The Bible in Spain

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"A cold night," said I at last. "Is this the way to Talavera?"

"It is the way to Talavera, and the night is cold."

"I am going to Talavera," said I, "as I suppose you are yourself."

"I am going thither, so are you, Bueno."

The tones of the voice which delivered these words were in their
way quite as strange and singular as the figure to which the voice
belonged; they were not exactly the tones of a Spanish voice, and
yet there was something in them that could hardly be foreign; the
pronunciation also was correct; and the language, though singular,
faultless. But I was most struck with the manner in which the last
word, bueno, was spoken. I had heard something like it before, but
where or when I could by no means remember. A pause now ensued;
the figure stalking on as before with the most perfect
indifference, and seemingly with no disposition either to seek or
avoid conversation.

"Are you not afraid," said I at last, "to travel these roads in the
dark? It is said that there are robbers abroad."

"Are you not rather afraid," replied the figure, "to travel these
roads in the dark?--you who are ignorant of the country, who are a
foreigner, an Englishman!"

"How is it that you know me to be an Englishman?" demanded I, much
surprised.

"That is no difficult matter," replied the figure; "the sound of
your voice was enough to tell me that."

"You speak of voices," said I; "suppose the tone of your own voice
were to tell me who you are?"

"That it will not do," replied my companion; "you know nothing
about me--you can know nothing about me."

"Be not sure of that, my friend; I am acquainted with many things
of which you have little idea."

"Por exemplo," said the figure.

"For example," said I; "you speak two languages."

The figure moved on, seemed to consider a moment, and then said
slowly bueno.

"You have two names," I continued; "one for the house and the other
for the street; both are good, but the one by which you are called
at home is the one which you like best."

The man walked on about ten paces, in the same manner as he had
previously done; all of a sudden he turned, and taking the bridle
of the burra gently in his hand, stopped her. I had now a full
view of his face and figure, and those huge features and Herculean
form still occasionally revisit me in my dreams. I see him
standing in the moonshine, staring me in the face with his deep
calm eyes. At last he said:

"Are you then one of us?"

* * * *

It was late at night when we arrived at Talavera. We went to a
large gloomy house, which my companion informed me was the
principal posada of the town. We entered the kitchen, at the
extremity of which a large fire was blazing. "Pepita," said my
companion to a handsome girl, who advanced smiling towards us; "a
brasero and a private apartment; this cavalier is a friend of mine,
and we shall sup together." We were shown to an apartment in which
were two alcoves containing beds. After supper, which consisted of
the very best, by the order of my companion, we sat over the
brasero and commenced talking.

Myself.--Of course you have conversed with Englishmen before, else
you could not have recognized me by the tone of my voice.

Abarbenel.--I was a young lad when the war of the Independence
broke out, and there came to the village in which our family lived
an English officer in order to teach discipline to the new levies.
He was quartered in my father's house, where he conceived a great
affection for me. On his departure, with the consent of my father,
I attended him through the Castiles, partly as companion, partly as
domestic. I was with him nearly a year, when he was suddenly
summoned to return to his own country. He would fain have taken me
with him, but to that my father would by no means consent. It is
now five-and-twenty years since I last saw an Englishman; but you
have seen how I recognized you even in the dark night.

Myself.--And what kind of life do you pursue, and by what means do
you obtain support?

Abarbenel.--I experience no difficulty. I live much in the same
way as I believe my forefathers lived; certainly as my father did,
for his course has been mine. At his death I took possession of
the herencia, for I was his only child. It was not requisite that
I should follow any business, for my wealth was great; yet, to
avoid remark, I followed that of my father, who was a longanizero.
I have occasionally dealt in wool: but lazily, lazily--as I had no
stimulus for exertion. I was, however, successful in many
instances, strangely so; much more than many others who toiled day
and night, and whose whole soul was in the trade.

Myself.--Have you any children? Are you married?

Abarbenel.--I have no children though I am married. I have a wife
and an amiga, or I should rather say two wives, for I am wedded to
both. I however call one my amiga, for appearance sake, for I wish
to live in quiet, and am unwilling to offend the prejudices of the
surrounding people.

Myself.--You say you are wealthy. In what does your wealth
consist?

