Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. May 23, 1838)
Madrid, May 13 [1838].

Revd. and dear Sir,—Post is just about to start, but I am compelled to write a few words.  The Bible cause has triumphed in Spain.  Whatever I do in future connected with the Gospel is to have the sanction of the Government, who have expressed a desire to co-operate with the Bible Society towards the civilization of the country.

I left prison yesterday, and this morning was sent for to the British Embassy, where Sir George entered into an infinity of details which I cannot state at present.  Sir George has commanded me, however, to write to the following effect:—

Mr. Graydon must leave Spain, or the Bible Society must publicly disavow that his proceedings receive their encouragement, unless they wish to see the Sacred Book, which it is their object to distribute, brought into universal odium and contempt.  He has lately been to Malaga, and has there played precisely the same part which he acted last year at Valencia, with the addition that in printed writings he has insulted the Spanish Government in the most inexcusable manner.  A formal complaint of his conduct has been sent up from Malaga, and a copy of one of his writings.  Sir George blushed when he saw it, and informed Count Ofalia that any steps which might be taken towards punishing the author would receive no impediment from him.

I shall not make any observation on this matter further than stating that I have never had any other opinion of Mr. Graydon than that he is insane—insane as the person who for the sake of warming his own hands would set a street on fire.  Sir George said to-day that he, Graydon, was the cause of my harmless shop being closed at Madrid and also of my imprisonment.  The Society will of course communicate with Sir George on the subject: I wash my hands of it.

I remain, dear Sir, most truly yours,

George Borrow.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. May 28, 1838)
Madrid, May 17, 1838.

Excuse the haste in which my last letter was written; it doubtless seemed somewhat incoherent, I will now endeavour to be more explicit.  Moreover, since sending it, I have had an interview of nearly two hours with Count Ofalia, and have much that is new to communicate.  But previously to stating what is likely to afford pleasure and satisfaction, I must proceed to disburden myself of what I heard with the greatest pain, and which I communicate with sorrow and reluctance.

Sir George Villiers and Mr. Southern, first Secretary of Legation, were the persons who first informed me of what has taken place at Malaga.  It appears that Mr. Graydon arrived there a short time before my imprisonment at Madrid; and instead of endeavouring to circulate the Scriptures in a quiet and reasonable manner, such as becomes a gentleman and a Christian, and such as had been recommended to me previous to my late long journey in the north of Spain and which I have always endeavoured to follow, he had recourse to means the most improper and disreputable, very similar to those which he is said to have followed in all the other towns which he has visited.  In order to excite curiosity and cause a sensation, he published advertisements and handbills replete with the lowest abuse of the Spanish clergy and Government, and containing his own private opinions concerning religion.  However, not contented with this, he had the cruelty—I will not call it baseness—to speak of myself, with, whom he asserted that he was co-operating in every point, and that all he was doing was under the sanction of the Bible Society.

Intelligence of these proceedings was of course sent to Madrid, with one of the handbills, which I have not seen, but of which Mr. Southern, a literary and accomplished gentleman, has said that its abusive virulence is only to be equalled by its stupidity and folly.  Sir George Villiers, though very unwell, was deeply engaged in my affair, and exchanging official notes with the Government.  He had just informed Count Ofalia that unless full and summary satisfaction were afforded me, he should demand his passports, and write to the commanders of all the English ships of war engaged in furnishing assistance to Spain, commanding them to suspend operations forthwith.  Suddenly Count Ofalia arrived at the Embassy, and flinging down on the table one of Graydon’s handbills, exclaimed: ‘Peruse that, and then tell me, as a Cavalier and a gentleman, and the Envoy of a powerful and enlightened nation, whether you can any longer uphold the cause of your friend in prison, and persist in saying that he has been cruelly and unjustly treated.  You see that he is in the closest connexion with an individual whose conduct every civilised man must reprobate, it being a most flagrant breach of common decency and order.’

This unexpected incident occurring at such a critical moment almost stunned Sir George; but, recovering himself, he denied in the most positive manner that I had any connexion with Graydon, and asserted that he did not believe the latter was an Agent of the Bible Society, and that at all events he was quite sure that he had acted in this case without its knowledge and concurrence, and that it would be willing to declare so in the clearest and most satisfactory manner.

Count Ofalia, finding Sir George so positive, said that since I had such a voucher he could not reasonably doubt my innocence; and that with respect to the Society he supposed that it too well understood its own interest to trust its affairs to a person whose conduct was calculated to bring odium and misfortune on the fairest and most promising cause.  But Sir George has subsequently assured me that, but for this unfortunate occurrence, he could have made much better terms for me with the Spanish Government than from that period he thought it politic to demand.

I will now state one circumstance, and the Lord knows how true it is.  It was my prayer night and morning in my dungeon that I might hear of no fresh outbreak of this man, whose character I was but too well acquainted with, as I think you will concede when you call to mind my letter written immediately after I had received intelligence that he was on the way to Andalusia.  He has up to the present moment been the ‘Evil Genius’ of the Bible cause in Spain and of myself, and has so chosen his means and moments of operation that he has been almost invariably successful in shaking to the ground every feasible plan which my friends and myself have devised for the propagation of the Gospel in a steady and permanent manner.  But I wish not to dwell upon this subject, and shall only observe that his insane career (for in charity I believe him to be insane) must be instantly brought to a termination.  Sir George has already written him a letter, in which I believe he advises him to quit the country.  Mr. Southern the other day made the following observation, which I shall ever remember:—

‘Sir George Villiers up to the present moment has been disposed to render you (meaning myself) every assistance, and especially the Bible Society, which he looks upon as the most philanthropic institution which the world has ever known.  Take care, however, that he be not wearied and disgusted.  He must not be involved in such affairs as this of Malaga, and it must not be expected that he is to put his lance in rest in defence of every person who visits Spain to insult the authorities, and who, after having received merited reproof and correction, writes home to his friends that he is a martyr in the holy cause of religion.’

I may perhaps give offence by what, I have written.  I shall be grieved if it prove so.  But I have had no other resource, and I have stated the truth and what my conscience commanded me; and permit me here to observe, that if any one in the world has a right to be thus free it is myself, who have ventured and suffered much in Spain.

