from his journey to russia borrow had acquired valuable experience, but nothing in the way of fame, although his mother had been able to record in a letter to st. petersburg that she had heard at a bible society gathering in norwich his name “sounded through the hall” by mr. joseph john gurney and mr. cunningham, to her great delight. “all this is very pleasing to me,” she said, “god bless you!” even more pleasing to borrow must have been a letter from mary clarke, his future wife, who was able to tell him that she heard francis cunningham refer to him as “one of the most extraordinary and interesting individuals of the present day.” but these tributes were not all-satisfying to an ambitious man, and this borrow undoubtedly was. his russian journey was followed by five weeks of idleness in norwich varied by the one excitement of attending a bible meeting at oulton with the reverend francis cunningham in the chair, when “mr. george borrow from russia” [110] made one of the usual conventional missionary speeches, mary clarke’s brother, breame skepper, being also among the orators. borrow begged for more work from the society. he urged the desirability of carrying out its own idea of an investigation in portugal and perhaps also in spain, and hinted that he could write a small volume concerning what he saw and heard which might cover the expense of the expedition. so much persistency conquered. borrow sailed from london on 6th november, 1835, and reached lisbon on 12th november, this his first visit to the peninsula lasting exactly eleven months. the next four years and six months were to be spent mainly in p. 111spain.
what a world of adventure do the mere names of these places call up. borrow entered the peninsula at an exciting period of its history. traces of the great war in which napoleon’s legions faced those of wellington still abounded. here and there a bridge had disappeared, and some of borrow’s strange experiences on ferry-boats were indirectly due to the results of napoleon’s ambition. everywhere there was still war in the land. portugal indeed had just passed through a revolution. the partisans of the infant queen maria ii. had been fighting with her uncle dom miguel for eight years, and it was only a few short months before borrow landed at lisbon that maria had become undisputed queen. spain, to which borrow speedily betook himself, was even in a worse state. she was in the throes of a six years’ war. queen isabel ii., a child of three, reigned over a chaotic country with her mother dona christina as regent; her uncle don carlos was a formidable claimant to the throne and had the support of the absolutist and clerical parties. borrow’s political sympathies were always in the direction of absolutism; but in religion, although a staunch church of england man, he was certainly an anti-clerical one in roman catholic spain. in any case he steered judiciously enough between contending factions, describing the fanatics of either side with vigour and sometimes with humour. mr. brandram’s injunction to borrow “to be on his guard against becoming too much committed to one particular party” seems to have been unnecessary.
borrow’s three expeditions to spain have more to be said for them than had his journey to st. petersburg. the p. 112work of the bible society was and is at its highest point of human service when distributing either the old or the new testament in christian countries, spain, england, or another. few there be to-day in any country who, in the interests of civilisation, would deny to the bible a wider distribution. in a remote village of spain a bible society’s colporteur, carrying a coloured banner, sold me a copy of cipriano de valera’s new testament for a peseta. but in the minds of the worthy people who ran the bible society eighty years ago it was not so much that humanity was to be bettered as that roman catholicism was to be worsened. every new testament sold in spain was in the eyes of the english fanatic who subscribed his silver a blow to the church of that land. otherwise and as to the humanising influence of the propaganda it may be said that the villages of spain that borrow visited could even at that time compare favourably, morally and educationally, with villages of his own county of norfolk at the same period. the morals of the agricultural labourers of the english fen country eighty years ago were a scandal, and the peasantry read nothing; more than half of them could not read. they had not, moreover, the humanising passion for song and dance that andalusia knew. but this is not to deny that the bible society under borrow’s instrumentality did a good work in spain, nor that they did it on the whole in a broad and generous way. borrow admits that there was a section of the roman catholic clergy “favourably disposed towards the circulation of the gospel,” and the society actually fixed upon a roman catholic version of the spanish bible, that by scio de san miguel, although this version borrow considered a bad translation. much has been said about the aim of the bible society to provide the bible without notes or comment—in its way a most meritorious aim, although then as now opposed to the instinct of a large number of the priests of the roman church. it is true that their attitude does not in any way possess the sanction of the ecclesiastical authorities. it may be urged, indeed, that the interpretation of the bible by a priest, usually of mature judgment, and frequently of a higher education than the people with whom he is associated, is at least as trustworthy as its interpretation at the hands of very partially educated young women and exceedingly inadequately equipped young p. 113men who to-day provide interpretation and comment in so many of the sunday schools of protestant countries.