Abarbenel.--In gold and silver, and stones of price; for I have
inherited all the hoards of my forefathers. The greater part is
buried under ground; indeed, I have never examined the tenth part
of it. I have coins of silver and gold older than the times of
Ferdinand the Accursed and Jezebel; I have also large sums employed
in usury. We keep ourselves close, however, and pretend to be
poor, miserably so; but on certain occasions, at our festivals,
when our gates are barred, and our savage dogs are let loose in the
court, we eat our food off services such as the Queen of Spain
cannot boast of, and wash our feet in ewers of silver, fashioned
and wrought before the Americas were discovered, though our
garments are at all times coarse, and our food for the most part of
the plainest description.

Myself.--Are there more of you than yourself and your two wives?

Abarbenel.--There are my two servants, who are likewise of us; the
one is a youth, and is about to leave, being betrothed to one at
some distance; the other is old; he is now upon the road, following
me with a mule and car.

Myself.--And whither are you bound at present?

Abarbenel.--To Toledo, where I ply my trade occasionally of
longanizero. I love to wander about, though I seldom stray far
from home. Since I left the Englishman my feet have never once
stepped beyond the bounds of New Castile. I love to visit Toledo,
and to think of the times which have long since departed; I should
establish myself there, were there not so many accursed ones, who
look upon me with an evil eye.

Myself.--Are you known for what you are? Do the authorities molest
you?

Abarbenel.--People of course suspect me to be what I am; but as I
conform outwardly in most respects to their ways, they do not
interfere with me. True it is that sometimes, when I enter the
church to hear the mass, they glare at me over the left shoulder,
as much as to say--"What do you here?" And sometimes they cross
themselves as I pass by; but as they go no further, I do not
trouble myself on that account. With respect to the authorities,
they are not bad friends of mine. Many of the higher class have
borrowed money from me on usury, so that I have them to a certain
extent in my power, and as for the low alguazils and corchetes,
they would do any thing to oblige me in consideration of a few
dollars, which I occasionally give them; so that matters upon the
whole go on remarkably well. Of old, indeed, it was far otherwise;
yet, I know not how it was, though other families suffered much,
ours always enjoyed a tolerable share of tranquillity. The truth
is, that our family has always known how to guide itself
wonderfully. I may say there is much of the wisdom of the snake
amongst us. We have always possessed friends; and with respect to
enemies, it is by no means safe to meddle with us; for it is a rule
of our house never to forgive an injury, and to spare neither
trouble nor expense in bringing ruin and destruction upon the heads
of our evil doers.

Myself.--Do the priests interfere with you?

Abarbenel.--They let me alone, especially in our own neighbourhood.
Shortly after the death of my father, one hot-headed individual
endeavoured to do me an evil turn, but I soon requited him, causing
him to be imprisoned on a charge of blasphemy, and in prison he
remained a long time, till he went mad and died.

Myself.--Have you a head in Spain, in whom is rested the chief
authority?

Abarbenel.--Not exactly. There are, however, certain holy families
who enjoy much consideration; my own is one of these--the chiefest,
I may say. My grandsire was a particularly holy man; and I have
heard my father say, that one night an archbishop came to his house
secretly, merely to have the satisfaction of kissing his head.

Myself.--How can that be; what reverence could an archbishop
entertain for one like yourself or your grandsire?

Abarbenel.--More than you imagine. He was one of us, at least his
father was, and he could never forget what he had learned with
reverence in his infancy. He said he had tried to forget it, but
he could not; that the ruah was continually upon him, and that even
from his childhood he had borne its terrors with a troubled mind,
till at last he could bear himself no longer; so he went to my
grandsire, with whom he remained one whole night; he then returned
to his diocese, where he shortly afterwards died, in much renown
for sanctity.

Myself.--What you say surprises me. Have you reason to suppose
that many of you are to be found amongst the priesthood?

Abarbenel.--Not to suppose, but to know it. There are many such as
I amongst the priesthood, and not amongst the inferior priesthood
either; some of the most learned and famed of them in Spain have
been of us, or of our blood at least, and many of them at this day
think as I do. There is one particular festival of the year at
which four dignified ecclesiastics are sure to visit me; and then,
when all is made close and secure, and the fitting ceremonies have
been gone through, they sit down upon the floor and curse.

Myself.--Are you numerous in the large towns?

Abarbenel.--By no means; our places of abode are seldom the large
towns; we prefer the villages, and rarely enter the large towns but
on business. Indeed we are not a numerous people, and there are
few provinces of Spain which contain more than twenty families.
None of us are poor, and those among us who serve, do so more from
choice than necessity, for by serving each other we acquire
different trades. Not unfrequently the time of service is that of
courtship also, and the servants eventually marry the daughters of
the house.

