. v '.,.- j 

 
 
 $M ' 
 
 X * 
 
 ':' 
 
 " ,J ~* - 
 
 - '4". ' . 
 * \ . . 
 
 " -^ : \ 
 <>' i - 
 
 
 <, .<-- ;: 
 ">^. 
 
 U 
 
 rKfe
 
 ?*$, 
 
 , V - v 
 
 ^>/ ; ~ 
 
 - -. ,. S**', 
 
 : ^fe
 
 THE HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIFE OF THE SQUIRE 
 
 MARCOS DE OBREGON, 
 
 INSCRIBED TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS 
 
 CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO, 
 
 DON BERNARDO DE SANDOVAL AND ROJAS, 
 
 The Protector of Virtue and Father of the Poor, 
 
 BY VINCENT ESPINEL, 
 
 MASTER OF ARTS, AND CHAPLAIN OF OUR LORD THE KING, IN THJT 
 ROYAL HOSPITAL OF THE CITY OF RONDA, 
 
 TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, 
 FROM THE 
 
 MADRID EDITION OF 1G18, 
 
 BY MAJOR ALGERNON LANGTON, 
 61st REGIMENT. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR JOHN BOOTH, DUKE STREET, 
 PORTLAND PLACE. 
 
 1816.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 KSm OK CALIFORNIA 
 SANTA BARBARA 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 ._ 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 The Squire's Wish to depart Prevented by the 
 Hermit A Conversation on Supernatural 
 Appearances, with an extraordinary Tale re- 
 lating thereto 1 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The Squire's Reflections upon Prosing . . . . 15 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Marcos arrives at Seville His Adventures there 17 
 
 CHAP III. 
 
 The Squire is extricated from a Stateof Jeopardy, 
 by the Assistance of Fire and Water .... 23 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 The Squire indulges in Reflections on the last 
 Adventure 32 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 One Misfortune brings on another The Persecu- 
 tion of the Squire continues 38
 
 *1 CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 The Reader is introduced to some nitty Natives of 
 Portugal ............ 54 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Marcos embarks at San Lucar After encounter' 
 ing many Dangers, he arrives at Cabrera . . 00 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 The Squire makes a new Acquaintance, not quite 
 to his Satisfaction His new Friend persuades 
 him to accompany him to Africa, instead of 
 pursuing his Course towards Italy . . . . l f i 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Marcos gives an Account of his Captivity, and re- 
 lates certain Circumstances, which render it 
 somewhat palatable ......... 9>*> 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The Squire succeeds in charming away the i/oung 
 Lady's Mclancho/i/ His Skill involves him in 
 unpleasant Consequences The Dexterity he 
 employs to extricate himself ...... 10 1 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Gives an Insight into the "Manners and Customs of 
 i!u' Moors . 123
 
 CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 An atrocious Robbery ; and the singular Means 
 employed to detect the Perpetrator .... 140 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 The Squire regains his Liberty An Account of 
 his Voyage. . . ' 151 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Treated as a Rcnegado Captain, but shortly fol* 
 lowed by a happy Reverse 173 
 
 PART THIRD. 
 BOOK III. 
 
 Containing the Squire's Adventure on the Road 
 towards Milan 183 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 An unfortunate Accident, attended by serious 
 Consequences 19 1 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Marcos, to regain his Liberty, puts in practice a 
 clever Stratagem 202 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 More surprising Adventures 208
 
 till CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 The Squire falls in with a Necromancer, but 
 proves himself the more cunning of the two . 220 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Containing a Discourse on Musick, and the Com- 
 mencement of a most marvellous Adventure . 231 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 The marvellous Tale continued 240 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 The Squire witnesses a most tragical Event . .254 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Conclusion of the marvellous Story The Squire 
 arrives at Venice, and is kindly received by the 
 Lady Camilla 27(> 
 
 CHAP. IX. . 
 
 The Lady Camilla leaves Marcos in the Lurch, 
 but is afterwards herself outfitted .... 23? 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Mighty curious Adventures that befall (he Squire 
 during his Voyage 293 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The Squire enters into the Service of a great Man. 311
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Marcos, by an unfortunate Concurrence of Events, 
 removes from a Palace to a Dungeon Interior 
 View of his Abode 319 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 How Marcos was consoled for his long Imprison- 
 ment 334 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 The Squire leaves Madrid for Andalucia Tra- 
 velling Anecdotes A Disquisition on Artificial 
 Memory 342 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Sprightly Conversation on the Road A young 
 Wit introduced to the Reader 360 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Marcos takes Leave of his new Friend, and meets 
 zcith some old Acquaintances "79 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 The Squire's bad Luck pursues, or rather keeps 
 pace Ti'ith him 395 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 The Squire falls into the Hands of Robbers . . 404
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 CITAP: XIX. 
 
 Dr. Sagredo relates his ; -o/tdcrful Adventures .412 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 The Doctor co?itinues his Narrative .... 420 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 The Doctor's Narrative continued 43 1 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 
 How the Doctor ii'as interrupted He proceeds in 
 /tis Story 459 
 
 CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 Conclusion of Dr. Sagredo's Narrative . . 456 
 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 A Page interrogated The Robbers pass Judge- 
 ment on the Captives 465 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 The Squire leaves the Hermitage 482 
 
 CHAPTER THE LAST, AND EPILOGUE. 
 
 The Squire, in Conclusion, moralizes on his past 
 Life 48(>
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SQUIRE MARCOS DE OBREGON 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 BOOK II. 
 
 The Squire's wish to depart Prevented by the Her- 
 nut A Conversation on supernatural Appearances, 
 <cith an extraordinary Tale relating thereto. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Violence of the Rain, 
 which had beaten furiously against the Her* 
 mitage all Night, had subsided by Break 
 of Day, the River continued so much swoln 
 that it overflowed the Bridge, and rendered 
 it impassable on either Side until the next 
 Day, when it became ford able. I was 
 willing, however, to take my Leave, as it 
 appeared to me that the Hermit was already 
 tired of hearing these Adventures of mine; 
 and as I am not naturally inclined to talk, 
 
 VOL. II. B
 
 or listen much to others, I concluded that 
 the Hermit's great Inclination to sleep, pro- 
 ceeded from the Fatigue of attending to my 
 Story. And as great Talkers (a Set of 
 People who never think on what is to fol- 
 low) are so odious to me, I did not choose 
 to imitate the Failing I condemned. For 
 those that possess this Superfluity of Speech; 
 of Words without Substance ; are generally 
 Braggarts, Flatterers, Tale-bearers, and 
 Liars ; who, rather than not talk, say any 
 Thing that comes uppermost, without con- 
 sidering whether it be true or false, or 
 knowing how to distinguish Falsehood from 
 Truth ; and with the same Readiness with 
 which they assert a Fact, they unsay it 
 again ; eager to confirm every idle Story, 
 and advance their own Opinion ; and thus 
 covering one Error \vith a thousand others. 
 Wishing then to avoid the Character of a 
 great Talker, I was desirous to take my 
 Leave of the Hermit, even though the Wea-
 
 ther should not serve for my Return : but 
 he insisted on my not leaving him alone, by 
 reason of a deep Melancholy which a Dream 
 of the preceding Night had occasioned 
 him ; and, to strengthen his Arguments, he 
 told it me. " That being more awake than 
 asleep, a dead Man had appeared to him, 
 in whose Death he was concerned in Italy." 
 I laughed, and said all I could to drive 
 away such a Fancy from his Imagination. 
 He asked me, why I laughed? " I laugh," 
 said I, " at the Apprehensions of some 
 Persons ; for the Effect of Dreams on them 
 is so powerful, that it appears to them that 
 every Thing they dream must be true ; an 
 Idea which is so much reprobated by GOD 
 himself in many Parts of the Old Testa- 
 ment, and equally in the New being all 
 Vapour of the Brain, and, in the. present 
 Instance Melancholy, which has been caused 
 by the Roughness of the Weather, together 
 with the small Quantity and bad Quality of 
 B 2
 
 what you have eaten, which is enough to 
 produce this, and more ridiculous Effects." 
 " I say," exclaimed the Hermit, " that I 
 see him at this Moment before me." I 
 laughed much more now than before, and 
 he said: " Do you maintain that the Dead 
 never come now to converse with the 
 Living?" " Certainly not," replied I, " ex- 
 cept when upon some Affair of great Im- 
 portance, GOD gives them Leave to do so, as 
 in that wonderful Instance, worthy of being 
 known, which happened to the Marques 
 de las Navas, who conversed with a dead 
 Man, the Life of whom he had taken : but 
 he came to tell him of Circumstances which 
 concerned the Quiet and Repose of his Soul. 
 There is no Instance that we read of in an- 
 cient Writings which has so great an Ap- 
 pearance of Truth as this, (not alluding 
 of course to those recorded in Holy Scrip- 
 lure,) because it happened in our own 
 Times, and to so great a Friend to Truth us
 
 this Nobleman, and in Presence of Wit- 
 nesses, of whom some are now living ; 
 though neither he nor they can derive any 
 Advantage from the Truth of it being es- 
 tablished." " To which Marquess did it 
 happen ?" said the Hermit. " To the pre- 
 sent," said I, " Don Pedro de Avila." " If 
 it will not fatigue yon," said the Hermit, 
 " or even though it should, let me intreat 
 you to tell me what passed on that Occa- 
 sion ; for every Body ought to be acquainted 
 with so extraordinary an Occurrence, which 
 has happened too in our own Times." " It 
 is indeed well known to many at present/' 
 said I ; " but lest it should remain in the 
 Sepulchre with the dead Man, it is better to 
 tell it, and to make a particular Record of 
 a Fact which has so much the Appearance 
 of Truth ; nor would I vouch for it, if I had 
 not heard it from the Lips of so great a 
 Nobleman as the Marquess himself, and 
 his Brother, Don Enrique de Guzman, 
 B 3
 
 Marquess of Povar, Gentleman of the Bed- 
 chamber to the most potent Monarch, 
 Philip the Third of Spain, in whose Palace 
 Flattery and Lies had no Asylum. The 
 Matter happened thus: The Marquess 
 being a Prisoner, by Order of his King, in 
 St. Martin's, (a Monastery of the Order of 
 Saint Benito, in Madrid,) his Friends and 
 other great Noblemen who went to visit 
 him, remained with him generally all Night, 
 particularly Don Enrique his Brother, and 
 Don Felipe de Cordova, Son of Don Diego 
 de Cordova, Chief Master of the Horse to 
 Philip the Second ; and one Night, among 
 many others, the Marquess and Don Felipe 
 felt inclined to take a Walk; they went 
 towards the Parish of Lavapies, and as they 
 stood talking near a Window, the Marquess 
 said : ' Pray wait for me here, I am going 
 up that Street, and will return to you in a 
 few Minutes.' The Street was narrow, and 
 he found two Men at the Corners of it, who
 
 prevented him from passing. The Marquess 
 said : ' You must see, Gentlemen, that I 
 wish to go this Way ;' and then attempted 
 to push by them against their Will. One 
 of the Men made a Thrust at him with his 
 S word ; and the Marquess doing the same 
 to him at the same Moment, each thought 
 he had killed his Adversary: but the Mar- 
 quess, in the Act of drawing his Sword out 
 of his Bosom, gave the second Fellow a 
 Blow, which laid his Head open. Thus the 
 two lay on the Ground without the Power 
 of moving; the one dead, and the other 
 senseless from the Wound in his Head. 
 The Marquess went back and found Don 
 Felipe, and they returned together to Saint 
 Martin's. When they arrived there, it ap- 
 peared to him that it would be wrong to go 
 to sleep without ascertaining what had been 
 the Extent of the Mischief done ; he there- 
 fore mentioned to his two Friends what had 
 happened, and they both resolved to go.
 
 The Marquess, who did not \vish they 
 should go without him, set out with them ; 
 and they found the People of the Parish in 
 a State of Alarm, telling them, when they 
 came up, that two Men had been just mur- 
 dered. They returned, without finding any 
 Thing on the fatal Spot, (by which they had 
 passed,) except two Handkerchiefs stained 
 with Blood. He who had been wounded in 
 the Head, went to Toledo, and from thence 
 sent to inquire whether the Marquess was 
 dead, (for he knew who it was when he gave 
 him the Wound,) and, though he did what 
 he could to cure himself, he notwithstanding 
 died of the Wound. He had previously 
 made a Will; and being aware that the Mar- 
 quess had received no Injury, (the Sword 
 of his Opponent having glanced off,) he 
 made him his Executor. The Marquess 
 Mas informed of this Circumstance by a 
 Priest, who came purposely to communicate 
 it to him. Within five or six Davs after the
 
 Death of (bis Man, the Marquess having 
 gone to Bed, Don Enrique his Brother, 
 and Don Felipe de Cordova being in another 
 Bed in the same Apartment, with the Door 
 fast, some one came to the Marquess's Bed 
 and pulled the Clothes off him. The Mar- 
 quess said: ' Get away, Don Enrique!' 
 A deep Voice full of Horrour replied: ' It 
 is not Don Henrique !' The Marquess being- 
 alarm ed, jumped out of Bed, and drawing 
 his Sword, which was at the Bed-head, he 
 made so many Cuts with it, that Don Felipe 
 asked what was the Matter? ' It is the 
 Marquess my Brother,' said Don Enrique, 
 ' who is running about the Room, fighting 
 with a dead Man !' He continued cutting 
 arid slashing away till he was tired, without 
 encountering any Object, except occasionally 
 the Walls. He then opened the Door, and 
 looked round, continuing to lay about him 
 as furiously as ever with his Sword, until 
 he arrived at a Corner where it was quite
 
 10 
 
 dark, and then the Shade said to him : 
 ' Enough of this, my Lord Marquess ; now 
 come with me, for I have something to tell 
 you.' The Marquess followed him, and the 
 other two Noblemen, his Brother and Don 
 Felipe, kept close behind him. He led down 
 the Stairs, and the Marquess asking what 
 more he required ? he replied, that he must 
 order his Companions to leave him, for that 
 he could not speak before Witnesses. He, 
 though very reluctantly, desired them to 
 remain where they were ; but they did not 
 choose to do so. At last the Shade went 
 into a Vault, where there were dead Men's 
 Bones : the Marquess entered after him, and 
 in treading on the Bones, he felt so much 
 Alarm, that he found it necessary to go out 
 to recover his Breath and conquer his Ter- 
 ror ; and this he did three different Times. 
 What the Shade required, (as well as the 
 Fears of the Marquess would allow him to 
 understand it,) was, that in Return for the
 
 11 
 
 Death he had given him, he would do him 
 the Favour to comply with the Terms of the 
 Will he had left, which was to put his 
 Daughter in Possession of the Property. 
 According to the Witnesses, there now 
 passed mutual Promises between the Mar- 
 quess and the Shade ; and the Marquess 
 confesses that having been formerly as 
 handsome in the Face, his Complexion 
 tinged with red and white like his Brother's, 
 from that Night he has remained constantly, 
 as he is now, without any Colour, and his 
 Countenance quite pale and altered. He 
 says that he appeared to him at other Times, 
 and that before he saw him, such a cold 
 Shivering came over him, that he could not 
 support himself: at length when he had 
 complied with his Will, he appeared no 
 more. Whether this was his own Spirit, or 
 that of his Guardian Angel, or a good or 
 bad Angel, is a Matter of Dispute among 
 Theologians ; but for me it suffices that I
 
 12 
 
 have heard it from the Mouth of so great a 
 Nobleman as the Marquess himself, and 
 from Don Enrique his Brother, to consider 
 the Fact established ; and that for Events 
 so important as those which concern the 
 Salvation of a Soul, the Lord of Heaven 
 and Earth is wont to permit these strange 
 Events sometimes to happen. For these 
 are not of the same Kind as those related 
 by certain Pagan Authors, of calling for 
 Souls to put Questions to them ; as Empe- 
 docles did, and Appion the Rhetorician, 
 who called up the Shade of Homer, and 
 did not dare to tell what Answers it had 
 given him : but these were Arts of Necro- 
 mancy, of which Cicero says, that they 
 pretended to produce the Bodies of those 
 who had long been burnt, and gave them 
 some Form or Figure; for the Spirit of 
 itself was incapable of being sern. But 
 all these were Arts of the Devil, who, being 
 powerful, assisted them in what they asked
 
 13 
 
 of him, GOD permitting it; for without His 
 Permission, he would not have been able to 
 do any Thing. And as to the Returning of 
 the Souls of those who are dead, by the 
 Dispensation of GOD, no one can deny that 
 such Things have happened : not that they 
 go wandering about the World ; for their 
 Abiding-place is pointed out, either in 
 Heaven, or in Hell, or in Purgatory. And if 
 I have been prolix in this Narrative, con- 
 trary to my natural Disposition and Style, 
 it is because Incidents of so serious a Nature 
 ought to be told with that Simplicity and 
 Smoothness with which they occurred, nei- 
 ther ornamenting nor mutilating the Narra- 
 tion." " This Story," exclaimed the Hermit, 
 has excited my Astonishment, and I am re- 
 solved to quit a Life of Solitude; for, 
 although I have passed some Time here, 1 
 have been nothing to disturb me ; and yet, 
 in spite of all this, I have retired from Soli- 
 tude towards an inhabited Part, on account
 
 14 
 
 of the Fears I experienced among the 
 craggy Mountains of the Sierra Morena. 
 But let us leave this Subject, and return to 
 that with which we set out; for with the 
 Sweetness of your Style, and your Grace in 
 recounting it, I shall forget the Melancholy 
 occasioned by the Dream, and by the Cir- 
 cumstance which you have now related." 
 The Hermit went soon after to Seville, where 
 he now lives very retired.
 
 15 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The Squire's Reflections upon Prosing- 
 
 WITH the View of resuming the Thread 
 of our Discourse, we seated ourselves round 
 the Brasero,* and I continued my History : 
 for the Hermit was a Man of good Informa- 
 tion, and importuned me so much, that it 
 was obvious he took Pleasure in hearing the 
 Adventures of my Life ; and as he shewed 
 great Attention, (which always animates the 
 Speaker,) I began where I had left off the 
 preceding Night, on account of his Drow- 
 siness. But before I began, I fell into these 
 Reflections : that the Reward of a good 
 Speaker is the Attention that is paid to 
 him ; and though his Discourse should not 
 be very interesting, it shews great Want of 
 
 * An open Brass Pan, in which they burn Charcoal, 
 Almond-shells, &c. Tr.
 
 16 
 
 Politeness not to applaud what he says ; 
 because, at all Events, he does what he can 
 to make it agreeable, and talks as well as 
 his Powers and Knowledge enable him : for 
 I maintain that he who speaks, ought to be 
 careful of what he says, and withal so pru- 
 dent as not to employ a Surperfluity of 
 Words, nor to wander from the Subject; 
 nor should he try to engross the whole of 
 the Conversation to himself, but allow Time 
 for the Observations of others. When I 
 was relating the Adventures of my Life, 
 it never occurred to me that the Hermit 
 could be fatigued with listening to my 
 diffuse Talk: but it happened well for me, 
 not only that he was not fatigued, but that 
 he importuned me to go on with my Narra- 
 tive. I continued therefore as follows :
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Marcos arrives at Seville His Adventures there. 
 
 AS soon (either in consequence of the 
 Prognostication of that Comet, or from what- 
 ever other Cause, GOD, who knows best, was 
 pleased to ordain) as Don Sebastian, King 
 of Portugal, was killed in that memorable 
 Battle, in which three Kings were present, 
 and all of them died gloriously ; the Cardinal 
 Don Enrique, Uncle to Philip the Second, 
 was called to the Crown of that Kingdom. 
 The whole of Castile and Andalucia rose to 
 serve their King, with that Love and Obe- 
 dience which Spain has always had for its 
 legitimate Sovereigns. I went from Valla- 
 dolid to Madrid; and in conformity to my 
 Love of Variety, and the Opinion of others, 
 pursued my Journey to Seville, intending to 
 go to Italy, since 1 should not arrive in time
 
 18 
 
 to embark for Africa. While I remained at 
 Seville, I was much occupied in admiring; 
 the Grandeur of that famous City, full of a 
 thousand Excellencies; the Treasury and 
 Distributor of the immense Wealth poured 
 into her Ports by the vast Atlantic, besides 
 that which she leaves for herself, concealed 
 for ever in her deep Sands. 
 
 The Affairs of Portugal having become 
 tranquil, or rather being reduced to a better 
 State, I remained some Time in Seville ; 
 where, among many other Accidents that 
 befell me, one was, to give into that Sort of 
 bravado Valour which was then common. 
 And I believe there is, at this Day, a Kind 
 of Gentry who neither appear like Chris- 
 tians, Moors, or Pagans, unless their Reli- 
 gion is, to adore the Goddess of Valour, be- 
 cause it appears to them, that if they belong 
 to that Fraternity, they will be considered 
 and respected as valorous : not that they 
 are so; it is enough for them that the\ seem
 
 19 
 
 so. It happened to me that as I was passing 
 along the Street of Genoa, I fell in with one 
 of these valiant Gentlemen, and met him in 
 such a Situation, that my passing in the 
 clean Part of the Road obliged him to go 
 into the Dirt. He turned round to me, and 
 said haughtily : " Pray, Sir, don't you see 
 what you are doing?" I said to him, " Par- 
 don me, Sir, I did not do it on purpose." 
 " If you had," retorted he, " you would not 
 have a Moment to live." I happened then 
 not to wear a Sword, being in the Dress of 
 a Student, (a Situation I have always esteem- 
 ed,) and consequently I behaved with all 
 Humility, and he with all the Arrogance of 
 one of his Class. I told him, that I did not 
 consider the Offence to have been so great, 
 as to merit so severe a Chastisement. He 
 then said to me: " It appears that you are 
 not aware to whom you are speaking. But 
 make your Mind easy ; I do not intend to
 
 20 
 
 punish you further than by thrusting forty 
 Fingers into your Face," (which, according 
 to my Calculation, amounted to eight Blows 
 with his Fist). I waited quietly where I 
 was, and when he came towards me, with 
 his Hands raised, to put his Threat in exe- 
 cution, I made use of a Stratagem which 
 has always stood me in very good Stead ; 
 it was simply this : as he came up intent on 
 his Purpose, I seized his Sword by the 
 Guard with the utmost Quickness, and 
 drawing it from the Scabbard with the same 
 Motion, I put my five Fingers into his Face, 
 and gave him a smart Blow on the Left 
 Cheek. 
 
 Finding himself unarmed, he began run- 
 ning with all his Might, whilst certain 
 Leather-dressers who were standing by, and 
 saw what passed, cried out, " Victory ! vic- 
 tory to the Scholar !" but they added, tome : 
 "Get you hence with all Speed, for he is gone
 
 21 
 
 to seek his Comrades, and they will soon 
 return together. I went off towards St 
 Francisco, while the valiant Gentleman 
 entered the Orange Court,* pale and sword- 
 less ; his Cloak torn and his Face covered 
 with Blood. They asked him what all this 
 meant? Whereupon he told them, that about 
 thirty Fellows had surrounded him, and 
 closing with him, had taken away his Sword ; 
 and, after wounding him, had managed to 
 escape, but not before he had taken off one 
 of their Noses at a Stroke. He added that 
 he was now in search of another Sword and 
 Shield, with which he would make Minced- 
 meat of them all. 
 
 They repaired to the Spot where the 
 Affair had happened, and there every one 
 spoke in my Favour. Among the rest, a 
 Man of less than middling Stature, deaf, 
 and crook-backed, to whom all the others 
 
 * A Court of the Cathedral, still so called. 7K
 
 22 
 
 seemed to pay Respect, said to them : 
 " This young Man has behaved very well, 
 and I have no doubt but he is a Lad of 
 Mettle. Therefore you must be Friends 
 with him, as the Person who tells us he has 
 received this Injury, is already one of the 
 Fraternity of Brave Fellows ; and in two 
 Hours time I do not doubt but these two 
 will be very good Friends." 
 
 Some Officers then persuaded me to go 
 with them to my Opponent; telling him that 
 if he desired to be Friends with me, he 
 must take us all to the Tavern of Pinto, 
 and treat us to a Glass of good Wine of 
 Cazalla. The rest then shouted with one 
 Voice : " He is a fine Lad, and worthy of 
 being admitted into the Fraternity of Brave 
 Fellows !"
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The Squire is extricated from a State of Jeopardy, by 
 the Assistance of Fire and Water. 
 
 THIS being over, as the Rascal was still 
 dissatisfied, he sought some Scheme by 
 which to revenge himself on me ; and soon 
 found one well adapted to his Purpose. 
 
 As I was a New-comer, and possessed but 
 little Experience in the Ways of Seville, I 
 acted with no great Prudence, though it is 
 necessary to enter with much Caution into 
 such large Societies as these. And he who 
 has no Knowledge or Experience of his own, 
 ought to avail himself of what is possessed 
 by others, that he may avoid exposing him- 
 self to frequent Danger. 
 
 I gave into the Fashion of wearing a 
 Sword, and exposed myself to all that is
 
 24 
 
 expected of those who carry them. And 
 what with my newly-acquired Valour, and 
 having been something of a Poet and a Mu- 
 sician, (or indeed any one of the three would 
 have been sufficient to affect a wiser Head 
 than mine), I began to shew off my Courage 
 more than was becoming, and to adopt the 
 Style of a Gallant or Tavern-bully, and to 
 fall in Love with all the Women I met ; so 
 that no Portuguese could have been more 
 courtly than I was. My Enemy discovered 
 my Weakness in falling in Love with a Lady 
 of good Figure, in whose House he acted as 
 absolute Master. Walking one Day amongst 
 the Trees of the Alameda, I perceived a 
 Woman beckon to me, and going towards 
 her, she said : " Is it possible then, Sir, that 
 you observe so little, as not to take notice 
 when People look at you with more than com- 
 mon Attention?" I examined her Face and 
 Figure ; and although I found them perfectly
 
 25 
 
 good, yet I believed her; for I was so full of 
 Vanity, that on this Score, I should have 
 credited any Compliment made me. She 
 continued saying : "The time is come when 
 I no longer regard the Restraints of a Hus- 
 band, whilst I look upon you. Oh! Ill betide 
 the Eyes which lose their Prudence, and the 
 Feet which quit the Threshold of their own 
 House, to enter the Door of Strangers ! How 
 do I know but that I may give up my Li- 
 berty to one who does not know how to 
 value it! how vshall I look at a Man who 
 does not know me, and with whom I am not 
 acquainted ! and what Request am I about to 
 make I, that have never in my Life admitted 
 the Requests of any one ! Yet I would rather 
 die than not claim the Affections of one, who 
 perhaps will laugh at me, and despise my 
 Charms !" And then she pretended to drop 
 some Tears so tender, that they deprived 
 me of the small Remainder of my Reason. 
 Thus having completed her Stratagem, she 
 VOL. n. c
 
 left me, turning away with much Grace and 
 Elegance. I remained petrified and con- 
 founded at the Suddenness of her Departure, 
 as well as at the Words she had uttered to 
 subdue my Heart. Whilst her Attendant said 
 to me : " I hope you are pleased with my 
 Mistress, for you have been the Cause of her 
 Melancholy, from which springs all her Ill- 
 humour; that scarcely any Body in the 
 House can put up with it. Follow her, Sir, 
 if you please ; but be very careful that her 
 Husband does not see you, for he is a Gen- 
 tleman of high Rank, and not a little jealous, 
 though he has never seen the slightest Occa- 
 sion for it in the Conduct of my Mis- 
 tress." I followed her with Astonishment, 
 but very well satisfied at appearing to merit 
 so much Favour; holding myself in higher 
 Estimation than there was any Ground for. 
 I went into her House, which was in a 
 narrow Street leading out of the Calle de 
 las Armas; and she immediately evinced her
 
 favourable Inclination towards me, seat- 
 ing herself near the Window,* and giving 
 me Notice that I need be under no Restraint, 
 for she would let me know what was to be 
 done. 
 
 I went on courting her for some Days, as 
 she wished to make it appear that on account 
 of her Quality, she did not choose to yield at 
 once to my Entreaties. Oh ! Deceits of 
 the World ! how easily does a Man credit 
 those Things which correspond with his 
 Wishes or Advantage ! If we were to observe 
 and deliberate as much on those Things 
 which appear for our Advantage, as on 
 those that have a contrary Appearance, we 
 should not fall into so many Dangers and 
 Misfortunes as now commonly happen to us. 
 As it proved in my Case; when trusting im- 
 plicitly in this Woman, I soon found myself 
 
 * ' Haziendo Veutara* is a Phrase in Spanish, signifying 
 that a Woman who looks out for Admiration takes pains, 
 places herself in the best Light to be seen. Tr. 
 
 c: 2
 
 28 
 
 in a most perilous State. But who would 
 not be deceived by a handsome Face, fine 
 Figure, smooth Words, and sparkling Eyes? 
 In short, I persevered, till she sent me a most 
 affectionate Note, desiring me to visit her 
 that Night. I made myself as smart as pos- 
 sible; carried my Sword and a large Lan- 
 tern (big enough for a Shield), and went 
 straight to her House, without thinking of 
 any Thing but the Gratification of my 
 Desires. 
 
 I found the Door and her Arms open 
 to receive me; and in truth, the Reception 
 she gave me was as affectionate as I could 
 wish. She shut the Door, and immediately 
 some one called her. Without inquiring 
 who it was, she said: " My Friend, that is 
 my Husband calling me; get into this little 
 Cellar, for he will soon go out again. I went 
 in, as she desired, taking my Lantern with 
 me. She locked the Door of the Cellar, and 
 left me a complete Prisoner. The Place
 
 was almost full of dried Reeds and Branches 
 of Vines ; there was a Well in it,* which com- 
 municated with the upper Part of the House, 
 and had a Bucket hanging to it. I set my- 
 self to listen to what they said, for the lock- 
 ing of the Door made me suspicious. The 
 Lady said to her pretended Husband : 
 " Well, now that I have got this Man locked 
 up, what shall we do with him?" He re- 
 plied, in a low Tone of Voice, which I could 
 discover, however, to be that of my Enemy : 
 " Let us burn him, or drown him in this 
 Well; for he is the Rascal that drew my 
 Sword out of the Scabbard." A Scheme 
 presently suggested itself to me, by which I 
 could extricate myself from their Snares ; 
 for Danger, that Discoverer of great Secrets, 
 and the Fear of Death, raise Thoughts in 
 one's Imagination, which otherwise never 
 could have entered it. I stopped up the 
 
 * A Well of this Sort is not uncommon in Spanish 
 Houses. TV. 
 
 C: 3
 
 30 
 
 Mouth of the Well with a Board, and made 
 up a Heap close to the Door, of the dried 
 Vines and Reeds; then with the Light of 
 the Lantern, which I had not yet extin- 
 guished, set fire to it. The Door was so dry 
 that it began to burn directly, with the As- 
 sistance of the other Materials, many of the 
 Flames issuing out from below it. I got into 
 the Bucket of the Well, holding fast by the 
 Rope; for the Mouth of the Well being- 
 stopped, I was not in any Danger. The 
 People all began crying out: "Fire, Fire! 
 Water!* to the Well for Water!" They im- 
 mediately began pulling at the Rope, to 
 draw up the Water ; and as my Weight made 
 il too heavy, several of their Neighbours 
 were called to assist, and after hauling for 
 some Time with great Violence, they at last 
 drew me up. I seized fast hold of the Boards 
 at the Top of the Well, and, as I naturally 
 
 A separate Family in another Story. 7V.
 
 31 
 
 looked ghastly from Terror, what \vith this 
 Appearance, and some horrible Faces that I 
 made, the People were all alarmed, exr- 
 claiming that they had drawn up the Devil 
 from the Well. As soon as I had got clear 
 of the Bucket, I slipped away among the 
 Crowd as well as I could ; (indeed they 
 were too full of their Fears to notice me); 
 and leaving them to their burning House, I 
 escaped with my Person free; happy in the 
 extreme to find my Life, where it was so 
 nearly lost, as in a Well, and shut up in so 
 confined a Place, as a small Cellar full of 
 Reeds and Rubbish.
 
 .32 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 The Squire indulges in Reflections on the last Adventure. 
 
 MY Enemy, for his Instrument of Revenge, 
 availed himself of a handsome Woman ; for 
 these have all the natural Gift of moving 
 Hearts with deceitful Tears. As they were 
 born to weep, they know how to excite 
 Tenderness in others. But GOD prevents 
 the wicked Inventions of the more depraved 
 Sort from taking Effect ; and when they find 
 they cannot attain their Object by Force, 
 they set about it with Cunning and Deceit. 
 They possess so much Power to say what- 
 ever they wish, and we so much Weakness 
 in believing them, that it would seem as 
 though we had come into the World for no 
 other Purpose. Having extricated myself 
 from this Danger, I fell into the Clutches of
 
 33 
 
 an Alguazil, who came up on hearing the 
 Noise, and, observing me run, seized hold 
 of me. I said to him with great Presence of 
 Mind : " What are you about ? \vould you 
 have us both fall into the Hands of the 
 Dasmon they have discovered in that House ? 
 Fly to some Place of Safety : for he is mur- 
 dering every one that goes near him." This 
 had the desired Effect ; he let me instantly 
 go, and took to his Heels likewise. For, 
 having before heard some Rumour about 
 the Daemon in the Well, on my mentioning 
 it again, he was convinced of the Truth of 
 the Story. I never rested till I reached a 
 Resting-place, under the Shadow of my two 
 Friends, Hercules and Ca3sar, whose Images 
 stand on two high Columns at the Entrance 
 of the Alameda ;* having been placed there 
 by that great Gentleman Don Francisco Za- 
 
 * They are still standing in the same Spot. Tr.
 
 34 
 
 pata, Count of Barajas, who did so many 
 eminent Things in Seville. But my Adven- 
 tures of this Night were not yet over; for 
 while I was resting myself there, I heard a 
 very loud Noise at the Back of the Street of 
 Garvancera, in a Place full of Mallows, 
 which grow very high there. The Plants 
 were moving about, without my being able 
 to discover what it was that agitated them ; 
 and it being now late at Night, and the 
 Place dreary and solitary, I did not feel 
 quite comfortable. But going near the Spot 
 with my drawn Sword, I saw nothing but 
 the Motion of the Mallows, and heard a 
 Noise among some Stones that were there. 
 Presently an Adder and a Cat rushed out, 
 fighting together; the Adder endeavouring 
 to wind himself round the Cat's Body, and 
 the Cat sitting up on her hind Legs, and 
 wounding him between the Scales \\ith her 
 Claws.
 
 35 
 
 This Battle lasted for some Time ; but 
 the Adder not being able to resist the 
 Talons of the Cat, returned to hide himself 
 again amongst the Mallows ; and the Cat 
 being nimble, by means of a Spring, got 
 before him ; and, at the same Time taking a 
 good Bite at the Adder's Head, retired before 
 he could follow her ; which he would have 
 done if she had not got away so fast. For, 
 in making the Attempt, he struck that Part 
 of his Back, in which lay all his Strength, 
 against some Stones, which prevented his 
 moving further; and the Cat attacking him 
 again, completed his Destruction. 
 
 I began contemplating the Dexterity of 
 the Cat, observing how certain she was of 
 inflicting her Wound; more so than any 
 other Animal. For which Reason, I was 
 ever after fond of Cats, having till then 
 greatly disliked them. For, though they 
 have not so much Sense, nor so much Affec- 
 tion as Dogs, they prove a great Security
 
 36 
 
 against the Reptiles that we find in our 
 Houses. 
 
 I went to rest that Night, astonished and 
 ashamed of the Deceit which that Sweet- 
 heart of mine had employed so successfully 
 against me. It must have proceeded from 
 the Devil, though certainly not from him 
 that came out of the Well : for that the 
 Meekness exhibited in the Countenance of 
 so handsome a Woman, should otherwise be 
 capable of so vile a Cheat, and that she 
 should give herself up so readily to the Ad- 
 vice of a Villain, is a Thing I cannot bring 
 myself to credit. There is nothing ignoble 
 in a Man suffering himself to be overcome 
 by the Tears of a Woman ; but for her to 
 feign these Tears for a bad Purpose, appears 
 an Abomination. To be vanquished by 
 Beauty is natural ; but for Beauty to yield to 
 Deceit, is contrary to Reason and even to 
 Nature. And that the Mind of a Man who 
 has Courage to face a whole Army, should
 
 37 
 
 let tiself be conquered by a Woman, who 
 runs away at the Sight of a Mouse, is a 
 most astonishing Thing ! GOD preserve me 
 from their Allurements, and guard me from 
 their treacherous Ways ; for these they 
 commonly have, even when void of Passion.
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 One Misfortune brings on another The Persecution 
 of the Squire continues. 
 
 I WAS not in so much Security after what 
 had passed, as not to find it necessary to 
 live with great Circumspection for fear of 
 the Tricks of the aforesaid valiant Gentle- 
 man: for if he was vexed before at my de- 
 priving him of his Laurel, his Revenge must 
 have been increased by my Escape from the 
 Danger he had meditated against me, and 
 for which he had himself paid so clear. In 
 order to render my Life more secure, I 
 availed myself of the Protection afforded 
 me in the House of a great Nobleman ad- 
 joining the Church of All Saints, in the 
 Market Place; for in all my Difficulties
 
 39 
 
 and Misfortunes, it ever proved an Asylum 
 and House of Refuge for me. 
 
 The valiant Gentleman sent me a Chal- 
 lenge by as valiant a Friend of his. Being 
 in the above House, of the Marques del 
 Algarva, Don Luis de Guzman, at the Time 
 this Message was delivered to me, his Ser- 
 vants, who were numerous, very respectable, 
 and my Friends, would not allow me to 
 accept the Challenge ; and on account of 
 the Want of Politeness in him who brought 
 it, by thus shewing his Disrespect to the 
 House, they sent him back to his own with- 
 out a Nose ; giving his Sword, Shield, and 
 Dagger, for a Luncheon, to the Scullions of 
 the Kitchen. 
 
 His Employer laid his Plans so well, 
 (bad Fortune attend him !) that an Alcalde 
 of Justice, a great Enemy of mi no, (Goo 
 knows whether he was deceived or not,) 
 got Information that I had set lire to his 
 Mistress's House, because, on account of a
 
 40 
 
 little Jealousy, he bad shut me up for a 
 few Moments. Though I had always en- 
 deavoured to vanquish him with Politeness, 
 and remove from him all Grounds for that 
 Revenge which he carried in his Bosom ; 
 as his Mind was far from noble, the Kind- 
 ness of Behaviour and Humility I exercised 
 towards him, made no Impression : for low- 
 minded Persons, availing themselves of a 
 favourable Opportunity, endeavour to re- 
 venge themselves on their Adversary in 
 any Way they can, without reflecting whe- 
 ther the Means they adopt be good or 
 bad. But Men of noble Minds, having 
 Vengeance in their Hands, consider it 
 much greater not to use it. This Judge 
 of whom I am speaking, finding that he 
 could indulge his cruel Inclination to injure 
 me by means of the Information my Enemy 
 had given him, immediately began to put his 
 bad Designs in Execution, setting a Catch- 
 poll and Spy to follow my Steps wherever 1
 
 41 
 
 went. I soon came to the Knowledge of this 
 through some Friends of his and of mine : 
 for it was well known that the Alcalde had 
 set me down as criminal in his own Mind, 
 deciding that I was an Incendiary, (as if 
 he had possessed only one Ear, and that 
 had been infected,) and giving out that 
 he would not listen to any Thing that could 
 be said in my Favour. He declared that 
 he would drag me out of the Church, in 
 whatever Part he should find me, the Crime 
 of an Incendiary being of so serious a 
 Nature. 
 
 Justino de Chaves, who now holds the 
 same Office, would not have acted thus ; 
 for he is a most upright Judge ; a Christian, 
 and discreet withal, and of great Considera- 
 tion in all he says and does ; not precipitate 
 or blind in his Determinations ; but very 
 temperate and humane in all his Actions. 
 There are some Judges (though, I trust, but
 
 42 
 
 few) who do not choose to leave a Crime to 
 be judged by the Tribunal of GOD ; but it 
 rather appears as if the Devil made choice 
 of them, in order to execute by their Hands 
 what he cannot do with his own, when they 
 are prevented acting by GOD. 
 
 When I knew that this Judge intended to 
 treat me so tyrannically, I changed my 
 Clothes for a bad old Suit, in which I dis- 
 guised myself, and kept a Spy about his 
 Person, to give me Notice of every Thing 
 that passed ; for I never moved from the 
 Church of All Saints, the Sexton of which 
 was a Friend of mine ; and with him I had 
 agreed what we were to do, if they went 
 thither to seize me. The Spy came to give 
 me Notice of their Intention of putting their 
 Threat in Execution, and that for this En- 
 terprise he was to bring with him a noted 
 Toledan Bully. I swore that the Laugh 
 should go against him, for that he should
 
 43 
 
 carry me on his Shoulders* to my House. 
 He appeared almost immediately after, and 
 came towards the Church with so much 
 Haste, that I had hardly Time to put my 
 Scheme in Execution. I gave the Sexton 
 my Cloak, my Clothes, and my Sword, re- 
 maining in an old dirty Doublet ; and, tying 
 a ragged, bloody Handkerchief round my 
 Head, threw myself down among some poor 
 filthy People, who were begging Alms at 
 the Church Door. They came with great 
 Fury to drag me out of the Church; but the 
 Sexton shut the Door before they arrived, 
 swearing (truly) that there was neither Re- 
 fugee there, nor any one else, except those 
 poor People, who made so much Noise, 
 that nobody could hear Mass ; and if they 
 desired to carry off' any Person who had 
 fled hither for Refuge, he would deliver him 
 
 * There is a Play on the Words here, in the Spanish, 
 " Llevar & cuestas," signifying, to carry at one's Cost, or 
 on one's Shoulders. Tr.
 
 44 
 
 into their Hands, and send these poor Beg- 
 gars away. He then began driving them 
 away, exclaiming : " Some of you People 
 must be Delinquents." And as to me, the 
 Sexton said that I was a Cripple, and unable 
 to move alone; and, whispering the Catch- 
 pole that I was rich, and would reward 
 him for his Trouble, he advised him to carry 
 me Home. This was sufficient to excite his 
 Avarice. While his Master was searching 
 about among the Altars, and the Choir, and 
 the Mats of the Sacristy, I said to him : 
 " I am really very glad that you did not go 
 in there, for that Man whom they are gone 
 in search of, has sworn to kill you, though 
 aware that you are a fine stout Fellow ; but 
 he is such a Devil of a Fellow, that he has 
 now two Catchpoles in Pickle, and he 
 would serve yon in the same Way if he 
 could get hold of you." " I am better off 
 here then," said he. I replied, " Come, let 
 us make Haste, before the Lieutenant sends
 
 45 
 
 for you." And he took the Hint ; for these 
 People, either because they gain nothing; by 
 it, or because they wish to preserve their 
 Lives, in general avoid this sort of Dangers. 
 The Alcalde, as he did not find the Prey he 
 was in search of, and the Sexton had told 
 him that he would give himself up quietly, 
 did not call the Catchpole; who took me 
 up, and carried me all through the Alameda 
 and the Parish of the Duke, as far as the 
 Street of St. Eloy, where my Lodging was 
 situated ; for I encouraged him as we went 
 along, reminding him that besides his being 
 well paid for his Trouble, he was perform- 
 ing a great Act of Charity. Two Acquaint- 
 ances of mine followed close behind us, 
 laughing heartily. He did not dare to ask 
 them why they laughed, until we arrived at 
 a Place where he thought there was no 
 further Danger; and then he said: "Pray, 
 Gentlemen, what are you laughing at ?" They 
 replied with a Smile : " Only at the Burthen
 
 46 
 
 that you are carrying ; for that is the same 
 Man whom you went to drag out of the 
 Church." In the utmost Astonishment he 
 let me fall on the Ground, and I, looking 
 him in the Face, said : " What, did the 
 Rogue expect to rob me of my Money? let 
 him thank me for not letting out his Tripes, 
 whilst he was carrying me on his Shoulders 
 like a St. Christopher." 
 
 While this was going on, the Judge was 
 abusing the Sexton, for not having given me 
 up to him. The Sexton replied, that he had 
 fulfilled his Promise, in giving me over to 
 the Catchpole, who had carried me off on 
 his Back. The By-standers laughed so 
 heartily at the Trick played the Catchpole, 
 who was very famous in his Art, that the 
 Judge lost the Anger which the Cheat had 
 excited, especially when he found what had 
 befallen his Assistant; who, from Shame of 
 the Adventure, held his Peace on the Sub- 
 ject ever after.
 
 47 
 
 I have related this Anecdote, that the 
 Mimstviv of Justice may understand that 
 every Thing will not happen precisely as 
 they wish ; neither should all Delinquents 
 fall into their Hands, and be punished on a 
 mere Accusation, as is sometimes the Case 
 at Seville: nor, on the other Hand, should 
 the accused Person attempt Resistance, 
 which, if once successful, will probably fail 
 thirty Times. Judges should never lose 
 their Respect for Places of publick Worship, 
 lest it should happen to them as it does to the 
 Dogs, who go about seeking for Food, and, 
 though they frequently find something to 
 eat, come one Time or other to be shut up 
 between the two Doors. A Judge ought 
 to proceed with Criminals in such a Man- 
 ner, that it may not appear as if Justice and 
 Vengeance went hand in hand ; but he 
 should do all in his Power to learn the 
 Truth, by hearing both Parties, not con- 
 sidering the Accused guilty, because tin-
 
 48 
 
 Accuser tells him he is so. A passionate 
 Judge should by no means allow his Passion 
 to prevail in a Cause in which he is interest- 
 ed ; for Passion makes the Offences of one's 
 Adversary appear greater than they are. 
 As it is a most difficult Matter to consider 
 those bad who please us, so it is impossible 
 to consider him good whom we dislike ; and 
 he will be but ill able to protect the Autho- 
 rity of the Laws, who is the first to break 
 them himself. 
 
 That Judge must be ashamed of his Con- 
 duct, against whose Sentence an Appeal is 
 made, because it was pronounced with Pre- 
 judice. Offenders ought to make use of all 
 Means, human and divine, rather than re- 
 sist the Law ; and he who makes Resistance 
 on the Ground of being in Favour, deserves 
 to lose the Favour when he most needs it, 
 as it frequently happens. There can be no 
 other sufficient Cause but that of the Wish 
 to save one's Life, which can lead a Man
 
 49 
 
 to the Perpetration of so vile an Offence, 
 which is never committed except by Men 
 who are indifferent about their Life or Ho- 
 nour. Humility towards Officers of Justice, 
 argues Valour and Nobility of Mind, in 
 which consists the Foundation of Peace and 
 Concord. To fly when they pursue us, is not 
 Want of Courage, but an Acknowledgment 
 of their Superiority; and he who is con- 
 siderate amongst them, is rejoiced to observe 
 that the Offender shews his Respect for him 
 by running away, or retiring from him ; and 
 does not wish to pursue, or press him more 
 than he is obliged to do in Justice and 
 Reason. I could not get into the good 
 Graces of this Judge, and therefore resolved 
 (not choosing to resist, or to run away,) to 
 play him the above Trick, which I was con- 
 vinced would take Effect, and go off mer- 
 rily ; and after this, both he and my Enemy 
 discontinued their Persecution. In order, 
 however, to set my Mind at Ease, I deter- 
 
 VOL. II. D
 
 50 
 
 mined to seek the powerful Protection of 
 some Person, under whose Shelter I might 
 remain in Peace. There was in Seville, at 
 that Time, a great Prince, of a noble Fi- 
 gure, with the perfect Behaviour of a Gen- 
 tleman ; of a handsome Countenance, great 
 Mildness of Temper, and consummate Kind- 
 ness of Disposition ; more of an Angel than 
 a Man ; the greatest Friend to good Deeds ; 
 loved and admired by the People of that 
 City, for these, and many other good Quali- 
 ties which shone resplendent in him. He 
 was Nephew of the then Archbishop of 
 Seville, and was known by the Title of 
 Marquess of Denia. I resolved to hit upon 
 some Plan to gain the Favour of this Prince; 
 and conversing with a Friend on the Sub- 
 ject, I said to him: " It is not possible but 
 that I must get into Favour with this great 
 Nobleman." " How will you manage it?" 
 replied he. " Because," said I, " I am so 
 great an Admirer of his Character, that 1
 
 51 
 
 am continually holding forth in praise of his 
 admirable Virtues; and it is not possible 
 but that the Constellation which obliges 
 me to this excessive Admiration, should in- 
 cline towards, and be grateful to me." It 
 happened as I had imagined it would ; for 
 while I was standing in the Orange Court, 
 this great Prince passed by : I resolved to 
 address him in the most courteous Manner 
 that I could. He stopped his Coach, and 
 listened to me with the utmost Compassion, 
 granting me the Favour that I requested of 
 him, and desiring me to call upon him. 
 Having been thus received into his Protec- 
 tion, no other unlucky Accident befell me 
 while I remained at Seville; nor had my 
 Competitors the Hardihood to attempt any 
 Thing further against me. For the Favour 
 of Princes and great Lords, has a wonderful 
 Effect in enabling us to lead a quiet Life in 
 Society, when we shelter ourselves under 
 their Protection, and recline in the Shade 
 D 2
 
 52 
 
 of their Presence : and it is wise to do so, 
 were it only for the Sake of imitating their 
 Manners and Customs, which are greatly 
 superior to those of the ordinary Classes of 
 Life. For, as in the Vegetable Creation, 
 those Trees which are best cultivated, yield 
 a better and more abundant Supply of 
 Fruit ; so among Men, those who are best in- 
 structed, afford a brighter and more perfect 
 Example of Life and Manners; as in the 
 Case of Princes and Noblemen, who are 
 brought up from their Infancy in laudable 
 Habits, without participating in the Igno- 
 rance of the licentious Vulgar. 
 
 Among high-bred Persons of this De- 
 scription we find true Politeness. From 
 observing them, we learn what Claim every 
 Class of Persons in Society has upon us ; 
 in them we perceive a discreet Reserve, 
 a becoming Patience; and the Occasions 
 when it is necessary to lay these aside: 
 for as they associate continually with the
 
 53 
 
 well-informed, their Practice attains a great 
 Degree of Perfection. Those who avoid 
 the Company of Persons of high Birth, 
 cannot be thoroughly aware what true No- 
 bility is ; since it consists in Practice and 
 not in Theory.
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 The Reader is introduced to some zcitty Natives of 
 Portugal. 
 
 I REMAINED some Time at Seville, pass- 
 ing the Days and Nights in Quarrels and 
 Strife ; the Effect of Idleness ; that Hoot 
 of Vice, and Tomb of Virtue! 
 
 I now looked into my Heart, and found 
 that I was far behind my Professions : for 
 in the midst of Idleness, we not only 
 forget to work, but create a Habit ex- 
 tremely difficult to break. He that accus- 
 toms himself to Idleness, is long recovering, 
 or perhaps never recovers the bad Conse- 
 quences of it. Idleness consumes Life in 
 four Ways : in Sleeping more than is ne- 
 cessary ; Eating out of Season; in coveting 
 Quiet, and yet losing it by murmuring at 
 vcrv Occurrence.
 
 55 
 
 My Heart weeps Drops of Blood when I 
 see the great Talents of valiant Captains, 
 and most learned Men, subdued by so des- 
 picable a Vice as Idleness. 
 
 The Idle Man complains of his Unhappi- 
 ness, and repines at the Happiness of him 
 who, by great Diligence, has vanquished 
 the Waywardness of his Fortune. He is 
 unvious of the Advantages which he might 
 have obtained by the same Means. 
 
 The Idler never eats with Pleasure, sleeps 
 in Quiet, nor finds the Sweets of Repose; 
 for Listlessness becomes the Executioner 
 and Scourge of Idleness. 
 
 I determined to separate myself from this 
 slothful Vice which molested me in Seville; 
 and to this End resolved to go into Italy, in 
 the Service of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, 
 who was about to send several of his Ser- 
 vants to Milan, in an Argosie Galleon. Ha- 
 ving obtained this good Situation, I remained 
 in Seville till the Time of our Departure
 
 56 
 
 should arrive. During this Interval, some 
 of those Portugueze came to Seville, who 
 had been found in Africa, after that unfor- 
 tunate Conflict of King Sebastian, many of 
 them having been ransomed by Philip the 
 Second. I cultivated a Friendship with 
 some of them ; and as they have so much 
 Quickness and Sharpness of Wit, I passed 
 many agreeable Moments with them. A 
 Portuguese Gentleman, a Friend of mine, 
 was getting himself shaved one Day, by a 
 Journeyman Barber, who, with a clumsy 
 Hand and a worse Razor, executed his 
 Work so ill, that he took off some of the 
 Skin with the Beard. The Portuguese 
 raised up his Head, and said : " Mr. Bar- 
 ber ; if your Object is to flay me, I give you 
 Credit for doing it with a great deal of 
 Ease ; but if you are shaving me, you do it 
 very ill." A Friend of mine was standing 
 with me at the Door of a Church, which 
 tliev call All Saints, when a Portiiffueze 
 
 v ' O
 
 57 
 
 Nobleman passed by with six Pages and 
 two Footmen very well dressed in the Cas- 
 tilian Style ; and on his taking off his Cap 
 to the Church, we took off ours to him, out 
 of Civility. He turned back, apparently af- 
 fronted, and said to me : " Mr. Castilian, I 
 beg to tell you, that I did not pull off my 
 Cap to you, but to the most Holy Sacra- 
 ment." " I can only say, Sir," replied I, 
 " that my Compliment was paid to you" 
 He felt Compunction at this Reply, and 
 then added : " Well then, Mr. Castilian, 
 I pulled off my Cap to you." A Portugueze 
 was walking with a Castilian in the Street 
 of Atambor ; and as the Portugueze was 
 spying about at the Windows to see the 
 Ladies, he did not observe a Hole in the 
 Ground, which threw him down flat on his 
 Face. The Castilian said : " GOD help 
 you! (or preserve you from Danger)." " He 
 cannot now," replied the Portugueze. Three 
 Castilians were playing at Primera with one
 
 58 
 
 Portugueze, and he took them in most cle- 
 verly; for when they dealt him Fifty-five, 
 he muttered to himself, as if despising his 
 Cards, but so that they could hear him, 
 " The Age of Mahomet." The others, who 
 had good Hands, and saw him pass, wished 
 him to double his Stake. He accepted it, 
 and one of them throwing down Fifty, and 
 the rest whatever they had in their Hands, 
 the Portugueze produced his Fifty-five Points, 
 and took the Stake. " Pray," said one of 
 the three, "why did you say you had the 
 Years of Mahomet, which were Forty-eight, 
 when you had Fifty-five Points ?" " I 
 thought," said the Portugueze, " that Ma- 
 homet had been older." 
 
 I could relate many other excellent Tales 
 and Specimens of the Wit of these People ; 
 but, to avoid Prolixity, I will omit them. 
 
 A most destructive Pestilence broke out 
 at this Time in Seville ; and an Order was 
 issued by the Police of the City, for all the
 
 59 
 
 Dogs and Cats to be destroyed, lest they 
 should carry the Disease about from House 
 to House. 
 
 With the Hope of saving my Life, I re- 
 moved to a House of the Duke of Medina 
 Sidonia's, at San Lucar, whither I went by 
 the River Guadalquivir ; and such was the 
 Abundance of dead Dogs and Cats floating 
 on the Surface, that the Vessel was some- 
 times actually retarded by them ; so that 
 we found it necessary to cross over to the 
 other Side.
 
