THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 GIFT OF 
 JANE K. SATHER 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MANUEL MATAMOROS: 
 
 HIS LIFE AND DEATH. 
 

 
MANUEL MATAMOROS: 
 
 HIS LIFE AND DEATH. 
 
 A NARRATIVE OF THE LATE PERSECUTION 
 OF CHRISTIANS IN SPAIN. 
 
 COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS. 
 
 WITH A SUCCINCT SKETCH OF THE GOSPEL WORK TO 
 THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 BY WILLIAM GREENE. 
 
 BOftion, 
 
 " Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wicked- 
 ness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and 
 that ye break every yoke? " ISAIAH Iviii. 6. 
 
 LONDON : 
 ALFRED HOLNESS, 14 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 GLASGOW : 
 R. L. ALLAN, 143 SAUCHIEHALL STREET. 
 
 AND MAY BB ORDERED OF ANY BOOKSELLER. 
 1889. 
 

 LINES 
 
 BY 
 
 DR. A. N. SOMERVILLE 
 
 I LITTLE thought, else keen had been my pain, 
 Those brilliant eyes should beam on me no more ; 
 
 That scarcely fifteen moons should wax and wane, 
 Ere death had sealed them by blue Leman's shore. 
 
 Dear MATAMOROS ! no friend have I known 
 Of soul less soiled with earthliness than thine ; 
 
 In chains and exile, brave thy Lord to own, 
 The victor's wreaths thy martyr temples twine. 
 
 Loving and lovely, gentle, guileless, pure, 
 All base alloy thy lofty bosom spurned : 
 
 To lead thy bleeding Spain to Christ for cure, 
 With life-consuming fire that bosom burned. 
 
 I loved thee, as did those of many a clime 
 Thy glorious race on earth seemed but begun. 
 
 The Lord " does all things well." In golden prime 
 Thou servest now, where shines no setting sun. 
 
 And BRIDEL'S * voice by Leman's lake is dumb ; 
 
 Its silvery tones on earth are hushed for aye : 
 The Great Belov'd has to His garden come, 
 
 And, stooping, caught the lilies quick away. 
 
 * A Swiss Pasteur at whose house Matamoros lived during his etay at 
 Lausanne. 
 
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION, 
 
 IN issuing a Third Edition of the Life of Manuel 
 Matamoros, I desire to express my thankfulness, 
 first, to the Giver of all good things, who has 
 permitted me to collect these truthful, though 
 alas ! imperfect, details of the Life and Death of 
 one who was His faithful soldier and servant, and 
 secondly, to those Christian friends whose wishes 
 have been carried out in the republication of this 
 little book, as their prayers, encouragement and 
 pecuniary assistance have rendered it possible. 
 
 One of these friends, in speaking of the subject 
 of this memoir, said to me, "How closely he 
 followed in the steps of his Divine Master." This 
 is his best and truest eulogy. May it please our 
 God to raise up many such in Spain and in 
 Britain, and may He give His blessing to this 
 repetition of a weak endeavour to promote His 
 Glory. 
 
 W. G. 
 
 223 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTORY , . 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BIRTH. CONVERSION. SERVICE IN THE GOSPEL. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT 5 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 COMMUNICATIONS FROM BARCELONA . . . . 16 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT AT GRANADA , , . ... 28 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 DON FRANCISCO RUET . 45 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LETTER FROM REFORMED CHURCH AT GRANADA. PRO- 
 CEEDINGS OF FRIENDS IN ENGLAND . . . . 50 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE LOJA TRAGEDY ... 77 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 LETTERS FROM GRANADA. SPEECHES IN PARLIAMENT. 
 
 THE ENGLISH PRESS . . . . . . 84 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE DEFENCE OF THE PRISONERS AT 
 
 MALAGA 13. r > 
 
VI CONTEXTS. 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PACK 
 
 THE SPANISH PRESS. LETTER PROM MATAMOROS. 
 DEFENCE BY HIS ADVOCATE BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL 
 AT GRANADA 143 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 LETTERS FROM GRANADA 162 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VISIT OF AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN. LETTER FROM 
 
 MATAMOROS. CONCLUSION 182 
 
 MEMORIALS OF THE LAST DAYS AND 
 DEATH OF MANUEL MATAMOROS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A VISIT TO THE PRISON AT GRANADA. THE DEPUTA- 
 TION OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE . . . . 191 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 MATAMOROS'S RELEASE FROM PRISON .... 207 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 WORK AT LAUSANNE. PREPARATIONS FOR EVANGELIZING 
 SPAIN. WORK ORGANIZED AT PAU, BAYONNE AND 
 BORDEAUX 212 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A WOMAN'S REMINISCENCE OF MATAMOROS . . . 224 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 FAILING HEALTH. LOVING FRIENDS. LAST DAYS. 
 
 ASLEEP IN JESUS 230 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF OUR DEPARTED BROTHER . . . 248 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 CONCLUSION 257 
 
MANUEL MATAMOEOS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 FEELING it at once a duty and a privilege, to give to 
 the church a brief account of the life, labours, and 
 imprisonment of that beloved disciple of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, Manuel Matamoros, I commence my 
 pleasant undertaking by asking the aid and blessing 
 of the Divine Counsellor, without whom nothing 
 is strong and nothing is holy, and I look to Him for 
 that guidance which He never refuses to those who 
 feel their own insufficiency and who 'throw themselves 
 on Him in their hour of need. Christ loved the 
 church, and gave Himself for it, and it is for that 
 church that these pages are penned ; not only for 
 those members of it now living, but also for those 
 who may come after. 
 
 "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect 
 understanding of all things from the very first," to 
 give back to the flock what the Great Shepherd has 
 entrusted to my keeping, even the detailed account 
 of the sufferings and trials and untiring labours of 
 our brother in bonds, with extracts from the many 
 
 B 
 
2 THE AUTHOR'S RESIDENCE IN SPAIN. 
 
 long and interesting letters I have received from him, 
 all which have been carefully preserved from the 
 first. 
 
 God's superintending care over this servant has been 
 unmistakably shown in many ways. He said to Israel 
 by Hosea, "Thou shalt not be for another man, so will 
 I also be for thee," and the dependence and whole- 
 heartedness of the prisoner in being for the Lord, has 
 been one of the secrets of the Lord's unceasing love 
 and tender care for him. 
 
 I obtained a knowledge of the Spanish language 
 during a residence of several years in Spain, where I 
 was engaged in the laying out and construction of 
 some of the many lines of railway that now intersect 
 the Peninsula, and having been, by God's good provi- 
 dence, led to know and love the Lord Jesus, I en- 
 deavoured, while helping in the material progress of 
 the country, to prepare that highway which is called 
 the way of holiness, wherein the redeemed shall walk. 
 
 It was in the year 1858 that I left Spain, but ever 
 since I have taken a deep interest and active part in 
 the work of God going on there and latterly, have had 
 the privilege of receiving and communicating to many 
 Christian friends the prison letters of a faithful martyr. 
 
 As it is my intention to give to the church some 
 information respecting the recent revival of truth in 
 Spain, it may be interesting to know that a country- 
 man of ours, Dr. Eule, of Aldershot, began some thirty 
 years before to labour for the Lord in Andalusia ; his 
 message was honoured of God, and received by many 
 Spaniards, and the schools which he then estab- 
 lished in Gibraltar, in connection with the Wesley an 
 
THE GOSPEL IN SPAIN. 3 
 
 body, are thriving to this day. This learned and 
 laborious servant of Christ translated into the Spanish 
 language a tract entitled " Andrew Dunn," which has 
 since been used by God in enlightening many. 
 
 The late Dr. James Thompson, an agent of the 
 British and Foreign Bible Society, was the next sent 
 by the Lord into Spain ; he was at Madrid about the 
 year 1845, as far as I can learn, where he lost his be- 
 loved wife ; his prayers and activity for the advance- 
 ment of the Lord's kingdom in Spain were untiring 
 while he lived. He died about the year 1854. His 
 efforts resulted in the formation of the Spanish Evan- 
 gelization Society at Edinburgh, which continued for 
 some time to labour with success. 
 
 At about this period, Mr. Parker, of London, 
 brought out his modest publication, entitled the 
 " Alba," printed in Spanish, with a view to enlighten 
 the Spanish mind as to the errors of Popery, and to 
 introduce the pure gospel of the grace of God. This 
 little messenger did important service in Spain, and the 
 "Spanish Evangelical Record," edited by Mrs. Robert 
 Peddie, of Edinburgh, served to keep the people in 
 this country informed as to the progress of God's work 
 in Spain. 
 
 There are at the present time about 14,000,000 
 Spaniards in the Peninsula, and were we carried by 
 the Spirit into the midst of the open country, we 
 should see it full of bones and very dry, so that we 
 might ask, " Can these bones live 1 " And then the 
 answer of the Word is, " Prophesy upon these bones, 
 and say unto them, ye dry bones, hear the word oj 
 t.ha Lnrd." 
 
4 THE ADVERSARIES. 
 
 Already, with the feeble efforts that have been 
 made, some results have been obtained, and a goodly 
 band of witnesses has been brought out, ready to 
 testify to their countrymen the glad tidings of the 
 grace of God. But we are only on the threshold, and 
 the bitter opposition, by the adversaries, to the intro- 
 duction of the truth into Spain, offers no obstacle to 
 the "hosts of the Lord." There are separated unto 
 our David, men of might and men of war, who by 
 God's grace have faces like the faces of lions ; He has 
 his Gideons now as of old, to whom He has said, " The 
 Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." They 
 have not been wanting in this first glorious campaign 
 who " have jeoparded their lives on the high places of 
 the field," neither shall they be wanting while there is 
 one stronghold to be cast down, or one captive to be 
 set free. The Red Sea is before us, mountains on the 
 right hand and on the left, but the word abideth sure, 
 " Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord ; the 
 Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." 
 Even so, Lord Jesus, be it unto thy servants according 
 to thy word. 
 
MATAMOROS' EARLY LIFE, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BIRTH. CONVERSION. SERVICE IN THE GOSPEL. IMPRI- 
 SONMENT. 
 
 THE name of Manuel Matamoros will, in the lapse 
 of a century or two, hold an important place in the 
 religious history of Spain. 
 
 In a letter I received from him, dated " Carcel . 
 de la Audiencia, Granada, Feb. 12, 1861," he 
 gives a brief sketch of his life in the following 
 words : 
 
 " I am twenty-five years of age, according to the 
 baptismal record read by the tribunal from the place 
 of my birth, Malaga; and, beloved brother, young as 
 I am, nevertheless, ever since I have had the use of 
 my reason, my life has been one continued chain of 
 suffering. After studying three years in the mili- 
 tary college of Toledo, according to the wish of my 
 deceased father, who was a lieutenant-colonel in the 
 Spanish artillery, I abandoned that profession, which 
 was so much opposed to my tastes, at least as it 
 exists in Spain, and I came to manage my property, 
 consisting of seven pretty good farms at Malaga and 
 its neighbourhood. 
 
 "A succession of misfortunes, which happened 
 within a very short time, obliged me to sell five. 
 
6 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 leaving two remaining, of the value of about 10,000 
 dollars, which were mortgaged to free me from the 
 military service which fell to my lot, and to help 
 me to maintain my mother and her family, and 
 move with them to Barcelona. I now see my poor 
 mother in great straits, which weighs heavily on my 
 spirit; she has hitherto been always pretty well off, 
 but is now obliged to earn her bread by embroidering. 
 May God bless her; she has many virtues. 
 
 "The reason of my leaving the service was 
 through a notable circumstance, which placed me in 
 a critical position, even endangering my life, and 
 came about through the confession made by a cor- 
 poral in my company to the chaplain of the regiment, 
 who gave me much annoyance. To this corporal I 
 had given a copy of the tract, ' Andrew Dunn,' and 
 had succeeded in. convincing him of the truth; he 
 forwarded it to his mother, with the desire of effect- 
 ing the same change in her mind, but she forced him 
 to retract his opinions, and to confess to the priest, 
 threatening that if he did not comply with her wish, 
 he should lose her favour." 
 
 In the year 1854 there was a revolution in Madrid. 
 At such times I was enabled to do things that I dared 
 not do in ordinary circumstances, such as print and 
 circulate gospel tracts, for doing this I should have 
 been sent out of the country; but, making use of my 
 opportunity, I got a quantity of valuable tracts 
 printed. Then the difficulty was to put them into 
 circulation. So I had recourse to the following novel 
 expedient: Knowing one of the leaders of the 
 Republican party, and knowing their hatred of priest 
 
A DANGEROUS MISSION. 7 
 
 craft, I proposed to this gentleman to receive packages 
 of good gospel tracts and to send them to all the leaders 
 of the Republican party in the different towns. He 
 did so, and by this plan I had them efficiently circu- 
 lated when I was utterly helpless myself. Probably it 
 was one of these tracts that was blest to Matamoros. 
 
 It appears that Matamoros' first religious im- 
 pressions were received from hearing the preaching 
 of Don Francisco Euet, an ordained minister, in the 
 Presbyterian church at Gibraltar, as also by attending 
 
 the ministry of a Sefior B , at Seville, a convert 
 
 from Romanism in that town. These impressions, 
 deepened by the reading of the Spanish tract, " An- 
 drew Dunn," caused Matamoros to send in a formal 
 protest against the errors of Romanism, and to in- 
 scribe his name in the books of the Presbyterian 
 congregation of Gibraltar. 
 
 Don Francisco Ruet was born at Barcelona, and 
 brought up for an advocate, but went to exercise his 
 profession at Turin, where Jie heard the celebrated De 
 Sanctis, the Italian reformer, preach, and became a 
 convert to the pure faith of the gospel of Christ. He 
 suffered imprisonment at Barcelona in the year 1855, 
 but was afterwards, at the end of nine months, set at 
 liberty, and banished from Spain. He went then to 
 Gibraltar and preached, and was instrumental in 
 convincing many Spaniards of the errors of the Roman 
 Catholic faith. 
 
 The reception of the gospel of the grace of God 
 by Matamoros was as seed sown in good ground; 
 and from the day he accepted that grace, he became 
 a willing follower of the Lamb : his first inquiry, it 
 
8 LABOURS IN MALAGA. 
 
 would appear, on entering the service of Christ, was, 
 "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Riiet 
 directed the steps of our faithful brother to Malaga 
 and Granada, to preach Christ to those who, in those 
 towns, were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of 
 death; they have seen " the great light." 
 
 Before undertaking this dangerous mission, Mata- 
 moros understood well the immense difficulties that 
 lay in his path, and that bonds and imprisonments 
 awaited him; but he had counted the cost, and, like 
 Paul, had been enabled to say, " None of these things 
 move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, 
 so that I might finish my course with joy, and the 
 ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to 
 testify the gospel of the grace of God." 
 
 Malaga, his native town, was the place in which 
 he commenced his loving and successful labours. . In 
 one of his early letters to me he gives an account of 
 his first proceedings in the following terms : " From 
 the moment I dedicated myself to the holy cause of 
 the gospel, I understood, beloved brother, that its 
 propagation ought not to be an isolated attempt, nor 
 reduced simply to the circulation of books, many of 
 which I have seen thrown into the fire, or used for 
 purposes completely different to those for which 
 they were intended; indeed, I observed that not more 
 than one in every thousand accomplished the end 
 in view; while I desired, on the contrary, that one 
 should be the means of enlightening at least a hundred 
 persons. 
 
 " As soon as I arrived at Malaga, and being still 
 in the army, I devoted myself to convincing my fellow- 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH. 9 
 
 countrymen, by discussing with them, and by comparing 
 and drawing deductions from the Word of G-od; but 
 principally among those persons in whom I had most 
 confidence. As soon as I had succeeded in convincing 
 them, I invited them to unite with the true church 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ; and when they decided 
 on so doing, I showed them the importance of writing 
 a letter, in which they expressed clearly and explicitly 
 their views, and these letters were signed and dated 
 in due order; by this plan we guarded against betrayal, 
 and interested them in the work, and knew with 
 more certainty the faith and conviction of the writer 
 of the document. Having agreed with Senor Kuet, 
 I directed them to write to him, so as to prevent a 
 surprise; and he in his turn answered them and encou- 
 raged them in further inquiries, and in deeper study of 
 the Word; sustained their faith; and his letters, being 
 read by many, produced a good effect, and gave excel- 
 lent results. 
 
 "The protests thus obtained at Malaga were the 
 first commenced in Spain. In a short time, dear 
 brother, they became so numerous, that the instruction 
 of all was a task infinitely superior to my ability ; nor 
 could I keep alive the faith of such a number of 
 people; so I determined to give an entirely new 
 organization to my labours. I formed a committee 
 from among the most active, best instructed, and most 
 evangelical of the believers, for the purpose of directing 
 and propagating our work on a more solid basis, and 
 for producing the most consoling and blessed results. 
 The total number of brethren were divided into as 
 many congregations as our committee was composed of 
 
10 MEETINGS FOR EDIFICATION, 
 
 members, and these semi-missionaries were entrusted 
 with the instruction of these meetings. By this means 
 I succeeded in making our work go forward with re- 
 newed activity, and augmented the number of meetings 
 for edification. In a word, at every step we found 
 ourselves approximating more closely to the sacred 
 end to which the blessed cause of the Lord ought to 
 bring us. 
 
 "When I received some packages of books, I no 
 longer let them be given away at random, nor did I 
 allow them to be thrown in at the doors of some 
 houses, as had been done elsewhere, neither did I 
 place them in the hands of uncertain individuals; 
 but I handed them over to the leaders, and as they 
 knew the exact state of the church and its wants, the 
 books were divided into as many parts as there were 
 leaders, and each member took that proportion which 
 he required for his congregation. The leaders, knowing 
 most accurately the wants of their respective congrega- 
 tions, distributed the books with the greatest prudence, 
 and thus in two or three days I saw a considerable 
 number put into circulation, all of which seemed to be 
 thankfully received. Never, beloved brother, have I 
 had too many books ; on the contrary, I have often had 
 reiterated peremptory demands, and have not been able 
 to meet all the wants. 
 
 "It will be easy for you to see that this system 
 given to our work ought to give satisfactory results, 
 and so it proved. Speedily the leaders of the com- 
 mittee found themselves insufficient to carry on the 
 work of preaching ; speedily the congregations were 
 firm in faith and well instructed, to such an extent, 
 
JOURNEYINGS OP MATAMOROS. 11 
 
 indeed, that it would have filled you with joy to have 
 witnessed those meetings for simple Christian edifica- 
 cation. 
 
 " These meetings were commenced by fervent prayer 
 for the presence of the Holy Spirit, and were concluded 
 by thanksgiving, because there was daily manifested a 
 visible improvement in them. I, poor in talent and 
 oratory, and with but little instruction, devoted myself 
 to preaching, which I did two or three times a week, 
 and which did not hinder the members of the com- 
 mittee from going forward with the separate classes, 
 which was always desirable, as our meeting in large 
 numbers was dangerous. One of these meetings was 
 witnessed by Dr. and Mrs. Tregelles, at which there 
 were about ninety-seven present, and among them my 
 dear mother 
 
 " All the members of our churches are in admirable 
 contact, and know each other well ; and immediately 
 when one is unwell, a committee of three attend by 
 turns at the house of the sufferer, visiting him at least 
 once every day, and see after the wants of his family j 
 and to the sick person no care is lacking so that he 
 may be supplied, the expenses being paid out of the 
 general fund of the church for this end ; so that the 
 spirit of fraternity is indeed a truth." 
 
 From Malaga, Matamoros proceeded to Seville, 
 Granada, Barcelona, Jaen, and various towns of the 
 province of Andalusia. In Granada particularly his 
 labours were much blessed, and a large, numerous, and 
 influential body of believers was gathered there. At 
 Barcelona, our brother met again Dr. and Mrs. Tregelles, 
 in the month of September, 1860. 
 
12 SECOND LETTER, 
 
 Here it is necessary for me to say, that feeling that 
 my knowledge of Spanish was a talent committed to 
 me by God for which I was responsible, I felt desirous 
 of employing it to his glory, and was impelled one 
 afternoon to kneel down, and pray that He would 
 allow me to use it for the good of Spain. The prayer 
 was short, but it was heard, and was speedily answered. 
 This was at my house at Abergavenny, in Monmouth- 
 shire. 
 
 In a conversation Mrs. Tregelles had with Matamoros, 
 she mentioned my name to him, and recommended his 
 writing to me, which he did in the month of September, 
 1860. In answer to this letter, I encouraged him to 
 continue in his self-denying and glorious work, and 
 promised him my sympathy, prayers, and support in 
 every way. The second letter I received from him 
 was from the prison at Barcelona, as follows : 
 
 "Prison, Barcelona, October 17th, 1860. 
 "EESPECTED AND VERY DEAR BROTHER IN JESUS CHRIST, 
 " I have received with sincerest joy your kind letter 
 of the 9th, which afforded me infinite comfort in this 
 house of misfortune. The same day on which you 
 were so good as to write to me the 9th instant at 
 seven o'clock in the morning I was arrested for the 
 single crime of being a Christian, and loving my fellow 
 men so well as to desire that they also should know 
 the Lord Jesus, by whom alone they can be saved. A 
 charge laid against me in Granada induced the civil 
 governor of that city to send a telegraphic order to the 
 governor of this place for my arrest, and also for the 
 minute examination of my house, etc. After, a most 
 
HIS TRIAL AT BARCELONA. 13 
 
 rigorous and tyrannical search, there was found in my 
 possession a packet of letters and papers from several 
 places in Spain, and certain other documents which 
 compromised me to a considerable degree. I was 
 brought to this prison, and kept for eight days in a sad 
 and terrible solitary confinement. After two exami- 
 nations before the whole tribunal, I was relieved from 
 my solitude, that is to say, I am now confined with 
 criminals ! I gave my answers without confessing any- 
 thing but my own faith so as not to involve others ; 
 that faith which shall save me when the one Supreme 
 Judge shall sit upon his throne. 
 
 " At this stage of my examination a singular epi- 
 sode occurred the magistrates believed that I should 
 deny my faith, and that the sight of the enemies of 
 Christ and my tyrants would overwhelm me, but 
 they were mistaken. The questions and answers 
 were as follow: Question. 'Do you profess the 
 Catholic Apostolic Roman faith ; and if not, what 
 religion do you profess ? ' Ansioer. * My religion is 
 that of Jesus Christ ; my rule of aith is the Word of 
 God, or Holy Bible, which, without a word altered, 
 curtailed, or added, is the basis of my belief ; and in 
 this I am confirmed by the last few sentences of the 
 Apocalypse, and the many distinct charges of the 
 Apostles in their Epistles. The Koman Catholic and 
 Apostolic Church not being based upon these prin- 
 ciples, I do not believe in her dogmas, still less do I 
 obey her in practice.' The tribunal appeared astonished 
 at these words, and the judge said to me, * Do you 
 know what you are saying]' * Yes, sir,' I replied in a 
 firm voice, ' I cannot deny it ; I have put my hand to 
 
14 AIM OF HIS LABOURS. 
 
 the plough, and I dare not look back/ The judge was 
 silent, and the tribunal rose. 
 
 "Nothing, dear brother, alarms me for myself, but 
 I do grieve over the arrests which have been made, 
 both before and since mine took place, in various parts 
 of Andalusia. Oh ! they will injure worthy Christian 
 people, honoured fathers and virtuous sons ! Alas ! 
 this oversets my tranquillity of mind, and I shall not 
 recover it 'for many days ! And again, my dear old 
 mother, with my two little brothers, are left alone in 
 this strange town. Thus my position is very trying ; 
 I suffer, yes, I suffer much ! 
 
 " Our mission, my dear friend, is not, and has not 
 been, to separate believers from the Church of Eome ; 
 it has been to bring souls out of the Koman darkness, 
 and from Atheism or indifference to the knowledge of 
 Christ ; to gather together intelligent and evangelical 
 congregations ; in a word, to form churches worthy of 
 God and of the world. As you will easily imagine, 
 my spirit is not at rest, and I cannot to-day write you 
 at length upon these topics ; but I promise to do so 
 shortly, and give you explicit details. 
 
 "You may do much for Catalonia; it requires and 
 promises more than any other part of Spain. 
 
 " Although my imprisonment threatens to be a long 
 one, that is, of some months' duration, yet I can 
 labour here also, for the brethren visit me ; and from 
 this spot I can give you full information. The work 
 in Barcelona has not suffered in the slightest degree, 
 for all depends upon me, and I would sooner die than 
 cause any one to suffer. In Andalusia they have 
 received a fearful blow ; but time will obliterate their 
 
GOD IS ON OUR SIDE. 15 
 
 panic, and all will go on as before. The seed sown 
 has been abundant and gc od, and the enmity of Christ's 
 foes is impotent. God is on our side. 
 
 " Later, I hope to send you the rules of our organi 
 zation, but the basis of our existence is the Word of 
 God the Holy Bible. 
 
 "Adieu, dear brother. I would gladly be free to 
 do all that you would wish ; but, alas ! in Spain, it is 
 a crime to love the gospel ! I trust you will soon write 
 to me, you will easily believe that now, more than 
 ever, your letters will be a comfort to me in my present 
 sorrowful and trying position. Counsel and consolation 
 from Christian friends is a necessary of life to me 
 now! 
 
 " God be with you, dear friend, 
 
 " Your brother in Jesus Christ, 
 
 (Signed) "M. M." 
 
16 THE PRESS OF SPAIN. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ^COMMUNICATIONS FROM BARCELONA. 
 
 ON the receipt of the last interesting letter, and 
 feeling deeply for our brother in bonds, I wrote to 
 him again to solace and comfort him, laying his case 
 before the Lord in prayer frequently, and asking for 
 especial wisdom and guidance. I watched anxiously, 
 as may be supposed, for an answer, and received, in 
 the beginning of November, the following reply : 
 
 "Prison, Barcelona, November 8th, 1860. 
 "RESPECTED AND MOST DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD 
 JESUS CHRIST, OUR HOPE AND CONFIDENCE, 
 
 " My poor pen cannot describe to you the exceeding 
 joy and gratitude which I felt on the receipt of your 
 most kind and Christian letter. I can only say that it 
 was a real comfort to me in my bitter trial. 
 
 " The Spanish clergy are thoroughly alarmed ; the 
 press, which is their creature, labours to aggravate the 
 evils of our position inquisitorial influences are piti- 
 lessly working against us, both in secret and in public. 
 May God forgive them all for the evil they would do, 
 and bring them into the path that leads to life 1 
 
LETTER FROM BARCELONA. 17 
 
 Has the English press done anything for us 1 It is 
 most desirable that it should do so ; for that portion 
 of the Spanish press which is favourable to us dares 
 not speak out, and that portion which is against us 
 is doing us much injury, by giving an utterly false 
 colour to our holy cause. 
 
 " I purpose, dear friend, when I am brought before 
 the superior tribunal, protesting before them and 
 before the Spanish public against the injustice and 
 cruelty with which they treat us, for the sole crime of 
 being Christians. If I am condemned, I will protest, 
 by the press of every country in Europe, against the 
 injustice that punishes for the sole sin of professing 
 Christianity. The world should know that the Inquisi- 
 tion still rules in Spain; the world should know that 
 it is a crime in this land to love the gospel; the world 
 should know that if the fires of the stake have been 
 extinguished, the tortures of the galleys still exist. 
 This protest I will send" to you, that you may translate 
 and publish it. It is no foolish pride that induces me 
 to do this; I believe it is an act of Christian faith. I 
 love the Lord Christ, and will confess his name; and 
 Will protest against the Church of Rome, which so un- 
 justly assumes it. 
 
 "The Council of Granada summons me to appear 
 there. I shall be forced to travel 200 leagues (about 
 700 miles) on foot, bound in a gang of criminals, and 
 confounded in their disgrace in every town and village 
 through which we shall pass, where my offence will not 
 be known. My health is very delicate, and this journey 
 and the cold, and the wretched prisons of the smaller 
 
 villages on our road, will be all dangerous to me. Only 
 c 
 
18 A GLOOMY PROSPECT. 
 
 by paying my own passage, and that of the two men 
 who escort me, should I be permitted to make the 
 journey by sea : of course this expense is quite beyond 
 my power. Neither will I ask any fresh sacrifice from 
 our friends in France. My family is in much distress 
 on this account; in truth, my position is trying. My 
 faith does not and will not waver, but I suffer physi- 
 cally. 
 
 " A thousand, thousand thanks to you for the love 
 and favour which you express towards me in youi 
 letter. I do not deserve it, but I am grateful for youi 
 noble and Christian feeling; also I thank you for the 
 succour you are sending to my family. God will 
 repay you. He is blessing me with much quietness of 
 mind on this account. 
 
 " I hope you will soon write to me. I can receive but 
 one more letter from you at Barcelona. My family re- 
 mains here. Pray to God for us, dear brother, as I 
 pray for you. 
 
 "Ever believe in the love and gratitude of your 
 brother in Christ, " M. MATAMOROS." 
 
 On learning by the last letter the summons of the 
 Granada tribunal, and hearing of the very delicate state 
 of Matamoros' health brought on by his great exer- 
 tions in preaching, and labouring for the good of souls 
 I feared that if he made this long journey on foot, and in 
 the manner mentioned in his letter, his health would 
 give way, and that he would never reach Granada alive. 
 So I determined at once to send him what money I had 
 by me at the time, and which I forwarded, amounting 
 
A REMARKABLE PROVIDENCE. 19 
 
 to XI 5. And here let me give an account of God's faith- 
 fulness in behalf of those that endeavour to serve Him. 
 
 The account of the imprisonment of a Spaniard at 
 Barcelona appeared, I believe, in a London paper. My 
 name was connected in some way with it. A lady 
 residing there read the account, and immediately sent 
 me a sum of money in aid of the prisoner. The amount 
 which she sent me was precisely that which I had sent 
 to Matarnoros, and this without the least communica- 
 tion between her and myself. Indeed, no one but the 
 God who had enabled me to send the money, and who 
 had now returned it to me, knew of the matter. I felt 
 deeply humbled, and very grateful to the loving Father 
 who had thus ordered the steps of His children, and 
 heartily set my seal to the words, " Doubtless there is 
 a God that judgeth in the earth." 
 
 The following letter came at this time : 
 
 "Prison, Barcelona, November 27th, 1860. 
 
 " RESPECTED AND VERY DEAR BROTHER IN OUR BELOVED 
 REDEEMER JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY MEDIATOR BE- 
 TWEEN GOD AND MEN, 
 
 " I have just received your comforting and Christian 
 letter of the 17th November, and with it an order for 
 15. Thanks ! a thousand thanks, dear brother, to 
 you and to your friends, for this good deed thanks 
 from the bottom of my heart, which my pen cannot 
 express. But you and the lovers of the gospel, the 
 true children of the Church of Christ who have joined 
 you, will be able to appreciate the depth of my grati- 
 tude by the Christian joy you have experienced in 
 
20 THE PRISONER'S MOTHER. 
 
 succouring a brother in bonds for Christ's sake, a 
 brother whose only offence and only crime has been 
 loving and circulating the "Word of God 
 
 "Dear brother, it appears that my tyrants seek to 
 make my captivity daily more irksome, striving with 
 each other for the pleasure of giving me pain. I have 
 been examined a third time, and have been informed 
 that. I must obey the summons of the tribunal of 
 Granada; but that besides this, the tribunal of Barce- 
 lona had determined to bring another action against me 
 to discover and prove what I have done and attempted 
 for the circulation of the gospel in Catalonia. So not 
 only is one tribunal acting against me, but two or 
 rather three those of Granada, Barcelona, and Malaga. 
 The tribunal of Granada is so anxious for my appear- 
 ance there, that in the space of a very few days I have 
 been several times summoned, and my papers called for 
 also. They need not be in haste I am ready. My 
 poor mother has petitioned the government to delay my 
 journey, in consideration of the feeble state of my 
 health; and some of the newspapers have supported 
 this demand of hers. Will the governor grant it? We 
 shall see; and I will let you know the result. My 
 poor mother is suffering martyrdom. Her repeated 
 anxieties have brought on a serious attack of illness; 
 and she has been confined to bed for several days. 
 
 "I cannot recall without a shudder the sorrowful 
 scene that occurred the day of my arrest. When my 
 dearly-beloved and most unhappy mother saw me seized, 
 she fell fainting and senseless to the ground; and my 
 little brothers burst into tears and loud cries, for in 
 their innocent and comfortless sorrow they believed that 
 
THE SPANIARDS ABE SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES. 21 
 
 she was dead. I attempted to go to her assistance, and 
 was not permitted. Cruelty ! I shall ever remember 
 that terrible moment with anguish. From that time 
 her health has been so feeble that I am deeply 
 anxious about her and on her account. I really 
 dread the day of my departure. God's will be 
 done. 
 
 "Spain is the grave of many martyrs, the victims 
 of the Church of Eome. In her religious intolerance 
 she has only changed in the external forms for the 
 last two hundred years. The Church of Eome hates 
 light and knowledge, and punishes us because we 
 have learnt to know Christ. The Church of Rome 
 despises the Word of God, and imprisons us because 
 we love and respect it and hold it in our hearts as a 
 sacred and saving possession. Let us take comfort, 
 however, for we see that the rigour of Papal tyranny 
 is impotent against us, and their satanic wiles are 
 useless. Our imprisonment was needful, and has 
 done much service to our holy work. All Spain 
 knows that we suffer for Christ's sake; and so all 
 may see, evidently, how far removed is the practice 
 of the Roman Church from the precepts of God's 
 holy Word. But whatever she may attempt against 
 us now is already too late. The Word of God is in 
 the hands of thousands of Spaniards, and the study 
 of it has raised up hundreds of decided Christians, 
 willing and rejoicing to spread the good news, and 
 despising the gainsaying and the persecution of men, 
 ready to take up the cross and follow Christ. So, 
 though tyranny does not falter, neither shall our holy 
 work. But tyranny is the work of man, therefore it 
 
22 CONFESSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 must cease. Our work is of God, and therefore ulti- 
 mately it shall gloriously triumph. 
 
 "For myself, I am perfectly tranquil. Every 
 fresh suffering that my poor weak body endures, 
 every fresh delay which is interposed between me and 
 the day of my release, is a fresh motive to increase my 
 joy and confirm my faith. I glory in tribulations ! 
 My imprisonment is a trial to the body, but not to the 
 soul. The slayers of the body are weak and miserable 
 enemies to the soul of a Christian. It can even 
 rejoice in its sufferings for Christ's sake. 
 
 "I cannot describe to you, dear brother, the hap- 
 piness that I have felt since I received your letter, 
 and learnt from it that your noble fellow-countrymen 
 had interested themselves in my fate. Oh, give them 
 the assurance of my deep gratitude. How can I 
 repay so many favours, so much Christian love 1 ? 
 The reward is so great that I could never give it, but 
 God will repay it tenfold; and posterity will not fail to 
 keep a sacred niche in history for the sons of noble 
 and powerful Albion, who are ever ready to support the 
 good cause, and to defend the weak and the afflicted. 
 
 "May God enlighten you, dear brothers in Christ, 
 may He take you under his special protection ! 
 May He recompense, as He sees fit, your noble deeds ! 
 
 "I have confessed Christ before the tribunals. I 
 do not, and shall never, repent of this. As I have 
 done at Barcelona I purpose doing at Granada, I 
 will confess Christ before the weak as before the 
 strong; before my brethren as before my murderers. 
 I shall suffer and what then? Did not Christ suffer 
 for us miserable sinners'? Did He not lay down his 
 
PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTORS. 23 
 
 life for our sins? Did he not redeem us by his death] 
 What are my little trials to be compared to the bless- 
 ing that his words and his example are to me? Oh, 
 nothing ! less than nothing ! I knew well, when I 
 undertook my evangelical labours, that I was in the 
 midst of wolves. I knew the thorns and thistles that 
 would be under my feet, but I never forgot the words 
 of the Saviour, 'He that taketh not his cross and fol- 
 loweth after Me, is not worthy of Me.' 
 
 " Let us pray to our great Master, that He would 
 pardon our enemies and prosecutors. Let us pray 
 with sincere and humble faith that He would bring 
 them to His heavenly fold that He would enlighten 
 and preserve them. I feel no anger against them. 
 I understand the motive of their inhuman cruelty, and 
 I heartily pity them for their separation from Christ. 
 
 " Farewell, dear brother ; I do not yet know when 
 I shall leave this place. The journey to Granada is 
 indispensable ; but the state of my health may occa- 
 sion some delay. But you shall hear of my move- 
 ments if possible. 
 
 " Your brother in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 " MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 Seeing that the money had been received in due 
 time, I felt a pleasure in praying much to the Lord 
 that He would continue to guide all things for the 
 best, and for His own glory, and for the advancement 
 of His truth in Spain. Before Matamoros left Barce- 
 lona, the intelligence having reached that city of the 
 sympathy of British Christians, a letter was forwarded 
 by him as follows, with forty signatures appended 
 
24 LETTER OF BARCELONA CHRISTIANS. 
 
 "Barcelona, December 26tk, 1860. 
 " EESPECTED BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 " We desire to use but few words in the expression 
 of our deep gratitude towards your Christian fellow- 
 countrymen, for their noble and generous conduct 
 towards our brethren in Christ, who suffer persecution 
 for their. faith in this country, through the intolerance 
 of our government and the influence of the Eomish 
 priesthood. We, the undersigned, have now the 
 pleasure of declaring that we do not belong, nor will 
 we ever belong again, to the Church of Rome, whose 
 dogmas we consider to be opposed to the Word of God, 
 which is our rule of faith now ; nor do we acknowledge 
 any other religion to be true than that of Jesus Christ 
 and his apostles. Having made the above declaration, 
 you will understand, dear brother, how grateful we feel 
 for the active measures taken by the distinguished 
 deputation which waited on Lord John Russell, not 
 only because of the good it will do to our brethren, 
 but because of the incalculable benefit which will 
 result to the Lord's work here. We have heard, also, 
 of the generous assistance which Messrs. Newton, 
 Tregelles, and Peddie have, with yourself and others, 
 rendered to our dear brother, Don M. Matamoros, 
 whom we love as he deserves, and for which we hasten 
 to express our heartfelt gratitude. We feel confident 
 that we express the sentiments of many Spaniards, and 
 therefore we have not hesitated an instant in sending 
 you not only our own thanks but also those of many 
 who are like-minded with ourselves. 
 
 " We trust you will not be surprised at not seeing 
 our addresses given, because of the fatal persecutions 
 
SAILS FROM BARCELONA. 25 
 
 to which we are exposed in this unfortunate country. 
 To you and all Englishmen who are interested in the 
 Lord's work, we offer our sincere Christian love, 
 sympathy, and affection, and are your brothers in the 
 Lord Jesus." 
 
 [Here follow forty signatures.] 
 
 All having been prepared by God for our brother's 
 voyage, he set sail on the 26th December, 1860, and I 
 received a letter communicating the fact to me, as 
 follows: 
 
 " National Prison, Barcelona, December 26th, 1860. 
 
 "BELOVED BROTHER, MR. GREENE, 
 
 " In two hours from now I start for Granada in the 
 steamboat as far as Malaga. 
 
 " I have just been visited by a body of the brethren, 
 who have given me the accompanying memorial to 
 forward to you. They had previously read the letters 
 you wrote to me, which produced enthusiastic joy, and 
 called forth the enclosed document, which, as you will 
 perceive, is a most important one. It would be well to 
 publish it, suppressing the names, the insertion of 
 which would be quite sufficient to insure the immediate 
 imprisonment of all concerned. The reason there is 
 not double the number of signatures is because they 
 wish to take advantage of my presence here to forward 
 it. The enthusiasm is intense and indescribable. They 
 have written to Malaga on the same subject, and I 
 believe that they will also write to you. 
 
 " I shall have to be three days in prison at Alicante. 
 My expenses will be greater than I expected, but there 
 
26 ORIGIN OF THE PERSECUTION. 
 
 is no help for that now. I know that my friends are 
 awaiting me on the pier, and ' will accompany me to 
 the ship,' to bid me farewell. The Lord reward their 
 love. What think you of the love of these brethren? 
 I will send you my address when I arrive at Granada, 
 and if possible will write to you from Alicante. I am 
 
 writing to-day to A , and yesterday I wrote to Dr. 
 
 Tregelles. Farewell, dear brother; a thousand kind 
 regards to your dear family. Adieu ! may His Holy 
 Spirit be with you. 
 
 "M. MATAMOROS." 
 
 About this time a valuable letter appeared, which, as 
 it gave many interesting statements to the public con- 
 cerning the imprisonments made in Spain, I have 
 thought well to introduce here. It is as follows : 
 
 "The following is a brief statement of facts con- 
 nected with the still continuing persecution in Spain. 
 It originated thus : A young man of about twenty years 
 
 of age, named JST. A , belonging to a respectable 
 
 family at Granada, was student at an ecclesiastical 
 seminary, presided over by the archbishop of that pro- 
 vince. Having made rapid progress in his studies, he 
 became one- of the favourite scholars of the rector, and 
 
 a pi'otege of the archbishop. A friend presented A 
 
 with a New Testament and two controversial works. 
 He was reprimanded and kept in close confinement for 
 a week; but his convictions remaining unchanged, it 
 was resolved that he should be arrested. His Pro- 
 testant friends having heard of this, advised him to 
 escape to Gibraltar. He did so, and is now a refugee 
 in England. 
 
ARREST OP ALHAMA. 27 
 
 " Jose Alhama, a hatter at Granada, a man of high 
 Christian character, and greatly respected by all, was 
 
 suspected of having aided the flight of A ; he was 
 
 suddenly arrested, his house searched, and himself 
 carried off to a dungeon, his wife and family being 
 wholly unprovided for. Among the letters found in 
 Alhama's house were some from Manuel Matamoros, 
 from Barcelona. A telegram was sent to that town for 
 his arrest. At midnight, on the 6th of February, four 
 gensdarmes with their sergeant and a constable entered 
 the house of Alhama; his aged mother admitted them; 
 they demanded all the keys to search the house. His 
 wife was in bed, ill from premature confinement, 
 brought on by distress at her husband's sufferings. They 
 obliged her to rise, and searched the mattresses, boxes, 
 trunks, beds, clothes, pockets; for two hours the savage 
 search continued; nothing, however, was found to 
 incriminate the family, but the terror was too great 
 for Alhama's wife, and she fell down in an epileptic 
 fit. 
 
 "Very recently eighteen persons have been arrested 
 in Malaga; three out of one family, the father, mother, 
 and eldest son, five little children being left wholly 
 unprovided for. They were arrested at dead of night, 
 and were carried off to a dungeon, where they still 
 remain. More arrests have also taken place at Seville, 
 and the head of one of the best public schools in that 
 city is now in prison." 
 
26 JOURNEY TO GRANADA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT AT GRANADA. 
 
 THE last letter left Matamoros on board the steamer 
 at Barcelona, acompanied by his guards; the sympathy 
 of the crowd on the quay showed how much they 
 admired him, and the love they bore to the cause for 
 which he was suffering. 
 
 Everything went on smoothly on board the steamer, 
 and the voyage was performed most pleasantly, thanks 
 to a merciful God, whose loving arm had been stretched 
 out over His faithful servant. He arrived at Malaga 
 in due course, as will be seen by the following extracts 
 from his letter of January 8th, 1861 : 
 
 " I left Barcelona on the 26th, and reached Malaga 
 on the 30th of December, where I was received by a 
 considerable number of brethren, who came on board 
 the steamer to see me. The same evening, when I was 
 starting for Granada, numbers of friends and brethren 
 accompanied me to the diligence, in which Sir Robert 
 Peel was also a passenger. I arrived at Granada on the 
 1st of January, and on appearing before the tribunal 
 was ordered into solitary confinement, and was accord- 
 
SIR ROBERT PEEL. 29 
 
 ingly taken to a different prison from that of our dear 
 brother Alhama. 
 
 "This scandalous, tyrannical, and arbitrary action 
 coming to the ears of Sir Eobert Peel, he immediately 
 presented himself with truly admirable energy before 
 the authorities, and demanded that I should be released 
 from this position, and also, that he, with Lady E. 
 Peel and Lady J. Hay, should be permitted to visit me. 
 The judge gave him a written order to visit me, but 
 doubtless the tribunal were unwilling that I should 
 receive visitors of such high rank .in a filthy, damp, 
 and dark apartment, where the only bed was a small 
 mattress spread upon the floor. When removed, I had 
 the honour of receiving a visit from these personages. 
 We spoke very plainly together; they went all over 
 the prison ; they saw the cell where I was first con- 
 fined, and where, thanks to them, I remained only two 
 days. They also saw the cell where Alhama was con- 
 fined for twenty-two days, the sight of which called 
 forth an energetic protest from these good people, who 
 could not comprehend why so much tyranny was exer- 
 cised against a person for preaching the gospel, which 
 is the duty of every good Christian. Lady Emily Peel 
 and Lady Jane Hay went through the female ward, 
 accompanied by the governor's wife, and comforted the 
 unfortunate women by speaking kindly, and edifying 
 them by wholesome Christian counsel. 
 