We continued in discourse the greater part of the night; the next
morning I prepared to depart. My companion, however, advised me to
remain where I was for that day. "And if you respect my counsel,"
said he, "you will not proceed farther in this manner. To-night
the diligence will arrive from Estremadura, on its way to Madrid.
Deposit yourself therein; it is the safest and most speedy mode of
travelling. As for your animal, I will myself purchase her. My
servant is here, and has informed me that she will be of service to
us. Let us, therefore, pass the day together in communion, like
brothers, and then proceed on our separate journeys." We did pass
the day together; and when the diligence arrived I deposited myself
within, and on the morning of the second day arrived at Madrid.

CHAPTER XII

Lodging at Madrid--My Hostess--British Ambassador--Mendizabal--
Baltasar--Duties of a National--Young Blood--The Execution--
Population of Madrid--The Higher Orders--The Lower Classes--The
Bull-fighter--The Crabbed Gitano.

It was the commencement of February when I reached Madrid. After
staying a few days at a posada, I removed to a lodging which I
engaged at No. 3, in the Calle de la Zarza, a dark dirty street,
which, however, was close to the Puerta del Sol, the most central
point of Madrid, into which four or five of the principal streets
debouche, and which is, at all times of the year, the great place
of assemblage for the idlers of the capital, poor or rich.

It was rather a singular house in which I had taken up my abode. I
occupied the front part of the first floor; my apartments consisted
of an immense parlour, and a small chamber on one side in which I
slept; the parlour, notwithstanding its size, contained very little
furniture: a few chairs, a table, and a species of sofa,
constituted the whole. It was very cold and airy, owing to the
draughts which poured in from three large windows, and from sundry
doors. The mistress of the house, attended by her two daughters,
ushered me in. "Did you ever see a more magnificent apartment?"
demanded the former; "is it not fit for a king's son? Last winter
it was occupied by the great General Espartero."

The hostess was an exceedingly fat woman, a native of Valladolid,
in Old Castile. "Have you any other family," I demanded, "besides
these daughters?" "Two sons," she replied; "one of them an officer
in the army, father of this urchin," pointing to a wicked but
clever looking boy of about twelve, who at that moment bounded into
the room; "the other is the most celebrated national in Madrid: he
is a tailor by trade, and his name is Baltasar. He has much
influence with the other nationals, on account of the liberality of
his opinions, and a word from him is sufficient to bring them all
out armed and furious to the Puerta del Sol. He is, however, at
present confined to his bed, for he is very dissipated and fond of
the company of bull-fighters and people still worse."

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, for circulation in Spain, I
lost no time, upon my arrival, in taking what I considered to be
the necessary steps.

I was an entire stranger at Madrid, and bore no letters of
introduction to any persons of influence, who 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.

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 views, I should
have no reason to fear interruption from other quarters, and I
determined upon applying to him.

Before talking this step, however, I deemed it advisable to wait
upon Mr. Villiers, the British ambassador at Madrid; and with the
freedom permitted to a British subject, to ask his advice in this
affair. I was received 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 Mendizabal, 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 he knew him to be 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
Mendizabal.

Early one morning I repaired to the palace, in a wing of which was
the office of the Prime Minister; it was bitterly cold, and the
Guadarama, of which there is a noble view from the palace-plain,
was covered with snow. For at least three hours I remained
shivering with cold in an ante-room, with several other aspirants
for an interview with the man of power. At last his private
secretary made his appearance, and after putting various questions
to the others, addressed himself to me, asking who I was and what I
wanted. I told him that I was an Englishman, and the bearer of a
letter from the British Minister. "If you have no objection, I
will myself deliver it to His Excellency," said he; whereupon I
handed it to him and he withdrew. Several individuals were
admitted before me; at last, however, my own turn came, and I was
ushered into the presence of Mendizabal.

He stood behind a table covered with papers, on which his eyes were
intently fixed. He took not the slightest notice when I entered,
and I had leisure enough to survey him: he was a huge athletic
man, somewhat taller than myself, who measure six feet two without
my shoes; his complexion was florid, his features fine and regular,
his nose quite aquiline, and his teeth splendidly white: though
scarcely fifty years of age, his hair was remarkably grey; he was
dressed in a rich morning gown, with a gold chain round his neck,
and morocco slippers on his feet.

His secretary, a fine intellectual looking man, who, as I was
subsequently informed, had acquired a name both in English and
Spanish literature, stood at one end of the table with papers in
his hands.

