The Bible in Spain

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On the following morning I rose at seven, and found that the party
from Estremoz had started several hours previously. I breakfasted
with my acquaintance of the preceding night, and we set out to
accomplish what remained of our journey. The sun had now arisen;
and all his fears had left him--he breathed defiance against all
the robbers of the Alemtejo. When we had advanced about a league,
the boy who attended us said he saw heads of men amongst the
brushwood. Our cavalier instantly seized his gun, and causing his
horse to make two or three lofty bounds, held it in one hand, the
muzzle pointed in the direction indicated, but the heads did not
again make their appearance, and it was probably but a false alarm.

We resumed our way, and the conversation turned, as might be
expected, upon robbers. My companion, who seemed to be acquainted
with every inch of ground over which we passed, had a legend to
tell of every dingle and every pine-clump. We reached a slight
eminence, on the top of which grew three stately pines: about half
a league farther on was another similar one: these two eminences
commanded a view of the road from Pegoens and Vendas Novas, so that
all people going and coming could be descried, whilst yet at a
distance. My friend told me that these heights were favourite
stations of robbers. Some two years since, a band of six mounted
banditti remained there three days, and plundered whomsoever
approached from either quarter: their horses, saddled and bridled,
stood picqueted at the foot of the trees, and two scouts, one for
each eminence, continually sat in the topmost branches and gave
notice of the approach of travellers: when at a proper distance
the robbers below sprang upon their horses, and putting them to
full gallop, made at their prey, shouting Rendete, Picaro! Rendete,
Picaro! (Surrender, scoundrel, surrender!) We, however, passed
unmolested, and, about a quarter of a mile before we reached
Pegoens, overtook the family of the Fidalgo.

Had they been conveying the wealth of Ind through the deserts of
Arabia, they could not have travelled with more precaution. The
nephew, with drawn sabre, rode in front; pistols at his holsters,
and the usual Spanish gun slung at his saddle. Behind him tramped
six men in a rank, with muskets shouldered, and each of them wore
at his girdle a hatchet, which was probably intended to cleave the
thieves to the brisket should they venture to come to close
quarters. There were six vehicles, two of them calashes, in which
latter rode the Fidalgo and his daughters; the others were covered
carts, and seemed to be filled with household furniture; each of
these vehicles had an armed rustic on either side; and the son, a
lad about sixteen, brought up the rear with a squad equal to that
of his cousin in the van. The soldiers, who by good fortune were
light horse, and admirably mounted, were galloping about in all
directions, for the purpose of driving the enemy from cover, should
they happen to be lurking in the neighbourhood.

I could not help thinking as I passed by, that this martial array
was very injudicious, for though it was calculated to awe
plunderers, it was likewise calculated to allure them, as it seemed
to hint that immense wealth was passing through their territories.
I do not know how the soldiers and rustics would have behaved in
case of an attack; but am inclined to believe that if three such
men as Richard Turpin had suddenly galloped forth from behind one
of the bush-covered knolls, neither the numbers nor resistance
opposed to them would have prevented them from bearing away the
contents of the strong box jingling in their saddlebags.

From this moment nothing worthy of relating occurred till our
arrival at Aldea Gallega, where we passed the night, and next
morning at three o'clock embarked in the passage-boat for Lisbon,
where we arrived at eight--and thus terminates my first wandering
in the Alemtejo.

CHAPTER V

The College--The Rector--Shibboleth--National Prejudices--Youthful
Sports--Jews of Lisbon--Bad Faith--Crime and Superstition--Strange
Proposal.

One afternoon Antonio said to me, "It has struck me, Senhor, that
your worship would like to see the college of the English--." "By
all means," I replied, "pray conduct me thither." So he led me
through various streets until we stopped before the gate of a large
building in one of the most elevated situations in Lisbon; upon our
ringing, a kind of porter presently made his appearance, and
demanded our business. Antonio explained it to him. He hesitated
for a moment; but presently, bidding us enter, conducted us to a
large gloomy-looking stone hall, where, begging us to be seated, he
left us. We were soon joined by a venerable personage, seemingly
about seventy, in a kind of flowing robe or surplice, with a
collegiate cap upon his head. Notwithstanding his age there was a
ruddy tinge upon his features, which were perfectly English.
Coming slowly up he addressed me in the English tongue, requesting
to know how he could serve me. I informed him that I was an
English traveller, and should be happy to be permitted to inspect
the college, provided it were customary to show it to strangers.
He informed me that there could be no objection to accede to my
request, but that I came at rather an unfortunate moment, it being
the hour of refection. I apologised, and was preparing to retire,
but he begged me to remain, as, in a few minutes, the refection
would be over, when the principals of the college would do
themselves the pleasure of waiting on me.

