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.
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.
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.
To the Rev. A. Brandram
(_Endorsed_: recd. Feby. 25, 1839)
MADRID, 16 CALLE SANTIAGO,
15 _Febry._ 1839.