behold george borrow, then, first in portugal and a little later in spain, upon his great mission—avowedly at first a tentative mission—rather to see what were the prospects for bible distribution than to distribute bibles. but borrow’s zeal knew no such limitations. before very long he had a shop in one of the principal streets of madrid—the calle del principe—much more in the heart of things than the very prosperous bible society of our day ventures upon. [113] meanwhile he is at present in portugal not very certain of his movements, and he writes to his old friend dr. bowring the following letter with a request with which bowring complied, although in the coldest manner:
to dr. john bowring
evora in the alemtejo, 27 decr., 1835.
dear sir,—pray excuse me for troubling you with these lines. i write to you, as usual, for assistance in my projects, convinced that you will withhold none which it may be in your power to afford, more especially when by so doing you will perhaps be promoting the happiness of our fellow creatures. i returned from dear, glorious russia about three months since, after having edited there the manchu new testament in eight volumes. i am now in portugal, for the society still do me the honour of employing me. for the last six weeks i have been wandering amongst the wilds of the alemtejo and have introduced myself to its rustics, banditti, etc., and become very popular amongst them, but as it is much more easy to introduce oneself to the cottage than the hall (though i am not entirely unknown in the latter), i want you to give or procure me letters to the most liberal and influential minds of portugal. i likewise want a letter from the foreign office to lord de walden, in a word, i want to make what interest i can towards obtaining the admission of the gospel of jesus into the public schools of portugal which are about to be p. 114established. i beg leave to state that this is my plan, and not other persons’, as i was merely sent over to portugal to observe the disposition of the people, therefore i do not wish to be named as an agent of the b.s., but as a person who has plans for the mental improvement of the portuguese; should i receive these letters within the space of six weeks it will be time enough, for before setting up my machine in portugal i wish to lay the foundation of something similar in spain. when you send the portuguese letters direct thus:
mr. george borrow,
to the care of mr. wilby,
rua dos restauradores, lisbon.
i start for spain to-morrow, and i want letters something similar (there is impudence for you) for madrid, which i should like to have as soon as possible. i do not much care at present for an introduction to the ambassador at madrid, as i shall not commence operations seriously in spain until i have disposed of portugal. i will not apologise for writing to you in this manner, for you know me, but i will tell you one thing, which is that the letter which you procured for me, on my going to st. petersburg, from lord palmerston, assisted me wonderfully. i called twice at your domicile on my return; the first time you were in scotland, the second in france, and i assure you i cried with vexation. remember me to mrs. bowring and god bless you.
g. borrow.
p.s.—i am told that mendizábal is liberal, and has been in england; perhaps he would assist me.
during this eleven months’ stay in the peninsula borrow made his way to madrid, and here he interviewed the british minister, sir george villiers, afterwards fourth earl of clarendon, and had received a quite remarkable encouragement from him for the publication and distribution of the bible. he also interviewed the spanish prime minister, mendizábal, “whom it is as difficult to get nigh as it is to approach the north pole,” and he has given us a picturesque account of the interview in the bible in spain. it was agreed that 5,000 copies of the spanish testament were to be reprinted from scio’s text at the expense of the bible society, and all these borrow was to handle as he thought fit. then borrow made his way to granada, where, under date 30th august, 1836, his autograph may be read in the visitors’ book of the alhambra:
george borrow norvicensis.
p. 115here he studied his friends the gypsies, now and probably then, as we may assume from his zincali, the sordid scum on the hillside of that great city, but now more assuredly than then unutterably demoralised by the numerous but curious tourists who visit this rabble under police protection, the very policeman or gendarme not despising a peseta for his protective services. but borrow’s hobbies included the romanies of every land, and a year later he produced and published a gypsy version of the gospel of st. luke. in october, 1836, borrow was back in england. he found that the bible society approved of him. in november of the same year he left london for cadiz on his second visit to spain. the journey is described in the bible in spain; but here, from my borrow papers, is a kind letter that mr. brandram wrote to borrow’s mother on the occasion:
no. 10 east street, jany. 11, 1837.
my dear madam,—i have the joyful news to send you that your son has again safely arrived at madrid. his journey we were aware was exceedingly perilous, more perilous than we should have allowed him to take had we sooner known the extent of the danger. he begs me to write, intending to write to you himself without delay. he has suffered from the intense cold, but nothing beyond inconvenience. accept my congratulations, and my best wishes that your dear son may be preserved to be your comfort in declining years—and may the god of all consolation himself deign to comfort your heart by the truths of that holy volume your son is endeavouring, in connection with our society, to spread abroad.—believe me, dear madam, yours faithfully,
a. brandram.