 " They so delighted these poor folks that they begged 
 for another visit the day following. They left Granada, 
 -assuring me of their wish to return to London, so that 
 Sir Robert might speak about this matter in Parlia- 
 
30 THE PRISON, GRANADA. 
 
 ment The spirit of the Barcelona and 
 
 Malaga churches is excellent, as is also that of 
 Granada, in spite of the terror the clergy have in- 
 spired. 
 
 " Let us go onward and upwards. It is necessary 
 to make use of this precious present time, and be 
 firmly assured that both Albania and myself will stand 
 out boldly to the last. We know that Spain and 
 Europe have their eyes upon us, and we would prefer 
 to die in bonds sooner than appear to falter. Our 
 deep love for the cause of our divine Kedeemer urges 
 us onward ; what avails the anger of our tyrants, what 
 their threats? Nothing, nothing; we glory in our 
 sufferings. Alas ! dear friend, how I miss the visits 
 of my mother and my family. They are ever before 
 my mind. I am getting my food from the hotel, but 
 it is much dearer than at Barcelona, and when I had 
 it from home I could economize greatly. The heavy 
 expenses of myself and guards from Barcelona to 
 Granada, and their pay back, has been double what I 
 expected, ,24, and I am fretting about this. But 
 farewell, dear friend, I shall expect a long letter from 
 you to comfort me." 
 
 Thus far our dear sufferer has got on his thorny 
 way ; but how bright will be his crown, and how the 
 good hand of his God has been upon him hitherto, is 
 fully manifest to those who have watched the movings 
 of the Divine hand in his behalf. 
 
 From Barcelona, Matamoros had written a letter to 
 
 A , now in this country, an extract from which I 
 
 give as follows ; 
 
LETTER TO A . 31 
 
 "National Prison, Barcelona, December 13^, 1860. 
 " DEAREST BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 "You have done well in writing to me. My thoughts 
 have been constantly fixed on you since I left Granada. 
 I have not forgotten you for a moment. I have prayed 
 constantly to the Lord for your well-being, for the 
 steadfastness of your faith, and for upholding you in 
 
 every Christian grace 
 
 " God will not forsake us ; His Holy Spirit is con- 
 stantly with us. In our poor country, tyrants rejoice 
 in our sufferings ; all their energy, all their desires, all 
 their highest aims are to augment the fetters which 
 bind down our liberties and blight our hopes. They 
 labour, agitate, and hasten to present to us, with in- 
 quisitorial cleverness, horrible scenes, to annihilate us. 
 But, unfortunate people, they do not understand that 
 we are peaceful, satisfied, and proud of our lot. 
 
 "Rejoice, brother, for since the day of my imprison- 
 ment the enthusiasm in Malaga has increased, as in my 
 letters I have exhorted them not to be weary. At first 
 their hearts sank at the rigour of the tyrants j but 
 since, they have understood- that they must go forward 
 with a double speed, and they have done so. Thirty- 
 seven new converts have been added to the church, 
 and the spirit of grace is every day more comforting 
 and more deeply rooted in the hearts of that Christian 
 band. Many prayers ascend daily for the deliverance 
 of our church, now so fiercely persecuted by these 
 enemies of Christ. They are bringing an action against 
 us in Malaga at the present time, and notwithstand- 
 ing, this only serves to increase our numbers, and to 
 inspire us with new courage. 
 
32 LETTER TO A . 
 
 " Yes, dear brother, my physical forces are sinking 
 rapidly; my weak flesh fails me, and the thread of 
 life appears nearly spun out. The dampness of these 
 prisons is killing me ; but every step I take towards 
 the tomb, every grain of sand that falls through life's 
 glass, is a powerful, yes, an indestructible force, which 
 strengthens my faith and my joy, and enables me to 
 anticipate my last hour with rejoicing, and with a 
 pBace I was a perfect stranger to, until I found 
 Christ. 
 
 " Oh ! how I praise the supreme Creator for this 
 benefit of his inexhaustible love. I have always felt 
 an indestructible love and fear to the Lord before and 
 since my imprisonment, and if it could serve in the 
 least to forward our holy cause, I beseech the Almighty 
 that He would prolong it to the end of my days. I 
 beg you also will pray for this. Do, for I do not desire 
 the well-being of my body, which is destined to death, 
 and my greatest consolation would be to know that my 
 sufferings had been beneficial to humanity. What 
 signifies one day more or less here below 1 ? What 
 signifies one more pang $ Nothing, when it is for the 
 greatest, for the only holy cause. 
 
 "Your letter gave me great comfort. I rejoice to 
 see the just tribute which English Christians have 
 rendered to your virtues and those of Alhama. But 
 I deserve it not, and all that you say with reference 
 to myself only makes me ashamed. I do not deserve 
 such honour as these noble brethren have conferred 
 upon me. I have done only what it was my duty to 
 do. During the last fortnight there have occurred 
 here things worthy of special mention. The Society 
 
LETTER TO A . 33 
 
 of St. Vincent de Paul has exhausted every possible 
 means to induce me to retract my declaration. The 
 chaplain of that establishment, the notary in my case, 
 and the president of that inquisitorial institution, have 
 offered me their most cordial support for the recovery 
 of my liberty if I will retract my declaration, and I 
 have complained to the governor of their barbarous 
 abuses. I rejected their propositions with contempt. 
 I have told them plainly that they were insulting me, 
 and that if they repeated their unworthy act I should 
 feel obliged to refuse to admit them into my dungeon. 
 
 "I also sent a communication to the papers, which 
 they have not inserted. You can hardly imagine with 
 what sagacity and skill they have made these proposals 
 to me. They were careful not to wound my delicacy, 
 and made their offers hypothetically ; but I, under- 
 standing their object, rose, and answered them in 
 strong and suitable language, and retired without even 
 taking leave. They began by reminding me of the 
 orphanhood of my family, the state of my health, my 
 resources, and the sorrowful future that lay before me. 
 'I am only sorry on account of my family/ I told 
 them. ' The rest, gentlemen, is of so little conse- 
 quence, that I would lay down not one life alone for 
 the benefit of the gospel cause, but a thousand, if I 
 had them.' They answered me with sagacity, and 
 made the proposition to which I replied as I stated 
 above. 
 
 " In spite of the state of my health, I must go 
 shortly to Granada. I am only awaiting a letter from 
 Mr. Greene, and from thence I shall write to him at 
 length, giving him every intelligence. 
 
34 LETTER TO A- 
 
 " I must remain here no longer. I am injuring the 
 orethren imprisoned at Malaga, and above all, Alhama 
 and I am determined to go, but I do not think my 
 health will improve. 
 
 ' "I am waiting to be called before the. superior tri- 
 bunal with anxiety. I shall present myself before 
 them as the law permits, and shall defend myself 
 energetically. I desire to prove to them why I have 
 cast away tradition, the only support of the Church of 
 Rome. I desire to prove to them that my conduct is 
 worthy of a true Christian, and I will send you my 
 defence, which I shall write from Granada ; and yet, 
 
 dear A , I am sorry to leave this place. My room 
 
 is a little focus of gospel light. I have three converts 
 among the prisoners, whose protests I hold, and who 
 will, I trust, be virtuous Christians. 
 
 " Oh, how much an energetic, evangelic propaganda 
 is needed in this house of crime ! The chaplain of the 
 prison is satisfied with celebrating the sacrilegious and 
 unbloody sacrifice of the mass. God rejoices in the 
 conversion of the most miserable. Our Lord came not 
 to save the righteous, but sinners ; and in these prisons 
 his holy word should be preached with double fervour. 
 
 " Be diligent, dear brother ; lay up a store of Bible 
 knowledge ; and this, illustrated by your practice, may 
 yet prove a blessing to Spain. Write to me, for 
 though I may not be here, your letters will reach me. 
 May God be with you may His Holy Spirit guide 
 you ! I am tranquil, and strong in the Spirit. I will 
 never yield. Now and ever I will dedicate my life 
 and all rny energy to the work of the Lord. I will 
 take no rest, You know me, and you know I will do 
 
LETTER TO A . 35 
 
 what I say. Let us be worthy of the blessed cause to 
 which we have dedicated ourselves; let our one aim be 
 the good of mankind, and the accomplishment of it 
 the only recompense to which we aspire. 
 
 " Give, in my name, my most humble remembrances 
 
 to Mr. G and Mrs. T . I cannot tell you, 
 
 dear brother, how I have cried over Mr. G 's last 
 
 letter. I have read it, perhaps sixty times it comforts, 
 and does not weary me. I am waiting for letters 
 
 from the said gentleman, and Mrs. T . I am only 
 
 detained from starting by waiting for letters from 
 them. 
 
 " Adieu, dear brother. Yours most affectionately, 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS. 
 
 "ToK A . 
 
 The last letter shows the deep and zealous spirit 
 that animates this earnest disciple of Christ, and also 
 how bonds are ever for the furtherance of the gospel, 
 and for the deepening of His spirit in the regenerate. 
 
 The following letter from the brethren comprising 
 the Reformed Church at Malaga, was forwarded 
 at this time to Dr. Tregelles, of Plymouth, and is 
 addressed to the followers of Jesus Christ in this 
 country : 
 
 " REVERED BRETHREN IN THE LORD, 
 
 " Our hearts are filled with joy and well-deserved 
 and fraternal gratitude; and we desire to express to 
 you something of the holy Christian happiness which 
 we have felt on hearing of the noble and generous 
 
36 LETTER OF MALAGA BRETHREN. 
 
 protection which you have extended to our dear 
 brother, Don M Matamoros, now a prisoner for the 
 sake of the Divine Redeemer, the only Intercessor and 
 Mediator with God. 
 
 "The holiest spiritual bonds unite us to this 
 dear brother. Seconding the noble efforts of that 
 worthy minister, Don F. Ruet, he formed in this 
 town a church, whose members do not, and will not, 
 recognize as chief or head of the same any but the 
 Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ; nor will take as a 
 rule of faith any other than the Word of God the 
 Holy Bible. 
 
 " The religion of Jesus Christ and of his apostles is 
 that which we follow ; we believe it to be alone true, 
 and consequently we do not recognize the authority of 
 the Church of Rome, but rather hold her to be the 
 greatest foe to Holy Scripture. 
 
 " That we have found the fountain of the water 
 of life, we owe to Don M. Matamoros. His constant 
 and evangelical instructions have given to this little 
 hidden church much of the Scriptural knowledge 
 that it possesses, and by his energy and zeal so 
 considerable a number of niimes has been enrolled in 
 its ranks. 
 
 "Dr. Tregelles can give you an idea of our state, 
 our hopes, and expectations. The noble attitude of 
 the generous deputation which appeared in behalf of 
 our suffering brethren, and the sacrifices which you 
 have made for the benefit of Don M. Matamoros and 
 Alhama, have determined us to address these few 
 words to you, as a public manifestation of our grati- 
 tude. United with our whole hearts and by the bonds 
 
LETTER FROM ALHAMA. 37 
 
 of an unwavering faith to the church of Jesus Christ, 
 we cannot but protest against the devices and snares 
 of the Church of Borne, and we witness with deepest 
 sorrow, the sufferings of her victims, in this miserable 
 land, while yet we cannot but rejoice to find that our 
 English brethren unite with us in their sympathy. 
 
 " We trust that you will give publicity to this mani- 
 festation of our gratitude; but we beg that you will 
 not publish our names, as a severe and certain perse- 
 cution would be the result. 
 
 " We remain, your Brothers and Sisters, 
 
 in the Lord Jesus." 
 (Here follow 130 signatures.) 
 
 And on January 19th, 1861, Albania wrote to Don 
 3S". A as follows : 
 
 " Prison, Granada, 
 " DEAR N , MY BELOVED BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 " With pleasure I take up my pen, though I have 
 only sorrowful tidings to give you of the troubles that I 
 endure; I am not allowed now to hear from you so 
 often as I wish. I know how much you must have 
 sympathised with me, for I know how much you love 
 
 me. Yes, dear N" , I suffer very, very deeply. 
 
 You will imagine all, if I tell you a little. If I tell 
 you that my wife is now constantly recommended to 
 obtain a divorce, because I am, as they term it, a Jew. 
 Don R C asked her if she was not ashamed to 
 
38 LETTER PROM ALHAMA. 
 
 have a husband who was a thief a thief .of men's 
 belief? People spit at me, and at my children in the 
 street. In short, wherever they go they are assailed 
 with insults and opprobrium from the superstitious 
 and priest-led part of the population. These priests, 
 who should be called ministers of Satan rather than of 
 Christ, alas! how can they be His priests, whose 
 last words were a prayer for the pardon of His 
 murderers, when they deprive innocent children of 
 their father, a wife of her husband, and a venerable 
 mother of her son, who was her blessing and her 
 support. 
 
 " Oh, my poor children ! your father will probably 
 die the death of a felon and a galley-slave, but he 
 will die confessing his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and scorning all vain traditions and the false teaching 
 of the imposter, King Pope. This will only add to 
 your misfortunes, for in this land no asylum will be 
 open to you. But we will put our trust in God, God 
 the refuge of the defenceless, the comforter of the 
 afflicted, and He will never forsake you; and your 
 enemies cannot take away your heavenly Father as 
 they are killing your earthly one. 
 
 " N" , the finger of God points to thee to be the 
 
 protector of my innocent orphans. You know, had 
 the case been reversed, I would gladly have succoured 
 yours. My poor mother will need nothing. At her 
 great age it is impossible that she can long survive 
 my misfortune. And my poor wife, who was only 
 just convalescent when I was arrested, has suffered 
 so severely since, that she is threatened with consump- 
 tion, and her life is endangered. 
 
LETTEE FROM ALHAMA. 39 
 
 " I fear my letter will grieve you. I shall be 
 sorry indeed for this, but I know you love me, and 
 will allow me to unbosom all my griefs to you. 
 
 E told me that you had written to him, and 
 
 that you regretted deeply having been the cause of 
 my misfortune. No, dear friend, be at peace; my 
 family loves you as ever, and to me you are what you 
 have always been. 
 
 " On the first of this month I had the pleasure of 
 embracing our brother Matamoros. He arrived here 
 in very delicate health, but, thank God, is getting 
 better, although we are enduring much trouble, 
 partly on account of our trial, of which we have 
 very bad news daily. When Matamoros was first 
 examined, the prosecutor told him that he would 
 probably be condemned to ten or twelve years at the 
 galleys. To-day the attorney has confirmed this, 
 telling us that our case comes under the 125th article of 
 the penal code. 
 
 " It is also unfortunate for us that the alcaide (or 
 governor) of this prison is son of the housekeeper of 
 the Cordovese priest, and this man is influencing the 
 alcaide much against us, and therefore we are suffering 
 from many annoyances. Our families and friends 
 are not allowed to visit us, and the alcaide has in- 
 formed the governor that he felt this step necessary, 
 because we were conspiring with the Protestants for 
 the subversion of religion. The wife of the alcaide 
 said to me plainly, that she could not conceive why 
 we were not confined in the courts (patios), for people 
 accused of such crimes as ours might properly be with 
 the worst convicts, and should not be allowed to com- 
 
40 LETTER FROM ALHAMA. 
 
 municate with anybody. Pray that God may forgive 
 them all as I do. 
 
 " They persecute us even in our dungeons, and we 
 must pray for them from thence. Is not this what the 
 gospel teaches us? Oh how good and pleasant a thing 
 it is to know the Word of God, which teaches us to 
 suffer with patience all that is hardest in our un- 
 deserved captivity. 
 
 " Never will I draw back from the holy work in 
 which I am engaged, nor will I utter one sigh of 
 regret, for God strengthens me. The Holy Spirit 
 enlightens me, and St. Paul sets me an example of 
 resignation in tribulation; so all the fury and cruelty 
 of these modern Diocletians shall be unavailing to 
 silence us. We will preach the Word of Go'd in our 
 chains, as though we dwelt in palaces. In spite of our 
 rulers, and in their very presence, we confess the 
 truths of the gospel. 
 
 " Every time that I have been brought before the 
 tribunals, I have declared that my only crime has 
 been that I have striven to be a follower of Jesus 
 Christ and not of the Pope; and that the only result 
 of their persecuting us would be to add some fresh 
 names to the Christian martyrology. In truth, the 
 work in Spain has never excited so much attention 
 and interest as it does now. Ten years of preaching 
 would not have advanced our labour so much as our 
 imprisonment and trial are doing. All are asking, 
 1 What is this new Protestant doctrine ? ' and they seek 
 after our books from simple curiosity; and when they 
 have read them, they cannot but condemn the cruelty 
 
LETTER FROM ALHAMA 41 
 
 of the clergy, and confess that we teach the true 
 religion of the Son of God. 
 
 "In Spain, Christianity will date a new era from 
 our trial. The clergy have perceived this, though 
 something too late, and therefore they are now doing 
 everything in their power to represent us to the people 
 as Jews. The Archbishop has issued a pastoral of 
 thirty-eight pages in quarto, which treats only of the 
 Protestants. 
 
 "Seiior P has been at the expense of a 
 
 'Novena'-to St. Joseph, and every evening sermons 
 have been preached, and prayers made to the saint 
 to intercede with God that we may be brought back 
 into the fold of the Romish church. This pastoral 
 contains confessions which the clergy have never 
 before made. How can I send it to you ? It is a 
 powerful assistance to our propaganda. Our brothers 
 are all firm. Daily the church grows both in mem- 
 bers and in faith. 
 
 "At no arrests have yet been made. Evi- 
 dently the weight of the trouble is resting upon 
 Matamoros and myself. We put our trust in God 
 and in the church of Christ, else our fate would be 
 very sad the galleys. Ours is a state trial. All 
 Spaniards look to England in this crisis, and from 
 England only can we expect any help. Our French 
 friends are powerless in the hands of their govern- 
 ment. . . . Hard labour on roads or canals, or in 
 mines, is the sentence which the law passes on those 
 who are condemned, as we shall be. This is horrible ! 
 
 '* Matamoros will be obliged to go to Malaga, to be 
 
42 LETTER FROM ALHAMA. 
 
 judged there, in the first place; but as that inferior 
 tribunal depends, as you know, upon this one, he will 
 return here to receive his final sentence. Our suit 
 already covers 1000 pages of law papers, and it appears 
 to be only beginning. The indictments will be read 
 separately ; but as we cannot receive different sentences 
 for one offence, they will be considered together, and 
 the maximum punishment which the law permits will 
 be inflicted. The places mentioned in our several 
 indictments are Granada, Barcelona, Malaga, Seville, 
 and Cordova; but in Seville and Cordova there is 
 little or no evidence gainst us. The Seville accusation 
 only rests upon two unimportant letters found upon 
 
 Matanioros, and the address of B . 
 
 "Affectionate remembrances from all the brethren. 
 Ever believe in the inextinguishable love of your 
 brother in Christ, 
 
 "JosE ALHAMA." 
 
 In this letter we see the strong and unwavering- 
 faith of the other patient and untiring witness for 
 Christ. 
 
 March 12th, 1861, Matamoros says: 
 " On the night of the 7th, after our five months' 
 imprisonment, seven police agents entered our cell, 
 and began to search it minutely, but with great rude- 
 ness and harshness of manner and behaviour. We 
 strove to bear this with perfect calmness ; and when 
 they announced to us the object of their visit, we 
 simply replied that it was a matter of complete in- 
 difference to us, and, sitting down, we left them to 
 their work. 
 
THE POLICE SEARCH. 43 
 
 " But this attempt to preserve an outward tran- 
 quility was too much for the strength of two unfor 
 tunate prisoners, already weary with suffering and 
 with guiltless consciences. The impudent rudeness 
 with which they dragged ahout everything we pos- 
 sessed irritated us to such a degree that I energeti- 
 cally reminded them of their duties, and of the respect 
 which is due not only to our misfortune, but also to 
 our position in society, and even to the class of our 
 accusation. 
 
 " After this they behaved at least with less brutal 
 rudeness of language, though their actions continued 
 to be as savage as before. Nothing, I repeat, was 
 respected by them; our persons, our bedding, the 
 sacking of our bedsteads, all were rigorously examined. 
 Nay, they carried the absurdity of the affair to such 
 a pitch as to empty the water in our pitchers and 
 jugs. Indeed, it is difficult to say what they expected 
 to discover they know best themselves. On the 
 table by my bed lay a Bible and a new Testament 
 (the gift of Dr. Tregelles, and which I valued highly 
 on that account), a copy of the four gospels with notes, 
 a few controversial tracts, amongst them 'Andrew 
 Dunn;' all these were seized. I told them very 
 simply and plainly that I was a Protestant, that the 
 study of the law of God as contained in the Word 
 of Life was of the first importance and necessity to me 
 and I besought and entreated them to give me back 
 at least my Bible. But my reasonings, my supplica- 
 tions, and my wishes were equally unavailing. With 
 this holy book, which was our daily study, we have 
 both lost much of our tranquility and calmness." 
 
44 THE BIBLES TAKEN. 
 
 Man may take away their Bibles, but he cannot 
 take away Christ from them. " My sheep shall never 
 perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand." 
 "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor 
 angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
 nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
 from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our 
 Lord." Born. vii. 38, 
 
i>ON FRANCISCO EUET. 45 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DON FRANCISCO RUET. 
 
 THE following notices of the conversion and ordination 
 of Don Francisco Ruet to the Spanish Protestant 
 Church of Gibraltar is extracted from the Home and 
 Foreign Record of the Free Church of Scotland : 
 
 " Gibraltar, October 28th, 1858. 
 
 "An event happened here two days ago, which 
 is altogether new in the history of the Rock, and 
 which is of so interesting a character that I trust you 
 will find a place for it. 
 
 " I refer to the full equipment of a Protestant 
 Spanish Congregation in Gibraltar by the ordination 
 of Senior Don Francisco de Paulo Ruet as their 
 minister by the Free Church Presbytery of the North 
 of Italy. It was the first time a Presbyterian ordina- 
 tion had taken place in the colony, and, in all 
 probability, the first time that such ordination ever 
 was bestowed upon a Spaniard. The congregation 
 present on the occasion, therefore, was a large one, 
 composed both of Englishmen and Spaniards, some of 
 whom were compelled by curiosity, and others >y 
 higher motives. 
 
46 DON FBANCISCO ftTJET. 
 
 " The members of the Presbytery who took part in 
 the service were the Rev. Dr. Stewart, of Leghorn, who 
 preached in English, and after the ordination addressed 
 Senor Ruet on the duties of his office in Italian ; the 
 Rev. A. Sutherland offered up the ordination prayer, 
 and afterwards addressed the congregation on their 
 duties in the Spanish language, and the Rev. David 
 Kay, of Genoa, who, after a few kindly words in Italian 
 to the newly ordained minister, addressed the English 
 portion of the audience. The service was interesting 
 to all, but many of the Spaniards were visibly affected 
 by it. 
 
 " The history of this congregation is a very interesting 
 one. It is wholly composed of Spaniards, either born 
 on the Rock or who have come to reside here, and who 
 are converts from the Church of Rome. 
 
 "The Wesleyans have maintained schools for the 
 instruction of children in Spanish for many years in 
 Gibraltar, and it is possible that the Protestant 
 movement among a certain number of this new con- 
 gregation may be the result of this early training. 
 Mr. Sutherland, after his arrival here, about three years 
 ago, speedily mastered the Spanish language sufficiently 
 to converse with enquirers who came desirous of being 
 instructed in the differences between Popery and 
 Protestantism ; and the first formation of this Spams! 
 congregation is, under God, his work. It already 
 consisted of twenty members, whom he had instructed 
 and admitted to communion when Senor Ruet arrived 
 about two years ago. 
 
 " Senor Ruet's early career had been an eventful one 
 Born at Barcelona, son of an officer of some rank in tht 
 
DON FRANCISCO RUET. 47 
 
 service of the Queen of Spain, he was sent in due 
 time to the Eishop's College in his native city, with 
 the view of becoming an advocate, where he continued 
 for six or seven years. It was during this period that 
 he had his eyes opened to the iniquities of the Romish 
 Church, and probably getting involved in some of the 
 political entanglements of the time, was obliged to fly 
 from Spain. He went to Piedmont and continued to 
 support himself, as best he could, by his own exertions 
 there during eight years. In Turin he was attracted 
 to the Waldensian Church, and became deeply in- 
 terested in the preaching and teaching of Dr. de Sanctis 
 and M. Meille, by means of which his heart was changed, 
 and after being for two years a catechumen in M. Meille's 
 classes he was admitted to the Lord's Supper in the 
 Waldensian Church. When Espartero came to power, 
 the Liberals, who had expatriated themselves from 
 Spain, returned thither again, and Euet among the rest. 
 " He began to harangue the people of Barcelona in 
 one of the public squares of that city, declaring to 
 them that true liberty was to be found in the Gospel 
 alone, and that so long as the Pope remained in power, 
 and shut out the true light, no advance in freedom 
 could ever be made. He was soon arrested at the 
 instance of the priests, and cast into prison, whence, 
 after an imprisonment of nine months, he was banished 
 the country, his passport declaring that he was at 
 liberty to return again as soon as he became reconciled 
 to Holy Mother Church ! That satisfied Mr. Sutherland 
 and other friends, that if he suffered as an evil-doer it 
 was for the truth's sake and not for politics, for he made 
 his way at once to this place. 
 
48 DON FRANCISCO RUET. 
 
 " The Spanish work in Mr. Sutherland's hands had 
 now taken such dimensions that he felt need of 
 assistance, and after careful inquiries, he engaged Mr. 
 Kuet to visit and to address his inquiring countrymen. 
 The wrath of the Roman Bishop here was greatly stirred 
 at such a piece of audacity ; and he had influence enough 
 to enlist some of the employes of the government in 
 the plan of banishing the firebrand, so that it required 
 both prudence and firmness on Mr. Sutherland's part 
 to secure for the exile, for Christ's sake, the asylum 
 which had been freely granted to Spanish political 
 exiles. 
 
 "An appeal to the Governor, Sir James Ferguson, 
 settled the matter. Ruet has been at least for two 
 years an inhabitant of the town, and except on the 
 matter of his religion, no one can bring a complaint 
 against him. 
 
 " As Don Francisco Ruet was the instrument under 
 God of bringing Matamoros to a knowledge of the 
 glorious Gospel of the Grace of God and thus deliver- 
 ing him from the trammels of the Romish superstition, 
 some details of the links in this mysterious chain will 
 be read with interest. I give the story as I heard it, 
 and do not vouch for its complete accuracy, but what 
 was communicated to me was, that a lady at Rome had 
 given a tract to one of the most eloquent preachers of 
 the Vatican, De Sanctis by name, and this treatise was 
 on the importance of studying the Bible to come to an 
 exact knowledge of the will of God and of the plan of 
 Salvation. This tract made a deep impression on the 
 honest mind of De Sanctis, and finally led him to the 
 study of the Book of Books, which, under the guidance 
 
DON FRANCISCO RUET. 49 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, ended in his abjuring the errors of 
 the Church of Eome and embracing the truth as it is in 
 Jesus. De Sanctis went to many places of Italy and 
 also to Turin, where God had now directed the steps of the 
 Spaniard, Don F. Ruet, who was to be brought also into 
 the glorious liberty of the Gospel. He was in due time 
 converted ; returns to Barcelona ; suffers imprisonment 
 for the precious name of Jesus, and finally goes to 
 Gibraltar, where Matamoros was in due time sent by 
 the same spirit, and made the mighty instrument in 
 God's hand of opening the doors of Spain to the incal- 
 culable boon of an open Bible. I had long asked God 
 to send us one man with the true spirit of the early 
 church, and in due time Manuel Matamoros appeared 
 on the scene. 
 
 " God moves in a mysterious way 
 His wonders to perform, 
 He plants His footsteps on the sea 
 And rides upon the storm. 
 
 " Deep in unfathomable mines 
 Of never failing skill, 
 He treasures up his bright designs 
 And works his Sovereign will." 
 
50 LETTER FROM GRANADA. 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 LETTER FROM REFORMED CHURCH AT GRANADA. PRO- 
 CEEDINGS OF FRIENDS IN ENGLAND. 
 
 ABOUT this time we received from the Reformed 
 Church of Granada the following letter: 
 
 " DEAR AND REVERED BRETHREN IN OUR BLESSED KE- 
 DEEMER, JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 " We learn, by letters from Malaga and Barcelona, 
 that our brothers in those towns have, through you, 
 addressed the English public in terms of hearty grati- 
 tude for the support which has been rendered to our 
 persecuted brethren here. 
 
 " We rejoice to hear that the Churches of Malaga 
 and Barcelona have adopted so wise a method of mani- 
 festing their Christian thankfulness to the illustrious 
 deputation which brought the case of our friends before 
 Lord John Eussell. 
 
 " If the sufferings of Don M. Matamoros and Don 
 J. Alhama were not inflicted on account of their 
 evangelical sentiments and their constant oo-operation 
 and eminent services in the Lord's work, we would 
 silently lament over their miserable condition, and pray 
 
LETTER PROM GRANADA. 51 
 
 to the Lord to pardon and defend them. But their 
 crime has been none other than the offence of being 
 Protestants and preachers of the truth; and we seize 
 this opportunity of protesting against the barbarous 
 tyranny which has entombed them for four months in 
 loathsome dungeons, which has associated them with 
 criminals, and which has made them the object of 
 infinite vexations and persecutions. 
 
 " We unite with the Churches of Malaga ana 
 Barcelona in thankfulness to those among you who 
 have lightened the sufferings of our innocent brethren. 
 
 " In Don Jose Alhama we recognize the fervent 
 Christian, the honoured citizen, the unwearied soldier of 
 Christ, who formed and gave existence to this Church, 
 sacrificing, in so doing, not only his worldly interests, 
 but also his precious freedom. 
 
 "In Don M. Matamoros we recognize an equally 
 worthy brother, a zealous fellow-worker and preacher 
 of the gospel in many places, and the founder of the 
 Churches of Malaga and Barcelona; on whose name, as 
 on that of his fellow-prisoner, no shadow of a stain has 
 ever fallen. Yet these are the only accusations which 
 can be brought against these dear friends, and which, 
 in substance, appear in their indictment. Yet, were 
 they simple brothers in Christ, and not distinguished 
 champions doing battle for his name, we would yet 
 raise our voice of thankfulness to you, and our cry of 
 loud protest against the tyranny of our oppressors. 
 
 "We protest, because our religious sentiments are 
 identical with those of our suffering brothers we are 
 Christians. Our rule of faith is the whole Bible, and 
 the Bible alone. We desire to be distinguished by our 
 
52 LETTER FROM GRANADA. 
 
 pure and sincere faith, our love, and our trust in Jesus 
 Christ, our only Advocate and Mediator. And, there- 
 fore, we energetically protest against the Church of 
 Home, which is the greatest and wiliest foe of our 
 Lord. 
 
 "We conclude with an earnest expression of our 
 gratitude to Sir R Peel, whose energy and Christian 
 zeal were the means of greatly alleviating the sufferings 
 of our brethren, releasing Matamoros from the solitude 
 of his confinement by especial recommendation, the 
 jailers rendering the condition of both of these prisoners 
 of Christ less lamentable. 
 
 " It is useless to attempt to express by these few 
 words, our gratitude to you and the other eminent 
 Christians who are praying and watching for the well- 
 being of the sufferers; all Spanish Christians know 
 and venerate these names. 
 
 " Receive, dear English brethren, the expression of 
 our Christian love. May the Divine Spirit dwell with 
 you and yours for ever. 
 
 " Your brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus, 
 " THE PRESIDENT (in prison). 
 
 [Here follow one hundred and sixty signatures. 
 " To Messrs. Newton, Tregelles, and Greene." 
 
 A letter to me from Alhama gives some faint idea of 
 the sorrows of these brethren : 
 
 " MY DEAR SlR, AND BELOVED BROTHER IN CHRIST, 
 
 " "With great joy and hearty gratitude I take up my 
 pen to write you a few lines. I have read the letters 
 
LETTER FROM ALHAMA. 53 
 
 which you have addressed to the worthy Christian sol- 
 dier and brave gospel champion, Don M. Matamoros. 
 I have read in your last letter the passage in which you 
 so kindly wrote of me. Oh, dear brother, your letters 
 strengthen our faith, and give peace and consolation to 
 our spirits. Truly, the conduct of the Pope's Christians 
 and of Christ's Christians is widely different. The 
 Pope's Christians torment us, body and soul; they 
 speak ill of us; they anathematize us; they represent 
 us as the vilest criminals, that the people may hate us; 
 they cast us into filthy dungeons, separating us from 
 our dear families and from our brethren in Christ, 
 thus bringing the former to the verge of destitution, 
 and filling the hearts of the latter with fear and mourn- 
 ing; and all this they do for the honour and glory of 
 God. 
 
 "What! Does the love of the gospel lead men to 
 ruin an honest and honourable family ? Is it to the 
 glory of God to rob innocent children of their father, 
 and deprive them at once of his paternal affection, and 
 of the means of subsistence? Is it in the spirit of the 
 Lord Jesus, who pardoned the adulteress and prayed 
 for his murderers, to cast into dreadful prisons, amidst 
 the lowest felons, those whose only offence is, that 
 they have preached the gospel and taught men to love 
 as brethren, and strive to instruct them in those divine 
 truths which God through his Son Jesus Christ has 
 given to us for our learning, truths which can alone 
 make nations happy and release humanity from its 
 curse 1 ? 
 
 " And the children of the gospel, how do they act 
 They fortify our faith; they wipe our tears; they com- 
 
54 LETTER PROM ALHAMA. 
 
 fort us in our afflictions; our children are their 
 children; they pray for us; they pray for our enemies; 
 and we from our doleful prison daily do the same. 
 Eternal glory be to Jesus Christ glory to his holy 
 gospel glory to those Christians who teach and 
 practise the Word of God, and who unite faith and 
 charity. 
 
 " I thank God for my conversion. I thank Him 
 for having permitted me to read His Holy Word, for 
 having learnt from it to convert hatred into love, to 
 pardon and pity those who do me wrong, and to en- 
 dure with resignation and faith the troubles of this 
 valley of tears. . . 
 
 "Until to-day I hoped that dear M. Matamoros 
 would have been able to answer your kind letter him- 
 self, but the state of his health makes me fear that he 
 may still be some days before he can do so. 
 
 " For the first fortnight of our stay here I trusted 
 that he would be completely restored to health, but, 
 alas ! these hopes have not been realized. 
 
 "The unhealthy condition of our prisons renders 
 his recovery but too doubtful. Nevertheless, I trust 
 in God that he may be spared to us. ... He 
 sends to you and your dear family a thousand kind- 
 nesses. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you 
 all, is what I pray. 
 
 " Your brother in the Lord, 
 
 "JosE ALHAMA." 
 
 It may not be generally known that at the time of 
 the irruption of the barbarians, the Vandals took pos- 
 
PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. 55 
 
 session of the southern portion of Spain. Hence the 
 word Vandalucia, the v having been dropped it 
 remains Andalucia. Matamoros, from his complexion, 
 evidently belongs to the race of the Vandals, whilst 
 Alhama is supposed to be of Moorish origin, sundry 
 circumstances indicating this, and particularly the 
 Arabic prefix to his name, Al, which is found in many 
 Spanish words, and is easily accounted for by the 800 
 years of Moorish rule in Spain. 
 
 The English public were not idle during this reign 
 of terror to Protestants in Spain. Deputations waited 
 on Earl Russell, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The 
 newspapers joined to help, and daily the voice of public 
 sympathy became more audible. Petitions were sent 
 to the Houses of Parliament. Prayer was made, but 
 the Lord's time to deliver had not arrived. His way is 
 not as our way. We are so short-sighted. One of the 
 petitions sent to the House of Commons, after detailing 
 many of the sorrows and persecutions of our brethren, 
 concluded by the following words : 
 
 " That your petitioners are informed that by the law 
 of Spain there is but one religion permitted the 
 Roman Catholic and no other form of worship is 
 tolerated ; and that if any one quit the Roman Catholic 
 Church, he therefore renders himself liable to several 
 years' penal servitude at the galleys. 
 
 " That your petitioners fear that the present severe 
 persecution of Protestants in Spain by the Romish 
 priesthood is likely to exterminate, if possible, the 
 Protestant faith in the land. 
 
 "That as Roman Catholics have in this country full 
 liberty of worship, your petitioners earnestly pray your 
 
56 THE PRESS. 
 
 honourable House to adopt such measures as may seem 
 advisable for the purpose of supporting Her Majesty's 
 Government, by co-operation with other Protestant 
 Powers, or otherwise, in making such a representation 
 as may obtain* from the Spanish Government, by 
 pacific and friendly action, an assurance that such 
 persecutions will be stopped. And your petitioners 
 will ever pray." 
 
 The Morning Post newspaper also had some excel- 
 lent articles, an extract from one of which we tran- 
 scribe : 
 
 " I may add that the health of Matamoros, always 
 delicate, is fast sinking under the rigour of his con- 
 finement 
 
 " As the subject is likely soon to be brought before 
 Parliament, I am anxious, through your columns, to 
 draw the attention of members of both Houses to the 
 facts. I need not inform you that it is a distinct 
 principle of international law that nations may inter- 
 fere on behalf of their co-religionists when severely 
 persecuted. Not that any ask for forcible interven- 
 tion ; but might not the English Government (if their 
 remonstrances are despised) induce other Governments 
 Prussia, Holland, Sweden, Belgium, and probably 
 France to unite with them in the endeavour to 
 induce the Spanish Government to rescind the law 
 which punishes Protestantism as a crime? And might 
 not our consuls and vice-consuls in Spain be instructed 
 to show as much sympathy with those persecuted for 
 Protestantism there, as our consuls in Syria and else- 
 where in the Turkish dominions have been directed 
 to show to the persecuted in those countries? Suppose 
 
SPEECHES IN PARLIAMENT. 57 
 
 that in this country we were to pass a law condemning 
 to the galleys for .eight years every one who professed 
 himself a Roman Catholic, would not all Catholic 
 Christendom be aroused? A convention exists with 
 Spain touching the slave trade ; is a convention with 
 her impossible for the abandonment of that which is 
 virtually the Inquisition? Zeal, earnestness, and 
 pertinacity in reiterating applications and remon- 
 strances often effect great things. 
 
 "It is very probable that Matamoros and Alhama 
 may be worn out with protracted suffering, and die, 
 but it must not be supposed that the question will 
 expire with them. It will revive in a hundred other 
 cases, and we must be prepared to meet it. 
 
 "It has been said, and I believe on the best 
 authority, that the Spanish Government would gladly 
 wash their hands of these persecutions, but they yield 
 at present to the pressure of the priesthood and the 
 Court. If this be so, it is an additional reason for 
 pertinacious effort on our part. I enclose my card, 
 and beg to subscribe myself your obedient servant, 
 
 " Feb. 25th." " ANGLICANUS." 
 
 Speeches were made in Parliament by Sir Robert 
 Peel and Mr. Kinnaird ; but the days of action in 
 favour of God's truth have passed away among our 
 rulers, and of us nationally it may be written, " Thou 
 hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, 
 wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; 
 and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose 
 are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." While all 
 
58 THE PRISON EMPLOYES. 
 
 this want of action and sympathy was seen in our 
 Government, the oppressed continued to groan and 
 sigh, "and their cries have entered into the ears of 
 the Lord of Sabaoth." 
 
 In February, 1861, Matamoros writes, "After the 
 silence of a few days that have appeared years to me, 
 I take up my pen to write to you. My imprison- 
 ment rapidly weakens my strength of body, but there 
 is compensation, for my spirit is strengthened, my 
 faith is assured, and I am passing through the 
 happiest time of my life. It is now a quarter to 
 two o'clock in the morning while I write to you, and 
 I have been obliged to rise from my bed to do so, for 
 during the day it would be impossible; we are much 
 exposed, for there are many treacherous persons 
 watching over us. I am very ill, but no other result 
 could be expected from the effects of many privations 
 and the unhealthiness of the prison on my already 
 feeble constitution. Even men of robust health suffer 
 here. The expense of my correspondence in Spain 
 and abroad is considerable, but besides that, to be 
 allowed to speak with a friend, to receive a visit, to 
 send the most trifling message, or to procure the 
 smallest comfort, all costs money. Such is the 
 morality of the Spanish employes; even in the 
 prisons they live upon the fears of the prisoners; 
 they flourish in the shade of their griefs, and will 
 not grant them the slightest alleviation unless it is 
 paid for with money which their victims may save 
 by depriving themselves of necessaries, or selling the 
 furniture of their houses." 
 In the month of June the following tidings reached us. 
 
THE PETITION OP THE FISCAL. 5iJ 
 
 "Prison of the 'Audiencia,' Granada, June 11, 1861. 
 
 " RESPECTED AND DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD, OUR 
 
 HOPE, TRUST, AND ONLY JOY, 
 
 "Three days ago I completed eight months of my sad 
 and dismal imprisonment, and to-day at length I hear 
 that my case is to be tried. 
 
 "The petition of the 'Promoter Fiscal' has been 
 notified to us. I gave you, some time ago, some 
 account of this man. He asks for nine years at the 
 galleys for us three who are imprisoned at Granada, 
 and four years at the galleys for those who were let 
 out on bail, and who are now here for their trial, 
 whose number is about ten. Advocates have been 
 chosen for us; three from among the most eminent 
 of Granada, as follows : For Alhama, Don Antonio 
 Moreno Dias; for Don Manuel Trigo, Don Mariano 
 Lederma; and for me, Don Juan Rodriguez de la 
 Escalera. The case will be defended by them this 
 week before the inferior tribunal. 
 
 "I will send you, dear brother, a copy of the 
 sentence, and the defence of our advocates, and any 
 farther facts worthy of notice. Believe me that these 
 things do not alarm me in the least. Absolutely in 
 no wise has it changed, nor can it change the com- 
 plete tranquility that I enjoy, both in my spirit and 
 in my conscience as a Christian. I despise the rigour 
 of the tyrant; and the physical sufferings I am under- 
 going are impotent in causing me to vacillate for a 
 single moment. 
 
 "No, a thousand times no! My life has been 
 but a chain of sorrow, entwined with thorns which have 
 lacerated my heart; but our sufferings for the cause 
 
60 LETTERS INTERCEPTED. 
 
 of the gospel are and ever shall be an eternal satis- 
 faction to us. I am not shaken, nor shall I be. I 
 live happy under continual suffering; and this happi- 
 ness is mine by faith in Christ, who I ask to pardon 
 my enemies. Good-bye for the present, dear brother ; 
 I cannot now write more; but let me remind you that 
 your unwonted silence, and the remembrance of my 
 dear mother, are the only things that make me a 
 ittle sad. Yours ever in Christ, 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 Six of Matamoros' letters had been intercepted, 
 which caused us great anxiety about him; and not 
 until the latter end of June did we know any details, 
 when the letter explaining the delay was received. 
 
 "Prison, Granada,, June 15, 1861. 
 " VERY DEARLY-LOVED AND RESPECTED BBOTHER, 
 
 "I have never experienced more difficulty in con- 
 veying to you my sentiments of love and gratitude 
 than I do at present. I have never rejoiced more 
 fervently at the receipt of your letter than I did when 
 your last was delivered to me; for, for six weeks I 
 had not heard from you, though I have written to 
 you six times. And what a miserable time has this 
 been ! These last six weeks have been full of suffer- 
 ings to me. Annoyances, many and various, have 
 tormented my enfeebled frame. My life is one of per- 
 
LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 61 
 
 petual agitation. It is like a tempest which threatens 
 my existence, as a little boat tossed on the breakers 
 would be imperilled by a storm. My constitution is 
 failing under the weight of these repeated blows. 
 But with all this I receive the most powerful assist- 
 ance, the most precious help, which leads me to a 
 haven of salvation; which converts grief into joy; 
 suffering into peace; and changes all that is gloomy 
 into all that is bright. My invariable faith in the 
 Lord, our dear Redeemer, does this for me. 
 
 "But life has its necessities, and one of the chief 
 to me at present is to receive your letters and those 
 of Mrs. Tregelles; and during this unfortunate time 
 I have not received her letters either. Consider my 
 condition and you will pity and pardon me. 
 
 "Your letter of the 4th has made me uneasy 
 concerning mine to you. You say you have not 
 heard from me since a certain date, and I have 
 written six times to you without receiving any answer. 
 Oh, may God touch the hearts of our enemies, and if 
 the letters have fallen into their hands 
 
 "I pass on to another point which will give you 
 and your family much sadness of heart. The punish- 
 ment which has been awarded to us was officially 
 announced to us on the 13th. Alhama, Trigo, and 
 myself are to be condemned to eighteen years' punish- 
 ment: nine at the galleys, and nine more under the 
 constant vigilance of the civil authorities. Besides 
 this, we are to be declared for ever incapable of hold- 
 ing any office or political position, and also of teaching 
 or instructing. This is horrible, inquisitorial, and 
 inhuman. 
 
62 LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 "Of this nine years of convict labour I need say 
 nothing. You can fancy what they will be in Spain. 
 But the other nine of surveillance are also very severe 
 and trying. "We shall be obliged to present ourselves 
 once or twice daily to the authorities. "We shall not 
 be allowed to leave the town in which we sojourn ; 
 but in case we should do so, we shall be obliged to 
 travel by a route which shall be appointed for us, and 
 also to have a note of infamy upon our passports. If 
 we fail in any of these points the remainder of our 
 sentence must be fulfilled at the hulks. 
 