 60 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Marcos embarks at San Lucar After encountering 
 many Dangers, he arrives at Cabrera. 
 
 embarked soon after our Arrival at San 
 Lucar ; passing through the Straits of Gi- 
 braltar, which in one Part appeared so nar- 
 row, that one might, by stretching out one's 
 Hands, touch both Sides at once. We be- 
 held the Rock, memorable for its Antiquity, 
 but more memorable on account of the 
 Watchman, or Centinel, who was stationed 
 there at that Period, and for many Years 
 after, and whose Sight was so incredibly 
 clear, that during all the Time he held the 
 Situation, the Coast of Andalucia never re- 
 ceived any Injury from the Frontiers of 
 Tetuan. For whenever they prepared any 
 tallies for Sea on the African Side, he ob- 
 served them from the Summit of this lofty
 
 61 
 
 Rock, and immediately lighted Torches, or 
 raised a Blaze, as a Signal of their Approach. 
 I am Witness that one Day when some 
 Gentlemen of Ronda and of Gibraltar were 
 standing together on the Top of the Rock, 
 Martin Lopez the Watchman said to them : 
 " To-morrow at Nightfall we shall have an 
 Alarm, for they are arming Galliots in the 
 Tetuan River ;" the Distance being more 
 that twenty Leagues. And, however much 
 they may extol the extraordinary Powers of 
 Vision possessed by the Lynx, (which was a 
 Man, and not an Animal as some suppose,) 
 yet I am persuaded they did not exceed 
 those of Martin Lopez ; for the Corsairs 
 feared him more than the Force sent against 
 them. I wish here to make a cursory Re- 
 mark on an Opinion, prevalent among Per- 
 sons who are not much given to Reading, 
 who are deceived in imagining that what are 
 called the Pillars of Hercules, are two Co- 
 lumns which Hercules himself placed in the
 
 62 
 
 Straits of Gibraltar. And another ridicu- 
 lous Tale is, that they are those which were 
 afterwards placed in the Alameda at Seville, 
 by Don Francisco Zapata, the first Count of 
 Barajas. But the truth is, that these two 
 Pillars are, the Rock of Gibraltar, (so high 
 that it makes the loftiest Ships which pass 
 near it, appear diminutive), and another 
 very lofty Hill in Africa ; one corresponding 
 to the other. Pomponius Mala, de Situ 
 Orbis, describes it in the same Manner. 
 To return to my Story : we passed within 
 Sight of Marbella, Malaga, Carthagena, and 
 Alicant, until, launching out into the open 
 Sea, we arrived at the Balearic Islands; but 
 were not allowed to land there, on account 
 of the bad Reports of the Plague in the 
 Part of the country from whence we came ; 
 and at Majorca they went so far as to point 
 three or four Guns at us. The Wind failing, 
 we continued standing on and off on that 
 Part of the Coast, until we distinguished
 
 63 
 
 fifteen lighted Torches, which alarmed 
 us not a little ; for when the News spread 
 itself in Algiers, of the Riches on board the 
 Galleon of so great a Prince, fifteen Corsair 
 Galliots were sent out in pursuit of us, com- 
 mitting many Ravages on all the Coast; 
 and they would have acted in the same Way 
 towards us, had GOD permitted the Winds to 
 favour them. With this Intelligence, afford- 
 ed us by the Signal Towers, we put out to 
 Sea, fortifying our upper Works, and the 
 other exposed Parts of the Vessel, with 
 Sacks of Wool, and other Things which had 
 been brought for the Purpose. The several 
 Posts were allotted as the Captains and old 
 Soldiers belonging to the Galleon thought 
 best. Every thing being now arranged, we 
 waited for the Galliots, which were seen ad- 
 vancing in the Form of a Crescent ; and, as 
 the Wind failed us, they advanced upon us, 
 rowing lustily with their Oars, and soon ar- 
 rived so near us, that we could reach them
 
 64 
 
 with our Guns. Being determined to die, 
 or to send them to the Bottom, our Galleon 
 fired two Shots at them with so good an 
 Aim, that one of the fifteen Galliots disap- 
 peared ; and a strong favourable Breeze 
 springing up at the same Moment, we soon 
 lost Sight of the Remainder. The Wind 
 increased with so much Violence, that it 
 carried away our Fore-mast, and made great 
 Havock amongst the Sails and Rigging; 
 continuing to blow with such Fury, that in 
 less than twelve Hours we found ourselves 
 near the City of Frejus in France ; and there 
 a contrary Wind taking us suddenly aback, 
 we gave ourselves up for lost, and were then 
 driven the contrary Way, with the same Ve- 
 locity with which we had advanced. The 
 Galleon was a fine Sailer, and strong enough 
 to save us from Destruction ; and by means 
 of the Fore-sail only, we were able to make 
 head, relying on the Strength of the Vessel. 
 On the third Day of the Storm the Timbers
 
 65 
 
 about the Poop began to start, and to creak 
 like the groaning of a Person in Distress. 
 The Sailors became alarmed at this, and de- 
 termined to escape from us secretly, in the 
 Boat which was hanging astern. But the Sol- 
 diers who were not sea-sick, perceiving their 
 Design, prevented it. As we were all now 
 convinced of our Danger, we determined, 
 every Man, to confess and to recommend 
 himself to GOD : but on going, for this Pur- 
 pose, to two Friars who were on Board with 
 us, they were so sick that they vomited over 
 us ; and as the Waves inclined the Vessel 
 first to one Side, and then to the other, those 
 to Windward rolled over those to Leeward, 
 and these back again on them. 
 
 There was a Monkey on Board, which 
 continued leaping from one Mast to another, 
 and climbing about on the Rigging, till at 
 last a prodigious Wave washed over the 
 Vessel, carrying off the Monkey with great 
 Violence, and leaving us all well soused in
 
 66 
 
 Water. The poor Monkey remained floating 
 for a long Time, crying out for Help, which 
 at last he obtained. The Sailors had too a 
 Parrot, which was kept a close Prisoner in 
 one of the Tops, continually crying out : 
 " How dost thou do, Parrot? Like a cap- 
 tive Dog, Dog, Dog!" And he never said 
 it with more Truth than at this Time. 
 
 GOD carried us back a second Time to 
 the Neighbourhood of Majorca, to an Island 
 called Cabrera; and on doubling a Point, 
 just as we began to indulge some Hopes, we 
 were met by Mountains of Waves, which 
 drove us out to Sea again, and placed us in 
 the same deplorable Situation from which 
 we had expected to extricate ourselves. 
 
 Some of the Sailors having drunk too 
 freely, threw themselves down to sleep near 
 the Cooking-place. A strong Gust of Wind 
 blew some of the Fire over them, singeing 
 the Flesh of one, and the Beard of another ; 
 and taking from all, their Inclination to
 
 67 
 
 sleep, and the Heaviness that the Wine had 
 occasioned. My Life too, was exposed to 
 great Danger; for before the Fore-mast \vas 
 carried away, my Companions and I had 
 fastened a Mattress, on which we were lying, 
 to the Fore-mast, in order to secure it from 
 the Effect of the Wind, and when the Mast 
 went overboard, it tore away the Mattress, 
 and every Person about it, I remained 
 clinging by a Rope on the Outside of the 
 Galleon ; and if they had not come speedily 
 to my Assistance, I must have gone to tho 
 Bottom : or, if the Mast had given way four 
 Inches lower down, we should have been 
 canted up to the Clouds with the Violence 
 of the Shock. All, or the greater Part of 
 the Sailors, became Sea-sick. We had no 
 Discipline, although there was among the 
 Crew an active Mate, with a large Beard that 
 extended down to his W T aist, of which he 
 was very proud. Ascending by the Rig- 
 ging to the Top, to secure his Parrot, the
 
 68 
 
 Force of the Wind disunited his Beard, 
 which he usually wore plaited ; and twist- 
 ing itself about one of the Ropes, he was 
 seen hanging aloft by his Beard, like Absa- 
 lom of old, suspended by the Hairs of his 
 Head. But catching hold of the Yard like 
 an experienced Seaman, he could not get 
 loose, and would have perished, if another 
 Sailor had not gone up by the same Rigging, 
 and cut oflfhis Beard, which he left entwined 
 as it was among the Ropes; and, by this 
 Man's Assistance, he was brought down 
 alive, though greatly ashamed at being seen 
 without his Beard. 
 
 We returned to our Labours, and managed 
 as well as we could against the Wind, the 
 Vessel creaking as before ; and we entered 
 the Port of Cabrera, a small desert Island , 
 without Inhabitants, or any Communication 
 except with Majorca, where they carry over 
 Provisions for four or five Persons, who 
 guard the highly-situated .strong Castle on
 
 69 
 
 the Summit of it, of which Possession is 
 kept rather to prevent the Turks from occu- 
 pying it, than for any Use they make of it. 
 
 The Major-Domo or Steward who was 
 placed over the Duke's Servants had been 
 Sea-sick all this Time; and the first Thing 
 he did on his Recovery, was to examine into 
 the State of the several Articles of which 
 he had Charge ; and finding that several 
 Loaves of Sugar were missing, he said : " I 
 shall know presently who has eaten them, 
 (if they have been eaten.)" And so it proved ; 
 for having devoured large Quantities of the 
 Sugar, it affected their Bowels so violently, 
 that they did not get the better of it again 
 for a Fortnight. 
 
 We did not see the Face of the Mate for 
 a Length of Time on account of the Loss he 
 had sustained. In Greece a Beard equal in 
 Length to a Horse's Tail, on the Chin of a 
 Man, would have entitled the Wearer to 
 great Distinction.
 
 71 
 
 This Island is from six to seven Leagues 
 in Circumference, covered with Stones, a 
 very small Proportion of Earth, and that 
 without Trees, except a few Shrubs which 
 do not grow higher than one's Waist. 
 One finds there some large black Lizards, 
 which do not fly from Human Beings ; and 
 very few Birds ; for as there is no Water in 
 which they can cool themselves, they never 
 remain there for any Length of Time.
 
 70 
 
 At last we found an Asylum in this little 
 Island ; for as they had not had any recent 
 Communication with Majorca, they were not 
 aware that we had come from an infected 
 Part of the Country ; and even if they 
 had known it, they would have received 
 us, merely for the Pleasure of conversing 
 with Human Beings ; they being so situated 
 themselves as to prevent their seeing any 
 Thing but the deafening Waves that are 
 constantly beating against the Rocks, on 
 which the Castle is built. We remained 
 there fifteen or twenty Days, or more, con- 
 structing new Masts, repairing our Rigging, 
 and mending our Sails. During this Period 
 (in the Months of May and June,) we suffered 
 greatly from the Heat, not finding a Spot in 
 the whole Island where to shelter ourselves 
 from the powerful Effects of the Sun, nor a 
 cooling Fountain, except the Cistern out of 
 which the poor Prisoners were accustomed 
 to drink.
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 The Squire makes a new Acquaintance, not quite to his 
 Satisfaction His new Friend persuades him to ac- 
 company him to Africa, instead of pursuing his 
 Course towards Italy. 
 
 AS the Heat was so excessive, and I am 
 of so warm a Temperament, I invited a 
 Friend to accompany me, and we set out to- 
 gether, jumping from Rock to Rock, in 
 quest of some Spot where, either by Shade 
 or Moisture, we might comfort ourselves 
 after our tedious Voyage and past Labours; 
 for indeed we were in great Want of some 
 Refreshment. 
 
 While we were occupied in this Pursuit ; 
 astonished as we passed along at beholding 
 the Niggardliness of Nature, in leaving 
 that Place in so horrible a State of Sterility, 
 there came a Breeze of Air, wafting such a
 
 73 
 
 celestial Odour of Aromaticks, that it ap- 
 peared as if sent by GOD for Comfort and 
 Consolation under our Fatigues. I turned 
 my Face towards the East, from whence the 
 fragrant Perfume had come, and observed 
 in the Midst of those sterile Rocks, a deli- 
 cious verdant Spot ; for we saw, a long Way 
 off, the Flowers of the aromatick Shrubs, 
 as large and odoriferous as they are in An- 
 dalucia. We now pursued our Course, 
 skipping over the rocky Ground like two 
 Goats, and arrived at a Cave, at the Mouth 
 of which these delicious Shrubs of celestial 
 Odour were growing. And although the 
 Entrance was narrow, it appeared much 
 more spacious below, distilling from above 
 such delightful cool Water, that we were 
 induced to send to the Galleon for Rope^, 
 that we might lower ourselves down, and 
 enjoy the Pleasure of the cooling Shade. 
 
 We descended, though not without Diffi- 
 culty, and found below, a cool agreeable 
 
 VOL. II. E
 
 74 
 
 Apartment. For the Water that filtered 
 through, formed itself into a thousand Shapes, 
 making a great Variety of extraordinary 
 Figures in all the Perfection of Nature. 
 There were Organs, Figures of Patriarchs, 
 Rabbits, and many other Things, which were 
 wonderfully formed by the continual falling 
 of the Water. This Distillation united itself 
 below to a small Brook, that, running among 
 fine red Sand, invited us to drink, which we 
 did with the greatest imaginable Satisfac- 
 tion. It was altogether an enchanting Spot ; 
 for if we looked up, we saw the Mouth 
 of the Cave covered with the Flowers of 
 the aromatick Shrubs, which hung down 
 through the Opening, scattering a more than 
 terrestrial Fragrance throughout the Cave; 
 if we cast our Eyes below, in the Part where 
 we were, we beheld the Water cool, and even 
 rold ; and Seats cut in the Rock, in which 
 we could repose ourselves during the exces- 
 sive Ilrat, with Space enough besides to
 
 walk about in. We sent for our Dinner, and 
 a Guitar ; with which we amused ourselves 
 very contentedly, singing and playing like the 
 Children of Israel during their Expatriation. 
 \Ve went at Night to sleep at the Castle, 
 though there was always a Guard stationed 
 in the Galleon. We told the Keeper of the 
 Castle, of the Manner in which we had dis- 
 covered the Cave. He was a Man of a 
 frightful Aspect, with inflamed Eyes, of few 
 Words, and an austere Countenance; and 
 they said of him that he had been the Chief 
 of a Band of Robbers, and for this Reason 
 he was kept in this Castle to guard it. He 
 answered us in very broad Catalan Dialect: 
 " Take care of yourselves, for the Turks are 
 also acquainted with that Cave." This 
 Warning did not prevent our going every 
 Day to visit that delightful Retirement, dining 
 and taking our Siesta there. We did this 
 for ten or twelve successive Days. But 
 having dined there one Day, while we were 
 E 2
 
 76 
 
 reposing after it, some Red Turbans and 
 White Mantles shewed themselves at the 
 Mouth of the Cave. We jumped up, and 
 the Moment they observed us, (for they 
 were advancing carelessly before,) one of 
 them said, in the Castilian Tongue, very 
 clearly and well pronounced: " Surrender, 
 Dogs !" My Companions remained asto- 
 nished at hearing the Spanish Language 
 under a Moorish Turban ; and one of them 
 said, "They must be the People of our 
 Galleon, who are come to play us a Trick." 
 Another Turk spoke and said: " Surrender 
 quickly, or you are dead Men." My three 
 Companions put their Hands to their 
 Swords, with the Intention of defending 
 themselves. I said to them : " What Good 
 ran our Defence produce, when they have 
 the Power of overwhelming us with Stones, 
 without making use of the Muskets that we 
 see in their Hands?" And I cried out to 
 those above: " I give myself up to him who
 
 77 
 
 spoke Spanish. Pray come down and re- 
 fresh yourselves ; or, if you prefer it, we will 
 carry Water up to you, for we are your 
 Slaves." " That is not necessary," said the 
 Turk-Spaniard ; "for we are coming clown." 
 We prayed inwardly to GOD that our Com- 
 panions in the Galleon might come to a 
 Knowledge of our Misfortune, in order to 
 remedy it. 
 
 My Comrades were very sorrowful, and I 
 resigned to my Fate : for in all the Variety 
 of Mischances that befall Men, there is no 
 Remedy so good as Patience. As I pos- 
 sessed it, I put a good Face upon the Mat- 
 ter, though suffering that Distress which 
 every one must feel, who, having been always 
 free, commences a Life of Slavery. It be- 
 hoves us to vanquish bad Fortune by a good 
 Spirit. There is not a more unhappy Being 
 than he who, having been always happy, is 
 visited by any great Calamity. I observed 
 to my Companions, that in order to estimate 
 E 3
 
 78 
 
 the Good Things of Life, it was necessary to 
 experience some of the Evils ; advising them 
 to support themselves patiently under this 
 Affliction, as they would thereby lessen its 
 Weight. 
 
 I prepared to receive the Turks, who 
 were now descending, with a good Coun- 
 tenance; and, approaching him that spoke 
 Spanish, with marked Submission and Hu- 
 mility of Demeanour, addressed him as a 
 Gentleman of high Rank, and gave him to 
 understand that I had known him before; 
 with which he was much pleased, and told 
 the Turks, his Companions, that I had 
 known him as a Nobleman and chief Per- 
 sonage. For I learnt afterwards that he 
 was one of the Descendants of Moors, the 
 most esteemed in the Kingdom of Valencia, 
 and that he had become a Renegado, carry- 
 ing offa pretty handsome Load of Gold and 
 Silver. Finding that the Flattery I had 
 used, in calling him a Gentleman and a
 
 79 
 
 Nobleman, took Effect, I went on talking 
 more and more Nonsense to him in the same 
 Strain; for he had come thither as Chief of 
 two Galliots of his own, (which had remained 
 of the fifteen,) and which, for the want of a 
 fair Breeze, still lay concealed in a little 
 Creek ; from whence they carried us away 
 hand-cuffed, that same Day ; and as he 
 found that 1 played on the Guitar, my 
 Master took me aside, and said to me in a 
 low Voice : " Go on conducting yourself as 
 you have begun, for I am Chief in these 
 Galliots; it will be advantageous to my 
 Reputation, and may procure you better 
 Treatment." I attended carefully to this 
 Hint, and explained to the People, when he 
 was out of the Way, that he belonged to a 
 noble and principal Family. 
 
 Our Fortune was so far from good, that we 
 had fine Weather presently; and, directing 
 our Course towards Algiers, we sailed on 
 before the Wind, without making 1 any use of
 
 80 
 
 our Oars. They stripped us of our Spanish 
 Clothes, and gave us, instead of them, some 
 miserable Dresses, such as are worn by 
 Galley Slaves ; in which Capacity my Com- 
 panions were to serve, the Captain keeping 
 me to attend on himself. 
 
 Not wishing to remain silent, while we 
 were so agreeably wafted along by the gentle 
 Breeze, my Master began a Conversation by 
 asking me my Name ; who I was ; and of 
 what Profession. To the first, I replied that 
 my Name was Marcos de Obregon, a Son of 
 Mountaineers, in the Valley of Cayon. The 
 Attention of the rest being occupied in 
 listening to a Moor, who was singing with a 
 reat deal of Taste, they could not hear our 
 Conversation ; and therefore I ventured, be- 
 fore I replied to his Questions at greater 
 Length, to ask him whether he was a Chris- 
 lian, or the Son of Christian Parents? For 
 his Person and Figure, and the Beauty of a 
 young Son he had with him, made me con-
 
 81 
 
 jecture that they were Spaniards. He an- 
 swered me very willingly : in the first place, 
 because the Subject was Christianity; and 
 in the second, because the other People con- 
 tinued still attentive to the young Musician. 
 He therefore told me that he had been bap- 
 tized, and was a Son of Christian Parents, 
 and that his Removal to Algiers did not 
 proceed from any Disrespect to his Religion, 
 which he well knew was the true one, by 
 which our Souls would be saved : "But," said 
 he, " I was born with the Feelings and Spirit 
 of a Spaniard, and I could not endure the In- 
 sults which I received every Day from Per- 
 sons greatly my Inferiours, nor the Frauds 
 which they practised on my Person and Pro- 
 perty, (which was not small,) feeling that I 
 was a Descendant from an ancient Christian 
 Family." By the same Motives are all those 
 influenced who pass over every Day, not 
 only from the Kingdom of Valencia, (which 
 is my Country), but from that of Granada,
 
 82 
 
 and all other Parts of Spain. I, like all the 
 rest, was much hurt at not being advanced 
 to the Dignity and Office of Magistrate, and 
 to other superior Honours; and vexed at 
 finding that this Degradation was to last for 
 ever; and that, to remove so great an Injury, 
 it was not sufficient to profess the Christian 
 Religion sincerely, and to act up to one's 
 Professions. To see that a Man without 
 Birth, inherited or acquired Talents, who 
 had raised himself two Inches above the 
 Dirt, should presume to bestow infamous 
 Appellations on a real Christian and Gen- 
 tleman ; and above all to observe how dis- 
 tant appeared the Remedy for all these 
 Evils What have you to say to all this?" 
 " In the first place," replied I, " that the 
 Church has considered the Subject with a 
 great deal of Wisdom ; and in the next, that 
 he who has Faith in Baptism, ought never to 
 relinquish it; nor suffer himself, by any Mis- 
 fortunes or Troubles that may come upon
 
 83 
 
 him, to be intimidated into an Abandonment 
 of it." "All this I am ready to acknowledge,' 
 said the Moor ; " but what human Patience 
 can enable one to endure, that a low Fellow 
 without Birth or Talents, whose Lineage 
 being quite obscure, forgets his Origin in 
 Society, and loses all Recollection of his 
 past Situation that such an Animal as this 
 should become intoxicated with his good 
 Fortune, and set himself above Men of much 
 greater Worth and Talents than his own?" 
 " As to all this," said I, " GOD being the 
 true Judge ; if he permits us to be injured 
 here, he will not deny us our Reward here- 
 after. The Injury does not proceed from 
 the Statutes of the Church, but from the ma- 
 licious Construction put upon them by those 
 who are envious of the Fame of worthier Per- 
 sons than themselves." " Those Persons," 
 said the Moor, " being devoid of Merit, 
 take Occasion to interpret the Statutes ac- 
 cording to their wicked Intentions ; not to
 
 84 
 
 strengthen them, nor to serve GOD, or the 
 Church thereby ; but, as the Saying is, to 
 set themselves above their Superiors." " The 
 Church," said I, " does not make Statutes 
 to encourage us to take away the Honour 
 of our Neighbours, but that Religion may 
 be employed to the greatest possible Ad- 
 vantage." 
 
 I was about to proceed; but the young 
 Moor having left off singing, my Master de- 
 sired me to be silent ; and again putting his 
 first Questions, I replied to all in a few 
 Words, saying: u I am a Mountaineer from 
 the Neighbourhood of Santander, in the 
 Valley of Cayon, though I was born in An- 
 dalucia. My Name is Marcos de Obregon, 
 and I am not of any Trade ; for in Spain 
 Gentlemen do not learn Trades ; preferring 
 rather to suffer Want, or to go to Service, to 
 engaging in Trade : for the Nobility of the 
 Mountains was acquired by the Profession 
 of Arms, and by the Services rendered to
 
 85 
 
 the Crown ; and therefore they do not wish 
 to blot their Escutcheons by engaging in 
 low Trades, but choose rather to sup- 
 port themselves on the little they have, 
 living in the poorest Way possible, but pre- 
 serving their Laws of Chivalry, and going 
 about in ragged Gloves and Stockings." 
 " I will take care," said my Master, " that 
 you shall know some Trade or another." 
 One of my Companions, who had been sent 
 to the Oar, then exclaimed : " At all Events 
 that shall not be my Case, nor shall it be 
 said in Spain, that a Gentleman of the 
 House of Mantillas practised a Trade in 
 Algiers." " What, you Dog!" said my 
 Master, " are you at the Oar, and do you 
 talk of these Vanities? Give this Gentleman 
 fifty Blows." " I iutreat, Sir," said I, " that 
 you will pardon his Ignorance and Folly ; 
 for he knows no better ; neither is lie a Gen- 
 tleman, only in his own Estimation, for he 
 does not so much as know how to act as
 
 86 
 
 one ; but by saying that he is so, he hopes 
 to eat and drink without working : and he 
 is not the first Vagabond that they have had 
 in that House, if he does belong to it." 
 And then I added, addressing myself to 
 him: "How now, Barbarian? are we in a 
 state to refuse doing what we are ordered? 
 Now is the Time for us to learn to be hum- 
 ble ; for Obedience confines our Will to the 
 Pleasure of another; the subordinate Will 
 can have no Choice. From the Moment 
 that a Man loses his Liberty, he is no longer 
 Master of his Actions ; he has only one 
 Remedy by which to make himself a little 
 free ; which is, to exercise his Patience and 
 Humility, and not to hope to avoid that by 
 Force, which perforce must be done : if we 
 do not presently begin to exercise a Habit 
 of Patience, we shall be compelled to make 
 a Habit of Punishment. To obey a Supe- 
 rior cheerfully, is in some Measure to make 
 him our Slave As Humility engenders Love,
 
 87 
 
 so does Pride engender Hatred. The Es- 
 timation in which a Slave is held, must arise 
 from the Pleasure of his Master, and this 
 may be acquired by a good-natured Hu- 
 mility. We are Slaves here ; and if we hum- 
 ble ourselves to perform our Duty, they will 
 treat us as free Men, and not as Slaves." 
 " Oh ! how well you talk !" said my Master; 
 " and what Satisfaction it affords me to 
 have met with you, that you may become 
 my Son's Tutor: for not having hitherto 
 met with such a Christian as you, I have 
 not provided one for him. In our Part of 
 the World, there is no one who knows how 
 to give the Instruction taught amongst 
 Christians to young Children." " He is, in 
 truth," said I, " such a fine young Creature, 
 that it would be necessary for me to possess 
 great Worth and Information, to educate 
 him as he deserves ; but, though so hand- 
 some and graceful, there is one Thing want- 
 ing in him." The other Moors were atten-
 
 88 
 
 tive to what was passing, and said to his Fa- 
 ther : " What is this that he is deficient in?' y 
 I answered : " That which his Father can 
 spare." " What is there that I can spare?" 
 said the Father. " Baptism !" replied I, 
 " which is of no use to you/' He ran to 
 fetch a Cudgel to beat me with, and at the 
 same Moment I seized hold of the Boy to 
 defend myself against him. The Cudgel 
 fell from his Hands, at which they all 
 laughed ; and the Rage of the Father was 
 moderated, which would not have been the 
 Case if he had discharged the Blow upon 
 his Son. He pretended to be very angry, 
 in order to deceive his Companions and the 
 Soldiers; for they all considered him sin- 
 cerely attached to the Doggish or Turkish 
 Religion ; though / was satisfied, from the 
 little Intercourse I had held with him, that 
 lie was inclined to return to the true Catho- 
 lick Faith. " Why, do you think/' said he, 
 1 (-atne from Spain to Algiers, but to de-
 
 89 
 
 .stroy all these Fancies, as I have hitherto 
 done to the utmost of my Power, and will 
 do yet more effectually ?" When they found 
 that he was enraged, they were desirous I 
 should be sent to the Oar: but he said: 
 " Let him alone, for every one is bound to 
 stand up for his Religion ; and this Man, 
 when he becomes a Mahometan, will act in 
 the same Way." " Yes," said I, " I will, 
 but I am not become so yet :" and, in order 
 to appease his Anger more, he desired me 
 to take the Guitar which we had brought 
 out of the Cave. I did so ; and it recalled 
 to my Mind the Song of the Children of 
 Israel when they were in Captivity. They 
 pursued their Course very joyfully, with the 
 Wind right aft, while I sang to my Guitar, 
 without our experiencing any Change of 
 Wind, or any Alarm of any Enemy, until 
 we discovered the Towers on the Coast of 
 Algiers, and prseently after the City itself;
 
 90 
 
 and as the Inhabitants had given them up 
 for lost, they shewed great Demonstrations 
 of Joy when they found that the Galliots of 
 the Renegado were returning. 
 
 On their Arrival at the Port, they were 
 received with great Tokens of Satisfaction, 
 particularly as they brought in a Prize. A 
 loud Shouting was heard, and the Sound of 
 Moorish Flutes, together with the other 
 Kinds of Instruments they are accustomed 
 to use, and which serve more to create Con- 
 fusion and Tumult, than to gratify the Ear 
 with their agreeable Melody. 
 
 The Wife and Daughter of the Chief 
 came down to receive him. The Daughter 
 had the Air and Grace of a Spaniard, with 
 a white and red Complexion, and fine blue * 
 Eyes ; and really she appeared more like 
 one born in France, than brought up in 
 
 * In the Spanish " bellos ojos verdes," fine green 
 Eyes, which I have ventured to change into blue. Tr.
 
 91 
 
 Algiers ; her Nose inclining to aquiline, of 
 a cheerful and very agreeable Countenance, 
 and altogether very handsome. 
 
 The Renegado, who was a sensible Man, 
 taught all his Children the Spanish Lan- 
 guage, in which his Daughter now addressed 
 him with great Tenderness ; and Tears 
 flowed down her rosy Cheeks, Pleasure 
 drawing them from her Heart, and produ- 
 cing the same Effect as if she had heard 
 bad News. 
 
 I made a lowly Obedience, first to the 
 Daughter, then to the Mother ; for Nature 
 inclined me towards the former with great 
 Violence. I then said to my Master : " I 
 consider my Captivity, Sir, as a great Piece 
 of good Fortune, since, besides having 
 fallen into the Hands of so great a Noble- 
 man, it has brought me to be the Slave of 
 such a Daughter, and such a Wife, who 
 more resemble Angels than Creatures of 
 this lower World." " Ah ! my Father,"
 
 said the young Girl, " how polite these 
 Spaniards are !" " They are capable," said 
 the Father, " of teaching Politeness to all 
 the Nations of the World ; and this Slave 
 in a greater Degree, for he is a Gentleman 
 of a noble Biscayan Family, and very dis- 
 creet withall." " And how is it," said the 
 Daughter, " that he wears these old shabby 
 Clothes ? Do let him dress in the Spanish 
 Style." " This shall all be done," replied 
 the Father; " but now that we have re- 
 turned safe and free, let us repose after the 
 Fatigues of our Voyage/'
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Marcos gives an Account of his Captivity, and relates 
 certain Circumstances which render it somewhat 
 palatable. 
 
 I FOUND a very agreeable Protection in 
 the Mother and Daughter, but much more 
 in the Daughter ; for as she had heard her 
 Father say a great deal in favour of Spain, 
 (and that which is absent is always most 
 desired,) she was anxious in the extreme to 
 see any Thing that belonged to Spain, and 
 especially its Inhabitants ; for Nature had 
 pointed out that Road to her. They were 
 more kind to me than to the rest of the 
 Slaves : but I served with more Good-will 
 than the others, as well from what I had 
 seen of the World, as because I was not 
 very unwilling to visit Algiers, that I might 
 fall in with a Brother of mine, who was in
 
 94 
 
 Captivity there : and it was fortunate that 
 before I made Inquiries after him, I learnt 
 by Accident that he had excited some other 
 Slaves to join him, and, taking a Boat, (after 
 killing the Owners of it,) they gave them- 
 selves up to Fortune, or rather to the Will 
 of GOD, and, the Hearts of his Companions 
 failing them, he put his Design in Execu- 
 tion, and succeeded so well, that he came 
 to Spain, and afterwards died at Jatelet ; 
 and if they had known that I was his Bro- 
 ther, perhaps it might not have fared so well 
 with me. I served my Employers with the 
 greatest Pleasure and Diligence that I was 
 capable of; and my Services were more grate- 
 ful to them than those of the other Captives, 
 because I made a Virtue of Necessity; and 
 having gained their Good-will at first, it 
 was not difficult to preserve it afterwards. 
 I treated them with great Respect and 
 Courtesy, sacrificing my own Will, and 
 forcing it to that to which it was not in-
 
 95 
 
 cliued, viz. Slavery ! For to Men natu- 
 rally free, Time and Necessity teach them 
 what is expected from them. 
 
 I humbled myself more than I was natu- 
 rally inclined to do ; for I am persuaded 
 that to yield to superior Force is the Con- 
 duct of valiant and noble Minds. He pos- 
 sesses little Valour, and less Prudence, who 
 does not learn to accommodate himself to 
 Circumstances. For to serve cheerfully 
 when one serves perforce, is to take Fortune 
 by the Hand ; while to pay an unwilling 
 Obedience to him who has us completely in 
 his Power, is to risk our Happiness, and 
 perhaps our Life; and after all, he who, 
 while in a State of Servitude, does his best, 
 may at least live securely. 
 
 Although I found myself so kindly no- 
 ticed by my Superiours, I did not fail on that 
 Account to shew what Kindness I could to 
 the other Captives, nor to take a Share in 
 their Labours : for, in order to subdue the
 
 96 
 
 envious Feeling of others, it is necessary to 
 make use of these, and many other Exertions. 
 There is no Set of People more completely 
 governed by this Passion than Slaves, who 
 are Persecutors of their Equals, and only 
 Guardians of the Honour and Property of 
 their Masters. I have seen very few among 
 3uch as are reduced to this miserable State, 
 who have not had some low Habit or ano- 
 ther. Besides the general good Treatment 
 I received, I observed in my young Mistress, 
 that whenever I passed near her, she always 
 changed Colour : at first, I attributed this 
 to her great Modesty ; but afterwards, by 
 her Perseverance, and the Experience I had 
 had in similar Affairs, (which was not 
 trifling,) I discovered what her Complaint 
 was. She ordered me every Day to do a 
 Million of Things, the Direction of which 
 she had nothing to do with, nor was it my 
 Business to execute them : but I confess 
 that it delighted my Soul to serve her, and
 
 I should have been pleased if she could have 
 found yet more Employment for me ; all the 
 Toys 1 could make, came at last into her 
 Hands, she being pleased with them, and 
 saying they came from Spain ; so much so, 
 that one Day, blushing like a wild Poppy, 
 she told me, that if nothing else had come 
 from Spain but he who gave them to her, she 
 would have been contented ; and then she ran 
 away and hid herself. My Heart became too 
 much softened by ail these Proofs of her Af- 
 fection : but I reflected on my Situation, that 
 having to seek the Liberty of my Body, 
 I was going the Way to lose my Soul ; and 
 that the least Evil which could befall me, 
 was to remain as Son-in-Law in the House. 
 Meditating on all this, I found great Fault 
 with myself; but the more I attempted to 
 oppose my Inclinations, the less Power of 
 Resistance did I iind in myself; and I be- 
 lieve that the Remedy for these Passions, 
 consists principally in leaving them to them- 
 VOL. n. F
 
 98 
 
 selves. I learnt too, that when a Passion of 
 this Kind enters a Man's Heart, it takes 
 such complete Possession of him, that he is 
 unfit for any Thing else: and although I 
 persuaded myself that I might bear this 
 sweet Burthen for my Amusement, Expe- 
 rience taught me that Love is a King, who, 
 when one has put him in Possession, will be 
 absolute Monarch of the Heart. But it ap- 
 peared that it would be an Inconsistency in 
 my Conduct, if I, who had always boasted 
 of my Gratitude, should now be ungrateful ; 
 though, to this End, I brought to mind the 
 Suspicion that her Parents would entertain 
 if they had Reason to think that there was 
 any Thing going on between us. I con- 
 sidered, moreover, that I was amongst the 
 Enemies of my Nation and Faith, and the 
 bad Return I should make for the Kindness 
 shewn me by the Father, who had put his 
 Son into my Hands, that I might instruct 
 him ; and above every other Consideration,
 
 the Circumstance of her not having been 
 baptized. I resolved at last, that, however 
 great my Love might be, I would still treat 
 her with Indifference. The poor Girl per- 
 ceiving the Alteration in my Conduct, 
 shewed great Melancholy of Heart, and 
 Sorrow, which appeared in her Eyes, (those 
 Channels and Lights of the Soul,) in the 
 Absence of Colour in her Face, Hesitation 
 in her Speech, and Agitation in her whole 
 Behaviour. They asked her what ailed her ; 
 and she replied, that it was a Sort of Illness 
 which she had never had before, and that 
 she did not know what Name to give it. 
 They inquired whether there was any Thing 
 that she desired to have? She replied, that 
 it would be impossible to accomplish what 
 she desired, which was to visit Spain ; and 
 this she said in a Tone between merry and 
 sorrowful. Her Melancholy increased so 
 much, that they confined her to her Bed, 
 greatly against her Will, as it prevented her 
 F 2
 
 100 
 
 from being visited by those she liked; for no 
 one could enter her Apartment except the 
 Women, and those vigilant Gentry the 
 Eunuchs, who, having no Passions to pre- 
 vent them, act their Part with great Dili- 
 gence ; for these young Girls have no Expe- 
 rience of the World, nor do they understand 
 the Management of their Appetites and 
 Passions. This Passion makes more Im- 
 pression on a new Subject, than on one who 
 knows what she has to guard against. If 
 what has been sown wants Water, after it 
 is pretty well grown up, the Deficiency is 
 of no material Consequence ; but if it fails 
 before the Plant has acquired Strength, it 
 presently withers and turns yellow ; and 
 thus it is with all the Works of Nature. 
 Those Damsels who are ignorant of the 
 Ways of the World, are apt to decline with 
 the first Disappointment; as was the Case 
 with this young Lady, whom I loved, how- 
 ever, better than she \va-> a ware -of.
 
 101 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The Squire succeeds in charming away the young 
 Lady's Melancholy His Skill involves him in un- 
 pleasant Consequences The Dexterity he employs 
 to extricate himself. 
 
 AT last they began to attempt the Cure of 
 her Malady ; giving a thousand Remedies, 
 which went nigh to destroy her : and as 
 she was so beautiful, and of so amiable a 
 Disposition, her Illness was known all over 
 Algiers, to the great Regret of every Body. 
 As I was acquainted with the Cause of 
 her Melancholy, and of my own Pain and 
 Dissimulation, I considered how I might 
 see and comfort her ; and it occurred to me 
 that I might manage to make Love to her in 
 presence of her Parents without their per- 
 ceiving it, and that they should take me to 
 her for the Purpose: under this Security J 
 F 3
 
 102 
 
 told the Father, that I had learnt certain 
 Words, of a very clever Man in Spain, 
 which on being whispered in the Ear, would 
 cure the Patient of any Sort of Melancholy 
 lie was afflicted with, how profound soever 
 it might be; but that it must be received 
 with great Faith by the Sufferer, without 
 any other Person hearing what was said. 
 The Father replied : " Only cure my 
 Daughter, I care not by what Means." The 
 Mother with the same Anxiety intreated me 
 to commence the Cure immediately. 
 
 I accompanied them into the Room where 
 the Women were attending the sick young 
 Lady, as clean and neatly dressed as I was 
 able, (for Neatness of Appearance is a great 
 Promoter of Love). The Father and Mo- 
 ther, on entering, said to her : " Daughter, 
 cheer up, for here comes Obregon to cure 
 thee of thy Melancholy ; you must have 
 Faith in the Words he will utter for that 
 Purpose."
 
 103 
 
 Having ordered all the Women to leave 
 the Room, I approached the Patient with 
 the utmost Courtesy, and having placed my 
 Head close to her Ear, whispered the fol- 
 lowing Charm in it: " My dear young 
 Lady, be assured that the Dissembling of 
 the few past Days has not been caused by 
 Forgetfulness, or by any Alteration in my 
 Sentiments ; but it has arisen from Caution 
 and Regard for your Honour, which I value 
 more than the Life that sustains me." Ha- 
 ving said this, I withdrew from her Side ; 
 and presently, with celestial Grace, she 
 opened those divine Eyes, which brightened 
 the Hearts of all the By-standers, and ex- 
 claimed : " Is it possible that the Words of 
 Spain are so powerful ? for it is six Days 
 since I have heard any like them." 
 
 But this all proved unfortunate to me ; for, 
 as soon as the Fame of this Cure was spread 
 abroad, other Melancholy People of various 
 Descriptions sent to beg that I would cure
 
 104 
 
 them, without my being able even to guess 
 ho\v I was to manage it, or knowing any 
 Thing of the Cause of their Malady, except 
 by Hearsay. The Family of the young 
 Lady were all delighted, and extolled the 
 Power of the Words as well as the Courtesy 
 and Humility I had used in pronouncing 
 them. The young Lady was desirous to 
 rise from her Bed immediately, on the 
 Strength of the Charm; but I said to her: 
 " Now that you are only beginning to im- 
 prove a little, it will not be advisable for 
 you to consider yourself perfectly well ; 
 you had better remain where you are for the 
 present, and I \vi\\ come again and whisper 
 ihese Words, and some of still greater Ex- 
 cellence, if you wish it, and my Lord and 
 Lady will give their Consent." I did so 
 several Times, until she left her Bed again, 
 and gave favourable Testimony of me, by 
 shewing that I had the Power of curing 
 Melancholy. They rejoiced greatly at see-
 
 105 
 
 ing her recovered, and I much more than 
 they, for I loved her tenderly. 
 
 At this same Time a Lady, handsome and 
 young, the Wife of one of the greatest People 
 of the Place, was afflicted with Melancholy 
 also : for having been ill, so profound a Me- 
 lancholy ensued, that she neither cared to see 
 or converse with any Body. But when the 
 Recovery of my Master's Daughter reached 
 the Ears of her Husband, he requested of 
 my Master that he would send the Slave to 
 him who understood curing Melancholy. 
 My Master, wishing to please him, said to 
 me: " You are a most fortunate Fellow; 
 for Such-a-one, a Gentleman of great Wealth, 
 and held in high Estimation both in Algiers 
 and by the Grand Turk, has sent to beg 
 that you may go to his House and cure his 
 Wife of Melancholy ; and as she is a fine 
 handsome Woman, you will be delighted to 
 visit her." " Oh! Sir," said I, " do not 
 order me to go, I entreat you ; for if I have
 
 106 
 
 gone through this Ceremony once, it was 
 only from seeing how deeply you were af- 
 flicted by the Illness of your Daughter; and 
 you are well aware how badly any Thing is 
 received here, which is said or done by vir- 
 tue of the true Religion." " It is absolutely 
 necessary for you to go," said he ; " for it is 
 of great Consequence to me to keep him in 
 Good-humour." " I hope, Sir," replied I, 
 " that you will make an Excuse to him for 
 me, as these Words will not have the same 
 Effect with all Persons ; for it is necessary 
 to have as much Faith in them as your 
 Daughter had, and this will probably not 
 be the Case with the Lady in question." 
 I assigned various other Causes to excuse 
 myself, in Hopes of getting- off this Visit. 
 He went to speak to the Gentleman on the 
 Subject; but the more he said to excuse rny 
 going, so much the more did the other per- 
 sist in it; until at last he told me, that if I 
 objected any longer, he would compel me by
 
 Force. " Unfortunate Man that I am !" 
 exclaimed I to myself; " who made me a 
 Surgeon or Physician to cure Melancholy? 
 What Remedies or Charms am I acquainted 
 with ? How shall I manage now to get out 
 of this cruel Dilemma ? For either I must 
 cure her of her Melancholy, or I shall be 
 doomed to suffer for it all the Remainder of 
 my Days. To make Love to her as I did to 
 the other, I neither can, nor would she un- 
 derstand me if I did ; nor have I any Rea- 
 son to think that her Malady is of this Sort. 
 Then to whisper in her Ear Stories about 
 Saints and the true Religion, would only 
 be to increase her Illness, and to procure 
 myself the Bastinado ; though GOD has suf- 
 ficient Power to convert Stones into Bread, 
 and Pagans into Christians. At last I made 
 up my Mind to the desperate Undertaking, 
 my Master accompanying me as my Inter- 
 preter. In order to render the Cure more 
 certain, I carried a Guitar under my Cloak,
 
 108 
 
 resolving if possible to succeed, and to this 
 End, provided all the necessary Means. I 
 entered the Lady's Apartment with an un- 
 embarrassed Air, and said to her, in a cheer- 
 ful Tone of Voice: " I have no Doubt, 
 Madam, but that you will be cured ; for the 
 Words I shall employ are only useful in the 
 Cure of very handsome Ladies, and you 
 are most beautiful ; I have confident Hopes 
 that your Health will, therefore, be re- 
 established." She received this Charm 
 (which is most efficacious with Women in 
 general) with very good Will. I then said 
 to her : " You must have great Faith, Ma- 
 dam, in the Words I am about to pronounce, 
 and let your Imagination be impressed with 
 the Conviction that your Malady has already 
 fled." Her confidence in the Charm being 
 therefore firmly fixed, and her Imagination 
 well prepared, I went towards her, and 
 whispered in her Ear, the following exces- 
 sive Nonsense, which I had learnt while
 
 109 
 
 studying at Salamanca : " Barbara ccelarent 
 Darii ferio Baralipton, Coelantes dabitis fa- 
 pesmo frisesomorum." And then taking out 
 my Guitar, I sang a thousand foolish Things 
 to her, of which neither she nor I understood 
 the Meaning. So great was the Force of 
 her Imagination, that before I left her, she 
 began laughing, and intreated that I would 
 come again very often, and that I would 
 give her those precious Words written in 
 her own Language. I returned Thanks to 
 GOD at finding myself so w r ell out of this 
 Difficulty, and began thinking of Means to 
 avoid curing any more sick Persons ; but 
 as I had acquired a great Reputation, if 
 any one sent for me, I pretended that it 
 gave me a violent Heartburn, and in this 
 Way escaped further Trials. But I should 
 mention the Jealousy which my young Mis- 
 tress felt, from supposing that I had whis- 
 pered the same Words to the other Lady 
 that I had to her ; I found her weeping on
 
 110 
 
 account of it, but pacified her as soon as I 
 had an Opportunity of speaking to her; 
 and, as she was very young, and possessed 
 of but little Experience, she believed every 
 Thing that I told her ; and as I loved her 
 with my whole Heart, it grieved me that any 
 Thing done by me should give her a Mo- 
 ment's Uneasiness. 
 
 One Day when her Parents were from 
 Home, (for they had great Confidence in me,) 
 she told me that I might speak before her 
 Women, as they did not understand my 
 Language. I therefore spoke thus to her: 
 " How great is our Urihappiness, my dear 
 young Lady, (though in one View it appears 
 a great Piece of good Fortune for me,) that 
 you, being an Angel in Beauty, of a tender 
 Age, and yet matured Wisdom and Prudence, 
 should have delivered up your Will and De- 
 sires to a Man loaded with Years, and with- 
 out Riches or Worth : that you, who are 
 deserving of the best Man that the World
 
 Ill 
 
 can give, do not refuse to receive into your 
 Service one of fallen Fortunes, who is ready 
 to submit to whatever Evils Heaven has to 
 impose ! That a poor Reptile, cast away by 
 the Fury of the Sea ; ill-treated by Fortune, 
 thrown into a miserable State of Servitude, 
 should have found such a sovereign Protec- 
 
 O 
 
 tion in your innocent Breast ! That the lovely 
 Object on which the Eyes and Affections of 
 all are fixed, should have received into her 
 Esteem, him who will ever be content with 
 remaining her Slave! Let it not be supposed 
 that the Thought of violating your Chastity 
 has ever existed in my Imagination ; nor 
 can my Desires ever extend so far. By such 
 great and unmerited Favours, I have been 
 raised to imagine myself a Being of some Es- 
 timation; not supposing, that otherwise your 
 Eyes could debase themselves to observe my 
 poor Person." With her Face of the Colour 
 of the most beautiful Carmine, her Hands 
 trembling, and her whole Body in a State
 
 112 
 
 of violent Emotion, she thus addressed me : 
 " As to the first Point, I must tell you, Sir, 
 that I do not know how to reply to it ; as 
 it came upon me without my seeking it, 
 or knowing why or wherefore. But with 
 respect to the second, it arises from not 
 having seen any Creature here, of whom I 
 could think favourably ; for, after I came to 
 know that my Father had been baptized, I 
 abhorred the Thoughts of connecting my- 
 self with any one in this Country. And if I 
 were so happy as to become a Christian, I 
 should desire nothing more than thai, and 
 and the Blessings I enjoy at present." And, 
 taking out her Handkerchief as if to wipe 
 her Face, she covered her Head with it, 
 appearing to condemn herself for having 
 spoken so freely. She remained like a Lily 
 among Roses, and I silent ; being occupied 
 merely with observing and contemplating 
 the wonderful Effects which her Modesty 
 produced.
 
 113 
 
 Hearing her Father and Mother in the 
 Street, on their Return ; I rose up, and taking 
 my Guitar sang : " Ah ! how happily my 
 Thoughts have been realized !" They re- 
 joiced at hearing me sing ; for as my Master 
 had at Heart every Thing that belonged to 
 Spain, he was always much gratified at 
 listening to Spanish Airs. I guessed after- 
 wards, from the Expressions of the young 
 Lady, and from other Circumstances, that 
 my Eyes had betrayed their Secret, and that 
 they were treating me as the future Husband 
 of their Daughter, and the Heir to the Galliots. 
 I gave Lessons to the Son, and instructed him 
 as well as I could in the Truths of Chris- 
 tianity. For the Father did not object to 
 this, although he made War against the 
 Christians, committing very great Ravages 
 on the Coasts of Spain, and in the Balearic 
 Islands. This gave me the Opportunity of 
 enjoying some Moments of agreeable Conver- 
 sation with his Sister ; and it was carried on
 
 114 
 
 with much Politeness and Circumspection, 
 so that nothing passed on these Occasions, 
 but what was perfectly pure and modest. 
 But as one never can enjoy these Pleasures 
 long together, without the Interference of 
 some cross Accident, the Devil stirred up 
 the Heart of an old Woman to disturb our 
 Quiet. She had been a Captive many Years, 
 had lost her Teeth, had a very bad Counte- 
 nance, a large Mouth with a falling Lip like 
 a Sheep, gummy Eyes, and a deformed 
 Person; and was so lean and miserable, that 
 she went about complaining that her Master 
 and Mistress starved her. This Person, be- 
 cause I had not made her a Present, (that is, 
 had not given her what I did not possess,) 
 represented in a bad Light, the Simplicity of 
 the young Lady, as well as the Courtesy 
 with which I treated her. The Consequence 
 was, that her Parents prohibited our meet- 
 ing, and shut her up a close Prisoner. It 
 appeared to this cursed old Woman, that by
 
 115 
 
 ingratiating herself in this Way with her 
 Master and Mistress, she should experience 
 better Treatment than that which she had 
 hitherto received. But it did not succeed 
 with her as she had expected : for as Love 
 is a great Discoverer of Secrets, I soon came 
 to a Knowledge of the Part the old Slave had 
 acted, and determined at once that the 
 Daughter should be acquainted with it. 
 And as she was so much beloved by her 
 Parents, they gave Credit to all that she ad- 
 vanced against the old Woman ; and the 
 Result was, that she was never again per- 
 mitted to enter the young Lady's Apartment, 
 nor to eat and drink in peace, while I re- 
 mained in the House. A just Reward for 
 Tale-bearers ! If all who act in this Way 
 were as badly received and paid, the World 
 would enjoy a great deal more Happiness. 
 Did Tale-bearers but know how ill they are 
 esteemed by those to whom they carry their 
 idle Stories, they would rather desire to be
 
 116 
 
 mute, than to be Babblers. And if those 
 \vho listen to them, would inquire into the 
 Merits of the Case, they would soon disco- 
 ver that they do not relate their Tales out of 
 any good Will towards him that hears them, 
 but from a malignant Feeling towards him 
 of whom they are told, and in Hopes of re- 
 venging themselves on him by the Hands of 
 another. 
 
 Tale-bearing is a Species of Flattery, 
 engendered in bad Hearts, which should 
 annoy those who hear it, and discredit those 
 who tell it. It is right to keep the Secrets 
 of every one, but those of the Tale-bearer. 
 An idle Tale hurts three Persons him who 
 tells it, him to ivhom, and him of whom it is 
 told. In this Case, the Parents were grieved, 
 the old Woman rendered odious, the young 
 Lady tormented, and I was for a Time de- 
 prived of the Pleasure I had previously en- 
 joyed, and also of the Estimation in which I 
 had been held.
 
 117 
 
 The Renegade was a sensible Man ; and 
 although he treated his Daughter so rigo- 
 rously, he dissembled with respect to me, 
 taking care not to give me a Hint of the 
 Cause of his Anger, until he should be able 
 to make Inquiries into the Truth of the 
 Story. But he took care, at the same Time, 
 that I should be employed in servile Offices, 
 such as carrying Water and the like, more to 
 witness my Sorrow, than with the Intention 
 of making me always labour. As I compre- 
 hended his Meaning very well, I did every 
 Tiling he set me to do, with the utmost Ala- 
 crity ; thus endeavouring to relieve his Mind 
 from the Uneasiness in which he lived. For 
 to eradicate from the Breast a Suspicion that 
 affects the Honour, it is necessary to practise 
 a thousand Stratagems, which should neither 
 be too obvious, nor yet far removed from the 
 Truth. To change at once from Cheerful- 
 ness of Countenance to downright Melan- 
 choly, is a Novelty easily discernible :
 
 118 
 
 while to perform assiduously more than one's 
 ordinary Duties, goes far towards confirm- 
 ing the Suspicion. The Medium one should 
 observe is acquired simply by Humility and 
 Patience, and it ought not to differ from 
 one's common Behaviour. I did all that he 
 ordered me, without murmuring, and with 
 the same Goodwill as before. 
 
 I used to go, with the Obedience of a Slave, 
 to fetch Water from a Fountain called Baba- 
 son. This Water was very pure, and held 
 in much Estimation in that City, where 
 there is a great Number of Gardens, Vine- 
 yards, and Olive-Grounds, valuable alike on 
 account of the Profit derived from them, and 
 as Places of Recreation. A Turk, whom I 
 found there one Day, told me that it was not 
 known where that Water took its Rise, or 
 how it came thither. For two Turks and 
 two Captives having conveyed it down from 
 the Summit of the neighbouring Mountains, 
 with great Labour and Risk, the King, or
 
 Viceroy, rewarded them for their Trouble by 
 Strangulation ; lest at some future Time they 
 should reveal the Secret, and thus stop the 
 Supply of Water, which is so valuable to the 
 City. For if it should be besieged, the 
 greatest Injury it could receive, would arise 
 from cutting off this Supply ; and this would 
 cause its Surrender or Capture sooner than 
 any other Measures that could be adopted. 
 And they live with so much Caution, that 
 every Governor endeavours to discover some 
 new Invention for the Improvement of the 
 Fortifications of his City. To such an ex- 
 treme is this Caution carried, that, on the 
 Friday, when the Men go to their Mosques, 
 they leave their Women and Slaves well 
 Jocked up, and their Houses strongly barred, 
 as the best Security against Treachery. 
 
 Now it would seem from this Account, 
 that one might easily visit a young Girl 
 while she is thus shut up. But this is not
 
 120 
 
 the Case, for the Men leave so strong a 
 Guard in their Houses, that they go out 
 without Fear; and if the Devil himself wished 
 to put such a Design in execution, he 
 would find it more easy to sack the whole 
 City, than to excite Treachery in the House 
 of one Individual ; because they leave, as 
 their Guard, a Description of Men, who, in 
 fact, are not Men ; nor do they appear so by 
 their Countenances. And these Gentry, 
 either because they are considered particu- 
 larly faithful, or because none can supply 
 their Places, are so vigilant in guarding what 
 is put under their Charge, that it is not pos- 
 sible, by any Means, to deceive, or render 
 them inattentive. 
 
 Though I wished to avail myself of a little 
 Deceit, yet I was already aware of the in- 
 corruptible Fidelity of these artificial Mon- 
 sters ; I was afraid to put it to the Proof, 
 until the Eunuch or Guard of the
 
 121 
 
 himself, found fault with me for not going 
 into the Women's Apartment, considering 
 me a Person not unacquainted with the 
 Customs of the Place. To which I replied : 
 that I did not wish to do that which was 
 not customary in my own Country ; where 
 it never was allowed that the Men should 
 associate with the Women. 
 
 I continued to act with so much Vigilance 
 towards this Spy, that he never caught me 
 tripping; which was what my Master 
 wished ; and the Eunuch, though an ill-con- 
 ditioned Fellow, remained on good Terms 
 with me. 
 
 These Gentry are considered in Society, 
 as malevolent ; but whether justly, I cannot 
 say. The Liberty they use in not dissem- 
 bling any Thing, leaves them rather as Chil- 
 dren than as malevolent Persons. This is to 
 be understood of such among them as do not 
 profess Musick : for among those that do, 1 
 have known many sensible, good Men ; such 
 
 VOL. II. G
 
 122 
 
 as was Primo Racionera of Toledo, and as 
 is Luis Onguero, Chaplain to his Majesty, 
 and others of this Description, concerning 
 whom I shall say no more, that I may 
 avoid Prolixity.
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 (.rives an Insight into the Manners and Customs of 
 the Moors. 
 
 M.Y Master being now in high Good-hu- 
 mour at the Recovery of his Daughter, and 
 satisfied of my Fidelity, Things returned to 
 their old State, and I to the Reputation and 
 Estimation in which I had formerly been 
 held. In fact, however, the Daughter still 
 retained somewhat of her Melancholy, and 
 her Mother was so much vexed at seeing 
 her unhappy, that the young Lady with- 
 drew herself a good deal from her Society, 
 fretting and becoming sullen. The Mother 
 continued thinking how to please her, seek- 
 ing Methods to amuse her, and remove her 
 Grief; for she carried in her Countenance a 
 Sort of fixed Melancholy, which kept us all 
 in suspense; me from Love, and the others 
 G -2
 
 124 
 
 from Fear lest she should become seriously 
 ill. 
 
