hands of the booksellers; but I
strongly advised that at least half of them should be entrusted to
colporteurs, to hawk about, upon receiving a certain profit on
every copy they sold. He thought the idea a good one, as far as
regards Lisbon, but said that no colporteur would venture to carry
them about the country, as the fanatical priests would probably
cause him to be assassinated. He was kind enough to promise to
look out for people suited to make the essay in the streets of
Lisbon; and as the lower orders are very poor I wrote to Mr.
Whiteley at Oporto, requesting to be informed whether he had any
objection to our selling the books to the populace at Lisbon at a
lower price than a CRUZADO NOVO, which he had determined to sell
them at. I thought it but right to consult him on the subject, as
the Society are under great obligations to him; and I was unwilling
to do anything at which he could possibly take umbrage. During one
of my conversations with Mr. Wilby I enquired which was the
province of Portugal, the population of which he considered to be
the most ignorant and benighted: he replied, 'The Alemtejo.' The
Alemtejo means 'the other side of the Tagus.' This province is not
beautiful and picturesque like the other portions of Portugal, it
has few hills or mountains; the greatest part of it consists of
heaths, broken by knolls and gloomy dingles, swamps, and forests of
stunted pine. These places are infested with banditti, and not a
week passes by without horrible murders and desperate robberies
occurring. The principal town is Evora, one of the most ancient
cities in Portugal, and formerly the seat of an Inquisition far
more cruel and baneful than the terrible one of Lisbon. Evora lies
about sixty miles from the farther bank of the Tagus, which is at
Lisbon three leagues broad; and to Evora I determined on going with
a small cargo of Testaments and Bibles. My reasons I need not
state, as they must be manifest to every Christian; but I cannot
help thinking that it was the Lord who inspired me with the idea of
going thither, as by so doing I have introduced the Scriptures into
the worst part of the Peninsula, and have acquired lights and
formed connections (some of the latter most singular ones, I admit)
which if turned to proper account will wonderfully assist us in our
object of making the heathen of Portugal and Spain acquainted with
God's holy word. My journey to Evora and my success there shall be
detailed in my next letter.
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 8th January, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Feb. 15, 1836)
Badajoz, JANRY. 8, 1836.
JOURNEY TO EVORA
AN EXTRACT FROM MY JOURNAL
ON the afternoon of the sixth of December I set out for this place,
accompanied by my servant Anthonio. I had been informed that the
tide would serve for the FELOUKS, or passage-boats, employed in
crossing the Tagus, at about four o'clock, but on reaching the
river's side opposite Aldea Gallega, between which place and Lisbon
they ply, I found that the tide would not permit them to start
before eight o'clock. Had I waited for them I should probably have
landed at Aldea Gallega at midnight, and I felt little inclination
to make my ENTREE in the Alemtejo at that hour; therefore as I saw
small boats which can push off at any time lying near in abundance,
I determined upon hiring one of them for the passage, though the
expense would be thus considerably increased. I soon agreed with a
wild-looking lad to take us over, who told me that he was in part
owner of one of the boats. I was not aware of the danger in
crossing the Tagus at any time in these small boats at its broadest
part, which is between Lisbon and Aldea Gallega, but especially at
close of day in the winter season, or I should certainly not have
ventured. The lad and his comrade, a miserable object, whose only
clothing, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, was a
battered jerkin and trousers, rowed until we had advanced about
half a mile from the land; they then hoisted a large sail, and the
lad, who seemed to be the principal and to direct everything, took
the helm and steered. The evening was now setting in; the sun was
not far from its bourne in the horizon, the air was very cold, the
wind was rising, and the waves of the noble Tagus began to be
crested with foam. I told the boy that it was scarcely possible
for the boat to carry so much sail without upsetting; upon which he
laughed, and began to gabble in a most incoherent manner. He had
the most harsh and rapid articulation that has ever come under my
observation; it was the scream of the hyena blended with the bark
of the terrier; but it was by no means an index of his disposition,
which I soon found to be light, merry, and anything but malevolent;
for when I, in order to show him that I cared little about him,
began to hum: 'EU QUE SOU CONTRABANDISTA' ('I, who am a
smuggler'), he laughed heartily, and clapping me on the shoulder
said that he would not drown us if he could help it. The other
poor fellow seemed by no means averse to go to the bottom; he sat
at the forepart of the boat looking the image of famine, and only
smiled when the waters broke over the side and drenched his scanty
clothing. In a little time I had made up my mind that our last
hour was come; the wind was becoming higher, the short dangerous
waves were more foamy, the boat was frequently on its beam-ends,
and the water came over the lee side in torrents; but still the
wild lad at the helm held on, laughing and chattering, and
occasionally yelling out parts of the Miguelite air 'QUANDO EL REY
CHEGOU' ['When the King arrived'], the singing of which in Lisbon
is punished with imprisonment. The stream was against us, but the
wind was in our favour, and we sprang along at a wonderful rate. I
saw that our only chance of escape was in speedily getting under
the shelter of that part of the farther bank of the Tagus, where
the bight or bay commences at the extremity of which stands Aldea
Gallega, as we should not then have to battle with the waves of the
adverse stream, which the wind lashed into fury. It was the will
of the Almighty to permit us speedily to gain this shelter, but not
before the boat was nearly filled with water, and we were all wet
to the skin. At about seven o'clock in the evening we reached
Aldea Gallega, shivering with cold and in a most deplorable plight.
Aldea Gallega, or the Galician Village, for the two words have that
signification, is a place containing, I should think, about four
thousand inhabitants. It was pitchy dark when we landed, but
rockets soon began to fly about in all directions, illumining the
air far and wide. As we passed along the dirty unpaved street
which leads to the LARGO or square in which the town is situated, a
horrible uproar of drums and voices assailed our ears. On
enquiring the cause of all this bustle, I was informed that it was
the Eve of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin. As it was not the
custom of the people of the inn to provide provisions for the
guests, I wandered about in search of food, and at last seeing some
soldiers eating and drinking in a sort of wine-house, I went in and
asked the people to let me have some supper. In a short time they
furnished me with a tolerable meal, for which, however, they
charged two crowns.
Having engaged with a person for mules to carry us to Evora, which
were to be ready at five next morning, I soon retired to bed, my
servant sleeping in the same apartment, which was the only one in
the house vacant. I closed not an eye during the whole night;
beneath us was a stable in which some ALMOCREVES, or carriers,
slept with their mules, and at our back in the yard was a hog-stye.
How could I sleep? The hogs grunted; the mules screamed; and the
ALMOCREVES snored most horribly. I heard the village clock strike
the hours until midnight, and from midnight till four in the
morning, when I sprang up and began to dress, and despatched my
servant to hasten the man with his mules, for I was heartily tired
of the place, and wished to leave it.
An old man, but remarkably bony and hale, accompanied by a bare-
footed lad, brought the beasts. He was the proprietor of them, and
intended to accompany us to Evora with the lad, who was his nephew.
When we started the moon was shining brightly, and the morning was
piercingly cold. We soon entered a sandy, hollow way, emerging
from which we passed by a large edifice, standing on a high, bleak
sand-hill, on our left. We were speedily overtaken by five or six
men on horseback, riding at a rapid pace, each with a long gun
slung at his saddle, the muzzle depending about two feet below the
horses belly. I questioned the old man as to the cause of their
going thus armed; he answered that the roads were very bad (meaning
that they abounded with robbers), and that these people carried
arms for their defence. They soon turned off to the right towards
Palmella.
We reached a sandy plain studded with stunted pine; the road was
little more than a footpath, and as we proceeded the trees
thickened and became a wood, which extended for two leagues with
clear spaces at intervals, in which herds of cattle and sheep were
feeding. The sun was just beginning to show itself, but the
morning was misty and dreary, which together with the aspect of
desolation which the country exhibited had an unfavourable effect
on my spirits. I got down and walked, entering into conversation
with the man. He seemed to have but one theme of conversation,
'the robbers' and the atrocities they were in the habit of
practising in the very spots we were passing. The tales he related
were truly horrible, and to avoid them I mounted again and rode on
considerably in front.
In about an hour and a half we emerged from the forest and entered
upon wild broken ground covered with MATO or brushwood. The mules
stopped to drink at a shallow pool, and on looking to the right I
saw a ruined wall. This, the guide informed me, was the remains of
the Vendal Velhas, or the old inn, formerly the haunt of the
celebrated robber Sabocha. This Sabocha, it seems, had, about
sixteen years since, a band of forty ruffians at his command, who
infested these wilds, and supported themselves by plunder. For a
considerable time Sabocha pursued his atrocious trade unsuspected,
and many an unfortunate traveller was murdered, in the dead of
night, at the solitary inn by the wood's side, which he kept;
indeed a more fit situation for plunder and murder I never saw.
The gang were in the habit of watering their horses at the pool,
and perhaps of washing therein their hands stained with the blood
of their victims. The brother of Sabocha was the lieutenant of the
troop, a fellow of great strength and ferocity, particularly famous
for the skill he possessed in darting a long knife and transfixing
his opponents. Sabocha's connection with the gang at last became
known, and he fled with the greatest part of his associates across
the Tagus, to the northern provinces. He and his brother
eventually lost their lives on the road to Coimbra, in an
engagement with the military. His house was razed by order of the
Government.
The ruins of this house are still frequently visited by banditti,
who eat and drink amongst the stones and look out for prey, as the
place commands a view of the road. The old man assured me that
about two months previous, on returning from Aldea Gallega with his
mules from accompanying some travellers, he had been knocked down,
stript naked, and had all his money taken from him, by a fellow
who, he believed, came from this murderers' nest. He said that he
was an exceedingly powerful young man with immense moustaches and
whiskers, and was armed with an ESPINGARDA or musket. About ten
days subsequently he saw the robber at Vendas Novas, where we were
to pass the night. The fellow on recognising him took him aside
and threatened, with horrid imprecations, that he should never be
permitted to return home if he attempted to discover him; he
therefore held his peace, as he said there was little to be gained
and everything to be lost by apprehending him, as he would have
been speedily set at liberty for want of evidence to criminate him,
and then he would not have failed to have his revenge, or would
have been anticipated therein by his comrades.
I dismounted and went up to the place, and saw the vestiges of a
fire and a broken bottle. The sons of plunder had been there very
lately. I left a New Testament and some tracts amongst the ruins,
and hastened away.
The sun had dispelled the mists and was beaming very hot; we rode
on for about an hour, when I heard the neighing of a horse in our
rear, and our guide said that there was a party of horsemen behind.
Our mules were good, and they did not overtake us for at least
twenty minutes. The foremost rider was a gentleman in a
fashionable travelling dress; a little way behind were an officer,
two soldiers, and a servant in livery. I heard the principal
horseman, on overtaking Anthonio, enquiring who I was, and whether
I was French or English. He was told I was an English gentleman,
travelling. He then asked whether I understood Portuguese; the man
said I understood it, but that he believed I spoke French and
Italian better. The gentleman then spurred on his horse and
accosted me, not in Portuguese, or in French, or Italian, but in
the purest English that I have ever heard spoken by a foreigner.
It had indeed nothing of foreign accent or pronunciation in it, and
had I not known by the countenance of the speaker that he was no
Englishman (for there is a peculiarity in the English countenance
which, though it cannot be described, is sure to betray the
Englishman), I should have concluded that I was conversing with a
countryman. He continued in company and discourse until we arrived
at Pegoens.
Pegoens consists of about two or three houses and an inn; there is
likewise a species of barrack, where half a dozen soldiers are
stationed. In the whole of Portugal there is no place of worse
reputation, and the inn is nicknamed ESTALAGEM DE LADROENS, or the
hostelry of thieves; for it is there that the banditti of the
wilderness, which extends around it on every side for leagues, are
in the habit of coming and spending the fruits of their criminal
daring; there they dance and sing, feast on fricasseed rabbits and
olives, and drink the muddy but strong wine of the Alemtejo. An
enormous fire, fed by the trunk of a cork-tree, was blazing in a
niche on the left hand on entering the spacious kitchen; by it,
seething, were several large jars, which emitted no disagreeable
odour, and reminded me that I had not yet broken my fast, although
it was now nearly one o'clock and I had ridden five leagues. Some
wild-looking men, who, if they were not banditti, might easily be
mistaken for such, were seated on logs about the fire; I asked them
some unimportant question, to which they replied with readiness and
civility, and one of them, who said he could read, accepted a tract
which I offered him.
My new friend, who had been bespeaking dinner, or rather breakfast,
now with great civility invited me to partake of it, and at the
same time introduced me to the officer who accompanied him, and who
was his brother, and also spoke English, though not so well as
himself. I found I had become acquainted with Don Geronimo Joze
d'Azveto, Secretary to the Government at Evora. His brother
belonged to a regiment of hussars, whose headquarters were at
Evora, but which had outlying parties along the road; for example,
at the place where we were stopping. Rabbits at Pegoens seem to be
a standard article of food, being produced in abundance on the
moors around. We had one fricasseed, the gravy of which was
delicious; and afterwards a roasted one, which was brought up on a
dish entire. The hostess having first washed her hands proceeded
to tear the animal to pieces, which having accomplished she poured
over the fragments a sweet sauce. I ate remarkably heartily of
both dishes, particularly of the last, owing perhaps to the novel
and curious manner in which it was served up. Excellent figs from
the Algarves and apples completed our repast, which we ate in a
little side room with a mud-floor, which sent such a piercing chill
into my system as prevented me from deriving that pleasure from my
good fare and agreeable companions which I might otherwise have
experienced. Don Joze d'Azveto had been educated in England, in
which country he passed his boyhood, which to a certain degree
accounted for his proficiency in the English language, the idioms
and pronunciation of which can only be acquired by a residence in
the country at that period of one's life. He had also fled thither
shortly after the usurpation of the throne of Portugal by Don
Miguel, and from thence had passed over to the Brazils, where he
had devoted himself to the service of Don Pedro, and had followed
him in that expedition which terminated in the downfall of the
Usurper and the establishment of the constitutional government in
Portugal. Our conversation rolled chiefly on literary and
political subjects, and my acquaintance with the writings of the
most celebrated authors of Portugal was hailed with surprise and
delight; for nothing is more gratifying to a well-educated
Portuguese than to observe a foreigner taking an interest in the
literature of his nation, of which he is so justly proud.
About two o'clock we were once more in the saddle, and pursued our
way through a country exactly resembling that which we had
previously been traversing, rugged and broken, with here and there
a clump of pines. The afternoon was exceedingly fine, and the
bright rays of the sun relieved the desolation of the scene.
Having advanced about two leagues, I caught sight of a large
edifice in the distance, which I learnt was a royal palace,
standing at the farther extremity of Vendas Novas, the village
where we were to halt. It was considerably more than a league from
us, yet, seen through the clear transparent atmosphere of Portugal,
it appeared much nearer. Before reaching it, we passed by a stone
cross, on the pedestal of which was an inscription commemorating a
horrible murder of a native of Lisbon, which had been perpetrated
on that spot. It looked ancient, and was covered with moss, and
the greatest part of the inscription was illegible, at least it was
to me, who could not bestow much time on the deciphering of it.
Having arrived at Vendas Novas and bespoke supper, my new friends
and myself strolled forth to view the palace. It was built by the
late King of Portugal, and presents little that is remarkable in
its exterior. It is a long edifice with wings, and is only two
stories high, though it can be seen afar, owing to its being
situated on elevated ground. It has fifteen windows in the upper
and twelve in the lower story, with a paltry-looking door something
like that of a barn, the ascent to which is by a single step. The
interior corresponds with the exterior, offering nothing which can
gratify curiosity, if we except the kitchens, which are indeed
magnificent, and so large that food enough might be prepared in
them to serve as a repast to all the inhabitants of the Alemtejo.
I passed the night with great comfort in a clean bed, remote from
all those noises in general so rife in a Portuguese inn, and the
next morning at six we again set out on our journey, which we hoped
to terminate before sunset, as Evora is but ten leagues from Vendas
Novas. The preceding morning had been cold, but the present one
was far more, so much so that just before sunrise I could no longer
support it whilst riding, and therefore dismounting ran and walked
until we reached a few houses, at the termination of these desolate
moors. It was in one of these houses that the commissioners of Don
Pedro and Miguel met, and it was there agreed that the latter
should resign the crown in favour of Donna Maria; for Evora was the
last stronghold of the Usurper, and the moors of the Alemtejo the
last area of the combats which so long agitated unhappy Portugal.
I therefore gazed on the miserable huts with considerable interest,
and did not fail to scatter in the neighbourhood several of the
precious little tracts with which, together with a small quantity
of Bibles, my carpet-bag was provided.
The country began to improve, the savage heaths were left behind,
and we saw hills and dales, cork-trees and AZINEIRIAS, on the last
of which trees grows that kind of sweet acorn called BOLOTA, which
is pleasant as a chestnut, and forms in winter the principal food
on which the numerous swine of the Alemtejo subsist. Gallant swine
they are, with short legs and portly bodies, of a black or dark-red
colour, and for the excellence of their flesh I can avouch, having
frequently partaken of it in the course of my wanderings in this
province. The LUMBO, or loin, when broiled on the live embers, is
delicious, especially when eaten with olives.
We were now in sight of Monte Moro, which as the name denotes was
once a fortress of the Moors; it is a high, steep hill, on the
summit and sides of which are ruined walls and towers. At its
western side is a deep ravine or valley, through which a small
stream rushes, traversed by a stone bridge; farther down there is a
ford, through which we passed and ascended to the town, which
commencing near the northern base, passes over the lower ridge
towards the north-east; the town is exceedingly picturesque, and
many of the houses are very ancient and built in the Moorish
fashion. I wished much to examine the relics of Moorish sway on
the upper part of the mountain, but time pressed, and the shortness
of our stay in this place did not permit me to gratify my
inclination.
Monte Moro is the head of a range of hills crossing this part of
the Alemtejo, and from hence they fork towards the east and south-
east, in the former of which directions lies the direct road to
Elvas, Badajoz, and Madrid, and in the latter the road to Evora. A
beautiful mountain, covered to the top with cork trees, is the
third in the chain which skirts the way in the direction of Evora.
It is called Monte Almo; a brook brawls at its base, and as I
passed it the sun was shining gloriously on the green herbage, on
which flocks of goats were feeding with their bells ringing
merrily, so that the TOUT ENSEMBLE resembled a fairy scene; and
that nothing might be wanted to complete the picture, I here met a
man, a goat-herd, beneath an AZINEIRIA whose appearance recalled to
my mind the Brute-man mentioned in an ancient Danish poem:
'A wild swine on his shoulders he kept,
And upon his bosom a black bear slept,
And about his fingers with hair o'erhung
The squirrel sported and weasel clung.'
Upon the shoulders of the goat-herd was a beast, which he told me
was a LONTRA or otter, which he had lately caught in the
neighbouring brook, it had a string round its neck which was
attached to his arm; at his left side was a bag from the top of
which peeped the heads of two or three singular-looking animals;
and beside him was squatted the sullen cub of a wolf, which he was
endeavouring to tame. His whole appearance was to the last degree
savage and wild. After a little conversation, such as those who
meet on the road frequently hold, I asked him if he could read; but
he made no answer. I then enquired if he knew anything of God or
Jesus Christ; he looked me fixedly in the face for a moment, and
then turned his countenance towards the sun which was beginning to
sink, nodded to it, and then again looked fixedly upon me. I
believed I understood this mute reply, which probably was, that it
was God who made that glorious light which illumines and gladdens
all creation; and gratified with this belief I left him, and
hastened after my companions who were, by this time, a considerable
way in advance.
I have always found amongst the children of the fields a more
determined tendency to religion and piety than amongst the
inhabitants of towns and cities, and the reason is obvious; they
are less acquainted with the works of man's hands than with those
of God; their occupations are simple, and requiring less of
ingenuity and skill than those which engage the intention of the
other portion of their fellow-creatures, are less favourable to the
engendering of self-conceit and sufficiency, so utterly at variance
with that lowliness of spirit which constitutes the best test of
piety. The sneerers and scoffers at religion do not spring from
amongst the simple children of nature, but are the excrescences of
overwrought refinement, and though their baneful influence has
indeed penetrated to the country and corrupted many there, the
fountain-head was amongst crowded houses where nature is scarcely
known. I am not one of those who look for perfection amongst the
rural population of any country; perfection is not to be found
amongst the children of the fall, be their abode where it may; but
until the heart disbelieve the existence of a God, there is still
hope for the possessor, however stained with crime he may be, for
even Simon the Magician was converted. But when the heart is once
steeled with infidelity, infidelity confirmed by carnal reasoning,
an exuberance of the grace of God is required to melt it, which is
seldom or never manifested; for we read in the blessed book that
the Pharisee and the Wizard became receptacles of grace, but where
is mention made of the conversion of the sneering Sadducee? and is
the modern infidel aught but a Sadducee of later date?
TO BE CONTINUED.
LETTER: 10th January, 1836
To the Rev. Andrew Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Feb. 29th, 1836)
JOURNAL CONTINUED
BADAJOZ, 10th JANUARY 1836.
THE night had closed in before we reached Evora, and having taken
leave of my friends, who kindly requested me to consider their
house my home, myself and my little party proceeded to the Largo de
San Francisco, where was a hostelry, which the muleteer informed me
was the best in the town. We rode into the kitchen, at the extreme
end of which was the stable, as is customary in Portugal. The
house was kept by an aged gypsy-like female and her daughter, a
fine blooming girl about eighteen years of age. The house was
large; in the upper story was a very long room, like a granary,
extending nearly the whole length of the house; the further end was
partitioned off, and formed a tolerably comfortable chamber, but
rather cold, the floor being of tiles, as was that of the large
room in which the muleteers were accustomed to sleep on the
furniture of their mules. Having supped I went to bed, and after
having offered up my devotions to Him who had protected me through
a dangerous journey, I slept soundly till the morning.
Evora is a walled town, but not regularly fortified, and could not
sustain a siege of a day. It has five gates; before that to the
south-west is the principal promenade of the inhabitants; the fair
on St. John's Day is likewise held there. The houses are mostly
very ancient; many of them are unoccupied. It contains about five
thousand inhabitants, though twice that number would be by no means
disproportionate to its size. The two principal edifices are the
See or Bishop's Palace, and the Convent of San Francisco, opposite
to which I had taken up my abode. A large barrack for cavalry
stands on the right-hand side on entering the south-west gate. The
adjacent country is uninteresting; but to the south-east, at the
distance of six leagues, is to be seen a range of blue hills, the
highest of which is called Serra Dorso. It is picturesquely
beautiful, and contains within its recesses wolves and wild boars
in numbers. About a league and a half on the other side of this
hill is Estremoz.
I passed the day succeeding my arrival principally in examining the
town and its environs, and as I strolled about I entered into
conversation with various people that I met. Several of these were
of the middle classes, shopkeepers and professional men; they were
all Constitutionalists, or pretended to be so, but had very little
to say, except a few commonplace remarks on the way of living of
the friars, their hypocrisy and laziness. I endeavoured to obtain
some information respecting the state of instruction at Evora, and
from their replies was led to believe that it must be very low, for
it seemed that there was neither book-shop nor school in the place.
When I spoke of religion, they exhibited the utmost apathy, and
making their bows left me as soon as possible. Having a letter of
introduction to a person who kept a shop in the market-place, I
called upon him, found him behind his counter and delivered it to
him. I found that he had been persecuted much whilst the old
system was in its vigour, and that he entertained a hearty aversion
to it. I told him that the nurse of that system had been the
ignorance of the people in religious matters, and that the surest
means to prevent its return was to enlighten them in those points.
I added that I had brought with me to Evora a small stock of
Testaments and Bibles, which I wished to leave for sale in the
hands of some respectable merchant, and that if he were desirous to
lay the axe to the root of superstition and tyranny he could not do
so more effectually than by undertaking the charge of these books.
He declared his willingness to do so, and that same evening I sent
him ten Testaments and a Bible, being half my stock.
I returned to the hostelry, and sat down on a log of wood on the
hearth within the immense chimney in the common apartment. Two men
were on their knees on the stones; before them was a large heap of
pieces of iron, brass, and copper; they were assorting it and
stowing it away in various large bags. They were Spanish
CONTRABANDISTAS, or smugglers of the lowest class, and earned a
miserable livelihood by smuggling such rubbish from Portugal into
Spain. Not a word proceeded from their lips, and when I addressed
them in their native language they returned no answer but a kind of
growl. They looked as dirty and rusty as the iron in which they
trafficked. The woman of the house and her daughter were
exceedingly civil, and coming near to me crouched down, asking
various questions about England. A man dressed something like an
English sailor, who sat on the other side of the hearth,
confronting me, said: 'I hate the English, for they are not
baptized, and have not the law' (meaning the law of God). I
laughed, and told him, that according to the law of England no one
who was not baptized could be buried in consecrated ground;
whereupon he said; 'Then you are stricter than we.' He then asked:
'What is meant by the lion and the unicorn which I saw the other
day on the coat of arms over the door of the English consul at St.
Uves?' I said that they were the arms of England. 'Yes,' he
replied; 'but what do they represent?' I said I did not know.
'Then,' said he, 'you do not know the story of your own house.' I
answered: 'Suppose I were to tell you that they represented the
lion of Belem (Bethlehem) and the horned monster of the flaming pit
in combat as to which should obtain the mastery in England, what
would you say?' He replied: 'I should say that you gave a fair
answer.' This man and myself became great friends; he came from
Palmella, not far from St. Uves; he had several mules and horses
with him, and dealt in corn and barley.
I again walked out in the environs of the town. About half a mile
from the southern wall is a stone fountain, where the muleteers and
other people approaching the town are accustomed to water their
cattle. I sat down by it, and there I remained about two hours,
entering into discourse with every one who halted at the fountain;
and I will here observe that during the time of my sojourn at Evora
I repeated my visit every day, and remained there about the same
time, and by following this plan I believe that I spoke to near two
hundred of the children of Portugal upon matters connected with
their eternal welfare. Of those whom I addressed I found very few
had received any species of literary education; none of them had
seen the Bible, and not more than half a dozen had the slightest
knowledge of what the Holy Book consisted. I found that most of
them were bigoted Romanists and Miguelites at heart. When they
told me they were Christians, I denied the possibility of their
being so, as they were ignorant of Christ and His commandments, and
rested their hope of salvation in outward forms and superstitious
observances which were the inventions of Satan, who wished to keep
them in darkness in order that at last they might stumble into the
pit which he had digged for them. I said repeatedly that the Pope
whom they revered was a deceiver and the prime minister of Satan
here on earth, and that the monks and friars, to whom they had been
accustomed to confess themselves, and whose absence they so
deplored, were his subordinate agents. When called upon for
proofs, I invariably cited the ignorance of my hearers respecting
the Scripture, and said that if their spiritual guides had been
really ministers of Christ they would not have permitted their
flocks to remain unacquainted with His word. Since this occasion I
have been frequently surprised that I received no insult or ill-
treatment from the people whose superstitions I was thus attacking,
but I really experienced none; and am inclined to believe that the
utter fearlessness which I displayed, trusting in the protection of
the Almighty, may have been the cause. When threatened by danger
the best policy is to fix your eye steadily upon it, and it will in
general vanish like the morning mist before the sun; whereas if you
quail before it, it becomes more imminent. I have fervent hope
that the words which I uttered sunk deep into the hearts of some of
my hearers, as I observed many of them depart musing and pensive.
I occasionally distributed tracts among them, for although they
themselves were unable to turn them to much account, I thought that
by their means they might become of service at some future time,
and might fall into the hands of others to whom they might be
instruments of regeneration; as many a book which is cast on the
waters is wafted to some remote shore, and there proves a blessing
and a comfort to millions who are ignorant from whence it came.
The next day, which was Friday, I called at the house of my friend
Azveto; I did not find him there, but was directed to the Episcopal
Palace, in an apartment of which I found him writing with another
gentleman, to whom he introduced me. It was the Governor of Evora,
who welcomed me with every mark of kindness and affability. After
some discourse we went out together to examine an ancient edifice,
which was reported to have served in ancient times as a temple to
Diana. Part of it was evidently of Roman architecture, for there
was no mistaking the beautiful light pillars which supported a
dome, under which the sacrifices to the most captivating and
poetical divinity of the heathen Theocracy had probably been made;
but the original space between the pillars had been filled up with
rubbish of a modern date, and the rest of the building was
apparently of the architecture of the latter end of the middle
ages. It is situated at one end of the building which was once the
seat of the Inquisition, and I was informed that before the
erection of the present See, it served as the residence of the
Bishop.
Within the See, where the Governor now resides, is a superb
library, occupying an immense vaulted room, like the aisle of a
cathedral, and in a side apartment is a collection of pictures by
Portuguese artists, chiefly portraits, amongst which is that of Don
Sebastian. I hope it did not do him justice; for it represents him
in the shape of an awkward lad, of about eighteen, with staring
eyes and a bloated booby face, and wearing a ruff round a short
apoplectic neck.
I was shown several beautifully illuminated missals and other
manuscripts, but the one which most arrested my attention, I
scarcely need say why, bore the following title:-
FORMA SIVE ORDINATIO CAPELLI ILLUSTRISSIMI ET XTIANISSIMI PRINCIPIS
HENRICI SEXTI REGIS ANGLIE ET FRANCIE AM DIU HIBERNIE DESCIPTA
SERENISSIO PRINCIPI ALFONSO REGI PORTUGALIE ILLUSTRI PER HUMILEM
SERVITOREM SM WILLM SAV DECANUM CAPELLI SUPRADICTI.
It seemed a voice from the olden times of my dear native land.
This library and picture-gallery had been formed by one of the
latter Bishops, a person of commendable learning and piety.
In the evening I dined with Don Joze d'Azveto and his brother; the
latter soon left us, in order to attend to his military duties. My
friend and myself had then much conversation of considerable
interest. He lamented feelingly the deplorable state of ignorance
in which his countrymen were at present buried, and said that his
friend the Governor and himself were endeavouring to establish a
school in the vicinity, and that they had made application to the
Government for the use of an empty convent called the ESPINHERO, or
thorn-tree, at about a league's distance, and that they had little
doubt of their request being complied with. I had before told him
who I was; and now, after expressing my joy at the plan which he
had in contemplation, I urged him in the most pressing manner to
use all his influence to cause the knowledge of the Scripture to be
the basis of the education of the pupils in the intended school,
and added that half of the Testaments and Bibles which I had
brought with me to Evora were heartily at his service. He
instantly gave me his hand, [and] said he accepted my offer with
the greatest pleasure, and would do all in his power to further my
views, which were in many respects his own. I now told him that I
did not come to Portugal with the view of introducing the dogmas of
any particular sect, but with the hope of introducing the Bible,
which is the well-head of all that is useful and conducive to the
happiness of society and individuals; that I cared not what people
called themselves, provided they read the Scripture, for that where
the Scripture was read neither priestcraft nor tyranny could long
exist; and instanced my own country, the cause of whose freedom and
happiness was the Bible, and that only, for that before the days of
Tyndal it was the seat of ignorance, oppression, and cruelty, and
that after the fall of ignorance, the oppression and cruelty soon
ceased, for that the last persecutor of the Bible, the last
upholder of ignorance - THE BLOODY AND INFAMOUS MARY - was the last
tyrant who had sat on the throne of England. We did not part till
the night was considerably advanced; and the next day I sent him
the books, in the steadfast hope that a bright and glorious morning
was about to rise upon the night which had so long cast its dreary
shadow over the regions of the Alemtejo.
The day after this interesting event, which was Saturday, I had
more conversation with the man from Palmella. I asked him if in
his journeys he had never been attacked by robbers; he answered
'No,' for that he generally travelled in company with others;
'however,' said he, 'were I alone I should have little fear, for I
am well protected.' I said that I supposed he carried arms with
him. 'No other arms than this,' said he, and he pulled out a long,
desperate-looking knife of English manufacture, like that with
which every Portuguese peasant is provided, and which I should
consider a far more efficient weapon than a dagger. 'But,' said
he, 'I do not place much confidence in the knife.' I then enquired
in what were his hopes of protection. 'In this,' he replied; and
unbuttoning his waistcoat he showed me a small bag, attached to his
neck by a silken string. 'In this bag is an ORACAM (or prayer),
written by a person of power; and as long as I carry it about me no
ill can befall me.' Curiosity is one of the leading features of my
character, and I instantly said that to be allowed to read the
prayer would give me great pleasure. 'Well,' he replied, 'you are
my friend, and I would do for you what I would do for few others.
I will show it you.' He then asked me for my penknife and
proceeded to unrip the bag, and took out of it a large piece of
paper closely folded up. I hurried with it to my chamber, and
commenced the examination of it. It was scrawled over in a very
illegible hand, and was moreover much stained with perspiration, so
that I had considerable difficulty in making myself master of its
contents; but at last I accomplished the following literal
translation of the charm, which was written in bad Portuguese, but
which struck me at the time as being the most remarkable
composition I had ever seen.
THE CHARM
'Just Judge and divine Son of the Virgin Maria, who wast born at
Bethlehem, a Nazarene, and who wast crucified in the midst of all
Jewry! I beseech Thee, O Lord, by virtue of Thy sixth day that the
body of me, Francisco, be not caught nor put to death by the hands
of Justice! Pazes teco (pax tecum), pazes Cristo. May you receive
peace, said Christ to His disciples. If the accursed Justice
should distrust me, or have its eye on me, in order to take me, or
to rob me, may it have an eye which shall not see me; may it have a
mouth which shall not speak to me; may it have an ear which shall
not hear me; may it have a hand which shall not seize me; may it
have a foot which shall not overtake me; for may I be armed with
the arms of Saint George; may I be covered with the cloak of
Abraham; and embarked in the ark of Noah; so that it can neither
see me, nor hear me, nor draw the blood from my body! I also
conjure Thee, O Lord, by those three blessed crosses - by those
three blessed chalices - by those three blessed clergymen - by
those three consecrated hosts, that Thou give me that sweet company
which Thou gavest the Virgin Maria, from the gates of Bethlehem
even unto the portals of Jerusalem, that I may go and come with
peace and joy with Jesus Christ, Son of the Virgin Maria, the
prolific, yet nevertheless the eternal Virgin Maria our Lady.'
The woman of the house and her daughter had similar bags tied to
their necks, containing charms, which they said prevented the
witches having power to harm them. The belief in witchcraft is
very prevalent amongst the peasantry of the Alemtejo, and I believe
of other provinces of Portugal. This is one of the relics of the
monkish system, the aim of which in all countries where it has
existed, or does exist, seems to be to besot the minds of the
people that they may be the more easily plundered and misled. The
monks of the Greek and Syriac Churches likewise deal in this kind
of ware, which they know to be poison, but which, as it brings them
a price and fosters delusion by which they are maintained in luxury
and idleness, they would rather vend than the wholesome drug.
The Sunday morning was fine, and the plain before the church of the
Convent of San Francisco was thronged with people going to mass or
returning. After having performed my morning devotions and
breakfasted, I went down to the kitchen. The fine girl Geronima
was seated by the fire. I asked if she had heard mass; she
replied, 'No,' and that she did not intend to hear it. Upon my
inquiring her motive for absenting herself, she replied that, since
the friars had been expelled from their churches and convents, she
had ceased to attend mass or to confess herself, for that the
Government priests had no spiritual power, and consequently she
never troubled them. She said the friars were holy men and
charitable; for that every morning those of the convent over the
way had fed forty poor persons with the remains of their meals of
the preceding day, but that now these people were allowed to
starve. I replied that the friars who had lived upon the dainties
of the land could well afford to bestow a few bones on the poor,
and that their doing so was not the effect of charity, but merely a
part of their artful policy, by which they hoped to secure to
themselves friends in time of need. The girl then said that as it
was Sunday I should perhaps like to see some of her books, and
without waiting for a reply she produced them. They consisted
principally of popular stories and lives and miracles of saints,
but amongst them was a translation of Volney's RUINS OF EMPIRES. I
inquired how she became possessed of this book; she said that a
young man, a great Constitutionalist, had given it her some months
since and had pressed her much to read it, telling her that it was
the best book in the world. Whereupon I told her that the author
of the book in question was an emissary of Satan and an enemy of
Jesus Christ and the souls of mankind; that he had written it with
the sole view of bringing all religion into contempt, and that he
had inculcated therein the doctrine that there was no future state
nor rewards for the righteous nor punishments for the wicked. She
made no reply, but going into another room, returned with her apron
full of dry brushwood and faggot; all of this she piled upon the
fire, and produced a bright blaze. She then took the book from my
hand, and placed it upon the flaming pile; then sitting down, took
her rosary out of her pocket, and told her beads till the volume
was consumed. This was an AUTO-DA-FE, in the true sense of the
word.
On the Monday and Tuesday I paid my usual visits to the fountain,
and likewise rode about the neighbourhood for the purpose of
circulating tracts. I dropped a great many in the favourite walks
of the people of Evora, as I felt rather dubious of their accepting
them had I proffered them with my own hands; whereas if they found
them on the ground, I thought that curiosity might induce them to
pick them up and examine them. I likewise on the Tuesday evening
paid a farewell visit to my friend Don Azveto, as it was my
intention to leave Evora on the Thursday following; in which view I
had engaged a cabriolet of a man who informed me that he had served
as a soldier in the GRANDE ARMEE of Napoleon, and had been present
throughout the Russian campaign. He looked the image of a
drunkard; his face was covered with carbuncles, and his breath
impregnated with the fumes of strong waters. He wished much to
converse with me in French, in the speaking of which language, it
seems, he prided himself much; but I refused, and told him to speak
the language of the country, or I would hold no discourse with him.
Wednesday was stormy, with occasional rain. On coming down I found
that my friend from Palmella had departed, but several
CONTRABANDISTAS had arrived from Spain. They were mostly fine
fellows, and, unlike the two I had seen the previous week, who were
of much lower degree, were chatty and communicative; they spoke
their native language and no other, and seemed to hold Portuguese
in great contempt; their magnificent Spanish tones were heard to
great advantage amidst the shrill chirping dialect of Portugal. I
was soon in deep conversation with them, and was much pleased to
find that all of them could read. I presented the eldest of them,
a man of about fifty years of age, with a tract in Spanish. He
examined it for some time with great attention; he then rose from
his seat, and going into the middle of the apartment, began reading
it aloud, slowly and emphatically; his companions gathered round
him, and every now and then expressed their satisfaction at what
they heard. The reader occasionally called upon me to explain
particular passages which, as they referred to Scripture, he did
not exactly understand, for not one of the party had ever seen
either the Old or New Testament. He continued reading for nearly
an hour until he had finished the tract, and at its conclusion the
whole party were clamorous for similar ones, with which I was happy
to be able to supply them. Most of them spoke of priestcraft and
the monks with the utmost abhorrence, and said that they should
prefer death to again submitting to the yoke which had formerly
galled their necks. I questioned them very particularly respecting
the opinion of their neighbours and acquaintances on this point,
and they assured me that in their part of the Spanish frontier all
were of the same mind, and that they cared as little for the Pope
and his monks as they did for Don Carlos, for the latter was a
dwarf (CHICOTITO) and a tyrant, and the others were plunderers and
robbers. I told them that they must beware of confounding religion
with priestcraft, and that in their abhorrence of the latter they
must not forget that there is a God and a Christ, to whom they must
look for salvation, and whose word it was incumbent upon them to
study on every occasion; whereupon they all expressed a devout
belief in Christ and the Virgin.
These men, though in many respects far more enlightened than the
surrounding peasantry, were in others quite as much in the dark;
they believed in witchcraft and in the efficacy of particular
charms. The night was very stormy, and about nine we heard a
galloping towards the door, and then a loud knocking; it was
opened, and in rushed a wild-looking man mounted upon a donkey. He
wore a jerkin of sheepskin, called in Spanish ZAMARRAS, with
breeches of the same as far down as his knee; his legs were bare.
Around his SOMBRERO, or shadowy hat, was tied a large quantity of
the herb called in English rosemary, in Spanish ROMERO, and in the
rustic language of Portugal ELLECRIN, which last is a word of
Scandinavian origin, and properly signifies the elfin plant. [It
was probably] carried into the south by the Vandals or the Alani.
The [man seemed] frantic with terror, and said that the witches had
been pursuing him, and hovering over his head, for the last two
leagues. He came from the Spanish frontier with meal and other
articles; he informed us that his wife was following him and would
soon arrive, and within a quarter of an hour she made her
appearance, dripping with rain, and also mounted upon a donkey. I
asked my friends the CONTRABANDISTAS why he wore the rosemary in
his hat, and they told me that it was good against witches and the
mischances of the road. I had no time to argue against this
superstition, for as the chaise was to be ready at five o'clock
next morning I wished to make the most of the few hours which I
could devote to rest.
LETTER: Undated
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED. recd. Feb. 15, 1836)
The following Translations into the Romanee, or language of the
Spanish Tchai, Tchabos, Gitanos, Callos, or Gypsies, were made by
me at Badajoz during the first two weeks of January 1836.
THE 15TH CHAP. OF THE BLESSED GOSPEL OF SAINT LUKE.
[Here follow thirty-two verses of the translation, followed by a
version of the Lord's Prayer.]
SPECIMENS OF THE HORRID CURSES IN USE AMONGST THE SPANISH GYPSIES.
[Here follow sixteen of these 'curses,' to each of which is added a
rendering in English.]
LETTER: 13th February, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED. recd. Feb. 29th, 1836)
MADRID, CALLE DE LA ZARZA,
FEBY. 13TH, 1836.
THE game is now in our own hands, and it is our fault if we do not
win it, for a little patience and a little prudence is all that is
required. I came to Madrid without a single letter of
introduction, and without knowing an individual there. I have now
some powerful friends, and through the kindness of Sir Geo.
Villiers, the British Ambassador at the Spanish Court, I have had
an interview with that most singular man, Mendizabal, whom it is as
difficult to get nigh as it is to approach the North Pole. I have
obtained his promise that when matters are in some degree settled
in this country, he will allow us to commence our operations; but
the preposterous idea, which by some means or other he has
embraced, that we have been endeavouring to foment disturbances
amongst the slaves of Cuba, prevents his looking upon us with
favourable eyes.
I now write for orders; if you have received my letters and
journals (copious extracts from which you had better print), you
will see how successful I have been in the Alemtejo, as our books
are now for sale at Evora and Elvas, the two principal towns, and
the Gospel of Christ has been preached to many who were ignorant of
it even by name; you will see what I have been doing at Badajoz,
especially amongst the Spanish Gypsies, whose dialect of the
Rommany I have so far mastered as to be able to translate into it
with tolerable ease. Now, until my friends here and myself can
claim the fulfilment of Mr. Mendizabal's promise, do you wish me to
go to Granada, or back to Badajoz, and finish my translation of St.
Luke into Rommany, with the assistance of the Gypsies of those
places, who are far more conversant with their native language than
their brethren in other parts of Spain; or shall I return to Lisbon
and exert all my interest towards the execution of the plan which I
communicated first to Mr. Wilby, and then to yourself, namely,
attempting to induce the Government to adopt the Scriptures in the
schools which they are about to establish? Since I have been at
Madrid I have obtained letters to individuals of great importance
at Lisbon, and I know that Don Jose d'Azveto will do anything to
serve me within the limits of reason. Therefore let the Committee
be summoned, and a resolution forthwith adopted as to my next
course. I think all our negotiations in the Peninsula may be
brought to a successful termination in a few months; then you must
send over an agent, a plain man of business, to engage colporteurs
and to come to arrangements with booksellers, both in Spain and in
the provincial towns of Portugal, but let him not be a hesitater
and starter of needless doubts and difficulties; anything may be
accomplished with a little shrewdness, a little boldness, and a
great trust in God. I hope that my exertions have afforded
satisfaction at home, but if not, let me be allowed to state that
it was not in my power to accomplish more than I have. I have
borne hunger and thirst, cold and fatigue, I have exposed myself to
danger from robbers, and was near losing my life from the ruffian
soldiery at Arrayolos, whose bullets so narrowly missed me. I have
been as economical as possible, though the charges in Portugal for
everything are enormous, and a stranger there is like a ship on
shore, a mark for plunder. In Spain the people are far more
honest, and the charges, though high, reasonable in comparison.
Before leaving Lisbon I drew on excellent Mr. Wilby for 75 pounds;
of this sum 12 pounds was remitted to Malaja, through which place I
shall probably pass on my return to Lisbon. I have still remaining
by me money sufficient for two months, I therefore need not enter
into a detail of my expenses. I now wait for a letter from you;
and when you write, please to remit to me a small letter of credit
on some one at Madrid, or request Mr. Wilby to do so, as he has
correspondents here, and in that case communicate my address to
him. I give you below an abridgment of my interview with Mr.
Mendizabal. I think it will make you laugh. I have the honour to
remain, Revd. and dear Sir, etc.,
G. BORROW.
INTERVIEW WITH MR. MENDIZABAL
At about 8 o'clock in the morning of the 7th inst. I went to the
palace, where Mr. Mendizabal resides. I informed the usher that I
came from the British Ambassador, whereupon I was shown into a
room, and after waiting about three hours I was admitted to the
presence of the Prime Minister of Spain. He was dressed in a
morning gown and sat behind a table covered with papers. He is a
man of about five-and-forty, somewhat above the middle height, with
very handsome features, aquiline nose and large sparkling eyes; his
hair is partly grey. I presented him the letter with which Sir
Geo. Villiers had furnished me, and when he had read it, I said
that before entering upon the matter which more immediately brought
me to him, I begged leave to set him right upon a point relating to
which he was labouring under considerable error: Sir Geo. Villiers
had informed me that Mr. M. entertained an opinion that the Bible
Society had been endeavouring to exercise an undue influence over
the minds of the slave population of Cuba by means of their agents;
but that I could assure him with truth, that neither directly nor
indirectly had they exerted or attempted to exert any influence at
all over any part of the inhabitants of that island, as they had
neither sent agents there, nor held any communication with the
residents. While I was saying this, he interrupted me several
times, insisting that it was so, and that he had documents to prove
it. I told him that it was probable he confounded the Bible
Society with some other institution for the propagation of
religion, perhaps with one of the missionary societies, more
especially one of those belonging to the United States, which might
have sent individuals to the island in question for the purpose of
communicating religious instruction to the slaves - but all I could
say was to no avail; he would have it that it was the British Bible
Society who had despatched missionaries to Cuba to incite the
blacks to rise up against their masters. The absurdity of this
idea struck me so forcibly that it was with difficulty I restrained
myself from laughing outright. I at last said that, whatever he
might think to the contrary, the Committee of the Bible Society
were by no means of that turbulent and outrageous disposition; that
they were for the most part staid, quiet gentlemen, who attended to
their own affairs, and a little, and but a little to the
promulgation of Christ's Gospel, which, however, they too much
respected to endeavour to kindle a spirit of insurrection anywhere,
as they all know full well that it is the Word of God says that
servants are to obey their masters at all times and occasions. I
then requested permission to print the New Testament in Spanish at
Madrid. He said he should not grant it, for that the New Testament
was a very dangerous book, especially in disturbed times. I
replied that I was not aware that the holy book contained any
passages sanctioning blood-shedding and violence, but I rather
thought that it abounded with precepts of an entirely opposite
tendency; but he still persisted that it was an improper book. I
must here observe that it was with the utmost difficulty I obtained
an opportunity of explaining myself, on account of the propensity
which he possesses of breaking in upon the discourse of the person
who is addressing him; and at last, in self-defence, I was myself
obliged to infringe the rules of conversation, and to hold on
without paying any attention to his remarks - not that I gained
much by so doing, for he plainly told me that he was an obstinate
man, and that he never abandoned his opinions. I certainly do not
think him the most tractable of men, but I am inclined to think
that he is not ill-natured, as he preserved his temper very well
during the interview, and laughed heartily at two or three of my
remarks. At last he said: 'I will not give you permission now:
but let the war be concluded, let the factious be beaten, and the
case will be altered; come to me six months hence.' I then
requested to be allowed to introduce into Spain a few copies of the
New Testament in the Catalan dialect, as we had lately printed a
most beautiful edition at London, but he still said 'No, no,' and
when I asked if he had any objection to my calling again on the
morrow and showing him a copy, he made use of these remarkable
words: 'I do not wish you should come, lest you should convince
me, and I do not wish to be convinced.'
LETTER: 22nd March, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. April 2, 1836)
MAR. 22, 1836,
CALLE DE LA ZARZA, MADRID.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I received your letter of the 8th inst.,
which gave me much pleasure, as I understood from it that my humble
efforts had afforded satisfaction. I also received the two letters
from St. Petersburg which were written by a dear friend of that
place, to whom I shall trouble you to forward a letter as soon as I
have an opportunity of writing, which at present I have not, as my
time is much occupied.
I have to communicate to you what will not fail to be interesting.
The Spanish press have taken up our affair, and I am at present
engaged in attempting to lay the foundation of a Bible Society at
Madrid, to accomplish which the editor of the influential
newspaper, the ESPANOL, has promised me his assistance. There has
already appeared in that journal a most brilliant article which
gives the history of our Society, and states the advantages which
would result to Spain from the establishment within its bosom of a
society whose aim should be the propagation of the Scripture, in
the Spanish language, amongst the population. Of this article I
send extracts below, and shall probably, when I have more time,
send the whole. The person whom we are looking forward to as a
head of the projected institution is a certain Bishop, advanced in
years, a person of great piety and learning, who has himself
translated the New Testament in a manner, as I am informed, far
superior to that of any of his predecessors; but I have not as yet
seen it, and therefore cannot speak positively as to its merits.
However, he is disposed to print and circulate it, and if the
translation be really an excellent one it would not be unwise in us
to patronise it, if by so doing we could induce him to co-operate
with us in our plans for enlightening unhappy Spain. But more of
this anon. I have little doubt that the time is almost at hand
when the cause of God will triumph in this country, and I am
exerting every means which I can devise in humbleness of heart to
help to bring about an event so desirable. I intend to remain a
few weeks longer at Madrid at all events, for the present moment is
too fraught with interest to allow me to quit it immediately. As
far as self is concerned I should rejoice to return instantly to
Lisbon, for I am not partial to Madrid, its climate, or anything it
can offer, if I except its unequalled gallery of pictures; but I
did not come hither to gratify self but as a messenger of the Word.
May I take the liberty of begging you to write a line to my dear
and revered friend Mr. Cunningham, informing him that I am in
tolerable health, and that I hope to write myself speedily. The
three letters which you say have not arrived were, I believe,
destroyed by a servant for the sake of the postage, but I shall
send you parts of my journal to supply the deficiency.
EXTRACTS FROM THE 'ESPANOL'
'The first founders of the Bible Societies (for by this name they
were known) immediately comprehended their philosophic and
civilising mission, and fulfilled the thought of its inventor. In
a short period the circle of their action expanded itself, and not
content with making Great Britain alone a participator of this
salutary institution, they wished to extend it to all countries,
and therefore called to their assistance the majority of the known
languages. To all the quarters of the inhabited world they sent at
their own expense agents to traverse the countries and discover the
best means of disseminating the truths of the Bible, and to
discover manuscripts of the ancient versions. They did more:
convinced of the necessity of placing themselves above the
miserable considerations of sectarian spirit, they determined that
the text should not be accompanied by any species of note or
commentary which might provoke the discord which unhappily reigns
among the different fractions of Christianity, which separates more
and more their views instead of guiding them to the religious end
which they propose.
'Thus the doctrine of the Nazarene might be studied with equal
success by the Greek schismatic and the Catholic Spaniard, by the
sectary of Calvin and the disciple of Luther: its seed might bless
at one and the same time the fruitful plains of Asia and the
sterile sands of desert Arabia, the burning soil of India and the
icy land of the ferocious Esquimaux. Antiquity knew no speedier
means of conveying its ideas than the harangues which the orators
pronounced from the summit of the tribune, amidst assemblies of
thousands of citizens; but modern intelligence wished to discover
other means infinitely more efficacious, more active, more rapid,
more universal, and has invented the press. Thus it was that in
the preceding ages the warm and animated words of the missionary
were necessarily the only organ which Christianity had at command
to proclaim its principles; but scarcely did this invention come to
second the progress of modern civilisation, than it foresaw the
future ally destined to complete the intelligent and social labour
which it had taken upon itself.'
(After stating what has been accomplished by the B. F. B. Society,
and how many others have sprung up under her auspices in different
lands, the article continues:)
'Why should Spain which has explored the New World, which has
generalised inoculation in order to oppose the devastations of a
horrid pest, which has always distinguished herself by zeal in
labouring in the cause of humanity - why should she alone be
destitute of Bible Societies? Why should a nation eminently
Catholic continue isolated from the rest of Europe, without joining
in the magnificent enterprise in which the latter is so busily
engaged?'
GEORGE BORROW.
(My best respects to Mr. Jowett.)
LETTER: 20th April, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 5, 1836)
MADRID, NO. 3, CALLE DE LA ZARZA,
20 APRIL 1836
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have received your letter of the 6th inst.,
in which you request me to write to you a little more frequently,
on the ground that my letters are not destitute of interest; your
request, however, is not the principal reason which incites me to
take up the pen at the present moment. Though I hope that I shall
be able to communicate matter which will afford yourself and our
friends at home subject for some congratulation, my more immediate
object is to inform you of my situation, of which I am sure you
have not the slightest conception.
For the last three weeks I have been without money, literally
without a farthing. About a month ago I received fifteen pounds
from Mr. Wilby, and returned him an order for twenty, he having,
when I left Lisbon, lent me five pounds, on account, above what I
drew for, as he was apprehensive of my being short of money before
I reached Madrid. 12 pounds, 5s. of this I instantly expended for
a suit of clothes, my own being so worn, that it was impossible to
appear longer in public with them. At the time of sending him the
receipt I informed him that I was in need of money, and begged that
he would send the remaining 30 pounds by return of post. I have
never heard from him from that moment, though I have written twice.
Perhaps he never received my letters, or I may not have received
his, the post of Estremadura having been three times robbed; I can
imagine no other reason. The money may still come, but I have
given up all hopes of it, and am compelled to write home, though
what I am to do till I can receive your answer I am at a loss to
conceive. But God is above all, and I am far from complaining; but
you would oblige me, upon receiving this, to procure me instantly a
letter of credit on some house in Madrid. I believe Messrs.
Hammersley of London have correspondents here. Whatever I undergo,
I shall tell nobody my situation: it might hurt the Society and
our projects here. I know enough of the world to be aware that it
is considered as the worst of crimes to be without money. Above
all, let me intreat you never to hint of this affair in any
communication to Mr. Wilby; he is a most invaluable man, and he
might take offence.
A week ago, after having spent much time in drawing up a petition,
I presented it to the Ecclesiastical Committee of Censors. It was
strongly backed by the Civil Governor of Madrid, within whose
department the Censorship is. In this petition, after a preamble
on the religious state of Spain, I requested permission to print
the New Testament without note or comment, according to the version
of Father Scio, and in the same form and size as the small edition
of Paris, in order that the book might be 'AL ALCANCE ASI DE LOS
POBRES COMO DE LOS RICOS' (within the reach of the poor as well as
of the wealthy). The Ecclesiastical Board are at present
consulting about it, as I was informed to-day, upon my repairing to
their house for the purpose of knowing how matters were going on.
I have hopes of success, having done all in my power to prevent a
failure by making important friends since the moment of my arrival.
I was introduced to the Governor by his most intimate acquaintance
Synudi, the Deputy of Huelba, to whom I was introduced by the
celebrated Alcala de Galiano, the Deputy of Cadiz, who will sooner
or later be Prime Minister, and to him I was introduced by - but I
will not continue, as I might run on for ever, much after the
fashion as
'This is the house which Jack built.'