 "Nine of our brethren are sentenced to seven 
 years of the galleys, and D. N. K to four. In all, 
 twenty-one brethren are involved in this affair in 
 Granada alone; and, with the exception of a few 
 against whom the charges were not proved, are all 
 doomed by the tyranny under which we groan to a 
 dark and disastrous future. "We read calmly the 
 sentence of the Fiscal which imposes so barbarous a 
 punishment upon us, and it should be made known 
 throughout Europe as a specimen of the tyrannical 
 spirit which influences the Spanish laws, and their 
 inquisitorial rage against those Protestants who desire 
 to propagate their faith. 
 
 "This sanguinary document is yet a curiosity, and 
 is worthy of all our pity. It is a document written 
 by a Eoman Catholic to demand the punishment of 
 men who are children of God, but are Protestants. 
 This is sufficient to give you an idea of its form and 
 its spirit. It is specially severe upon me. I am 
 considered as a criminal of the first magnitude, and 
 of a deeper dye than any of the rest. I am repeatedly 
 
LETTER PROM MATAMOROS. 63 
 
 called the chief of the organization, the instigator 
 and director of all the rest. I am declared responsible 
 for the crime of forming the churches of Malaga and 
 Barcelona, and guilty also of evangelizing in these 
 and other parts of Spain; and this, as well as my 
 declaration of faith before the tribunal, demands a 
 severe and heavy punishment. 
 
 " Amongst other little things, it is remarked in this 
 document that my imprisonment has not answered 
 the purpose of converting me; but that I have con- 
 stantly been striving to propagate my heresies even 
 in prison. In fact, nothing that could prejudice the 
 supreme tribunal against me, or compass my total 
 ruin, has been forgotten. But with all this, one point 
 is very remarkable : the Fiscal confesses distinctly 
 that this Protestant organization may one day change 
 the religion of Spain. What a confession ! And if 
 it is true, how can they say that their religion is the 
 true one ? and if it is the true one, why do they fear 
 and persecute the Protestants so much ? 
 
 "Our dear Alhama is accused of various crimes; 
 
 the chief of them being, the having assisted A 
 
 in his escape; being president of the Granada com- 
 mittee, and, therefore, responsible for all its doings. 
 His sentence will be the same as mine, as the accom- 
 plice of a crime is as guilty as the perpetrator ; and, 
 besides, other heavy charges are laid against him. 
 
 "The Fiscal has been completely and deeply to 
 blame in his accusations against Don Miguel Trigo. 
 Every one of the charges against him is unjust and 
 inspired by revenge. The Fiscal has been for years 
 a personal enemy of Trigo, and has now an oppor- 
 
64 THE 
 
 tunity of exhibiting and satisfying his vengeance; 
 for although several of the lawyers believe that the 
 superior court will release him, in the meantime he 
 will have to endure the sufferings and pain of cap- 
 tivity. I would dwell at greater length upon these 
 points, but that I purpose sending you a copy of the 
 sentence in the course of a few days. It consists 
 of twenty pages of MSS. 
 
 "The more liberal portions of the press, though 
 themselves Roman Catholics, are horrified at the 
 severity of the sentence, The Clamor Publico is 
 taking an attitude which is worthy at least of the 
 century in which we live, and touches upon this dis- 
 graceful affair in a few eloquent passages, which have 
 been copied by other newspapers. 
 
 "But, dear friend, though I am sure this letter 
 will make you grieve, yet you will see in all this 
 matter the hand of Providence, which has determined 
 that Roman Catholicism should throw this dark stain 
 upon her name, to prove once more how different is 
 her teaching from that of Him who would not permit 
 Peter to strike His enemies; who healed the wound 
 which His disciple made ; and whose last words were 
 to ask for the pardon of those who had shed His 
 blood, and given Him gall to drink; and whose 
 whole life taught humility, gentleness, charity, and 
 fraternal love. 
 
 "Be fully persuaded, however, that courage, re- 
 signation, and tranquility have not failed me, do not 
 fail me now, and never will, to bear with Christian 
 resignation whatever afflictions weigh down my weak- 
 ened frame. Neither in prison, nor before the execu- 
 
ALTTAMA'S snor ROBBED. 65 
 
 tioner, will I ever retract; wherever I find myself, 
 there they shall see me tranquil and rejoicing ; there 
 they shall see me disposed to confess my faith in 
 the Lord, and to protest against the Church of Rome, 
 his implacable enemy. 
 
 " Our beloved Alhama has suffered from a robbery 
 of goods in his establishment to the value of 1000 
 reals, or <! 0, through a person in charge there. The 
 replacing of these goods has cost him more than the 
 value of the lost ones, that he had bought on favourable 
 terms from another workman. This, added to the 
 great wants of a numerous family, of which he is the 
 only support, to the supplying of rich goods for the 
 season, and to the wants that are produced from 
 day to day by the prolongation of an eight months' 
 imprisonment, has caused that the sums received by 
 him have not covered his necessities. Besides this, 
 Seiior Alhama has not omitted, as far as his means 
 would allow, to assist Trigo and other unfortunate 
 brethren, who, having been taken prisoners with him, 
 are now in want, and some donations for Malaga, the 
 total sum of which, since the month of March, 
 amounts to some 600 reals, or 6. 
 
 " I say nothing of the content which your sympathy 
 has produced, and the love shown in your desire 
 to see me, because my unworthy pen is too weak 
 to do so; but, suffice it to say, that you make mo 
 happy with such significant proofs of Christian love. 
 I do not think we shall be allowed out for a long 
 walk. However, if you settle upon your journey, 
 I think perhaps it would be more opportune, and 
 
 of greater interest to you to do so, in time to hear 
 P 
 
66 MATAMOROS' LETTER. 
 
 the final sentence, when the defences are made in 
 public, when our crime, and the reason of our punish- 
 ment is shown, and I think this would be impor- 
 tant 
 
 " I think the final sentence will come on towards 
 the end of the year ; the circumstance of the birth of 
 the new Infanta would be now very favourable for 
 the ambassador to do much. Do you know if he has 
 done anything? 
 
 " I shall receive the pictures to-morrow by the 
 diligence, and I await with impatience for this great 
 pleasure ; I send you a thousand, thousand thanks for 
 your generous condescension. Alhama feels equally 
 grateful, and also sends you repeated thanks. 
 
 " Count always upon the eternal affection and grati- 
 tude of your unworthy brother in the Lord, 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS. 
 
 " Alhama participates in the same eternal gratitude 
 with me, gives you thanks for all, and offers his re- 
 spects to your family." 
 
 "Prison of the ( Audiencia,' Granada, June 22, 1861. 
 
 " MOST BELOVED BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 " The pictures are in our hands ! Oh, with what 
 anxiety I opened the envelope that contained them ! 
 How much I desired to see your likeness, whom I do 
 not know, as I know the greatness of your heart ! My 
 eager gaze has been fixed upon it a thousand times ; 
 . . . . They are hung up on the strong wall of 
 my prison, over the table at which I am now writing, 
 and I fix my eyes on them every moment ; and those 
 
EFFECT OF FIRST SENTENCE. 67 
 
 sacred remembrances console me so much, J;hey are a 
 soothing balm to my tried spirit. 
 
 " But in what an opportune occasion your edifying 
 letter reached me. This morning dawned upon a 
 fatal day for me -one of those days that take away 
 years of lifea day of extreme trial. The Fiscal's 
 petition, . in which nine years of imprisonment and 
 other penalties of an afflictive and disgraceful character, 
 were demanded against me, has traversed Spain like 
 an electric shock. I had wished that my dear mother 
 and the poor prisoners in Malaga had not heard of it ; 
 it will rend their sorrowing hearts ; however, the press 
 has taken upon itself to cross my desires, and has 
 carried this news to the remotest corner of the Penin- 
 sula. But with what anguish to me ! 
 
 "I have received various letters from Barcelona, 
 Malaga, and other places, full of tender grief; but, 
 alas ! a dear friend in Barcelona has overcome me. 
 He tells me my dearest mother is inconsolable, that 
 she has almost lost her reason ! My God, my God, 
 shelter her, as Thou dost shelter me, giving me strength 
 to be able to endure ! . . . 
 
 " Two of the prisoners of Malaga have fallen sick in 
 their wretched dungeons. My poor brothers ! This is 
 my situation to-day, think on it, and pity me. I do 
 not suffer on my own account; no, I suffer in thinking 
 that the beings I love most suffer ; I suffer in thinking 
 that they perhaps believe that I suffer, when, on the 
 contrary, this epoch (that others, perhaps, may think 
 sad) is to me the happiest epoch in my life. 
 
 " I feel my physical strength weakening under 
 nature's hard laws, but my moral being grows ever 
 
68 
 
 CONSTANCY 
 
 more robust, ever more firm ; yes, more firm, because 
 there are no chains in the world, no sufferings sufficient, 
 no torments capable of making me draw back. All the 
 earthly power of the Church of Kome, with its stakes 
 and scaffolds, would not be sufficient ever to intimidate 
 this poor prisoner, the most unworthy of 'all the Spanish 
 Christians. 
 
 " I know what I owe to my beloved Jesus, I know 
 what I owe to his holy and immortal church, and that 
 which I owe to myself, so as not to appear timid before 
 the horrible torments of tyrants. What are their 
 rigours to me1 Nothing, nothing. I only hold as 
 supremely important that which is acceptable in the 
 eyes of God. It is true that I suffer, knowing that 
 my brethren in the faith, and my virtuous and incom- 
 parable mother suffers ; but this grief is produced by 
 sincere Christian affection ; it is the natural feeling of 
 a son who loves a mother to whom he owes tender 
 affection and care; but it is not the suffering of my 
 distressful situation, which I would not exchange for 
 the felicity of Pius IX. 
 
 " The translation of the notable discourse of Sii 
 Eobert Peel has been published in a Spanish news- 
 paper. I pray you to tell him 'in my humble name 
 that I offer him my sincere thanks for his noble, 
 worthy, and magnanimous efforts; poor Spain owes 
 him much, much, beloved brother, and our gratitude 
 towards such an eloquent orator is engraved in the 
 depth of our hearts. 
 
 "To the excellent Mr. Newton, offer in my humble 
 name my respects; tell him, also, of my eternal grati- 
 tude, my warm Christian love ; and assure him in the 
 
MEETING IN LONDON. 69 
 
 most positive manner of my constancy, my unvarying 
 desire of sacrificing even my life, if necessary, for the 
 cause of the gospel, and of my perfect tranquility in the 
 midst of so many sad and repeated blows. 
 
 " I received yesterday a notable, expressive, and 
 most eloquent letter, signed by different amiable and 
 charitable brothers and sisters in Dublin. My state 
 of health and my occupations prevent me from answer- 
 ing it immediately; however, perhaps I may be able to 
 do so to-morrow. 
 
 " The blessing of the Lord be with you constantly, 
 and with all your family. Alhama, who participates 
 in equal gratitude and love towards you, begs me to 
 assure you of it in the warmest manner. 
 
 " Your brother in the Lord, 
 
 " MANUEL MATAMOBOS." 
 
 A short time before the reception of the above, a 
 meeting had been convened at St. James's Hall, Lon- 
 don, presided over by Lord Shaftesbury, and attended 
 by a highly influential and respectable audience. On 
 this occasion Sir E. Peel made a long and powerful 
 speech, bringing before the public the horrors that 
 these Spanish Protestants were obliged to suffer. After 
 introducing the subject at some length, he continued 
 by saying : 
 
 " What have these violent persecutions cost Spain 
 in the past? What lost Spain the Indies? Its miser- 
 able persecutions. What lost Spain the Netherlands ? 
 Mr. Motley, in his charming work, recently published, 
 says : ( The great cause of the revolt which in a few 
 years was to break out through the Netherlands, was 
 
70 SIR ROBERT PEEI/S SPEECH. 
 
 the introduction of the Inquisition, and the persecution 
 which Philip of Spain, in 1561, had arranged for ex- 
 terminating that religious belief, which was already 
 accepted by a large portion of the Netherland subjects.' 
 Let Spain take care that its intolerance even now, in 
 these days of revolution, be not pushed too far. When 
 Matamoros was at Barcelona, he was dragged to Malaga, 
 and from Malaga to the dungeons at Granada. I, in 
 company with two ladies, travelled with him into the 
 mountains of Granada to the prison cell of that town. 
 I learned to admire his simple piety ; and I and the 
 ladies with me were determined to use every effort, 
 although we were strangers, to ameliorate his condition. 
 Now let me read you one or two extracts from letters 
 written by these men, Alhama and Matamoros, by 
 which you can judge whether they are suffering be- 
 cause they are excited Socialists or because of their 
 religious belief. Matamoros says, in one of his 
 letters : 
 
 " 'The tribunals in this place are acting in a satanic 
 and inquisitorial manner with us; my physicial powers 
 are rapidly sinking, and the thread of my life appears 
 nearly spun out. The dampness of these prisons is 
 killing me; but every step I take towards the tomb 
 strengthens my faith.' 
 
 "Is that the language of a Socialist or apolitical 
 agitator? I have here a letter from Alhama, which is 
 still more touching: 
 
 <" Yes, I suffer very, very deeply. You will imagine 
 all if I tell you a little. They are constantly trying to 
 make my poor wife ashamed of her husband. 
 
 " 'I suffer with patience all that is hardest in our 
 
ALHAMA'S LETTER. 71 
 
 undeserved captivity. Be firm; grow in faith; we put 
 our trust in Gi-od.' 
 
 " I will read one other extract: 
 
 " * Of our misfortunes and sufferings here in prison I 
 will say nothing. The cruelty they practise upon us, 
 the extreme severity they treat us with, is almost with- 
 out an example in the annals of tyranny. The jailers 
 have received strict orders not to allow us to speak in 
 the prison. The governor calls us heretics. The other 
 prisoners frequently wish to speak to us, but they are 
 told to pass by. Formerly we were allowed to see our 
 friends, and my patient Alhama was permitted to see 
 his mother, and wife, and children. All the prisoners 
 still have this liberty, be they even robbers or assassins; 
 but we are allowed nothing, and are not permitted to 
 speak to any one. I aske^d to walk a little while when 
 the sun was shining, and was refused. The jailer said 
 he had strict injunctions to use all rigour towards me. 
 Indeed, were I to write many pages, and to use the 
 strongest language, I could not explain all that I am 
 suffering.' 
 
 " I ask, is not that the language of a martyr 1 Mata- 
 moros has heard that the government pretends that 
 they are Socialists, and this is the way he answers the 
 charge: ' Our cause has nothing of a political nature; 
 it is completely separated from every political and 
 worldly movement; it is the holy cause of the gospel.' 
 That is the answer, that upon this platform, in the 
 presence of a thousand free Englishmen, I give to the 
 Government of Spain when they dare to taunt these 
 people with being imprisoned for their connection with 
 secret societies. I have seen these men in prison with 
 
72 SIR ROBERT PEEI/S SPEECH. 
 
 my own eyes. Their cell was no larger than that table. 
 I paced it in three steps. They had no light no table; 
 everything was denied them. Do you recollect Byron's 
 description of the prisoners of Chillon 1 One of them 
 is dead, another is chained to a pillar, and the third is 
 dying. The description conveys to my mind what I 
 should imagine to be the feelings of these men. The 
 man chained to the pillar says of the other one : 
 
 " ' He, too, was struck, and, day by day, 
 Was withered on the stalk away. 
 Oh, God ! it is a fearful thing 
 To see the human soul take wing, 
 In any shape, in any mood : 
 I've seen it rushing forth in blood, 
 I've seen it on the breaking ocean 
 Strive with a swoln convulsive motion, 
 I've seen the sick and ghastly bed 
 Of sin delirious with its dread : 
 But these were horrors this was woe 
 Unmixed with such but sure and slow ; 
 He faded, and so calm and meek, 
 So softly worn, so sweetly weak, 
 So tearless, yet so tender kind, 
 And grieved for those he left behind : 
 With all the while a cheek, whose bloom 
 Was as the mockery r/f the tomb.' 
 
 " That is what I saw in the dungeon of Granada. I 
 have seen in my own experience the terrors of the 
 ' heaving ocean.' I have been with four other men 
 upon a plank in the mid ocean, the sole survivors from 
 a terrible shipwreck. I have seen men, one by one, 
 perish at my side, but it did not move me: I awaited 
 my destiny. It was horrible, but it was not woe. I 
 
73 
 
 have seen the battle-field of the defeated: it was 
 horrible, but it was not woe. I have seen the prisoner 
 expiating his offence, and receiving his last sentence 
 for his defiance of the laws of God and man : it was 
 horrible, but it did not affect me. But I have seen the 
 prisoners in the dungeon at Granada, and I admit that 
 I felt, perhaps as many of you have felt often, or, it 
 may be, only once in your life felt 
 
 " 'What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.' 
 
 " Would to God that any words of mine could re- 
 move one iota of the burden that presses down these 
 poor fellows in Granada 1 But they shall be relieved. 
 We have a patriot minister who knows how to interpret 
 the feelings of his countrymen, and he will be prepared 
 to carry out the desire not only of the metropolis, but 
 of every province of this empire, that Her Majesty's 
 Government should take some step in the matter. 
 We do not ask to go to war with Spain. The fower 
 of this country does not depend upon earthworks 
 and barricades, and lines of defence. The power of 
 this country is in the exercise of its moral influence. 
 It was so in the time of Queen Elizabeth. For twenty 
 years she never fired a gun, and yet England had then 
 a character and prestige in Europe. Never was this 
 country so much respected abroad, as in the time of 
 Cromwell. Why was it ? Not because of sanguinary 
 wars, but because Cromwell knew how to maintain the 
 character and prestige of his country amid the nations 
 of Europe. So shall it be now. We ask that the 
 moral influence of this country, as a friendly power, 
 may be exerted in alleviating the sufferings and calami- 
 
ties which have befallen these poor Christians in Spain, 
 whose doctrines are not those of a mere sect, but the 
 doctrines of many millions in this country and in 
 Europe. The resolution I have the honour to move 
 will, I am sure, meet with the assent of every man and 
 woman in this assembly, and will receive the support 
 of public opinion not only here, but throughout 
 Europe. For, by the friendly sympathy of a free press, 
 which is the worst enemy of oppression, the sentiments 
 we here express will be carried far beyond these walls, 
 and will animate the hearts of many in Sweden, and 
 France, and Germany, and I believe in Spain itself. 
 We would have them know, that as our institutions 
 secure unlimited liberty to every class of professing 
 Christians, so they give us an indisputable right to 
 intercede with other nations in favour of our fellow- 
 Christians who are suffering not for their political, 
 but for their religious opinions a persecution which 
 is not only an insult to Europe, and an outrage to the 
 spirit of the age in which we live, but which to my 
 mind is totally incompatible with the mild and charit- 
 able principles of Christianity." 
 
 The sympathy evinced by Sir R Peel at the time 
 of the imprisonment of Matarmoros, his great exer- 
 tions since, and many things that have come under 
 my notice, impel me to bid him God speed, and to de- 
 sire, as I do most heartily, that as by God's providence 
 he has been chosen in the first instance as the instru- 
 ment of advocating the cause of our persecuted 
 Spanish friends, he may never dismiss this matter 
 from his thoughts until he sees an end put to this 
 persecution in the deliverance- of the captives, and in 
 
WIDE-SPREAD SYMPATHY. 75 
 
 the proclamation of religious liberty in priestridden 
 Spain 
 
 But it was not only in the palaces of our nobility 
 that the story of the Spanish sufferers had become 
 a matter of deep interest. It had already been 
 rehearsed again and again in all the length and 
 breadth of Great Britain, and over the continent of 
 Europe; on the banks of the Ganges and in the 
 United States; and better and higher still, we love to 
 think that the sorrowful sighing of the prisoner has 
 come into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. In all their 
 afflictions Re is afflicted. He has heard their cry, and 
 will help them. 
 
 But simple imprisonment was not sufficient punish- 
 ment in the eyes of the enraged ecclesiastics of Spain 
 for those who had dared to preach the truth in the midst 
 of the classic land of superstition. A more bitter 
 cup was still their lot, as will be seen in the sequel. 
 But in the midst of these deep waters, God was day 
 by day adding to the number of the ministering 
 children, who ministered to the afflicted of their 
 substance, and words of sweetest consolation. Among 
 these may be mentioned the Eev. B. W. Newton, of 
 London; Dr. and Mrs. Tregelles, of Plymouth; Geo. 
 Miiller, of Bristol; and the Eev. E. Govett, of Nor- 
 wich, to say nothing of a host of others whose un- 
 tiring and prayerful sympathy has been invaluable. 
 The Eev. Mr. Dallas and Mr. Eade went from the 
 Geneva Conference to pay them a visit in prison. 
 General Alexander went out at the instance of the 
 Evangelical Alliance, with a mission to General 
 O'Donell, the Spanish Prime Minister at Madrid, 
 
76 PRACTICAL EFFECTS. 
 
 but in spite of all his remonstrances, the bars and 
 the bolts still firmly secured their persons. A sum 
 of nearly 1000 went from this country to pay for 
 the heavy law expenses, and for the support of the 
 numerous families of the imprisoned in Malaga, 
 Granada, and Seville; this money, laid up in heaven, 
 bears good interest here in showers of blessing, and 
 those who thus use their substance shall find that 
 when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, they shall re- 
 ceive a crown of glory which fadeth not away. "In- 
 asmuch as ye have done it to the least of these, my 
 brethren, ye have done it unto me" In the midst of 
 all these persecutions we see a better day in store for 
 Spain, in answer to the prayers of these sufferers. 
 Before Germany was made free, Luther had to be 
 bound; before England enjoyed an open Bible, Cran- 
 mer must suffer; before France enjoyed the same, 
 centuries of sorrow were the forerunners. The Madiai 
 in Italy were heralds of blessing for their land, but 
 they must submit to the will of the Lord first in 
 bonds, and shall we say that the same laws do not 
 apply to Spain. Away with the thought. "They 
 that sow in tears shall reap in joy," He has said who 
 cannot lie; and we will wait on Him for the fulfilment 
 of the word. 
 
A DIABOLICAL SCHEME, 77 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 
 
 OWING to the interception of six letters from Mata- 
 moros, already mentioned, many of the facts connected 
 with the diabolical scheme concocted at Granada, to 
 inculpate him in the political insurrection at Loja, 
 would not have appeared in the present work were it 
 not for the recent publication of a brochure by Messrs. 
 Nisbet, from which I give the account of this infa- 
 mous tragedy: "In the beginning of July, 1861, an 
 insurrection broke out at Loja, a quiet little town 
 situate between Granada and Malaga. Nine thousand 
 men, displaying a republican standard, and proclaim- 
 ing democratic principles, appeared in arms. At a 
 given moment they destroyed the telegraph, inter- 
 cepted the post, and cut off all communication 
 with Granada, and the rest of the chief cities of 
 Spain. 
 
 " When first intelligence of these things reached 
 Granada, public opinion was unanimous in attri- 
 buting the movement to purely political motives, 
 but the enemies of Protestantism in Granada, taking 
 advantage of the surprise and excitement of the 
 
78 THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 
 
 public mind, wrote immediately to the government 
 papers at Madrid, affirming that the insurrection, 
 besides being republican in its character, bore evident 
 marks of a Protestant origin, the rebels having 
 raised the cry, 'Death to the Pope.' The public 
 feeling being very much opposed to this sudden and 
 unexpected outbreak, the reports industriously spread 
 of its having originated with the Protestant party, 
 affected most injuriously the cause of the prisoners, 
 which was beginning to be regarded with interest and 
 favour by the more enlightened portion of the public. 
 Availing themselves of the panic produced, the 
 enemies of Matamoros resolved, if possible, to incri- 
 minate him and his fellow-prisoners. For this pur- 
 pose the authorities had recourse to a wretched con- 
 vict, condemned for robbery to seven years at the 
 galleys, to whom they promised liberty and 8000 reals, 
 if he would supply information against the Protestant 
 prisoners. This man, fetched back for the purpose 
 from the galleys, was employed to carry food and 
 water to the cells of Matamoros and Alhama. Whilst 
 thus engaged he contrived to steal a letter written 
 by, and others addressed to, Matamoros, all of which he 
 carried to the authorities. These letters were purely 
 of a religious character, and contained no allusion to 
 politics, yet they were used as a pretext for action. 
 
 "Early on the next day, July 8th, Matamoros was 
 roused from his bed and hurried off to a most loath- 
 some dungeon. Alhama, too, and Trigo were re- 
 moved from the cells they were occupying, and 
 placed 'incomunicados.' At the same time the go- 
 vernor of the prison and ordinary officials were sus- 
 
THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 79 
 
 pended, made prisoners, and shut up; new officials 
 being appointed by the military fiscal, who was one 
 of the most bitter enemies of the Protestants. These 
 officials were to exert themselves to find among the 
 prisoners some who, on a promise of a free pardon, 
 would come forward as witnesses against Matamoros 
 and the Protestants. But to return to Matamoros. 
 He, as has been already said, was hurried off to a 
 loathsome den, without daylight or air, where the 
 filthiness and stench, together with the distress and 
 anxiety of his mind (for he knew not of what he was 
 accused), so affected him that he fell ill of violent 
 fever. 
 
 " For three days he struggled on, but on the night 
 of the 13th of July he was so ill, that he begged for 
 medical aid; it was refused; he asked for medicine, 
 that also was denied him. For eight days he lay there 
 unable to rise, but at last, through God's mercy, the 
 fever abated, on the thirteenth day of his imprison- 
 ment in this place. On July 25th, at five o'clock in 
 the morning, he was dragged out to be examined by a 
 military commission. He was eleven hours under 
 examination, and for the first time, by the question? 
 put to him, he discovered of what he was accused. 
 
 " The accusations against him were : 
 
 "I. That he had, in his prison, projected and 
 planned the insurrection at Loja, and that the leader 
 of the insurrection had visited and held a conference 
 with him in the prison. 
 
 "II. That he had furnished the insurgents with 
 large sums of money. 
 
 "Ill, That he had intended to put himself at 
 
80 THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 
 
 the head of the insurrection in Granada, and to have 
 given liberty to the prisoners, with the cry of ' Death 
 to the Pope.' 
 
 " IV. That in order to effect all this, he had bribed 
 the former governor with the sum of 30,000 reals 
 (X300), and had likewise suborned the rest of the 
 officials. 
 
 "V. That two persons who had visited Alhama 
 on the 6th and 7th of July were conspirators. That 
 one of them had an interview with Matamoros, in 
 order to arrange with him what cries should be raised 
 in the revolution, and that the other had brought to 
 him large sums of money. 
 
 "The means resorted to for obtaining evidence in 
 support of these charges may be judged of from the 
 following incidents : 
 
 " On one occasion, the convict aforementioned, 
 who had been appointed to attend upon Matamoros, 
 came to his cell, accompanied by the newly-appointed 
 deputy-governor. The man told Matamoros that it 
 was to the deputy-governor he owed the privilege of 
 being visited, and that he deserved some acknow- 
 ledgment. Matamoros accordingly gave him a gra- 
 tuity. The deputy-governor went immediately to 
 the fiscal, whose agent he was, showed him the 
 money, and declared that it was given him by Mata- 
 moros as a bribe to silence him, as well as to secure 
 through him the silence of certain criminals whose 
 evidence he feared. 
 
 "These wretches, having been previously instructed, 
 when called upon by the deputy-governor, immedi- 
 ately corroborated the accusation. At another time, 
 
THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 81 
 
 Matamoros, being in need of some food and some 
 cooling drink, employed his convict attendant to 
 purchase it, giving him some money for the purpose, 
 and a few reals additional as a recompense for the 
 service. The man, who was employed as an informer 
 and spy, carried the money to the fiscal, and declared 
 that Matamoros had given it as a bribe to prevent 
 his coming forward as a witness against him. 
 
 "On another occasion, this same man stole a hand- 
 kerchief from Matamoros, and carrying it to Alhama's 
 wife in token that he had been sent by Matamoros, 
 asked for the letters and manuscripts that Matamoros 
 had committed to her care. She replied that she had 
 none, that Matamoros had not committed any letters 
 to her care. The man, disappointed in his scheme, 
 went nevertheless to the fiscal, declared that she had 
 the papers and would not give them up, and suc- 
 ceeded in obtaining her arrest and imprisonment, 
 is well as the imprisonment of Alhama's aged mother. 
 
 " Some difficulty being apprehended in consequence 
 of the agreement of Alhama's declaration with that 
 of Matamoros, the following means were adopted to 
 destroy the value of this accordance. Alhama's cell 
 was under that of Matamoros, but had no communi- 
 cation with it. One night the deputy-governor came 
 to the cell of Matamoros, and caused a small aperture 
 to be made through the floor into Alhama's room 
 below, then went to the military fiscal, and reported 
 that there were means of communication between the 
 cells. While these things were taking place, the 
 leader of the insurrection at Loja was yet at large. 
 A prisoner named E came forward and declared 
 
82 THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 
 
 that he had not only seen the chief of the insurrection 
 conversing with Matamoros before the rising at Loja, 
 but that since that event he had again seen him 
 talking with Matanioros through one of the windows 
 of the prison. 
 
 "When called on to describe the rebel chief, he 
 gave a description which agreed closely with that 
 which had been published in the newspapers. There 
 
 was also in the prison a parish priest named E 
 
 S , imprisoned for various robberies and crimes of 
 
 a disgraceful nature. This priest being cited by 
 
 E in his declaration, came forward, and not only 
 
 corroborated what E had said, but added fresh 
 
 charges. They accused Matamoros of having endea- 
 voured to induce the prisoners to rebel against the 
 military fiscal and governor of the prison. Twenty 
 prisoners were called forward, who, to the consterna- 
 tion of Matamoros, all confirmed the testimony of 
 
 E and the priest, one man showing the money 
 
 which he declared Matamoros had given him. But 
 the good providence of God was watching over 
 Matamoros. The cause was not decided by the 
 military tribunal, it was passed on to the civil court. 
 There the chief evidence, the person on whom the 
 enemies of Matamoros chiefly rested, turned against 
 
 them. E , conscience-striken and repentant, 
 
 after making two attempts at his life, made solemn 
 recantation before the civil tribunal of all that he had 
 said against Matamoros, and gave a clear and explicit 
 narration of all that had been carried on against him 
 in the prison, and told of the bribes and instructions 
 given by the military fiscal and his agents. It scarcely 
 
THE LOJA TRAGEDY. 83 
 
 need be said that the result was the triumphant ac- 
 quittal of Matamoros and the Protestant prisoners. 
 The military fiscal, who, before the unexpected failure 
 of the cause had been rewarded (somewhat prema- 
 turely) with promotion, was now disgraced and 
 sent away from Granada. Here, then, there was an 
 opportunity for the government of Spain to have 
 come forward and recompensed Matamoros for his 
 unmerited suffering by frankly abandoning the reli- 
 gious charge. Their agents had conspired against 
 his life. If the political charge had been established, 
 he would no doubt have been put to death. But the 
 government whose agents had woven around him that 
 complicated web of falsehood, felt no shame, no con- 
 trition. They in no respect recognized themselves 
 his debtors. His reward was continued imprison- 
 ment, and in prospect aggravated, not lessened, 
 punishment." 
 
UNION IN CHKlbT 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 LETTERS FROM GRANADA. 
 
 IN September I received again news from the prisoner. 
 Matamoros says : 
 
 " The Prison, Granada, Sept. 7th, 1861. 
 " Perhaps, dear brother and indefatigable protector, 
 this letter may reach you before the very sorrowful 
 one which I wrote to you last week. How long I 
 have been hindered from corresponding with you 
 (twelve weeks), and without hearing anything of you 
 or my worthy English and Irish friends ! This is a 
 great trial to me greater than my imprisonment; 
 than the fury of my implacable enemies, or than my 
 physical sufferings, which are, nevertheless, severe. 
 The best and most consoling and greatest news you 
 can give me, is what you tell me of the Christian 
 solicitude and zeal and holy love, with which our 
 friends and brethren in the faith ask after us, the 
 prisoners of Christ. And, believe me, it is not pride 
 or presumption that makes me so much rejoice at this, 
 but rather I rejoice at the manifestation of our holy 
 union as the ' body of Christ ' which is thus made so 
 evident. Oh ! when you reply to these dear friends, 
 
PRAY FOR SPAIN. 85 
 
 speak to them of my gratitude in the most lively and 
 expressive terms. Be very sure that you cannot 
 exaggerate it. 
 
 " If the proposal for a day of prayer on our behalf 
 throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland has not 
 yet been carried out, I beg of you to use your legiti- 
 mate and fraternal" influence that it may take place. 
 The prayers of the saints are of more value to us than 
 anything else in this world. These supplications will 
 be heard by the great Head, and He in His mercy will 
 give us strength to bear so much suffering, so much 
 torment. Pray for poor Spain; for this unfortunate 
 country, sunken in error and slavery by Satan's hand, 
 and these prayers will be heard by our loving Father, 
 who will grant all that we ask for His own glory. I 
 have not yet received the last sums which you men- 
 tion as having been sent to me. I received ,20 in 
 June; half was distributed in Malaga, and half was 
 divided amongst ourselves here. Since that time I 
 have not received any money, and am now in want. 
 The position of the prisoners at Malaga must be ter- 
 rible; they must be in severe trouble, and this breaks 
 my heart; the more so, as I cannot but feel that the 
 sacrifices made by our British friends are already very 
 great. 
 
 " In Malaga two more arrests have been made. 
 The defence made for Albania and myself I hope to 
 send to you soon. Our lawyers asked for our liberty, 
 but it was refused. Alhama's advocate made a 
 brilliant and lucid, as well as a courageous, defence, 
 saying, amongst other things, after having professed 
 his Catholic belief, ' That for a society in the state of 
 
86 THE DEFENCES. 
 
 corruption of so-called " Catholic " Spain, he would 
 prefer the faith professed by his clients, though called 
 Protestants; for its tendencies, apart from the ques- 
 tion of faith, were eminently moral and noble.' My 
 advocate, and also Trigo's, made good defences, and 
 the affair is now in the hands of the lawyers of those 
 of the accused who are at liberty on bail. 
 
 " I will not tell you anything, dear brother, of all 
 that I have suffered. I could fill many pages with 
 horrible descriptions; but in my captivity I have 
 begun to write a sort of sketch of my life since my 
 conversion. If possible, I will send it to you when it 
 is finished. You say that you hope to hear me preach 
 the gospel in Spain. Oh ! it is my only aspiration, 
 my highest ambition. I long to complete my classical 
 studies; and then, poor, very poor, but rich in faith, 
 I would preach unweariedly wherever I could be heard. 
 Believe me to be, dear brother, your attached though 
 unworthy friend, 
 
 " MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 "My grateful respects to all our brethren in the 
 Lord, 
 
 , "Joss ALHAMA." 
 
 I received many sweet letters from Christians in 
 England, and, after translating them, sent them to 
 Matamoros, and they helped to wile away the sad 
 time, and were as a sweet cordial in the cup of his 
 deep and protracted sorrow. One of these, from Mr. 
 Leonard Strong, of Torquay, was as follows: 
 
LETTER TO M. MATAMOROS. 87 
 
 " Brampton, Torquay, S. Devon, England. 
 
 "MUCH BELOVED AND HONOURED BROTHER IN OUR 
 
 LORD JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 " Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God 
 our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord 
 permitted us a few days since to hold a meeting of 
 believers in Jesus Christ for worship, prayer and 
 mutual edification by the word, in this town, and 
 between our worship meetings we partook together of 
 a social meal or tea drinking as before our Lord, 
 during which a letter from yourself to some Christian 
 brethren at Kingsbridge (a town in South Devon) 
 was placed in my hands, with a request that I would 
 read it, which I did. The expressions of faith and 
 love therein contained, the joy in the Lord Jesus, and 
 willingness declared, through grace, not only to be 
 bound, but to die if need be for the name of the Lord 
 Jesus, in connexion with your present sorrowful 
 circumstances, called forth from us all the warmest 
 sympathy for yourself and dear family in these heavy 
 trials through which it has pleased God to bring you; 
 and as it drew from our little assembly at the time a 
 few offerings of love, if they may assist in any way to 
 ameliorate your condition, I herewith transmit them 
 through the kind hands of a dear brother in the Lord 
 who, I am informed, has some means of communication 
 with you. It is a very small sum, only ,3 sterling, 
 but dear, afflicted brother, it is sent to you with much 
 love and many prayers that after you have suffered 
 awhile and made a good confession before governors, 
 magistrates, etc., you will come forth free, as our 
 
88 LETTER TO M. MATAMOROS. 
 
 Italian brethren before you, to worship God in Spirit 
 and in truth, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, none making you 
 afraid. We, who at present enjoy so much liberty in 
 this respect, are especially enjoined to remember them 
 that are in bonds as though bound with them, and as 
 we are exhorted to make prayers for kings, and all 
 that are in authority, that we Christians may lead a 
 quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty, we 
 do especially remember your afflictions before the Lord, 
 and ask Him to turn the heart of the queen of Spain, 
 her ministers, advisers and associates in government, 
 that liberty of conscience and worship may soon be 
 allowed, as in other European governments. I can 
 also say, dear brother, that we are not afraid for you, 
 but glory in you for your patience and faith in all your 
 persecutions and tribulations that you endure, seeing 
 God is counting you worthy of the coming kingdom 
 for which you also suffer. 
 
 " Let us call to remembrance the former days, how, 
 immediately after poor sinners were illuminated, they 
 endured a great fight of afflictions, and took joyfully 
 the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves 
 that they had in heaven a better and an enduring 
 substance. 
 
 " Now, dear brother, thou art, with others, made a 
 companion of them, cast not therefore away thy 
 confidence, which has great recompense of reward, for 
 to you it is given, not only to believe, but also to suffer 
 for Jesus sake. Cheer up, then, dear brother, for yet a 
 little while, and he that shall come will come and will 
 not tarry. The Lord says, ' Leap for joy.' He putteth 
 thy tears which flow from the weakness of the flesh 
 
tETTER TO MR. LEONARD STRONG. 69 
 
 into His bottle, and He will refresh thy spirit and soon 
 deliver you all out of your bonds. I am with much 
 true sympathy and with confidence in the love, and 
 in the mighty arm of yours, and my Lord Jesus, 
 " Your Brother in the hope of Glory, 
 
 " LEONARD STRONG." 
 
 "Prison of the ' Audiencia? Granada, Oct. 8, 1861. 
 "BELOVED AND RESPECTED BROTHER IN OUR DIVINE 
 
 REDEEMER, JESUS CHRIST, OUR JOY AND OBJECT OF 
 
 OUR CONSTANT FAITH, 
 
 " Mr. Greene has just given me one more proof of 
 Christian zeal in translating your important letter oi 
 June the second time, and sending it to me, impelled 
 by .the desire of comforting me, understanding clearly 
 that it would produce in me most wholesome effects 
 of Christian edification. I received with the greatest 
 pleasure your very important letter important to me 
 in many ways and which I now hasten to answer ; but 
 this I cannot do as I would wish, as, though my heart 
 earnestly desires to do so, my intellectual powers are 
 insufficient ; but be it as it will, in whatever I do say 
 my heart shall speak. 
 
 " Beloved and respected brother, if to man on earth 
 it is given to be happy, I enjoy this benefit in a super- 
 lative degree. My soul is filled with lofty and 
 permanent recollections of Christian joy; the history 
 of my life, during the past year, having been the 
 means of procuring them for me, and founded prin- 
 cipally on the magnificent spectacle that the Church 
 of Christ has presented to the eyes of God and of the 
 world, in watching, with pious and evangelical atten- 
 
90 LETTER TO MR. LEONARD STRONG. 
 
 tion, over the wants of their Spanish brothers. The 
 continual and eloquent proofs of this love which I am 
 daily receiving will always leave in my soul grateful 
 and profound impressions. 
 
 " I see the day approach when my country will be 
 happy by the triumph of the gospel in the hearts of 
 its inhabitants. The honour has fallen to my lot to 
 suffer for having preached the kingdom of God, and 
 for having exhorted men to have faith in Christ, who 
 I know and love with all my heart. I see by the 
 love which you profess for me that He has not forsaken 
 me, that He accepts my sincere Christian desires; 
 and tell me, dear brother, is not this the truest 
 happiness that we can enjoy here below 1 Have I not 
 good reason then to be happy, and for calling myself 
 so 1 Yes, assuredly. Well, such is the ground of my 
 joy, the motives I have for glorying. This happiness 
 would have been a stranger to me had I been still 
 living in darkness, as is the Church of Rome, that 
 eternal enemy of Christ. 
 
 "Your pious and interesting letter refers, beloved 
 brother, to the sentiments that I had the pleasure of 
 expressing to the brethren of Kingsbridge; and that 
 humble expression of faith, you say, has produced in 
 you the most lively sympathies. Pray give, in my 
 poor name, to all who have honoured me by hearing it, 
 the fullest assurance of my Christian love. Beloved 
 brother, while young, very young, at the age when 
 generally all are left to run after some illusion of fancy, 
 some pleasure of a day, at that in which the deceitful 
 attractions of the world fascinate the heated imagina- 
 tion of youth, the infinite goodness of our heavenly 
 
LETTER TO MR. LEONARD STRONG. 91 
 
 Father saw good to grant me the consolation of knowing 
 Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. I knew Him, 
 and knew at the same time my ancient errors of having 
 followed, as a blind automaton, the Romish Church, 
 which lives so widely distant from Him. I abandoned 
 that path which leads to perdition, and I proposed to 
 follow firmly and decidedly our Lord Jesus Christ in the 
 path laid down in His holy "Word. I desired to teach 
 people the truths which I had believed, to teach my 
 unfortunate countrymen who live in sin, and to this 
 Christian end I dedicated all the time which has elapsed 
 since my conversion to Christianity up to this moment. 
 Comprehending that this high mission was superior 
 to my feeble strength, to my poor talents, and to my 
 scanty faculties (but the Lord says that he who lacks 
 wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth willingly and 
 upbraideth not), I asked Him from day to day, from 
 hour to hour, and I found that my humble efforts 
 gave a blessed result, that the Lord did not abandon 
 me; and I followed on untiringly, and will ever follow 
 the path traced out by my faith. This was, yea, this 
 is, the crime I am guilty of, and for this crime have 
 they buried me in a miserable dungeon, providing 
 for me at the same time these happy hours of trial. 
 My sorrowful prison, intended to intimidate me, opened 
 for me a door of hope on the one hand, as well as a 
 path full of trials. Of hope, for it was the proof of my 
 faith ; of trial, because it led many families to bitter 
 weeping and tears. Never have I dreaded my own 
 sorrows ; but I have been grieved much by those of 
 my many and virtuous brethren. In presence of the 
 stern and unbending tribunal, I had the honour of 
 
92 LETTER TO MR. LEONARD STRONG. 
 
 maintaining my faith as a Protestant, my faith in Christ, 
 and my eternal separation from the Church of Koine, 
 His enemy. 
 
 " But, beloved brother, if men have traced out for me 
 a path of sharpest thorns, since that day my heavenly 
 Father has portioned out for me one of infinite pleasure. 
 What signify the sufferings of the body 1 What the 
 blind rage of an enemy who neither forgets nor forgives, 
 and who, making use of the power of brute force, rejoices 
 in the sorrows of a Christian who cannot be convinced 
 by his arguments, nor be intimidated by his horrible 
 punishments? Nothing ought, nothing can, avail for 
 the man who, despising the world, fixes his eyes upon 
 His Lord, and. committing his soul to his Maker, 
 determines to follow Him. They may augment my 
 punishment, but they will also augment my joy. They 
 may augment their rage, but it will be manifest to the 
 world, and the world will know them and separate 
 from them. 
 
 " Not one life but one thousand would I sacrifice 
 willingly in the name of Christ, and for His holy 
 cause, and for the extension of His holy kingdom on 
 earth. My enemies will find me always disposed to 
 sacrifice all for my faith. There is no bitter future 
 to intimidate me with, nor reasonings to convince me. 
 My reasoning is all taken from the Word of life, and 
 my invariable aim is to acomplish the will of the Lord, 
 who exhorts us to imitate Him. 
 
 "The pious remembrance of our beloved brethren 
 in the faith, who offer fervent prayers in our behalf, 
 is invaluable ; it is the greatest benefit they can confer 
 upon us; and whatever you tell me on this head 
 
THE GARDEN ENCLOSED. 93 
 
 leaves on my mind a sweet and enduring record, and on 
 my soul the happiest impression. 
 
 "You exhort me, dear brother, to bear in mind the 
 sacred memorial of the martyrs of Christ and of their 
 tribulations. I give you my best thanks for so doing. 
 Some of those glorious martyrs left behind them, even 
 in dying, the footprints of victory. Oh, may the 
 Supreme Being grant that our sufferings may open the 
 gates of my country to the Word of God ; and if this 
 is to happen, they may do their worst to me. I have 
 been too long, and I have tired myself in writing, 
 but it was necessary to my peace to manifest my 
 gratitude towards you. My companions in suffering 
 salute you. 
 
 " Your humble servant in Christ, 
 
 " M. MATAMOROS." 
 