mrs. borrow, norwich.
a brilliant letter from seville followed soon after, and then he went on to madrid, not without many adventures. “the cold nearly killed me,” he said. “i swallowed nearly two bottles of brandy; it affected me no more than warm water.” this to kindly mr. brandram, who clearly had no teetotaler proclivities, for the letter, as he said, “filled his heart with joy and gladness.” meanwhile those five thousand copies of the new testament were a-printing, borrow superintending the work with the assistance of a new friend, dr. usoz. “as soon as the book is printed and issued,” he tells mr. brandram, “i will ride forth from madrid into the wildest parts of spain, . . .” and so, after some correspondence p. 116with the society which is quite entertaining, he did. the reader of the bible in spain will note some seventy separate towns and villages that borrow visited, not without countless remarkable adventures on the way. “i felt some desire,” he says in the romany rye, “to meet with one of those adventures which upon the roads of england are generally as plentiful as blackberries in autumn.” assuredly in this tour of spanish villages borrow met with no lack of adventures. the committee of the bible society authorised this tour in march, 1837, and in may borrow started off on horseback attended by his faithful servant, antonio. this tour was to last five months, and “if i am spared,” he writes to his friend hasfeld, “and have not fallen a prey to sickness, carlists, banditti, or wild beasts, i shall return to madrid.” he hopes a little later, he tells hasfeld, to be sent to china. we have then a glimpse of his servant, the excellent antonio, which supplements that contained in the bible in spain. “he is inordinately given to drink, and is of so quarrelsome a disposition that he is almost constantly involved in some broil.” not all his weird experiences were conveyed in his letters to the bible society’s secretary. some of these letters, however—the more highly coloured ones—were used in the bible in spain, word for word, and wonderful reading they must have made for the secretary, who indeed asked for more, although, with a view to keeping borrow humble—an impossible task—mr. brandram takes occasion to say “mr. graydon’s letters, as well as yours, are deeply interesting,” graydon being a hated rival, as we shall see. the question of money was also not overlooked by the assiduous secretary. “i know you are no accountant,” he writes, “but do not forget there are some who are,” and a financial document was forwarded to borrow about this time as a stimulus and a warning.
but borrow was happy, for next to the adventures of five glorious months in the villages between madrid and coruña nothing could be more to his taste than a good, wholesome quarrel. he was imprisoned by order of the spanish government and released on the intervention of the british embassy. he tells the story so graphically in the bible in spain that it is superfluous to repeat it; but here he does not tell of the great quarrel with regard p. 117to lieutenant graydon that led him to attack that worthy zealot in a letter to the bible society. this attack did indeed cause the society to recall graydon, whose zealous proclamation of anti-romanism must, however, have been more to the taste of some of its subscribers than borrow’s “trimming” methods. moreover, graydon worked for love of the cause and required no salary, which must always have been in his favour. borrow was ten days in a madrid prison, and there, as ever, he had extraordinary adventures if we may believe his own narrative, but they are much too good to be torn from their context. suffice to say here that in the actual correspondence we find breezy controversy between borrow and the society. borrow thought that the secretary had called in question the accuracy of his statements as to this or that particular in his conduct. ever a fighter, he appealed to the british embassy for confirmation of his word, and finally mr. brandram suggested he should come back to england for a time and talk matters over with the members of the committee. an interesting letter to his future wife belongs to this period:
to mrs. clarke
toledo, decr. 5, 1837.
my dear madam,—i received your letter the day previous to my leaving madrid for this place, whither i arrived in safety on the 2nd inst. i have availed myself of the very first opportunity of answering it which has presented itself. permit me in the first place to sympathise sincerely in the loss which you have, it appears, lately sustained in your excellent brother, more especially as he was my own good kind friend. i little deemed when i parted from him only one short year since, at oulton, that i was doomed never to press his honest hand again; but why should we grieve? he was a devout and humble christian, and we have no reason to doubt that he has been admitted to the joys of his lord; he was also zealous in his way, and although he had but two talents entrusted to him, he turned them to the best account and doubled them; perhaps he now rules over as many heavenly cities; therefore why, why should we grieve? indeed it is possible that if we knew all, we should deem that we had high and cogent reason to rejoice that the lord has snatched him from earth and earthly ties at this particular season. his principles were very excellent, but an evil and undue influence, continually exerted over him, might have gradually corrupted his heart, until it became alienated from loyalty and true religion, which are indeed inseparable; p. 118for the latter he might have substituted the vulgar savage bigotry of what is called “dissent,” for the former “radicalism,” that upas tree of the british isles whose root is in the infernal pit.