And now I have something to tell you which I think will surprise
you, and which, strange as it may sound, is nevertheless true. The
authority of the Pope in this country is in so very feeble and
precarious a situation, that little more than a breath is required
to destroy it, and I am almost confident that in less than a year
it will be disowned. I am doing whatever I can in Madrid to
prepare the way for an event so desirable. I mix with the people,
and inform them who and what the Pope is, and how disastrous to
Spain his influence has been. I tell them that the indulgences,
which they are in the habit of purchasing, are of no more intrinsic
value than so many pieces of paper, and were merely invented with
the view of plundering them. I frequently ask: 'Is it possible
that God, who is good, would sanction the sale of sin?' and,
'Supposing certain things are sinful, do you think that God, for
the sake of your money, would permit you to perform them?' In many
instances my hearers have been satisfied with this simple
reasoning, and have said that they would buy no more indulgences.
Moreover, the newspapers have, in two or three instances, taken up
the subject of Rome upon national and political grounds. The Pope
is an avowed friend of Carlos, and an enemy of the present
Government, and in every instance has refused to acknowledge the
Bishops who have been nominated to vacant sees by the Queen.
Therefore the editors say, and very naturally, if the Pope does
everything in his power to impede the progress of Spanish
regeneration, it is high time to cut the ties which still link
Spain to the papal chair. It is my sincere prayer, and the prayer
of many of those who have the interest of Spain at heart, that The
Man of Rome will continue in the course which he is at present
pursuing, for by so doing he loses Spain, and then he is nothing.
He is already laughed at throughout Italy - Ireland will alone
remain to him - much good it may do him!
In respect to the Apocrypha, let me be permitted to observe that an
anticipation of that difficulty was one of my motives for
forbearing to request permission to print the entire Bible; and
here I will hint that in these countries, until the inhabitants
become Christian, it would be expedient to drop the Old Testament
altogether, for if the Old accompany the New the latter will be
little read, as the former is so infinitely more entertaining to
the carnal man. Mr. Wilby in his [last] letter informs me that 30
Bibles have been sold in Lisbon within a short time, but that the
demand for Testaments has not amounted to half that number. My
best respects to Mr. Jowett.
G. B.
LETTER: 22nd May, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 1, 1836)
MADRID, MAY 22, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write in the greatest hurry. I shall
receive the permission, the Lord willing, in a few days; the Duke
de Rivas has this moment told me so, and he is Minister of the
Interior.
The Ecclesiastical Court declined deciding upon the matter, and
left it entirely in the hands of the Ministers. Just as the
English Ambassador was about to remind Mr. Mendizabal of his
promise to me, the latter gentleman and his colleagues retired from
office; a new Ministry was formed composed entirely of my friends,
amongst them Alcala Galiano (turn to my last letter).
As soon as the Minister of Finance, with whom I am very intimate,
returns from France, I shall request to be permitted to introduce
the Catalan New Testament upon paying a reasonable duty.
I received Mr. Jackson's letter containing the money, and yours,
also with money, and a rap on the knuckles besides; it was scarcely
merited, as I can prove in five words.
Not having the Scripture to offer to the people, I was obliged to
content myself with mentioning it to them; the people here know not
the Scripture even by name, but they know a certain personage well
enough, and as soon as the subject of religion is brought up they
are sure to bring him forward, as they consider him the
fountainhead of all religion. Those therefore in the situation of
myself have three things at their option; to speak nothing - to
speak lies - or to speak the truth. In simpleness of heart I
thought proper to adopt the last principle as my line of conduct; I
do not think I have erred, but I shall be more reserved in future.
In conclusion let me be permitted to observe that the last skirts
of the cloud of papal superstition are vanishing below the horizon
of Spain; whoever says the contrary either knows nothing of the
matter or wilfully hides the truth.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 22nd May, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 2, 1836)
10 AT NIGHT,
[MADRID, MAY 22, 1836.]
MY DEAR SIR, - There has been a partial disturbance at Madrid, and
it is not impossible that the new Ministry will go out and Mr. M.
be reinstated - which event, however, will make little difference
to us, as the British Ambassador has promised to back the
application which I shall instantly make. There are so many
changes and revolutions here that nothing is certain even for a
day. I wish to let you know what is going forward, and am aware
that you will excuse two letters arriving at one time.
G. B.
LETTER: 30th May, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 4, 1836)
[MADRID], MONDAY NIGHT, half p. 11, MAY 30.
THE post will presently depart, therefore I have no time to lose.
Every thing, thank God, is again tranquil, and it appears that the
present Ministry will stand its ground. I am just returned from
the house of one of the Ministers; I can consequently speak pretty
positively. The Queen will not accept their resignations, and the
army is on their side. The Cortes have been dissolved. The whole
Cabinet are of opinion that my petition is just and reasonable and
ought to be granted. I have been requested to appear next Thursday
at the Office, when I expect to receive the permission, or to hear
that steps have been taken towards making it out.
The reason of Mr. Mendizabal's resignation was his inability to
accomplish the removal of General Cordova from the head of the
army. It is not for me to offer an opinion on the General's
military talents, but he is much beloved by the soldiers, whose
comforts and interests he has much attended to; to deprive him of
command would therefore be attended with danger. I have no
complaint to make against Mr. M.; he is a kind, well-meaning man,
and had he remained in office I have no doubt that he would have
acceded to my petition.
I hope you will pray that God will grant me wisdom, humbleness of
spirit, and success in all that is right.
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 30th June, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 11, 1836)
CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO, MADRID,
JUNE 30, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - As I have little doubt that you are anxiously
awaiting the arrival of some intelligence from me, I write a few
lines which I have no doubt will prove satisfactory to you, and in
the course of a few days I hope to write again, when I shall
probably be able to announce the happy termination of the affair
which brought me to Spain.
The difficulties which I have had to encounter since I last wrote
to you have been so many and formidable that I have been frequently
on the verge of despairing ever to obtain permission to print the
Gospel in Spain, which has become the most ardent wish of my heart.
Only those who have been in the habit of dealing with Spaniards, by
whom the most solemn promises are habitually broken, can form a
correct idea of my reiterated disappointments and of the toil of
body and agony of spirit which I have been subjected to. One day I
have been told, at the Ministry, that I had only to wait a few
moments and all I wished would be acceded to; and then my hopes
have been blasted with the information that various difficulties,
which seemed insurmountable, had presented themselves, whereupon I
have departed almost broken-hearted; but the next day I have been
summoned in a great hurry and informed that 'all was right,' and
that on the morrow a regular authority to print the Scriptures
would be delivered to me; but by that time fresh and yet more
terrible difficulties had occurred - so that I became weary of my
life.
During the greatest part of the last six weeks I have spent upon an
average ten hours every day, dancing attendance on one or another
of the Ministers, and when I have returned home I have been so
fatigued that I have found it impossible to write, even to my
nearest friends. The heat has been suffocating, for the air seems
to be filled with flaming vapours, and the very Spaniards are
afraid to stay out, and lie gasping and naked on their brick
floors; therefore if you have felt disappointed in not having heard
from me for a considerable time, the above statement must be my
excuse.
During the last fortnight the aspect of my affair has become more
favourable, and, notwithstanding all the disappointments I have
met, I now look forward with little apprehension to the result.
The English Ambassador, Mr. Villiers, has taken me by the hand in
the most generous manner and has afforded me the most effectual
assistance. He has spoken to all the Ministers, collectively and
individually, and has recommended the granting of my petition in
the strongest manner, pointing out the terrible condition of the
people at present who are without religious instruction of any
kind, and the impossibility of exercising any species of government
over a nation of atheists, which the Spaniards will very shortly
become if left to themselves. Whether moved by his arguments or by
a wish to oblige a person of so much importance as the British
Ambassador, the Cabinet of Madrid now exhibit a manifest
willingness to do all in their power to satisfy me; and though by
the law of Spain the publishing of the Scripture in the vulgar
tongue without notes is forbidden, measures have been taken by
which the rigor of the law can be eluded and the printer be
protected, until such time as it shall be deemed prudent to repeal
the law made, as is now generally confessed, in a time of ignorance
and superstitious darkness.
I herewith send you a letter which I received some days since from
Mr. Villiers; I have several others on the same subject, but I
prefer sending this particular one as it is the last. Since I
received it, the Ministers have met and discussed the petition, and
the result was, as I have been informed, though not officially, in
its favour.
You would oblige me by mentioning to his Lordship the President of
the Bible Society the manner in which Mr. Villiers has befriended
me, and to beg that he would express by letter an acknowledgment of
the favour which I have received; and at the same time, I think
that a vote of thanks from the Committee would not be amiss, as I
may be again in need of Mr. V.'s assistance before I leave Spain.
The interest which he has taken in this affair is the more
surprising, as Mr. Graydon informed me that upon his applying to
him he declined to interfere.
I saw Mr. Graydon twice or thrice. He left Madrid for Barcelona
about a month since, because the heat of the former place in the
summer months is more than he can bear, and as he found I was so
far advanced, he thought he might be of more utility in Catalonia.
I have at present nothing more to say, and am so weak from heat and
fatigue that I can hardly hold the pen. I have removed from my old
lodgings to those which Mr. Graydon occupied; therefore when you
write, direct as above. With my best remembrances to Mr. Jowett, I
remain, my dear Sir, very truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 7th July, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 18, 1836)
7 JULY, 1836, MADRID,
CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - The affair is settled - thank God!!! and we
may begin to print whenever we think proper.
Perhaps you have thought I have been tardy in accomplishing the
business which brought me to Spain; but to be able to form a
correct judgment you ought to be aware of all the difficulties
which I have had to encounter, and which I shall not enumerate; I
shall content myself with observing that for a thousand pounds I
would not undergo again all the mortifications and disappointments
of the last two months.
The present Ministry have been afraid to offend the clergy, and
with great reason, as they are not of the movement or radical
party, and many of their friends are bigoted papists; nevertheless,
influenced by the pressing applications of the British Ambassador
and being moreover well-disposed to myself, they have consented to
the printing of the Testament; but it must be done in a private
manner. I have just had a long interview with Mr. Isturitz, who
told me that if we were resolved upon the enterprise we had best
employ the confidential printer of the Government, who would keep
the matter secret; as in the present state of affairs he would not
answer for the consequences if it were noised abroad. I of course
expressed my perfect readiness to comply with so reasonable a
request.
I will now candidly confess to you that I do not think that the
present Ministry, or, as it is generally called, the Court
Ministry, will be able to stand its ground; nevertheless a change
of Ministry would not alter the aspect of our affair in the least,
for if the other or movement party come in, the liberty of the
press (a great misfortune for Spain) would be probably granted; at
all events, the influence of the English Ambassador would be
greater than it is even at present, and upon his assistance I may
rely at all times and occasions.
I am not aware that there is any great necessity for my continuance
in Spain; nevertheless, should you think there is, you have only to
command. But I cannot help thinking that in a month or two when
the heats are over Mr. Graydon might return, as nothing very
difficult remains to be accomplished, and I am sure that Mr.
Villiers at my entreaty would extend to him the patronage with
which he has honoured me. But, as I before observed, I am ready to
do whatever the Bible Society may deem expedient.
Do not forget THE TWO letters of thanks to the Ambassador, and it
would not be unwise to transmit a VOTE of thanks to 'His Excellence
Antonio Alcala Galiano, President of Marine,' who has been of great
assistance to me.
I have the honour to be, Revd. and dear Sir, your most obedient
servant,
G. B.
P.S. - In about six weeks I shall want some more money.
My best remembrances to Mr. Jowett.
LETTER: 19th July, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 30th, 1836)
MADRID, JULY 19th, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - As I believe you have no account of my
proceedings at Badajoz, I send you the following which will perhaps
serve for your 'Monthly Extracts.' I have corrected and improved
my translation of the Lord's Prayer into Rommany, and should it be
printed, let it be done so with care. Perhaps in a few days I
shall send a general account of what I have been about since my
arrival at Madrid, but I am at present very feeble and languid, and
can scarcely hold a pen. There is nothing new here, all is quiet,
and I hope will continue so. My time does not pass very agreeably,
I am without books or conversation, for all my acquaintance have
left the place to escape from the intolerable heat. I often sigh
for Russia, and wish I was there, editing Mandchou or Armenian;
pray remember me kindly to Mr. Jowett and to my other friends. I
remain, etc.
G. BORROW.
About one o'clock in the afternoon of the 6th of January, 1836, I
crossed the bridge of the Guadiana, a boundary river between
Portugal and Spain, and entered Badajoz, a strong Spanish town
containing about 8000 inhabitants, and founded by the Romans. I
instantly returned thanks to God who had protected me during a
journey of five days through the wilds of Alemtejo, the province of
Portugal the most infested by robbers and desperate characters, and
which I had traversed with no other human companion than a lad,
nearly idiotic, who was to convey back the mules which carried
myself and baggage. It was not my intention to make much stay at
Badajoz, and as a vehicle would set out for Madrid the day next but
one after my arrival, I proposed to depart therein for the capital
of Spain.
The next morning I was standing at the door of the inn where I had
taken up my residence; the weather was gloomy, and rain seemed to
be at hand. I was thinking of the state of the country I had
lately entered, which was involved in bloody anarchy and confusion,
and where the ministers of a religion, falsely styled Catholic and
Christian, were blowing the trump of war, instead of preaching the
love-engendering words of the blessed Gospel. Suddenly two men
wrapped in long cloaks came down the narrow and almost deserted
street. They were about to pass me, and the face of the nearest
was turned full towards me. I knew to whom the countenance which
he displayed must belong, and I touched him on the shoulder. The
man stopped and his companion also; I said a certain word, to which
after an exclamation of surprise he responded in the manner which I
expected. The men were of that singular family, or race, which has
diffused itself over every part of the civilized globe, and the
members of which are known as Gypsies, Bohemians, Gitanos, Zigani,
and by many other names, but whose proper appellation seems to be
'Rommany,' from the circumstance that in many and distant countries
they so style themselves, and also the language which they speak
amongst each other. We began conversing in the Spanish dialect of
this language, with which I was tolerably well acquainted. Upon
inquiring of my two newly-made acquaintances whether there were
many of their people at Badajoz and in the vicinity, they informed
me that there were nine or ten families residing in the town, and
that there were others at Merida, a town about nine leagues
distant. I asked by what means they supported themselves, and they
replied that they and their brethren gained a livelihood by jobbing
in horses, mules, etc., but that all those in Badajoz were very
poor, with the exception of one man, who was exceedingly MUBALBALLO
or rich, as he was in possession of many horses and other beasts.
They removed their cloaks for a moment, and I saw that their
undergarments were rags.
They left me in haste, and went about the town informing the rest
that a stranger was arrived, who spoke Rommany as well as
themselves, who had the eyes and face of a Gitano, and seemed to be
of the ERATTI, or blood. In less than half-an-hour the street
before the inn was filled with the men, women, and children of
Egypt. I went out amongst them, and my heart sank within me as I
surveyed them; so much squalidness, dirt, and misery I had never
before seen amongst a similar number of human beings. But the
worst of all was the evil expression of their countenances, plainly
denoting that they were familiar with every species of crime; and
it was not long before I found that their countenances did not
belie them. After they had asked me an infinity of questions, and
felt my hands, face, and clothes, they retired to their homes. My
meeting with these wretched people was the reason of my remaining
at Badajoz a much longer time than I originally intended. I wished
to become better acquainted with their condition and manners, and
above all to speak to them about Christ and His Word, for I was
convinced that should I travel to the end of the universe I should
meet with none who were more in need of Christian exhortation, and
I accordingly continued at Badajoz for nearly three weeks.
During this time I was almost constantly amongst them, and as I
spoke their language and was considered by them as one of
themselves, I had better opportunities of coming to a fair
conclusion respecting their character than any other person,
whether Spaniard or foreigner, could have hoped for, not possessed
of a similar advantage. The result of my observations was a firm
belief that the Spanish Gitanos are the most vile, degraded, and
wretched people upon the earth.
In no part of the world does the Gypsy race enjoy a fair fame and
reputation, there being no part where they are not considered, and
I believe with justice, as cheats and swindlers; but those of Spain
are not only all this, but far more. The Gypsies of England,
Russia, etc., live by fraud of various descriptions, but they
seldom commit acts of violence, and their vices are none or very
few; the men are not drunkards, nor are the women harlots; but the
Gypsy of Spain is a cheat in the market-place, a brigand and
murderer on the high-road, and a drunkard in the wine-shop, and his
wife is a harlot and thief on all times and occasions. The
excessive wickedness of these outcasts may perhaps be attributed to
their having abandoned their wandering life and become inmates of
the towns, where to the original bad traits of their character they
have super-added the evil and vicious habits of the rabble. Their
mouths teem with abomination, and in no part of the world have I
heard such frequent, frightful, and extraordinary cursing as
amongst them.
Religion they have none; they never attend mass, nor confess
themselves, and never employ the names of God, Christ and the
Virgin, but in imprecation and blasphemy. From what I learnt from
them it appeared that their ancestors had some belief in
metempsychosis, but they themselves laughed at the idea, and were
decidedly of opinion that the soul perished when the body ceased to
breathe; and the argument which they used was rational enough, so
far as it impugned metempsychosis: 'We have been wicked and
miserable enough in this life,' they said; 'why should we live
again?'
I translated certain portions of Scripture into their dialect,
which I frequently read to them, especially the parables of Lazarus
and the Prodigal Son, and told them that the latter had been as
wicked as themselves, and both had suffered as much or more; but
that the sufferings of the former, who always looked forward to a
blessed resurrection, were recompensed in the world to come by
admission to the society of Abraham and the prophets, and that the
latter, when he repented of his crimes, was forgiven and received
into as much favour as the just son had always enjoyed. They
listened with admiration, but alas! not of the truths, the eternal
truths I was telling them, but at finding that their broken jargon
could be written and read. The only words of assent to the
heavenly doctrine which I ever obtained, and which were rather of
the negative kind, were the following, from a woman: 'Brother, you
tell us strange things, though perhaps you do not lie; a month
since I would sooner have believed these tales, than that I should
this day have seen one who could write Rommany.'
They possess a vast number of songs or couplets which they recite
to the music of the guitar. For the purpose of improving myself in
the language I collected and wrote down upwards of one hundred of
these couplets, the subjects of which are horse-stealing, murder,
and the various incidents of gypsy-life in Spain. Perhaps a
collection of songs more characteristic of the people from whom
they originated was never made, though amongst them are to be found
some tender and beautiful thoughts, though few and far between, as
a flower or shrub is here and there seen springing from the
interstices of the rugged and frightful rocks of which are composed
the mountains and sierras of Spain.
The following is their traditionary account of the expulsion of
their fathers from Egypt. 'And it came to pass that Pharaoh the
King collected numerous armies for the purpose of war; and after he
had conquered the whole world, he challenged God to descend from
heaven and fight him; but the Lord replied, "There is no one who
shall fight with Me"; and thereupon the Lord opened a mountain, and
He cast therein Pharaoh the King and all his numerous armies; so
that the Egyptians remained without defence, and their enemies
arose and scattered them wide abroad.'
LETTER: 25th July, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
No. 16 CALLE DE SANTIAGO, MADRID,
JULY 25th, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I enclose you a letter from a Spanish
gentleman who wishes to become a subscriber to the Society. He is
a person of great respectability, great learning, and is likewise
one of the editors of the ESPANOL, the principal newspaper in
Spain. Should you accept his offer of becoming a correspondent, he
may be of infinite service, as the newspaper which he superintends
would be always open to the purposes of the Society. He has
connections all over Spain, and no one could assist more
effectually in diffusing the Scriptures when printed. He wishes
very much to have an account of the proceedings of the Society,
therefore any books you could send him relating thereto would be
highly acceptable. Great things might be done in Spain, and I am
convinced that if there was a Protestant church in Madrid it would
be crammed.
I have spoken to Mr. Wood, an Englishman, the printer of the
ESPANOL, who has the best printing presses in Spain, and he is
willing to begin the work whenever you think proper: he will
engage to bring it out in three months, in the same shape as the
Catalan Testaments. In order that you may have as little trouble
as possible, I have translated Dr. Usoz's letter. I have not
thought fit to transmit the printed paper which he alludes to, as
it would make this letter very bulky. It is an official account of
his studies, and the honours he attained at the University.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
TRANSLATION OF DR. USOZ'S LETTER.
Gentlemen of the British and Foreign Bible Society,
Having by good fortune become acquainted with your Agent, Mr. G.
Borrow, at present residing in this city, and having learnt from
him that I might take the liberty of addressing myself to you for
the purpose of inquiring whether you would have any objection to
insert my name in your list as a member, I avail myself of the
present opportunity to do so, and hope that my wishes will be
gratified. I believe it is necessary for every member to pay 1
pound sterling, or 100 REALS of our coin, annually; perhaps you
will inform me when, and in whose hands, I may deposit this sum.
As I have no other object in this than to endeavour, by all the
means in my power, to cause the Scriptures to be read as much as
possible in my unhappy country, I should wish to be considered in
the light of a correspondent, as I flatter myself that if you would
consent, after taking the necessary precautions, to entrust me with
copies of the Scripture, I should find no difficulty in circulating
them in every province of my country.
Being fully convinced that nothing but the reading of the Bible can
form the basis of solid liberty in Spain, I will employ every
effort to promote it, if your philanthropic Society will assist me.
It would answer no purpose to occupy your attention by speaking
prolixly of the purity of my intention and my zeal; time and
experience will speak either for or against me; I will merely
enclose this printed paper, by which you will learn who he is who
has taken the liberty of writing to you. It is superfluous to add
that, should you consent to my desire, I should want all the
notices and documents respecting your Society which you could
supply me with.
As I possess some knowledge of English, you might avail yourselves
of this language in your answer, provided the letters used be
written clearly.
I have the honour, etc.
LUIS DE USOZ Y RIO.
P.S. - Should you direct to me directly, or by other means than the
post, my address is: A D. Luis de Usoz y Rio, Calle de Santa
Catalina, No. 12 nuevo, Madrid.
LETTER: 10th August, 1836
To J. Jackson, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 26th, 1836)
MADRID, AUG. 10, 1836.
MY DEAR SIR, - I have received your two letters containing the 50
pounds and the resolution of the Society; I have likewise received
Mr. Brandram's.
I shall make the provisional engagement [to print] as desired, and
shall leave Madrid as soon as possible; but I must here inform you
that I shall find much difficulty in returning to England, as all
the provinces are disturbed in consequence of the Constitution of
1812 having been proclaimed, and the roads are swarming with
robbers and banditti. It is my intention to join some muleteers
and attempt to reach Granada, from whence, if possible, I shall
proceed to Malaga or Gibraltar, and thence to Lisbon, where I left
the greatest part of my baggage. Do not be surprised therefore, if
I am tardy in making my appearance. It is no easy thing at present
to travel in Spain. But all these troubles are for the benefit of
the Cause, and must not be repined at.
I remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. B.
Report of Mr. Geo. Borrow's late Proceedings in Spain
LONDON, OCTOBER 17, 1836.
On the 16th of January I quitted Badajoz, a Spanish town on the
frontier of Portugal, for Madrid, whither I arrived in safety. As
my principal motive for visiting the Spanish capital was the hope
of obtaining permission from the Government to print the New
Testament in the Castilian language in Spain, I lost no time upon
my arrival in taking what I considered to be the necessary steps.
I must here premise that I was an entire stranger at Madrid, and
that I bore no letters, of introduction to any person of influence
whose credit might have assisted me in this undertaking; so that
notwithstanding I entertained a hope of success, relying on the
assistance of the Almighty, this hope was not at all times very
vivid, but was frequently overcast with the clouds of despondency.
Mr. Mendizabal was at this time Prime Minister of Spain, and was
considered as a man of almost unbounded power, in whose hands were
placed the destinies of the country. I therefore considered that
if I could by any means induce him to favour my view I should have
no reason to fear interruption from other quarters, and I
determined upon applying to him; but though I essayed two or three
times to obtain an interview with him, I failed, as he was far too
much engrossed in important business to receive a humble and
unknown stranger. In this dilemma I bethought me of waiting upon
Mr. Villiers, the British Ambassador at Madrid, and craving with
the freedom permitted to a British subject his advice and
assistance in this most interesting affair. I was received by him
with great kindness, and enjoyed a conversation with him on various
subjects, before I introduced the matter which I had most at heart.
He said that if I wished for an interview with Mr. M. he would
endeavour to procure me one; but at the same time told me frankly
that he could not hope that any good would arise from it, as Mr. M.
was violently prejudiced against the British and Foreign Bible
Society, and was far more likely to discountenance than encourage
any efforts which they might be disposed to make for introducing
the Gospel into Spain. I however remained resolute in my desire to
make the trial, and before I left him obtained a letter of
introduction to Mr. Mendizabal, with whom I had an interview a few
days after. The particulars of this interview have been detailed
on a former occasion. It will be sufficient to state here that I
obtained from Mr. Mendizabal, if not immediate permission to print
the Scriptures, a promise that at the expiration of a few months,
when he hoped that the country would be in a more tranquil state, I
should be at full liberty to do so, with which promise I departed
well satisfied, and full of gratitude to the Lord, who seemed to
have so wonderfully smoothed my way in an enterprise which at first
sight seemed particularly arduous and difficult.
Before three months had elapsed Mr. Mendizabal had ceased to be
Prime Minister; with his successor, Mr. Isturitz, I had become
acquainted, and also with his colleagues, Galiano and the Duke de
Rivas, and it was not long before I obtained - not however without
much solicitation and difficulty - the permission which I so
ardently desired. Before, however, I could turn it to my account,
the revolution broke out in Spain, and the press became free.
The present appears to be a moment peculiarly well adapted for
commencing operations in Spain, the aim and view of which should be
the introducing into that singularly unhappy portion of the world
the knowledge of the Saviour. The clouds of bigotry and
superstition which for so many centuries cast their dreary shadow
upon Spain, are to a considerable degree dispelled, and there is
little reason for supposing that they will ever again conglomerate.
The Papal See is no longer regarded with reverence, and its agents
and ministers have incurred universal scorn and odium; therefore
any fierce and determined resistance to the Gospel in Spain is not
to be apprehended either from the people themselves, or from the
clergy, who are well aware of their own weakness. It is scarcely
necessary to remark that every country which has been long
subjected to the sway of popery is in a state of great and
deplorable ignorance. Spain, as might have been expected, has not
escaped this common fate, and the greatest obstacle to the
diffusion of the Gospel light amongst the Spaniards would proceed
from the great want of education amongst them. Perhaps there are
no people in the world to whom nature has been, as far as regards
mental endowments, more bounteously liberal than the Spaniards.
They are generally acute and intelligent to an extraordinary
degree, and express themselves with clearness, fluency, and
elegance upon all subjects which are within the scope of their
knowledge. It may indeed be said of the mind of a Spaniard, as of
his country, that it merely requires cultivation to be a garden of
the first order; but, unhappily, both, up to the present time, have
been turned to the least possible account. Few amongst the lower
class of the population of the towns are acquainted with letters,
and fewer still amongst the peasantry; but though compelled to
acknowledge the ignorance of the Spaniards in general, I have great
pleasure in being able to state that during the latter years it has
been becoming less and less, and that the rising generation is by
no means so illiterate as the last, which was itself superior in
acquirements to the preceding one. It is to be hoped that the
progress in improvement will still continue, and that within a few
years the blessings of education will be as generally diffused
amongst the Spaniards as amongst the people of France and England.
Government has already commenced the establishment of Normal
Schools, and though the state of the country, convulsed with the
horrors of civil war, precludes the possibility of devoting to them
the care and attention which they deserve, I have no doubt that
when it shall please the Lord to vouchsafe peace unto Spain they
will receive all the requisite patronage and support, as their
utility is already generally recognised.
Before quitting Madrid I entered into negotiation with Mr. Charles
Wood, a respectable Englishman established there, for the printing
of 5000 copies of the New Testament in Spanish, which number, if on
good paper and in handsome type, I have little doubt might be
easily disposed of within a short time in the capital and in the
principal provincial towns of Spain, particularly Cadiz and
Seville, where the people are more enlightened than in other parts
in most respects, and where many would be happy to obtain the
sacred volume in a handsome yet cheap form, and some in any shape
whatever - as there the Word of God is at least known by
reputation, and no small curiosity has of late years been
manifested concerning it, though unfortunately that curiosity has
not hitherto been gratified, for reasons too well known to require
recapitulation.
In the rural districts the chances of the Scriptures are
considerably less, for there, as far as I am aware, not only no
curiosity has been excited respecting it, but it is not known by
name, and when mentioned to the people, is considered to be nothing
more or less than the mass-book of the Romish Church. On various
occasions I have conversed with the peasantry of Estremadura, La
Mancha, and Andalusia respecting the holy Book, and without one
exception they were not only ignorant of its contents, but ignorant
of its nature; some who could read, and pretended to be acquainted
with it, said that it contained hymns to the Virgin, and was
written by the Pope; yet the peasantry of these three provinces are
by no means the least enlightened of Spain, but perhaps the
reverse. In a word, great as the ignorance of the generality of
the Spaniards upon most essential points is, they are principally
ignorant of the one most essential of all, the religion of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ.
No time, however, ought to be lost in supplying those with the word
who are capable of receiving it; though millions in Spain are
undoubtedly beyond the reach of any efforts which the Bible Society
can make to assist them, however much it may have at heart their
eternal salvation, it is gratifying to have grounds for belief that
thousands are able and willing to profit by the exertions which may
be made to serve them. Though the days of the general orange-
gathering are not arrived, when the tree requires but a slight
shaking to scatter its ripe and glorious treasures on the head of
the gardener, still goodly and golden fruit is to be gathered on
the most favoured and sunny branches; the quantity is small in
comparison with what remains green and acid, but there is enough to
repay the labour of him who is willing to ascend to cull it; the
time of the grand and general harvesting is approaching, perhaps it
will please the Almighty to hasten it; and it may even now be
nearer than the most sanguine of us dares to hope.
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 15th November, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Nov. 30th, 1836)
LISBON, NOVR. 15TH, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - On taking leave of you I promised to write
from Cadiz, and I still hope to perform my promise; but as I am
apprehensive that several days will elapse before I shall reach
that place I avail myself of the present opportunity of informing
you that I am alive and well, lest you should become uneasy at not
hearing from me at the time you expected. It is owing to the mercy
of God that, instead of being able to pen these lines, I am not at
the present moment floundering in the brine, a prey to the fishes
and monsters of the ocean.
We had a most unpleasant passage to Falmouth. The ship was crowded
with passengers, most of whom were poor consumptive individuals and
other invalids, fleeing from the cold blasts of England's winter to
the sunny shores of Portugal and Madeira. In a more uncomfortable
vessel, especially steam-ship, it has never been my fate to make a
voyage; the berths were small and insupportably close, and of the
wretched holes mine was amongst the worst, the rest having been for
the most part bespoken before I arrived on board, so that to avoid
the suffocation which seemed to threaten me I lay upon the floor of
one of the cabins, and continued to do so until my arrival here.
We remained at Falmouth twenty-four hours, taking in coals and
repairing the engine, which had sustained considerable damage.
On Monday the 7th inst. we again started and made for the Bay of
Biscay; the sea was high and the wind strong and contrary,
nevertheless on the morning of the fourth day we were in sight of
the rocky coast to the north of Cape Finisterre. I must here
observe that this was the first voyage that the captain who
commanded the vessel had ever made on board of her, and that he
knew little or nothing about the coast towards which we were
bearing; he was a person picked up in a hurry, the former captain
having resigned his command on the ground that the ship was not
sea-worthy, and that the engines were frequently unserviceable. I
was not acquainted with these circumstances at the time, or perhaps
I should have felt more alarmed than I did when I saw the vessel
approaching nearer and nearer to the shore, till at last we were
only a few hundred yards distant. As it was, however, I felt very
much surprised, for having passed it twice before, both times in
steam-vessels, and having seen with what care the captains
endeavoured to maintain a wide offing, I could not conceive the
reason of our being now so near the dangerous region. The wind was
blowing hard towards the shore, if that can be called a shore which
consists of steep abrupt precipices, on which the surf was breaking
with the noise of thunder, tossing up clouds of spray and foam to
the height of a cathedral. We coasted slowly along, rounding
several tall forelands, some of them piled up by the hand of nature
in the most fantastic shapes, until about the fall of night. Cape
Finisterre was not far ahead, a bluff brown granite mountain, whose
frowning head may be seen far away by those who travel the ocean.
The stream which poured round its breast was terrific, and though
our engines plied with all their force, we made little or no way.
By about eight o'clock at night, the wind had increased to a
hurricane, the thunder rolled frightfully, and the only light which
we had to guide us on our way was the red forked lightning which
burst at times from the bosom of the big black clouds which lowered
over our heads. We were exerting ourselves to the utmost to
weather the cape, which we could descry by the lightning on our
lee, its brow being frequently brilliantly lighted up by the
flashes which quivered around it, when suddenly, with a great
crash, the engine broke, and the paddles on which depended our
lives ceased to play.
I will not attempt to depict the scene of horror and confusion
which ensued: it may be imagined, but never described. The
captain, to give him his due, displayed the utmost coolness and
intrepidity, and he and the whole crew made the greatest exertions
to repair the engine, and when they found their labour in vain,
endeavoured by hoisting the sails and by practising all possible
manoeuvres to preserve the ship from impending destruction. But
all was of no use; we were hard on a lee shore, to which the
howling tempest was impelling us. About this time I was standing
near the helm, and I asked the steersman if there was any hope of
saving the vessel or our lives; he replied, 'Sir, it is a bad
affair; no boat could for a minute live in this sea, and in less
than an hour the ship will have her broadside on Finisterre, where
the strongest man-of-war ever built must go to shivers instantly.
None of us will see the morning.' The captain likewise informed
the other passengers in the cabin to the same effect, telling them
to prepare themselves, and having done so he ordered the door to be
fastened, and none to be permitted to come on deck. I, however,
kept my station, though almost drowned with water, immense waves
continually breaking over our windward side and flooding the ship;
the water-casks broke from their lashings, and one of them struck
me down, and crushed the foot of the unfortunate man at the helm,
whose place was instantly taken by the captain. We were now close
on the rocks, when a horrid convulsion of the elements took place;
the lightning enveloped us as with a mantle, the thunders were
louder than the roar of a million cannon, the dregs of the ocean
seemed to be cast up, and in the midst of all this turmoil the
wind, without the slightest intimation VEERED RIGHT ABOUT, and
pushed us from the horrible coast faster than it had previously
drawn us towards it.
The oldest sailors on board acknowledged that they had never
witnessed so providential an escape. I said from the bottom of my
heart, 'Our Father: hallowed be Thy name.' The next day we were
near foundering, for the sea was exceedingly high, and our vessel,
which was not intended for sailing, laboured terribly, and leaked
much. The pumps were continually working. She likewise took fire,
but the flames were extinguished. In the evening the steam-engine
was partially repaired, and we reached Lisbon on the 13th. Most of
my clothes and other things are spoiled, for the hold was
overflowed with the water from the boiler and the leak.
The vessel will be ready for sea in about a week, when I shall
depart for Cadiz; but most of the passengers who intended going
farther than Lisbon have abandoned her, as they say she is doomed.
But I have more trust in the Lord that governeth the winds, and in
whose hands the seas are as a drop. He who preserved us at
Finisterre can preserve elsewhere, and if it be His will that we
perish, the firm ground is not more secure than the heaving sea.
I have seen our excellent friend Mr. Wilby, and delivered to him
the parcel, with which I was entrusted. He has been doing
everything in his power to further the sale of the sacred volume in
Portuguese; indeed his zeal and devotedness are quite admirable,
and the Society can never appreciate his efforts too highly. But
since I was last at Lisbon the distracted state of the country has
been a great obstacle to him; people's minds are so engrossed with
politics that they find no time to think of their souls. Before
this reaches you, you will doubtless have heard of the late affair
at Belem, where poor Freire (I knew him well) one of the ex-
Ministers lost his life, and which nearly ended in an affray
between the English forces and the native. The opinions of the
Portuguese seem to be decidedly democratic, and I have little doubt
that were the English squadron withdrawn the unfortunate young
Queen would lose her crown within a month, and be compelled with
her no less unfortunate young husband to seek a refuge in another
country. I repeat that I hope to write to you from Cadiz; I shall
probably be soon in the allotted field of my labours, distracted,
miserable Spain. The news from thence is at present particularly
dismal; the ferocious Gomez, after having made an excursion into
Estremadura, which he ravaged like a pestilence, has returned to
Andalusia, the whole of which immense province seems to be prone at
his feet. I shall probably find Seville occupied by his hordes,
but I fear them not, and trust that the Lord will open the path for
me to Madrid. One thing I am resolved upon: either to be the
instrument of doing something for Spain, or never to appear again
in my native land.
G. B.
LETTER: 5th December, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Dec. 28th, 1836)
SEVILLE, DEC. 5TH, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I arrived safely at Cadiz on the 21st ult.;
the steam-engine had been partially repaired at Lisbon, and our
passage was speedy and prosperous. I was happy to have reached the
shores of Spain, being eager to enter upon my allotted task. Cadiz
is a small but beautiful city, built upon a tongue of land and
surrounded on all points but one by the sea, which dashes up
against its walls: the houses are lofty, and of a dazzling
whiteness; the streets are straight and narrow. On my arrival I
found great confusion reigning: numerous bands of the factious
were reported to be hovering in the neighbourhood, an attack was
not deemed improbable, and the place had just been declared in a
state of siege. I took up my abode at the French Hotel, in the
Calle de la Niveria, and was allotted a species of cock-loft or
garret to sleep in, for the house was filled with guests, being a
place of much resort on account of the excellent TABLE D'HOTE which
is kept there. I dressed myself and walked about the town. I
entered several coffee houses: the din of tongues in all was
deafening; in one no less than six orators were haranguing at the
same time on the state of the country, and the probability of an
intervention on the part of England and France. As I was listening
to one of them he suddenly called upon me for my opinion, as I was
a foreigner, and seemingly just arrived. I replied that I could
not venture to guess what steps the two Governments would pursue
under the present circumstances, but thought that it would be as
well if the Spaniards would exert themselves more, and call less on
Jupiter. As I did not wish to engage in any political conversation
I instantly quitted the house, and sought those parts of the town
where the lower classes principally reside.
I entered into discourse with several individuals, but found them
very ignorant; none could write or read, and their ideas respecting
religion were anything but satisfactory, most professing a perfect
indifference. I afterwards went into a bookseller's shop, and made
enquiries respecting the demand for literature, which he informed
me was small. I produced our 24mo edition of the New Testament in
Spanish, and asked the bookseller whether he thought a book of that
description would sell in Cadiz. He said it was exceedingly
beautiful, both in type and paper, but it was a work not sought
after, and very little known. I did not pursue my enquiries in
other shops, for I reflected that I was not very likely to receive
a very favourable opinion from booksellers respecting a publication
in which they had no interest. I had, moreover, but two or three
copies of the New Testament with me, and could not have supplied
them had they given me an order.
That night I became very unwell, and was apprehending that I had
been seized with the cholera, as the symptoms of my complaint were
very similar to those which accompany that disorder. I was for
some time in most acute pain, and terribly sick; I drank oil mixed
with brandy, and in some degree recovered, and for the two
succeeding days was very feeble, and able to undertake nothing.
This attack was the cause of my not writing to you from Cadiz as I
had fully intended.
Early on the 24th I embarked for Seville in the small Spanish
steamer the BETIS. The morning was wet, and the aspect of nature
was enveloped in a dense mist, which prevented my observing
surrounding objects. After proceeding about six leagues, we
reached the north-eastern extremity of the bay of Cadiz, and passed
by Saint Lucar, an ancient town close by where the Guadalquivir
disembogues itself. The mist suddenly disappeared, and the sun of
Spain burst forth in full brilliancy, enlivening all around, and
particularly myself, who had till then been lying on the deck in a
dull melancholy stupor. We entered the mouth of the 'Great River,'
for that is the English translation of QUED AL KIBER, as the Moors
designated the ancient Betis. We came to anchor for a few minutes
at a little village called Bonanca, at the extremity of the first
reach of the river, where we received several passengers, and again
proceeded. There is not much in the appearance of the Guadalquivir
to interest the traveller: the banks are low and destitute of
trees, the adjacent country is flat, and only in the distance is
seen a range of tall blue sierras. The water is turbid and muddy,
and in colour closely resembling the contents of a duck-pool; the
average width of the stream is from 150 to 200 yards. But it is
impossible to move along this river without remembering that it has
borne the Roman, the Vandal, and the Arab, and has been the witness
of deeds which have resounded through the world, and been the
themes of immortal song. I repeated Latin verses and fragments of
old Spanish ballads, till we reached Seville at about nine o'clock
of a lovely moonlight night.
Before entering upon more important matter I will say a few words
respecting Seville and its curiosities. It contains 90,000
inhabitants, and is situated on the left bank of the Guadalquivir,
about eighteen leagues from its mouth. It is surrounded with high
Moorish walls, in a good state of preservation, and built of such
durable materials that it is probable they will for many centuries
bid defiance to the encroachment of time. The most remarkable
edifices are the cathedral and Alcazar or palace of the Moorish
kings. The tower of the former, called La Giralda, belongs to the
period of the Moors, and formed part of the Grand Mosque of
Seville. It is 220 ells in height, and is ascended not by stairs
or ladders, but by a vaulted pathway, in the manner of an inclined
plane; this path is by no means steep, so that a cavalier might
ride up to the top, a feat which Ferdinand the Seventh is said to
have accomplished. The view from the summit is very extensive, and
on a fine clear day the ridge called the Sierra de Ronda may be
discovered though the distance is upward of twenty-two leagues.
The cathedral itself is a noble Gothic structure, reputed the
finest of the kind in Spain. In the chapels allotted to the
various saints are some of the most magnificent paintings which
Spanish art has produced. Here are to be seen the far-famed 'Angel
of the Guard,' by Murillo, his 'Saint Anthony at Devotion,' the
celestial spirits hovering around him, and Saint Thomas of Villa
Nueva bestowing Charity'; there are also some pictures by Soberan
[? Zurbaran] of almost inestimable value. Indeed, the cathedral at
Seville is at the present time far more rich in splendid paintings
than at any former period, possessing many very recently removed
from some of the suppressed convents, particularly from the
Capuchin and Franciscan.
No one should visit Seville without paying particular attention to
the Alcazar. It is perhaps the most perfect specimen of Moorish
architecture which is at present to be found in Europe. It
contains many splendid halls, particularly that of the Ambassadors,
so called, which is in every respect more magnificent than the one
of the same name within the Alhambra of Granada. This palace was a
favourite residence of Peter the Cruel, who carefully repaired it,
without altering its Moorish character and appearance. It probably
remains in much the same state as at the time of his death.
On the right side of the river is a large suburb called Triana,
communicating with Seville by means of a bridge of boats; for there
is no permanent bridge across the Guadalquivir owing to the violent
inundations to which it is subject. This suburb is inhabited by
the dregs of the populace, and abounds with Gitanos or Gypsies.
About a league and a half to the north-west stands the village of
Santo Ponce; at the foot and on the side of some elevated ground
higher up are to be seen vestiges of ruined walls and edifices
which once formed part of Italica, the birth-place of Silius
Italicus and Trajan, from which latter personage Triana derives its
name. One fine morning I walked thither, and having ascended the
hill I directed my course northward. I soon reached what had once
been bagnios, and a little farther on, in a kind of valley between
two gentle acclivities, the amphitheatre. This latter object is by
far the most considerable relic of ancient Italica; it is oval in
its form, with two gateways, fronting the east and west. On all
sides are to be seen the time-worn broken granite benches, from
whence myriads of human beings once gazed down on the area below,
where the gladiator shouted, and the lion and leopard yelled. All
around beneath these flights of benches are vaulted excavations,
from whence the combatants, part human, part bestial, darted forth
by their several doors. I spent several hours in this singular
place, forcing my way through the wild fennel and brushwood into
the caverns, now the haunts of adders and other reptiles, whose
hissings I heard. Having sated my curiosity, I left the ruins, and
returning by another way reached a place where lay the carcase of a
horse half-devoured. Upon it with lustrous eyes stood an enormous
vulture, who, as I approached, slowly soared aloft till he alighted
on the eastern gate of the amphitheatre, from whence he uttered a
hoarse cry, as if in anger that I had disturbed him from his feast
of carrion.
And now for another subject. You are doubtless anxious to know
what are my projects, and why I am not by this time further
advanced on my way to Madrid; know then that the way to Madrid is
beset with more perils than harassed Christian in his route to the
Eternal Kingdom. Almost all communication is at an end between
this place and the capital, the diligences and waggons have ceased
running, even the bold ARRIEROS or muleteers are at a stand-still;
and the reason is that the rural portion of Spain, especially this
part, is in a state of complete disorganisation and of blackest
horror. The three fiends, famine, plunder, and murder, are playing
their ghastly revels unchecked; bands of miscreants captained by
such - what shall I call them? - as Orejita and Palillos, are
prowling about in every direction, and woe to those whom they meet.
A few days since they intercepted an unfortunate courier, and after
scooping out his eyes put him to death with most painful tortures,
and mangled his body in a way not to be mentioned. Moreover, the
peasantry, who have been repeatedly plundered by these fellows, and
who have had their horses and cattle taken from them by the
Carlists, being reduced with their families to nakedness and the
extreme of hunger, seize in rage and desperation upon every booty
which comes within their reach, a circumstance which can awaken but
little surprise.
This terrible state of things, staring me in the face on my arrival
at Seville, made me pause. I thought that the tempest might in
some degree subside, but hitherto I have been disappointed. My
mind is at present made up. I shall depart for Madrid in two or
three days, at all risks. The distance is 300 miles. I shall
hire, in the first place, horses, and a guide, as far as Cordova
(twenty-six leagues). I shall have to pay a great price, it is
true, but I have money, praised be God, who inspired me with the
idea of putting fifty sovereigns in my pocket when I left London.
I should otherwise be helpless. From Cordova I must endeavour to
obtain horses to Val de Penas (twenty leagues), which is half way
to Madrid. Were I at Val de Penas, I should feel comparatively at
ease; for from thence I know the road, having traversed it in my
ways from Madrid to Grenada; it moreover runs through La Mancha,
which, though infested with banditti, is plain open ground, and if
I could obtain no guide or horses, or had been plundered of my
money, I might hope to make my way on foot. But I am ignorant of
the country between Seville and Cordova, and from Cordova to Val de
Penas. The route is through the dismal and savage mountains of the
Sierra Morena, where I should inevitably be bewildered, and
perhaps, if not murdered, fall a prey to the wolves. Were the
whole way known to me, I would leave my baggage here and dressed as
a beggar or Gypsy set out on foot; strange as this plan may sound
in English ears, it would be the safest course I could pursue.
Should I perish in this journey, keep the affair secret as long as
possible from my dear mother, and when it should be necessary to
reveal it to her, do me the favour to go to Norwich on purpose;
should I reach Madrid, you will hear from me in about five weeks,
from the time you receive this. It would be of no utility to write
to you from Cordova; the letter would never reach you, I hope this
will.
Gomez had not hitherto paid a visit to Seville; when I arrived
here, he was said to be in the neighbourhood of Ronda. The city
was under watch and ward, several gates had been blocked up with
masonry, trenches dug, and redoubts erected, but I am convinced
that the place would not have held out six hours against a resolute
assault. Gomez has proved himself to be a most extraordinary man,
and with his small army of Aragonese and Basques has within the
last four months made the tour of Spain; he has very frequently
been hemmed in with forces three times the number of his own, in
places whence escape seemed impossible, but he has always baffled
his enemies, whom he seems to laugh at. The most absurd accounts
of victories gained over him are continually issuing from the press
at Seville; the other day it was stated that his army had been
utterly defeated, himself killed, and that 1200 prisoners were on
their way to Seville. I saw these prisoners; instead of 1200
desperadoes, they consisted of about twenty poor lame ragged
wretches, many of them boys from fourteen to sixteen years of age;
they were evidently camp-followers, who, unable to keep up with the
army, had been picked up straggling in the plains and amongst the
hills. It now appears that no battle had occurred, and that the
death of Gomez was a fiction. The grand defect of Gomez is not
knowing how to take advantage of circumstances; after his defeat of
Lopez he might have marched to Madrid and proclaimed Don Carlos
there, and after sacking Cordova, he might have captured Seville.
There are several booksellers' shops in Seville, in two of which I
found copies of the New Testament (our own 12mo edition of 1826);
they had been obtained from Gibraltar about two years since, during
which time six copies had been sold in one shop and four in the
other. I have become acquainted with an elderly person, a Genoese
by birth, who, should we succeed in bringing out an edition of the
sacred volume at Madrid, may be of service to us, as a colporteur
in this place and the neighbourhood, where he is well known. He
has assured me of his willingness to undertake the task, and, if
required, to visit Cordova, Grenada, or any part of Andalusia, town
or country; he has been accustomed to bookselling, and at one time
he also brought some of our Testaments from Gibraltar, all of which
were however taken from him by the Custom House officers with the
exception of one copy, which he afterwards disposed of to a lady
for 30 REALS (6s. 6d.). Should the Bible Society be desirous to
circulate the book in the rural districts of Spain, they must be
prepared to make considerable sacrifices. In some of the towns,
especially the sea-ports, it is probable that many copies may be
disposed of, at a fair price; but can it be expected that amongst
myriads, who are in want of the common necessaries of life, who are
without food, fuel or clothing, and on whose wretched heads the
horrors which civil war - and such a civil war - have principally
fallen, [men] can have money for books? I am willing to visit
every part of Spain, and to risk my life a thousand times in laying
God's Word before the people, but I can promise no more. I have no
extraordinary powers, indeed scarcely those allotted to the average
of humanity; God, it is true, can operate wonders by any
instrument, but we must bide His will.
I have had the good fortune to form the acquaintance of Mr.
Wetherell, an English gentleman, who has for many years been
established in a very important branch of business at Seville. He
takes a warm interest in my mission, and has frequently informed me
that nothing will afford him greater pleasure than to further the
cause at this place and in the neighbourhood; as he employs a vast
number of individuals, I have little doubt that he has the power,
as he certainly has the will. He is a virtuoso and possesses a
singular collection of the ancient idols of Mexico, which bear a
surprising resemblance to those used by the followers of the
Buddhist superstition. In return for a translation of an Arabic
inscription which I made for him, he presented me with a copy of
the Cabalistic book Zohar, in the Rabbinical language and
character, which on the destruction of the Inquisition at Seville
(1820) he obtained from the library of that horrible tribunal.
Pray remember me to Mr. Jowett and Mr. Browne and my other friends.
May the Lord bless you, my dear Sir.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 26th December, 1836
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jany. 6, 1837)
MADRID DECEMBER 26TH, 1836.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I am just arrived at Madrid in safety. It
has pleased the Lord to protect me through the perils of a most
dismal journey. I reached Cordova in three days, attended by the
old Italian whom I mentioned in my last letter, for I could procure
no other guide. From Cordova I have ridden to Madrid in the
company of a CONTRABANDISTA, or smuggler, whose horses I insured,
and to whom I am to give a gratuity of 42 dollars. We passed
through the horrible pass of Despena Perros in the Sierra Morena.
Providence here manifested itself; the day before, the banditti of
the pass committed a dreadful robbery and murder by which they
sacked 40,000 REALS; they were probably content with their booty
and did not interrupt me and my guide. We entered La Mancha, where
I expected to fall into the hands of Palillos and Orejita.
Providence again showed itself. It had been delicious weather;
suddenly the Lord breathed forth a frozen blast, the severity of
which was almost intolerable; no human being but ourselves ventured
forth; we traversed snow-covered plains and passed through villages
and towns without seeing an individual; the robbers kept close in
their caves and hovels, but the cold nearly killed me. We reached
Aranjuez late on Christmas day, and I got into the house of an
Englishman, where I swallowed nearly two bottles of brandy; it
affected me no more than warm water. I am now at my journey's end,
and shall presently fall to work, for I must lose no time, but
profit by the present opportunity. All is quiet in Madrid and in
the neighbourhood; Gomez has returned to Biscay. If my letter be
somewhat incoherent, mind it not. I have just alighted, and the
cold has still the mastery of me; I shall send a journal in a few
days which will be more circumstantial. Write to my mother and say
I am in safety. I shall write myself to-morrow, I can no more now.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 31st December, 1836
To J. Tarn, Esq.
(ENDORSED: recd. Jany. 9, 1837)
No. 16 PISO 3RO CALLE SAN IAGO,
MADRID, DEC. 31ST, 1836.
MY DEAR SIR, - I forward the bill of my expenses from the moment of
my quitting London up to the time of my arrival at Madrid. When it
is considered that I have been nearly two months on this most
perilous journey, it will probably not be deemed extravagant;
should that however be the case, I shall be very willing to defray
from my salary any deduction which may be made. I beg leave to
call your attention particularly to the expense of horse-hire. I
paid an ounce of gold for two miserable animals from Seville to
Cordova, I had to maintain them by the way, to pay their expenses
back, and to provide a guide. Neither of the horses was worth what
I paid for their hire; it is true their master risked their being
captured by the bands of robbers from whom I providentially
escaped. It will in future be much cheaper to purchase horses.
You will oblige me by informing me how my account with you stands,
for it seems I was indebted to you on departing. I have seen Mr.
O'Shea and Mr. Wood; with the assistance of the former gentleman I
hope to obtain the paper for the work at a considerable less price
than that stated in Mr. W.'s estimate, as Mr. O'Shea is connected
with the paper-mills of Catalonia. I shall write to Mr. Brandram
in a few days and in the meanwhile remain, etc.,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 14th January, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jany. 24, 1837)
JANY. 14, 1837, MADRID.
CALLE SAN IAGO No. 16, PISO 3RO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Immediately on my arrival at Madrid, which
occurred on the 26th of last month, I despatched letters to
yourself and Mr. Tarn, in that to Mr. T. was enclosed an account of
my expenses, both of which letters I hope have arrived in safety.
I now take up the pen to acquaint you with what I have done since
my arrival, and what I, with the Lord's assistance, purpose doing.
My first care was to wait on my excellent friend, Mr. Villiers, who
received me with his usual kindness. I asked him if it were his
opinion that I might venture to commence printing the Scriptures
without an application to the present Government, as the law is
doubtful on the point. His reply was satisfactory: 'You obtained
the permission of the Government of Isturitz,' said he, 'which was
a much less liberal one than the present; I am a witness to the
promise made to you by the former Ministers, which I consider
sufficient; you had best commence and complete the work as soon as
possible, without any fresh application, and should any one attempt
to interrupt you, you have only to come to me, whom you may command
at any time.' - I went away with a light heart.
I next visited Mr. O'Shea, who was very glad to see me again, and
assured me that he took the greatest interest in my undertaking,
and should be happy to further it to the utmost of his power. I
knew that he had been connected with the paper-manufactories of the
south, and a thought struck me. You will remember that I brought
over specimens of paper from thirty to eighty REALS per ream, and
that I was authorised to purchase 600 reams of paper at 60 REALS
per ream. I asked Mr. O'Shea if he did not think that, through his
connections, he could procure me such paper as I wanted at a much
cheaper rate than it was possible for me to obtain it; he said he
would make enquiries. I returned in a few days: he had performed
more than I expected, and he showed me paper at 45 REALS, better
than what I could have purchased at 70, likewise some very good at
37. I hesitated for some time between these two specimens; I at
length, however, determined to purchase that at 45 REALS. I am
therefore able to communicate that in paper alone 9000 REALS will
have been saved to the funds of the Society, and at the same time a
superior article have been procured.
I found that during my absence from Madrid Mr. Wood had quitted Mr.
Borrego, and had accepted a situation in another printing
establishment; but as Mr. Borrego is in possession of the only
English press at Madrid, is moreover an intimate friend of Mr.
O'Shea, and above all enjoys the good opinion of Mr. Villiers who
interests himself in his welfare, I am determined to entrust the
printing to him. Mr. Borrego has agreed to make a reduction of 10
REALS per sheet in his estimate, which I consider very liberal
conduct, as the former charge, considering the rate of printing at
Madrid, was by no means high. We have resolved to print the work
precisely the same in shape and size as the copy entrusted to my
charge, except that we shall substitute single for double columns.
