The Bible in Spain

G >> George Borrow >> The Bible in Spain

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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, pulling out one of those long
desperate looking knives, of English manufacture, with which every
Portuguese peasant is usually furnished. This knife serves for
many purposes, and I should consider it a far more efficient weapon
than a dagger. "But," said he, "I do not place much confidence in
the knife." I then inquired in what rested his hope of protection.
"In this," said he: 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 with me, no ill can befall me." Curiosity is
the leading feature of my character, and I instantly said, with
eagerness, that I should feel great pleasure in being permitted to
read the prayer. "Well," he replied, "you are my friend, and I
would do for you what I would for few others, I will show it you."
He then asked for my penknife, and having unripped the bag, took
out a large piece of paper closely folded up. I hurried to my
apartment 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 I at last accomplished the
following literal translation of the charm, which was written in
bad Portuguese, but which struck me at the time as being one of the
most remarkable compositions that had ever come to my knowledge.

THE CHARM

"Just Judge and divine Son of the Virgin Maria, who wast born in
Bethlehem, a Nazarene, and wast crucified in the midst of all
Jewry, I beseech thee, O Lord, by thy sixth day, that the body of
me be not caught, nor put to death by the hands of justice at all;
peace be with you, the peace of Christ, may I receive peace, may
you receive peace, said God to his disciples. If the accursed
justice should distrust me, or have its eyes on me, in order to
take me or to rob me, may its eyes not see me, may its mouth not
speak to me, may it have ears which may not hear me, may it have
hands which may not seize me, may it have feet which may not
overtake me; for may I be armed with the arms of St. George,
covered with the cloak of Abraham, and shipped in the ark of Noah,
so that it can neither see me, nor hear me, nor draw the blood from
my body. I also adjure 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 to the Virgin Maria, from the gates
of Bethlehem to the portals of Jerusalem, that I may go and come
with pleasure and joy with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Virgin
Maria, the prolific yet nevertheless the eternal virgin."

The woman of the house and her daughter had similar bags attached
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 relies of the
monkish system, the aim of which, in all countries where it has
existed, seems to have been to beset the minds of the people, that
they might be more easily misled. All these charms were
fabrications of the monks, who had sold them to their infatuated
confessants. The monks of the Greek and Syrian churches likewise
deal in this ware, which they know to be poison, but which they
would rather vend than the wholesome balm of the gospel, because it
brings them a large price, and fosters the delusion which enables
them to live a life of luxury.

The Sunday morning was fine, and the plain before the church of the
convent of San Francisco was crowded with people hastening to or
returning from the mass. After having performed my morning
devotion, and breakfasted, I went down to the kitchen; the girl
Geronima was seated by the fire. I inquired if she had heard mass?
She replied in the negative, 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 fed forty poor persons with the relics of the
meals of the preceding day, but that now these people were allowed
to starve. I replied, that the friars, who lived on the fat of the
land, could well afford to bestow a few bones upon their poor, and
that their doing so was merely a part of their policy, by which
they hoped to secure to themselves friends in time of need. The
girl then observed, that as it was Sunday, I should perhaps like to
see some books, and without waiting for a reply she produced them.
They consisted principally of popular stories, with lives and
miracles of saints, but amongst them was a translation of Volney's
Ruins of Empires. I expressed a wish to know how she became
possessed of this book. She said that a young man, a great
Constitutionalist, had given it to her some months previous, and
had pressed her much to read it, for that it was one of the best
books in the world. I replied, that the author of it was an
emissary of Satan, and an enemy of Jesus Christ and the souls of
mankind; that it was written with the sole aim of bringing all
religion into contempt, and that it inculcated the doctrine that
there was no future state, nor reward for the righteous nor
punishment for the wicked. She made no reply, but going into
another room, returned with her apron full of dry sticks and
brushwood, all which 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 best sense of the word.

