The Bible in Spain; or the Journeys, Adventures and Imprisonments of an Englishman, in an attempt to circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula. By GEORGE BORROW.

THIS is the title of a very entertaining book-a book which will be read by almost all intelligent persons in England and the United States. The author, Mr. George Borrow, went to Spain in 1835, in the service of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and there he remained until 1840, with the exception of short intervals of absence in England. His work on the "Gipsies of Spain," first attracted the attention of the reading public, and prepared the way for a most favor able reception of the "Bible in Spain." Who Mr. Borrow was, we are not informed; but what he is, a very intelligent, well educated, kind hearted, bold, enterprising,

English gentleman, shines out on every page of his work. He is evidently not a clergyman, but a zealous, generous son of "the church," who, having traveled in all parts of the Eastern continent, and learned" to speak with other tongues," was prepared as if by set purpose, for this work in Spain. Into whatever company he fell, he was at home. He could converse with every tribe, sect, and profes sion of people, whom he chanced to meet; and knowing their preju dices and weak sides, he was able to promote the cause in which he had embarked, by making himself a favorite with all parties. When ever he wished to pass "incog." in his travels, he found no difficulty in making his companions, whether gipsies, or Jews, or Roman priests, mistake him for one of their own fraternity.

Perhaps some may suspect, that he carried this species of Jesuitism

beyond the limits of strict rectitude. When, for example, he was at Cordova, he took lodgings in a public house kept by a violent Carlist. He had not been there long, before his servant was turned out of doors for being a Christino; and coming to his master to report what had befallen him, he added: "the knave of a landlord told me that you (Mr. Borrow) had confessed yourself to be of the same politics as himself, or he would not have harbored you." To this, we have the following characteristic reply from our author: "My good man, I am invariably of the politics of the people at whose table I sit, or beneath whose roof I sleep; at least, I never say any thing which can lead them to suspect the contrary: by pursuing which system, I have more than once escaped a bloody pillow, and having the wine I drank spiced with sublimate."

Whether or not Mr. Borrow was able, in "pursuing this system," to sail clear of actual falsehood, there are certain blemishes in his generally excellent character and habits, of which, in a commendatory notice of his book, it would be unpardonable not to speak. They are faults, however, it should be observed in justice to him, belonging to his class and country, viz. wine and brandy drinking, and Sabbath breaking-offenses which would not now be tolerated in an agent of any benevolent society on this side of the water. On one occasion, he tells us he drank a pint of brandy without feeling the least effect from it; and he speaks of his wine or stronger beverage, oftener than of his food. As to the Sabbath, we hear very little about it. One fact, however, is sufficient. In 1838, he visited Cadiz. On Saturday, he dined with the British consul, at whose house, on the following day, divine service was to be attended. But by six o'clock on Sunday morning, Mr. Borrow was on board of

a steamer bound that day for sev eral ports in the Mediterranean.

The example of these "indulgences" and "liberties" in so excellent a man as Mr. Borrow, is far more dangerous to society, than the "indelicacies" that disfigure many of the ancient and modern classics. Vice in the grosser forms is contemplated by virtuous minds with no other feelings than disgust-but when associated with a character in all other respects faultless, and even fascinating, it is apt to please rather than offend us.

But we are not disposed to be severe with Mr. Borrow. No reader of his "Bible in Spain," can have any other feelings toward him than those of respect and kindness.

Mr. Borrow brought out with him from England, a small quantity of Spanish Testaments and Bibles, which he intended to sell as he might have opportunity. It was a grand object with him, however, to obtain permission from the Spanish government, to publish the New Testament at Madrid. This was a difficult point to be gained. The civil war between the Queen Regent and Don Carlos was then raging, and although the Queen's ministers were, in general willing enough at heart to grant his request, yet they dared not do it, for fear of arousing against them more fiercely still, the displeasure of the priests. After several ineffectual applications to successive ministers, supported by the influence of the British embassador, Mr. Villiers, the present earl of Clarendon, he finally took the hint to publish an edition of the New Testament, without the written permission of the government, it being intimated to him that he would not be disturbed. The following extracts will show with what difficulties and with what success he met in putting the work into circulation-and at the same time, afford the reader a tolerably lively idea of things in Spain.