 "I ought to add, that the 3 that you kindly sent 
 has been received and distributed, and it is quite 
 unnecessary to say anything about our gratitude, as 
 you can imagine it. Please make this known to the 
 contributors." 
 
 On looking through these lovely letters of our 
 brother, I am constrained to see in all his sufferings 
 the hand of the Most High, and I believe they will 
 prove to be a consolation to many a Christian who 
 probably may be comforted by them in endeavouring 
 to follow in the same path of trial. " A garden in- 
 closed is my sister, my spouse ; a spring shut up, a 
 fountain sealed, a well of living waters, and streams 
 from Lebanon ; " and such would Matamoros have re- 
 mained to us in England, had it not been that in this 
 
94 THE DAY-DAWN IN PRISON. 
 
 long and tedious night through which we are passing, 
 God had afflicted one of the members of the body in 
 order that His grace might be manifested. He has 
 blown upon the garden, His Spanish garden, that the 
 spices of it may flow out. But though the church in 
 England has had a sort of first-fruits of the blessing of 
 these bonds suffered in the name of Christ, surely 
 Spain shall have the full harvest of the good results. 
 If large sums of money had been expended, much 
 labour given in evangelizing, the work of the Lord 
 would not have been half so effectually promoted as by 
 the bonds of these brethren. As Paul wrote before, 
 so may we repeat in truth, " I would ye should under- 
 stand, brethren, that the things which happened unto 
 me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the 
 gospel. So that my bonds in Christ are manifested in 
 all the palaces and in all other places." And the fol- 
 lowing lines will go to substantiate this : 
 
 " Prison of the ' Audiencia,' Granada, Nov. 23, 1861. 
 
 "MY DEARLY-LOVED AND NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN 
 
 BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 "The day begins to dawn, the first splendours of 
 the morning, entering in by the clefts of the wretched 
 shutters of the old window of my dungeon, announce 
 to me that it has been the will of our beloved Father 
 to spare my life to this day, in spite of the will of 
 tyrants. It is about a quarter of an hour since I 
 finished my morning prayer, which I always make 
 immediately on rising from my bed, be the hour what 
 it may. A melancholy silence reigns in this distant 
 
THE DAY-DAWN IN SPAIN. 95 
 
 dungeon, and I take advantage of these hours to write 
 to you, and answer some questions in your welcome 
 letter. You, beloved brother, have asked me if 
 Christian principles progress steadily in Spain. In 
 this unfortunate country, where the voice of the press 
 is silenced, the publication of every periodical that is 
 not Catholic prohibited ; the distribution of the Word 
 of God the signal for persecution, as also that of every 
 book that tends to show the true religion preached by 
 Jesus ; the enchaining of as many Christians as pos- 
 sible ; the burning in the public ' plazas ' of Barcelona 
 and Cordova, and that recently, an infinite number of 
 books, for the sole cause of their not being in accord- 
 ance with the ecclesiastical court of Rome, and with 
 the principles that it sustains and defends; drawing 
 forced interpretations from the elastic laws of Spain to 
 the prejudice of the Spanish Christians ; and, in short, 
 having recourse even to the ignoble weapons of crime, 
 they try to obscure the truth. 
 
 " However, against these barriers that tyranny pre- 
 sents and sustains with unwearying zeal, you noble 
 and decided soldiers of Jesus have presented your- 
 selves a grand, worthy, and magnanimous vanguard 
 of Christianity ; sonorous echoes of the Christian spirit, 
 representing its wishes, and making our government 
 see that Christianity established in the earth demands 
 for itself the fullest liberty of conscience. 
 
 " However, dear brother, if civilization has not 
 opened, as it ought to have done, the doors of this 
 poor dejected nation, if even it has not been able to 
 shed its light on this soil, on a scale that, if not entire, 
 might at least be in a measure ; its spirit, nevertheless, 
 
96 PUBLIC OPINION. 
 
 is not a stranger to the land, and thanks to it, and to 
 the age in which we live, it breaks the chains, come 
 from whence they may. The nation feels the necessity 
 of seeking the truth and in this study, in this medita 
 tion, in this search, so inherent to the nineteenth 
 century and to its worthy sons, the triumph is secure ; 
 the triumph of truth, yes, of Christian truth, is secure. 
 He who wishes to come to the true knowledge of the 
 secret of the religious tyranny sustained in Spain 
 alone, finds it in the certain danger of the church of 
 Rome, and the positive welfare of the church of God 
 whose numbers are increasing. 
 
 " Within .my prison I have had the indescribable 
 pleasure of hearing persons of a certain position in the 
 literary and scientific world, of sufficient worth and of 
 sound judgment, support my poor reasonings, and emit 
 new and brilliant judgments on this important ques- 
 tion, founding their opinions on history, and on the 
 conversations of those whom they may mix with daily, 
 whether on the public promenade or the evening ' ter- 
 tulia.' Public opinion has occupied itself much upon 
 this question, hitherto dormant in Spain, and, in 
 general, 'has given its opinion that there is a future 
 for Spain. Yes, a bright morning will shine upon the 
 evangelical work in this land. 
 
 " If the fear, and a very well-grounded one, of this 
 letter being intercepted did not prevent me, I would 
 give you the names of those persons who have suppli- 
 cated me to take an active part in the work of evange- 
 lization. I would tell you what their influence is, what 
 their social position ; and assuredly you would rejoice 
 infinitely, as I have done, at this fruit of your efforts, 
 
FUTURE HOPES. 97 
 
 blessed by our dear heavenly Fattier. I could show 
 you a long catalogue of the fruits of your Christian 
 carefulness that has reached the ears of all, and pro- 
 duces its effects on all souls. A day never passes 
 almost without my receiving letters from different 
 points of the peninsula, in which similar desires are 
 manifested. 
 
 " In . I have the positive assurance that 
 
 the work of evangelization will develop itself both 
 rapidly and solidly, as well as in an eminently con- 
 soling and Christian manner ; and that it will be like 
 
 an electric spark for all the province of , and 
 
 vnll have a great effect in Spain, through the great 
 moral influence that the opinion of that part of the 
 country (without doubt the most civilized in Spain), 
 exercises throughout the peninsula. I could have 
 wished that my imprisonment had taken place a year 
 later; oh! only one year; and 14,000 or 15,000 
 Spaniards, declaring themselves Protestants, would 
 have petitioned the Cortes for liberty of worship and 
 the toleration we need. Do not doubt it, this gigantic 
 step would have been made to the astonishment of 
 Europe and the shame of tyrants. This step will yet 
 be taken, do not doubt it; but at present it is pre- 
 mature. Spain is not a sterile country to sow the 
 gospel seed in ; I have been to the humblest dwell- 
 ings, and among some people of elevated position ; I 
 have mixed with the humble, and with the proud ; 
 I have explored, in short, all that was possible to 
 me, and the evidence has shown me sufficient to 
 know what may be hoped from this unfortunate 
 
 nation. 
 
 H 
 
98 FUTURE HOPES. 
 
 " However, to-day more than ever, I hope much for 
 the future. Do not doubt that that future will be 
 very flattering for the work of the Lord in this classic 
 land of tyranny ; your efforts, made patent to the 
 world, promise much prosperity to the holy cause of 
 the gospel. At that time we shall make more progress 
 in one month than at other times in a year. Do not 
 doubt, in short, that you will have the consolation of 
 rejoicing in the rapid progress, and, perhaps, in the 
 complete triumph, of the great work prepared for this 
 poor nation, in which you have had so large a part, 
 and this joy you shall very soon feel, with the protec- 
 tion of the Lord. 
 
 " You tell me that you note more confidence 
 
 of my gaining the victory in my letter to A 
 
 than in any of my others. Oh no, a thousand 
 times no, my hope increases every moment, every 
 minute that passes ; and if in some letters I have 
 lamented, these lamentations have not been, by any 
 means, the result of discouragement ; no, discourage- 
 ment is impossible to me! Believe it implicitly, I 
 have never known what it is, and I hope never to 
 know it. 
 
 " The battle is gained, be the result what it 
 may; tyranny has received a fatal blow in Spain; 
 the life and magnitude of evangelical work is every 
 way more secure, and my liberty or my imprison- 
 ment are alike for its good; my liberty, because 
 thus tyranny shows its impatience ; my imprison- 
 ment, because thus it shows its only way of sus- 
 taining itself, and announces from its own mouth its 
 approaching end. 
 
ACTIVITY IN PRISON. 99 
 
 " May peace, grace, and the fellowship of the Holy 
 Spirit dwell in you eternally. 
 
 " Your humble brother, friend, and son, 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 The days of our prisoner were by no means spent 
 in idleness. On the contrary, an activity almost 
 unparalleled seemed to animate him. In one of his 
 letters, received about this time, he writes, "I have 
 just received my correspondence. One long and 
 eminently consoling letter from Mrs. Tregelles, youro 
 of the 14th, the enclosed notable one from Miss 
 Whately, three from Gibraltar of importance, four 
 from Malaga, and one from Barcelona. These 
 have come by this morning's post, and I hope for 
 some also by the evening's delivery. The letter 
 
 of is very valuable, and is written so sweetly, 
 
 with so much purity and feeling, that it has edified 
 my spirit, and filled my heart with joy. I can write 
 no more to-night; my eyes are sore, and my head 
 aches. I must go to bed, for it is already three 
 o'clock in the morning, and I have some things still 
 to do." 
 
 In another part of the same letter he adds, " One 
 of our brethren in Christ has fled to Gibraltar. He 
 was a great helper in the Lord's work, and was 
 well off at Malaga ; and after going through repeated 
 trials, he is now serving as mason's labourer. This 
 breaks my heart. I really don't know what to do. 
 The life which I pass is not life. My own position 
 does not affect me in the least, but these tidings are 
 too much for me ; they affect me profoundly, and, 
 
100 TRUE LIBERTY. 
 
 believe me, that more than all the rest, they are 
 helping to kill me." 
 
 Deep sympathy was one of Matamoros' leading 
 characteristics, but many were the other graces that 
 adorned this loving and faithful man. "How beautiful 
 are thy feet with shoes, prince's daughter! How 
 fair and how pleasant art thou, love, for delights ! " 
 His confidence in God is seen in his letter of Feb- 
 ruary: 
 
 "Prison of the ' Audiencia,' Granada, Feb. 26, 1862. 
 " VERY DEAR AND RESPECTED BROTHER IN THE LORD, 
 
 " You judge most truly when you suppose that the 
 continued and eloquent proofs of Christian love, mani- 
 fested towards us by your various correspondents, give 
 me much true consolation. You tell me that England 
 will do what she can with France for us. This is, 
 indeed, a source of material comfort ; but I must be 
 plain and frank with you on this score. 
 
 "I believe that whatever efforts have been or 
 shall be made on our behalf may, perhaps, be fruit- 
 less. But I have always striven to set aside the idea 
 of what may be beneficial in the unimportant matter 
 of my personal liberty, which is really of very little 
 consequence to the world and to myself. The only 
 slavery which appals me is the slavery of sin. But 
 my slavery for the love of God makes me happy ; 
 and surely this happiness could not be increased by 
 the addition of some physical comforts for an already 
 weak and contemptible body; nor can its liberty 
 be compared with the liberty, the happiness of the 
 soul. 
 
THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH. 101 
 
 " You know I have never desired the noble efforts 
 of the church of Christ for the sake of benefits con- 
 ferred upon myself. I have greatly rejoiced on 
 account of the advantage to that which concerns the 
 salvation of the world, the salvation of my poor 
 nation. In this sense, all that the church has done 
 or may do for me gives me great pleasure ; her atti- 
 tude and her efforts have filled me with Christian 
 
 joy- 
 
 "The exertions of a Catholic nation in my favour 
 might be successful. I believe they would; but I 
 repeat I could not rejoice in them. For me the Spirit 
 that animates you and the loved and loving brethren 
 has infinitely more importance and value than all the 
 political movements of France and the whole Catholic 
 
 world. . . . From the hour when I read 's 
 
 speech, I feared his want of energy, and that it would 
 only add strength to tyranny. In effect the neo- 
 Catholic press has adopted his arguments as its text, 
 and has made use of them to assure our condemnation. 
 If La Correspondencia is correct in the report of the 
 Duke of Tetuan's answer, I perceive that this answer 
 is really identical with that given to Sir R Peel in the 
 House of Commons. 
 
 "And now, without reference to this diplomatic 
 question, this wisdom of this world, what have been 
 the commands which Divine love has issued to the 
 church of Christ? To be unwearied in well doing, 
 ceaselessly to invoke the mercy of the Eternal upon 
 us, to hasten to our relief, and to display perfectly 
 the picture of its Christian love. Then let diplomacy 
 follow on its course, defending its own interests, anct 
 
102 TRUE HONOUR. 
 
 let the church of God follow hers ; they will ever be 
 widely distant the one from the other. Finally, no- 
 thing disturbs me nor violates my tranquility. I 
 desire a happy termination of this matter, for there 
 are many destitute families concerned; but our heavenly 
 Father, who has seen the end from the beginning, 
 will bring it to the conclusion which He sees fit. His 
 holy and divine will be done, be it what it may. 
 
 " The most honourable moment of my life is draw- 
 ing near. In a few more months my enemies will 
 have achieved their victory, and I shall enter upon my 
 convict life. I shall no longer possess the rights of 
 citizenship. The moment the sentence is pronounced 
 against me I shall be a criminal, and only a criminal, 
 in the eyes of society. My rights will be the rights of 
 the parricide, of the thief, of the assassin. There will 
 be no difference there. There will be one law, one 
 regimen, one rule for us all. 
 
 " JSTot only shall I be deprived of my clothes, my 
 hair cut off, and the happiness of seeing my beloved 
 and tender mother denied to me ; but I shall be abso- 
 lutely prohibited from writing. Your letters, consoling, 
 loving, edifying as they are, will not reach me then. 
 Of course, it will be impossible for you ever to hear 
 from me. Then, dear friend, if those sad but honourable 
 hours are drawing so near, I entreat you to make use 
 quickly of the time that remains for my consolation. I 
 trust you will not delay in writing to me. 
 
 " Your letters are very necessary to me, yet now I 
 can hardly hope to receive more than four more of 
 them. All the trouble that I have caused you is now 
 nearly over. I know I have often unreasonably im- 
 
A VISIT FROM ONE OF THE AUTHORITIES. 103 
 
 posed upon your love, but I feel a real want of your 
 comforting letters, and I cannot resist the impulse to 
 tell you so. Pardon one who loves you heartily, and 
 feels that he encroaches on your kindness. 
 
 " A few days ago, on the 17th, one of the authori- 
 ties of Granada came to the prison at about 10 A.M. 
 He asked directly for me, and was immediately con- 
 ducted to my room by the chief of this establishment. 
 I was in bed ; feeling even now far from well. He took 
 his hat off immediately on entering, and, in spite of my 
 repeated request, would not replace it. With the most 
 lively interest he inquired after my health, and begged 
 me to tell him if I wished for anything. I thanked 
 him, and said I wanted and want nothing. On the 
 table beside my bed lay two copies of the Bible, the 
 one Valera's version, the second Scio's. The first at- 
 tracted his attention, and he said to me : 
 
 " ' Have you the Bible there ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes, senor,' I answered. 
 
 " He took it up, and before he opened it he asked, 
 * Is it English 1 ' 
 
 " ' It was printed in London in 1853,' I answered. 
 
 " ' Do yon read much in it 1 ' he asked. 
 
 "'Yes, senor, at least twice every day; it is my 
 greatest comfort in this place of suffering.' 
 
 " ' Do you profess yourself a Protestant ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes, senor. I was interrogated by the tribunals 
 of Barcelona and Granada, and not choosing to deny, I 
 confessed the truth.' 
 
 " All these questions were asked with great polite- 
 ness, and then laying down the Bible, he turned to 
 another table where I had more books, and asked : 
 
104 THE OLD LADY AND THE LITTLE CHILD. 
 
 " * Are those tracts or religious books "? ' 
 
 " ' No, sir, excepting a copy of the Liturgy. The 
 rest are the History of the English Kevolution and 
 some other books which have been lent to me, but 
 which I have not had time to read, and must return.' 
 
 "He then examined with extreme, almost exag- 
 gerated, attention the likenesses which I have hung up 
 in my cell. He dwelt long upon yours, and asked if 
 you were English. I replied * Yes,' and he then looked 
 at that of my mother, and he told me her name without 
 my asking. 
 
 " When he had left me, with an injunction to let 
 him know if I wanted anything, he desired to be shown 
 our exercise-ground, asked the hours at which we are 
 allowed to see our friends, and finally inquired into 
 the position of our case, and gave orders for what was 
 to be done if General Alexander came, and how he 
 was to enter. He also went to the apartments of Trigo 
 and of Alhania ; was exceedingly polite with them also, 
 and asked many questions concerning their treatment 
 in the prison. 
 
 " A few days ago, the following scene occurred in 
 the alcaide's house, where I was spending the evening : 
 An old lady, with less prudence that fanatical love 
 to Popery, insisted on opening a discussion with me 
 on matters of religion. As the conversation advanced, 
 the good lady took advantage Of the privileges of her 
 age and sex to insult rather than to reason with me. 
 When I was allowed to speak, I took occasion to show 
 her that she was more likely to wound my feelings, 
 perhaps involuntarily, than to convince my intelligence 
 by such a mode of proceeding. My little brother 
 
THE OLD LADY AND THE LITTLE CHILD. 105 
 
 Enrique was standing by, and did not lose a word of 
 the conversation. The old lady, having somewhat 
 moderated the tone of her argument, we began to 
 discuss the question of the Eucharist, and after some 
 general remarks, the good lady concluded by saying to 
 me, ' Do you see how wisely the Inquisition acted in 
 burning all heretics ? Your words are more evil and 
 dangerous than fire. Look at that little angel (pointing 
 to Enrique^, he is listening to every word, and at last 
 will be a Protestant like yourself.' 
 
 "'I believe you,' said Enrique*. 'I don't mean 
 to go to hell with you and the Pope!' This sally 
 of my little brother's drew forth the laughter of 
 all the guests, and the renewed wrath of the old 
 lady. 
 
 "I have just learned that to-morrow our case 
 passes into the hands of the royal fiscal, by his own 
 demand. There are two assistant fiscals, who do 
 nearly all the business; but it appears that the royal 
 fiscal desires to take our case into his own hands. 
 We shall see. He is, I believe, the most liberal 
 member of the 'Audiencia'; for the rest, nearly all 
 old men, belong to the old school, and are thoroughly 
 priest-ridden. The English ambassador has lately 
 
 asked for, and immediately received from the 
 
 fullest details respecting our case. 
 
 " Senor Marin, of Malaga, has been very ill in 
 prison, and his daughter also. Both are now better, 
 and the latter has been ordered change of air and 
 water for a few weeks. 
 
 " My mother is very well. Alhama and his family 
 continue well. Trigo also is in good health. I an: 
 
106 LOVE FOE HIS MOTHER. 
 
 as usual, but with good heart. All send you a thou- 
 sand kind regards. In answer to your exhortation to 
 stand firm, I must tell you that I purpose to be 
 stedfast to the end, be that what it may; you will 
 not see me shrink. I ask of the Lord the powerful 
 aid of the Holy Spirit, and I fear nothing for the 
 body while I am so happy in my mind. 
 
 "Onward, dear brother onward and upward! I 
 cannot tell you all I feel towards you. You have a 
 high place in my heart. I pray that God may fill 
 you and yours with peace, grace, and the communion 
 of his Holy Spirit. 
 
 " Your loving brother in the Lord, 
 
 " MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 His deep attachment to his mother was another 
 sweet trait in his character. She indeed proved 
 a mother to him in this long night of sorrow, and 
 had it not been for her untiring care, he must 
 have succumbed to his bodily sufferings. Perhaps 
 I may be wrong in speaking thus. Would it not be 
 wiser to say of him, as he would have said himself, 
 "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make 
 my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk 
 upon my high places." His unflinching stedfast- 
 ness on hearing the royal fiscal's demand against 
 him is manifested in his next sweet letter. Of him 
 it may be said 
 
 If on my face for Thy dear name 
 
 Shame and reproaches be, 
 I'll hail reproach and welcome shame, 
 
 For Thou rememberest me." 
 
CONDEMNED TO THE GALLEYS. 107 
 
 Matamoros wrote again on the 17th of March. 
 The following are extracts from his letter: 
 
 " The results of the accusation and the demand of 
 the royal fiscal is, as you know, the sentence of eleven 
 years at the galleys, and other accessory punishments. 
 This ferocious outburst of intolerance has not sur- 
 prised me. After a year and a half of such and so 
 many vexations, after so many troubles and trials, 
 the three prisoners of Granada are to be condemned 
 to eleven years of penal servitude, for the sole offence 
 of their Christian faith. This is the maximum 
 punishment indicated by the penal code; and if the 
 accessory penalties are confirmed, it will be an in- 
 finitely severer sentence than the franiers of the code 
 ever anticipated. 
 
 "The demand of the royal fiscal generally in- 
 dicates, with tolerable certainty, what will be the 
 sentence of the superior court. There may be trifling 
 variations as increase or diminution of penalty, but 
 they are usually slight. In this suit, the belief of 
 the judges has been evidently influential. They have 
 thought the greater our martyrdom the greater their 
 merit. 
 
 " Four days before the fiscal's accusation the 
 archbishops sent hastily for the secretary. They say 
 it was to ask the number of the accused. Possibly. 
 It is only too certain that on the following day the 
 case had taken an unfavourable turn. The accusa- 
 tion was settled in consultation by the four fiscals, 
 lawyers of the 'Audiencia/ every one of whom is a 
 bigoted Roman Catholic nay, belongs to the party 
 who still defend the Spanish Inquisition, It seems 
 
108 "PERSECUTED, BUT NOT FORSAKEN." 
 
 as if they sought to make my future as dark as 
 can be. No matter; I forgive them with my whole 
 heart, and I pray to God that my sufferings may be 
 the means of one day making them remember and 
 repent, and that, in their repentance, they may seek 
 the truth of Christ, and faithfully follow it. May 
 our God have pity upon them ! 
 
 "A similar penalty has been demanded for Al- 
 hama and Trigo, but I hardly think it possible that 
 ib can be confirmed against the latter. For those 
 prisoners who have been at liberty on bail, a term of 
 eight years has been demanded. In fact, the whole 
 accusation breathes pur slaughter, threatening, hatred, 
 vengeance. 
 
 "Onward! onward! They demand the maximum 
 penalty against us. Is not this the maximum of our 
 honour ? I will go forward, and will fulfil the word 
 that I gave to the judge at Barcelona, when he 
 desired me to withdraw my confession of Protes- 
 tantism. I repeat now what I said then : 1 1 
 have put my hand to the plough, and will not look 
 back.' This is the road that my faith points out. 
 I will never waver. To me to live is Christ and to 
 die is gain. I will go forward and onward. The 
 disciple is intimately united with his Master. That 
 Divine Master sought his cross, and voluntarily shed 
 his blood for us; He died to give us life. Well 
 then, if I desire to follow Him, shall I fear what 
 Jesus did not fear 1 ? No ! If I die in Christ, and for 
 Christ, I shall live eternally with Him. The will of 
 God be done in all things 
 
THE AMBITION OF A SAINT. 109 
 
 " Your assurance of the continued prayers of many 
 saints on behalf of the prisoners fills me with happy 
 joy. Give to all my hearty thanks, and the assurance 
 of my gratitude and love. My dear mother consoles 
 and sustains me in these trying circumstances by her 
 courage and resignation. Yesterday some friends 
 called, and expressed their sympathy on the result of 
 the fiscal's address, and said, amongst other things, that 
 our enemies, in addition to the penalty, sought to 
 brand the Spanish Protestants with the infamy of the 
 galleys. Steadily my mother answered, ' They are 
 deceived; my son ought to be proud of it. I, his 
 mother, shall glory in telling that I have a son at 
 the galleys for his Protestant faith; and if children 
 should survive him, this remembrance of their 
 father will enoble them.' . . ... 
 
 "The prisoners of Malaga have added a glorious 
 page to the church's history. Three days ago, they 
 declared before the tribunal that they were not Eoman 
 Catholics, but Protestants by faith and conviction. 
 I believe some of them had answered ambiguously at 
 their first interrogation, and could not rest without 
 this fresh step to satisfy their consciences. May God 
 enlighten them and me also ! 
 
 " I earnestly aspire to a fair and brilliant future 
 for myself ! My will and my soul are bent upon this 
 point; nothing disturbs me or alters my tranquility, 
 save the idea of involuntarily straying from my chosen 
 path this terrifies and confounds me. This path is 
 not that which the world opens to me. So widely 
 apart are the two, that now, although I recognize 
 
110 A LIVING SACEIPICB 
 
 pious and eminently evangelical zeal and love in the 
 efforts which you and your friends are making for 
 my liberty; yet, I believe that / ought not to strive 
 for it. 
 
 " I read in the Book of Life, that the Lord knew 
 that his hour had not yet come; that He knew when 
 it had come, and that He advanced as it were to 
 meet His fate, although it was one of anguish. It is 
 true that He withdrew from a place where He was 
 persecuted, but only because His time was not yet 
 come; when that hour arrived, He life of our life 
 went to seek the scene of His martyrdom! 
 
 " I have given myself entirely to God, through 
 the most sweet name of Jesus. I am His. He wil] 
 open the door of my prison, if He sees it meet for me 
 and for all. Or else, He has another lot in store for 
 me which I cannot imagine, the end of which, as far 
 as this earth is .concerned, I shrink from contem- 
 plating. But my end and aim is Jesus, and being so, 
 ought I to shrink from or refuse to bear sorrow or 
 persecution for His name's sake? No; for He sought 
 out His sufferings for us. No; for the pathway to 
 heaven is the pathway of the cross. Well, then, I 
 know not if it is for the advancement of the cause of 
 my freedom, that my poor and humble but sincere 
 letters should be published. But I do know that 
 the publicity which has been given to the story of 
 the sufferings of Jesus has saved my soul; that the 
 publicity given to the constancy and piety of Paul 
 has given me a bright example; and that the publicity 
 given to the Book of Life has given me life, for it has 
 taught me to worship Gorl through Jesus, in spirit 
 
CHRIST'S WITNESSES. Ill 
 
 and in truth. Now, who can say whether the publi- 
 cation of my sufferings for my fidelity may not bring 
 some soul to the gate of salvation ? Might it be so 1 
 Yes, then let that soul be saved, and let my body 
 perish in the hands of my tormentors. So many 
 saints have died, but their souls have been witnesses 
 of the truth before the world, and have been saved 
 by Jesus. For he who loses his life for His sake, the 
 same shall find it. 
 
 " This publicity has been for nineteen centuries 
 wounding to death the power of the evil one, witness- 
 ing against his impurity, destroying his kingdom, step 
 by step driving back his hosts. Light has sprung up 
 in the dark places, and in the region of error enters 
 sternal truth. 
 
 " My letters are poor and weak, but as they are 
 the expression of the vehement and sincere desire of 
 my heart, some who read them may be led to ask 
 the reason of my joy in tribulation, and he who can- 
 not understand it by faith, may strive to fill the void 
 that my words will leave in his heart by the study of 
 the Book of Life, which is my strength and consola- 
 tion, and this study may give health to the soul which 
 is sick with doubt or indifference. Perhaps, also, my 
 weak but sincere words may confirm in the way of 
 life some one who is walking or beginning to walk 
 feebly in its glorious path. My pen is very weak and 
 ignorant, but" my desires and wishes are in no way 
 weaker feeble; they are solidly written in my heart, 
 and to carry them out, I will go on unweariedly, 
 firmly, and steadily to the end, to the last moment of 
 my life. 
 
112 FAITH INVINCIBLE. 
 
 " I must repeat and reiterate to-day what I have 
 said for a year and a half now ; to-day, that the pas- 
 sions of my enemies appear like an overflowing river; 
 which is that, by God's grace, I will go forward and 
 onward with yet greater joy and decision. I am, as 
 ever, most thoroughly resolved not to lose one moment 
 or one opportunity to show forth all my wishes, their 
 grounds, and the deeply-rooted sentiment that pro- 
 duces them, or to declare to my foes that they will 
 never succeed in conquering or in punishing me. For 
 earnest faith is unconquerable, and against such there is 
 no law. 
 
 " This is my soul's necessity, or rather the natural 
 effect of my faith in God. He gives me life, joy, 
 peace, spiritual food for my soul's health. But on 
 the other hand, I only look forward to increased wrath 
 on the part of my enemies: fury, that grieves me 
 on their account, but that is to me a sweet pledge of 
 my sure rejoicing in Jesus. But once again. When 
 I shall have entered upon my term of punishment, I 
 cannot but look forward to my death, perhaps very 
 close at hand, for the flesh is weak ; but in this I shall 
 find my joy. The hand of the all-wise God, the gentle 
 hand of my gracious Father, will be in this. If I 
 am faithful unto death, He will give me the crown of 
 life; and being faithful, I must die under my punish- 
 ment, for this will be for the advancement of the 
 holy cause; welcome then, this death! This is the 
 future to which I aspire, as I told you before. There- 
 fore, I must not struggle for liberty. The will of the 
 Lord be done in all things. And you, His faithful 
 children, act as seems fittest." 
 
LETTER FROM THE PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 113 
 
 At this time (March, 1862) the prisoners at Malaga 
 addressed to Matamoros the following assurance of 
 their faith having been strengthened by his con- 
 stancy : 
 
 " DEAR FRIEND, AND OUR LOVED BROTHER IN CHRIST, 
 " We have received your Christian letter, and we 
 confess frankly that we were anxious for the moment 
 to arrive, because we are always delighted by your 
 correspondence, and because our souls receive by it 
 the efficacious consolation which keeps faith alive in 
 our hearts, and gives us the aid we require to suffer 
 patiently persecution and disgrace. We find much 
 to admire, dear brother, in your letters ; much to 
 respect and follow. In them we perceive what pure 
 ideas animate you ; what unwavering faith and what 
 holy love to the Lord Jesus, and that this love is 
 exalted in proportion to your sufferings for His name. 
 We see by your letter that you have not flinched to 
 confess before the tribunal the creed you profess; 
 that your principal wish is that the Protestant reli- 
 gion be propagated in our benighted country, by 
 spreading the light of truth, and making all know 
 the maxims contained in the Book of Life. All these 
 things we respect, and we cannot do less than render 
 our just tribute of admiration to the indefatigable 
 propagation of such holy truths. Up to the present 
 we have kept you informed of our declarations, acts, 
 etc., which have been given in our trial, and the 
 faithful observations that concerning them we have 
 received from you have so deeply moved us, and 
 have caused such a deep sensation in our minds, that 
 
114 LETTER FROM THE PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 having repented from the bottom of our hearts for 
 having wavered in confessing our faith, we have 
 resolved to go before the tribunal that is trying us, 
 and with all clearness to amplify our declaration ; 
 manifesting to them, that owing to certain untoward 
 circumstances foreign to our character we held silence 
 for a length of time, which now causes us remorse, 
 for we are Protestants to the bottom of our hearts, 
 and we have propagated and will propagate the 
 maxims and doctrines contained in the Holy Bible, 
 and imprisonment is not sufficient to quench our 
 ardent faith, nor shall it tear from our bosoms those 
 ideas which are our chiefest glory, and which we 
 pray to the Eternal may be diffused through the 
 length and breadth of Spain. Also we desire to 
 inform you that our one desire is that the truth be 
 propagated, and that all may receive the divine light 
 of the gospel, and may be made acquainted with the 
 true doctrines that Jesus taught upon earth. "We 
 also desire to say that in this step we have not been 
 moved by any human interest, but simply from the 
 conviction that the Eeformed religion is the right 
 one; and believing, as we do, that all the creeds 
 which differ from it are either false or adulterated, 
 we abandon the maxims that the Church of Rome 
 teaches, and will only follow those contained in God's 
 Word, where we hear the voice of God only speaking, 
 and the holy apostles who accompanied him during 
 his ministry. This is our act of faith, and this is 
 what probably we shall have put into execution before 
 the competent authority, when you have received this 
 letter. 
 
LETTER FROM THE PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 115 
 
 "We confess, "beloved Manuel, that we have not 
 been given the same energy and decision as you in 
 confessing Jesus. "We confess that we have been 
 lukewarm in publishing what we believe. But we 
 trust that you will pardon us in this delicate matter, 
 and we hope that you will perceive that it was only 
 circumstances which. caused us to conceal our faith for 
 a time. We feel we have erred ; but now be assured 
 that we are disposed, come what may, to repair oui 
 mistake, and we believe that God in His infinite mercy, 
 so loving, so benign, will pardon us this fault. We 
 are led to think this by the many proofs of the Divine 
 clemency we have given us ; the Magdalen, that sin- 
 ful woman, a model of corruption and vice, who had 
 never thought about the salvation of her soul, and 
 had during her lifetime only thought of carnal de- 
 lights." 
 
 The last letter from the Malaga prisoners shows 
 the important place which Matamoros' faithfulness 
 held in determining them to follow his example. 
 One of them, Senor Marin, of Malaga, was a sculptor 
 of great merit, and, from his long confinement in a 
 damp cell, he had nearly lost his eyesight. He, from 
 his deep devotion to Christ, received the cognomen of 
 the Spanish Andrew Dunn. 
 
 On March 14th, the case of the Spanish persecu- 
 tions was brought before the British House of Com- 
 mons, on which occasion Mr. Kinnaird spoke at great 
 
116 ME. KINNAIRD'S SPEECH ON 
 
 length, and also Lord Palmerston, but no results 
 followed. We give their speeches below: 
 
 THE PERSECUTIONS IN SPAIN. 
 
 " Mr. KINNAIRD said it would be recollected that, 
 during the last session, the Eight Hon. Baronet the 
 Chief Secretary for Ireland on more than one occa- 
 sion brought under the notice of the House the case 
 of the persecution of certain people in Spain, solely 
 on account of their religious opinions. The right 
 hon. baronet stated the case with great ability, and 
 he had no doubt that, although he had since accepted 
 office, the right hon. gentleman still remained true 
 to his principles. The Spanish persecutions com- 
 menced in 1859. In that year a naturalized British 
 subject (Escalante) was seized, and imprisoned in a 
 loathsome dungeon, for merely circulating the Scrip- 
 tures. He was sentenced to nine years' penal servi- 
 tude in the galleys, but owing to the intercession of 
 our consul he obtained a remission of the sentence. 
 The opinions for which he was persecuted had since 
 spread in Spain, as they had in Italy, in France, 
 and in other Roman Catholic countries. The Eoman 
 Catholic priesthood became alarmed, tracked the 
 readers of the Bible through the agency of police 
 spies, and subjected them to cruel persecution. The 
 names of Matamoros and Alhama were already as 
 familiar to the people of this country as those of the 
 Madiai were ten years ago. Since his right hon. 
 friend brought the subject before the House, those 
 two unhappy men. had, on the 6th of January of the 
 
THE PERSECUTIONS IN SPAIN. 117 
 
 
 
 present year, been sentenced to seven years of the 
 galleys, while to a third victim (Trigo) had been 
 awarded four years of a similar servitude. An attempt 
 had been made to connect these men with certain 
 political disturbances which had occurred in the dis- 
 trict, but they had been twice honourably acquitted of 
 the charge by the tribunal before which they were 
 carried for trial. They had been condemned to the 
 galleys for no other offence than professing those re- 
 ligious views which were held by the bulk of our 
 countrymen. An appeal had been raised from that 
 iniquitous sentence, and he wished to impress on our 
 Government the duty of an indignant and energetic re- 
 monstrance against its confirmation. To be sent to the 
 galleys was not only to be stripped of every right of 
 citizenship, but to be doomed to the companionship of 
 murderers and felons, to wear a galling chain for years, 
 to be denied letters or visits even from one's nearest 
 relatives. Already Matamoros' strength was breaking 
 down under his captivity. Originally an officer in the 
 army, he had been compelled to throw up his commis- 
 sion on account of the faith which he held, and was 
 subsequently, in October, 1860, thrown into prison for 
 the same reason. But these three men did not stand 
 alone. The number of victims to persecution had been 
 constantly growing, though he was happy to hear that 
 there were not so many in prison just now as formerly. 
 Within a few weeks or months, thirty persons were 
 arrested and imprisoned at Granada, Malaga, and Seville 
 alone. Many others fled for refuge to Gibraltar and 
 elsewhere. At one time as many as fifty persons in 
 Malaga were left destitute through the disappearance 
 
118 MR. KINNAIRD'S SPEECH ON 
 
 of heads of families. In one case, a sculptor with *his 
 wife and eldest son were arrested in the dead of night, 
 and cast into a dungeon, leaving five helpless children 
 totally unprovided for. In another instance, the head of 
 one of the best public schools in Seville was apprehended. 
 It was well known that at Granada the vilest criminals 
 received better treatment in prison than the Christians 
 who were convicted of reading the Bible. By the latest 
 accounts five were still in prison at Malaga, and three at 
 Granada. The others had been released, and some, if 
 not all, had become refugees. It might be said that this 
 was a matter which concerned the Spaniards alone, and 
 with which we had no right to interfere. Others thought 
 that interference was unadvisable, because it would 
 prove of no avail Knowing, as he did, what an im- 
 pression the debates in the House last year had pro- 
 duced in Spain, he was confident that great good would 
 result from a decided expression of opinion on the pre- 
 sent occasion, and from cordial intercession on the part 
 of the Government. One of the prisoners wrote, with 
 reference to one of the discussions of last session, * I 
 have not yet read the speech of Sir Robert Peel, but 
 I have heard it notably praised. An extract from 
 Lord John Russell's reply has been translated, but only 
 by the reactionary and anti-liberal section of the Spanish 
 press. These periodicals have also published long lead- 
 ing articles commenting on the words of the minister, 
 which, unfortunately, appear to be favourable to the 
 neo-Catholic party (of course that was only the distorted 
 interpretation which that party sought to put on the 
 speech of the noble lord), and double anathemas and 
 menaces have fallen upon us. The speech has been a 
 
THE PERSECUTIONS IN SPAIN. 119 
 
 fertile subject with our foes. I do not know what the 
 spirit of it as a whole may have been, but I venture to 
 believe that it was not that which the enemies of the 
 gospel and the friends of slavery of conscience would 
 represent it. Be that as it may, the clergy have taken 
 fresh life from it; and not a little was expected from 
 England. "We, and with us all Spanish Protestants, 
 
 looked to you, after God, for everything 
 
 Spain has advanced towards religious liberty more 
 rapidly than in many past years. The attitude of 
 England has done much. Our brethren have taken 
 courage. The liberal press, in its narrow circle, has 
 done what it could. Nay, in the Spanish Chambers 
 the other day notice was given of an intended interpel- 
 lation to the Government respecting us.' The writer 
 says elsewhere that 'all Spaniards look to England in 
 this crisis, and from England only can we expect any 
 help.' That illustrated the moral effect of the discus- 
 sions in the British Parliament. He would not re- 
 capitulate all the precedents quoted last session by his 
 right hon. friend as to the right of this country to in- 
 terfere in the matter. He would only remind the 
 House of the words of the eminent authority, Vattel, 
 on this question. 'When a religion is persecuted, the 
 foreign nations who profess it may intercede for their 
 brethren; but this is all they can lawfully do, unless 
 the persecution be carried to an intolerable excess. 
 Then, indeed, it becomes a case of manifest tyranny, in 
 which all nations are permitted to succour an unhappy 
 people. A regard to their own safety may also autho- 
 rize them to undertake the defence of the persecuted.' 
 An hon. friend of his ? the member for Gal way, the other 
 
120 MR. KINNAIRD'S SPEECH ON 
 
 evening made an earnest appeal to the sympathies of 
 the House in behalf of the Southerners who were in 
 armed secession from the United States of America, and 
 who demanded liberty to keep 4,000,000 of people in 
 perpetual bondage; might not he far more confidently 
 ask their sympathies for those who only exercised the 
 right to profess what they conscientiously believed, and 
 sought not to be treated as felons for holding the faith 
 professed by the majority of the members of that House? 
 JNTor were they without encouragement from the results 
 of the intercession made in behalf of their persecuted 
 brethren in former instances. He had had the honour 
 of bringing before the House the case of the Madiai, and 
 their release speedily followed. Little did he think 
 when he brought that case before the House how soon 
 the Grand Ducal Government which persecuted them 
 would be swept away. The tendency of these persecu- 
 tions was to alienate the people from their Governments, 
 and they were never forgotten when the day of reckon- 
 ing came. The House would recollect the benefits 
 which followed the withdrawal of our diplomatic repre- 
 sentative from the Neapolitan Court, and the publica- 
 tion of that remarkable pamphlet of the Chancellor of 
 the Exchequer with reference to Poerio and his fellow- 
 sufferers. Where now was that persecuting Govern- 
 ment 1 Here was a great moral lesson which should 
 not be lost on such Governments an advantage 
 gained in a peaceable way by bringing public opinion 
 to bear upon them. And was the idea of religious 
 liberty in Spain perfectly hopeless 1 ? Within the last 
 ten years the question of right of worship had been 
 discussed in the Cortez, and was only lost by one 
 
THE PERSECUTIONS IN SPAIN. 121 
 
 vote. The press, moreover, was not completely sub- 
 servient to the Eomish priesthood. Another fact of 
 great importance was that, since his right hon. friend 
 had brought forward this subject, we did not stand 
 alone in our remonstrances with the Spanish Govern- 
 ment. Greatly to the credit of the Emperor of the 
 French, M. Thouvenol had written a very admirable 
 despatch, instructing his minister at Madrid strongly 
 to remonstrate with the Spanish Government on the 
 subject of these unhappy persecutions; and when he 
 remembered the position of France in relation to the 
 Pope's continued possession of Rome, the fact was all 
 the more significant. Prussia, Russia, and Sweden 
 had also remonstrated, and were endeavouring to 
 persuade Marshal O'Donnell of the impolicy as . well as 
 injustice of persisting in these iniquitious sentences. 
 The hon. member for Launceston (Mr. Haliburton), 
 with that power of sarcasm for which he was so re- 
 markable, referred the other evening to what Juarez 
 might have said to the Spanish General who had 
 command of the expedition to Mexico. It certainly 
 was somewhat remarkable that Spain, who had often 
 repudiated her public engagements, kept notoriously 
 bad faith with us in her treaties in regard to the 
 slave-trade, and was now disgracing herself by these 
 persecutions, should go to Mexico in order to compel 
 her to pay her debts. He did trust that Marshal 
 O'Donnell, who had great experience in public life, 
 would see the inexpediency of continuing these per- 
 secutions. What was immediately wanted was the 
 pardon of these persons. Private efforts had been 
 unable to obtain this. He therefore asked again for 
 
122 MR. KINNAIRD'S SPEECH. 
 
 the remonstrance of our Government, and he hoped 
 ultimately to see a change in those laws under which 
 these persecutions had taken place, which were a 
 disgrace to a civilized nation, making it impossible to 
 know if any man was honest in his religious pro- 
 fession; for while one man would undergo imprison- 
 ment and the galleys rather than deny his faith, 500 
 others might think him right without daring to face 
 the danger of avowing their convictions. He hegged 
 to ask the noble lord, the First Lord of the Treasury, 
 in reference to what took place last session on the 
 subject of the persecution in Spain and the efforts 
 which were understood to be about to be made by 
 Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 
 in order to obtain remission of punishment for 
 Matamoros and others, who were undergoing im- 
 prisonment and are now under sentence of the 
 galleys, on the charge of maintaining certain religious 
 opinions and practices contrary to the religion of the 
 State, whether he had any objection to state to the 
 House if any and what steps had been taken in 
 reference to this matter; and whether Her Majesty's 
 Minister at Madrid had been able to obtain any 
 satisfactory assurance that a favourable consideration 
 would be given to his representations on the subject." 
 
 "Viscount Palmerston, Sir, I quite admit that my 
 hon. friend has performed a duty which nobody can 
 complain of in bringing this matter under the con- 
 sideration and attention of the House. And there 
 can be no doubt the expression of opinion in the 
 British House of Commons must have great weight 
 with those in any country in Europe to whose conduct 
 
LORD PALMERSTON'S SPEECH. 123 
 
 those observations .apply. I am sorry to say that I 
 cannot, however, make any report to my hon. friend 
 and the House as to any satisfactory result which 
 has yet followed any attempts or exertions of Her 
 Majesty's Government to obtain the pardon and 
 release of the persons to whom the observations of 
 my honourable friend apply. The difficulties, as he 
 must be aware, are very great. The Spanish nation is 
 a nation full of valiant, noble, chivalrous feelings and 
 sentiments; but unfortunately in Spain, the Catholic 
 priesthood exercise a sway greater than that they possess 
 in any other country; and, however liberal I believe I 
 may say so the Catholic laity in most countries are, 
 history tells us that wherever the priesthood gets the 
 predominance, the utmost amount of intolerance as 
 invariably prevails. And although in countries where 
 they form a minority they are constantly demanding, 
 not only toleration, but equality, in countries where 
 they are predominant neither equality nor toleration 
 exists. Well, sir, the case in this instance bears upon 
 law. It does not depend upon the will and action of 
 the Government. There are ancient laws of the most 
 intolerant and persecuting kind which have been called 
 into action by the ministers of the Christian religion, 
 and that action has been the condemnation of these 
 unhappy men to punishment, which must, in its nature, 
 be revolting to the minds of liberal persons. Efforts 
 have been made to obtain from the Ministers of the 
 Crown of Spain the exercise of their advice to the 
 Sovereign to show that mercy which belongs to the 
 sovereign of every country. Those efforts have not yet 
 been successful. Mixed with the admirable qualities 
 
124 LORD PALMERSTON'S SPEECH. 
 
 which distinguish the Spanish people, there is one 
 quality not undeserving of respect, viz., a feeling of 
 jealousy of foreign interference in their internal affairs. 
 It is a quality which is connected with one of the 
 highest national virtues; and, therefore, it is obvious 
 that, in any endeavour to obtain the reversal, mitiga- 
 tion, or cessation of punishment, great delicacy must be 
 shown, and great care taken, lest in endeavouring to do 
 good we should, on the contrary, perpetuate eviL I 
 can only assure my hon. friend that no effort will be 
 omitted by Her Majesty's Government which they 
 think will be conducive to the attainment of the object 
 which he has in view." 
 