Excuse me now for speaking one moment of myself.  Notwithstanding I have travelled very extensively in this strange country, and have established many depôts of Testaments most of which are flourishing (I have just received intelligence from my correspondent at Valladolid that forty copies have been sold at Burgos, the heart of Old Castile), not one word of complaint has been transmitted to the Government; and though I have suffered so much persecution in Madrid, I have been but paying (one of my sources of information is Count Ofalia himself) the account of others who seem to have been reckless as to how much woe and misery they might heap on my head, provided they could play the part with impunity which their own distempered desires dictated.

Now to pleasanter subjects.  Count Ofalia has given me very excellent advice, which it will be well if the Society permit me to follow.  Amongst other things he said:—‘Be very cautious for some time, and even suspend the sale of the Gospel in Madrid, and devote all your energies to make friends amongst the clergy, very many of whom are disposed to favour your enterprise.  It would not be prudent at present for the Government to interfere with ecclesiastical matters, as the war is not yet terminated, but much can be done in a quiet way by yourself.’

I must here state that there is a board of ecclesiastics at present sitting, occupied in examining the Spanish Bible as printed by the Society.  It has been denounced by the Jesuits as not being a faithful edition of Father Scio’s version, independent of the omission of the Apocrypha; but hitherto the opinion of the board has been decidedly in our favour, and the Bishop of Vich has, moreover, declared that it probably will be expedient to co-operate with the Society in printing cheap editions of the Scripture for the use of the people, as daily experience shows that the old system cannot be carried on and that the sacred writings must be thrown open.

The chief difficulty to settle will be the Apocrypha; but I have authorised a friend to state that the Society is disposed to make every possible concession, and to go so far as to relinquish the Old Testament entirely and to content itself with circulating the New.  Perhaps I went too far in this advance; but I believe a similar concession has been made in the case of Ireland, and I feared to lose all by aiming at too much.  However flattering affairs may appear at present, I am well aware that a herculean labour is to be surmounted before matters can be placed on a safe footing in Spain.  Prudence, coolness and firmness are at this moment particularly necessary; and let it never for a moment be supposed that religious instruction and the knowledge of genuine Christianity can be introduced into Spain by scurrilous handbills and the low arts of the mountebank.

A split with Rome will very shortly ensue, by which I mean that no attention will be paid to Bulls, against which several of the principal ecclesiastics have spoken; with these puissant auxiliaries we must act in concert.

Allow me in conclusion to state a beautiful piece of conduct of Sir George Villiers.  I have commissioned one of the Bishops to request for me an interview with the Archbishop of Toledo.  Sir George on hearing this said:—‘Tell the Archbishop that I also am anxious for the favour of an interview, in order that I may assist in clearing up any doubt, which he may still entertain, respecting the intentions of the Bible Society; he has only to state the day, and I will wait upon him.’

G. Borrow.

P.S.—I yesterday transmitted you a Spanish newspaper in which I have published an advertisement, disclaiming in the name of the Bible Society any writings which may have been circulated tending to lower the authorities, civil and ecclesiastic, in the eyes of the people, and denying that it is its intention or wish to make proselytes from the Catholic form of worship.  I took this step by advice, I had likewise a particular reason of my own.

Marin is still here looking out for some secular employ, but he is continually haunting me.  He tells me that he is preparing an accounts of all his dealings with G [Graydon] and R [Rule], in which he details the promises made him to induce him to sign a document purporting to be a separation from the Roman Church.  He says that he was abandoned because he refused to preach publicly against the Chapter of Valencia, which step would have insured him a dungeon.  This may be true or false, but I have taken my precautions.

Translation of the Advertisement
(Endorsed: recd. May 28, 1838)

A rumour having been spread that some individuals, calling themselves agents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, under the pretext of circulating copies of the Holy Scriptures, have traversed several towns on the eastern and western coasts of Spain, and have published writings in which the respect due to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities of Spain has not been observed, but on the contrary an intention has evidently been manifested in them to disparage them in the eyes of the population of those parts, I hasten to make the following public Declaration:

That such individuals—if it be certain that there are such—have in this respect acted upon their own responsibility, without permission and even in direct opposition to the intentions of the Bible Society, inasmuch as on the principles of the New Testament similar attempts are to be reprobated and regarded with horror, being in direct opposition to the express commands of the Saviour and His Apostles, who in their addresses and writings have on various occasions exhorted the faithful to shew respect and obedience to their masters and superiors, even when they were heretics or idolaters.

And as it has been stated that certain persons, under pretext of being agents of the British and Foreign Bible Society, have shown zeal in persuading, and have actually in some cases persuaded, various individuals to sign documents purporting to be declarations of separation from the Catholic Faith—I herewith publicly declare that the British and Foreign Bible Society has no connection with such persons; and should there be any such, it is not disposed either to confirm or to approve their proceedings, but on the contrary is desirous of stating in the most energetic and solemn manner that it disavows and rejects all connexion or intercourse with them.

The British and Foreign Bible Society is composed of individuals belonging to all sects, in which those are divided who follow the faith of Jesus Christ, amongst whom are seen co-operating for one grand and holy object, followers of the Apostles, Romans, and members of the Greek and [of the] English Church, whose design is the propagation of the word of Christ in all countries, separating wholly from the forms of discipline of the Church, [which are] matters of secondary consideration, which for a long time have filled the world with bloodshed and calamity, and have tended to keep up in the hearts of Christians unhappy and malignant feuds.  Far from being desirous of making proselytes among those professing the Catholic worship, the Bible Society is at all times disposed to hold out the hand of Christian fraternity to the clergy of Spain and to co-operate with those who believe, as the Catholic clergy assuredly do, ‘that all shall be saved, who, believing in Jesus Christ, show it by their good works.’

Madrid May 12, 1838,

Office of the Bible Society,

Calle del Principe.

(Signed) George Borrow,
Sole authorised Agent of the British
and Foreign Bible Society in Spain.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. June 2, 1838)
Madrid, [May 23rd, 1838].