"I had determined, after depositing a certain number of copies in the shops of the booksellers of Madrid, to ride forth, Testament in hand, and endeavor to circulate the word of God among the Spaniards, not only of the towns but of the villages; among the children not only of the plains but of the hills and mountains. I intended to visit Old Castile, and to traverse the whole of Galicia and the Asturias-to establish Scripture depots in the principal towns, and to visit the people in secret and secluded spots-to talk to them of Christ, to explain to them the nature of his book, and to place that book in the hands of those whom I should deem capable of deriving benefit from it." "Salamanca was the first place which I intended to visit."

"A melancholy town is Salamanca ; the days of its collegiate glory are long since past by, never more to return; a circumstance, however, which is little to be regretted; for what benefit did the world ever derive from scholastic philosophy? And for that alone was Salamanca ever famous. Its halls are now almost silent, and grass is growing in its courts, which were once daily thronged by at least eight thousand students; a number to which at the present day, the entire population of the city does not amount. Yet, with all its melancholy, what an interesting, nay, what a magnificent place is Salamanca. How glorious are its churches, how stupendous are its deserted convents, and with what sublime but sullen grandeur, do its huge and crumbling walls, which crown the precipitous bank of the Tormes, look down upon the lovely river and its venerable bridge.

"What a pity, that, of the many rivers of Spain, scarcely one is navigable. The beautiful but shallow Tormes, instead of proving a source of blessing and wealth to this part of Castile, is of no further utility than to turn the wheels of various small water-mills, standing upon the weirs of stone, which at certain distances traverse the river."

"During my stay at Salamanca, I took measures that the word of God might become generally known in this celebrated city. The principal bookseller of the town, Blanco, a man of great wealth and respectability, consented to become my agent here, and I in consequence, deposited in his shop a certain number of New Testaments. He was the proprietor of a small printing-press, where the official bulletin of the place was published. For this bulletin I prepared an advertisement of the work, in which, among other things, I said that the New Testament was the only guide to salvation; I also spoke of the Bible Society, and the great pecuniary sacrifices which it was making,

with the view of proclaiming Christ crucified, and of making his doctrine known. This step will perhaps be considered by some as too bold, but I was not aware that I could take any more calculated to arouse the attention of the people-a considerable point. I also ordered numbers of the same advertisement to be struck off in the shape of bills, which I caused to be stuck up in various parts of the town. I had great hope that by means of these, a considerable number of New Testaments would be sold. I intended to repeat this experiment in Valladolid, Leon, St. Jago, and all the principal towns which I visited, and to distribute them likewise as I rode along: the children of Spain would thus be brought to know, that such a work as the New Testament is in existence, a fact, of which not five in one hundred were then aware, notwithstanding their so frequently repeated boasts of their Catholicity and Christianity."

From Salamanca our author passed through several towns to Leon.

"I had scarcely been at Leon three days when I was seized with a fever, against which I thought the strength even of my constitution would have yielded, for it wore me almost to a skeleton, and when it departed, at the end of about a week, left me in such a deplorable state of weakness, that I was scarcely able to make the slightest exertion. I had, however, previously persuaded a bookseller to undertake the charge of vending the Testaments, and had published my ad vertisements as usual, though without very sanguine hope of success, as Leon is a place where the inhabitants, with a very few exceptions, are furious Carlists, and ignorant and blinded followers of the old papal church. It is, moreover, a bishop's see, which was once enjoyed by the prime counsellor of Don Carlos, whose fierce and bigoted spirit still seems to pervade the place. Scarcely had the advertisements appeared, when the clergy were in motion. They went from house to house, banning and cursing, and denouncing misery to whomsoever should either purchase or read "the accursed books," which had been sent into the country by heretics for the purpose of perverting the innocent minds of the population. They did more; they commenced a process against the bookseller in the ecclesiastical court. Fortunately this court is not at present in the possession of much authority; and the bookseller, a bold and determined man, set them at defiance, and went so far as to affix an advertisement to the gate of the very ca thedral. Notwithstanding the cry raised against the book, several copies were sold