We sat down on the stone bench, when he commenced surveying me
attentively for some time, and then cast his eyes on Antonio.
"Whom have we here?" said he to the latter; "surely your features
are not unknown to me." "Probably not, your reverence," replied
Antonio, getting up and bowing most profoundly. "I lived in the
family of the Countess -, at Cintra, when your venerability was her
spiritual guide." "True, true," said the old gentleman, sighing,
"I remember you now. Ah, Antonio, things are strangely changed
since then. A new government--a new system--a new religion, I may
say." Then looking again at me, he demanded whither I was
journeying? "I am going to Spain," said I, "and have stopped at
Lisbon by the way." "Spain, Spain!" said the old man; "surely you
have chosen a strange time to visit Spain; there is much
bloodshedding in Spain at present, and violent wars and tumults."
"I consider the cause of Don Carlos as already crushed," I replied;
"he has lost the only general capable of leading his armies to
Madrid. Zumalacarregui, his Cid, has fallen." "Do not flatter
yourself; I beg your pardon, but do not think, young man, that the
Lord will permit the powers of darkness to triumph so easily; the
cause of Don Carlos is not lost; its success did not depend on the
life of a frail worm like him whom you have mentioned." We
continued in discourse some little time, when he arose, saying that
by this time he believed the refection was concluded.

He had scarcely left me five minutes when three individuals entered
the stone hall, and advanced slowly towards me;--the principals of
the college, said I to myself! and so indeed they were. The first
of these gentlemen, and to whom the other two appeared to pay
considerable deference, was a thin spare person, somewhat above the
middle height; his complexion was very pale, his features emaciated
but fine, his eyes dark and sparkling; he might be about fifty--the
other two were men in the prime of life. One was of rather low
stature; his features were dark, and wore that pinched and
mortified expression so frequently to be observed in the
countenance of the English -: the other was a bluff, ruddy, and
rather good-looking young man; all three were dressed alike in the
usual college cap and silk gown. Coming up, the eldest of the
three took me by the hand and thus addressed me in clear silvery
tones:-

"Welcome, Sir, to our poor house; we are always happy to see in it
a countryman from our beloved native land; it will afford us
extreme satisfaction to show you over it; it is true that
satisfaction is considerably diminished by the reflection that it
possesses nothing worthy of the attention of a traveller; there is
nothing curious pertaining to it save perhaps its economy, and that
as we walk about we will explain to you. Permit us, first of all,
to introduce ourselves to you; I am rector of this poor English
house of refuge; this gentleman is our professor of humanity, and
this (pointing to the ruddy personage) is our professor of polite
learning, Hebrew, and Syriac."

Myself.--I humbly salute you all; excuse me if I inquire who was
the venerable gentleman who put himself to the inconvenience of
staying with me whilst I was awaiting your leisure.

Rector.--O! a most admirable personage, our almoner, our chaplain;
he came into this country before any of us were born, and here he
has continued ever since. Now let us ascend that we may show you
our poor house: but how is this, my dear Sir, how is it that I see
you standing uncovered in our cold damp hall?

Myself.--I can easily explain that to you; it is a custom which has
become quite natural to me. I am just arrived from Russia, where I
have spent some years. A Russian invariably takes off his hat
whenever he enters beneath a roof, whether it pertain to hut, shop,
or palace. To omit doing so would be considered as a mark of
brutality and barbarism, and for the following reason: in every
apartment of a Russian house there is a small picture of the Virgin
stuck up in a corner, just below the ceiling--the hat is taken off
out of respect to her.

Quick glances of intelligence were exchanged by the three
gentlemen. I had stumbled upon their shibboleth, and proclaimed
myself an Ephraimite, and not of Gilead. I have no doubt that up
to that moment they had considered me as one of themselves--a
member, and perhaps a priest, of their own ancient, grand, and
imposing religion, for such it is, I must confess--an error into
which it was natural that they should fall. What motives could a
Protestant have for intruding upon their privacy? What interest
could he take in inspecting the economy of their establishment? So
far, however, from relaxing in their attention after this
discovery, their politeness visibly increased, though, perhaps, a
scrutinizing observer might have detected a shade of less
cordiality in their manner.