Revd. and dear Sir,—I have just had an interview with the Archbishop [of Toledo].  It was satisfactory to a degree I had not dared to hope for.

In the name of the Most Highest take steps for preventing that miserable creature Graydon from ruining us all.

George Borrow.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. June 4, 1838)
Madrid, May 25, 1838,
Calle Santiago.

Revd. and dear Sir,—Events follow each other so quickly in this singular country, and my situation is so peculiar, and I am afraid so little understood at home, that I am obliged to take up the pen more frequently than I am inclined.  Do not think me intrusive in again troubling you.  I do it in the hope of preventing any alarm which an incorrect report of the following circumstance might cause you.

Immediately on receiving intelligence of the scenes which had taken place at Malaga, the Spanish Government resolved to put an end to all Bible transactions in Spain, and forthwith gave orders for the seizure of all the Bibles and Testaments in the country wherever they might be deposited or exposed for sale.  They notified the same to Sir George Villiers, expressly stating that the resolution was taken in consequence of the, ‘Ocurrido en Malaga.’  I have now learnt that several of my depôts have been seized in various parts of Spain, for example, at Salamanca, Seville, and of course at Malaga.  This, however, gives me little uneasiness, for, with the blessing of God, I shall be able to repair all, always provided I am allowed to follow my own plans, and to avail myself of the advantages which have lately been opened especially to cultivate the kind feeling lately manifested towards me by the principal Spanish clergy.

But now prompt measures must be taken on the part of the Bible Society.  Knowing as I do the character of the unfortunate man who has lately caused so much havoc, I am apprehensive that he may be guilty of some fresh excess.  From Mr. Rule’s letter, which I forwarded to you, it appears that for some time it has been his intention to quit Spain, but not quietly, witness this last affair of Malaga.  Now my fear is that on his return to Barcelona, on finding that the books and Bibles intrusted to his discretion have been seized, he will publish as a parting legacy some tirade against the Government and clergy.  If he do, he will probably bring himself into trouble and at all events destruction on our cause; for the Government is quite despotic, as indeed is necessary at the present time, and the whole of Spain is under martial law.  Therefore for his own sake, if not for the sake of the cause, let him instantly retire, abandoning the Bibles to their fate.  They shall not be lost.

I have had, as you are aware, an interview with the Archbishop of Toledo.  I have not time to state particulars, but he said amongst other things, ‘Be prudent, the Government are disposed to arrange matters amicably, and I am disposed to co-operate with them.’  At parting he shook me most kindly by the hand, saying that he liked me.  Sir George intends to visit him in a few days.  He is an old, venerable-looking man, between seventy and eighty.  When I saw him, he was dressed with the utmost simplicity, with the exception of a most splendid amethyst ring, the lustre of which was truly dazzling.

My poor servant, a Basque from Hernani, is, I am afraid, dying of the jail-fever, which he caught in prison whilst attending me.  He has communicated this horrible disorder to two other persons.  Poor Marin is also very ill, but I believe with a broken heart; I administer to his needs as far as prudence will allow me, for I am grieved for him.  I have not yet despatched my letter to Mr. Rule, as I wish not to offend him; but I cannot approve of his forcing Marin to come up to Madrid, contrary to his wishes.  Zeal is a precious thing, when accompanied with one grain of common sense.

In conclusion, I beg leave to say that Sir George Villiers has authorised me to state that provided the Bible Society entertain any doubts respecting my zeal in the Christian cause, or the correctness of my conduct during my sojourn in Spain, he hopes they will do him the satisfaction to communicate with him.

I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,

George Borrow.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. June 23, 1838)
June 13, 1838, Madrid,
No. 16 Calle St. Iago,

Revd. and dear Sir,—I have received your letter of June 1st, but not that of the 30th May which you allude to in the same, therefore I am still in the dark upon many points.

Another bitter cup has been filled for my swallowing.  The Bible Society and myself have been accused of blasphemy, sedition, etc.  A collection of tracts has been seized in Murcia, in which the Catholic religion and its dogmas are handled with the most abusive severity; these books have been sworn to as having been left by the Committee of the Bible Society whilst in that town, and Count Ofalia has been called upon to sign an order for my arrest and banishment from Spain.  Sir George, however, advises me to remain quiet and not to be alarmed; as he will answer for my innocence.

I am now compelled to ask a blunt question.  Will the Bible Society look calmly on and see itself compromised and my life and liberty exposed to danger by the lunatic vagaries of that unfortunate Graydon, who, like a swine in a field newly sown, has of late been solely occupied in rooting up the precious seed and destroying every hope of a glorious harvest?  The newspapers are teeming with articles against us, for we are no longer looked upon as a Society founded on the broad principles of Christianity, but as one instituted for the carrying into effect of sectarian purposes.

In justice to me, it behoves the Society to communicate with Sir George Villiers, who has abstracts of all the letters which I have written to the Society, and who will vouch for their correctness.

Do not be cast down; all will go well if the stumbling block be removed.  I write in haste.

G. Borrow.

P.S.—What do you mean, my dear Sir, by the ‘grano salis’?

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. June 25, 1838)
Madrid, June 14, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—Immediately after having despatched my letter of yesterday, I received through my friend, Mr. Wood, a communication from the Bishop of ---, the president of the body of ecclesiastics at present engaged in examining our Bible.

He is of my opinion that the Committee of the Bible Society should in the present exigency draw up an exposition of their views respecting Spain, stating what they are prepared to do, and what they are not prepared to do—above all, whether in seeking to circulate the Gospel in this country they harbour any projects hostile to the Government and the established religion; moreover, whether the late distribution of tracts was done by their connivance or authority, and whether they are disposed to sanction in future the publication in Spain of such a class of writings.

It of course does not become me to advise the Committee and yourself upon this point.  I merely take the liberty of communicating the circumstance, and observing that the Prelate in question is a most learned and respectable man, and one of the warmest of our friends.

I have not seen any of the tracts seized at Murcia, nor do I wish.  If examined by the Council, I shall declare on oath that I am innocent and ignorant of the matter, and that I believe the Bible Society to be the same.  Sir George assured me that one or two of them were outrages not only to common sense but decency.