 At length, as their great Object was to 
 please and make her cheerful, her Mother 
 begged that my Master v/ould order me to 
 repeat those famous Words against Melan- 
 choly ; for she found that nothing else would 
 have the Effect of restoring her former good 
 Spirits. He ordered me to try the Experi- 
 ment again ; and I said, in reply : " I have 
 no Doubt but this Melancholy proceeds 
 from some deep-rooted Vexation, and conse- 
 quently it will be necessary to repeat the 
 Words several Times, in order to eradicate 
 the Foundation of the Evil thoroughly from 
 her Heart. I shall also put some Questions 
 to her, the answering of which will enable 
 me better to remove her Pain." 
 
 I said this, that I might be left a longer 
 Time in Conversation with her; first re- 
 peating the Charm I had used before, and 
 then others still more efficacious; to all
 
 which, she gave her Answers very readily, 
 appearing very well contented with my 
 having explained to her that the true Health, 
 Content, and Pleasure of the Soul must 
 spring from that Water of Baptism which 
 her Father had despised. And having con- 
 versed with, and instructed her on this 
 Head, during the half Hour I remained with 
 her, I retired. 
 
 The Mother was rejoiced at what she 
 saw, and begged that I would teach her 
 the Words of the Charm. I replied : " No 
 one must venture to repeat these Words, 
 Madam, but he who has been in the Straits 
 of Gibraltar, in the Islands of Riaran, at 
 the Pillars of Hercules, and at Mongibelo, 
 in Sicily ; also at the Top of Cabra, in the 
 Mine of Ronda, and in the Court-yard of 
 the Pacheca; for if any other Person 
 attempts to recite them, he will see infernal 
 Visions, sufficient to terrify the most cou- 
 rageous Person. By my telling her this, 
 G 3
 
 and a whole Heap of Nonsense, her Wish 
 to be made acquainted with the Charm, was 
 presently removed. 
 
 Though I felt some Relief from these 
 Visits that I was now permitted to make my 
 young Mistress, I still felt as a Man de- 
 prived of his Liberty, in a miserable State 
 of Slavery, among Enemies of the true 
 Faith, and without the least Prospect of 
 obtaining my Freedom. So that while the 
 poor PamseFs Love continued to increase, 
 mine began to diminish : for this is a 
 Passion that resides in Bosoms unoccupied 
 by Troubles and Vexations. 
 
 What Effect can an idle Passion, like 
 Love, be expected to produce on an afflicted 
 Soul ? Yet what Pleasure can he taste, who 
 lives without it? How can he find a Time 
 for courting his Mistress, who is con- 
 stantly suffering under the Calamities of 
 Life? How can sweet expressions be ex- 
 pected to proceed from that Mouth, through
 
 127 
 
 which so many bitter Cups are passing? In 
 short, Love chooses to visit us without any 
 other Companions, and then only young Men 
 free from any particular Ties, and possessed 
 of Prudence, and wherewithal to live. 
 Even in their Case it is a Passion that often 
 proves destructive to the Repose of the 
 Body and Soul. How much more will this 
 be the case, with one subject to so many 
 Troubles, and observed by so many Eyes as 
 1 was ? I was very sorrowful, though I took 
 cure to perform the Tasks allotted to me 
 with so much Solicitude and Good-will, 
 that the Esteem of my Employers increased 
 in Proportion with my Work. But it 
 grieved them to see me so dejected ; for 
 though it did not appear in my Actions, it 
 would sometimes discover itself in my 
 Countenance. And therefore, on the Arrival 
 of the Day of St. John of June, when the 
 Moors (either in Imitation of the Christians, 
 or for the same Reason that a thousand
 
 128 
 
 other Errors are professed by that Sect,) 
 make the greatest Demonstrations of Joy, 
 with newly-invented Feats exhibited on 
 Horseback and on Foot, the Renegado said 
 to me: " Come with me, not as a Slave, 
 but as a Friend; for I wish you to make 
 merry freely in these Diversions, which are 
 carried on To-day, in Honour of the Prophet 
 Ali, which you call St. John the Baptist's 
 Day ; in order that you may amuse yourself 
 by seeing so many splendid Dresses, Silk 
 Robes, Jewels of Gold and Silver, rich 
 Turbans, Scimitars, and noble Cavaliers 
 poising their Lances, with naked Arms, 
 dyed Black. There you will witness the 
 magnificent Appearance of the Ladies, their 
 Clothes richly adorned with Jewels ; and 
 with how much Modesty they smile on 
 their Gallants, shewing themselves at the 
 Windows, and giving them embroidered 
 Handkerchiefs and other Tokens. There 
 you will behold Troops of great Personages
 
 129 
 
 headed by the Viceroy, adorning by their 
 Splendour the Banks of the Sea and Rivers, 
 and how gallantly they manage their Lances ; 
 and, after having thrown them, with what 
 Dexterity they take them up from the 
 Ground without dismounting." I listened 
 to all this with a strong Inclination to shed 
 Tears ; nor could I contain myself, or dis- 
 semble the Pain and Grief which these 
 Rejoicings caused in my Heart. My Master, 
 turning his Eyes towards me, and observing 
 them filled with Tears, said : " How is this, 
 at a Time when all the World is rejoicing, 
 not only among the Moors, but throughout 
 all Christendom ; on a Day when every one 
 is near losing his Reason from the Abun- 
 dance of his Joy ; how comes it that I find 
 you wiping the Tears from your Eyes ? 
 When it appears that Heaven itself is giving 
 new Demonstrations of Joy, do you cele- 
 brate the Day with Weeping? What do you 
 see here to vex you ; or rather, which
 
 130 
 
 should not afford you great Satisfaction ?' 
 " The Festival," replied I, " is marvellously 
 fine, and joyful in so extreme a Degree, that 
 it brings to my Mind the numberless Times 
 that 1 have passed it happily in the Court of 
 the greatest Monarch in the World, the 
 King of Spain. I call to mind the Riches 
 and Brilliancy of the Dresses, of the Gold 
 Chains and Jewels that are now shining 
 resplendent on the Persons of such great 
 Princes and Noblemen. I recollect seeing 
 a Duke of Pastrana come forth on one of 
 those Mornings on Horseback, Avith the 
 Aspect of an Angel rather than a Man, raised 
 up in the Saddle, so as to have the Appear- 
 ance of a Centaur; and he rode along, say- 
 ing a great many clever Things, and gaining 
 the Heart of every Woman that beheld him. 
 Also that great Courtier Don Juan de Gavi- 
 ria, who wearied Horses, and performed 
 Feats worthy of a valiant high-spirited No- 
 bleman. There was one Accomplishment,
 
 131 
 
 viz. that of the Management of a Horse, 
 which he brought to the highest State of 
 Perfection, even in his tender Years. I 
 recollect, too, a Don Luis de Guzman, Mar- 
 quess of Algava, who made the whole Am- 
 phitheatre tremble when he contended with 
 the unbridled Fury of the roaring Bulls ; 
 and his Uncle the Marquess of Ardales, Don 
 Juan de Guzman, who was a true Example 
 of Bravery, and the Flower of Chivalry. 
 That great Prince likewise, Don Pedro de 
 Medicis, who, with a Spear in his Hand, 
 would either kill a Bull, or force him to 
 yield; and the Counts of Villamediana, 
 Don Juan de Tassis, Father and Son, who 
 between them would hew a Bull to Pieces 
 with their Swords. I have a confused Re- 
 collection, besides, of a great Number of 
 young Noblemen, whose daring Spirit asto- 
 nished us ; who conquered by their Valour 
 and Dexterity, and gained the Affections of 
 all by their Courtesy : and also that, on the
 
 132 
 
 following Day, we had always another Bull- 
 fight : an Amusement which no other 
 Nation but Spain has adopted ; for all other 
 People consider it excessive Temerity to 
 set at Defiance so ferocious an Animal, 
 which, being enraged, plunges into the Midst 
 of a thousand Men and Horses, Lances, and 
 Spears ; and the more he is wounded, the more 
 furious he becomes. Antiquity never had 
 so dangerous an Amusement as this; and 
 so bold and high-spirited are the Spaniards, 
 that although wounded by the Bull, they 
 return to the same evident Danger, as well 
 Pedestrians as Horsemen. If I were to 
 recount all the Exploits I have witnessed 
 on similar Occasions, and bring to my Re- 
 collection the many illustrious Noblemen 
 who may compare with those I have already 
 named, as well in Valour as in Quality, it 
 would only serve to obscure the Festival of 
 this Day, and all others that are celebrated 
 throughout the World."
 
 133 
 
 Here the Hermit interrupted me, to ask 
 how it happened that I made no mention of 
 what was done by Don Philip the Beloved, 
 on the Birth of the Prince, our Lord and 
 Master? "Because," replied I, " it was not 
 my Business to recount, in the Way of 
 Prophecy, Events which had not then oc- 
 curred. But in truth, that was the gayest, 
 richest Festival that ever was beheld by 
 mortal Eyes ; when the Grandeur and Pro- 
 sperity of the Spanish Monarch were uni- 
 versally demonstrated. For as that luxu- 
 rious Emperor, who caused the Floor on 
 which he walked to be covered with Gold 
 Dust, on going out of his Palace; so this 
 great King, who appeared that Day in the 
 principal Square, might have covered it 
 with the Gold exhibited at the Festival, as 
 with Loads of Sand. And if to magnify the 
 Bravery of Rome, they relate that three 
 Bushels full of Rings of Knights were col- 
 lected after the Battle of Cannae ; so ; with
 
 134 
 
 the Chains, Rings, and Buttons, worn on 
 that Day, I am convinced they might have 
 filled thirty Bushels, without reckoning those 
 which were left at home, in the Houses of 
 private Individuals. The Ambassadors of 
 all the Kings and Republicks were present 
 on this Occasion, in expectation of seeing 
 the Grandees of Spain, and the Flower and 
 Valour of Chivalry, which kept them in 
 Suspense till they appeared, and in a State 
 of Extasy when they beheld the Gallantry 
 with which they exercised their Spears, 
 and their Dexterity in managing their 
 Horses. And although to wound the Bull 
 in the Act of turning one's Horse away, may 
 have a very graceful Effect, as it is practised 
 in other Countries in hunting Lions and 
 other Animals, yet on this Day there was 
 one Horseman, Don Pedro de Barros, who 
 waited at the very Door where the Bull 
 entered, and, with the utmost Fury and Ve- 
 locity, killed hirn Face to Face with his
 
 135 
 
 Spear. And though this Gentleman's Cou- 
 rage was so highly conspicuous, yet was he 
 equally possessed of Knowledge and Skill, 
 and taught his Science in a most agreeable 
 Manner. 
 
 In short, these Festivals were the Admi- 
 ration of the Ambassadors and of all that 
 witnessed them; but this Feeling was par- 
 ticularly excited on beholding a young King, 
 Don Philip the Third, (the Beloved,) at the 
 Head of his Troop, presiding with so much 
 Temper, Discretion, and Valour, over the 
 Game of Canes. The Number of Troops 
 and Horses was so considerable, that the 
 Square could not contain them ; and from 
 the Confusion this Crowd occasioned, they 
 sometimes neglected the Game : but the 
 matured Prudence of the youthful King set 
 them right again presently ; and it really 
 appeared that he was guided by Angels. 
 He was, in fact, the most expert Horseman 
 beheld that Morning in the Square. Since
 
 that Period some great Noblemen, very 
 young, and of much Discretion, have dis- 
 tinguished themselves in the same Way ; 
 such as Don Diego de Silva, a Nobleman of 
 high Valour, Skill, and Grace, and wonder- 
 fully intrepid in the use of the Spear ; and 
 his valorous Brother, Don Francisco de 
 Silva, who died a short Time since, serving 
 his King as a most valiant Soldier ; and with 
 him died the many Virtues that adorned him. 
 The Count of Cantillana also, who, with 
 the greatest Bravery imaginable, struck a 
 Bull dead at his Feet with his Spear. And 
 Don Christoval de Gaviria, a most excellent 
 Gentleman ; and many others, concerning 
 whom (not to wander further from my 
 Subject) I shall be silent." 
 
 We beheld at this Festival of the Turks 
 and Moors some very fine Horsemen ; but 
 none so good as Don Luis de Godoy, nor as 
 Don Jorge Morejon, the Alcayde of Honda, 
 nor the young Count of Olivarez. But the
 
 137 
 
 Scene was very gay and imposing ; and 
 People who are to possess no Glory be- 
 yond the present Life, enjoy it without any 
 Alloy. 
 
 At the latter End of the Exhibition, I 
 discovered my Mistress and her Daughter, 
 which grieved my Soul ; not the seeing 
 them, but the not having observed them at 
 an earlier Hour. For my young Lady was 
 straining her Eyes with looking, not at 
 the Amusements, but towards her Father ; 
 for by looking towards him, she could see 
 me. I could not deny myself the Pleasure 
 naturally derived from this Sort of Meet- 
 ings, and gazed at her by Stealth, proposing 
 to my Master to go; persuaded that he 
 would reply to me, as in fact he did : " Let 
 us wait for my Wife and Daughter, and 
 attend them Home." 
 
 They came down from a Window at which 
 they had been posted, and we walked with 
 them. The poor Girl went trembling along,
 
 138 
 
 changing Colour and stammering when she 
 attempted to speak. Her Father said to 
 her : " Don't you see your Physician here ? 
 Speak to him, and thank him for the good 
 Health to which he has restored you." 
 
 The Mother asked me what I thought of 
 the Festival? " Until I beheld my two 
 Ladies," replied I, " though some of the 
 Exhibitions were very fine, I saw nothing 
 that pleased me ; nor have I in all Algiers 
 seen so much Grace and Beauty as adorn 
 the Figures of my Mistress and her Daugh- 
 ter." The Father laughed, but the two 
 Ladies were well satisfied with the Compli- 
 ment. I found that by thus pleasing the 
 Mother with my Flattery, she made no Ob- 
 jection to my conversing alone with her 
 Daughter. The young Lady asked me to 
 give her a Rosary, with which I was praying. 
 1 gave it to her ; and, the first Time I had 
 an Opportunity, explained to her the Use of 
 it, and told her that if she would surrender
 
 139 
 
 
 
 her Will, in all Truth and Sincerity, to the 
 Virgin, a wide Road would be opened to 
 her, by which she might easily arrive at so 
 great a Benefit as that of receiving the Grace 
 of the Holy Baptism, which the Damsel her- 
 self desired with great Earnestness. I 
 added, that I should, from Time to Time, 
 ask an Account from her, of that Rosary ; 
 whether she had preserved it carefully, and 
 had told her Beads on it every Day ; which 
 she promised to do,
 
 140 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 An atrocious Robbery ; and the singular Means em- 
 ployed to detect the Perpetrator. 
 
 ABOUT this Period a remarkable Rob- 
 bery (a Crime punished with the greatest 
 Severity by these People,) occurred at Al- 
 giers, which scandalized the whole City, 
 and threw it into Consternation ; the Theft 
 having been committed on the King or 
 Viceroy, and the Article stolen, Money, 
 which he was about to send to the Grand 
 Seignor : after the most diligent Inquiries, 
 they could not by any means suspect or 
 imagine who were the Perpetrators, although 
 a great Favourite of the King had promised 
 a considerable Sum of Money, Exemption 
 from Slavery, or Liberty to whomsoever 
 should discover them. They thought of a 
 Plan bv which to come at the Truth, and
 
 141 
 
 this was, to go secretly and without Dis- 
 turbance into all the Houses, and not to allow 
 an Individual to leave the Place; but all 
 this availing- nothing, my Master said to me : 
 " If you possess any Secret, by means of 
 which you can make known the Person 
 who committed this Theft, without its being 
 surmised from whom the Discovery comes, 
 I will give you a Sum of Money and your 
 Liberty." " Will it not do," said I, " to 
 describe the Circumstances in a Letter, and, 
 either signing it or not, to leave it where it 
 will be seen and read ?" *' That is the very 
 Thing," replied my Master, " that I want 
 to avoid ; for if it is signed, they will put 
 him to Death who wrote it; and if it is with- 
 out a Signature, they will begin torturing 
 the whole Town, to discover the Writer : 
 for any Intelligence concerning it, must be 
 necessarily carried, in the first Instance, to 
 the Thief himself, and to no other Person ; 
 the Viceroy's Favourite being the Man. If
 
 142 
 
 he should find that any free Man had 
 written it, he would have him strangled ; 
 if a Slave, he would cause him to be burnt 
 alive. The Information I have received on 
 this Point is very correct, and my Know- 
 ledge of the Party and of his Cruelty is of 
 many Years standing ; for they tremble here 
 more at the Name of Hazen, than at that 
 of the Viceroy himself: to make this Secret 
 known, therefore, by any ordinary Means, 
 would be attended with very dangerous 
 Consequences ; and, though this Man is the 
 greatest Enemy that I and all the Inhabi- 
 tants have, I dare not myself, nor do I wish 
 you to make the Secret known, for fear of 
 the excessive Mischief that would result 
 from it." " Well, Sir," said I, " let me 
 alone, for I have already hit upon a Plan, 
 by which you shall be revenged of your 
 Enemy, and discover the Theft, without any 
 one suffering by it ; only give me Leave to 
 do it in my own Way." He agreed to this;
 
 143 
 
 and I then selected a Thrush which had all 
 the Marks of a good Talker, and, shutting 
 him up in a Cage in my Room, where he 
 could not hear any other Birds to disturb 
 him, I gave up a whole ISIight and Day to 
 instruct him in saying: " Hazen stole the 
 Money." I took so much Pains with him, 
 and he was so quick at learning, that at the 
 End of a Fortnight, whenever he was 
 hungry, he would say, by way of asking 
 for Food, " Hazen stole the Money :" so 
 that, by degrees, these Words that I had 
 taught him became habitual to him when- 
 ever he was hungry or thirsty ; for he had 
 now forgotten his natural Note. To make 
 the Matter sure, I kept the Thrush another 
 Week, in order that he might be well 
 grounded in what he had learnt, and I in 
 the Scheme which I had planned; for the 
 Success would be so much more important, 
 as it would set at Liberty above a hundred 
 Men, whom they kept in Confinement on
 
 144 
 
 account of the Robbery, though innocent, 
 and among them were many Captives of 
 Spain, Italy, and other Nations. Seeing 
 then, that my Thrush was to be the Libe- 
 rator of so many Christian Captives, one 
 Friday, when the King was to go to the 
 Mosque, I took him out and gave him his 
 Liberty, that he might do the same for all 
 the other Prisoners. He flew up to the 
 Top of the Tower, where there were a greut 
 many other Thrushes, and in the midst of 
 their unmeaning Notes, began crying as fast 
 as he could : " Hazen stole the Money ! 
 Hazen stole the Money !" nor did he cease 
 repeating it hastily all the Day long, being- 
 pleased to find himself at liberty. What the 
 Thrush was saying on the Tower, came to 
 the Ears of the Viceroy. He was asto- 
 nished ; and when the Hour for going to 
 the Mosque arrived, the first Thing he 
 heard was the new Song of my Thrush, who 
 persevered continually in saying; " Hazen'
 
 145 
 
 stole the Money ! Hazen stole the Money !" 
 It occurred to him, that since this Affair 
 had been so secret, there might be some 
 Truth in it: for as they are great Augurers, 
 it came into his Head, that the great Ma- 
 homet had sent one of those numerous 
 Spirits which he always has about him, to 
 proclaim the Truth of this Story, in order 
 to save the Lives of so many innocent 
 People. But, not to commit himself without 
 Advice as to the Certainty of the Case ; he 
 called together certain Augurers and Astro- 
 logers, (who were already aware of the Ex- 
 clamation of the Thrush,) and pressed them 
 to tell him what they thought of it. They 
 gave their Opinion, and, as it coincided with 
 what the Thrush had said, he sent and 
 seized the Favourite, who confessed it on 
 the Rack, and the Money was in conse- 
 quence found. 
 
 He was then disgraced and sent away, 
 highly to the Gratification of the whole 
 
 VOL. II. H
 
 146 
 
 City, who hated him thoroughly, not only 
 on account of this wicked Deed, but be- 
 cause many bad Actions of his which had 
 hitherto been concealed, now came to Light. 
 Indeed the Blame of all the bad Offices 
 done to them by the Viceroy, were now laid 
 to the Favourite's Charge : for Persons ele- 
 vated to high Stations, are exposed to this 
 Misery ; Envy either throws them down 
 from their lofty Seats, or else discredits 
 their Reputation ; and thus Favourites, on 
 attaining the Greatness they desire, and the 
 Love and Favour of their King, are apt 
 immediately to think how they shall secure 
 what they have acquired ; gaining Credit to 
 themselves, while they benefit their Country. 
 A modern Statesman, quoting from some 
 of a more ancient Date, remarks that a 
 Prince ought never to give himself up to 
 the Will of a Favourite; tiiat is, he should 
 never make so much of him, as to trust him 
 with his Conscience, and the Regulation of
 
 147 
 
 his* Actions. But this is a Doctrine contrary 
 to Nature itself; for as every private Indi- 
 vidual wishes to possess a Friend with 
 whom he may unbend his Mind, and lessen 
 his Cares by communicating them, why 
 should a Prince be deprived of this Conso- 
 lation, which all other People enjoy? A 
 valiant, prudent, and just Prince will neces- 
 sarily have about him Favourites of irre- 
 proachable Lives, for if they are not so, he 
 will either get rid of them, or they will de- 
 stroy his Reputation : but that the Opinions 
 of the Prince should be received with ge- 
 neral Applause, as just and holy, while they 
 seek Occasion of Blame in every Act of the 
 Favourite, is a Conduct influenced by dis- 
 contented, ill-disposed Minds, who regard 
 his Elevation and Increase of Wealth with 
 Envy, because they cannot attain it them- 
 selves. 
 
 I should conceive, that in an opulent Mo- 
 narchy, like that of Spain, the Crumbs 
 
 H 2
 
 148 
 
 which fall from the Prince's Table are more 
 than sufficient, not only to improve noble 
 Houses already established, but to raise 
 others from the most profound Misery to the 
 highest Prosperity. Great Monarchs, Kings, 
 and Princes, are born subject to the com- 
 mon Laws of Nature, and to the Passions 
 of Love and Hatred ; and they must natu- 
 rally find Friends towards whom they incline, 
 (for the Stars are powerful in making Men 
 incline more to one Friend than to another) : 
 but when these Friendships are only chosen 
 by one Party, they have not that Zest, nor 
 do they afford that mutual Satisfaction pro- 
 duced by such as are established among 
 Equals. But though the Station of Princes 
 is so superiour, they should not select a 
 Favourite by the Judgment of a third Per- 
 son, but by their own ; and having done this, 
 their Choice will accord with that of their 
 Subjects, whose Happiness depends on the 
 well-regulated Judgment of their Princ,3;
 
 149 
 
 and, as the People of Spain are protected 
 by two guardian Angels, and the Heart of 
 their King is in the Hand of the Lord, they 
 have especial Reason to think that their 
 Governors will be disposed to act for the 
 publick Good. It is unreasonable to ex- 
 pect that the Favourites of great Monarchs 
 can bear all their former Acquaintances in 
 mind : it is very well if they do so in the 
 Case of those who take pains to remind 
 them of their former Friendships. For in- 
 stance, Persons of my Condition have no 
 Reason to complain of the Favourite; be- 
 cause whatever Advantages they may obtain, 
 must spring from their own Pains and In- 
 dustry, and if they are deficient in these, 
 the Complaint is most unjust. There are 
 two Kinds of Favourites ; one, which from 
 humble Beginnings gain the good Opinion 
 of their Prince ; and these desire to ingross 
 all the good Things to themselves : the other 
 Kind, noble Lords, who being born to their 
 H 3
 
 hi^h Station, have always been well received 
 and beloved by their King ; and these wish 
 to divide the good Things among all who 
 deserve them. But both one and the other 
 Kind should act towards their King, as the 
 Ivy does by the Tree to which it clings : 
 for though it grows up in its Embraces, 
 vtithout ever leaving it, yet it never injures 
 the Fruit which is the natural Production 
 of the Tree. 
 
 But to return to the first Part of my Sub- 
 ject: I maintain it to be a cruel Thing in 
 the*e Statesmen to think of depriving a 
 Prince of so great a Satisfaction as that of 
 the Friendship of a Favourite, to which he 
 naturally inclines ; it being well known that 
 the Will of all Human Beings is ever at 
 work, and more desirous to attain this Ob- 
 ject than any other, because in the Blessing 
 of Friendship the Mind acquires Consola- 
 tion and Repose.
 
 lol 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 '.Ike Squire regains his Liberty An Account of his 
 Foyage. 
 
 ACCIDENT sometimes offers Subjects to 
 our Attention which divert it from the Ob- 
 ject under Consideration, as has happened 
 to me with this Digression ; leaving my 
 own History, and treating of Affairs that 
 came in my Way, as Nature dictated, on 
 their being brought to my Recollection. 
 
 Having succeeded in my Stratagem, by 
 the Assistance of the Thrush, my Master 
 kept his Word, after the Viceroy had ful- 
 filled his; for he admired the Wisdom of 
 the Renegado's Conduct in the Affair, by 
 which he saved the Lives of so many Per- 
 sons who had been wrongfully accused, and 
 restored them to their Families. 
 
 He gave me my Freedom with the greatest
 
 152 
 
 Good-will, though sorely against the Will of 
 his Daughter, who, I already found, was 
 strongly inclined towards the true Religion, 
 and her Brother also, whom I convinced of 
 the Truth ; so that they were both very 
 anxious for Baptism, though their Father 
 pretended not to observe it, if he did sus- 
 pect it : but, notwithstanding his Silence on 
 the Subject, no doubt he was desirous of 
 it secretly. The Boy was named Mustapha, 
 nnd the Girl Alima; though afterwards, 
 when I could freely communicate with her, 
 and lead her into the Catholick Truth, she 
 took the Name of Mary. I was very glad 
 to find an Opportunity of talking with her 
 alone, but not on Subjects of Love, for I 
 never willingly offended in this respect ; and 
 finally I assured her, that on my Arrival in 
 Spain, I would endeavour by every possible 
 Means to make her acquainted with my 
 Situation ; and would give her Advice as to 
 what would be best for her to do in order
 
 to become a Christian, as she desired. Melt- 
 ing into Tenderness more from thinking of 
 this her principal Object, than on my Ac- 
 count, she let fall some Tears of Christian 
 Piety, and some yielded to honest Love ; and, 
 this being the last Time that I was to con- 
 verse with her, I took my Leave of her, for 
 that was all the Consolation I could now 
 offer, and she, after kissing several Times 
 the Rosary I had given her, promised me 
 that she would keep it for ever. 
 
 My Master afterwards said to me, with 
 great Marks of Affection : " Obregon, I 
 cannot fail to keep my Word with thee, be- 
 cause thou hast deserved it, and from the 
 Obligation I am under to do it as a Spaniard, 
 as well as from the Remains of Baptism which 
 I still retain, (and he looked all round to 
 observe that no one was listening), and which 
 indeed I have quite engraven on my Heart. 
 For there is not one amongst all you see in 
 Algiers, (of the Moors I am speaking), who
 
 154 
 
 would keep their Faith or their Word with 
 thee, nor would be thankful for what thou 
 hast done. And if the Viceroy of Algiers 
 thanked me, and fulfilled the Promise which 
 he had made to any one who should discover 
 the Thief, it is because he was the Son of 
 Christian Parents, in whose Country, Truth 
 and one's Word are inviolably guarded : 
 while here, in this barbarous Nation, they 
 say, that to keep one's Word is the Conduct 
 of Tradesmen, and not of Gentlemen. And 
 although I fulfil mine with thee, I do it 
 against my Will : for as long as you were 
 here, I was glad to indulge in conversing 
 on Subjects respecting which I must in 
 future be silent. But now that it is fixed for 
 thee to go, and thou hast no Wish to remain 
 in Algiers, as I had planned it, I will carry 
 thee myself to Spain in my Galliots, and 
 leave thee where thou mayest with Liberty 
 return to thy Religion. Now is the Time 
 when all the Corsair Vessels go out, and I
 
 155 
 
 shall part from the rest to leave thee in one 
 of the Islands nearest to Spain ; for I dare 
 not go farther West, seeing that they are 
 very vigilant in looking out for me on all 
 that Coast, as I have been very notorious for 
 the Mischief I have done there : and if the 
 Galleon in which thou wert, had not met 
 with a favourable Wind, you would all have 
 been brought hither." 
 
 My Master prepared in Haste for his 
 Voyage, taking with him some very valiant 
 Turks, who were accustomed to Piracy : 
 and, making choice of favourable Weather, 
 he turned the Prow towards the Belearic 
 Islands, leaving his Wife and Daughter on 
 the Beach, full of Grief; the one recommend- 
 ing him to the Care of the great Prophet, 
 and the other calling aloud, and very dis- 
 consolately, on the Virgin Mary ; for as there 
 was no one by to reprove her, she spoke as 
 she felt. I continued to fix my Eyes on the 
 City, praying to GOD that I might one Day
 
 return to it, when it should belong to Chris- 
 tians. For, as I left the better Part of me 
 there, though free, I went on grieving at the 
 Thought of having left among a Set of 
 Rascals like these, a Pledge, which I would 
 have redeemed with the Blood of my Heart, 
 since she desired herself to profit by that of 
 Christ. For though I knew that I left her 
 very well satisfied and confident in my good 
 Intentions, I still carried a War within me, 
 which would not let me recur to any Thing 
 but the Thought that accused me to myself 
 of being cruel and unhappy, blaming me for 
 going away, and for leaving a Christian Soul 
 amongst Moorish Bodies. But yet I felt a 
 Sort of Confidence that I should one Day or 
 other see her again as a Christian. 
 
 We sailed on with a most favourable Wind ; 
 and as my Master saw me turn my Face 
 towards the City, he said to mo : " Obregon, 
 it appears to me, that you continue looking 
 towards Algiers, and throwing out your
 
 157 
 
 Curses upon it, from having seen so many 
 Christian Captives there ; and for this 
 Reason you give the Name to this City of 
 Robber, or Cave of Robbers. But I assure 
 you, it is not always the Corsairs who do 
 the most Mischief; for they do not venture 
 out without great Risk, and sometimes they 
 go for Wool, and get a Shearing. But the 
 worst is that, finding they are well received 
 in Algiers, many Persons resort thither vo- 
 luntarily, bringing with them their Arms 
 from all the opposite Kingdoms to Africa,* 
 either from the Desire of Liberty, Want of 
 kind Treatment at Home, or from bad Incli- 
 nations, and having the Means of Convey- 
 ance at hand. It is lamentable to see that, 
 for these Reasons, this City is full of Chris- 
 tians from the West and from the East: and 
 
 '* The Original has it, from the Frontiers of Africa : 
 but as it seems to refer to the Emigration of Christians 
 from Europe, I have altered/row to to, in order to preserve 
 the Consistency of the Passage. 7r.
 
 158 
 
 although I am going to do Mischief on their 
 Coasts, for my own Advantage, 1 cannot 
 refrain from regretting the Injuries sustained 
 hy baptized Blood ; and the Thought of it 
 even pierces my Heart." " I have per- 
 ceived," said I, " on former Occasions, that 
 you have been affected by Reflections of this 
 Kind, like a Man of a compassionate Heart, 
 and of noble Blood ; but I do not see that 
 these good Feelings are accompanied by a 
 Change of Religion, nor even by an Intention 
 of returning to the inviolable Faith of St. 
 Peter, which was professed by your Ances- 
 tors." " I do not mean to tell thee," replied 
 my Master, " that the Regard I have for my 
 Property, the Nobility of Freedom which I 
 now enjoy, the Ties of Wife and Children, 
 nor the many Injuries which I have done 
 my native Country, induce me to turn to- 
 wards this Subject. But I will ask thee if 
 at any Time I have been curious to ascertain 
 what Doctrine thou hast been teaching my
 
 159 
 
 Children : for by that mayest them discern 
 how deeply rooted the Faith is in my Breast- 
 And I assure thee, that of all the Renega- 
 does thou hast seen, even the most powerful, 
 rich in Slaves and in Property, there is not 
 one of them but knows that he lives in 
 Error. But the great Liberty they enjoy, 
 and the Honours and Riches to which they 
 are preferred before all Turks and Moors, 
 detain them in the Country, where they 
 become leading Men, ordering what and 
 whom they please ; yet they are still in- 
 wardly conscious of the Truth. And as a 
 Proof of it, while this favourable Breeze con- 
 tinues its grateful Influence, I will recount 
 to thee an Incident which occurred some 
 little Time since in Algiers. 
 
 " There is a Turk there, of great Wealth 
 and abounding in Slaves, venturous at Sea, 
 and well experienced on Shore ; his Name 
 is Mami Reys. He is a Man of bold Deter- 
 mination, of a good Figure, liberal, and well
 
 160 
 
 esteemed. This Man, being out privateering 
 on the Coast of Valencia, had sailed for 
 some Days without taking a Prize; till, at 
 length, his Provisions failed him. Their 
 great Necessity induced him and his Com- 
 panions to land, with much Risk and Danger 
 to their Persons ; and, Torches being lighted 
 all along the Coast, they became so much 
 alarmed, that they fled back to the Water, 
 discharging their Pieces at those who were 
 sent to oppose them. In their great Haste 
 they left on Shore the Chief of the Galliot 
 and one Soldier, his Friend (a very valiant 
 Man), who, seeing that it was all over with 
 them, went into a Mill, where they found no 
 one but a most beautiful Girl ; extreme 
 Terror having prevented her from running 
 away with the rest of the People. They 
 made menacing Signs to her, not to cry out ; 
 and afterwards, on finding the Coast clear, 
 hoisted Signals which were understood by 
 the People in the Galliot; and on its becom-
 
 161 
 
 ing dark, they ran the Vessel in near the 
 Mill, carried off the Captain and his Compa- 
 nion, and with them the captive Damsel, 
 before the adverse Party could collect again, 
 to attack them. The Beauty of the Maid 
 was so exquisite, that they said, and with 
 Truth, that such a Jewel, both for Person 
 and Face, had never before been seen in 
 Algiers. The Captain-Proprietor of the 
 Galliots said, that he valued that Prize more 
 than if he had succeeded in sacking all Va- 
 lencia. She continued full of Grief and La- 
 mentation, while he endeavoured to console 
 her, telling her that she should not be unhappy 
 at such good Fortune, for that she was to be 
 Mistress of all the Property she beheld, and 
 of another, greater and much more valuable, 
 and not to be a Slave as she apprehended. 
 But the Beauty and Mildness of her Coun- 
 tenance, accompanied with a Sort of tranquil 
 Gravity, produced, they say, such an Effect, 
 that at Night it gave Light to all the Vessel
 
 and the People on Board bowed, and hum- 
 bled themselves before her, as if she had 
 been a Divinity ; wondering how Valencia 
 could produce any Thing so lovely. She 
 was consoled during the Voyage by the 
 Turk, who spoke a little Spanish, and was 
 a good sort of Man, of noble Appearance, 
 bold, and fortunate, and successful in all the 
 Enterprises he had undertaken ; rich in 
 Land, Jewels, and Money, and in high 
 Favour with all the Kings of Algiers. To 
 shorten my Story, he did not disembark at 
 the City, but at a Country House of his, a 
 very agreeable Spot, ornamented with Vines 
 and Gardens. She, on seeing herself obeyed 
 by so many Slaves, and Friends of the 
 Turk, appeared as if she was beginning to 
 relent, and to recover from the Sorrow her 
 Captivity had occasioned. In Time she 
 came to like her Master very well, and mar- 
 ried him, leaving her true Religion for that 
 of her Husband, in which she lived six or
 
 J63 
 
 seven Years in the greatest Content; being 
 beloved, served, adorned with Jewels and 
 Pearls, ami having apparently lost all Re- 
 collection of having been a Christian. They 
 had every Day, for her Amusement, most 
 joyous Festivities of Canes and other Games. 
 And her Disposition shewed itself so strongly 
 in her Countenance, which was so much 
 more beautiful than any other in Algiers, 
 that if he had not made haste to marry her 
 they would have taken her from him to send 
 her to the Grand Seignor. But living in 
 the midst of such Idolatry, she became the 
 Rule by which all were guided. There 
 was a Minorquin Slave there, a good 
 kind of Man; and he, like the rest, had Op- 
 portunities of conversing with her. His 
 Ransom arrived, and the good Man going to 
 take leave of her, she asked him where he 
 meant to reside ; and when he told her, she 
 desired he would give great Attention to 
 what might happen. He, who was not dull,
 
 164 
 
 understood what she meant, and, returning 
 to Minorca, lived there as she had advised, 
 until she found Means to send him a Letter, 
 in which she desired that he would come 
 over in a well-armed Brig, and reach, at the 
 Midnight of such a Day, her Husband's 
 Country House. As the Period had arrived 
 when all the Corsairs go out from Algiers, 
 her Husband armed his Galliots with three 
 hundred choice Slaves, dressed in the 
 Spanish Costume, and set out on his Adven- 
 ture, ploughing the Waves in very gallant 
 Style ; his Wife observing him, and making 
 a great many Signals from a Tower at the 
 Top of his House. The Weather was very 
 sultry, and the appointed Day drew near. 
 She pretended to be much afflicted by the 
 Absence of her Husband, and oppressed by 
 the Heat ; and told her Slaves and People, 
 that to soothe her Mind she would retire to 
 her Country House and Gardens ; and, as 
 she intended to remain there some Length of
 
 165 
 
 Time, she carried with her some Trunks, in 
 which were Clothes, Jewels, and Money, and 
 all the Riches in Gold and Silver that she 
 could find in the House. She stayed there 
 some Days, regaling herself, and her Slaves 
 and Women, so much, that if they were fond 
 of her before, they now began to adore her. 
 The appointed Night arrived, without her 
 having discovered the Secret to any Body, 
 and she had kept it with so much Prudence 
 that her Resolution was not even surmised. 
 Placing herself at the Window, she waited 
 till twelve o'Clock at Night, without sleeping 
 or closing her Eyes ; when she discovered 
 some Object approaching from the Sea. 
 She made the Signal agreed on in the 
 Letter, and the Gentleman hastening towards 
 her, said : ' Come, for the Brig is ready.' 
 Then the determined Lady spoke thus, with 
 all possible Brevity, to her Slaves : 4 Brothers 
 and Friends, purchased with the Blood of 
 Jesus Christ! my Determination is this;
 
 166 
 
 let him who wishes for his Liberty, follow me 
 to Spain.' A great Soldier Captive, a native 
 of Malaga, replying in the Name of all the 
 others, said : * Lady, we are all resolved to 
 obey your Commands. But observe to what 
 Danger you expose yourself and us ; for the 
 Watch Towers have already given the Alarm, 
 and by Day-break the Sea will swarm with 
 Galliots, which no doubt will chase us.' 
 To which she replied : ' He who put this 
 into my Heart, will conduct me safely away ; 
 and if this should not happen, I prefer being 
 the Food of the most horrible Sea Monsters 
 in the profound Abysses and Caverns of the 
 Sea, (dying a Christian), than to be Queen in 
 Algiers, and an Enemy of the Religion that 
 our Ancestors professed.' And this most 
 beauteous Woman, acting the Part of a 
 valiant Ca 'tain, encouraged the Slaves so 
 effectually, that they immediately took up 
 the Trunks and all the Riches, and carried 
 them down to the Brig, after having dis-
 
 1G7 
 
 patched a Negro Woman and two young 
 Turks, who were beginning to cry out. The 
 Slaves (who were now become free) having 
 united themselves to the Crew of the Brig, 
 all honourable Men and of good Courage, 
 they assisted one another so much, that the 
 Brig flew across the Water by the Force of 
 the Rowing and of the Wind, which was 
 favourable. On their knowing the Circum- 
 stance in Algiers, which they did presently, 
 they sent out forty or fifty Galliots after her, 
 each of them carrying a Centinel in the Top, 
 and another at the Yard-arm ; for they 
 thought to fall in immediately with the Brig. 
 But it appears that GOD either guided it, or 
 or made it invisible ; for, besides the Pur- 
 suit of these, her Husband Mami Keys was 
 cruizing among those Islands, and neither 
 the one nor the other Party fell in with her, 
 until at Day-break she found herself be- 
 tween the two Galliots of her Husband, who, 
 in order that he might go in Shore with
 
 168 
 
 Safety, had dressed his People like Spaniards. 
 The Lady, with great Presence of Mind and 
 Sagacity, gave Orders that the Crew of the 
 Brig and all the Slaves should disguise 
 themselves as Turks, that they might run 
 away under a Supposition that they were 
 pursued by Spaniards. This Stratagem 
 was very clever and cunning ; for Mami 
 Reys observing that they fled from him, was 
 rejoiced at it, saying : ' Without doubt we 
 appear so much like Spaniards, that yonder 
 Turkish Brig flies from us.' And they 
 celebrated with great Merriment, the Flight 
 of the Brig, which by means of this Deceit 
 escaped and arrived in Spain, where the 
 Lady remains, very rich and happy, giving 
 great Alms from the Property of her 
 Husband. You already know the Object 
 I had in relating this Story, which happened 
 but a short Time ago ; and I believe there 
 is no Doubt but that the Religion first pro- 
 fessed by a Man (I speak of those who have
 
 169 
 
 been baptized) remains indelibly engraved on 
 his Heart: arid it appears that this Female pos- 
 sessed in a peculiar Degree, an heroick Cou- 
 rage and Christian Determination." " I am not 
 astonished," said I, " that this Lady should 
 have evinced so determined a Valour, for it 
 is like Women to put in Execution what they 
 take in their Heads ; nor that she should 
 have surpassed Men in Boldness ; nor that 
 she should have imagined a Scheme by 
 which to accomplish her Design ; for all 
 this was the natural Result of her Incli- 
 nation. But what astonishes me is, that she 
 should have been capable of keeping the 
 Secret so long. For it is much more diffi- 
 cult for a Woman to keep a Secret, than to 
 preserve her Chastity; as not one among 
 them is without a Friend to whom she com- 
 municates every Thing, past, present, and in 
 her Intention. The only Chance of Success 
 was to confine it close within her own 
 Breast, because the Means were seemingly 
 
 VOL II. I
 
 170 
 
 wanting that so arduous a Case required ; 
 no less than setting at defiance her Husband, 
 the Corsairs, and all Algiers, together with 
 the Waves and Storms of the Mediterranean. 
 This, however, was not so great an Exploit 
 as the not revealing so momentous a Secret." 
 " This is all true," rejoined my Master : 
 " but there is still one Part of the Story 
 that appears like a Contradiction ; and it is 
 that this Damsel had not Courage enough to 
 fly from the Mill with the rest, at the Time 
 she was taken, though she was bold enough 
 afterwards to undertake so heroick an En- 
 terprise." "To this," I replied, "there is 
 a ready Answer : for when this Lady was a 
 Maid, with the natural Coldness they have, 
 (for they are almost all alike in this Respect,) 
 Fear took such Possession of her Limbs 
 and the Veins of her Body, that she was 
 unable to run away, or even to move from 
 her Place. But afterwards, when she mar- 
 ried, her Blood was set in Motion, her
 
 171 
 
 Nature improved, and she plucked up suffi- 
 cient Spirit to undertake and succeed in 
 this difficult Enterprize. Of all the Women 
 famous in ancient Story, one does not 
 know that any were Maids; nor has one 
 Reason to suppose it." " But the Ama- 
 zons," said my Master, " do not they say of 
 them that they were Maids?" "No, Sir," 
 " they do not ; but if they were, they went 
 out to Battle, exercising themselves, not in 
 idle Occupations, nor in spinning of Wool, 
 but in hunting wild Beasts, in riding on 
 Horseback, using Lances, Bows, and Darts; 
 and, in order to make themselves more fero- 
 cious, they were accustomed to feed on 
 Tortoises and Lizards ; and at the proper 
 Age, they had Intercourse with the Men of 
 the neighbouring Countries. If from this 
 Connection they produced a Son, they either 
 killed or disabled him, so that he could no 
 longer act the Part of a Man. But if a 
 Female was born, that there might be no 
 i 2
 
 172 
 
 Impediment to her using the Bow, they 
 dried up, or cut off the rig % ht Breast; which 
 is the Cause of their being called Amazons : 
 i. e. sine Ubera. But not one of these ever 
 achieved so much as this Valencian Lady."
 
 173 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Treated as a Renegado Captain, but shortly followed 
 by a happy Reverse. 
 
 WHILE the Slaves and Ship's Company 
 continued reposing, my Master and I had 
 Time to discuss this and other Matters, by 
 \vhich we conquered Sleep. We indulged, 
 however, for a short Time, and, about two 
 Hours after we awoke, discovered the Ba- 
 learic Islands Majorca, Minorca, and Ivi<,;a, 
 and the other small Islands. But \ve did 
 not venture to approach Majorca till Night, 
 on account of the great Watchfulness ob- 
 served by the Inhabitants ; and even then 
 we found it necessary to make haste ; for if 
 they had perceived us, we should have found 
 it difficult to reach it at all. We went 
 towards Majorca, as thinking it the best, 
 though it proved to be the worst for him . 
 for. on doubling a Point of a Rock, there 
 i 3
 
 174 
 
 was a Centinel there who gave Notice to 
 the Genoese Gallies, which stretched out to 
 take my Master ; and though the Night was 
 drawing near, they began to row with great 
 Fury towards us. My Master seeing that he 
 was on the Point of being captured, went on 
 Board the other Galliot, taking with him the 
 choice Men of both Crews, and leaving the 
 Vessel in which I remained, under my 
 Charge, in hopes that, as I spoke Spanish 
 \yell, I should be able to answer them so as 
 to get his Galliot off'. Thus he left me as an 
 Obstacle, that they might make a Prize of 
 me, while he was making his Escape. It 
 happened as he expected : for as he was 
 very crafty, and well acquainted with all that 
 Coast, he did not stretch out to Sea, but 
 sailed towards the Island, and as it was 
 now nearly Night, he went hiding himself 
 from Creek to Creek, until it grew dark, 
 \\hen he put out to Sea and escaped. The 
 (Jal Hot in which 1 was, having but very fe\v
 
 175 
 
 People to row, and those the worst of the 
 two Crews, we remained so stationary, that 
 the Gallies got near enough to fire a Gun 
 over us, as a Signal that we should surrender. 
 We stopped our Course, and on arriving 
 close, I cried out in a loud Voice, and in 
 very clear Spanish, that we /wre? surrendered . 
 "Aye! it is you whom we seek," said the 
 People of the Gallies ; calling me by a 
 thousand opprobrious Names. For, in fact, 
 as this was the Galliot my Master always 
 went in, and I spoke good Spanish, they 
 took me for the Renegade. Thc\ sent all 
 
 O > 
 
 the rascally Turks they found with me to 
 the Oars ; and as for me, thinking that they 
 had at last found him of whom they had 
 been so long in search, they handcuffed me, 
 in order to carry me to Genoa, where they 
 intended to make a terrible Example of me. 
 The Captain of the principal Galley said to 
 me: "How many Times, Dog Renegado, 
 have you escaped with your Life? but this
 
 176 
 
 Time you shall not go unpunished." " Take 
 Notice, Sir," said I, " that I am not the 
 Renegado whom you suppose me to be ; but 
 a poor Spanish Slave of his." For this 
 Defence, they loaded me with so many 
 Blows of their Cudgels, that they forced me 
 to exclaim : " They say that Genoa is a Hill 
 without Wood ; but I know that it has pro- 
 duced Wood enough for me just now." Two 
 Spanish Musicians whom the General had 
 on Board, laughed at my Reply, and more at 
 the Patience with which I bore the Beating. 
 1 knew one of these two Men very well, and 
 among the Crew there was also some Laugh- 
 ter, on account of what one of the Musicians 
 had repeated to them. I retired handcuffed 
 into a Corner, and gave Thanks for having so 
 frequently found myself exercised in Troubles 
 and Miseries. For Miseries bring to our 
 Minds the Mercies of God, but not the Sin> 
 which occasion them. I recollect now thr 
 Misfortunes which have befallen me from my
 
 177 
 
 Infancy, but I do not call to Mind the Sins 
 of my Youth. I remember how much Good 
 I have done to certain Persons in the Course 
 of my Life, and that many Evils have 
 befallen me, by means of these very People. 
 For GOD selects such Instruments, for the 
 Confusion and Punishment of Sins, com- 
 mitted either through Ignorance or Wicked- 
 ness. Here am I now under the Character 
 of a Renegado, handcuffed and unjustly 
 aggrieved, in the Place of a crafty bede- 
 vil'd Man ; an excommunicated Reprobate. 
 But if I choose to cast my Eyes back, I shall 
 discover that I merit this and much greater 
 Chastisements at the Hand of God. A 
 scoundrel of a Boatswain now came' up, and 
 giving me some Blows with a Bull's Pizzle, 
 said to me : " What is this Dog muttering 
 between his Teeth ?" I remained silent, lest 
 he should repeat his Blows. Signer Mar- 
 celo Doria, who was the commanding Ge- 
 neral on Board, moved with Compassion,
 
 178 
 
 ordered that they should not use me ill, 
 until they had ascertained who I was. As 
 I saw the Door open to Pity, I said : " Since 
 it is usual to grant every one the Indulgence 
 of a Defence, I entreat your Excellency, 
 that it may in this Instance be afforded to 
 me ; for I know that, as soon as your Ex- 
 cellency is satisfied who I am, I shall not 
 only not suffer whilst in the Hands of so 
 threat a Prince, but I trust in GOD that I 
 s-hall be more honoured than I deserve. I 
 will bring forward Witnesses in Genoa, and 
 even some in this Galley, who were ac- 
 quainted with me at the Court of His Ca- 
 tholick Majesty, at the Time when this 
 Renegado was going about ravaging all these 
 Coasts; and one of them is Don Julio Spi- 
 uola, the Ambassador." He made th< in 
 take off my Fetters, and conversed with me, 
 inquiring all that he wished to know re- 
 specting the "Renegade. I told him of the 
 crafty Trick by Mhich he had made his
 
 179 
 
 Escape, which satisfied His Excellency in 
 some measure with me, and threw great 
 Blame upon those who had not followed the 
 Renegado. I returned to my Corner, though 
 no longer handcuffed, and sat down sorrow- 
 fully, with my Elbows on my Knees, and my 
 'Face on my Hands, that the Musician might 
 not discover me ; and there I continued 
 meditating on a thousand past Circum- 
 stances. 
 
 They continued their Course towards 
 Genoa, (knowing that they would soon have 
 Notice in Algiers that the Genoese Gallies 
 were cruizing about the Coast), and passed 
 the Gulf of Lyons in a Gale of Wind : but 
 having crossed it from Point to Point, the Ge- 
 neral ordered that the Musicians should sing, 
 and taking their Guitars, the first Thing 
 they sung was a Stanza of mine, which they 
 glossed in these Words : " What is good is 
 doubtful ; what is bad is secure and certain." 
 The Treble, whose Name was Francisco
 
 180 
 
 de la Peiia, began to make some excellent 
 Shakes in his Throat ; for as the Air was 
 slow, it afforded him a good Opportunity of 
 doing so ; and me of sighing at the End of 
 every Verse. They sang all the Verses ; 
 and when they came to the last Line, which 
 says, "What is good is doubtful; what is* 
 bad is sure and certain ;" I could contain 
 myself no longer, but exclaimed by a natural 
 Impulse, "This Misfortune is still mine !" 
 As this was uttered in a loud Voice, La 
 Pena looked at me ; for as my Face and 
 Clothes were so disguised, and he was near- 
 sighted, he had not observed me before; but, 
 on seeing and knowing me, he embraced me 
 without being able to speak, and his Eyes 
 overflowing with Tears. He then went to 
 the General, and exclaimed: "Whom does 
 your Excellency think we have here ?" 
 " Whom?" said the General. " The Author 
 <>i this Sonata," replied La Pena ; "and of 
 all those we have been in the habit of
 
 181 
 
 singing to your Excellency/' " You do 
 not say so?" said the General; "call him 
 hither." I approached his Excellency with 
 a modest Demeanour, but with a bold Heart, 
 and on his inquiring my Name, I replied : 
 " Marcos de Obregon." La Pena, a Man 
 who always professed Truth and Virtue, 
 went up to the General, and said to him : 
 - is his proper Name ; but as his 
 Condition is so low at present, he is willing 
 to conceal it." The General was astonished 
 at seeing one of whom he had heard so 
 much, in so bad a State, surrounded with so 
 many Troubles, and so unjustly fettered, 
 He inquired of me the Cause of this, and I 
 related all that had happened to me, with 
 much Patience and Humility ; for the 
 Galleon of the Duke of Medina had brought 
 up in the Road of Genoa. He treated me 
 with great Kindness, particularly in supply- 
 ing me with Clothes. And on arriving at 
 Genoa, I visited Julio de Spinola the Am-
 
 182 
 
 bassador, whose Friendship I had enjoyed 
 at the Court of Spain ; and Marcelo Doria 
 being satisfied of this Truth, they both did 
 me the Favour to accommodate me with 
 Money and Horses to Milan. But in the 
 first instance I was desirous to see that 
 Republic, so rich in Money, and Antiquity, 
 in Nobility and most ancient Families, De- 
 scendants from Emperors and great Lords, 
 and from the first Nobility in Italy ; such as 
 the Dorias, Spinolas, Adornos, of which 
 most noble Family there is a Branch at Xeres 
 de la Fronlera, connected with great Spa- 
 nish Noblemen, and recognised among the 
 Knights of Calatrava, and other Orders; for 
 instance, Don Agnstin Adorno, as virtuous 
 a Nobleman as he is conspicuous. But as 
 my Design was not to remain there, I dis- 
 posed myself to pursue my Journey to Milan; 
 for which Place I had left Spain. 
 
 f\T> OF THE SECOND BOOK.
 
 183 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OP THE 
 
 SQUIRE MARCOS DE OB REG ON 
 
 PART THIRD. 
 BOOK III. 
 
 Containing the Squire's Adventures on the Road towards 
 Milan. 
 
 I, WHO, from having been so lately a Captive 
 and an ill-used Slave, now suddenly found 
 myself possessed of Money, Liberty, and 
 good Clothes, desired roost ardently to arrive 
 where my Friends might see roe free, and 
 might learn from me the alternate Afflictions 
 and Favours with which Fortune had visited 
 me. And therefore, after viewing the Mag- 
 nificence of that Republick, and taking the. 
 Repose necessary after a Life of so much 
 Fatigue, I got together my Beasts and my
 
 184 
 
 Victorino, (or Lad to take care of them), 
 and directing my Course towards Milan, 
 ascended the Hills of Genoa, which are as 
 craggy and as elevated as those of Honda. 
 Having already passed by Saint Pedro de 
 Arenas, and Night having set in, in conse- 
 quence of the great Quantity of Stones and 
 the considerable Fall of Water, we lost our 
 Way, in a Part of the Road where we might 
 easily have been precipitated down to the 
 Rivers below, then greatly swelled by an 
 Inundation, which was rushing down to 
 give additional Fury to the Sea ; for the 
 Brooks, which were increased by the Hail and 
 Rain, were more than sufficient for this. 
 We saw no Light but through the Eyes of 
 the Horse that guided us. A Horse is the 
 worst Beast in the World to travel ; but they 
 use them in Italy ; and as he was little in- 
 clined to go on, he would stop and lean 
 against every Tree we fell in with, or throw 
 himself down whenever he thought proper.
 