 May England not allow the blood of martyrs to be 
 at her door. God forbid that it ever may be written 
 of us that we, through our lukewarmness, have seemed 
 to say, " His blood be on us and on our children." It 
 is not yet too late to alter our hitherto timid and 
 humiliating policy; and, no doubt, if a decided course 
 of action were pursued an end would be put to this 
 detestable priestcraft and cruelty. " I was a stranger, 
 and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; 
 sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." Our posi- 
 tion has been sustained and our country blessed before 
 now by our helping the oppressed, and now we have 
 another opportunity offered us which, as yet, has not 
 been taken. 
 
 The public press was not silent during this ini- 
 quitous persecution; the Patriot of Feb. 27, 1862, 
 took it up warmly, and its brilliant article we give 
 below : - 
 
THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPER. 125 
 
 "THE LOOK OUT. 
 
 "Let the names of Manuel Matamoros and of J. 
 Alhama become household words in every Christian 
 family in these islands. 'Remember them that are 
 in bonds as bound with them.' The Spanish Govern- 
 ment, in accordance with Article 128 of the Penal 
 Code, has condemned these noble confessors of the 
 gospel to seven years of the galleys, and to perpetual 
 civil disability, with costs. Spain, which is advancing 
 rapidly in wealth, education, political influence, and 
 military power, remains mediaeval, tyrannical, exclu- 
 sive, spiteful, intolerant in her views of religion. It 
 is sometimes supposed that all national development 
 is co-ordinate, and that advance in every line of pro- 
 gress is equal and parallel. But experience proves 
 that this is far from being the truth. A people may 
 make progress in military power without advancing 
 in arts or virtues ; a nation may develop to a mar- 
 vellous degree the resources of a fertile country, while 
 remaining as to the higher departments of thought 
 and feeling in a state of barbarism. The diffusion of 
 secular knowledge has in itself little effect upon 
 superstition. Why should a nation abandon ancient 
 superstitions as the result of instruction in science 
 when it is seen that an individual great man, who 
 has mastered the whole circle of modern knowledge, 
 remains a bigoted Catholic 1 Besides, Spain acts 
 in this business, so she imagines, on principle and 
 
126 THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPER. 
 
 on experience. In Spain, if anywhere, it has been 
 proved, so she alleges, that thorough persecution is, 
 on the whole, effectual in the suppression of ' heresy/ 
 at least for the time present ; and the government 
 appreciates the advantages of unity in the affairs 
 of 'religion.' There is not much ground for asto- 
 nishment, therefore, at the issue of the trial of 
 the Spanish Bible-readers. If you add together the 
 probabilities arising from Spanish experiences in his- 
 tory ; from the wrath of priestcraft assailed in one of 
 its last strongholds; from the demands of a popular 
 superstition friendly to the vices of a self-indulgent 
 nation; from the cold-blooded cruelty of a modern 
 bureaucratic and centralized government aiming at 
 'order' and quietness, you arrive at a sum total of 
 likelihoods which convert into a philosophical cer- 
 tainty and a State necessity the result which has been 
 realized. 
 
 " But MM. Matamoros and Alhama will not suffer 
 in vain. They are accompanied to the galleys by a 
 Power who will cause their detention and slavery to 
 turn out 'rather to the furtherance of the gospel.' 
 The widely-diffused zeal on behalf of religious liberty, 
 which is a characteristic of our times, has somewhat 
 tempted men to a forgetfulness of the fact that the 
 sufferings of Christian teachers have as important a 
 part to bear in the extension of Christianity as the 
 openings for unhindered works liberally afforded by 
 political wisdom and justice. There never was a time, 
 perhaps, when there was more danger than at present 
 of the missionaries of the gospel permitting them- 
 selves to suppose that the prospects even of imprison- 
 
THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPER. 127 
 
 ment and death are decisive reasons for abandoning 
 particular evangelic enterprises. There never was a 
 time when the self-devoting heroism of a few martyrs 
 would produce deeper and wider effects upon the 
 kingdom of darkness than now. We are all too prone 
 to make our own safety and comfort the first condition 
 of Christian soldiership. The extreme antagonism 
 existing between true Christianity and * all that is in 
 the world,' should prepare us for the frequent practical 
 expression of the deep spiritual opposition to God 
 harboured in the bosom of mankind. 'Political and 
 religious liberty all over the world ' will never oblite- 
 rate the strife between truth and falsehood, good and 
 evil, God and the Devil. ' They that are born after 
 the flesh ' will persecute, as far as they are able, ' them 
 that are born after the spirit.' There are many who 
 wish to * live godly ' in Christ Jesus, but who, in a 
 sense far different from that of St. Paul, will not 
 * suffer persecution.' They will not hear of a man's 
 undergoing wrong for his 'religious opinions.' Now, 
 such extravagance proceeds from a miscalculation of 
 forces. Liberty is a good thing, to be much sought 
 after, and to be struggled for by Christian politicians. 
 Meantime, suffering also is a good thing, and ex- 
 ercises a material influence upon the diffusion of 
 spiritual religion. Towards the close of his ministry 
 Paul spent nearly five years of his life, continuously 
 in a state of bondage; yet, in the Roman letter, 
 written during the latter portion of this detention, he 
 always speaks of his * bonds ' as effectual preachers of 
 truth. Chained by the hand, like a dangerous wild 
 beast, to a Roman legionary, he ever speaks of his 
 
128 THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPEIt. 
 
 manacles as of equal value with miracles in the de- 
 fence and propagation of the GospeL 
 
 "How is this? It is because the spectacle of a 
 cultivated man suffering severe affliction for con- 
 science' sake, affliction which he might wholly escape 
 by ungodly abandonment of his principles, always 
 makes a deep impression on thoughtful observers. 
 When men bring themselves 'much gain by sooth- 
 saying,' or by any form of religion, it throws a doubt 
 upon their absolute sincerity. The obvious gain in 
 money, in station, in authority, in reputation, is con- 
 sidered to offer a sufficient rationale and exposition of 
 the ruling motive, Doth Job serve God for nought 1 
 is Satan's taunt at the prosperous believer, re-echoed 
 by the world, which is always sceptical of fine excel- 
 lence. But, when a man brings himself into trouble, 
 or hard labour, or irksome toil, or straitened circum- 
 stances, by following his conscience; when he sacri- 
 fices bright worldly prospects for a spiritual and 
 eternal end, it draws attention to the faith, and per- 
 suades men that there is something in it. Some 
 people, indeed, talk as if the world were more likely 
 to be wrought upon religiously, the more influential 
 and prosperous, in a worldly point of view, are its 
 advocates and patrons. It is conceived that the 
 ' upper classes ' particularly are more likely to be 
 converted to goodness by a right reverend father 
 in God enthroned in the House of Lords, and having 
 five or ten thousand a-year at his disposal. But, in 
 truth, this is a mistake. A duke or a marquis is 
 just like any other man in the constitution of his 
 mind, and is more likely to be persuaded by the spec- 
 
THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPER. 129 
 
 tacle of self-denial, of disinterestedness, of suffering 
 borne for the sake of conscience, than by all the 
 gorgeous trappings of a secularized hierarchy. 
 
 "Thus it is that suffering for the truth proves so 
 powerful an auxiliary in its diffusion. It furnishes 
 the evidence of a real faith and patience. Men are 
 at ease in their sins when they see only a ' godliness ' 
 which is ' gain/ But when they see a man burning 
 to ashes for a principle, or going to the galleys for an 
 idea of, God, it gives them the impression that reli- 
 gion is a reality; and to make it seem real is half- 
 way towards making it be believed. Suffering for 
 the faith also exhibits God's supporting grace in sor- 
 row. Matamoros says in his recent letter to the 
 churches in Paris, 'This sentence causes me ineffable 
 joy.' It represents the comforting action of the 
 Divine Spirit in the midst of a world doubtful of all 
 supernatural agencies. It kindles the enthusiasm of 
 sympathizers, and makes them much more bold to 
 speak the word of God without fear. Nothing is 
 more inspiring than a martyrdom. The sparks of 
 the burning fly and fall in every direction, and raise 
 fresh * fires ' on earth, such as God delights in fires 
 in which truth shall consume error. Suffering 
 quickens the ingenuity of Christians, and leads them 
 to devise fresh methods for assailing the fortresses 
 of superstition. It exposes to public gaze the hateful 
 qualities of the opposition. It exhibits the essentia 
 weakness of systems which can support themselves 
 only by force, not by argument. It brings to light 
 the tyranny and cruelty of priests, who will leap 
 through every restraint of right and honour in order 
 
130 THE PATRIOT NEWSPAPER. 
 
 to maintain their power. Frequently persecution has 
 widely diffused the gospel by dispersing its con- 
 fessors, who go 'everywhere preaching the word/ 
 just as Palestine was filled with the fugitives from 
 the persecution at Jerusalem, and American freedom 
 was founded by the exiles of England. And, lastly, 
 oftentimes the imprisonment of noted Christians has 
 turned their thoughts inwards, since all outward 
 activity was forbidden, and enabled them to mature 
 in solitude thoughts and works which have operated 
 to the production of evangelical religion long after 
 their imprisonment was ended. It was thus that 
 Patmos, under a divine inspiration, produced the 
 Apocalypse. It was thus that the Restoration, with 
 its Act of Uniformity, and its Conventicle Act, and its 
 Five-mile Act, produced Baxter's 'Christian Direc- 
 tory/ and Howe's ' Blessedness of the Righteous/ and 
 ' Delighting in God/ and ' The Vanity of Man as 
 Mortal/ and Alleine's 'Alarm to the Unconverted/ 
 and Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress/ and Milton's 'Para- 
 dise Lost/ and many other spiritual legacies of that 
 age of sorrow. And thus our beloved brethren in 
 Spain shall not suffer so many things in vain. We 
 shall pray for them in every public act of worship ; 
 we shall ask that the solicitations of England, and 
 Prussia, and Russia shall not be ineffectual in bending 
 the pride of the Spanish Government; we shall beg 
 that the warm intercessions of the Evangelical 
 Alliance, so ably presented to the Prime Minister 
 O'Donnell, by General Alexander, may not fail of 
 success. But even if the Spanish hierarchy persist 
 in enforcing the terrible and cruel sentence of the 
 
GENERAL ALEXANDER'S VISIT TO SPAIN. 131 
 
 galleys, we shall still confidently expect that one 
 Matamoros will, though in his bonds, chase ten 
 thousand opponents, and one single Alhama, in 
 chains and convict dress, prove stronger for the 
 shaking of the Popedom than all this petty perse- 
 cution can prove for the extinction of the gospel. 
 
 " W." 
 
 Few in our country have shown more unceasing sym- 
 pathy and perseverance in the case of Matamoros than 
 General Alexander, and the record of his mission, 
 which is also from the Patriot newspaper, we here 
 insert : 
 
 " SPAIN. 
 "THE PRISONERS FOR THE GOSPEL. 
 
 " The following statement of the result of General 
 Alexander's visit to Spain has been forwarded to us 
 by the Evangelical Alliance : 
 
 " * Major-General Alexander, who, at the request of 
 the British Committee of the Evangelical Alliance, and 
 as the representative of the Conference of Christians 
 of All Nations, held a few months since at Geneva, 
 visited Madrid, to endeavour to obtain the liberation 
 of the Spaniards imprisoned for reading the Bible, has 
 just returned from his mission. 
 
 " * The object of the mission was not to excite pub- 
 lic agitation, or to adopt any course which might wear 
 the appearance of foreign interference with the laws 
 of Spain a point on which the people of that country 
 are proverbially sensitive but simply to seek for an 
 
132 GENERAL ALEXANDER^ VISIT TO SPAIN. 
 
 act of royal clemency towards the prisoners, especially 
 towards Matamoros, Alhama, and Trigo, who have, 
 solely on the ground of their religion, been condemned 
 to the galleys, the first two for seven years, and the 
 third for four years. 
 
 "'Through the kindness of several distinguished 
 persons in this and other countries, the cordial, though 
 unofficial, services of the ambassadors of England, 
 France, and Russia, were enlisted in this work of 
 mercy. The Prussian ambassador, though a Roman 
 Catholic, had already made representations to the 
 Spanish Government. Other valuable aid, Spanish 
 and foreign, was also obtained. At the request of 
 Sir John Crampton, General O'Donnell favoured 
 General Alexander with an interview, at which he 
 entered fully into the subject of the General's 
 mission. 
 
 " ' At that interview the General frankly stated 
 the circumstances under which he was deputed to lay 
 before his Excellency the expression of the principles 
 and sentiments of his co-religionists, not in England 
 only, but in France, Germany, Sweden, Holland, 
 Switzerland, and other countries ; that, although the 
 arrangements for his mission had been made by a 
 particular Society, the cause was common to all Pro- 
 testants. 
 
 " ' General Alexander then presented to General 
 O'Donnell a written statement of the object of his 
 mission, and of the pleas adduced to obtain from the 
 clemency of Her Majesty the Queen of Spain the 
 pardon of men who stand acquitted of all political 
 and criminal offences, but who are condemned to the 
 
GENERAL ALEXANDER'S VISIT TO SPAIN. 133 
 
 galleys for taking the Sacred Scriptures as their rule 
 of faith, and acting according to their conscientious 
 convictions. 
 
 " ' The Prime Minister was most courteous in his 
 reception of General Alexander. He received very 
 cordially the statement above referred to, together 
 with a translation of a Minute on the subject of the 
 Spanish prisoners, adopted by the Geneva Conference 
 in 1861, and of lists of the nationalities represented 
 at that Conference, and of many persons of note in 
 Europe known to be interested in the fate of men now 
 suffering for conscience' sake in prison, and over whom 
 impends the dread sentence of labour in the galleys. 
 
 " * The Duke of Tetuan, while stating the obstacles 
 to General Alexander's object, expressed his satisfac- 
 tion with the manner in which it had been sought to 
 promote it, and promised to submit the papers pre- 
 sented to him to his colleagues in office. He made 
 some remarks upon Spain being less intolerant than 
 was generally supposed, but said that though she would 
 allow nothing like dictation or foreign interference, 
 still her Government was considerate of moral in- 
 fluences and of fair representations that came properly 
 before them. He observed that, though he could hold 
 out no hope of an immediate favourable result, yet, if 
 the object was to be gained, the course adopted was 
 the best that could have been pursued for the purpose. 
 In the course of his remarks the General alluded in a 
 gratifying manner to his own Irish origin, and spoke in 
 very complimentary terms of the army to which the 
 General belongs, and of the Sovereign whom it is his 
 honour to serve. 
 
134 
 
 " ' The final result of this interview will be anxiously 
 waited for by Protestants throughout Europe and 
 America.' " 
 
 If we contrast the conduct of our rulers in this 
 matter with that of Darius, the Persian monarch, when 
 Daniel was in the lions' den, we cannot but see the 
 deepest sympathy and energy evinced in the actions of 
 the latter, whilst supineness and apathy are the 
 characteristics of the former. We cannot but admire 
 the conduct of Darius when we read the words, " The 
 king was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart 
 upon Daniel to deliver him, and he laboured till the 
 going down of the sun to deliver him" Again, " The 
 king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting, 
 neither were instruments of music brought before him, 
 and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very 
 early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den 
 of lions" The remainder of the story is well known. 
 The deep sympathy of the Persian monarch elicits from 
 us sentiments of grateful admiration for his untiring 
 care and love to Daniel, and we sought in vain for a 
 corresponding line of action from those in power in 
 our Government. "If thou altogether holdest thy 
 peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and 
 deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but 
 thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed. And 
 ivho knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for 
 such a time as this ? " 
 
DEFENCE OP PRISONERS AT MALAGA. .135 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE DEFENCE OF THE PRISONERS AT 
 MALAGA. 
 
 THE conduct and activity of the Roman Catholic ad- 
 vocates chosen to defend the cause of the Malaga 
 prisoners, appears bold when compared with that of 
 our Protestant rulers. In order that our countrymen 
 may judge between the two, we give some extracts 
 from the defence made in Malaga by the learned jurist 
 Don Bernabe Davila y Bertoli, in the month of August, 
 1862. 
 
 DEFENCE OF PKISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 " D. Boque" Meano and D. Francisco Mariano Lopez, 
 in the names of D. Jose Gonzalez Mejias and D. 
 Antonio Carrasco Palomo, prisoners in the public 
 prison of this city for the supposed crime of attempting 
 to abolish or change the Koman Catholic and Apostolic 
 religion in Spain appeal against the accusation of the 
 fiscal, in which he demands for our clients the penalty 
 of nine years of penal servitude with accessories, and a 
 payment of a part of the costs of the case 
 
136 DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 " It is an eternal principle that a man cannot be 
 forced to believe anything which his reason rejects or 
 his will repels ; and the Catholic religion this religion 
 of pure love, which has been founded by Jesus Christ 
 in the external form of the Christian Church, which 
 has amongst all social institutions borne the precious 
 fruit of salvation on the earth, and to which Europe 
 owes that pure humanity which lies at the root of its 
 civilization the example and the teacher of all other 
 civilizations, which has awakened, by means of the 
 instructions of its Divine Founder, the sentiment of 
 human dignity in every man, under every sky, and 
 in every social state ; which has kindled the heavenly 
 flame of love amongst men ; which has drawn closer 
 the bonds of universal brotherhood, and has been the 
 best stimulant to the development of all the physical 
 and moral forces with which human nature is gifted 
 this religion, we say, cannot be forced upon any one by 
 material force or moral violence, for the eternal designs 
 of God have made it in harmony with the nature of 
 the free and rational man. If there have been limita- 
 tions and imperfections in the history of our country 
 which have authorised prosecutions and punishments 
 for religious opinions if fanaticism and dogmatism 
 once found their perfect, genuine, and severe repre- 
 sentation in the tribunal of the Holy Office, which was 
 clothed with immense privileges, and armed with an 
 absurd private jurisdiction to defend the sublime prin- 
 ciples of Christianity with the weapons of fire and 
 tortures these imperfections should for ever be put 
 away from among us, and these bygone times should 
 never return, for every religious doctrine, and especially 
 
DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 137 
 
 the Catholic, constitutes a subjective relation apart 
 from and above the objective idea, which is the fatal 
 basis of all intolerance, and which springs from an 
 imperfect knowledge of God. 
 
 "To-day the scene has quite changed thanks to 
 the advance of human reason and the salutary con- 
 clusions which the philosophy of our day has drawn 
 from the history of the past. Progress has created a 
 new world of ideas more in accordance with that 
 Divine will, which must rule the earth until it be 
 accomplished. Amongst these ideas shines the doctrine 
 of the Divine Unity as taught by Jesus Christ and 
 explained and illustrated fully in the whole life of the 
 Teacher. Toleration is already a dogma throughout 
 civilized Europe, and truly Christian society looks with 
 horror upon slavery, tyranny, and the abominations of 
 the middle ages, which can only be compared to the 
 abominations and miseries of Paganism. 
 
 " This, then, is the reason of the just celebrity which 
 this suit, and some others of the same character, have 
 attained in other countries of the general interest 
 which has been called forth in favour of those persecuted 
 for their religous opinions, and expressed by almost the 
 whole press here and abroad, and which has found a 
 solemn echo of just complaint in some of the Parliaments 
 of Europe. 
 
 " When some new symptoms of the old intolerance 
 were remarked in our land when, in this great age of the 
 earthly life of humanity, the shadow of a half-living 
 apparition of the past fell across the present imme- 
 diately the chill was felt by universal and most worthy 
 interests, and since then all civilized nations have kept 
 
138 DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 their eyes fixed upon us, and wait anxiously for the 
 definite issue of these proceedings. .... 
 
 As by the fundamental code the State established the 
 Eoman Catholic and Apostolic religion as the only one 
 of the Spanish nation, it is evident that no form of 
 worship distinct from that consecrated to, and practised 
 by, the Catholic church can be admitted into our 
 land. 
 
 "We are not competent, nor is it our present 
 business, to examine the causes and the reasons for 
 this legal disposition, which we simply recognize as 
 existing ; it is sufficient for us to remark that the law 
 limits the exterior liberty of the citizen in a very 
 positive manner under these special circumstances, 
 its precepts involving a prohibition of all public acts of 
 any other worship or religious sect. 
 
 " But how can our clients be accused of having 
 violated this law? We understand why the terrors 
 of justice should visit the criminal who carries alarm, 
 consternation, and tears to the heart of a family. We 
 desire the punishment of him who destroys, usurps, 
 or injures the property of another. We perceive the 
 wisdom of inflicting a severe penalty upon those 
 citizens who scandalously sow disorder and anarchy in 
 society, upon those who scatter broadcast upon its 
 surface the germs of evil and transcendental misery ; 
 but we cannot see how reason or the law can be so 
 tortured as to be made to accuse any good citizens for 
 the sole crime of not believing what the Roman Catholic 
 Apostolic Church believes, and for having privately 
 practised the rites of any other religious sect. 
 
 " We concede at once that the intelligence of our 
 
DEFENCE OP PRISONEKS AT MALAGA. 139 
 
 clients is labouring under a lamentable delusion. The 
 spirit always strives to attain truth, and in the heat 
 of its constant thirst, and in the incessant struggle 
 which it sustains, it may often stumble into error or fall 
 into scepticism. 
 
 " Truth is not the cup which passes from lip to lip 
 at the festal board, and therefore it would be very 
 dangerous to seek the basis of crime in any of the 
 frequent deliriums of human reason. 
 
 " We do not seek here for crime. The measure of 
 the offence can only be the evil done to society 
 injuries which the public sustain ; and if this sublime 
 principle of science cannot be denied by sound logic, 
 we must acknowledge that though the doctrines held 
 by the accused and their co-religionists are not in 
 accordance with all the dogmas of the Catholic faith, 
 at least, the end which they propose to themselves 
 is one extremely beneficial to society, and its ten. 
 dency is an eminently moral one. As a proof, we take 
 some articles of the statutes or organized rules of this 
 secret association. The document is found in the 129th 
 folio of the acts. 
 
 " ' Article 3. These members must set an example 
 of morality, propriety, and manifested love to the 
 gospel. Each must be a constant observer of these 
 duties ; a good parent and householder, a man without 
 degrading vices, or propensities opposed to the teaching 
 of the gospel. He should be discreet and courteous ; 
 in a word, an example to other Christians. 
 
 " ' Article 20. The Council must watch with special 
 care over the religious instruction of those individuals 
 who compose the association, striving to create a family 
 
140 DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 in Christ, which shall be well taught in the gospel, 
 an example to the age and worthy of their profession, to 
 wnich end it must watch constantly those who have 
 the direction of the congregations.' 
 
 " These are some of the requisites demanded from, 
 and some of the duties imposed upon, the individuals 
 of the Directive or Governing Council. We now 
 quote two of the articles which refer to the brethren 
 in general. 
 
 " ' Article 3. Every member (of the society) must 
 remember that when he is received by his brothers in 
 Christ, it is on the ground of his being a man of faith, 
 and having laid aside all miserable ambitions. 
 
 " ' Article 4. Every brother must practice evan- 
 gelical Christianity with all assiduity and zeal, and 
 must not look with indifference on the afflictions of 
 his brethren, nor of the rest of mankind; dedicating 
 himself constantly to this duty, and giving by his own 
 example the highest stimulus to others.' 
 
 " We have drawn special attention to these passages 
 because they, and all the rest of the rules, show with 
 perfect distinctness the humane and charitable objects 
 of the association, as well as the beneficent tendency 
 and the laudable aim of its members. 
 
 " This line of conduct is in strict accordance with 
 the sublime precepts of the gospel. "Separation from 
 degrading and corrupting vices, sincere and earnest 
 faith, progressive moral culture, domestic love, the re- 
 nunciation of mean and low ambitions, the continual 
 exercise of Christian charity, voluntary sacrifices for 
 the alleviation of the miseries and sorrows of mankind; 
 such is the summary of the spirit of those wise 
 
DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 141 
 
 maxims which our clients inculcated, and which they 
 practised with scrupulous zeal 
 
 "We wait now with tranquillity for the decision 
 which will, we doubt not, be the free and complete 
 absolution of our clients. Can we do other than 
 expect it? Can we believe for one moment that 
 after all the sorrows and griefs which our clients 
 have already suffered for so long a time, they could 
 be condemned to a terrible and undeserved punish- 
 ment? No; the law is above all the shield of the 
 citizens' rights, and in virtue of its precepts the 
 innocent who are unjustly accused can always be 
 defended. 
 
 " The punishment inflicted upon an innocent maL 
 can never be repealed. The suffering of the honour- 
 able citizen who has not infringed the rights of others, 
 and has not injured them, afflicts and troubles society 
 in all its breadth and depth. 
 
 " Behind our clients stands all Europe interested 
 in this case, which involves her own rights and 
 liberties, and waiting with impatience for the denoue- 
 ment of this drama, which seems not to belong to oui 
 age. The august doctrines of progress, the continual 
 teaching of history, and the almost divine inspiration 
 of reason, proclaim with trumpet voice the triumph 
 of this cause, which is the cause of justice and of 
 right, the cause of humanity and civilization. 
 
 " We live in a time of conflict. The field is ever 
 open to contrary ideas, but truth loses nothing in the 
 struggle, but rather gains ground by discussion, and, 
 with its beneficent influence, dissipates the dense 
 obscurity of error, and raises at last the banner of 
 
142 DEFENCE OF PRISONERS AT MALAGA. 
 
 triumph. Finally, let it not be forgotten that the 
 Catholic faith rejects by its first principles all in- 
 tolerance, knowing that intolerance has been the fatal 
 origin of so many heresies and of some deep schisms 
 in the very bosom of the universal church. 
 
 " Away, then, for ever with intolerance and its 
 evil root from our noble and beautiful soil, and flourish 
 here for ever with an absolute empire the fertile 
 idea of the unity of God and the love of all mankind 
 in God." 
 
THE SPANISH PRESS. 143 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 THE SPANISH PRESS. LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 DEFENCE BY HIS ADVOCATE BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT 
 GRANADA. 
 
 THE Spanish Press gave no uncertain sound in this 
 great religious question, of such transcendental impor- 
 tance to Spain. The editor of the Clamor Publico, 
 Don Fernando Corradi, supported and pleaded for the 
 oppressed in many excellent articles. In a letter to 
 Matamoros about the same time, he says: "Because 
 I have defended, and continue to defend, religious 
 liberty, I have been threatened even with death. Be- 
 cause I have supported your cause, they are endea- 
 vouring to ruin my family with violent exactions." 
 In one year only, this newspaper was fined to the 
 extent of 800 sterling, but in spite of all it held on 
 its way bravely. Matamoros, in commenting on the 
 rigour of the Spanish Government in his case, says : 
 " Why does not the Government ask for the official 
 documents in a case where the superstitious and in- 
 tolerant action of the tribunal is thrown into the 
 balance ? That tribunal is entirely composed of Neo- 
 Ca.tholics, and that particular section of them who, in 
 Spain, defend the stake and the Inquisition, and in every 
 
H4 CONSTANCY OF THE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 act its intolerant spirit is manifested. Its hatred to 
 Christians, and the intimate assurance that they are 
 doing good to their souls by endeavouring to exter- 
 minate .us, is already contributing, and will contribute, 
 to bias the sentence passed upon us as Protestants. 
 To ask from the friends and supporters of the Inquisi- 
 tion justice for Protestants, is like asking the Pope 
 to canonize Luther. Our Spanish churches are 
 animated by a noble and generous spirit, which is not 
 easy to describe, and the Malaga prisoners are setting 
 an excellent example. The persecuted, who have been 
 hiding for months from the rage of their enemies, are 
 now even desirous of appearing before the tribunals, 
 without dreading in the least the consequences. Oh, 
 brother of my heart, all this is unspeakably precious, 
 and assures to us happy results. This discourages 
 tyranny, although it stirs it up to greater wrath. 
 My beloved brothers write to me to say that they 
 wish to imitate my example, that they wish to come 
 into prison to suffer with me; and the poor people 
 attribute their valour to my exhortations and con- 
 duct. Poor dear people, they owe nothing to me, but 
 all to God, who gives them His Holy Spirit. Com- 
 prehending the weakness of the human heart and the 
 infant state of the Spanish Church, I have laboured 
 much more than you could believe, that this church 
 should be firm in Jesus, and might give a worthy 
 example to the world. I have prayed much to the 
 Lord to help me in this respect, and He has heard my 
 prayer. You cannot imagine how profound are the 
 sympathies evinced in all parts of Europe towards us ; 
 they are manifested by various acts and under different 
 
SYMPATHY OP FOREIGN CHRISTIANS. 145 
 
 auspices. In the midst of all these things the enemy 
 is exhausting all the means of wrath against us, but 
 this gives a contrary result to that which they pro- 
 pose. 
 
 "Erom Amsterdam, the Hague, and Kotterdarn, I 
 receive letters constantly, which are eminently conso- 
 latory to me, which I answer, and publicity is given 
 to all my communications in Holland. The consistory 
 of the Free Church at Amsterdam, in answer to a 
 letter of mine, in which I begged them to help us in 
 our evangelical labours in Spain, answered me that, 
 though they had neglected to do so up to this present 
 time, they would nevertheless in the future remember 
 Spain. So that even if I do die, I shall die happy 
 when I think that in every place people are taking 
 an interest in the spiritual welfare of Spain. The 
 suffering prisoners of Malaga have again written to 
 me, in such a happy strain. Their letters reveal such 
 a spirit of Christian resignation, and are neither 
 more nor less than the expression of that holy joy 
 that inspires them with such deep love and gratitude 
 to you all, and with the most complete and decided 
 faith. Oh, I am so thankful for all this \ it is for me 
 a motive of interminable joy in Jesus to witness the 
 noble spectacle they are giving to the world, of faith- 
 fulness in their chains, and I have not words to 
 express my thankfulness to the Lord for this. I bow 
 my knee before our heavenly Father for them, and my 
 heart is full to overflowing with these pure emotions. 
 I am so happy, yes, more than happy; something so 
 wonderful that I cannot explain it, but it is, beloved 
 friend, my rejoicing in Jesus, the fountain of all joy, 
 
 L 
 
14C GLORIOUS RESULTS. 
 
 and superior to all. When, on the other hand, I 
 meditate on the spectacle presented by the Church of 
 Christ in all places to the unbelieving world, that 
 world which rushing headlong downwards loses itself 
 at last in the dark and solitary valley of death, my 
 gratitude to God gains strength and humbleness, and 
 I begin to understand that, grateful as I may have 
 been to Him, I can never be grateful enough; and 
 now, while my enemies rejoice in my grief and in that 
 of all my dear brothers, while they are exhausting the 
 dregs of their wrath, I see, on the other hand, many 
 thousand hearts bending humbly before the Lord in 
 prayer for the poor martyrs, dropping tears of love at 
 the remembrance of their sorrows, giving an example 
 of faith, and saying to the world, Do your worst; 
 we pity you, we pardon you, and not by force, but by 
 prayer, we shall be more than conquerors. And what 
 can I say to you about that zeal which is manifested 
 by you all in supporting the numerous families of the 
 imprisoned? Oh, beloved brother, I cannot find 
 words to signify to you all I feel on this head. When 
 I see so many families who would have been exposed 
 to the greatest misery, now, thanks to your charity, 
 enabled to bring their husbands, sons, and brothers 
 in bonds, the food they so much want, that bread 
 which the angry hands of their enemies had deprived 
 them of, by taking from their midst the worthy bread- 
 earners, who, through the sweat of their brows, pro- 
 vided for them; when I consider that now, though the 
 father is imprisoned, vexed, and tormented, his heart 
 is at least not torn by the idea of the misery of his 
 children and of his wife, that our enemies cannot 
 
DEFENCE OF DON M. MATAMOROS. 147 
 
 rejoice in their complete destitution as they can do in 
 our martyrdom; and when I consider that all this is 
 in answer to prayer, and what a brilliant spectacle this 
 Christian love presents which springs from faith in 
 Jesus, I rejoice with true evangelic joy. 
 
 " I am glad to hear that you liked the defence my 
 advocate made in my case. It has been printed, and 
 is a document that has made a deep impression on 
 the minds of Spaniards; and though the advocate is a 
 Roman . Catholic, this seems to have given it more 
 weight, for it is so compact." 
 
 THE DEFENCE OF DON MANUEL MATA- 
 MOROS BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL OF 
 GRANADA. 
 
 The Advocate, D. Antonio Moreno y Diaz (whom 
 the editor of the Glamor Pullico calls " a person well 
 known in Granada for his faith in the sacred dogmas 
 of the Catholic religion which we profess, for the 
 moderation of his ideas, and for the independence of 
 his character"), having stated the case in the usual 
 legal terms, thus proceeds : 
 
 "Our position at this moment is critical in the 
 highest degree, delicate beyond belief, and in many 
 respects most embarrassing. We are about to defend 
 a worthy man and a noble cause, but the man is not 
 known, and is therefore all but abhorred by ignorant 
 minds, and the cause is terrifying those fanatics who 
 refuse to comprehend it. 
 
 " The ministerial voice has said, ' An attempt has 
 been made to change in our beloved country the 
 
148 DEFENCE OF DON M. MATAMOROS 
 
 Catholic faith, and to substitute for it that which 
 Protestants profess; and the very mention of such a 
 crime causes deep pain to every good Spaniard. The 
 religious unity of the nation, our most deeply-rooted 
 and venerable faith that which our ancestors left to 
 us that which has borne our banners from pole to 
 pole unsullied, and with honour and glory that faith 
 which reconquered our land, and rescued it from the 
 hands of the infidels that which bore civilization to the 
 New World that religion which our fundamental 
 laws declare to be the true, the only one some un- 
 fortunates have attempted to overturn, substituting 
 in its place error, disorder, and chaos. Instead of 
 the Catholic unity, this great blessing, the envy of all, 
 which we have been able to preserve in the midst of 
 the perturbations and schisms which have afflicted 
 Europe, they seek to give us anarchy; and by breaking 
 the sacred chains of the obedience due to the Holy 
 See, to destroy that principle of authority, already, 
 alas ! much weakened.' 
 
 " How, then, if the crime is so horrible, if the work 
 in question will lead to such horrible disorders, how do 
 we dare, notwithstanding, to support the cause of him 
 whom the representative of the law would no doubt 
 call the worst of the enemies of our past glories, of our 
 beloved country, and of the religion of our ancestors ? 
 It is true that we, who glory in the name of Catholics 
 and Spaniards, and who would rejoice to declare 
 ourselves such, as much to-day as yesterday, by word 
 and deed, in the secret of our consciences as before the 
 whole world, we cannot but shudder at the picture of 
 the crime and its authors, which the official pen of the 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 149 
 
 zealous functionary to whom we allude has sketched 
 for us. 
 
 " But our view of these things is, by good or bad 
 fortune, so totally different from his, and our inexperi- 
 ence or our good faith has caused us to adopt such 
 convictions on this subject, that, terrible as may be the 
 prospect, and many the catastrophes set before us, 
 nothing will make us waver from our point. 
 
 " We undertake the defence of Don Manuel Mata- 
 moros Garcia not only without uneasiness, but with 
 satisfaction, and though we feel that this noble task 
 may call forth censures which we have not received 
 when we have pleaded for unfortunate criminals who 
 have expiated their guilt on the shameful scaffold, 
 yet we live in the firm hope that, if we succeed in 
 gaining a favourable result, our efforts will have been 
 more truly profitable to the Church and the State than 
 are all these passionate accusations and these terrible 
 sentences which weigh down those who are persecuted 
 in Spain for their religious opinions, to the astonishment 
 and alarm of civilized Europe. 
 
 " From a long series of prolix observations which 
 we have made upon the past and present life of our 
 client, we have arrived at the positive conviction that 
 while he resists with indescribable tenacity every 
 effort which is made to overcome him by force, we 
 may hope everything from him if he is treated with 
 gentleness and persuaded with reason. He is still 
 very young, imaginative, ardent, gentle, and of noble 
 sentiments, with a soul, unfortunately, of a class but 
 too rare in the world; and in the heyday of his youth 
 he sacrifices himself at the altar of an idea, which 
 
150 . DEFENCE OP DON M. MATAMOROS 
 
 we will not specifically describe, but which, even if 
 realized, would produce neither anarchy, disorder, nor 
 chaos. 
 
 " He dearly loves his fatherland, and is interested, 
 as is every good Spaniard, in its prosperity, its renown, 
 and its glory, but he desires to see Spain free in an 
 absolute sense; that is, enjoying the peace, and the 
 benefits, and the admirable harmonies which result in a 
 civilized nation from the knowledge and the practice of 
 the doctrines of the gospel. This, and no other, is the 
 beautiful ideal of his illusions, as we shall hope to 
 prove. Those who do not know him those who, 
 having never seen him, judge of him by what the 
 ignorant vulgar say may perhaps stigmatize him as a 
 visionary, an innovator, a madman, a heretic, or an 
 apostate. But we must oppose the torrent of public 
 opinion in this question, and declare our belief that he 
 is a worthy man. We have several reasons for so 
 believing. The first, because every one is worthy who, 
 like Don Manuel Matamoros, aspires continually to 
 benefit mankind, presenting constantly health and life 
 with the words and the example of Him who redeemed 
 us at Golgotha. Secondly, because we believe no other 
 epithet can be applied to him who carries a treasury of 
 goodness within him, and who practises, as if by instinct, 
 the Christian virtues where of we are the admiring 
 witnesses. And thirdly because, apart from all this, we 
 must remember that more than once he has desired to 
 immolate himself in the place of his companions in 
 misfortune, and has asked for pity for them and their 
 families, while, with chivalrous enthusiasm and sublime 
 resignation, he has proclaimed himself the sole author 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 151 
 
 of the crime for which they are accused, and the only 
 person responsible for all its consequences; and 
 fourthly, and lastly, because it is impossible to withhold 
 respect from a young man who, like our client, has 
 borne with nobility of soul all the hard and constant 
 sufferings which have been his lot in the disgraceful 
 imprisonment which he has endured. 
 
 " The majority of enlightened persons of this 
 country for whom toleration is a dogma, and all those 
 neighbouring nations where this precious conquest of 
 modern days exercises all its salutary influence, these 
 have no sooner learned that the prisons of Andalusia 
 are filled with unfortunates who are persecuted for their 
 religious opinions, than they were deeply moved, and 
 have not ceased since then to intercede for them by 
 the press, from the tribune, and even in high official 
 places. 
 
 " This case, then, is of such intrinsic importance, and 
 has acquired so much interest, that not only those 
 whose fate will be decided by its results, but also all 
 the nations of Europe, are waiting with anxiety and 
 with impatience for its termination. 
 
 " With impatience because they wish to see these 
 unhappy prisoners at once set free; and with anxiety 
 because they tremble lest, in the middle of the nine- 
 teenth century, and in a nation so cultivated, so 
 noble, and so generous as that which inhabits the 
 Iberian peninsula, the sorrowful spectacle should be 
 presented of certain honourable citizens condemned 
 to heavy punishments for the single crime of pro- 
 fessing a religion which is not the religion of the 
 State. 
 
152 DEFENCE OP DON M. MATAMOROS 
 
 " Our examination must rest upon three points the 
 existence of the crime, the legality of the proceedings 
 employed for its discovery, and the justice of the 
 penalties enacted for its punishment. 
 
 "As regards the first particular, let us hear how 
 the representative of the law argues. He desires to 
 prove that Don Manuel Matamoros unreasonably 
 complains of intolerance. He affirms that in Spain 
 no one is punished for their, religious belief, though 
 openly manifested and heterodox, as long as they do 
 not publicly apostatize. Afterwards, comparing the 
 conduct of Luther with that of the prisoners, he 
 says 'But Matamoros and his associates, forgetting 
 the faith of their ancestors, and without any external 
 cause for irritation or exasperation, preached their 
 errors, catechized the incautious, established Protes- 
 tant churches, each severally and all together form- 
 ing associations prohibited by the law.' Then 
 triumphantly he continues, 'The prisoners must 
 know and understand that they are not accused for 
 their religious faith, nor for having manifested it; 
 but because they have attempted to change the 
 religion of the State, and have practised external and 
 abstract acts, and of which the direct result would 
 be such a change.' Finally, as if to give a clear and 
 precise formula of his opinions in the matter, he 
 asserts that, 'When one or more persons propagate 
 doctrines contrary to the most holy dogmas of our 
 faith as the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church 
 teaches, they commit the crime which comes under 
 the 128th article of the code.' 
 
 "In Spain we are no longer in the times of Tor- 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 153 
 
 quemada! For arbitrary authority can no longer 
 v call itself law, and the ominous tribunal of the holy 
 offices no longer takes account of offences against 
 religion. If such offences exist now, they are pro- 
 perly classified and punished by the penal code, and 
 the magistrates and judges, whose duty it is to ad- 
 minister justice, must regulate their decisions by its 
 decrees. . 
 
 "Our fundamental law lays down the principle 
 that the only religion of the State is the Kornan 
 Catholic Apostolic, and the penal code punishes 
 not alone any who attempt to abolish or alter it 
 (Art. 128), but also all who shall publicly apostatize 
 from it (Art. 136), and also those, who, having pro- 
 pagated doctrines or maxims contrary to its dogmas, 
 shall persist in publishing such after they have been 
 condemned by the ecclesiastical authorities (130). 
 These are the three chief offences against religion 
 which are noted by our code, and of which of these 
 is Don Manuel Matamoros accused 1 . . . . . 
 
 "In the world of speculation an arena is open to all 
 intelligence by means of discussion. To believe or to 
 doubt, to accept as good or to reject as evil, to admit 
 as suitable or to shut out as prejudicial, ideas and 
 theories, are movements and evolutions of our mind 
 which cannot be contained within bounds without 
 tyrannizing over conscience and impeding the neces- 
 sary onward progress of humanity. Man must have, 
 by an inalienable right of his existence, full liberty 
 to think, full liberty to express his thoughts, full 
 liberty to discuss them, full liberty to adhere to what 
 he thinks best, and full liberty, in short, to associate 
 
154 DEFENCE OF DON M. MATAMOIIOS 
 
 himself with those who believe as he does. There is 
 no danger that he will go astray in the path, for all 
 who have studied, known, or thought anything about 
 the mind of man, will recognize that he is not less 
 rebellious against the reason of force than submissive 
 to the force of reason; and thus guided by reason, 
 and shielded by faith, he can go safely forth into the 
 arena where ideas, principles, and doctrines are strug- 
 gling together, and he arrives at the knowledge of 
 the good, the useful, and the true, in all branches of 
 human wisdom. Hence, toleration is the rule in 
 every civilized nation. Hence, there can be no poli- 
 tical liberty without free discussion; and hence the 
 need of the distinction between him who attacks any 
 institution, and him who is not its partisan, and who 
 may associate himself with others, to combat it on 
 scientific grounds, to use his influence to reduce the 
 number of those who oppose it, and to desire that it 
 should succumb to, or be modified by, the benefit of 
 public opinion. ....... 
 
 "The letters of Don Francisco Ruet show us that 
 the writer having announced to the Neophytes that 
 their wish to be enrolled in the books of the Re- 
 formed Spanish Church has been fulfilled, proceeds 
 to trace for them the line of their future conduct. 
 
 " 'Every Spaniard,' he says, 'who is converted to 
 the true faith must be a real missionary to his friends, 
 and must strive with persuasive words, and by works 
 of mercy, to convince many others/ 
 
 "Faithfully following this peaceful counsel, the 
 members of the directive junta of the Reformed 
 Church of Barcelona, in the circular which they ad- 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 155 
 
 dressed to other juntas and brothers in Spain, thus 
 write: 'If mutually and fraternally encouraging 
 one another our faith fail not, perhaps we may be 
 permitted to salute with hymns of jubilee the radiant 
 aurora of the kingdom of God in our unhappy land. 
 Let us labour then with ardour in the holy work of 
 the evangelization of our brothers, and if our efforts 
 appear barren, let us console ourselves with having 
 done our duty to God and man as good and sincere 
 believers. But no! we will fill the field with seed, 
 and when God wills it shall bring forth fruit. 
 