you have stated to me how unpleasantly you are situated, and certain heavy trials which you have lately been subjected to. you have, moreover, done me the honour to ask my advice upon these points. i give it without hesitation and in a very few words. maintain unflinchingly your right, your whole right, without yielding one particle, without abandoning one position, as the slightest manifestation of weakness and hesitation will be instantly taken advantage of by your adversaries, and be fraught with danger to yourself. permit me here to state that it was in anticipation of something allied to the evil spirit which has lately been displayed towards you, i advised you on my last visit never to be persuaded to resign the house which you now occupy; it is one of the strongest of your entrenchments—abandon it and the foot of the enemy is in your camp, and with the help of law and chicanery you might be reduced to extremity. a line of the poet spencer is strongly applicable to your situation:
“be firm, be firm, and everywhere be firm.”
i would likewise strongly advise that with the least possible delay you call in the entire amount of whatever claim you possess on the landed property lately your brother’s, else i foresee that you will be involved in an endless series of dispute and litigation, which by one single act of resolution you may avoid. remember that no forbearance on your part will be properly appreciated, and that every kindly feeling and desire of conciliation which you may display, will be set down to fear, and the consciousness of standing on weak ground. i am old in the knowledge of the world and those who dwell upon it, and would rather trust myself to the loving mercies of the hungry wolves of the spanish mountains, than to the generosity and sense of justice of the radicals of england. however determined you may show yourself, no reasonable person can cast any blame upon you, for from the contents of your letter, it appears, that your enemies have kept no terms with you, and entirely unprovoked, have done all in their power to outrage and harrow your feelings. enough on this point.
toledo was formerly the capital of spain. its population at present barely amounts to fifteen thousand souls, though in the time of the romans and also during the middle ages, its population is said to have amounted to between two and three hundred thousand souls, which at present however does not amount to fifteen thousand. it is situated about twelve leagues (40 miles) to the westward of madrid, and is built upon a steep rocky hill, round which flows the tagus on all sides but the north. it still possesses a great many remarkable edifices, notwithstanding that it has long since fallen into decay. its cathedral is the most magnificent of spain, and is the see of p. 119the primate. in the tower of this cathedral is the famous bell of toledo, the largest in the world, with the exception of the monster-bell of moscow, which i have also seen. it weighs 1543 arrobes, or 37-032 pounds. it has, however, a disagreeable sound, owing to a large cleft in its side. toledo could once boast the finest pictures in spain, but many were stolen or destroyed [by the] french during the peninsular war, and still more have lately been removed by order of the government. perhaps the most remarkable still remains. i allude to that which represents the burial of the count of orgaz, the masterpiece of domenico the greek, a most extraordinary genius some of whose productions possess merit of a very high order; the picture in question is in the little parish church of san tomé, at the bottom of the aisle, at the left hand of the altar. could it be purchased, i should say it would be cheap at £5,000. you will easily guess that i did not visit toledo for the sake of seeing its curiosities, but rather in the hope of propagating the word. i have this day caused three hundred advertisements to be affixed to the walls, informing the people where it is to be had. i have humble hope in the lord that he will bless my labours, notwithstanding that toledo abounds with priests, friars, and other minions of cruel rome. should you see my dear mrs. ritson, pray remember me kindly to her and assure her that i often think of her, and the same you may say to miss henrietta. i hope my dear mother is well. god bless you at all times and seasons.
g. b.
p.s.—my gipsy translation of luke is ready for the press, and i shall commence printing it as soon as i return to madrid. i hope that in the event of any of these singular people visiting your neighbourhood you will seek them out, and speak to them of christ, and tell them what is being done for their brethren in a far foreign land. a gipsy woman and her child have paid me several visits since my arrival here; her husband is in the prison for mule-stealing, and next week departs for ten years slavery in the galleys. she is in great trouble and affliction, and says that i am the only friend she has ever met with in spain. she goes about telling fortunes, in order to support her husband in prison, notwithstanding that he had previously abandoned her, and departed for granada with another gypsy woman of the name of aurora, who persuaded him to commit the robbery, for which he is now suffering. if this is not conjugal affection, what is?
mrs. clarke,
oulton cottage,
lowestoft,
suffolk,
england.
in the beginning of september, 1838, borrow was again p. 120in england, when he issued a lengthy and eloquent defence of his conduct and a report on “past and future operations in spain.” in december of the same year borrow was again on his way to cadiz upon his third and last visit to spain.