 J85 
 
 So that I alighted, and among some Trees 
 which had large Trunks and many Branches 
 twisted together, we sat down to rest our- 
 
 O ' 
 
 selves, either till the Tempest should cease, 
 or we should discover some Light to guide 
 us to a Place of Safety. The Victorino, 
 though accustomed to the Road, was so 
 alarmed, that he had lost the Remembrance 
 of our Track, and I, all Hopes of being able 
 to move from thence before Morning. The 
 Water ran down us in Buckets-full for a 
 long Time, and we could not avail ourselves 
 of the Shelter from the Trunks of the Trees, 
 as more Rain ran down from them, than 
 from us, which altogether rendered the 
 tempestuous Weather insufferable. In this 
 State of Suspense, we heard some one near 
 us say : " Take care of your Life." As the 
 Sound appeared close, I looked about mo 
 among the Branches, and observed a Light 
 behind the Trees, which issued from three 
 Houses, where the Horse had probably stop
 
 ped before, and had now, though by a bad 
 enough Road, guided us thither. The Dis- 
 tance was short, and running along, we found 
 ourselves in one of the Houses in an Instant, 
 the People coming out with great Attention, 
 to offer us Lodging. And where we did 
 not expect to find even Water, we found some 
 fine Capons ; for all foreign Nations have this 
 Advantage over Spain, in their Inns and Ac- 
 commodation for Travellers. We made a very 
 good Supper ; and on my asking for a Jug 
 of Water, they brought it me from a Foun- 
 tain which rose close to the House, quite 
 lukewarm : I made them put it in a Window ; 
 and although the Weather was not so cold, 
 the Storm and the Hail had changed it, and 
 in an Instant the Jar of Water became cold, 
 and even frozen. I drank it ; and the Host 
 brought in two Witnesses from the other 
 Houses, and on seeing me drink another 
 Jar of cold Water, he said to them : " Gen- 
 tlemen, this is the Reason of my bringing'
 
 187 
 
 you in hither, that if this Spanish Gentleman 
 should die from drinking these two Jars of 
 cold Water, they may not have it to say that 
 1 killed him." I laughed at this, supposing 
 that he had said it from disliking Water, or 
 from being a great Drinker of Wine. How- 
 ever, this was not the Case, but for the 
 Reason Avhich the Host afterwards assigned. 
 I asked, as a Stranger in Italy," why he ob- 
 jected to a Man's drinking Water, who had 
 all his Life been accustomed to it? Here, 
 plied, that the Waters of Spain were lighter, 
 and more easy of Digestion, than those of 
 Italy, which possess more Humidity.* And 
 one may imagine that, as People of so much 
 Discretion as the Italians do not dare to 
 drink it alone, there must be something bad 
 in it. I knew an Italian Nobleman who, 
 when he first came to Spain, had never 
 drunk a Drop of Water, and while he re- 
 
 * Tbis is a literal Translation of the Spanish Word v 
 tlumidad. Tr.
 
 188 
 
 mained there he never tasted Wine; for, 
 Water being either from Rivers or from 
 Fountains, it takes the good or bad Quality 
 of the Ground or Minerals through which it 
 passes. That of Spain (as that Country is 
 so favoured by the Sun, and the Humidity 
 is consumed by the Violence of the Heat,) is 
 most excellent. Besides that, it generally 
 passes through Gold Mineral, as appears in 
 the Sierra Bermeja ; for the Sierra itself is 
 of the same Colour, and the Water there is 
 remarkably good ; or else it passes through 
 Mines of Silver, and is then also very ex- 
 cellent ; such as that in the Sierra Morena ; 
 as is proved by the Water of Quadalcanal ; 
 or through Mines of Iron, as in Biscay, 
 where it is very wholesome. And conse- 
 quently there is no bad Water in Spam, 
 either of Rivers or Fountains ; for Lake, 
 Pond, or Stagnant Water, there is none, 
 nor would they drink it if they had it. As 
 if, however, to proclaim the Greatness of
 
 189 
 
 GOD'S Mercy, there is a Lake of more than a 
 League in Extent, near Antequera, from 
 which they every Year make Salt, and close 
 beside it % there is the best and most whole- 
 some Water in the known World. They 
 call this "the Stone Fountain," because it 
 has the Power of dissolving Stone. And in 
 Honda there is another little Fountain (of 
 the Nuns) which rises towards the East, on 
 a Hill ; and on drinking it immediately on 
 its springing out, it will dissolve the Stone, 
 and turn it into Sand the same Day. Of 
 this Fountain one might write a very large 
 Volume. But that which the Landlord 
 told me was true ; for all the Time I re- 
 mained in Lombard y, which was more than 
 three Years, I did not enjoy good Health, nor 
 was I ever free from a constant Pain in my 
 Head, from the Water I drank ; and this 
 was proved the following Day of my Journey, 
 for in all the little Puddles which had been 
 formed from the Rain, there were small
 
 190 
 
 Animals, such as little Toads and Frogs, 
 and other Reptiles, which had been engen- 
 dered in that short Space of Time, by the 
 great and mischievous Humidity of the 
 Soil ; and in those Ditches of Milan, one 
 sees Heaps of Snakes engendered by the 
 Slime, the Putrefaction of the Water, and 
 greasy Humidity of the Earth.
 
 191 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 An unfortunate Accident, attended by serious Conse- 
 quences. 
 
 BUT quitting this Subject; we went tra- 
 velling on, my Boy and I, until we met some 
 Farmers, who, on being asked where we 
 should find the Road which we had missed 
 the preceding Night, gave us a wrong Di- 
 rection, that we might lose more of our 
 Time. The Lad understood the Joke, and 
 told them that he knew they were deceiving 
 him ; but as I did not choose to consider it 
 a Joke, I began abusing them in bad Italian, 
 while they, who were numerous, loaded 
 themselves with Stones. I got off my Horse, 
 and gave one of them a Stab with rny 
 Knife. The Lad taking my Horse, rode 
 off, and left me amongst them, for, as he 
 was one of their Countrymen, he did not
 
 192 
 
 wish to be brought forward as a Witness in 
 the Business. They seized hold of me, (for 
 I had slipped and fallen,) and tying my 
 Hands together, they conveyed me to the 
 nearest Town, which was a very large popu- 
 lous Place. They shewed the Blood of 
 their Comrade's Wound, and a large Chain 
 and heavy Fetters were put upon me: for 
 this once I had not so much Ground for 
 complaining of my ill Fortune as of my 
 little Consideration ; having done that in a 
 Foreign Country, which I should not have 
 ventured to have done in my own ; for 
 Spaniards, when away from Home, would 
 fain persuade themselves they are absolute 
 Masters. I, who had nobody to whom, nor 
 of whom to complain, turned against myself 
 the Stones that my Adversaries might throw 
 against me. I saw myself loaded with 
 Irons, (which was not the Case at Algiers 
 among the Enemies of the Faith, and of 
 those who professed it,) without being able
 
 195 
 
 to turn my Eyes towards any one who 
 would behold me with Kindness; for, the 
 same Reason which induces us to think that 
 we are Masters of the World, makes us ab- 
 horred by all. He that goes into foreign 
 Lands, is in Duty bound to enter them with 
 great Caution ; for neither are the Laws 
 nor the Customs similar, nor can they be 
 expected to preserve Friendships where 
 there is but/slight Acquaintance; and it is 
 an acknowledged Fact, that although King- 
 doms and Republicks preserve the Respect 
 and Friendship which they profess one for 
 another, it is not the same with Individuals, 
 who are apt to have Enmities one against 
 the other, and so much the more in propor- 
 tion as they find themselves slighted. 
 
 I discovered that Patience is a current 
 Virtue suited to all Cases that can occur ; 
 but particularly when one has to deal with 
 People with whom we can hold little Con- 
 verse. A Foreigner is bound to be very 
 
 VOL. II. K
 
 194 
 
 affable in Society, and well-bred ; and until 
 he attains a perfect Knowledge of those 
 Customs to which he had previously been a 
 Stranger, he should be continually on his 
 Guard, shew a cheerful Countenance, and 
 bridle his Anger. 
 
 I found myself in a most afflicting State, 
 not knowing a Person to whom I might 
 communicate my Distress. I overheard 
 them, outside the Prison, calling me an 
 excommunicated Wretch; and the most 
 honourable Sentence they adjudged me, 
 was that of being strangled secretly. The 
 Gaoler appeared a good sort of Man enough; 
 but I could not think of any Scheme by 
 means of which to derive Consolation from 
 him. While I was ruminating on what 
 Scheme to adopt, it occurred to me, that, 
 as this Nation is esteemed remarkably 
 covetous, some Advantage might be derived 
 from that Quarter. I had some Crowns in 
 my Pocket, which I had brought from
 
 Genoa: there were two very fine Boys, 
 Sons of the Gaoler, running about the 
 House, and recollecting with how favour- 
 able an Eye Parents are apt to regard those 
 who shew Kindness to their Children, I 
 gave each of the Boys a Crown. The Fa- 
 ther was so much pleased and gratified at 
 this, that I had Hopes of succeeding in the 
 Plan which I had projected. He observed 
 to me : " You ought to be very rich, Sir." 
 ' What makes you think so?" said I. 
 Your Liberality," replied he, " in giving 
 to these Boys, what is hardly kno\vn to Men 
 in this Part of the World." " If," said I, 
 " you think so much of this small Sum, 
 what will you do when you know more?" 
 And taking out more Money, I gave it to 
 him, saying: " As you appear to me a sen- 
 sible Man, I wish to apprize you who I am, 
 that you may not be longer surprised at a 
 Trifle of this Sort. I have acquired that 
 which all the Philosophers have been so 
 K -2
 
 196 
 
 long in search of, and have not yet found : 
 but in the first place, you must swear that 
 you will never discover who I atn." This 
 he did with the utmost possible Solemnity ; 
 and then intreated me with the greatest 
 Anxiety to tell him what more I had to com- 
 municate; and I replied : " I know how to 
 make the Philosopher's Stone, which con- 
 verts Iron into Gold ; and by means of this, 
 I have always as much Gold as I have need 
 of: but I have not dared to communicate 
 this Secret to any one at Genoa, lest the 
 Government should have stopped me in my 
 Journey, which they undoubtedly would 
 have done; for as this divine Invention is 
 so coveted and sought after by all, every 
 one is eager to learn it ; and if they hear 
 that any one knows it, either Kings or Re- 
 publicks detain him against his Will, in 
 order that he should exercise his Art for 
 them at his Cost; for by having too great 
 a Quantity of Gold in the World, it will
 
 197 
 
 come to be held in little Estimation." " I 
 have heard this Matter treated of very 
 often, Sir," said the Gaoler, " but I have 
 never seen nor heard speak of any one who 
 has attained this Art in our Times : for 
 although your Lordship sees me in this 
 Situation, which I hold in order to remain 
 quiet and maintain my Family ; yet I have 
 been in Spain, where I served an Ambassador 
 of Genoa, and, as Fortune would have, it am 
 now returned to this Place, where I was 
 born." " I am delighted at this," said I ; 
 " for seeing that you are discreet, and that 
 you have heard this Matter discussed be- 
 fore, you will give Credit to what you shall 
 behold with your Eyes." " If I could only 
 learn this Secret," replied he, " I should 
 be a happy Fellow indeed; for I should 
 command all in my Town, and I would let 
 your Lordship go free to whatever Part you 
 might choose." " As to the first Point," 
 said I, " I must explain that the making it 
 K 3
 
 198 
 
 consists in one particular Point, and great 
 Care is requisite to secure it : I dare not, 
 therefore, teach it to you ; but I will leave 
 you so well provided with Gold, that neither 
 you nor your Sons will ever have need of 
 more. And as to the second Point, I do 
 not desire that you should do any Thing 
 for me which may be productive of bad 
 Consequences to you hereafter: for this 
 same Chemical Art of mine, will give me 
 the means of setting myself at Liberty : and 
 this I will instruct you in, with the greatest 
 Readiness possible, so that you shall see, 
 though blind, how, without any Fault, or 
 Consent of yours, I will set myself free, 
 and you remain without Reproach, and with 
 Abundance of Riches and Satisfaction into 
 the Bargain." He threw himself at my Feet 
 with a thousand Grimaces, taking off my 
 Chains and Fetters, while I seemed to pre- 
 vent him with great Earnestness; but, let- 
 ting fhe Night pass over, in order to make
 
 >99 
 
 the Matter more secure, I said to him : 
 ' You must know that the not having arrived 
 at a Certainty with respect to the Trans- 
 mutation of Metals, arises from not having 
 understood the great Philosophers, who 
 treat most ably of this Subject; such as 
 Arnaldo de Villa Nueva, Raymundo Lulio, 
 and Gebor, a Moor by Nation, and many 
 other Authors who have written in Cypher, 
 that their Writings might not be common 
 to the Ignorant : for, in order to make my- 
 self thoroughly acquainted with the Truth, 
 1 have passed over to Fez, in Africa, and 
 have been at Constantinople, and in Ger- 
 many; and, by communicating with the 
 greatest Philosophers, I have arrived at the 
 Discovery of the Truth, which consists in 
 reducing to the original Matter, a Metal so 
 untractable and hard as Iron ; which on 
 being reduced to its first Principle, if in 
 that State one applies to it those same
 
 200 
 
 Things and Simples which are applied by 
 Nature in forming the Gold, the Iron is 
 transformed into that Metal. In the same 
 Manner as all Creatures imitate, as much 
 as they can, the most perfect of their own 
 Species ; so Iron, and the other Metals, go 
 on imitating the most perfect, which is 
 Gold, and partaking of its Qualities; and 
 Nature, with the Assistance of the great 
 Generator, (which is the Sun,) changes it 
 into Gold. And this may be done by 
 means of certain strong, corrosive Salts, 
 observing at the same Time the Aspects 
 of the Planets, with which I am perfectly 
 acquainted ; and that you may have some 
 Proof of what I tell you, take this Night 
 a Piece of an old Horse-shoe, which has 
 been much worn and is full of Rust, and 
 break it into small Pieces, or, filing it, put 
 the Particles into an earthen Pot, with 
 very strong Vinegar, over a slow Fire, and
 
 201 
 
 you shall see the Result." He fulfilled 
 rny Directions very completely, and left 
 me to repose that Night, very well pleased 
 with the good Effect which I found my 
 Stratagem would have towards delivering 
 me from Prison.
 
 202 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Marcos, to regain his Liberty, puts in practice a clerer 
 Stratagem. 
 
 IN the Morning, the Gaoler came to me 
 with great Satisfaction in his Countenance, 
 telling me that he discovered the Iron to 
 be changing to a red Colour, like that of 
 Gold ; for his Avarice was turning his Brain. 
 " Now," said I, " you will be convinced 
 that I have told you the Truth ;" and I 
 gave him Money to purchase certain Ar- 
 ticles of a corrosive and poisonous Nature, 
 (which I do not particularize, as it is not my 
 Wish to teach bad Practices) ; adding a few 
 other Things to these, I made some Pow- 
 ders, which, in addition to those in the Pot, 
 t;ave them a very agreeable red Colour. 
 Having made such Powders and Mixtures 
 as 1 had need of, I said to two Fellows in
 
 203 
 
 the same Prison, who were condemned to 
 the Gallies : "The Gallies are in Genoa;* 
 going thither, then, would be to hasten your 
 Doom ; but if you will venture to conduct 
 me in one Night to the Territory of the 
 King, I will deliver you quietly from this 
 Prison, and without Disturbance from within 
 or without." They replied with great De- 
 termination : " We will carry your Lord- 
 ship even on our Shoulders, and before 
 Day-break you shall be safe amongst Spa- 
 nish Soldiers." " Well," said I, " be it so ; 
 be you attentive to-morrow Night; and 
 when you see me with the Keys in my 
 Hand, recollect what we have to do." The 
 poor Fellows rejoiced greatly, and were 
 earnestly desirous for the Arrival of the 
 destined Hour. In the Morning, I desired 
 the Gaoler to get some Crucibles, and as 
 many old Horse-shoes as he could collect, 
 for that I meant to convert them all into 
 Gold ; and that at Night, when all the Pri-
 
 204 
 
 son should be in Silence, he should kindle a 
 Charcoal Fire, without having any Witness 
 who might afterwards denounce us. He set 
 about it in such good Earnest, that he did 
 not leave a Blacksmith's Shop, or Dunghill, 
 unsearched, and at Night produced as many 
 old Shoes as would have brought him a good 
 round Sum, if sold by the Pound. He shut 
 up his Servants and his Prisoners, and my 
 two Friends pretended to be asleep. Light- 
 ing his Fire, and all being- perfectly still, I 
 took out my Powders, and shewing them to 
 him, they appeared to him like Gold itself. 
 " Only observe," said I, " what a fine rich 
 Smell they have," shaking some of them 
 into his Hand. He put them up to his Nose 
 to smell, and I immediately gave his Hand 
 a Blow underneath, which threw the Pow- 
 der up into his Eyes, and he immediately 
 fell down flat, without Sense, or the Power 
 of Speech. 1 took the Keys from him ; and 
 the two Galley-slaves seeing how Matters
 
 205 
 
 stood, hastened to me. I opened the Gates, 
 while the poor Man lay in this miserable 
 State; and, without being observed by any 
 one, we got clear of the Prison and of the 
 Town ; and by Morning, having passed some 
 Woods and Sierras, and some difficult Ob- 
 stacles, I found myself in Alexandria de la 
 Palla, amongst Spanish Soldiers, who were 
 on Guard at the Palace of Don Rodrigo de 
 Toledo, the Governor of the Place. It ap- 
 peared to the two Galley-slaves as if their 
 Freedom had come from Heaven ; and they 
 set to work to secure themselves a Livel^ 
 hood. 
 
 I rejoiced in my Soul at the happy Issue 
 of my Scheme ; for though it was done at 
 the Cost of the poor Gaoler, one may do 
 any Thing to regain one's Liberty. In this 
 Instance I was like the Devil, who tempts 
 Men according to the weak Side he per- 
 ceives in them. 
 
 The Gaoler guided by his Avarice, and I
 
 206 
 
 by my Wish of Liberty, acted admirably in 
 Concert ; but Avarice is so predominant in 
 those Breasts which possess it, that it re- 
 duces them to the lowest Instances of Weak- 
 ness. The Advantages we fail to obtain by 
 our Merits or Intreaties, may be gained 
 without Difficulty, and to the Satisfaction 
 of both Parties, by attacking the Possessors 
 through their Avarice. Avarice shews its 
 yellow Visage, and the Hardness of Breasts 
 of Iron becomes softened. What Fortresses 
 have surrendered ; what Loyalty has been 
 shaken ; what Treaties broken ; what Chas- 
 tity corrupted ; and all the Effect of Ava- 
 rice ! All the other Vices by which Men 
 are enchained, leave them in some Degree 
 at liberty to consider the Future, except 
 Lasciviousness and Avarice, which cramp 
 and obscure the Powers of Reason. 
 
 It is more easy to restrain the Fury of a 
 Madman by Punishment, than to appease 
 the insatiable Thirst of Covetousness by
 
 207 
 
 Counsel. The Avaricious Man is like a 
 Sponge, which, though it sucks up all the 
 Water it can contain, is still dissatisfied ; 
 and they are as keen in their unreasonable 
 Pursuits as a hungry Adder, which attacks 
 every Thing that comes in its Way, though 
 it be a Toad, swallowing it greedily, and 
 thus filling itself with Venom. They pay 
 no Regard to what is lawful or unlawful ; but 
 to fatten themselves, gorge all they can, till 
 Punishment follows the Indulgence of their 
 inordinate Desires : like this miserable 
 Gaoler ; who, wishing to see his House 
 filled with Gold, remained without Eyes to 
 see it all.
 
 208 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 More surprising Adventures. 
 
 I SET out for Milan, fearing, in the midst 
 of my anxious Desire to arrive there, that 
 some Misfortune might befall me; for the 
 Unfortunate ought always to live with Care, 
 considering what may, from what is wont to 
 happen to them. There is a River, called 
 Eltanar, which runs through Alexandria; 
 and I observed, as we passed by, some port- 
 able wooden Water-mills floating on it, 
 which must, I think, have Wheels within, by 
 means of which they move. But, as I had 
 nothing to do with them, I did not think of 
 making the Inquiry ; and having waited for 
 the Boat to cross the Po, (a magnificent 
 River after its Junction with the Eltanar,) 
 we got into it, together with some poor 
 Women who were travelling the same Way ; 
 and it happened, when we reached the Mid-
 
 '209 
 
 die of the River, that one of those Mills, 
 being badly secured, was driven down the 
 Current of the Eltanar, and came with such 
 Force against our Boat as to upset it. My 
 Horse, for these Animals are bold in swim- 
 ming, dashed in, and I seized hold of his 
 Tail ; the Women catching hold of my 
 Skirts, and Victorino of theirs ; and, some- 
 times sinking, sometimes rising, and oc- 
 casionally touching the Sand with our 
 Feet, we reached the Bank, which the Horse 
 ascended, trying to shake us off. But I did 
 not let go my Hold, till I found myself firmly 
 established on dry Land. There we met a 
 Number of People of different Countries, 
 who had crossed over in another Boat; 
 French, Germans, Italians, and Spaniards; 
 and, that we might understand each other, 
 we all spoke Latin. But the Pronunciation 
 of one differed so much from another, that 
 although every one of the Party spoke good 
 Latin, we did not understand each other. 
 And this set me reflectin on the extraor-
 
 dinary Circumstance that, even in the same 
 Language, which is prevalent all over Eu- 
 rope, the Punishment of the Tower of Babel 
 should still be manifest. 
 
 On our arriving at the famous University 
 of Pavia, the Governor was pleased to 
 receive me favourably; but as I wished to 
 reach Milan, I did not choose to lose Time 
 till I found myself in that wonderful City, 
 which has produced so many great Saints, 
 and continues so to do, in the Prelates of 
 that most excellent Cathedral. He who 
 presided over it at that Time, was the most 
 holy Cardinal Carlos Borromeo, now Saint 
 Carlos ; for his Life was so good, that they 
 canonized him a few Years after his Death.* 
 
 I arrived there when they were celebrating 
 the Funeral Obsequies of the most holy 
 Queen Dona Ana de Austria; and having 
 
 * A flattering Tribute to the Memory of Borromeo, is 
 given in a late Description of Switzerland, in speaking ot 
 Ascona, where a collossal Statue is erected to him. Tide 
 Yosey's Description of Switzerland, 1815.
 
 considered to whom they could entrust 
 the composing of the History, and Verses, % 
 of the exemplary Life of so great a Lady, 
 though many able Men might have been se- 
 lected for this Office, the Magistracy of 
 Milan was pleased to assign the Exe- 
 cution of it to the Author of this Book: 
 not that they considered him better qua- 
 lified for the Task, but more zealous to 
 serve his King, and to approve himself 
 worthy of so important a Charge. Having 
 then, in the first Instance, cast their Atten- 
 tion on Anibal de Tolentino, a most ex- 
 cellent Person, who would have performed 
 the Task better than any other Individual 
 in Europe, they fixed at last on the Author, 
 as being on the Spot. I heard a Sermon 
 during these Obsequies, preached by the 
 blessed Saint Carlos, the Style of which was 
 quite in conformity to his Life. 
 
 I found my Friends very well satisfied, 
 and astonished at the Facility with which 1 
 had effected my Escape; and being very
 
 desirous to know how it happened, they 
 made me relate the Circumstances over and 
 over again : for, in truth, Misfortunes re- 
 lated in Prosperity, or soon after our Escape 
 from them, afford peculiar Satisfaction. 
 Afflictions may be said to resemble Medlars ; 
 for when they have most Force, they are 
 harsh, and rough to the Taste; but after- 
 wards when their true Season is come, the 
 Harshness they possessed wears off, and 
 they attain a soft Mellowness. They are 
 like a Man too, who, finding himself in 
 Danger of being drowned in a River, conti- 
 nually endeavours to keep his Head above 
 Water, and makes all the Efforts possible to 
 escape ; but after he has got out, he drinks 
 of that same Water which had previously 
 done its best to destroy him. The outside 
 Coat of the Chesnut pricks one's Fingers in 
 touching it : but one afterwards derives much 
 Pleasure from eating the Fruit. 
 
 I was delighted at beholding the Magni- 
 ficence, Fertility, and Abundance of Milan :
 
 213 
 
 for I believe that, in these Respects, there 
 are few Cities in Europe equal to it ; though* 
 from the great Humidity of which it par- 
 takes, arising either from the four artificial 
 Canals by which it is supplied with Pro- 
 visions, or from the natural Dampness of 
 the Place, I always found myself suffering 
 from violent Pains in the Head ; a Complaint 
 to which I have always been subject, but 
 which troubled me more while I remained in 
 that City. Three Things indeed have always 
 persecuted me ; Ignorance, Envy, and Bash- 
 fulness: but those I suffered from, here, 
 lasted till my Arrival in Spain. I spent 
 three Years in Milan, like a Man who lies in 
 Bed counting the Beams of his Roof* two 
 or three hundred Times over, without doing 
 any Thing of the least Importance ; in the 
 first place from being constantly indisposed, 
 
 * It is still generally the Custom in the Peninsula to 
 leave the Beams that support the Brick Floors exposed 
 to view. Tr.
 
 214 
 
 and in the next, from the little Inclination 
 that Soldiers have to exercise themselves in 
 Works of Ingenuity. I had a great Desire 
 to visit Turin ; and for my Sins this Desire 
 carne upon me in the Month of December, 
 a Season in which there are no Roads, but 
 Rivers in lieu of them ; for as the Weather 
 was fine when I set out, I flattered myself 
 that it would continue so all the Way. But 
 on arriving at Bufalores, the Heavens began 
 to discharge themselves, not of Rain, but of 
 continual Torrents of Water, which caused 
 us to lose all Trace of a Road. I arrived at 
 Turin ; and having encountered the Floods 
 at my Arrival, I remained there two Months 
 in Company with another Spaniard ; but the 
 Fogs were so thick, the People ran against 
 each other in the Streets without being able 
 to discern what was before them ; these 
 Fogs arising, as they say there, from its 
 Neighbourhood to the Po, which passes 
 close to the City, besides several Brooks
 
 which run through it. The Guadalquivier, 
 however, where it passes by Seville, is a 
 finer River than the Po; and sometimes it 
 overflows so much, as to water the greater 
 Part of the City, while all the Country of 
 Tablada is converted by it into a navigable 
 Sea : yet I have seen there no such Fogs as T 
 have described above. And Granada has 
 two Rivers which overflow it, besides many 
 Brooks which pass through the Streets, 
 without producing any such dismal Fogs. 
 But dropping this Subject, the other 
 Spaniard and I put up at an Inn, where I 
 found myself in the greatest Danger, and 
 experienced the most fortunate Escape that 
 ever occurred, or probably ever will occur to 
 me in all my Life. There were a great many 
 People at Dinner in the House ; and while 
 my Companion and I were waiting till they 
 had finished, that we might take their Places, 
 an elderly Man, towards fifty Years of Age, 
 all at once began talking about " the re-
 
 216 
 
 formed Religion;' and this he repeated 
 several Times. Though a Native of Geneva, 
 he spoke good Italian ; and, observing that 
 we were Spaniards, he seemed to raise his 
 Voice more than was necessary; and after 
 their several Toasts, they uttered Heresies 
 fit only for People full of Wine. My Com- 
 panion advised me not to take any Notice 
 of this; but they continued drinking the 
 Healths of their Leaders, and frequently 
 made mention again of " the new and re- 
 formed Religion ; so that at last they forced 
 me to inquire what Religion that was of 
 which they spoke, and who it was that had 
 reformed it? They replied, " that it was the 
 Religion of Jesus Christ, and that Martin 
 Luther and John Calvin were the Men who 
 had reformed it." Before I could hear any 
 Thing more, I said to them : "A happy 
 Chance must that Religion have, which 
 could be reformed by two such great He- 
 reticks!" The whole House was immediately
 
 217 
 
 up in Arms, and they fell upon the other 
 Spaniard and me in such Numbers, with 
 their Knives, that if we had not found our 
 Way to the Staircase, they would presently 
 have cut us in Pieces. The Landlady pre- 
 vented the Affair proceeding farther, telling 
 them to take care what they were about, for 
 we had been lodged there by the Duke. The 
 Disturbance was quieted by this Means, for 
 hitherto they had not refused Obedience to 
 the Duke of Savoy, although they had to 
 the Church of Rome. 
 
 After the Tumult had subsided, the old 
 Man said to me : " Why do you give the 
 Appellation of Hereticks to two such holy 
 Men, who have persuaded so many to adopt 
 their Opinions?" "Because," replied I, 
 " you call holy and Reformers of the Reli- 
 gion of Jesus Christ, two Men, who in all 
 and every Part of their Lives and Habits 
 acted in Contradiction to the Doctrine of 
 Jesus Christ and his Gospel ; being Men 
 
 VOL. II. L
 
 218 
 
 of libertine, vicious Lives; Evil-speakers, 
 Cheats, Deceivers, Disturbers of Society, 
 and Enemies of the publick Peace." The 
 old Man shewed a Disposition to be noisy 
 again ; but the Fear and Respect that he owed 
 the Duk erecurring to his Mind, he contented 
 himself with saying, by way of a Finish : 
 " Many are called, but few are chosen ; 
 and we are those few." I said to him in 
 Reply : " You had better have said, Many 
 nre the taken, but few the called, because 
 they do not fall into the Hands of the Pope." 
 An extraordinary Circumstance ! that there 
 should be Persons so far removed from the 
 natural Order of Things, that, merely for 
 the sake of Licentiousness and Idleness, 
 they should forsake the true Path, though 
 they know and feel it inwardly to be so ! 
 And that there should be powerful Men to 
 favour their Errors so effectually, that both 
 the one and the other attain their Ends : 
 the powerful by saying that they follow the
 
 219 
 
 Doctrine of wise Men, arid the others by 
 boasting of the Support afforded them by 
 powerful Princes. As if they were excul" 
 pated by this, for so many Vices and Abo- 
 minations as they commit under the Cloak 
 of Liberty, and in which their Masters make 
 them live ! In these unfortunate Opinions 
 of theirs, there are some Circumstances so 
 ridiculous, that one cannot avoid seeing how 
 determined they are to continue in Error. 
 
 L -1
 
 220 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 The Squire falls in mth a Necromancer, but proves 
 himself the more cunning of the two. 
 
 I RETURNED from Turin to Milan ;- 
 for although I intended to go into Flanders, 
 I did not find a convenient Opportunity ; 
 besides this, I knew that the Troops in 
 Flanders were on their March towards 
 Lombardy, and I had been with the same 
 Men in Flanders, at the general Assault of 
 Maestricht, where a comical Adventure 
 befell me, which might have been attended 
 \vith disagreeable Consequences. It was 
 that, during the Sacking of the Place, I got 
 Possession of the finest Horse that there 
 was in one of the principal Houses, and 
 mounting it without a Saddle, (for in such 
 Times one is not very particular), on my 
 leaving the City, more than three hundred
 
 221 
 
 Horses followed me; for that which Iliad 
 taken, proved to be a Mare ; and if I had 
 not thrown myself off on the Ground, I 
 should have been but roughly handled by 
 her Admirers. 
 
 At length I returned alone to Milan ; for 
 rny Companion went into Flanders, and, 
 being in search of some convenient Mode of 
 travelling, I fell in with a Carriage in which 
 J was forced to take a Seat, among four 
 Natives of Geneva, as great Hereticks as the 
 others. I determined not to oppose them in 
 any Opinions that they might think proper 
 to advance ; by which Means I gained their 
 Good-will so completely, that although they 
 were great Enemies to Spaniards, they 
 treated me all the Way, exclaiming fre- 
 quently that I was an excellent Companion. 
 For in truth, when they do not converse OH 
 Religious Subjects, they are a very inoffen- 
 sive affable People to deal with. They con- 
 tinued treating me as we went along the-
 
 C22 
 
 Road, until we arrived between two Branches 
 of the Tesin, where they went aside, out of 
 the Road, towards a Grove on a Hill ; telling 
 me that they were going to visit a Conjurer, 
 to question him concerning some Secrets of 
 much Importance. Being a young Man, 
 and a Friend to Novelty, I was delighted at 
 the Thoughts of seeing something worth 
 Notice. 
 
 We went on a little Way through the 
 Grove, until we reached the Foot of the 
 Hill, where we discovered the Mouth of a 
 Cave, with a Door of rough Wood, fastened 
 in the Inside. They knocked, and a surly 
 deep Voice, with something of a Tone of 
 Importance, answered from within. The 
 Door was opened, and the Figure of the 
 Conjurer presented itself, dressed in a 
 brown russety Mantle, painted all over witli 
 Snakes and Celestial Signs. He wore on 
 liis Head a large Fur Cap of Wolf Skin, and 
 other Things about him to correspond with
 
 223 
 
 it, which made his Person appear horrible, 
 like the Place and the House which he in- 
 habited. The Geneva Gentlemen addressed 
 him, informing him of the Cause of their 
 Visit, and that the great Celebrity of his 
 Character had induced them to consult him 
 on a Point of much Importance. In the 
 first Instance he refused to give any Opinion 
 <m the Matter, but at last they prevailed on 
 him by Intreaties and Presents; for these 
 are apt to soften every one, and incline him 
 to receive our Petitions. While they were 
 conversing together, I had an Opportunity 
 of examining the Inside of the Cave, which 
 was crowded with Things that excited Fear 
 and Astonishment ; such as Heads of 
 Daemons, Lions, Tigers, Fauns, and Cen- 
 taurs, and other Things of this Kind, to fill 
 those who entered with Horror ; some 
 of them being painted, and others made to 
 imitate the real Forms : by all which he 
 wished it to be understood that he carried
 
 2S4 
 
 on a Communication and Friendship with 
 some evil Spirit. He talked to them for a 
 long Time, extolling his great Power, and 
 shewing them several Jewels which had 
 been given to him by various great Lords 
 and others, on account of the many Secrets 
 he had revealed to them. When they came . 
 to talk of their own Business, as he observed 
 that I was occupied in looking at the Con- 
 tents of the Cave, he inquired why I did not 
 join in the Conversation ? They told him that 
 J was a Spaniard. The Conjurer replied, 
 that he did not choose to discover his 
 Secrets before Spaniards, because they were 
 an incredulous, sharp-witted People. To 
 which the others replied : " You may do 
 any Thing you please before him : for, 
 though a Spaniard, he is an honest Fellow 
 and a good Companion. He resolved, on this, 
 to act, and called to him an Assistant of so 
 fierce and formidable an Aspect, that he ap- 
 peared to me like some Daemon. We went into
 
 225 
 
 the Place where he kept his familiar Spirit, 
 which was a small Room still more dark 
 and gloomy than the other Part of the Cave. 
 In the Middle of this small Room was a 
 sort of Reading-desk, surrounded by a Ba- 
 lustrade, and a Glass Globe was placed 
 upon it, having an Alphabet of large Letters, 
 written round it; and in the Interior of the 
 Globe was placed the Familiar, who was a 
 Jittle Man of the Colour of Iron, with his 
 right Arm raised t pointing towards the 
 Letters. There was something really ter- 
 rifick in all this. He addressed the Figure 
 in a long Harangue, in which he reminded 
 him of the Friendship that had subsisted 
 between them for so many Years, to induce 
 him to reply with more Readiness to the 
 Questions he was going to put to him. He 
 then put on a large Pair of Gloves, and 
 having proposed his Question, he raised his 
 right Hand, saying : " Quick, begone." The 
 Familiar turned round, arid pointed at a
 
 226 
 
 Letter. The Conjurer then took off his 
 Glove, and wrote down the Letter which the 
 Figure had pointed out. He put on his 
 Glove again, und raising his Hand once 
 more, said to him : " Forward." The Fa- 
 miliar turned again, and pointed to another 
 Letter : and in this Way he went on ques- 
 tioning him till he had written down ten or 
 twelve Letters, the Figure continuing to 
 reply much to the Satisfaction of the Ge- 
 nevese. As I perceived that he took off his 
 Glove to write down each Letter, saying 
 what it was to be ; though I suspected that 
 it would cause a great Hubbub amongst 
 them, when he was about to raise his Hand 
 again with the Glove on, I seized hold of the 
 fore Finger, and feeling something hard, 
 asked him .whether that was not a Load- 
 stone? He remained covered with Shame 
 and Confusion ; and, turning towards the 
 others, said : " Was I not right in saying that 
 the Spaniards are acute, and that I did not
 
 227 
 
 wish to exhibit before them?" The Secret 
 of the Business was, that the little Gentle- 
 man was composed of some very light Ma- 
 terials, and his Arm of Steel ; and on the 
 Conjurer dexterously pointing out the Letter 
 which he wanted, he contrived to draw the 
 Figure towards it, by means of the Load- 
 stone. The Genevese were astonished as 
 well at the Dexterity with which the Con- 
 jurer had deceived the People, as at my 
 Discovery of his Secret ; though I perceived 
 at first that they were vexed that the Prog- 
 nostics could not be verified, according to 
 the Replies of the Familiar, whom they had 
 considered a Daemon.* They afterwards 
 admired the Subtlety with which he con- 
 trived to deceive his Visitors, but the 
 
 * 1 took a young Spaniard lately to see the Indian Jug- 
 glers in London, and asking him afterwards what he thought 
 of the Exhibition, he said he had no Doubt but they had 
 Dealings with the Devil for he had known Instances in 
 Spain, of the same Sort of Connection; nor could any 
 Thing I said convince him of the contrary. Tr.
 
 Necromancer requested them to ask me 
 not to make known the Imposition by 
 which, without doing Harm to any one, he 
 gained his Livelihood, and the Reputation 
 of a great Philosopher. The Invention was 
 certainly most ingenious, and very conform- 
 able to Natural Philosophy ; and it might be 
 endured as aLeger-de-mainTrick. But it is 
 not reasonable that Things so repugnant to 
 Truth, and to the ordinary Course of Events, 
 Deceits so well known, should be tolerated. 
 \Ve took our Departure, leaving the Im- 
 postor very disconsolate, and my Compa- 
 nions much chagrined. They found fault 
 with rue for having offended him, and dis- 
 couraged him from proceeding in his Im- 
 postures. I asked them whether they had 
 not rejoiced at seeing this Secret exposed? 
 They answered in the Affirmative. " Well," 
 said I, " in like Manner would all others 
 rejoice who should be acquainted with the 
 Fact. And it is of much less Consequence
 
 229 
 
 that this Fellow should lose his Trade and the* 
 publick Confidence, than that so extensive 
 and pernicious an Evil as this should be 
 permitted to exist. To confess the Truth, I 
 have always entertained a very bad Opinion 
 of these People; such as Conjurers, Astro- 
 logers, and the like; though I consider the 
 Astrologers as the worst, as they are better 
 received in Society, and speak less Truth. 
 But. those who treat of true Astronomy, arid 
 the Motions of the Heavenly Bodies, are 
 learned Men, well founded in the Mathe- 
 inaticks : such as Clavio Romano, Doctor 
 Arias de Loyola, and Doctor Sedillo, all 
 Spaniards, and great Men in their Pro- 
 fession. But these other People are Im- 
 postors, Men of little Solidity, (of whose 
 Tricks one might relate many Stories) : for 
 of a hundred Things they predict, they err 
 in ninety 7 , and when they happen to be right, 
 it is merely by Accident. They employ 
 Women, who come to ask them their For-
 
 230 
 
 tunes, as they do to Gypsies ; and, in short, 
 they are a contemptible Set of People, who 
 end as miserably as the Alchymists, by wish- 
 ing to discover Secrets which GOD thinks fit 
 to reserve to himself. With these and simi- 
 lar Conversations, we arrived at Bufalora, 
 a Town in the State of Milan, where my 
 Companions took another Direction, and 1 
 continued my Journey.
 
 231 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Containing a Discourse on Musick, and the Com- 
 mencement of a most marvellous Adventure. 
 
 HAVING returned to Milan ; I found that 
 as that Republick is abundant in all the 
 Necessaries of Life, so is it also in well- 
 informed Men, and in the Science of Musick, 
 in which Don Antonio de Lodona, Presi- 
 dent of that Magistracy, was very well 
 skilled. In his House, there was always 
 a good Concert of excellent Musicians, 
 famous for good Voices and skilful Per- 
 formance ; and there one heard of all the 
 eminent Men in this Science. The Violin, 
 the Organ, Harp, and Lute, were touched 
 with great Skill by capital Performers on 
 all those Instruments. They propounded 
 Questions relative to the Use of this Science ; 
 not carrying it, however, to such an extreme 
 of Perfection as in these Davs at the Houst
 
 232 
 
 of the Master Clavijo, where Assemblies of 
 the purest and choicest of this divine, 
 though ill-rewarded Art, have been col- 
 lected together. Concerts were also held 
 in the Garden of the Licentiate Caspar de 
 Torres, who indeed could strike the Chords 
 himself with Taste and Science, accompa- 
 nying the Lute with most beautiful Passages 
 of the Voice and Throat, and arriving at the 
 extremest Perfection that can be attained. 
 There were many other Persons very worthy 
 of being mentioned. But to listen to this 
 same Master Clavijo on the Organ, his 
 Daughter Dona Bernardina on the Harp, 
 and Lucas de Matos on the Lute of seven 
 Strings, one imitating the other, in most 
 solemn and uncommon Movements, is the 
 finest Thing that I ever heard in my Life. 
 The young Lady (who is now a Nun in the 
 Convent of St. Domingo the Royal) is a 
 Wonder of Nature on the Organ and the 
 Harp.
 
 233 
 
 But, to return to my former Subject : one 
 Day when they had finished singing and 
 playing, every Body being silent, some one 
 asked, why Musick had not then the same 
 Effect which it is. said to have produced in 
 ancient Times ; amazing the Souls of the 
 Hearers, and changing them till their Imagi- 
 nations adopted the very Ideas of the Singers ; 
 as in the Case of Alexander the Great, who,, 
 while they were singing the Wars of Troy to 
 him, started up with great Fury, and draw- 
 ing his Sword, began to lay about him in the 
 Air, as if he had been actually present in 
 the War itself. On this I remarked : " The 
 same Effect may be now, and is sometimes 
 produced." The other replied, .that the 
 Harmonick Instrument had been lost, it had 
 not been possible to do it. " It appears to 
 me," said I, " that with the Harmonick In- 
 strument it was impossible to do it : for 
 as the Excellence of this Kind of Musick 
 consists in the Division of Semitones and
 
 234 
 
 Diesis, the Human Voice cannot obey so 
 many Semitones and Dieses as that Kind 
 contains. And thus that Prince of Musick, 
 the Abbot Salinas, who revived it, only left 
 it in one Instrument that had Keys, as it 
 appeared to him that it was with the greatest 
 Labour and Difficulty the Human Voice could 
 accompany it. I saw him play on the Organ 
 that he left at Salamanca, on which he per- 
 formed Wonders in the way of Execution ; 
 but I did not see him bring it to that Sort 
 of Pitch that the Human Voice could exe- 
 cute, although there were in the Choir of 
 Salamanca at that Time great Singers 
 both with respect to Voice and Skill ; and 
 that great Composer, Juan Navarro, was 
 Master. It may also be effected by the 
 Diatonick and Chromatick Kinds ; and if 
 they have all the Circumstances and Re- 
 quisites that the Case requires, the same 
 will happen every Day. The Requisites 
 .ire, tlutt th(f Expressions should possess ex-
 
 235 
 
 cellent and pointed Images, with Language 
 of the same Cast ; and in the next place 
 that the Musick should be the Child of these 
 same Ideas, which they mean to unfold. 
 The third Requisite is, that the Singer should 
 possess Spirit and Genius, with Fancy and 
 Taste to execute it. The fourth is, that the 
 Hearer should have his Mind and Taste dis- 
 posed to attend to it. Things being thus 
 arranged, Musick will perform Wonders. 
 I am Witness that one Night, when two 
 excellent Musicians were singing a Song, in 
 which were these Words, " It breaks the 
 Veins of the ardent Breast," so great was 
 the Emotion and Tremour it excited in a 
 Gentleman who had brought them thither 
 to sing, that the Lady being in a retired 
 Corner of the Window, he drew out his 
 Dagger, and said to her: " You see here 
 the Instrument ; let me intreat of you to 
 plunge it into this unfortunate Breast!" The 
 Musicians!, as well as the Author of the
 
 <236 
 
 Words and Musick, remained astonished : 
 for, in this Instance, all the Requisites 
 described above, concurred to produce the 
 Effect. The Audience were not displeased 
 at this Circumstance, for they were all 
 thoroughly skilled in the Science. 
 
 In this and similar Occupations, I passed 
 my Life, between Poets and Soldiers ; the 
 latter being exercised, not only with the 
 Pike and Musket, but also with the Sword 
 and the Dagger, the Shield and the Target. 
 Among them were some valiant, skilful, 
 and courageous Characters, particularly 
 Carranza; though there were those who 
 gave the Preference to Don Luis Pacheco 
 da Narvaez. For in the true Philosophy 
 and Mathematicks of this Art, and in demon- 
 strating the Methods of inflicting Wounds, 
 he surpasses every one past and present. 
 
 In this and the like laudable Amusements, 
 1 passed my Time in Lombardy, though 
 mv Health continued always indifferent, on
 
 237 
 
 account of the Humidity of the Climate. 
 So that I determined to return into Spafn, 
 after seeing Venice ; and I had soon an Op- 
 portunity afforded me, for at that Time the 
 Infantry and Cavalry of the State of Milan 
 were departing, for the Purpose of receiving 
 the Empress on the Venetian Territory, and 
 of convoying her to embark at Genoa. This 
 gallant Band set out, and continued their 
 March until they arrived at Crimea, where 
 they received her Imperial Majesty in the 
 Style due to so great a Personage. On 
 arriving there, with a View to fulfil my 
 Intention, I crossed the River with the Bag- 
 gage Horses, (which I had hitherto made 
 use of, free of Expence) telling the young 
 Man who had Charge of them, that I would 
 pay him for the Rest of the Way to Ve- 
 nice. But he managed Matters so well, 
 that he left me in the Lurch, at the first Inn 
 we came to, which was in a small Town, 
 where I could not provide myself with any
 
 238 
 
 Beast -whatever ; nor could I get a decent 
 Answer from any of the People, because 
 I was a Spaniard, and in the Dress of 
 a Soldier; so that neither iny Humility, 
 my modest Demeanour, nor my Patience, 
 availed to prevent my journeying on Foot, 
 without a Companion, through an unknown 
 Country, ill disposed towards my Coun- 
 trymen. I went trudging over a plain 
 Country, and it was with a bad Grace 1 
 could get the People as I went along even 
 to tell me whether I was following the right 
 Road. Having travelled all Day suffi- 
 uetly disconsolate, without knowing whi- 
 ther I could turn for a Night's Lodging, the 
 Sun having now set, I espied a Gentleman 
 crossing the Road, with a Falcon on his 
 Fist. On observing me, he stopped till I 
 should come up with him, which was not for 
 some little Time ; for I moved slowly along, 
 as one sorrowful and afflicted. 
 
 On my approaching him, he shewed Signs
 
 239 
 
 of Compassion, and inquired whether 1 was 
 a Spanish Soldier. I answered in the AP 
 firmative ; and he told me that, as it was a 
 long Way to any Publick House, it would be 
 better for me to follow him to a Shooting 
 Box of his, where I should remain till Morn- 
 ing. I followed, though with some Sus- 
 picion : but calling to Mind that People of 
 Condition are always inclined to conduct 
 themselves well, and that Truth and Com- 
 passion are imprinted on their Hearts, I got 
 rid of the Sensation of Fear, which in dif- 
 ferent Sort of Company might not have been 
 superfluous.
 
 240 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 The marvellous Tale continued. 
 
 \VE entered by some large Gardens close 
 to the House, but badly cultivated and 
 full of Weeds. As soon as \ve arrived 
 at the House, some Servants of sad and 
 gloomy Aspect came out to receive us. 
 
 We entered an Edifice which, though of 
 large Dimensions, was quite unadorned with 
 every Thing that could give Satisfaction to 
 the Sight; having nothing but old black 
 Hangings, the Servants appearing melan- 
 choly and mute, and all the House full of 
 Mourning and Sorrow. I was in a State of 
 Suspense and Amazement at beholding a 
 House so full of Horror and Want of Com- 
 fort ; nor did I feel in Security, but, on 
 the contrary, suspicious lest some Mischief 
 should befall me. My Host had the Ap-
 
 pearance of a Man whose Heart-strings were 
 broken. He gave no Orders to his Servants 
 by Word of Mouth, but communicated all 
 his Wishes by the Expression of his Counte- 
 nance, which, though furious, was lean and 
 emaciated. They called me to Supper, for 
 which I was very well inclined, though, as I 
 said before, I was somewhat suspicious, from 
 rr.y usual bad Fortune, of something happen- 
 i.ng. I remained as mute during Supper as 
 my Entertainer, who sat opposite to me; for 1 
 never was more inclined to preserve Silence, 
 because I was on the Look-out for some 
 Reverse, from the Reserve kept up by my 
 Companion. I did not venture to put any 
 Questions to him : for the true Way to keep 
 well with People, is to transform one-self 
 into the Humour of those with whom one 
 associates ; and as we cannot know the 
 Secret of another's Heart, all we can do is 
 to wait till some Accident induces them to 
 unfold it ; since it is wrong to pry into 
 
 VOL. II. M
 
 242 
 
 Things which others do not choose to com- 
 municate, especially with great People, 
 whose Will is governed by Power and In- 
 clination. At length, when Supper was 
 over, and the Servants had been dismissed, 
 in a deep Voice that seemed to proceed 
 from his very Entrails, he addressed me 
 thus : " Happy they who are born without 
 any particular Duties to perform ; for they 
 may pass through good or bad Fortune, 
 free from any great Uneasiness or Care, in 
 Matters that give the greatest Concern to 
 others, with which they have nothing to do. 
 The poor Soldier, after having performed the 
 Task allotted to him, may lie down on his 
 Bed and rest. Officers of the Revenue, and 
 till that Class of People, having fulfilled 
 their Duties, find Repose in Relaxation. 
 But there are those who, observed by many 
 Eyes, respected by many People, approved 
 of apparently by many Judgments, subject 
 to the Murmurs of many Tongues, c?,nnot
 
 243 
 
 attain the Summit of their Obligations. 1 
 feel desirous^ Soldier, to unburthen my % 
 Mind to you, by giving you some Account 
 of my lamentable Distress : not but what 
 there are those here, to whom I might open 
 my Heart ; but I do not care to commu- 
 nicate on the Subject with Persons so im- 
 mediately on the Spot, who would be apt to 
 renew it every Day, and who would think 
 ill of me, and misinterpret my Sorrows. I 
 assure you that there is not one of these 
 Servants who is acquainted with the Cause 
 of my Grief; for although you observe them 
 so downcast, they know no more than what 
 ihcy read in my Countenance. I am a Gen- 
 tleman, who have my Vassals, and Property 
 sufficient to enable me to live at ease, (if 
 Property can be made to produce this 
 Effect,) performing the Duties imposed by 
 my Situation. I was inclined, from my 
 Birth, not to Courts, or the Bustle of great 
 Societies, which dissipates and trifles Life 
 M 2
 
 244 
 
 away ; but to Solitude, passing my Time in 
 Field Sports, such as Agriculture, culti- 
 vating Gardens, Fishing, Hunting, and 
 Hawking ; in which Exercises I have spent 
 some Years, and my annual Income, with 
 great Pleasure ; and have performed some 
 good Works towards Pilgrims and Tra- 
 vellers. I passed a great Part of my Youth 
 without marrying ; considering a Wife as a 
 heavy Burthen, and a great Obstacle to my 
 Field Sports, But as the Changes of this 
 World are unavoidable, and Heaven dis- 
 poses of our Lives in various Ways, chang- 
 ing them from good to bad, and from bad to 
 worse, or the contrary; it happened one 
 Day that as I was going to hawk with my 
 Falcon in one Hand, and a Heart, with 
 which I was feeding him, in the other, my 
 Heart was seized all of a sudden, and an 
 idea imprinted on it, which has not till now, 
 nor will it ever be, obliterated. The Story 
 was this : As I was passing within Sight of
 
 245 
 
 Creraa, there appeared in one of the narrow 
 Lanes among the Gardens, one of the most/ 
 beautiful and majestick Faces that has ever 
 been seen in mortal Form. I shewed an 
 Inclination to follow her; but she imme- 
 diately shut herself up in one of the Gar- 
 dens. Astonished at such extraordinary and 
 unheard-of Beauty, I informed myself with 
 great Care of her Condition, Birth, and Dis- 
 position ; and after having made every In- 
 quiry, I learnt that she was a modest Virgin, 
 the Daughter of humble Parents. It ap- 
 peared to me that it would not be difficult 
 to gain her by means of Presents and Pro- 
 mises, which are sufficient to subdue the 
 hardest Rocks. I visited her by means ol 
 some Ladies, who do not object to use 
 their Ministry on these Occasions, and to 
 promote Friendships amongst those who 
 make them Presents. They went in a 
 Coach, under Pretence of seeing the Gar- 
 dens ; but with all the Batteries that they 
 M 3
 
 246 
 
 established, they could never overcome the 
 Resistance made by her modest Chastity. 
 Having arrived at such an Extremity that I 
 could not longer endure the Violence of my 
 Fate, I went in the Carriage with the Ladies, 
 disguised in one of their Dresses ; for as 1 
 was young and smooth-faced, there did not 
 appear much Difference between us. On 
 finding myself in their Company, and near 
 the Mistress of my Heart, the Flame was 
 kindled anew, by the Enchantment of her 
 most flattering Expressions, pronounced in 
 my Favour, when she remarked: 'Those 
 who bring with them such an amiable beau- 
 tiful Lady, must know how to attain greater 
 Excellencies than those possessed by a poor 
 humble Worm/ These Words, and the be- 
 holding under that humble Garb, so much 
 Purity and Neatness, so much Good-humour, 
 accompanied by a modest Gravity of De- 
 meanour, and such an honourable Resisi 
 ance, together with a thousand other good
 
 Qualities which shone resplendent in her, 
 forced me to resort to the last of Remedies/ 
 which was to ask her for my Wife : and, to 
 shorten so lamentable a History, I married 
 her, and retired with her to this Hunting 
 Box, where we lived together with so much 
 Love and Satisfaction on her Side as well as 
 mine, that we never had a Difference that 
 lasted an Hour. Whenever I went out to 
 hunt, I found her, at my Return, weeping 
 and full of Anxiety and Melancholy ; which 
 delighted my Soul, and increased my Love 
 for her, as for a divine Being. Six Years 
 were passed in this delightful State, which 
 might well be envied by all Descriptions of 
 People. Indeed the Happiness was so 
 complete, that nothing but the Ingratitude 
 of a black-hearted, low-born Wretch could 
 have effected a Change in such an auspicious 
 Commencement. There was in this Neigh- 
 bourhood, a little Man of no Quality, but of 
 good Understanding, and agreeable ; for he
 
 248 
 
 knew something of JVUusick, and a little of 
 Poetry. He valued himself on being a Man 
 of Valour ; but in the Place where he lived 
 he was not esteemed, nor had much Re- 
 spect shewn him. I brought him to my 
 House as a Guardian of my Person, and 
 Companion of my leisure Moments. I 
 clothed him, fed him at my Table, and he 
 became the second Person in my House ; 
 in short, I raised him from the Dust of the 
 Earth to the respectable Situation of my 
 Equal. Before and after my Marriage he 
 used to accompany me in my Field Sports, 
 mounted on a Poney ; and if he became 
 weary, he would return Home. After I was 
 married, he availed himself of these Oppor- 
 tunities to converse with my Wife, of which 
 I had not the least Suspicion ; for he was a 
 little Man with very bad Features, wide 
 Teeth, large Hands, deficient in moral Vir- 
 tues, and inclined to Detraction and D,is- 
 sciitioii. However, though he was a Persoa
 
 249 
 
 of this Description, I did not think it righjt 
 to allow him to return from Hunting until I 
 went Home myself; more from a Wish to 
 comply with the Customs of the World, 
 than from any bad Opinion I entertained of 
 him. After I had subjected him to this 
 Privation for some little Time, a Hobgoblin 
 made his Appearance in my Garden every 
 Night, on my Return, which alarmed the 
 Dogs and terrified all the Servants. Though 
 fatigued with my Day's Sport, I used to go 
 out, and hunt about in every Hole and 
 Corner of the Garden, before 1 went to Bed, 
 in hopes of discovering the Ghost. And on 
 quitting my Room, my Wife was in the 
 habit of getting up and locking the Door on 
 the Inside, taking care not to open it till she 
 was convinced that it was I who knocked ; 
 for she pretended that it was Fear of the 
 Ghost which induced her to lock it in the 
 Inside. This State of Things lasted many 
 Days, and even some Months : but I re-
 
 250 
 
 marked that on the Nights of the few Days 
 when he. left me during our Sport, no Ghost 
 appeared ; nor could I imagine where he 
 concealed himself, until one Evening, having 
 returned from the Chace, I desired a Ser- 
 vant to remain at the Garden-gate, and keep 
 agoodLook-out for the Ghost; and, shutting 
 myself up in my Room with my Wife, I 
 waited to see whether he would come again 
 as before, when the Dogs began barking 
 violently; for the Ghost was so tall, that he 
 reached to the Window, and even to the 
 Koof. I arose as fast as possible, and 
 meeting the Servant whom I left at the 
 Garden-gate, he said to me: ' Do not trouble 
 yourself, Sir, any more about this Affair, for 
 the Ghost is no other than Cornelio your 
 intimate Friend, who practises this Deceit, 
 that, while you are out, he may remain with 
 my Mistress, acting treacherously towards 
 you : How, or by what Way he enters, I 
 cannot guess, unless it is that some Dannon
 
 251 
 
 assists him ; but I know it to be the Case' 
 and so it has been for several Days past. 
 So great was the Fury I felt within, that 
 seizing him by the Collar of his Doublet, I 
 stabbed him to the Heart, with my Knife ; 
 exclaiming: 'Why have you not carried 
 this News to some one else? and why do 
 you bring it to me after the Deed is done ? 
 I threw the Body into a little Cellar, lock- 
 ing the House and Garden Doors with the 
 Master-key ; and, quieting myself against 
 my Conscience, with my Breast and Heart 
 burning with Jealousy and Dishonour, I 
 walked up and down for a Time in order to 
 obtain Relief to my agitated Feelings. At 
 length I knocked at my Wife's Door, and 
 she asked in great Dismay whether I was 
 the Ghost? At last, when she was satisfied 
 of its being me, she opened the Door, and 
 seeing the disordered State of my Coun- 
 tenance, (which 1 took pains to conceal,) 
 said to me : ' What means this Change in
 
 your Countenance, my Love? GOD put a Ma- 
 lediction on the Ghost, and on him who in- 
 vented the Trick which has so annoyed you/ 
 I dissembled as well as I could, telling her 
 that there was nothing the matter, and, 
 lying down in my Bed, she with her ac- 
 customed Caresses attempted to pacify me ; 
 so that I began to doubt the Truth of the 
 unfortunate Story. I slept but little, and 
 badly, owing to the violent Strife which was 
 kept up within me. I rose at Day-break, 
 and called together the Servants who at- 
 tended me in the Field, receiving Cornelio 
 with the most favourable Aspect that ! 
 could assume. We went out, but in the 
 Course of the whole Day, I found no Game 
 for the Hawks to pursue, nor any Thing for 
 the Dogs to hunt. I considered this as a 
 bad Omen ; and in the Evening the Traitor 
 (Jornelio pretended Illness, as an Excuse 
 for returning Home. I gave him Leave to go, 
 and desired him to tell my Wife that 1 had a
 
 Heron to hunt with, three Leagues off, and 
 that I could not return to her that Night ; 
 for that I intended to take the Heron out at 
 Break of Day. He set out very well sa- 
 tisfied with his Errand, while I remained 
 puzzling my Brain as to the Course I 
 should adopt.
 