On the Monday and Tuesday I paid my usual visits to the fountain,
and likewise rode about the neighbourhood on a mule, 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 hand,
whereas, should they be observed lying on the ground, I thought
that curiosity might cause them to be picked up and examined. I
likewise, on the Tuesday evening, paid a farewell visit to my
friend Azveto, as it was my intention to leave Evora on the
Thursday following and return to Lisbon; in which view I had
engaged a calash of a man who informed me that he had served as a
soldier in the grande armee of Napoleon, and been present in the
Russian campaign. He looked the very 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 seemed he prided
himself, 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 preceding week, who were
of much lower degree, were chatty and communicative; they spoke
their native language, and no other, and seemed to hold the
Portuguese in great contempt. The magnificent tones of the Spanish
sounded to great advantage amidst the shrill squeaking 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, 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
around him, and every now and then expressed their approbation of
what they heard. The reader occasionally called upon me to explain
passages which, as they referred to particular texts of 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 upwards of 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 these men spoke of priestcraft and the monkish system with
the utmost abhorrence, and said that they should prefer death to
submitting again 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
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 more enlightened than the
surrounding peasantry, were in others as much in the dark; they
believed in witchcraft and in the efficacy of particular charms.
The night was very stormy, and at 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 on a donkey; he wore a ragged
jacket of sheepskin, called in Spanish zamarra, with breeches of
the same as far down as his knees; his legs were bare. Around his
sombrero, or shadowy hat, was tied a large quantity of the herb
which in English is called rosemary, in Spanish romero, and in the
rustic language of Portugal, alecrim; which last is a word of
Scandinavian origin (ellegren), signifying the elfin plant, and was
probably carried into the south by the Vandals. 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 said
that his wife was following him and would soon arrive, and in about
a quarter of an hour she made her appearance, dripping with rain,
and also mounted on a donkey.

I asked my friends the contrabandistas why he wore the rosemary in
his hat; whereupon they told me that it was good against witches
and the mischances on the road. I had no time to argue against
this superstition, for, as the chaise was to be ready at five the
next morning, I wished to make the most of the short time which I
could devote to sleep.

CHAPTER IV

Vexatious Delays--Drunken Driver--The Murdered Mule--The
Lamentation--Adventure on the Heath--Fear of Darkness--Portuguese
Fidalgo--The Escort--Return to Lisbon.

I rose at four, and after having taken some refreshment, I
descended and found the strange man and his wife sleeping in the
chimney corner by the fire, which was still burning; they soon
awoke and began preparing their breakfast, which consisted of salt
sardinhas, broiled upon the embers. In the meantime the woman sang
snatches of the beautiful hymn, very common in Spain, which
commences thus:-

"Once of old upon a mountain, shepherds overcome with sleep,
Near to Bethlem's holy tower, kept at dead of night their sheep;
Round about the trunk they nodded of a huge ignited oak,
Whence the crackling flame ascending bright and clear the darkness
broke."

On hearing that I was about to depart, she said, "You shall have
some of my husband's rosemary, which will keep you from danger, and
prevent any misfortune occurring." I was foolish enough to permit
her to put some of it in my hat; and the man having by this time
arrived with his mules, I bade farewell to my friendly hostesses,
and entered the chaise with my servant.

I remarked at the time, that the mules which drew us were the
finest I had ever seen; the largest could be little short of
sixteen hands high; and the fellow told me in his bad French that
he loved them better than his wife and children. We turned round
the corner of the convent and proceeded down the street which leads
to the south-western gate. The driver now stopped before the door
of a large house, and having alighted, said that it was yet very
early, and that he was afraid to venture forth, as it was very
probable we should be robbed, and himself murdered, as the robbers
who resided in the town would be apprehensive of his discovering
them, but that the family who lived in this house were going to
Lisbon, and would depart in about a quarter of an hour, when we
might avail ourselves of an escort of soldiers which they would
take with them, and in their company we should run no danger. I
told him I had no fear, and commanded him to drive on; but he said
he would not, and left us in the street. We waited an hour, when
two carriages came to the door of the house, but it seems the
family were not yet ready, whereupon the coachman likewise got down
and went away. At the expiration of about half an hour the family
came out, and when their luggage had been arranged they called for
the coachman, but he was nowhere to be found. Search was made for
him, but ineffectually, and an hour more was spent before another
driver could be procured; but the escort had not yet made its
appearance, and it was not before a servant had been twice
despatched to the barracks that it arrived. At last everything was
ready, and they drove off.