After I had been standing about a quarter of an hour, Mendizabal
suddenly lifted up a pair of sharp eyes, and fixed them upon me
with a peculiarly scrutinizing glance.

"I have seen a glance very similar to that amongst the Beni
Israel," thought I to myself. . . .

My interview with him lasted nearly an hour. Some singular
discourse passed between us: I found him, as I had been informed,
a bitter enemy to the Bible Society, of which he spoke in terms of
hatred and contempt, and by no means a friend to the Christian
religion, which I could easily account for. I was not discouraged,
however, and pressed upon him the matter which brought me thither,
and was eventually so far successful, as to obtain a promise, that
at the expiration of a few months, when he hoped the country would
be in a more tranquil state, I should be allowed to print the
Scriptures.

As I was going away he said, "Yours is not the first application I
have had; ever since I have held the reins of government I have
been pestered in this manner, by English calling themselves
Evangelical Christians, who have of late come flocking over into
Spain. Only last week a hunchbacked fellow found his way into my
cabinet whilst I was engaged in important business, and told me
that Christ was coming. . . . And now you have made your
appearance, and almost persuaded me to embroil myself yet more with
the priesthood, as if they did not abhor me enough already. What a
strange infatuation is this which drives you over lands and waters
with Bibles in your hands. My good sir, it is not Bibles we want,
but rather guns and gunpowder, to put the rebels down with, and
above all, money, that we may pay the troops; whenever you come
with these three things you shall have a hearty welcome, if not, we
really can dispense with your visits, however great the honour."

Myself.--There will be no end to the troubles of this afflicted
country until the gospel have free circulation.

Mendizabal.--I expected that answer, for I have not lived thirteen
years in England without forming some acquaintance with the
phraseology of you good folks. Now, now, pray go; you see how
engaged I am. Come again whenever you please, but let it not be
within the next three months.

"Don Jorge," said my hostess, coming into my apartment one morning,
whilst I sat at breakfast with my feet upon the brasero, "here is
my son Baltasarito, the national; he has risen from his bed, and
hearing that there is an Englishman in the house, he has begged me
to introduce him, for he loves Englishmen on account of the
liberality of their opinions; there he is, what do you think of
him?"

I did not state to his mother what I thought; it appeared to me,
however, that she was quite right calling him Baltasarito, which is
the diminutive of Baltasar, forasmuch as that ancient and sonorous
name had certainly never been bestowed on a more diminutive
personage: he might measure about five feet one inch, though he
was rather corpulent for his height; his face looked yellow and
sickly, he had, however, a kind of fanfaronading air, and his eyes,
which were of dark brown, were both sharp and brilliant. His
dress, or rather his undress, was somewhat shabby: he had a
foraging cap on his head, and in lieu of a morning gown, he wore a
sentinel's old great coat.

"I am glad to make your acquaintance, senor nacional," said I to
him, after his mother had departed, and Baltasar had taken his
seat, and of course lighted a paper cigar at the brasero. "I am
glad to have made your acquaintance, more especially as your lady
mother has informed me that you have great influence with the
nationals. I am a stranger in Spain, and may want a friend;
fortune has been kind to me in procuring me one who is a member of
so powerful a body."

Baltasar.--Yes, I have a great deal to say with the other
nationals; there is none in Madrid better known than Baltasar, or
more dreaded by the Carlists. You say you may stand in need of a
friend; there is no fear of my failing you in any emergency. Both
myself and any of the other nationals will be proud to go out with
you as padrinos, should you have any affair of honour on your
hands. But why do you not become one of us? We would gladly
receive you into our body.

Myself.--Is the duty of a national particularly hard?

Baltasar.--By no means; we have to do duty about once every fifteen
days, and then there is occasionally a review, which does not last
long. No! the duties of a national are by no means onerous, and
the privileges are great. I have seen three of my brother
nationals walk up and down the Prado of a Sunday, with sticks in
their hands, cudgelling all the suspicious characters, and it is
our common practice to scour the streets at night, and then if we
meet any person who is obnoxious to us, we fall upon him, and with
a knife or a bayonet generally leave him wallowing in his blood on
the pavement: no one but a national would be permitted to do that.

Myself.--Of course none but persons of liberal opinions are to be
found amongst the nationals?