Rector.--Beneath the ceiling in every apartment? I think I
understood you so. How delightful--how truly interesting; a
picture of the BLESSED Virgin beneath the ceiling in every
apartment of a Russian house! Truly, this intelligence is as
unexpected as it is delightful. I shall from this moment entertain
a much higher opinion of the Russians than hitherto--most truly an
example worthy of imitation. I wish sincerely that it was our own
practice to place an IMAGE of the BLESSED Virgin beneath the
ceiling in every corner of our houses. What say you, our professor
of humanity? What say you to the information so obligingly
communicated to us by this excellent gentleman?

Humanity Professor.--It is, indeed, most delightful, most cheering,
I may say; but I confess that I was not altogether unprepared for
it. The adoration of the Blessed Virgin is becoming every day more
extended in countries where it has hitherto been unknown or
forgotten. Dr. W-, when he passed through Lisbon, gave me some
most interesting details with respect to the labours of the
propaganda in India. Even England, our own beloved country. . . .

My obliging friends showed me all over their "poor house," it
certainly did not appear a very rich one; it was spacious, and
rather dilapidated. The library was small, and possessed nothing
remarkable; the view, however, from the roof, over the greater part
of Lisbon and the Tagus, was very grand and noble; but I did not
visit this place in the hope of seeing busts, or books, or fine
prospects,--I visited this strange old house to converse with its
inmates, for my favourite, I might say, my only study, is man. I
found these gentlemen much what I had anticipated, for this was not
the first time that I had visited an English--establishment in a
foreign land. They were full of amiability and courtesy to their
heretic countryman, and though the advancement of their religion
was with them an object of paramount importance, I soon found that,
with ludicrous inconsistency, they cherished, to a wonderful
degree, national prejudices almost extinct in the mother land, even
to the disparagement of those of their own darling faith. I spoke
of the English -, of their high respectability, and of the loyalty
which they had uniformly displayed to their sovereign, though of a
different religion, and by whom they had been not unfrequently
subjected to much oppression and injustice.

Rector.--My dear Sir, I am rejoiced to hear you; I see that you are
well acquainted with the great body of those of our faith in
England. They are as you have well described them, a most
respectable and loyal body; from loyalty, indeed, they never
swerved, and though they have been accused of plots and
conspiracies, it is now well known that such had no real existence,
but were merely calumnies invented by their religious enemies.
During the civil wars the English--cheerfully shed their blood and
squandered their fortunes in the cause of the unfortunate martyr,
notwithstanding that he never favoured them, and invariably looked
upon them with suspicion. At present the English--are the most
devoted subjects to our gracious sovereign. I should be happy if I
could say as much for our Irish brethren; but their conduct has
been--oh! detestable. Yet what can you expect? The true--blush
for them. A certain person is a disgrace to the church of which he
pretends to be a servant. Where does he find in our canons
sanction for his proceedings, his undutiful expressions towards one
who is his sovereign by divine right, and who can do no wrong? And
above all, where does he find authority for inflaming the passions
of a vile mob against a nation intended by nature and by position
to command them?

Myself.--I believe there is an Irish college in this city?

Rector.--I believe there is; but it does not flourish, there are
few or no pupils. Oh!

I looked through a window, at a great height, and saw about twenty
or thirty fine lads sporting in a court below. "This is as it
should be," said I; "those boys will not make worse priests from a
little early devotion to trap-ball and cudgel playing. I dislike a
staid, serious, puritanic education, as I firmly believe that it
encourages vice and hypocrisy."

We then went into the Rector's room, where, above a crucifix, was
hanging a small portrait.

Myself.--That was a great and portentous man, honest withal. I
believe the body of which he was the founder, and which has been so
much decried, has effected infinitely more good than it has caused
harm.

Rector.--What do I hear? You an Englishman, and a Protestant, and
yet an admirer of Ignatius Loyola?

Myself.--I will say nothing with respect to the doctrine of the
Jesuits, for, as you have observed, I am a Protestant: but I am
ready to assert that there are no people in the world better
qualified, upon the whole, to be intrusted with the education of
youth. Their moral system and discipline are truly admirable.
Their pupils, in after life, are seldom vicious and licentious
characters, and are in general men of learning, science, and
possessed of every elegant accomplishment. I execrate the conduct
of the liberals of Madrid in murdering last year the helpless
fathers, by whose care and instruction two of the finest minds of
Spain have been evolved--the two ornaments of the liberal cause and
modern literature of Spain, for such are Toreno and Martinez de la
Rosa. . . .