:

at Leon two were purchased by exfriars, and the same number by parochial priests from neighboring villages. I believe the whole number disposed of during my stay amounted to fifteen; so that my visit to this dark corner was not altogether in vain, as the seed of the Gospel had been sown, though sparingly. But the palpable darkness which envelopes Leon is truly lamentable, and the ignorance of the people is so great, that printed charms and incantations against Satan and his host, and against every kind of misfortune, are publicly sold in the shops, and are in great demand. Such are the results of popery, a delusion which, more than any other, has tended to debase and

brutalize the human mind."

Leaving Leon, Mr. Borrow visited various places with little success, and at length arrived at Lugo, a village of six thousand inhabitants.

"At Lugo I found a wealthy bookseller, to whom I brought a letter of recommendation from Madrid. He willingly undertook the sale of my books. The Lord deigned to favor my feeble exertions in his cause at Lugo. I brought thither thirty Testaments, all of which were disposed of in one day; the Bishop of the place, for Lugo is an episcopal see, purchasing two copies for himself, while several priests and ex-friars, instead of following the example of their brethren at Leon, by persecuting the work, spoke well of it and recommended its perusal. I was much grieved that my stock of these holy books was exhausted, there being a great demand; and had I been able to supply them, quadruple the quantity might have been sold during the few days that I continued at Lugo.'

"We stayed one week at Lugo, and then directed our steps to Coruna, about twelve leagues distant. We arose before daybreak, in order to avail ourselves of the escort of the general post, in whose company we travelled upward of six leagues. There was much talk of robbers, and flying parties of the factious, on which account our escort was considerable. At the distance of five or six leagues from Lugo, our guard, instead of regular soldiers, consisted of a body of about fifty Miguelites. They had all the appearance of banditti, but a finer body of ferocious fellows I never saw. They were all men in the prime of life, mostly of tall stature, and of Herculean brawn and limbs. They wore huge whiskers, and walked with a fanfaronading air, as if they courted danger and despised it." "We found Coruna full of bustle and life, owing to the arrival of the English squadron. On the following day, howVol. I.

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ever, it departed, being bound for the Mediterranean on a short cruise, where upon matters instantly returned to their usual course.

"I had a depot of five hundred Testa ments at Coruna, from which it was my intention to supply the principal towns of Galicia. Immediately on my arrival I published advertisements, according to my usual practice, and the book obtained a tolerable sale-seven or eight copies per day, on the average."

At St. James, Mr. B. met with a cordial coadjutor in the bookseller of the place, Rey Romero.

"There is a curious anecdote connected with the skippers of Padron, which can scarcely be considered as out of place here, as it relates to the circulation of the Scriptures. I was one day in the shop of my friend, the bookseller at St James, when a stout good-humored looking priest entered. He took up one of my Testaments, and forthwith 'burst into a violent fit of laughter. "What is the matter?" demanded the bookseller. "The sight of this book reminds me of a circumstance," replied the other: "about twenty years ago, when the English first took into their heads to be very zealous in converting us Spaniards to their own way of thinking, they distributed a great number of books of this kind among the Spaniards who chanced to be in London; some of them fell into the hands of certain skippers of Padron, and these good folks, on their return to Galicia, were observed to have become on a sudden, exceedingly opinionated and fond of dispute. It was scarcely possible to make an assertion in their hearing without receiving a flat contradiction, especially when religious subjects were brought on the carpet. It is false,' they would say; 'Saint Paul, in such a chapter and in such a verse, says exactly the contrary.' 'What can you know concerning what Saint Paul or any other saint has written the priests would ask them. Much more than you think,' they replied; we are no longer to be kept in darkness and ignorance respecting these matters;' and then they would produce their books and read paragraphs, making such comments that every person was scandalized: they cared nothing about the pope, and even spoke with irreverence of the bones of Saint James. However, the matter was soon bruited about, and a commission was dispatched from our see to collect the books and burn them. This was effected, and the skippers were either punished or reprimanded, since which I have heard nothing more of them. I could not forbear laughing when I saw these books; they instantly brought to

my mind the skippers of Padron and their religious disputations."