 954 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 The Squire witnesses a most tragical Event. 
 
 AS it was already late, and I wished to 
 wait till Night, I sent off my Servants to 
 prepare the Heron, and when it was quite 
 dark, returned to my House with all possible 
 Silence, and entering by a Gate in the 
 Garden, by means of the Master-key, I went 
 directly to Cornelio's Apartment, and open- 
 ing the Door, found that he was absent, and 
 a Light was burning in his Room. I took 
 the Light and went into an adjoining Room, 
 to examine whether he was there; I searched 
 all over this Room, and going to the further 
 Extremity of it, which opened into another 
 Apartment, over which was my Wife's Bed- 
 chamber, I discovered a Ladder leaning 
 against the Wall, which reached to the Bed- 
 room above, and at the upper End of it
 
 Q55 
 
 there was a large Opening, through which a 
 Man might creep very well, though it was 
 covered with a Painting by Titian, of the 
 Adultery of Venus and Mars. Till that 
 Moment I had not believed the Extent of my 
 Misfortune. I removed the Ladder, that he 
 might have no Means of descending ; then 
 rushing like a Thunderbolt to my Bed- 
 room, that I might take them unawares, 
 my Wife came to open the Door to me, 
 \vhile her Loverran in a great Hurry towards 
 the Ladder; but not finding it there, he fell 
 into the Room below, and broke both his 
 Legs at the Knees. I locked the Door of 
 the Bed-chamber, and ran down to the fallen 
 Man, who went drawing his Limbs alone; 
 
 ~ o 
 
 after him like a hewed Spanish Bull. 'Ah ! 
 Traitor!' exclaimed I, 'ungrateful for all 
 the Benefits you have received, this is the 
 Recompence due to false Adulterers. And, 
 fastening him to one of the Sides of the 
 Ladder, I strangled him, after stabbing him
 
 256 
 
 several Times. la the Height of this 
 Phrensy, I ran up Stairs, with the Intention 
 of treating my Wife in the same Way ; but 
 on my attempting it, the Dagger fell from 
 my Hand ; and though I repeated the 
 Attempt several Times, my Arm continued 
 incapable of exerting itself to wound that 
 Body which had always resisted my Efforts 
 against it so effectually. At last I carried 
 her down Stairs, and, placing her close to 
 her Lover (who was now incapable of doing 
 her any further Injury), I tied her Hands 
 and Feet together, and taking out his Heart, 
 placed it between the two, that she might 
 every Day behold the Heart which had 
 pleased her so much when living. Then 
 dragging the dead Body of the Servant 
 towards them, I said to her : ' You see here 
 the Witness of your Crime.' I endeavoured 
 again to kill her, and again found my Arm 
 restrained ; and finally resolved to destroy 
 her with Hunger and Thirst, giving her
 
 257 
 
 every Day half a Pound of Bread and a 
 ismali Quantity of Water. This makes the % 
 fifteenth Day since she beheld the Light, or 
 has heard a Word from my Mouth ; nor has 
 she in all this Time spoken a Word to me, 
 seeing that I have inflicted all this Misery 
 on her with my own Hands. To me they 
 have not appeared like fifteen Days, but 
 fifteen thousand Years, and each Day I have 
 suffered as many thousand Deaths. This 
 is the miserable State to which I am re- 
 duced, forsaken by all that could have 
 afforded me Consolation, and in so despe- 
 rate a Situation, that I wish GOD had 
 been pleased to make me an Outcast, free 
 from all Ties, that I might fly to some Part 
 of the World which has never been inha- 
 bited by Human Beings. And now that I 
 have given you an Account of that which no 
 other Soul shall hear from my Lips, I am 
 also desirous that vou should behold with
 
 258 
 
 your own Eyes, that which remains still to 
 blast mine with the Remembrance of former 
 Felicity." 
 
 Then taking up a Candle, he desired me 
 me to follow him, and passing through a 
 small Garden, he opened the Door of a 
 Place in which were enclosed all his Mis- 
 fortunes. One of the most horrible Spec- 
 tacles that ever presented itself to Human 
 Eyes was then exposed to mine. One Man 
 stretched out, his Body all full of Wounds ; 
 another hacked to Pieces, with a large 
 Opening in his Side, and his Heart placed 
 on a Step, close to one of the most lovely 
 Faces that Nature ever formed. And, as if 
 to increase the Measure of our Grief, it hap- 
 pened, on his opening the Door, that some 
 Dogs followed him into the Place, and on 
 seeing his unfortunate Spouse, they ap- 
 proached her, and began licking her Hands 
 and Face, and shewing great Demonstrations
 
 '259 
 
 of Joy ; the Effect of which was discover- 
 able in my Eyes, while it wounded her 
 Husband to the very Soul. 
 
 Seeing the Opportunity which his Emotion 
 afforded me, I said to him : " I have not 
 uttered a Word, Sir, in Reply to all that you 
 have told me, not having hitherto found an 
 Opening through your Passion, nor obtained 
 your Permission to speak." " Well then," 
 replied the Gentleman, " I now give you 
 Leave to say any Thing that occurs to you." 
 And, all Fear being dissipated by his Ten- 
 derness, I thus addressed him : " You have 
 confessed to me, Sir, that the first Idea that 
 entered your Heart, of Love for your Wife, 
 has not been, or ever will be obliterated. 
 You have likewise told me, that this Affair, 
 whether true or false, is known to no one 
 except us two, and consequently it cannot 
 have been published: and the Honour or 
 Infamy of Men does not consist in that 
 which they know of themselves, but in
 
 f 260 
 
 what others know and say of them. For 
 >f Men were to imagine that that which they 
 know of themselves was known to all the 
 World, in the same Manner that they are 
 acquainted with it, many, or the whole of 
 them, would go where they could not be 
 seen of Men. You have effected, by the 
 Death of these, all that you could desire. 
 You have still your Wife living, and per- 
 haps innocent; since you found yourself 
 irresistibly restrained in every Attempt to 
 destroy her. I will say no more, than that 
 you should reflect on the Emotion which 
 the Caresses and Kindness of the Dogs 
 towards her, have caused in your Heart.'' 
 Before the Husband could say a Word in 
 Reply, the Lady, taking Courage, with a 
 deep Sigh, and a Voice that appeared to 
 proceed from some sepulchral Vault, said : 
 " Soldier, spend not your Words in vain ; 
 for I do not desire to live, nor for all that 
 the glorious Sun illumines should I wish
 
 again to behold his Light. But, lest struck 
 with Horror at this Tale, you should at 
 some future Time feel inclined to relate the 
 Circumstances of it, I wish you to be ac- 
 quainted with the Truth ; that you may 
 neither condemn the Severity of my Hus- 
 band, nor publish the Infamy which I do 
 not deserve. These two Men have justly 
 merited the Deaths that have been inflicted 
 on them : that Villain, because he related 
 what he had not, could not have seen ; and 
 this mangled Object, not for what he did, 
 but for what he attempted to do, like a 
 ' treacherous Wretch, ungrateful for the Be- 
 nefits he had received from my Lord and 
 Master. And he persevered with so much 
 Diligence, that it appeared to me as if he 
 had held a Compact with some Daemon ; for 
 I perceived him in my Room, without know- 
 ing how he got in, except that 1 saw him 
 creep from behind a Picture, and, asking
 
 him what he wanted? he replied, that he 
 came to amuse me in the Absence of my 
 Lord. I did not make use of a bad Word 
 to him, on account of his Pretensions. In 
 the first place, because I have never done so 
 to any Body ; and in the next, because when 
 he saw my Firmness, he did not employ an 
 immodest Expression. And if my Husband 
 should blame me for not making him ac- 
 quainted with this Circumstance, all I can 
 say is that, seeing him so full of Wrath and 
 Revenge, I did not dare to communicate to 
 him an Incident which would so afflict his 
 Soul, until he should appear in a more fit 
 State to receive it. But the World does 
 not contain an Empire or Kingdom, for the 
 Possession of which I would consent to 
 stain my Honour, or that of my Husband ; 
 and for the sake of the Pity which I perceive 
 m you, and the Truth I have told you, I 
 in treat you to ask him not to prolong my
 
 263 
 
 Life, but rather to hasten my Death, that I 
 may depart speedily to present this martyred 
 Body to my God !" 
 
 From the Moment that the beautiful and 
 unfortunate Lady began to speak, the Hus- 
 band continued shedding Tears so abun- 
 dantly, that, availing myself of the Oppor- 
 tunity, I said to him : " What think you of 
 this, Sir?" To which he replied, sobbing : 
 " In the same Manner that I gave you 
 Liberty to speak, I now give you Leave to 
 act for me as it seems best to you." I in- 
 stantly took out my Dagger, and cut the 
 Cords which surrounded those divine but 
 debilitated Limbs. She was so much ex- 
 hausted, that without the Power of support- 
 ing herself, she fell upon my Breast, and 
 then seated herself on the Ground, as if to 
 repose, after the severe Sufferings that she 
 had undergone. Her Husband threw him- 
 
 O 
 
 self on his Knees before her, and embracing 
 her Hands and Feet, said to her: " As
 
 264 
 
 there is nothing, my dearest Wife and Mis- 
 tress, for which I have to pardon you, I in- 
 treat you with all possible Humility to for- 
 give me." She had not power to answer, 
 for her sudden Restoration had thrown her 
 into a Swoon so profound, that at first 1 
 thought her dead ; and her Husband, start- 
 ing up in great Haste, ran and fetched some 
 Restoratives, by means of which, she who 
 appeared but a Moment before as pale as 
 a Lily, was changed in an Instant to the 
 BJoom of a Rose, and opening her soft azure 
 Eyes, she said to her Husband : " Why 
 have you endeavoured, Sir, to restore me to 
 this unhappy Life ?" " That I might pre- 
 serve my own," replied he. We then took 
 her up, and carried her between us to her 
 Room, and by means of the great Care and 
 Attention he paid her, she was rescued from 
 the Arms of Death. Not one of the Domes- 
 ticks was Witness to what passed that Night. 
 The noxt Morning I asked Permission to
 
 depart, that I might continue my Journey ; 
 but he would not allow me to set out for 
 three Weeks ; and, indeed, I required some 
 Repose after the Fatigue of my past Jour- 
 ney, and some Relief after the Horror 
 which this sad Story and frightful Spectacle 
 had occasioned. Impelled by the Violence 
 of his Passion, without considering that the 
 Story might be false, he was induced to 
 commit those Murders, and was on the 
 point of putting an End to the Life of his 
 innocent, unoffending Spouse ; by which he 
 would have passed a most disturbed Life, 
 if he had lived ; while his Wife's Character 
 would have been loaded with Infamy, with- 
 out having committed any Crime. That he 
 should have been deceived by so many Ap- 
 pearances of Truth, his Honour wounded, 
 and his Jealousy, (that Root of so many and 
 so great Evils,) is no Wonder; but that the 
 Obstinacy, or Pertinacity of a bad Heart 
 should be so great, and full of Fraud, that 
 VOL. IL N
 
 266 
 
 in order to carry his malevolent Intention 
 into Effect, he should spend so much Time 
 (which might have been passed quietly) in 
 Schemes and Stratagems for the sake of 
 despoiling the Honour of his Neighbour, is 
 a most astonishing Thing. And indeed 
 these crafty People appear to be made of 
 different Materials from others. But he 
 seems to have been too hasty in putting to 
 death the Man who gave him the Intelli- 
 e nce ; for by means of his Information, he 
 might have come at the Truth, without pro- 
 ceeding to such Extremities. Nature itself, 
 however, and even Reason directed him to 
 that just Chastisement, on many Accounts. 
 The first and principal was, that to tell a 
 Man of the Faults of others, of which one 
 has not been a Witness, proceeds from the 
 Wickedness of a malicious Inclination, a 
 corrupt Understanding, arid a hardened 
 Conscience. The second : that the commu- 
 nicating bad News to a Man, by which he is
 
 67 
 
 likely to suffer severely, appears as if one 
 took Pleasure in the Misery of one's Friend. 
 The third : because Tale-bearers and Flat- 
 terers have destroyed half the World by 
 their Falsehoods. The great Sufferings of 
 that beautiful and much injured Lady, are 
 worthy of Notice. For with all the Trials 
 also she had to endure, and even finding her- 
 self at the Brink of Death, she preserved her 
 Patience and Respect for her Husband, in 
 the midst of such great Misfortunes. Would 
 to God that all Women knew the Value of 
 such Conduct; for the Preservation of Peace 
 in their Houses and the Love of their Hus- 
 bands ; yielding to him who is more power- 
 ful than themselves. 
 
 I had been so shocked and disgusted at 
 what I had seen and heard, that although he 
 pressed me, in the most earnest and friendly 
 Manner, to remain with them during the 
 rest of my Life, or, at least, for some Time 
 longer, I could not make up my Mind to do 
 N 2
 
 268 
 
 it. But in refusing, I gave them to under- 
 stand, that I should leave them perfectly 
 conscious of the Kindness they had heaped 
 upon me ; praising my Host for the Valour 
 he had shewn in redeeming his Honour, and 
 the Lady, for the Firmness she had evinced 
 in the Preservation of her Character. 
 
 During the Time I remained with them, I 
 could not but observe the Grounds the Hus- 
 band had for being enamoured of that amiable 
 divine Countenance, so full of modest Re- 
 serve. For assuredly in Beauty of Face, 
 Gracefulness of Figure, Mildness of Dispo- 
 sition, and Meekness of Manners, she was 
 a perfect Portrait of Dona Antonia de 
 Calatayad. 
 
 In order to guard against the Fear that 
 my Absence might create, and to leave them 
 well satisfied, I gave my Word that I would 
 return to their Service, or at least to their 
 House, when I should have completed the 
 Uusmess that I was going to transact at
 
 69 
 
 Venice ; and on this Condition they allowed 
 me to depart. For as I entertained some 
 Dread of the Injury I might suffer from 
 them, so they naturally dreaded lest I should 
 reveal what I had been witness to ; and 
 this Sort of Artifice is allowable in those who 
 have been privy to the bad Deeds of others ; 
 and, when it is possible, we should avoid 
 shewing that we are Masters of the Lives of 
 those with whose Secrets we are acquainted. 
 Great Calamities have been known to befall 
 the Revealers of Secrets. 
 
 At length, with their Permission I took 
 my leave of them, after the flattering and 
 kind Treatment I had experienced ; and, 
 having first commended myself to GOD, I 
 pursued my Journey, filled with Amazement 
 at (he Adventure I had met with, alike new 
 to me and teeming with Misery. But I felt 
 highly satisfied at finding myself free from 
 so intricate a Labyrinth, and praised inwardly 
 the Honour and Discretion of the principal
 
 270 
 
 Italian Women, and the Caution with which 
 they act, and have need to act. 
 
 I had already got about a Mile from the 
 Gardens, and turning my Head frequently 
 until I had lost Sight of them, I now con- 
 sidered myself as safe as if I had been an 
 hundred Leagues from the Spot. But I 
 suddenly observed two Men on Horseback 
 following me with all imaginable Speed. 
 I looked around me all over the Plain, to 
 see whether there was any Village or House 
 to which I might fly for Shelter; but could 
 not discover a Habitation of any Kind : for 
 I really began to apprehend that they had 
 repented of letting me depart, as I had been 
 witness to all that had passed. Under this 
 Impression, I began to supplicate the As- 
 sistance of Heaven ; and the nearer the 
 Horsemen approached, the greater became 
 my Terror. At last, when they arrived 
 close to me, I resolved to await their De- 
 termination. They approached me in the
 
 271 
 
 rudest Manner, and cried out : " Stop there, 
 Soldier !" I replied : " Here I am, disposed 
 to do whatever you are pleased to com- 
 mand." They were two Men, with each a 
 Fowling-piece and a Knife, such as are used 
 for skinning Animals ; their Faces were 
 Sun-burnt, and their Way of Speaking un- 
 mannerly, considering that they addressed 
 themselves to a solitary Spaniard on Foot. 
 For on my asking them what they required 
 of me, they replied, with the worst Grace in 
 the World : " We require nothing of you ; 
 but there is a Person behind us, who will 
 give what Orders he pleases." This made 
 me tremble, as it tended to confirm my Fears. 
 " Pray, Gentlemen," said I, " what Offence 
 have I committed against Mr. Aurelio, that 
 you should treat me in this Way?" "He 
 will tell you presently," replied they. " Pray, 
 Gentlemen," rejoined I, " allow me to con- 
 tinue my Journey." Upon which one of 
 them exclaimed : " If you do not remain
 
 272 
 
 where you are, I will put these two Balls 
 into your Body." I saw plainly that there 
 was no such Thing as overcoming them by 
 an humble Deportment; and therefore I 
 reflected thus within myself: " If these 
 Fellows come hither with an Intent to kill 
 me, my Courtesy will avail me little, for here 
 there is no Room for dissembling; and if 
 they do not come to kill me, I do not wish 
 them to look upon me as a Coward. And 
 therefore, when he talked of the two Balls, I 
 put my Hand to my Sword, exclaiming : 
 "If I once draw this Weapon, by the Life 
 of the King of Spain, I will hough the 
 Horses, and hew their two Riders to Pieces." 
 "Bravo! Don Spaniard," said one of them. 
 By this Time the Gentleman had come up 
 in a gentle Amble, and seeing my Sword 
 drawn, he inquired, what was the Reason of 
 it? I replied : " I don't know what is meant 
 by so unjust a Proceeding as the attempting 
 to kill him who has endeavoured to preserve
 
 273 
 
 a Life." " I do not understand what this 
 Language means," said the Gentleman. 
 The Servants answered him briskly, ex- 
 claiming : " As you desired us to detain 
 him, Sir; on his attempting to go on, we 
 threatened him with a Pistol^ and, he in 
 Return declared that he would hew us and 
 our Horses to pieces." To which the 
 Master replied : " I did not desire yon to 
 detain him for the sake of injuring him, but 
 for his Advantage. Nor am I at all asto- 
 nished that two Men well mounted and 
 armed, treating thus a solitary Individual on 
 Foot, should lead him, as an honourable 
 Man, to act boldly in his own Defence, as 
 he has done, and even with more deter- 
 mined Resistance. Get down, Sir, from 
 that Horse, and give your Fowling-piece to 
 the Spanish Soldier, and let him mount the 
 Horse, and do you accompany him to Ve- 
 nice : and if he chooses to send you back 
 immediately, you may return ; if not, wait
 
 274 
 
 upon him there as long as he pleases to 
 detain you." Then turning to me, he said : 
 " The Confusion, Soldier, that my Affliction 
 occasioned, made me, in some measure, un- 
 mindful of my Obligation ; and my Wife, 
 prompted by her angelick Disposition, and 
 softened by your compassionate Conduct, 
 having lost all Recollection of my Ill-treat- 
 ment, has sent you here a Purse of a hundred 
 Crowns for your Journey, and this Jewel 
 from her own Person a Cross of Gold set 
 with Emeralds and Rubies; and she lives 
 in hopes of seeing again the brave Man who 
 prevented so great an Effusion of Blood." I 
 threw myself at his Feet, returning him my 
 grateful Thanks for the Honour and Favour 
 he had shewn me ; then, mounting my 
 Horse, I took for my Attendant the Man 
 who had threatened to kill me. 
 
 On reaching Venice, my Stock of Wealth 
 appeared so great, that I fancied I had 
 wherewithal to purchase the whole World.
 
 275 
 
 I desired my Attendant, as he was well % 
 acquainted with the City, to conduct me to 
 a good Inn; and on arriving atone, I did not 
 care to dismiss him, for I was as well pleased 
 to have him with me, as he was to come. I 
 reposed there that Night, a,nd the next 
 Morning sent him Home.
 
 HAP. VIII. 
 
 Conclusion of the marvellous Story The Squire 
 arrives at Venice, and is kindly received by the Lady 
 Camilla. 
 
 I BEHELD the Grandeur of that Repub- 
 lick with Admiration. It is so rich, and 
 held in such high Estimation, that they 
 persuade themselves they have more Reason 
 to be proud than any other Nation in the 
 World; but one would not suppose this 
 from their Behaviour, for they conduct 
 themselves in so uncourteous a Manner, that 
 a Person who did not know them, would 
 not rate them so highly as they deserve. 
 As an Instance of their Vanity, I shall men- 
 tion a ridiculous Anecdote concerning a 
 Venetian Nobleman and a Portuguese ; who 
 esteem themselves so highly, that they think 
 nothing of the rest of the World. It was
 
 277 
 
 this : As T was passing over a small Bridge, , 
 called Bragadin, I stopped on seeing a great 
 Nobleman coming behind me, and made my 
 Obeisance to him, \vhich is a Sort of Compli- 
 ment they expect from one. A Portuguese, 
 of middling Stature, was crossing over the 
 Bridge in the opposite Direction, (looking 
 strait before him,) with Otter-skin Gloves on 
 his Hands, and plaited Boots on his Legs, 
 with great Importance in his Gait. On his 
 reaching the Middle of the Bridge, the great 
 Man expected that he would salute him, 
 which in Reason he ought to have done, as 
 being in the Nobleman's Country. But on 
 the other Hand, the Portuguese conceived 
 that, as a Foreigner, he had a Claim to this 
 Mark of Respect. It consequently hap- 
 pened, that on their both reaching the 
 Middle of the Bridge, they jostled against 
 eacli other with great Dignity. The Por- 
 tuguese pressed against the Venetian, to 
 prevent himself from falling into the Water,
 
 278 
 
 and the Nobleman thought it beneath him to 
 give way. At last they both fell ; the Ve- 
 netian, being weak in the Legs, on his Back, 
 and the Portuguese on his Face ; and they 
 barely escaped falling into the Sea. The 
 Portuguese jumped up nimbly, and brushed 
 the Dust off him with his Otter-skin Gloves, 
 whilst the Nobleman brushed his striped 
 Breeches and cleaned his Back. After clean- 
 ing themselves, they stood looking at each 
 other ; and having remained for some Time 
 silent, the Nobleman said to the Portuguese : 
 " Were you not aware that I am a Venetian, 
 and a Patrician Gentleman?" "And you, 
 pray," replied the Portuguese, " did you not 
 know that I am a Portuguese Nobleman of 
 Evora ?" The Venetian retorted with great 
 Contempt : " Get out, paltry Bastard, Cuck- 
 old !" The Portuguese, making a Motion 
 with his Foot, as if to kick him, exclaimed 
 in return: "Begone, you Goose!" Each 
 then followed his own Road, turning his
 
 279 
 
 Head back as he went; the Nobleman 
 pointing his Finger at the Portuguese, and 
 exclaiming with a contemptuous Smile, 
 "March about your Business :" And the 
 Portuguese, with the same Gestures, "Look 
 at that Turkey-Cock !" Indeed it was dif- 
 ficult to decide which of the two was most 
 foolish and fantastical ; though 1 felt rather 
 inclined to give it in favour of the Portu- 
 guese, for having acted so rudely in a foreign 
 Country, where the Spaniards are so little 
 valued, that the Venetians, in praising their 
 City, boast that they have neither Heat nor 
 Cold ; Mud nor Dust; Flies nor Mosquitoes ; 
 Fleas nor Lice; nor even Spaniards! They 
 are such Courtiers, that to gain any Thing 
 they like, or have need of, there is no en- 
 dearing Expression they will not use: but 
 when they are displeased, there is no vulgar 
 Expression they will not employ. 
 
 One Day a Venetian Nobleman went to 
 buy some Fish ; and, without knowing any
 
 280 
 
 Thing of the Man who sold it, he began 
 asking him in the kindest Manner after his 
 Wife and Family; telling the Fisherman 
 himself that he was a very honest Man. 
 But, on his refusing to sell him the Fish at 
 the Price the Nobleman put upon it, he did 
 not hesitate to change his Tone ; calling the 
 poor Man a Cuckold, his Wife a Strumpet, 
 and his Children Bastards. I observed 
 some other Things there, well worthy of 
 Notice, on account of the Weight they 
 derive from their Antiquity and Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 I returned to my Inn at the Hour of 
 Dinner, and had hardly sat down to dine, 
 when they informed me that a Lady of 
 Quality, in a Chair, had come to inquire for 
 me ; asking for the Spanish Soldier who had 
 arrived there. Knowing that there was no 
 one else in the House who answered this 
 Description, I went out to see what the Lady 
 wanted \vith me. On going to the Door, I
 
 281 
 
 saw a Woman get out of the Chair, of a fine 
 Figure and very handsome Face, and her 
 Dress corresponding with her Beauty. She 
 welcomed me with a great many ^Caresses 
 and flattering Expressions, which threw me 
 into Doubt and Confusion ; and as I really 
 thought that she mistook me for another 
 Person, J said to her: "I consider myself 
 quite unworthy, Madam, of so great and 
 unexpected an Honour as this ; and I there- 
 fore intreat you to reflect whether I am the 
 Person you seek." She replied, with an 
 animated Countenance, while she threw her 
 Arms round my Neck : "I w r ell know, Sol- 
 dier, whom I sought, and whom I have 
 found. I am the Lady Camilla,* Sister of 
 the Lord Aurelio, from whom I last Night 
 received a Letter, in which he desires me to 
 receive and entertain you during the Time 
 that you are pleased to remain in Venice, 
 
 * This Story of Camilla, the Reader will recollect iu 
 Gil Bias. Tr.
 
 282 
 
 t 
 
 not as an indifferent Person, but as himself." 
 " I can easily imagine," answered I, " that 
 every Thing good in the World is likely to 
 proceed from so excellent a Gentleman ; and 
 as his Kindness is transmitted to me in the 
 first Instance through so fine and charming 
 a Lady, I have no Doubt that every Thing 
 will go well with me." " Come then," said 
 she, " follow me Home ; for though I have 
 been all this Morning hunting about for 
 your Inn, I took care to leave Directions for 
 a proper Dinner to be prepared for so worthy 
 a Guest." And on my objecting, from having 
 already ordered my Dinner, she assured me 
 that she could not neglect the Commands of 
 her Brother. Paying, therefore, what I owed 
 at the Inn, I went off with her, not doubting a 
 Syllable of what she told me ; though some- 
 what apprehensive that this might be a Stra- 
 tagem of her Brother's, to execute at Venice, 
 that which he had failed to do at his own 
 House. But she conducted me Home with
 
 283 
 
 so much Affection and Gentleness of De- 
 portment, that all my Suspicions vanished' 
 presently. We entered a very well-furnished 
 Room, where I found a Table covered with 
 a great many choice Dishes, and, being very 
 hungry, I paid my Respects to them with 
 much Good-will. For, besides that they 
 were excellent of their Kind, the Lady 
 Camilla would serve me herself with her 
 delicate white Hands 5 nor did she cease to 
 impress on me the kind and friendly In- 
 structions that her Brother Aurelio had 
 given her. After Dinner, she took out a 
 Letter signed Aurelio, in which were these 
 Words: "A Spanish Soldier, who has been 
 my Guest, left me this Morning much to my 
 Regret; as his Conduct proves him to be a 
 superiour Sort of Person. I have not recom- 
 pensed him so well as I wished ; though 
 your Sister, my dear Wife, sent him, after 
 he had set out on his Journey, an Amber 
 Purse, and a Gold Cross (from her own
 
 Person), ornamented with Emeralds and 
 Rubies, having nothing at present more 
 worthy his Acceptance. Pray be good 
 enough to seek him, receive him into your 
 House, and entertain him in the same 
 friendly Manner that you would me. Do 
 not suffer him to incur the most trifling 
 Expence while he remains at Venice; and if 
 he chooses to return hither, let him have 
 what is necessary for his Journey." I be- 
 came quite convinced now, by the Appear- 
 ance of the Letter, that every Thing told me 
 by the Lady Camilla was true, and that she 
 had received her Intelligence of my kind 
 Treatment, and the handsome Presents 
 which had been made me, from that noble 
 Gentleman, Aurelio, himself. She then de- 
 sired that I would have my Portmanteau 
 brought to her House, as she was resolved 
 that I should never eat or sleep out of it, or 
 spend a Farthing but at her Expence. I ex- 
 pressed my sinccrest Obligations, but told
 
 285 
 
 her that I had neither brought a Portman- 
 teau nor any Thing else with me, but my* 
 own homely Person. Upon which she de_ 
 sired a Servant to look for a small Trunk, 
 that she might give it to me. He brought me 
 one ornamented very curiously ; and, giving 
 me the Key of it, she advised me to lock up 
 my Papers, &c. carefully in it ; for that in 
 Venice it was very necessary to guard 
 against Thieves. I w r as much pleased to 
 have this little Trunk, and immediately put 
 into it my Papers, my Money, and the Cross, 
 which she expressed great Delight at seeing; 
 giving it a thousand Kisses, as having be- 
 longed to her Sister-in-law, to whom she said 
 she was infinitely attached. I left the Key 
 in the Lock, and asked her to take care of 
 the Trunk for me. She said she thought it 
 would be better to leave it with me, in case I 
 should wish to take any Money out; " though, 
 to be sure,'' she added, " you will not require 
 any as long as you remain in Venice." I
 
 28(5 
 
 replied that, whether I should have need of 
 it or not, it would be better in her Custody 
 than in mine. At last by persisting, (though 
 she constantly objected,) I prevailed on her 
 to take charge of it. At Night they set a 
 very pretty Supper before me, which she 
 graced with her Presence; for she was 
 really very handsome. I passed a good 
 Night, very well satisfied at having enjoyed 
 myself at the Expence of so fine a Lady.
 
 287 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 The Lady Camilla leaves Marcos in the Lurch, but is 
 afterwards herself outwitted. 
 
 SHE came to visit me at Day-break the 
 next Morning;, asking me how I found my- 
 self, and desiring that I would call with 
 Freedom for any Thing I might want ; for 
 that she was going to pay a Visit to a great 
 Lady, and if she should not return in Time 
 for Dinner, her Servants would provide for 
 me the same as if she were present. She 
 did not return to Dinner, nor did she make 
 her Appearance during the whole Day. I 
 waited for her till Night, but still she was 
 absent. I then became somewhat uneasy, 
 lest this might possibly turn out to be some 
 Trick or Artifice ; for she herself had told 
 me, that I should not confide in any Woman 
 in Venice, however high her Rank might be,
 
 288 
 
 for if I did, she would certainly deceive mfc. 
 But calling to Mind the Appearance of the 
 Letter, and that she could not possibly have 
 known the Contents of it, except from Au- 
 relio himself, my Mind was quieted. 
 
 The next Morning, as she had not visited 
 me at the same Hour as on the preceding 
 Day, nor for a long Time after, I inquired 
 of one of the Servants whether the Lady 
 Camilla was yet stirring. The Man replied, 
 that there was no such Lady in that House. 
 I repeated my Question, and he gave me the 
 same Answer. But another Servant, who 
 most assuredly was in the Plot, made his 
 Appearance, and asked me what I wanted 
 with her, for that she was gone on a Visit to 
 a certain sick Lady. I pretended to be sa- 
 tisfied with this Information, but taking the 
 other Man aside, and asking him whether 
 the House belonged to Camilla, he told me, 
 that all he knew of the Matter was, that she 
 had hired that suit of Apartments for a great
 
 289 
 
 Spanish Nobleman. I held my Peace, and 
 went to the Inn where I had first stopped,* 
 to inquire whether they knew any Thing of 
 the Lady who had gone thither to seek me; 
 and if they were acquainted with her Place 
 of Residence. One of the People readily 
 answered me ; " He who can tell you where 
 she lives better than any one else, is the Per- 
 son who came here with you, and whom you 
 sent back with the Horse, for he accompanied 
 her to point out your Lodging; but she, 
 whom you take for a great Lady, is no other 
 than a Strumpet, who lives by Debauchery 
 and Deception." 
 
 Without giving any Answer, I left the 
 House in a State of Despair, on seeing my- 
 self robbed of my Money, Jewels, and Pa- 
 pers, by the Roguery of my Attendant, who 
 had given her the Signs and Particulars of 
 what I brought with me, by which Means, 
 she forged the Letter she showed me. But, 
 considering that she herself had advised me
 
 90 
 
 t 
 
 of the Trick she was about to play me, I 
 made np my Mind, and returned back to the 
 Hotel where she had taken me to, in order 
 to devise a Mode of repairing the Injury I 
 had received. I asked the Waiter, who be- 
 fore had spoken for her, whether Lady Ca- 
 milla had arrived ? and he answered me, " Sir 
 she was here just now, and as she did not 
 find you, she returned to the sick Lady's 
 House, but if you should wish to see her for 
 any Thing particular, I'll go and call her." 
 I wish to see her, I answered, for her to give 
 me out some Papers in which my Person is 
 described, for I have got here a Bill of Ex- 
 change for Two Hundred Crowns due to me, 
 
 O / 
 
 but which I cannot receive without the Pa- 
 per alluded to. The Waiter told me he 
 would instantly go and acquaint her with 
 the Affair. Whilst he was gone, I forged the 
 Bill of Exchange, payable to me under the 
 Description of my Person, as contained in 
 the Passport I had brought from Milan.
 
 291 
 
 I had scarcely finished the Draft of the 
 Bill, when my Lady Camilla entered the 
 Room, under apparent great Concern, but 
 secretly hoping to get the Two Hundred 
 Crowns together with all the Rest. It is 
 presumable she had already seen the Paper 
 containing the Description of my Person, 
 for it was in her Possession, and she must 
 have had a false Key of my little Trunk. I 
 told her the Circumstances of the Transac- 
 tion, pulled out the Bill from my Besom, and 
 on shewing it to her, she sent a Maid Ser- 
 vant for my little Trunk. My fallen Spirits 
 instantly began to revive, and I told the Lady 
 she must seek out some Gentleman for me, 
 that I might empower him to receive the 
 Amount of the Bill, because I did not wish 
 the Spanish Ambassador to see me with this 
 Paper, as I was known to him. 
 
 She soon brought me one of her own Cul- 
 lies, very well dressed, telling me that he was 
 a Gentleman of considerable Rank. I told
 
 292 
 
 her, it would be Necessary to procure a No- 
 tary to draw out the Power for him, and Lady 
 Camilla, in order to favour me still more, 
 observed, that it should be done in her own 
 Handwriting-. They went to fetch him, and 
 in the mean Time, I took up my little Trunk 
 for Safety, and went in search of a Vessel in 
 "which I might get a Passage. I arranged 
 this Point, and returned to the Hotel, where 
 I found the Lady, her Cully, and the No- 
 tary. I gave them the Power, and the Bill 
 of Exchange, together with the Paper in 
 which my Person was described. With this 
 they remained perfectly satisfied, and I much 
 more so ; and as it was now Night, I re- 
 quested them to receive the Amount of the 
 Two Hundred Crowns as early as possible 
 in the Morning, for I wished to do a great 
 Piece of Service to Lady Camilla. 1 was 
 going to pay the Notary, but to this she 
 would by no Means consent. They then 
 departed, and I again earnestly enjoined
 
 *291 
 
 them to let the Collection of the Funds be 
 made as soon in the Morning as was practi- 
 cable. They gave me their Words, that by 
 Eight it should be all settled. 
 
 On their getting out into the Street, I 
 looked out at the Window, to observe their 
 Motions, and to see that all was clear for me 
 also to make my escape, when the Cully 
 turned round his Head, laughing at the Trick 
 played upon me, and, as they caught sight 
 of me, I again recommended to them the 
 earliest Attention to my Affair. With this 
 they laughed still more, because, as I had 
 before given them the Trunk with all Sim- 
 plicity, they believed that this also was done 
 in the same Manner. 
 
 On seeing them clear out of the Street, I 
 took up the Trunk under my Cloak, and 
 went off to my Vessel. I had not proceeded 
 thirty Yards, when I met the W'ailer who 
 was in the Interest of Lady Camilla, and on 
 his asking me where I was goinaj with so
 
 much Haste, I answered him, I was carrying 
 the Trunk to the Lady, who had just left 
 me at the bottom of that Street pointing- 
 out to him one, along which, though he 
 wandered all Night, he could not come across 
 her. Well, says he, I'll go and let her know ; 
 and do you return to the Hotel. He went 
 down his own Street, and I straight to the 
 Vessel, which was already waiting for me, 
 with such good Spirits, that by Morning we 
 were thirty Leagues from Venice. On re- 
 counting over my Adventures to the Pas- 
 sengers, from the Style of the Deception and 
 Artifice used, they soon guessed who the 
 Parties were ; but when they were informed 
 that she had spent her own Money in treat- 
 ing me, they were delighted, and declared 
 their Intention of publishing it all over Venice 
 when they returned. 
 
 I did not know whether to cast the 
 Blame on my own Credulity, or on the 
 Dexterity with which her Artifice had been
 
 accomplished. For though it is very difficult 
 to escape the Effects of a Fraud, founded on 
 clear and evident Truth, yet it argues a cer- 
 tain Degree of Levity to give into a Belief of 
 it with too great Facility. But then, on the 
 other Hand, the Deceitfulness of a handsome 
 well-spoken Woman is so powerful, that I 
 believe she might have taken me in with less 
 Attractions. A too great Credulity finds a 
 Place in simple inexperienced Minds; espe- 
 cially if the Persuasion leads towards our 
 own Advantage; for in that Case we are 
 most easily deceived. I found myself ruined 
 and undone, not feeling so much the Insult 
 offered to my Person, as the Want of my 
 Money, of which I stood in so much Need. 
 And, therefore, it was not my Wit that put 
 the Trick into my Head, but pure Necessity; 
 for being in a State of Poverty, in a foreign 
 Country, I found I had no lawful and easy 
 Means open to me to repair my Injury, but 
 that of practising a similar or greater Deceit
 
 than what I had myself experienced. But 
 GOD deliver me from a Falsehood that had 
 in it so much the Appearace of Truth, that 
 the Assistance of Heaven itself was neces- 
 sary to discover, and not give Credit to it. 
 Though, on a candid Review of the Subject 
 what previous Acquaintance or Tokens of 
 Friendship, or Love, had previously subsist- 
 ed between this Lady and me, that could in- 
 duce me to persuade myself that she would 
 expend her Money upon me so readily, or 
 convince me that she was sincere in her 
 treatment towards me, The Result of all 
 this is, that I consider in a suspicious Light 
 the Offers and Caresses of Strangers. It is 
 wrong to subject oneself to Obligations for 
 which there is no apparent cause ; and there- 
 fore it is safer, in the Event of such Offers, 
 to be grateful, but not to accept them. The 
 greatest Repellant to deceitful Conduct is, 
 the not evincing by our uncivil Manner that 
 we observe it, but rather to resist it with
 
 Moderation ; for mild, gentle Behaviour sub- 
 dues every Thing to our Wishes ; Courtesy 
 and Liberality ensure general Good-will, and 
 cover a Multitude of Faults. For if a Man 
 is prodigal of good Manners and friendly 
 .Expressions, and not too saving in his Ex- 
 penses, he will be sure to make Friends of 
 those amongst whom he lives.
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Mighti/ curious Adventures that befall the Squire 
 during his Voyage. ' 
 
 I NOW resolved on going to Sea ; my Ob- 
 ject being, not so much to visit any particu- 
 lar Part of the World, as to fly from the 
 Deceit that had been practised on me, and 
 its unpleasant Consequences. It therefore 
 became necessary for me to extend my 
 Travels beyond the Limits I had contem- 
 plated, to some Place where I should be able 
 to provide better for myself. 
 
 On board the Vessel in which I embarked 
 I found one among the Passengers who told 
 me that he was flying from Venice, oa 
 account of an Accusation against him of an 
 unfavourable and serious Nature; and that 
 he was anxious to have the Sea between 
 him and his Adversary, until the Statement 
 o 3
 
 294 
 
 should be proved, or he should be able to 
 get rid of the bad Name he had acquired. 
 " I consider it," said I, " a notable Error, to 
 turn away the Face, and leave the Back to 
 receive Injures and Wounds, the Effects of 
 which must be irreparable Bruises. For the 
 more that an injured Person shews himself, 
 the less every one is inclined to credit any 
 Accusation brought against him, and to 
 commit himself by blemishing his Reputa- 
 tion. But the greatest and most convincing 
 Testimony against a Person so accused, 
 appears by his running away. His Opinion 
 is held in little Estimation, who does not 
 dread the Wounds inflicted by an absent 
 Tongue. There is no Man, however correct 
 in his Conduct, who has not some Compe- 
 titor; and, to avoid giving Encouragement 
 to his Designs, he ought not to lose Sight of 
 him : for ill-intentioned People will no^ 
 scruple to employ the most trifling Cir- 
 cumstance to set the Opinion of the World
 
 295 
 
 against him whom they would be glad to see 
 out of it. 
 
 With this, and other Advice that I gave 
 him, I persuaded him to return to Venice ; 
 which was of no little Advantage to me ; for, 
 as we were sailing along the Coast, I con- 
 trived to disembark at the first small Place 
 we came to, and thus found myself near 
 Lombardy. On landing, I took the Road to 
 Genoa, while he proceeded towards Venice ; 
 and, by the good Advice I gave him, I 
 avoided going round more than two hundred 
 Leagues, which is the Distance between 
 Venice and Genoa, by Sea. I was in hopes 
 of finding at Genoa, Don Fernando de 
 Toledo, the Uncle ; but as he had left it, 1 
 followed him with so much Haste, though 
 the Night was stormy, that I overtook him 
 at Saona, just as he was setting out again. 
 He received me with great Cheerfulness, 
 which was very necessary in the melan- 
 choly State in which I found myself, arising
 
 from the continued Series of Misfortunes 
 that have always attended me. 
 
 We embarked for Spain, leaving on the 
 Right-hand the Coast of Piedmont and 
 France, where there was little Security at 
 that Period, in consequence of the Bands 
 of Robbers that were ravaging the Country ; 
 a Set of People who were governed by 
 their own Will and Desire, and not by 
 that of their King. We did not enter 
 any Port to procure what was necessary ; 
 but went on Shore where it appeared 
 most convenient for accommodating the 
 Crews, leaving the eleven Feluccas in which 
 we came, in safe Custody. At these Places 
 we dined, and procured Fire-wood and 
 Water. I had brought from Genoa a Skin 
 containing about five Gallons of very good 
 Greek Wine, which I found an agreeable 
 Companion, until we arrived at the Pommes 
 de Marseilles, which are some high barren 
 Rocks without Grass or any Thing green
 
 297 
 
 upon them, void of Trees and of every 
 Thing to gratify the Sight. 
 
 Having reached this Part of the Coast 
 with some Difficulty, the Felucca that I was 
 in being astern of all the rest, she ran 
 aground very near these Rocks, on a Part 
 where the Beating of the Waves had formed 
 a large Ridge or Bank of Sand. As soon 
 as we felt her strike, the Master exclaimed : 
 " We are lost !" As I could swim, and ob- 
 served a dry Spot which I could easily reach, 
 I took off a loose Coat that I wore, and 
 throwing it aside, put the Skin of Wine 
 (the Contents of which were now greatly 
 reduced) round my INeck in the Form of a 
 Shoulder-belt, and got to the Sand-bank, 
 after swimming five or six Fathoms. 
 
 During this Time the Felucca had got clear 
 of the Ground again, and the Sailors made 
 sail, thinking no more of me than if I had 
 been a Tunny-fish; and though I called out 
 to them, they either did not hear me on
 
 298 
 
 account of the Waves, or they did not 
 choose to attend to me, that it might not be 
 said of them, that they acted contrary to 
 their usual Custom. For they are an 
 impious Set of People, without natural 
 Affection or Civility, and as far removed 
 from Humanity, and Strangers to Charity, 
 as the Monsters of the Ocean. I now gave 
 myself up for lost, and remained without 
 Hopes of Consolation, except it should come 
 from GOD, or my blessed Guardian Angel. 
 I began to reflect within myself what would 
 become of me, unless some Vessel or Boat 
 should happen to pass by and relieve me 
 from this dire Necessity. 
 
 I remained from eight in the Morning till 
 two in the Afternoon, in hopes of obtaining 
 Help, confident that the Nobleman who was 
 on Board, would take pity on my forlorn 
 Situation. But the Sailors were so cruel as 
 to persuade him I was drowned. I encou- 
 raged myself from Time to Time with a
 
 299 
 
 Drop of Wine from my Skin ; till, at length 
 summoning Resolution to act, I resolved to 
 deliver myself up to the Tyranny of the Sea, 
 that insatiable fierce Ravager ; and to effect 
 this, I took off a buff Dress I had on, (made 
 of fine Cordovan Leather,) and with the 
 Point of my Dagger, and two dozen tagged 
 Points, which I always carry with me on a 
 Journey, I drew the lower Part of the Skin 
 in at the Neck, so close together, that I 
 could fill it with Air, which would not have 
 the Power of escaping. I then emptied the 
 Skin of the divine Liquor which yet re- 
 mained in it, and filling it well with Air, 
 made it act as a Balance to my buff Jacket. 
 I took the same Pains with my Boots, 
 closing them well up with my Garters, that 
 they might serve also as a Support to me in 
 the Water. Then stripping myself of my 
 loose Breeches, as the Water would have 
 been apt to flow in through the Pockets, I 
 remained with nothing but my Doublet and
 
 300 
 
 Shirt ; for, being clothed entirely in Leather, 
 it would not so easily yield to the Wet. 
 And being now prepared in this Manner, 
 and remembering that those Undertakings 
 are sure to succeed which are directed by 
 Omnipotence, I addressed myself to him 
 thus : " Oh ! Almighty GOD, Beginning, 
 Middle, and End without End, of all Things 
 visible and invisible, by whose Majesty Men 
 and Angels live, and are preserved ; Oh ! 
 Universal Founder of the Heavens and Ele- 
 ments ; to Thee, who hast employed so 
 many Miracles for thy Creatures, in this 
 Ocean, and who guided the blessed Ray- 
 mundo, with nothing but the Assistance of 
 his Mantle, over so many Leagues of Water, 
 to a Place of Safety, and in this same Place 
 delivered from the Jaxvs of Death, those 
 Sailors who were en the point of being 
 swallowed up by the iiiercikss J '.'a, whose 
 Waves thou didst tranquillize, at the simple 
 Request of thy Servant, Francisco tie Paula :
 
 301 
 
 by the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of thy % 
 most Holy Son, our Redeemer, I beseech 
 thee, that thou wilt not permit me to die out 
 of my own Element." And then I said to 
 my holy Guardian Angel : " My Angel, 
 whom GOD has appointed as a Protector of 
 this Body and Soul, I entreat thee, for his 
 Sake who created thee and me, to guide and 
 support me in this my Calamity!" And 
 having pronounced these Words, and taken 
 fast hold of my JSoat, I threw myself boldly 
 into the Sea, supported by my buff Jacket 
 on one Side, and my Wine Skin on the other, 
 making use of my four natural Oars, but not 
 so as to fatigue myself: for, as I had to 
 carry the Air-boat, I continued striking out 
 cautiously, so as not to subdue my Strength 
 by wearying it. I did not venture to reflect 
 on the .Depth of Water under me for fear of 
 being discouraged by it. Neither did I dare 
 to reaiaiii sti!!, well knowing that as long as 
 a Body continues in motion, the hungry
 
 302 
 
 Monsters of the Sea will not venture to 
 attack it ; and if at any Time I perceived 
 Weakness in my Oars, I extended them on 
 tfce Water, trusting more to that than to my 
 Boat, though this occasionally afforded me 
 Comfort, by the fragrant Perfume arising 
 from the Skin, which was close under my 
 Nose. I began praying, but was soon 
 obliged to discontinue it, on finding that my 
 Respiration, which is very necessary in such 
 Struggles, began to fail me. I floated an 
 Hour in this Way ; sometimes swimming 
 and sometimes resting, until a Wind which 
 came from Africa began to freshen, and to 
 drive me again towards the Shore. I was 
 forced to resist this Impulse, lest I should 
 encounter the Rocks of which 1 have spoken 
 above, and be dashed to pieces. But while 
 1 was in this State of extreme Danger, I 
 espied a small Creek, which inspired me 
 with fresh Vigour; and working my Way 
 along towards it, I was miraculously assisted
 
 303 
 
 by this same South Wind. As soon as I 
 approached near, to get a distinct View 
 of the Creek, I discovered a Man taking his 
 Luncheon on its Bairks; these two Sights 
 enabled me to renew my Efforts. But the 
 more I rejoiced and endeavoured to get near 
 him, the greater was his Alarm at the Sight 
 of me, imagining that I must be a Whale or 
 some Sea-monster. At length a great Wave 
 came and carried me so far in, that I was 
 thrown upon my Feet, and the Man became 
 so terrified at seeing me, that he ran off into 
 the Country, whilst a Greyhound that he had 
 with him flew into the Water to attack me ; 
 and it might have fared ill with me, if I had 
 not drawn out rny Dagger, which is my con- 
 stant Companion, and pricked him with it ; 
 which set him running after his Master. The 
 Water is always calm in these Creeks. I 
 therefore got on Shore without farther Diffi- 
 culty ; and finding myself once more safe on 
 dry Land, I went down on my Knees and
 
 304 
 
 returned Thanks to the Great First Cause. 
 But having cast my Eyes on the Eatables 
 that the Man had left, I looked next at my 
 Skin and buff Jacket sewed with the 
 Doublet, and the Boots laced together, 
 which also made a respectable Appearance; 
 and altogether I was not astonished at the 
 Alarm I had excited. I immediately at- 
 tacked a Piece of Bread and Cheese, and a 
 Jar of Wine, that he had left behind him; 
 and making up for past Failures, I can 
 swear that in my Life I never tasted a more 
 delicious Rt^past. But while I had the Jar 
 at my Head, ten or twelve Men approached 
 me, cum Fustibus et Armis, who had been 
 collected together by the Runaway, for the 
 Purpose of killing the Whale; but as they 
 did not discover it, they asked the good 
 Man whereabouts it was, and inquired of 
 me whether I had seen it? He was con- 
 founded; and I replied in Italian, (for I did 
 not dare to speak Spanish,) that no Whale
 
 305 
 
 had shewn itself there, nor any other Being 
 which resembled it, but myself, as I then 
 appeared before them; and that the Man, 
 on seeing me, had fled, for the sake of leaving 
 me his Bread and Cheese. They laughed 
 heartily at their Companion, accusing him 
 of being drunk, and making great Sport of 
 him, in the French Language ; and they 
 took pity on me, seeing me so wet and 
 naked. 
 
 At this Time a Felucca arrived with twelve 
 Oars, sent by order of Don Ferdinand de 
 Toledo, in search of me; and he assured them 
 that he would hang the Master, if they did 
 not bring me on Board, dead or alive. I 
 made Signals to them with my leather-skin 
 Bottle, which was the greatest Object I had 
 to shew; and seeing it, they pulled round 
 presently into the Creek, where they found 
 me trembling with Cold and Wet, exposing 
 myself to the Sun, in greater Distress than 
 a Dog when tossed in a Blanket. They
 
 carried me on board the Felucca, astonished 
 at finding me alive, and that a Man of nearly 
 fifty Years of Age should have supported 
 himself through such Fatigues. 
 
 On our arriving at Marseilles, I was ca- 
 ressed and entertained by that great Noble- 
 man, who is known and beloved by all the 
 World. But as that Adventure befell me at 
 an advanced Period of my Life, I have con- 
 stantly felt and suffered from the Effects of 
 the Wet and Cold, every Winter since it hap- 
 pened. On this Occasion, I resembled a 
 Beetle who, being in Company with a Snail, 
 (gathered up in her Shell for fear of Rain,) de- 
 termined to trust toils Wings and fly in search 
 of a dry Spot; and on raising itself for this 
 Purpose, the Snail exclaimed, " Yonder you 
 will find it !" But at this Moment a large Drop 
 of Rain falling on its Wings, he was thrown 
 into, and carried away, by the Flood of the 
 River. In like Manner, I trusted to my 
 Knowledge of Swimming, which the others
 
 30? 
 
 were ignorant of, and threw myself into the 
 Puddle of Tunny-fish, (as Don Luis de 
 Gongora calls the Sea,) where that might 
 have befallen me which happened to the 
 Beetle, if GOD had not prevented it: for 
 with a Beast so cruel and treacherous as the 
 troubled Ocean, it is not enough to know 
 how to swim ; for a Man casting himself into 
 the Waves, is like a Fly in the Midst of a 
 Lake. 
 
 Land Animals are accustomed to a faith- 
 ful, friendly, mild, and tranquil Element, 
 which affords Shelter and Nourishment to 
 the Weary in every Part of it. But the 
 ungrateful Sea is the Devourer of the good 
 Things of the Earth; a perpetual Sepul- 
 chre of every Thing concealed beneath 
 its Surface ; towering over the Land, to 
 see whether there is any Thing it can carry 
 off from its Shores ; ravenous after every 
 Object that comes within its Reach ; Deso- 
 lator of Cities, Islands, and Mountains ; an
 
 308 
 
 invidious Enemy of Peace and Tranquillity ; 
 Executioner of the Living, and Despiser of 
 the Dead ; and withall so avaricious, that 
 although full of Water and Fish, People die 
 in it of Hunger and Thirst! What then 
 can one expect but the Destruction of those 
 who put their Trust in this treacherous 
 Element ? 
 
 It appears too, as if nothing but the Hand 
 of GOD could have effected that which lately 
 happened, at the Capture of Mamora, to Don 
 Lorenzo and the Captain Juan Gutierrez. 
 The latter, while swimming, and without any 
 Assistance, but bearing the Burthen of a 
 great Age, carried off a Boat, in which there 
 were five Moors. And Don Lorenzo, after 
 swimming and being tossed about all Night 
 by the agitated Waves, on arriving at the 
 Boat, in which he might huve reposed after 
 such immense Labour, animated himself 
 with supernatural Strength, and exclaimed 
 that, he did not desire to enter the Boa I,
 
 309 
 
 as there were some following him, who 
 had greater Need of Relief than himself; 
 and then swam on. An Occurrence similar 
 to this has seldom or never been known. 
 