Gathered in small clusters about the pillars at the lower
extremities of the gold and silver streets in Lisbon, may be
observed, about noon in every day, certain strange looking men,
whose appearance is neither Portuguese nor European. Their dress
generally consists of a red cap, with a blue silken tassel at the
top of it, a blue tunic girded at the waist with a red sash, and
wide linen pantaloons or trousers. He who passes by these groups
generally hears them conversing in broken Spanish or Portuguese,
and occasionally in a harsh guttural language, which the oriental
traveller knows to be the Arabic, or a dialect thereof. These
people are the Jews of Lisbon. Into the midst of one of these
groups I one day introduced myself, and pronounced a beraka, or
blessing. I have lived in different parts of the world, much
amongst the Hebrew race, and am well acquainted with their ways and
phraseology. I was rather anxious to become acquainted with the
state of the Portuguese Jews, and I had now an opportunity. "The
man is a powerful rabbi," said a voice in Arabic; "it behoves us to
treat him kindly." They welcomed me. I favoured their mistake,
and in a few days I knew all that related to them and their traffic
in Lisbon.

I found them a vile, infamous rabble, about two hundred in number.
With a few exceptions, they consist of escapados from the Barbary
shore, from Tetuan, from Tangier, but principally from Mogadore;
fellows who have fled to a foreign land from the punishment due to
their misdeeds. Their manner of life in Lisbon is worthy of such a
goodly assemblage of amis reunis. The generality of them pretend
to work in gold and silver, and keep small peddling shops; they,
however, principally depend for their livelihood on an extensive
traffic in stolen goods which they carry on. It is said that there
is honour amongst thieves, but this is certainly not the case with
the Jews of Lisbon, for they are so greedy and avaricious, that
they are constantly quarrelling about their ill-gotten gain, the
result being that they frequently ruin each other. Their mutual
jealousy is truly extraordinary. If one, by cheating and roguery,
gains a cruzado in the presence of another, the latter instantly
says I cry halves, and if the first refuse he is instantly
threatened with an information. The manner in which they cheat
each other has, with all its infamy, occasionally something
extremely droll and ludicrous. I was one day in the shop of a
Swiri, or Jew of Mogadore, when a Jew from Gibraltar entered, with
a Portuguese female, who held in her hand a mantle, richly
embroidered with gold.

Gibraltar Jew (speaking in broken Arabic).--Good-day, O Swiri; God
has favoured me this day; here is a bargain by which we shall both
gain. I have bought this mantle of the woman almost for nothing,
for it is stolen; but I am poor, as you know, I have not a cruzado;
pay her therefore the price, that we may then forthwith sell the
mantle and divide the gain.

Swiri.--Willingly, brother of Gibraltar; I will pay the woman for
the mantle; it does not appear a bad one.

Thereupon he flung two cruzados to the woman, who forthwith left
the shop.

Gibraltar Jew.--Thanks, brother Swirl, this is very kind of you;
now let us go and sell the mantle, the gold alone is well worth a
moidore; but I am poor and have nothing to eat, give me, therefore,
the half of that sum and keep the mantle; I shall be content.

Swiri.--May Allah blot out your name, you thief. What mean you by
asking me for money? I bought the mantle of the woman and paid for
it. I know nothing of you. Go out of my doors, dog of a Nazarene,
if not I will pay you with a kick.

The dispute was referred to one of the sabios, or priests; but the
sabio, who was also from Mogadore, at once took the part of the
Swiri, and decided that the other should have nothing. Whereupon
the Gibraltar Jew cursed the sabio, his father, mother, and all his
family. The sabio replied, "I put you in ndui," a kind of
purgatory or hell. "I put you in seven nduis," retorted the
incensed Jew, over whom, however, superstitious fear speedily
prevailed; he faltered, became pale, and dropping his voice,
retreated, trembling in every limb.

The Jews have two synagogues in Lisbon, both are small; one is,
however, tolerably well furnished, it has its reading desk, and in
the middle there is a rather handsome chandelier; the other is
little better than a sty, filthy to a degree, without ornament of
any kind. The congregation of this last are thieves to a man; no
Jew of the slightest respectability ever enters it.

How well do superstition and crime go hand in hand. These wretched
beings break the eternal commandments of their Maker without
scruple; but they will not partake of the beast of the uncloven
foot, and the fish which has no scales. They pay no regard to the
denunciations of holy prophets against the children of sin, but
they quake at the sound of a dark cabalistic word, pronounced by
one perhaps their equal, or superior, in villainy, as if God would
delegate the exercise of his power to the workers of iniquity.

I was one day sauntering on the Caesodre, when a Jew, with whom I
had previously exchanged a word or two, came up and addressed me.