Baltasar.--Would it were so! There are some amongst us, Don Jorge,
who are no better than they should be; they are few, however, and
for the most part well known. Theirs is no pleasant life, for when
they mount guard with the rest they are scouted, and not
unfrequently cudgelled. The law compels all of a certain age
either to serve in the army or to become national soldiers on which
account some of these Godos are to be found amongst us.

Myself.--Are there many in Madrid of the Carlist opinion?

Baltasar.--Not among the young people; the greater part of the
Madrilenian Carlists capable of bearing arms departed long ago to
join the ranks of the factious in the Basque provinces. Those who
remain are for the most part grey-beards and priests, good for
nothing but to assemble in private coffee-houses, and to prate
treason together. Let them prate, Don Jorge; let them prate; the
destinies of Spain do not depend on the wishes of ojalateros and
pasteleros, but on the hands of stout gallant nationals like myself
and friends, Don Jorge.

Myself.--I am sorry to learn from your lady mother, that you are
strangely dissipated.

Baltasar.--Ho, ho, Don Jorge, she has told you that, has she; what
would you have, Don Jorge? I am young, and young blood will have
its course. I am called Baltasar the gay by all the other
nationals, and it is on account of my gaiety and the liberality of
my opinions that I am so popular among them. When I mount guard I
invariably carry my guitar with me, and then there is sure to be a
function at the guard-house. We send for wine, Don Jorge, and the
nationals become wild, Don Jorge, dancing and drinking through the
night, whilst Baltasarito strums the guitar and sings them songs of
Germania:

"Una romi sin pachi
Le peno a su chindomar," &c., &c.

That is Gitano, Don Jorge; I learnt it from the toreros of
Andalusia, who all speak Gitano, and are mostly of Gypsy blood. I
learnt it from them; they are all friends of mine, Montes Sevilla
and Poquito Pan. I never miss a function of bulls, Don Jorge.
Baltasar is sure to be there with his amiga. Don Jorge, there are
no bull-functions in the winter, or I would carry you to one, but
happily to-morrow there is an execution, a funcion de la horca; and
there we will go, Don Jorge.

We did go to see this execution, which I shall long remember. The
criminals were two young men, brothers; they suffered for a most
atrocious murder, having in the dead of night broke open the house
of an aged man, whom they put to death, and whose property they
stole. Criminals in Spain are not hanged as they are in England,
or guillotined as in France, but strangled upon a wooden stage.
They sit down on a kind of chair with a post behind, to which is
affixed an iron collar with a screw; this iron collar is made to
clasp the neck of the prisoner, and on a certain signal it is drawn
tighter and tighter by means of the screw, until life becomes
extinct. After we had waited amongst the assembled multitude a
considerable time, the first of the culprits appeared; he was
mounted on an ass, without saddle or stirrups, his legs being
allowed to dangle nearly to the ground. He was dressed in yellow
sulphur-coloured robes, with a high-peaked conical red hat on his
head, which was shaven. Between his hands he held a parchment, on
which was written something, I believe the confession of faith.
Two priests led the animal by the bridle; two others walked on
either side, chanting litanies, amongst which I distinguished the
words of heavenly peace and tranquillity, for the culprit had been
reconciled to the church, had confessed and received absolution,
and had been promised admission to heaven. He did not exhibit the
least symptom of fear, but dismounted from the animal and was led,
not supported, up the scaffold, where he was placed on the chair,
and the fatal collar put round his neck. One of the priests then
in a loud voice commenced saying the Belief, and the culprit
repeated the words after him. On a sudden, the executioner, who
stood behind, commenced turning the screw, which was of prodigious
force, and the wretched man--was almost instantly a corpse; but, as
the screw went round, the priest began to shout, "pax et
misericordia et tranquillitas," and still as he shouted, his voice
became louder and louder, till the lofty walls of Madrid rang with
it: then stooping down, he placed his mouth close to the culprit's
ear, still shouting, just as if he would pursue the spirit through
its course to eternity, cheering it on its way. The effect was
tremendous. I myself was so excited that I involuntarily shouted
"misericordia," and so did many others. God was not thought of;
Christ was not thought of; only the priest was thought of, for he
seemed at that moment to be the first being in existence, and to
have the power of opening and shutting the gates of heaven or of
hell, just as he should think proper. A striking instance of the
successful working of the Popish system, whose grand aim has ever
been to keep people's minds as far as possible from God, and to
centre their hopes and fears in the priesthood. The execution of
the second culprit was precisely similar; he ascended the scaffold
a few minutes after his brother had breathed his last.