All this time I had seen nothing of our own coachman, and I fully
expected that he had abandoned us altogether. In a few minutes I
saw him staggering up the street in a state of intoxication,
attempting to sing the Marseillois hymn. I said nothing to him,
but sat observing him. He stood for some time staring at the mules
and talking incoherent nonsense in French. At last he said, "I am
not so drunk but I can ride," and proceeded to lead his mules
towards the gate. When out of the town he made several ineffectual
attempts to mount the smallest mule which bore the saddle; he at
length succeeded, and instantly commenced spurring at a furious
rate down the road. We arrived at a place where a narrow rocky
path branched off, by taking which we should avoid a considerable
circuit round the city wall, which otherwise it would be necessary
to make before we could reach the road to Lisbon, which lay at the
north-east; he now said, "I shall take this path, for by so doing
we shall overtake the family in a minute"; so into the path we
went; it was scarcely wide enough to admit the carriage, and
exceedingly steep and broken; we proceeded; ascending and
descending, the wheels cracked, and the motion was so violent that
we were in danger of being cast out as from a sling. I saw that if
we remained in the carriage it must be broken in pieces, as our
weight must insure its destruction. I called to him in Portuguese
to stop, but he flogged and spurred the beasts the more. My man
now entreated me for God's sake to speak to him in French, for, if
anything would pacify him, that would. I did so, and entreated him
to let us dismount and walk, till we had cleared this dangerous
way. The result justified Antonio's anticipation. He instantly
stopped and said, "Sir, you are master, you have only to command
and I shall obey." We dismounted and walked on till we reached the
great road, when we once more seated ourselves.

The family were about a quarter of a mile in advance, and we were
no sooner reseated, than he lashed the mules into full gallop for
the purpose of overtaking it; his cloak had fallen from his
shoulder, and, in endeavouring to readjust it, he dropped the
string from his hand by which he guided the large mule, it became
entangled in the legs of the poor animal, which fell heavily on its
neck, it struggled for a moment, and then lay stretched across the
way, the shafts over its body. I was pitched forward into the
dirt, and the drunken driver fell upon the murdered mule.

I was in a great rage, and cried, "You drunken renegade, who are
ashamed to speak the language of your own country, you have broken
the staff of your existence, and may now starve." "Paciencia,"
said he, and began kicking the head of the mule, in order to make
it rise; but I pushed him down, and taking his knife, which had
fallen from his pocket, cut the bands by which it was attached to
the carriage, but life had fled, and the film of death had begun to
cover its eyes.

The fellow, in the recklessness of intoxication, seemed at first
disposed to make light of his loss, saying, "The mule is dead, it
was God's will that she should die, what more can be said?
Paciencia." Meanwhile, I despatched Antonio to the town for the
purpose of hiring mules, and, having taken my baggage from the
chaise, waited on the roadside until he should arrive.

The fumes of the liquor began now to depart from the fellow's
brain; he clasped his hands and exclaimed, "Blessed Virgin, what is
to become of me? How am I to support myself? Where am I to get
another mule! For my mule, my best mule is dead, she fell upon the
road, and died of a sudden! I have been in France, and in other
countries, and have seen beasts of all kinds, but such a mule as
that I have never seen; but she is dead--my mule is dead--she fell
upon the road and died of a sudden!" He continued in this strain
for a considerable time, and the burden of his lamentation was
always, "My mule is dead, she fell upon the road, and died of a
sudden." At length he took the collar from the creature's neck,
and put it upon the other, which with some difficulty he placed in
the shafts.

A beautiful boy of about thirteen now came from the direction of
the town, running along the road with the velocity of a hare: he
stopped before the dead mule and burst into tears: it was the
man's son, who had heard of the accident from Antonio. This was
too much for the poor fellow: he ran up to the boy, and said,
"Don't cry, our bread is gone, but it is God's will; the mule is
dead!" He then flung himself on the ground, uttering fearful
cries. "I could have borne my loss," said he, "but when I saw my
child cry, I became a fool." I gave him two or three crowns, and
added some words of comfort; assuring him I had no doubt that, if
he abandoned drink, the Almighty God would take compassion on him
and repair his loss. At length he became more composed, and
placing my baggage in the chaise, we returned to the town, where I
found two excellent riding mules awaiting my arrival at the inn. I
did not see the Spanish woman, or I should have told her of the
little efficacy of rosemary in this instance.

I have known several drunkards amongst the Portuguese, but, without
one exception, they have been individuals who, having travelled
abroad, like this fellow, have returned with a contempt for their
own country, and polluted with the worst vices of the lands which
they have visited.

I would strongly advise any of my countrymen who may chance to read
these lines, that, if their fate lead them into Spain or Portugal,
they avoid hiring as domestics, or being connected with,
individuals of the lower classes who speak any other language than
their own, as the probability is that they are heartless thieves
and drunkards. These gentry are invariably saying all they can in
dispraise of their native land; and it is my opinion, grounded upon
experience, that an individual who is capable of such baseness
would not hesitate at the perpetration of any villainy, for next to
the love of God, the love of country is the best preventive of
crime. He who is proud of his country, will be particularly
cautious not to do anything which is calculated to disgrace it.