 I now suffered not only from my Troubles, 
 but from the Self-condemnation which my 
 Temerity occasioned. For my Confidence 
 might have cost me my Life; and it really 
 was to shew that I knew how to swim, 
 and that I possessed Courage to venture, 
 which made me cast myself into the Sea 
 with so little Consideration ; though it is 
 true that, in such unexpected Circum- 
 stances, Reason has very little Influence. 
 But it certainly would have been preferable, 
 rather to have awaited the Fate of the rest 
 of my Companions, than to anticipate my 
 own, which had hitherto been so little for- 
 tunate. If Vanity is ever suffered to beget 
 Temerity, it should only be in the Hearts 
 of such as have had great Experience of 
 good Fortune. But of what Importance
 
 310 
 
 could it be to me, to acquire the Reputation 
 of a good Swimmer; seeing that I was 
 neither a Frog nor a Dolphin; nor meant 
 to become a Merman? Surely this was 
 all Vanity, Rashness, and Folly !
 
 311 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The Squire enters into the Service of a great Man. 
 
 arrived in Spain, and disembarked at 
 Barcelona, a beautiful City both on the Land 
 and Sea Side ; abounding in Provisions, and 
 Kindness, which appeared the sweeter from 
 being expressed in the Spanish Language. 
 For though the Inhabitants of this Province 
 have the Character of being somewhat 
 rough, I observed that towards those who 
 treated them well, they behaved with Mild- 
 ness and Liberality, and in a very friendly 
 Way towards Strangers. All Societies in 
 the World require Strangers to gain their 
 Esteem by good Manners. 
 
 If those who are not Natives of a Place, 
 appear humble, and live without injuring the 
 Inhabitants, they easily acquire universal 
 Good-will ; for good Behaviour added to their
 
 312 
 
 lonely Situation, creates Pity and Love in 
 every well-disposed Breast. All Animals 
 of the same Species treat each other well, 
 except Men and Dogs. These latter, with a 
 thousand good Qualities which one is accus- 
 tomed to admire, possess a vile Inclination 
 to snarl at the poor Stranger that comes 
 among them, and even to kill him if they 
 can. And the same occasionally happens 
 with Mankind, if a Stranger visiting a 
 foreign Country does not conduct himself 
 with Propriety. What is most apt to offend 
 the Natives of a Country, is the paying too 
 much Attention to their Women. And 
 accordingly, a Stranger should scrupulously 
 avoid casting a too curious Eye upon them, 
 as it will always be noticed by the Host 
 whose Guests they are. Many People com- 
 plain of foreign Countries they have visited ; 
 but they do not speak of the Cause they 
 gave for the bad Treatment they met with. 
 They praise their own Country above all
 
 others, not reflecting on the Behaviour they 
 are obliged to adopt at Home, the Con- 
 straints of which are less obvious from con- 
 tinued Use. 
 
 I can truly say that I found Fathers and 
 Mothers in all Parts of the Kingdom of 
 Aragon, and excellent Friends throughout 
 Andalucia. But it is only Persons of bad 
 Character who conduct themselves ill in 
 this Respect ; and in every Part of the 
 World People of that Description are Ene- 
 mies of Peace, turbulent, restless, seditious, 
 and arrogant. 
 
 I was extremely happy to get to Madrid, 
 being anxious to see it ; and on my Arrival, 
 I found many Friends there desirous of 
 seeing me. I was introduced to a great 
 Prince, who was much attached to Musick 
 and Poetry. For though I always endea- 
 voured to fly from Servitude, I found myself 
 forced to resort to it. I entered into his 
 
 VOL. ii. p
 
 314 
 
 g-ood Graces very unexpectedly, became in- 
 timate and a great Favourite with him ; 
 and finding myself satiated with past Trou- 
 bles, my present good Treatment led me to 
 indulge so much in Idleness and Luxury, 
 that I grew very fat, and the Gout soon 
 began to torment me. 
 
 I amused myself at this Period with 
 keeping Birds ; and amongst them, used 
 to make much of a Linnet, superiour to the 
 rest in Harmony, which I kept in my Room 
 at Night. I overheard him once cracking 
 Hemp Seeds, as I thought, the whole Night 
 long, contrary to their usual Practice; 
 but on going to look at the Cage at Day- 
 break, I discovered a young Mouse in it, 
 who had swelled himself out so much with 
 the Quantity of Hemp Seed he had de- 
 voured, as not to have the Power of turning 
 to go out. I said to myself: " This young 
 Mouse has brough this Life into Danger,
 
 by over-eating himself: I am following the 
 same Road ; and if a Mouse, with only one 
 Night's Gormandizing, has rendered him- 
 self so unwieldy, what will be the Conse- 
 quence to me, who dine and sup luxu- 
 riously every Day, but the bringing on 
 some Disease, perhaps an Apoplexy, which 
 will shortly put a Period to my Existence ?" 
 Taking the Hint, I left off eating Suppers ; 
 and by means of this, and taking Exercise, 
 I have preserved my Life. For really the 
 Habit of eating at the Expence of another, 
 fattens one too much : one eats without 
 measure ; and he who does not set a strict 
 Watch upon himself in this Respect, is in 
 great Danger of producing a dangerous 
 Illness. It is necessary for People to con- 
 fine themselves to such Food as their Sto- 
 machs are capable of bearing ; for if they 
 do not, the Consequence is either that they 
 throw it up again, or run the Risk of losing 
 p 2
 
 316 
 
 their Lives, as this Mouse did. Besides all 
 this, the other Parts of the Body are envious 
 of the Stomach, seeing that they have all 
 to work hard, that he alone may be gratified ; 
 and when they can no longer support him, 
 they let him fall, and tumble him into his 
 Grave. I found that I was pursuing the 
 same Path, and therefore adopted the Sys- 
 tem of eating light Dinners, and left off Sup- 
 pers entirely ; and though at first this an- 
 noyed me not a little, yet I soon found that 
 Perseverance will subdue the worst Habits. 
 Those who give themselves up to Gluttony, 
 should be aware of the Danger to which 
 they expose themselves ; for Persons of the 
 same Age are not always the same, nor is 
 Food always of one Quality. It is not asto- 
 nishing, that he who has been fat from his 
 Infancy, should remain so; for his Limbs 
 are gradually taught to sustain and carry 
 him. But when a Person, naturally thin and
 
 317 
 
 weak, becomes fat in a short Time, one is 
 apt to suspect that his Life will not be of 
 long Duration. As I restricted myself in 
 rny Eating and Drinking at Night, I found 
 that my Fatness began to diminish, and that 
 I was in every Respect more light and ac- 
 tive. For Laziness certainly disables and 
 cripples Man. In my Case it had the Effect 
 of making me dissatisfied ; which, with the 
 Assistance of certain Flatterers, caused the- 
 Prince whom 1 served to waver in his 
 
 /iiiCCliGil for iil(J ^ ililii ujirt iliauo li.c iC..-S lit- 
 
 dined to serve him. For great Lords, like 
 other Men, are not only subject to the Stars, 
 but to their Passions and Appetites : and 
 the greater they are, so much the sooner do 
 
 v 
 
 they become tired of the Conduct of their 
 Servants ; requiring those who serve them 
 to renounce their own Will, and make it 
 accord with their Master's. It is reasonable, 
 indeed, that they who make up their Minds 
 p 3
 
 318 
 
 to serve, should sacrifice their Wishes to 
 the Person who provides for them : for all 
 desire to be well served. 
 
 Though I have known many Masters of 
 so compassionate a Disposition, as to bear 
 with much Goodness and Patience the 
 Negligence of their Servants ; yet the 
 contrary is more common.
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Marcos, by an unfortunate Concurrence of Events, 
 removes from a Palace to a Dungeon Interior 
 View of his Abode. 
 
 IN consequence of the little Notice my 
 Master took of me, I found myself at Li- 
 berty to wander about at Night; not in un- 
 lawful Pursuits : for, in the first place, 1 
 was too old for this ; and in the next, my 
 Distresses had not left me sufficiently at 
 ease to resort to Practices of bad Example. 
 Nor is it right, at any Age, to adopt such a 
 Mode of Life. But the Summer Nights at 
 Madrid are well calculated for those who 
 enjoy to walk in the fresh Air, after the 
 burning Heat of the Day. I went out every 
 Night with some Friends, (counting our 
 Beads) not towards the Prado, but to re- 
 tired Streets, that we might avoid the great
 
 Concourse of People; for though there is 
 so great an Abundance of these Streets, one 
 always finds in each of them a sufficient 
 number of Persons to furnish one with So- 
 ciety. We had one Night extended our 
 Walk nearly as far as Leganitos, when my 
 Companion said to me : " You had better 
 stop and rest here, as you are old, and ap- 
 pear fatigued." I was piqued at this, and 
 said to him : <; Have you a mind to run with 
 me for a Wager? And then we shall be 
 able to decide which of the two is the oldest 
 Man." He laughed, and replied that he 
 had no Objection. We placed ourselves 
 side by side for the Race : but even in this 
 simple Diversion, the Devit found Means to 
 persecute me. There was a young Man 
 standing at the Door of a House, which we 
 conceived to be his own ; and we asked him 
 to hold our Cloaks and Swords for us while 
 we were running. W T e had hardly begun 
 our Race, when a Woman began to cry out;
 
 32 1 
 
 " Oh ! they have killed me by stabbing 
 me in the Face !" And she had scarcely 
 finished her Exclamation, when two or three 
 Alguacils made their Appearance ; and per- 
 ceiving us running along, they seized me 
 first, as I had got a-head of my Companion 
 in the Race, and then they got hold of him : 
 for there are a great many Tribunals in 
 Madrid, and in each of them more Wands 
 (of Office) than there are Days in the Year ; 
 and to each Wand five or six Vagabonds, 
 who have to provide themselves with Meat, 
 Drink, and Clothing, from the Profits of 
 their Office. They laid Hands on us, as 
 Persons flying from Justice. On their 
 'asking for our Swords, we directed them to 
 the House where we had left them ; but the 
 young Man (who did not live there) bad 
 run away with them and our Cloaks. As 
 they detected us in a Falsehood, (which 
 we had not told,) they conducted us to the 
 Woman who had been wounded ; and she,
 
 322 
 
 enraged by the Injury she had received, 
 said that he who had wounded her, took 
 immediately to his Heels; and as we 
 were found running, she confirmed the Sus- 
 picions of the Alguacils, by adding, that 
 without doubt we were the guilty Persons. 
 They carried us without Swords or Cloaks 
 to the Town Prison, into which I entered 
 with all the Confusion imaginable ; not at 
 having challenged a Man to run with me at 
 my Time of Life, but at the Thoughts of 
 entering a Prison without Cloak or Sword. 
 There was a great deal of Uproar on our 
 being admitted, as our Crime appeared to 
 have been very great : that of t\vo Indivi- 
 duals, no longer Boys, nor belonging to the 
 first Class of Society, committing such a 
 cruel Act against a poor defenceless Wo- 
 man ! The Person that actually committed 
 the Offence, as I afterwards learned, fol- 
 lowed us towards the Prison : and if the 
 Alguacils had been what they ought to be,
 
 323 
 
 they would not have made such an infamous 
 Charge against us. They regarded not 
 Justice, but their own Profit, or they would 
 have informed themselves of the true State 
 of the Case; and the Capture of the Delin- 
 quent would have been favourable to them, 
 while my Character would have been free 
 from Imputation. 
 
 If they had considered the Matter fairly, 
 they would have known that two Men run- 
 ning quietly along without Cloaks, Swords, 
 or Hats ; without Dagger, Knife, or other 
 offensive Weapon ; and running in Pairs, 
 could riot have got out of their House un- 
 perceived, on such an Affair as this; and 
 that there was not found in the whole Street, 
 any Instrument whatever, with which the 
 Deed could have been performed. 
 
 They did not even ask a Question of any 
 Person casually present, with a View of dis- 
 covering the Truth, as is commonly clone on 
 like Occasions. And if one allows, that the
 
 324 
 
 Alguaciis wished to form a right Judgment 
 of the Case, their Haste in carrying us away, 
 gave them no Time to examine the Matter ; 
 for they seemed to fear lest, by so doing, 
 they should introduce Innovations into their 
 Mode of acting. 
 
 They put Fetters on us, and reported the 
 Case to the Lieutenant ; who, receiving from 
 the Alguaciis such Information as they 
 thought proper to give him, came to the 
 Prison with the Intention of putting us to 
 Torture. 
 
 But, on hearing what I have related above,, 
 and finding, when he took each of us -aside, 
 that we agreed in our Story, he became per- 
 plexed, and deferred giving any Decision. 
 We remained, however, two or three Days 
 in Irons. In the mean Time he was endea- 
 vouring to gain Information on the Subject: 
 and, not finding the Delinquent, the Evi- 
 dence of our being found running when the 
 Assault was made, induced them to leave
 
 us in a State of Oblivion. They threw us 
 into a Dungeon, where we found a Prisoner 
 who had been detained there a long Time. 
 He was of a florid Complexion, of a bad 
 Disposition, with Mustaches which reached 
 to his Ears, of which he was very proud, 
 for they were so large and twisted, that they 
 appeared like the Ends of large Wax can- 
 dles. This Man held the \vhole of the 
 Prison, in a manner, under his Controul ; 
 for the Prisoners did nothing but what he 
 wished. The younger People trembled at 
 the Sight of him, and served him with 
 great Punctuality; and no one else ventured 
 to give any Orders without he liked it ; 
 and if they ever did, he would twist his 
 Mustache, and say : " By the Life of the 
 King then, if the Rogue offends me, I 
 will give him and his Employers a good 
 Drubbing." So that during the short Time 
 he was out of the Dungeon, there was no 
 such Thing as living ; for he was, in truths
 
 326 
 
 the Marshal of the Prison, and so quarrel- 
 some, that it made them all fearful of being 
 involved in Ruin by his mischievous Pro- 
 ceedings. He became indisposed for two 
 or three Days ; and as he did not quit the 
 Dungeon during that Time, we enjoyed a 
 little Peace through his Absence, which 
 pleased us greatly. However, when he got 
 out again, he returned to his former bad 
 Habits. I became so desperate at this 
 Treatment, that I determined to play him 
 some Trick, which should have the Effect 
 of confining him for a Length of Time to 
 the Dungeon ; and on talking the Matter 
 over with my Companion, lie advised me to 
 take care what I did, lest I should add to 
 the Duration of our Confinement; and 
 asking me what I could do that would pre- 
 vent his going out, I replied, that I would 
 cut oflf one of his Mustaches. u For the 
 Love of GOD/' said he, " do not expose 
 yourself to so great a Danger !" " I do not
 
 327 
 
 ask your Advice, but your Assistance;" 
 rejoined I. He was in the habit of sleeping * 
 with his Mouth uppermost, to avoid discom- 
 posing his Mustaches. I caused a large 
 Pair of Scissars to be well sharpened, and 
 then let him and the rest of the Inmates 
 of the Dungeon go to Bed before ourselves ; 
 for we were now become so accustomed to 
 the Place, that we could lie down without 
 disturbing any Body. I took my Scissars 
 when he was under the Influence of his 
 first Sleep, and my Companion lighting me, 
 I closed my Shears upon his Mustache 
 with so much Dexterity, that I carried it 
 off at once, without waking him, or any of 
 the Prisoners perceiving it, except my Com- 
 panion, who felt himself so inclined to laugh 
 that he was very near waking him ; for as 
 the remaining Mustache was so large, he 
 appeared like the Bull of Hercules, that 
 had lost one of his Horns. We slept that 
 Night; and I pretended to be ill, complain-
 
 328 
 
 ing of the Hardness of the Bed. I con- 
 trived, however, to get up just before him, 
 telling my Beads whilst I was rising, to have 
 the Opportunity of observing how he bore 
 his Misfortune. On his getting up from 
 his Bed, all the other Prisoners looked at 
 him with Astonishment, without uttering a 
 Word. But he exclaimed, as soon as he 
 got out of the Dungeon : " Ho, there! Ras- 
 cals, bring me some Water to wash my 
 Hands." One of them immediately brought 
 him a Jug of warm Water, and pouring it 
 out for him, he washed his Hands. He 
 then began to wash his Face; and taking 
 hold of the untouched Mustache with his 
 right Hand, he took up Water again, and 
 put up his left Hand four or five Times to 
 
 feel for the other Mustache: but not finding 
 
 y ~ 
 
 it there, he got into such a Rage, that, 
 without uttering a Syllable, he stuffed that 
 which was still in being into his Mouth, 
 and began gnawing it as he retired into hi*
 
 Dungeon. I observed, loud enough for 
 him to hear me, " This is the greatest 
 Piece of Knavery I ever heard of. To treat 
 an honourable Man so ill, in a Matter in 
 which he took so deep an Interest !" These, 
 and other Remarks I made, in order to 
 remove any Suspicions he might entertain 
 of me. 
 
 Reflecting impartially on this Subject, I 
 maintain that it may be reasonable enough 
 for a Man in a superiour Rank of Life to 
 wish to be treated with Honour and Re- 
 spect. But an unhappy Wight in the 
 midst of his Misery, and in the Mire of the 
 Earth, (in which Light I consider a Prison,) 
 who is proud and haughty, deserves to be 
 brought low by the poorest Insect. Who 
 would expect to find Captivity and Pride, 
 Necessity and Boasting, or Hunger and 
 Levity, united? Prisons were made to re- 
 strain licentious, bad Dispositions; not for 
 the Provocation of Insults. Though there
 
 330 
 
 are some Barbarians so lost to Shame, that, 
 either through Desperation, or because they 
 wish to be considered valiant, (being in 
 fact Lambs for Meekness,) convert them- 
 selves during their Captivity into Lions; 
 though in a Situation where, with the ut- 
 most Humility and Anxiety of Heart, they 
 ought to supplicate for Mercy, let their 
 Imprisonment be just or unjust. 
 
 Our Friend wound up the Business by 
 cutting off his saffron-coloured Beard ; and, 
 as one Misfortune generally follows at the 
 Heels of another, he was summoned, in the 
 midst of his Distress, to give an Account 
 of himself to Persons commissioned to in- 
 quire into his Offence. " He is a Noviciate," 
 said the Proctor ; " having become a Lay- 
 Friar." " Bring him hither," said the Lieu- 
 tenant. He was obliged to come forth, 
 and made his Appearance with all the Shame 
 and Humility in the world. For his whole 
 Strength had consisted in his Mustaches,
 
 351 
 
 as Sampson's had in his Hair. On his en- 
 tering the Hall, the Laughter was so gene- 
 ral, that the Lieutenant said to him : " You 
 now make a very respectable Appearance, 
 and well have you managed Matters, having 
 saved them the Trouble of shaving you, 
 when you get on board the Gallies." To 
 which he replied : " Your Worship speaks 
 as my Judge; but no one else would have 
 dared to say this to me." They then read 
 his Accusation to him ; which charged him 
 with having stabbed a poor miserable Man 
 in a Public House, before ten or a dozen 
 Witnesses; and on naming them, the Ag- 
 gressor said : " I hope your Worship will be 
 pleased to take Notice what Sort of Wit- 
 nesses these are, who swear against a Man 
 of my Consequence : four Catchpoles, and 
 as many Prostitutes." " What !" exclaimed 
 the Lieutenant, " did you expect that in 
 such a House as that, we should have found 
 the Prior of Atocha, or some of the Bare
 
 33'2 
 
 footed Friars as Witnesses ? You have not 
 made a good Story of it." 
 
 They then locked him up again in the 
 Dungeon ; and from that Day he always 
 went by the Name of " the shaved Friar." 
 
 As for us, they set us at Liberty ; but not 
 free of Expence. I do not mean to com- 
 mend myself for what I did on this Occa- 
 sion ; for I know very well, we are not to 
 do Evil that Good may come of it. But then 
 again, I also know, that it is necessary to 
 sacrifice one quarrelsome Individual to save 
 all the rest. It is surely allowable to ba- 
 nish that Person from our Society, who is a 
 Disgrace to it. He that has a proper Re- 
 spect for himself, will entertain it without 
 assuming an insolent Superiority over 
 others. For Bullies, by their tyrannical 
 Behaviour, make all the World their Ene- 
 mies. The quarrelsome meet with Checks 
 irorn humbler Characters, when they least 
 expect it. I have always observed, that
 
 when a reserved, modest Man addresses with 
 Firmness one of these arrogant Boasters, 
 Seeking to brow-beat others, he soon yields 
 and becomes silent. They are like the 
 Wheels of a Coach, which, when they are 
 going over the Stones, make a INoise, but 
 on getting on the level Ground, proceed si- 
 lently along. It was necessary to humble 
 this impertinent Jackanapes ; and no Means 
 were so proper, as to lighten him of the 
 great Care he was under, with the two 
 Foxes Tails he carried about him.
 
 334 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 How Marcos was consoled for his long Imprisonment. 
 
 AT the Expiration of three Months, as I said 
 before, we were released from Prison ; but the 
 Expences of our Deliverance were so great, 
 that we had nothing remaining after paying 
 them. In order to provide ourselves with a 
 Dinner the following Day, I was obliged to 
 sell a Pair of Cordovan Boots, and my Com- 
 panion an old rat-eaten Portmanteau : a 
 proper Appendage to a poor Squire ; who, 
 for want of a Cupboard, or other Conve- 
 nience, converts his Portmanteau into a Re- 
 ceptacle for Rats, by depositing his scanty 
 Morsels in it. 
 
 While we were disposing of our Pledges, 
 GOD sent a worthy Gentleman to our As- 
 sistahC'j; who, after lamenting much the 
 Account he had heard of our Misfortunes,
 
 335 
 
 told us that a certain great Nobleman who 
 had been made acquainted with them, had 
 sent him to inquire how much our Imprison- 
 ment had cost us ; and being- moved with 
 Compassion, he had entrusted him with a 
 sufficient Number of Doubloons to give us 
 what might be necessary for our Relief. 
 
 I knew the Gentleman who spoke ; but 
 before I declared myself, I said to him : 
 "This Act, Sir, must proceed from GOD, 
 who knows our Necessities to be so great, 
 that we are reduced to sell our very Clothes, 
 to provide ourselves with a Dinner. Our 
 Expences amount to One hundred Crowns, 
 a little more or less." On my saying this, 
 he immediately took out fifty Doubloons, 
 and gave them to us. As soon as I felt them 
 in my Hand, I said : "This is the Amount 
 of the Cost : but with respect to the Pleasure 
 you derived from your Revenge, and the 
 Mortification we endured in consequence, 
 what Recompence can be sufficient?" For I
 
 336 
 
 knew him well that Night, when he followed 
 us to the Prison. He answered me wisely : 
 " Your being taken, was your Misfortune ; 
 the paying for it, is my Duty. As I did not 
 inflict the Misfortune, it is not for me to 
 satisfy you for it : if every unhappy Person 
 could be relieved, there would be no Unhap- 
 piness in the World. Though my good 
 Fortune prevented my Suffering, I have not- 
 withstanding sufficient Tenderness of Heart 
 to incline me to Pity : perhaps another Man 
 might not have reflected on either of these 
 Points. Many Misfortunes happen to us by 
 the secret Appointment of Heaven, of which 
 we cannot demand an Explanation. Misfor- 
 tunes are not of our seeking, neither was 
 it my Fault that you took to running 
 that Night ; for that was entirely in- 
 fluenced by your own Will. And 1 can 
 assure you, that the Thoughts of that Cir- 
 cumstance grieve me to the Soul ; not on 
 account of the Stabbing, but of your con-
 
 337 
 
 sequent Distress. The Misfortune was, 
 that the Woman's Face and your Run- 
 ning-match should have come in the Way 
 at the same Moment. You have conducted 
 yourselves so prudently under your Cala- 
 mity, that I have been envious of you ; for 
 he that supports himself patiently under 
 Adversity, is Master of his Actions ; and 
 real Misfortunes cannot readily assail him. 
 As I have the Power of recompensing you 
 for this Injury, so would I, if I had the 
 Means, place good Fortune at your Disposal, 
 and make you supremely happy. But 
 though, on the whole, you have been unfor- 
 tunate in this Affair, you were at least suc- 
 cessful in getting out of that Adventure of the 
 Mustache. By your Penetration you have 
 discovered me in my Disguise; so have I you, 
 in spite of your Dissembling." Although 
 the Gentleman spoke well, I was so con- 
 tented and rejoiced at seeing the precious 
 Metal, (so like the Light of the Sun,) in my 
 
 VOL. II, Q
 
 Possession, that I knew not how to reply to 
 him, except to thank him, and to compare his 
 Wisdom to his compassionate Disposition. 
 I found myself so weighed down with Mi- 
 series and Distresses, that I determined to 
 leave the Court, after having passed some 
 unlucky Days in Servitude, which has been 
 forced upon me by Circumstances, though I 
 abhor the Kind of Life as I do the Sight of 
 an Adder. 
 
 I went to take my Leave of a noble Gen- 
 tleman, a Friend of mine, whom I had not 
 seen for a long Time ; and finding him me- 
 lancholy and unhappy, I inquired the Cause. 
 He replied, that he could neither eat nor sleep, 
 nor take Delight in any one Thing. " Well," 
 said I, " if you will do what I recommend, I 
 will cure you of all these three Complaints." 
 " That," said he, " I will certainly do, though 
 it cost me my whole Fortune." " Come then," 
 rejoined I; "get up To-morrow Morning 
 at Day-break, and I will take you to a Place
 
 339 
 
 where you may gather an Herb which will 
 cure you of all your Disorders. He arose 
 (or rather I made him get up) the next 
 Morning, and ordered his Coach to be got 
 ready. But I explained to him that the 
 Herb would do him no Good, unless he went 
 on Foot. Leaving the Carriage therefore 
 behind, I led him towards Saint Bernardo, 
 a Convent of Franciscan Friars, and point- 
 ing out the Herb to him, I told him it was 
 necessary that he should gather it with his 
 own Hands. I then made him trudge along 
 at such a Rate, that he began panting like 
 a thirsty Setter, and was so fatigued, that he 
 sat down to rest in the Road. On my in- 
 quiring whether he felt relieved by reposing 
 himself, he answered in the Affirmative. 
 " But do you know why you feel relieved?" 
 said I : " because you were fatigued. In 
 the easy Chairs in your House, you never 
 find Repose, because you are never fatigued 
 by Exercise.'' 
 
 Q 2
 
 340 
 
 I then took him as far as the Convent, from 
 whence he returned Home on Foot, with a 
 very good Appetite for his Dinner. He ate 
 and drank with Satisfaction, and then lying 
 down, slept very well. Upon which I re- 
 marked to him : ' He that does not weary 
 his Limbs, cannot enjoy Repose ; neither can 
 he derive Gratification from his Food, who has 
 no Appetite. Well may he complain of Ill- 
 ness and Disease, who takes no Exercise ; 
 for Indolence is the greatest Enemy of the 
 Human Frame. Those Horses that are most 
 exercised, possess most Mettle and Activity. 
 The Fish of the Great Ocean, is better than 
 that of the Mediterranean, because the 
 Waves of the former are more agitated than 
 those of the latter; and Men who have led a 
 Life of Labour being more inured to it, are 
 more valuable than those who have lived in 
 the midst of Delights. So it is with every 
 Thing in Life. Whenever one Man is more 
 laborious than another in any Pursuit, he
 
 541 
 
 becomes in Proportion more expert; that is, 
 provided they start with equal Capacities. 
 
 My Friend was greatly pleased with the 
 Result of the Experiment, and from that 
 Day forward persevered in taking Exercise 
 on Foot, Morning and Evening; which 
 brought him into so excellent a State of 
 Health, that he always thanked me for the 
 Stratagem I had used to remove his lazy 
 Habits ; and the Consequence was, that he 
 made me a handsome Present. 
 
 I remained some Days longer at Madrid 
 in the Quality of Squire and Gentleman 
 Usher to Doctor Sagredo and his Wife, 
 Dona Mergelina de Aybar, until I left them, 
 or rather, they left me. 
 
 Q 3
 
 342 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 The Sqwrt leaves Madrid for Andaluda Travelling 
 Anecdotes A Disquisition on Artificial Memory. 
 
 RESOLVING to retire from the Bustle and 
 Confusion of the Court, and to seek Repose 
 in a more temperate Climate than Castile, I 
 went into Andalucia, where the Heathens 
 fixed the Abode of the Blessed Spirits, ac- 
 cording to their Mode of Faith; saying, 
 that on passing the River Lethe, (which still 
 preserves the Name of Guadalete) they lost 
 all Remembrance of the Things of the Earth, 
 and of every past Event. The Excellence 
 of the Temperature, the Abundance of Sup- 
 plies, the Serenity of the Heavens and 
 Earth, led them into this Error. However, 
 the mildest Climates are the fittest for old 
 People; and having a little Money, I pur- 
 chased a Mule, which they let me have
 
 343 
 
 cheap, because she had Spavins on her Legs, 
 and had lost an Eye. But her Paces were 
 tolerably good ; and I set out, recommend- 
 ing myself to GOD and my blessed Guardian 
 Angel. 
 
 I travelled alone ; for a Man had better 
 walk than be guided in travelling by the 
 Will of another. There is nothing more 
 wearisome than to stop merely because 
 another wishes it, and not because we are 
 tired ourselves. In short, as I had Money, 
 I chose to travel in my own Way. The 
 Heat was very great; and as I had set out 
 early, in order to rest at Noon in the Inn of 
 Darazutan, the scorching Effect of the Morn- 
 ing Sun, together with the Exhalations pro- 
 ceeding from the Shrubs, &c. was so violent 
 that it burnt my Face, and I should have 
 stopped a thousand Times, if I had found 
 a convenient Place. 
 
 I espied the Inn a long Way off, though 
 the Distance appeared short, from its being
 
 S44 
 
 surrounded with Holme, Oaks, and Shrubs; 
 and it seemed to me as if the more I travelled 
 the farther it was removed from my Sight, 
 whilst my Thirst was intolerable. I began 
 to think that I never should reach it ; till at 
 fast I heard the Musiek of Guitars and 
 Voices, which proceeded from the Inn itself. 
 " Now," said I, " I cannot be any longer 
 deceived." And going in, I found a great 
 many People collected there to avoid the 
 Heat. I was rejoiced at seeing an earthen 
 Jar of Water:, of which I have always been 
 passionately fond. Having refreshed myself 
 with a Draught, I sat down to listen to the 
 Musiek; and as it was pretty good, it proved 
 so agreeable to the Ear, that in this retired 
 Place, full of Shrubs, and so entirely sepa- 
 rated from any inhabited Part, its Melody 
 seemed sweeter that in Royal Palaces, 
 where there are other Things to amuse one. 
 As the Heat was now in full Force, and the 
 Inn full of People, a temporary Suspension
 
 343 
 
 of the Musick was necessary to enable us 
 to take our Repose with some Degree of 
 Comfort. For this Science not only animates 
 the exteriour Feeling, but even mitigates 
 and suspends the Passions of the Soul ; and 
 it is so arbitrary, that it does not bestow 
 itself on all indiscriminately, but merely on 
 those whom Nature has created with Incli- 
 nations to receive it. But those who are 
 born with this Taste, are fit for all the other 
 Sciences ; and therefore we ought to instruct 
 Children in this Science first, for two 
 Reasons: one is, that we may discover what 
 Talent they possess ; the other, that we may 
 engage them in a Pursuit so virtuous in 
 itself, that it captivates the Attention of 
 Children by its Sweetness. 
 
 The Ear is so much the Judge in this 
 Science, that I recollect once asking a young 
 Man to sing, who had sung remarkably 
 well ; but having become deaf, though his 
 Voice was as good as ever, he committed
 
 546 
 
 such Blunders, that every Body that heard 
 him began laughing. For, in truth, the Ear 
 is the Modulator of the Human Voice. 
 
 These Musicians sang with so much Taste, 
 that after taking our Dinner, we enjoyed our 
 Siesta very much. One of the Party took 
 out a Watch to see what the Hour was ; and 
 on his bestowing great Praise on the Inven- 
 tion of Watches, I remarked that the Infor- 
 mation he derived from his Watch, might be 
 acquired by means of a Straw, or a little 
 Stick, by observing the Length of the 
 Shadow; or, when the Sun is not out, 
 by means of a Glass of Water, through 
 which a small Hole should be drilled, and 
 then the Hour is pointed out by the De- 
 crease of the Water. There are other In- 
 ventions which answer the same Purpose. 
 
 The rest of our Time was passed by each 
 praising his own Profession, and the Inven- 
 tions most nearly allied to it, taking the 
 Hint from the Conversation 011 Watches,
 
 347 
 
 We treated of Astronomy and Musick, and 
 of the Invention of the Artificial Memory ; 
 for there was a Gentleman present, an Au- 
 ditor of Seville, who performed Wonders by 
 means of it. An old Squire* who sat in 
 the Chimney-corner, observed : " None of 
 the Inventions you have mentioned, Gentle- 
 men, can be compared with that of the 
 Needle."t This Remark set them all laugh- 
 ing ; which offended him, and he said in 
 great Anger : "If what I have said does not 
 appear correct, do me the Favour to mend 
 it by means of your Astronomical Know- 
 ledge." On which the Licentiate Villasenor 
 remarked : " Every one praises that in which 
 he finds himself most expert. Perhaps this 
 Gentleman Squire may have been induced 
 to speak highly of this Invention, from having 
 
 * I have omitted to mention how this old Squire was 
 employing himself the Spanish verb, " espulgarse," 
 not affording a desirable translation into English. Tr. 
 
 t Alluding, probably, to the Magnetick Needle. Tr.
 
 348 
 
 been much accustomed to make use of 
 the Needle." "I am no Tailor," retorted 
 the other; "but a Squire so qualified, 
 and of such high Antiquity, that all my 
 Ancestors, from Nuno Rasura to Lain Calvo, 
 have served the Counts of Lemos: and if I 
 travel on Foot now, it is merely because my 
 Horses are at grass, at the Bridges of 
 Eume." And having said this, he clapped 
 an old Glove upon the Hilt of his Sword, 
 and betook himself to the Shade of the 
 Highway. 
 
 " It is just," said I, " that every one should 
 value himself on his Calling. There was a 
 Hangman at Madrid, who, wishing to shew 
 his Son, by a Gibbet that he had in his House, 
 how he could hang a Man dexterously, 
 and the Son not taking kindly to the Pro- 
 fession, but, on the contrary, finding great 
 Fault with it, the Hangman said to him : 
 * The Devil take you, for you like nothing 
 that is respectable. However, you shall
 
 349 
 
 sniffer for it, for I will put you Apprentice to 
 a Shoemaker, and then you may bite the 
 Shoemakers' Wax, you low-minded Fellow!'" 
 We were now on the point of leaving the 
 House, when the Auditor said : "Some one 
 certainly told me yesterday, that Marcos 
 de Obregon, a Man of Talents and Taste, 
 was in search of a Horse in order to travel 
 this Road ; and I have a great Desire to be 
 acquainted with him." " It is very true," 
 said I ; " for I saw him looking for some 
 Mode of Conveyance." " Do you know him 
 then, Sir?" said the Auditor, Don Her- 
 nando de Villasenor. "Yes, Sir," replied I, 
 " he is a great Friend of mine." We 
 mounted our Steeds, and set out together, 
 my Companion continuing to ask me a great 
 many Questions about Mr. Marcos de 
 Obregon. I informed him of some Parti- 
 culars perfectly new so much so, that they 
 had never passed from me to a second 
 Person ; and as I mentioned them slowly.
 
 350 
 
 the Auditor immediately repeated them by 
 Heart. He admired my Stories, but I was 
 much more struck with his Memory. I 
 went on saying a great many Things to him* 
 and he repeating them after me. He ac- 
 knowledged that it was an artificial Memory; 
 but that, in order to learn it, one must have 
 a very good natural one, otherwise it would 
 cost one a great deal of Labour and Diffi- 
 culty to acquire it. I observed, " that the 
 Memory certainly appears to be a divine 
 Gift, for that it makes past Events present ; 
 but still I consider it as the Scourge of un- 
 fortunate Men ; for it is continually bringing 
 before them their bad Success, their past In- 
 juries, and present Misfortunes; suspicious 
 as to the Future, and the Want of Confi- 
 dence they are apt to feel in every Thing. 
 And as Life is, at any rate, short, it is ren- 
 dered shorter by this constant Recurrence 
 to distressing Subjects. And consequently, 
 with such as these, the Art of Forgetting
 
 351 
 
 would be preferable to that of remembering. 
 How many Lives has Memory cost, through 
 Offences which, if they had not been re- 
 membered, would not have been revenged ! 
 How many dishonourable Acts have been 
 committed by Women, from recollecting ill- 
 requited Favours ! It is an excellent Thing, 
 no doubt, to possess a good natural Memory: 
 but to waste one's Time in seeking to retain 
 two or three thousand Sentences, when one 
 might employ it in Exercises of the Mind, I 
 do not consider a great Proof of Wisdom. 
 Because to help the Memory, we now have 
 the Invention of Printing; Images, Pictures, 
 Statues, Writings, Edifices, Stones ; besides 
 Rocks, Rivers, Fountains, Trees, and other 
 Things without Number: and as to the Un- 
 derstanding, it is Nature alone that bestows 
 it, and enriches it by the reading of wise 
 Authors, and by Intercourse with learned 
 Friends. I have seen many Authors who 
 treat on the Subject of Artificial Memory ; but
 
 552 
 
 I have never met with any of their Worksr 
 which distinguished them as Men of extraor- 
 dinary Talent. For, though Cicero, Quinti- 
 lian, and Aristotle, touch on this Subject, 
 they have not written Books on it, as being in- 
 ferior to Works of the Understanding. Thus 
 Don Lorenzo Ramirez de Prado, a very ac- 
 complished Scholar, as well in Poetry as in 
 Philosophy, has this artificial Memory quite 
 at command, and does Wonders with it ; not 
 considering it an Object of Importance, 
 however, but merely using it as a Curiosity: 
 for to him who abounds in so many Acquire- 
 ments, this should not be wanting. And 
 the History they recount of that great Lyrick 
 Poet, Simonides, who, when a House fell 
 down upon a large Party of People, and 
 they were so disfigured that no one knew 
 them, pointed out the Part of the Room in 
 which each had been, and^called them all over 
 by Name. This 1 consider to have been an 
 Act, not of artificial, but of natural Memory:
 
 353 
 
 for a Man who went to eat and drink at a 
 Banquet with the Freedom which was then 
 in use, would not wait to put Images and 
 Figures in imaginary Places, natural or artifi- 
 cial, nor to search his Memory, loading his 
 Brain with a greater Burthen than the Wine 
 had put into it, at a Time when so little Ab- 
 stemiousness was used ; but, being present at 
 the Time, he had casually noticed where- 
 abouts each Individual had stationed himself. 
 The Author of this Work having left his 
 Father's House when a Boy, and not return- 
 ing to it till he was grey-headed, knew, and 
 called by Name, all those whom he had left as 
 Children, and found again with 1 ng Beards 
 and grey Hairs ; nor did he fail to repeat 
 one Name or Incident relative to all those 
 who came with Astonishment to see him. 
 And is it not related as a wonderful Instance 
 of Memory, that Cinea, the Ambassador of 
 King Pyrrhus, in the tw^o Days that he re- 
 mained in Rome, knew, and called by Name
 
 554 
 
 every individual Inhabitant? Mithridates, 
 King of Pontus, negotiated with twenty-two 
 Nations that were subject to him, in the 
 Language of each. Julius Caesar, at the 
 same Time, read, wrote, dictated, and lis- 
 tened to Things of the utmost Importance ; 
 and of this Gift particular Mention is made in 
 History. But there are some ordinary Men 
 who do Wonders with their natural Memory. 
 In Gibraltar there was a Steward of Don 
 Francisco de Ahutnada Mendoza, whose 
 Name was Alonso Mateos, who knew every 
 one of thirty thousand Head of Cattle that 
 there were in the Sauceda;* he knew also 
 every one of the Owners, and named them 
 all, giving to each his own Cattle. He like- 
 wise knew all the Cattle Merchants, that 
 came from different Parts of the Country, 
 after once seeing them. 
 
 * One or two of the Cattle Factors that frequent Smith- 
 field are able to perform this, although they are entrusted 
 with different Cattle every Week. TV.
 
 355 
 
 I have mentioned these Facts to shew that 
 the Memory of Simonides need not have 
 been artificial, and that it may appear evident 
 that merely by exercising it, the Memory is 
 enlarged and improved ; as one sees in the 
 Case of these Overseers of Cattle, many of 
 whom, though rude uneducated Men, can do 
 as much as the one I have spoken of. In 
 Madrid there is a Gentleman, Don Luis 
 Ramirez, who, after seeing any Play repre- 
 sented, will return Home and write it all 
 down, without missing a single Letter, or 
 erring in a Verse. But there are divers 
 Sorts of Memories, some which enable the 
 Possessors to recollect Words, and others 
 Things; such as Pedro Mantuano, who, of 
 the numberless Histories he has read, not 
 only has not forgotten them, but at whatever 
 Moment one asks him about them, or they 
 become the Topick of Conversation, they 
 are as much present to his Mind, as at the 
 Time when he was reading them ; and after
 
 356 
 
 seeing the proper Names contained in them, 
 and the Verses, a second Time, he never 
 forgets one of them." 
 
 The Auditor had remained silent all this 
 Time ; and now praising greatly what I had 
 been saying, he observed, that the artificial 
 Memory was certainly more a Thing of Os- 
 tentation, than to be continually wearying 
 one-self by practising it. And speaking 
 in Praise of my Character (without knowing 
 me), he said he was very anxious 4o meet 
 with Marcos de Obregon ; one Reason for 
 which was, the favourable Account he had 
 received of his Understanding, and another 
 that they belonged to neighbouring Towns ; 
 he being a Native of Canete-la-Real, and 
 Obregon of Ronda. And then he asked me 
 what Sort of an Appearance he had, and 
 what kind of Manners and Conduct. I 
 replied, that his Figure and Appearance 
 greatly resembled my own, and that his 
 Conduct and Behaviour were just the same
 
 357 
 
 as mine; for being such intimate Friends, I 
 copied from him, and he from me. " Doubt- 
 less," exclaimed the Auditor, " if he pos- 
 sesses the Affability that you have shewn, 
 he well deserves the great Character that 
 the World has bestowed on him." 
 
 The Auditor continued treating and mak- 
 ing much of me all the Way, in a Manner that 
 proved his hereditary and acquired Nobility, 
 by his Spirit, Kindness, and Liberality. 
 We crossed the Sierra Morena together, ob- 
 serving many extraordinary Things. For as 
 it is so extensive, wide, and long, that it 
 traverses all Spain, France, and Italy, 
 (though under different Names) until it 
 terminates at the Sea, by the Dardanelles, 
 it naturally furnishes many Objects to 
 remark and admire. We met with an 
 Adder with two Heads, in a Piece of sandy 
 Ground, at which the Auditor was much 
 astonished, saying, that he had heard
 
 358 
 
 of such Things before, but never believed 
 that they existed. "Neither do I believe 
 now," said I, " that one Body can have two 
 Heads." We observed that he could not 
 move well, and that he did not fly from other 
 Animals. I desired the young Man who 
 had charge of the Mules, to give him a Blow 
 with his Stick, which he did, and the Adder 
 immediately disgorged a Toad, which he had 
 swallowed, all but the Head. This un- 
 deceived us, and it ought to have the same 
 Effect on many others who believe in such 
 Things. 
 
 " I dare say," said the Auditor, " that 
 it is the same with many other Things 
 of which we hear, though we never see 
 them ; such as the Salamander." " I was 
 incredulous in this Particular," said I, 
 " until I heard two Persons of Credit men- 
 tion that in a small Place near Cuen^a, 
 called Alcantuz, a Glass Furnace having
 
 fallen clown, they found a Salamander 
 sticking to the very Sides of the Bricks 
 where they feed the Fire. And being 
 creditable, respectable Persons, I believed 
 the Story; nor have they been deceived, 
 who have always held it for Truth.
 
 360 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Sprightly Conversation on the Road A young Wit 
 introduced to the Reader. 
 
 AS Man is naturally a social Being, the 
 Auditor was so well pleased with my So- 
 ciety, that he would not consent to our 
 separating so long as we could follow the 
 same Road. He had, and still possesses a 
 very bright Understanding, which prompted 
 him to put a great many very lively Ques- 
 tions, to which I replied in the best Manner 
 I could. And if any decent-looking Man of 
 his own Profession joined us, he would draw 
 out Questions from him, or give him an Op- 
 portunity of putting them; and then he 
 would reply to them with great Good- 
 humour. A Clergyman of a neighbouring 
 Town attached himself to us ; and as he tra- 
 velled along reciting his Litany, in so loud
 
 a Tone, that the Oaks and Cork-trees could 
 almost hear him, he interrupted our Con- 
 versation, and fulfilled his Duty indifferently. 
 The Auditor asked him whether he could 
 not delay his Ceremony till Night, when he 
 might perform it with the Quiet and Devo- 
 tion that were necessary. " Oh ! Sir," re- 
 plied the Clergyman, " the Church bestows 
 this Salary upon us, that we should pray 
 even while we are travelling ; not wishing 
 TO impose this upon us at Night, when we 
 are weary of our Day's Work, and have 
 other Matters to think of." " The Church,"' 
 replied the Auditor, " does not educate 
 Clergymen, that they may become Couriers, 
 but to say Prayers." " That is a very good 
 Answer," rejoined the other; " but how 
 shall I be able, while I am travelling, to re- 
 peat at Night all the Service of the Morning, 
 and thus satisfy my Conscience?" " Pray," 
 said the Auditor, " if an hundred Ducats 
 were owing you, and were to become due on 
 
 VOL. II. K
 
 St. John's Day, would you receive them, 
 if they were offered to you on the preceding 
 Evening?" " Yes, certainly/' replied he. 
 " Well then," rejoined the Auditor, " GOD 
 will act in the same Wav by vou : for, to 
 
 / v tf 
 
 perform obligatory and meritorious Ser- 
 vices in advance, shews an Inclination to do 
 all in one's Power : and GOD is so good a 
 Paymaster, that he will also pay before-hand." 
 The Priest was greatly amused with this 
 Pleasantry. 
 
 Soon afterwards we saw a Lad a-head of 
 us ; and as he did not travel so fast as our 
 Horses, we came up with him presently ; 
 when the Auditor said to him : " Where are 
 you going, my Lad?" "Towards Old-age, Sir, 
 said the Boy. " No, no, that is not what I 
 mean ;" rejoined the Auditor. " But what 
 Road do you take?" " The Road takes me, 
 Sir; I don't take the Road, "replied the Boy. 
 
 AUDITOR. " To what Part of the Country 
 do you belong ?"'
 
 Boy. " To Saint Mary's, all the world 
 over." 
 
 AUDITOR. " I mean to ask you, what 
 Land you were born in ?" 
 
 BOY. " I was not born in any Land, Sir ; 
 I was born in a Stable." 
 
 AUDITOR. " You play well at Questions 
 and Answers, Boy." 
 
 BOY. " However well I may play, I 
 always lose." 
 
 AUDITOR. " Have you any Father?" 
 
 BOY. " To avoid having a great many, I 
 am now running away. For they wanted 
 to make a Friar of me, and to give me so 
 many Fathers, that I could not endure it." 
 
 AUDITOR. " And do you think it pre- 
 ferable to post along in this Way, like a Cou- 
 rier?" 
 
 BOY. " A Man may well make himself a 
 Courier, to avoid being curried." 
 
 We laughed heartily at the Wit of the 
 Lad, and arriving at a small Inn, by the 
 K 2
 
 3()4 
 
 Side of a pretty deep Brook, between two 
 Hills, the Mule-driver said to us: " It will 
 be best to stop here, where they will enter- 
 tain us very well, and the Hostess is a nice 
 tidy Woman ; whereas, if we pursue our 
 Journey, we shall have to travel three Hours 
 in the Dark." His Arguments soon pre- 
 vailed, for he undertook that we should be 
 provided with Beds. And indeed it ap- 
 peared that he was quite as well acquainted 
 with the Hostess, as he ought to have been. 
 We entered the Inn, and the Landlady imme- 
 diately shewed herself with her pursed-up 
 Mouth. She was dressed in a dark red 
 Gown, with a white linen Slip over it, full 
 of Slashes. " Well, Sir," said the Mule- 
 boy ; " what do you think of her?" " Why, 
 that she looks like a Sweetbread with a 
 Caul on;" replied I. " And she is habited 
 like a Virgin Martyr," said the Auditor. 
 
 " That is a good Remark of yours/' re- 
 joined I ; " and as her Chastity is on the
 
 305 
 
 Outside, and the Martyrdom within, the 
 many Brambles one finds in these Parts 
 have torn the former a little." " Aye !" said 
 the Hostess ; " every one expresses himself 
 according to the Manner in which he has 
 been brought up." 
 
 Observing that she was vexed at my Jest, 
 and that the Lad was becoming angry, 1 
 altered my Tone, and said to her: "The 
 Truth is, that you are a very smart, hand- 
 some Woman, with a Face much too good 
 for this Place, and suited for a much higher 
 Situation !" This pacified her entirely, for 
 she was a Person of an easy Disposition ; 
 and she set some very good Partridges be- 
 fore us, on which we made a hearty Supper. 
 After I had complimented her by remarking 
 that she had treated us like a Court-bred 
 Lady, she said : " There are Beds for yon. 
 Gentlemen ; though, in consequence of tin- 
 little Cold we experience here, I am but 
 scantily supplied with Blankets." " Then* 
 K 3
 
 366 
 
 can he no great Want of them," said the 
 Friar-boy ; "for those she has put on the 
 Muleteer's Bed, would be sufficient to keep 
 all Burgos and Segovia warm." " Don't 
 jest with me," retorted the Muleteer ; " or I 
 will shew you the Stars at Mid-day." 
 " What then, are you the Epiphany?" re- 
 joined the other. 
 
 A great many witty Things were said by 
 these two Youths, which made the Time 
 pass away agreeably enough. The Auditor 
 again repeating his Question to this Boy, 
 said : " I insist on your telling me to what 
 Part of the Country you belong?" The 
 Boy replied : " I am an Andalucian, Sir, 
 from the Vicinity of Ubeda, a Native of a 
 Place called Torreperogil ; and the Village 
 being but small, finding that I could not put 
 my Wishes in Execution, I stole four Reals 
 from my Father, and ran away to Ubed-i. 
 On arriving there, while I was looking a 1 
 fix 1 Houses of Cabos, J saw some Peopl.
 
 gaming' for Sweetmeats, and instigated by my 
 Desire to eat some of them, I threw in my 
 four Reals ; but having lost my Money 
 without gaining the Sweetmeats, I went 
 and leaned against a Pillar of the Piazzas, 
 which one finds there, and remained in that 
 Position till JNight, and in a most disconso- 
 late State. An old Man came up to me, and 
 said : " What are you doing here, young 
 Gentleman?" " I am supporting this Co- 
 lumn, for fear it should fall, Sir;" said I, 
 " but why do you ask me this Question r" 
 " Because," replied he, " if you have no 
 Place to sleep in, here is a Cloth-dresser's 
 Trough, in which you may stretch yourself 
 out, and take your Repose." " And has 
 this Trough the Power to obliterate my 
 Misfortunes?" replied J. " What !" said the 
 good Man, " do you begin so early to com- 
 plain of Misfortunes?" " Why should you 
 object,"' said I, " to my complaining oi 
 Misfortunes, when from the Moment I left
 
 368 
 
 my Father's House, I have experienced 
 nothing else?" " From whence come you ?" 
 inquired he. " From a great many Leagues 
 off," replied I. " You should consider, my 
 Son," added he, " that Vexations were made 
 for Man ; and he who has not Firmness to 
 resist them, is soon subdued by them; and 
 us you have begun to experience them so 
 early in Life, you may comfort yourself with 
 thinking that they will bear more lightly 
 upon you when you become a Man, Those 
 who, as one may say, are but just hatched, 
 can have no Experience in the Ways of the 
 World, anjd are therefore incapable of esti- 
 mating the many good Things with which it 
 abounds. But a Series of Troubles teaches 
 a Man to know himself, and renders him 
 capable of every Undertaking. I left my 
 Father's House at your Age, and by my 
 good Conduct, have acquired the ho- 
 nourable Office of Clerk of the Market in 
 I hi::> City." " You have prospered very
 
 well," said I; " you have no Cause to com- 
 plain ; hut how can one expect him to suc- 
 ceed, who is destitute of a Farthing to he- 
 gin with?" " If you have come from so 
 great a Distance," continued the old Man, 
 ' yeiimay well have spent your Money, and 
 encountered so many Difficulties. Where is 
 your native Town situated ?" " In Torrepero- 
 gil," replied I. He laughed, and I observed : 
 " Why then, 1 suppose it appears to you 
 too soon to begin reckoning my Troubles? 
 But on my leaving Home, which was by 
 Night, I crept into a Vineyard, where I de- 
 voured so many Grapes, covered with Dew, 
 that if I had not found Means of getting out, 
 I should have burst, nor should I have been 
 able to reach Ubeda ; and when I did arrive, 
 groaning under this first Misery, as Ill-luck 
 would have it, I played for the only four 
 Reals I had, and lost them. I was thus 
 left pennyless, hungry, and without Lodging, 
 or fled." " Well, go to that trough," said
 
 370 
 
 he, " and you will find them both there." 
 " I took his Advice, and arranging the Litter 
 T found there, stretched myself upon it, 
 and slept a little. But at Midnight, the 
 Change was so great, from serene mild Wea- 
 ther, to Storm and Tempest, that I thought 
 I should not have survived till Morning. 
 
 o 
 
 For the Wind entered the Piazzas with 
 great Fury, whirling the Dust into my Eyes, 
 and creating a Pool of Water for the rest 
 of my Body; while, to add to my Distress, 
 the Pigs that were wandering about in the 
 Streets to seek for Food, repaired to the 
 Cloth-worker's Benches and Troughs, to 
 shelter themselves from the Tempest ; arid 
 imagining that the one in which I was, re- 
 mained empty, a Dozen of them crowded 
 into it, grunting, and turning up the Straw 
 and Dung with their Snouts; all of which 
 begrimed my Face sadly. However, I en- 
 dured, and even encouraged their Presence, 
 merely on account of the Warmth they at-
 
 371 
 
 forded me ; and though not without Offenc< 
 to my Nostrils, I made it out till Morning ; 
 not very clean, to be sure, nor smelling very 
 sweet, and with a few Blows on my Carcase 
 to boot. For a Boy came before Day- 
 break to drive away the Pigs with an ash 
 Stick of about three Inches thick ; and 
 thinking that he was beating them, he laid 
 some good Blows also across my Shoulders, 
 which deprived me of Sleep, and of all In- 
 clination to lie longer. I ffot clear of mv ill 
 
 o o v 
 
 Fortune for this Time, though it has never 
 forsaken me since, for I always managed to 
 go from bad to worse ; and wherever I went, 
 either some Evil sought me, or I sought it. 
 For whenever Boys badly inclined, do any 
 Thing good, it is Necessity that compels 
 them to it. I went from Ubeda to Cordova, 
 where I met with a young Friar, \vho was 
 going to study at Alcala. He asked me if 
 I would accompany him ; and I replied that 
 I would with great Pleasure ; for he lived
 
 very well, from the Alms given him at the 
 different Towns and Inns on the Road. He 
 was so well pleased with my Prattle, that 
 he spoke highly in my Favour at a Monas- 
 tery of his Order, where they invested me 
 readily with the Habit, Though I had often 
 heard of the Temptation of Hunger, which 
 the Novices have to endure, I did not be- 
 lieve it, till Experience convinced me of its 
 Truth. For when we had finished our Din- 
 ner, I was glad to carry off a small Roll, 
 from the Man who had Charge of the Re- 
 fectory, and eat it unnoticed in my Cell. 
 But the second Time I attempted this, they 
 detected me, and used me very ill. How- 
 over, I made use of a very good Stratagem ; 
 for I managed to stick five or six Nails in the 
 Boards of my Bed underneath, and getting 
 hold of the Bread, 1 ran away, and stuck it 
 on one of the Nails. They followed me 
 close, but not being- able to find the Hoi I, 
 they shifted the Blame to another. I passed
 
 some Days in this Way ; breakfasting and 
 eating a Luncheon much to my Satisfaction, 
 while others were suffering for my Offence ; 
 and the Secret would have remained se- 
 rnre to this Hour, if it had not been for a 
 Trick I played the Master of the Novices. 
 He had received a Present of a Basket of 
 delicious Cakes, two of which I contrived 
 to snatch away, while his Head was turned ; 
 and, pretending that I was going in search 
 of something, I was off in a Moment, and 
 fastened them on the Nails. I then returned 
 very sedately, and sat down to read. The 
 Master missed his Cakes, and immediately 
 went to make a general Search for them in 
 our Rooms. He examined my Person cau- 
 tiously, and even my Books; and not find- 
 ing what he sought, lie stooped clown, and 
 thrust half his Body under my Bed to see 
 whether they were there. At last he said : 
 ' There is nothing here, let us proceed else- 
 where." 1 was now very well pleased, con-
 
 S74 
 
 sidering my Danger over. But as he with- 
 drew his Head from under the Bed, the back 
 Part of it encountered one of the Nails; and, 
 as it hurt him, he turned his Head round to 
 see what it was, and, alas ! discovered his 
 Cakes and my Rolls! They laid Hands 
 on me at once, and soon converted my 
 Body into the Appearance of a Painter's 
 Pallet. And now pray, Sir, is it not better 
 to act the Part of a Courier, than to be 
 starved, and thumped in this Manner ? They 
 left me that Night, as they thought, well 
 secured. However, I found Means to get 
 hold of my Clothes, and ran away towards 
 the high Road. But they soon missed me, 
 and sent two young Lay Brothers in pursuit 
 of me; and as they were better acquainted 
 with the Country than I, they got some 
 Way in front of me by Morning, when I ob- 
 served them in such a Situation, that it did 
 not appear possible to escape from their 
 Gra.sp. But as Necessity is the Mother of
 
 37-5 
 
 Invention, I found my Safety, in this In- 
 stance, among a Parcel of Bee-hives, close 
 by the Road-side. For as soon as I espied 
 the Enemy, I ran into this Place, overturn- 
 ing above twenty Hives in my Way. I then 
 crept in amongst them, and remained mo- 
 tionless (for while in this State, the Bees 
 will not attack one) ; and my Pursuers 
 corning up to seize me, the Bees, in Defence 
 of their Territory, received them Vi et Armis. 
 in Revenge for the Storming of their Castles; 
 and as they threw their Hands about to 
 drive the Bees away, the more they moved, 
 the greater was the Number of Bees that 
 swarmed upon them. The whole Army 
 being now disturbed, they forsook the Tents 
 of the Rear-guard, and so immense a Body 
 came forward to succour the Advanced- 
 guard, that the two Executioners were soon 
 left in a State of complete Darkness. 
 