We have room only for a few of the more interesting scenes and events of Mr. Borrow's tour.

"So it came to pass that one night I found myself in the ancient town of Oviedo, in a very large, scantily furnished, and remote room in an ancient posada, formerly a palace of the counts of Santa Cruz. It was past ten, and the rain was descending in torrents. I was writing, but suddenly ceased on hearing numerous footsteps ascending the creaking stairs which led to my apartment. The door was flung open, and in walked nine men of tall stature, marshaled by a little hunch-backed personage. They were all muffled in the long cloaks of Spain, but I instantly knew by their demeanor that they were caballeros, or gentlemen. They placed themselves in a rank before the table where I was sitting. Suddenly and simultaneously they all flung back their cloaks, and I perceived that every one bore a book in his hand; a book which I knew full well. After a pause, which I was unable to break, for I sat lost in astonishment, and almost conceived myself visited by apparitions, the hunchback, advancing somewhat before the rest, said in soft silvery tones, "Senor Cavalier, was it you who brought this book to the Asturias?" I now supposed that they were the civil authorities of the place, come to take me into custody, and, rising from my seat, I exclaimed," It certainly was I, and it was my glory to have done so; the book is the New Testament of God: I wish it was in my power to bring a million." "I heartily wish so too," said the little personage with a sigh. "Be under no apprehension, Sir Cavalier, these gentlemen are my friends; we have just purchased these books in the shop where you placed them for sale, and have taken the liberty of calling upon you, in order to return our thanks for the treasure you have brought us. I hope you can furnish us with the Old Testament also." I replied, that I was sorry to inform him that at present it was entirely out of my power to comply with his wish, as I had no Old Testaments in my possession, but did not despair of procuring some speedily from England. He then asked me a great many questions concerning my biblical travels in Spain, and my success, and the views entertained by the society with respect to Spain, adding, that he hoped we should pay particular attention to the Asturias, which he assured me was the best ground in the peninsula for our labor. After about half an hour's conversation, he suddenly said,

in the English language, "Good night, sir," wrapped his cloak around him, and walked out as he had come. His com

panions, who had hitherto not uttered a word, all repeated, "Good night, sir;" and, adjusting their cloaks, followed him."

Having returned to Madrid, Mr. B. thus expresses his gratitude.

"Well, we reached Burgos in safety; we reached Valladolid in safety; we passed the Guadarama in safety; and were at length safely housed in Madrid. People said we had been very lucky; Antonio said, "It was so written;" but I say, Glory be to the Lord for his mercies Vouchsafed to us."

The following extracts unfold his subsequent operations.

"The first step which I took after my return to Madrid, toward circulating the Scriptures, was a very bold one. It was neither more nor less than the establishment of a shop for the sale of Testaments. This shop was situated in the Calle del Principe, a respectable and well frequent ed street in the neighborhood of the square of Cervantes. I furnished it handsomely with glass cases, and chandeliers, and procured an acute Gallegan of the name of Pepe Calzado, to superintend the business, who gave me weekly a faithful account of the copies sold.

"How strangely times alter,' said I, the second day subsequent to the opening of my establishment, as I stood on the opposite side of the street, leaning against the wall with folded arms, surveying my shop, on the windows of which were painted in large yellow characters, Despacho de la Sociedad Biblica y Estrangera; how strangely times alter; here have I been during the last eight months running about old popish Spain, distributing Testaments, as agent of what the papists call an heretical society, and have neither been stoned nor burnt; and here am I now in the capital, doing that which one would think were enough to cause all the dead inquisitors and officials bu ried within the circuit of the walls to rise from their graves and cry abomination; and yet no one interferes with me. Pope of Rome! Pope of Rome! look to thyself. That shop may be closed, but oh! what a sign of the times, that it has been permitted to exist for one day. It appears to me, my father, that the days of your sway are numbered in Spain; that you will not be permitted much lon ger to plunder her, to scoff at her, and to Scourge her with scorpions, as in by-gone periods. See I not the hand on the wall? See I not in yonder letters, a 'Mene,