borrow reached cadiz on this his last visit on 31st december, 1838, and went straight to seville, where he arrived on 2nd january, 1839. here he took a beautiful little house, “a paradise in its way,” in the plazuela de la pila seca, and furnished it—clearly at the expense of his friend mrs. clarke of oulton, who must have sent him a cheque for the purpose. he had been corresponding regularly with mrs. clarke, who had told him of her difficulties with lawyers and relatives, and borrow had advised her to cut the gordian knot and come to spain. but mrs. clarke and her daughter, henrietta, did not arrive from england until june.
in the intervening months borrow had been working more in his own interests than in those of the patient bible society, for he started to gather material for his gypsies in spain, and this book was for the most part actually written in seville. it was at this period that he had the many interviews with colonel elers napier that we quote at length in our next chapter.
a little later he is telling mr. brandram of his adventure with the blind girl of manzanares who could talk in the latin tongue, which she had been taught by a jesuit priest, an episode which he retold in the bible in spain. “when shall we hear,” he asks, “of an english rector instructing a beggar girl in the language of cicero?” to which mr. brandram, who was rector of beckenham, replied “cui bono?” the letters of this period are the best that he ever wrote, and are incorporated more exactly than the earlier ones in the bible in spain.
four letters to his mother within the period of his second and third visits may well be presented together here from my borrow papers:
to mrs. ann borrow
madrid, july 27, 1838.
my dear mother,—i am in perfect health though just returned from a long expedition in which i have been terribly p. 121burnt by the sun. in about ten days i sold nearly a thousand testaments among the labourers of the plains and mountains of castille and la mancha. everybody in madrid is wondering and saying such a thing is a miracle, as i have not entered a town, and the country people are very poor and have never seen or heard of the testament before. but i confess to you that i dislike my situation and begin to think that i have been deceived; the b.s. have had another person on the sea-coast who has nearly ruined their cause in spain by circulating seditious handbills and tracts. the consequence has been that many of my depots have been seized in which i kept my bibles in various parts of the country, for the government think that he is employed by me; i told the b.s. all along what would be the consequence of employing this man, but they took huff and would scarce believe me, and now all my words are come true; i do not blame the government in the slightest degree for what they have done in many points, they have shown themselves to be my good friends, but they have been driven to the step by the insane conduct of the person alluded to. i told them frankly in my last letter that i would leave their service if they encouraged him; for i will not be put in prison again on his account, and lose another servant by the gaol fever, and then obtain neither thanks nor reward. i am going out of town again in a day or two, but i shall now write very frequently, therefore be not alarmed for i will run into no danger. burn this letter and speak to no one about it, nor any others that i may send. god bless you, my dear mother.
g. b.
to mrs. ann borrow, willow lane, st. giles,
norwich (inglaterra)
madrid, august 5, 1838.
my dear mother,—i merely write this to inform you that i am back to madrid from my expedition. i have been very successful and have sold a great many testaments. indeed all the villages and towns within thirty miles have been supplied. in madrid itself i can do nothing as i am closely watched by order of the government and not permitted to sell, so that all i do is by riding out to places where they cannot follow me. i do not blame them, for they have much to complain of, though nothing of me, but if the society will countenance such men as they have lately done in the south of spain they must expect to reap the consequences. it is very probable that i may come to england in a little time, and then you will see me; but do not talk any more about yourself being “no more seen,” for it only serves to dishearten me, and god knows i have enough to make me melancholy already. i am in a great hurry and cannot write any more at present.—i remain, dear mother, yours affectionately,
george borrow.
p. 122to mrs. ann borrow
(no date.)
my dear mama,—as i am afraid that you may not have received my last letter in consequence of several couriers having been stopped, i write to inform you that i am quite well.
i have been in some difficulties. i was selling so many testaments that the priests became alarmed, and prevailed on the government to put a stop to my selling any more; they were likewise talking of prosecuting me as a witch, but they have thought better of it. i hear it is very cold in england, pray take care of yourself, i shall send you more in a few weeks.—god bless you, my dear mama,
g. b.
it was in the middle of his third and last visit to spain that borrow wrote this next letter to his mother which gives the first suggestion of the romantic and happy termination of his final visit to the peninsula:
to mrs. ann borrow
seville, spain, april 27, 1839.