 "Being a Spectator of the Battle which had 
 been waged on my Account, mid observing
 
 376 
 
 that I could now retreat in safety, I crept 
 out from the Camp on All-fours, with the 
 greatest possible Silence, making my Escape 
 among some Garden Pots, which seemed to 
 have been posted there for the Purpose of 
 concealing me ; being more numerous even 
 than the Bees about my Adversaries, into 
 whose Wristbands and Shirt Collars they 
 entered, settling themselves there in such a 
 Way as not to admit of their making any 
 Defence. Though the first Thing they did 
 was to charge them in incredible Numbers, 
 in the Forehead and Eyes, leaving them soon 
 so blind, that on their attempting to leave 
 the Place they could not distinguish .the 
 Outlet. The Owner of the Hives hastened 
 to appease his Soldiers, armed with their 
 defensive Weapons ; and found the two mi- 
 serable Fellows as black and blue as if they 
 had been violently beaten; all over Bumps 
 and Bruises: but instead of finding Fault 
 with them for the Confusion they had caused
 
 .'577 
 
 in his Camp, he carried them to a consi- 
 derable Distance from his incensed, angry 
 People, lest they should complete their De- 
 struction. This is now the sixth Day that 
 I have been running away from the Stripes 
 that I should have felt if they had caught me." 
 The Boy afforded much Amusement and 
 Mirth among the good People at the Publick- 
 house, by this Relation of his Adventures. I 
 said to him : "At last, then, you found Mercy 
 among the Bees ; and if it had not been for 
 the Injury sustained by the others, this would 
 have been the finest Adventure in the world. 
 But as we have naturally a greater Obli- 
 gation to take care of ourselves than of 
 others, we sometimes look for Comfort in 
 the Misfortunes of our Neighbours ; though 
 a Man is bound not to injure his Neighbour 
 in attempting to attain Good for himself; 
 otherwise, he acts uncharitably." " Be this 
 as it may," replied the Boy, " I have always 
 heard it said, that one is bound to take care
 
 378 
 
 of one-self: for a Lamb once killed a Wolf 
 by running from him, and enticing him over 
 a Pit which the Shepherd had prepared for 
 him, by covering it well with Grass, and 
 laying a dead Adder on the Top of it. The 
 Wolf seemed quite determined to seize him ; 
 but the Lamb, running towards the Part 
 where the Shepherd was, reached the Pit, 
 and seeing the Adder, sprang over it : but 
 the Wolf, following his Course, fell in and 
 broke his Legs. And if a Lamb may 
 defend himself at the Expense of another, 
 why should not a Man be allowed to do 
 the same?" After this every one retired 
 to Rest, astonished at the Fluency with 
 which the Boy had expressed himself.
 
 '579 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Marcos takes Leave of his new Friend, and meets 
 some old Acquaintances. 
 
 ON leaving the Inn, we should have been 
 very glad to have had the Boy with us ; but 
 he travelled so slowly, that the Auditor gave 
 him some Money, and we left him to pursue 
 his Journey at his own Pace. When he was 
 fairly gone and out of sight, I could not 
 help contemplating in my Mind, the extra- 
 ordinary Diversity of his Genius, and ob- 
 served : " How trifling are the Hopes we 
 can entertain of those Boys who evince so 
 much Sharpness and Loquacity at so early 
 an Age : for they seldom possess Depth of 
 Understanding for the Reception of Truth 
 and substantial Virtues. An Understanding 
 capable of great Things, is never found 
 vacillating and changing in Affairs of littU
 
 380 
 
 Moment. And, for ray part, 1 entertain 
 better Hopes of him who observes a certain 
 Degree of Silence in early Life, than of one 
 who discloses, by his Volubility, all that his 
 Mind contains. For as the Understanding 
 is the principal Part of the Soul, and the 
 Soul is not loquacious, neither ought a good 
 Understanding to be so. When a Man is 
 once well seasoned, and his Wit exercised in 
 Truth and Experience, he has good Grounds 
 for talking. But when he does not possess 
 this well-founded Capacity, he is given to 
 Talking and bold Assertions, to which I 
 neither give Credit, nor does any one else. 
 In spite of all this, however, those who are 
 fond of talking, are agreeable Companions in 
 a solitary Journey ; for if one listens to them 
 they entertain us, and if one does not listen 
 to them, it affords opportunity, while they 
 are prating, for every one else to ruminate 
 on his own Affairs." The Auditor argued 
 awhile very learnedly, on the Understanding,
 
 .381 
 
 the Memory, and Imagination, (but his Ar- 
 guments cannot well find a Place here) ; and 
 during the whole Journey, he kept asking 
 me Questions about Marcos de Obregon, 
 with great apparent Affection. 
 
 On our Arrival at Cordova, where it be- 
 came requisite for us to separate, he begged 
 in the kindest Manner that I would explain 
 to my Friend the great Desire he had to 
 know him, and that, if at any Time he should 
 go to Seville, he expected that he would 
 proceed at once to his House. After this, 
 on our arriving at the Bridge of the Guadal- 
 quivir, each of us followed his own Road ; 
 and having got about a hundred Paces one 
 from the other, I called out to him, so that 
 he might hear me, "Mr. Auditor! I am 
 Marcos de Obregon :" and pushing on as 
 hard as I could, I took the Malaga and Gi- 
 braltar Road, for to one of these Places was 
 iuy Course directed. The Auditor wished 
 to turnback, and call me; but on observing
 
 382 
 
 I got on so fast, he continued his Journey, 
 saying to his Servants : " It was not without 
 Reason that I found myself so happy in the 
 Society of this Man; for certainly, without 
 knowing who he was, I have contracted an 
 uncommon Friendship for him, which would 
 induce one to do any Thing in the world to 
 serve him." 
 
 I now hastened towards one of those 
 Cities, in the Temperature of which I take 
 great Delight, as they prove agreeable Places 
 of Residence for old People, from the 
 Warmth of their Climate, and the Variety 
 they possess within themselves, as Sea Ports, 
 as from their Vicinity to, and Intercourse 
 with Africa. Besides that, one finds in their 
 Neighbourhood, retired Spots well adapted 
 to Solitude. 
 
 I reached Malaga the same Day on which 
 the Brig of the Rock had arrived, of which 
 Juan de Loxa was Captain ; a very valiant 
 '.Soldier, who had received and given many
 
 \Vouuds to Moors and Turks. He brought 
 in with him a very valuable Prize. As he 
 was a great Friend of mine, I went to visit 
 him, and after each had bidden the other 
 welcome on his Arrival, he mentioned to me 
 the Circumstance of his having fallen in with 
 a Boat at Sea, which had been driven about 
 terribly by a Storm, and that he had cap- 
 tured in it a young Turkish Lady, and a 
 Gentleman, who appeared to be her Brother. 
 He described her as very beautiful, and the 
 Brother, as a young Man of fine Figure; 
 and both, he said, had so much the Appear- 
 ance of Spaniards, that he was astonished 
 to learn that they were born in Africa, and 
 were Children of Infidels. I asked him to 
 let me see them; for he kept them strictly 
 guarded, intending to make a Present of 
 them. He replied : " As you have been in 
 Algiers, I wish you, without seeing them, 
 to hear them tell their Story, in order to 
 ascertain \vhtther they speak Truth." He
 
 384 
 
 entered the Room in which they were, while 
 I remained at the Door ; and said to them : 
 " Relate to me your true History, for your 
 Captivity being now certain, the Treatment 
 you experience will be regulated by the 
 Truth of what you tell me." The Youth 
 was very sorrowful, and the poor Girl quite 
 dissolved in Tears and Sighs. But on their 
 Master consoling them a little, the young 
 Man addresser! him thus : " Nature itself 
 demands that we should be sorrowful and 
 afflicted at the Loss of our precious Liberty ; 
 neither can we do less than feel severely the 
 Absence from our Country, our Parents, and 
 all the Comforts we have been accustomed 
 to enjoy. The very Abandonment of our 
 Property, our Slaves, and Magnificence, 
 excites in us mournful Sensations ; but our 
 having failed in the Object of our Voyage, 
 this tortures our Hearts.* My Sister and I, 
 ''for that Relationship we certainly hold), 
 4 Literally, tears our Hearts out of our Breasts. 7V.
 
 385 
 
 were born in Algiers. We are the Children 
 of a Spaniard, who fled from the Kingdom 
 of Valencia to Algiers. He married our 
 Mother, who is a Turk by Nation. Our 
 Father is a Corsair, and by means of his 
 two Galliots, has done great Injury to the 
 Christians. Among the Captives that he 
 has carried off from Spain, there came one 
 whom our Father gave us to teach us the 
 Spanish Language; and as he had such an 
 Affection for the Thin ers of his own Country, 
 
 o *! ' 
 
 he inspired us with the same Feeling, and 
 with the earnest Desire of seeing and pos- 
 sessing that which he held in such high 
 Estimation. With this Spanish Slave we 
 made so quick a Progress in the Doctrine 
 he taught us, that in a few Days we came to 
 abhor that which we had imbibed with our 
 Mother's Milk ; while the Desire of Baptism 
 was kindled in our Hearts. If I named 
 Jesus, my Sister would name his Mother 
 Mary; we had no other Way of commimi- 
 VOL. n. s
 
 386 
 
 eating on the Subject. We made a solemn 
 Vow, to live and die in the Christian Reli- 
 gion. This Slave recommended us to seek 
 some Means of being baptized. Eight years 
 have now passed since he returned to his 
 own Country ; and at the Expiration of that 
 Period, we heard that, on leaving Algiers, 
 the Gallies of Genoa had captured him, and 
 that they had put him to Death, under the 
 Impression of his being our Father. De- 
 spairing now of hearing from, or seeing him, 
 we resolved to seek our Remedy some other 
 Way. About this Time my Sister being of 
 an Age to marry, and I the Heir to my 
 Father's Property, he agreed with a very 
 rich Turk, who had a Son and Daughter of 
 our Age, to make an Exchange, and marry 
 Son with Daughter, and Daughter with Son. 
 Such was also the general Wish of all 
 Algiers. For although my Sister and I pos- 
 sessed Liberty and Riches, no one ever dis- 
 covered in us any assumed Superiority on
 
 387 
 
 this Account; and if we were highly es- 
 teemed, she for her great Beauty, and I as 
 the Successor to so fine a Property, it never 
 influenced us so far as to make us unmind- 
 ful of the Christian Liberty that our Master 
 had taught us. To shorten the History of 
 our Misfortunes ; finding that our Marriages 
 were so soon to take place, which would 
 have blotted out from our Souls the ardent 
 Desire we preserved in our Breasts, my 
 Sister and I agreed to wait till our Father 
 should depart on a Voyage to the Levant, 
 whither he was going in search of a Prize, 
 wherewith to add to the Splendour of our 
 Nuptials. As soon as his Galliots had put 
 to Sea, we went to a Country House, and 
 there entrusting our Secret to four Spanish 
 Captives, two Turks, and six Italians, all 
 well acquainted with the Coast of Spain, 
 and my Mother feeling secure and easy in 
 her Mind, because my Sister was under my 
 Care, we took Possession of a Boat in the 
 s 2
 
 S88 
 
 Dusk of the Evening ; and, in the most 
 perfect Silence, and rowing with all our 
 Might, made such good Speed, that at Day- 
 break we discovered the Coast of Valencia : 
 but while we were at the Height of our good 
 Fortune, an East Wind overtook us, which 
 made us lower our Sail, and drove us to- 
 wards the West with so much Fury, that we 
 had no longer Command of the Vessel ; for 
 such immense Mountains and Billows of 
 Water raised themselves above us, that we 
 saw ourselves a thousand Times on the 
 point of being swallowed by the Weaves. 
 As I and my Servants had more Anxiety to 
 save my Sister than ourselves; at one Period, 
 when we observed a monstrous Sea coming 
 apparently to swallow us up, while she lay 
 extended on the Deck with her Face down- 
 ward, four of them who placed themselves in 
 Front, to guard her from the impending 
 Danger, were washed away by the Wave, 
 and never appeared more. We disposed our-
 
 389 
 
 selves to submit to whatever Heaven should 
 ordain, (after having fastened my Sister so 
 securely, that the Sea could not carry her 
 off,) in the Event of the Vessel being wrecked : 
 while those who were employed in rowing, 
 had the Oars wrested from their Grasp by 
 the Violence of the Wind, leaving their Arms 
 in a disabled State. Seeing that nothing less 
 than GOD himself was able to assist us, I 
 gave Orders that they should remain quiet, 
 without attempting any Thing; for the Boat 
 always floated on the Top of those mighty 
 Waves, like a Nut-shell, though at last I per- 
 ceivecl it ready to turn Keel uppermost. I 
 embraced my Sister, whom I valued as my 
 own Life; while the rest, who were not tied, 
 were turned over by it, except two, who 
 seized hold of the two Sides of the Boat. 
 At length the Wind became somewhat more 
 moderate; but the Waves, which had been 
 set in Motion by the inexorable Fury of 
 the Levant Wind, remained for two Days as 
 s 3
 
 390 
 
 tierce as ever, while we continued five or six 
 Hours without using our Rudder, or the 
 Means of eating what little was left, as we 
 had neither Oars nor any one to manage 
 them. I recollected that our good Tutor, or 
 Slave, had told us, that those who com- 
 mended themselves to GOD, and received the 
 holy Rite of Baptism, passed through their 
 Troubles with much Patience and Hope ; 
 and we consoled ourselves with this Thought. 
 My Sister having returned to herself, began 
 to tell her Beads in all Sincerity, on the 
 Rosary which Marcos de Obregon had left 
 her, (for that was the Name of our Master) 
 and just then we discovered your Vessel, 
 without any Intention of defending ourselves : 
 for those two Turks who were killed by 
 your valorous Arm, were influenced by 
 their Zeal to be baptized. Arrived at the 
 Land of Christians, we prayed to GOD that 
 he would endue us with Patience, and permit 
 us to put our earnest Desires in Execution."
 
 He now ended his Narrative, and his Sister 
 her Weeping, in which she had indulged from 
 the Moment he began to speak. The Cap- 
 tain, whose Tenderness and Compassion were 
 greatly excited, said to them : " If that 
 which you have related, prove correct, I will 
 restore you to your Liberty, and return you 
 all your Jewels." He then added : " Would 
 you know Marcos de Obregon if you saw 
 him ?" " How can we see him if he is dead?" 
 replied the young Lady. The Captain then 
 desired them to come out, and see whether 
 any of the Men they saw there was he? 
 They were thrown into Confusion between 
 their Hopes and Fears ; and that of the 
 Sister was particularly obvious, for Love 
 brought past Scenes to her Memory, while 
 her Sense of Religion increased the ardent 
 Desire she felt to see him again, who had 
 instructed her in it. They came forth ; and, 
 on seeing me, threw themselves at my Feet, 
 calling me Father, Lord, and Master, I
 
 392 
 
 remained for some Time in a State of 
 Extasy, without being able to do any Thing 
 else but wonder; declaring that all they 
 had related was strictly true. On tranquil- 
 lizing myself after this sudden Emotion, I 
 wept tenderly with them; for Joy has its 
 compassionate Tears, as well as grievous 
 Afflictions. The Captain remained in As- 
 tonishment at the Adventure ; and when they 
 were somewhat consoled by his Words and 
 my Presence, he said to them : " GOD forbid 
 that I should make Captives of Christians. 
 Your Liberty and your Jewels, of which I 
 have been the Depository, not the Possessor, 
 are from this Moment restored to you. 
 There they are, (producing the Jewels, and 
 among them the Rosary which I had given 
 to the young Lady,) make use of your 
 Christian Liberty, since you have ventured 
 so much in the Execution of your meri- 
 torious Design." 
 
 The Joy that I felt at again beholding
 
 those two Pledges, which, in the midst of 
 my miserable Captivity, had cheered and. 
 consoled me, now had the Effect, if I may so 
 express myself, of restoring me to my former 
 youthful State. For Life is upheld by the 
 Joy of the Heart; and well-founded Joy 
 begets Peace in the Soul. I conversed with 
 them for a long Time on my past Troubles, 
 and on Points which might tend to console 
 them. For my Troubles now being over, 
 Grief was not excited by recalling them to 
 my Memory ; since in proportion to the 
 Extent of the past Evil, is the present Joy. 
 The virtuous young People were so much 
 affected at seeing me, that their Faces were 
 disfigured by the Tears they shed, on hearing 
 me recount my Distresses. We gave them 
 Directions for their Conduct ; assisting 
 them to obtain, what they so earnestly 
 wished; and the Change in their ex teriour 
 Behaviour soon became so visible, that they 
 afforded us all an Example of worthy Living,
 
 394 
 
 They hastened to Valencia, in order to 
 make themselves acquainted with their Fa- 
 ther's Relations ; and there they lived with 
 so much Comfort of Soul, that I received 
 Intelligence of their having ended their Days, 
 furnishing bright Examples of Christian 
 Virtue.
 
 395 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 The Squire's Bad Luck pursues, or rather keeps pace 
 with him. 
 
 AS it appeared to me, that to enjoy the 
 Quiet I desired, the Bustle of Malaga, and 
 the Beauty of the Country and Sea, together 
 with the kind Treatment of the Inhabitants, 
 with many of whom I was acquainted, did 
 not meet my Wishes, nor enable me to put 
 in execution my principal Intention ; I set 
 out for the Sauceda of Ronda, where there 
 are Places and Solitudes so remote, that a 
 Man may live there many Years without 
 being seen or discovered, if he does not wish 
 it. A good Man directed me in my Road : 
 but that I mio;ht not set over it without some 
 
 O O 
 
 Misfortune, on arriving at the Sabinilla, two 
 Turkish Brigs pushed in, and their Crews 
 leaped on Shore, carrying off all the Fisher-
 
 396 
 
 men and Herdsmen that they found scat- 
 tered about near the Beach. For though 
 they had lighted their Beacons, we perceived 
 nothing of them till we found ourselves in 
 the Hands of the Turks, who handcuffed us, 
 and carried us away to their Brigs. But 
 finding themselves so completely Lords of 
 the Land and the Sea, they became careless, 
 drinking largely of some Wine that they 
 found in a Fish-store; so that the whole, or 
 the greater Part of them, became intoxicated. 
 The People of Casares, Estepona, and the 
 other Towns in the Neighbourhood, now 
 coming down upon them by surprise, and 
 finding them in this? Condition, made Pri- 
 soners of some, and killed others ; so that 
 few escaped. We, who were handcuffed in 
 the Brigs, told those who guarded us, that, 
 if they wished to preserve their Lives, they 
 must loose us, and put us on Shore; which 
 they shewed a Disposition to do ; and it 
 was well for them that thev did: for one of
 
 397 
 
 the Herdsmen, a Man of great Courage and 
 Strength, having made use of his Teeth to % 
 loosen the Cords with which he \vas fas- 
 tened, seized hold of an Oar, and tossing it 
 about as if it had been a Measuring Yard, 
 threatened to beat them with it, and soon 
 made them untie us all. I grieved anew, 
 bringing to my Recollection my past Trou- 
 bles, by Land and Sea; which, though they 
 have been very numerous, have always drawn 
 forth the Pity and Compassion of others. 
 And this proved to be the Case in the 
 present Instance ; for a Man, old in Years, 
 but famed for his energetick Spirit, and his 
 Deeds of Valour, an Inhabitant of the Town 
 of Casares, who was compared to Abraham 
 for Hospitality, (his House being a perfect 
 Asylum for Strangers and Travellers), ob- 
 serving me, approached and said to me : 
 "Though my Compassion is ever apt to be 
 excited on similar Occasions, there seems in 
 the present Case, to be peculiar Keason for
 
 398 
 
 it ; as I perceive that you are old and 
 afflicted. Come then with me to my House ; 
 for though my Means are but scanty, Good- 
 will abounds in my Dwelling : nor is there 
 a Person under rny Roof, who does not 
 possess the same heart-felt Compassion as 
 myself; not only my Wife and Children, but 
 even my Servants and Slaves. For, in pro- 
 portion as a Family is united in Love, Hos- 
 pitality becomes valuable to those we en- 
 tertain." " What is the Name of the Person," 
 inquired I, " who treats me so compassion- 
 ately? For, independent of the Charity 
 which shines resplendent in your Appear- 
 ance, there is a superiour Force which ex- 
 cites an Affection for you in rny Breast." 
 " I am a Man, by no means distinguished 
 for Talents, but contented with the State in 
 which Providence has placed me," replied 
 he. " I am poor, but well-intentioned ; with- 
 out Envy of the Good that befalls others, or 
 of the Grandeur in general so much coveted.
 
 391) 
 
 I treat my Superiours with Simplicity arid 
 Humility ; my Equals, as a Brother ; and 
 those who are under me, as a Father. When 
 I find that my Herds are fruitful and 
 multiply, I rejoice; I collect the Honey 
 from my Hives, addressing- myself familiarly 
 to their industrious Inhabitants, as if they 
 were capable of understanding; me. I do 
 not set myself up for a Judge of the Actions 
 of others, because I am willing to think they 
 do right; and if any Thing is said to the 
 Disadvantage of a Person, I endeavour im- 
 mediately to change the Subject, to one that 
 will be agreeable to all Parties. I do all 
 the Good in my Power with the little I have 
 (which is more than I deserve). And in this 
 Way I contrive to pass a quiet Time, free 
 from Enmity, which is the Destroyer of 
 Life." " Happy you !" exclaimed I, " who, 
 without courting the Pomps and Vanities of 
 the World, have obtained that which all are 
 desirous to possess ! How is it that you have
 
 400 
 
 attained this State of Tranquillity?" He 
 replied : " By riot despising that which per- 
 tains to myself; by not envying the Acquire- 
 ments of others ; by not confiding in what 
 admits of Doubt ; by not seeking that which 
 cannot be gained without Altercation." " He 
 that has attained the Enjoyment of such a 
 State as this, will do well to publish his 
 Name," replied I. " My Name," said he, 
 "is not of those which are known in the 
 World ; but in conformity to the Lowliness 
 of my Condition, I am named Pedro Ximenes 
 Espinel."* This Intelligence produced an 
 Emotion in my Heart; but repressing my 
 Feelings, I pursued the Conversation, with 
 a View to afford myself Amusement during 
 the Remainder of our Way to the Village. 
 I therefore continued : " And in this peace- 
 ful Kind of Life, have you not occasionally 
 some Cause of Griefs which disturb your 
 Quiet?" "None, thank GOD !" replied he: 
 4 The Family Name of the Author of this Work. Tr .
 
 401 
 
 " unless when my Land is not well ploughed, 
 or my Dinner well cooked, I never expe- 
 rience Sorrow ; and even then by reading a 
 Page or two in the Christian Life of Friar 
 Luis of Granada, it soon vanishes." " How 
 many Philosophers," rejoined I, " have en- 
 deavoured to possess this Simplicity of 
 Feeling, and have not possessed it, with all 
 their Observations on Human Life, and all 
 their wise Precepts of Moral and Natural 
 Philosophy !" " It does not astonish me," 
 said the good Man, " that, as a great deal 
 of Knowledge is apt to produce a great deal 
 of Presumption in the Minds of Men, those 
 who are thus devoid of Humility, are unable 
 to attain this happy State of Repose. But 
 as you have wandered a good deal about the 
 World, perhaps in your Travels you may 
 have fallen in with a Nephew of mine ; for 
 many Years have glided by without our 
 hearing any certain Tidings of him, though 
 we are told that he is now in Italy. And
 
 402 
 
 although my principal Motive for enter- 
 taining so many Travellers at my House, is 
 to do them a Kindness, I am also in part 
 influenced by my anxious Desire to hear 
 News of that Nephew." " What is his 
 Name?" inquired I. " The same as mine," 
 he replied. " Yes indeed, I know him, 
 said I ; " for he is the greatest Friend * I 
 have in the World. He is alive and now in 
 Spain, not far from hence ; and you may see 
 and converse with him, without difficulty." 
 
 My Soul delighted in recognizing one of 
 my own Kindred, and one so well founded 
 in Moral and Christian Virtues. He rejoiced 
 greatly at the Intelligence I gave him, though 
 I did not make myself known to him until 
 I had changed my Condition.*!* For, in 
 truth, Flesh and Blood, especially when so 
 
 * The Author himself. Tr. 
 
 t This and the following Sentence probably allude to 
 the Writer of this Work " changing his Condition," by 
 taking Orders. Tr.
 
 403 
 
 nearly allied as this was, act as some Impe- 
 diment to the Execution of good Intentions ; 
 which rather require Solitude. We read of 
 all the venerable, religious Characters, that 
 they fled to Deserts, remote from the Society 
 of Relatives and Friends who might prove 
 an Obstacle in the Way of their laudable 
 Undertakings. The Acts of the Mind are 
 more free and unembarrassed in Solitude. 
 Works of Genius do not require Society. 
 Vice has least Force when its Opportunities 
 are fewest. The most valuable Works of 
 distinguished Men have been framed in 
 Solitude ; and he who would wish to ad- 
 vance in Virtue, whether by the Practice, or 
 by writing of it, will find himself better 
 prepared, and more ready to perform these 
 Acts in a State of Retirement. And though 
 Solitude in itself is not good, so neither can 
 it be said that he is a solitary Being, who 
 has GOD for his Companion.
 
 404 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 The Squire falls into the Hands of Robbers. 
 
 TO shorten my Narrative, I arrived at the 
 Sauceda, where the first Thing I encoun- 
 tered was three Herdsmen with Fowling- 
 pieces. They cried out to me : " Be so 
 good as to alight from that Mule." I an- 
 swered them : "I find myself better, mounted 
 than on Foot." " Very well," said they : 
 since it appears you are pleased with the 
 Animal, you may buy him of us." " In that 
 Case," rejoined I, "I should remain without 
 a Mule ; and without Money, for I have 
 none. But pray, Gentlemen, who may you 
 be who wish to sell me a Mule which I pur- 
 chased in Madrid ?" " You shall know that 
 by-ancl-by," said they ; " but now be so 
 good as to dismount." " Well, in good 
 truth, I am very well pleased to get rid of
 
 405 
 
 him," replied I; " for in my Life I never 
 met with such another Brute. He is mali- 
 cious, blind, and full of Spavins; carrying 
 more Years upon his Shoulders than an old 
 Palm-tree. He stumbles at every Turn, 
 and rolls himself continually on the Ground 
 without Leave or Licence. The only good 
 Quality he possesses is, that if you set a 
 Measure of Barley before him, he will never 
 budge till he becomes thirsty." "Well, 
 well," rejoined they; "in spite of all these 
 Defects, we shall have no Objection to take 
 him off your Hands." 
 
 At length I found myself constrained to 
 dismount; and shewing them the Inside of 
 my Pockets, which were empty, they swore 
 that they would strip the Mule of his Skin, 
 and wrap me up in it, if I did riot imme- 
 diately produce some Money for them. 
 " What !" said I, " am I a Trunk, that you 
 want to fur me over with the Mule's Skin? 
 or do you wish to shelter me from the Cold
 
 406 
 
 which my Fears at the Sight of your Arms 
 have occasioned me ?" From the Uncon- 
 cern I manifested, they were induced to 
 desist from their brutal Purpose. And they 
 were further influenced by the Arrival, at 
 this Moment, of five or six of their Gang, in 
 close Pursuit of a Man, who defended 
 himself most valiantly against them, inflict- 
 ing and receiving many Wounds. The 
 Chief of the Gang observing what passed, 
 ordered his People not to kill so valiant a 
 Man, who would prove a fit Companion for 
 them. But the other, with a noble For- 
 titude, told them that he desired nothing 
 more than that they should kill him if they 
 could. " Why do you indulge such a Wish?" 
 said the Chief; endeavouring to quiet his 
 People, and tranquillize the Mind of the 
 Stranger. " Because," replied he, " a Man 
 cannot desire to live, who has experienced 
 so great a Misfortune as that which has 
 befallen me !" I observed the Man atten-
 
 407 
 
 lively, and it appeared to me that it was 
 Doctor Sagredo, in whose Service I had been 
 at Madrid, though his Appearance was now 
 very different. For when I knew him before, 
 he was a Physician, and now he had the 
 Appearance of a broken Soldier, but still 
 retaining the Air of a Man of Valour; and, 
 altogether, I was puzzled to decide whether 
 he was iny Friend or not. The Robbers 
 became pacified, and the Doctor reproved 
 with great Earnestness their Compassion, in 
 not putting him to Death ; and looking up to 
 Heaven, he exclaimed, amid deep Sighs : 
 " Oh! rigorous Fate ! Oh! unutterable Griefs, 
 which are felt by me alone ! Oh ! Change of 
 Fortune ; Planets ! Destroyers of my 
 Peace and Happiness ! For, after being 
 delivered from such astonishing Perils, by 
 Sea and in unknown Lands ; when the 
 Fury of the raging Ocean at length swal- 
 lowed up my sweet Companion my ami- 
 able Wife ; who had followed and shared
 
 408 
 with me such unheard-of Toils and Dangers ! 
 
 ~ 
 
 that I should be deemed so insignificant a 
 Being, that the rising Waves would not over- 
 whelm me, and allow me to accompany her 
 in her Death, who had proved so faithful a 
 Partner to me through Life !" He made use 
 of so many piteous Expressions, as even to 
 draw forth the compassionate Feelings of 
 that vile Herd. There were about three hun- 
 dred of these Robbers about the World at 
 that Period, who in the Dress of Herdsmen 
 wandered up and down the Country, rob- 
 bing such as made no Resistance, and mur- 
 dering those who defended themselves. 
 About one hundred of them, who were 
 collected together in this Place with their 
 Chief, now held a Council, on a certain 
 Suspicion they entertained that the King 
 was taking Measures to suppress the Flame 
 they had kindled, and to put a Stop to the 
 exorbitant Mischiefs they were every Mo- 
 ment committing throughout Andalucia; and
 
 at the same time to decide what they should 
 do with several Individuals whom they had 
 detained as Prisoners in their Caves. 
 
 During this Consultation, they put Doctor 
 Sagredo, myself, and two others into a Cave, 
 which it was very easy to enter, but impos- 
 sible to escape from ; though we found in it 
 a sufficiency of Light, that came in through 
 the Trees overhanging the Entrance. Being 
 desirous to break the mournful Silence 
 which this dismal Situation occasioned, 1 
 thus addressed my Companion : " As we are 
 now in the same doleful Plight, and suffering 
 from the same unhappy Cause; tell me, I 
 intreat you, if you are Doctor Sagredo?" 
 He started and exclaimed : " Who then are 
 you that ask the Question, and where have 
 you known me?" " I am," replied I, 
 " Marcos de Obregon." Before I could 
 well pronounce these Words, he threw his 
 Arms round my Neck, and exclaimed : 
 " Oh ! Father of my Heart, already has your 
 
 VOL. II. T
 
 410 
 
 dear precious Friend paid the Debt of 
 Nature! Already has Death embraced my 
 beloved Spouse ! Dona Mergelina de Aybar 
 is dead ; and with her, died all my Happi- 
 ness, all my Society ! No longer can I call 
 myself Doctor Sagredo, but the Shade of 
 him that bore that Name ; until the Disso- 
 lution of this wretched Body shall take 
 place. Ah ! my faithful Counsellor ; how 
 badly have I profited by your Advice ; or I 
 should not have found myself in this State 
 of Solitude, which afflicts my Soul. But 
 perhaps the great GOD, after so many Mi- 
 series, may have been pleased to throw me 
 into this Dungeon, in order that your Society 
 may afford me Comfort and Consolation in 
 th Hour of Death. For when I lost her, I 
 was separated from all the Good that this 
 World contained for rne." " But, pray," 
 exclaimed I, "tell me how, when, and where, 
 did you lose that beloved Treasure of yours ; 
 she who was the Admiration of the whole
 
 411 
 
 World for her Beauty ?" " Nothing," replied 
 he, " but your Solicitations could have pre- 
 vailed on me to recount Misfortunes, the 
 Remembrance of which proves so burthen- 
 some to me. But as we do not know what 
 may be the End of this cruel Captivity, it 
 may perhaps be some Alleviation of my bitter 
 Cares, to renew my Griefs by recounting 
 them to one who will sympathize with me, 
 and not make a Jest of them. I will there- 
 fore relate from the Commencement, that 
 History which has terminated in my total 
 Kuin. 
 
 r2
 
 412 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 Dr. Sagredo relates his wonderful Adventures. 
 
 " WHEN (for my Misfortune) I departed 
 from Madrid, that Queen of the World, or 
 Mother of the Universe, in the very first 
 Town I entered, I heard the Drums beating 
 up for Volunteers, for an Expedition, by 
 order of Philip the Second, to discover the 
 Straits of Magellan ; and as I was born with 
 a greater Inclination to Arms than to Books, 
 I united myself to their Party ; and, with 
 this Object in view, attached myself to a 
 Captain, who was a Friend of mine, laying 
 out my little Stock of Wealth in Arms, and 
 the necessary Equipment of a Soldier; and 
 finding that Dona Mcrgelina was not dis- 
 satisfied with these Arrangements, I felt 
 more inclined to follow that Mode of Life, 
 as I should have the Pleasure of her
 
 413 
 
 Society ; for several other married Men 
 were to take their Wives with them in that 
 Voyage, it being the Intention of his Ma- 
 jesty to people that Part of the Country 
 with his own Subjects. But would to GOD 
 that he had prevented the Execution of this 
 my Design; for my Will was naturally in- 
 clined so to yield to his, that without his 
 Consent, I should not thus have cast myself 
 heedlessly on a Profession so full of Miseries 
 and Necessity. To shorten my Tale, we 
 embarked at San Lucar, and urrived at the 
 Gulf of Yeguas, where the Tempest we 
 encountered was so outrageous and terrible, 
 that, if we had been much longer exposed to 
 it, not a single Plank would have remained 
 on which to save ourselves. But the Pru- 
 dence of Don Diego Flores de Valdes, Ge- 
 neral of the Squadron, by forbearing to 
 brave the Tempest, and returning to winter 
 at Cadiz, saved us. From thence we de- 
 parted a second Time ; and, after a Variety 
 T 3
 
 ,414 
 
 of Mischances, reached the Coast of Brazil, 
 passing our second Winter at Saint Sebas- 
 tian's, at the Mouth of the Rio Janeiro, 
 a wide, extensive Harbour. We remained 
 there for some Length of Time, astonished 
 at beholding the Multitude of naked Indians ; 
 sufficient in number to people the New 
 World. Some of these Indians disappeared 
 occasionally, without any one knowing 
 what had become of them ; and a young and 
 valiant Portuguese Mestizo, eager to dis- 
 cover what had been the Fate of these Per- 
 sons, armed himself with a small round 
 Shield, with a sharp Point in the Centre, 
 and a good Sword ; proceeding to the Beach, 
 where he espied a Sea Monster at a Distance, 
 waiting to seize on any Straggler he might 
 discover. When the Youth first observed 
 him, he was on his Knees;* but he presently 
 raised himself up, and stood erect, and then 
 
 * It does not appear how all this Information was 
 gained. Tr.
 
 415 
 
 the young Man found, that the Monster was 
 double his own Height. He approached the 
 Portuguese ; and, closing with him, thought 
 to have carried him off into the Ocean, as he 
 had done the others. But the valiant Youth, 
 placing his Shield before him, defended 
 himself with his Sword in the best Way he 
 could ; though the Scales of the Beast were 
 so hard, that he could not contrive to wound 
 him in any Part of his Body; while the 
 Blows he received from the Monster were 
 so overpowering, that he did not dare to 
 await them ; but, by means of the steel Point 
 in his Shield, he cut him so severely in the 
 Joints of his Arms, (in which Part the 
 Beast was most vulnerable) that the Blood 
 began to flow from his Wounds ; and after 
 the Battle had continued a long Time, they 
 both fell dead together. On going afterwards 
 to look for the young Man, they discovered 
 one of the Combatants stretched out life- 
 less in one Part, and the other in another
 
 416 
 
 The Captain, Juan Gutierrez de Sama, and I, 
 with many other Spaniards, beheld this for- 
 midable Monster, with much Astonishment. 
 There are many Shoals and Islands in those 
 Seas ; and on one of them, we saw one of 
 those Serpents, (described in this Country 
 for the sake of terrifying us) the Snout of 
 which was like that of a Greyhound, very 
 long, and the Mouth filled with the sharpest 
 Teeth.* He had large Wings of Flesh, re- 
 sembling those of a Bat, the Body and 
 Breast of great Dimensions, and the Tail 
 was like a small Beam, curled round. He 
 had two Feet, or Hands with Nails, and al- 
 together his Appearance was most terrifick. 
 We presented our Fowling-pieces at him, 
 because he was in a flowing Stream, whither 
 we were accustomed to go for Water. I 
 was of opinion, that, on attempting to de- 
 stroy him, he might serve some of us in the 
 
 * Apparently an Alligator. 7V.
 
 same Way; and therefore we left him alone ; 
 and, as soon as he observed us, he made off 
 into the thick Part of the Wood, leaving be- 
 hind him, a broad Track, like that which 
 would be produced by dragging a Beam 
 along the Ground. But as it does not concern 
 me, or my Story, I shall omit mentioning 
 the many other great Curiosities we beheld 
 in this Country. From thence we pur- 
 sued our Voyage on to the Straits, in the 
 Months of January and February, at which 
 Period the Summer there commences ; being 
 continually opposed by contrary Winds 
 and strong Currents, influenced either by 
 the lofty Mountains, and deep Channels be- 
 low the Water, or excited by the furious 
 Winds ; and these presented such decided 
 Obstacles to our Progress, that many of the 
 Ships experienced great Injury from the 
 Tempest, and some were wrecked, without 
 the others being able to assist them. Amongst 
 those which went down, was that in which 1
 
 418 
 
 and my Wife were embarked; for though we 
 fired Guns as Signals of Distress, they either 
 did not hear, or could not relieve us, except 
 one Vessel, which was within Sight. And the 
 Seamen, (contrary to their Custom) taking 
 Pity on us, hastened to our Assistance in such 
 good Time, that they managed to save our 
 Clothes and Persons, before the whole went to 
 the Bottom. As soon as our Ship had foun- 
 dered, and the Soldiers and Mariners had 
 got on board the other, they hastened to 
 afford what Consolation they could to my 
 Spouse; who, though a Woman of muscular 
 Intrepidity, had been somewhat alarmed by 
 the near Approach of all-devouring Death. 
 It was the general Opinion, that we ought 
 not to follow the rest of the Fleet until the 
 Crew had recovered from their past Fatigues. 
 We soon discovered an uninhabited Island, 
 which \ve reached with some Difficulty. 
 Here we recruited our Strength, arid took in 
 Water, which proved very good ; and we met
 
 419 
 
 with some small Fruits, with which we re- 
 freshe.l ourselves ; and at the End of a 
 Fortnight, making Sail again, we attempted 
 to come up with the rest of the Fleet, but 
 did not succeed. At length, we got within 
 Sight of the Straits, after having been long 
 out of our Reckoning. We beheld great 
 and lofty Mountains, covered with Wood 
 and Fruit-trees ; and according to the Ac- 
 counts which we received from some of the 
 Settlers, who had been left by the Fleet, 
 there was no Want of Game. But the Cap- 
 tain of our Ship would not permit us to go 
 on Shore, as he wished to overtake the Fleet.
 
 420 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 The Doctor continues his Narrative. 
 
 WHILE we were waiting in hopes of a 
 Change of Wind, we beheld a very consi- 
 derable Number of Birds approach that 
 Part of the Straits, which was peopled by a 
 Race so diminutive, (though in other Parts, 
 they are extremely tall and muscular) that 
 the Birds might almost be considered Lords 
 of the Land ; so much so, that the little 
 Men were accustomed to run away from 
 them. At length we got so strong a Wind, 
 that it drove us through the Straits, without 
 our being able to resist it ; but with great 
 Injury to the Vessel; for the Coast being 
 full of Shoals, \ve went dragging our An- 
 chors along through the Sand. Neither was 
 the Strait open, like that of Gibraltar, but 
 abounding in Rocks, Shoals, and Inequali-
 
 4<21 
 
 lies, so that we were constantly running foul 
 of the Anchors which the Ships of the Fleet 
 had left behind them. So great was the 
 Rapidity with which the Wind drove us, 
 that the Sailors had not Time to provide 
 Means for the Safety of the Ship. In spite 
 of all these Dangers, and the many hard 
 Thumps the Vessel received from the Sand- 
 banks, we contrived to pass through the 
 Straits ; though the Violence of the Wind 
 lasted so long, that our principal Sails were 
 all torn; and although the rest were all 
 lowered, the Sprit-sails were left standing, so 
 that the overpowering Fury of the W T ind 
 carried us wherever it pleased, without our 
 being able to guide the Vessel, or to discover 
 a Place to which we might repair for Safety. 
 In short, we wandered about in this helpless 
 State for six Months, every Necessary for 
 the Preservation of Human Life having 
 failed us ; tossed about and driven by those 
 imperious Waves and tremendous Seas, nei-
 
 422 
 
 ther known to, nor navigated by any Human 
 Being; having lost all Hopes and all Con- 
 trol over the Vessel, without knowing at all 
 whither we were directing our Course, and 
 making up our Minds every Day to become 
 the Food of formidable Monsters, out of our 
 own Element. We had now consumed our 
 entire Stock of Provisions ; so much so, 
 that an old leather Cover of a Portmanteau 
 would have been considered a most delicious 
 Repast by its Master (if he had been per- 
 mitted to devour it in peace): and as we 
 were constantly exposed to the Dread of the 
 Sepulchre, which always stood ready open 
 to our View, in the dismal Caverns of 
 the restless Ocean, or in the more hungry 
 Bowels of its untameable Inhabitants, we 
 were now almost impressed with the Con- 
 viction, that the whole World was a second 
 Time overflowed with Water, as at the Uni- 
 versal Deluge; when they all began to ex- 
 claim with one Voice, " Land! Land !
 
 Laud!" For we discovered an Island, sur- 
 
 
 
 rounded by such high Rocks, and these 
 covered with Trees, that it appeared like an 
 enchanted Spot. But we had scarcely dis- 
 covered it, when all at once it vanished from 
 our Sight ; not by the Influence of Magick, 
 but by the Force of a Current, which carried 
 away the Vessel with great Violence, against 
 our Inclination, till at length this same 
 Current drove us on one Side, among some 
 Eddies, which were so furious, that we were 
 convinced we should all be swallowed up 
 by them. But the Mariners having re- 
 covered from their Alarm, and keeping the 
 Direction in which they had seen the Island, 
 it appeared to them, that by making sail 
 with the Foresail, and keeping the Current 
 always in View, we might again fall in with 
 the Island. However, it was my Opinion, 
 that they should lower the Foresail, and 
 tow the Ship, by means of the two Boats 
 which were made fast to the Stern. For
 
 4<24 
 
 if the Violence of the Current should carry 
 away one of the Boats, it would be easy to 
 return to the Ship ; but if it should carry 
 the Ship itself away, we should probably 
 fail altogether in our Attempt to save our- 
 selves. We all therefore commended our- 
 selves to the blessed Guardian Angel, in 
 the most earnest Prayers and Entreaties ; 
 and those who, in spite of our Want of Food, 
 continued the most robust, or rather the 
 least weak, placed themselves at the Oar, 
 changing Places from time to time, that 
 every one might be enlivened in turn with 
 the Prospect of seeing Land. We had a 
 Man well lashed in the Main-top-mast-head, 
 to look out constantly, and give us imme- 
 diate Notice of any Thing he should dis- 
 cover. At the End of two Days, at the 
 Point where it seemed we had lost the 
 Prospect of Safety, we again beheld those 
 lofty, craggy Rocks, higher than that of 
 Gibraltar, but full of such beautiful and pic-
 
 425 
 
 turesque Scenery, that my Companions 
 were quite enchanted with it; so that it 
 became necessary to take the Oars out of 
 their Hands, lest in their Anxiety and ar- 
 dent Desire to reach the Shore, they should 
 lead the Vessel again into the Current, and 
 ourselves into the last Stage of Misery and 
 Desperation. But I cried to them eagerly, 
 in a loud Voice : ' Now, my Companions, 
 that GOD is pleased to offer us an Asylum 
 which our Exertions will enable us to reach, 
 after all our Misfortunes, Deprivations, and 
 Labours, it would shew great Want of 
 Wisdom and Perseverance, nor would it 
 be his Fault, but ours, were we to precipi- 
 tate ourselves into so evident a Danger, as 
 that which we have touched with our Hands, 
 and seen with our Eyes.' Conforming, 
 therefore, to my Advice, in an Affair which 
 concerned us all so deeply, we continued 
 to approach the Island with great Caution ; 
 and although we could not avoid getting thc k
 
 426 
 
 Boat a little into the Current, the Mariners 
 paid so much Attention, and acted with so 
 much Judgment, that the Injury she sus- 
 tained, was easily repaired. We pushed on 
 so far, and so carefully, that we soon arrived 
 within half a League of the Island, and close 
 to the Current, which, in the Opinion of the 
 most experienced amongst us, began at a 
 very short Distance from the Island, and 
 extended itself in such a Manner on both 
 Sides, that it left the Entrance inaccessible. 
 We therefore gave it the Name of " the in- 
 accessible Island." And though the Cur- 
 rent was not so wide in this Part, as in that 
 which, for our Misfortune, we had fallen in 
 with before; it w r as, however, more furious, 
 from being more confined. At length, when 
 we found ourselves undecided what Course 
 to take, and no one offered any Advice, I 
 exclaimed boldly : ' Yonder is Land, and 
 Rocks ! why should we not lind them here 
 too?' Having said this, I insisted on thetY
 
 427 
 
 letting fall the Anchor ; and as we found 
 Bottom at a small Depth, they were elated 
 with the Hopes of saving themselves. I then 
 called for all the spare Cables and Ropes ; 
 of which, and of Gunpowder, we had Abun- 
 dance ; and having tied a sufficient Number 
 of the Ropes together, to enable the Boat 
 to reach the Shore with one End, while the 
 other should remain fastened to the Ves- 
 sel ; and having instructed those who re- 
 mained on Board, to continue serving out 
 the Cable to us, as they found we had need 
 of it, I selected fifty of the stoutest Fellows 
 we had, and arming them with Muskets, 
 and a good Stock of Powder, we betook 
 ourselves to the Boats, and guided by our 
 good Angel, without any Injury, arrived 
 shortly in a Bay of the Island, as snug and 
 sheltered, as the Current had been dangerous 
 and violent* Having met with such happy 
 
 * It may seem doubtful, whether it be worth while to 
 retain die following History, in the Translation; as fa
 
 and unexpected Success in our first Attempt, 
 \ve continued rowing under the Shelter of 
 the lofty Rocks, in the Hope of finding an 
 Entrance ; and we espied presently, at the 
 Point which was formed by one Side of 
 the curved Bay, an Idol of the most formi- 
 dable Magnitude, and wonderful Form, and 
 altogether of an Appearance so novel, that 
 one could not have imagined any Thing like 
 it. For the Dimensions of its Body were 
 equal to that of an ordinary-sized Tower, 
 and it was supported by two Feet, large in 
 proportion to the Body. He had only one 
 Arm, which proceeded from both the Shoul- 
 
 aecords so little with the Style of the Work, in which \ve 
 do not find any other such gross Improbabilities. It 
 serves, however, as a Picture of the Times, when Stories 
 of the wildest Kind were credited by the most respectable 
 People, when related, as having happened in the newly - 
 discovered Regions of America. This account of Giants 
 on the Coast of Patagonia, is exactly conformable t 
 the first Descriptions made of that Country, which up t<> 
 the present Day, is supposed to be Inhabited by a lar<'- 
 nice: of Men. TV.
 
 429 
 
 ders, and was so long that it extended 
 some Way below the Knees. In his Hand 
 he held a Sun, or rather Rays of a Sun. 
 The Head was in proportion to the Remain- 
 der of the Figure, but with only one Eye, 
 from the lower Lid of which issued the 
 Nose, having but one Nostril; he had only 
 one Ear, and that placed in the Nape of the 
 Neck. His Mouth was .open, and contained 
 two very sharp Teeth, which gave him a 
 menacing Appearance; a projecting Chin 
 covered with thick Bristles, and a small 
 Portion of wild dishevelled Hair. Though 
 this terrifick Object might be sufficient to 
 prevent our advancing further, still as we 
 were in search of Life, which we must find 
 in this Island, or not at all ; we continued 
 our Course towards the Idol, as the narrow 
 Entrance (hitherto unseen and unvisited) 
 was situated in that Direction. Having ar- 
 rived at this Point, two tremendous Giants 
 of the same Form as I have described that
 
 430 
 
 of the Idol to be, rushed out, and seized 
 the Boat, one on one Side, and one on the 
 other. Our Alarm and their Violence were 
 so great, that, without our attempting to 
 make the least Resistance, they cast us into 
 a Cave, at the Foot of the Idol ; except 
 one of our Party, who, having the Boldness 
 to discharge his ^Piece, one of the Giants 
 took hold of him by the Waist, and threw 
 him with such Violence, that we saw him 
 fall into the Sea at a great Distance. I had 
 taken the Precaution to fasten the Boat to 
 the Trunk of a Tree, which we found near 
 the Entrance ; and which afterwards proved 
 of great Importance to us. Not that I had 
 foreseen the Mischief that was to happen to 
 us ; but I did it to prevent the Boat from 
 being carried away by the Current.
 
 431 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 The Doctor's Narrative continued. 
 
 " AS soon as the Giants had thrown us into 
 the Cave, they stopped up the Mouth of it 
 by letting fall the Trunk of a Tree, which 
 was suspended above in the Manner of a 
 Draw-bridge. The tremendous Force with 
 which it fell, not only made the Idol and the 
 whole Cave tremble, but the Agitation it 
 occasioned in the Air, produced a like Com- 
 motion in the Sea, and some great Waves 
 were dashed up with Violence through a 
 Window or Chink which opened towards 
 the Sea, and we heard our Boat strike re- 
 peatedly against the Bank ; for I really be- 
 lieve I do not deceive myself, when I say 
 that the Trunk measured twenty-five Yards 
 in Circumference, and above fifty-five Yards 
 in Height, and the Wood of which it was
 
 432 
 
 formed was as massive and weighty as the 
 hardest Stone. The Giants having ren- 
 dered so great a Service to their Idol, began 
 to dance and make merry, producing most 
 unmusical Noises from some harsh dismal 
 Tabors, which appeared more like the hollow 
 Sound in a vaulted Building, than a cheer- 
 ful Air to dance to. While they were thus 
 occupied with their Pastimes, and enter- 
 taining themselves at the projected Expence 
 of our Lives, we were employed in bewailing 
 our Misfortunes, and the Cruelty of Fate ; 
 which had treated us so unmercifully, after 
 conducting us to a Point where we hoped to 
 find Alleviation to our continued Troubles, 
 leaving us to die of Hunger and Thirst 
 amongst the dead Bodies of those whom 
 they had sacrificed to their insatiable Idol. 
 But one ought never to lose one's Courage, 
 under the greatest Adversities ; and, as 
 Distresses are the Touchstone of Valour and 
 Ingenuity, I presently thought of a Method
 
 433 
 
 by which to extricate ourselves from that 
 unfortunate Situation, in which Courage/ 
 Ingenuity, and Activity, must necessarily 
 concur. 
 