I forgot to tell you yesterday that my poor servant is dead.  He died of the pestilential typhus caught in the prison; his body at the period of his death was a frightful mass of putridity, and was in consequence obliged to be instantly shovelled into the Campo Santo or common field of the dead near Madrid.  May Christ be his stay at the Great Day; a more affectionate creature never breathed.

Hear now what the Madrid Gazette says of our Society, in an article in which it reproves in the strongest terms the conduct lately pursued by pseudo-agents, and gives me a rap on the knuckles for an anti-catholic expression or two in the advertisement in which I denounced them.  The Gazette is the official organ of the Government, and all it says is under authority:—

‘We will not conclude this article without bestowing the merited tribute of praise on the project truly magnificent of the Bible Society, considered not under the religious but the social aspect.  Christianity has been, is, and will be the grand agent in the civilisation of the world; and the preaching of its doctrine, and the propagation of its maxims among the nations who know it not, is the most costly present which can be offered them, and the pledge of belonging one day to the civilised world; or if they already belong to it, of ameliorating their actual condition in society.

‘Excellent moral results must also be produced among the poorer classes of the people in Christian countries by the distribution of copies of the sacred writings; and the Bible Society acts with the highest prudence, by accommodating itself to the civil and ecclesiastic laws of each country, and by adopting the editions there current.  In Spain, where every translation of the Bible is forbidden, and in general every book of religion, without previous censure and license of the ecclesiastical authority, much good may arise from distributing either of the two translations, that of Father Scio or that of Amat; but precisely as they are, and without the suppression of the notes, which explain some difficult passages.  If the great object be the propagation of the evangelic maxims, the notes are no obstacle, and by preserving them we fulfil our religious principle of not permitting to private reason the interpretation of the sacred Word.’

Excuse me this long extract.

I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,

G. Borrow.

P.S.—I should wish to make another Biblical tour this summer, until the storm be blown over.  Should I undertake such an expedition, I should avoid the towns and devote myself entirely to the peasantry.  I have sometimes thought of visiting the villages of the Alpujarra mountains in Andalusia, where the people live quite secluded from the world.  What do you think of my project?

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. 27th June, 1838)
Madrid, June 16, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—I have received your communication of the 30th ult., containing the resolutions of the Committee, to which I shall of course attend.

Of your letter in general, permit me to state that I reverence the spirit in which it is written, and am perfectly disposed to admit the correctness of the views which it exhibits.  Ιδε αληθως Ισραηλείτης, εν ω δολος ουκ εστιν.  But it appears to me that in one or two instances I have been misunderstood in the letters which I have addressed [to you] on the subject of Graydon.

I bear this unfortunate gentleman no ill will, God forbid, and it will give me pain if he were reprimanded publicly or privately; moreover I can see no utility likely to accrue from such a proceeding.  All that I have stated hitherto is the damage which he has done in Spain to the cause and myself, by the—what shall I call it?—imprudence of his conduct; and the idea which I have endeavoured to inculcate is the absolute necessity of his leaving Spain instantly.

Take now in good part what I am about to say, and O! do not misunderstand me!  I owe a great deal to the Bible Society, and the Bible Society owes nothing to me.  I am well aware and am always disposed to admit that it can find thousands more zealous, more active, and in every respect more adapted to transact its affairs and watch over its interests.  Yet with this consciousness of my own inutility I must be permitted to state that linked to a man like Graydon I can no longer consent to be, and that if the Society expect such a thing, I must take the liberty of retiring, perhaps to the wilds of Tartary or the Zigani camps of Siberia.

My name at present is become public property—no very enviable distinction in these unhappy times, and neither wished nor sought by myself.  I have of late been subjected to circumstances which have rendered me obnoxious to the hatred of those who never forgive, the bloody Church of Rome, which I have doubt will sooner or later find means to accomplish my ruin; for no one is better aware than myself of its fearful resources, whether in England or Spain, in Italy or in any other part.  I should not be now in this situation, had I been permitted to act alone.  How much more would have been accomplished, it does not become me to guess.

I had as many or more difficulties to surmount in Russia than I originally had here, yet all that the Society expected or desired was effected without stir or noise, and that in the teeth of an imperial Ukase which forbade the work which I was employed to superintend.

Concerning my late affair, I must here state that I was sent to prison on a charge which was subsequently acknowledged not only to be false but ridiculous.  I was accused of uttering words disrespectful towards the Gefe Politico of Madrid; my accuser was an officer of the police who entered my apartment one morning before I was dressed, and commenced searching my papers and flinging my books into disorder.  Happily, however, the people of the house who were listening at the door heard all that passed, and declared on oath that, so far from mentioning the Gefe Politico, I merely told the officer that he, the officer, was an insolent fellow and that I would cause him to be punished.  He subsequently confessed that he was an instrument of the Vicar General and that he merely came to my apartment in order to obtain a pretence for making a complaint.  He has been dismissed from his situation, and the Queen has expressed her sorrow at my imprisonment.  If there be any doubt entertained on the matter, pray let Sir George Villiers be written to!

I should be happy to hear what success attends our efforts in China.  I hope a prudent conduct has been adopted; for think not that a strange and loud language will find favour in the eyes of the Chinese; and above all, I hope that we have not got into war with the Augustines and their followers, who, if properly managed, may be of incalculable service in propagating the Scriptures.

I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, truly yours,

G. Borrow.

P.S.—The documents, or some of them, shall be sent as soon as possible.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. July 5, 1838)
Madrid, June 26, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—I shall not be able to send the documents in question, as they are lodged in the archives, and are now become state-papers.  Those that relate to the affair at Malaga I have not yet been able to obtain a perusal of; it will therefore perhaps suffice for the present to say that in one of them the Government was stigmatized as being ‘voraz de pesetas’ (voracious of pesetas), and the Catholic religion termed ‘un sistema del mas grosero fanatismo’ (a system of the grossest fanaticism).  It was well for the writer of this trash that the Government were at the time alarmed at the step which they had taken in imprisoning myself, and did not wish to press the matter home: otherwise he could not have escaped so easily as he did.  Yet what must we think of an Englishman, who, relying for protection on the fear and respect which the mighty country to which he belongs everywhere inspires, visits a Spanish town in a state of revolution—as Malaga was—and, for the bringing about a particular object, adds to the ferment by appealing to already excited passions?  But I shall not dwell further on this subject.  The Society are already aware of the results of the visit of our friend to Malaga, all their Bibles and Testaments having been seized throughout Spain, with the exception of my stock in Madrid (upwards of 3000)—Count Ofalia having in a communication to Sir George declared that he had full confidence in my honour and good faith, being well persuaded that I harboured no designs but those I professed.