my dear mother,—i should have written to you before i left madrid, but i had a long and dangerous journey to make, and i wished to get it over before saying anything to you. i am now safely arrived, by the blessing of god, in seville, which, in my opinion, is the most delightful town in the world. if it were not a strange place with a strange language i know you would like to live in it, but it is rather too late in the day for you to learn spanish and accommodate yourself to spanish ways. before i left madrid i accomplished a great deal, having sold upwards of one thousand testaments and nearly five hundred bibles, so that at present very few remain; indeed, not a single bible, and i was obliged to send away hundreds of people who wanted to purchase, but whom i could not supply. all this has been done without the slightest noise or disturbance or anything that could give cause of displeasure to the government, so that i am now on very good terms with the authorities, though they are perfectly aware of what i am about. should the society think proper to be guided by the experience which i have acquired, and my knowledge of the country and the people, they might if they choosed sell at least twelve thousand bibles and testaments yearly in spain, but let them adopt or let any other people adopt any other principle than that on which i act and everything will miscarry. all the difficulties, as i told my friends the time i was in england, which i have had to encounter were owing to the faults and imprudencies of other people, and, i may say, still p. 123are owing. two methodist schoolmasters have lately settled at cadiz, and some little time ago took it into their heads to speak and preach, as i am informed, against the virgin mary; information was instantly sent to madrid, and the blame, or part of it, was as usual laid to me; however, i found means to clear myself, for i have powerful friends in madrid, who are well acquainted with my views, and who interested themselves for me, otherwise i should have been sent out of the country, as i believe the two others have been or will be. i have said nothing on this point in my letters home, as people would perhaps say that i was lukewarm, whereas, on the contrary, i think of nothing but the means best adapted to promote the cause; but i am not one of those disposed to run a ship on a rock when only a little skill is necessary to keep her in the open sea.
i hope mrs. clarke will write shortly; tell her if she wishes for a retreat i have found one here for her and henrietta. i have my eye on a beautiful one at fifteen pence a day. i call it a small house, though it is a paradise in its way, having a stable, courtyard, fountain, and twenty rooms. she has only to write to my address at madrid and i shall receive the letter without fail. henrietta had better bring with her a spanish grammar and pocket dictionary, as not a word of english is spoken here. the house-dog—perhaps a real english bulldog would be better—likewise had better come, as it may be useful. god bless you therefore for the present, my dearest mother.
george borrow.
borrow had need of friends more tolerant of his idiosyncrasies than the “powerful friends” he describes to his mother, for the worthy secretary of the bible society was still in a critical mood:
you narrate your perilous journey to seville, and say at the beginning of the description, “my usual wonderful good fortune accompanying us.” this is a mood of speaking to which we are not accustomed—it savours, some of our friends would say, a little of the profane.
i find among my papers an interesting letter to mrs. clarke of this period:
to mrs. clarke
seville, 10 january, 1839.
my dear madam,—as i left england very suddenly and had many preparations to make at exceedingly short notice, i was unable to perform my wish, and i believe my promise, of writing p. 124to you before my departure. i took shipping at falmouth and arrived at cadiz without any circumstance worthy of remark occurring. i am now, and have been for the last week, in seville, the principal town of andalusia, one of the most beautiful provinces in spain. i proceed to madrid within a few days, but it is my intention to return as soon as possible to these parts, and commence operations here, where up to the present moment nothing has been done towards propagating the word of god. indeed my sole motive for visiting madrid, and subjecting myself to a fatiguing journey through a country which i have already twice traversed, is to furnish myself with a sufficient stock of testaments for distribution in the principal villages of andalusia, as it is my intention to address myself chiefly to the peasantry, whom hitherto i have invariably found far more docile to instruction, and eager to acquire knowledge, than the brethren of the large towns. i intend, however, to make seville my headquarters, and a depot for the books intended for other places. nothing can be more delightful than the situation of this place, which stands on the eastern bank of the guadalquivir, the largest river in spain, with the exception of the ebro; smiling meadows, orange-groves and gardens encompass it on every side; while far away towards the south east are descried the blue ridges and misty pinnacles of the noble chain of mountains called the sierrania de ronda. the streets are narrow and crooked like those of all the old spanish and moorish towns. indeed in many of them, whilst standing in the middle, you can touch both sides with your hands extended. yet the narrowness of the streets is by no means an inconvenience in this climate, especially in the summer when the sun burns with great heat and fury, but on the contrary is a very great comfort, as the hot beams are excluded, and the houses by this means kept seasonably cool. nothing pleases me more than the manner in which the houses of seville are built. they are, for the most part, of two stories, which surround a quadrangular court, of large or small dimensions, according to the size of the edifice—the upper story being furnished with a gallery overhanging the court, and offering an agreeable place for walking to those not disposed to go abroad. in most of the courts is a stone fountain, continually streaming with cool and delicious water, and not unfrequently at the angles orange trees are planted, which perfume the air with their fruit and blossoms. there are many magnificent edifices in seville, especially the cathedral and alcazar or castle. the former is indeed a glorious pile, constructed at various periods, and so large and covering so much ground that st. paul’s, magnificent edifice as it certainly is, would look contemptible, if placed by its side. its tower which is called la giralda is the work of the moors, and once formed part of a mosque, and was the place from which the imams at morn and eve summoned the children of ismael to their devotions with the awful and true cry “there is but one god”; stultified however by the sequence “mahomet is the prophet p. 125of god.” the alcazar is also the work of the moors, and was the palace of their kings as long as they lorded on the banks of the guadalquivir; it contains halls of grandeur indescribable, and which are worthy specimens of the perfection to which architecture was carried in spain by the moors who certainly deserve to be styled lords of masonry, and who perhaps were upon the whole the most extraordinary nation which has appeared upon the earth since the time of the creation.