I shall look over each sheet of the work myself, but in order to
bring out as correct an edition as possible I have engaged the
literary assistance of Dr. Usoz, the gentleman who some time since
addressed a letter to the Society, in which he expressed a wish to
become a member. He is one of the best Castilian scholars in
Madrid, and, as he feels zeal in the cause, will, I have no doubt,
prove eminently useful. Any remuneration for his labour he will
leave to the consideration of the Bible Society and myself.
We shall commence printing within a few days, and I expect to have
the work ready within ten weeks.
Now permit me to propose a very important question to you. What is
to be done with the volumes when the work shall have passed through
the press? As I am sure you will feel at a loss to give a
satisfactory answer, allow me to propose the only plan which
appears feasible. Believe me when I say that it is not the result
of a few moments' cogitation. I have mused on it much and often.
I mused on it when off Cape Finisterre in the tempest, in the cut-
throat passes of the Morena, and on the plains of La Mancha, as I
jogged along a little way ahead of the smuggler. It is this.
As soon as the work is printed and bound, I will ride forth from
Madrid into the wildest parts of Spain, where the Word is most
wanted, and where it seems next to an impossibility to introduce
it. I will go through the whole of the Asturias and Galicia, and
along the entire line of the Pyrenees, not forgetting to visit
every part of Biscay. To accomplish this I must have horses and a
man to take care of them. To purchase horses will be much more
economical than to hire them, as the hire of an animal for a
journey of only thirty leagues generally amounts to nearly its full
value; the purchase of three horses will not amount to more than 36
pounds, and a servant may be obtained for 9d. per day and his
board.
I will take with me 1200 copies, which I will engage to dispose of,
for little or much, to the wild people of the wild regions which I
intend to visit. As for the rest of the edition it must be
disposed of, if possible, in a different way - I may say the usual
way; part must be entrusted to booksellers, part to colporteurs,
and a depot must be established at Madrid. Such work is every
person's work, and to any one may be confided the execution of it;
it is a mere affair of trade. What I wish to be employed in is
what, I am well aware, no other individual will undertake to do:
namely, to scatter the Word upon the mountains, amongst the valleys
and the inmost recesses of the worst and most dangerous parts of
Spain, where the people are more fierce, fanatic and, in a word,
Carlist, - parts where bookshops are unknown, and where none of
those means can be resorted to for the spread of the Bible which
can be used in the more civilised portions of the kingdom.
This is the plan which I most humbly offer to the consideration of
the Committee and yourself. I shall not feel at all surprised
should it be disapproved of altogether; but I wish it to be
understood that in that event I could do nothing further than see
the work through the press, as I am confident that whatever ardour
and zeal I at present feel in the cause would desert me
immediately, and that I should neither be able nor willing to
execute anything which might be suggested. I wish to engage in
nothing which would not allow me to depend entirely on myself. It
would be heart-breaking to me to remain at Madrid, expending the
Society's money, with almost the certainty of being informed
eventually by the booksellers and their correspondents that the
work has no sale. In a word, to make sure that some copies find
their way among the people I must be permitted to carry them to the
people myself; and what people have more need of Christian
instruction than the inhabitants of the districts alluded to?
Ere the return of the CONTRABANDISTA to Cordova, I purchased one of
the horses which had brought us to Madrid. It is an exceedingly
strong, useful animal, and as I had seen what it is capable of
performing, I gave him the price which he demanded (about 11
pounds, 17s.). It will go twelve leagues a day with ease, and
carry three hundred-weight on its back. I am looking out for
another, but shall of course make no further purchase until I hear
from you. I confess I would sooner provide myself with mules, but
they are very expensive creatures. In the first place, the
original cost of a tolerable one amounts to 30 pounds; and they,
moreover, consume a vast quantity of fodder, at least two pecks of
barley in the twenty-four hours with straw in proportion, and if
they are stinted in their food they are of no manner of service;
the attendance which they require is likewise very irksome, as they
must be fed once every four hours night and day; they are, however,
noble animals, and are much in vogue amongst the principal
nobility.
Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most
truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 27th February, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Mar. 6, 1837)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANT. IAGO,
FEBY. 27, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have received your letter of the 27th ult.
containing the resolution of the Committee, and also yours of the
[17th] ult. with my account. I was exceedingly grieved at learning
that poor Mr. Tarn has been removed, for he was a most worthy
person, and the Bible Society will experience a severe loss in his
death; but I hope and trust that eventually some one will be found
worthy to succeed him. He is doubtless at present in the other
world receiving the reward of his faith in this; let us pray that
we may be counted worthy to join him there!
By the time these lines reach you the four Gospels will have passed
through the press; for the work is going on well and prosperously,
and I have little doubt that within five weeks it will be
completed. I have already entered into arrangements respecting the
binding with Mr. Borrego, who is about to unite bookbinding with
printing; the terms are very reasonable, considering the current
prices of the country, as I am to pay but three REALS per volume
for a calf binding similar to that of the copy which was entrusted
to me. I have reckoned that the expense of each book, printing,
paper, and binding included, will but barely amount to 15 REALS;
and cheaper than this it is utterly impossible to bring out a work
of the size of the New Testament, handsomely and creditably in
Spain.
Within a few days I shall despatch letters circular to all the
principal booksellers in Spain, specifying the nature, size and
quality of the work, and inviting them to subscribe at 15 REALS per
copy, the prime cost; for if anything will tempt them to a
speculation of the kind, it will be the hope and prospect of making
a very handsome profit. Yet they are so short-sighted and, like
all their countrymen, so utterly unacquainted with the rudiments of
business, that it is by no means improbable that they, one and all,
take no notice of this proposal, which is however the only plan
which at present appears available for promoting the GENERAL
circulation of the Scriptures.
Dr. Usoz, the gentleman who is at present assisting me in the
editing of the work in question, is very anxious to become a member
and a correspondent of the Bible Society. His letter on that
subject I translated and transmitted previous to my last visit to
England, but he has never received an answer. I beg leave to say
that I am extremely desirous that his request be granted, and that
he be written to without delay; and I must moreover beg to be
furnished with a written or printed authority to establish a branch
Bible Society in Madrid, and to nominate Dr. Usoz as secretary.
That part of my last letter, where I stated my wish of making a
tour through the Asturias, Galicia, and the Biscays, as soon as the
work should be completed, does not seem to have been clearly
understood. I did not intend to devote myself entirely to THE WILD
PEOPLE, but to visit the villages and towns as well as the remote
and secluded glens. I intended to take letters of introduction to
some of the most respectable people of Oviedo, of Corunna, of Lugo,
of Vigo, Pontevedro, Barbastro, Bilboa, etc., and to establish
depots of Bibles in those towns; but in my way I intended to visit
the secret and secluded spots amongst the rugged hills and
mountains, and to talk to the people, after my manner, of Christ
and to explain to them the nature of His book, and to place that
book in the hands of those whom I should deem capable of deriving
benefit from it. True it is that such a journey would be attended
with considerable danger, and very possibly the fate of St. Stephen
might befall the adventurer; but does the man deserve the name of a
follower of Christ who would shrink from danger of any kind in the
cause of Him whom he calls his Master? 'He who loses his life for
My sake, shall save it,' are words which the Lord Himself uttered,
and words surely fraught with consolation to every one engaged in
propagating His Gospel in savage and barbarian lands.
About a fortnight since I purchased another horse, for these
animals are at present exceedingly cheap. A royal requisition is
about to be issued for 5000, and the consequence is that an immense
number are for sale; for by virtue of this requisition the horses
of any person not a foreigner can be seized for the benefit of the
service. It is probable that when the number is made up the price
of horses will be treble what it is at present, which consideration
induced me to purchase this animal before I exactly want him. He
is a black Andalusian stallion of great size and strength, and
capable of performing a journey of 100 leagues in a week's time,
but he is unbroke, savage and furious. However, a cargo of Bibles
which I hope shortly to put on his back will, I have no doubt,
thoroughly tame him, especially when labouring up the flinty hills
of the north of Spain. I wished to purchase a mule, according to
my instructions, but though I offered 30 pounds for a sorry one, I
could not obtain her; whereas the cost of both the horses, tall,
powerful, stately animals, scarcely amounted to that sum.
I will now say a few words respecting the state of Spain, though
what I communicate will probably startle you, as in England you are
quite in the dark respecting what is going on here. At the moment
I am writing, Cabrera, the tiger-friar, is within nine leagues of
Madrid with an army nearly ten thousand strong; he has beaten the
Queen's troops in several engagements, and has ravaged La Mancha
with fire and sword, burning several towns; bands of affrighted
fugitives are arriving every hour bringing tidings of woe and
disaster, and I am but surprised that the enemy does not appear,
and by taking Madrid, which is at his mercy, put an end to the war
at once. But the truth is, the Carlist generals do not wish the
war to cease; for as long as the country is involved in bloodshed
and anarchy, they can plunder and exercise that lawless authority
so dear to men of fierce and brutal passions. Cabrera is a wretch
whose sole enjoyment consists in inflicting pain and torture and
causing woe and misery to his fellow creatures; he is one of the
instruments of the anger of the Almighty, a scourge in the hand of
Providence to chastise a land whose wickedness had become
intolerable. For the elect's sake, and there are a few even in
Spain, may it please the Lord to shorten the affliction of these
days, or all flesh must succumb.
I remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. B.
P.S. - Pray let me hear from you shortly, and remember me
particularly to Mr. Jowett and Mr. Browne.
P.S. 2. - I have already paid, in part, for the printing and paper,
as you will have concluded by my draft. The Gospel of Saint Luke,
in the Rommany language, is nearly ready for the press. It is my
intention to subjoin a vocabulary of all the words used, with an
explanation in the Spanish language.
Before I left England I was authorised to look out for a person
competent to translate the Scriptures in Basque (Spanish). I am
acquainted with a gentleman who is well versed in that dialect, of
which I myself have some knowledge. Perhaps it would not be unwise
to engage him to translate St. Luke as a trial of his powers.
LETTER: 16th March, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Mar. 25, 1837)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANT IAGO PISO 3RO.
[MARCH 16th, 1837].
REVD. SIR, - I write a few lines for the purpose of informing you
that the New Testament in Castilian will be ready in a few days,
probably before you receive this epistle, should it reach you,
which I have some doubts of from the terrible and distracted state
of Spain at the present time.
The work has been printed on the best paper, and no pains have been
spared, at least on my part, to render it as correct as possible,
having read every proof-sheet three times. I must here take the
liberty of observing that the work executed in London, and of which
a copy was delivered to me to print from, abounds in errors of
every kind and reflects little credit on the person who edited it;
no systematic order is observed either in the orthography or the
use of accents or capitals, and whole sentences frequently appear
in a mangled and mutilated state which renders them unintelligible.
On my final settlement with Mr. Borrego I shall send a regular
account of my disbursements; he has already received two-thirds of
his money, as you will have conjectured from the bills I have
drawn. I wish very much that the Committee would vote a letter of
thanks to Mr. Henry O'Shea for the interest which he has taken in
this affair and the assistance which he has rendered. I shall
write again in a few days. I am afraid that you did not receive my
last letter.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most faithfully yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 27th April, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Decr. 1, 1837)
MADRID, APRIL 27, 1837.
MY DEAR SIR, - Please to let the bearer have the under-mentioned
Bibles; they are for Dr. Usoz, from whom I have received their
value.
Entire Bible in German.
Entire Bible in Modern Greek.
Do. do. in Portuguese.
If possible, I should wish to have the New Testament in Persian,
for my own private use.
Most sincerely yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
The Basque translation of St. Luke is completed and in my
possession; the whole expense attending it amounts to 8 pounds and
a few odd shillings.
LETTER: 29th April, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 13, 1837)
[MADRID, 29 APRIL, 1837].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Do me the favour after reading the enclosed
letter, and making what use of it you please, to seal it, pay the
postage, and despatch it to Russia. It contains all I have at
present to say, and is as much intended for yourself, as for the
person to whom it is directed. I leave Madrid in about three days,
and it is my intention to write frequently whilst upon my journey;
but should few letters reach you, be not surprised, but attribute
it to the state of the country, which is terrible indeed. I am
first going to Salamanca, by the pass of the Guadarama; from thence
to Burgos; then to the Asturias, Galicia, and Biscay, and along the
whole chain of the Pyrenees.
Some hundreds of our books have been placed in the hands of a
bookseller at Madrid, and I have ordered them to be advertised,
once a week, in the principal journals. Dr. Usoz and another
friend will do what they can in my absence.
To-morrow I send the bill of my expenses; it would have been
despatched sooner, but I could not obtain my account from Mr.
O'Shea.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most faithfully yours,
G. BORROW.
P.S. - My best remembrances to Mr. Jowett, Mr. Browne, and all my
friends.
LETTER: 29th April, 1837
To Mr. John Hasfeldt
MADRID, 29 APRIL, 1837.
I RECEIVED your letter of last January a few weeks since, and I
sincerely hope that mine of February may have reached your hands.
The principal reason of my taking up the pen at present is the long
and adventurous journey which I am about to engage in, and which I
am afraid will preclude the possibility of my writing to you for
some months. In a few days I quit Madrid, it being my intention to
visit the mountainous districts of Spain, particularly Galicia and
the Basque Provinces, for the purpose of disposing of part of the
edition of the New Testament in Spanish, lately completed at
Madrid, under my superintendence. It was my intention to have set
out sooner, but the state of the weather has been such that I
thought it more prudent to defer my departure; during the last two
months violent and bitter winds have blown without ceasing, before
whose baneful influence animal and vegetable nature seems to have
quailed. I was myself, during a fortnight, prostrated, body and
limb, by a violent attack of LA GRIPPE, or, as it is styled in
English, the 'influenza.' I am, however, by the blessing of the
Almighty, perfectly recovered and enjoying excellent spirits, but
multitudes less favoured have perished, especially the poor.
I expect to be absent on my journey about five months, when, if I
am spared, not having fallen a prey to sickness, Carlists,
banditti, or wild beasts, I shall return to Madrid for the purpose
of carrying through the press my own translation of the Gospel of
St. Luke in the language of the Spanish Gypsies, and also the same
Gospel in Cantabrian or Basque, executed by the domestic physician
of the Marquis of Salvatierra. What I am destined to do
subsequently I know not; but I should wish to visit China by a land
journey, either through Russia, or by Constantinople [and] Armenia
as far as the Indian Gulf; as it is my opinion that, with God's
permission, I might sow some seed by the way which might in time
yield a good harvest.
Speaking of these matters reminds me that in your next letter
(written in your usual choice Danish) you might send me some useful
information respecting what might be done in Russia. Do you think
permission might be obtained to print the New Testament in Russ,
and that the Russian Hierarchy would be inclined to offer any
serious opposition? I wish you would speak to Gretsch on the
subject, to whom you will, as usual, present my kindest
remembrances. I believe you are acquainted with Mrs. Biller, but
if not, you would confer a great favour upon me by calling on her,
and requesting her opinion, as she is better acquainted than
perhaps any person in Russia with the course to be pursued if the
attempt were to be hazarded. Perhaps at the same time you will
enquire of her as to what has become of my translation into Russ of
the second and third Homilies which I left with her, and whether
license to print has been obtained. If not, I should wish that
energetic steps be taken to that effect, and as you are an
energetic person, and she may possibly have too many important
affairs upon her hands, I pray you to take the matter up, but at
all events to follow her advice; pray remember me to her likewise.
The translation was corrected by that unfortunate man Nicanoff,
who, though he lived and died a drunkard, was an excellent Russian
scholar; therefore I think that no objection can reasonably be made
in respect to style, though indeed the original is very plain and
homely, being adapted to the most common understanding. I offer no
apology for giving you all this trouble, as I am fully aware that
you are at all times eagerly ready to perform anything which I may
consider as a service rendered to myself.
Spain at present, I am sorry to say, is in a more distracted and
convulsed situation than at any former period, and the prospect is
gloomy in the extreme. The Queen's troops have sustained of late
grievous defeats in the Basque provinces and Valencia, and a
Carlist expedition of 18,000 men, whose object is to ravage Castile
and to carry the war to the gates of Madrid, is shortly expected to
pass the Ebro. From what I have seen and heard of the demoralised
state of the Cristinos forces, I believe they will meet with no
effectual resistance, and that Cristina and her daughter will be
compelled to flee from the capital to Cadiz, or to some strong
frontier town. Nevertheless, such is the nature of the Spanish
people, that it is impossible to say whether the liberal cause (as
it is called) be desperate or not, as neither one party nor the
other knows how to improve an advantage. Twice might Don Carlos
have marched to Madrid and seized the crown; and more than once his
army has been at the mercy of the Cristinos; yet still is the
affair undecided, and will perhaps continue so for years. The
country is, as you may well conceive, in a most distracted state;
robbery and murder are practised with impunity, and the roads are
in such an insecure state that almost all communication has ceased
between one town and another; yet I am going forth without the
slightest fear, trusting in God; for if He is with me, who shall
stand against me?
I have a servant, a person who has been a soldier for fifteen
years, who will go with me for the purpose of attending to the
horses and otherwise assisting me in my labours. His conduct on
the journey is the only thing to which I look forward with
uneasiness; for though he has some good points, yet in many
respects a more atrocious fellow never existed. He is inordinately
given to drink, and of so quarrelsome a disposition that he is
almost constantly involved in some broil. Like most of his
countrymen, he carries an exceedingly long knife, which he
frequently unsheaths and brandishes in the faces of those who are
unfortunate enough to awaken his choler. It is only a few days
since that I rescued the maid-servant of the house from his grasp,
whom otherwise he would undoubtedly have killed, and all because
she too much burnt a red herring which he had given her to cook.
You perhaps wonder that I retain a person of this description, but,
bad as he is, he is the best servant I can obtain; he is very
honest, a virtue which is rarely to be found in a Spanish servant,
and I have no fear of his running away with the horses during the
journey, after having perhaps knocked me on the head in some lone
POSADA. He is moreover acquainted with every road, cross-road,
river, and mountain in Spain, and is therefore a very suitable
squire for an errant knight, like myself. On my arrival in Biscay
I shall perhaps engage one of the uncorrupted Basque peasants, who
has never left his native mountains and is utterly ignorant of the
Spanish language, for I am told that they are exceedingly faithful
and laborious. The best servant I ever had was the Tartar Mahmoud
at St. Petersburg, and I have frequently repented that I did not
bring him with me on my leaving Russia; but I was not then aware
that I was about to visit this unfortunate country, where goodness
of every description is so difficult to find.
LETTER: 10th May, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 23, 1837)
MADRID, MAY 10TH, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I herewith send the long promised account of
my private expenses, which I hope will be found correct. I start
to-morrow for Salamanca, at which place I should now be, but for
the misconduct of my servant, whom I have been compelled to turn
away. I have experienced great difficulty in obtaining another; my
present one is a Greek, who formerly waited on Mr. O'Shea; I hope
he will turn out well. Mr. O'Shea has given me a general letter of
credit to his correspondents in various parts of Spain. You will
receive my draft in a few days. I shall write from Salamanca, and
various other places, detailing all my proceedings and adventures.
I hope you received my last letter.
I remain, etc.,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 7th June, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 21, 1837)
SALAMANCA, June 7, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I arrived at Salamanca about a fortnight
since, in safety and in tolerable good health. I shall defer for a
few days communicating the particulars of my journey, though they
are not destitute of interest, having at present information to
afford which I consider of more importance, and which I hope will
afford the same satisfaction to yourself and our friends at home
which I myself experience in communicating them.
Some days previous to my departure from Madrid I was very much
indisposed. Owing to the state of the weather - for violent and
biting winds had long prevailed - I had been attacked with a severe
cold which terminated in a shrieking disagreeable cough, which the
many remedies which I successively tried were unable to subdue. I
had made preparation for departing on a particular day, but owing
to the state of my health I was apprehensive that I should be
compelled to postpone my journey for a time. The last day of my
stay in Madrid, finding myself scarcely able to stand, I was fain
to submit to a somewhat desperate experiment, and by the advice of
the barber-surgeon who visited me, I determined to be bled. Late
on the night of that same day he eased me of sixteen ounces of
blood, and having received his fee, left me, wishing me a pleasant
journey, and assuring me upon his reputation that by noon the next
day I should be perfectly recovered.
A few minutes after his departure, whilst I was sitting alone,
meditating on the journey which I was about to undertake, and on
the rickety state of my health, I heard a loud knock at the street-
door of the house, on the third floor of which I was lodged, not
very comfortably. In a minute or two Mr. Southern of the British
Embassy entered my apartment. After a little conversation he
informed me that Mr. Villiers had desired him to wait upon me, to
communicate a resolution which he, Mr. Villiers, had come to.
Being apprehensive that alone and unassisted I should experience
considerable difficulty in propagating the Gospel of God to any
considerable extent in Spain, he was bent upon exerting to the
utmost his own credit and influence to further my views, which he
himself considered, if carried into proper effect, extremely well
calculated to operate beneficially on the political and moral state
of the country. To this end it was his intention to purchase a
very considerable number of copies of the New Testament, and to
despatch them forthwith to the various British consuls established
in different parts of Spain, with strict and positive orders to
employ all the means, which their official situation should afford
them, to circulate the books in question and to assure their being
noticed. They were moreover to be charged to afford myself,
whenever I should appear in their respective districts, all the
protection, encouragement, and assistance I should stand in need
of, as a friend of Mr. Villiers, and a person in the success of
whose enterprise he himself took the warmest interest.
I could scarcely believe my ears on receiving this information; for
though I had long been aware that Mr. Villiers was at all times
willing to assist me, he having frequently given me sufficient
proof, I could never expect that he would come forward in so noble,
and to say the least of it, considering his high diplomatic
situation, so bold and decided a manner. I believe that this is
the first instance of a British Ambassador having made the cause of
the Bible Society a national one, or indeed to favour it directly
or indirectly. What renders the case of Mr. Villiers more
remarkable is that on my first arrival at Madrid I found him by no
means well disposed towards the Society. The Holy Spirit has
probably illumined his mind on this point. Honour be to him: I
hope that by his means our institution will shortly possess many
agents in Spain with far more power and opportunity than I myself
can ever expect to possess, who will scatter abroad the seed of the
Gospel, and make of a barren and thirsty wilderness a green and
smiling corn-field.
The next day verified the prediction of the barber. I had to a
considerable degree lost my cough and fever, though, owing to the
great loss of blood, I was very feeble and weak. Precisely at
twelve o'clock myself and man rode forth from the gate of Saint
Vincent, directing our course to the lofty mountains which separate
Old from New Castile. That night we rested at Guadarama, a large
village at their foot, distant from Madrid about twenty-five miles.
The journey to Salamanca occupied four days, and I disposed of five
Testaments by the way.
Since my arrival at Salamanca I have been taking measures that the
Word of God may become generally known in this place, so celebrated
in many respects. The principal bookseller of the town, Blanco, a
man of great wealth and respectability, has consented to become our
agent here, and I have deposited in his shop a certain number of
New Testaments. He is the proprietor of a small printing press,
where the official bulletin of the place is published. For this
bulletin I have prepared an advertisement of the work, in which
amongst other things I have said that the New Testament is the only
guide to salvation. I have also spoken of the Bible Society, and
the great pecuniary sacrifices which it is making with the view of
proclaiming Christ crucified, and of making His doctrine known.
This step will perhaps be considered by some as too bold, but I am
not aware that I can take any more calculated to arouse the
attention of the people - a considerable point. I have also
ordered numbers of the same advertisement to be struck off in the
shape of bills which I am causing to be stuck up in various parts
of the town. I have great hope that by means of these a
considerable number of New Testaments will be sold. I shall repeat
this experiment in Valladolid, Leon, St. Jago, and all the
principal towns which it is my intention to visit in my wanderings,
and I shall likewise distribute them as I ride along. The children
of Spain will thus be brought to know that such a work as the New
Testament is in existence, a fact of which not five in one hundred
are at present aware, notwithstanding their so frequently repeated
boasts of their Catholicity and Christianity.
I carry with me the Gospel of St. Luke in the Cantabrian or Basque
language. It is my intention to print this little book, either at
San Sebastian or Pamplona; as it would be unwise not to avail
myself of so favourable an opportunity of circulating it as my
visit to the provinces where the language is spoken will afford me.
I have examined it with much attention, and find it a very faithful
version. The only objection which can be brought against it is
that Spanish words are frequently used to express ideas for which
there are equivalents in Basque; but this language, as spoken at
present in Spain, is very corrupt, and a work written entirely in
the Basque of Larramendi's Dictionary would be intelligible to very
few. I have read passages from it to the men of Guipuscoa, who
assured me that they had no difficulty in understanding it, and
that it was written in the colloquial style of their province.
G. B.
LETTER: 5th July, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 25, 1837)
ASTORGA, 5TH JULY, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I avail myself of the present opportunity of
giving an account of what has befallen me since I last wrote to you
from Salamanca, which I shortly after quitted. By that time my
advertisements had been affixed in all parts of the city, and
several New Testaments had been sold; I myself had the pleasure of
seeing three despatched in less than a quarter of an hour that I
remained in the shop. From Salamanca I proceeded to Valladolid,
distant about twenty-five leagues, where I employed the same means
which I had adopted at Salamanca for the promulgation of God's
Word. I must here observe that Valladolid is a place where
literature of every description is at the lowest ebb, and
bookselling there is merely carried on in connexion with other
business, it being in itself quite insufficient to afford a
livelihood to those who pursue it. Nevertheless during the five
days that I continued there my labours were so far favoured that
twenty copies were disposed of, and a fair prospect opened that
many more would be demanded. Before leaving I gave orders that the
advertisements should be renewed every week, as evil-disposed,
persons probably of the Carlist or Papist party, had defaced or
torn down a great number of those which had been put up. From
pursuing this course I expect that much and manifold good will
accrue, as the people of these parts will have continual
opportunities of acquainting themselves that a book which contains
the LIVING WORD is in existence and within their reach, which may
induce them to secure it and consult it even unto salvation.
Quitting Valladolid, I directed my route to Leon by the Palencia
road; the greatest part of the way was barren and uninteresting to
a high degree, consisting of wide dusty plains scantily sown with
barley, but unrelieved with trees or waters. The people are
ignorant and brutal, though they boast themselves to be Old
Castilians, which is however not the fact, as these desolate and
benighted regions belong to what was once the kingdom of Leon.
Their inhospitality is so great that I have been refused a glass of
water in their villages, though I asked it in the name of God;
though I have subsequently obtained it by paying for it, for their
hearts can always be opened by the key of interest, though
inaccessible to every noble and generous sentiment. I suffered
dreadfully during this journey, as did likewise my man and horses,
for the heat was the fiercest which I have ever known, and
resembled the breath of the simoom or the air from an oven's mouth.
Leon is beautifully situated in a smiling blooming country
abounding in grass and trees, and watered by many streams which
have their source in a mighty chain of mountains in the
neighbourhood, which traverse a great part of Spain and are
connected with the Pyrenees; but unfortunately it is exceedingly
unhealthy, for the heats of the summer-time raise noxious
exhalations from the waters, which generate all kinds of disorders,
especially fevers and tertian agues. It is the Feversham of Spain.
NOMEN CUI INFAUSTA FATA DEDERE FEBRIS [sic].
I had scarcely been at Leon three days when I was seized with a
fever, against which I thought the strength even of my constitution
would have yielded; for it wore me almost to a skeleton, and when
it departed, at the end of about a week, left me in such a
deplorable state of weakness that I was scarcely able to make the
slightest exertion. I had however previously persuaded a
bookseller to undertake the charge of vending the Testaments, and
had published my advertisements as usual, though without very
fervent hope of success, as Leon is a place where the inhabitants,
with very few exceptions, are furious Carlists and ignorant and
blinded followers of the old Papal Church. It is, moreover, a
Bishop's see, which was once enjoyed by the prime councillor of Don
Carlos, whose fierce and bigoted spirit still seems to pervade the
place. Scarcely had the advertisements appeared when the clergy
were in motion; they went from house to house, banning and cursing
and denouncing misery on whomsoever should either purchase or read
'the accursed books' which had been sent into the country by
heretics for the purpose of perverting the innocent minds of the
population. They did more: they commenced a process against the
bookseller in the ecclesiastical court. Fortunately this court is
not at present in the possession of much authority, and the
bookseller, who is a bold and determined man, set them at defiance,
and went so far as to affix an advertisement to the gate of the
very cathedral. Notwithstanding the cry raised against the work
several copies were sold at Leon, two were purchased by ex-friars,
and the same number by parochial priests from neighbouring
villages. I believe the whole number disposed of during my stay
amounted to fifteen, so that my visit to this dark corner has not
been altogether in vain, as the seed of the Gospel has been sown,
though sparingly. But the palpableness of the darkness which
envelops Leon is truly lamentable, and the ignorance of the people
is so great that printed charms and incantations against Satan and
his host and against every kind of misfortune are publicly sold in
the shops and are in great demand; such are the results of Popery,
a delusion which more than any other has tended to debase and
brutalise the human mind.
I had scarcely risen from the bed where the fever had cast me, when
I found that my servant had become alarmed; he informed me that he
had seen several soldiers in the uniform of Don Carlos knocking at
the door of the POSADA, and that they had been making enquiries
concerning me. It was indeed a singular fact connected with Leon
that upwards of fifty of these fellows, who had on various accounts
left the ranks of the pretender, were walking about the streets
dressed in his livery, and with all the confidence which the
certainty of the protection of the local authorities could afford
them, should any one be disposed to interrupt them. He moreover
informed me that the person in whose house we were living was a
notorious ALCAHUETE, or spy to the robbers in the neighbourhood,
and that unless we took our departure speedily and unexpectedly, we
should to a certainty be plundered on the road. I did not pay much
attention to these hints, but my desire to quit Leon was great, as
I was convinced that as long as I continued there I should be
unable to regain my health and vigour. Accordingly, at three
o'clock in the morning of the fourth (yesterday) we departed,
taking the route for Lugo, a principal town in the province of
Galicia. We had scarcely proceeded half a league when we were
overtaken by a thunderstorm of tremendous violence. We were at
that time in the midst of a kind of wood which extends to some
distance in that direction. The trees were bowed to the ground or
torn up by their roots by the wind, whilst the ground was plowed up
by the lightning which burst all around and nearly blinded us. The
horse which I rode upon, which was a spirited Andalusian stallion,
became furious and bounded into the air as if possessed; owing to
my state of weakness I had the greatest difficulty in maintaining
my seat and in avoiding a fall which might have been fatal. A
tremendous discharge of rain followed the storm, which swelled the
brooks into streams and flooded the surrounding country, causing
great damage amongst the corn. After riding about five leagues we
began to enter the mountainous district which surrounds Astorga;
the road was flinty and very trying to the poor horses, who
suffered much, whilst the heat was suffocating. It was with the
utmost difficulty that we reached Astorga, covered with mud and
dust and our tongues cleaving to the roofs of our mouths from
thirst. We were compelled to take up our abode in a wretched
hovel, full of pigs, vermin, and misery, and from this place I
write, for this morning I felt myself unable to proceed on my
journey, being exhausted with illness, fatigue and want of food,
for scarcely anything is to be obtained. But I return God thanks
and glory for being permitted to undergo these crosses and troubles
for His Word's sake. I would not exchange my present situation,
unenviable as some may think it, for a throne.
Pray excuse the style and writing of this letter, both are
inevitably bad. I hope in a few days to have reached Lugo, where I
shall be more at my ease.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 20th July, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. 12th August 1837)
CORUNNA, 20TH JULY [1837].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - My last letter was dated from Astorga, and I
stated that I was suffering from the relics of the fever which had
assailed me at Leon; in a day or two, however, I was sufficiently
recovered to mount my horse and proceed on my journey to Lugo. I
shall send a regular account of this journey next post, from which
those at home, interested in Bible proceedings in Spain, may gather
some idea of this very strange country and people. I arrived
safely at Lugo, but much fatigued, for the way thither lay through
the wildest mountains and wildernesses. The Lord deigned to favour
my humble efforts at Lugo; I brought thither thirty Testaments, all
of which were disposed of in one day, the Bishop of the place
himself purchasing two copies, whilst several priests and friars,
instead of following the example of their brethren at Leon by
persecuting the work, spoke well of it, and recommended its
perusal. I was much grieved that my stock of these holy books was
exhausted, for there was a great demand for them; and had I been
able to supply them, quadruple the quantity might have been sold
[during] the four days that I remained at Lugo.
Midway between Lugo and Corunna I was near falling into the hands
of robbers. Two fellows suddenly confronted me with presented
carbines, which they probably intended to discharge into my body,
but they took fright at the noise of my servant's horse, who was
following a little way behind. This affair occurred at the bridge
Castellanos, a spot notorious for robbery and murder, and well
adapted for both, for it stands at the bottom of a deep dell
surrounded by wild desolate hills. Only a quarter of an hour
previous, I had passed three ghastly heads, stuck on poles standing
by the wayside; they were those of a captain of banditti [and two
of his men], who had been seized and executed about two months
before. Their principal haunt was the vicinity of the bridge I
have already spoken of, and it was their practice to cast the
bodies of the murdered into the deep black water which runs rapidly
beneath. These three beads will always live in my remembrance,
particularly that of the captain, which stood on a higher pole than
the other two; the long hair was waving in the wind, and the
blackened distorted features were grinning in the sun. The fellows
whom I met were themselves of his band.
I have a depot of five hundred Testaments at Corunna, from which it
is my intention to supply the principal towns of Galicia. I have
as usual published my advertisements, and the work enjoys a
tolerable sale - seven or eight copies per day on the average.
Perhaps some will say that these are small matters and not worthy
of being mentioned; but let these bethink them that till within a
few months the very existence of the Gospel was almost unknown in
Spain, and that it must necessarily be a difficult task to induce a
people like the Spaniards, who read very little and who in general
consider money expended in books of any kind as cast away, to
purchase a work like the New Testament, offering them little
prospect of amusement, and which, though the basis of all true
religion, they have never been told is useful as a guide to
salvation.
Let us hope that the present is the dawning of better and more
enlightened times, and though little has been accomplished, still
it is more than nothing that Testaments are being sold in unhappy
benighted Spain, from Madrid to the northernmost part of Galicia, a
distance of nearly four hundred miles.
In about a fortnight I shall depart for Santiago, where I intend to
pass several days; then retracing my steps to Corunna I shall visit
Ferrol, whence I shall perhaps shape my course for Oviedo in the
Asturias, either along the seashore or by the mountain route, in
which latter case I should have to revisit Lugo. Every part of
Galicia abounds with robbers and factious, so that almost all
travelling is at an end, and the road to Santiago is so bad that no
one is permitted to travel it unless in company with the weekly
post, which goes attended by a strong military escort. This gives
me some uneasiness, as the stallion I ride is so vicious and
furious that it is dangerous to bring him in contact with other
horses whom, with the exception of his companion, he invariably
attacks, getting me into all manner of scrapes. An old Castilian
peasant, whose pony he had maltreated, once said to me, 'Sir
Cavalier, if you have any love for yourself, get rid of that beast,
who is capable of proving the ruin of a kingdom.' But he is a
gallant creature who seldom tires, and he has borne me too far to
permit me to think of parting with him.
Since my arrival at Corunna I have received advice from my agent at
Valladolid that the forty copies which I deposited in his hands
have been sold, and that he was anxious for a fresh supply. I have
accordingly ordered fifty more to be sent him from Madrid. Since
my departure from the capital I have myself disposed of sixty-five,
without including those sold at Lugo and other places by means of
the advertisements, on which I principally rely, as they speak at
all times whether I am present or absent.
I wish it to be distinctly understood that throughout my journey I
have given away none of the books, having invariably received money
for them, viz., from 10 to 12 REALS. The enemies of the Bible
Society have stated in several publications that it has no vent for
the Bibles and Testaments which it publishes in many foreign
languages but by sending them to the various countries, and there
distributing them gratis or selling them by auction, when they are
bought for waste paper (see in particular Wiseman's LETTERS). My
conduct in this point has been principally influenced by a desire
to give, in the case of Spain at least, the direct lie to this
assertion, and this conduct I shall pursue until I receive direct
orders to abandon it. I will now conclude by repeating that in a
few days you will receive my journal, which will prove more
interesting than the above hasty scrawl.
I remain, etc.,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: Undated
To the Rev. Andrew Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 23, 1837)
JOURNEY FROM ASTORGA TO LUGO
Before proceeding to narrate what befell me in this journey, it
will perhaps not be amiss to say a few words concerning Astorga and
its vicinity. It is a walled town containing about five or six
thousand inhabitants, with a cathedral and college, which last is,
however, at present deserted. It is situated on the confines, and
may be called the capital, of a tract of land called the country of
the Maragatos, which occupies about three square leagues, and has
for its north-western boundary a mountain called Telleno, the
loftiest of a chain of hills which have their origin near the mouth
of the river Minho, and are connected with the immense range which
constitutes the frontier of the Asturias and Guipuscoa. The land
is ungrateful and barren, and niggardly repays the toil of the
cultivator, being for the most part rocky, with a slight sprinkling
of a red bricky earth. The Maragatos are perhaps the most singular
caste to be found amongst the chequered population of Spain. They
have their own peculiar customs and dress, and never intermarry
with the Spaniards. Their name is a clue to their origin, as it
signifies 'Moorish Goths,' and at this present day their garb
differs but little from that of the Moors of Barbary, as it
consists of a long tight jacket, secured at the waist by a broad
girdle; loose short trowsers which terminate at the knee, and boots
and gaiters. Their heads are shaven, a slight fringe of hair being
only left at the lower part. If they wore the turban, or barret,
they could scarcely be distinguished from the Moors in dress, but
in lieu thereof they wear the sombrero or broad slouching hat of
Spain. There can be little doubt that they are a remnant of those
Goths who sided with the Moors on their invasion of Spain, and who
adopted their religion, customs, and manner of dress, which, with
the exception of the first, are still to a considerable degree
retained. It is, however, evident that their blood has at no time
mingled with that of the wild children of the desert, for scarcely
amongst the hills of Norway would you find figures and faces more
essentially Gothic than those of the Maragatos. They are strong,
athletic men, but loutish and heavy, and their features, though for
the most part well-formed, are vacant and devoid of expression.
They are slow and plain in speech, and those eloquent and
imaginative sallies so common in the conversation of other
Spaniards seldom or never escape them; they have, moreover, a
coarse, thick pronunciation, and when you hear them speak, you
almost imagine that it is some German or English peasant attempting
to express himself in the language of the Peninsula. They are
constitutionally phlegmatic, and it is very difficult to arouse
their anger; but they are dangerous and desperate when once
incensed, and a person who knew them well told me that he would
rather face ten Valencians, people infamous for their ferocity and
blood-thirstiness, than confront one angry Maragato, sluggish and
stupid though he be on other occasions.
The men scarcely ever occupy themselves in husbandry, which they
abandon to the females, who plough the flinty fields and gather in
the scanty harvests. Their husbands and sons are far differently
employed, for they are a nation of ARRIEROS or carriers, and almost
esteem it a disgrace to follow any other profession. On every road
of Spain, particularly those north of the mountains which divide
the two Castiles, may be seen gangs of fives and sixes of these
people lolling or sleeping beneath the broiling sun on their
gigantic and heavily laden mutes and mules, the boast of Spain, but
dearly purchased by the debasement and degeneration of a once noble
breed of horses. In a word, almost the entire commerce of nearly
one half of Spain passes through the hands of the Maragatos, whose
fidelity to their trust is such that no one accustomed to employ
them would hesitate to entrust them with the transport of a ton of
treasure from the sea of Biscay to Madrid, knowing well that it
would not be their fault were it not delivered safe and
undiminished even of a grain, and that bold must be the thieves who
would seek to wrest it from the far-feared Maragatos, who would
cling to it whilst they could stand, and would cover it with their
bodies when they fell in the act of loading or discharging their
long carbines.
But they are far from being disinterested, and if they are the most
trustworthy of all the ARRIEROS of Spain, they in general demand
for the transport of articles a sum at least double of what others
of the trade would esteem a reasonable recompense. By this means
they accumulate large sums of money, notwithstanding that they
indulge themselves in a far superior fare to that which contents in
general the parsimonious Spaniard - another argument in favour of
their pure Gothic descent; for the Maragatos, like true men of the
north, delight in swilling liquors and battening upon gross and
luscious meats, which help to swell out their tall and goodly
figures. Many of them have died possessed of considerable riches,
part of which they have not unfrequently bequeathed to the erection
or embellishment of religious houses. On the east end of the
cathedral of Astorga, which towers over the lofty and precipitous
wall, a colossal figure of lead may be seen on the roof. It is the
statue of a Maragato carrier, who endowed the cathedral with a
large sum. He is in his national dress, but his head is averted
from the land of his fathers, and whilst he waves in his hand a
species of flag, he seems to be summoning his race from their
unfruitful region to other climes where a richer field is open to
their industry and enterprise.
I spoke to several of these men respecting the all-important
subject of religion; but 'I found their hearts blunted, and with
their ears they heard heavily, and their eyes were closed.' There
was one in particular to whom I showed the New Testament and
addressed for a considerable time. He listened, or seemed to
listen, patiently, taking occasional copious draughts from an
immense jug of whitish wine which stood between his knees. After I
had concluded, he said: 'To-morrow I set out for Lugo, whither I
am told yourself are going. If you wish to send your chest, I have
no objection to take it at so much (naming an extravagant price).
As for what you have told me, I understand little of it and believe
not a word of it; but in respect to the books which you have shown
me, I will take three or four. I shall not read them, it is true,
but I have no doubt that I can sell them at a higher price than you
demand.'
So much for the Maragatos.
It was four o'clock of a beautiful morning that we sallied from
Astorga, or rather from the suburbs in which we had been lodged; we
directed our course to the north in the direction of Galicia.
Leaving the mountain Telleno on our left, we passed along the
eastern skirts of the land of the Maragatos over broken uneven
ground, enlivened here and there by small green valleys and runs of
water. Several of the Maragato women mounted on donkeys passed us
on their way to Astorga whither they were carrying vegetables; we
saw others in the fields handling their rude ploughs drawn by lean
oxen; we likewise passed through a small village in which we
however saw no living soul. Near this village we entered the high
road which leads direct from Madrid to Corunna, and at last having
travelled near four leagues we came to a species of pass formed on
our left by a huge lumpish hill (one of those which descend from
the great mountain Telleno), and on our right by one of
considerably less altitude. In the middle of this pass which was
of considerable breadth, a noble view opened itself to us. Before
us, at the distance of about a league and a half, rose the mighty
frontier chain of which I have spoken before; its blue sides and
broken and picturesque peaks still wearing a thin veil of the
morning mist, which the fierce rays of the sun were fast
dispelling. It seemed an enormous barrier threatening to oppose
our further progress, and it reminded me of the fables respecting
the children of Magog, who are said to reside in remotest Tartary
behind a gigantic wall of rocks which can only be passed by a gate
of steel a thousand cubits in height.
We shortly after arrived at Manzanal, a village consisting of
wretched huts, and exhibiting every sign of poverty and misery. It
was now time to refresh ourselves and horses, and we accordingly
put up at a kind of VENTA, the last habitation in the village,
where, though we found barley for the animals, we had much
difficulty in procuring anything for ourselves. I was at last
fortunate enough to obtain a large jug of milk, for there were
plenty of cows in the neighbourhood feeding in a picturesque valley
which we had passed by, in which there was abundance of grass and
trees and a run of water broken by tiny cascades. The jug might
contain about half a gallon, but I emptied it in a few minutes, for
the thirst of fever was still burning within me though I was
destitute of appetite. The VENTA had something the appearance of a
German baiting house. It consisted of an immense stable, from
which was partitioned a kind of kitchen and a place where the
family slept. The master, a robust young man, lolled on a large
solid stone bench which stood within the door. He was very
inquisitive respecting news, but I could afford him none; whereupon
he became communicative, and gave me the history of his life, the
sum of which was that he had been a courier in the Basque
provinces, but about a year since had been despatched to this
village where he kept the post-house. He was an enthusiastic
liberal, and spoke in bitter terms of the surrounding population,
who, he said, were all Carlists and friends of the friars. I paid
little attention to his discourse, for I was looking at a Maragato
lad of about fourteen who served in the house as a kind of ostler.
I asked the master if we were still in the land of the Maragatos,
but he told me that we had left it behind nearly a league, and that
the lad was an orphan, and was serving until he could rake up a
sufficient capital to become an ARRIERO. I addressed several
questions to the boy, but the urchin looked sullenly in my face,
and either answered by monosyllables or was doggedly silent. I
asked him if he could read: 'Yes,' said he, 'as much as that black
brute of yours who is tearing down the manger.'
Quitting Manzanal, we continued our course, the ground gradually
descending; we soon arrived at a place where the road took a turn
to the west, though previously it had tended due north. We now
found that we had to descend the steep sides of a deep and narrow
valley which wound amongst mountains, not those of the chain which
we had seen before us and which we had left at our right, but those
of the Telleno range, just before they unite with that chain.
Arrived at the brink of the valley we turned into a foot-path, to
avoid making a considerable circuit, for we saw the road on the
other side of the valley opposite to us about a furlong [distant],
and the path appeared to lead direct towards it. We had not gone
far before we met two Galicians on their way to cut the harvests of
Castile. One of them shouted, 'Cavalier, turn back: in a moment
you will be amongst precipices where your horses will break their
necks, for we ourselves could scarcely climb them on foot.' The
other cried, 'Cavalier, proceed, but be careful, and your horses,
if sure-footed, will run no great danger; my comrade is a fool.' A
violent dispute instantly ensued between the two mountaineers, each
supporting his opinion with loud oaths and curses; but without
stopping to see the result I passed on. But the path was now
filled with stones and huge slaty rocks, on which my horse slid,
frequently on his haunches. I likewise heard the sound of water in
a deep gorge, which I had hitherto not perceived, and I soon saw
that it would be worse than madness to proceed. I turned my horse
and was hastening to regain the path which I had left, when
Antonio, my faithful Greek, pointed out to me a meadow, by which he
said we might regain the high road much lower down than if we
returned on our steps. The meadow was brilliant with short green
grass, and in the middle there was a small rivulet of water. I
spurred my horse on, expecting to be in the high road in a moment;
the horse, however, snorted and stared wildly, and was evidently
unwilling to cross the seemingly inviting spot. I thought that the
scent of a wolf or some other wild animal might have disturbed him,
but was soon undeceived by his sinking up to the knees in a bog.
The animal uttered a shrill sharp neigh, and exhibited every sign
of the greatest terror, making at the same time great efforts to
extricate himself, and plunging forward, but every moment sinking
deeper. At last he arrived where a small vein of rock showed
itself, on this he placed his fore feet, and with one tremendous
exertion freed himself from the deceitful soil, springing over the
rivulet and alighting on comparatively firm ground, where he stood
panting, his heaving sides covered with a foamy sweat. Antonio,
who had been a terrified observer of the whole scene, afraid to
venture forward, returned by the path by which we came and shortly
afterwards rejoined me. This adventure brought to my recollection
the meadow with its foot-path, which tempted Christian from the
straight road to heaven, and finally conducted him to the dominions
of the Giant Despair.
NO HAY ATAJO
SIN TRABAJO.
'There is no short cut
Without some deep rut.'
says the Spanish proverb.
We now began to descend the valley by a broad and excellent
CARRETERA, or carriage road, which was cut out of the steep side of
the mountain on our right. On our left was the gorge, down which
tumbled the run of water which I have before mentioned. The road
was tortuous, and at every turn the scene became more picturesque.
The gorge gradually widened, and the brook at its bottom, fed by a
multitude of springs, [grew] more considerable; but it was soon far
beneath us, pursuing its headlong course till it reached level
ground, where it flowed in the midst of a beautiful but confined
prairie. There was something silvan and savage in the mountains on
the further side, clad from foot to pinnacle with trees, so closely
growing that the eye was unable to obtain a glimpse of the hill-
sides which were uneven with ravines and gulleys, the haunts of the
wolf, the wild boar and the CORSO or mountain-stag; the last of
which, as I was informed by a peasant who was driving a car of
oxen, frequently descended to feed in the prairie and were shot for
the sake of their skins, for the flesh being strong and
disagreeable is held at no account. But notwithstanding the
wildness of these regions, the handiworks of man were visible. The
sides of the gorge though precipitous were yellow with little
fields of barley, and we saw a hamlet and church down in the
prairie below, whilst merry songs ascended to our ears from where
the mowers were toiling with their scythes, cutting the luxuriant
and abundant grass. I could scarcely believe that I was in Spain,
in general so brown, so arid and cheerless, and I almost fancied
myself in Greece, in that land of ancient glory, whose mountain and
forest scenery Theocritus has so well described.
At the bottom of the valley we entered a small village washed by
the brook, which had now swelled almost to a stream. A more
romantic situation I had never witnessed. It was surrounded and
almost overhung by huge mountains, and embowered in trees of
various kinds; waters sounded, nightingales sang, and the cuckoo's
full note boomed from the distant branches, but the village was
miserable. The huts were built of slate-stones, of which the
neighbouring hills seemed to be principally composed, and roofed
with the same, but not in the neat tidy manner of English houses,
for the slates were of all sizes, and seemed to be flung on in
confusion. We were spent with heat and thirst, and sitting down on
a stone bench I entreated a woman to give us a little water. The
woman said she would, but added that she expected to be paid for
it. My Greek on hearing this burst into horrid execrations, and
speaking Greek, Turkish and Spanish invoked the vengeance of the
PANHAGIA on the heartless woman, saying 'If I were to offer a
Mahometan gold for a draught of water, he would dash it in my face;
and you are a Catholic with the stream running at your door.' I
told him to be silent, and giving the woman two CUARTOS repeated my
request; whereupon she took a pitcher, and, going to the stream,
filled it with water. It tasted muddy and disagreeable, but it
drowned the fever which was devouring me.
We again mounted and proceeded on our way, which for a considerable
distance lay along the margin of the stream, which now fell in
small cataracts, now brawled over stones, and at other times ran
dark and silent through deep pools overhung with tall willows -
pools which seemed to abound with the finny tribe, for huge trout
frequently sprang from the water catching the brilliant fly which
skimmed along its deceitful surface. How delightful! The sun was
rolling high in the firmament, casting from its girdle of fire the
most glorious rays, so that the atmosphere was flickering with
their splendour; but their fierceness was either warded off by the
shadow of the trees or rendered innocuous either by the refreshing
coolness which rose from the waters or by the gentle breezes which
murmured at intervals over the meadows 'fanning the cheek or
raising the hair' of the wanderer. The hills gradually receded,
till at last we entered a plain where tall grass was undulating,
and mighty chestnut-trees in full blossom spread their giant and
umbrageous boughs. Beneath many stood cars, the tired oxen
prostrate on the ground, the cross-bar of the pole which they
support pressing heavily on their heads, whilst their drivers were
either employed in cooking or were enjoying a delicious SIESTA in
the grass and shade. I went up to one of the largest of these
groups and demanded of the individuals whether they were in need of
the Testament of Jesus Christ. They stared at one another and then
at me, till at last a young man who was dandling a long gun in his
hands as he reclined demanded of me what it was, at the same time
enquiring whether I was a Catalan, 'for you speak hoarse,' said he,
'and are tall and fair like that family.' I sat down amongst them
and said I was no Catalan, but I came from a spot in the western
sea many leagues distant to sell that book at half the price it
cost, and that their souls' welfare depended upon their being
acquainted with it. I then explained to them the nature of the New
Testament and read to them the Parable of the Sower. They stared
at each other again, but said that they were poor and could not buy
books. I rose, mounted, and was going away, saying to them:
'Peace bide with you.' Whereupon the young man with the gun rose,
and saying; 'CASPITA! this is odd,' snatched the book from my hand,
and gave me the price I had demanded.
Perhaps the whole world might be searched in vain for a spot whose
natural charms could rival those of this plain or valley of
Bembibre, with its wall of mighty mountains, its spreading
chestnut-trees, and its groves of oaks and willows which clothe the
banks of its stream, a tributary to the Minho. True it is that
when I passed through it the candle of heaven was blazing in full
splendour, and everything lighted by its rays looked gay, glad and
blessed. Whether it would have filled me with the same feelings of
admiration if viewed beneath another sky I will not pretend to
determine, but it certainly possessed advantages which at no time
could fail to delight; for it exhibited all the peaceful beauties
of an English landscape blended with something wild and grand, and
I thought within myself that he must be a restless dissatisfied man
who born amongst those scenes would wish to quit them. At the time
I would have desired no better fate than that of a shepherd on the
prairies or a hunter on the hills of Bembibre.
Three hours passed away, and we were in another situation. We had
halted and refreshed ourselves and horses at Bembibre, a village of
mud and slate, and which possessed little to attract attention. We
were now ascending, for the road was over one of the extreme ledges
of those frontier hills which I have before so often mentioned; but
the aspect of heaven had blackened, clouds were rolling rapidly
from the west over the mountains, and a cold wind was moaning
dismally. 'There is a storm travelling through the air,' said a
peasant, whom we overtook mounted on a wretched mule, 'and the
Asturians had better be on the look-out, for it is speeding in
their direction.' He had scarce spoken when a light so vivid and
dazzling that it seemed the whole lustre of the fiery element was
concentrated therein broke around us, filling the whole atmosphere,
and covering rock, tree and mountain with a glare indescribable.
The mule of the peasant tumbled prostrate, while the horse I rode
reared himself perpendicularly, and turning round dashed down the
hill at headlong speed which for some time it was impossible to
check. The lightning was followed by a peal almost as terrible,
but distant, for it sounded hollow and deep; the hills, however,
caught up its voice, seemingly pitching it along their summits,
till it was lost in interminable space. Other flashes and peals
succeeded, but slight in comparison, and a few drops of rain; the
body of the tempest seemed to be over another region. 'A hundred
families are weeping where that bolt fell,' said the peasant, when
I rejoined him, 'for its blaze has blinded my mule at six leagues'
distance.' He was leading the animal by the bridle, as its sight
was evidently affected. 'Were the friars still in their nest above
there,' he continued, 'I should say that this was their doing, for
they are the cause of all the miseries of the land.'
I raised my eyes in the direction in which he pointed. Half-way up
the mountain over whose foot we were wending jutted forth a black,
frightful crag, which at an immense altitude overhung the road and
seemed to threaten destruction. It resembled one of those ledges
of the rocky mountains in the picture of the deluge, up to which
the terrified fugitives have scrambled from the eager pursuit of
the savage and tremendous billow, down on which they are gazing in
horror, whilst above them rise still higher and giddier heights to
which they seem unable to climb. Built on the very rim of this
crag stood an edifice, seemingly devoted to the purposes of
religion, as I could discern the spire of a church rearing itself
high over wall and roof. 'That is the house of "The Virgin of the
Rocks,"' said the peasant, 'and it was lately full of friars, but
they have been driven out, and the only inmates now are owls and
ravens.' I replied that their life in such a bleak exposed abode
could not have been very enviable, as in winter they must have
incurred great risk of perishing with cold. 'By no means,' said
he; 'they had the best of wood for their BRASEROS and chimneys, and
the best of wine to warm them at their meals, which were not the
most sparing; moreover they had another convent down in the vale
yonder, to which they could retire at their pleasure.' I asked him
the reason of his antipathy to the friars, to which he replied that
he had been their vassal, and that they had deprived him every year
of the flower of what he possessed. Discoursing in this manner we
reached a village just below the convent, where he left me, having
first pointed out to me a house of stone with an image over the
door, which he said once also belonged to the CANALLA (rabble)
above.