We now journeyed towards Lisbon, and reached Monte Moro about two
o'clock. After taking such refreshment as the place afforded, we
pursued our way till we were within a quarter of a league of the
huts which stand on the edge of the savage wilderness we had before
crossed. Here we were overtaken by a horseman; he was a powerful,
middle-sized man, and was mounted on a noble Spanish horse. He had
a broad, slouching sombrero on his head, and wore a jerkin of blue
cloth, with large bosses of silver for buttons, and clasps of the
same metal; he had breeches of yellow leather, and immense
jackboots: at his saddle was slung a formidable gun. He inquired
if I intended to pass the night at Vendas Novas, and on my replying
in the affirmative, he said that he would avail himself of our
company. He now looked towards the sun, whose disk was rapidly
sinking beneath the horizon, and entreated us to spur on and make
the most of its light, for that the moor was a horrible place in
the dusk. He placed himself at our head, and we trotted briskly
on, the boy or muleteer who attended us running behind without
exhibiting the slightest symptom of fatigue.

We entered upon the moor, and had advanced about a mile when dark
night fell around us; we were in a wild path, with high brushwood
on either side, when the rider said that he could not confront the
darkness, and begged me to ride on before, and he would follow
after: I could hear him trembling. I asked the reason of his
terror, and he replied that at one time darkness was the same thing
to him as day, but that of late years he dreaded it, especially in
wild places. I complied with his request, but I was ignorant of
the way, and as I could scarcely see my hand, was continually going
wrong. This made the man impatient, and he again placed himself at
our head. We proceeded so for a considerable way, when he again
stopped, and said that the power of the darkness was too much for
him. His horse seemed to be infected with the same panic, for it
shook in every limb. I now told him to call on the name of the
Lord Jesus, who was able to turn the darkness into light, but he
gave a terrible shout, and, brandishing his gun aloft, discharged
it in the air. His horse sprang forward at full speed, and my
mule, which was one of the swiftest of its kind, took fright and
followed at the heels of the charger. Antonio and the boy were
left behind. On we flew like a whirlwind, the hoofs of the animals
illuming the path with the sparks of fire they struck from the
stones. I knew not whither we were going, but the dumb creatures
were acquainted with the way, and soon brought us to Vendas Novas,
where we were rejoined by our companions.

I thought this man was a coward, but I did him injustice, for
during the day he was as brave as a lion, and feared no one. About
five years since, he had overcome two robbers who had attacked him
on the moors, and, after tying their hands behind them, had
delivered them up to justice; but at night the rustling of a leaf
filled him with terror. I have known similar instances of the kind
in persons of otherwise extraordinary resolution. For myself, I
confess I am not a person of extraordinary resolution, but the
dangers of the night daunt me no more than those of midday. The
man in question was a farmer from Evora, and a person of
considerable wealth.

I found the inn at Vendas Novas thronged with people, and had some
difficulty in obtaining accommodation and refreshment. It was
occupied by the family of a certain Fidalgo, from Estremoz; he was
on the way to Lisbon, conveying a large sum of money, as was said--
probably the rents of his estates. He had with him a body guard of
four-and-twenty of his dependants, each armed with a rifle; they
consisted of his swineherds, shepherds, cowherds, and hunters, and
were commanded by two youths, his son and nephew, the latter of
whom was in regimentals; nevertheless, notwithstanding the number
of his troop, it appeared that the Fidalgo laboured under
considerable apprehension of being despoiled upon the waste which
lay between Vendas Novas and Pegoens, as he had just requested a
guard of four soldiers from the officer who commanded a detachment
stationed here: there were many females in his company, who, I was
told, were his illegitimate daughters--for he bore an infamous
moral character, and was represented to me as a staunch friend of
Don Miguel. It was not long before he came up to me and my new
acquaintance, as we sat by the kitchen fire: he was a tall man of
about sixty, but stooped much. His countenance was by no means
pleasing: he had a long hooked nose, small twinkling cunning eyes,
and, what I liked worst of all, a continual sneering smile, which I
firmly believe to be the index of a treacherous and malignant
heart. He addressed me in Spanish, which, as he resided not far
from the frontier, he spoke with fluency, but contrary to my usual
practice, I was reserved and silent.