I send you on the other side some extracts from one of the tracts which purports to be ‘A true history of the Virgin of Sorrows, to whom Don Carlos, the Rebel and Fanatic, has dedicated his cause, and the ignorance which he trumpets.’  The one, however, which has given most offence is ‘A Catechism on the Principal Controversies between Protestants and Catholics,’ translated from the English.

I now await your orders.  I wish to know whether I am at liberty to pursue the course which may seem to me best under existing circumstances, and which at present appears to be to mount my horses which are neighing in the stable, and once more to betake myself to the plains and mountains of dusty Spain, and to dispose of my Testaments to the muleteers and peasants.  By doing so I shall employ myself usefully, and at the same time avoid giving offence.  Better days will soon arrive, which will enable me to return to Madrid and reopen my shop; till then, however, I should wish to pursue my labours in comparative obscurity.

I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,

George Borrow.

P.S.—I am engaged in translating the Acts of the Apostles into Basque.

On the fly-leaf of this letter appear the following extracts.

Historia Verdadera de la Virjen Dolorosa
a Quien el rebelde y fanatico D. Carlos
Ha Dedicado su causa y la ignorancia que Pregona.

EXTRACTOS

P. 17. ‘Echase de ver en todos estos epítetos grandiosos prodigados á Maria la obra del enemigo de Dios, el cual, ensencialmente idólatra, ha sabido introducir la idolatria bajo las apariencias del Cristianismo, y se esfuerza en desviar sobre una criatura, y hasta en la imagen de esta, la adoracion que se debe á Dios tan solo.  Sin duda que con igual objeto se colocan por todas partes las estatuas de Maria, adornadas con una corona, y llevando en brazos un tierno infante, como para acostumbrar al pueblo al concepto entrañable de [la superi] oridad de Maria sobre Jesus.’

P. 30. ‘Tal es nuestra conclusion.  Reconociendo y sancionando este culto, la Iglesia de Roma se constituye iglesia idolatra, y todos sus miembros que no saben buscar la verdad detras del monstruos-o hacinamiento de impiedad con que la oculta, son supuestos por la misma condenados á la perdicion.  El caudillo de esta Iglesia, que no se avergüenza de prohibir y hacer que se prohiba, por donde quiera alcanza su férula, la palabra de Dios, debiera saber cuando menos, se atesorase el espiritu de Cristo, que mejor empleara sus bulas barriendo la Iglesia Romana de todas sus iniquidades, que no promulgando tan injustas prohibiciones.  Pero ya que, afferrandose contra mejora, esta iglesia proteje y consagra por todas partes un sinnumero de supersticiones y cultos erróneos, claro está que con esto se alza y caracteriza como uno de los principales ajentes del Anticristo.’

To Mr. W. Hitchin

(Endorsed: recd. July 20, 1838)
Madrid, July 9, 1838.

On the other side I beg leave to present my account.  One or two items require some explanation.

1st, Mr. Borrego’s bill of 3084 reals, of which 1760 are for the printing of the Basque Gospel, the remainder is for advertisements, boxes, package and freight of books to various parts of Spain, namely, to Valencia, Malaga, Santander, Corunna, etc.  The original bill I shall forward as soon as it has been signed and vouched for by Messrs. O’Shea, who paid the money.

2nd, As to prison expenses, I must observe that the Government after placing me at liberty offered to indemnify me for all the expense I had incurred in prison, but I refused to accept their offer; should, however, the Committee think that I ought to have done so, they will deduct the amount.

3rd, 60 reals for porterage; on receiving intelligence that my depots had been seized in various parts of the country, I thought it advisable to place my stock in Madrid in safety, and in consequence under cover of night removed it from the shop, and concealed it in portions in the houses of various friends.

In conclusion, I must beg that you will collate my present account with my last, as I am apprehensive that I may have charged the same outlay twice; the copy of my last account was lost when my papers were seized.

I make an excursion to-morrow to the rural districts of New Castile, which will probably occupy a fortnight.  I have sent before me two hundred Testaments.

I remain, etc.,

G. Borrow.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. July 28, 1838)
Villa Seca, District of Toledo,
July 14, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—I write these lines from Villa Seca, a village situated on the bank of the Tagus about nine leagues from Madrid.  A few minutes before my departure I received your letter of the 29th June, in which you mention letters being on the way for me.  I, however, could not wait for them for many reasons, principally because in that event I should have lost a considerable number of Testaments, which I had sent before me.  I am moreover tolerably well acquainted with the contents [of] those communications from the one which I have already received.

For some time past I have been determined at whatever risk to make an effort to circulate the Scriptures in the rural districts of New Castile, where I am grieved to say the most profound ignorance of true religion prevails.  I have been induced to take up my quarters for the present in Villa Seca, from being well acquainted with a labourer of the place; moreover its situation is favourable to my views as there are many other villages in its vicinity.  Poverty it is true abounds, but I am perfectly sure that our friends at home are disposed to make every reasonable sacrifice, and not for a moment to balance the dust of Mammon against the eternal welfare of their fellow-creatures.

For the last two days I have been riding in various directions.  It is a great blessing that heat agrees with me wonderfully, as we have no less than thirty-six degrees according to Réaumur; otherwise it would be impossible for me to accomplish anything, the atmosphere resembling the flickering glow about the mouth of an oven.  I have already disposed of about thirty Testaments, of course at exceedingly low prices.  To-day, however, I have commenced a new course, and have sent abroad various peasants with some parcels of Testaments; my host, whom it has pleased the Lord to render favourable to the cause, has himself taken the field, and has proceeded to the neighbouring village of Vargas mounted on his donkey.  If success do not attend my efforts, the Lord knows that it will be no fault of mine.  It will be the working of His own holy will.