 " 'If we can do nothing else, let us sow the grain 
 of mustard seed, and let us rejoice in the conviction 
 that it is written that "the birds of the air shall 
 lodge in the branches which grow from the least of 
 all seeds." ' 
 
 "Matamoros and Alhama, thoroughly agreeing 
 with these bases in their correspondence, actions, 
 and words, have constantly taught that the chief, if 
 not the only principles of action which should be used, 
 are the moral and religious education of the people, 
 mutual concord amongst the afflicted, zeal in the 
 preaching of gospel truth, and the constant practice 
 of Christian virtues. Finally, the high praises which 
 in their exposition to the Scotch committee they 
 
 lavish upon young N A , all and only for 
 
 his faith, his preaching, and the good fruits of the 
 latter, which drew out a multitude of hearts to the 
 love of Jesus Christ. 
 
 "Here, then, is all that Manuel Matamoros and 
 his co-religionists have done, or have attemptedto 
 convince many by persuasive words and good works; 
 
156 DEFENCE OP DON M. MATAMOROS 
 
 to evangelize that is, to teach the people the doc- 
 trines of the crucified Lord; to encourage one another 
 fraternally in this holy work, and do their duty as 
 good and earnest believers, filling the field with the 
 seed which should bear fruit in God's good time, 
 and hoping, as the result of all, for the establishment 
 of religious reformation, so that they might salute 
 with hymns of joy the radiant aurora of the king- 
 dom of God amongst us. Not one word of menace, 
 not one subversive sentence, not one remotest thought 
 can we trace, that they had realized, that they pur- 
 posed to realize, one material exterior direct action 
 which should in any way change or abolish in Spain 
 the Eoman Catholic and Apostolic religion. 
 
 "How, then, can Manuel Matampros be accused as 
 the author of this crime 1 ? How can he be supposed 
 to deserve the penalty of eleven years' imprison- 
 ment? ........ 
 
 " Now it will be easy to us to prove that, contrary 
 to the opinions of the counsel for the Crown, Don 
 Manuel Matamoros has but too good cause for com- 
 plaining of cruelty, arbitrary and even inhuman 
 treatment, practised upon himself and others in the 
 name of the law. 
 
 " There is no penal law in Spain against those who 
 introduce, keep, or circulate prohibited books. Not- 
 withstanding this, the civil governor of the province 
 heard that some brought from San Roque were cir- 
 culating in Granada. ""He gave verbal orders to a 
 police agent to inquire and discover who were the 
 individuals concerned in this. But this agent took 
 upon himself powers which he neither possessed 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRAXADA. 157 
 
 absolutely nor relatively, and having at midnight 
 entered the house of Don Jose Alhama, searched it 
 all through, and seized whatever letters and papers 
 he could find, finally arrested the master of the 
 house, and placed him in solitary confinement. 
 
 "By impartial reflection upon these facts that a 
 simple policeman, to verify a question, may invade 
 the domestic hearth, search at his pleasure, tear 
 away whatever books and papers he fancies, and 
 finally drag away to a solitary dungeon an honour- 
 able citizen are we not convinced that there has 
 been here serious abuse, and the more censurable 
 because its consequences have been so serious ? Where 
 are the laws that protect social men? Who ever 
 imagined himself authorized to infringe and break 
 them as this police agent did 1 ? And who was this 
 man, to presume, on his own authority, to seize 
 papers and books which were private property, to 
 classify them as good or evil, to discover in them 
 the proofs of the existence of a crime, and to take 
 away to prison their owner 1 . . . 
 
 "But that is not alL Hardly had the name of 
 Manuel Matamoros been found in these papers, when 
 the civil governor of Barcelona (where our client 
 then was) received a telegraphic order to search and 
 seize him in like manner, and that he should be 
 brought as a prisoner by stages to this capital. Very 
 serious was this order to Senor Matamoros. His 
 health was much broken, and two well-known and 
 highly-esteemed medical men certified that his life 
 would be endangered by the journey on foot of one 
 hundred and seventy leagues, during the rigorous cold 
 
158 DEFENCE OF DON M. MATAMOBOS 
 
 of that season. Any one would have supposed that 
 at least he would have been permitted to remain 
 where he was till his health should have improved. 
 Not at all the order was given and must be obeyed. 
 ' Let him come to Granada, ill or well,' was the only 
 answer which the well-considered opinion of the 
 medical men elicited. What would have happened 
 if he had not been enabled to make this journey by 
 sea? Where would he be now if he had travelled 
 hither from Barcelona, on foot, chained in a gang of 
 prisoners, and lodging with them in prisons on the 
 road? Probably his name would have been sent 
 forward but nothing more. 
 
 " And yet the counsel for the Crown is astonished 
 that he should complain ! and affirms that complaints 
 are unjustifiable. 
 
 "Truly, we would inform this gentleman that the 
 sole reason for the interest which so many thousands 
 are taking in this case, both within and without the 
 Peninsula is, first, upon the very nature of the case 
 itself, and then the luxury of persecution in which 
 the authorities have indulged. 
 
 "It was not enough to drag Don Manuel Mata- 
 moros hither at a moment when he needed the most 
 tender care from his family, there was still something 
 to be done, and now one of the many military com- 
 missions, which began to act on their discretion after 
 the affair at Loja, took upon itself to meddle here, 
 and to implicate him. His situation was, for some 
 time, terrible, in consequence of this new accusation. 
 The fiscal-instructor lavished his ' in-communications ' 
 (orders to place the prisoner in solitary confinement) ; 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 159 
 
 he resorted to every description of treachery to 
 create the proofs of the imaginary crime ; and having 
 placed the fate of our client in the hands of wicked 
 men and vile criminals, at last, fortunately, the 
 case passed from the hands of its author and came 
 before the ordinary tribunals, where it was imme- 
 diately quashed, so evident, so palpable, so enormous 
 was the injustice with which Don Manuel Matamoros 
 had been persecuted. 
 
 "Without desiring to enter into any detail of the 
 errors into which opposing parties run, or to present 
 ourselves before the world as models of perfect 
 Eoman Catholic Apostolic believers, we affirm, as 
 incontestible truth, that from the doctrines which our 
 clients teach we should expect anything rather than 
 bad citizens. As the basis of their propagandist 
 labours was ever to teach the maxims of the gospel, 
 we may easily see that though their neophytes might 
 not acquire a pure orthodoxy, they would, at least, 
 receive an amount of religious instruction which is 
 but too rare at present, and which could only tend to 
 make them peaceful and useful members of society. 
 
 "And what more could a truly enlightened Govern- 
 ment desire? What greater glory could we desire 
 for our dear fatherland, eminently Catholic as it is, 
 but where, we confess with grief and shame, there is 
 so much ignorance, and indifference, and hypocrisy, 
 than to see all its sons converted into faithful and 
 obedient followers of the crucified Lord ? 
 
 Truly, whoever thinks calmly on these things 
 must agree that, if Don Manuel Matamoros is con- 
 demned to any penalty, he will not be punished for 
 
160 DEFENCE OP DON M. MATAMOROS 
 
 the harm that he did, but for the good that he. desired 
 to do. Farther, and this is very important, so unjust 
 a sentence as this would injure rather than benefit 
 the Church. We all know that the Catholic Apos- 
 tolic and Eoman religion is not the only ruling faith 
 on earth, but that there are, unfortunately, not a few 
 countries where it is either persecuted or only tole- 
 rated; and with what reason shall we demand that 
 these persecutions should cease, and that under the 
 wing of toleration the most holy dogmas of our faith 
 should be preached, if we make a display and a glory 
 of our intolerance by condemning to prison and the 
 galleys those who incur the guilt of heresy or pro- 
 pagate its errors 1 We offend against the sanctity of 
 our faith, against the belief which our ancestors be- 
 queathed to us; which has crowned the brow of 
 our country with laurels; which carried civilization 
 to a new world ; which is the first and best ornament 
 of the Spanish nation, if we believed for an instant 
 that it was necessary to use in its defence the rigour, 
 the intolerance, and the tyranny of earthly powers. 
 
 " No ! Our Mother Church suffices for herself, for 
 she is borne in the arms of a supernatural strength. 
 Seek the proof of this in the words of her Divine 
 Founder; in the promise of the Holy Spirit, which 
 never abandons her; in the grand code which con- 
 tains her doctrines; and remember that a God-man 
 cast the seed of the Church into the earth, that, 
 watered with the blood of innumerable martyrs dur- 
 ing centuries of horrible persecution, it should, at 
 last, fill the face of the earth with the fruit of life 
 eternal. 
 
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL AT GRANADA. 161 
 
 " If, then, in the name of our most holy religion, 
 which is all mercy and gentleness, no tyranny or 
 injustice can be practised ; if toleration is an essen- 
 tial dogma of Catholicism, and a powerful instrument 
 in the development of the Church; and if, on the 
 other hand, the clients in this case, at whose head 
 stands Don Manuel Matamoros, in disseminating the 
 doctrines which they profess, and which are those of 
 the gospel, do society no harm, but rather instruct 
 and improve it, we can come but to one conclusion, 
 that the complete absolution of the prisoners is the 
 only reasonable, just, and equitable termination to the 
 affair." 
 
162 "EPISTOLA CONSOLATORIA." 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 LETTERS FROM GRANADA. 
 
 M ATAMOROS again writes : " Our Paris friends intend 
 to make the greater part of the defence public, accord- 
 ing to a letter they have lately sent me, for, like 
 yourself, they think it so good. Senor Don Moreno 
 Dias is my advocate's name, and he has been compli- 
 mented by many eminent people, some of whom are 
 known to him only by hearsay, so great is the enthu- 
 siasm that has been produced by its perusal. I can 
 assure you that from much experience I can say that 
 you have done notable service to Spain by the trans- 
 lation and printing of the work of Dr. De Sanctis, 
 * Confession and Tradition,' and when I first heard of 
 it I found it impossible to get many copies, but those I 
 did get have done good service. A fellow countryman, 
 
 Senor Usoz, sent me by Mr. Rew the important 
 
 work called the ' Epistola Consolatoria,' written in 1560 
 by the distinguished Spanish brother, Don Juan Perez. 
 It is addressed to the suffering saints in the prisons of 
 the Inquisition at Seville, Yalladolid, etc. It is 
 written in the old Castilian language used in those 
 days, and is extremely interesting. It is a treasure of 
 piety and divine love, and one of the best books that 
 
MB. REW. 163 
 
 has come within my reach. I must tell you something 
 of this Mr. Rew, who came all the way to Granada to 
 visit me, with his wife and niece. When he was here 
 in my cell, there were present also the wife and 
 daughter of Senor Marin the Malaga prisoner, my 
 mother, Senor Trigo and his wife, Alhama, and my 
 brother Henry. After talking a little together, Mr. 
 Rew spoke to us most opportunely, and with much 
 faith, and, filled by the love of Jesus, with much feel- 
 ing he exhorted us to persevere, to continue instant in 
 prayer. I had also the pleasure of speaking at this 
 time to those then present, and of explaining to them 
 the continual joy I had in Jesus, and the hope I 
 entertained that this joy would be unceasing, through 
 a lively faith, much prayer, and the consolations of the 
 Holy Spirit. I spoke at length on these important 
 subjects, and many tears fell from the eyes of the 
 women there present, who were much moved. I read 
 to them the 1st chapter to the Philippians, as also the 
 4th of 1st Peter, and happy thoughts came to the 
 minds of all touching these beautiful passages from 
 the Book of Life, and there was manifest in the midst 
 of our little congregation a visible but inexplicable 
 joy in Jesus. Mr. R. asked me at this time alvo what 
 was my opinion as to the education of some of the 
 children of the prisoners in England, and I gave him 
 my humble opinion on the matter, which is very im- 
 portant, and ever since I have been reflecting over it 
 with great pleasure. I told him that I thought it not 
 nly desirable, but that the results likely to follow 
 would, with God's blessing, be very great indeed. He 
 seemed to think the same, and left, animated by the 
 
164 NEGRO SLAVERY. 
 
 best desires. May God bless him ! And finally, dear 
 brother; in my humble cell we all bent the knee to 
 our heavenly Father, and I returned thanks to Him 
 for the joy He allowed me to experience in my chains. 
 I thanked Him for the willingness with which I and 
 the other prisoners would give up our lives for the 
 sweet name of Jesus, and for His love. I thanked our 
 Father for the Christian activity displayed by the 
 body of Christ, and begged of Him to give to it con- 
 stantly the presence of the Divine Spirit. I pardoned 
 in His sight all our enemies, and finally I gave thanks 
 to God for permitting me to suffer for the divine 
 name of Jesus. Certain other subjects I embraced in 
 my prayer, and was almost exhausted as I finished, for 
 I am so powerfully moved, so deeply impressed when 
 I am engaged in this delightful exercise, that the plea- 
 sure I feel is immeasurable, and on the coldest winter's 
 day I perspire profusely." 
 
 In a letter from Matamoros in June, 1862, he says 
 the following : " I have received four copies of the 
 small but important tract against the traffic of negroes 
 in Cuba, against that horrible, that dishonourable 
 traffic in human blood, that terrible stain to humanity, 
 that execrable blot on my country, and on all coun- 
 tries that continue to allow this page to remain in their 
 history. 
 
 " I have sent the tract to various towns in Spain, 
 and if I had some hundreds of them I would will- 
 ingly pay the postage, so as to have the pleasure of 
 forwarding it to various friends and important per- 
 sonages. No one has ever been able to make me 
 give up my opinion, which is that Europe can never 
 
NEGRO SLAVERY. 165 
 
 expiate the crime of allowing the continuance of this 
 traffic. I can't understand how modern society can 
 permit that the father be torn from the bosom of his 
 family, and the son from the father, the spirit of 
 destruction pandered to, and all for the sake of sacri- 
 legious gains to a few hundred ambitious and privi- 
 leged individuals." 
 
 In the month of August I had a long letter giving 
 much information, a copious extract from which I give 
 below : 
 
 " Prison of the Audiencia, Granada, Aug. 11, 1862. 
 
 " My dearest and ever-to-be remembered father in 
 Jesus, my indefatigable, my zealous, and beloved 
 brother, in the hope of our future life. Your highly 
 appreciated and beautiful letter of the 25th of the 
 past month, received the 5th of the present, and the 
 longest of all I have had the comfort of receiving from 
 you, reached me in all safety, and how cheering and 
 edifying to my spirit it has been ! 
 
 " When I had the joy of receiving it, one of mine 
 was on the road, with an inclosure for the Eev. Mr. 
 Magee, and in it I told you of the petition of the 
 fiscal, against the dearly-loved friends and brothers in 
 Malaga. 
 
 "Your letter contains two things eminently beau- 
 tiful, and of unlimited consolation to me ; one is the 
 almost entire re-establishment of your most precious 
 health. Oh! this is of such importance to me; this 
 is more to the poor prisoner than his own personal 
 health, more, a thousand times, than his liberty. The 
 second, my beloved, are the eloquent proofs of love 
 
166 LETTER PROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 that you give all through your country (and likewise 
 beyond it), unequivocal expression of incomparable 
 esteem that the body of Christ gives us, in recom- 
 pense of your great zeal. This said, I am going to 
 answer your letter, although I shall do it indifferently, 
 as usual. 
 
 "I rejoice greatly that you have written to the 
 Rev. Senor Ruet ; he also tells me of it to-day, in a 
 letter, that is like a heavy tear falling from hig over- 
 whelmed heart. 
 
 " Poor Pastor ! in every place grief pursues him. 
 What a sad exile he is suffering. In short, my 
 beloved, believe me truly, I have a most vehement 
 desire to see you, and to talk with you. I have a 
 very strong persuasion that you are chosen by the 
 Lord to open to my poor country the path of its 
 triumph ; I hold as a certainty, that the Lord will 
 grant you this distinguished favour, this precious 
 page in the history of your Christian life. I pray 
 to the Lord that He will grant me to see you, to 
 embrace you, to speak much, much with you of what 
 relates to Spain, and then, that God may show me 
 the road I have to follow. May the will of the Lord 
 be done ! 
 
 "I would say much to you to-day, much about 
 this great work to which you are called; I would 
 initiate you in the best means, that, in my humble 
 opinion, are the most opportune for arriving soonest 
 at the desired end, for gathering the spiritual fruits, 
 of so much sacrifice, so many efforts, of so much 
 labour ; but I think the moment has not yet arrived. 
 At the present, there is a most important question 
 
LETTER PROM MATAMOROS. 167 
 
 that opens to my country the desired road for its 
 triumph in the gospel ; and it is necessary that this 
 should come to a conclusion. When this is settled, be 
 it in what way it may, we will think with indefatigable 
 solicitude upon the rest, for I think there is now doing 
 for Spain a thousand times more than one could cal- 
 culate, and with better success than could have been 
 accomplished, perhaps, by the work of many years. 
 Each day I note a greater enthusiasm for the evan- 
 gelical cause in Spain. Now I do not see that dread 
 of tyranny everything presents itself before me now, 
 firm, decided, and hopeful in Jesus ; the shield of 
 Jesus, stronger a thousand times than steel, makes it 
 impossible for the sharp weapons of tyranny to wound 
 the heart of our holy work. Tyranny only in appear- 
 ance triumphs, but its triumph is like that of the 
 tiger with the poor sheep, drawing forth his claws 
 filled with innocent and inoffensive blood ; it has 110 
 other triumph, this is its miserable victory. 
 
 " I note, dear friend, a certain terror in the 
 enemy's press I note a certain panic amongst our 
 enemies, and I see much love, much life in Jesus, in 
 all the beloved brethren. Oh ! a thousand times 
 blessed be the sweet name of Jesus, fountain of all 
 consolation, of all resignation, of strength, and of 
 hope. 
 
 " As soon as I have an unoccupied moment, I mean 
 to write a letter to the Clamor, giving a general idea 
 of all that has happened, and is now taking place 
 in Spain, in order that public opinion may have a true 
 and full impression, under which it may study this 
 great cause, which eminent men call the first cause of 
 
168 LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 the globe. The picture it presents is assuredly more 
 important than appears at first sight, and I think Spain 
 ought to know what it is. 
 
 " From what I have said to you in the beginning of 
 this letter, you will understand, my beloved protector 
 in Jesus, that my days have been greatly occupied ; 
 besides what I have already told you, I have had to 
 reproduce new and numerous data for the committee 
 of Paris, that they may be published in connection 
 with the religious persecution in Spain. From Madrid 
 I have had a number of letters from different friends 
 and people there. I have had some from Malaga, 
 from Gibraltar, from Holland ; and, in short, each 
 day my occupations increase more and more, and this 
 has been the cause that I have not yet written my 
 letter to the Eoman Catholics ; but do not fear, it 
 shall be written on the first occasion, and probably very 
 soon. 
 
 " It would be almost impossible for me to explain 
 how much I am occupied. I rise to write, and I am 
 writing all day, and I finish doing so late at night ; 
 this is a great consolation to me, it gives me life, dear 
 friend. 
 
 "I have received an excellent letter from Dr. 
 Capadose, of Holland, deeply and profoundly touching. 
 Dr. Capadose is an old man, but with a vigorous 
 imagination, a heart full of life and health, and very 
 deeply instructed. He loves you much, and he knows 
 all your worth ; he knows and admires your eminent 
 zeal. I had very strong desires that you two should 
 be in direct communication ; already, some time since, 
 I mentioned it to him, and he assured me he would 
 
LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 1 69 
 
 write to you ; and now, I see with joy that he has 
 done so, and that it has given you Christian pleasure. 
 Oh that this mutual correspondence of beings, so much 
 loved by me, that this kind of double link between 
 two of God's beloved sons may give to the world the 
 worthy fruit of the virtues of both, of the Great 
 Captain Jesus, under whose glorious banner they serve 
 with so much enthusiasm. 
 
 " In some of my former letters I think I told you 
 of his wish to publish a pamphlet upon this question, 
 and he asked permission from me a short time since 
 to publish all my letters in it. I replied that he might 
 use them in whatever way he thought would most 
 advance the Lord's holy cause, nevertheless, I had 
 never expected that my humble letters would see the 
 light. But how could I refuse this to a dear brother 
 who thinks such a publication is beneficial to the 
 Lord's body ? It is now many months since I received 
 a letter from the venerable Mr. Dallas ; perhaps my 
 last went astray, or his occupations have prevented 
 him ; at any rate, I think I will write very soon to 
 him. 
 
 "The signatures to the letter from the Presby- 
 terian Church in Dublin, St. Mary's Abbey, I have 
 not been able to make out entirely ; two only have I 
 understood. If you find any mistakes, correct them 
 in the translation, I pray you. Both of them are 
 worth very little, rather, I should say, nothing, com- 
 ing from my feeble pen ; if they have anything that 
 recommends them, it is because my heart speaks in 
 them. 
 
 " I have read with much gratitude the words that 
 
170 LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 Mrs. Sturge dedicates to my humble self ; if I have 
 time I will send her a few lines in this, trying to show 
 her the great value in which I hold hers. They are a 
 great consolation to me ; but Mrs. Sturge will know 
 that nothing is due to me ; no man can do any good 
 thing ; whatever is acceptable in me is the work of 
 the Holy Spirit, the work of God ; Mataiuoros is worth 
 a thousand times less than nothing. 
 
 " These proofs of divine love that are manifested by 
 all the brethren, and that offer to my sight the sacred 
 spectacle of the most holy union in the divine name 
 of Jesus, make me happy a thousand times more than 
 one can imagine ; and as this consoles me in Jesus, so 
 does it disquiet me little or nothing whether the Roman 
 Catholics ask my liberty or not from the Spanish 
 government or the queen. 
 
 " I have already told you more than once that my 
 future fate does not disturb me. My prison is no cause 
 of sadness to me ; it is a sweet cause of joy and 
 rejoicing in Jesus ; and my liberty, except as granted 
 through the powerful influence of prayer, affects my 
 heart very little. 
 
 "I know that God watches over me, and how 
 little can the enemies of saving faith do ! of that faith 
 that He left us, as the only path to life. But the 
 way of God is different from our way and I often 
 say to myself, * If it is the will of the Lord that the 
 Eoman Catholics ask for my liberty, must I not 
 respect the designs of the Most High? who knows, 
 if He permits this, that through my very enemies 
 the injustice of my imprisonment may be shown 
 forth ? ' 
 
LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 171 
 
 " I will not ask for it ; but neither will I refuse it. 
 It is indifferent to me, however, as in all this matter 
 my liberty is not the first object ; but the necessity of 
 showing the injustice of these attempts against con- 
 science. I leave to the day the anxiety that belongs 
 to it. 
 
 "But permit me to tell you one thing. It 
 appears to me that I see in this what I read in the 
 Book of Life respecting Jesus under the judgment of 
 Pilate (Matt, xxvii. 19). His wife writes to Pilate, 
 under the impression caused upon her by a dream, 
 and frightened, prays her husband to have nothing 
 to do with the case of that Just One. Pilate washes 
 his hands; but he sends him to be scourged, and 
 gives him up to the rage of the people in spite of 
 knowing his innocence. 
 
 " I am not just ; there is but one man to whom 
 the 'being just' belongs, and He is Jesus Christ. 
 I am a miserable sinner, but I am innocent ; and if 
 before the laws of the world I am criminal, it is 
 because men agree it should be so, that they may 
 better serve Satan. Other men besides those who 
 believe me guilty, ranged under the same banner 
 might warn, and even supplicate them not to punish 
 me, and to cease their rigour; but for this they 
 would invoke the laws of wordly expediency. They 
 calculate an evil in all this, and like the wife of 
 Pilate, they desire, through fear of the world, to 
 avoid it. But in all this do you see the work of the 
 Holy Spirit in the Catholics? I think not, it is 
 mere wordly expediency. Notwithstanding, I be- 
 lieve that my Pilate (the Queen and her government 
 
172 LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 will give me up to the convict overseers of the gal- 
 leys. I think they will allow all the fury of that 
 clergy to fall on me ; who embitter the laws, irritate 
 the conscience of the judges, and in every way work 
 against Christians. 
 
 "Pardon me, dear friend, for having taken the 
 liberty of making this poor, humble comparison to 
 you. I think the charity of Catholics would be the 
 charity of Pilate. 
 
 " If you can send me by R , Yalera's Bible, 
 
 recently published in London, I shall be greatly 
 obliged ; it may be useful to me in the galleys. 
 
 " This moment I have received a letter from 
 Seville, containing very interesting details, which 
 I shall now give you a brief sketch of, and at greater 
 length hereafter. 
 
 " In Seville, nineteen persons have been proceeded 
 against; for four of this number only has the fiscal 
 demanded seven years at the galleys. The judge 
 asked pardon for all the nineteen. 
 
 "The fiscal of her Majesty demanded pardon for 
 seventeen, but the superior tribunal begged that the 
 penalty of seven years at the galleys should be passed 
 upon Sefiors Don Diego Bordallo and Don T. Mesa 
 Santanella. The audiencia of Seville or superior 
 tribunal approved entirely the petition of her Majesty's 
 fiscal, and they have sentenced Bordallo and Mesa to 
 seven years at the galleys. 
 
 " When the sentence of the judges in the inferior 
 tribunal differs from that of the superior tribunal, the 
 parties sentenced have the right of appealing, the 
 third time; and as this has occurred in the case at 
 
LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 173 
 
 Seville, Bordallo and Mesa have appealed, and the 
 cause is now running the usual course ; there is still 
 a hope of pardon for these two victims of tyranny. 
 
 " In the cause nothing has been proved ; but 
 Bordallo and Mesa are sentenced on the ground of 
 moral evidence, and by the 45th rule of the code the 
 judges are authorized to impose penalties for moral 
 evidence, although proofs may be wanted. 
 
 "This is a sketch of the spectacle presented by 
 the cause in Seville. But, there is something more. 
 Bordallo writes to me that he has been seventeen 
 months in prison, and he has not received a single 
 real from anybody to help him. I believe it, but I 
 do not understand it; for I had been assured from 
 different sources that the prisoners at Seville were 
 succoured, and now I see it is not so, at least with 
 Bordallo and Mesa, the only ones at present in prison 
 there. 
 
 " As soon as I was aware of this, I wrote to 
 Bordallo, telling him to let me know immediately to 
 whom I might send some relief for him from the sum 
 that I have for my own necessities. This letter goes 
 out to-day, and within three days I shall have the 
 answer, and I will send him 200 Us. (<2), which is all 
 I can spare. 
 
 "Henceforward I shall put myself in direct com- 
 munication with the prisoners at Seville. I do not 
 abandon any one ; whilst I have a loaf, three parts of 
 it shall be for my brother prisoners, be they Spaniards 
 or not. The All Powerful will do me justice. Hence- 
 forward, dear friend, the prisoners at Seville shall 
 have a place in my poor letters ; you shall know all 
 
174 LETTER PROM MATAMOROS. 
 
 about them, for I think my duty is not only towards 
 a certain set of prisoners ; all are equal in my estima- 
 tion. 
 
 " These sentenced at Seville have not been found 
 out through the papers that were taken from me, 
 but through some documents that the post-office 
 authorities intercepted; in short, when I receive your 
 answer to this, I shall give you fuller particulars. 
 
 "Let us turn to Granada; there is no news here; 
 Trigo's wife has been very ill, but is now much 
 better; indeed, I may say convalescent. Alhama 
 continues well, and so are all his family. The alcaide 
 has gone to a bathing-place for two months, and on 
 this account we are enjoying more liberty. 
 
 "I send you, inclosed in this, some of my like- 
 nesses, as an humble proof of gratitude to those dear 
 brethren. 
 
 "I am going new to finish, after having detained 
 you so long. My letters are archives, and it requires 
 patience to read them; but, friend of my heart, you 
 must bear my failing with resignation. I hope, when 
 writing to your respected father, that you will offer 
 him by humble remembrances. 
 
 "My mother salutes you, and all your family, with 
 gratitude and Christian joy, as also does Enrique. 
 The Christian remembrances of all the brethren, and 
 the heart of your humble brother in the Lord, 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 "KB. The missionary, of whom I spoke to you, 
 for Oran, has been entirely approved of by the com- 
 mittee at Paris." 
 
LETTER FROM MATAMOROS. 175 
 
 Granada, September 10. 
 
 "I think that in fifteen days my trial will be 
 public, for I observe an unusual activity, and, as I 
 believe, because they are desirous that I may be con- 
 demned before the arrival of the queen at Granada, 
 which will be on the 8th or 9th of October, and just 
 two years since my imprisonment. What is most 
 likely, when I receive your answer to this, my case 
 will be settled, and I shall be able to tell you about 
 it. I am completely tranquil, and if my sentence is 
 severe, I shall sing songs of praise to my Lord. I 
 intend to be present at the public trial, and to speak 
 before the tribunal not to ask their pardon, for that 
 I do not need, but to ask that all the weight of the 
 law may fall upon me alone, and not on my com- 
 panions." 
 
 After two years of " wearing out of this saint of 
 the Most High," the oft-mentioned and long pro- 
 tracted trial was brought to a close ; and the letter . 
 following, giving some account of the same, was 
 received : 
 
 LETTER FROM MANUEL MATAMOROS. 
 
 "Granada, Prison of the Audiencla, Oct. 5, 1862. 
 
 " My dear and zealous brother in Him who is our 
 life and hope, two years ago the governor of Granada 
 sent the order for my capture, and for the examina- 
 tion of my house. I was seized, was taken to a 
 miserable prison, and from that time till now, you 
 know what a chain of suffering has bound me; you 
 know how much honour has been put upon me; for 
 
176 THB SENTENCE. 
 
 it is a glory and a joy to be permitted to suffer for 
 Jesus' sake. Well, now, my enemies, not yet satis- 
 fied, have condemned me to suffer eight years of the 
 galleys, to inhabilitation, and to the judgment of all 
 the costs. 
 
 " I am twenty-seven, and I am going to the galleys ; 
 to a horrible place which is intended for the shame 
 and sorrow of those who dwell there. But there is 
 neither shame nor sorrow for me ! My soul rejoices 
 in Jesus. I, a poor miserable sinner, have been 
 chosen by the Lord to suffer ; and in this there is no 
 shame, but honour ; wonderful honour for me ; for I 
 do not deserve this distinction, and I am very grateful 
 to my Master who has granted it to me. 
 
 " This horrible suit has at length come to an end, 
 having been carried forward with a most tyrannical 
 spirit for two years two years of grief, and tribula- 
 tion, and tears two years of the patient resignation 
 of a dear motner, whose son has been torn from her 
 side, and placed under the ban of a terrible sentence. 
 Oh, my poor mother ! She was attacked with illness 
 when she received the news. Mother, thou art also 
 a victim to this cruelty, but thou also canst rejoice in 
 thy tribulation for Christ. 
 
 " The time has come, dear friend, when I, deprived 
 by men of all rights of citizenship, must enter upon 
 my punishment must go to the place which society 
 has set apart for those wretches who are unworthy to 
 continue in its midst. The voice of my dearly-loved 
 mother will, perhaps, never again reach my ears. 
 I shall know that she suffers, but shall not be able 
 to comfort her with my presence. I shall be there 
 
THE GALLEYS. 177 
 
 altogether at the mercy of a fanatical governor, who 
 will visit me with all the force of popish cruelty. 
 There, at the merest caprice of the officials, the 
 unfortunate convicts are beaten, and buffeted, and 
 abused, even when inoffensive; and I shall beexposad, 
 perhaps, to the cruel blows of some vile criminal, 
 who has been chosen as overseer chiefly because his 
 terrible antecedents are such as to inspire his fellow- 
 prisoners with terror. 
 
 "The blows of such an one may fall upon me and 
 hasten my death. I shall never hear the voice of my 
 dear brothers. Your precious letters, my much-loved 
 friend, will never reach me \ and this will be my life 
 for eight long years. But for all this, my cross I take 
 up joyfully and follow Jesus. If I have not been 
 permitted to carry the Word of God from village to 
 village throughout Spain, I will publish it in prison. 
 God rejoices over the conversion of the most abject, 
 of the most sinful, and to those criminals I will show 
 the way of life. There I will be, if the Lord allows 
 me, just what I was when free. My hearers will not 
 be honourable citizens, they will be miserable con- 
 victs. But, perhaps, these very convicts may see how 
 horrible their past life has been, and will begin to 
 live a new one, and will respect and will follow Jesus ; 
 and you can fancy how I rejoice to be able to dedi- 
 cate myself to such a glorious work ; and I must not 
 fear the rod of punishment. Jesus sought out his 
 death for our sakes. 
 
 " His apostles went everywhere preaching the word, 
 through sorrow, tribulations, torments ; they are my 
 example, I follow them. And all this is not in my 
 
178 APPEAL. 
 
 own strength, I am worthless, am nothing, can do 
 nothing, by God's strength only I shall be enabled to 
 do this ; yet my heart tells me that I shall be per- 
 mitted to carry out my earnest desires, as I have 
 prayed for the sake of Jesus. 
 
 "Alhama has been sentenced to nine years. The 
 additional year of punishment is given (amongst other 
 reasons) because he wrote and acknowledged that 
 letter, directed to me, which was seized, and which, 
 bearing my name and address in full, and containing 
 important intelligence, was the cause of my imprison- 
 ment also in Barcelona; which, you remember, was 
 commanded by telegram. The judges believed that 
 Granada was the chief seat and origin of these 
 troubles, of which they suppose me to be a victim. 
 Notwithstanding, they condemned me to eight years. 
 The Lord pardon them ! 
 
 "Trigo has been pronounced not guilty, and will 
 soon be set free. He will return to the bosom of 
 his family. I do heartily rejoice. Dear Trigo, 
 may the Lord enlighten and protect him for the 
 future ! 
 
 " As our sentences do not exactly correspond with 
 those of the inferior tribunal, we may again appeal 
 against them. It is a matter of indifference to me 
 whether an appeal is made, or whether I go at once 
 to my doom. The appeal would keep us still for 
 some months in this prison ; but this offers nothing 
 to be wished for, as the immediate commencement of 
 my term of labour has no terrors. 
 
 "I have, however, consulted my respected and 
 revered friends, B., "W. N"., and Dr. B., and yourself. 
 
LETTER FROM TRIGO. 179 
 
 I will do as you advise, but have no choice in the 
 matter myself. Alhama will appeal, but I need not 
 therefore. I will fulfil my eight years, and he may 
 obtain commutation. Believe me, dear friend, I am 
 very happy. The continued illness of my darling 
 mother is my only real trouble ; but my Lord gives 
 me strength to bear all with patience. 
 
 "I shall address a letter to the queen on her 
 arrival at Granada, not to ask for mercy, which I do 
 not need from her ; no, for my crime, if it existed, 
 would only be judged by the God who judges the 
 consciences of all men, but I will represent to her our 
 inoffensive lives, the liberty of our brothers in Seville, 
 Malaga, and Granada, and the inalienable right of 
 Christians to meet together to worship round the 
 household hearth. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you that all the rest of the prisoners 
 have been, or will immediately be, set at liberty. My 
 most loving remembrances to all dear to you. Salute 
 all my brothers in my name. Your affectionate brother 
 in the Lord, 
 
 "M. M." 
 
 About this time, the other Granada prisoner, Senor 
 Trigo, writes as follows: "Respected Sir, and beloved 
 brother in Christ, after nineteen months of untold suf- 
 ferings, the tribunals of this world have absolved me 
 from the eleven years of penal servitude that was peti- 
 tioned for against me by her majesty's fiscal, and in a 
 few days probably I shall be set at liberty. Conscien- 
 tious motives of eternal gratitude impel me to write 
 these few lines to you. My heart is so filled to you 
 
180 LETTER FROM TRIGO. 
 
 and all the rest of your magnanimous and sympathizing 
 countrymen, that I wish I possessed the eloquence of 
 Paul, in order to express to you as I should desire my 
 deep and earnest gratitude for the many benefits re- 
 ceived from you all, and which have helped in no small 
 degree to sweeten the bitter cup of sorrow mixed for us 
 by the hands of tyrants, for the sole crime of loving 
 and propagating the blessed gospel of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. And as I have taken the liberty of addressing 
 you,- 1 cannot help mentioning in my letter how much 
 the Spanish church owes to that eminent, decided, and 
 resigned champion of the truth, Don Manuel Matamoros. 
 Without him and the Divine help dispensed to him, 
 the persecutions we have undergone would have de- 
 stroyed the Spanish Christians; and what can I say of 
 his excellent mother of that worthy lady whose ma- 
 ternal love is only equalled by her many virtues, by her 
 heroic resignation, and by the distinguished gifts that 
 adorn her, and which are the admiration and the 
 respect of all who know her. I say all this, though I 
 feel that already you are aware of these facts, but a 
 sacred duty of conscience impels me not to be silent. 
 The labours of the son bring him into prison. He is 
 condemned to eight years of servitude, but nevertheless, 
 all is resignation in them both, all is rejoicing in Jesus, 
 all is Christian decision. Manuel has the pleasure of 
 receiving innumerable visits from people in every rank 
 of life, and letters of sympathy ; even his enemies can- 
 not help paying a tribute of respect to his virtues. 
 . Yesterday he was visited by an ecclesiastic, who, moved 
 by a desire to know him, found his way to his prison, 
 where he remained for a long time, talking and discus- 
 
LETTER FROM TRIGO. 181 
 
 sing; and he finally told him, that he had come to see 
 him, moved as he was by his energetic and dignified 
 deportment, although walking himself in quite a dis- 
 tinct path from Matamoros. But I must conclude. 
 Manuel, placed at the head of all correspondence con- 
 cerning the Spanish prisoners, has watched over all 
 with unceasing care, and, as far as I am personally 
 concerned, I can say that he has done for me far 
 beyond what I could ever have contemplated. I say 
 this, for I have never known him indifferent to. my 
 wants, but ever endeavouring in every way to mitigate 
 my sufferings. I conclude by wishing that the Most 
 High may grant to you and your family His heavenly 
 grace, and that being sustained by it you may enjoy 
 that felicity which your humble brother in the Lord 
 desires you. 
 
 " MIGUEL TRIGO." 
 
182 VISIT OP AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VISIT OF AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN. LETTER FROM MATA- 
 
 MOROS. CONC LUSION. 
 
 AN English clergyman visited Granada latterly, and 
 gave an account of his journey, which I extract from 
 the Christian Observer of December, as follows: 
 
 "We reached Granada on the llth of September last, 
 and on the following day went to the Prison of the 
 Audiencia. It is at the back of the Palace of Justice, 
 a pretentious stone building, at the foot of the hill on 
 which the Alhambra is built, and, though somewhat 
 gloomy, not more sombre-looking than such places 
 usually are. A few soldiers were lounging in the door- 
 way as we went in, but they did not appear to take much 
 notice of us, and we were instantly admitted when it 
 was known that we were friends of Matamoros. Inside 
 the prison we were met by one of the Protestants, who 
 bore in his face evident traces of a long imprisonment. 
 We followed him up a stone staircase, and into a 
 corridor, where several other prisoners were idling 
 about, smoking, eating, sleeping, or playing at cards; 
 and then he led us into a good-sized airy room, with a 
 window looking out into a court, three beds, a table 
 and some chairs; and where, from a photograph I had 
 
PORTRAIT OP MATAMOROS. 183 
 
 seen in England, I instantly recognized, in the man 
 who rose to meet us, Manuel Matamoros. 
 
 "He is in the early summer of manhood, slightly 
 above the middle height, with jet black hair, and 
 finely chiselled features, Italian rather than Spanish. 
 His face beams with intelligence. I confess he took 
 my heart by storm, and I speedily found in him a 
 most beloved brother, whom I shall know instantly 
 if we shall meet in heaven. My first and last im- 
 pression of him was, that he is a prince among men. 
 There was a force and an authority in his very way oi 
 expressing himself, that, to our mind, stamped him 
 with the stamp of genius, and our guide said to u 
 that his language was so sublime, he had the greatest 
 difficulty in translating it. He gave me the notion, 
 moreover, of being a man of strong affections, foi 
 the love in him seemed to kindle into a white heat 
 as he showed us photographs of friends, among which 
 I recognised Dr. and Mrs. Tregelles and Mr. Dallas. 
 . . . . There were several others in the room. 
 Jose Alhama, a hatter of Granada, who was present, 
 has since been sentenced to a more severe imprison- 
 ment than Matamoros. He is quite unlike his friend, 
 both in appearance and cast of mind, but there was 
 an air of quiet strength about him, that showed he 
 knew in whom he had believed, and that if he could 
 not confess his Lord with excellency of speech and 
 
 wisdom, he could at least suffer for him 
 
 I can never forget how Matamoros read the eighth 
 chapter of the Romans, which seemed to open up to 
 him a new mine of gospel promises, how grandly it 
 sounded in the majestic Spanish tongue; what em- 
 
184 FRESH SORROWS. 
 
 phasis he laid on the passages that touched on the ful- 
 ness of the gospel liberty, and on the certainty of the 
 coming glory; how, ever and anon he would lift up his 
 voice, and look round on his fellow-prisoners, his 
 whole face beaming with radiance, until the climax 
 of the apostle's appeal, in verse thirty-one, almost 
 overcame him; and he asked in a tone of ecstatic 
 triumph, 'Who shall separate us from the love of 
 Christ? 1 " 
 
 There remains but one more letter to complete 
 those received and printed, which we give below. 
 
 " Granada, Nov. 8, 1862. 
 
 "BELOVED BROTHER, I am happy. I live in 
 the joy of Jesus. Liberty will never be to me 
 more sweet than my prison has been, through the 
 divine name of Him who on Golgotha sacrificed his 
 life to snatch us from eternal death. No suffering, 
 no sorrow, clouds for a moment my Christian glad- 
 ness. God has granted me this blessing, for his 
 goodness is inexhaustible. In my letter of the 30th 
 I gave you the details of our present position. This 
 ministerial fiscal is very bitter against us. He has 
 demanded the augmentation of my sentence. He is 
 not content with that of eight years of the galleys, 
 perpetual inhabilitation for all instruction, rights, or 
 political position, and the payment of the heavy 
 costs of the suit ! He has also appealed against 
 Trigo's acquittal, and his present liberation. In fact, 
 the whole case stands as it did the day after the 
 sentence of the inferior tribunal. All must be done 
 over again. The fiscal has appealed against us all, 
 
MORE RIGOUR. 185 
 
 except Alhama; so that it is quite possible that those 
 who have been acquitted may now be condemned. 
 
 "Dearest friend, you know that my health has 
 been poor and weak for a long time. The sufferings 
 of prison or of the galleys cannot but hasten the 
 day of my death; but I look forward with joy to 
 that day. Eternal death is not for those who love 
 the Lord Jesus 
 
 "I thought it right, in my address to the queen, 
 to vindicate our common right, and to demand from 
 her permission to worship God according to our 
 consciences, and to ask from her, if not perfect 
 religious liberty, at least toleration. 
 
 "You write to me of my sufferings, dearest 
 brother. I see that they occupy your heart and 
 memory, sadly and constantly. But, dearly-loved 
 brother, let your mourning on my account be turned 
 into joy. I, your poor brother in Jesus, whom you 
 love and with whom you suffer, I suffer not. No! 
 I rejoice unspeakably. This cruel sentence, these 
 appeals, these two years of captivity, these doubts and 
 delays on the part of foreign governments to speak a 
 word in favour of our Christian liberty, and the op- 
 position of the queen and the government to our re- 
 lease, all seem to my memory as causes for rejoicing. 
 
 "If I perceived love and kindness in my enemies, 
 that would indeed seem strange! but their anger 
 against me is natural, is consequent; and this anger 
 causes me to raise my heart continually to my Lord, 
 thanking Him for this eminent honour which He has 
 been pleased to lay upon me, a despicable, useless, all- 
 unworthy sinner. Oh ! believe me, dearest friend, not 
 
186 PRAYER IS ASKED. 
 
 alone in prison could I rejoice; not alone in the 
 sufferings of the galleys; the stake, the scaffold, the 
 axe of the executioner, would give me only fresh 
 cause for gladness. I am ready not only to suffer for 
 the divine name of Jesus, but also to die for Him. 
 
 "Do not let the indifference of the European 
 governments affect you. All their power is as nought 
 if the will of God is contrary to their will. Our 
 weapon is only prayer a powerful and mighty 
 weapon, of which the world knows nothing; but the 
 prayers which ascend to the throne of the Eternal 
 bring forth fruit; for the goodness of God our 
 heavenly Father is inexhaustible and infinite. I 
 should rejoice to see these governments do all they 
 could to procure liberty and toleration for all nations; 
 but the Lord must do it, or nothing will be done. 
 He wills that all shall be obtained by prayer; and 
 therefore, whatever happens, I shall rejoice in Jesus. 
 The liberty of my body is nothing to me; for this 
 reason I said nothing of it in my address to the 
 queen. 
 
 " That which really interests me is the salvation 
 of my soul. I entreat you, dear friend, and all my 
 brothers, to pray for me, that I may be faithful to 
 the end. I have been told that a European deputa- 
 tion is about to visit Madrid. I rejoice! for by the 
 might of prayer the doors not of my prison, that is 
 nothing but of mfr country, may be thrown open to 
 religious liberty, and I fain would hasten the dawn 
 of that approaching day. This was one of the 
 reasons of my address to the queen. 
 