The sun was setting fast, and, eager to reach Villafranca, where I
had determined on resting and which was still distant three leagues
and a half, I made no halt at this place. The road was now down a
rapid and crooked descent which terminated in a valley, at the
bottom of which was a long and narrow bridge. Beneath it rolled a
river descending from a wide pass between two mountains, for the
chain was here cleft probably by some convulsion of nature. I
looked up the pass and on the hills on both sides. Far above on my
right, but standing out bold and clear, and catching the last rays
of the sun, was 'the Convent of the Precipices'; whilst directly
over against it, on the further side of the valley, rose the
perpendicular side of the rival hill which, to a considerable
extent intercepting the light, flung its black shadow over the
upper end of the pass, involving it in mysterious darkness.
Emerging from the centre of this gloom with thundering sound dashed
a river, white with foam and bearing along with it huge stones and
branches of trees, for it was the wild Sil, probably at that [time]
swollen by the recent rains, which I now saw hurrying to the ocean
from its cradle in the heart of the Asturian hills. Its fury, its
roar, and the savage grandeur of the surrounding scenery which was
worthy of the pencil of Salvator recalled to my mind the powerful
lines of Stolberg addressed to a mountain torrent -
'The pine-trees are shaken, they yield to thy shocks,
And, crashing, they tumble in wild disarray;
The rocks fly before thee - thou seizest the rocks
And whirlst them, like pebbles, contemptuous away.'
Hours again passed away. It was now night, and we were in the
midst of woodlands, feeling our way, for the darkness was so great
that I could scarcely see the length of a yard before my horse's
head. The animal seemed uneasy, and would frequently stop short,
prick up his ears, and utter a low mournful whine. Flashes of
sheet-lightning frequently illumed the black sky and flung a
momentary glare over our path. No sound interrupted the stillness
of the night save the slow tramp of the horses' hoofs, and
occasionally the croaking of frogs from some pool or morass. I now
bethought me that I was in Spain, the chosen land of the two
fiends, assassination and plunder, and how easily two tired unarmed
wanderers might become their victims. We at last cleared the
woodlands, and after proceeding a short distance the horse gave a
joyous neigh and broke into a smart trot. A barking of dogs
speedily reached my ears, and we seemed to be approaching some town
or village. In effect we were close to Cacabelos, a town about
five miles distant from Villafranca.
It was now near eleven at night, and I reflected that it would be
far more expedient to tarry in this place till the morning than to
attempt at present to reach Villafranca, exposing ourselves to all
the horrors of darkness in a lonely and unknown road. My mind was
soon made up on this point - but I determined without my hosts, for
at the first POSADA which I attempted to enter I was told that we
could not be accommodated, and particularly our horses, as the
stable was full of water. At the second (there were but two), I
was answered from the window by a gruff voice nearly in the words
of Scripture: 'Trouble me not, the gate is already locked, and my
servants are also with me in bed; I cannot arise to let you in.'
Indeed we had no particular desire to enter, as it appeared a
wretched hovel; though the poor horses pawed piteously against the
door, and seemed to crave admittance.
We had now no choice but to resume our doleful way to Villafranca,
which we were told was a short league distant, though it proved a
league and a half. We however found it no easy matter to quit the
town, for we were bewildered amongst its labyrinths and could not
find the outlet. A lad about eighteen was, however, persuaded by
the promise of a PESETA to guide us, whereupon he led us by many
turnings to a bridge which he told us to cross and to follow the
road, which was that of Villafranca; he then, having received his
fee, hastened from us.
We followed his directions, not, however, without a suspicion that
he might be deceiving us. The night had settled darker down upon
us, so that it was impossible to distinguish any object, however
nigh. The lightning had become more faint and rare. We heard the
rustling of trees and occasionally the barking of dogs, which last
sound, however, soon ceased, and we were in the midst of night and
silence. My horse, either from weariness or the badness of the
road, frequently stumbled; whereupon I dismounted, and leading him
by the bridle, soon left my companion far in the rear. I had
proceeded in this manner a considerable way when a circumstance
occurred of a character well suited to the time and place.
I was again amidst trees and bushes, when the horse, stopping
short, nearly pulled me back. I know not how it was, but fear
suddenly came over me, which, though in darkness and in solitude, I
had not felt before. I was about to urge the animal forward, when
I heard a noise at my right hand, and listened attentively. It
seemed to be that of a person or persons forcing their way through
branches and brushwood. It soon ceased, and I heard feet on the
road. It was the short, staggering kind of tread of people
carrying a very heavy substance, nearly too much for their
strength, and I thought I [heard] the hurried breathing of men
over-fatigued. There was a short pause in the middle of the road;
then the stamping recommenced until it reached the other side, when
I again heard a similar rustling amidst branches; it continued for
some time, and died gradually away.
I continued my road, musing on what had just occurred and forming
conjectures as to the cause. The lightning resumed its flashing,
and I saw that I was approaching tall black mountains - But I will
omit further particulars of this midnight journey.
'QUIEN VIVE,' roared a voice about an hour from this time, for I
had at last groped my way to Villafranca. It proceeded from the
sentry at the suburb, one of those singular half soldiers, half
GUERILLAS, called Miguelets, who are in general employed by the
Spanish Government to clear the roads of robbers. I gave the usual
answer 'ESPANA,' and went up to the place where he stood. After a
little conversation, I sat down on a stone, awaiting the arrival of
Antonio, who was long in making his appearance. On his arrival I
asked him if any one had passed him on the road, but he replied
that he had seen nothing. The night, or rather morning, was still
very dark, though a small corner of the moon was occasionally
visible. On our enquiring the way to the gate, the Miguelet
directed us down a street to the left, which we followed. The
street was steep, we could see no gate, and our progress was soon
stopped by houses and wall. We knocked at the gates of two or
three of these houses (in the upper stories of which lights were
burning) for the purpose of being set right, but we were either
disregarded or not heard. A horrid squalling of cats from the tops
of the houses and dark corners saluted our ears, and I thought of
the night-arrival of Don Quixote and his squire at Tobosa, and
their vain search amongst the deserted streets for the palace of
Dulcinea. At length we saw light and heard voices in a cottage at
the further side of a kind of ditch. Leading the horses over, we
called at the door, which was opened by an aged man, who appeared
by his dress to be a baker, as indeed he proved, which accounted
for his being up at so late an hour. On begging him to show us the
way into the town, he led us up a very narrow alley at the end of
his cottage, saying that he would likewise conduct us to the
POSADA. The alley led directly to what appeared to be the market-
place, at a corner house of which our guide stopped and knocked.
After a long pause an upper window was opened, and a female voice
demanded who we were. The old man replied that two travellers had
arrived who were in need of lodging. 'I cannot be disturbed at
this time of night,' said the woman, 'they will be wanting supper,
and there is nothing in the house; they must go elsewhere.' She
was going to shut the window, but I cried that we wanted no supper,
but merely a resting-place for ourselves and horses, that we had
come that day from Astorga, and were dying with fatigue. 'Who is
that speaking?' cried the woman. 'Surely that is the voice of Gil,
the German clock-maker from Pontevedra. Welcome, old companion,
you are come at the right time, for my own is out of order. I am
sorry I kept you waiting, but I will admit you in a moment.'
The window was slammed to; presently light shone through the
crevices if the door, a key turned in the lock, and we were
admitted.
LETTER: 19th August, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 11, 1837)
SAINT JAMES (SANTIAGO) OF COMPOSTELLA,
19TH AUG. [1837].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I left Corunna about ten days since for this
town, travelling with the courier or weekly post, who was escorted
by a strong party of soldiers in consequence of the distracted
state of the country. Nothing particular worth relating occurred
during the journey, which occupied a day and a half, though the
distance is barely ten leagues. Santiago, or Saint James, is, as
you are aware, the capital of Galicia, and the residence of the
Metropolitan. It is, or was, the most celebrated resort for
pilgrims in the whole world, with the exception of Jerusalem, as it
is said to contain the bones of Saint James the Elder, the Child of
the Thunder, who according to the legend of the Roman Church first
preached the Gospel in Spain. The cathedral, though built at
various periods and by no means uniform, is a majestic, venerable
edifice, in every respect calculated to excite awe and admiration;
indeed it is almost impossible to walk its long dusky aisles and
hear the solemn music and the noble chanting and inhale the incense
of the mighty censers, which are at times swung so high by
machinery that they smite the vaulted roof, whilst gigantic tapers
glitter here and there amongst the gloom from the shrine of many a
saint, before which the worshippers are kneeling, breathing forth
their prayers and petitions for help, love, and mercy, and
entertain a doubt that we are treading the floor of a house where
God delighteth to dwell. Yet the Lord is distant from that house.
He heareth not, He seeth not: or, if He hear and see, it is with
anger. What availeth that solemn music, that noble chanting, that
incense of sweet savour? What availeth kneeling before that grand
altar of silver, surmounted by that figure with its silver hat and
breastplate, the emblem of one who, although an Apostle and
Confessor, was at best an unprofitable servant? What availeth
hoping for remission of sin by trusting in the merits of him who
possessed none, or by paying homage to others who were born and
nurtured in sin, and who alone by the exercise of a lively faith
granted from above could hope to preserve themselves from the wrath
of the Almighty? Yet such acts and formalities constitute what is
termed religion at Compostella, where, perhaps, God and His will
are less known and respected than at Pekin or amid the wildernesses
where graze the coursers of the Mongol and the Mandchou. Perhaps
there is no part of Spain where the Romish religion is so cherished
as throughout Galicia. In no part of Spain are the precepts and
ordinances of that Church, especially fasting and confession, so
strictly observed, and its ministers regarded with so much respect
and deference. The natural conclusion therefore would be that, if
the religion of Rome be the same as that founded by Christ, the
example of the Saviour is more closely followed, and the savage and
furious passions more bridled, bloodshed and rapine less frequent,
unchastity and intemperance less apparent, and the minds of the
people more enlightened and free from the mists of superstition in
Galicia than in other provinces.
What is the fact? Almost every road is teeming with banditti, who
under the name of Carlists plunder friend and foe, and to robbery
join cruelty so atrociously horrible that indignation at the crime
is frequently lost in wonder; for the Galician robbers are seldom
satisfied with booty, and unlike their brethren in other parts
generally mutilate or assassinate those who are so unfortunate as
to fall in their hands; prostitution is carried on to an enormous
extent, and although loathsome concustant [sic] diseases stare the
stranger in the face in the street, in the market-place, in the
church, and at the fountain; 'Drunken as a Galician' is a proverb;
and superstitions forgotten, abandoned in the rest of Spain, are
clung to here with surprising pertinacity, the clergy exerting
themselves to uphold them by carrying on a very extensive sale in
charms, verifying the old saying, 'Witches are found where friars
abound.'
An unhappy man, whilst collecting vipers amongst the hills, which
he was in the practice of selling to the apothecaries, was lately
met near Orense by some of these monsters. Having plundered and
stripped him, they tied his hands behind him and thrust his head
into the sack, which contained several of these horrible reptiles
alive! They then fastened the sack at the mouth round his neck,
and having feasted their ears for a time with his cries, they
abandoned him to his fate. The poor wretch, stung by the vipers in
the face and eyes, presently became mad and ran through several
villages, till he fell dead.
I am now in the heart of this strange country and people. It has
pleased the Lord to bless my humble endeavours more than I had
reason to expect; since my arrival Santiago between thirty and
forty copies of the New Testament have been despatched. The
bookseller of the place, Rey Romero, a venerable man of seventy,
very wealthy and respected, has taken up the cause with an
enthusiasm which doubtless emanates from on high, losing no
opportunity of recommending the work to those who enter his shop,
which is very splendid and commodious.
In many instances, when the peasants of the neighbourhood have come
with the intention of purchasing some of the foolish popular story-
books of Spain, he has persuaded them in lieu thereof to carry home
Testaments, assuring them that it was not only a better and more
instructive, but even a far more entertaining book than those they
came in quest of. He has taken a great fancy to me, and comes to
visit me every evening, when he accompanies me in my walks about
the town and environs. Every one who is aware how rare it is to
meet with friendship and cordiality in Spain will easily conceive
my joy at finding such a coadjutor, and I have no doubt that when I
am absent he will exert himself as much, and I hope as effectually,
as now that I am present.
I leave Saint James to-morrow for Pontevedra and Vigo, carrying
with me some Testaments which I hope to dispose of, notwithstanding
there are no booksellers in those places. I shall then return to
Corunna, either by Compostella or by some other route. I trust the
Lord will preserve me in this journey as He has done in others.
From Corunna I propose to travel through the mountains to Oviedo in
the Asturias, provided that town be not speedily in the hands of
the factious. By the time these lines reach you, you will
doubtless have heard of the irruption of a part of the Pretender's
hordes into Old Castile; they have carried everything before them,
and have sacked and taken possession of the city of Segovia,
distant only one day's march from Madrid. From the aspect of
things I should say that the miseries of this land, far from having
reached their climax, are but commencing. Yet let no one mourn for
Egypt: she is but paying the price of her sorceries and
superstitions.
(UNSIGNED.)
P.S. - At San Sebastian I shall need Davison's Turkish Grammar,
which you have in the Library. It will be of assistance to me in
editing the Basque St. Luke; the two languages are surprisingly
connected.
LETTER: 15th September, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 9, 1837)
CORUNNA, SEP. 15, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - About ten days have elapsed since my return
to Corunna. I stated in my last letter, from Compostella, that it
was my intention to visit Pontevedra and Vigo, which I carried into
effect. In the first of these places I left, as I passed through,
eight copies of the New Testament in the hands of Senor Garcia, the
public notary; three days subsequent, on my return, I found that he
had disposed of them, and I have since sent him a fresh supply. He
is a very zealous and exceeding intelligent person, and I have no
doubt will prove a highly useful agent in Pontevedra and its
beautiful neighbourhood, which is the garden of Galicia. In Vigo I
disposed of four Testaments, but was not so fortunate as to find
any person willing or calculated to undertake the charge accepted
by my friend in the former town.
Having reached Padron, in my journey back, I sent my servant and
horses forward to Saint James, and guided by a peasant, proceeded
across the country to Cape Finisterre, on whose rocky sides I so
narrowly escaped being shipwrecked last year. The distance was
fifteen leagues, and the route lay over wild mountains and valleys,
where we suffered much from fatigue and the heat of the sun.
Arrived at Finisterre we were seized as Carlist spies by the
fishermen of the place, who determined at first on shooting us, but
at last contented themselves with conducting us prisoners to
Corcubion, where the ALCALDE of the district, after having examined
me and perused my passport, ordered me to be set at liberty, and
treated me with all manner of civility. By this journey I
accomplished what has long been one of the ardent wishes of my
heart. I have carried the Gospel to the extreme point of the old
world, having left a Testament in the hands of Antonio de Trava, an
ancient mariner of Finisterre, who took my part in a very friendly
manner, and probably saved me from experiencing much violence at
the hands of his companions. Finisterre is a place of wonders,
which I hope at some future time to have the pleasure of narrating;
but at present I must speak of other matters. About one hundred
Testaments have been disposed of at Saint James of Compostella, and
there is at present a steady regular demand for them there which
inspires my heart with gratitude to the Almighty. Shortly previous
to my journey to Saint James, I despatched fifty copies to Lugo,
where the Lord vouchsafed me good success on a former occasion;
this second supply being almost exhausted, I have sent more. Only
fifty-eight copies have hitherto been sold at Corunna, for its
inhabitants are far too much engrossed by party politics to
entertain much relish for heavenly manna. I pray every night and
morning that their eyes may be opened to their eternal welfare.
Having now arranged matters in Galicia, as well as circumstances
will permit, I am about to quit this province, directing my course
to Oviedo in the Asturias. The way is long, and is infested by
robbers and factious; yet I go forth without much fear, hoping that
the Lord will prove my shield and guard as on other occasions.
From Oviedo I proceed to Santander, and from thence to the Basque
provinces. Santander, being a large and flourishing town, affords
me a tolerable prospect of success, and I have accordingly directed
my agent at Madrid to despatch thither forthwith 150 Testaments.
The intermediate country is, however, in a most distracted state, a
great part of it being in the hands of the Carlists; it is
therefore probable that the books may never reach me, in which
event I shall have to apply to England. To the Basque provinces I
hope to carry Saint Luke in a Biscayan version, which I shall print
at Santander should an opportunity present itself.
No time must be lost in accomplishing all that is possible in
Spain, which in the course of a few months may be entirely in the
hands of the Pretender. I received the lines which you directed to
the care of the British consul at Corunna, and was thankful for
them. Pray present my kind remembrances to Mrs. Brandram and
family, to Mr. Jowett, and Mr. and Mrs. Browne.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 29th September, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 17, 1837)
OVIEDO, ASTURIAS, 29 SEPTR. 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - A day or two after the date of my last letter
I quitted Corunna and passed over the bay to Ferrol, where I left
twenty Testaments in the hands of a person who has just established
a small book-shop in that place. My servant Antonio went round by
land with my horse, the only one which I now possess, I having
disposed (1) of the largest of the two at Corunna, as I thought he
was unable to support the fatigue of a journey to Oviedo. At
Ferrol I hired a horse and guide as far as Ribadeo, a distance of
twenty leagues, and somewhat less than half the way to Oviedo.
This journey was a terrible one; during the greatest part of it we
had to toil up and down mountain gorges and ravines, to force our
way through bushes and thickets, and to wade rivulets and torrents
swollen by the rain, which descended continually; our guide proved
perfectly ignorant of the country, and we had to bribe various
peasants to accompany us, though we incurred great risk by so doing
of being conducted to some den of thieves, and stripped and
murdered. At Ribadeo we procured a fresh horse and guide, and
continued our way to Oviedo, encountering still greater
difficulties, the ground being still more rugged and broken than
that which we had previously passed over. My own horse rolled down
a precipice, and was much maimed, whilst that of the guide was so
worn out by the time he reached Gijon, four leagues from Oviedo,
that he foundered. As for Antonio and myself, we arrived
barefooted and bleeding, for I need scarcely say that during all
this journey, which amounted at least to 130 miles, we went on
foot, the poor horses being scarcely able to carry our books and
baggage.
I am now by the blessing of the Almighty in the city of Oviedo, the
capital of the Asturias, although at an unpropitious season, for
the bray of war is at the gate, and there is the cry of the
captains and the shouting. Castile is at the present time in the
hands of the Carlists, who have captured and plundered Valladolid,
in much the same manner as they did Segovia. They are every day
expected to march on this place, in which case they will probably
experience an obstinate resistance, very excellent redoubts having
been erected, and several of the convents strongly fortified,
especially that of Santa Clara de la Vega. All minds here are at
present in a state of feverish anxiety and suspense, more
especially as no intelligence at present arrives from Madrid, which
by the last accounts was beleaguered by the bands of Cabrera,
Palillos, and Orejita. - But I am interrupted, and I lay down my
pen.
A strange adventure has just occurred to me. I am in the ancient
town of Oviedo, in a very large, scantily furnished and remote room
of an ancient POSADA, formerly a palace of the Counts of Santa
Cruz. It is past ten at night and the rain is descending in
torrents. I ceased writing on hearing numerous footsteps ascending
the creaking stairs which lead to my apartment - the door was flung
open, and in walked nine men of tall stature, marshalled by a
little hunch-backed personage. They were all muffled in the long
cloaks of Spain, but I instantly knew by their demeanour that they
were CABALLEROS, or gentlemen. They placed themselves in a rank
before the table where I was sitting; suddenly and simultaneously
they all flung back their cloaks, and I perceived that every one
bore a book in his hand, a book which I knew full well. After a
pause, which I was unable to break, for I sat lost in astonishment
and almost conceived myself to be visited by apparitions, the
hunch-back advancing somewhat before the rest said in soft silvery
tones: 'SENOR Cavalier, was it you who brought this book to the
Asturias?' I now supposed that they were the civil authorities of
the place come to take me into custody, and rising from my seat I
exclaimed, 'It certainly was I, and it is my glory to have done so.
The book is the New Testament of God; I wish it was in my power to
bring a million.' 'I heartily wish so too,' said the little
personage with a sigh. 'Be under no apprehension, Sir Cavalier;
these gentlemen are my friends. We have just purchased these books
in the shop where you have placed them for sale, and have taken the
liberty of calling upon you in order to return you our thanks for
the treasure you have brought us. I hope you can furnish us with
the Old Testament also.' I replied that I was sorry to inform him
that at present it was entirely out of my power to comply with his
wish, as I had no Old Testaments in my possession, but did not
despair of procuring some speedily, from England. He then asked me
a great many questions concerning my Biblical travels in Spain, and
my success, and the views entertained by the Society in respect to
Spain, adding that he hoped I should pay particular attention to
the Asturias, which he assured me was the best ground in the
Peninsula for our labour. After about half-an-hour's conversation,
he suddenly said in the English language, 'Good night, sir,'
wrapped his cloak around him, and walked out as he had come. His
companions, who had hitherto not uttered a word, all repeated,
'Good night, sir,' and adjusting their cloaks followed him.
In order to explain this strange scene I must inform you that this
morning I visited the petty bookseller of the place, Longoria, and
having arranged preliminaries with him I sent him in the evening a
package of forty Testaments, all I possess, with some
advertisements. At the time he assured me that, though he was
willing to undertake the sale, there was nevertheless not a
prospect of success, as a whole month had elapsed since he had sold
a book of any description, on account of the uncertainty of the
times and the poverty which pervaded the land. I therefore sat
down to write this letter much dispirited; this incident has,
however, admonished me not to be cast down when things look
gloomiest, as the hand of the Lord is generally then most busy:
that men may learn to perceive that whatever good is accomplished
is not theirs but His.
I shall quit Oviedo in a few days, but whither I shall now direct
my course I have not determined. It would be easy for me to reach
Santander, which is but thirty leagues [distant] and the road
tolerably free from accidents; but the state of affairs at Madrid
gives me considerable uneasiness, for I remember that Madrid is the
depot of our books, and I am apprehensive that in the revolutions
and disturbances which at present seem to threaten it, our whole
stock may perish. True it is that in order to reach Madrid I
should have to pass through the midst of the Carlist hordes, who
would perhaps slay or make me prisoner; but I am at present so much
accustomed to perilous adventure, and have hitherto experienced so
many fortunate escapes, that the dangers which infest the route
would not deter me a moment from venturing. But there is no
certain intelligence, and Madrid may be in safety or on the brink
of falling; perhaps a few hours will inform us, when I shall at
once decide. My next letter will therefore be either from
Santander or the capital of Spain.
Oviedo is picturesquely situated between two mountains, Morcin and
Naranco; the former is very high and ragged, and during the
greatest part of the year is covered with snow; the sides of the
latter are cultivated and planted with vines. The town itself
possesses nothing very remarkable with the exception of the
cathedral, the tower of which is very high, and is perhaps the
purest specimen of Gothic architecture at present in existence.
The interior of the edifice is neat and appropriate but simple and
unadorned, for I observed but one picture, the Conversion of St.
Paul. One of the chapels is a cemetery, in which rest the bones of
eleven Gothic kings, whose souls I trust in Christ have been
accepted.
I will now conclude in the words of Heber:
'From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand -
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down the yellow sand -
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain.'
Most truly yours,
G. B.
P.S. - Morning [Sept.] 30th, twenty Testaments have been sold.
LETTER: 1st November, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Nov. 13, 1837)
MADRID, NOVR. 1, 1837.
CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16 PISO 3RO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - In my last letter, from Oviedo in the
Asturias, I stated that my next would be dated either from
Santander or the capital of Spain. I arrived yesterday at Madrid,
but I previously visited Santander, which I reached with my usual
good fortune, without accident, after a fatiguing journey of six
days. When there, I found to my great sorrow that the two hundred
Testaments which I had ordered to be sent from Madrid were not
come; and I supposed that they had either been seized on the way by
the Carlists or that my letter had miscarried. (2) I then thought
of applying to England for a supply, but I abandoned the idea for
two reasons; first, that I should have to remain idly loitering at
Santander for at least a month before I could receive them - a
place where every article is so dear that my expenses with the
strictest economy would have amounted to nearly two pounds PER
DIEM; secondly, that I was very unwell, and unable to procure
medical advice at Santander: for, to tell the truth, ever since I
left Corunna I have been afflicted with a terrible dysentery, and
latterly with an ophthalmia, the result of the other malady.
I therefore determined on returning to Madrid. To effect this,
however, seemed almost impossible. Parties of the army of Don
Carlos, which in a partial degree had been routed in Castile, were
hovering about the country through which I should have to pass,
more especially that part called 'The Mountains,' so that all
communication had ceased between Santander and the southern
districts. Nevertheless I determined to trust, as usual, in the
Almighty and to venture. I purchased, therefore, a small horse and
sallied forth with Antonio, notwithstanding I was so unwell as to
be scarcely able to support myself. I wished to have written to
you from Santander, but I was exceedingly dispirited and could not
collect my thoughts. Before departing, I of course entered into
conference with the booksellers as to what they should do in the
event of my finding an opportunity of sending them a stock of
Testaments from Madrid, and having arranged things to my
satisfaction I committed myself to Providence. I will not dwell
long on this journey of three hundred miles. We were in the midst
of the fire, yet, strange to say, escaped without a hair being
singed; robberies, murders, and all kinds of atrocity were
perpetrated before, behind, and on both sides of us, but not so
much as a dog barked at US, though in one instance a plan had been
laid to intercept us. About four leagues from Santander, whilst we
were baiting our horses at a village hostelry, I saw a fellow run
off after having held a whispering conversation with a boy who was
dealing out barley to us. I instantly enquired of the latter what
the man had said to him, but only obtained an evasive answer. It
appeared afterwards that the conversation was about ourselves. Two
or three leagues further on there was an inn and village, where we
had proposed staying, and indeed had expressed our intention of
doing so; but on arriving there, finding that the sun was still far
from its bourn, I determined to proceed further, expecting to find
a resting-place at the distance of a league; though I was mistaken,
finding none until we reached Montaneda, nine leagues and a half
from Santander, where was stationed a small detachment of soldiers.
At the dead of night we were aroused from our sleep by a cry that
the 'factious' were not far off. A messenger had arrived from the
ALCALDE of the village where we had previously intended staying,
who stated that a party of Carlists had just surprised that place,
and were searching for an English spy whom they supposed to be at
the inn. The officer commanding the soldiers, upon hearing this,
not deeming his own situation a safe one, instantly drew off his
men, falling back on a stronger party stationed in a fortified
village near at hand; as for ourselves we saddled our horses and
continued our way in the dark. Had the Carlists succeeded in
apprehending me, I should instantly have been shot, and my body
cast on the rocks to feed the vultures and wolves. But 'it was not
so written' - said my man, who is a Greek and a fatalist. The next
night we had another singular escape; we had arrived near the
entrance of a horrible pass, called EL PUERTO DE LA PUENTE DE LAS
TABLAS, or the pass of the bridge of planks, which wound through a
black and frightful mountain, on the further side of which was the
town of Onas, where we meant to tarry for the night. The sun had
set about a quarter of an hour. Suddenly a man with his face
covered with blood rushed out of the pass. Turn back, sir,' he
said, 'in the name of God; there are murderers in that pass; they
have just robbed me of my mule and all I possess, and I have hardly
escaped with life from their hands.' I scarcely can say why, but I
made him no answer, and proceeded; indeed I was so weary and unwell
that I cared not what became of me. We entered - the rocks rose
perpendicularly right and left, entirely intercepting the scanty
twilight, so that the darkness of the grave, or rather the
blackness of the valley of the shadow of death, reigned around us,
and we knew not where we went, but trusted solely to the instinct
of the horses, who moved on with their heads close to the ground.
The only sound which we heard was the splash of a stream which
tumbled down the pass. I expected every moment to feel a knife at
my throat, but - IT WAS NOT SO WRITTEN. We threaded the pass
without meeting a human being, and within three quarters of an hour
after the time we entered it, we found ourselves within the POSADA
of the town of Onas, which was filled with troops and armed
peasants expecting an attack from the grand Carlist army, which was
near at hand.
Well! we reached Burgos in safety, we reached Valladolid in safety,
we passed the Guadarama in safety, and now we are safely housed in
Madrid. People say we have been very lucky; Antonio says, 'It was
so written'; but I say, 'Glory be to the Lord for His mercies
vouchsafed.'
I did not find matters in a very prosperous state in Madrid. Few
copies of the New Testament have been sold; yet what else could be
rationally expected in these latter times? Don Carlos with a large
army has been at the gates; plunder and massacre were expected, and
people have been too much occupied in planning to secure their
lives and property to have much time to devote to reading of any
description. I have had an interview with Dr. Usoz, and have just
received a most interesting letter from him, replete with
patriotism and piety; amongst other things he says, 'only
circumstances and the public poverty are the cause of the works not
having met with sale at Madrid.' Of this letter I shall send a
translation. It contains some remarks respecting Father Scio's
version, which I consider to be of high importance, and humbly
recommend to the attention of the Committee.
But I am at present in Madrid, and am thus enabled to superintend
in person the measures calculated to secure the sale of the work.
I shall forthwith cause a thousand advertisements to be printed and
affixed from time to time in every part of the city. I shall
likewise employ colporteurs to vend them in the streets, and shall
perhaps establish a stall or small shop, where Testaments and
Testaments alone will be sold. - No exertion of which I am capable
will be spared, and if 'the Word of the Lord' become not speedily
better known at Madrid, it will be because the Lord in His
inscrutable wisdom does not so will it.
Whilst in the northern provinces I ordered a hundred copies to be
despatched from Madrid to each of the three great towns, Valencia,
Seville, and Cadiz, with advertisements; I am glad to be able to
state that advice has been received that the books have reached
their destination. At the commencement of the coming year it is my
intention to visit those parts; for no work seems to prosper in
Spain which is not closely attended to by the master. Whilst at
Valladolid I ordered all the copies which remained unsold of the
second supply to be sent to Burgos, and I am now going to despatch
a third fifty to the former town, and a still larger quantity to
Oviedo, those which I carried thither having been all sold during
my short stay.
In a few days it is my intention to commit to the press Luke in
Basque and in Rommany, the latter of which versions I propose to
carry with me to Andalusia and Valencia, the two provinces which
most abound with the Rommany-Chai, of whom, by the way, I found no
trace in Old Castile, Galicia, or the Asturias. As for the Basque
version, it is probable that even in Madrid it will not be without
demand, as many Biscayans residing there will doubtless be eager to
read the Gospel when placed within their reach in their native
tongue.
I will now conclude by begging pardon for all errors of commission
and omission. I am a frail foolish vessel, and have accomplished
but a slight portion of what I proposed in my vanity. Yet
something, though but little, has been effected by this journey,
which I have just brought to a conclusion. The New Testament of
Christ is enjoying a quiet sale in the principal towns of the north
of Spain, and I have secured the FRIENDLY INTEREST and co-operation
of the booksellers of those parts, particularly him, the most
considerable of them all, Rey Romero of Compostella. I have,
moreover, by private sale disposed of one hundred and sixteen
Testaments to individuals entirely of the lower classes, namely,
muleteers, carmen, CONTRABANDISTAS, etc.
My accounts will follow in a few days. Now may the Lord bless you,
and dispose you to pray for myself and all in this land of misery
and sorrow.
G. B.
LETTER: 20th November, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Dec. 2, 1837)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO PISO 3RO.
NOVR. 20, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - On the other side you have an account of the
money which I expended during my journey, and also of what I have
laid out in the Society's service since my return. In respect to
my expenses, I wish to state that most articles are very dear in
Spain, especially in the parts where I have travelled, and that I
have been subjected to many expenses which I have not specified in
the account, for example the gate-dues for the books, in every town
where I have introduced them - the printing of advertisements - and
particularly farriers' bills, as the poor horses were continually
ailing from over-work, bad provender and falls received amongst the
mountains. In the account of Testaments sold you will observe that
I make no mention of by far the greater number, namely those
disposed of at Lugo, Saint James, etc., etc., as I have not yet
received the money from the booksellers. About a week since I
received advice from Leon that the forty copies which I had left
there had been all sold, and that the money was in readiness; I
have despatched a fresh supply of fifty to that important town,
where last summer I nearly lost my life in a burning fever. I am
expecting every day a fresh order from Salamanca, and hope that, as
the circle widens in the lake into which a stripling has cast a
pebble, so will the circle of our usefulness continue widening
until it has embraced the whole vast region of Spain.
I have delayed writing for nearly a fortnight, as during that
period I have been looking out for a suitable shop in which to
commence operations in Madrid. I have just found one quite to my
mind, situated in the CALLE DEL PRINCIPE, one of the principal
streets. The rent, it is true, is rather high (eight REALS per
diem); but a good situation, as you are well aware, must be paid
for. I came to the resolution of establishing a shop from finding
that the Madrid booksellers entrusted with the Testaments gave
themselves no manner of trouble to secure the sale, and even
withheld advertisements from the public with which they were
supplied. But now everything will be on another footing, and I
have sanguine hopes of selling all that remain of the edition
within a short time.
A violent and furious letter against the Bible Society and its
proceedings has lately appeared in a public print; it is prefixed
to a Pastoral of the Spiritual Governor [I.E. Bishop] of Valencia,
in which he forbids the sale of the London Bible in that see.
About a week since I inserted in the ESPANOL an answer to that
letter, which answer has been read and praised. I send you
herewith an English translation of it. You will doubtless deem it
too warm and fiery, but tameness and gentleness are of little avail
when surrounded by the vassal slaves of bloody Rome. It has
answered one purpose - it has silenced our antagonist, who, it
seems, is an unprincipled benefice-hunting curate. As you read
Spanish, I have copied his own words respecting the omission of the
Apocrypha; nevertheless, lest you should find some difficulty in
understanding it, I subjoin here the English.
'If the works of Luther were to be given to the world curtailed of
their PRINCIPAL CHAPTERS, and his maxims and precepts to a certain
degree transformed, what would his followers and disciples do?
Would they not rise with one accord in numerous bands, and, in
order to sustain the honour of their preceptor, would they not
recur to the original writings and produce in his support his
manuscripts? Would they not resort to all kinds of argument to
prove the spuriousness of that edition, and employ declamation and
reasoning in order to blacken the illicit and fraudulent means
which the Catholics were employing?' etc., etc., etc.
I deemed it my duty, as Agent of the Bible Society in Spain, not to
permit so brutal an attack upon it to pass unanswered. Indeed I
was called upon by my friends to reply, and though I am adverse to
all theological and political disputes, I feared to refuse, lest
the motives of my silence should be misconstrued. But now I must
be permitted to say (between ourselves) that it was a very
unadvised act to send such a Bible as the London one over to Spain,
a Bible which does the editor no credit and the Society less; and
it was a still more unadvised act to advertise in the prints of
Valencia that it would be given GRATIS to the poor. Mr. Villiers,
whom I consulted, made use of these words: 'How is it possible for
you (meaning myself) to sell books at Madrid and other places, when
it becomes known that those very same books are being given away at
Valencia? Moreover, giving away Bibles to the multitude will seem
to imply that there is some plot or conspiracy in the wind, and the
Government, with some shadow of reason, may be called upon to
interfere, and the proceedings of the Society may be brought to a
sudden stop in Spain.' I hope you will excuse these hints; they
are well meant, and in uttering them I have, as you know, the
prosperity of our hallowed cause solely at heart.
G. B.
(I am still very unwell.)
TO THE EDITORS OF EL ESPANOL
GENTLEMEN, - My attention has this moment been directed by a friend
to a letter which appeared in your journal of the 5th instant,
signed Jose Francisco Garcia and prefixed to a circular of the
Governor of the See of Valencia, the object of which is to forbid
the purchasing or reading of the Castilian version of the Bible by
Father Felipe Scio, as edited in London by the British and Foreign
Bible Society, and which the Agent of the Society at Valencia has
announced for sale.
Did the principles of the Bible Society permit them to rejoice at
the misfortunes of their fellow-creatures, even of their enemies,
the style and tone which the writer of this epistle has,
unfortunately for himself and his cause, adopted, would afford them
plenteous matter for congratulation. He calls himself an
ecclesiastic and talks about 'the sacred duty of his august
ministry,' and for the purpose, I suppose, of showing how strictly
he fulfils the precepts of his mild Master and Redeemer, he styles
the Society in question 'an infernal Society,' and speaks of 'its
accursed fecundity.' Goodly words! Charitable words! May I be
permitted to enquire in what part of the sacred writings he found
them recommended? Perhaps in the following text of the Vulgate:-
'Vae vobis Scribae et Phariseai hypocritae, qui decimatis mentham,
et anethum, et cyminum, et reliquistis quae graviora sunt legis,
JUDICIUM, ET MISERICORDIAM, et fidem. Haec oportuit facere, et
illa non omittere.'
Matt. cap. xxiii. vers. 23.
Ay de vosotros, Escribas y Phariseos hipocritas, que diezmais la
yerba buena, y el eneldo, y el comino, y habeis dexado las cosas,
que son mas importantes de la Ley, LA JUSTICIA, Y LA MISERICORDIA,
y la fe! Esto era menester hacer, y no dexar lo otro.
The British and Foreign Bible Society is an infernal society and
consequently its members, one and all, are children of the devil.
Now, what is required to constitute a child of the devil, according
to the opinion of the Founder of Christianity - of Jesus - the
Living Word - the Eternal God? Let me quote HIS own words,
according to the Vulgate, the book of the Church of Rome:
'Vos ex patre diabolo estis: et desideria patris vestri vultis
facere. Ille homicida erat ab initio, et in veritate non stetit,
quia non est veritas in eo: cum loquitur mendacium, ex propriis
loquitur, quia mendax est et pater ejus.'
Joan. cap. viii. vers. 44.
'Vosotros sois hijos del diablo, y quereis cumplir los deseos de
vuestro padre: el fue homicida desde el principio, y no permanecio
en la verdad; porque no hay verdad en el: quando habla mentira, de
suyo habla; porque es mentiroso, y padre de la mentira.'
By this it should appear that the infernal Bible Society by the
propagation of the Scriptures merely fulfils the desire of its
father the devil, and disseminates that which is his. Being a
child of the devil it cannot propagate truth; it propagates the
Gospel, and nothing else - ERGO, the Gospel is a lie and the father
of it the devil.
But the Bible Society is accused, not only in the circular, but in
the epistle which introduces it to the ESPANOL, of vending a
mutilated and curtailed version of the holy books. It is accused
of omitting six of the books which are generally bound up with what
is denominated the Bible; viz., Tobias, Judith, Baruch, Sabiduria,
Eclesiastico, y 1* y 2* de los Machabeos. The CHRISTIAN
ECCLESIASTIC, the author of the epistle, in indignation at this
omission becomes suddenly argumentative, and puts a case to the
heretics, which he deems in point; 'Si vieran la luz publica las
obras de Lutero mutiladas en sus PRINCIPALES CAPITULOS, y
transformadas en cierto modo sus maximas y preceptos; que
diligencias no practicarian sus secuaces y discipulos? Se
levantarian a una en tropas numerosas para sostener el honor de su
preceptor, y con el fin de dejar en su justo lugar a su amado
maestre, recurririan a sus escritos originales, manifestarian en su
apoyo los manuscritos, apelarian a todo linage de argumentos para
acreditar la ilegitimidad de aquella edicion, y emplearian sus
declamaciones y raciocinios para ascar los medios rateres e
ilicitos de que se valia el catolicismo.'
Hear it in Gath! hear it in Gilead! hear it on the hills of Israel!
yea let the furthest corners of the earth hear it! The PRINCIPAL
CHAPTERS of the Bible are not those of the New Testament, which
contains the will and words of the Saviour, by whom we are to be
judged - not those of Isaiah, who foretold so beautifully and
distinctly the coming of that Saviour to the world - not those of
Moses, who wrote of things in their earliest date, and so nobly
depicted the progress of the creation, - but those of the books of
Tobit, Baruch, etc., books which the Roman Church itself has called
apocryphal, and the greater part of which exhibit an internal
character of spuriousness which precludes the possibility of their
being the offspring of inspired minds, though they contain some
things useful and instructive, such as may be found in the writings
of the early doctors, who however never claimed nor were deemed to
possess the gift of inspiration from on high.
Let me here ask: what is to be discovered in the chapters of
Tobit, etc., of first rate importance to the Christian in his
worldly pilgrimage, or which serves to corroborate and illustrate
other parts of Scripture? Above all, is Christ crucified spoken of
or hinted at, as in the authenticated writings of the Prophets? If
not, what is their value in comparison with that of other books of
Scripture, even could their authenticity be proved?
Now to that point. This Christian ecclesiastic calls with a loud
voice upon his brethren to prove by pamphlets and writing the
divinity of the books of Tobit, Judith, etc. Yea, let them
accomplish that - let them bring sufficient evidence that these
apocryphal writings were held in veneration by the Jews, that they
enjoyed a place in the sanctuary along with the inspired writings,
let them show that they were penned by Prophets, above all LET THEM
PRODUCE THE ORIGINALS - and the Bible Society will immediately
admit them into its editions. Why not? I am not aware that one
point of doctrine, either Protestant or Roman, depends upon their
reception or rejection.
In conclusion. What struck me most on the perusal of this singular
epistle, all the main points of which I believe I have tolerably
well answered, and without much trouble, was the ignorance more
than childish, the extraordinary, unaccountable ignorance, which
the author displays on the subject on which he has written, and all
which relates to it, notwithstanding that subject is a religious
one, and he, an ecclesiastic as he gives the world to know,
standing forward as champion of the Church of Rome. He is
evidently as well acquainted with Scripture and the works of the
Fathers as with the Talmud and Zend-avesta, and with the ideas and
dogmas of those whom he calls heretics, as with the religious
opinions of the Mongols and the followers of the Lama of the
Himalayan hills. The miserable attack which, in his rancorous
feebleness, he has just committed on the Bible Society will redound
merely to his own shame and ridicule, and the disgrace of the sect
to which he belongs. What could persuade him to speak of the
Vulgate? What could induce him to grasp that two-edged sword?
Does it not cut off his own hands? Does the Vulgate allude to the
Bible Society, or to him and his fellows, when it cries:-
Vae vobis legisperitis, quia tulistis clavem scientiae, ipsi non
introistis: et eos, qui introibant, prohibuistis. - Lucae, cap.
xi. vers. 52.
'Ay de vosotros, Doctores de la Ley que os alzasteis con la llave
de la ciencia! vosotros no entrasteis, y habeis prohibido a los que
entraban.'
And again:-
Qui ex Deo est, verba Dei audit. Propterea vos non auditis, quia
ex Deo non estis. - Joan. cap. viii. vers. 47.
'El que es de Dios, oye las palabras de Dios. Por eso vosotros no
las ois, porque no sois de Dios.'
What could induce him to speak of Luther and his works? What does
he, what do his abettors, know of Luther and his writings, or of
the ideas which the heretics entertain respecting either? I will
instruct them. Luther was a bold inquiring man, with some
learning; he read the Scriptures in the original tongues, and found
that their contents were in entire variance with the doctrines of
the Church of the Seven Hills; he told the world so, as other men
had done, with feebler voices, before, and the best part of the
world believed - not him - but the Scripture, for he gave it to
them in a shape which they could understand. The heretics look not
for salvation by the merits either of Luther or Calvin, for merits
they had none - being merely the instruments which Providence
selected to commence a great work which He has hitherto not thought
proper to perfect. The heretics look for salvation to Christ and
hope to be forgiven by lively faith in Him and by virtue of His
blood-shedding. They trust not in Peter nor in Paul - both men and
sinners - in Luther nor in Calvin - greater sinners still - but in
Christ alone. They trust not in stick nor stone, in picture nor in
image, in splinter of cross nor bone of saint, but in Christ alone
- not in His mother or His brother - He Himself has said: 'those
that do the will of my Father that is in heaven, they are my
mother, they are my brethren.'
Quae est mater mea, et qui sunt fratres mei? . . .
Quicumque fecerit voluntatem Patris mei, qui in coelis est, ipse
meus frater et soror et mater est. - Matt. cap. xii. vers. 48-50.
Christ alone is the foundation and cope-stone of the true Church.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 28th November, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Dec. 8, 1837)
28TH NOVR. 1837, MADRID,
No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO, PISO 3RO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have just received your letter [of Nov.
15th], for which I thank you heartily. I write these lines in a
great hurry, as no time must be lost. The shop opened yesterday,
and several Testaments have been sold, but three parts of the
customers departed on finding that only the New Testament was to be
obtained; and I may here state that if the books which I carried to
the provinces had been Bibles, I could have sold ten times the
amount of what I did. I must therefore be furnished with Bibles
instanter. Send me therefore the London edition, bad as it is, say
500 copies. I believe you have a friend at Cadiz, the consul, who
would have sufficient influence to secure their admission into
Spain. But the most advisable way would be to pack them in two
chests, placing at the top Bibles in English and other languages,
for there is a demand, viz.: 100 English, 100 French, 50 German,
50 Hebrew, 50 Greek, 10 Modern Greek, 10 Persian, 20 Arabic. PRAY
DO NOT FAIL.
Direct the books thus:-
DESPACHO DE LA SOCIEDAD BIBLICA,
No. 25 CALLE DEL PRINCIPE, MADRID.
I start to-morrow for Toledo with 100 Testaments, for I must spare
no exertion in such a cause. I go as usual on horseback. I am in
a great hurry and can write no more.
Yours most truly,
(Send, with the books, a Modern Greek grammar and dictionary. You
must likewise renew my credit on Messrs. O'Shea & Compy.)
LETTER: 25th December, 1837
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jany. 8, 1838)
MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO No. 16,
DEC. 25, 1837.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 5th instant, and also my friend Mr. Jackson's of the
8th. I should have replied ere this, had not my time been entirely
occupied since my return from Toledo. The versions of St. Luke in
Gitano and Basque have been committed to the press; and as the
compositors are entirely ignorant of these languages a most strict
surveillance is required, which I hope will be admitted as an
excuse for having so long delayed to answer. I expect that within
a fortnight my task will be completed.
You are aware that I have established in Madrid a shop, or
DESPACHO, as it is here called, for the sale of Testaments, and you
are doubtless anxious to receive information as to its success. It
succeeds well, nay, I may say very well, when all circumstances are
taken into consideration; for it ought to be known that I have
ventured upon this step in the very place which of all in Spain,
affords the least chance of a successful issue, yet at the same
time in the place where such a step was most needed, provided it be
the imperative duty of Christians to make the Word of their Master
known in the dark portions of the earth. It was a step fraught
with difficulties of every kind. Madrid, it is true, is the
capital of Spain; yet let no one for a moment suppose that being so
it is consequently the largest, richest and most enlightened town
in the Peninsula. In the first place, it is inferior in population
to Valencia and Barcelona; in the second, misery and distress reign
here to an extent unknown elsewhere; and so far from its being
peculiarly enlightened, I believe that of all places in the
Peninsula it is the least so. It is the centre of old, gloomy,
bigoted Spain, and if there be one inveterate disgusting prejudice
more prevalent and more cherished in one spot than another, it is
here, in this heart of old, popish, anti-christian Spain, always
difficult of access, but now peculiarly so, as it is scarcely
possible to travel a league from its gates without being stript
naked and murdered. Yet in this singular capital, in the midst of
furious priests and Carlists, I have ventured upon establishing a
shop which bears on its front in large letters: 'Despatch of the
British and Foreign Bible Society.' To call the attention of the
people to this establishment, I printed three thousand
advertisements on paper, yellow, blue, and crimson, with which I
almost covered the sides of the streets, and besides this inserted
notices in all the journals and periodicals, employing also a man
after the London fashion to parade the streets with a placard, to
the astonishment of the populace.
The consequence has been that at present every person in Madrid,
man, woman, and child, is aware of the existence of the
establishment. You must feel convinced that such exertions would
in London or in Paris have insured the sale of the whole edition of
the New Testament within a few days. But hitherto I have had to
contend with ignorance - and such ignorance, with bigotry - and
such bigotry, and with great and terrible distress. So that since
the opening of the establishment, which I hope the Lord will deign
to bless, I have contrived to sell, and I may say that every copy
sold has cost me an exertion, and no slight one, between 70 and 80
New Testaments (3) and 10 Bibles. You will doubtless wonder where
I obtained the latter: in the shop of a bookseller who dared not
sell them himself, but who had brought them secretly from
Gibraltar. Of these Bibles there were two of the large edition,
printed by William Clowes, 1828 (I would give my right hand for a
thousand of them); these I sold (on the bookseller's account) for
70 REALS or 17 shillings each, and the others, which were of the
very common edition, for 7 shillings, which is, however, far too
dear. My own Testament I sell for 10 REALS, which every person
allows to be unaccountably cheap, but I deem it best to be
moderate, on account of the distress of the times. Permit me here
to observe that this Testament has been allowed by people who have
perused it, and with no friendly feeling, to be one of the most
correct works that have ever issued from the press in Spain, and to
be an exceedingly favourable specimen of typography and paper: and
lucky it is for me that it is impossible to say anything against
the edition. (4) You will easily suppose that such an
establishment in Madrid has caused a great sensation. The priests
and bigots are teeming with malice and fury, which hitherto they
have thought proper to exhibit only in words, as they know that all
I do here is favoured by Mr. Villiers; (5) but there is no attempt,
however atrocious, which may not be expected from such people, and
were it right and seemly for ME, the most insignificant of worms,
to make such a comparison, I would say that, like Paul at Ephesus,
I am fighting with wild beasts.
I receive daily a great many applications for copies gratis, as it
is here the generally received opinion that the Bible Society
invariably gives away its publications; and I must confess that
this opinion, however it may have originated, is very prejudicial
to the sale of the Testament.
'Wait a while,' say many, 'and these books may be had for nothing.
Friends of ours who have been in England have had them pressed upon
them, and CART-LOADS have been given away in Cadiz and other
places.' Such a conversation was related to me yesterday, by my
excellent friend and coadjutor Doctor Usoz, who had just heard it
in a coffee-house. Of this gentleman I cannot speak in too high
terms of admiration; he is one of the most learned men in Spain,
and is become in every point a Christian, according to the standard
of the New Testament.
My projects are these. As soon as ever my Gospels are ready, I
mount the saddle once more, entrusting the DESPACHO and shopman to
the care of Dr. Usoz. My course will be directed to Andalusia, a
rich and tolerably enlightened province. Hitherto I have only had
to deal with poverty, ignorance, and bigotry; but I hope with God's
assistance to accomplish much at Seville and Cadiz. It is true
that to arrive there I shall have to pass through La Mancha and the
Morena district, which are entirely in the hands of the swarms of
banditti whose general is Palillos (he has upwards of 9000 under
his command), or through Estremadura, occupied at present by the
hordes of Jara and Orejita. But I fear nothing, and trust that One
above will preserve me. In the meantime let me beg and pray that
you will send Bibles, Bibles, Bibles of all sizes and prices, and
in all languages to Madrid. You cannot conceive how helpless and
forlorn I feel, 400 miles from the sea-coast, on being begged to
supply what I possess not. I received an order the other day for
20 Hebrew Bibles. I replied with tears in my eyes, 'I have nothing
but the New Testament in Spanish.'
You wish to know my reasons for censuring the London edition of the
Spanish Bible. I will state them in a few words: the utmost
confusion reigns throughout, both as to accentuation and
punctuation; words are frequently omitted or misspelt, and
occasionally a short sentence is left out. All this is very
annoying, but I was perhaps wrong in sending home 'so unmitigated a
censure.' It may possibly occur that a Spanish edition, unless
superintended by very zealous and careful people, may turn out yet
more incorrect. Therefore I should not be sorry to see any number
arrive at Madrid.
In reply to your observation that I am in a mistake in supposing
that Bibles have been given away to any extent in the south of
Spain, permit me to observe, and always with the greatest humility,
that I never ventured to form any supposition respecting the
matter. But the Vicar General of Valencia gave as a reason for
publishing the circular in which he forbids the Bible, an
advertisement inserted in the Commercial Diary of Valencia, to the
effect, that a person was commissioned in that city to sell at
cheap prices, and even to give away gratis to those who might not
have money at their disposal, copies of the Spanish Bible printed
in London; and on this passage his commentator observes, 'Fine
generosity! Charity worthy of applause and gratitude!' The friend
who brought me the newspaper stated at the time that the
advertisement was calculated to do harm. It is certainly liable to
much misconstruction.
And now, my dear Sir, having detailed my whereabouts, permit me to
subscribe myself,
Yours most truly,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 15th January, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jan. 26, 1838)
MADRID, JANUARY 15, 1838.
No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - The priests have at length 'swooped upon me,'
and I have received a peremptory order from the Political Governor
of Madrid to sell no more New Testaments. I have been apprehensive
of something similar for some little time, on account of the late
change of Ministry, the present head of the Cabinet, Ofalia, being
one of the most furious bigots in Spain. I have just paid a visit
to Sir George Villiers, who has promised to do all in his power to
cause the veto to be annulled. But I must here state that he has
not at present much influence, he having opposed with all his power
the accession of Ofalia to the premiership, to which station the
latter has been exalted for the mere purpose of serving as an
instrument of the priestly party. I therefore do not place much
reliance in Sir George Villiers' power of assisting me; but I have
still great confidence in myself, through the Almighty in whose
cause I am engaged.
Matters were going on very well before this check. The demand,
even for Testaments, was becoming considerable, so much so that the
clergy were alarmed, and the consequence has been this step. But
they had previously recourse to another well worthy of them; they
attempted to act upon my fears. One of the ruffians of Madrid,
called MANOLOS, came up to me one night in a dark street, and told
me that unless I discontinued selling 'my Jewish books' I should
have a knife 'NAILED IN MY HEART'; but I told him to go home, say
his prayers, and tell his employers that I pitied them, whereupon
he turned away with an oath. A few days after, I received an order
to send two copies of the Testament to the office of the Political
Governor, with which, after consulting with Sir George Villiers, I
complied, and in less than twenty-four hours, namely, on the
evening of last Saturday, an ALGUACIL arrived at the shop with the
notice prohibiting the further sale of the New Testament,
permission to print which I had obtained from the Ministry of
Isturitz after so much trouble and anxiety.
One circumstance rejoices me. They have not shut up my little
DESPACHO, and as soon as ever the Bibles arrive (and I have advice
from Barcelona of their being on the way) I shall advertise them,
for I have received no prohibition respecting the sale of any work
but the New Testament. Moreover, within a few days the Gospel of
Saint Luke in Rommany will be ready for delivery, so that I hope to
carry on matters in a small way till better times arrive. I have
been advised to erase from the shop windows the words 'Despatch of
the British and Foreign Bible Society,' but I intend to do no such
thing; those words have tended very much to call attention, which
was my grand object. Had I attempted to conduct things in an
underhand manner, I should at the present moment scarcely have sold
30 copies instead of nearly 300, which in Madrid are more than
equivalent to 3,000 sold on the littoral. People who know me not,
nor are acquainted with my situation, may be disposed to call me
rash; but I am far from being so, as I never adopt a venturous
course when any other is open to me. But I am not a person to be
terrified by any danger, when I see that braving it is the only way
to achieve an object. The booksellers refused to sell my work; I
was compelled to establish a shop of my own. Every shop in Madrid
has a name. What name should I give mine but the true one? I was
not ashamed of my cause nor my colours. I hoisted them, and have
fought beneath them not without success.
The Levitical party in Madrid have, in the meantime, spared no
effort to vilify me. They have started a publication called 'The
friend of the Christian religion,' in which has appeared a furious
attack upon me, which I have however treated with the contempt it
deserves. But not satisfied with this, they have endeavoured to
incite the ignorant populace against me, by telling them that I am
a sorcerer and a companion of Gypsies and witches, and I have been
called so in the streets. That I am an associate of Gypsies and
fortune-tellers I do not deny, and why should I be ashamed of their
company when my Master mingled with publicans and thieves? Many of
the poor Gypsy race come frequently to visit me, receive
instruction, and hear parts of the Gospel read to them in their own
language, and when they are hungry and faint I give them to eat and
drink. This may be deemed sorcery in Spain, but I am not without
hope that it will be otherwise estimated in England; and were I to
perish to-morrow I think there are some who would be disposed to
say that I have lived not altogether in vain (always as an
instrument of the 'Most Highest'), having been permitted to turn
one of the most valuable books of God into the speech of the most
oppressed and miserable of His creatures.