I had scarcely written the above lines when I heard the voice of the donkey in the court-yard, and going out I found my host returned.  He had disposed of his whole cargo of twenty Testaments at the old Moorish village of Vargas, distant from hence about two leagues, and all in the space of about half an hour.  Eight poor harvest-men, who were refreshing themselves at the door of the wine-house, purchased each a copy; whilst the village schoolmaster took all the rest for the little ones beneath his care, lamenting at the same time the great difficulty he had long experienced in obtaining religious books, owing to their scarcity and extravagant price.  Many other persons were also anxious to procure Testaments, but my envoy (Juanito Lopez) was unable to supply them.  At his departure they requested him to return within a few days.

I will not conceal from you that I am playing a daring game, and it is very possible that when I least expect it I may be seized, tied to the tail of a mule, and dragged either to the prison of Toledo or Madrid.  Yet such a prospect does not discourage me in the least, but rather urges me on to persevere; for I assure you—and in this assertion there lurks not the slightest desire to magnify myself and produce an effect—that I am eager to lay down my life in this cause, and whether a Carlist’s bullet or the jail-fever bring my career to an end, I am perfectly indifferent.  But I have other matters now to speak of.

You hint that a desire is entertained at home to have a personal conference with me.  In the name of the Highest I entreat you all to banish such a preposterous idea.  A journey home (provided you intend that I should return to Spain) could lead to no result but expense and the loss of precious time.  I have nothing to explain to you which you are not already perfectly well acquainted with by my late letters.  I was fully aware at the time I was writing them that I should afford you little satisfaction, for the plain unvarnished truth is seldom agreeable.  But I now repeat, and these are perhaps among the last words which I shall ever be permitted to pen, that I cannot approve, and I am sure no Christian can, of the system which has lately been pursued in the large sea-port cities of Spain, and which the Bible Society has been supposed to sanction, notwithstanding the most unreflecting person could easily foresee that such a line of conduct could produce nothing in the end but obloquy and misfortune.

It was unkind and unjust to taunt me with having been unsuccessful in distributing the Scriptures.  Allow me to state that no other person under the same circumstances would have distributed the tenth part.  Yet had I been utterly unsuccessful, it would have been wrong to check me with being so, after all I have undergone—and with how little of that are you acquainted.  You are perfectly correct in concluding that certain persons are laughing in their sleeve.  But at what?  At the success of their own machinations?  Not at all!  They are laughing at the inconceivable fatuity which induces those whom they once dreaded to destroy themselves and their own labours.  The stone with immense toil is rolled up to the brow of the mountain, when they see it recoil, not at the touch of Jupiter but at the impulse of the insane Sisyphus, who pulls it down on his own body.  With common sense and prudence very much might have been accomplished in Spain, and still may.  I am sorry to say that hitherto very little of [that] has been used.

You are surprised that I should presume to hint that I have been linked to G. [Graydon], but at the same time admit that my identification with him by my enemies has been unavoidable.  Now in the name of all that is reasonable, to what does such an admission amount but that I have been linked to this man, and it matters very little whether or not I have been brought into personal contact with him.  But now farewell to him: and in taking leave of this subject, I will add that the unfortunate M. [Marin] is dying of a galloping consumption, brought on by distress of mind.  All the medicine in the world would not accomplish his cure.

With God’s permission I will write again in a few days and till then,

I remain, Revd. and dear Sir, most truly yours,

George Borrow.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. July 30, 1838)
Villa Seca, New Castille, 17 July 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—I addressed a letter to you on the 14th instant, which I hope you will receive in course of time, together with the present; in that letter I informed you where I was, stating my proceedings and intentions.  It has pleased the Lord to permit me to be hitherto very successful in these regions, so much so that during less than a week I have disposed of the entire stock of Testaments which I brought with me, namely two hundred; only three or four remain, which are already bespoken.  Last night I sent off a messenger to Madrid for a fresh supply, which I expect will arrive in a day or two.

I must here observe that up to the present moment I have endeavoured as much as possible to avoid noise, and notoriety.  Advertisements and handbills I have utterly eschewed.  I brought none with me, and in these rural places, the name of a printing press is unknown; nor have I much endeavoured to work upon the mind of the simple peasantry around me by words.  I merely tell them that I bring them the words and life of the Saviour and His saints at a price adapted to their humble means.  Nevertheless the news of the arrival of the book of life is spreading like wild-fire through the villages of the Sagra of Toledo, and wherever my people and myself direct our course we find the inhabitants disposed to receive our merchandise; it is even called for where not exhibited.  Last night as I was bathing myself and [my] horse in the Tagus, a knot of people gathered on the bank crying: ‘Come out of the water, Englishman, and give us books; we have got our money in our hands.’  The poor creatures then held out their hands filled with cuartos, a copper coin of the value of a farthing, but I had unfortunately no Testament to afford them.  My servant, however, who was at a short distance, having exhibited one, it was instantly torn from his hands by the people, and a scuffle ensued to obtain possession of it.  It has very frequently occurred that the poor labourers in the neighbourhood, being eager to obtain Testaments and having no money to offer us in exchange, have brought various other articles to our cottage as equivalents—for example, rabbits, fruit and barley; and I have made a point never to disappoint them, as such articles are of utility either for our own consumption or that of the horses.