Jew.--The blessing of God upon you, brother; I know you to be a
wise and powerful man, and I have conceived much regard for you; it
is on that account that I wish to put you in the way of gaining
much money. Come with me, and I will conduct you to a place where
there are forty chests of tea. It is a sereka (a robbery), and the
thieves are willing to dispose of it for a trifle, for there is
search being made, and they are in much fear. I can raise one half
of what they demand, do you supply the other, we will then divide
it, each shall go his own way and dispose of his portion.

Myself.--Wherefore, O son of Arbat, do you propose this to me, who
am a stranger? Surely you are mad. Have you not your own people
about you whom you know, and in whom you can confide?

Jew.--It is because I know our people here that I do not confide in
them; we are in the galoot of sin. Were I to confide in my
brethren there would be a dispute, and perhaps they would rob me,
and few of them have any money. Were I to apply to the sabio he
might consent, but when I ask for my portion he would put me in
ndui! You I do not fear; you are good and would do me no harm,
unless I attempted to deceive you, and that I dare not do, for I
know you are powerful. Come with me, master, for I wish to gain
something, that I may return to Arbat, where I have children . . .

Such are Jews in Lisbon.

CHAPTER VI

Cold of Portugal--Extortion prevented--Sensation of Loneliness--The
Dog--The Convent--Enchanting Landscape--Moorish Fortresses--Prayer
for the Sick.

About a fortnight after my return from Evora, having made the
necessary preparations, I set out on my journey for Badajoz, from
which town I intended to take the diligence to Madrid. Badajoz
lies about a hundred miles distant from Lisbon, and is the
principal frontier town of Spain in the direction of the Alemtejo.
To reach this place, it was necessary to retravel the road as far
as Monte More, which I had already passed in my excursion to Evora;
I had therefore very little pleasure to anticipate from novelty of
scenery. Moreover, in this journey I should be a solitary
traveller, with no other companion than the muleteer, as it was my
intention to take my servant no farther than Aldea Gallega, for
which place I started at four in the afternoon. Warned by former
experience, I did not now embark in a small boat, but in one of the
regular passage felouks, in which we reached Aldea Gallega, after a
voyage of six hours; for the boat was heavy, there was no wind to
propel it, and the crew were obliged to ply their huge oars the
whole way. In a word, this passage was the reverse of the first,--
safe in every respect,--but so sluggish and tiresome, that I a
hundred times wished myself again under the guidance of the wild
lad, galloping before the hurricane over the foaming billows. From
eight till ten the cold was truly terrible, and though I was
closely wrapped in an excellent fur "shoob," with which I had
braved the frosts of Russian winters, I shivered in every limb, and
was far more rejoiced when I again set my foot on the Alemtejo,
than when I landed for the first time, after having escaped the
horrors of the tempest.

I took up my quarters for the night at a house to which my friend
who feared the darkness had introduced me on my return from Evora,
and where, though I paid mercilessly dear for everything, the
accommodation was superior to that of the common inn in the square.
My first care now was to inquire for mules to convey myself and
baggage to Elvas, from whence there are but three short leagues to
the Spanish town of Badajoz. The people of the house informed me
that they had an excellent pair at my disposal, but when I inquired
the price, they were not ashamed to demand four moidores. I
offered them three, which was too much, but which, however, they
did not accept, for knowing me to be an Englishman, they thought
they had an excellent opportunity to practise imposition, not
imagining that a person so rich as an Englishman MUST be, would go
out in a cold night for the sake of obtaining a reasonable bargain.
They were, however, much mistaken, as I told them that rather than
encourage them in their knavery, I should be content to return to
Lisbon; whereupon they dropped their demand to three and a half,
but I made them no answer, and going out with Antonio, proceeded to
the house of the old man who had accompanied us to Evora. We
knocked a considerable time, for he was in bed; at length he arose
and admitted us, but on hearing our object, he said that his mules
were again gone to Evora, under the charge of the boy, for the
purpose of transporting some articles of merchandise. He, however,
recommended us to a person in the neighbourhood who kept mules for
hire, and there Antonio engaged two fine beasts for two moidores
and a half. I say he engaged them, for I stood aloof and spoke
not, and the proprietor, who exhibited them, and who stood half-
dressed, with a lamp in his hand and shivering with cold, was not
aware that they were intended for a foreigner till the agreement
was made, and he had received a part of the sum in earnest. I
returned to the inn well pleased, and having taken some refreshment
went to rest, paying little attention to the people, who glanced
daggers at me from their small Jewish eyes.