No more at present, but I hope to write again within a few days.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 17th March, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Mar. 27, 1838)
MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO, No. 16.
17 MARCH, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - As I entertain little doubt that yourself and
my other good friends are anxious to obtain information respecting
the course of matters in Madrid, I write the present letter,
although I could have wished to tarry a little longer, in the hope
of being able to afford more satisfactory intelligence. In the
first place, allow me to state that about six weeks since I
despatched to England a copy of Saint Luke in Rommany, by the
courier of the Embassy, which I hope you received, and that it
afforded you satisfaction. I may also add that yesterday the
printing of the Basque translation of the same Gospel was brought
to a happy conclusion, to my very great satisfaction, as it has
caused me much trouble and anxiety, the press having been brought
to a stop three times from the necessity of casting fresh type, the
usual Spanish founts being insufficient to print a sheet in this
singular language, owing to all its words being contained within
the compass of six or seven letters, the demand for which is in
consequence tremendous. With the Rommany I had no difficulty
whatever. Within a week or two it is my intention to publish both
Gospels simultaneously. With this preamble, I will now proceed to
other matters.
During the last two months I have been almost incessantly engaged
in negotiations with the Ministry of Count Ofalia, for the purpose
of obtaining permission to sell the New Testament in Madrid and the
nullification of the prohibition. I have experienced, as might be
expected, great opposition, which I have not yet surmounted; but I
am by no means dispirited, as these obstacles are merely temporary.
I have had to contend against six Bishops at present resident in
Madrid, and amongst them him of Toledo, the Primate of Spain, who
have denounced the Bible, the Bible Society, and myself.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding their powerful and united efforts,
they have been unable to effect their principal object, namely, my
expulsion from Madrid and Spain. The Count Ofalia is a very good
and excellent man, though weak and superstitious to an exceeding
degree; and notwithstanding he has permitted himself to be made the
instrument, to a certain extent, of these people, he will not
consent to be pushed to such a length. Throughout this business,
as far as it has proceeded, I cannot find words sufficiently
strong, to do justice to the zeal and interest which Sir George
Villiers has displayed in the cause of the Testament. He has had
six interviews with Ofalia on the subject, and in these he has
expressed to him his sense of the injustice and tyranny which have
been practised in this instance towards his countryman, as he does
me the honour of calling me. Ofalia has been much moved by these
remonstrances, and on several occasions has promised to do all in
his power to oblige Sir George; but then the Bishops, and
particularly his confessor, whom he consults every night, again
beset him, and playing upon his religious fears, prevent him from
acting a just, honest, and honourable part.
At the desire of Sir George Villiers, I drew up, a little time
since, a brief account of the Bible Society and an exposition of
its views, especially in respect to Spain, which he himself
presented with his own hand to the Count. Of this memorial I send
you a translation, and I think that you will do me the justice to
say that, if I have not flattered and cajoled, I have expressed
myself honestly and frankly, as a Christian ought. Ofalia on
reading it, said, 'What a pity that this is a mixed society, and
that all its members are not Catholics.' A few days subsequently,
to my great astonishment, he sent a message to me by a friend,
requesting that I would send him a copy of my Gypsy Gospel. I may
as well here state that the fame of this work, although
unpublished, has spread like wildfire through Madrid, and every
person is passionately eager to possess a copy; indeed, several
grandees of Spain have sent messages with similar requests, all of
which I have, however, denied. I instantly resolved to take
advantage of this overture on the part of Count Ofalia, and to call
on him myself. I therefore caused a copy of the Gospel to be
handsomely bound, and proceeding to the palace, was instantly
admitted to him. He is a dusky, diminutive person, between fifty
and sixty years of age, with false hair and teeth, but exceedingly
gentlemanly manners. He received me with great affability, and
thanked me for my present; but on my proceeding to speak of the New
Testament, he told me that the subject was surrounded with
difficulties, and that the whole body of the clergy had taken up
the matter against me; but he conjured me to be patient and
peaceable, and he would endeavour to devise some plan to satisfy
me. Amongst other things, he said that the Bishops hated a
sectarian more than an atheist; whereupon I replied, that, like the
Pharisees of old, they cared more for the gold of the Temple than
the Temple itself. Throughout the whole of our interview he
evidently laboured under great fear, and was continually looking
behind and around him, seemingly in dread of being overheard, which
brought to my mind an expression of Sir George Villiers, that if
there be any truth in metempsychosis, the ANIMA of Count Ofalia
must have originally belonged to a mouse. We parted in kindness,
and I went away wondering by what strange chance this poor man had
become Prime Minister of a country like Spain.
I have now given a plain narrative of what I have been about up to
the present moment, by which you will see that I have accomplished
all that lay within the circumscribed sphere of my ability, and
have brought every engine into play which it was in my power to
command. Let it always be borne in mind that it was no fault of
mine that, immediately after my arrival in Madrid from my journey,
a retrograde Ministry came into power, the head of which is a weak,
timid, priest-ridden man. Sir George has several times told me,
that had the Ministry of Calatrava and Mendizabal remained in
place, he himself would have answered that I should have received
no interruption in my labours, and that he will almost say the same
in respect to any future Ministry; and it is impossible that the
present can long maintain its ground, as it is disliked by the
Court and despised by the people.
I therefore write at present for instructions. Shall I wait a
little time longer in Madrid; or shall I proceed at once on a
journey to Andalusia and other places? I am in strength, health
and spirits, thanks be to the Lord! and am at all times ready to
devote myself, body and mind, to His cause. Therefore I pray that
my friends at home will point out the course which they think I
ought to pursue under these circumstances. In a few days I shall
send my account to Mr. Hitchin. I have hitherto delayed, not
having yet settled for the printing of the Basque St. Luke. I
received your kind letter of the 8th ultimo.
I remain, my dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. B.
P.S. - I have received the 500 Bibles in sheets from Barcelona.
Translation of a Memorial to his Excellence the Count D'Ofalia
(ENDORSED: Memorial of Mr. G. Borrow to Count Ofalia, Madrid, recd.
March 28,1838.)
To His Excellence The Count D'Ofalia
SIR, - I have the honour to inform you that, being a member and
Agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, I some months since
printed, with permission, at Madrid, an edition of the New
Testament of Jesus Christ in the Castilian language according to
the authorised version of Father Felipe Scio, Confessor of the late
King Ferdinand of happy memory.
That to effect the sale of the said work, in which the Society had
subjected itself to an expense of more than 100,000 REALS, I
subsequently established a Despatch at Madrid, where the work was
publicly sold at a moderate price until the 12th of January last,
when the person intrusted with the management of the said Despatch
received a notice from Don Francisco Gamboa, Civil Governor of
Madrid, forbidding the further sale of the New Testament until
fresh information.
As very erroneous ideas are generally entertained in Spain
concerning the constitution of the Bible Society and the views in
which its proceedings originate, I will endeavour in a few words to
afford some correcting information respecting both. I beg to state
that the Bible Society is composed of Christians attached to many
and various sects and forms of worship - for example, members of
the Roman, Greek, Anglican, Calvinistic, and Lutheran Churches, and
of all ranks and grades in society, who, though they may differ
from each other in points of religious discipline, form and
ceremony, agree in the one grand and principal point: that there
is no salvation from the punishment due to original sin but through
vivid faith in Christ, manifested and proved by good works, such
being the amount of the doctrine found in those inspired writings
known as the New Testament which contain the words of the Saviour
whilst resident in flesh on earth, together with the revelations of
the Holy Spirit to His disciples after He had ascended to the
throne of His heavenly glory.
Having said thus much respecting those who constitute the Bible
Society and the religious feeling which unites them, I will now
devote a few words to the explanation of their views, than which
nothing can be more simple or easily defined. They have no other
wish or intention in thus associating together than to assist, as
humble instruments under Christ, in causing His doctrine to be
propagated and known in all the regions of the vast world, the
greatest part of which is still involved in heathenism and
ignorance; and looking upon their earthly goods as of little or no
value in comparison with such a glorious end, they expend them in
printing editions of their Master's Word in all languages, and in
transporting them to the remotest corners of the earth, that their
benighted fellow-creatures may see the lamp of salvation, and enjoy
the same spiritual advantages as themselves. Such is their wish,
such their view, totally unallied with commerce or politics, hope
of gain and lust of power. The mightiest of earthly monarchs, the
late Alexander of Russia, was so convinced of the single-mindedness
and integrity of the British and Foreign Bible Society, that he
promoted their efforts within his own dominions to the utmost of
his ability, and established at St. Petersburg a Bible Society of
his own, whose publications have been a source of blessing not only
to Russia, but to many other lands.
After the above statement it is unnecessary for me to dilate on the
intentions of the Society with respect to Spain, a country which
perhaps most of any in the world is in need of the assistance of
the Christian philanthropist, as it is overspread with the thickest
gloom of heathenish ignorance, beneath which the fiends and demons
of the abyss seem to be holding their ghastly revels; a country in
which all sense of right and wrong is forgotten, and where every
man's hand is turned against his fellow to destroy or injure him,
where the name of Jesus is scarcely ever mentioned but in
blasphemy, and His precepts [are] almost utterly unknown. In this
unhappy country the few who are enlightened are too much occupied
in the pursuit of lucre, ambition, or ungodly revenge to entertain
a desire or thought of bettering the moral state of their
countrymen. But it has pleased the Lord to raise up in foreign
lands individuals differently situated and disposed, whose hearts
bleed for their brethren in Spain. It is their belief that
ignorance of God's Word is the sole cause of these horrors, and to
dispel that ignorance they have printed the Gospel in Spain, which
they dispose of at a price within the power of the poorest to
command. Vain men would fain persuade themselves and others that
the Society entertains other motives, by which uncharitableness
they prove that they themselves are neither Christians, nor
acquainted with the spirit of Christianity. But let the most
fearful and dubious reassure themselves with the thought, that
should the Bible Society foster the very worst intentions, it would
baffle their power, if even assisted by Satanic agency, to render
Spain worse than it at present is.
I beseech you, Sir, to co-operate in a good cause, and not seek to
retard its progress; for be assured that sooner or later it will
triumph.
I have the honour to remain,
Sir,
Your Excellence's obedient servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 30th March, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Apr. 9th, 1838)
MARCH 30, 1838. MADRID,
16 CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Without waiting for an answer to my last,
which I despatched some ten days since, I shall take the liberty of
again troubling you with a short letter. My principal motive for
so doing is a visit which I have just been favoured with from our
friend Mr. Rule of Gibraltar, a gentleman who has much interested
me, and of whose zeal, piety, and discretion I have formed the
highest opinion. It seems that the little congregation at Cadiz
has been broken up and dispersed by order of the Government, and in
consequence he has travelled to Madrid to make intercession in its
behalf. I am happy to say that Sir George Villiers has promised to
befriend him to the utmost of his ability. Since his arrival here
he has received intelligence which has filled him with much
uneasiness, and he has entreated me to write home in conjunction
with himself respecting the affair, with which indeed I am in some
degree concerned. I, however, beg leave to state, that it is with
the utmost reluctance I say a word upon the subject, being at all
times unwilling to interfere in the slightest degree in the
projects or movements of another party; but I feel that entire
silence in this case would be wrong and unadvisable.
I come now to the point. A friend of ours, who by your last favour
I was informed was about to leave Spain for the benefit of his
health, has, it appears, changed his mind, and is on his way to
visit Andalusia and the principal towns, namely Cadiz, Malaga, and
Seville. Now Mr. Rule is far better acquainted with him than I can
pretend to be, and he has told me that knowing him perfectly well,
he entertains great dread as to the effect which our friend's visit
to those parts will have over the issue of the affair which has
brought him, Mr. R., to Madrid. I must here observe that I had
myself made preparations to visit Andalusia, having indeed been
advised to do so by Sir George Villiers, who will afford me all the
recommendations and assistance which I can possibly desire. I may
add that some time since I despatched thither a considerable number
of Testaments, which are now being sold at Seville, etc. I
therefore humbly conceive that the arrival of another edition is
likely to produce a clash highly detrimental to the interests of
the Society, and to perplex the minds of the people of the west of
Spain respecting its views. But I confess I am chiefly
apprehensive of the reacting at Seville of the Valencian drama,
which I have such unfortunate cause to rue, as I am the victim on
whom an aggravated party have wreaked their vengeance, and for the
very cogent reason that I was within their reach. I think, my
dearest sir, you know sufficient of my disposition to be aware that
I am one of the last people disposed to make complaint, whether
with or without cause; but that passage in your affectionate and
kind letter which implied, though in the gentlest terms, that I had
been rash in my proceedings in Madrid, gave me a pang, more
especially as I knew from undoubted sources that nothing which I
had done, said, or written was the ORIGINAL cause of the arbitrary
step which had been adopted in respect to me.
There is another matter which gives me much uneasiness and which I
wish to confide to your bosom and yours alone, though you will, of
course, communicate it to such friends as you may deem proper. I
have received two letters from an ex-priest at Valencia of the name
of Marin, to the first of which I have replied, though very
cautiously. This very unfortunate individual, who it seems for
some time past has felt the workings of the Spirit, was last year
induced by certain promises, and hopes thrown out, to leave
Valencia, where he enjoyed a benefice on which he supported himself
and an aged mother, and to repair to Gibraltar for the purpose of
receiving Christian instruction under Mr. Rule. After remaining
some time at that place, where, Mr. R. informs me, his conduct was
in most points exemplary, he returned to Valencia, where his
apostasy, as the Papists termed it, having become known, his salary
of six PESETAS daily was sequestrated, and himself and his parent
in consequence deprived of their only means of subsistence. But
this is not all. The aid and assistance which he had been led to
expect from England were withheld in his great pinch and need, and
the very persons who had taken advantage of the commotion within
him to induce him to take what I must term a rash and hazardous
expedition, were the first to forsake him, and Mr. Rule states that
there is cogent reason for fearing that this unfortunate man and
his aged parent are at present perishing with hunger in the
barbarous streets of Valencia. I wish it to be known that the man
himself in his letters told me nothing of the promises which had
been held out to him, nor breathed a word of complaint, I being
indebted to Mr. R. for my knowledge on this point, who has a very
high opinion of his sincerity, although he has been termed an
impostor, though the fact of his having lost his salary by the
opinions which he has embraced ought to have precluded such an
idea. Now the Lord forbid that this man and his mother perish, so
that his death be laid by the enemy at the threshold of the humble
but unworthy servants of Christ. I therefore this day have sent
him a small sum on my own account to relieve the pinch of utter
need, till more can be known of him.
Pray excuse this letter written with a heart full of trouble and
doubt. Dispose of me as you think proper, my dear sir, who am
truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 19th April, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 1, 1838)
MADRID, APRIL 19, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I enclose a letter from Mr. Rule, dated
Valencia, 12th inst., which I have just received, and upon which I
beg to make a few observations.
In this very extraordinary espistle I am requested to take charge
of an ex-priest of the name of Pascual Marin, on his arrival at
Madrid, where it appears he is hastening, to furnish him with cash,
make an estimate of his probable expenses, and moreover to write
home to the Society, without delay, for the purpose of advising the
Committee to join with the gentlemen of another religious
institution in affording the said Marin the means for supporting
himself in the Spanish capital, where it is the writer's opinion
that he may be usefully employed in DISTRIBUTING the Scriptures,
and in preparing the way for a future mission. Well and good! But
my friends at home, discreet as I know them to be, will doubtless
be anxious to be informed by virtue of what correspondence or
communication with me does Mr. Rule now write from Valencia,
consigning to my hands this person, whom I have never seen, and
whom I know not, although, as I have stated on a former occasion, I
have received two letters from him, to one of which I returned a
cautious and guarded answer.
Mr. Rule suddenly arrived at Madrid, upon some business connected
with the Society to which he belongs; he called upon me, and I,
upon learning from him that he was a perfect stranger in Madrid,
without friends or acquaintances, received him with the hospitality
which the Scripture enjoins, and which I continued during his stay
in the capital, a period of about ten days. In the course of our
conversations he spoke to me of the peculiar hardships of the case
of Pascual Marin of Valencia, who, as he informed me, had been
induced, partly by conviction, and partly by persuasion, to secede
from his own Church, but who not having received from England the
assistance which he had been led to expect, was in danger of
perishing, with his mother, in the streets of Valencia, he having
lost the benefice which constituted their support. Whereupon
through the medium of Mr. Rule I sent him 500 REALS on my own
account, without, however, directly or indirectly pledging myself
to do anything more in his behalf, or to attempt to engage the
Bible Society to do so.
Mr. Rule left Madrid for Valencia, and on his departure informed me
that it was his firm intention to carry Marin with him to
Gibraltar, to which resolution I, of course, made no objection, as
I conceived that it was a matter with which I had little or no
connection, and in which it would be advisable not to involve
myself, more especially on account of the peculiar state of the
affairs at Madrid with which the Society had done me the honour to
entrust me.
I was aware that in my situation peculiar caution in every step was
necessary and indispensable, and after Mr. Rule's departure I
harboured not the slightest surmise that my attentions to himself,
or the slight conversation which I had held with him respecting
Marin, could possibly tend to compromise me in any point. I was,
however, mistaken.
In the name of all that is singular, what does Mr. Rule mean,
without the courtesy of asking my permission, by sending this man
to me at Madrid? Assist in preparing the way for a mission! Very
probably; but that mission will be my own, over the frontiers,
under an escort of lancers. Assist in distributing the Scriptures!
Probably again; but it will be to the wild winds of Madrid, when
they are torn to pieces by the common hangman in the Plaza Mayor,
and cast into the air. I must confess that I am vexed and grieved
that as fast as I build up, some intemperate friend rushes forward,
and by his perhaps well-meant zeal casts down and destroys what has
cost me much labour.
Things are beginning to assume a more favourable aspect. I have
opened my shop once more, though not at present for the sale of
Testaments. The priests are frantic, and through the medium of one
or other of the Ministers, are continually giving me trouble; but
Sir George Villiers has vowed to protect me, and has stated so
publicly, and he is every day acquiring more and more influence
here. He has gone so far as to state to Ofalia and Gamboa, that
provided I be allowed to pursue my plans without interruption, he
will be my bail (FIADOR) and answerable for everything I do, as he
does me the honour to say that he knows me, and that he can confide
in MY discretion. Therefore let me call upon my beloved and
respected friends at home, as they love their Lord and the credit
of His cause, to offer no encouragement to any disposed 'to run the
muck' (it is Sir George's expression) against the religious or
political INSTITUTIONS of Spain, to keep clear of the EXALTADO or
republican party, and to eschew tracts, with political
frontispieces, concerning any UNCERTAIN future dispensation; but to
confine themselves strictly and severely to the great work of
propagating the Word which sooner or later is doomed to
christianise the entire world.
I hope I shall be excused the freedom of these observations, when
it is reflected that I, being the Agent of the Bible Society, have
to answer to those who protect me here for all that is done in any
part of Spain under the sanction of the Society.
Concerning Marin and what is to be done in his respect, I feel
myself after much reflection and private prayer totally incompetent
to offer a suggestion. He can be of no possible service to me in
Madrid, but the contrary. One thing, however, is evident, that,
thanks to particular individuals, we are to a certain extent
compromised.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 23rd April, 1838
To the Rev. Andrew Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 3rd, 1838)
MADRID, APRIL 23, 1838,
CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 10th inst. and also my friend Mr. Jackson's of the
5th, containing the resolution of the Committee in my respect,
which I shall of course attend to.
My reason for troubling you with these lines is an apprehension
that my late communication has not been understood by you; for
there is something in the tone of your reply which has made me
rather unhappy, though I can easily conjecture that at the time you
wrote it you were labouring under a considerable pressure of
business. Had you paid a little more attention to my letter, you
would have perceived that it was written unwillingly on my part,
but Mr. Rule thought his province had been invaded. As for myself
I wish to say nothing, but it will be as well to remind you that
all the difficulty and danger connected with what has been
accomplished in Spain have fallen to my share, I having been
labouring on the flinty rock and sierra, and not in smiling meadows
refreshed by sea breezes. I hoped in Seville and other towns of
Andalusia to have secured the sale of more Testaments than it is
probable that I shall be able to do in Spain proper, where I was
afraid that my efforts had not been appreciated; but if my good
friend Mr. Graydon has preceded me to those regions let him remain
there and let no one interrupt him. I hope in the Lord that he
will be permitted to prosper. When you write to him, present my
cordial regards, and assure him that at all times I shall be happy
to hear from him.
I hope nothing in my last letter, in which I forwarded Mr. R's
communication, will be taken in bad part. I repeat that I was
grieved to have Marin saddled upon me, in a place where I am
surrounded by spies and persecuted by many and vindictive enemies.
The idea, however, of his having gone back to Rome is preposterous,
the Bishop of Jaen having assured Mr. R. that he had turned a deaf
ear to all the promises which had been made to him, with the view
of inducing him to recant. He has not yet made his appearance.
I remain, my dear Sir, yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - You have never had the urbanity to acknowledge the receipt
of my Gypsy Gospel. In the Spanish newspapers it has been called a
great accession to the literature of Spain.
LETTER: 26th April, 1838
To Mr. William Hitchin
(ENDORSED: recd. May 8, 1838)
MADRID, APRIL 26, 1838.
I TAKE the liberty of herewith sending you my accompt. It is still
an imperfect one, the printing of the Basque Gospel not being
charged for, which I have not defrayed, together with some other
items, for which I am indebted to my printer, who, having lately
fought a duel, is laid up with his wounds, and cannot for the
present transact business. I have charged here, as you will
observe, for the translation of the Basque St. Luke, an item, which
I sent in, in a former accompt, but which appears to have been
overlooked in your favour of Decr. 28, 1837. Independent of the
Despatch, I have charged for the hire of a room as a general depot
for the Scriptures. I am afraid to place my whole stock in the
shop, owing to the continual persecution to which I am subjected,
notwithstanding I enjoy powerful protection. Only last week a band
of ALGUAZILS rushed into the premises and seized 25 copies of the
Gospel of St. Luke in Rommany which I had advertised. To the
present accompt of the money which I have disbursed, you will
please to add the previous one of Novr. 1837, which I sent in,
which will enable you to see how I stand.
I hope the Financial Committee and yourself will excuse any
inaccuracies, supposing I have fallen into any, respecting money
drawn, as I am much busied in negociations, and have lately been so
harassed by vexatious proceedings, that I believe my mind has
somewhat suffered. However, glory to God, the Society's shop is
open AT MADRID, though we are not allowed to advertise and though
it be but a small taper burning amongst Egyptian darkness. I hope
it will serve as a watch-light and beacon to some.
I remain, etc.,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - The reprint of 1.5 sheet was owing to want of care on my
part, in the translation. I therefore wish that the amount be
struck out from my disbursements.
LETTER: 11th May, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 22, 1838)
PRISON OF MADRID, MAY [11], 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write, as you see, from the prison of
Madrid, in which I have been confined for the last ten days; for it
has pleased God to confer upon me the highest of mortal honours,
the privilege of bearing chains for His sake. I shall not at
present detail the circumstances which occasioned my arrest, as
doubtless the English newspapers will afford you all the
particulars, nor shall I dwell upon the situation in which I find
myself, but be content with observing that the violence, the
preconcerted violence and atrocity, which have been practised
towards me, will prove the means of accomplishing not what my
enemies hoped and wished, the destruction and disgrace of the
Bible-cause in Spain, but its triumph, its pure and sublime
triumph.
Satan has, as usual, foiled himself, and his poisoned shafts have
recoiled, and pierced his own bosom. You will have heard how
gallantly Sir George Villiers has taken my part, and how he has
made a national question of the persecution of which I have been
the object, and which lately reached its climax. It will be
necessary to tell you here that I have always communicated to him
the steps which I intended to take in order to promote the
circulation of the Bible, and they have uniformly met with his
approbation; therefore you will easily conceive that in what I have
done there has been no rashness nor anything which savoured of the
arts of the charlatan: I have too much respect for the Gospel and
my own character to have recourse to them.
I will now state a fact which speaks volumes as to the state of
affairs at Madrid. My arch-enemy the Archbishop of Toledo, the
Primate of Spain, wishes to give me the kiss of brotherly peace.
He has caused a message to be conveyed to me in my dungeon,
assuring me that he has had no share in causing my imprisonment,
which he says was the work of the Civil Governor, who was incited
to that step by the Jesuits. He adds that he is determined to seek
out my persecutors amongst the clergy and to have them punished,
and that when I leave prison he shall be happy to co-operate with
me in the dissemination of the Gospel!!!
I cannot write much now, for I am not well, having been bled and
blistered. I must, however, devote a few lines to another subject,
but not one of rejoicing or Christian exultation. Marin arrived
just after my arrest, and visited me in prison, and there favoured
me with a scene of despair, abject despair, which nearly turned my
brain. I despised the creature, God forgive me, but I pitied him;
for he was without money and expected every moment to be seized
like myself and incarcerated, and he is by no means anxious to be
invested with the honours of martyrdom. I have offered him some
relief - what else could I do? He seems partly insane. I reap, as
I expected, the full credit of his conversion. The Bishop of
Cordova got up the other day in council, and said that I was a
dangerous pestilent person, who under the pretence of selling the
Scriptures went about making converts, and moreover employed
subordinates, for the purpose of deluding weak and silly people
into separation from the Mother Church.
Of this man I have said in a letter to Mr. Rule, not yet sent: 'I
hope that Marin's history will prove a warning to many of our
friends, and tend to a certain extent to sober down the desire for
doing what is called at home SMART THINGS, many of which terminate
in a manner very different from the original expectations of the
parties concerned. To do a great and a good thing requires a heart
replete with the love of Christ and a head cooled by experience and
knowledge of the world; both of which desiderata I consider
incompatible with a wish to shine.'
It is probable that I shall leave prison to-morrow. Pray write to
my mother and beg her not to be alarmed.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 13th May, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 23, 1838)
MADRID, May 13 [1838].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Post is just about to start, but I am
compelled to write a few words. The Bible cause has triumphed in
Spain. Whatever I do in future connected with the Gospel is to
have the sanction of the Government, who have expressed a desire to
co-operate with the Bible Society towards the civilization of the
country.
I left prison yesterday, and this morning was sent for to the
British Embassy, where Sir George entered into an infinity of
details which I cannot state at present. Sir George has commanded
me, however, to write to the following effect:-
Mr. Graydon must leave Spain, or the Bible Society must publicly
disavow that his proceedings receive their encouragement, unless
they wish to see the Sacred Book, which it is their object to
distribute, brought into universal odium and contempt. He has
lately been to Malaga, and has there played precisely the same part
which he acted last year at Valencia, with the addition that in
printed writings he has insulted the Spanish Government in the most
inexcusable manner. A formal complaint of his conduct has been
sent up from Malaga, and a copy of one of his writings. Sir George
blushed when he saw it, and informed Count Ofalia that any steps
which might be taken towards punishing the author would receive no
impediment from him.
I shall not make any observation on this matter further than
stating that I have never had any other opinion of Mr. Graydon than
that he is insane - insane as the person who for the sake of
warming his own hands would set a street on fire. Sir George said
to-day that he, Graydon, was the cause of my harmless shop being
closed at Madrid and also of my imprisonment. The Society will of
course communicate with Sir George on the subject: I wash my hands
of it.
I remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 17th May, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. May 28, 1838)
MADRID, May 17, 1838.
EXCUSE the haste in which my last letter was written; it doubtless
seemed somewhat incoherent, I will now endeavour to be more
explicit. Moreover, since sending it, I have had an interview of
nearly two hours with Count Ofalia, and have much that is new to
communicate. But previously to stating what is likely to afford
pleasure and satisfaction, I must proceed to disburden myself of
what I heard with the greatest pain, and which I communicate with
sorrow and reluctance.
Sir George Villiers and Mr. Southern, first Secretary of Legation,
were the persons who first informed me of what has taken place at
Malaga. It appears that Mr. Graydon arrived there a short time
before my imprisonment at Madrid; and instead of endeavouring to
circulate the Scriptures in a quiet and reasonable manner, such as
becomes a gentleman and a Christian, and such as had been
recommended to me previous to my late long journey in the north of
Spain and which I have always endeavoured to follow, he had
recourse to means the most improper and disreputable, very similar
to those which he is said to have followed in all the other towns
which he has visited. In order to excite curiosity and cause a
sensation, he published advertisements and handbills replete with
the lowest abuse of the Spanish clergy and Government, and
containing his own private opinions concerning religion. However,
not contented with this, he had the cruelty - I will not call it
baseness - to speak of MYSELF, with, whom he asserted that he was
co-operating in every point, and that all he was doing was under
the sanction of the Bible Society.
Intelligence of these proceedings was of course sent to Madrid,
with one of the handbills, which I have not seen, but of which Mr.
Southern, a literary and accomplished gentleman, has said that its
abusive virulence is only to be equalled by its stupidity and
folly. Sir George Villiers, though very unwell, was deeply engaged
in my affair, and exchanging official notes with the Government.
He had just informed Count Ofalia that unless full and summary
satisfaction were afforded me, he should demand his passports, and
write to the commanders of all the English ships of war engaged in
furnishing assistance to Spain, commanding them to suspend
operations forthwith. Suddenly Count Ofalia arrived at the
Embassy, and flinging down on the table one of Graydon's handbills,
exclaimed: 'Peruse that, and then tell me, as a Cavalier and a
gentleman, and the Envoy of a powerful and enlightened nation,
whether you can any longer uphold the cause of your friend in
prison, and persist in saying that he has been cruelly and unjustly
treated. You see that he is in the closest connexion with an
individual whose conduct every civilised man must reprobate, it
being a most flagrant breach of common decency and order.'
This unexpected incident occurring at such a critical moment almost
stunned Sir George; but, recovering himself, he denied in the most
positive manner that I had any connexion with Graydon, and asserted
that he did not believe the latter was an Agent of the Bible
Society, and that at all events he was quite sure that he had acted
in this case without its knowledge and concurrence, and that it
would be willing to declare so in the clearest and most
satisfactory manner.
Count Ofalia, finding Sir George so positive, said that since I had
such a voucher he could not reasonably doubt my innocence; and that
with respect to the Society he supposed that it too well understood
its own interest to trust its affairs to a person whose conduct was
calculated to bring odium and misfortune on the fairest and most
promising cause. But Sir George has subsequently assured me that,
but for this unfortunate occurrence, he could have made much better
terms for me with the Spanish Government than from that period he
thought it politic to demand.
I will now state one circumstance, and the Lord knows how true it
is. It was my prayer night and morning in my dungeon that I might
hear of no fresh outbreak of this man, whose character I was but
too well acquainted with, as I think you will concede when you call
to mind my letter written immediately after I had received
intelligence that he was on the way to Andalusia. He has up to the
present moment been the 'Evil Genius' of the Bible cause in Spain
and of myself, and has so chosen his means and moments of operation
that he has been almost invariably successful in shaking to the
ground every feasible plan which my friends and myself have devised
for the propagation of the Gospel in a STEADY AND PERMANENT MANNER.
But I wish not to dwell upon this subject, and shall only observe
that his insane career (for in charity I believe him to be insane)
must be instantly brought to a termination. Sir George has already
written him a letter, in which I believe he advises him to quit the
country. Mr. Southern the other day made the following
observation, which I shall ever remember:-
'Sir George Villiers up to the present moment has been disposed to
render you (meaning myself) every assistance, and especially the
Bible Society, which he looks upon as the most philanthropic
institution which the world has ever known. Take care, however,
that he be not wearied and disgusted. He must not be involved in
such affairs as this of Malaga, and it must not be expected that he
is to put his lance in rest in defence of every person who visits
Spain to insult the authorities, and who, after having received
merited reproof and correction, writes home to his friends that he
is a martyr in the holy cause of religion.'
I may perhaps give offence by what, I have written. I shall be
grieved if it prove so. But I have had no other resource, and I
have stated the truth and what my conscience commanded me; and
permit me here to observe, that if any one in the world has a right
to be thus free it is myself, who have ventured and suffered much
in Spain.
Excuse me now for speaking one moment of myself. Notwithstanding I
have travelled very extensively in this strange country, and have
established many depots of Testaments most of which are flourishing
(I have just received intelligence from my correspondent at
Valladolid that forty copies have been sold at Burgos, the heart of
Old Castile), not one word of complaint has been transmitted to the
Government; and though I have suffered so much persecution in
Madrid, I have been but paying (one of my sources of information is
Count Ofalia himself) the account of others who seem to have been
reckless as to how much woe and misery they might heap on my head,
provided they could play the part with impunity which their own
distempered desires dictated.
Now to pleasanter subjects. Count Ofalia has given me very
excellent advice, which it will be well if the Society permit me to
follow. Amongst other things he said:- 'Be very cautious for some
time, and even suspend the sale of the Gospel in Madrid, and devote
all your energies to make friends amongst the clergy, very many of
whom are disposed to favour your enterprise. It would not be
prudent at present for the Government to interfere with
ecclesiastical matters, as the war is not yet terminated, but much
can be done in a quiet way by yourself.'
I must here state that there is a board of ecclesiastics at present
sitting, occupied in examining the Spanish Bible as printed by the
Society. It has been denounced by the Jesuits as not being a
faithful edition of Father Scio's version, independent of the
omission of the Apocrypha; but hitherto the opinion of the board
has been decidedly in our favour, and the Bishop of Vich has,
moreover, declared that it probably will be expedient to co-operate
with the Society in printing cheap editions of the Scripture for
the use of the people, as daily experience shows that the old
system cannot be carried on and that the sacred writings must be
thrown open.
The chief difficulty to settle will be the Apocrypha; but I have
authorised a friend to state that the Society is disposed to make
every possible concession, and to go so far as to relinquish the
Old Testament entirely and to content itself with circulating the
New. Perhaps I went too far in this advance; but I believe a
similar concession has been made in the case of Ireland, and I
feared to lose all by aiming at too much. However flattering
affairs may appear at present, I am well aware that a herculean
labour is to be surmounted before matters can be placed on a safe
footing in Spain. Prudence, coolness and firmness are at this
moment particularly necessary; and let it never for a moment be
supposed that religious instruction and the knowledge of genuine
Christianity can be introduced into Spain by scurrilous handbills
and the low arts of the mountebank.
A split with Rome will very shortly ensue, by which I mean that no
attention will be paid to Bulls, against which several of the
principal ecclesiastics have spoken; with these puissant
auxiliaries we must act in concert.
Allow me in conclusion to state a beautiful piece of conduct of Sir
George Villiers. I have commissioned one of the Bishops to request
for me an interview with the Archbishop of Toledo. Sir George on
hearing this said:- 'Tell the Archbishop that I also am anxious for
the favour of an interview, in order that I may assist in clearing
up any doubt, which he may still entertain, respecting the
intentions of the Bible Society; he has only to state the day, and
I will wait upon him.'
G. BORROW.
P.S. - I yesterday transmitted you a Spanish newspaper in which I
have published an advertisement, disclaiming in the name of the
Bible Society any writings which may have been circulated tending
to lower the authorities, civil and ecclesiastic, in the eyes of
the people, and denying that it is its intention or wish to make
proselytes from the Catholic form of worship. I took this step by
advice, I had likewise a particular reason of MY OWN.
Marin is still here looking out for some secular employ, but he is
continually haunting me. He tells me that he is preparing an
accounts of all his dealings with G [Graydon] and R [Rule], in
which he details the promises made him to induce him to sign a
document purporting to be a separation from the Roman Church. He
says that he was abandoned because he refused to preach publicly
against the Chapter of Valencia, which step would have insured him
a dungeon. This may be true or false, but I have taken my
precautions.
TRANSLATION OF THE ADVERTISEMENT
(ENDORSED: recd. May 28, 1838)
A rumour having been spread that some individuals, calling
themselves agents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, under
the pretext of circulating copies of the Holy Scriptures, have
traversed several towns on the eastern and western coasts of Spain,
and have published writings in which the respect due to the
ecclesiastical and civil authorities of Spain has not been
observed, but on the contrary an intention has evidently been
manifested in them to disparage them in the eyes of the population
of those parts, I hasten to make the following public Declaration:
That such individuals - if it be certain that there are such - have
in this respect acted upon their own responsibility, without
permission and even in direct opposition to the intentions of the
Bible Society, inasmuch as on the principles of the New Testament
similar attempts are to be reprobated and regarded with horror,
being in direct opposition to the express commands of the Saviour
and His Apostles, who in their addresses and writings have on
various occasions exhorted the faithful to shew respect and
obedience to their masters and superiors, even when they were
heretics or idolaters.
And as it has been stated that certain persons, under pretext of
being agents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, have shown
zeal in persuading, and have actually in some cases persuaded,
various individuals to sign documents purporting to be declarations
of separation from the Catholic Faith - I herewith publicly declare
that the British and Foreign Bible Society has no connection with
such persons; and should there be any such, it is not disposed
either to confirm or to approve their proceedings, but on the
contrary is desirous of stating in the most energetic and solemn
manner that it disavows and rejects all connexion or intercourse
with them.
The British and Foreign Bible Society is composed of individuals
belonging to all sects, in which those are divided who follow the
faith of Jesus Christ, amongst whom are seen co-operating for one
grand and holy object, followers of the Apostles, Romans, and
members of the Greek and [of the] English Church, whose design is
the propagation of the word of Christ in all countries, separating
wholly from the forms of discipline of the Church, [which are]
matters of secondary consideration, which for a long time have
filled the world with bloodshed and calamity, and have tended to
keep up in the hearts of Christians unhappy and malignant feuds.
Far from being desirous of making proselytes among those professing
the Catholic worship, the Bible Society is at all times disposed to
hold out the hand of Christian fraternity to the clergy of Spain
and to co-operate with those who believe, as the Catholic clergy
assuredly do, 'that all shall be saved, who, believing in Jesus
Christ, show it by their good works.'
Madrid MAY 12, 1838,
Office of the Bible Society,
Calle del Principe.
(Signed) GEORGE BORROW,
Sole authorised Agent of the British
and Foreign Bible Society in Spain.
LETTER: 23rd May, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 2, 1838)
MADRID, [MAY 23rd, 1838].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have just had an interview with the
Archbishop [of Toledo]. It was satisfactory to a degree I had not
dared to hope for.
In the name of the MOST HIGHEST take steps for preventing that
miserable creature Graydon from ruining us all.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 25th May, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 4, 1838)
MADRID, MAY 25, 1838,
CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Events follow each other so quickly in this
singular country, and my situation is so peculiar, and I am afraid
so little understood at home, that I am obliged to take up the pen
more frequently than I am inclined. Do not think me intrusive in
again troubling you. I do it in the hope of preventing any alarm
which an incorrect report of the following circumstance might cause
you.
Immediately on receiving intelligence of the scenes which had taken
place at Malaga, the Spanish Government resolved to put an end to
all Bible transactions in Spain, and forthwith gave orders for the
seizure of all the Bibles and Testaments in the country wherever
they might be deposited or exposed for sale. They notified the
same to Sir George Villiers, expressly stating that the resolution
was taken in consequence of the, 'OCURRIDO EN MALAGA.' I have now
learnt that several of my depots have been seized in various parts
of Spain, for example, at Salamanca, Seville, and of course at
Malaga. This, however, gives me little uneasiness, for, with the
blessing of God, I shall be able to repair all, always provided I
am allowed to follow my own plans, and to avail myself of the
advantages which have lately been opened especially to cultivate
the kind feeling lately manifested towards me by the principal
Spanish clergy.
But now prompt measures must be taken on the part of the Bible
Society. Knowing as I do the character of the unfortunate man who
has lately caused so much havoc, I am apprehensive that he may be
guilty of some fresh excess. From Mr. Rule's letter, which I
forwarded to you, it appears that for some time it has been his
intention to quit Spain, but not quietly, witness this last affair
of Malaga. Now my fear is that on his return to Barcelona, on
finding that the books and Bibles intrusted to his discretion have
been seized, he will publish as a parting legacy some tirade
against the Government and clergy. If he do, he will probably
bring himself into trouble and at all events destruction on our
cause; for the Government is quite despotic, as indeed is necessary
at the present time, and the whole of Spain is under martial law.
Therefore for his own sake, if not for the sake of the cause, let
him instantly retire, abandoning the Bibles to their fate. They
shall not be lost.
I have had, as you are aware, an interview with the Archbishop of
Toledo. I have not time to state particulars, but he said amongst
other things, 'Be prudent, the Government are disposed to arrange
matters amicably, and I am disposed to co-operate with them.' At
parting he shook me most kindly by the hand, saying that he liked
me. Sir George intends to visit him in a few days. He is an old,
venerable-looking man, between seventy and eighty. When I saw him,
he was dressed with the utmost simplicity, with the exception of a
most splendid amethyst ring, the lustre of which was truly
dazzling.
My poor servant, a Basque from Hernani, is, I am afraid, dying of
the jail-fever, which he caught in prison whilst attending me. He
has communicated this horrible disorder to two other persons. Poor
Marin is also very ill, but I believe with a broken heart; I
administer to his needs as far as prudence will allow me, for I am
grieved for him. I have not yet despatched my letter to Mr. Rule,
as I wish not to offend him; but I cannot approve of his forcing
Marin to come up to Madrid, contrary to his wishes. Zeal is a
precious thing, when accompanied with one grain of common sense.
In conclusion, I beg leave to say that Sir George Villiers has
authorised me to state that provided the Bible Society entertain
any doubts respecting my zeal in the Christian cause, or the
correctness of my conduct during my sojourn in Spain, he hopes they
will do him the satisfaction to communicate with him.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 13th June, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 23, 1838)
JUNE 13, 1838, MADRID,
No. 16 CALLE ST. IAGO,
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have received your letter of June 1st, but
not that of the 30th May which you allude to in the same, therefore
I am still in the dark upon many points.
Another bitter cup has been filled for my swallowing. The Bible
Society and myself have been accused of blasphemy, sedition, etc.
A collection of tracts has been seized in Murcia, in which the
Catholic religion and its dogmas are handled with the most abusive
severity; these books have been sworn to as having been left BY THE
COMMITTEE OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY WHILST IN THAT TOWN, and Count
Ofalia has been called upon to sign an order for my arrest and
banishment from Spain. Sir George, however, advises me to remain
quiet and not to be alarmed; as he will answer for my innocence.
I am now compelled to ask a blunt question. Will the Bible Society
look calmly on and see itself compromised and my life and liberty
exposed to danger by the lunatic vagaries of that unfortunate
Graydon, who, like a swine in a field newly sown, has of late been
solely occupied in rooting up the precious seed and destroying
every hope of a glorious harvest? The newspapers are teeming with
articles against us, for we are no longer looked upon as a Society
founded on the broad principles of Christianity, but as one
instituted for the carrying into effect of sectarian purposes.
In justice to me, it behoves the Society to communicate with Sir
George Villiers, who has abstracts of all the letters which I have
written to the Society, and who will vouch for their correctness.
Do not be cast down; all will go well if the stumbling block be
removed. I write in haste.
G. BORROW.
P.S. - What do you mean, my dear Sir, by the 'GRANO SALIS'?
LETTER: 14th June, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. June 25, 1838)
MADRID, JUNE 14, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Immediately after having despatched my letter
of yesterday, I received through my friend, Mr. Wood, a
communication from the Bishop of -, the president of the body of
ecclesiastics at present engaged in examining our Bible.
He is of my opinion that the Committee of the Bible Society should
in the present exigency draw up an exposition of their views
respecting Spain, stating what they are prepared to do, and what
they are not prepared to do - above all, whether in seeking to
circulate the Gospel in this country they harbour any projects
hostile to the Government and the established religion; moreover,
whether the late distribution of tracts was done by their
connivance or authority, and whether they are disposed to sanction
in future the publication in Spain of such a class of writings.
It of course does not become me to advise the Committee and
yourself upon this point. I merely take the liberty of
communicating the circumstance, and observing that the Prelate in
question is a most learned and respectable man, and one of the
warmest of our friends.
I have not seen any of the tracts seized at Murcia, nor do I wish.
If examined by the Council, I shall declare on oath that I am
innocent and ignorant of the matter, and that I believe the Bible
Society to be the same. Sir George assured me that one or two of
them were outrages not only to common sense but decency.
I forgot to tell you yesterday that my poor servant is dead. He
died of the pestilential typhus caught in the prison; his body at
the period of his death was a frightful mass of putridity, and was
in consequence obliged to be instantly shovelled into the Campo
Santo or common field of the dead near Madrid. May Christ be his
stay at the Great Day; a more affectionate creature never breathed.
Hear now what the MADRID GAZETTE says of our Society, in an article
in which it reproves in the strongest terms the conduct lately
pursued by pseudo-agents, and gives me a rap on the knuckles for an
anti-catholic expression or two in the advertisement in which I
denounced them. The GAZETTE is the official organ of the
Government, and all it says is under authority:-
'We will not conclude this article without bestowing the merited
tribute of praise on the project truly magnificent of the Bible
Society, considered not under the religious but the social aspect.
Christianity has been, is, and will be the grand agent in the
civilisation of the world; and the preaching of its doctrine, and
the propagation of its maxims among the nations who know it not, is
the most costly present which can be offered them, and the pledge
of belonging one day to the civilised world; or if they already
belong to it, of ameliorating their actual condition in society.
'Excellent moral results must also be produced among the poorer
classes of the people in Christian countries by the distribution of
copies of the sacred writings; and the Bible Society acts with the
highest prudence, by accommodating itself to the civil and
ecclesiastic laws of each country, and by adopting the editions
there current. In Spain, where every translation of the Bible is
forbidden, and in general every book of religion, without previous
censure and license of the ecclesiastical authority, much good may
arise from distributing either of the two translations, that of
Father Scio or that of Amat; but precisely as they are, and without
the suppression of the notes, which explain some difficult
passages. If the great object be the propagation of the evangelic
maxims, the notes are no obstacle, and by preserving them we fulfil
our religious principle of not permitting to private reason the
interpretation of the sacred Word.'
Excuse me this long extract.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
G. BORROW.
P.S. - I should wish to make another Biblical tour this summer,
until the storm be blown over. Should I undertake such an
expedition, I should avoid the towns and devote myself entirely to
the peasantry. I have sometimes thought of visiting the villages
of the Alpujarra mountains in Andalusia, where the people live
quite secluded from the world. What do you think of my project?
LETTER: 16th June, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. 27th June, 1838)
MADRID, JUNE 16, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have received your communication of the
30th ult., containing the resolutions of the Committee, to which I
shall of course attend.
Of your letter in general, permit me to state that I reverence the
spirit in which it is written, and am perfectly disposed to admit
the correctness of the views which it exhibits. [Greek text which
cannot be reproduced]. But it appears to me that in one or two
instances I have been misunderstood in the letters which I have
addressed [to you] on the subject of Graydon.
I bear this unfortunate gentleman no ill will, God forbid, and it
will give me pain if he were reprimanded publicly or privately;
moreover I can see no utility likely to accrue from such a
proceeding. All that I have stated hitherto is the damage which he
has done in Spain to the cause and myself, by the - what shall I
call it? - imprudence of his conduct; and the idea which I have
endeavoured to inculcate is the absolute necessity of his leaving
Spain instantly.
Take now in good part what I am about to say, and O! do not
misunderstand me! I owe a great deal to the Bible Society, and the
Bible Society owes nothing to me. I am well aware and am always
disposed to admit that it can find thousands more zealous, more
active, and in every respect more adapted to transact its affairs
and watch over its interests. Yet with this consciousness of my
own inutility I must be permitted to state that linked to a man
like Graydon I can no longer consent to be, and that if the Society
expect such a thing, I must take the liberty of retiring, perhaps
to the wilds of Tartary or the Zigani camps of Siberia.
My name at present is become public property - no very enviable
distinction in these unhappy times, and neither wished nor sought
by myself. I have of late been subjected to circumstances which
have rendered me obnoxious to the hatred of those who never
forgive, the bloody Church of Rome, which I have doubt will sooner
or later find means to accomplish my ruin; for no one is better
aware than myself of its fearful resources, whether in England or
Spain, in Italy or in any other part. I should not be now in this
situation, had I been permitted to act alone. How much more would
have been accomplished, it does not become me to guess.
I had as many or more difficulties to surmount in Russia than I
originally had here, yet all that the Society expected or desired
was effected without stir or noise, and that in the teeth of an
imperial UKASE which forbade the work which I was employed to
superintend.
Concerning my late affair, I must here state that I was sent to
prison on a charge which was subsequently acknowledged not only to
be false but ridiculous. I was accused of uttering words
disrespectful towards the GEFE POLITICO of Madrid; my accuser was
an officer of the police who entered my apartment one morning
before I was dressed, and commenced searching my papers and
flinging my books into disorder. Happily, however, the people of
the house who were listening at the door heard all that passed, and
declared on oath that, so far from mentioning the GEFE POLITICO, I
merely told the officer that he, the officer, was an insolent
fellow and that I would cause him to be punished. He subsequently
confessed that he was an instrument of the Vicar General and that
he merely came to my apartment in order to obtain a pretence for
making a complaint. He has been dismissed from his situation, and
the Queen has expressed her sorrow at my imprisonment. If there be
any doubt entertained on the matter, pray let Sir George Villiers
be written to!
I should be happy to hear what success attends our efforts in
China. I hope a prudent conduct has been adopted; for think not
that a strange and loud language will find favour in the eyes of
the Chinese; and above all, I hope that we have not got into war
with the Augustines and their followers, who, if properly managed,
may be of incalculable service in propagating the Scriptures.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,
G. BORROW.
P.S. - The documents, or some of them, shall be sent as soon as
possible.
LETTER: 26th June, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(Endorsed: recd. July 5, 1838)
MADRID, JUNE 26, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I shall not be able to send the documents in
question, as they are lodged in the archives, and are now become
state-papers. Those that relate to the affair at Malaga I have not
yet been able to obtain a perusal of; it will therefore perhaps
suffice for the present to say that in one of them the Government
was stigmatized as being 'VORAZ DE PESETAS' (voracious of pesetas),
and the Catholic religion termed 'UN SISTEMA DEL MAS GROSERO
FANATISMO' (a system of the grossest fanaticism). It was well for
the writer of this trash that the Government were at the time
alarmed at the step which they had taken in imprisoning myself, and
did not wish to press the matter home: otherwise he could not have
escaped so easily as he did. Yet what must we think of an
Englishman, who, relying for protection on the fear and respect
which the mighty country to which he belongs everywhere inspires,
visits a Spanish town in a state of revolution - as Malaga was -
and, for the bringing about a particular object, adds to the
ferment by appealing to already excited passions? But I shall not
dwell further on this subject. The Society are already aware of
the results of the visit of our friend to Malaga, all their Bibles
and Testaments having been seized throughout Spain, with the
exception of my stock in Madrid (upwards of 3000) - Count Ofalia
having in a communication to Sir George declared that he had full
confidence in my honour and good faith, being well persuaded that I
harboured no designs but those I professed.
I send you on the other side some extracts from one of the tracts
which purports to be 'A true history of the Virgin of Sorrows, to
whom Don Carlos, the Rebel and Fanatic, has dedicated his cause,
and the ignorance which he trumpets.' The one, however, which has
given most offence is 'A Catechism on the Principal Controversies
between Protestants and Catholics,' translated from the English.
I now await your orders. I wish to know whether I am at liberty to
pursue the course which may seem to me best under existing
circumstances, and which at present appears to be to mount my
horses which are neighing in the stable, and once more to betake
myself to the plains and mountains of dusty Spain, and to dispose
of my Testaments to the muleteers and peasants. By doing so I
shall employ myself usefully, and at the same time avoid giving
offence. Better days will soon arrive, which will enable me to
return to Madrid and reopen my shop; till then, however, I should
wish to pursue my labours in comparative obscurity.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
P.S. - I am engaged in translating the Acts of the Apostles into
Basque.
On the fly-leaf of this letter appear the following extracts.
Historia Verdadera de la Virjen Dolorosa
a Quien el rebelde y fanatico D. Carlos
Ha Dedicado su causa y la ignorancia que Pregona.
EXTRACTOS
P. 17. 'Echase de ver en todos estos epitetos grandiosos prodigados
a Maria la obra del enemigo de Dios, el cual, ensencialmente
idolatra, ha sabido introducir la idolatria bajo las apariencias
del Cristianismo, y se esfuerza en desviar sobre una criatura, y
hasta en la imagen de esta, la adoracion que se debe a Dios tan
solo. Sin duda que con igual objeto se colocan por todas partes
las estatuas de Maria, adornadas con una corona, y llevando en
brazos un tierno infante, como para acostumbrar al pueblo al
concepto entranable de [la superi] oridad de Maria sobre Jesus.'
P. 30. 'Tal es nuestra conclusion. Reconociendo y sancionando este
culto, la Iglesia de Roma se constituye iglesia IDOLATRA, y todos
sus miembros que no saben buscar la verdad detras del monstruos-o
hacinamiento de impiedad con que la oculta, son supuestos por la
misma condenados a la perdicion. El caudillo de esta Iglesia, que
no se averguenza de prohibir y hacer que se prohiba, por donde
quiera alcanza su ferula, la palabra de Dios, debiera saber cuando
menos, se atesorase el espiritu de Cristo, que mejor empleara sus
bulas barriendo la Iglesia Romana de todas sus iniquidades, que no
promulgando tan injustas prohibiciones. Pero ya que, afferrandose
contra mejora, esta iglesia proteje y consagra por todas partes un
sinnumero de supersticiones y cultos erroneos, claro esta que con
esto se alza y caracteriza como uno de los principales ajentes del
Anticristo.'
LETTER: 9th July, 1838
To Mr. W. Hitchin
(ENDORSED: recd. July 20, 1838)
MADRID, JULY 9, 1838.
ON the other side I beg leave to present my account. One or two
items require some explanation.
1st, Mr. Borrego's bill of 3084 REALS, of which 1760 are for the
printing of the Basque Gospel, the remainder is for advertisements,
boxes, package and freight of books to various parts of Spain,
namely, to Valencia, Malaga, Santander, Corunna, etc. The original
bill I shall forward as soon as it has been signed and vouched for
by Messrs. O'Shea, who paid the money.
2nd, As to prison expenses, I must observe that the Government
after placing me at liberty offered to indemnify me for all the
expense I had incurred in prison, but I refused to accept their
offer; should, however, the Committee think that I ought to have
done so, they will deduct the amount.
3rd, 60 REALS for porterage; on receiving intelligence that my
depots had been seized in various parts of the country, I thought
it advisable to place my stock in Madrid in safety, and in
consequence under cover of night removed it from the shop, and
concealed it in portions in the houses of various friends.
In conclusion, I must beg that you will collate my present account
with my last, as I am apprehensive that I may have charged the same
outlay twice; the copy of my last account was lost when my papers
were seized.
I make an excursion to-morrow to the rural districts of New
Castile, which will probably occupy a fortnight. I have sent
before me two hundred Testaments.
I remain, etc.,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 14th July, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 28, 1838)
VILLA SECA, DISTRICT OF TOLEDO,
JULY 14, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write these lines from Villa Seca, a
village situated on the bank of the Tagus about nine leagues from
Madrid. A few minutes before my departure I received your letter
of the 29th June, in which you mention letters being on the way for
me. I, however, could not wait for them for many reasons,
principally because in that event I should have lost a considerable
number of Testaments, which I had sent before me. I am moreover
tolerably well acquainted with the contents [of] those
communications from the one which I have already received.
For some time past I have been determined at whatever risk to make
an effort to circulate the Scriptures in the rural districts of New
Castile, where I am grieved to say the most profound ignorance of
true religion prevails. I have been induced to take up my quarters
for the present in Villa Seca, from being well acquainted with a
labourer of the place; moreover its situation is favourable to my
views as there are many other villages in its vicinity. Poverty it
is true abounds, but I am perfectly sure that our friends at home
are disposed to make every reasonable sacrifice, and not for a
moment to balance the dust of Mammon against the eternal welfare of
their fellow-creatures.