In Villa Seca there is a school in which fifty-seven children are taught the first rudiments of education.  Yesterday morning the schoolmaster, a tall slim figure of about sixty, bearing on his head one of the peaked hats of Andalusia and wrapped notwithstanding the excessive heat of the weather in a long cloak, made his appearance, and having seated himself requested to be shown one of our books.  Having delivered it to him, he remained examining it for nearly half an hour without uttering a word.  At last he laid it down with a sigh and said that he should be very happy to purchase some of these books for his school, but from their appearance, especially from the quality of the paper and binding, he was apprehensive that to pay for them would exceed the means of the parents of his pupils, as they were almost destitute of money, being poor labourers.  He then commenced blaming the Government, which, he said, established schools without affording the necessary books, adding that in his school there were but two books for the use of all his pupils, and these he confessed contained but little good.  I asked him what he considered the Testaments were worth.  He said, ‘Señor Cavalier, to speak frankly I have in other times paid twelve reals for books inferior to yours in every respect, but I assure you that my poor pupils would be utterly unable to pay the half of that price.’  I replied, ‘I will sell you as many as you please for three reals each; I am acquainted with the poverty of the land, and my friends and myself in affording the people the means of spiritual instruction have no wish to curtail their scanty bread.’  He replied: ‘Benedito seo Dios’ (‘blessed be God’), and could scarcely believe his ears.  He instantly purchased a dozen, expending therein, as he said, all the money he possessed with the exception of a few cuartos.  The introduction of the reading of the Word of God into the country schools of Spain is therefore now begun, and I humbly hope that it will prove one of those events which the Bible Society after the lapse of years will have most reason to remember with joy and gratitude to the Almighty.

An old peasant is at present reading in the portico.  Eighty-four years have passed over his head, and he is almost entirely deaf; nevertheless he is reading aloud the second [chapter] of Matthew.  Three days since he bespoke a Testament, but not being able to raise the money he has not redeemed it until the present moment; he has just brought thirty farthings.  As I survey the silvery hair which overshadows his sun-burnt countenance, the words of the song occur to me: ‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.’

I will now conclude these anecdotes with one not divested of singularity.  Over a branch of the Tagus by the bridge Azeca there is a large water-mill.  I have formed an acquaintance with the tenant of this mill, who is known in the neighbourhood by the name of Don Antero.  Two days ago, taking me into a retired place, he asked me to my great astonishment if I would sell him a thousand Testaments at the price at which I was disposing of them to the peasantry, saying that if I would consent he would pay me immediately; in fact he put his hand into his pocket, and pulled it out filled with gold ounces.  I asked him what was the reason for his wish to make so considerable a purchase.  Whereupon he informed me that he had a relation in Toledo whom he wished to establish, and that he was of opinion that he could do no better than take a shop there and furnish it with Testaments.  I told him that he must think of nothing of the kind, as probably the books would be seized on the first attempt to introduce them into Toledo, as the priests and canons were much averse to their distribution.  He was, however, not disconcerted, and said his relation could travel, as I myself was doing, to dispose of them to the peasants with profit to himself.  I confess I was disposed at first to accept his offer, but at length declined it, as I did not wish to expose a poor man to the risk of losing money, goods, and perhaps liberty and life.  I was likewise averse to the books being offered to the peasantry at an advanced price, being aware that they could not afford it; and the books, by such an attempt would lose a considerable part of that prestijio (I know no English word to express my meaning) which they now enjoy.  Their cheapness strikes the minds of the people with wonder, and they consider it almost as much in the light of a miracle as the Jews [did the] manna which dropped from heaven at the time they were famishing, or the spring which suddenly gushed from the flinty rock to assuage their thirst in the wilderness.

The following is a list of the villages of the Sagra; or champaign country of Toledo, already supplied with Testaments.

It will perhaps be expedient to print this list in the ‘Extracts.’

In about a week I shall depart from hence and proceed to another district, as it would not be prudent to make a long sojourn in any particular district under existing circumstances.  It is my intention to cross the country to Aranjuez, and endeavour to supply with the Word the villages on the frontier of La Mancha.  Write to me as soon as possible, always directing to my lodgings in Madrid.  I wish to know the lowest price at which I am at liberty to dispose of Testaments, and conclude with hoping that what I have narrated will meet the approbation of you all.

(Unsigned.)

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd. Aug. 2nd, 1838)
Madrid, No. 16 Calle Santiago,
July 23, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—As, I was about to leave Villa Seca for Aranjuez I received your letters of the 3rd and 7th inst., on the perusal of which I instantly returned to Madrid instead of pursuing my intended route.

My answer will be very brief, as I am afraid of giving way to my feelings; I hope, however, that it will be to the purpose.

It is broadly hinted in yours of the 7th that I have made false statements in asserting that the Government, in consequence of what has lately taken place, had come to a resolution of seizing the Bible depots in various parts of this country.

In reply, I beg leave to inform you that by the first courier you will receive from the British Legation at Madrid the official notice from Count Ofalia to Sir George Villiers of the seizures already made, and the motives which induced the Government to have recourse to such a measure.

The following seizures have already been made, though some have not as yet been officially announced:

The Society’s books at Oviedo, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Santiago, Seville, and Valladolid.

It appears from your letters that the depôts in the south of Spain have escaped.  I am glad of it, although it be at my own expense.  I see the hand of the Lord throughout the late transactions.  He is chastening me.  It is His pleasure that the guilty escape and the innocent be punished.  The Government give orders to seize the Bible depôts throughout the country on account of the late scenes at Malaga and Valencia.  I have never been there, yet only my depôts are meddled with, as it appears!  The Lord’s will be done, blessed be the name of the Lord!

I will write again to-morrow.  I shall have then arranged my thoughts, and determined on the conduct which it becomes a Christian to pursue under these circumstances.  Permit me in conclusion to ask you:

Have you not to a certain extent been partial in this matter?  Have you not, in the apprehension of being compelled to blame the conduct of one, who has caused me unutterable anxiety, misery, and persecution, and who has been the bane of the Bible cause in Spain, refused to receive the information which it was in your power to command?  I called on the Committee and yourself, from the first, to apply to Sir George Villiers; no one is so well versed in what has lately been going on as himself.  But no.  It was God’s will that I, who have risked all and lost almost all in the cause, be taunted, suspected, and the sweat of agony and tears which I have poured out be estimated at the value of the water of the ditch or the moisture which exudes from rotten dung.  But I murmur not, and hope I shall at all times be willing to bow to the dispensations of the Almighty.

Sir George Villiers has returned to England for a short period; you have therefore the opportunity of consulting him.  I will not leave Spain until the whole affair has been thoroughly sifted.  I shall then perhaps appear and bid you an eternal farewell.