i must however proceed no further at present in describing the remarkable objects of seville as there are other matters which i must now touch upon, and which relate immediately to yourself. respecting your questions as to what quarter i would advise you to direct your course, as soon as your affairs shall have been arranged to your satisfaction, i beg leave to answer that i do not think that yourself and miss hen. could do better than come out to seville, for a time, where you would be far out of the reach of the malignity of your ill-wishers, and might soon become useful helpers in the cause of god. with your income you might live here with the greatest respectability, tenant one of the charming houses, which i have just described, and enjoy one of the finest climates in the world. therefore you had better give this point your very serious consideration. i do not think that colchester or edinburgh would please you half so much as seville, where you would find a few excellent and worthy english families, long established in spain, and following with great success the pursuits of commerce.
perhaps it would be well to invest part of your money in the purchase of some vessel trading to the mediterranean if such extraordinary good interest, with perfect security, can be obtained, as you have stated. however, pray act with the greatest caution and endeavour thoroughly to know your people before you place confidence in any person. should mr. w. apply to you again, i think you may tell him that you will reconsider the matter provided he will give you one thousand pounds for your interest in your charming little estate. i have no doubt that he would comply.
the best general advice that i can give you for the present is to make the most of any species of property which you may deem it advisable to dispose of, and by no precipitate haste run the risk of incurring a loss. let no person persuade you, whether legal adviser or not, to take any step by which you may deem that your interests will be in the slightest degree compromised, and be reserved in your communications to all respecting your ultimate intentions. i shall write to you speedily from madrid and then i hope to have the satisfaction of hearing from you.
pray let hen. continue to collect as much money as possible towards affording spiritual instruction to the spanish gypsies. pay a visit to dear mrs. ritson and communicate to her my best remembrances and kindest regards and inform her at the p. 126same time that if she please she may subscribe in this good cause. i am shortly about to publish, on my own account, a work which i hope will prove of no slight spiritual benefit to these unhappy people.—i remain, dearest madam, ever yours,
g. b.
mrs. clarke,
oulton cottage,
oulton,
near lowestoft,
suffolk,
england.
on 29th july, 1839, borrow was instructed by his committee to return to england, but he was already on the way to tangier, whence in september he wrote a long and interesting letter to mr. brandram, which was afterwards incorporated in the bible in spain. he had left mrs. clarke and her daughter in seville, and they joined him at gibraltar later. we find him en route for tangier, staying two days with mr. john m. brackenbury, the british consul in cadiz, who found him a most fascinating man.
his tangier life is fully described in the bible in spain. here he picked up a jewish youth, hayim ben attar, who returned to spain as his servant, and afterwards to england.
borrow, at the end of september, was back again in seville, in his house near the cathedral, in the plazuela de la pila seca, which, when i visited seville in the spring of the year 1913, i found had long been destroyed to make way for new buildings. here he received the following letter from mr. george browne of the bible society:—
to mr. borrow
bible house, oct. 7, 1839.
my dear friend,—mr. brandram and myself being both on the eve of a long journey, i have only time to inform you that yours of the 2d ult. from tangier, and 21st from cadiz came to hand this morning. before this time you have doubtless received mr. brandram’s letter, accompanying the resolution of the comee., of which i apprised you, but which was delayed a few days, for the purpose of reconsideration. we are not able to suggest precisely the course you should take in regard to the books left at madrid and elsewhere, and how far it may be absolutely necessary or not for you to visit that city again before you return. the books you speak of, as at seville, may be sent to gibraltar rather than to england, as well as any books you p. 127may deem it expedient or find it necessary to bring out of the country. as soon as your arrangements are completed we shall look for the pleasure of seeing you in this country. the haste in which i am compelled to write allows me to say no more than that my best wishes attend you, and that i am, with sincere regard, yours truly,
g. browne.
i thank you for your kind remembrance of mrs. browne. did i thank you for your letter to her? she feels, i assure you, very much obliged. your description of tangier will be another interesting “morceau” for her.