For the last two days I have been riding in various directions. It
is a great blessing that heat agrees with me wonderfully, as we
have no less than thirty-six degrees according to Reaumur;
otherwise it would be impossible for me to accomplish anything, the
atmosphere resembling the flickering glow about the mouth of an
oven. I have already disposed of about thirty Testaments, of
course at exceedingly low prices. To-day, however, I have
commenced a new course, and have sent abroad various peasants with
some parcels of Testaments; my host, whom it has pleased the Lord
to render favourable to the cause, has himself taken the field, and
has proceeded to the neighbouring village of Vargas mounted on his
donkey. If success do not attend my efforts, the Lord knows that
it will be no fault of mine. It will be the working of His own
holy will.
I had scarcely written the above lines when I heard the voice of
the donkey in the court-yard, and going out I found my host
returned. He had disposed of his whole cargo of twenty Testaments
at the old Moorish village of Vargas, distant from hence about two
leagues, and all in the space of about half an hour. Eight poor
harvest-men, who were refreshing themselves at the door of the
wine-house, purchased each a copy; whilst the village schoolmaster
took all the rest for the little ones beneath his care, lamenting
at the same time the great difficulty he had long experienced in
obtaining religious books, owing to their scarcity and extravagant
price. Many other persons were also anxious to procure Testaments,
but my envoy (Juanito Lopez) was unable to supply them. At his
departure they requested him to return within a few days.
I will not conceal from you that I am playing a daring game, and it
is very possible that when I least expect it I may be seized, tied
to the tail of a mule, and dragged either to the prison of Toledo
or Madrid. Yet such a prospect does not discourage me in the
least, but rather urges me on to persevere; for I assure you - and
in this assertion there lurks not the slightest desire to magnify
myself and produce an effect - that I am eager to lay down my life
in this cause, and whether a Carlist's bullet or the jail-fever
bring my career to an end, I am perfectly indifferent. But I have
other matters now to speak of.
You hint that a desire is entertained at home to have a personal
conference with me. In the name of the Highest I entreat you all
to banish such a preposterous idea. A journey home (provided you
intend that I should return to Spain) could lead to no result but
expense and the loss of precious time. I have nothing to explain
to you which you are not already perfectly well acquainted with by
my late letters. I was fully aware at the time I was writing them
that I should afford you little satisfaction, for the plain
unvarnished truth is seldom agreeable. But I now repeat, and these
are perhaps among the last words which I shall ever be permitted to
pen, that I cannot approve, and I am sure no Christian can, of the
system which has lately been pursued in the large sea-port cities
of Spain, and which the Bible Society has been supposed to
sanction, notwithstanding the most unreflecting person could easily
foresee that such a line of conduct could produce nothing in the
end but obloquy and misfortune.
It was unkind and unjust to taunt me with having been unsuccessful
in distributing the Scriptures. Allow me to state that no other
person under the same circumstances would have distributed the
tenth part. Yet had I been utterly unsuccessful, it would have
been wrong to check me with being so, after all I have undergone -
and with how little of that are you acquainted. You are perfectly
correct in concluding that certain persons are laughing in their
sleeve. But at what? At the success of their own machinations?
Not at all! They are laughing at the inconceivable fatuity which
induces those whom THEY ONCE DREADED to destroy themselves and
their own labours. The stone with immense toil is rolled up to the
brow of the mountain, when they see it recoil, not at the touch of
Jupiter but at the impulse of the insane Sisyphus, who pulls it
down on his own body. With common sense and prudence very much
might have been accomplished in Spain, and still may. I am sorry
to say that hitherto very little of [that] has been used.
You are surprised that I should presume to hint that I have been
linked to G. [Graydon], but at the same time admit that my
identification with him by my enemies has been unavoidable. Now in
the name of all that is reasonable, to what does such an admission
amount but that I have been linked to this man, and it matters very
little whether or not I have been brought into personal contact
with him. But now farewell to him: and in taking leave of this
subject, I will add that the unfortunate M. [Marin] is dying of a
galloping consumption, brought on by distress of mind. All the
medicine in the world would not accomplish his cure.
With God's permission I will write again in a few days and till
then,
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 17th July, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 30, 1838)
VILLA SECA, NEW CASTILLE, 17 JULY 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I addressed a letter to you on the 14th
instant, which I hope you will receive in course of time, together
with the present; in that letter I informed you where I was,
stating my proceedings and intentions. It has pleased the Lord to
permit me to be hitherto very successful in these regions, so much
so that during less than a week I have disposed of the entire stock
of Testaments which I brought with me, namely two hundred; only
three or four remain, which are already bespoken. Last night I
sent off a messenger to Madrid for a fresh supply, which I expect
will arrive in a day or two.
I must here observe that up to the present moment I have
endeavoured as much as possible to avoid noise, and notoriety.
Advertisements and handbills I have utterly eschewed. I brought
none with me, and in these rural places, the name of a printing
press is unknown; nor have I much endeavoured to work upon the mind
of the simple peasantry around me by words. I merely tell them
that I bring them the words and life of the Saviour and His saints
at a price adapted to their humble means. Nevertheless the news of
the arrival of the book of life is spreading like wild-fire through
the villages of the Sagra of Toledo, and wherever my people and
myself direct our course we find the inhabitants disposed to
receive our merchandise; it is even called for where not exhibited.
Last night as I was bathing myself and [my] horse in the Tagus, a
knot of people gathered on the bank crying: 'Come out of the
water, Englishman, and give us books; we have got our money in our
hands.' The poor creatures then held out their hands filled with
CUARTOS, a copper coin of the value of a farthing, but I had
unfortunately no Testament to afford them. My servant, however,
who was at a short distance, having exhibited one, it was instantly
torn from his hands by the people, and a scuffle ensued to obtain
possession of it. It has very frequently occurred that the poor
labourers in the neighbourhood, being eager to obtain Testaments
and having no money to offer us in exchange, have brought various
other articles to our cottage as equivalents - for example,
rabbits, fruit and barley; and I have made a point never to
disappoint them, as such articles are of utility either for our own
consumption or that of the horses.
In Villa Seca there is a school in which fifty-seven children are
taught the first rudiments of education. Yesterday morning the
schoolmaster, a tall slim figure of about sixty, bearing on his
head one of the peaked hats of Andalusia and wrapped
notwithstanding the excessive heat of the weather in a long cloak,
made his appearance, and having seated himself requested to be
shown one of our books. Having delivered it to him, he remained
examining it for nearly half an hour without uttering a word. At
last he laid it down with a sigh and said that he should be very
happy to purchase some of these books for his school, but from
their appearance, especially from the quality of the paper and
binding, he was apprehensive that to pay for them would exceed the
means of the parents of his pupils, as they were almost destitute
of money, being poor labourers. He then commenced blaming the
Government, which, he said, established schools without affording
the necessary books, adding that in his school there were but two
books for the use of all his pupils, and these he confessed
contained but little good. I asked him what he considered the
Testaments were worth. He said, 'SENOR CAVALIER, to speak frankly
I have in other times paid twelve REALS for books inferior to yours
in every respect, but I assure you that my poor pupils would be
utterly unable to pay the half of that price.' I replied, 'I will
sell you as many as you please for three REALS each; I am
acquainted with the poverty of the land, and my friends and myself
in affording the people the means of spiritual instruction have no
wish to curtail their scanty bread.' He replied: 'BENEDITO SEO
DIOS' ('blessed be God'), and could scarcely believe his ears. He
instantly purchased a dozen, expending therein, as he said, all the
money he possessed with the exception of a few CUARTOS. The
introduction of the reading of the Word of God into the country
schools of Spain is therefore now begun, and I humbly hope that it
will prove one of those events which the Bible Society after the
lapse of years will have most reason to remember with joy and
gratitude to the Almighty.
An old peasant is at present reading in the portico. Eighty-four
years have passed over his head, and he is almost entirely deaf;
nevertheless he is reading aloud the second [chapter] of Matthew.
Three days since he bespoke a Testament, but not being able to
raise the money he has not redeemed it until the present moment; he
has just brought thirty farthings. As I survey the silvery hair
which overshadows his sun-burnt countenance, the words of the song
occur to me: 'Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.'
I will now conclude these anecdotes with one not divested of
singularity. Over a branch of the Tagus by the bridge Azeca there
is a large water-mill. I have formed an acquaintance with the
tenant of this mill, who is known in the neighbourhood by the name
of Don Antero. Two days ago, taking me into a retired place, he
asked me to my great astonishment if I would sell him a thousand
Testaments at the price at which I was disposing of them to the
peasantry, saying that if I would consent he would pay me
immediately; in fact he put his hand into his pocket, and pulled it
out filled with gold ounces. I asked him what was the reason for
his wish to make so considerable a purchase. Whereupon he informed
me that he had a relation in Toledo whom he wished to establish,
and that he was of opinion that he could do no better than take a
shop there and furnish it with Testaments. I told him that he must
think of nothing of the kind, as probably the books would be seized
on the first attempt to introduce them into Toledo, as the priests
and canons were much averse to their distribution. He was,
however, not disconcerted, and said his relation could travel, as I
myself was doing, to dispose of them to the peasants with profit to
himself. I confess I was disposed at first to accept his offer,
but at length declined it, as I did not wish to expose a poor man
to the risk of losing money, goods, and perhaps liberty and life.
I was likewise averse to the books being offered to the peasantry
at an advanced price, being aware that they could not afford it;
and the books, by such an attempt would lose a considerable part of
that PRESTIJIO (I know no English word to express my meaning) which
they now enjoy. Their cheapness strikes the minds of the people
with wonder, and they consider it almost as much in the light of a
miracle as the Jews [did the] manna which dropped from heaven at
the time they were famishing, or the spring which suddenly gushed
from the flinty rock to assuage their thirst in the wilderness.
The following is a list of the villages of the Sagra; or champaign
country of Toledo, already supplied with Testaments.
It will perhaps be expedient to print this list in the 'Extracts.'
Vargas Mocejon Villa Seca
Cobeja Villaluenga Yuncler.
In about a week I shall depart from hence and proceed to another
district, as it would not be prudent to make a long sojourn in any
particular district under existing circumstances. It is my
intention to cross the country to Aranjuez, and endeavour to supply
with the Word the villages on the frontier of La Mancha. Write to
me as soon as possible, always directing to my lodgings in Madrid.
I wish to know the lowest price at which I am at liberty to dispose
of Testaments, and conclude with hoping that what I have narrated
will meet the approbation of you ALL.
(UNSIGNED.)
LETTER: 23rd July, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 2nd, 1838)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,
JULY 23, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - As, I was about to leave Villa Seca for
Aranjuez I received your letters of the 3rd and 7th inst., on the
perusal of which I instantly returned to Madrid instead of pursuing
my intended route.
My answer will be very brief, as I am afraid of giving way to my
feelings; I hope, however, that it will be to the purpose.
It is broadly hinted in yours of the 7th that I have made false
statements in asserting that the Government, in consequence of what
has lately taken place, had come to a resolution of seizing the
Bible depots in various parts of this country.
In reply, I beg leave to inform you that by the first courier you
will receive from the British Legation at Madrid the official
notice from Count Ofalia to Sir George Villiers of the seizures
already made, and the motives which induced the Government to have
recourse to such a measure.
The following seizures have already been made, though some have not
as yet been officially announced:
The Society's books at Oviedo, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Santiago,
Seville, and Valladolid.
It appears from your letters that the depots in the south of Spain
have escaped. I am glad of it, although it be at my own expense.
I see the hand of the Lord throughout the late transactions. He is
chastening me. It is His pleasure that the guilty escape and the
innocent be punished. The Government give orders to seize the
Bible depots throughout the country on account of the late scenes
at Malaga and Valencia. I have never been there, yet only MY
depots are meddled with, as it appears! The Lord's will be done,
blessed be the name of the Lord!
I will write again to-morrow. I shall have then arranged my
thoughts, and determined on the conduct which it becomes a
Christian to pursue under these circumstances. Permit me in
conclusion to ask you:
Have you not to a certain extent been partial in this matter? Have
you not, in the apprehension of being compelled to blame the
conduct of one, who has caused me unutterable anxiety, misery, and
persecution, and who has been the bane of the Bible cause in Spain,
refused to receive the information which it was in your power to
command? I called on the Committee and yourself, from the first,
to apply to Sir George Villiers; no one is so well versed in what
has lately been going on as himself. But no. It was God's will
that I, who have risked all and lost almost all in the cause, be
taunted, suspected, and the sweat of agony and tears which I have
poured out be estimated at the value of the water of the ditch or
the moisture which exudes from rotten dung. But I murmur not, and
hope I shall at all times be willing to bow to the dispensations of
the Almighty.
Sir George Villiers has returned to England for a short period; you
have therefore the opportunity of consulting him. I WILL NOT leave
Spain until the whole affair has been thoroughly sifted. I shall
then perhaps appear and bid you an eternal farewell.
Four hundred Testaments have been disposed of in the Sagra of
Toledo.
(UNSIGNED.)
P.S. - I am just returned from the Embassy, where I have had a long
interview with that admirable person, Lord Wm. Hervey. He has
requested me to write him a letter on the point in question, which
with the official documents he intends to send to the Secretary of
State in order to be laid before the Bible Society. He has put
into my hands the last communication from Ofalia. It relates to
the seizure of MY depots at Malaga, Pontevedra, etc. I have not
opened it, but send it for your perusal.
LETTER: 3rd August, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 14th, 1838)
No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO, MADRID,
AUGUST 3, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Since writing to you last I have been at some
distance from Madrid. Indeed my affairs at the time were in such a
condition and so much depended upon my personal superintendence,
that I was obliged to depart almost immediately after dispatching
my answers to your two last. I am now returned principally on
account of a rather unfortunate accident which occurred on the
frontier of La Mancha, the particulars of which I shall give you
presently. I shall, however, only tarry sufficient time to rest
the horses and again go forth, for I am but too well aware that no
time must now be lost, my enemies being numerous and watchful.
On leaving Madrid I proceeded in the direction of Aranjuez, selling
from twenty to forty copies in every village that lay in the way or
near it; my intention was to penetrate deep into La Mancha, and in
that view I had forwarded a large supply of books to Aranjuez.
Having arrived there I made a sojourn of three days, during which
time, myself, [my] servant and Juan Lopez, of whom I have
previously spoken to you, visited every house in the town. We
found a vast deal of poverty and ignorance amongst the inhabitants,
and experienced some opposition; nevertheless it pleased the
Almighty to permit us to dispose of about eighty Testaments, which
were purchased entirely by the very poor people, those in easier
circumstances paying no attention to the Word of God, but rather
turning it to scoff and ridicule. One circumstance was very
gratifying and cheering to me, namely, the ocular proof which I
possessed that the books which I disposed of were read, and with
attention, by those to whom I disposed of them, and that many
others participated in their benefit. In the streets of Aranjuez
and beneath the mighty cedars and gigantic elms and plantains which
compose its noble woods, I have frequently seen groups assembled,
listening to individuals who, with the New Testament in their
hands, were reading aloud the comfortable words of salvation.
It is probable that had I remained a longer period in Aranjuez I
might have sold many more of our divine books, but I was eager to
gain La Mancha and its sandy plains, and to conceal myself for a
season amongst its solitary villages; for I was apprehensive that a
storm was gathering around me. But when once through Ocana, the
frontier town, I knew well that I should have nothing to fear from
the Spanish authorities as their power ceased there, the rest of La
Mancha being almost entirely in the hands of the Carlists, and
overrun by small parties of banditti, from whom however I trusted
that the Lord would preserve me. I therefore departed for Ocana,
situate about three leagues from Aranjuez.
I started with my servant about six in the evening, having early in
the morning sent forward Lopez with between two and three hundred
Testaments. We left the high road and proceeded by a shorter way,
through wild hills and over very broken and precipitous ground.
Being well-mounted we found ourselves just after sunset opposite
Ocana, which stands on a steep hill. A deep valley lay between us
and the town; we descended and came to a small bridge which
traverses a rivulet at the bottom of the valley, at a very small
distance from a kind of suburb; we crossed the bridge, and were
passing by a deserted house on our left hand when a man appeared
from under the porch.
What I am about to state will seem incomprehensible to you, but a
singular history and a singular people are connected with it. The
man placed himself before my horse so as to bar the way, and said
SCHOPHON, which in the Hebrew tongue signifies a rabbit. I knew
this word to be one of the Jewish countersigns, and asked the man
if he had anything to communicate. He said: 'You must not enter
the town, for a net is prepared for you. The CORREGIDOR of Toledo,
on whom may all evil light, in order to give pleasure to the
priests of Maria, in whose face I spit, has ordered all the
ALCALDES of these parts and the ESCRIBANOS and the CORCHETES to lay
hands on you wherever they may find you, and to send you and your
books and all that pertains to you to Toledo. Your servant was
seized this morning in the town above as he was selling the
writings in the streets, and they are now awaiting your arrival in
the POSADA; but I knew you from the accounts of my brethren, and
have been waiting here four hours to give you warning, in order
that your horse may turn his tail to your enemies and neigh in
derision of them. Fear nothing for your servant, for he is known
to the ALCALDE and will be set at liberty, but do you flee, and may
God attend you.' Having said this, he hurried towards the town.
I hesitated not a moment to take his advice, knowing full well
that, as my books had been taken possession of, I could do no more
in that direction. We turned back, in the direction of Aranjuez,
the horses notwithstanding the nature of the ground galloping at
full speed, and like the true Moorish breed bearing their tails
erect and stiff; but our adventures were not over. About mid-way,
and about half a league from the small village of Antigola, we saw
close to us on our left hand three men on a low bank. As far as
the darkness would permit us to distinguish they were naked, but
each bore in his hand a long gun; these were RATEROS, or the common
assassins and robbers of the roads. We halted, and cried out 'Who
goes there?' They, replied, 'What's that to you? Pass by.' Their
drift was to fire at us from a position from which it would be
impossible to miss. We shouted: 'If you do not instantly pass to
the right side of the road, we will tread you down beneath the
horses' hoofs.' They hesitated, and then obeyed, for all Spanish
assassins are dastards, and the least show of resolution daunts
them. As we galloped past, one cried with an obscene oath,
'TIRAREMOS' ('fire') but another said, 'NO! HAY PELIGRO' ['there's
danger']. We reached Aranjuez, where early next morning Lopez
rejoined us, and we returned to Madrid.
I am sorry to state that two hundred Testaments were seized at
Ocana, where they were sealed and despatched to Toledo. Lopez
informed me that in two hours he could have sold them all, the
demand was so great; as it was, twenty-seven were sold in less than
ten minutes. He is just departed on another expedition, and I am
about to follow, for with God's leave I will fight it out to the
last.
I enclose you a list of all the towns and villages hitherto
visited. I have nothing more to say for the present, but that you
may make what use you please of this letter.
Such is my life in Spain.
(UNSIGNED.)
PUEBLOS.
Villa Seca. Azana.
Mocejon. Ylleicas.
Magan. Forrejon.
Oliar. Parla.
Vargas. Pinto.
Villaluenga. Baldemoro.
Yuncler. Zetafe.
Alameda. Leganez.
Anober. Aranjuez.
Cobena. Ocana.
LETTER: 23rd August, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 12, 1838)
[LABAJOS, PROVINCE OF SEGOVIA,
AUG. 23RD, 1838.]
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Lord William Hervey was perfectly satisfied
with my conduct in the affair stated on the other side, and so was
Count Ofalia, who expressed his regret that circumstances had
compelled her Majesty's Government to take those steps against the
circulation of the Scriptures with which you are already
acquainted.
G. B.
COPY OF LETTER TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD WILLIAM HERVEY
LABAJOS, PROVINCE OF SEGOVIA,
AUGUST 23rd, 1838.
MY LORD, - I beg leave to call your attention to the following
facts. On the 21st instant I received information that a person in
my employ of the name of Juan Lopez had been thrown into the prison
of Villallos, in the province of Avila, by order of the CURA of
that place. The crime with which he was charged was selling the
New Testament. At the time I alluded to, I was at Labajos, in the
province of Segovia, and the division of the factious chieftain
Balmaseda was in the immediate neighbourhood. On the 22nd, I
mounted my horse and rode to Villallos, a distance of three
leagues. On my arrival there, I found that Lopez had been removed
from the prison to a private house. An order had arrived from the
CORREGIDOR of Avila, commanding that the person of Lopez should be
placed in full and perfect liberty and that the books which had
been found in his possession should be alone detained.
Nevertheless, in direct opposition to this order, a copy of which I
herewith transmit, the ALCALDE of Villallos, at the instigation of
the CURA, refused to permit the said Lopez to quit the place,
either to proceed to Avila or in any other direction. It had been
hinted to Lopez that, as the factious were expected, it was
intended on their arrival to denounce him to them as a liberal, and
to cause him to be sacrificed. Taking these circumstances into
consideration, I deemed it my duty, as a Christian and a gentleman,
to rescue my unfortunate servant from such lawless bands, and in
consequence defying opposition I bore him off, though perfectly
unarmed, through a crowd of at least one hundred peasants. On
leaving the place I shouted 'VIVA ISABELA SEGUNDA.'
As it is my belief that the CURA of Villallos is a person capable
of any infamy, I beg leave humbly to entreat your Lordship to cause
a copy of the above narration to be forwarded to the Spanish
Government.
I have the honour to remain, my Lord, your Lordship's most obedient
and most humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 29th August, 1838
To the Rev. G. Browne
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 6th, 1838)
MADRID, AUG. 29, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I am this moment arrived at Madrid from my
expedition in Old Castile, and I have received your kind lines
appended to my friend Mr. Brandram's communication.
I will set out for England as soon as possible; but I must be
allowed time. I am almost dead with fatigue, suffering and
anxiety; and it is necessary that I should place the Society's
property in safe and sure custody.
It has pleased the Lord to assist me visibly in my last journey.
In the midst of a thousand perils I have disposed of nine hundred
Testaments amongst the peasantry on the north side of the
precipitous hills of the Guadarama range, and all in the space of
three weeks. In a day or two I shall write to Mr. Brandram with
particulars.
Pray excuse these hasty lines; present my kindest remembrances to
Mrs. Browne, and believe me, Revd. and dear Sir,
Gratefully and truly yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 1st September, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 10, 1838)
MADRID, SEPT. 1, 1838.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - From my letter to the Revd. Geo. Browne of
the 28 ult. you are already doubtless aware of my arrival at Madrid
from my expedition in Old Castile. I now proceed to detail to you
a few occurrences, premising that my notices will necessarily be
brief, as I am considerably indisposed, and am moreover much
occupied in making preparations for my departure for England, and
in arranging the affairs of the Society in Spain in as satisfactory
a manner as circumstances will permit.
I set out for my journey on the 4th of last month on horseback and
accompanied by my servant. The first day brought us to La Granja,
a distance of twelve leagues from Madrid, where I expected to find
Lopez and another man whom I had sent before. Nothing particular
occurred during this day's journey, except that notwithstanding my
haste I sold some Testaments in the villages near the roadside and
that it pleased God to permit us to traverse the pass of Pena
Cerrada without coming in contact with the banditti that haunt the
gloomy pine forests which embower it and extend for leagues in
every direction. Arrived at La Granja, I could hear nothing of
Lopez nor of the other individual, and in consequence after a stay
of a day which was necessary to refresh the horses, I departed for
Segovia. I did not attempt to distribute the Word at La Granja,
being well aware that orders had been transmitted to the
authorities of the place to seize all copies of the sacred writings
which might be offered for sale. I may say the same with respect
to Segovia, where still none of my people made their appearance.
At Segovia I received from a friend a chest containing two hundred
Testaments, and almost immediately after, by the greatest chance in
the world, I heard from a peasant that there were men in the
neighbourhood of Abades selling books. Abades is about three
leagues distant from Segovia, and upon receiving this intelligence
I instantly departed for the former place, with three BURRICOS
[asses] laden with Testaments.
I reached Abades at nightfall, and found Lopez in the house of the
surgeon of the place, where I also took up my residence. He had
already disposed of a considerable number of Testaments in the
neighbourhood, and had that day commenced selling at Abades itself.
He had, however, been interrupted by two of three CURAS of the
village, who with horrid curses denounced the work, threatening
eternal condemnation to Lopez for selling it and to any person who
should purchase it; whereupon Lopez, terrified, forebore until I
should arrive. The third CURA, however, exerted himself to the
utmost to persuade the people to provide themselves with
Testaments, telling them that his brethren were hypocrites and
false guides, who by keeping them in ignorance of the word and will
of Christ were leading them to the abyss. Upon receiving this
information, I instantly sallied forth to the marketplace, and that
same night succeeded in disposing of upwards of thirty Testaments.
The next morning the house was entered by the two factious CURAS;
but upon my rising to confront them they retreated, and I heard no
more of them, except that they publicly cursed me in the church
more than once, an event which as no ill resulted from it gave me
little concern.
I will not detail the events of the next week; suffice it to say
that arranging my forces in the most advantageous way I succeeded
by God's assistance in disposing of in that period from five to six
hundred Testaments amongst the villages from one to seven leagues
distance from Abades. At the expiration of that period I received
information from Segovia, in which province Abades is situated, to
the effect that my proceedings were known in Segovia, and that an
order was about to be sent to the ALCALDE of Abades to seize all
books in my possession. Whereupon, notwithstanding that it was
late in the evening, I decamped with all my people and upwards of
three hundred Testaments, having a few hours previously received a
fresh supply from Madrid. That night we passed in the fields and
next morning proceeded to Labajos, a village on the high road from
Madrid to Valladolid. In this place we offered no books for sale,
but contented ourselves with supplying the neighbouring villages
with the Word of God; we likewise sold it in the highways. We had
not been at Labajos a week, during which time we were remarkably
successful, when the Carlist chieftain Balmaseda at the head of his
wild cavalry made his desperate inroad into the southern part of
Old Castile, dashing down like an avalanche from the pine woods of
Soria. I was present at all the horrors which ensued - the sack of
Arrevalo - and the forcible entry into Martin Munoz and San Cyrian.
Amidst these terrible scenes, we continued our labours undaunted,
with the exception of my servant, who seized with uncontrollable
fear ran away to Madrid. I now lost Lopez for three or four days,
and suffered dreadful anxiety on his account, apprehending that he
had been shot by the Carlists. At last I heard that he was in
prison at Villallos, at the distance of three leagues. The steps
which I took to rescue him you will find detailed in the
communication which I deemed it my duty to transmit to Lord Wm.
Hervey at Madrid, a copy of which, together with the letter of
Lopez which informed me of his situation, I transmit herewith.
After the rescue of Lopez, I thought it advisable to return to
Madrid, more especially as my stock of Testaments was exhausted, we
having in the course of little more than a fortnight disposed of
nearly nine hundred Testaments - not in populous and wealthy towns
but in highways and villages, not to the spurious Spaniards of
Madrid and the coasts, but to the sun-blackened peasantry of Old
Castile, the genuine descendants of those terrible men who
subjugated Mexico and Peru.
My men returned by Pena Cerrada, whilst I, encumbered by two
horses, crossed the Guadarama. I nearly perished there, having
lost my way in the darkness and tumbled down a precipice. But I am
now in Madrid and, if not well, trusting in the Lord and defying
Satan. I shall probably be in England within three weeks.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 19th September, 1838
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Sept. 28, 1838)
MADRID, 19 SEPR. 1838,
No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write this to inform you that for the last
ten days I have been confined to my bed by a fever. I am now
better, and hope in a few days to be able to proceed to Saragossa,
which is the only road open.
I bore up against my illness as long as I could, but it became too
powerful for me. By good fortune I obtained a decent physician, a
Dr. Hacayo, who had studied medicine in England, and aided by him
and the strength of my constitution I got the better of my attack,
which however was a dreadfully severe one.
I hope my next letter will be from Bordeaux. I cannot write more
at present, for I am very feeble.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,
G. BORROW.
Account of Proceedings in the Peninsula
GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY
-
I beg leave to call your attention to the following statements.
They relate to my proceedings during the period which embraces my
second sojourn in Spain - to my labours in a literary point of view
- to my travels in a very remarkable country, the motive in which
they originated and the result to which they led - to my success in
the distribution of the Scripture, and to the opposition and
encouragement which I have experienced. As my chief objects are
brevity and distinctness I shall at once enter upon my subject,
abstaining from reflections of every kind, which in most cases only
tend to embarrass, being anxious to communicate facts alone, with
most of which, it is true, you are already tolerably well
acquainted, but upon all and every of which I am eager to be
carefully and categorically questioned. It is neither my wish nor
my interest to conceal one particular of what I have been doing.
And with these few prefatory observations I commence.
In the first place, my literary labours. Having on my former visit
to Spain obtained from the then Prime Minister Isturitz and his
Cabinet permission and encouragement for the undertaking, I
published on my return an edition of the New Testament at Madrid, a
copy of which I now present to you for the first time. This work,
executed at the office of Borrego, the most fashionable printer at
Madrid, who had been recommended to me by Isturitz himself and most
particularly by my excellent friend Mr. O'Shea, is a publication
which I conceive no member of the Committee will consider as
calculated to cast discredit on the Bible Society, it being printed
on excellent English paper and well bound, but principally and
above all from the fact of its exhibiting scarcely one
typographical error, every proof having been read thrice by myself
and once or more times by the first scholar in Spain.
I subsequently published the Gospel of Saint Luke in the Rommany
and Biscayan languages. With respect to the first, I beg leave to
observe that no work printed in Spain ever caused so great and so
general a sensation, not so much amongst the Gypsies, that peculiar
people, for whom it was intended, as amongst the Spaniards
themselves, who, though they look upon the Roma with some degree of
contempt as a low and thievish race of outcasts, nevertheless take
a strange interest in all that concerns them, it having been from
time immemorial their practice, more especially of the dissolute
young nobility, to cultivate the acquaintance of the Gitanos as
they are popularly called, probably attracted by the wild wit of
the latter and the lascivious dances of the females. The
apparition therefore of the Gospel of Saint Luke at Madrid in the
peculiar jargon of these people was hailed as a strange novelty and
almost as a wonder, and I believe was particularly instrumental in
bruiting the name of the Bible Society far and wide through Spain,
and in creating a feeling far from inimical towards it and its
proceedings. I will here take the liberty to relate an anecdote
illustrative of the estimation in which this little work was held
at Madrid. The Committee are already aware that a seizure was made
of many copies of Saint Luke in the Rommany and Biscayan languages,
in the establishment at which they were exposed for sale, which
copies were deposited in the office of the Civil Governor. Shortly
before my departure a royal edict was published, authorising all
the public libraries to provide themselves with copies of the said
works on account of their philological merit; whereupon, on
application being made to the office, it was discovered that the
copies of the Gospel in Basque were safe and forthcoming, whilst
every one of the sequestered copies of the Gitano Gospel had been
plundered by hands unknown. The consequence was that I was myself
applied to by then agents of the public libraries of Valencia and
other places, who paid me the price of the copies which they
received, assuring me at the same time that they were authorised to
purchase them at whatever price which might be demanded.
Respecting the Gospel in Basque I have less to say. It was
originally translated into the dialect of Guipuscoa by Dr. Oteiza,
and subsequently received corrections and alterations from myself.
It can scarcely be said to have been published, it having been
prohibited and copies of it seized on the second day of its
appearance. But it is in my power to state that it is anxiously
expected in the Basque provinces, where books in the aboriginal
tongue are both scarce and dear, and that several applications have
been made at San Sebastian and in other towns where Basque is the
predominating language.
I now proceed to the subject of my travels in Spain. Before
undertaking them I was little acquainted with the genius of the
Spanish people in general, having resided almost entirely in
Madrid, and I was fully convinced that it was not from the
inhabitants of one city that an accurate judgment could be formed
of a population of nine millions, thinly scattered over a vast
country so divided and intersected by mountain barriers as is the
Peninsula. With this population under all its various
circumstances and under all its various phases, the result of
descent from a variety of foreign nations, I was anxious to make
myself acquainted; for I reflected that he who builds a city on
ground which he has not fully examined will perhaps discover when
too late that his foundation is in a swamp, and that the whole of
his labour is momentarily in danger of being swallowed up. I
therefore went forth not so much for the purpose of distributing
the Scriptures as to make myself acquainted with the prefatory
steps requisite to be taken in order to secure my grand object.
Before departing from Madrid I consulted with the many friends,
some of them highly distinguished, which I had the honour to
possess in that capital. Their unanimous advice, whether Catholics
or Protestants, was that for the present I should proceed with the
utmost caution, but without concealing the object of my mission
which I considered to be the simple propagation of the Scripture -
that I should avoid with diligence the giving offence to the
prejudices of the people, especially in the rural districts, and
endeavour everywhere to keep on good terms with the clergy, at
least one-third of whom are known to be anxious for the
dissemination of the Word of God though at the same time unwilling
to separate themselves from the discipline and ceremonials of Rome.
I bore this advice in mind, which indeed perfectly tallied with my
own ideas, and throughout the two thousand miles of my
peregrination during the summer of last year, I performed much if
not all of what I proposed, and am not aware that in one single
instance my proceedings were such as could possibly merit reproof.
I established depots in all the principal towns of the north of
Spain, and in all gave notice to the public of the arrival of the
New Testament in a mild yet expressive advertisement which I here
exhibit, and which I beg leave to state is the only advertisement
which I ever made use of. The consequence was that the work
enjoyed a reasonable sale, and I experienced no opposition - except
in the case of Leon, a town remarkable for its ultra-Carlism - but
on the contrary much encouragement especially on the part of the
ecclesiastics. I visited Salamanca and Valladolid the chief seats
of Castilian learning, I visited Saint James of Compostella, the
temple of the great image of the Patron of Spain, and in none of
these cities was a single voice raised against the Bible Society or
its Agent. But I did not confine myself to the towns, but visited
the small and large villages, and by this means became acquainted
with both citizens and rustics; amongst the former I found little
desire for sober serious reading, but on the contrary a rage for
stimulant narratives, and amongst too many a lust for the deistical
writings of the French, especially for those of Talleyrand, which
have been translated into Spanish and published by the press of
Barcelona, and for which I was frequently pestered. I several
times enquired of the book-sellers of the various towns which I
visited as to the means to be used towards introducing the
Scripture amongst the villagers; but to this question they
invariably replied that, unless the villagers came to the towns and
purchased the work, they saw no means of making it known amongst
them, unless I made friends in the villages in whose hands I could
deposit copies for sale, though in such a case the difficulty of
recovering the money would be immense. I therefore at last
resolved to make an experiment, the result of which fully
corresponded with an opinion which I had for some time formed -
namely, that in the villages, sequestered and apart amongst the
mountains and in the sandy plains of Spain, I might at any time be
sure of a glorious harvest, far more rich than that which it was
possible for me to expect in towns and cities, unless I had
recourse to means unwarranted, nay forbidden, by the Book which I
distributed, and which means had been proscribed by the Society
itself on my departure for Spain. But now to proceed at once to
the experiment, which I made at different periods and in different
provinces.
I twice sallied forth one morning alone and on horseback, and
proceeded to a distant village, bearing behind me a satchel of
books. On my arrival, which took place just after the SIESTA or
afternoon's sleep had concluded, I proceeded in both instances to
the market-place, where I spread a horse-cloth on the ground, on
which I deposited my books. I then commenced crying with a loud
voice: 'Peasants, peasants, I bring you the Word of God at a cheap
price. I know you have but little money, but I bring it to you at
whatever you can command, at four or three REALS according to your
means.' I thus went on till a crowd gathered round me, who
examined the book with attention, many of them reading it aloud.
But I had not long to tarry; in both instances I disposed of my
cargo almost instantaneously, and then mounted my horse without a
question having been asked me, and returned to my temporary
residence lighter than I left it. This occurred in Castile and
Galicia, near the towns of Santiago and Valladolid.
The above are incidents which I have hitherto kept within the
privacy of my own bosom and which I have confided to none; they
were but experiments, which at that time I had no wish to repeat,
nor to be requested so to do. I was perfectly aware that such a
line of conduct, if followed before the proper time, would give
offence to the clergy, not only to the Carlist but the liberal
clergy, and likewise to the Government; and it formed no part of my
plan to be on ill terms with either. For I remembered that I was a
stranger and a labourer on sufferance in Christ's cause in a half-
barbaric land, on which the light of freedom and true religion was
just beginning to dawn, and I was unwilling by over-precipitance
and for the sake of a mere temporary triumph to forego the solid
and lasting advantages which I foresaw, and had been told that
patience and prudence would assure. I resolved to use the
knowledge which I had obtained by these experiments only as a last
resource, provided any accident which it was impossible for me then
to foresee should overturn all the plans which my friends and
myself had been forming for the quiet and peaceful introduction of
the Scriptures amongst the Spaniards with the consent or at least
with the connivance of the Government and clergy, knowing well that
a great part of the latter were by no means disposed to offer any
serious opposition to such a measure, they having sense and talent
enough to perceive that the old system can no longer be upheld of
which the essential part is, as is well known, to keep the people
in ignorance of the great sterling truths of Christianity. I now
come to the most distressing part of my narrative and likewise to
the most miserable of my own life.
I returned to Madrid from my long, fatiguing and most perilous
journey, in which I must be permitted to say that independent of a
thousand miraculous escapes from the factious and the banditti I
had been twice arrested as a spy, namely, once at Vigo and
subsequently at Cape Finisterre, in which latter instance I
narrowly escaped with life, the ignorant fishermen having
determined upon shooting me and my guide. Upon finding the
booksellers of Madrid, with the exception of Razola, a man of no
importance, averse to undertake the sale of the New Testament I
determined upon establishing a shop of my own, a step to which I
was advised by many sincere friends of the Cause and of myself.
Having accomplished this, I advertised the work incessantly, not
only in the public prints but by placards posted in all the streets
of the city; but I wish it to be distinctly understood that the
advertisement which I used was the same quiet innocent
advertisement, a copy of which you possess, and of which I have
availed myself in the provinces, an advertisement which had never
given offence nor was calculated to give offence if squandered
about the streets by millions. I make this statement in self-
justification, I having, in consequence of a letter in which I made
some observations respecting advertisements and handbills, received
a paragraph in a communication from home, in which I was checked
with having made a plentiful use of advertisements and handbills
myself. It would have been as well if my respected and revered
friend the writer had made himself acquainted with the character of
my advertisements before he made that observation. There is no
harm in an advertisement, if truth, decency and the fear of God are
observed; and I believe my own will be scarcely found deficient in
any of these three requisites. It is not the use of a serviceable
instrument, but its abuse that merits reproof, and I cannot
conceive that advertising was abused by me when I informed the
people of Madrid, that the New Testament was to be purchased at a
cheap price in the CALLE DEL PRINCIPE.
I had scarcely opened my establishment at Madrid when I began to
hear rumours of certain transactions at Valencia, said to be
encouraged by the British and Foreign Bible Society. As these
transactions, as they were reported, were in the highest degree
absurd and improper, and as I was convinced that the Bible Society
would sanction nothing of the kind, I placed little or no credit in
them, and put them down to the account of Jesuitical malignity. In
less than a fortnight appeared in the newspapers what I conceived
to be a gross and uncalled-for attack upon the Bible Society,
appended to a pastoral of the Bishop of Valencia, in which he
forbade the sale of the Bible throughout his diocese. The
Committee are acquainted with my answer to that epistle; they are
well aware with what zeal and fervour I spoke against the spirit of
Popery, and defended the Society and their cause as far as my
feeble talents would permit. Yet I here confess that the said
answer was penned, if not in perfect ignorance of what had been
transacted in Valencia, at least in almost utter disbelief; for had
it been my fortune at the time to have been as well informed as I
have subsequently been, so far from publishing the answer in
question I would at once have publicly disclaimed, as I afterwards
did, any participation or sympathy in transactions which were not
only calculated to bring the Bible cause into odium, but the Bible
Society into difficulties, into discredit, and worst of all, into
contempt. A helpless widow was insulted, her liberty of conscience
invaded, and her only son incited to rebellion against her. A
lunatic was employed as the REPARTIDOR or distributor of the
blessed Bible, who having his head crammed with what he understood
not, ran through the streets of Valencia crying aloud that Christ
was nigh at hand and would appear in a short time; whilst
advertisements to much the same effect were busily circulated in
which the name, the noble name, of the Bible Society was
prostituted; whilst the Bible exposed for sale in an apartment of a
public house served for little more than a decoy to the idle and
curious, who were there treated with incoherent railings against
the Church of Rome and Babylon, in a dialect which it was well for
the deliverer that only a few of the audience understood. But I
fly from these details, and will now repeat the consequences of the
above proceedings to myself; for I, I, and only I, as every
respectable person in Madrid can vouch, have paid the penalty for
them all, though as innocent as the babe who has not yet seen the
light.
I had much difficulty at Madrid, principally on account of the
state of political matters which absorbed the minds of all, in
bringing the New Testament into notice. However by dint of
perseverance I contrived to direct the public curiosity towards it,
indeed I was beginning to average a sale of twenty copies daily,
when the shop was suddenly closed by order of the Government in
consequence of the complaints from Valencia, myself being supposed
to be the instigator and director of the scenes in that place
already narrated. For the next four months I carried on
negotiations with the Government through the medium of Sir George
Villiers, who from my first arrival in the Peninsula, had most
generously befriended me. But in his endeavours to forward my
views he found exceeding difficulties. The clergy were by this
time, both Carlist and liberal, thoroughly incensed against me, and
indeed with much apparent reason; the former denounced me to the
populace as a sorcerer and a heretic, and the latter spoke of me as
an accomplished hypocrite. I was at last flung into prison - into
the pestilential CARCEL DE LA CORTE, where my faithful servant
Francisco caught the gaol-fever, of which he subsequently died.
But in this instance my enemies committed a very imprudent act, an
act which had very nearly produced the result for which I had been
so long unsuccessfully negotiating. My protector, Sir George
Villiers, informed the Spanish Prime Minister, Ofalia, that unless
full satisfaction was offered me, he should deem it his duty to
cease any further transactions with the Spanish Government, and to
order all the British land and sea-forces, co-operating with those
of the Queen to terminate the rebellion, to desist from further
operations.
I was about to obtain all I wished, when at the critical moment the
news of the scenes at Malaga arrived at Madrid, and Sir George had
little more to say than that Satan seemed to mingle in this game.
Nevertheless I left prison, with the understanding that the
Government would connive at the circulation of the Scriptures in a
quiet manner, not calculated to produce disturbances nor to give
scandal to the clergy.
But speedily followed the affair of the sectarian tracts of
Carthagena, which tracts were sworn to as having been left there by
agents of the Bible Society; and I instantly knew that I had
nothing more to expect from the Government. But some time previous
I had formed an unalterable resolution that, come what might, I
would no longer bear the odium of actions, which in whatever motive
they originated had already subjected me to unheard-of persecution,
loathsome imprisonment, loss of friends, and to the grief of seeing
prudent and long-brooded plans baffled and brought to nought, and
the Society to which I belonged subjected to opprobrium as I
believed undeserved; and I therefore published in the journals of
Madrid an advertisement, in which I disowned, in my own name and
that of the Society, any sympathy with the actor or actors in those
transactions, which had given so much cause of offence to the
authorities, civil and ecclesiastic, of Spain.
My principal reason for taking this step originated from my having
become personally acquainted with the ex-priest Pascual Marin, who
arrived at Madrid the very day in which I was committed to prison.
His narrative served to confirm all the rumours which I had
previously heard. The Committee are fully aware with what
unwillingness I formed the acquaintance of that man, who was sent
up to me in order that I might provide for him, without my consent
being obtained or even demanded; but I now rejoice in the
circumstance, without which I might still have been playing the
odious, disgraceful, and heart-breaking part which I had supported
so long. But by the decided step which I now took, the burden of
obloquy fell at once from my shoulders, as the bundle of sin from
the back of Christian, and rolling into a deep pit was seen no
more.
That advertisement gave infinite satisfaction to the liberal
clergy. I was complimented for it by the Primate of Spain, who
said I had redeemed my credit and that of the Society; and it is
with some feeling of pride that I state that it choked and
prevented the publication of a series of terrible essays against
the Bible Society, which were intended for the official Gazette,
and which were written by the Licentiate Albert Lister, the editor
of that journal, the friend of Blanco White, and the most talented
man in Spain. These essays still exist in the editorial drawer,
and were communicated to me by the head manager of the royal
printing office, my respected friend and countryman Mr. Charles
Wood, whose evidence in this matter and in many others I can
command at pleasure. In lieu of which essays came out a mild and
conciliatory article by the same writer, which, taking into
consideration the country in which it was written and its peculiar
circumstances, was an encouragement to the Bible Society to
proceed, although with secrecy and caution. Yet this article,
sadly misunderstood in England, gave rise to communications from
home highly mortifying to myself and ruinous to the Bible cause.
In the meantime my depots had been seized in various parts of
Spain, depots the greatest part of which I had established with
immense difficulty and peril, some of them being in the remote and
almost inaccessible province of Galicia, at the distance of almost
four hundred miles from Madrid. I now deemed that the time was at
hand to avail myself of my resource, and to sell at all risks the
Testament amongst the peasantry of Spain, by whom I knew that it
would be received with transport and with gratitude. I determined
to commence with the Sagra of Toledo, where resided an honest
labourer of my acquaintance; my foot was in the stirrup when I
received a letter from home, which I can only consider as having
originated with the Enemy of mankind for the purpose of perplexing
my already harassed and agitated mind. In this letter I was told,
amongst other matter which I need not repeat, to prepare to quit
Spain. But by the shaft I knew the quiver from which it came, and,
merely exclaiming, 'Satan, I defy thee,' I hurried to Sagra, and
disposed of amongst the peasantry in one fortnight four hundred
copies of the New Testament. But it is hard to wrestle with the
great Enemy; another shaft arrived in the shape of a letter, which
compelled me to return to Madrid, whilst the cause of God was
beckoning me to Aranjuez and La Mancha, to which places I indeed
hurried as soon as I had arranged matters at Madrid.
Without losing time or being dispirited by the events of the last
journey, I repaired to Old Castile; here my success was almost
miraculous, nine hundred copies of the Holy Book being sold in less
than three weeks, but not in peace and tranquillity, as the
province became suddenly a scene of horrors which I shall not
attempt to describe. It was not the war of men, or even of
cannibals, which I witnessed; it seemed a contest of fiends from
the infernal pit. But God guided me safe and unharmed through this
'valley of the shadow,' and permitted me to regain Madrid; where,
upon finding myself formally recalled, I deposited the Society's
property in as safe a place as I could find, and was about to
return home when a fever which had been long lurking in my blood at
last prostrated me, confining me to my bed for many days, at the
expiration of which, though very unfit for travel, I departed for
England, where at last by God's will I am arrived in safety.
Before concluding, I have a communication to make, the importance
of which few, I believe, will be tempted to deny.
I have at various times stated that the Bible Cause had many and
powerful friends in Spain, though my statements up to the present
moment seem to have been hailed with little attention. I remember
in one particular letter recommending prudence, patience, and co-
operation with the liberal clergy, who were sincerely disposed to
help us on, provided that by intemperateness of conduct we gave
them no reasonable ground for offence. There is now a society
formed at Madrid, determined upon making the Word of God, without
note or comment, known amongst the children of Spain. The laws
concerning the publishing the Scripture have been diligently and
minutely examined, and it has been discovered that by none of the
laws of Spain, ancient or modern, whether made by Cortes or by
kings, is the publication of the Scripture, in the whole or in
parts, with or without comment, forbidden - but merely and solely
by particular Bulls of various Bishops of Rome, which Bulls though
respected by many of the Spaniards form no part of the law of
Spain. Provided resistance be offered to the undertaking either by
the Government or any portion of the ecclesiastics, it has been
determined to bring the matter before the Cortes, from whom a
favourable decision may be expected with certainty. An individual
has been selected as the ostensible manager of this great and
glorious undertaking, this individual is Mr. C. Wood, whom I have
already had occasion to mention, though it is in my power to state
that but for the manner in which the name of the Bible Society has
on various occasions been brought before the public, and almost
invariably to its disadvantage, myself its well-known Agent, would
have been the person selected. If it be here asked who are the
respectable and influential persons who are at the head of this
undertaking and who patronise it, I reply the Archbishop of Toledo,
the Primate of Spain, and the Bishops of Vich and Jaen.
Now merely one word in conclusion. I have related facts, and to
attempt to contravene them would be as futile as to endeavour to
breast the billows of the Atlantic. For the fact that I have
throughout my residence in Spain conducted myself as becomes a
gentleman, a Christian and an Agent of a Christian Society, I can
at all times command the evidence of Sir George Villiers. For the
fact that no act of mine has given offence to the Spanish
Government, or was calculated to do so, I can, if required, produce
a communication from Count Ofalia, who has in writing expressed to
Sir George Villiers his full reliance in my prudence and good
faith. For the fact that the establishment at Madrid was closed,
not in consequence of my own imprudence, but on account of certain
proceedings at Valencia, I can receive, if I need it, a testimonial
from Count Ofalia. For the fact that proceedings of a highly
objectionable nature were transacted in the south of Spain, I have
the affidavit of the unhappy ex-priest Pascual Marin, who can
likewise afford, when called upon, information on various points.
For the fact that my depots in various provinces of Spain were
seized in consequence of doings with which I had no connexion, I
can cite official correspondence. For the fact that my
advertisement, in which I disowned in the name of the Society and
in my own any sympathy with the scenes alluded to, was productive
of infinite benefit to the Cause, I can at any time produce
incontestable evidence. And lastly, for my zeal in the Bible
Cause, whilst employed in the Peninsula, I can have the evidence
not only of some of the most illustrious characters resident in
Madrid, but likewise that of the greatest part of Spain, throughout
which I believe my name is better known than in my native village
in East Anglia.
Mr. G. Borrow's Report on Past and Future Operations in Spain
(ENDORSED: recd. Nov. 28, 1838)
LONDON, NOVR. 1838.
HAVING been requested to commit to paper my opinion respecting the
mode most advisable to be adopted for the propagation of the Word
of God in Spain, provided the Committee of the Bible Society should
consider it their duty to resume operations in that country, I
shall as briefly as possible communicate the results of an
experience which three years' residence has enabled me to acquire.
The Committee are already aware that I have traversed the greatest
part of Spain in all directions, and have lived for a considerable
time in Madrid and other large towns. I have therefore had
opportunities of forming a tolerably accurate idea as to the mode
of thinking upon religious subjects of the Spaniards, whether of
town or country, and of their character in general. I need not
enter into a repetition of my labours during my last sojourn in
Spain. It is well known that, after printing the New Testament at
Madrid, I endeavoured to distribute it in the principal towns, and
also in the rural districts. Particular circumstances prevented my
experiencing in the former the success which I had hoped for, and
with some reason, at the commencement of my Biblical labours; and
indeed I did not find the minds of the inhabitants of the great
cities which I visited so well disposed as I could have wished, for
receiving and relishing the important but simple truths of the
Bible. I cannot say that a spirit of fanatic bigotry was
observable amongst them, except in a very few instances, but rather
of lamentable indifference; their minds being either too much
engrossed by the politics of the period to receive the doctrine of
the Bible, or averse to it owing to the poison of infidelity
imbibed from the deistical writings of the French. My success
among the peasants was however very different, nearly two thousand
copies having been disposed of in an extraordinarily short space of
time, and under much disadvantage owing to the peculiarly unhappy
situation of those parts which it was my fortune to visit. I will
now, without further preamble, state the line of conduct which I
should wish to see pursued in Spain under existing circumstances.
As the minds of the inhabitants of the cities, from the causes
above stated, do not appear to be exactly prepared for the
reception of the Scripture, it seems most expedient for some time
to come to offer it principally to the peasantry, by the greater
part of whom there is so much ground for believing that it will be
received with gratitude and joy. True it is that the Spanish
peasantry are in general not so well educated as their brethren of
the cities, their opportunities of acquiring a knowledge of letters
having always been inferior; nevertheless it would be difficult to
enter a cottage of which at least one of the inmates could not
read, more or less. They are moreover a serious people, and any
book upon religious subjects is far more certain of captivating
their attention than one of a lighter character, and, above all,
their minds have hitherto never been tainted by those unhappy
notions of infidelity too prevalent amongst the other class. There
is one feature which I wish to mention here, which is indeed common
to the Spanish people in general but more particularly to the
peasantry, namely, that whenever a book is purchased, whether good
or bad, the purchaser entertains a firm intention of reading it,
which he almost invariably puts into execution. I do not make this
observation merely upon hearsay - though I have frequently heard it
from quarters which I am bound to respect - many examples tending
to substantiate the fact having come under my own knowledge. It is
at least a great consolation to the distributor of the Word of God
in Spain, that the seed which he casts around him is in general
received by the earth beneath the surface, from which he is induced
to trust that it will some day spring up and produce good fruit.
I now beg leave to repeat from a previous communication the manner
in which I made my first attempt to distribute the Scriptures
amongst the peasantry. I must here remind the Committee that until
[I] myself solved the problem of the possibility, no idea had been
entertained of introducing the Bible in the rural districts of
countries exclusively Papist. This remark, which I make with the
utmost humility, merely springs from an idea that a similar
attempt, if made with boldness and decision, might prove equally
successful in Italy, Mexico, and many other countries, even pagan,
which have not yet been penetrated, particularly China and Grand
Tartary, on the shores of which the Bible labours under great
disadvantage and odium from being put into the hands of the natives
by people seemingly in connection with those for whom it is
impossible they can entertain much respect, as they are well known
to contribute largely towards the corruption of the public morals.
But I now return to my subject, and proceed at once to the
experiment which I made at different periods and in different
provinces.
I twice sallied forth alone and on horseback, and bent my course to
a distant village. On my arrival, which took place just after the
SIESTA or afternoon's nap had concluded, I proceeded in both
instances to the market-place, where I spread a horse-cloth on the
ground, upon which I deposited my books. I then commenced crying
with a loud voice: 'Peasants, peasants, I bring you the Word of
God at a cheap price. I know you have but little money, but I
bring it you at whatever you can command, at four or three REALS,
according to your means.' I thus went on till a crowd gathered
round me, who examined the books with attention, many of them
reading aloud, but I had not long to wait. In both instances my
cargo was disposed of almost instantaneously, and I mounted my
horse without a question being asked me, and returned to my
temporary abode lighter than I came. These instances occurred in
Castile and Galicia, near the towns of Santiago and Valladolid.
It is the firm conviction of the writer from subsequent experience
that every village in Spain will purchase Testaments, from twenty
to sixty, according to its circumstances. During the last two
months of his sojourn in Spain he visited about forty villages, and
in only two instances was his sale less than thirty copies in each.
The two villages which he alludes to were Mocejon in the Sagra of
Toledo, and Torre Lodones about four leagues from Madrid in the
road which leads to the Guadarama hills. The last village is
indeed a mere wretched assemblage of huts, the inhabitants of which
labour under the most squalid poverty, owing to the extreme
niggardness of the neighbouring soil, which consists almost
entirely of rock from which scarcely anything can be gathered, so
that the people are proverbially thieves. Only three copies of the
sacred volume were purchased in this unhappy place, and only nine
in the comparatively rich village of Mocejon - which, it is true,
was visited on the day of a festival, when the inhabitants were too
much occupied with dancing and other amusements to entertain any
serious thoughts.
There are at the present moment about two thousand copies of the
New Testament in Madrid. It appears to the writer that it would be
most expedient to distribute one-half of these books in La Mancha,
commencing from the town of Ocana, and concluding with Argamasilla
at the other end of the province; the remaining thousand might be
devoted to the many villages on the road towards Arragon,
especially to those of Alcarria where the people are honest, mild
and serious. The writer would by no means advise for the present
an attempt to distribute the entire Bible amongst the peasantry, as
he is of opinion that the New Testament is much better adapted to
their understandings and circumstances. If it be objected to the
plan which he has presumed to suggest that it is impossible to
convey to the rural districts of Spain the book of life without
much difficulty and danger, he begs leave to observe that it does
not become a real Christian to be daunted by either when it pleases
his Maker to select him as an instrument; and that moreover if it
be not written that a man is to perish by wild beast or reptiles,
he is as safe in the den even of the cockatrice as in the most
retired chamber of the king's palace; and that if on the contrary
he be doomed to perish by them, his destiny will overtake him
notwithstanding all the precautions which he, like a blind worm,
may essay for his security.