Four hundred Testaments have been disposed of in the Sagra of Toledo.

(Unsigned.)

P.S.—I am just returned from the Embassy, where I have had a long interview with that admirable person, Lord Wm. Hervey.  He has requested me to write him a letter on the point in question, which with the official documents he intends to send to the Secretary of State in order to be laid before the Bible Society.  He has put into my hands the last communication from Ofalia.  It relates to the seizure of my depôts at Malaga, Pontevedra, etc.  I have not opened it, but send it for your perusal.

To the Rev. A. Brandram

(Endorsed: recd.  Aug. 14th, 1838)
No. 16 Calle Santiago, Madrid,
August 3, 1838.

Revd. and dear Sir,—Since writing to you last I have been at some distance from Madrid.  Indeed my affairs at the time were in such a condition and so much depended upon my personal superintendence, that I was obliged to depart almost immediately after dispatching my answers to your two last.  I am now returned principally on account of a rather unfortunate accident which occurred on the frontier of La Mancha, the particulars of which I shall give you presently.  I shall, however, only tarry sufficient time to rest the horses and again go forth, for I am but too well aware that no time must now be lost, my enemies being numerous and watchful.

On leaving Madrid I proceeded in the direction of Aranjuez, selling from twenty to forty copies in every village that lay in the way or near it; my intention was to penetrate deep into La Mancha, and in that view I had forwarded a large supply of books to Aranjuez.  Having arrived there I made a sojourn of three days, during which time, myself, [my] servant and Juan Lopez, of whom I have previously spoken to you, visited every house in the town.  We found a vast deal of poverty and ignorance amongst the inhabitants, and experienced some opposition; nevertheless it pleased the Almighty to permit us to dispose of about eighty Testaments, which were purchased entirely by the very poor people, those in easier circumstances paying no attention to the Word of God, but rather turning it to scoff and ridicule.  One circumstance was very gratifying and cheering to me, namely, the ocular proof which I possessed that the books which I disposed of were read, and with attention, by those to whom I disposed of them, and that many others participated in their benefit.  In the streets of Aranjuez and beneath the mighty cedars and gigantic elms and plantains which compose its noble woods, I have frequently seen groups assembled, listening to individuals who, with the New Testament in their hands, were reading aloud the comfortable words of salvation.

It is probable that had I remained a longer period in Aranjuez I might have sold many more of our divine books, but I was eager to gain La Mancha and its sandy plains, and to conceal myself for a season amongst its solitary villages; for I was apprehensive that a storm was gathering around me.  But when once through Ocaña, the frontier town, I knew well that I should have nothing to fear from the Spanish authorities as their power ceased there, the rest of La Mancha being almost entirely in the hands of the Carlists, and overrun by small parties of banditti, from whom however I trusted that the Lord would preserve me.  I therefore departed for Ocaña, situate about three leagues from Aranjuez.

I started with my servant about six in the evening, having early in the morning sent forward Lopez with between two and three hundred Testaments.  We left the high road and proceeded by a shorter way, through wild hills and over very broken and precipitous ground.  Being well-mounted we found ourselves just after sunset opposite Ocaña, which stands on a steep hill.  A deep valley lay between us and the town; we descended and came to a small bridge which traverses a rivulet at the bottom of the valley, at a very small distance from a kind of suburb; we crossed the bridge, and were passing by a deserted house on our left hand when a man appeared from under the porch.

What I am about to state will seem incomprehensible to you, but a singular history and a singular people are connected with it.  The man placed himself before my horse so as to bar the way, and said Schophon, which in the Hebrew tongue signifies a rabbit.  I knew this word to be one of the Jewish countersigns, and asked the man if he had anything to communicate.  He said: ‘You must not enter the town, for a net is prepared for you.  The Corregidor of Toledo, on whom may all evil light, in order to give pleasure to the priests of Maria, in whose face I spit, has ordered all the Alcaldes of these parts and the Escribanos and the Corchetes to lay hands on you wherever they may find you, and to send you and your books and all that pertains to you to Toledo.  Your servant was seized this morning in the town above as he was selling the writings in the streets, and they are now awaiting your arrival in the posada; but I knew you from the accounts of my brethren, and have been waiting here four hours to give you warning, in order that your horse may turn his tail to your enemies and neigh in derision of them.  Fear nothing for your servant, for he is known to the Alcalde and will be set at liberty, but do you flee, and may God attend you.’  Having said this, he hurried towards the town.

I hesitated not a moment to take his advice, knowing full well that, as my books had been taken possession of, I could do no more in that direction.  We turned back, in the direction of Aranjuez, the horses notwithstanding the nature of the ground galloping at full speed, and like the true Moorish breed bearing their tails erect and stiff; but our adventures were not over.  About mid-way, and about half a league from the small village of Antigola, we saw close to us on our left hand three men on a low bank.  As far as the darkness would permit us to distinguish they were naked, but each bore in his hand a long gun; these were rateros, or the common assassins and robbers of the roads.  We halted, and cried out ‘Who goes there?’ They, replied, ‘What’s that to you?  Pass by.’  Their drift was to fire at us from a position from which it would be impossible to miss.  We shouted: ‘If you do not instantly pass to the right side of the road, we will tread you down beneath the horses’ hoofs.’  They hesitated, and then obeyed, for all Spanish assassins are dastards, and the least show of resolution daunts them.  As we galloped past, one cried with an obscene oath, ‘Tiraremos’ (‘fire’) but another said, ‘No! hay peligro’ [‘there’s danger’].  We reached Aranjuez, where early next morning Lopez rejoined us, and we returned to Madrid.

I am sorry to state that two hundred Testaments were seized at Ocaña, where they were sealed and despatched to Toledo.  Lopez informed me that in two hours he could have sold them all, the demand was so great; as it was, twenty-seven were sold in less than ten minutes.  He is just departed on another expedition, and I am about to follow, for with God’s leave I will fight it out to the last.

I enclose you a list of all the towns and villages hitherto visited.  I have nothing more to say for the present, but that you may make what use you please of this letter.

Such is my life in Spain.

(Unsigned.)

Pueblos.