“where is borrow?” asked the bible society meanwhile of the consuls at seville and cadiz, but borrow had ceased to care. he hoped to become a successful author with his gypsies; he would at any rate secure independence by marriage, which must have been already mooted. in november he and mrs. clarke were formally betrothed, and would have been married in spain, but a protestant marriage was impossible there. when preparing to leave seville he had one of those fiery quarrels with which his life was to be studded. this time it was with an official of the city over a passport, and the official promptly locked him up for thirty hours. hence the following letter in response to his complaint. the writer is mr., afterwards sir george, jerningham, then secretary of legation at madrid, who, it may be mentioned, came from costessey, four miles from norwich. it is written from the british legation, and is dated 23rd december, 1839:
i have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your two letters, the one without date, the second dated the 19th november (which however ought to have been december), respecting the outrageous conduct pursued towards you at seville by the alcalde of the district in which you resided. i lost no time in addressing a strong representation thereon to the spanish minister, and i have to inform you that he has acquainted me with his having written to seville for exact information upon the whole subject, and that he has promised a further answer to my representation as soon as his inquiries shall have been answered. in the meantime i shall not fail to follow up your case with proper activity.
borrow was still in seville, hard at work upon the gypsies, all through the first three months of the year 1840. in april the three friends left cadiz for london. a letter of p. 128this period from mr. brackenbury, the british consul at cadiz, is made clear by these facts:
to george borrow, esq.
british consulate, cadiz, january 27th, 1840.
my dear sir,—i received on the 19th your very acceptable letter without date, and am heartily rejoiced to find that you have received satisfaction for the insult, and that the alcalde is likely to be punished for his unjustifiable conduct. if you come to cadiz your baggage may be landed and deposited at the gates to be shipped with yourselves wherever the steamer may go, in which case the authorities would not examine it, if you bring it into cadiz it would be examined at the gates—or, if you were to get it examined at the custom house at seville and there sealed with the seal of the customs—it might then be transhipped into the steamer or into any other vessel without being subjected to any examination. if you take your horse, the agents of the steamer ought to be apprized of your intention, that they may be prepared, which i do not think they generally are, with a suitable box.
consuls are not authorised to unite protestant subjects in the bonds of holy matrimony in popish countries—which seems a peculiar hardship, because popish priests could not, if they would—hence in spain no protestants can be legally married. marriages solemnised abroad according to the law of that land wheresoever the parties may at the time be inhabitants are valid—but the law of spain excludes their priests from performing these ceremonies where both parties are protestants—and where one is a papist, except a dispensation be obtained from the pope. so you must either go to gibraltar—or wait till you arrive in england. i have represented the hardship of such a case more than once or twice to government. in my report upon the consular act, 6 geo. iv. cap. 87—eleven years ago—i suggested that provision should be made to legalise marriages solemnised by the consul within the consulate, and that such marriages should be registered in the consular office—and that duly certified copies thereof should be equivalent to certificates of marriages registered in any church in england. these suggestions not having been acted upon, i brought the matter under the consideration of lord john russell (i being then in england at the time of his altering the marriage act), and proposed that consuls abroad should have the power of magistrates and civil authorities at home for receiving the declarations of british subjects who might wish to enter into the marriage state—but they feared lest the introduction of such a clause, simple and efficacious as it would have been, might have endangered the fate of the bill; and so we are as protestants deprived of all power of being legally married in spain.
p. 129what sort of a horse is your hack?—what colour? what age? would he carry me?—what his action? what his price? because if in all these points he would suit me, perhaps you would give me the refusal of him. you will of course enquire whether your arab may be legally exported.
all my family beg to be kindly remembered to you.—i am, my dear sir, most faithfully yours,
j. m. brackenbury.
there is a young gentleman here, who is in spain partly on account of his health—partly for literary purposes. i will give him, with your leave, a line of introduction to you whenever he may go to seville. he is the honourable r. dundas murray, brother of lord elibank, a scottish nobleman.