In conclusion the writer begs leave to remind the Committee that a
society of liberal Spanish ecclesiastics is being formed for
printing and circulating the Scripture without note or comment. He
does not advise the entering into an intimate alliance and co-
operation with this society, but he ventures to hope that if it
continue to progress, there will be found Christian hearts in
England to wish it success and Christian hands to afford it some
occasional assistance. If the work of the Lord be done, it matters
little whether Apollos or Paul be the labourers.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 12th January, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Feb. 4, 1839)
SEVILLE, JANY. 12, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I reached Cadiz in safety, after crossing the
Bay of Biscay in rather boisterous weather. I have been in Seville
about a week, part of which time I have been rather indisposed with
an old complaint; this night at ten o'clock I leave, with the
letter-courier, for Madrid, whither I hope to arrive in something
less than four days. I should have started before now, had an
opportunity presented itself. I have been much occupied since
coming here in writing to my friends in Spain apprising them of my
arrival, amongst others to Sir George Villiers. I have of course
visited the Sevillian bookseller, my correspondent here. He
informed me that seventy-six copies of the hundred Testaments
entrusted to his care were placed in embargo by the Government last
summer. They are at present in the possession of the
Ecclesiastical Governor. I visited him also the other day, to make
enquiries concerning our property. He lives in a large house in
the PAJARIA, or straw-market. He is a very old man, between
seventy and eighty, and like almost all those who wear the
sacerdotal habit in this city is a fierce persecuting Papist. I
believe he scarcely believed his ears when his two grand-nephews,
beautiful black-haired boys, who were playing in the courtyard, ran
to inform him that an Englishman was waiting to speak with him, as
it is probable that I was the first heretic who ever ventured into
his habitation. I found him in a vaulted room seated on a lofty
chair, with two sinister-looking secretaries, also in sacerdotal
habits, employed in writing at a table before him. He brought
powerfully to my recollection the grim old inquisitor who persuaded
Philip the Second to slay his own son as an enemy to the Church.
He arose as I entered, and gazed upon me with a countenance dark
with suspicion and dissatisfaction. He at last condescended to
point me to a sofa, and I proceeded to state to him my business.
He became much agitated when I mentioned the Testaments to him; but
I no sooner spoke of the Bible Society and told him who I was, than
he could contain himself no longer, and with a stammering tongue
and with eyes flashing fire like hot coals, he proceeded to rail
against the Society and myself, saying that the aims of the first
were atrocious and that as to myself, he was surprised that being
once lodged in the prison of Madrid I had ever been permitted to
quit it; adding that it was disgraceful in the Government to allow
a person of my character to roam about an innocent and peaceful
country, corrupting the minds of the ignorant and unsuspicious.
Far from allowing myself to be disconcerted by his rude behaviour,
I replied to him with all possible politeness, and assured him that
in this instance he had no reason to alarm himself, as that my sole
motive in claiming the books in question was to avail myself of an
opportunity, which at present presented itself of sending them out
of the country, which indeed I had been commanded to do by an
official notice. But nothing would soothe him, and he informed me
that he should not deliver up the books on any condition, save by a
positive order of the Government. As the matter was by no means an
affair of consequence I thought it wise not to persist, and also
prudent to take my leave before he requested me. I was followed
even down into the street by his niece and grand-nephews, who
during the whole of the conversation had listened at the door of
the apartment and heard every word.
I have at present little more to say, having detailed everything
worth mentioning which has occurred since [my] landing in the
Peninsula for the third time. As soon as I reach Madrid I shall
proceed to make preparations for a fresh expedition, but in what
direction I have scarcely determined. Please therefore to pray
that I may be enlightened, and that the angel of the Lord may
smooth my path before me. Greet all my friends in my name; I hope
speedily to be able to write to each, and in the meantime remain,
Revd. and dear Sir, yours ever,
G. B.
LETTER: 25th January, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Feb. 4, 1839)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,
25 JANUARY, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - My last letter was from Seville, in which I
gave you an account of my proceedings in that place, at the same
time stating that I was about to repair to Madrid with the courier.
After travelling four days and nights we arrived, without having
experienced the slightest accident; though it is but just to
observe, and always with gratitude to the Almighty, that the next
courier was stopped.
A singular accident befell me immediately after my arrival. On
entering the arch of the POSADA, called La Reyna, where I intended
to put up, I found myself encircled in a person's arms, and on
turning round in amazement beheld my Greek servant Antonio; he was
haggard and ill-dressed, and his eyes seemed starting from their
sockets. As soon as we were alone he informed me that since my
departure he had undergone great misery and destitution, having
during the whole period been unable to obtain a master in need of
his services, so that he was brought nearly to the verge of
desperation; but that on the night immediately preceding my arrival
he had a dream in which he saw me, mounted on a black horse, ride
up to the gate of the POSADA, and that on that account he had been
waiting there during the greatest part of the day. I do not
pretend to offer any opinion concerning this narrative, which is
beyond the reach of my philosophy, and shall content myself with
observing that only two individuals in Madrid, one of them Lord
Clarendon (late Sir George Villiers), were aware of my arrival in
Spain. I was very glad to receive him again into my service, as
notwithstanding his faults, and he has many, he has in many
instances proved of no slight assistance to me in my wanderings and
Biblical labours, as indeed I have informed you on previous
occasions.
I was soon settled in my former lodgings, when one of my first
cares was to pay a visit to Lord Clarendon. I need not dilate on
the particulars of our interview; suffice it to say, that he
received me with more than usual kindness, and assured me that I
might invariably rely upon him, if I should ever chance to be in
need of his assistance and protection. I told him that it was not
our intention to take any steps towards preventing the civil or
ecclesiastical authorities of Toledo from destroying the Testaments
seized at Ocana; and he smiled when I added that the only wish we
ventured to express concerning the matter was that, in the event of
these books, which contain the Word of God, being committed to the
flames, the said authorities, civil or ecclesiastic, would commit
the act with all the publicity possible.
My preparations for taking the field are now nearly completed, and
within forty hours I hope to commence operations. My first attempt
will be made in a large village [at] about a league's distance; and
if it please the Lord to permit me to succeed there, it is my
intention to proceed to all those villages or hamlets in the
vicinity of Madrid hitherto not supplied. I then wend towards the
east, to a distance of about thirty leagues. I have been very
passionate in prayer during the last two or three days; and I
entertain some hope that the Lord has condescended to answer me, as
I appear to see my way with considerable clearness. It may, of
course, prove a delusion, and the prospects which seem to present
themselves may be mere palaces of clouds which a breath of wind is
sufficient to tumble into ruin; therefore bearing this possibility
in mind it behoves me to beg that I may be always enabled to bow
meekly to the dispensations of the Almighty, whether they be of
favour or severity.
Two days ago I received my largest and most useful horse from the
Sagra of Toledo and likewise a note from Lopez; he is unable to
come himself at present to assist me, but he sent a countryman who,
he is of opinion, will be of equal utility, at least for a time. I
yesterday despatched him to the low parts of Madrid, or as they are
styled, LOS BARRIOS BAJOS; he succeeded in disposing of twelve
Testaments, amongst the very poor people, in a few hours. My other
horse is at Salamanca, in Old Castile; but he suffered so much
during my late expeditions, that it will hardly answer my purpose
to send for him.
In passing through La Mancha we stayed for four hours at
Manzanares, a large village which I hope to visit again shortly. I
was standing in the market-place conversing with a curate, when a
frightful ragged object presented itself; it was a girl about
eighteen or nineteen, perfectly blind, a white film being spread
over her huge staring eyes; her countenance was as yellow as that
of a mulatto. I thought at first that she was a Gypsy, and
addressing myself to her, enquired in Gitano if she were of that
race. She understood me; but shaking her head replied, that she
was something better than a Gitana, and could speak something
better than that jargon of witches, whereupon she commenced asking
me several questions in exceeding good Latin. I was of course very
much surprised, but summoning all my Latinity, I called her
Manchegan prophetess, and expressing my admiration at her learning
begged to be informed by what means she became possessed of it. I
must here observe that a crowd instantly gathered around us who,
though they understood not one word of our discourse, at every
sentence of the girl shouted applause, proud in possession of a
prophetess who could answer the Englishman. She informed me that
she was born blind, and that a Jesuit priest had taken compassion
on her when she was a child, and had taught her the 'holy
language,' in order that the attention and hearts of Christians
might be more easily turned towards her. I soon discovered that he
had taught her something more than Latin, for upon telling her that
I was an Englishman, she said that she had always loved Britain
which was once the nursery of saints and sages - for example, Bede
and Alcuin, Colombus [SIC] and Thomas of Canterbury; but she added,
those times had gone by since the re-appearance of Semiramis
(Elizabeth). Her Latin was truly excellent; and when I, like a
genuine Goth, spoke of Anglia and Terra Vandalica (Andalusia), she
corrected me by saying that in her language those places were
called Britannia, and Terra Betica. When we had finished our
discourse, a gathering was made for the prophetess, the very
poorest contributing something. What wonderful people are the
Jesuits! When shall we hear of an English rector instructing a
beggar girl in the language of Cicero?
Ever yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 15th February, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Feby. 25, 1839)
MADRID, 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,
15 FEBRY. 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - In my last communication I stated that I had
got everything in readiness to commence operations in the
neighbourhood of Madrid, and indeed since that period I have
entered upon my labours in reality, though unforeseen circumstances
produced an unavoidable delay of several days. It is with feelings
of gratitude to the Almighty that I now state that considerable
success has attended my feeble efforts in the good cause. All the
villages within the distance of four leagues to the east of Madrid
have been visited, and Testaments to the number of nearly two
hundred have been disposed of. It will be here necessary for me to
inform you that these villages, for the most part, are very small;
some of them consisting of not more than a dozen houses, or I
should rather say miserable cabins. I left my servant Antonio to
superintend matters in Madrid, and proceeded with Vitoriano, the
peasant from Villa Seca, in the direction which I have already
mentioned. We however soon parted company, and pursued different
routes. The first village at which I made an attempt was Cobenna,
about three leagues from Madrid. I was dressed in the fashion of
the peasants of the neighbourhood of Segovia in Old Castile,
namely, I had on my head a species of leather helmet, or MONTERA,
with a jacket and trowsers of the same material. I had the
appearance of a person between sixty and seventy years of age, and
drove before me a BURRICO, with a sack of Testaments lying across
its back. On nearing the village I met a genteel-looking young
woman leading a little boy by the hand. As I was about to pass her
with the customary salutation of 'VAYA USTED CON DIOS,' she
stopped, and after looking at me for a moment she said; 'Uncle
(TIO), what is that you have on your BURRICO? Is it soap?' I
replied, 'Yes; it is soap to wash souls clean.' She demanded what
I meant; whereupon I told her that I carried cheap and godly books
for sale. On her requesting to see one, I produced a copy from my
pocket, and handed it to her. She instantly commenced reading it
with a loud voice, and continued so for at least ten minutes,
occasionally exclaiming, 'QUE LECTURA TAN BONITA, QUE LECTURA TAN
LINDA!' ('What beautiful, what charming reading!') At last, on my
informing her that I was in a hurry and could not wait any longer,
she said, 'True, true,' and asked me the price of the book. I told
her 'But three REALS'; whereupon she said that though what I asked
was very little, it was more than she could afford to give, as
there was little or no money in those parts. I said I was sorry
for it, but that I could not dispose of the book for less than I
had demanded, and accordingly resuming it, wished her farewell and
left her. I had not, however, proceeded thirty yards, when the boy
came running behind me, shouting out of breath: 'Stop, uncle! the
book, the book.' Upon overtaking me he delivered me the three
REALS in copper, and seizing the Testament, ran back to her, who I
suppose was his sister, flourishing the book over his head with
great glee.
On arriving at the village I directed my steps to a house around
the door of which I saw several persons gathered, chiefly women.
On my displaying my books their curiosity was instantly aroused,
and every person had speedily one in his hand, many reading aloud.
However, after waiting nearly an hour I had disposed of but one
copy, all complaining bitterly of the distress of the times and the
almost total want of money, though at the same time they
acknowledged that the books were wonderfully cheap and appeared to
be very good and Christian-like. I was about to gather up my
merchandise and depart, when on a sudden the curate of the place
made his appearance. After having examined the books for some time
with considerable attention, he asked me the price of a copy, and
upon my informing him that it was three REALS, he replied that the
binding was worth more, and that he was much afraid that I had
stolen the books, and that it was perhaps his duty to send me to
prison as a suspicious character. He added however that the books
were good books, however they might be obtained, and concluded by
purchasing and paying for two copies. The poor people no sooner
heard their curate recommend the volumes, than all were eager to
secure one, and hurried here and there for the purpose of procuring
money, so that between twenty and thirty copies were sold almost in
an instant. This adventure not only affords an instance of the
power still possessed by the Spanish clergy over the minds of the
people, but likewise that such influence is not always exerted in a
manner favourable to the maintenance of ignorance and superstition.
In another village on my showing a Testament to a woman, she said
that she had a child at school for whom she should like to purchase
one, but that she must first know whether the book was calculated
to be of service to him. She then went away, and presently
returned with the schoolmaster, followed by all the children under
his care. She then, showing the schoolmaster a book, enquired if
it would answer for her son. The schoolmaster called her a
simpleton for asking such a question, and said that he knew the
book well, and there was not its equal in the world. (NO HAY OTRO
EN EL MUNDO.) He instantly purchased five copies for his pupils,
regretting that he had no more money, 'For in that case,' said he,
'I would buy the whole cargo.' Upon hearing this, the woman
purchased four copies: namely, one for her son, another for her
husband who was dead, a third for herself, and a fourth for her
brother, whom, she said, she was expecting home that night from
Madrid.
In this manner we proceeded, not however with uniform success. In
some villages the people were so poor and needy that they had
literally no money; even in these, however, we managed to dispose
of a few copies in exchange for barley or refreshments. (Is this
right?)
On entering one very small hamlet, Vitoriano was stopped by the
curate, who on learning what he carried told him that unless he
instantly departed, he would cause him to be imprisoned, and write
to Madrid in order to give information of what was going on. The
excursion lasted about eight days. Immediately after my return, I
despatched Vitoriano to Caramanchel, a village at the distance of
half a league from Madrid, the only one towards the west which had
not been visited last year. He stayed there about an hour and
disposed of twelve copies, and then returned, as he is exceedingly
timid and was afraid of being met by the thieves who swarm on that
road in the evening. In a few days I depart for Guadalajara and
the villages of Alcarria.
(UNSIGNED.)
LETTER: 4th March, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Mar. 15, 1839)
NAVAL CARNERO, NEW CASTILE,
MARCH 4, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
kind letter of the 6th ult., which I hope to be able to answer in
all points on another occasion. I am now in a small town on the
road to Talavera, to which place it is possible that I may proceed.
I take up the pen in order to give you a brief account of what has
taken place since I last wrote. I have that to communicate which I
am confident will cause yourself and the remainder of my dear
friends in Earl Street to smile; while at the same time it will not
fail to prove interesting, as affording an example of the feeling
prevalent in some of the lone and solitary villages of Spain with
respect to innovation and all that savours thereof, and the strange
acts which are sometimes committed by the rural authorities and the
priests, without the slightest fear of being called to account; for
as they live quite apart (6) from the rest of the world, they know
no people greater than themselves, and scarcely dream of a higher
power than their own. In my latest communication I stated that I
was about to make an excursion to Gaudalajara and the villages of
Alcarria; indeed I merely awaited the return of Vitoriano to sally
forth: I having despatched him in that direction with a few
Testaments as a kind of explorer, in order that from his report as
to the disposition manifested by the people for purchasing, I might
form a tolerably accurate opinion as to the number of copies which
it might be necessary to carry with me. However I heard nothing of
him for a fortnight, at the end of which period a letter was
brought to me by a peasant, dated from the prison of Fuente La
Higuera, a village eight leagues from Madrid, in the CAMPINA, or
champaign of Alcala. This letter, written by Vitoriano, gave me to
understand, that he had been already eight days imprisoned, and
that unless I could find some means to extricate him there was
every probability of his remaining in durance until he should
perish with hunger, which he had no doubt would occur as soon as
his money was exhausted and he was unable to purchase the
necessaries of life at a great price. From what I afterwards
learned it appeared that after passing the town of Alcala he had
commenced distributing, and with considerable success. His entire
stock consisted of sixty-one Testaments, twenty-five of which he
sold without the least difficulty or interruption in the single
village of Arganza, the poor labourers showering blessings on his
head for providing them with such good books at an easy price. Not
more than eighteen remained when he turned off the high road
towards Fuente La Higuera. This place was already tolerably well
known to him, he having visited it of old when he travelled the
country in the capacity of a vendor of CACHARROS or earthen pans.
He subsequently stated that he felt some misgiving whilst on the
way, as the village had invariably enjoyed a bad reputation. On
his arrival, after having put up his CABALLEJO, or little pony, at
a POSADA, he proceeded to the ALCALDE for the purpose of demanding
permission to sell books, which that dignitary immediately granted.
He now entered a house and sold a copy, and likewise in a second.
Emboldened by success he entered a third, which it appeared
belonged to the barber-surgeon of the village. This personage,
having just completed his dinner, was seated in an arm-chair within
his doorway when Vitoriano made his appearance. He was a man of
about thirty-five, of a savage, truculent countenance. On
Vitoriano's offering him a Testament he took it into his hand to
examine it; but no sooner did his eyes glance over the title-page
than he burst into a loud laugh, exclaiming: 'Ha, ha, Don Jorge
Borrow, the English heretic, we have encountered you at last.
Glory to the Virgin and the Saints! We have long been expecting
you here, and at length you have arrived.' He then enquired the
price of the book, and on being told three REALS, he flung down
two, and rushed out of the house with the Testament in his hand.
Vitoriano now became alarmed, and determined upon leaving the place
as soon as possible. He therefore hurried back to the POSADA, and
having paid for the barley which his pony had consumed, went into
the stable, and placing the pack-saddle on the animal's back was
about to lead it forth when the ALCALDE of the village, the
surgeon, and twelve other men, some of whom were armed with
muskets, suddenly presented themselves. They instantly made
Vitoriano prisoner, and, after seizing the books and laying an
embargo on the pony, proceeded amidst much abuse to drag their
captive to what they denominated their prison, a low damp apartment
with a little grated window, where they locked him up and left him.
At the expiration of three quarters of an hour they again appeared,
and conducted him to the house of the curate, where they sat down
in conclave, the curate who was a man stone-blind being president,
whilst the sacristan officiated as secretary. The surgeon having
stated his accusation against the prisoner, namely, that he had
detected him in the fact of selling a version of the Scriptures in
the vulgar tongue, the curate proceeded to examine Vitoriano,
asking him his name and place of residence - to which he replied
that his name was Vitoriano Lopez, and that he was a native of
Villa Seca in the Sagra of Toledo. The curate then demanded what
religion he professed, and whether he was a Mahometan or freemason,
and received for answer that he was a Roman Catholic. I must here
state that Vitoriano, though sufficiently shrewd in his way, is a
poor old labourer of sixty-four, and until that moment had never
heard of Mahometans or freemasons. The curate becoming now
incensed, called him a TUNANTE or scoundrel, and added, 'You have
sold your soul to a heretic; we have long been aware of your
proceedings, and those of your master. You are the same Lopez,
whom he last year rescued from the prison of Villallos, in the
province of Avila. I sincerely hope that he will attempt to do the
same thing here.' 'Yes, yes,' shouted the rest of the conclave,
'let him but venture here, and we will shed his heart's blood on
our stones.' In this manner they went on for nearly half-an-hour;
at last they broke up the meeting and conducted Vitoriano once more
to his prison.
During his confinement he lived tolerably well, being in possession
of money; his meals were sent him twice a day from the POSADA,
where his pony remained in embargo. Once or twice he asked
permission of the ALCALDE, who visited him every night and morning
with his armed guard, to purchase pen and paper, in order that he
might write to Madrid; but this favour was peremptorily refused
him, and all the inhabitants of the village were forbidden under
terrible penalties to afford him the means of writing, or to convey
any message from him beyond the precincts of the place, and two
boys were stationed before the window of his cell for the purpose
of watching everything which might be conveyed to him. It happened
one day that Vitoriano, being in need of a pillow for his head,
sent word to the people of the POSADA to send him his ALFORJAS or
saddle-bags, which they did. In these bags there chanced to be a
kind of rope or, as it is called in Spanish, SOGA, with which he
was in the habit of fastening his satchel to the pony's back. The
urchins seeing an end of this rope hanging from the ALFORJAS
instantly ran to the ALCALDE to give him information. Late at
evening the ALCALDE again visited the prisoner, at the head of his
twelve men as usual. 'BUENAS NOCHES,' said the ALCALDE. 'BUENAS
NOCHES TENGA USTED,' replied Vitoriano. 'For what purpose did you
send for the SOGA this afternoon?' demanded the functionary. 'I
sent for no SOGA,' said the prisoner, 'I sent for my ALFORJAS to
serve as a pillow, and it was sent in them by chance.' 'Thou art a
false malicious knave,' retorted the ALCALDE, 'you intend to hang
yourself, and by so doing ruin us all, as your death would be laid
to our door. Give me the SOGA.' No greater insult can be offered
to a Spaniard, than to tax him with an intention of committing
suicide. Poor Vitoriano flew into a violent rage, and after
calling the ALCALDE several uncivil names, he pulled the SOGA from
his bags, and flinging it at his head, told him to take it home and
use it for his own neck.
At length the people of the POSADA took pity on the prisoner,
perceiving that he was very harshly treated for no crime at all.
They therefore determined to afford him an opportunity of informing
his friends of his situation, and accordingly sent him a pen and
inkhorn, concealed in a loaf of bread, and a piece of writing-
paper, pretending that the latter was intended for cigars. So
Vitoriano wrote the letter; but now ensued the difficulty of
sending it to its destination, as no person in the village dare
have carried it for any reward. The good people, however,
persuaded a disbanded soldier from another village, who chanced to
be at Fuente La Higuera in quest of work, to charge himself with
it, promising that I would pay him well for his trouble. The man,
watching his opportunity, received the letter from Vitoriano at the
window; and it was he who, after travelling on foot all night,
delivered it to me in safety at Madrid.
I was now relieved from my anxiety, and had no fears for the
result. I instantly went to a friend who is in possession of large
estates about Guadalajara, in which province Fuente La Higuera is
situated, who furnished me with letters to the Civil Governor of
Guadalajara and all the principal authorities, and at Antonio's
request, I despatched him upon the errand of the prisoner's
liberation. He first directed his course to Fuente La Higuera,
where entering the ALCALDE'S house he boldly told him what he had
come about. The ALCALDE, expecting that I was at hand with an army
of Englishmen for the purpose of rescuing the prisoner, became
greatly alarmed, and instantly despatched his wife to summon his
twelve men. However, on Antonio's assuring him that there was no
intention of having recourse to violence, he became more tranquil.
In a little time Antonio was summoned before the conclave and its
blind sacerdotal president. They at first attempted to frighten
him, by assuming a loud bullying tone and talking of the necessity
of killing all strangers, and especially the detested Don Jorge and
his dependents. Antonio, however, who is not a person apt to allow
himself to be easily terrified, scoffed at their threats, and
showing them his letters to the authorities of Guadalajara said
that he should proceed there on the morrow and denounce their
lawless conduct; adding that he was a Turkish subject, and that
should they dare to offer him the slightest incivility he would
write to the Sublime Porte, in comparison with whom the best kings
in the world were but worms, and who would not fail to avenge the
wrongs of any of his children, however distant, in a manner too
terrible to be mentioned. He then returned to his POSADA. The
conclave now proceeded to deliberate among themselves, and at last
determined to despatch their prisoner on the morrow to Guadalajara,
and deliver him into the hands of the Civil Governor.
Nevertheless, in order to keep up a semblance of authority, they
that night placed two men armed at the door of the POSADA where
Antonio was lodged, as if he himself were a prisoner; these men as
often as the clock struck the hours, shouted, 'AVE MARIA! Death to
the heretics!' Early in the morning the ALCALDE presented himself
at the POSADA, but before entering he made an oration at the door
to the people in the street saying amongst other things:
'Brethren, these are the fellows who have come to rob us of our
religion.' He then went into Antonio's apartment, and after
saluting him with great politeness said that as a royal or high
mass was about to be celebrated that morning, he had come to invite
him to go to church with him; whereupon Antonio, though by no means
a mass-goer, rose and accompanied him, and remained two hours, as
he told me, on his knees on the cold stones to his great
discomfort, the eyes of the whole congregation being fixed upon him
during the time.
After mass and breakfast, he departed for Guadalajara, Vitoriano
having been already despatched there under a guard. On his arrival
he presented his letters to the individuals for whom they were
intended. The Civil Governor was convulsed with merriment on
hearing Antonio's account of the adventure. Vitoriano was set at
liberty and the books were placed in embargo at Guadalajara: the
Governor stating, however, that though it was his duty to detain
them at present, they should be sent to me whenever I chose to
claim them. He moreover said that he would do his best to cause
the authorities of Fuente La Higuera to be severely punished, as in
the whole affair they had acted in a most cruel, tyrannical manner,
for which they had no authority. Thus terminated this affair, one
of those little accidents which chequer missionary life in Spain.
Vitoriano is now with me at Naval Carnero, as he begged me almost
on his knees to be permitted to attend me and to be employed as
before. At his imprisonment he smiles. Antonio and myself have
lately been very successful at Madrid, having sold considerably
upwards of a hundred Testaments and several Bibles. It is with
deep gratitude I state that the poor of Madrid receive the
Scripture with gladness: to the rich I offer it not, their hearts
are hard. I am writing a journal of the present expedition.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 9th March, 1839
To Mr. W. Hitchin
(ENDORSED: recd. March 21, 1839)
MADRID, MARCH 9, 1839.
ON the other side I send you my account, which I hope you will find
correct. In order to prevent confusion, I have charged my expenses
from the period of my leaving London until my arrival at Cadiz in
the Spanish, instead of the English currency. Respecting the item
of Vitoriano, it will be as well to observe that, when employed in
journeying, I allow him six REALS per diem and his diet, and two
when in Madrid. I do not know that there is anything else to which
I need direct your attention, except that I have not noted my
quarter's salary because ignorant of the rate of exchange. If you
please, you can credit me to the amount.
I did not go further than Naval Carnero on the way to Talavera, on
account of an accident which occurred, the clergy having raised the
country against me. Glory to God, they are becoming thoroughly
alarmed, and with much reason. I have disposed of all the Bibles
bound already, and have been compelled on account of the demand to
order the rest of the sheets to be got in readiness. We shall be
compelled to evacuate our storehouse and to seek another, as the
rats are doing prodigious havoc to the stores.
Pray, remember me to all friends, and believe me, etc.,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 20th March, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Apr. 8, 1839)
20 MARCH 1839,
MADRID, CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Having much to communicate, and of no slight
importance, I shall offer no apology for now addressing you. My
last letter was from Naval Carnero, in which I informed you of
various circumstances, connected with the distribution of the
blessed Gospel, which had recently occurred. I likewise stated
that it was very probable that I should proceed to Talavera, for
the purpose of seeing what might be done in that neighbourhood.
The day, however, subsequent to dispatching my letter ushered in
events which compelled me to alter my resolution; twenty Testaments
were seized in a village in the neighbourhood of Naval Carnero, and
I learned that our proceedings, on the other side of Madrid, had
caused alarm amongst the heads of the clergy, who made a formal
complaint to the Government - who immediately sent orders to all
the ALCALDES of the villages, great and small, in New Castile to
seize the New Testament wherever it might be exposed for sale, but
at the same time to be particularly careful not to detain or
maltreat the person or persons who might be attempting to vend it.
An exact description of myself accompanied these orders, and the
authorities, both civil and military, were exhorted to be on their
guard against me, and my arts and machinations; for, as the
document stated, I was to-day in one place and to-morrow at twenty
leagues distance. On receiving this intelligence, I instantly
resolved to change for a time my strategic system, and not to
persist in a course which would expose the sacred volume to seizure
at every step which I might take to circulate it. I therefore
galloped back to Madrid, leaving Vitoriano to follow. It will be
as well to observe here, that we sold twenty and odd Testaments in
villages adjacent to Naval Carnero, before the orders had arrived.
Arrived at Madrid, I lost not a moment in putting into execution
the plan which I had formed. Having an extensive acquaintance
amongst the lower orders, I instantly selected eight of the most
intelligent to co-operate with me, amongst whom were five women.
All these I supplied with Testaments, and then sent them forth to
all the parishes in Madrid. I will at once state the result which,
I confess, has more than answered my expectations. Since my return
from Naval Carnero nearly six hundred copies of the life and words
of Him of Nazareth have been sold in the streets and alleys of
Madrid, a fact which I hope I may be permitted to mention with
gladness and with decent triumph in the Lord. There is a place in
Madrid called the Puerta del Sol, which is a central spot,
surrounded with shops, into which the four principal streets
disembogue, if I may be allowed the expression. These streets are
the Calle Alcala, the Calle Montera, the Calle Mayor, and that of
Carreta. The wealthiest of all these is the Calle Montera, where
reside the principal merchants and shop-keepers of Madrid; it is in
fact the street of commerce, and is in many respects similar to the
Zacatin of Granada. Every house in this street is supplied with
its Testament, and the same may be said with respect to the Puerta
del Sol; nay, in some instances every individual in the house, man
and child, man-servant and maid-servant, is furnished with a copy,
which we have invariably sold, and never given. My Greek Antonio
has made wonderful exertions in this quarter, and it is but justice
to say that but for his instrumentality, on many occasions, I might
be by no means able to give so favourable an account of the spread
of the Bible in Spain, as I now conscientiously can. There was a
time when, as you are well aware, I was in the habit of saying,
'Dark Madrid,' an expression which I thank God I may now drop; for
can that city justly be called 'dark' in which thirteen hundred
Testaments, at least, are in circulation and in daily use?
It appears to me that a glorious reform is commencing in Spain;
indeed matters have lately come to my knowledge, which had they
been prophesied only a year ago by the Spirit of truth itself, I
should have experienced much difficulty in believing. You will be
surprised when I tell you that in two churches of Madrid, the New
Testament is regularly expounded every Sunday evening, by the
respective curates, to about twenty children who attend, and who
are provided with copies of the Society's edition of Madrid, 1837.
The churches which I allude to are those of San Gines and Santa
Cruz. Now I humbly conceive that this fact alone is more than
equivalent to all the expense which the Society has incurred, in
the efforts which it has hitherto made to introduce the Gospel into
Spain; but be this as it may, I am certain, if I may judge by my
own feelings, that it has amply recompensed me for all the anxiety
and unhappiness which I underwent last year. Whenever I am now
called upon to discontinue my labours in the Peninsula, I shall
comply without the slightest murmur or remonstrance, my heart being
filled with gratitude to the Lord for having been permitted,
useless vessel as I am, to see at least some of the seed springing
up which during two years I have been casting on the stony ground
of the interior of Spain.
There is at present a great demand for Bibles; since the time of
writing last we have sold upwards of one hundred copies. Indeed
the demand is far greater than I can answer, as the books are
disposed of faster than they can be bound by the man whom I employ
for that purpose, and in whose secrecy and honour I have perfect
confidence. Eight-and-twenty copies are at present bespoken and
paid for. Many of these Bibles have found their way into the best
houses in Madrid. The Marquis of Santa Coloma has a large family,
but every individual of it, old or young, is now in possession of a
Bible and likewise of a Testament, which, strange to say, were
recommended by the chaplain of the house. One of my most zealous
agents in the propagation of the Bible is an ecclesiastic. He
never walks out without carrying one beneath his gown, which he
offers to the first person he meets whom he thinks likely to
purchase. Another excellent assistant is an elderly gentleman of
Navarre, enormously rich, who is continually purchasing copies on
his own account, which he, as I am told, sends into his native
province, for distribution amongst his friends and the poor.
I have at present sold as many Testaments as I think Madrid will
bear, for a time. I have therefore called in the greatest part of
my people, and content myself with the sale of twelve or fourteen a
week, for I am afraid to over-stock the market, and to bring the
book into contempt by making it too common. The greatest part of
those which still remain (about one thousand) I reserve for
Seville, Granada, and some of the other inland cities of Andalusia,
specially Jaen, the bishop of which is very favourable to us and
our cause. I have likewise my eye on Ceuta, its garrison, its
convicts, and singular inhabitants, half Spaniards, half Moors. To
Andalusia I shall probably proceed in about three weeks.
I beg leave to call your attention to the work I sent you, and the
ferocious attack which it contains against the Bible Society, and
especially to the letter of the curate, which I sincerely wish you
would insert in your Extracts. This publication was established
and is supported by money sent by the Cardinals of Rome, and is
principally directed against us. Its abuse, however, is our
praise; and the world may form some judgment of what we are
accomplishing in Spain by attending to some of the remarks and
observations which appear in this work, and which are in all points
worthy of Rome and its clan.
My respects to Mr. Josiah Forster, who I hope will have received
the biography of Ripoll, the Quaker, executed at Valencia in 1826.
What news from China?
(UNSIGNED.)
LETTER: 10th April, 1839
To the Rev. Joseph Jowett
(ENDORSED: recd. April 22, 1839)
APRIL 10, 1839,
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - In a few days I shall leave Madrid for
Seville; and being anxious to write a few lines before my departure
in order that yourself and others friends may be acquainted with
the exact state of affairs in Spain, I embrace the present
opportunity. In the first place however I beg leave to apologise
for not having ere this performed my promise of writing. Many
causes unnecessary to recapitulate prevented me; but I steadfastly
hope that already with your usual considerate goodness you have
imputed my tardiness to anything but neglect.
A convoy starts for Andalusia on the 13th, and I intend to avail
myself of it so far as to send therewith my servant Antonio with
the horses and the Testaments which I destine for circulation in
that province. I shall myself follow with the courier. True it is
that I had determined to proceed by Estremadura, but circumstances
have occurred which have induced me to alter my resolution. The
roads in Spain are in a worse state than ever; and in Estremadura
particularly, which for some time past has enjoyed a tolerable
state of tranquillity, a band of Carlist robbers have lately made
their appearance, who murder, make prisoner, or put at ransom every
person who has the misfortune to fall into their hands. I
therefore deem it wise to avoid, if possible, the alternative of
being shot or having to pay one thousand pounds for being set at
liberty, which has already befallen several individuals. It is
moreover wicked to tempt Providence systematically. I have already
thrust myself into more danger than was perhaps strictly necessary,
and as I have been permitted hitherto to escape, it is better to be
content with what it has pleased the Lord to do for me up to the
present moment, than to run the risk of offending Him by a blind
confidence in His forbearance, which may be over-taxed. As it is,
however, at all times best to be frank, I am willing to confess
that I am what the world calls exceedingly superstitious; perhaps
the real cause of my change of resolution was a dream, in which I
imagined myself on a desolate road in the hands of several robbers,
who were hacking me with their long ugly knives.
We have been very successful of late, having, since my last letter
to Mr. Brandram, sold no less than two hundred Bibles, so that not
more than one hundred and fifty remain of the five hundred which
were sent to me from Barcelona in sheets. I have discontinued
selling Testaments in Madrid, as it appears to me that we shall
have barely sufficient, unless something unforeseen occurs, for
Andalusia and one or two other points which I wish to visit. When
I recollect the difficulties which have encompassed our path, I can
sometimes hardly credit all that the Almighty has permitted us to
accomplish within the last year: a large edition of the New
Testament almost entirely disposed of in the very centre of old,
gloomy, fanatic Spain, in spite of the opposition and the furious
cry of the sanguinary priesthood and the edicts of a tyrannical,
deceitful Government; moreover a spirit of religious enquiry
excited, which I have fervent hope will sooner or later lead to
blessed and most important results. Till of late the name most
abhorred and dreaded in these parts of Spain was that of Martin
Luther, who was in general considered as a species of demon, a
cousin-german to Belial and Beelzebub, who under the disguise of a
man wrote and preached blasphemy against the Highest. Yet now,
strange to say, this once abominated personage is spoken of with no
slight degree of respect. People, with Bibles in their hands, not
unfrequently visit me, enquiring with much earnestness and with no
slight degree of simplicity for the writings of the great Doctor
Martin, whom indeed some suppose to be still alive. It will be as
well here to observe that of all the names connected with the
Reformation, that of Luther is the only one known in Spain, and let
me add that no controversial writings but his are likely to be
esteemed as possessing the slightest weight or authority, however
great their intrinsic merit may be. The printing, therefore, of
tracts in the Spanish language, of the description hitherto
adopted, appears to be pregnant with no good or benefit whatever.
Of what might be the result of well-executed translations of
judicious selections from the works of Luther, it is not my
business to offer an opinion.
Before commencing this journey to Andalusia I must take the liberty
of making one humble request to my friends of the Bible Society,
which is to be patient. It may not be in my power to send them for
a long time any flattering accounts of operations commenced there.
I shall be surrounded with enemies, bitter, malignant, and
powerful, against whose efforts it is very possible that I may not
be able to stand my ground; or the books which I carry with me may
be seized and sequestrated, in spite of all the plans which I have
devised for their safety. The great failing of Protestants, in
general, is a tendency to spring suddenly to the pinnacle of
exultation, and as suddenly to fall to the lowest bathos of
dejection, forgetting that the brightest day as well as the most
gloomy night must necessarily have a termination. How far more
wise are the members of that object of my undying detestation, the
Church of Rome; from mixing with whom I have acquired one principal
point of wisdom, which may be termed, EVER TO EXPECT EVIL, AND EVER
TO HOPE FOR GOOD; by attending to which maxim we find that Church
ever regaining the ground which it has lost. Yesterday seeming a
lifeless stick, as in the case of England, to-day it is a
magnificent tree, glorious with leaves and fruit. Excuse these
observations which, I assure you, are well meant. No one
acquainted with me will lay undue partiality to the Roman Church to
my charge, yet there are some points about it which I highly
admire; and you know well enough that it is lawful to receive
instruction from an enemy.
I have been lately going through Morrison's Chinese Matthew. I
confess that I am the merest tyro in the language, nevertheless I
am compelled to state that upon the whole I do not like the
translation. It appears to me that in various instances the
characters are not grammatically placed; I mean, not as they are
placed in the writings if the best Chinese authors to express the
same ideas. Moreover he has translated the sacred Name by the
character which the Chinese are in the habit of bestowing on the
spirits whose idols they worship, and which is by no means
applicable to the one great God, whom the missionaries of the Greek
and Roman Churches for want of an equivalent in Chinese have always
styled, and with justice [three Chinese characters] (TIEN TSZ
HWANG), or King of Heaven. The Holy Ghost, he renders by TCHING
FUNG, or Holy Wind, which is a Hebraism, and which can scarcely be
understood by the Chinese. In Lipoftsoff's Mandchou version it is
happily translated by the Holy Spirit. You will recollect that on
my second return to Spain you requested me to look into Morrison's
Testament, on which account I shall offer no excuse for these
trifling remarks.
Do me the favour, my dear Sir, to inform Mr. Hitchin that within a
day or two I shall send him another account of money received and
disbursed. I hope you forwarded the packet containing the life of
Ripoll to Mr. Forster. - Having now said my say for the present, I
have the honour to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 2nd May, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram.
(ENDORSED: recd. May 21, 1839)
SEVILLE, SPAIN, MAY 2, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have been in Seville one week. Perhaps on
learning this you will be disposed to demand the reason of my not
having written previously to this, knowing, as I do, the anxiety of
my friends to know the fate of their adventurer in his wanderings
in wild Spain; but believe me that I had several reasons for
deferring, the principal being an unconquerable aversion to writing
blank letters. At present I have something to communicate besides
my arrival, indeed one or two odd things. The courier and myself
came all the way without the slightest accident, my usual wonderful
good fortune accompanying us. I may well call it wonderful. I was
not aware when I resolved to venture with the mail that I was
running into the den of the lion, the whole of La Mancha with the
exception of a few fortified places being once more in the hands of
Pollillos and his banditti, who whenever it pleases them, stop the
courier, burn the vehicle and letters, murder the paltry escort
which attends, and carry away any chance passenger to the
mountains, where an enormous ransom is demanded, which if not paid,
brings on the dilemma of four shots through the head, as the
Spaniards say. The upper part of Andalusia is becoming rapidly
nearly as bad as La Mancha. The last time the courier had passed,
he was attacked at the defile of La Rumblar by six mounted robbers;
he was guarded by an escort of as many soldiers; but the former
suddenly galloped from behind a solitary VENTA and dashed the
soldiers to the ground, who were taken quite by surprise, the hoofs
of the robbers' horses making no noise on account of the great
quantity of mud. The soldiers were instantly disarmed and bound to
olive-trees, with the exception of two who escaped amongst the
rocks; they were then mocked and tormented by the robbers, or
rather fiends, for nearly half an hour, when they were shot, the
head of the corporal who commanded being blown to fragments with a
blunderbuss. The robbers then burnt the coach, which they
accomplished by igniting the letters by means of the tow with which
they light their cigars. The life of the courier was saved by one
of them who had formerly been his postillion; he was, however,
robbed and stripped. As we passed by the scene of the butchery the
poor fellow burst into tears, and, though a Spaniard, cursed Spain
and the Spaniards, saying that he shortly intended to pass over to
Morocco to confess Mahomet and to learn the Law of the Moors, for
that any country and religion was better than his own. He pointed
to the tree where the corporal had been tied; though much rain had
fallen since, the ground around was still saturated with blood, and
a dog was gnawing a piece of the unfortunate wretch's skull. A
friar travelled with us the whole way from Madrid to Seville; he
was OF THE MISSIONARIES, and was going to the Philippine Islands to
conquer (PARA CONQUISTAR), for such was his word, by which I
suppose he meant preaching to the Indians. During the whole
journey he exhibited every symptom of the most abject fear, which
operated upon him so that he became deadly sick, so that we were
obliged to stop twice in the road and lay him amongst the green
corn. He said that if he fell into the hands of the factious he
was a lost priest, for that they would first make him say mass and
then blow him up with gunpowder. He had been a professor of
philosophy, as he told me, in one of the convents (I think it was
San Tomas) of Madrid, before their suppression, but appeared to be
grossly ignorant of the Scripture, which he confounded with the
works of Virgil.
We stopped at Manzanares as usual; it was Sunday morning and the
market was crowded with people. I was recognised in a moment, and
twenty pairs of legs instantly hurried away in quest of the
prophetess, who presently made her appearance in the house to which
we had retired to breakfast. After many greetings on both sides,
she proceeded in her admirable Latin to give me an account of all
that had occurred in the village since I had last been there, and
of the atrocities of the factious in the neighbourhood. I asked
her to breakfast and introduced her to the friar whom she addressed
in this manner; ANNE DOMINE REVERENDISSIME FACIS ADHUC SACRIFICIUM?
But the friar did not understand her, and waxing angry
anathematized her for a witch and bade her begone. She was however
not to be disconcerted, and commenced singing in extemporary
Castilian verse the praises of friars and religious houses in
general. On departing I gave her a PESETA, upon which she burst
into tears and entreated that I would write to her if I reached
Seville in safety.
We did arrive at Seville in safety, and I took leave of the friar
telling him that I hoped to meet him again at Philippi. I must now
be brief. In a few days Antonio arrived with the horses.
Difficulties now began to show themselves. All the Testaments were
stopped at the custom house, they were contained in two large
chests: but I now know Spain and the Spaniards. For a few dollars
I procured a FIADOR or person who engaged THAT THE CHESTS should be
carried down the river and embarked at San Lucar for a foreign
land. Yesterday I hired a boat and sent them down, but on the way
I landed in a secure place all the Testaments which I intend for
this part of the country. The chests therefore, with the copies
required for Tangiers and England, with the hundred Gospels in
Gitano and Basque for the Library of the Bible Society, are at
present at San Lucar in the custom house, from which I expect to
receive to-morrow the receipt which the authorities here demand,
and which will be necessary for the security of my voucher. Indeed
the whole affair, though attended with considerable trouble and
expense to me, was a mere formality, as I was given to understand.
I was myself treated with the greatest politeness, and was told
that my intentions were known and honoured. Late last night
Antonio and myself returned from an excursion on foot, bringing
beneath our cloaks, as if they were smuggled goods, a considerable
number of Testaments; our path lay along the banks of the
Guadalquivir, the rain poured and the river roared, and by the time
we reached Seville we were wet through and covered with mud from
head to foot. To-day I am laid up, being so STIFF and sore that I
can hardly move; but anything for the Gospel's sake.
It is my opinion, and I am not one of those who hazard an opinion
rashly, that much may be accomplished in this place, which, though
by no means the most populous and wealthy, is the most interesting
town in all Spain, and stands beneath the most glorious heaven, and
amidst the most delightful environs; but to effect anything,
patience must be exhibited and prudence employed, and much of both.
Consider my situation here. I am in a city by nature very
Levitical, as it contains within it the most magnificent and
splendidly endowed cathedral of any in Spain. I am surrounded by
priests and friars, who know and hate me, and who, if I commit the
slightest act of indiscretion, will halloo their myrmidons against
me. The press is closed to me, the libraries are barred against
me, I have no one to assist me but my hired servant, no pious
English families to comfort or encourage me, the British subjects
here being ranker papists and a hundred times more bigoted than the
Spanish themselves, the consul a RENEGADE QUAKER. Yet
notwithstanding, with God's assistance I will do much, though
silently, burrowing like the mole in darkness beneath the ground.
Those who have triumphed in Madrid, and in the two Castiles where
the difficulties were seven times greater, are not to be dismayed
by priestly frowns at Seville. All I dread is the imprudence of
very excellent people, whose aim is good, but who are doing exactly
what is calculated to further the views of the enemy. I wish they
could be brought to see the absolute necessity of changing their
system. I suppose you heard of the affair of Cadiz.
I have of late written several letters home, which I wish may have
been received as they contain information which I think will be
considered of importance; nevertheless as the road to France has
for some time past been in the hands of the Carlists, it is very
possible that they may have miscarried. I shall therefore take the
liberty of telling you that about a thousand Testaments have been
sold, and all the Bibles, to the amount of 463, since my return to
the Peninsula. I shall be happy to receive a letter from you as
soon as possible: you can direct either to my lodgings at Madrid,
or to Posada de la Reyna, Calle Gimios, Sevilla.
Pray excuse this letter, it is badly written, with a bad pen and
with bad ink. I am moreover sick and in pain. Present my respects
to Mr. Jowett, Mr. Browne, and all friends, not forgetting Dr.
Steinkopff, to whom I shortly hope to write.
(UNSIGNED.)
LETTER: 12th June, 1839
To the Rev. G. Browne
(ENDORSED: recd. July 1, 1839)
SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA, No. 7,
JUNE 12, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I received in due course of time your
exceedingly kind letter of the 16th April, and am very grateful for
the various intelligence which you were pleased to communicate. I
should have replied ere this; but I am one of those, as I believe
you are aware, who are averse to writing, especially from a
considerable distance, unless they possess matter of sufficient
consequence to fill creditably the pages of an epistle. I could
wish that at the present moment I had more to write upon, and more
interesting details to send you than these which follow. For two
or three weeks after my arrival at Seville I was unable to
accomplish anything, on account of the seizure of the books, with
which you are doubtless acquainted. I however by the assistance of
the Almighty, for which I prayed, was enabled, though not without
considerable trouble, to overcome that difficulty, and to obtain
all the Testaments of which I was in need, to the number of two
hundred and upwards. But still I commenced not operations; indeed
I was quite at a loss, being in a strange place and under very
peculiar circumstances, to imagine the best course to pursue. I
therefore waited with perfect patience until it should please
Providence to assist me, and true it is that help came in rather a
remarkable manner.
I was standing in the courtyard of the Reyna POSADA, where for the
time I had taken up my abode, when a man singularly dressed and
gigantically tall entered. My curiosity being excited, I enquired
of the master of the house who he was, when he informed me that he
was a foreigner who had resided a considerable time in Seville, and
he believed a Greek. Upon hearing this I instantly went up to the
stranger, and accosted him in the Greek language in which, though I
speak it very ill, I can make myself understood. He replied in the
same idiom, and, flattered by the interest which I a foreigner
expressed for his nation, was not slow in communicating to me his
history. He told me, that his name was Dionysius; that he was a
native of Cephalonia, and had been educated for the Church, which
however not suiting his temper, he had abandoned in order to follow
the profession of the sea, for which he had an early inclination;
that after many adventures and changes of fortune he found himself
one morning on the coast of Spain - a shipwrecked mariner; and
that, ashamed to return to his own country in poverty and distress,
he had remained in the Peninsula, residing chiefly at Seville,
where he now carried on a small trade in books. He said that he
was of the Greek religion, to which he professed strong attachment,
and soon discovering that I was a Protestant, spoke with unbounded
abhorrence of the Papal system, nay of its followers in general,
whom he called Latins, and whom he charged with the ruin of his own
country, inasmuch as they sold it to the Turk. It instantly struck
me that this individual would be an excellent assistant in the work
which had brought me to Seville, namely the propagation of the
eternal Gospel; and accordingly after some more conversation, in
which he exhibited considerable learning, I explained myself to
him. He entered into my views with considerable eagerness; and
hitherto I have had no reason to repent my confidence, he having
disposed of a considerable number of New Testaments, and even
contrived to send a certain number of copies to two small towns, at
some distance from Seville.
On account of the extreme dearness of every article at the POSADA,
where moreover I had a suspicion that I was watched, I removed with
my servant and horses to an empty house in a solitary part of the
town, where I still am, and where I purpose to remain during my
stay in Andalusia. Here I live in the greatest privacy, admitting
no person but two or three in whom I have the greatest confidence,
who entertain the same views as myself and who assist me in the
circulation of the Gospel. One of these is a very remarkable
person: an aged professor of music, by birth an old Castilian, and
one of the very few who retain traces of the ancient Spanish
character, which with all its faults, its stiffness, its formality,
and its pride, I believe (always setting the character of the
Christian aside) to be the most estimable and trustworthy in the
world. This venerable individual has just brought me the price of
six Testaments and a Gypsy Gospel, which he has this day sold under
the heat of an Andalusian sun. What was his motive? A Christian
one, truly. He says that his unfortunate countrymen, who are at
present robbing and murdering each other, may probably be rendered
better by the reading of the Gospel, but cannot be injured:
adding, that many a man has been reformed by the Scripture but that
no one ever yet became a thief or assassin from its perusal.
I have not yet addressed myself much to the lower orders in these
parts. Indeed the quantity of books, at my disposal, at present
remaining unsold in Spain is so small, that I am almost tempted to
be niggard of them, lest in an unprovided hour an extraordinary
call should be made. However, before leaving Seville, it will be
well to pay some attention to the poor. I have an agent awaiting
my orders, another Greek, introduced to me by Dionysius; he is a
labouring brick-layer, a native of the Morea, and has been upwards
of thirty-five years in this country, so that he has almost
entirely lost his native language; nevertheless his attachment to
his own country is so strong, that he considers whatever is not
Greek to be utterly barbarous and bad. Though entirely destitute
of education he has, by his strength of character and by a kind of
rude eloquence which he possesses, obtained such a mastery over the
minds of the labouring classes of Seville that to everything he
asserts they assent, however his assertions may shock their
prejudices and Spanish pride; so that notwithstanding he is a
foreigner he may at any time become the MASANIELLO of Seville. I
am happy to be able to add that he is an honest, industrious man
notwithstanding his eccentricities, so that should I employ him,
which I have not yet resolved upon, I may entertain perfect
confidence that his actions will be no disparagement to the book he
vends.
We are continually pressed for Bibles, which of course we cannot
supply; Testaments are held in comparatively little esteem. Allow
me to make here a remark which it is true I ought to have made
three years ago; but we live and learn. It is unwise to print
Testaments, and Testaments alone for Catholic countries. The
reason is plain. The Catholic, unused to Scripture reading, finds
a thousand things which he cannot possibly understand in the New
Testament, the foundation of which is the Old. 'Search the
Scriptures, for they bear witness to Me,' may well be applied to
this point. It may be replied that New Testaments separate are in
great demand and of infinite utility in England. But England,
thanks be to the Lord, is not Spain; and though an English labourer
may read a Testament and derive from it the most blessed fruit, it
does not follow that a Spanish peasant will enjoy similar success,
as he will find many dark things with which the other is well
acquainted and competent to understand, being versed in the Bible
history from his childhood. I confess however that in the campaign
of last summer we could not have accomplished with Bibles what
Providence permitted us to do with Testaments, the former being far
too bulky for rural journeys. In conclusion, I am glad to be able
to say that one of my principal reasons for leaving Madrid was an
inability to answer the pressing demands for Bibles which came
pouring upon me every instant, and to which every person in the
house where I lived can bear witness. Let the Revd. Doctor Wiseman
get over this fact, who in his unchristian and unfounded attack on
the Bible Society has stated that it cannot dispose of its books at
any price, nor indeed get rid of them gratis!
Dear Mrs. Browne shall have her letter.
G. B.
P.S. I have just received Mr. Brandram's epistle. Present to him
my best thanks for it, and above all for the remarks, which I will
remember. Pray let him send me the Pamphlet of the T. S. I wish
to see their observations on the Vulgate. Likewise the other
papers.
LETTER: 28th June, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. July 15, 1839)
SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA, No. 7,
28 JUNE 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I received your letter of the 22nd May, and
likewise Mr. Jackson's of the 5th June, containing the conclusion
of the [Annual] Report, which you were so kind as to send me. I
wish in the first place to say a few words, which some passages in
your communication suggest. Think not I pray you that any
observation of yours respecting style, or any peculiarities of
expression which I am in the habit of exhibiting in my
correspondence, can possibly awaken in me any feeling but that of
gratitude, knowing so well as I do the person who offers them, and
the motives by which he is influenced. I have reflected on those
passages which you were pleased to point out as objectionable, and
have nothing to reply further than that I have erred, that I am
sorry, and will endeavour to mend, and that moreover I have already
prayed for assistance so to do. Allow me however to offer a word
not in excuse but in explanation of the expression 'wonderful good
fortune' which appeared in a former letter of mine. It is clearly
objectionable, and, as you very properly observe, savours of pagan
times. But I am sorry to say that I am much in the habit of
repeating other people's sayings without weighing their propriety.
The saying was not mine: but I heard it in conversation and
thoughtlessly repeated it. A few miles from Seville I was telling
the courier of the many perilous journeys which I had accomplished
in Spain in safety, and for which I thanked the Lord. His reply
was: 'LA MUCHA SUERTE DE USTED TAMBIEN NOS HA ACOMPANADO EN ESTE
VIAGE.'
Your reply to the Trinitarian Society, for I suppose that it was
written by you, afforded me the highest satisfaction. I admired
its tone and spirit, and said at the time that a more convincing
piece of reasoning had never been penned on any subject. The case
of Luther and the early Reformers, who were converted from the
errors of Popery by the perusal of the Vulgate, the book of the
Popish Church, is certainly exceedingly strong; as it at once does
away with any argument which may be raised against the propriety of
circulating versions made from it. Perhaps it would have been as
well to add that the Lollards' Bible, the book which converted
England, was a literal translation from the Vulgate and not from
the original tongues, which, as is well knows, Wickliffe did not
understand. Those who decry the Vulgate should please to remember
that, though adopted by the Popish Church, its foundation was laid
before Popery existed, and that before criticising a book it is
desirable to have read it. There are faults in the Vulgate, indeed
far too many; but I believe them to be more the result of infirmity
than malice, all the heavy and strong texts most dangerous to the
Papal system appearing in it uncurtailed and unmodified. No people
dread the Vulgate more than the Papists themselves, which they know
to be A TERRIBLE TWO-EDGED SWORD WHICH WILL CUT OFF THEIR HANDS IF
THEY HANDLE IT.