 "Farewell, dearest brother in the Lord. Receive 
 
CONCLUSION. 187 
 
 this letter as a token of the constant love and 
 gratitude of your brother in Christ, 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 And now, in conclusion, I pray that this little work 
 may be prospered by Him whose foolishness is wiser 
 than men, and whose weakness is stronger than men. 
 Has England no lesson to learn from Spain 1 What 
 was it that helped so much to lull the voice of God's 
 Spirit in that land in the sixteenth century? Was it 
 not the gold of Peru? And with what is Satan 
 seducing the hosts of the Lord in this country now ? 
 Is it not with the golden cup of Babylon, full of 
 abominations and filthiness of her fornication ? Is not 
 our commercial pride, of which our Exhibition is the 
 exponent, the Delilah that has kept Samson spell- 
 bound 1 and is not the fierce anger of the Lord revealed 
 against us nationally, and smiting us sore in the very 
 heart of our stronghold, by what is occurring now in 
 our manufacturing districts 1 
 
 Shall we continue to be silent? Saints of Christ, 
 awake. Behold the Judge standeth at the door. Wit 
 ness the good confession of the young Spaniard whose 
 letters you now have before you, and arm yourselves 
 with a like mind. A greater evil than Eomanism is 
 eating out the vitals of our populations. But the Lord 
 will appear to " destroy them that destroy the earth," 
 though they give to their sorceries the pleasing name 
 of civilization. The enemy has come in like a flood, 
 but the Spirit of the Lord shall put him to flight. 
 Nothing else can stand before Satan. In this alone 
 has been the secret of Matamoros' strength. It was 
 
188 CONCLUSION. 
 
 this made Samson more than conqueror. Does the 
 young lion roar against him 1 The Spirit of the Lord 
 came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would 
 have rent a kid. Do the Philistines shout against him? 
 By the same Spirit the cords that were upon his arms 
 became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands 
 loosed from off his hands; and he found a new jaw-bone 
 of an ass, and put forth his hand and took it, and slew 
 a thousand men therewith a most unlikely weapon for 
 such a warfare, but none other than the sword of 
 the Lord when wielded by the brawny arm of a lively 
 faith. 
 
1$U w xr* i a Is 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Xi_A^ST 3D_Au~Y~S A i^TT") 
 
 OF 
 
 MANUEL MATAMOROS. 
 
 "He being dead yet speaketh." 
 
THOSE readers who have followed ub in the previous 
 narrative, which detailed the conversion, the subsequent 
 "bonds and imprisonments," and the " good confession" 
 of Manuel Matamoros, will linger with a saddened 
 interest over these " MEMORIALS," which tell of his 
 labours of love during the period after his liberation 
 from the Prison of the Audiencia, at Granada. "For 
 the space of three years he ceased not " to spend his 
 strength in that cause so dear to his heart the evange- 
 lization of his countrymen. 
 
 In these concluding pages will be found the par- 
 ticulars of our beloved friend's declining days, and the 
 record of his departure to that better land concerning 
 which he said, " I shall live in the midst of that joy 
 unceasing, of that peace, and of that love, which I have 
 sought in vain on earth." 
 
 W. G. 
 
IN FAVOUR WITH THE JAILOR. 191 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A VISIT TO THE PRISON AT GRANADA. THE DEPUTATION 
 
 OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. 
 
 IT was arranged by our loving Heavenly Father, that 
 in the spring of 1863, and about two years and nine 
 months after our beloved brother had been imprisoned 
 at Barcelona, I was enabled to pay him a visit in the 
 prison at Granada. A short time before this his con- 
 finement had been made a little less irksome by the 
 goodness of God, who, as in the case of Joseph, caused 
 the jailor to become favourable to him. It appears 
 that the wife of the jailor was very sick, and in his 
 trouble the husband came and humbled himself to 
 Matamoros, who, touched by his sorrowful story, pro- 
 mised to pray for the poor woman. The Lord 
 graciously heard the prayer, and she was soon restored 
 to health. This occurrence was the means of bringing 
 about a great change in his conduct to Matamoros, who 
 from this time had liberty within the prison. The 
 prisoners used to take off their hats to him when he 
 passed, and he was respected and beloved by all, but 
 by none more than by the jailor himself, who, desirous 
 of showing him some special act of favour, offered to 
 give him any one of the prisoners as a servant to wait 
 
192 FIRST MEETING WITH MATAMOROS. 
 
 on him in prison. He chose one of the greatest 
 criminals for this service, and before long this man, 
 who was imprisoned for murder, heard from the 
 martyr's lips the wondrous story of the love of Jesus, 
 which touched his hard heart, and he became a 
 believer in that blood that cleanseth from sin, even 
 when of the deepest dye, and he was from that time 
 not only a happy man himself, and enabled unmoved 
 to look forward to his severe punishment at the galleys, 
 but he also became a faithful and loving attendant on 
 our afflicted brother, and relieved the tedium of his 
 solitude. 
 
 On arriving at the prison I was at once admitted to 
 the cell of Matamoros, whom I now saw for the first 
 time, after a correspondence which had lasted nearly 
 three years. The time that we spent in that never-to- 
 be-forgotten cell was, as can be well imagined, a period 
 of extreme joy to us both. We were soon in each 
 other's arms, experiencing the happiness that loving 
 hearts feel under such circumstances hearts joined 
 and made one in Jesus, brought to know each other 
 through the agency of God's Holy Spirit, and sustained 
 in that relation by the same Spirit. 
 
 Through the kindness of English Christians, I had 
 had the pleasure of alleviating his sufferings; and 
 large sums of money had been sent for him and the 
 other prisoners at Granada and Malaga by myself and 
 other friends. This amount during the long period of 
 their imprisonment cannot have been less than two 
 thousand pounds, and was intended also to pay a part 
 of the law expenses, and to help the families of the 
 persecuted. 
 
A CROSS BEARER. 193 
 
 Knowing as I did, that this money had all passed 
 through Manuel's hands, I was prepared to find in the 
 prison some few comforts; but in this I was quite 
 mistaken. I pictured to myself our Christians in 
 England, who many of them are in affluent circum- 
 stances, and in many cases surrounded by luxuries ; 
 but, thank God, the religion of Matamoros was more 
 in conformity with the type presented to us by the 
 Christ of the Evangelists. His beautiful hair was 
 neglected; his trousers, which had been much worn 
 at the knees through kneeling on the rough flags of 
 his cell, were mended by his own hands; there was no 
 sofa, no easy chair. On a small table was a huge pile 
 of letters, papers, etc. Seldom have I been in a more 
 melancholy apartment, yet never in a more hallowed 
 one. All I saw was more apostolic than anything that 
 I have witnessed before or since, and preached a sermon 
 not easily to be effaced from my mind. 
 
 When, afterwards, I asked the families of the perse- 
 cuted if they had received sufficient for their wants, 
 they quickly replied 
 
 " Oh, we have all had enough. You do not know 
 Don Manuel; he has given all to us, and kept nothing 
 for himself." 
 
 I am constrained to say, that in all his ways he 
 more closely imitated the blessed Saviour than did any 
 other man I ever knew. Let us thank God that He 
 has permitted us, in these days of formality and dead- 
 ness, when selfishness seems to have taken such a 
 strong hold on our hearts' best affections, to see, in 
 this dear disciple, some few living traits and character- 
 istics of Him who said, "The foxes have holes, and the 
 o 
 
194 THE COMMUNION OP SAINTS. 
 
 birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath 
 not where to lay his head." 
 
 The short time that I was enabled to be with him in 
 the prison was most precious and profitable to us both. 
 I found out that he scarcely ever ate anything with 
 appetite. His tears were his meat day and night. I 
 fancied that if I could join him at his dinner he might 
 eat with more comfort. I therefore had some food 
 brought from the hotel, and, after a long and most 
 interesting morning of sweetest communion, we sat 
 down to the table which our blessed Father had spread 
 for us in this memorable spot. How it rejoiced my 
 heart to see this dear afflicted one forget for a time his 
 sorrow, and eat, as he told me, with more appetite and 
 relish than he had done for many a day before. I am 
 one who believes in the communion of saints, the for- 
 giveness of sins, and the life everlasting. I believe and 
 enjoy all these things now. 
 
 After this, our time was spent in going all over the 
 prison, speaking with many of the prisoners, visiting 
 the cells of Alhama and Trigo, and seeing in the upper 
 part of the prison the place where Matamoros had 
 spent such weeks of terrible solitary confinement as 
 nearly cost him his life. He paused long in telling me 
 all about this ; impressing on me what it was for one 
 like him, with a heart full of love, to be shut out for 
 weeks from all who were dear to him; to have his 
 correspondence intercepted; to be seized with a 
 burning fever, and have no doctor to attend, no 
 friend to soothe, no one to give even a cup of cold 
 water. But such was his lot. and he dragged this 
 chain for many weeks alone. No Silas was with him 
 
A MEETING IN HIS CELL. 195 
 
 during this period, but One was there who more than 
 supplied his place, even Jesus, the Faithful Promiser, 
 who has said, " Lo, / am with you alway, even to the 
 end," and who kept his word. 
 
 While here, and in great bitterness of spirit, Mata- 
 moros wrote on the wall some verses of poetry, which 
 I read with deep interest. They had the fire, the 
 zeal, and the talent that characterized all his corre- 
 spondence, and many times since have I regretted that 
 I did not take a copy of them. Alas ! what is our life 
 but a great blank of duties neglected, of sympathies 
 unheeded and refused, of dry eyes where tears were 
 called for, and of hard stony hearts when tenderness 
 was needed ! Alas, alas ! what unprofitable servants 
 we are, and how far, Jesus, from the standard of 
 Thy bright loving example ! 
 
 We were permitted to have Alhama and Trigo, 
 Matamoros's mother, and two others, with us in our 
 brother's cell. We read the Scriptures together, and 
 he prayed with extraordinary fervour. Prayer with 
 him appeared to be a mighty struggle, a continued 
 supplication, into which he threw the full powers of 
 his mind, and soon convinced the friends who were 
 present of the immense difference there was between it 
 and the formal petitions which many of us offer; as, 
 indeed, there is also between our lukewarm lives and 
 his burning, unceasing zeal and activity. Our chapter 
 on this occasion was Eomans viii., which was his 
 favourite portion, and on which he seemed to feed 
 continually. We obeyed our dear Lord's command at 
 the same time, and, in remembrance of his love to us, 
 celebrated his supper. 
 
196 LETTER FROM DR. CAPPADOSE. 
 
 On the whole, the two days I spent here were 
 delightful to myself, and most profitable to dear Mata- 
 moros and to all ; but my visit was short, for, from 
 prudential motives as well as from other causes, my 
 time was limited; but I had seen the man whom I 
 loved and admired so much, and truly there is nothing 
 like seeing. God keeps this great joy in store for us, 
 to see Jesus, whom having not seen we love, and to 
 see Himself and the lovely place He has prepared 
 for us. 
 
 After the last loving embrace, we parted, and as I 
 descended the hill from the prison, I saw this dear 
 witness for Jesus stretching out his arms between the 
 bars of his window to wave to me his last farewell, 
 Oh, how indelibly is impressed upon my memory that 
 noble countenance, beaming with love, from behind 
 that grim, lugubrious grating. The contrast will be 
 all the more striking to those who have come out 01 
 such great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
 and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
 " Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve 
 him day and night in his temple" God shall indeed 
 " wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 
 LETTER RECEIVED FROM DR. CAPPADOSE, OF HOLLAND. 
 
 "To Mr. W. Greene. 
 
 " The Hague, 25 March, 1863. 
 " DEAR BROTHER IN HIM WHO is OUR LIFE AND HOPE, 
 
 " To-morrow, please God, I leave with my dear wife 
 this city, and make a journey into Spain. But I will 
 tell you regularly the antecedents. I expressed my 
 
LETTER FROM DR. CAPPADOSE. 197 
 
 anxiety that a deputation might be formed, and the 
 London Committee of the Evangelical Alliance was in 
 the same feeling. On both sides we made some exer- 
 tions. Here I called many friends of the good cause 
 together, and exposed to them at length the whole 
 history of Matamoros and his companions, communi- 
 cating to them the blessing God had given to us some 
 years ago on our efforts in a similar case in Sweden, 
 when some female members of the Catholic church have 
 been oppressed, and finally banished, in accordance 
 with the then and still existing law of the land, and 
 how by our efforts and deputation they have not only 
 been recalled and liberated from all punishment, but 
 after a lapse of several months, this persecuting law is 
 set aside, and since freedom of conscience is introduced 
 into Sweden. My narration to them was a complete 
 success; the great majority of the assembly entered 
 into my views as to the necessity of a deputation, and 
 it was decided on the election of deputies there and 
 then. 
 
 " By acclamation three gentlemen then present were 
 elected, and I myself first. But our English friends 
 have taken a resolution that the deputation should wait 
 till the final sentence was known. I, for my part, 
 fearing that perhaps in this case I could no more 
 see our friend Matamoros, so resolved to go before 
 to Granada. To-morrow then I hope, under the lovely 
 experience of the presence of my true Conductor, whose 
 face I constantly and ardently seek, to depart for Neu- 
 chatel, in Switzerland, in order to remain there under 
 the roof of my oldest friend, and then through Geneva, 
 Lyons, Marseilles, to Malaga, and so to Granada, a long 
 
198 LETTER PROM DR. CAPPADOSE. 
 
 aiid fatiguing voyage for my age and constitution 
 bodily; but I am in the hands of my Lord, and go 
 with confidence. The advocate of M. wrote to me that 
 once at Granada I can see Matamoros every day. Now 
 this is one of my great desires. 
 
 " From Granada, I hope to go to Madrid, in order to 
 join the great deputation ; but I suppose a pretty long 
 time will be taken by the judges in preparatory work, 
 so that I fear the case will not be decided before the 
 end of April. 
 
 "It is uncertain if the Queen will admit the deputa- 
 tion, and perhaps she will defer time after time. 
 
 " However, it may be that the very presence of the 
 deputation will strengthen the public opinion, which 
 begins to be more and more favourable to our cause. I 
 have heard that the Queen has received more than one 
 note from other queens appealing to the royal privilege 
 of pardon. I hope, my dear friend, you will have 
 received a copy of the two little pamphlets I published 
 on this subject. You have seen that I have dedicated 
 the second to yourself, as the constant friend and 
 benefactor of our dear Matamoros. The sale of the 
 first publication is still continuing. I have been so 
 happy as to transmit a new sum of ,30 as proceeds 
 from the sale for the needy families. 
 
 " Now, dear brother, you will be so kind as to follow 
 me with your prayers. Oh that the blessed Lord, 
 whose glory I seek in all things, may sustain us with 
 the right hand of His strength, and may His spirit also 
 be with you and all the children of God. 
 
 " Most faithfully in the Lord, 
 
 " DR. CAPPADOSE." 
 
DEPUTATION OP THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. 199 
 
 THE DEPUTATION OF THE EVANGELICAL 
 ALLIANCE. 
 
 The Evangelical Alliance, finding that the efforts of 
 the British Parliament had no effect in obtaining from 
 the Queen of Spain the liberation of Matamoros and 
 his companions, and that the mission of General 
 Alexander was alike unproductive of fruit, deter- 
 mined on sending to Madrid a European deputation, 
 composed of some of the leading Christian men from 
 the following countries, whose names are affixed 
 below : 
 
 NAMES OF DEPUTIES. 
 
 AUSTRIA Baron Von Riese Stallburg. 
 
 BAVARIA Pastor W. Tretzel . 
 
 DENMARK M. A. L. Brandt. 
 
 ENGLAND Samuel Gurney, Col. J. G. Walker, John 
 
 Hodgkin, Esq., K. W. Fox, Esq., John 
 
 Finch, Esq., Joseph Cooper, Esq., Rev. Dr. 
 
 Steane, Rev. H, Schmettau. 
 FRANCE Count Edmond de Pourtales, Pastor G. Monod, 
 
 M. George Andre*, Baron L. Bussiere. 
 HOLLAND Baron K. F. de Lynden, Dr. A. Cappadose, 
 
 M. Van Loon. 
 PRUSSIA Capt. Von Kluber, Henry XIII. Prince E euss, 
 
 Count Von Behr Negendauk. 
 SWITZERLAND ... M. Adrien Naville. 
 SWEDEN Baron Hans Essen. 
 
 But before reaching this stage in its organization 
 months were consumed in meetings, consultations, 
 and the interchange, of communications between the 
 committees of the Protestant and Evangelical 
 Alliances, until at length the time drew on when 
 
200 THE POWER OP GRAYER. 
 
 the case would be finally disposed of by the Spanish 
 Judges. About this time, the Rev. Dr. Steane ad- 
 dressed to Major-General Alexander a remarkable 
 letter entitled "The Persecution in Spain," which 
 was published by Messrs. Msbet, and which increased 
 the sympathies of many in this interesting Mission. 
 The local committees of the Evangelical Alliance at 
 Edinburgh, Glasgow, Carlisle, Dublin, etc., met and 
 sent resolutions to the London committee, protesting 
 against further delay. The Foreign Secretary, the 
 Rev. H. Schmettau, whose unwearied diligence in 
 corresponding with individuals and committees in 
 almost all parts of the Continent entitles him to the 
 highest praise, was continually receiving letters to 
 the same effect, showing that foreign Protestants 
 were everywhere expecting the summons, and holding 
 themselves in readiness to obey it. And it was at 
 this period, that Sir Culling Eardley published his 
 letter to the Earl of Roden, in which he explained 
 the cause of the delay, and the course intended to be 
 pursued. That course was at length adopted, and it 
 was determined to organize the deputation. A special 
 committee was appointed to carry the resolution into 
 effect, Sir Culling Eardley being the chairman, Lord 
 Calthorpe treasurer, Revs. Dr. Steane and H. Schmettau 
 its secretaries, and everything was done which the 
 emergency required. 
 
 This work was commenced and carried on through 
 all its stages with prayer. Often the difficulties were 
 so formidable and the discouragements so great, that 
 the only hope which could be indulged, lay in the 
 belief that importunate and united prayer would not be 
 
THE DEPUTATION IN MADRID. 201 
 
 offered in vain. It was not forgotten that it was while 
 the church was praying that Peter was liberated, and 
 as that fact stands in the sacred page to show to the 
 followers of Christ in all ages where, amidst the 
 furious persecutions of the ungodly, their great 
 strength lies, so let the story which these pages 
 record find a place for the same blessed end, and as a 
 further testimony to the glory of God, in the annals 
 of the modern Church.* 
 
 On Tuesday, May 19, 1863, with the single excep- 
 tion of the Earl of Aberdeen, the English members of 
 the deputation had all arrived at Madrid, as also had 
 the majority of the deputies from the other European 
 nations. The English members lost no time in waiting 
 upon Mr. Edwards, the Charge d' Affaires at the British 
 Embassy, -Sir John Crampton, the English ambas- 
 sador, being then absent. The strong impression left 
 by the interview was, that the deputation had little 
 to expect from this quarter, and it was afterwards 
 found to be shared by the deputation of ". Friends," to 
 whom Mr. Edwards had also stated his strong dis- 
 approval of the course which the prisoners had 
 taken, that of appealing against their sentence and 
 especially of the independent tone with which, in their 
 appeal, they had commented on the persecuting laws 
 of Spain. 
 
 Two of the deputies had also a private interview 
 
 * For a full account of all the proceedings of the Evangelical 
 Alliance in the matter of this deputation, see the pamphlet 
 entitled "Narrative of the Proceedings of the Deputation to 
 Madrid in behalf of the Spanish Prisoners. By Edward Steane, 
 D.D." Nisbet. 
 
202 THE COMMUTATION OP SENTENCE. 
 
 with the Duke de Montpensier, who gave them some 
 good advice as to the best course to pursue, and who 
 said that he himself was an advocate for religious 
 liberty, and that in consequence of his conduct in 
 this business, he had been charged by his friends 
 about the court with being a Protestant. He was 
 nevertheless a sincere "Roman Catholic, but as in 
 England, which is a Protestant country, he himself 
 enjoyed perfect liberty of public worship, and was 
 treated with full consideration in all that affected his 
 faith both by Queen Victoria and by her subjects, so 
 he desired that Protestants in a Catholic country might 
 enjoy like privileges. 
 
 Soon after this the deputation met to consider 
 the propriety of seeking an audience with the Queen 
 of Spain, and also as to the mode of making their 
 desire known to her Majesty. On the latter point, 
 the meeting was much guided by Count Stallburgh, 
 Chamberlain to the Emperor of Austria, and Baron 
 Von Lynden, Chamberlain to the King of Holland, 
 who stated the usages of their courts; and as there 
 seemed little probability that an audience would be 
 asked for the deputation through diplomatic channels, 
 it was resolved to ask for it through the Queen's 
 Major Domo. On this very evening, however, as 
 M. H. Schmettau was returning home, hearing an 
 evening paper called La Correspondencia cried in the 
 streets, he bought one, and there read the announce- 
 ment that the Government had commuted the sen- 
 tence on Matamoros and his companions to banishment, 
 for the same length of time as the prisoners had been 
 condemned to imprisonment with hard labour. 
 
DEATH OF SIR CULLING EARDLEY. 203 
 
 On finding this sudden and remarkable change 
 in the sentence, much discussion arose as to what 
 should be the line of action now taken by the 
 deputies, and they decided that first an address to 
 the Queen should be prepared, to be signed by all the 
 members of the deputation, stating, that while they 
 felt thankful to God that Her Majesty had mitigated 
 the sentence under which our brethren were suffering, 
 they had much more to claim respectfully at her hands, 
 and that they begged to be allowed to leave with Her 
 Majesty the petitions they had brought with them, in 
 which the views and principles of the large bodies of 
 Christians, in the different countries of Europe who 
 had sent them, would be found deferentially and 
 explicitly stated. Secondly, that a letter should be 
 written, in the name of the deputation, to Matamoros 
 and his fellow-sufferers, congratulating them on the 
 mitigation of the terrible punishment to which they 
 had been sentenced, and offering them affectionate and 
 Christian counsel and sympathy. Dr. Cappadose and 
 the Rev. H. Schmettau were requested to draft a 
 letter to Matamoros, and M. A. Naville, M. Van 
 Loon, Count Kanitz, Pastor William Monod, and Dr. 
 Steane, were appointed to prepare the address to the 
 Queen. 
 
 After the meeting broke up at which these measures 
 were adopted, a telegram was received, communicating 
 the distressing intelligence of the death of Sir Culling 
 Eardley, president of the Evangelical Alliance, who 
 from the first had taken the deepest interest in the case. 
 It is as impossible, as it is unnecessary, to describe the 
 deep gloom which this event threw over the deputation 
 
204 PRESENTATION TO THE QUEEN OF SPAIN. 
 
 Many tears of sincere affection and sorrow were shed; 
 many prayers of profound submission to the holy will 
 of God, and of sympathy with the bereaved family 
 were offered up; and the subsequent meetings for 
 business and for devotion were all shaded as with the 
 solemnities of the eternal world, and saddened with the 
 sense of an irreparable loss. 
 
 At the next meeting the draft-letter for the Queen 
 was produced, carfully considered, and approved, as well 
 as the one for Matamoros, which was ordered to be for- 
 warded to him. Just at this crisis, Count Edmond de 
 Pourtales and Baron de Bussiere arrived as deputies 
 from Paris. These noblemen waited at once on the 
 French Ambassador, and placed the whole matter of 
 the deputation before him. He undertook the difficult 
 and delicate mission of presenting the letter to the 
 Queen. Thus the last difficulty was in a most unex- 
 pected manner removed. Nothing could have been 
 more opportune than the coming of the two French 
 noblemen just when they did; and it will always 
 stand as one remarkable proof, among many others, of 
 God's gracious smile on that errand of love which had 
 taken the deputation to Spain, and of his providential 
 guidance of their measures. 
 
 The Prussian members of the deputation had been 
 in communication with the Government on the subject 
 of their being admitted to the royal presence to deliver 
 the message and letter from the King of Prussia, and 
 from the Prussian Queen Dowager, and in this they 
 ultimately succeeded, though under restrictions as to 
 any reference to the object of the deputation. They 
 mentioned that when, during the interview, Prince 
 
LETTER TO THE QUEEX. I 205 
 
 Beuss seemed as if approaching the obnoxious subject, 
 the Marquis of Miraflores immediately interposed, and 
 turned the conversation to another topic. It appeared 
 also that the commutation of the sentence had been 
 hastened, in order that it might be accomplished befors 
 the presentation of these distinguished persons to the 
 Queen could take place. It should further be stated 
 that as a token of respect to the deputies, and as at 
 least an implied recognition of their part in the matter, 
 the act of commutation, signed by the Queen herself, 
 was sent by the Premier to the Prussian Deputies for 
 their more entire satisfaction in reference to the attain- 
 ment of the object of their mission. They were also 
 assured that the prisoners at Malaga, as well as those 
 in the city of Granada, were included in the mitigated 
 sentence. 
 
 Soon after this the letter of the deputation to the 
 Queen was conveyed by Baron de Bussieres and the 
 Count de Pourtales to the Marquis of Miraflores at 
 Aranjuez. He promised to lay it before her Majesty, 
 and consented to receive at his house at Madrid the 
 various petitions and addresses from different countries, 
 and to inform the Queen of their contents. A copy of 
 the letter to the Queen appeared in The Times of June 3. 
 In the meetings for worship held by the deputation at 
 Madrid, and scarcely less in those for the transaction of 
 business, they were often constrained to acknowledge the 
 manifest presence of the promised Comforter, for to his 
 divine power alone could they ascribe it, that their hearts 
 were so drawn together, that their embarrassments 
 were so gently cleared away, and that their conclusions, 
 though previously dismissed with nnrftstrarned liberty 
 
206 MATAMOROS'S UNSELFISHNESS. 
 
 of opinion and of speech, were ultimately adopted with 
 perfect unanimity. And as they thus met in the charity 
 of the Gospel, so they at length parted with augmented 
 mutual respect, and cherishing that love for each other 
 which is the greatest of the Christian graces, and the 
 most precious because the most enduring fruit of the 
 Spirit. Nor, finally, can the fact be suppressed, that 
 they were thus enabled to realize and to manifest in 
 Spain, that most intolerent of the Papal nations, and in 
 the face of the whole observant hierarchy of Rome, the 
 true unity of the Church of Christ a unity not more 
 blessed in itself than it will ultimately be seen to be 
 powerful, when in that universal manifestation which 
 it is one day destined to attain, it shall overthrow every 
 antagonistic force and hold forth the crowning demon- 
 stration that Jesus is the Christ until, in His own words, 
 " the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." 
 
 It was eminently characteristic of dear Manuel's 
 large-hearted unselfishness that when the news of his 
 own safety from his severe sentence was telegraphed to 
 him, he instantly flashed back the question "And the 
 brothers at Malaga 1" 
 
VIEWS OF FRIENDS 207 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MATAMOROS'S RELEASE FROM PRISON. 
 
 IN a memorandum which our brother has left among 
 his papers we find some interesting notes on the 
 manner of his release from his long confinement at 
 Granada, which we give in his own words : 
 
 " In the month of May, 1863, I was sentenced to 
 nine years at the galleys. It was afterwards thought 
 that this sentence might be changed into nine years 
 of banishment. My own wish was not to have any 
 alteration at all in the original sentence, nor to ask 
 for pardon from Queen Isabella. An excellent friend 
 to me and my work in Spain wrote to me some 
 months before, saying, 'You ought not to ask for 
 anything, nor to admit of any alteration in the sen- 
 tence pronounced, as you have been now finally 
 sentenced to the galleys,' and my own sentiments on 
 the matter were entirely in accordance with this 
 advice. Nevertheless, the general opinion of my 
 friends was of a contrary nature. All wished that I 
 should accept the commutation of the sentence, so 
 when the royal order was communicated to me I 
 accepted the matter, so as not to place myself in 
 
208 tVRPARTTTRTC FROM GRANADA. 
 
 opposition to my friends' wishfis and not to prejudice 
 my dear fellow-prisoners. 
 
 " The immediate consequence of this commutation 
 in the sentence was that my liberation from the 
 prison of Granada took place at five o'clock in the 
 morning of the 29th May, 1863, and I was accom- 
 panied "by the Sergeant of the Civil Guard, Antonio 
 Perez Oriviola. My journey from Granada to Malaga 
 I accomplished by the diligence, accompanied by 
 Trigo, Alhama, and their two daughters, and by the 
 wife of the former. The conditions that the Sergeant 
 jf the Civil Guard fixed before consenting to allow us 
 to travel by diligence were: First. That a carriage 
 should take us from the gates of the prison to the 
 distance of half a league from the town, and that 
 another should wait outside Malaga, so as to prevent 
 any public manifestations in either of these towns. 
 Second. That we must take all the seats in the 
 diligence. Ttiird. That I should pay for the seats of 
 the Civil Guard to Malaga and back to Granada. 
 Fourth. That once in the diligence I must not get out 
 before arriving at Malaga, and if I was hungry I must 
 eat in the diligence. Fifth. That none of the public 
 papers of Granada, or of any other part of Spain, 
 should mention about our deliverance. Such were the 
 principal conditions, and there were other unimportant 
 ones not added. 
 
 We arrived at Malaga at half-past seven o'clock 
 the same evening. The Sergeant of the Civil Guard 
 behaved very well to us, showing us much attention. 
 He apppeared to be a worthy and educated man, never 
 unnecessarily displaying his authority, but doing all 
 
FROM MALAGA TO GIBRALTAR. 209 
 
 in his power to be agreeable to us, and at the same 
 time to fulfil his obligations. Indeed, on the whole 
 he appeared to sympathise with us. We arrived 
 safely, but dreadfully tired. Nothing important 
 happened by the way, with the exception of the con- 
 duct of the last guard we had when entering into 
 Malaga, who was drunk and was very impertinent to 
 us ; but this was of small importance." 
 
 After sleeping at the prison of Malaga they pro- 
 ceeded to Gibraltar, according to orders received from 
 Madrid. From the same paper we extract the 
 following : 
 
 " At four o'clock in the evening the public prison 
 of Malaga was filled with police. The commissary 
 and the turnkeys were waiting for us. Our sortie 
 from the prison was managed with much prudence 
 on the part of the authorities. We were each one of 
 us led to the port by a single policeman, and each one 
 through a different street in the town of Malaga, and 
 thus arrived at the place where we were to embark. 
 The Mole was filled with people ; many were waiting 
 for us there. The boat left the shore at six in the 
 evening, and I left my beloved Malaga ; but oh, how 
 my heart bled as I left the shore of my fatherland ! 
 
 " At nine o'clock in the evening the ship of war 
 'Alerta,' in which we were, started on her way to 
 Gibraltar. They gave us good places on board, and 
 during the journey we received many kind attentions. 
 We arrived at Gibraltar on the 31st of May, at nine 
 in the morning." 
 
 After passing a few days there he determined on 
 
 yisiting England, and embarlrpd for .London on the 
 P 
 
210 VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. 
 
 22nd June, 1863, at an early hour of the morning. 
 Of this he says : 
 
 "The first day on board passed tolerably, but 
 on the second I found myself unwell from head to 
 foot, and with this many sorrowful recollections came 
 into my mind, as well as lamentable meditations and 
 impressions, making my fatiguing journey sadder 
 stilL Yes, but all this was necessary ; it was indis- 
 pensable to sacrifice all, all, all, for that holy work, 
 the evangelization of Spain, for the temporal and 
 spiritual wants of my dear friends, and in connection 
 with everything that had to do with my poor and 
 unfortunate country." 
 
 After a rough passage along the coast of Spain 
 and Portugal, they experienced finer weather across 
 the Bay of Biscay, but nevertheless he appears to have 
 suffered much. He adds : 
 
 "Finally we came in sight of England. What 
 joy! what profound delight for all the Englishmen 
 on board ! The most unspeakable delight was painted 
 on the countenance of each one, and they all, as if 
 drunk with pleasure, came to point me out that 
 speck of land that loomed in the distance, exclaim- 
 ing, * England ! England ! ' We gradually neared the 
 shore. I had formed a very unfavourable idea of the 
 vegetation of England, fancying that it was poor and 
 feeble; but my surprise was great when I discerned 
 from the vessel that, on the contrary, it was luxuriant, 
 healthy, and very lovely. On entering a little further 
 inland we saw the country more clearly. It was the 
 Isle of Wight; and now for the first time I saw an 
 English town. On the 30th June we reached the 
 
RECEPTION IN ENGLAND. 211 
 
 mouth of the Thames. What a lovely aspect pre- 
 sented itself before me; what a delightful impres- 
 sion it made on my mind ; and what poetry filled 
 my soul on that beautiful morning ! As we pro- 
 ceeded up the river the stream became narrower, and 
 every turn brought before us something agreeable to 
 look upon." 
 
 At length our dear brother arrived in London, and 
 remained there about a fortnight. His reception was, 
 unfortunately, very far from what his true friends 
 wished to give him, but all was permitted by Him who 
 giveth not account of any of His matters. 
 
 We cannot look back to this period of dear Manuel's 
 history without feeling that the fire of. persecution was 
 hotter or, at least, the fogs of intolerance and mis- 
 understanding were darker and heavier around him at 
 this time than ever before. It is a mournful page in 
 the history of our English Christianity, and we gladly 
 turn it over, leaving to Him who hath said " There is 
 nothing hid that shall not be revealed," to show in his 
 own good time how pure and single-eyed was dear 
 Manuel in all his dealings, and also how severely he 
 suffered at the hands of some from whom he expected 
 love and support. 
 
212 A SPANISH COLLEGE CONTEMPLATED. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 WORK AT LAUSANNE. PREPARATIONS FOR EVANGELIZING 
 
 SPAIN. WORK ORGANIZED AT PAU, BAYONNE, AND 
 
 BORDEAUX. 
 
 To give some idea of the labours of our brother after 
 his release from prison, an extract from a statement of 
 his own is here introduced. This will put the reader in 
 possession of many facts that will show the nature and 
 importance of the undertakings which were commenced 
 in France and Switzerland, and carried on with most 
 blessed results. 
 
 " When once the prison doors were opened to the 
 prisoners, and when persecution ceased in Spain, the 
 first thought that occupied the minds of the exiles was 
 to continue the work begun, profiting by the experience 
 of the past and preparing for the eventualities of the 
 future. As there are many appearances that the day 
 is near at hand when liberty of worship will be granted, 
 we have been led to prepare ourselves, and also to 
 prepare our youth. When I left Spain the first thing 
 that was laid on my mind in a particular way was the 
 creation of a Spanish college for that portion of our 
 young men who should feel disposed to prepare them- 
 selves by theological studies; a fitting place was soon 
 
WORK AT BAYONNE AND LAUSANNE. 213 
 
 fixed upon in France, and we commenced with six 
 young Spanish pupils. At the same time one of our 
 young persecuted brethren went to Switzerland, where, 
 being already far advanced in knowledge, he was 
 enabled to devote his time to the more serious studies ; 
 while in France I began to prepare myself for every- 
 thing that my future position might call me to under- 
 take. 
 
 " During this period the work in the interior of 
 Spain advanced with fresh vigour, and its results 
 were visible in many ways; and now this implacable 
 persecution, by means of which our enemies expected 
 entirely to destroy our work, had, on the contrary, 
 only opened a new future, by preparing public opinion 
 (which generally is favourable to toleration) to re 
 cognize the cause of the persecuted, and to take 
 
 an interest in them. Our beloved brothers at 
 
 boldly put themselves at the head of the work, which 
 began to be extended and consolidated. Besides 
 this, the creation of a college in France filled them 
 with joy, which was increased when they learned 
 that some were thinking of founding, at Lausanne, 
 an institution which was intended to afford oppor- 
 tunities for supplementing and completing the studies 
 of the youth from Bayonne, where the teaching was 
 more of an elementary character. The work at 
 Lausanne was inaugurated at the beginning with only 
 six young people, but afterwards its numbers were 
 increased. 
 
 "The well-disposed among our youth in Spain 
 appeared to vie with one another in their emulation to 
 be among the number of the future preachers of the 
 
214 REPORT OF PASTOR CURRIED 
 
 gospel in their country, and fathers and children both 
 gave many manifest proofs of this fact. It is not 
 difficult to observe the rapid progress that the Spirit of 
 God has given to this blessed work. The number of 
 converts in Spain has increased considerably, as have 
 also their means of labouring, and the interior organi- 
 zation of the churches has guaranteed solid and positive 
 progress. But in order that you may have a good idea 
 of the same, I will cite some passages from an 
 important report made by Pastor Currie to the Paris 
 committee, of which he was the representative, sub- 
 sequent to his visit last year to the churches in Spain. 
 The following is a part of his report : 
 
 " ' On arriving at , all the friends there received 
 
 me with the greatest cordiality. Everyone, from the 
 directing body down to the humblest Christian, 
 appeared desirous of being useful to me, and of anti- 
 cipating my wishes. Often from morning till evening 
 have I been engaged in receiving and paying visits, my 
 friends wishing to accompany me wherever I went. 
 There exists in this place a congregation of three 
 hundred members, whose names have been given to me. 
 This congregation is thoroughly well organized, as you 
 will hereafter see. A committee composed of six 
 individuals, who are all sincere Christians, and who are 
 both capable and prudent, manage the work, under the 
 superintendence of our brother Matamoros, who is 
 recognized and loved as the founder, the father, and 
 spiritual director of this body. This committee holds 
 its regular sessions, which are opened and closed with 
 prayer; its acts are duly registered in a book, which I 
 examined. Political discussion is strictly forbidden. 
 
THE REFORMED CHURCH. 215 
 
 With the exception of ten evangelists or missionaries, 
 who are labouring for the dissemination of the Scrip- 
 tures and of Scripture truth, the remainder of the 
 congregation are quite ignorant of the names of the 
 persons who form the committee. Sometimes, in cases 
 of emergency, the committee invites the other evan- 
 gelists to be present at their meeting, so as to obtain 
 their advice and to have the assistance of their judg- 
 ment. These missionaries are, for the greater part, 
 young men of exemplary conduct, intelligent, and 
 filled with zealous and noble sentiments. These, after 
 their daily avocations are finished, seize every pro- 
 pitious occasion to combat the errors of the Church of 
 Rome, and to preach the truth. These dear friends 
 have as yet but a limited knowledge of the Scriptures ; 
 but, nevertheless, such as they are, the evangelists of 
 interest me much, for while they do not dis- 
 honour the name they profess, they atst faithfully to 
 the extent of their light and their faith. 
 
 " ' These young men are, so to speak, self-taught, 
 for they have neither a pastor to instruct nor books 
 to enlighten them. Every Sunday morning they 
 form small gatherings in different parts of the town, 
 where they preach the truth; and afterwards, when 
 among their audiences they observe people sufficiently 
 convinced of the errors of Romanism, and who are 
 living a good life, they ask them to join the Reformed 
 Church. Indeed, sometimes the demand is sponta- 
 neous on the part of the listeners, and needs not to 
 be provoked. In such cases, the person who wishes 
 to be received has to sign a request to that effect 
 addressed to the committee. The evangelist presents 
 
216 SATISFACTORY CONDITION OF THE 
 
 this, and if there be no opposition the applicant is 
 admitted. 
 
 " ' During my sojourn at I sometimes assisted 
 
 at the committee meetings, and on each occasion, two, 
 four, six, and even seven propositions for admittance 
 were presented. In receiving these new members, I 
 believe that the committee makes few mistakes. They 
 know that the faith and walk of the neophytes are still 
 weak, and that they need instruction ; but being once 
 convinced of the sincerity of the step they have taken, 
 of the fervency of their desires, and uprightness of 
 their conduct, the course of the committee is easy. 
 These brethren are received, and the committee look 
 forward to seeing them progress in their spiritual career, 
 and in the love and knowledge of their Saviour. Every 
 Sunday evening, the members of the committee, 
 together with some evangelists, meet for reading and 
 worship, when the Word of God is studied and 
 prayer is offered. All the functions of the committee 
 and of the evangelists are gratuitous, and among them 
 simplicity, brotherly love, and peace abide. They 
 seem to out-rival each other in zeal, and display the 
 greatest activity. These churches are as yet quite in 
 an incipient stage, and much is wanting ; yet, never- 
 theless, even as matters now are, they have pleased me 
 greatly, and I ever wish to see them increased more 
 and more, not only in numbers, but also in that 
 spiritual life which is hid with Christ in God. The 
 doctrines of the gospel appear to have taken such deep 
 
 root at , that from three to four thousand persons, 
 
 it is believed, would join the Keformed Church on 
 the day that religious liberty was proclaimed in Spain. 
 
INFANT CHURCH IN SPAIN. 217 
 
 " ' Besides tlie many visits that I paid to these 
 friends, I was also enabled on many occasions to cele- 
 brate divine worship, first with the members of the 
 committee and the evangelists united, and afterwards 
 with sundry individuals from among the groups to 
 whom the evangelists were in the habit of preaching. 
 On all occasions 1 remarked the most sustained atten- 
 tion, and a great thirst after truth on the part of the 
 hearers, who numbered from fifteen to twenty indi- 
 viduals. I also had the pleasure of having meetings 
 composed entirely of females. One evening there 
 were seventeen present, and had all who wished been 
 able to attend we should have had twenty-five. This 
 fact is, to my mind, most comforting ; for not only 
 do they form the most living part of the Church, 
 as was explained to me, but, besides, as wives, mothers 
 of families, and Christians, they may, by God's 
 grace, do much good, not only at home, but all 
 around.' These were M. Currie's words, written in 
 October, 1865. 
 
 " I shall now say a few words about an institution 
 which I some time since had the pleasure of founding 
 here at Pau. Some years ago I had the idea of 
 forming an institution for young Spanish women, the 
 daughters of our Protestant brethren, and to give them 
 the education necessary to fit them to serve the Lord 
 in the different vocations he might call them to occupy, 
 whether as governesses or as wives and mothers. 
 Different propositions from Spain made to me in regard 
 to this matter confirmed me in my conviction that this 
 project was approved by God in connection with the 
 work in Spain, and would have His blessing. Con- 
 
218 PROPOSED INSTITUTION AT PAD 
 
 sequently, immediately after my arrival at Pau, I com- 
 municated my idea to Miss C , who sympathized 
 
 with me, and who made it, from that time forward, the 
 subject of her constant prayers, as I did also ; and it 
 frequently formed the subject of our conversations. I 
 soon after left Pau, filled with this idea, which occupied 
 my thoughts, and I wrote a long letter to her from 
 Eaux Bonnes, touching lightly on the different points 
 of the work in general. Part of my letter was as 
 follows : 
 
 " ' Eaux Bonnes, on the Rhine. 
 
 " ' The habits and customs in Spain are very different 
 to what, I am happy to observe, prevail here, and 
 they do not allow the same freedom in social inter- 
 course. On this account, and from other circumstances, 
 there is a difficulty in obtaining access to females in 
 Spain for the purpose of announcing to them the 
 gospel of God's grace. For this reason, this great and 
 delightful task (whose importance is such that we 
 would willingly call it the heart of our work) can only 
 be carried on by females. But, through the grace of 
 God, this branch of our labour may become one of the 
 most solid bases on which our work of evangelizing 
 our beloved country may have its foundation ; for in 
 all places doors are open to women, and they are 
 always well received, whether they come to sit down 
 at the domestic hearth, or to address the wife, the 
 mother, or the unmarried female. They have access 
 everywhere, which is far from being the case with the 
 men. 
 
 "'I believe, then, dear sister, that it is not only 
 
FOR SPANISH WOMEN. 219 
 
 useful, but indispensable, that this special establishment 
 should be founded, for the purpose of receiving a suffi- 
 cient number of young Spanish girls, and of giving 
 them a solid Christian education, so that they may 
 acquire not only sound Scriptural instruction, but, at 
 the same time, all the general information which per 
 tains to a solid education, and which will by-and-by 
 open a way for them among the many different classes 
 of society. Under proper direction, and above all 
 with a view to serve the Lord, they should be taught 
 what are the duties of the daughter, the wife, and the 
 Christian mother; they should be initiated into all the 
 exercises of Christian charity, and be led to visit the 
 sick and the poor. Indeed, by giving them an oppor- 
 tunity of living for some time in a Christian atmosphere, 
 where spiritual life is a fact, and where faith is mani- 
 fested by works of love and self-denial, we should be 
 commencing a holy and blessed work, whose results 
 may have, through God's grace, an incalculable influence 
 on the religious future of Spain; and I cannot but re- 
 commend it to your notice, in the divine name of our 
 Blessed Lord.' 
 
 " Such were the considerations which decided Miss 
 
 C , after a season of prayer and inward conflict, 
 
 with full confidence to begin this work of faith, which 
 already has given such happy results, and has made us 
 joyful in the thought that the blessing of Jesus is rest- 
 ing upon it." 
 