 " Seeing that they were intent on the Di- 
 versions of their Festivity, and were, in truth, 
 a simple Sort of People, I thought it pro- 
 bable that considering us in a State of Se- 
 curity, they would be off their Guard ; 
 which would enable us, though not without 
 some Trouble, to put in Execution the 
 Design I had formed ; which was this : I 
 took as many Cords as were necessary, and 
 selecting from the dead Men's Bones, those 
 that were the smallest, and the most free 
 from Flesh, made a Ladder, by Means of 
 which we could reach the Chink men- 
 tioned above, though we could not manage 
 this without difficulty; for as it all consisted 
 of hard Rock, there was no Possibility of 
 making Holes in it, by which to ascend and 
 fasten the Ladder at the Top. But as Ne- 
 
 VOL. II. U
 
 434 
 
 cessity is so great a Contriver, and nothing 
 less than the Preservation of Life was now 
 concerned, I took a Spine Bone, and putting 
 a Cord through the Hole in it, and uniting it 
 strongly with the two Ropes that remained 
 below, we all tried to throw it into the Cleft 
 in the Rock ; and a robust Youth, bred in 
 the Mountains of Ronda, managed it so 
 dexterously, that the Bone remained fixed 
 in the Cleft, and we then easily contrived to 
 raise up one End of the Ladder and make it 
 fast. This being effected, I mounted the 
 Steps with great Caution, and made it so 
 secure, that all my Companions ascended, 
 and got down to the Boat on the other Side, 
 without further Difficulty. This ingenious 
 Contrivance having succeeded, I collected 
 together all the Powder from the several 
 Flasks, and while my Companions were 
 mounting the Ladder, and descending to the 
 Boat, I formed a Mine below the Feet of the 
 fdol, as there were many Cavities for the
 
 435 
 
 Reception of the Powder; and leaving it well 
 closed in, with five or six Inches of lighted 
 Cord, I mounted the Ladder, and jumping 
 into the Boat, made them row away quickly 
 to a Part where the Explosion could not 
 affect us. We had hardly placed ourselves 
 in a State of Security, when the Mine ex- 
 ploded with a tremendous Sound, which 
 agitated the Sea, and was felt all over the 
 Island. The Idol fell with a horrid Crash 
 on the Dancers, destroying a Dozen and a 
 half of them. The Remainder, seeing that 
 he in whom they had so long confided, had 
 murdered their Companions, took to their 
 Heels and ran up the Country, leaving the 
 Coast quite clear. On which we imme- 
 diately went on Shore, leaving the Boat well 
 secured ; and all, with one Accord, threw 
 ourselves prostrate on the Ground, and 
 kissed it, giving hearty Thanks to the great 
 Creator of Heaven and Earth, for permitting 
 us to set Foot again on our own Element, 
 u 2
 
 433 
 
 And though we were struck with the Mis- 
 chief which the demolished Idol had caused, 
 and the Spectacle that we had before our 
 Eyes was sufficient to restrain us, behold- 
 ing the Earth covered with the Bodies of 
 those enormous Monsters ; however, as the 
 Spot was now cleared of those who could do 
 us any further Mischief, and we found 
 wherewithal to appease our Hunger and 
 Thirst, we lost no Time, but fell to de- 
 vouring some excellent Fruit that we found 
 growing on the Trees near the Cave, and 
 drinking some delicious Water at a cheer- 
 ful Spring that rose at the Foot of a Cliff 
 hard by. I said all I could to dissuade my 
 Companions from gorging themselves with 
 too much Fruit, lest \> hile we were in Pur- 
 suit of Life, we should find ourselves in the 
 Road to Death. Then looking about us on 
 all Sides, we observed that one of those 
 Giants on whom the Idol had fallen, was 
 still alivr, though terribly crushed, and his
 
 437 
 
 Legs broken so effectually that lie could not 
 move; and making Signs to him that he 
 should point out to us where the Provisions 
 were to be found, he made a Motion with 
 his Nose, (not being ahle to do it in any 
 other Way,) towards a Cavern, the Entrance 
 to which was covered completely with green 
 Trees, so thickly interwoven, that it was 
 difficult for the Natives to get in, though not 
 so much so for us. And we learnt after- 
 wards that no one was permitted to enter, 
 unless they were employed in taking out 
 Provisions for the publick Use, under the 
 Penalty of not eating any Part of them for 
 a certain Period. At length we entered the 
 Cave, which was very spacious and light 
 within, being divided into several Apart- 
 ments. We found there, excellent dried 
 Fish and Meat, and some hung Beef very 
 well cured, and a Sort of Fruit larger and 
 more savoury than Hazel Nuts, which they 
 make use of instead of Bread. With these. 
 u 3
 
 436 
 
 and many other Sorts of Food, we loaded 
 our Boat, and filling a dozen Skins with 
 nice cool Water, we sent it off to our Com- 
 panions, who, by this Time, had begun to 
 give us over for lost. They were all de- 
 lighted at the Sight of this seasonable 
 Supply, and immediately began to eat and 
 drink in good earnest. Then desiring that 
 a Guard should be left in the Ship for the 
 Protection of the Wives and of those Men 
 who were already on Shore, the Remainder 
 worked their Way to the Island in the two 
 Boats, by means of the Ropes and Cables, 
 without which they could not have effected 
 it ; and, with their Bellies well filled with 
 Provender, and their Flasks with Powder, 
 they contrived to unite themselves to our 
 Party."
 
 459 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 
 the Doctor was interrupted He proceeds in his 
 Story. 
 
 THE Narrative of Doctor Sagredo was in- 
 terrupted by some Portuguese who had 
 arrived from La Vendeja, with four Loads 
 of Linen ; and the Path they had taken 
 being quite a new one, they had hoped to 
 elude the Vigilance of the Robbers. But 
 these were better acquainted with it than 
 the Portuguese, and therefore encountered 
 them near the Mouth of our Cave. The 
 Portuguese were so alarmed at this un- 
 expected Meeting, that throwing themselves 
 on their Knees, they exclaimed : " By the 
 blessed Wounds of Christ, pray do not kill 
 us like Rabbits, nor take Vengeance on us 
 for our Sins, though we are no Castilians !" 
 " Don't be alarmed, you Blockheads," ex-
 
 440 
 
 claimed the Chief; "all we require is, that 
 you will sell us your Linen at Prime Cost.' r 
 " With all our Hearts," replied they ; and 
 taking out their Cash Book, in which the 
 Prices were marked, every Robber asked 
 for that which he had need of, and the 
 Leader of the Gang insisted that each should 
 put down his Money, before he took the 
 Linen; and it astonished me to observe that 
 they treated the Portuguese so compassion- 
 ately. They received their Money, and 
 having unpacked their Linen, and taken out 
 the Yard to measure it with, the Chief said 
 to them : " As this is a free Republick, we 
 employ our own Weights and Measures ; 
 not making use of Yards to measure by, as 
 in other Parts of Spain." He then called 
 for a Pole (which was about twenty Spans 
 in Length), for the Purpose of measuring 
 the Linen, directing that the Number of 
 Yards each had paid for should be delivered 
 over to him, after it had been measured by
 
 441 
 
 the Pole instead of a common Yard. This 
 Arrangement afforded high Satisfaction to 
 the Purchasers ; but the poor Portuguese 
 were forced to submit in Silence ; taking 
 their Departure, however, disencumbered 
 of the heavy Load they had brought with 
 them. We all laughed heartily at this In- 
 cident, except poor Doctor Sagredo; who 
 continued his Narrative in these Words : 
 
 " Before our Fortune took an unfavourable 
 Turn, we managed Matters so well, as to 
 leave the Cavern nearly emptied of all the 
 Provisions it had contained, having filled 
 our Vessel, not only with fresh and dried 
 Fruits, but with Abundance of salt Fish and 
 Meat; and a great many Skins of Water 
 and of other Liquors of very agreeable 
 Flavour and substantial Quality, which 
 those Giants were in the habit of drinking. 
 But secure as we imagined our Situation, it 
 did not prevent the Giants at last from taking 
 us by surprise. For, finding that we had
 
 442 
 
 undisturbed Possession of that Part of the 
 Country ; and our Fatigues and Dangers at 
 Sea requiring some Repose on Shore, we 
 were in the habit of repairing to sleep in the 
 Cave, whose cool Retirement we enjoyed 
 greatly. The Quiet of the spacious Halls, 
 in which there was Abundance of good 
 Food, and some delicious little Fountains of 
 ice-cold Water, proved so grateful and re- 
 freshing after our Fatigues, that we might 
 have been tempted to take up our constant 
 Abode there. We continued for two Days 
 to enjoy ourselves in this Retreat; but on 
 the third, while we were taking our Siesta 
 as usual, in the Cave, we were awakened by 
 a great Clamour of Voices, and a confused 
 Noise of Drums. Every one exclaimed, 
 "To Arms ! to Arms !" For we found that 
 all the Giants of the Island were coming down 
 upon us ; and running for our Muskets, we 
 found that there was no Match lighted, nor 
 any Fire with which to light one, and that
 
 443 
 
 nobody had recollected to bring from the 
 Ship, Flint, Steel, or Tinder. Upon which 
 they began crying out: ' We are lost!' 
 But, lest Fear should take complete Pos- 
 session of their Hearts, from thinking it im- 
 possible to defend themselves in so confined 
 a Situation, I directed the major Part of my 
 Companions to tear down the wooden Par- 
 titions which divided the several Apart- 
 ments, and to form, with their Assistance, a 
 Sort of Trap into which the Giants might 
 fall, after overcoming the Obstacles which 
 the Trees at the Entrance presented. For, 
 as I have mentioned above, the Entrance of 
 the Cave was very difficult of Access for the 
 Giants. The rest of us provided ourselves 
 with two dry Sticks each, some of Mulberry 
 Tree, some of Ivy, and others of Cane, and 
 rubbing them briskly together, in a short 
 Time they yielded Smoke, and then a 
 Flame, with which we kindled our Matches. 
 We had abundance of Time for all this ; for
 
 444 
 
 the Giants did not come down with an In- 
 tention of attacking us, (considering us 
 already dead,) but to examine what Mischief 
 had been caused by the Overthrowing of the 
 Idol ; those who had escaped having fled to 
 their Governor with the News. This Chief, 
 whom they called Hazmur, was now brought 
 down in great State, seated in a Chair 
 made of Osiers, formed like a Basket, and 
 borne on four large Beams, to witness the 
 ruined Remains of the Idol whom they all 
 adored, and the Corpses of those who had 
 been destroyed by its Fall. They would have 
 remained ignorant of our being within the 
 Cave, if their broken-backed Companion 
 (who was still alive) had not informed them 
 of it. As soon as they were made ac- 
 quainted with this Circumstance, they ran 
 furiously towards the Mouth of the Cave, 
 throwing huge Stones into it, tearing off 
 Branches and rooting up the Trees which 
 impeded their free Entrance. But the first
 
 445 
 
 of them that readied it, either stumbled and 
 fell iuto the Trap, or else fell from the 
 Effect of our firing. The general Opinion 
 was, that as they had each but one Eye, we 
 should take Aim at that Part ; for, having 
 lost it, they would not be able to find their 
 Way into the Cave : mine however was, 
 that it would be best, having loaded every 
 Piece with two Balls, to direct our Aim 
 towards their Legs, as a better Mark than 
 the single Eye. In consequence of the 
 Adoption of this Plan, all fell that ap- 
 proached the Cave, assisted as we were by 
 the Wood we had placed there, and the 
 thick-growing Trees, that formed an En- 
 trenchment and Loop-holes for our Fire. 
 And though the large Stones and Eras:- 
 
 o o o 
 
 inents of Rock which they threw, might 
 have caused serious Mischief to us, the 
 Trees so broke their Violence, that when 
 they reached the Mouth of the Cave, their 
 Force had greatly spent itself, and the Injury
 
 446 
 
 they occasioned scarcely amounted to any 
 Thing. On the other hand, they found 
 themselves so roughly handled, that the 
 Governor, astonished at so extraordinary 
 an Occurrence, gave Orders that they should 
 desist from offensive Operations. For, as 
 the Idol had fallen in so wonderful a Manner, 
 and those whom they had considered dead 
 had found means to inflict Wounds on the 
 living, it seemed evident to him that some 
 superiour Power must have acted by our 
 Means. They obeyed him instantly, being 
 thus rendered peaceable by the Fall of some 
 of their Companions, without having done us 
 the least Injury. They then made Signs to 
 us of Peace and Amity: and the Governor, 
 looking up to Heaven and raising up his 
 Hand in the same Direction, thereby assured 
 us that we might shew ourselves securely 
 and freely, and inform him who and what 
 we were, (without Alarm), and our Motive 
 for appearing in his Country. Nothing, in
 
 447 
 
 fact, could have happened more opportunely 
 for us; for in a very short Time our Am- 
 munition would have been consumed. We 
 therefore sallied out of the Cave with the 
 best Will imaginable, forming ourselves in 
 three Ranks, and causing our Drums to 
 beat with much Effect and Solemnity. So 
 great was the Satisfaction of that simple 
 People, (at least, of those among them who 
 had escaped unvvounded,) at hearing the 
 well-ordered Sound of the Drums, that their 
 massive Arms fell from their Hands, while 
 they directed their Attention towards their 
 Chief, who still remained seated in his 
 Chair, supported on the Shoulders of those 
 who had borne him thither. He himself 
 appeared quite astounded and amazed, at 
 beholding so small a Race of People pro- 
 vided with two Arms and two Legs, and 
 every other Part corresponding in the same 
 Way ; but still more was he astonished at 
 our animated and skilful Mode of pro-
 
 448 
 
 ceeding. We, on our parts, halted at the 
 Mouth of the Cave, to make our Obser- 
 vations on that wonderful People, covered 
 with Skins of Animals and with Feathers of 
 various Colours, and on the Solemnity of 
 their Governor's Demeanour, who appeared 
 to be respected, feared, and obeyed in all 
 his Commands. After some Consideration, 
 we arranged certain Signs by which to ex- 
 press our Sentiments, making use of such as 
 were most natural and bore the greatest 
 Resemblance to Truth. To avoid Prolixity, 
 I shall not enter into any particular Expla- 
 nation of them, but state merely the Conver- 
 sation, which we were enabled, by their 
 Means, to carry on. 
 
 " The Governor began by asking us the 
 three following Questions : First, 'Whether 
 we were the Sons of the Ocean ?' Secondly, 
 ' If we were, how it happened that our Size 
 was so diminutive? 1 'And,' thirdly, 'being 
 diminutive, how we had ventured to shew
 
 449 
 
 ourselves amongst a gigantick Race like 
 them?' To the first Question, we replied: 
 ' That we \vere not Sons of the Ocean, but 
 of the true GOD, who was so infinitely 
 superiour to the Deity they worshipped, that 
 he had now chastised them, for endeavour- 
 ing to slay his Children ; who had taken 
 Refuge in the Island, whither we had been 
 driven by the Fury of the Tempest.' As to 
 the other Points, we told them, that Great- 
 ness does not consist in the Bulk of the 
 Corporeal Frame, but in Worth and Valour 
 of the Mind, and that the Possession of 
 these Qualities had emboldened us to enter 
 their Territories, and to conquer the A^iolence 
 of the turbulent Ocean. And, that the 
 Children of GOD, the great Founder of 
 Heaven and Earth, scorned to fear any 
 Dangers that could happen to them from 
 the Hands of Men, especially of such as 
 failed to adore Him, who was the Universal 
 Lord of all celestial and terrestrial Dignities,
 
 450 
 
 and the Creator of that very Sun which they 
 worshipped. When the Governor heard 
 us assert that the Sun had a Superiour, 
 he changed the Conversation, asking us : 
 4 What had been the Object of our Visit?' 
 In reply, we told him the true State of the 
 Case; relating some Particulars of our Ad- 
 ventures, and reminding him of the Obli- 
 gation which all Creatures are under (as 
 the Sons of GOD) to succour and assist each 
 other in their Misfortunes and Necessities. 
 And that we requested this Assistance at 
 his Hands, as a Man who had been placed 
 by GOD in an exalted Station, in which it 
 became him to award Recompence or Pu- 
 nishment as the Case might deserve. He 
 shewed Signs of Astonishment at our Reply ; 
 and then he explained to us, that he was 
 well satisfied with what we had told him ; 
 but that it was out of his Power, without 
 first reporting so extraordinary an Event 
 to the King of the Island, to receive and
 
 4M 
 
 shelter us; for that, if he did, his Life would 
 be the Forfeit. We then entreated his Pet- 
 mission for four of our Companions to go on 
 Board the Vessel in search of Food ; for we 
 knew that he would not let us all go, neither 
 did we choose all to leave the Mouth of the 
 Cave. They immediately got into the Boat, 
 making Signs to them on board the Ship to 
 drag them along-side by means of the Cables. 
 In the mean Time the Governor dispatched 
 a Courier to the King of the Island, to 
 inform him of what was going on. The 
 Messenger employed by him was a Dog ; 
 for they are accustomed to make use of 
 these Animals in this Way on important Oc- 
 casions, putting cross-wise in their Mouth a 
 Joint of a Cane, in the Hollow of which 
 is placed the Intelligence they wish to send, 
 written in Cypher on the broad Leaves of 
 a Tree, well folded up. They then put a 
 well-fastened Muzzle on him, to prevent the 
 Cane from falling, and also to discourage
 
 452 
 
 him from stopping- by the Way to eat or 
 drink ; so that his Mouth remains only suffi- 
 ciently open to breathe ; and as soon as this 
 is all arranged, they gave him four Blows 
 with a Stick, to induce him to make more 
 Speed to the appointed Stage, which is 
 about four Leagues distant. When he 
 reaches it, the People come out to receive 
 him, caressing him and giving him Food. 
 They then immediately dispatch a fresh Dog 
 in the same Way ; by which Means they are 
 enabled to send a hundred Leagues in one 
 Day. But they make a Point of sacrificing 
 to the Idol, every one who causes any of 
 the Dogs to go out of his Way, or who 
 prevents him from arriving at his regular 
 Post, or Resting-place, where there are al- 
 ways Dogs ready from the nearest Inns ; 
 whom they treated ill, that they may be 
 encouraged to hasten with greater Diligence 
 from one Resting-place to another. While 
 my Companions w r ere gone to the Vessel,
 
 the Governor ordered that they should not 
 be permitted to enter the Cave at their 
 Return, until he had seen what they had 
 brought back with them, and that we should 
 not be allowed to go out of the Cave, on 
 pain of Death to him who should attempt it. 
 Our only Remedy, therefore, was in the 
 Arrival of our Companions; for they had 
 been for Powder and Ball, of which we had 
 very little remaining-. But the Governor 
 secured them, by directing that six Cen- 
 tinels should remain constantly at the Mouth 
 of the Cave during the INight; for by Day 
 they were so near, that all could keep 
 Watch. It was necessary for us, when our 
 Companions arrived, to desire them to go 
 back, and remain in the Boat till we should 
 make a Signal to them to land again. And 
 reflecting in what Manner we should get 
 rid of our Ni^ht Guard, I told them like- 
 
 O 7 
 
 w r ise, that on their hearing any Xoise or 
 Mo\e;i;eiit in the Cave, tley should inline-
 
 454 
 
 diately enter it as expeditiously as possible. 
 With this View, when the Night Guard had 
 left their Post in the Morning, and the 
 People were inattentive, I scattered some 
 Gunpowder mixed up with small Pebbles 
 on the Ground where they were accustomed 
 to sit, laying from thence to our Station a 
 Train of the same Powder. When Night 
 came, the six Sentries took their Post again, 
 and some of them being seated, and others 
 stretched out on the Ground without Clothes, 
 (which they do not wear,) we set fire to the 
 Train, and the Powder blowing up, they 
 were so scorched as not to be able to sit 
 down again for several Days. These, and 
 the rest of their simple Brethren, were con- 
 vinced that the Fire proceeded out of the 
 Ground ; and ran away, full of Fear and 
 Astonishment, to relate the Circumstance to 
 their Governour. While they were absent, 
 we contrived to get our four Messengers, and 
 two others who accompanied them, into the
 
 455 
 
 Cave ; and as they brought with them six 
 bags of Powder and Ball, we rejoiced greatly 
 at their Arrival, and immediately put our- 
 selves in a State of Defence for any Thing 
 that might happen. We passed the Night 
 with great Vigilance, planting Sentries, and 
 entrenching ourselves anew by means of the 
 Timber ; but as they were not aware that 
 the Mischief had been occasioned by us, 
 they took no Steps against us. In the 
 Morning, at the first Appearance of the Sun, 
 they all directed their Attention tow r ard$ 
 him, saluting him with a Concert of Howls, 
 accompanied with Canes, using but few 
 Words, and repeating them very often.
 
 456 
 
 CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 Conclusion of Dr. Sagredo's Narrative. 
 
 THE Dog-Courier returned, with the Cane 
 in his Mouth, containing Instructions, written 
 in Hieroglyphicks, not to permit us to 
 remain in the Island : ' For that People, 
 who had all their Members double, were 
 likely to possess a Spirit of Double-dealing; 
 and as to the Preservation of Peace, which 
 they had always professed, they would not be 
 able to continue it if Foreigners were allowed 
 to come and take Possession of their Terri- 
 tory in this Way. For, that if there should 
 be any Disturbance in the Country, the 
 Mischief would be greatly increased, by 
 those being at Hand, who would be apt to 
 assist and foment it: That there would be a 
 much better Chance of preserving Peace, if 
 the Turbulent should have noun to favour
 
 457 
 
 and encourage them; for that when Infe- 
 riors have once lost a proper Sense of 
 Submission to their Superiors, there is no 
 Possibility of maintaining Peace ; and if 
 the Disturbers of the Publick Quiet meet 
 with no one to unite with them, they remain 
 in a State of Tranquillity and Repose : 
 That Animals of one and the same Species 
 are wont to preserve Peace with one another; 
 but if they are of a different Species, they 
 are never in a State of Amity : and thus 
 should we act towards them : That it was 
 not fitting, that what they had preserved for 
 their own Use hitherto, without Intercourse 
 with any Foreign Power, should now be 
 enjoyed by a Set of Strangers: That it 
 was not possible to preserve Peace and 
 Friendship with People of Customs so op- 
 posite to their own : And that, as it was 
 necessary to administer Justice with Impar- 
 tiality, if we should be favoured equally with 
 the Natives, great Enmity would be created: 
 
 VOL. II. X
 
 458 
 
 to the Disturbance of the Publick Repose. 
 On the whole, therefore, he gave Orders that 
 we should not be allowed to remain in the 
 Island, but permitted to depart in safety. ' 
 They made us acquainted with this Reply 
 of the King, and were so importunate with 
 us to go on Board, that they would by no 
 means consent to our remaining half a Day 
 longer in the Island. But, in fact, we were 
 more inclined to depart, than they were to 
 send us away, guessing what would happen. 
 For as soon as they entered the Cave, and 
 found it cleared of Provisions, they hastened 
 down to the Sea-beach ; and, casting huge 
 Stones and Fragments of Rock after us, we 
 should inevitably have been crushed with 
 them, if the Boat had not been assisted by 
 those in the Vessel. When we got on Board, 
 I found my Wife and the other Women as 
 anxious to see us, as if we had been absent 
 many Years. We, too, experienced great 
 Satisfaction at finding ourselves safe on
 
 459 
 
 Board again ; and the Sailors having regaled 
 themselves with the fresh Provisions, and 
 not having been idle, \ve found the Sails 
 mended, the Rigging and Tackle put into a 
 better State, and every Thing repaired that 
 required it. 
 
 " The Wind now appearing favourable to 
 the Seamen, we sailed from that ' inac- 
 cessible Island/ with a Stock of Provisions 
 sufficient for a Voyage round the World. 
 In short, (to avoid Prolixity,) at the End of a 
 Twelvemonth, we arrived, full of Troubles, 
 near the Straits of Gibraltar, where my worst 
 Adventure and heaviest Misfortune befel me. 
 For our Ship being reduced to a wretched 
 State by the continued bad Weather and 
 Accidents we had been exposed to, a Vessel 
 of the Infidels came up with us; and, in Sight 
 of Gibraltar, began cannonading us, so that 
 we were soon forced to surrender, after the 
 Loss of some of our People. The first Thing 
 the Enemy did, was to board our Ship, and 
 x 2
 
 400 
 
 carry off my Wife and a young Page that 
 waited on us, and some other Women belong- 
 ing to the Ship : but as all this was witnessed 
 from Gibraltar, and the Inhabitants are com- 
 passionate and brave, they hastened with all 
 possible Readiness to our Assistance, in ten 
 or twelve Boats, commanded by Don Juan 
 Serrano, and Don Francisco his Brother, who 
 cut down a valiant Chieftain (in the Style of 
 Don Felix Arias), breaking through his iron 
 Casque, and cleaving his Head, which caused 
 him to fall dead into the Water ; and this 
 saved our Lives, though it proved the Death 
 of my poor Wife ; for the Enemy perceiving 
 what Mischief we were causing them, with- 
 drew to their Ship, carrying the Women 
 with them. The Turk that robbed me of 
 Dona Mergelina, enamoured of her Beauty, 
 attempted to use Violence towards her, and 
 she flying from him, in my Sight, while en- 
 deavouring to seize hold of the Rigging, fell 
 into the Sea; without receiving the least
 
 461 
 
 Assistance from those vile Hereticks. Night 
 having now set in, the People of Gibraltar, 
 full of Pity and Chanty, carried us on 
 Shore, and provided us \vith excellent 
 Lodgings, in the Houses of Don Francisco 
 Ahumada and Mendoza, while they them- 
 selves returned, to see whether they could 
 find Means of destrovin^ those Enemies of 
 
 v O 
 
 the true Faith, and of the Crown of Spain. 
 I left Gibraltar yesterday, more desirous of 
 Death than of Life, though not of so lingering 
 a Death as seems to be now intended for me." 
 Doctor Sagredo here closed his Narra- 
 tive, performing his Wife's Obsequies with 
 his Tears and Lamentations, while the two 
 Men who were with us, attempted to con- 
 sole him, though very awkwardly, for they 
 would have forced him to become cheerful 
 all at once ; the common Mistake of Persons 
 unacquainted with Human Nature. For 
 one affords much more Consolation to an 
 afflicted Man, by telling him, that he has 
 x 3
 
 462 
 
 Reason to be sorrowful, than by endeavour- 
 ing to persuade him that a Passion recently 
 excited, is without Foundation. But the 
 Attempt to force a Person in this State, to 
 dance and sing, looks as if one thought him 
 devoid of all Feeling and Sentiment ; and 
 the employing such barbarous Reasoning 
 and stupid Sort of Consolation, is like en- 
 deavouring to make a River run towards its 
 Source. The Afflictions of those in Sorrow 
 and Tribulation, may be alleviated by our 
 giving them to understand, by our Man- 
 ner, that we share their Grief with them, and 
 that they have more than sufficient Cause 
 for their Distress ; because when they find 
 some one willing to feel for them, if they do 
 not thereby receive all the Consolation 
 they are capable of, at least their Affliction 
 becomes tempered and diminished. There 
 are two Kinds of Persons, whom I think it 
 better never to oppose, when suffering un- 
 der recently excited Afflictions ; the Chole-
 
 463 
 
 rick and the Sorrowful, both of whom would 
 rather lose than gain by the Attempt. It 
 happened once, that a certain Judge, having 
 finished his Supper, was seized with a strong 
 Desire to have an honest Man flogged, and 
 he gave Orders for Torches to be immediately 
 lighted for the Ceremony. The People of the 
 City becoming turbulent, and crying out 
 against the cruel Act, he became more furious, 
 and called for the Executioner, being resolved 
 to put his Threats in Force, on account of the 
 Opposition they made to it. While Things 
 were in this State, a Gentleman of good 
 Address approached him, and said, " It is a 
 very proper Thing, as your Excellency has 
 Reason so completely on your Side, that 
 the Sentence should be put in Execution. 
 Pray, Sir, chastize the F ellow ; every Man 
 of Sense is desirous that it should be so. But 
 lest they should hereafter exhibit their Com- 
 plaint to the Residencia, does not your Wor- 
 ship think it might be better to call for a
 
 464 
 
 Notary, and hear what is to be said on the 
 Subject ?" The Judge was pleased with this 
 Advice; and, by the Time he had heard 
 the second Evidence, his Passion, and the 
 Tumult in his Brain, had vanished. For 
 these Passions, though they do not brook 
 Contradiction, may be moderated.
 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 A Page interrogated The Robbers pass Judgment 
 on the Captives. 
 
 these Herdsmen, or Highwaymen, la- 
 boured under the Suspicion that I have de- 
 scribed above, they were neither willing to 
 release those they held confined in their 
 Caves, nor to let them quietly pursue their 
 Journey ; lest Witnesses should be found 
 so near at hand. For it appeared, that hi- 
 therto their Crimes had not been clearly 
 made out. 
 
 Having found a handsome little Page very 
 near our Cave, they seized him, and would 
 have put him to Torture, for the purpose of 
 making him confess, with whom he was tra- 
 travelling, and why he had pushed on a-head 
 of his Companions ; imagining that they had 
 sent him forward to make his Observations:
 
 466 
 
 and that his Employers were either rich 
 People, or that they came with the Intention 
 of doing- them Mischief. The Page denying 
 the Truth of their Suspicions, they ordered 
 him to strip, that they might force him to 
 confess the Truth. He then inquired, with 
 a graceful, confident Air, which of them was 
 the Chief of their Party? Roque Amador 
 (which was the Name of the Captain) an- 
 swered : " I am the Chief; what is your Rea- 
 son for asking?" " My Motive for asking," 
 replied the Page, " is, that, having heard an 
 extraordinary Account of the Justice with 
 which you govern, and that you have never 
 been known to injure any one who tells you 
 the Truth, I may now, with Confidence in 
 your Character, communicate to you who I 
 am." As these Robbers considered them- 
 selves safe in the Sauceda, they lived like 
 Men who were never to die, giving way to 
 all the Vices in the World ; Rapine, Mur- 
 der, Theft, Lasciviousness, Gambling, and
 
 467 
 
 other most terrible Outrages. And as this 
 Pasture-ground was so extensive, being six- 
 teen Leagues from one Side to the other, 
 and in some Parts so overgrown with Trees 
 and Shrubs, that the Beasts which frequent 
 it are literally at a Loss to find their Habi- 
 tations ; these Robbers lived without the 
 Fear of GOD or Justice, acting without Or- 
 der and Reason; every one following his 
 own Will, unless it was when they united to 
 divide the Spoils of some unfortunate Tra- 
 veller; for then every Thing was arranged 
 with great good Sense and Regularity. 
 While this Examination of the Page was 
 going on, a great sturdy fellow belonging to 
 the Gang came up in his Shirt, and a loose 
 Pair of Drawers, (after having just lost the 
 Remainder of his Clothes at Play,) and in^ 
 terrupted the Discussion by vehemently curs- 
 ing his 111 Luck, exclaiming : " May he be 
 cursed who invented Play, and he also who 
 taught it to me. That hands which can -van- 
 quish a Bull, should not be able to gain a
 
 468 
 
 single Throw ! But they all deserve to be 
 excommunicated for throwing thirty at Dice 
 against me, in favour of a snivelling cowardly 
 Fellow. Is there any one here willing to 
 take a Round at Knives with me ? Is there 
 any Devil with his Eagle Claws, who will 
 appear before me, and help me to kill, since 
 he has not cared to help me to play ? Not 
 a Shiner comes into my Hands, but it is in- 
 stantly clawed out again ! In vain do I use 
 Tricks, and avail myself of cheating, in spite 
 of all, every thing goes wrong with me. By 
 Jupiter, I'll play myself off to the Galleys, 
 perhaps there I shall go to the Devil, or else 
 have better Luck. But I always cut with 
 my left Hand, when I get hold of the Pack, 
 and I've sworn a thousand Times never to 
 bet with your little drivelling Gamblers, and 
 yet the Devil always gets me into their Com- 
 pany. By covering a Parcel of skinny 
 Stakes, when I held the Bank, I wasted 
 my Capital ; till, at last, a Chicken-heart- 
 ed Fellow came in, and completely broke
 
 469 
 
 me up. What are you laughing at? Am I 
 a Cuckold ? All those lie, who laugh !" 
 " They laugh," said the Captain, " at the 
 Nonsense you have been talking. Hold 
 your Tongue ; and since you have discovered 
 that you are unfortunate, do not play again, 
 nor utter Blasphemies, or I will make them 
 give you three good Blows with a Cudgel." 
 " It will be much better," replied the other, 
 " to give me three Crowns, and let me try 
 my Luck again, and get something to eat 
 for my Lass, for I have played away every 
 Thing she brought me." A hellish Vice ! 
 The worst of all those practised by Man. 
 For the Gamester never can be quiet ; wish- 
 ing, if he has lost, to recover his Losses; 
 if he has won, to win more. This brings 
 with it Infamy ; Carelessness of Reputation ; 
 Misery to the Wife and Children ; Avarice 
 in providing the Necessaries of Life, that all 
 the Money may be carried to the Gaming- 
 table; and premature Old Age. And if he 
 succeeds in gaining considerably, the only
 
 470 
 
 Effect of it is, that Sharpers of his Acquaint- 
 ance assemble to play at his House, where 
 (if he once allows them to enter) he suffers 
 from their Insolence, past all Endurance. For 
 as the greater Part of them are Men without 
 the least Sense of moral Duty, they allow 
 themselves to talk with the utmost Freedom ; 
 and if he does not bear it patiently, they 
 refuse to afford him their Assistance. But 
 those that act in this Manner, conducting 
 themselves like the lowest Vulgar, are mere 
 Vagabonds ; who, for the Sake of guttling 
 at another Man's Expence, cast Honour 
 behind their Shoulders. There is, indeed, 
 nothing culpable in Gentlemen of Property 
 amusing themselves during their leisure 
 Hours in Play, after fulfilling their more im- 
 portant Obligations ; for they may thus avoid 
 Tilings of a worse, and more scandalous Na- 
 ture. But for him who possesses but four 
 Rt'als for tlie daily Maintenance of his 
 Family, to squander away a hundred in 
 Play ; how is he to discharge the Debt, but
 
 471 
 
 by disposing of the Clothes and Jewels of 
 his unfortunate Wife ; leaving her, and his 
 Offspring, in a State of Beggary and Ruin ; 
 and perhaps, even, committing greater Ex- 
 cesses than these ? like this wretched 
 Man, who found himself abhorred, even by 
 those who had been the Companions of all 
 his Crimes, Robberies, Murders, and Vio- 
 lence. This Gentleman having finished his 
 Lamentations, and Night having now set 
 in, the Examination of the Page was de- 
 layed for the present ; and they carried him 
 into an Apartment within our Cave, that he 
 might have no Opportunity of giving Infor- 
 mation to those whom the Robbers con- 
 ceived were coming after him. We were 
 ordered not to hold any Converse whatever 
 ^ith him, under Pain of Death. The 
 poor Page remained sighing all the Night 
 through ; and if at any Time he contrived to 
 sleep for a Minute, he soon awoke in great 
 Distress. But we did not dare to ask him 
 what he complained of, or what was the
 
 472 
 
 Matter with him. As a Suspicion ran in 
 the Heads of the Robbers, that nothing less 
 than their Lives were at Stake; they con- 
 cealed themselves in a Part of the Cave 
 which was not known to us, (and such a 
 Place, there was no difficulty in finding); 
 besides, they were mistrustful of every 
 Noise, and Sound, of Persons and Animals 
 they heard on the Road. At Day-break, 
 they visited the several Caves where they 
 had confined their Prisoners, and comins: to 
 
 ~ 
 
 ours, they found it precisely in the same 
 State as before, without our having spoken 
 a Word to the Page, whom they called out 
 before any one else, being desirous to ex- 
 tract from him the Information they wished 
 to gain. The Page being thus called upon, 
 replied in a graceful and impressive Man 
 ner: " Senor Roque Amador, I inquired 
 yesterday who w r as the Chief and Captain of 
 this Band ; because if it should prove to be 
 you, I ft-lt satisfied, from the Excellence of 
 your Character, that I was safe. For it
 
 473 
 
 would be an Achievement quite unworthy 
 of you, to torture a poor, lonely, miserable 
 .Worm like me, and to sully your Honour by 
 employing your Valour on that which would 
 rather blemish than exalt your Name. If 
 you have gained so great a Reputation, while 
 ruling so turbulent a Set of People ; what 
 would become of the Fame you have esta- 
 blished all over Andalucia, should a soaring 
 Eagle like you condescend to so humble a 
 Prey? It is surely more glorious to preserve 
 the Reputation you have acquired by your 
 Valour, than to put that in doubt which is al- 
 ready your own. It would be hard indeed, 
 if that Justice, mingled with Truth and 
 Mercy, on which you pride yourself, should 
 fail only in my Instance." We, in the Cave, 
 paid great Attention to what was going on, 
 listening to the Rhetorick of the Page. 
 And Roque Amador, moved by his impres- 
 sive Discourse, assured him, that no Harm 
 should befall him, if he would speak the
 
 474 
 
 Truth. For my part, I was quite confused ; 
 as it appeared to me, that I was acquainted 
 with the Voice, and Mode of Speaking, of 
 the Page ; though I could not call to Mind 
 who he was. Roque having spoken to him 
 with so much Mildness, the Page said in re- 
 turn: "Since a Degree of Compassion for 
 my sad and solitary Situation, has been ex- 
 cited in your Breast, promise, I entreat you 
 to protect my Person from all Insult, both 
 publick and private." To this the Rogue 
 of a Gamester replied : " Get away, Mr. 
 Page, and pull off those fine Clothes of 
 yours, for we understand nothing here of 
 your Rhetorick or fine Language. All I know 
 is, that we are apt to put a little cold Lead 
 into the Bodies of those who neglect to bring 
 Money with them." " If it is as heavy as 
 yourself," said the Page, with an Air of Plea- 
 santry, " the Devil will be able to digest it ; 
 for I recollect now, having seen you, or 
 some one very like you, stuck full of Arrows
 
 473 
 
 iii the Sierra Morena."* Roque laughed, and 
 
 
 said to him : "Attend, Beast; for the Page 
 
 speaks very well. And I beg leave to tell 
 you, young Gentleman, in the Name of my- 
 self and my Companions, that we will not 
 only not insult you, but protect and render 
 you all the Assistance in our Power." " Well 
 then," rejoined the Page, " I shall now 
 address myself with Confidence, as to a 
 Person possessed of Valour, Mercy, and Sin- 
 cerity." And while we listened attentively 
 to what was passing, the Page continued his 
 Story thus : " If I cannot console myself with 
 
 * This alludes to a peculiar Power vested in the Holy 
 Brotherhood, (a Society of inferior Knights, who pat- 
 rolled the High-ways and Forests in search of Robbers 
 and Smugglers, of which frequent mention is made in 
 Don Quixote & Gil Bias,) to execute any Deliquents they 
 apprehended, without any other judicial Interference, by 
 shooting them to death with Arrows. This was considered 
 a great Stigma, and as such it is employed by the Page. 
 In Don Quixote, Chap. 22, Sancho tells his Master, who 
 hail just set the King's Galley-slaves free, that they had 
 better get out of the way for fear of falling into the Hands 
 of the Holy Brotherhood; for, according to the original, 
 he adds, " their Arrows already buzz in my Ears." Tr.
 
 476 
 
 knowing that I am not the first Person who 
 has suffered from Misfortunes and Troubles, 
 I am at least encouraged, by the Kindness 
 so conspicuous in you, to recount the dis- 
 tressing Circumstances of my Life. But as 
 Fortune takes care always to raise those 
 -who have fallen, and throw down those who 
 have been elevated, as I am not the first who 
 has encountered these Difficulties, and 
 Changes of Condition, I feel Courage to 
 speak freely. Know then, that I am not a 
 Man, but an unfortunate Woman ; who, 
 having followed my Husband by Land and 
 by Sea, through unspeakable Dangers to 
 my Person and Property, and having tra- 
 velled all over the known World, and a great 
 Part that is unknown to others, after suf- 
 fering Shipwreck in uninhabitable Regions ; 
 by the merciful Interposition of Providence, 
 we at length found ourselves in the Straits 
 of Gibraltar, where being already in Sight 
 of the long-wished-for Land, we considered
 
 477 
 
 ourselves safe; when w e were attacked by 
 a Ship of the Infidels, our own being quite 
 dismantled, and our Numbers greatly dimi- 
 nished ; our Provisions, too, so much ex- 
 hausted, that in order to save them, they 
 collected together the Women, seizing me 
 the iirst, and carrying oft* a Page who 
 waited on me, at the same Time ; murdering 
 all those who defended themselves, and my 
 Husband among the rest. The Captain of 
 the Vessel becoming enamoured of me, en- 
 deavoured by kind Language to incline me 
 to his Will, and induce me to abandon the 
 Purity and Chastity I owed to my deceased 
 Husband. I returned him no ill Language, 
 lest he should be led to employ Force, 
 which, in my defenceless State, I could not 
 have resisted. I contrived, therefore, to take 
 my Page aside, and, clothing him in my 
 Robes, I dressed myself in his, which are 
 these that I now wear. The Boy had a good 
 Face ; and when he appeared again in my 
 Clothes, the Captain thinking that it was
 
 47S 
 
 me, ran towards him, when the Page fled 
 from him, and his Clothes getting entangled 
 in the Rigging, he fell into the Sea, and im- 
 mediately sinking, was never seen more. On 
 the Loss of my Husband, followed by that of 
 my Page, I smeared my Face, that they 
 should continue to give Credit to what they 
 had seen, while I should remain unknown, 
 and unobserved. The compassionate People 
 of Gibraltar, with the Valour which they 
 have ever possessed, hastened to our Assist- 
 ance, and were two Days and Nights at- 
 tempting our Rescue, which they at length 
 effected. And wishing to make Captives of 
 our Enemies, when they had put us in the 
 Boats, they cried out to them to surrender; 
 but they preferred setting fire to their Vessel, 
 and so went burning strait down to Hell. At 
 Gibraltar, I learnt that my Way to Madrid 
 lay through the Sauceda, and that, on reach- 
 ing Ronda, they would put me in the proper 
 Road." We four, and particularly Dr. Sa- 
 gredo and I, were amazed at this unex-
 
 479 
 
 pected Adventure, almost doubting, whether 
 it was not a* Dream, or some Delusion of 
 Enchantment. We could neither resolve to 
 disbelieve, nor to credit it. Roque Amador, 
 whose Pity was excited by the Tears which 
 the beautiful Woman shed, towards the 
 Conclusion of her Narrative, said all he 
 could to comfort her, offering to conduct her 
 into the Road she wished to follow, and to 
 give her Money for her Journey; asking her 
 at the same Time, what her Name was, that 
 so extraordinary a History should not re- 
 main without being properly testified. She 
 replied, (and with Truth as before) : " My 
 Name is Dona Mergelina de Ay bar, and 
 that of my unfortunate Spouse, (who was 
 not a Soldier, but a Physician), Doctor Sa- 
 gredo." The Doctor, who heard his Wife 
 mention his Name, half suffocated with Joy 
 at the happy Change, exclaimed : " He 
 lives ; and you shall presently find yourself 
 in his Arms." Roque Amador, astonished 
 at all that was passing, directed that all those
 
 480 
 
 who were in the Cave should be brought 
 out ; and then he asked her which of those it 
 was who had spoken. Dona Mergelina, fall- 
 ing back as if terrified, replied : " If that is not 
 some fantastick Form, produced by super- 
 natural Causes, it is my Husband; and the 
 other is Marcos de Obregon, whom I con- 
 sidered as my Father and Counsellor in Ma- 
 drid." " Well," said the Captain, " you three 
 are at full Liberty to depart; and although 
 it cannot be considered as Money gained in 
 lawful Battle, here is something to share be- 
 tween you, for the Expences of your Journey. 
 Our Object in detaining all these Prisoners, 
 has not been to do them any Injury, but for 
 fear our Adversaries should fall in with 
 them." Then dismissing us, and all the 
 rest, they requested that we would say no- 
 thing of having met them. Dona Mer- 
 gelina, with Signs of sincere Gratitude, re- 
 plied thus to the Leader of the Gang: " I 
 know no other Way in which I can shew 
 how deeply impressed 1 am with a Sense of
 
 481 
 
 your Kindness, than by communicating 
 what I heard in Gibraltar, from one who 
 wishes you well : that the Licentiate Valla- 
 dares has received Orders to bestow a great 
 Reward, and Pardon for any Crimes he may 
 have committed, on any one w f ho shall de- 
 liver you into his Hands ; and that great 
 Judge received at the same Time, the neces- 
 sary Proclamations, which he was ordered 
 to publish. On hearing this, Roque called 
 u Meeting of his Companions ; and, making 
 them a fine Oration, (which his Talents welt 
 qualified him for) they came to a Resolu- 
 tion, that each of them should turn the Sub- 
 ject over in his Mind, and decide that ISight 
 on what was best to be done for their defence. 
 They then retired, every Man to his Cell ; and 
 while the rest were deliberating on the Par! 
 they should take, Roque Amador, like a cun- 
 ning Fellow as he w-as, repaired hastily to 
 Gibraltar, and embarked in a Boat for Africa; 
 leaving them all disappointed and amazed, 
 
 VOL. II. Y
 
 482 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 The Squire leaves the Hermitage. 
 
 .AS they now remained without Head or 
 Government, they dispersed, and fled in 
 various Directions ; desisting, however, from 
 the bad Practices in which they had so long 
 indulged. But the Judge skilfully con- 
 trived to seize about two hundred of them, 
 of whom he made a proper Example. As 
 for ourselves, we arrived at Madrid, without 
 any Accident whatever ; and it appeared to 
 me, (indeed there is no Doubt of it) that 
 tliQre a,re in that City, many Persons pos- 
 sessed of so much Virtue, that we should do 
 well to imitate them. 
 
 Having now concluded my Narrative, the 
 Hermit, after expressing great Astonish- 
 ment at what he had heard, told me that I 
 might now pass the Bridge in Safety ; weary,
 
 483 
 
 perhaps, with having listened to me for so 
 long a Time. 
 
 I therefore took my Leave, and in crossing 
 the Bridge, beheld a great number of Trees 
 .torn up by the Roots, and brought down by 
 the Manzanares ; several gutted Whales, of 
 the kind the People of Madrid sally forth 
 to kill with Lances ; * together with many 
 
 * This is a rig on the Madrilenos, similar to that we 
 have among us, of holding a halter up to a Yorkshire- 
 man, and which it would be impossible for an Englishman 
 to understand, without Antecedents. The Poets of other 
 parts of Spain, particularly of Estremadura and Anda- 
 lusia, accustomed t6 behold the Majestic courses of the 
 Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, &c. on assembling in 
 Madrid, the usual resort of the Learned, werp in the 
 Habit of laughing at its Inhabitants, for priding them- 
 selves on such a Streamlet as the Manzanares, which is 
 nearly dry in Summer, and in Winter is a Torrent, when 
 the surrounding Country is overflowed, to which it serves 
 as a Drain. Hence is the Term humilde (humble) always 
 given to the Manzanares, and Poet Gongora laughs at 
 them for building so fine a Bridge as that of Segovia, and 
 says, that they ought to have got a River, before they 
 built a Bridge. Another Writer in the same sarcastic 
 Style, observes: " Pensabas que era el JBetis (Gua 
 dalquivir) como nucstro Manzanares, rio con mal de 
 
 Y 2
 
 484 
 
 drowned Animals, and crouds of Persons 
 looking on, and, as it were, contemplating 
 with Astonishment, the Effects of this vio- 
 
 piedra, todo arenas, por quien dixo Dn Luis de Gongora, 
 aqittl famoso Cordoves, qne un jnmcnto h or'in'o el invi- 
 erno, y otro se h bebio el verano?" Lope de Vega, Doro- 
 tea, torn. 1. pag. 52. 
 
 As a further Burlesque on the People of Madrid, who 
 from their inland Situation, and want of Intercourse, 
 are extremely ignorant of Sea Matters, the following 
 Story is told, and constitutes a Joke which the Inhabitants 
 of the other Provinces put upon them, and is what the 
 Author here alludes to in the " gutted Whales." A 
 dreadful Storm and Inundation took place one Winter, 
 and the Force of the Current tore away the Farms, &c. 
 situated on the Borders of the River. The People of 
 Madrid are said to have collected on their Bridges and 
 Neighbouring Heights, to behold the solemn Scene of 
 Destruction, when they were struck with the unusual 
 Spectacle of a floating Substance of a spinal Form, 
 which all declared must be a Monster of a Fish. A 
 Whale! a Whale ! instantly became the general Cry, and 
 every one seized his Lance to go and kill the strange 
 Visitor. The bravest Youths rushed into Boats, ventured 
 into the Eddy of the Stream ; but lo ! when they came 
 up with the Monster, it was no other than a Pack-saddle 
 belonging to some Maragato Muleteers, on their Road 
 up to the Capital, who Sleeping at a Vent a on the Side 
 of the River, in the Night, had all their Property swept
 
 485 
 
 lent and unexpected Tempest. All the 
 Gardens were flooded, and the Islands co- 
 vered with small Trees, which were scattered 
 in all Directions, nearly as far as the Hermi- 
 tage of Saint Isidro Labrador ; and forming, 
 by means of the Trees and Sand, some 
 Dams, which to this Day have divided the 
 River into several Streams. 
 
 away by the sudden rise of the Waters. This Story has 
 ever since remained on Record, and with it the People 
 of the other Towns sport with those of Madrid, who in 
 their turn, tell the People of Estreinadura, they went 
 out one Night to catch the Moon with a Net. It may 
 not be improper to observe, that the Maragato Muleteers, 
 are a peculiar race of Men following this Employment ; 
 they are Rich, and have the largest breed of Mules in 
 Spain ; hence, also, their Pack-saddles are the largest, as 
 above alluded to. They are situated in the Provinces of 
 Leon, bordering on Galicia, and have a peculiar Dress, 
 Consisting of wide Trovvsers and straight Jacket of dark 
 brown Cloth, brown Leather Boots, and a Hat with a 
 Brim half a yard wide. They retain nearly the same 
 Habits from Time immemorial, live in a perfectly isolated 
 State, ami ate said to be descended from Mauregatus, an 
 ancient King of the Goths who held sway in Spain. Tr,
 
 486 
 CHAPTER THE LAST; 
 
 AND 
 
 THE EPILOGUE. 
 
 The Squire, in Conclusion, moralizes on his past Life. 
 
 VvEARIED by so many Accidents of For- 
 tune, by Sea and by Land, and calling to 
 Mind that the Days of my Youth had passed 
 quickly away, I resolved to secure the His- 
 tory of my Life by printing it, and to prepare 
 for Death, the grand Winding-tip of all Hu- 
 man Affairs ; and if this be well done, it cor- 
 rects and repays us for all the Negligences 
 of Youth. I have written it in a clear and 
 simple Style, to avoid giving the Reader any 
 Trouble to understand it. 
 
 It was well said by Master Valdivieso, 
 and with his usual Clearness and Vivacity, 
 to a Poet who valued himself on writing
 
 487 
 
 obscurely, that the End of History and 
 Poetry is to delight by instructing, and to 
 instruct by delighting. How then, can one 
 expect any Thing to delight, or instruct, 
 which one finds it difficult to comprehend ? 
 If any Inadvertencies are discovered in my 
 Book, I wish them to be attributed to my 
 Want of Erudition, and not to any bad In- 
 tention. If any one thinks it worth his 
 While to point out my Faults, I will receive 
 his Correction with Humility, provided it 
 appears that his Object is to improve me. 
 
 For he that desires to teach Patience, 
 would act up to his own Precepts but 
 badly, if he refuses to listen to friendly Cor- 
 rection. And indeed, had I not possessed 
 this excellent Quality, 1 should not have 
 been able to oppose my Breast successfully 
 to the stormy Waves of the raging Ocean ; nor 
 have softened the hard Hearts of the Rob- 
 bers ; nor have brought to a happy Termi- 
 nation, the cruel and unceasing Horrours of
 
 488 
 
 X" 
 
 Slavery ; nor have attracted to myself the 
 Favour of Persons of elevated Station : nei- 
 ther should I have enjoyed the kind Pro- 
 tection of Princes ; nor have controlled so 
 many and so great Whirlwinds, as Human 
 Weakness carries with it, unless accompa- 
 nied by the Divine Virtue of Patience. And 
 if no other Effect has been produced in me 
 by this Undertaking, but that of freeing 
 me from the pernicious Vice of Idleness, 
 which I have seen so generally possess the 
 Minds of Men of all Classes, I consider my 
 Reward sufficient ; and that I have extracted 
 great Fruit from my Labours. If young Men 
 would but consider, how great a Number 
 of Children Idleness is continually rearing, 
 they would take Warning by the Evils of 
 others, and not shrink from the Dangers of 
 a Soldier's Life; nor find themselves reduced 
 to a miserable Stale of Servitude; nor sub- 
 ject themselves to the Necessities endured 
 by young Men of good Birth, who are fre-
 
 489 
 
 quently induced to commit a thousand base 
 Acts, which might have been prevented by 
 earlier Attention. Parents \vho allow their 
 Children to pass their Time in Idleness, may 
 be pretty certain of seeing them, at one Time 
 or another, commit some enormous Excess, 
 which cannot be remedied until it has pro- 
 duced Infamy ; and then, perhaps, only by 
 wasting more Money than they can be pro- 
 perly said to possess. 
 
 Occupation is the great Mistress of Pa- 
 tience ; a Virtue with whose Importance we 
 should be constantly impressed, to enable 
 us to resist Temptations, which assault us 
 from within and without. In short, by 
 means of this Virtue, we attain all those Ob- 
 jects within the Reach of Mankind. For, 
 though a Man may possess great Qualities, 
 Riches, and all earthly Blessings, still he 
 cannot be said to enjoy these Advantages, 
 without the Possession of this Virtue. And 
 if to Patience, we add Perseverance, every
 
 490 
 
 Thing desirable in Life is easily acquired 
 It enables the Poor Man to pass away his 
 Time in Quiet, and tends to improve his Con- 
 dition; the Rich Man to preserve that which 
 he has acquired, without coveting his Neigh- 
 bour's Possessions ; the great Nobleman, 
 not to be contented merely with the Blood 
 he has inherited from his Ancestors, but to 
 exert himself to improve it ; the Prodigal to 
 become more careful of what he has, or may 
 possess ; the Covetous and Avaricious, to be 
 convinced that they were not born for them- 
 selves alone ; the Bold and Impetuous, to re- 
 strain the Fury that leads them into Mis- 
 chief; the Coward, to consider his Want of 
 Courage as a Virtue; him that is suffering 
 under Afflictions, to support them with 
 Spirit and Meekness. 
 
 What cannot the Virtue of Patience accom- 
 plish ? What Turmoils of Life does it not 
 vanquish? What Rewards does it not ena- 
 ble us to acquire? For if a Man of Phlegma-
 
 491 
 
 tick Habit can sometimes grow angry, and 
 put the Impulse of his Passion in execution 
 with Vehemence, what should . prevent a 
 Cholerick Man, from learning to moderate 
 his Anger, and persevering in Acts of Pa- 
 tience? We have many living Examples of 
 the Truth of this Remark, well worthy of 
 Imitation. But by one alone, we may com- 
 prehend of what this excellent Virtue is ca- 
 pable. Who would have thought, that from 
 the passionate Temper, Wealth, and Pride 
 of Birth possessed in early Youth by the 
 Duke of Osuna, Don Pedro Giron, would 
 spring such admirable Virtues as are now 
 the Astonishment of the whole World? that 
 having resembled a vivid Flash of Lightning 
 in the Days of his Youth, from his ungo- 
 vernable Disposition, he should have ma- 
 naged, by the Assistance of Patience, to 
 subdue the Violence of his Temper, and to 
 serve with so much Credit in Flanders; 
 where lie not only turned the Fury of the
 
 Rebellious, but exposed his valiant Breast to 
 their Fire, when they attempted to force, and 
 destroy his House? What Patience, Tem- 
 perance, and Justice, did he not evince in his 
 Government of Sicily? And what Degree of 
 Valour would have sufficed, unless accom- 
 panied by Patience, to execute his sovereign 
 Designs? sending forth, by Land and by 
 Sea, such powerful Armaments, as have 
 kept under the Preponderance of the Turks, 
 and made all his other Enemies tremble; 
 while he has secured the Love and Fear of 
 the different Nations he has governed, and 
 still governs ! Don Francisco de Quevedo, 
 a Nobleman of the most brilliant Under- 
 standing, inquiring how this great Prince 
 had contrived, with all his Meekness, 
 to make himself respected? he was an- 
 swered, "By Patience! which, when pos- 
 sessed by the lower Classes, may produce 
 Contempt ; but when found in Princes and 
 Covernours, it begets Fear, Love, and
 
 493 
 
 Respect." But we must leave it to great 
 Historians to treat of this Matter ; for it can- 
 not find a Place in this short Discourse. 
 George de Tovar, whom I knew in his early 
 Years, as one possessed of Spirit and Courage 
 sufficient to lose his Patience when an ho- 
 nourable Occasion presented itself; yet, by 
 means of this same Virtue, did he attain the 
 highest Pitch of Moral Practice, which 
 placed him in Situations worthy of so great 
 a Character as he has shewn himself to be ; 
 constantly making use of Truth, Valour, and 
 Integrity, in his Acts of distributive Justice. 
 
 But there is no Limit to the Excellencies to 
 
 
 
 be found in the Divine Virtue of Patience ! 
 Oh! Virtue derived from above! which GOD 
 has bestowed upon us in his Mercy ; and on 
 me, that by imitating the Virtue of my Com- 
 panions in this retreat, I may learn to se- 
 cure my Life, and prepare for Death. And 
 to enable me to put this s;ood Design in Exe- 
 
 I O C7 
 
 cution, GOD has given rue for a Friend, that
 
 494 
 
 excellent Lady, Dona Juana de Cordova, 
 Aragon and Cardona, Duchess of Sesa; 
 whose Christian Piety, peculiar and inherited 
 Worth, and general Courtesy, may serve 
 for an Example and Pattern, to every one 
 desirous of attaining Christian Perfection. 
 Under her Guidance, such a Son has been 
 educated, as Don Luis Fernandez de Cor- 
 dova, Duke of Sesa ; a Nobleman adorned 
 with superiour Talents, a great Taste for 
 Literature, and a great Patron of Learning, 
 and learned Men. 
 
 THE END.
 
 Paul <ldcr
 
 / 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 Santa Barbara 
 
 STACK COLLECTION 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW. 
 
 30m-8,'65(F6447s4)9482 
 
 '<. V r * ' ,' . 
 r ' * 'A- . . ,-VT 
 
 < /- '. ^x-V
 
 3 1205 00497 7078