I now beg leave to send you an extract of a letter which I received
yesterday morning from Madrid. It is from my landlady, who is my
agent there, and I consider it to be my duty to communicate it to
the Society, as I consider that it speaks volumes as to the state
of affairs in the capital and the spirit of enquiry abroad; at the
same time I presume not to offer any comment upon it. The rest of
the letter treats of indifferent matters.
'The binder has brought me eight Bibles, which he has contrived to
make up out of THE SHEETS GNAWN BY THE RATS, and which would have
been necessary even had they amounted to eight thousand (Y ERA
NECESARIO SE PUVIERAN VUELTO 8000), (7) because the people are
innumerable who come to seek more. Don Santiago has been here with
some friends, who insisted upon having a part of them. The
Aragonese gentleman has likewise been, he who came before your
departure and bespoke twenty-four. He now wants twenty-five. I
begged them to take Testaments, but they would not.'
We go on selling Testaments at Seville in a quiet satisfactory
manner. We have just commenced offering the book to the poor.
That most remarkable individual, Johannes Chrysostom, the Greek
bricklayer, being the agent whom we employ. I confess that we
might sell more than we at present do, were we to press the matter;
but we are cautious, and moreover our stock of Testaments is waning
apace. Two or three ladies of my acquaintance occasionally dispose
of some amongst their friends, but they say that they experience
some difficulty, the cry for Bibles being great. Dionysius also
tells me that for every Testament which he sells he could dispose
of with ease fifty Bibles. Within a few weeks I propose to cross
the water to Ceuta and Tangiers with part of the books at present
in embargo at San Lucar. I shall take the liberty of giving you a
full and minute description of the state of those places, the first
of which has, I believe, never been visited by any one bearing the
Gospel. When I consider the immensity of what remains to be done,
even in this inconsiderable portion of the globe, before wretched
mortals can be brought to any sense of their lost and fallen state,
I invariably lose all hope of anything efficient being accomplished
by human means, unless it shall please the Almighty to make of
straws and rushes weapons capable of cleaving the adamantine armour
of superstition and unbelief.
It is eight o'clock at night, and Johannes Chrysostom has I just
arrived from his labour. I have not spoken to him; but I hear him
below in the courtyard detailing to Antonio the progress he has
made in the last two days. He speaks barbarous Greek, plentifully
interlarded with Spanish words; but I gather from his discourse
that he has already sold twelve Testaments among his fellow-
labourers. I hear copper coin falling on the stones and Antonio,
who is not of a very Christian temper, reproving him for not having
brought the proceeds of the sale in silver. He now asks for
fifteen [Testaments] more, as he says the demand is becoming great,
and that he shall have no difficulty in disposing of them in the
course of the morrow whilst pursuing his occupations. Antonio goes
to fetch them, and he now stands alone by the little marble
fountain, singing a wild song, which I believe to be a hymn of his
beloved Greek Church. Behold one of the helpers which the Lord has
sent me in my Gospel labours on the shores of the Guadalquivir.
Should you wish to transmit to me any part of the Report, I should
conceive that you had best direct it to the care of Mr. Brackenbury
at Cadiz, on whom I propose to call on my way to Ceuta, etc. As
for Cadiz itself, I have no intention of attempting to do any thing
there, at least for the present. After a great deal of gloomy and
unsettled weather the genuine Andalusian summer has come upon us at
last. The brilliancy of the sun and the azure of the heavens are
perfectly indescribable. The people here complain sadly of the
heat, but as for myself, I luxuriate in it, like the butterflies
which hover about the MACETAS, or flowerpots, in the court. Hoping
that you will present my remembrances to Mrs. Brandram, and
likewise to all other dear friends, I remain Revd. and dear Sir,
yours truly,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 18th July, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Aug. 5, 1839)
SEVILLE, No. 7 PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA,
18TH JULY 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - As I am about to leave Seville in a few days
for San Lucar, Tangiers, and Ceuta, I wish before setting out to
send a word or two in order that you may be acquainted with the
state of matters up to the present moment. Our work is concluded
here for the season, and for the very efficient reason that I have
no more Testaments to sell, somewhat more than two hundred having
been circulated since my arrival. A poor Genoese, the waiter at a
Swiss ordinary, has just been with me requesting a dozen, which he
says have been bespoken by people who frequent the house, but I
have been obliged to send him away, it not being in my power to
supply him. About ten days since I was visited by various
ALGUACILS, headed by the ALCALDE DEL BARRIO, or headborough, who
made a small seizure of Testaments and Gypsy Gospels which happened
to be lying about. This visit was far from being disagreeable to
me, as I considered it to be a very satisfactory proof of the
effect of our exertions in Seville. I cannot help here relating to
you an anecdote. A day or two subsequent, having occasion to call
at the house of the headborough to complain of an act of dishonesty
which had been committed by my porters, I found him lying on his
bed, for it was the hour of the SIESTA, reading intently one of the
very Testaments which he had taken away - all of which, if he had
obeyed his orders, he would have deposited in the office of the
Civil Governor. So intently indeed was he engaged in his reading
that he did not at first observe my entrance; when he did, however,
he sprang up in great confusion, and locked the book up in his
cabinet; whereupon I smiled and told him to be under no alarm, as I
was glad to see him so usefully employed. Recovering himself he
said that he had read the book nearly through, and that he had
found no harm in it, but on the contrary everything to praise,
adding that he believed that the clergy must be possessed with
devils (ENDEMONIADOS) to persecute it in the manner which they did.
It was Sunday when the seizure was made, and I happened to be
reading the Liturgy. One of the ALGUACILS when going away made an
observation respecting the very different manner in which the
Protestants and Catholics keep the Sabbath, the former being in
their houses reading good books, and the latter abroad in the bull
ring, seeing the wild bulls tearing out the gory bowels of the poor
horses. The bull amphitheatre at Seville is, as you perhaps may
have heard, the finest in all Spain, and is invariably on a Sunday,
the only day in which it is open, filled with applauding
multitudes.
I am happy to be able to say that the soil of Spain is now
tolerably well broken up, and to a certain degree prepared for the
labours of any future missionaries bearing the blessed Bible, who
may visit this interesting part of the world. We have had
considerable difficulty hitherto in circulating Testaments, and we
have merely been enabled to scatter about the thousands, which are
now being read, by very extraordinary exertions. Nevertheless when
I take a large view of the subject I feel inclined to believe that
we were right in commencing our labours in the interior of Spain by
printing an edition of the New Testament at Madrid. I much doubt
whether the astonishing demand for the Bible, which almost
compelled me to leave the capital, and which now shows itself at
Seville and other places, for example, Burgos, Valladolid, and
Saint James of Galicia, to the great mortification of the Popish
clergy, would have arisen but for the appearance of the New
Testament which awaked in people's minds the desire of possessing
the entire Scripture. With great humility, however, I feel
disposed to advise that provided at any future time the Society
should think itself called upon to recommence its exertions here in
the cause of a crucified Saviour, it employ, as its mighty
instrument the Bible, the entire blessed Bible; having nevertheless
always ready for distribution a certain quantity of Testaments, the
wishes of weak human beings being influenced by such strange causes
that it is probable that were it known at Madrid, or in other
places, that there was a dearth of Testaments, the demand for the
same would instantly become greater than for the entire Bible.
A few days since I received a communication from my correspondent
at Saint James at Galicia, old Rey Romero, whom I have mentioned on
a former occasion when residing there. The good old man has sent
me in his account, by which it appears that 115 copies of the New
Testament were sold at Saint James between the months of August
1837 and May 1838, at which time the further sale of the work was
forbidden, and 35 copies, which remained unsold, placed in embargo.
The balance of the account in our favour is 950 REALS after
deducting all expenses. I shall preserve this letter with care, as
I attach some importance to it. Who has not heard of Saint James
of Compostella, the temple of the great image of the patron of
Spain, and the most favourite resort in the world of benighted
Popish pilgrims? Nevertheless 115 copies of the pure unadulterated
Word of God were purchased there in a few months at the high price
of ten REALS each. I humbly beg leave to refer you to my account
of that remarkable place, and to hope that in the statement of
proceedings in Spain it will not be forgotten. 64 copies, it
appears, were also sold in the small town of Lugo, also in Galicia,
and 56 at Leon, the capital of the ancient kingdom of the same
name, and which perhaps may be considered as the least enlightened
and most fanatic place in all Spain.
By advice from Madrid from Mrs. Maria Diaz, whom I charged with the
care of the property of the Bible Society in that place, it appears
that there remain unsold:-
Of Testaments, 962
Of Gospels in the Gypsy tongue, 286
Of ditto in Basque, 394
The quantity of Testaments would not have been so large had I not
recovered before leaving Madrid upwards of two hundred, which had
been placed in embargo at Santander and subsequently removed to the
capital. On a rough account, therefore, I should say that about
three thousand have been sold during the last twelve months in the
interior of Spain, for which I give praise to God with the humility
and gratitude due. Of those which remain I should wish to be
permitted on my return from my present expedition to circulate some
in La Mancha, especially at Manzanares and Valdepenas. The state
of that province is truly horrible; it appears peopled partly with
spectres and partly with demons. There is famine, and such famine;
there is assassination, and such unnatural assassination. There
you see soldiers and robbers, ghastly lepers and horrible and
uncouth maimed and blind, exhibiting their terrible nakedness in
the sun. I was prevented last year in carrying the Gospel amongst
them. May I be more successful this.
I now beg leave to conclude my tedious letter with requesting that
you will be kind enough to send the enclosed communication to my
friend in Russia. I hope you will pardon the trouble I am giving
you, but I have no other resource, as there is no direct mode of
communication between Russia and Spain. Present my kind
remembrances to dear Mr. Jowett and other friends, and believe me
to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Ever truly yours,
G. B.
LETTER: 4th September, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 7, 1839)
TANGIERS, SEPTEMBER 4, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I have now been nearly one month in this
place, and should certainly have written to you before had I
possessed any secure means of despatching a letter; but there is no
mail from Tangiers to any part of the world, so that when writing
one is obliged to have recourse to the disagreeable necessity of
confiding letters to individuals who chance to be going to
Gibraltar to be put into the post there, who not unfrequently lose
or forget them. One which I wrote for Spain has already
miscarried, which circumstance makes me cautious. I will now
relate the leading events which have occurred to me since my
departure from Seville, observing however that I have kept a
regular journal, which on the first opportunity I shall transmit
for the satisfaction of my friends at home. You are already aware
that I had determined to carry the Scripture in Spanish to the
Christian families established on the sea-coast of Barbary, and
more especially Tangiers, the Spanish language being in general use
among them, whether Spaniards by birth or Genoese, French or
English. To enable me to do this, having no copies of the sacred
volume at Seville, I determined to avail myself of a certain number
of Testaments in embargo at the custom-house of San Lucar a town at
the mouth of the Guadalquivir, forming part of the stock seized by
order of the Government and which I had been officially requested
to remove from Spain. I started from Seville on the night of the
31st of July in one of the steamers which ply upon the
Guadalquivir, arriving at San Lucar early in the morning. I shall
now make an extract from my journal, relative to the Testaments.
'It will be as well here to curtail what relates to these books,
otherwise the narrative might be considerably embarrassed. They
consisted of a chest of Testaments in Spanish, and a small box of
Saint Luke's Gospel in the Gitano or language of the Spanish
Gypsies. I obtained them from the custom-house of San Lucar with a
pass for that of Cadiz. At Cadiz I was occupied two days, and also
a person whom I employed, in going through all the required
formalities and in procuring the necessary papers. The expense was
great, as money was demanded at every step I took, though I was
simply complying with the orders of the Spanish Government in
removing prohibited books from Spain. The farce did not end till
after my arrival at Gibraltar, where I paid the Spanish consul a
dollar for certifying on the back of the pass that the books had
arrived, which pass I was obliged to send back to Cadiz. It is
true that he never saw the books nor enquired about them; but he
received the money, for which alone he seemed to be anxious.
'Whilst at the custom-house of San Lucar, I was asked one or two
questions respecting the books contained in the chests; this
afforded me some opportunity of speaking of the New Testament and
the Bible Society. What I said excited attention, and presently
all the officers and dependents of the house, great and small, were
gathered around me, from the governor to the porter. As it was
necessary to open the boxes to inspect their contents, we all
proceeded to the courtyard where, holding a Testament in my hand, I
recommenced my discourse. I scarcely know what I said, for I was
much agitated and hurried away by my feelings, when I bethought me
of the manner in which the Word of God was persecuted in the
unhappy kingdom of Spain. My words however evidently made
impression, and to my astonishment every person present pressed me
for a copy. I sold several within the walls of the custom-house.
The object, however, of most attention was the Gypsy Gospel, which
was minutely examined amidst smiles and exclamations of surprise,
some individual every now and then crying 'COSAS DE LOS INGLESES.'
A bystander asked me whether I could speak the Gitano language. I
replied that I could not only speak it but write it, and instantly
made a speech of about five minutes in the Gypsy tongue, which I
had no sooner concluded than all clapped their hands, and
simultaneously shouted, 'COSAS DE LOS INGLESES! COSAS DE LOS
INGLESES!' I disposed of several Gypsy Gospels likewise, and
having now settled the business which brought me to the custom-
house, I saluted my new friends and departed with my books.
'I strolled from the inn to view the town. It was past noon, and
the heat was exceedingly fierce . . . I became tired of gazing, and
was retracing my steps, when I was accosted by two Gypsies, men who
by some means had heard of my arrival. We exchanged some words in
Gitano, but they appeared to be very ignorant of the language, and
utterly unable to maintain a conversation in it. They were
clamorous for a GABICOTE, or book, in Gypsy. I refused it them,
saying that they could turn it to no profitable account; and
learning that they could read, promised them each a Testament in
Spanish. This offer, however, they refused with disdain, saying
that they cared for nothing written in the language of the BUSNE or
Gentiles. They then persisted in their demand, to which I at last
yielded, being unable to resist their importunity; whereupon they
accompanied me to the inn, and received what they so ardently
desired.'
I arrived at Cadiz on the second day of August, when I waited upon
Mr. Brackenbury, the British consul-general. His house, which is
the corner one at the entrance of the ALAMEDA or public walk,
enjoys a noble prospect of the bay, and is very large and
magnificent. I had of course long been acquainted with Mr. B. by
reputation. I knew that for many years he bad filled with
advantage to his native country and with honour to himself the
distinguished and highly responsible situation which he holds in
Spain. I knew likewise that he was a good and pious Christian, and
moreover the firm and enlightened friend of the Bible Society. Of
all this I was aware; but I had never enjoyed the advantage of
being personally acquainted with him. I saw him now indeed for the
first time. I was much struck with his appearance; there is much
dignity in his countenance, which is, however, softened by an
expression of good humour truly captivating and engaging. His
manner is frank and affable in the extreme. I am not going to
enter into minute details of our interview, which was a very
interesting one to myself. He knew already the leading parts of my
history since my arrival in Spain, and made several comments
thereon which displayed his intimate knowledge of the situation of
Spain, as regards ecclesiastical matters, and the state of opinion
respecting religious innovation. I was flattered to find that his
ideas in many points accorded with my own, and we were both
decidedly of opinion that, notwithstanding the great persecution
and outcry which had lately been raised against the Gospel, the
battle was by no means lost in Spain, and that we might yet hope to
see the holy cause triumph.
During my stay at Cadiz I experienced every kind of hospitality
from Mr. B. and his charming family. Upon my departure he supplied
me with a letter of introduction to Mr. Hay, the British consul at
Tangiers, which I have since learned was most flattering to myself
and worded in the most energetic manner. I quitted Cadiz on the
morning of Sunday, the 4th August, in the steamer BALEAR, arriving
at Gibraltar on the evening of the same day. Nothing particular
occurred to me during my stay at Gibraltar, where I engaged my
passage on board a small trading vessel for Tangiers. We were
detained by various causes until Thursday the 8th, when we sailed
about noon, and assisted by a strong and favourable wind we reached
the harbour of Tangiers before sunset. I was not permitted to go
on shore that night, my passport and bill of health having first to
be examined by the authorities. Early however on the following
morning, Mr. Hay, who had received Mr. Brackenbury's letters of
introduction, sent a Moorish soldier and his own servant to conduct
me to his house, where he received me in the kindest manner. He
bad already procured me a comfortable lodging in the house of a
Christian woman where I have remained ever since my arrival at
Tangiers, constantly receiving every species of attention and
civility from Ir. Hay.
Tangiers stands on the side of a rather steep hill which rises
above the sea. It is a walled town, and towards the water is
defended with batteries mounted with heavy cannon. The streets are
very numerous and intersect each other in all directions; they are
narrow and precipitous, and the houses low, small and mean. The
principal mosque, or JAMMA [DJMAH] is rather a handsome edifice,
and its tower, or SUMAH, which is built of bricks of various
colours, presents a picturesque appearance when viewed from the
sea: of its interior I can of course say little, as any Christian
who should venture to intrude would be instantly cast forth and
probably killed by the populace. About half way up the hill within
the town there is a small market-place called in the language of
the country SOC. It is surrounded with little shops or booths, in
which all kinds of dry fruits, such as dates, raisins, almonds, and
walnuts are exposed for sale, and also honey, soap, sugar, and such
other articles of grocery. These little shops are not in general
kept by Moors, but by people from the country of Suz, who speak a
different language from the Moors, and are of a different race,
being a branch of the Berber stem; they are the grocers of Barbary
and are, in comparison with the Moors, an honest, peaceable, and
industrious people. The castle of the Governor stands at the
northern extremity of Tangiers, on the top of a high eminence which
towers above the town; its outer walls embrace a very large portion
of ground, which is principally occupied by large edifices in the
greatest dilapidation and decay. The castle itself when I visited
it was undergoing repair, during the absence of the pasha who has
since returned. All its inlets and outlets and also the greatest
part of the apartments were choked up with ruins, rubbish, and
mortar. The courtyard however is very fine, and is adorned with a
fountain distilling limpid water, which is a rare spectacle in
Tangiers where water is not in abundance. At each end of this
court there is a hall of audience, highly magnificent in its way,
with a roof of rich fretted work in the old Moorish taste, such as
I have seen in the Alhambra of Granada, and in that truly fairy
palace the Alcazar of Seville.
Tangiers contains a population of about twenty thousand souls, of
which at least one-third are Jews: the Christian portion does not
amount to about two hundred and fifty individuals, including the
various consuls and their families. These latter gentlemen enjoy
considerable authority in the town, so much so that in all disputes
between Moors and Christians they alone are the judges, and their
decision is law; they are a very respectable body, being without
one exception exceedingly well-bred gentlemanly individuals, and
several of them, particularly Mr Hay, the British consul-general,
possessed of high literary attainments. They enjoy very large
salaries from their respective governments, varying from ten to
sixteen thousand dollars per annum, so that, as all the necessaries
and indeed many of the luxuries of life may be obtained at a very
cheap price at Tangiers, they live in a state of magnificence more
akin to that of petty kings than consuls in general. The most
perfect harmony exists amongst them, and if, at any time, any
little dispute occur between two or three of them, the rest
instantly interfere and arrange matters; and they are invariably
united to a man against the slightest infringement of their
privileges and immunities on the part of the Moorish Government,
and a slight or injury to one is instantly resented by all. The
duties of the greatest part of them are far from being onerous,
more especially as each is provided with a vice-consul, who is also
an exceedingly well-bred and very well-paid gentleman. They pass
the greatest part of their time in cultivating their delicious
gardens, which, surrounded by hedges of KSOB, which is a species of
gigantic reed, cover the hills in the vicinity of Tangiers. Their
houses, which are palace-looking buildings in the European taste
and which contrast strangely with the mean huts of the Moors, are
all surmounted by a flag-staff, which on gala days displays the
banner of its respective nation. It is curious then to gaze from
the castle hill on the town below; twelve banners are streaming in
the wind of the Levant, which blows here almost incessantly. One
is the bloody flag of the Moor, the natural master of the soil; but
the eleven are of foreigners and Nazarenes, and are emblems of
distant and different people. There floats the meteor banner of
England beside the dirty rags of Spain and Portugal. There the
pride of Naples, of Sardinia, and Sweden. There the angry
tricolor; and not far from it the most beautiful of all, the
Dannebrog of Denmark, a white cross gleaming consolingly amidst
blood and fire, as when first seen by Waldemar; neighbour to it the
Austrian; there the Orange; and yonder, far remote from all, like
the country, the stripes and stars of the United States. Tangiers,
with a Moorish and Jewish population, is not the city either of the
Moor or the Jew: it is that of the consuls.
Were it possible for any unprejudiced and rational being to doubt
for a moment that the religion of Mahomet is a false one and
uncalculated to promote the moral and political improvement of
mankind, a slight glance at this Mahometan country would be
sufficient to undeceive him. The Moors are the most fanatic of all
Mahometans, and consider the Turks, Persians, and other followers
of the Desert-Prophet, as seceders from the severe precepts of
their religion. What is their state? They are governed in their
towns and provinces by arbitrary despots called Pashas, who are
accountable to no person but the Emperor, whose authority they
frequently set at nought, and who is himself a despot of the most
terrible description. Their lives, properties, and families are
perfectly at the disposal of these men, who decapitate, imprison,
plunder, and violate as their inclination tempts them. In this
country it is every person's interest, however wealthy, to exhibit
an appearance of abject poverty; as the suspicion of wealth
instantly produces from the Sultan or Pasha a demand for some large
sum, which must be forthwith paid or decapitation or torture are
the severe alternatives. Here justice is indeed an empty name, the
most atrocious criminals escaping unpunished if able to offer a
bribe sufficient to tempt the cupidity of those whose duty it is to
administer it. Here money is sought after with insatiable avidity
by great and small, for its own sake, and not for what it will
produce. It is piled up in the treasury or is buried underground,
according to the situation in life of its possessors. In this land
there is neither public peace or individual security; no one
travels a league but at the extreme danger of his life, and war is
continually raging not against foreign enemies but amongst the
people themselves. The Sultan collects armies and marches against
this or that province, which is sure to be in a state of rebellion;
if successful, a thousand heads are borne before him on his return
in ghastly triumph on the lances of his warriors; and if
vanquished, his own not unfrequently blackens in the sun above the
gate of some town or village. Here truth and good faith are
utterly unknown, friendship exists not, nor kindly social
intercourse; here pleasure is sought in the practice of
abominations or in the chewing of noxious and intoxicating drugs;
here men make a pomp and a parade of their infamy; and the
cavalcade which escorts with jealous eye the wives and concubines
of the potentate on a march or journey is also charged with the
care of his ZAMMINS, the unfortunate youths who administer to his
fouler passions. Such is the moral, and the political state of
Morocco! Such are the fruits of a religion which is not that of
the Bible.
The state of the Jews in this country is in every respect pitiable.
It is one of great thraldom, yet is nevertheless far superior to
what it was previous to the accession of the present monarch Muley
Abd al Rahman to the throne; before that period they enjoyed
scarcely any of the rights of human beings, and were plundered,
beaten, and maimed by the Moslems at pleasure. As the Moors of
Barbary are the most fanatic amongst the Mahometans, so are the
Barbary Jews the most superstitious of their race, observing in the
strictest manner the precepts of the Talmud and the sages. A great
many singular ceremonies and usages are to be found amongst them
which are not observed by the Hebrews in any other part of the
world, more especially at their wedding festivals which are carried
on during a period of eleven days, during which the house which is
open to all comers exhibits a continual scene of dancing, feasting,
and revelry of every description. There is much at these marriages
which has served to remind me of those of the Gitanos of Spain at
which I have been frequently present, especially the riot and waste
practised; for like the Gitano, the Barbary Jew frequently spends
during the days of his wedding not only all that he is possessed
of, but becomes an embarrassed man for the rest of his life by the
sums which he is compelled to borrow in order not to incur the
opprobrium of appearing mean on so solemn an occasion. The books
current among them are the Bible with the commentaries of the
rabbins, parts of the Mischna, and the prayers for all the year;
likewise, but more rare, the Zohar, which all speak of with
unbounded veneration, though few pretend to understand it. I have
not unfrequently seen at their synagogues the Bible Society's
edition of the Psalms, and they appeared to prize it highly.
A market is held on every Thursday and Sunday morning beyond the
walls of Tangiers in a place called the SOC DE BARRA or outward
market-place. Thither repair the Moors from the country, bringing
with them corn, fruit and other articles, the productions of their
fields and gardens for the consumption of the town. It is my
delight to visit this spot which is on the side of a hill, and
sitting down on a stone to gaze. What a singular scene presents
itself to the view: a wild confusion of men and horses, of donkeys
and camels, of countenances of all hues, swarthy and black, livid
and pale, of turbans of all dyes, white, green and red, of Jewish
skull-caps with here and there an Andalusian hat, of haiks and
gaberdines, of arrogant Moors, indifferent Europeans and cringing
Hebrews, the latter walking barefooted in the place where the corn
is sold, which the Moor says is sacred and unfit to be pressed by
the sandals of the dog-Jew. What a hubbub of sounds: the
unearthly cry of the enormous camels and the neighing, braying, and
bleating of other quadrupeds, mingled with the discordant jabber of
various and strange tongues. I have been in many singular places
in the course of my existence, but certainly in none more so than
the SOC DE BARRA of Tangiers.
There is much Spanish spoken in this place, especially amongst the
Jews; it is also generally understood by the Europeans. The
prevalent language however is the Arabic, or rather a dialect of it
called by some Mograbbin. I was glad to find that I could make
myself very well understood with the Arabic of the East,
notwithstanding that it differs in many points from the Mograbbin,
or language of the West. One thing has particularly struck me;
namely that the wild people, who arrive from the far interior and
who perhaps have never before seen a European, invariably
understand me best, and frequently in conversation designate
objects with the same words as myself, which however are not
intelligible to the Moors of the coast. I am by this time
exceedingly well known at Tangiers, indeed I take the best means of
being so by entering into discourse with every person. I believe I
am liked by the Moors and am certainly treated with much respect by
the Jews amongst whom a report prevails that I am a Polish rabbi.
Shortly after my arrival I was visited by the most wealthy Jewish
merchant of Tangiers, who pressed me in the strongest manner to
take up my abode at his house, assuring me [that I should live] at
free cost, and be provided with all the comforts and luxuries which
could be procured.
I will now proceed to relate what has been accomplished in the
cause of the Gospel since my arrival at Tangiers. I will endeavour
to be as concise as possible, reserving some particulars until a
future occasion. For the first fortnight I accomplished nothing,
and indeed attempted nothing in the way of distribution, being
occupied in making myself acquainted with the place and studying
the character of its inhabitants. I occasionally spoke to the
Christians, who are principally Genoese and Spanish sailors and
their families, on the subject of religion, but with the greatest
caution, being unwilling to alarm the two or three friars who
reside in what is called the Spanish convent, who are the only
officiating Christian priests of the place, and who might have
warned their flock against the heretic intruder. I found, as I had
anticipated, great ignorance among these poor people respecting the
most important points of the religion which they profess, and the
Gospel of God they had never seen nor heard of. At the end of the
above-mentioned period I employed a Jewish youth to carry the
Testament to their houses and to offer it to them for sale. It is
with humble gratitude to the Lord that I am able to state that
considerable success crowned our efforts. The blessed Book is now
in the hands of most of the Christians of Tangiers, from the lowest
to the highest, from the fisherman to the consul. One dozen and a
half were carried to Tetuan on speculation, a town about six
leagues from hence; they will be offered to the Christians who
reside there. Other two dozen are on their way to distant
Mogadore. One individual, a tavern-keeper, has purchased
Testaments to the number of thirty, which he says he has no doubt
he can dispose of to the foreign sailors, who stop occasionally at
his house. You will be surprised to hear that several amongst the
Jews have purchased copies of the New Testament, with the intention
as they state of improving themselves in Spanish, but I believe
from curiosity. Whatever their motive be, let them but once read
this holy Book and I have no fear of their remaining enemies of the
Lamb whom their fathers crucified. I regret that only few can read
the Spanish language, their law forbidding them to read or write
any characters but the Hebrew. Had I the New Testament to offer
them in the latter tongue, I believe that I could dispose of
thousands of copies in Barbary. My work being completed here for
the present, I now hasten back to Seville; pray write to me
speedily directing to the usual place.
I remain, Revd and dear Sir,
Truly yours,
G. BORROW.
LETTER: 21st September, 1839
To the Rev. G. Browne
(ENDORSED: recd. Oct. 7, 1839)
CADIZ, SEPR. 21 [1839].
REVD. AND DEAR SIR AND EXCELLENT FRIEND, - I arrived at Cadiz this
morning by a small coasting-vessel, after undergoing a quarantine
of four days at Tarifa. On calling at Mr. Brackenbury's I received
your kind communication of the 29th July, acquainting me with the
resolution of the Committee.
Had I been aware of that resolution before my departure for
Tangiers, I certainly should not have gone. My expedition,
however, was the result of much reflection. I wished to carry the
Gospel to the Christians of the Barbary shore who were much in want
of it; and I had one hundred and thirty Testaments at San Lucar
which I could only make available by exportation. The success
which it has pleased the Lord to yield me in my humble efforts at
distribution in Barbary will, I believe, prove the best criterion
as to the fitness of the enterprise.
I stated in my last communication to Mr. Brandram the plan which I
conceived to be the best for circulating that portion of the
edition of the New Testament which remains unsold at Madrid, and I
scarcely needed a stimulant in the execution of my duty. At
present however I know not what to do; I am sorrowful,
disappointed, and unstrung.
I wish to return to England as soon as possible; but I have books
and papers at Madrid which are of much importance to me and which I
cannot abandon. This perhaps alone prevents me embarking in the
next packet. I have moreover brought with me from Tangiers the
Jewish youth who so powerfully assisted me in that place in the
work of distribution. I had hoped to have made him of service in
Spain; he is virtuous and clever. My servant Antonio I was
compelled to send back to Madrid ere my departure from Seville on
account of his many irregularities.
I am almost tempted to ask whether some strange, some unaccountable
delusion does not exist. What should induce me to stay in Spain,
as you appear to suppose I intend? I may, however, have
misunderstood you. I wish to receive a fresh communication as soon
as possible either from yourself or Mr. Brandram; in the meantime I
shall go to Seville, to which place and to the usual number pray
direct.
I enclose the last letter which I received from the firm of O'Shea,
from which it will appear that I received [word missing] thirty of
the fifty pounds drawn for: the residue covers the expenses at
Madrid, of which I defray one-half, the books being deposited at my
lodgings. I shall shortly send in my account for the last four
months. Pray present my kind remembrances to Mrs. B. and believe
me to remain, Revd. and dear Sir,
Ever truly yours,
G. B.
P.S. - Best regards also to Messrs. Brandram and Jowett.
I have this moment received a letter from Seville, which was
awaiting my arrival at the post office. The British consul states
that the Bibles in embargo there are at the disposal of the
Society; this is the work of my friend Mr. Southern at Madrid, for
had he not exerted his powerful interest in the matter they were
lost, and could not even have been exported. To whom shall I send
them? To Gibraltar, or to England?
LETTER: 29th September, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram (Private)
(ENDORSED: recd. Octr. 14, 1839)
SEVILLE, PLAZUELA DE LA PILA SECA No. 7,
29TH SEPR. 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I beg leave to return you my best thanks for
your kind communication of the 27th Aug. which I found awaiting me
on my return from Tangiers, and for which I was already to a
certain degree prepared by my dear friend Mr. Browne's letter
directed to the care of Mr. Brackenbury at Cadiz. I shall act up
as soon as possible to the Committee's request, that I take
immediate measures for selling the remainder of our Bible stock in
Spain, or leaving it in safe custody. I will now tell you in a few
words the steps which it appears to me most advisable to take in
the present emergency.
I shall mount my horses and depart for La Mancha; where I shall
take up my abode for a few weeks in a town with which you are
already acquainted and where I believe I have friends, and to which
place I shall order a chest of Testaments to be despatched from
Madrid, on the receipt of which I shall endeavour with the
assistance of Hayim Ben Attar to put as many copies as possible
into circulation. I have always wished to do something in La
Mancha, which is in every respect the worst part of Spain. I
distinctly see that it must be now or never. God has granted me
success in many difficult enterprises: perhaps it will please Him
to favour me in this.
I shall then move upon Madrid, and arrange matters in that capital.
If I may be permitted here to offer my advice, I would strongly
recommend that four hundred copies of the New Testament be left
there in deposit, with those of Saint Luke in Gypsy and Basque
which remain unsold. Of the former Gospel, indeed, there are not
many, nearly one hundred copies having been circulated amongst the
Rommanees of Andalusia during my present visit. I then purpose to
make for France, passing through Saragossa, in which place, which
is large and populous, I hope to accomplish some good in the Lord's
cause. This is the outline of my plan, which I shall attempt to
put into execution without delay; though if any one could propose a
wiser, and better adapted to the present circumstances, I shall at
once relinquish it.
I have just received a communication from Mr. Brackenbury, in which
he has done me the honour to furnish me with a copy of a letter
which he has addressed to yourself and in which he has spoken of
me. The principal consolation of a person in misfortune is the
being able to say, 'In whatever I have done, I have had the glory
of God at heart'; and certainly next to this consolation is the
knowledge that his deeds and actions meet the approbation of the
good, the wise, and the distinguished. I wish not to recapitulate
what I have done, but I beg to be permitted to say that wherever I
have been I have endeavoured to elicit the kindly feelings of my
fellow-creatures, not for my own benefit but for the advancement of
the true doctrine. I found Mr. B. during my last visit in a state
of considerable agitation. He showed me a letter from Lord. P
[Palmerston], a circular as it appeared, in which the British
consuls and their assistants in Spain are strictly forbidden to
afford the slightest countenance to religious agents. What was the
cause of this last blow? Mr. B. says it was an ill-advised
application made to his Lordship to interfere with the Spanish
Government in behalf of a certain individual whose line of conduct
needs no comment. There are people in Spain who remember the time
when those very consuls received from a British Ambassador at
Madrid instructions of an exactly contrary character; but when dead
flies fall into the ointment of the apothecary, they cause it to
send forth an unpleasant savour.
I am very glad that I went to Tangiers, for many reasons. In the
first place, I was permitted to circulate many copies of God's Word
both amongst the Jews and the Christians, by the latter of whom it
was particularly wanted, their ignorance of the most vital points
of religion being truly horrible. In the second place, I acquired
a vast stock of information concerning Africa and the state of its
interior. One of my principal associates was a black slave, whose
country was only three days' journey from Timbuctoo, which place he
had frequently visited. The Soosi men also told me many of the
secrets of the land of wonders from which they come, and the rabbis
from Fez and Morocco were no less communicative. Moreover I
consider it a great advantage to have obtained the friendship of
Mr. Hay, who is a true British gentleman. I found him at first
reserved and distant, and I thought averse to countenance the
object of my mission. In a few days, however, his manner changed
surprisingly, and at my departure he begged me to communicate to
the Bible Society that at all times and seasons he should be happy
to receive its commands, and to render all the assistance in Fez
and Morocco which his official situation would permit him, should
the views of the Society at any future time be directed to those
regions.
Permit me, my dear Sir, to correct in your letter something which
savours of inaccuracy. You hint at the issues of the Scriptures in
Spain having been small. Now during the last year I have issued
three thousand Testaments and five hundred Bibles, which is
certainly no small circulation of the Word of God in such a
country. But pray inform me why the circulation has not been ten
times greater? Surely you are aware that among the many
peculiarities of my situation was this distressing one, namely,
that I was scarcely ever able to supply the people with the books
that they were in want of. They clamoured for Bibles, and I had
nothing but Testaments to offer them. Had I been possessed of
twenty thousand Bibles in the spring of the present year, I could
have disposed of them all without leaving Madrid; and they would
have found their way through all Spain. I beseech you always to
bear this fact in mind in your reports to the public, otherwise
that public will remain strangely in the dark respecting the spirit
of enquiry which is abroad in Spain.
You are quite right in supposing that I entertain a favourable
opinion of Mr. Wood. I know him to be a good husband and father,
and a man who fears the Lord: he is likewise possessed of
considerable ability; but I am entirely unacquainted with any plan
which be may have formed respecting printing the Scriptures in
Spain, or any memorial which he may have sent in to the Bible
Society on the subject, so that of course I cannot be expected to
express an opinion. It is my intention in a few days to depart
from hence on my expedition, so that should you be desirous of
writing to me, you had perhaps best address to Madrid.
When the Bible Society has no further occasion for my poor labours,
I hope it will do me justice to the world. I have been its
faithful and zealous servant. I shall on a future occasion take
the liberty of addressing you as a friend respecting my prospects.
I have the materials of a curious book of travels in Spain; I have
enough metrical translations from all languages, especially the
Celtic and Sclavonic, to fill a dozen volumes; and I have formed a
vocabulary of the Spanish Gypsy tongue, and also a collection of
the songs and poetry of the Gitanos with introductory essays.
Perhaps some of these literary labours might be turned to account.
I wish to obtain honourably and respectably the means of visiting
China, or particular parts of Africa. I call this letter private,
but communicate such parts of it as you think proper.
(UNSIGNED.)
LETTER: 25th November, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Dec. 19, 1839)
PRISON OF SEVILLE, Novr. 25, 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I write these lines as you see from the
common prison of Seville, to which I was led yesterday, or rather
dragged, neither for murder nor robbery nor debt but simply for
having endeavoured to obtain a passport for Cordova, to which place
I was going with my Jewish servant, Hayim Ben Attar.
It is necessary for me here to give you some information respecting
my proceedings since I last wrote. I wished to distribute some
more Testaments in Seville before I left the country, and
accordingly procured a considerable number from Madrid. Everything
was accomplished with the utmost secrecy, and the blessed books
obtained considerable circulation. I likewise sent agents into the
country, and went myself in my accustomed manner. All went well,
the entire stock which had reached me was circulated, and I rested
from my labours for a little time; for indeed I had need of quiet,
being indisposed.
Some English people now came to Seville and distributed tracts in a
very unguarded manner, knowing nothing of the country or the
inhabitants. They were even so unwise as TO GIVE TRACTS INSTEAD OF
MONEY ON VISITING PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ETC. These persons came to me,
and requested my co-operation and advice, and likewise
introductions to people spiritually disposed amongst the Spaniards,
to all which requests I returned a decided negative. But I foresaw
all. In a day or two I was summoned before the GEFE POLITICO or,
as he was once called, CORREGIDOR of Seville, who I must say
treated me with the utmost politeness, and indeed respect; but at
the same time he informed me that he had (to use his own
expression) terrible orders from Madrid concerning me, if I should
be discovered in the act of distributing the Scriptures or any
writings of a religious tendency. He then taxed me with having
circulated both lately, especially tracts: whereupon I told him
that I had never distributed a tract since I had been in Spain, nor
had any intention of doing so. We had much conversation and parted
in kindness. I went away for a few days, though without intending
to do anything, and wrote to the firm of O'Shea for money, of which
I stood in need and which I received. I now determined to make for
La Mancha and to put my plan into execution, which I should have
done sooner had the roads been a little more secure. Yesterday I
sent my passport to be signed by the ALCALDE DEL BARRIO. This
fellow is the greatest ruffian in Seville, and I have on various
occasions been insulted by him; he pretends to be a liberal, but is
of no principle at all, and as I reside within his district he has
been employed by the Canons of the cathedral to vex and harass me
on every possible occasion. (By the way, the hatred which these
last people nourish against me amounts almost to frenzy, and
scarcely a day passes by in which they do not send in false
accusations against me to the GEFE POLITICO; they have even gone so
far as to induce people to perjure themselves by swearing that I
have sold or given them books, people whom I have never seen nor
heard of; and the same system was carried on whilst I was in
Africa, for they are so foolishly suspicious that they could not be
persuaded that I was out of Seville.) The above-mentioned ALCALDE
refused to sign the passport, though he was bound to do so, it
being quite in form, and insulted the messenger: whereupon I sent
the latter back with money to pay any fees lawful or unlawful which
might be demanded, as I wished to avoid noise and the necessity of
applying to the consul, Mr. Williams. But the fellow became only
more outrageous. I then went myself to demand an explanation and
was called all the vilest names contained in the Spanish GERMANIA
(Billingsgate), whereupon I told him that if he proceeded in this
manner I would make a complaint to the authorities through the
consul. He then said that if I did not instantly depart he would
drag me off to prison, and cause me to be knocked down if I made
the slightest resistance. I dared him repeatedly to do both, and
said that he was a disgrace to the Government which employed him
and to human nature. He called me a heretic. We were now in the
street and a mob was collected, whereupon I cried 'VIVA INGLATERRA,
Y VIVA LA CONSTITUCION.' The populace seemed disposed to side with
me, notwithstanding the exhortations of the monster to them that
they would knock down THE FOREIGNER, for he himself quailed before
me as I looked him in the eyes defying him. He at last ran to a
neighbouring guard-house, and requested the assistance of the
Nationals in conducting me to prison. I followed him and delivered
myself up at the first summons, and walked to the prison without
uttering a word: not so the ruffian, who continued his abuse until
we arrived at the gate. I was asked my name by the authorities of
the prison, which I refused to give unless in the presence of the
consul, and indeed to answer any questions. I was then ordered to
the PATIO or courtyard, where are kept the lowest thieves and
assassins of Seville, who having no money cannot pay for better
accommodation, and by whom I should have been stripped naked in a
moment as a matter of course, as they are all in a state of raging
hunger and utter destitution. I asked for a private cell, which I
was told I might have if I could pay for it. I stated my
willingness to pay anything which might be demanded, and was
conducted to an upper ward, consisting of several cells and a
corridor. Here I found six or seven prisoners who received me very
civilly, and instantly procured me paper and ink for the purpose of
writing to the consul. In less than an hour Mr. Williams arrived
and I told him my story, at which he wondered, as he well might,
and presently departed in order to demand redress of the
authorities. The next morning I was informed that the ruffian the
ALCALDE had upon his own authority entered my house and searched
for prohibited books, hoping, if he found any, to justify to a
certain degree his conduct to me. He found none, and is now quite
in my power, without a shadow of excuse - he having entered by
force the house of a foreigner, without authority, and not in the
presence of the consul of the nation. I have now been here four-
and-twenty hours, and am assured that my liberation will have been
effectuated before another day shall have passed over. My fellow-
prisoners have treated me with unbounded kindness and hospitality,
and I have never found myself amongst more quiet and well-behaved
men. Yet - what is their history? The handsome black-haired man
who is now looking over my shoulder is the celebrated thief
Palacio, the most expert housebreaker and dexterous swindler in
Spain - in a word, the modern Guzman Dalfarache. The brawny man
who sits by the BRASERO of charcoal is Salvador, the highwayman of
Ronda, who has committed a hundred murders. A fashionably dressed
man, short and slight in person, is walking about the room: he
wears immense whiskers and mustachios; he is one of that most
singular race the Jews of Spain; he is imprisoned for
counterfeiting money. He is an atheist, but like a true Jew the
name which he most hates is that of Christ. Yet he is so quiet and
civil, and they are all so quiet and civil, and it is that which
most horrifies me, for quietness and civility in them seem so
unnatural.
Novr. 26th. Since writing the above, I have been set at liberty.
I am going to Madrid in a few hours to demand redress, and to make
preparations for leaving Spain as soon as possible. There is
nothing more to be done here for the present in the cause of the
Gospel. I received your letter, which I read with great pleasure.
You are quite right in most of your observations, and especially in
one. That circular WAS uncalled for.
Ever yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 24th December, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jan. 3, 1840.)
DECR. 24, 1839,
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO.
REV. AND DEAR SIR, - The last letter which I wrote to you was from
Seville, and in that I gave you an account of what I had been doing
for some time previous and likewise of my imprisonment. I have now
been in Madrid nearly three weeks, and immediately after my arrival
I demanded redress of the Spanish Government for the various
outrages which I have recently been subjected to at Seville. Mr.
Aston, the British Minister, not having yet arrived at Madrid, I
presented my complaint through Mr. Jerningham the first secretary
of Legation, who has superseded Mr. Southern, the latter gentleman
having been appointed to Lisbon. Mr. Southern introduced me to Mr.
Jerningham, who received me with great kindness and took up my
cause very warmly. Whether I shall be able to obtain justice I
know not, for I have against me the Canons of Seville; and all the
arts of villainy which they are so accustomed to practise will of
course be used against me for the purpose of screening the ruffian
who is their instrument. An instance which I am about to give will
speak volumes as to this person's character. When I was in prison,
he forced his way into my house and searched it for Testaments, but
found none. When he was questioned by the vice-consul as to the
authority by which he made this search, he pulled out a paper
purporting to be the deposition of an old woman to the effect that
I had sold her a Testament some ten days before. This document was
a forgery. I had never seen the female in question, and during the
whole time that I have been in Andalusia I have never sold a book
of any description to any such person.
I have been, my dear Sir, fighting with wild beasts during the
greatest part of the time which has elapsed since I had last the
pleasure of seeing you. None but myself can have an idea of what I
have undergone and the difficulties which I have had to encounter;
but I wish not to dilate on that subject. Thanks be to the Most
High that my labours are now brought to a conclusion. The Madrid
edition of the New Testament has been distributed, with the
exception of a few hundred copies, which I have no wish should be
sold at present, for reasons stated on a prior occasion, and which
I shall endeavour to leave in safe custody. The fate of this
edition has been a singular one, by far the greatest part having
been dispersed among the peasantry of Spain and the remainder
amongst the very poor of the towns, the artisans of Madrid and
Seville, the water-carriers and porters. You will rarely find a
copy of this work in the houses of the wealthy and respectable, but
you will frequently light upon it in the huts of the labourers, in
the garrets or cellars of the penniless, and even in the hulks and
convict-garrisons (PRESIDIOS). I myself saw it in the prison of
Seville. As for the few copies of the entire Bible which I had at
my disposal, they have been distributed amongst the upper classes,
chiefly amongst the mercantile body, the members of which upon the
whole are by far the most intellectual and best educated of the
subjects of the Spanish monarchy.
I have thus cast my books upon the waters. It is for the Lord on
high to determine the quantity of good which they are to operate.
I have a humble hope however that they will be permitted to do
some. If the eyes of only a few of these unhappy people amongst
whom I am still sojourning be through them opened to one of the
damning errors of popery, I shall esteem myself amply remunerated
for all the pain, the anxiety, and I may almost say misery (for the
flesh is weak) which I have experienced in the work, even for that
- to me, the most heart-breaking of everything - the strange, the
disadvantageous light in which, I am aware, I must frequently have
appeared to those I most respect and love. My situation throughout
has been a most peculiar one, rocks and quicksands have surrounded
me on every side, and frequently I have been compelled to give
offence to my friends in order not to afford a triumph to the
enemies of God and His cause.
In your last kind communication, I think, you said that neither our
excellent friend Mr. B. [Brackenbury] nor myself appeared properly
to appreciate the worth of two other of our friends who had been
labouring in Spain. Permit me here to observe that we both
appreciate their sterling worth of character and piety; they are
both very extraordinary individuals, one particularly so, and the
zeal which both have displayed in a holy cause is quite above
praise. But it is necessary in order to accomplish much good in a
country situated as this is at present, that the greatest prudence
and foresight go hand in hand with zeal and piety. A corrupt
Government, influenced by an atrocious priesthood, has for the last
three years been on the look-out to take advantage of every rash
movement of the helpers in God's cause in Spain. It ought always
to be borne in mind that though nominally a constitutional country,
Spain is governed by despotism the more infamous and dangerous as
it decks itself in the garb of liberty. Whenever a native becomes
obnoxious to the Government, he is instantly seized and imprisoned,
though perhaps guilty of no crime which can be punished by law;
foreigners have by law particular privileges, but these privileges
are every day violated, and redress is seldom or never obtained;
which proves that the law is a dead letter.
I know perfectly well that it is no infraction of the LAW to print
or sell the Holy Scriptures, either with or without comment, in
Spain. What then? Is there not such a thing as A ROYAL ORDINANCE
to the effect that the Scriptures be seized wherever they are
found? True it is that ordinance is an unlawful one: but what
matters that, provided it be put into execution by the authorities
civil and military? Too many Englishmen who visit Spain imagine
that they carry their own highly favoured country at their back, a
country in which the law rules supreme; but let them once be
brought into collision with the Government, and they will soon
learn how little it avails them to have right on their side whilst
brute force is always at the call of their adversaries.
I have informed Mr. Jerningham that for some time past I have
relinquished distributing the Scriptures in Spain - which is the
truth. I therefore claim the privileges of a British subject and
the protection of my Government. I shall return to England as soon
as I can obtain some redress for this affair. It is then my
intention to attempt to obtain an interview with some of the
members of the House of Lords. I have important disclosures to
make respecting the system of persecution which still exists in
this country with respect to Protestants, who are not only debarred
the exercise of their religion but to whom the common privilege of
burial is denied: so much for the tolerance of Popery. Yet there
are journals of talent and learning in England who, observing that
British Protestants, alarmed at the progress which the Papal
doctrine is making in the British islands, are concerting measures
for their own defence, accuse them of raising once more the
SENSELESS BRAY AGAINST POPERY; as if every unprejudiced person was
not aware that Popery is an unrelenting fiend which never spares
when it has the power to crush - and that power I am afraid it will
soon possess in Britain, unless the poor down-trodden Protestants
stand back to back and combat the monster to the death. This is no
vain alarm, I assure you; therefore I beg that you will not smile.
Few people know more of the secrets of Popery than myself, or the
stand which she intends to take when time and place serve.
Therefore in conclusion let me entreat those of our friends who may
hear these lines read to be on their guard, to drop all petty
dissensions, and to comport themselves like brothers. Protestants
must no longer be disunited.
I will write again in a day or two.
May the Lord be with you, Revd. and dear Sir.
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 28th December, 1839
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jan. 7, 1840)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE, SANTIAGO,
28TH DEC. 1839.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I lose not a moment in writing to you in
consequence of an article in one of the London papers (the COURIER,
I believe) which has just been shown me. It relates to my late
imprisonment at Seville, and contains part of a letter which I
showed to a friend and which indeed was a copy of that which I sent
to yourself. With respect to the letter I have little to observe,
save that I showed it to various individuals (who took copies) in
order that an incorrect account of the affair might not get abroad;
but I beg leave solemnly to assure you that I disavow and give no
countenance to any remarks or observations respecting it which may
find their way into print. I am not ashamed of the METHODISTS OF
CADIZ; their conduct in many respects does them honour, nor do I
accuse any one of fanaticism amongst our dear and worthy friends;
but I cannot answer for the tittle-tattle of Madrid. Far be it
from me to reflect upon any one: I am but too well aware of my own
multitudinous imperfections and follies. I am going instantly to
write to Mr. Rule, and I would also to our other friend did I but
know his address. Should you have an opportunity of communicating
with him, pray, pray say something on the subject, and present to
him my kind love. I hope sincerely no further notice will be taken
of this affair in the newspapers, but to attempt to correct their
errors would merely make bad worse. Pray excuse my agitation, but
I write in haste.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, yours sincerely,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 2nd January, 1840
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. Jan. 13, 1840)
MADRID, No. 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,
2 JANUARY 1840.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - To-morrow I depart in order to return to
Seville. I have laid a full account of the late outrageous assault
before the British Embassy, and a strong representation has been
made to the Spanish Government. I have now nothing further to
detain me in the Spanish capital, and I hope that within a very
short time I shall be able to bid adieu to the shores of Spain,
which I shall quit with as little regret as the tired labourer at
nightfall quits the filthy ditch in which he has been toiling
during the whole of a dreary day.
I should feel much obliged if you would write me a line or two,
directed to my usual address, No. 7 Plazuela de la Pila Seca,
Sevilla, with any little information respecting matters of serious
import, as I am almost entirely unacquainted with what has been
going on during the last six months, the public journals containing
little which has any interest for me. Is it possible that the
British Government is going to bombard the coast of China because
the Emperor of that country is not disposed to countenance opium
smuggling? I have frequently difficulty in believing my eyes when
I read of the proceedings of Christians and people high in
authority, whom it is of course my wish and duty to respect. Is it
wonderful that the Chinese cling to Buddh and refuse to confess the
Son of the Eternal, when they see the professors of the Christian
religion commit such acts of cruel violence and flagrant injustice?
I have drawn for twenty pounds, which will liquidate the expenses
of the journey from Seville and back again. I shall require no
more until my departure for England. In the meanwhile I am
preparing my accounts and various other papers. Pray present my
best remembrances to all my friends. If there be anything which I
can perform for any of them before I leave Spain, let them but
inform me and it shall be done.
I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, ever yours,
GEORGE BORROW.
LETTER: 18th March, 1840
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(ENDORSED: recd. March 31st, 1840)
SEVILLE, MARCH 18, 1840.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - Last night I received a letter from my worthy
friend Mr. Brackenbury, in which he informed me that he had
received a communication from Mr. Jackson stating that since my
departure from Madrid the Society had heard nothing from me and
that it was anxious on my account. This intelligence astonished
me; as towards the end of January and beginning of February I wrote
two letters, one to yourself and the other to Mr. Hitchin. From
yourself I had expected an answer, and your silence made me very,
very unhappy. For upwards of five months I have not heard a word
from England, though during that period I have written twelve
letters, of which seven were to the Bible Society.
I did not return to England immediately after my departure from
Madrid, for several reasons. First, there was my affair with the
ALCALDE still pending; second, I wished to get my papers into some
order; third, I wished to effect a little more in the cause, though
not in the way of distribution as I had no books; moreover the
house in which I resided was paid for, and I was unwilling
altogether to lose the money; I likewise dreaded an English winter,
for I have lately been subjected to attacks, whether of gout or
rheumatism I know not, which I believe were brought on by sitting,
standing and sleeping in damp places during my wanderings in Spain.
The ALCALDE has lately been turned out of his situation, but I
believe more on account of his being a Carlist than for his
behaviour to me; that however, is of little consequence, as I have
long forgotten the affair. I have again been in trouble; and the
Government and clergy seem determined on persecuting me until I
leave Spain. I embark on the third of next month, and you will
probably see me by the sixteenth. I wish very much to spend the
remaining years of my life in the northern parts of China, as I
think I have a call to those regions, and shall endeavour by every
honourable means to effect my purpose. I have a work nearly in
readiness for publication, and two others in a state of
forwardness. The title of the first I take the liberty of sending
you on the other side. I hope yet to die in the cause of my
Redeemer.
I have at present nothing further to say of importance.
I therefore remain, as usual, Revd. and dear Sir, most sincerely
yours,
G. B.
P.S. - What an admirable man and Christian is Mr. Brackenbury!
The title George Borrow wrote on the fly-leaf was...
THE ZIN-CALI
OR AN ACCOUNT OF THE GYPSIES
OF SPAIN
WITH AN ORIGINAL COLLECTION OF THEIR SONGS
WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS
AND A COPIOUS VOCABULARY OF THEIR LANGUAGE
EXPLAINED IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH
BY
G. B.
IN TWO VOLUMES
Footnotes:
(1) This animal cost the Society about two thousand REALS at
Madrid; I, however, sold him for three thousand at Corunna,
notwithstanding that he had suffered much from the hard labour
which he had been subjected to in our wanderings in Galicia, and
likewise from bad provender.
(2) I have since discovered that they were only despatched the day
before my arrival at Madrid.
(3) I think the sale is becoming brisker; this very day we have
sold eight.
(4) I wish much that I had the Old Testament apart, precisely in
the same form.
(5) Mr. Villiers has hitherto taken but 50 copies, which he has
distributed amongst his friends; his situation has been such
lately, that more could not be reasonably expected from him. Even
his is not a bed of roses.
(6) [Greek text which cannot be reproduced] as Antonio says.
(7) I send the original phrase which is remarkable, and in
remarkable Spanish.
End of the Project Gutenberg eText The Letters of George Borrow