 I lately received a letter from a brother in Spain, 
 who takes a lively interest in our work there. From 
 it the following is extracted: 
 
 " We feel, from day to day, that the Lord is blessing 
 
220 AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION. 
 
 us in this town abundantly. A few days back, being 
 the anniversary of the death of Torrijos and of his forty- 
 eight companions in misfortune, I was walking with 
 
 C , and, as we felt tired, we sat down to rest. The 
 
 seats on this promenade are double, so that the persons 
 who sit down are seated back to back. Well, as we 
 were sitting on one of these seats, there came two others 
 to sit down also. One was an honourable old man; 
 his companion a man too, of mature years. Three 
 others soon joined them, and commenced a conversation. 
 The youngest, speaking of the recognition of Italy by 
 Spain, said, amongst other things 
 
 " ' This was a want of our age, in the presence of 
 which the will of the Queen and the clerical party have 
 been obliged to bow; and those who to-day recognize 
 the unity of the kingdom of Italy, will also be forced 
 to submit to the other conquests of this century, not 
 bloody conquests, as the event we to-day are celebrating; 
 and in due time we shall have liberty of worship posted 
 over the door of every dwelling.' 
 
 " * Quite true,' replied the other. * You remember 
 the persecutions of 1860 and 1861 1 That is a blot on 
 the history of Spain that must be effaced by asking for 
 liberty of worship.' 
 
 " ' Yes/ said the old gentleman. 
 
 " * But perhaps you are not aware that there are in 
 this town now many Christians like those who suffered 
 persecution, and that their number daily increases. A 
 man comes to our house twice a week to read to us the 
 Bible, and a tract entitled "Andrew Dunn." What 
 pleasure we experience in listening to him, and in 
 seeing that these people only seek after peace. More 
 
LIGHT IN DAEKNESS. 221 
 
 than once I wished to introduce politics, but he always 
 replied that it was not about earthly things he wished 
 to converse, but on divine things alone. He said, also, 
 that the Church of Spain must be reformed, and return 
 to its primitive standing, for then only would all things 
 go on well.' 
 
 " ' That would be for the true welfare of the people,' 
 replied the younger man. 'I also have had some 
 serious conversations with one of these primitive Chris- 
 tians, and when I expressed my desire of entering into 
 communion with them, he replied, "Yes; but you 
 must first of all enter into communion with Christ." ' 
 
 " Such was the conversation of these sincere men. 
 We said nothing, thinking that thus they would 
 speak more unrestrainedly; but we seem to have 
 perceived in their words a spark of that divine light 
 which rejoices Christians here, and so we were made 
 truly glad." 
 
 Much more of a still more interesting nature is 
 contained in the same letter, but we cannot at present 
 reproduce it. A little farther on, however, we have a 
 few lines of much importance, and, as they are from 
 Matamoros's own pen, they are well worthy of our con- 
 sideration : 
 
 " The counsel that I give to my fellow-countrymen is, 
 not to allow themselves to be governed by anyone in 
 the development of their work, but by Jesus only. 
 Let us be neither of Paul, nor of Apollos, nor of Cephas, 
 but of Christ, and may His Spirit be our guide. This 
 is the best recommendation that I can at the present 
 time give to the church in Spain. May she apply her- 
 self to the study of the Word, and with the help of the 
 
222 MATAMOROS'S PRAYERFUL ACTIVITY. 
 
 Lord, that Word alone shall be her guide. Let us seek 
 to belong only to Christ, to walk and to increase in 
 Him. Let us labour in the evangelization of the 
 people, and let us be directed by His Spirit alone. This 
 is my counsel for the present. 
 
 "MANUEL MATAMOROS." 
 
 The above will give some little insight into a por- 
 tion of the labours of our brother when in France, but 
 presents only a very superficial glance at the immense 
 activity and unceasing care that he took of everything, 
 and every individual, in any way connected with this 
 most interesting work. 
 
 At Bordeaux, three other of the persecuted brethren 
 were located, and, through his assiduity and attention, 
 they were enabled to support themselves and their 
 families. The young men established in Lausanne 
 were most comfortably lodged in an excellent house, 
 and attended the instructions of the College of the Free 
 Church of the Canton de Vaud. Funds on a large scale 
 were required for all these things, and the activity and 
 prayers of our brother have supplied them all. Two 
 missionaries labouring among the Spaniards at Algiers 
 and Oran were placed there at the suggestion and re- 
 quest of Matamoros. But it was necessary to know 
 him intimately to comprehend how his whole life was 
 a living sacrifice to Him who has sacrificed His life for 
 us all, in order that we might be His purchased people. 
 
 During the whole of the time of his exile, Mata- 
 moros's health was very feeble, and he was scarcely 
 a day out of the doctor's hands ; but in the midst of 
 all this, when strength permitted, his lips and pen 
 
THE CRY FOR HELP. 223 
 
 were never quiet. Such activity for Christ I have 
 rarely witnessed, and such generosity of disposition 
 I have seen in none. He was very much beloved in 
 Holland, Switzerland, and France, and received innu- 
 merable presents of various kinds from the saints in all 
 these countries ; but his joy appeared to manifest itself 
 more in giving than receiving, and he kept scarcely 
 anything for himself. 
 
 A part of his three years of exile was spent at 
 Bayonne, but at Lausanne his heart seemed to have 
 been more at home than anywhere else, thanks to 
 the loving sympathy he found in the house of those 
 warm-hearted, earnest Christians, M. and Mme. Bridel. 
 He was in journeyings oft, sometimes to Holland and 
 sometimes to Paris. England saw but little of him, 
 though he sighed to be among us, and looked to us as 
 those from whom he expected all Spain calls at 
 present, with as loud a voice as ever Macedonia did, 
 " Come over and help us. Gome over and give us 
 Christ's gospel. Come over and give us your sympathy 
 in a cause which is the greatest of all causes, because it 
 is for eternity." I cherish a hope that, in spite of 
 much lukewarnmess, in spite of much to mourn 
 over, these words will enter the hearts of some who 
 love Jesus, and that they will hear. In such a case 
 my book will have answered the purpose I have in 
 view, not merely to give a faithful picture of God's 
 faithful servant, but to rouse others to imitate his 
 bright example. 
 
224 A WOMAN'S RKMimsmwriR OP MATAMOROS, 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 Iii the summer of 1865 we had been obliged to leave 
 our home in Mallorca, for change of air and rest for 
 my husband and children, whose health had suffered 
 from repeated attacks of Mediterranean fever, and we 
 were staying at Montpellier (He"rault), when I saw for 
 the first and last time the subject of this memoir. 
 
 Before his arrest at Barcelona we had been interested 
 in him, and all through the weary months of his im- 
 prisonment his letters had been read, translated, and 
 circulated by us, and had called forth appreciative 
 sympathy and energetic assistance from friends in 
 many places. 
 
 The motives for that sympathy and the need for that 
 assistance are fully set forth in other chapters of this 
 book. I only allude to them now in order to make a 
 kind of confession as regards my own feeling towards 
 Matamoros, whom I had so far only known in his 
 semi-public character. Personally, then, I was inclined 
 to think that he had been too much talked about and 
 bepraised. The inflated and exaggerated style of 
 Spanish correspondence, so far from impressing me 
 with a true sense of what he had done and suffered, 
 
A WOMAN'S REMINISCENCE OF MATAMOROS. 225 
 
 had reacted upon my mind, till I undervalued both, 
 and when I knew that he was coming from Pau to 
 spend a day or two with us, I anticipated little more 
 than a confirmation of my fears that the vulgar fame 
 of a patronized ex- victim must have destroyed the glory 
 of his martyrdom and that self-consciousness, which is 
 self-conceit, could hardly have failed to mingle with 
 and damage the simplicity of his heroism. 
 
 But my recollections of the short hours of our per- 
 sonal acquaintance go to prove that I was quite at fault. 
 
 He had passed through the long grief and pain of 
 his imprisonment unembittered, through the ordeal of 
 European notoriety undisturbed, and through the 
 crucible of coterie admiration unspoiled. 
 
 Surely this is much to the glory of the grace of 
 Him who, Himself lowly and humble of heart, kept 
 His servant from faults all the more insidious and 
 dangerous, because they do not always look like sins, 
 and because they are often encouraged and fostered by 
 the injudicious affection of Christians themselves. 
 
 I first saw Manuel Matamoros one evening, early in 
 December, 1865, at the Hotel Nevet, at Montpellier. 
 
 Our sitting-room was on the first floor, and my little 
 daughter's nursery was on the second. By some 
 mistake of the servants, he had been directed to the 
 upper floor, when he had asked for our rooms. 
 
 My children were in various stages of preparation 
 for bed, when we heard a sound at the door and saw 
 standing at it a figure which looked almost gigantic 
 in the dim evening light, with coal-black hair and 
 beard, and bright, amused, kindly eyes, gazing down at 
 the pretty group of half-dressed babies. 
 
226 A WOMAN'S REMINISCENCE OF MATAMOROS. 
 
 My first glance at him seemed to sweep away clouds, 
 and to reveal the man as he really was. I jumped up 
 from the ground where I had been sitting, and said, 
 "Is it Manuel V' To which he answered with a hand- 
 clasp like that of a friend, and I hurried with him 
 down to the room where my husband was waiting, and 
 where the two friends were soon locked in one an- 
 other's arms. 
 
 I wish I had at the time made some notes of the 
 long conversations which took place between these 
 two, both so earnestly desiring to ascertain the best 
 means of spreading, in the land which was dear to 
 both, the knowledge of the love of God. But I did 
 not do so, and though' some of the trifling occurrences 
 of those days are very vivid and clear in my memory, 
 I dare not write down here what I believe to be my 
 recollections of things said then. So much has 
 happened, I have seen and heard so much of Spain 
 since, that I could not be assured of my own accuracy. 
 The peaks of distant mountains seem merged into each 
 other when the evening sun shines on them, and the 
 sense of the leagues which separate the nearer from 
 the farther ranges is lost in the vague blue mist which 
 rises from the plain at their feet. 
 
 We dined at the table d'hote that day. Manuel 
 was in very good spirits, and I remember our noticing 
 that at the long table, where we were the only 
 foreigners, the proverbial characteristics of the dif- 
 ferent nationalities seemed for the moment changed. 
 The vivacious, loquacious French people were dining 
 in silence and with gravity, while the sombre Spaniard 
 and the reserved and cold-blooded English people 
 
A WOMAN'S REMINISCENCE OF MATAMOROS. 227 
 
 chatted and laughed over the meal lik three 
 children. 
 
 Manuel's manner was very frank, genial, kindly 
 and simple. He was quite ready to receive any sug- 
 gestion, advice, or criticism concerning his work or 
 himself. The impression made on the first evening 
 and which lasted and grew was "He is quite un- 
 spoiled." We attended a Sunday evening service 
 which M. le Pasteur Recollin held in a room, hollowed 
 out of the rock, beneath a part of the town, and which 
 he loved to call " The Catacombs of Montpellier." 
 Schools and week-day services were held here, and 
 after the service on this especial evening, a few friends 
 were invited to remain, and Manuel gave a slight 
 sketch of what he had done, and what he hoped to 
 do. M. Recollin's judicious questioning drew out 
 most lucid and interesting details, and Manuel felt 
 how much he had been helped " to say his catechism," 
 as he called the account he had given us. 
 
 The little audience was thoroughly delighted and 
 sympathetic, and full of brotherly feeling. 
 
 Next day, a much larger meeting was held in the 
 house of one of the rich families of Montpellier, whose 
 name is on many a page of Southern French History. 
 
 The external contrast between this gathering and 
 that in the "catacombs" was very great, but it was 
 chiefly in externals, and the welcome to the servant 
 of Christ, for His Master's sake, was equally cordial 
 in either place. 
 
 Manuel himself was far "too great a man," as a 
 great American has said, "to know how he dined 
 or how he dressed/' and was perfectly at his 
 
228 A WOMAN'S REMTNISOTWCE OP MATAMOROS. 
 
 in his simple well-bred way, with people of every 
 class and rank of society. 
 
 The easy courtesy and stately simplicity which 
 characterise the manners of his countrymen lost 
 nothing of their grace and charm in his person, and 
 the refinement which accompanies Christian grace, and 
 which sorrow and suffering bring forth in elect natures, 
 thus trained and moulded, distinguished and ennobled 
 him, supplying defects of education, and correcting 
 errors of early training. 
 
 He spoke long, earnestly and ardently to the crowd 
 of cultivated and critical hearers, and carried them 
 all with him by the faith and fire with which he 
 told his story. He spoke in French, with facility 
 and fluency, though not quite correctly. Not 
 eloquently, except so far as every Spaniard is eloquent, 
 but with so much personal feeling, coupled with 
 such self-forgetting modesty, that I think the effect 
 produced was greater than might have been made 
 by a more finished orator. 
 
 At the close the audience manifested much kind 
 and sympathetic feeling, congratulating, applauding, 
 and encouraging him. 
 
 He received all the homage with quiet dignity 
 and gratitude, laughed a little, when it was all over, 
 at some point-blank praises which were more direct 
 than tasteful, and ended with "If they will only 
 help our Mission ! " 
 
 On the fourth morning he left us. The diligence 
 started early, but we breakfasted together, and com- 
 mended him to the love and care of the Father who 
 had brought him out of prison and was leading him 
 
A WOMAN'S REMINISCENCE OF MATAMOROS. 229 
 
 onward by a way that we knew not to his heavenly 
 home. 
 
 My personal recollections of him end here. They 
 are very pleasant ones in every way. The handsome, 
 intelligent, meridional face; the cordial, affectionate 
 manner, tempered by a kind of wistful deference which 
 was very touching and attractive; the heroic simplicity 
 and modesty ; the transparent innocence, and the 
 unshaken endurance and resolution of his life were 
 all legible in his words and ways. 
 
 The games he played with my little children; the 
 imitations of cats, birds, and dogs with which he 
 delighted them ; the stories he told them of his tame 
 canaries and the mice he used to feed in his prison, 
 are well remembered still by them, but cannot be 
 described or repeated here. He left us, blessing us and 
 them, and I saw him no more. 
 
230 RETURN TO LAUSANNE 
 
 CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 FAILING HEALTH. LOVING FRIENDS. LAST DAYS. 
 ASLEEP IN JESUS. 
 
 AFTER organizing the work at Pau, Bayonne, and 
 Bordeaux, Matamoros went to Paris to make some 
 arrangements. The long journey by railway from 
 Pau, much speaking and exertion while at Paris, 
 but principally the unkind slanders coming from 
 England, and circulated afterwards in France all 
 these combined, were too much for this great tender 
 heart, which seemed to. live only to love and to be 
 loved. This inclement clime of human life was no 
 longer suited to a nature ripe for the " better land." 
 After a short visit to Paris in the beginning of the 
 year 1866, he returned to Lausanne, in Switzerland, 
 where he had founded one of the establishments foi 
 the preparation of the Spanish youth for service in 
 the gospel in Spain. 
 
 He reached Lausanne on the 3rd May, 1866. An 
 American lady in affluent circumstances had met him 
 at Pau, in the previous summer. She had suffered 
 the loss of all she held dearest on earth, and was 
 led by the Lord to sympathize with and finally to 
 
CONSECRATION BY THE FREE CHURCH, 231 
 
 devote herself to the noble cause which was so dear 
 to Manuel's heart. Having ample means at her dis- 
 posal, she quickly entered into his views concerning 
 his much-loved country, and helped him in bringing 
 twelve more young Spaniards to be educated at Pau. 
 During the month of May they arrived at Lausanne, 
 where they were first placed in certain pious families 
 for a few months, so as to enable them to obtain 
 some knowledge of the French language before com- 
 mencing their studies at Pau. 
 
 This lady was happy in being able to supply all 
 the wants of her dear adopted son ; and thus, through 
 the kind providence of God, he was during the last 
 year of his life in very comfortable circumstances. 
 His arrival at Lausanne was the cause of great joy 
 to all his numerous friends there, and to himself. His 
 home was for some time with his good and faithful 
 helpers, M. and Mme. Louis Bridel, at La Borde, in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of the town, by whom he 
 was received quite as their own son. Although 
 he often complained of being much fatigued, yet at 
 the commencement of his visit the state of his health 
 did not alarm them. While with them he expressed 
 a desire to be consecrated by the synod of the Free 
 Church of the Canton de Yaud, and in spite of the 
 irregularity of the case, this body decided on granting 
 his request, as they considered that he had, through 
 the sufferings and persecutions he had endured in his 
 long imprisonment, received from the Lord a higher 
 consecration than theirs. 
 
 But he now daily appeared to be gradually sinking, 
 and from the beginning of June his friends became 
 
232 DECLINE OF STRENGTH. 
 
 seriously alarmed for his health. Many combined 
 .causes brought on low fever, accompanied by want of 
 sleep. He received afflicting intelligence about the 
 state of the health of his dear mother. This was a 
 time to him of much trial and inward struggle. He 
 said to Mme. Bridel, "No doubt the Lord is causing 
 me to pass through all this in order to prove to me 
 once more, that in all things I must trust in Him, and 
 in Him alone, and that to Him only must I look to 
 bring all hearts to be favourable to me and to my 
 country." 
 
 He also wrote to a friend, saying " I hear my poor 
 mother will probably lose her sight. Alas, my mother ! 
 She suffers sorely, but it is not thought that her life is 
 in danger, though she is seriously ill. She is much 
 supported by God, and evinces a sweet and heroic 
 constancy. Oh, who can tell how much I love her! 
 But I am sure that God Himself will take this care 
 into His own hands, and tell her that I love her beyond 
 all bounds. May God support thee, mother of my 
 heart, and may He bless thee with His choicest 
 blessings !" 
 
 On Saturday, 26th May, he held his first meeting 
 for prayer and reading of the Word with the young 
 Spaniards at La Borde, and these meetings were re- 
 peated twice a week till the 23rd June, when, being 
 too fatigued, he was obliged to retire ; this caused all 
 his friends the most serious anxiety. 
 
 I was enabled at this time to leave my usual occupa- 
 tions, and to spend nearly six weeks at Lausanne. As 
 the good Lord had brought me to cheer my friend in 
 prison, so now He sent me to console and comfort him 
 
 
NIGHTS WITHOUT SLEEP. 233 
 
 in his dying hour. The very day he was no longer 
 able to feed the flock of God, I was sent to take his 
 place. The Lord was very present at our little gather- 
 ing. From this time forward it was thought for many 
 reasons desirable for Matamoros to be at the H6tel 
 
 Gibbon, where Mrs. McE , the American lady be- 
 
 fore-mentioned, was staying. Until the moment of his 
 death, she rendered him constant and invaluable atten- 
 tion. This pleasure of ministering to an heir of glory 
 was also afforded me for many weeks. Manuel often 
 said, during his last illness, that God had gathered 
 round him his best friends to comfort him, and we all 
 thanked God that it was His good pleasure thus to 
 solace his loving generous heart. There were others 
 that loved him dearly, who longed to be in the 
 privileged place that we felt we were holding by 
 the dying bed of this dear saint, but the great Orderer 
 of all our steps did not call them to this honoured 
 post. 
 
 The decline of our beloved friend's strength was 
 very rapid, and in spite of the attention we rendered, 
 and of every care that medical aid could afford, we 
 found nothing could arrest the progress of the disease. 
 The lungs were much affected, and his breathing daily 
 became more difficult. For a month he passed very 
 restless nights, almost without sleep, being frequently 
 obliged to sit in an upright position, with his head 
 supported on pillows, unable to lie down, and in 
 intense pain. The lungs, heart, and liver were com- 
 pletely disorganized, and a great quantity of water 
 having now collected round the heart, we deemed it 
 prudent to have a consulation without Joss of time. 
 
234 BEADY 
 
 The eminent medical men called in gave it as their 
 opinion that, if the features of the case became aggra- 
 vated, he might be carried off in a few days. I felt it 
 a duty to apprize him of the nearness of his end, and 
 when I told him that within a week he might receive 
 the final summons, he replied very calmly 
 
 " Bueno ! Al cielo ! " " It is well ! To heaven !" 
 He requested me to go at once to La Borde, where 
 his letters and papers were, and to bring them to the 
 H6tel Gibbon, which I did. The amount of corre- 
 spondence and documents was so great that it took us 
 the best part of two days to sort and arrange them, 
 and when this was done, he was enabled quietly to 
 leave all in the hands of his heavenly Father, though 
 he had many hours of struggling and of prayer. On 
 the same evening that he heard the doctor's opinion, 
 Pastor Bridel read and prayed with him. Matamoros 
 himself also prayed with a remarkable warmth of 
 emotion and elevation of soul, and asked particularly 
 that if God wished to call him home, He would enable 
 him to obey the summons; not in the spirit of a 
 servant who knows not the will of his Master, but as a 
 child, who knows that his Father is doing what is best 
 for his child ; and he thanked God for bringing his 
 loving friends about him at such a moment. But even 
 after this he was able to go out a little in an open 
 carriage as far as La Borde, where he was able to 
 breathe the sweet fresh air, and where he enjoyed 
 perfect tranquillity. 
 
 On Monday, the 16th June, he was very weak, and 
 the Lord's Supper was celebrated in his room, about 
 ten people being present. Pastor Bridel, who presided, 
 
LETTER TO THE YOUNG SPANIARDS. 235 
 
 addressed to each of us two verses of Scripture. Those 
 for Matamoros were, " My grace is sufficient for thee," 
 and " All things work together for good to them that 
 love God." 
 
 In a letter he addressed at this time to Mine. Bridel 
 Matamoros says 
 
 "I am very weak, though the doctors say I am 
 better, but be that as it may, the Lord is my all. 
 In beginning to struggle with the agonies of death, 
 I desired life, but now I alone desire the perfect reali- 
 zation of the will of God. A few days ago, certain 
 matters connected with my work engaged my atten- 
 tion, but now I lay down my work at the feet of 
 Him who gave it to me. He will make a perfect 
 use of what is His alone. I should have liked to 
 labour yet a little, but under these solemn circum- 
 stances it is no question what I like, but what is the 
 Lord's will." 
 
 Amidst their deep sorrow it was yet to his friends 
 a source of joy, and a cause for gratitude, that they 
 were permitted to see him enter into this complete 
 rest and detachment from all earthly things. This 
 grace was granted to him, after much striving and 
 anguish on his part. He wrote a few lines to the 
 young Spaniards in the town and neighbourhood, as 
 follows : 
 
 " "With what sympathy do I write to you and with 
 what love do I address you ! In these solemn moments 
 I wish to speak to you to tell you that I love you, and 
 that your spiritual good is the burden of my prayers. 
 Take notice of my position. Still young and in the 
 
236 DYING PRAYERS. 
 
 first year of my Christian activity, the thread of my 
 life is about to be severed. What would become of 
 me if I had not such a Saviour as Jesus Christ now 1 
 Jesus in this hour of sorrow is my friend, my help, my 
 strength ; as He is also my salvation. Adieu, my 
 dearly beloved ones. May the Lord bless you with His 
 choicest blessings. 
 
 "M. MATAMOROS." 
 
 He invited the young Spaniards at Lausanne to 
 come to his room and sing to him his favourite hymns 
 in Spanish and in French, when he spoke most 
 touchingly to them, telling them in his ardent and 
 loving way all the affection that he bore them ; and 
 how he hoped that they would be earnest and 
 faithful in the blessed work they were beginning. 
 He also expressed himself to them most tenderly and 
 touchingly about his probable speedy departure from 
 this world, saying, "Leaving you all appears to me 
 as if pieces were torn from my heart." After they 
 had sung the sweet hymn, "Venid Pecadores," etc., 
 he remarked, " How lovely and how true are those 
 words, 'El cielo es del alma la patria mejor,'" 
 " Heaven is the better country of the soul," adding 
 that the sweet melody of their voices had seemed 
 to him like the music of a choir of angels ; and such 
 indeed it had appeared to us all who were present at 
 this memorable farewell scene. At an earlier period 
 of the evening he prayed earnestly, sweetly, and de- 
 voutly for Mme. Bridel, Mrs. McB , and myself, 
 
 that we might be faithful to the cause he had so much 
 at heart. 
 
A REMOVAL PROPOSED. 237 
 
 BJfANISH WORDS OF VENID PECADORES. 
 I. 
 
 Venid pecadores, que Dios por su amor 
 Al cielo nos llama, que es patria mejor, 
 Do nunca la aurora Perdio su fulgor 
 Do brilla la gloria Del Dios creador. 
 Si, si, venid ; si, si, venid ; 
 El cielo es del alma la patria mejor 
 Alii son eternos la paz y el amor. 
 
 II. 
 
 Dejemos, hennanos aparte el dolor, 
 Que arriba en los cielos el coro cantor 
 De espiritus puros proclama Seiior 
 A Cristo, Dios hombre nuestro Kedentor. 
 Si, si, venid si, si, venid 
 Los angeles cantan la gloria y honor 
 De Cristo, Dios Hombre nuestro Redentor. 
 
 III. 
 
 Trabajas y sufras, aqui pecador 
 Y el pan que te comes rego tu sudor 
 Mas Dios te reserva, por suerte mejor, 
 Primicias celestes de eterno valor. 
 Si, si, venid si, si, venid 
 Primicias celestes de eterno valor 
 Si sigues la Senda De tu Redentor. 
 
 A celebrated doctor of Lausanne was called in at 
 this crisis. He gave us some hopes that if we could 
 find a suitable private dwelling-house on an eminence 
 in the neighbourhood of Lausanne, his breathing 
 might be improved, and his sufferings be rendered 
 
 less intense. Mrs. McE requested me to search 
 
 for a house so situated, giving me carte blanche as to 
 expense, so anxious was she to do everything possible 
 to save such a precious life. A Scotch lady then at 
 Lausanne volunteered to accompany me in the search, 
 
238 "YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME." 
 
 which appeared likely to be no easy task. I was truly 
 helped by this Christian woman in the accomplishment 
 of what appeared to all so desirable. 
 
 After seeing a very nice villa in an elevated position, 
 but which we were unable to secure, we proceeded to 
 another that appeared to us to combine everything 
 that was required by our dear sufferer. We were 
 ushered into a beautiful drawing-room which over- 
 looked the placid Lake of Geneva, with the majestic 
 Alps beyond. The walls of the apartment were hung 
 with costly paintings, and the tout ensemble of the 
 room bespoke at once comfort, taste, and refinement. 
 As I looked round it, I was constrained to say to 
 myself, " It will be hard work for the flesh to give up 
 these nice things," not remembering at the time that 
 the hearts of all men are in the hands of the Lord, and 
 that He turns them whithersoever He will. In 
 dependence on Jesus, who is indeed a very present 
 help in time of need, and who in a special manner 
 proved Himself to be so on this occasion, I stated the 
 
 object of our visit to Mme. G . She appeared 
 
 desirous of assisting Matamoros, and offered to receive 
 him, and even herself to help in attending on him ; 
 but when I explained that we wished to rent the 
 whole house just as it stood, with all its conveniences 
 and dependencies, the case appeared to be altered. 
 She did not see her way very clearly, and appeared 
 not a little surprised at our rather extraordinary re- 
 quest. " The Lord had need of it ; " and He had sent 
 us there to ask it in His name. Soon after she had 
 left the room to consult her aunt, she returned with 
 a face shining at once with pleasure and deep sym- 
 
GIVING UP FOR CHRIST. 239 
 
 pathy, and announced to us that we should at once 
 have her beautiful villa, servants, linen, carriage, etc., 
 etc. We returned with her to the drawing-room, where 
 we found her aunt, and we all four sat down. 
 
 After asking the lady the terms on which she 
 would rent her house, and receiving from her the 
 unexpected reply, that we were to pay nothing, oui 
 hearts were filled to overflowing, and we did indeed 
 rejoice with abundant tears of joy and thankfulness. 
 I told this lady how she had by this act refreshed 
 the saints j and I felt indeed the force of those words, 
 " Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these 
 my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." glorious 
 faith of Jesus, that leads to acts of self-denial such 
 as this ; and, blessed Spirit of God, that gives 
 grace to perform such noble acts ! We had been very 
 anxious about this matter, which had been recom- 
 mended by the physicians, and was considered by 
 ourselves as so desirable, and it was no light cause for 
 gratitude that we had met with such complete success 
 in so short a time. 
 
 This arrangement took place on Saturday. On 
 the Monday following, at an early hour, our beloved 
 Manuel was safely installed in the new abode provided 
 for him by the same Friend who said, " In my Father's 
 house there are many mansions. I go to prepare a 
 place for you" 
 
 The noble act of this lady reminded us of the 
 breaking of the alabaster box of ointment, exceeding 
 precious; and the fragrance of this act of love may 
 waft its sweet perfume abroad now as did the spike- 
 nard of the Magdalene. 
 
240 A FAITHFUL SERVANT. 
 
 But many were the incidents worthy of notice that 
 we witnessed during the sickness of our Manuel, and a 
 long and interesting book might be made from the 
 little details connected with our beloved sufferer. A 
 Eoman Catholic servant, who attended him at the 
 H6tel Gibbon, appeared to spare no pains in smoothing 
 his dying pillow, and doing all in her power to make 
 him as comfortable as she could. I thanked her 
 frequently for her self-denying attention, as did also 
 dear Manuel. When he was removed to the new 
 habitation, she expressed a desire to go and attend on 
 him there also, but as she was the principal housemaid 
 in this large hotel, where they have two hundred beds, 
 her services could not be dispensed with. On leaving 
 Lausanne, I had some conversation with her, and 
 asked her if I should see her again 1 She asked what 
 I meant. I replied, " Au grand rendezvous" (" At 
 the great rendezvous.") To which she immediately 
 answered 
 
 " Oui, monsieur, je Vespere." (" Yes, sir, I trust 
 so.") 
 
 I asked her, "Do you believe in Jesus?" and was 
 answered in a very unmistakable way in the affirmative. 
 I had in my pocket a copy of St. Luke's Gospel, 
 which she received with tears of joy ; and I look 
 forward to see this dear woman with our beloved 
 Manuel on the resurrection morning, now so near at 
 hand. The servants of the hotel appeared all to vie 
 with one another in serving him, and the sweet 
 impressions he has left behind him in Lausanne will 
 not be soon forgotten. 
 
 But I am diverging from my subject, and must 
 
THE FAREWELL LETTER. 24] 
 
 retrace my steps to the Belvedere, the name of his 
 new abode. We there procured an invalid's carriage, 
 in which he was drawn about on the green turf, so 
 abundant in this sweet garden. This little exercise, 
 and the lovely view, and the pleasant flowers, were all 
 most precious to the dear saint, and much alleviated 
 his sufferings. 
 
 I had now remained with him for about five weeks, 
 and fully purposed remaining to the end, but had two 
 unmistakable proofs from God that it was his will that 
 I should go to do a little service for him in Holland, 
 which was also connected with our dear brother. My 
 decision to depart was finally formed after receiving a 
 letter of farewell that he penned at three o'clock in the 
 morning after a night of pain and acute suffering. It 
 was as follows : 
 
 " Lausanne, July 23. 
 
 " REVERED AND DEAREST FRIEND, The noble, con- 
 stant, and Christian aid which, in these last days 
 of my earthly suffering, you have rendered both to 
 my soul and body, is the lovely continuation of the 
 history of our friendship, in which your part has been 
 one sustained sacrifice. You are about to leave me, 
 and I desire to assure you that you are right in so 
 doing. You have given up a long and precious period 
 of time to me, but now your fatherly duties recall 
 you to your family. It is I who remind you that 
 you ought to go, and yet it is I who will suffer the 
 most deeply from your absence. The loss to me will 
 be irreparable, for your holy and edifying position at 
 my side has been at once that of a father and a friend. 
 But in heaven, in those mansions which are already 
 
242 MR. GREENE'S DEPARTURE 
 
 ours through Jesus Christ, we shall meet again and 
 spend eternity together. The Lord is very near me. 
 His presence strengthens me. I feel that Christ is my 
 friend, my Saviour, my all. My peace is perfect. I 
 am only awaiting the will of God. 
 
 " Your son, your friend, your brother, in prison as at 
 liberty, in days of health and on the brink of the grave, 
 am I, friend of my heart, friend in Jesus. Embrace 
 all who are dear to you in my name. Until we meet in 
 heaven, in the Lord, your 
 
 " MANUEL." 
 
 This letter left no doubt on niy mind as to what the 
 Lord wished me to do, so on Tuesday I started on my 
 journey for Holland. My separation from Matamoros 
 cost us both a severe pang, but it was the will of God. 
 I much dreaded the farewell, fearing that it might 
 hurry on his decease. 
 
 On the day before his death Mine. Briclel was with 
 him, encouraging and directing him. She spoke to 
 him about the intense joy that awaits all the faithful 
 servants of Jesus Christ, when they can contemplate 
 what eye hath not seen nor ear heard. He answered 
 her with a child-like confidence of manner, so character- 
 istic and so indescribable, which those who knew him 
 can never forget, and those who did not know him can 
 hardly imagine. Soon afterwards he proposed prayer, 
 and prayed in nearly the following words : " My God, 
 God Almighty, I call on Thee. Jesus, my Saviour, 
 and Thou, Holy Spirit, do I invoke. Thou knowest 
 that I know the joys of heaven, but oh, give me to 
 enjoy them in a deeper degree. Do Thou thyself 
 
THE LAST MORNING. 243 
 
 prepare me for heaven. Enable me to make those 
 around me feel the joy that fills my heart. I bless Thee 
 for the Christian friends Thou hast given me in this 
 land of exile. I bless Thee for the happy moments 
 we have been able to pass together. Cause them to 
 know how much love and respect I feel towards them. 
 Give them, too, to be daily more encouraged in labouring 
 for Spain." 
 
 On the morning of his death, and after passing a 
 troubled night, having had painful dreams, he said to 
 
 Mrs. McE and to M. Carrasco, who were near his 
 
 bed, " From earth to heaven, by the way of Golgotha. 
 It is a beautiful journey." At eleven o'clock in the 
 morning he asked for all the young Spaniards to be 
 called together. He wished to hear them singing, 
 which they did in the adjoining apartment, the doors 
 being open. They sang the French cantique, " Vers le 
 Ciel," and the Spanish one, "Yenid Pecadores." 
 Afterwards they came into the large drawing-room, 
 where Matamoros was, and he said to them, " Avangons- 
 nous."* This was a hymn which he greatly liked. 
 The young Spaniards sang it, and he endeavoured to 
 accompany them with his dying voice. He afterwards 
 said to them, " Live very near to God ; yes, very, very 
 near. May God bless you much, very much." He was 
 exhausted, and his head fell on his breast. All around 
 him were bathed in tears. It was mid-day. The 
 young people had left, and only the elder ones had 
 
 remained with Mrs. McE . Matamoros appeared 
 
 to be asleep. After a few moments he awoke, and 
 
 * A hymn translated from the English, "Joyfully, joyfully, 
 onward we move." 
 
244 PASSING AWAY. 
 
 addressed to Mme. Bridel some words of blessing and 
 farewell. After this he was again troubled a little, and 
 spoke of some dreadful things he saw in his dreams- 
 Mme. Bridel said to him, " The Lord is my Shepherd." 
 After these words, pronounced slowly, he became calm, 
 and nodded assent. A moment later he said, "Like 
 oiy Saviour ;" to which Mme. Bridel replied, " Yes, at 
 thirty-three years of age." These words arose from a 
 conversation which he and Mme. Bridel had had a few 
 days previously, when she remarked to him that his 
 labours on earth had been short and were soon to be 
 terminated, and that our Lord had finished his great 
 work at the age of thirty-three. After this conversa- 
 tion he appeared to sleep peacefully. 
 
 Some passages of Scripture were read to him, and 
 
 one of the Swiss pastors, M. G , prayed by his 
 
 bed ; but we do not know if he was enabled to hear 
 these consoling words at this time, or whether his soul 
 which was now parting from his suffering frame, was 
 not already contemplating his Saviour's face in the 
 heavenly city. Oh, how sweet and consoling was this 
 sleep. His death was very tranquil, for towards the 
 end, God in his infinite mercy took away all pain, and 
 restored to him facility in breathing, from the want of 
 which he had suffered so much. At length he 
 breathed quite naturally, and soon afterwards he fell 
 asleep in Jesus. 
 
 Oh, how blessed this sleep ! The thunder rolled in 
 the distance, but on the sleeper's placid face rested a 
 heavenly calm. At about half-past two in the after- 
 noon there was no sign of earthly life remaining ; tho 
 heavenly life in Jesus' bosom had commenced. A few 
 
ADDRESS AT THE GRAVE. 245 
 
 minutes elapsed, when a terrible peal of thunder 
 seemed to announce the departure from this earth of a 
 great soul who had entered into eternity. 
 
 On Thursday, August 2nd, a number of friends 
 from Geneva, Lausanne, and other parts of the Canton 
 de Vaud, accompanied his mortal remains to their last 
 resting place. In the drawing-room at the " Belve- 
 dere," and standing by the coffin, Pastor Bridel (after 
 a short prayer had been uttered and a Spanish hymn 
 sung by the young friends and countrymen of the 
 departed) gave his testimony to the faith, the devoted 
 activity, and the Christian death of Matamoros, reading 
 some passages of the new testament at the same time. 
 The faith of our brother was expressed, he said, by 
 Titus ii. 11 14 and iii. 4 7 ; the aim of his life and 
 his zeal for God's kingdom by Acts xx. 24 and 2 Tim. 
 iv. 5 8 ; the struggles of his heart during his illness 
 and his peacea,ble farewell and quiet respose in God by 
 Phil. i. 20 24. After the reading of these passages 
 the large assembly, drawn together by a feeling of 
 deep love and sorrow, united in prayer from their 
 
 hearts' depths with Pastor G : another verse of 
 
 a hymn was sung by the Spaniards, and they then 
 moved forward to the burial-ground. Over the grave, 
 and after some remarks on Phil. i. 21, Eev. xiv. 13, 
 and John xi. 25, Pastor Bridel gave a rapid resume of 
 the life of Matamoros : 
 
 "Bom at Malaga, October, 1834; converted at 
 Gibraltar in 1857 ; imprisoned for the Gospel in 1860. 
 He remained in prison three years, during which time 
 his zeal for God won many souls to Christ ; but it 
 was also during this harsh imprisonment that his com- 
 
246 CONCLUDING PRAYER. 
 
 paratively strong constitution gave way. He was 
 condemned to the galleys, but in 1863 the sentence 
 was commuted to one of exile. After some journey- 
 ings, and visits to England, Gibraltar, and Bayonne, 
 he arrived at Lausanne in the year 1864, where, 
 during twelve months and with blessing to his soul, he 
 followed his theological studies. He went to the 
 south of France in June, 1865, and passed the winter 
 at Pau, returning to Lausanne in May, 1866. He 
 enjoyed while there but a short period of health and 
 activity, suddenly becoming ill, and falling asleep in 
 Jesus on the 31st July, 1866, at half -past two o'clock 
 in the afternoon." 
 
 M. Bridel added that " Matamoros, by the ardour of 
 his zeal, redeemed the time, and by the entire conse- 
 cration of himself to his work he multiplied his years. 
 Let us imitate his example, and sustain by our efforts 
 and prayers that work, the evangelization of Spain, 
 which he had so much at heart." 
 
 This funeral ceremony, at once touching and solemn, 
 was closed by M. Duprat by prayer. While making 
 himself at 'once the organ of 'the grief of all who were 
 present, he thanked God that the poor exile had 
 reached home at last, had reached the House of the 
 Father of the family, that possession and that inherit- 
 ance that can neither be removed nor taken away. 
 
 Our Brother was buried at the cemetery called " La 
 Salnz," a lovely, quiet resting place. On his tombstone 
 of white marble are written the following w ords : 
 
247 
 
 MANUEL MATAMOROS 
 
 DE 
 
 MALAGA. 
 
 8 OCTUBRE, 1834. 31 JULIO, 1866. 
 o 
 
 Porqe yo me resuelvo, en que lo que en 
 
 este titmpo se padece, no es de comparar 
 
 con la gloria venidera que en nosotros 
 
 ha de sev manifestada. 
 
 Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 Y nofi gloriainos en la esperanza 
 de la gloria de Dios. 
 
 For la obra de Cristo he llegado 
 hasta la mnerte. ^ 
 
 Rom. v 2. 
 
248 THE DISCIPLE LIKE HIS LOUD, 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF OUR DEPARTED BROTHER. 
 
 w E are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His 
 bones. The Head of the body, when in the flesh, was 
 despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and 
 acquainted with grief, nevertheless, "The chosen of 
 God and precious." Is it any wonder that the 
 members should share the fate of the Head 1 I have 
 learned from good authority that on Matamoros's last 
 visit to Paris he was received by French Christians 
 with coldness. This was owing, I believe, to unkind 
 reports and suspicions then current in England, which, 
 in his enfeebled condition, he felt acutely, and he came 
 to Lausanne to die of a broken heart. Thank God, he 
 is now far above the strife of the tongues of men. 
 God has given a faithful picture of the children of 
 Adam in the third of Eomans, and the longer we live 
 the more we prove the truth of that word. He there 
 says, " Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their 
 tongues they have used deceit ; the poison of asps is 
 under their lips ; their mouth is full of cursing and 
 bitterness ; their feet are swift to shed blood." 
 
 But we have the satisfaction of knowing that if 
 Matamoros had enemies he also had many good friends, 
 
MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISJUDGED. 249 
 
 who loved, esteemed, and valued him as he deserved. 
 Among these Dr. Cappadose, of Holland, and a Chris- 
 tian lady at Amsterdam, hold a foremost place. On 
 my way to London in July I visited these friends in 
 passing through Rotterdam, and found that the Lord 
 had very graciously directed my steps to the houses ol 
 both these saints, and by his help I was enabled to 
 comfort them when they received the sad intelligence 
 of Manuel's death. I had left, for their perusal, a 
 diary which Matamoros gave me on his death-bed, and 
 I soon after received a letter from the lady, from which 
 I extract the following : 
 
 " Many, many thanks for your kindness in lending 
 it to me. I only wish I had had it in England last year, 
 when I was hunting for justifying evidences and proofs 
 to vindicate our friend's integrity and honour. But it 
 was not to be, and Matamoros had to bear to the last 
 a cross which was the most painful of all to the 
 uprightness of his soul that of being misunderstood 
 and misjudged by his brethren in the faith. It was 
 the kind of martyrdom he would least have chosen, 
 but that which his heavenly Father appointed as the 
 purifying process by which he was to be made fit for 
 the holiness and happiness of heaven. And now the 
 diamond, being thoroughly polished, is set as a precious 
 jewel in his Master's crown. He has gone straight to 
 his heavenly home, and who among us could wish to 
 call him back 1 Oh no, rather let all the good purposes 
 of God's infinite love be made manifest to him as soon 
 as he was able to bear the weight of glory and felicity 
 prepared for the beloved child : the faithful servant of 
 a righteous Master, who deemed that his task was 
 
250 DETAILS PROM A FRENCH PERIODICAL. 
 
 finished and that he was ready to enter into the joy of 
 his Lord. If we could have been present and felt the 
 raptures of his soul when brought into the presence of 
 his Saviour, how we should wonder and adore ! " 
 
 M. Eoger Hollard, of Paris, an eminent Christian 
 writer, has given to his countrymen some interesting 
 details of Matamoros in an article which appeared in 
 Le Chretien Evangelique of the 20th Sept. 1866, 
 published at Lausanne by M. G. Bridel : from it we 
 make some extracts. These further details of his 
 conversion are not general known in England : 
 
 "When at Gibraltar he was engaged in some 
 literary pursuits that gained for him general appro- 
 bation and marked applause at the theatre. His 
 mind was preoccupied with a poem which he had 
 been asked to write on a given subject, and while 
 walking one evening in the principal square at 
 Gibraltar he heard the church bell summoning to 
 worship. He at first felt disposed to enter, for from 
 his infancy he had been taught both by father and 
 mother to respect religion; nevertheless his literary 
 pursuits seemed to take the upper place in his mind, 
 when he heard the bell ring a second time. And 
 when that solemn sound was heard the third time he 
 could no longer resist. He entered the church, which 
 to his great astonishment he found was a Protestant 
 one, in which English Christians supported the 
 preaching of the Gospel in Spanish. He was quite 
 surprised with all he saw and heard, for he had strong 
 prejudices against the Protestants, who, up to that 
 time, were in his mind classed with the Jews. What 
 
HIS UNFLINCHING CONSTANCY. 251 
 
 produced the strongest effect on him was the prayer 
 of M. Kuet, the Spanish evangelist; and what most 
 impressed him in the preaching was the advice 
 given to search the Scriptures. He immediately 
 procured a New Testament, and read it all that 
 night in bed; and when the cannon of the Kock* 
 announced the dawning of a new day, a new day had 
 also begun to shine in his heart. Soon after this he 
 had the pleasure of seeing many members of his 
 family join with him in believing in the Gospel of 
 Jesus, to which he bore, ever after his conversion, such 
 a faithful testimony in the midst of his own people." 
 
 M. Hollard commences his article, which I strongly 
 recommend to my readers, by saying 
 
 "Manuel Matamoros, one of the most powerful and 
 loving Christian individualities which has appeared 
 in our midst for a long period of time, is lost to us. 
 Even among our religious men, Matamoros was little 
 understood. When death came and called him away 
 at thirty-two years of age he was already for many 
 only a reminiscence. They remembered him indeed 
 as the young Spanish soldier converted . some eight 
 years before to the Gospel, and who had suffered in the 
 dungeon for the ardent zeal he displayed for the faith 
 he had embraced. They knew that, condemned to the 
 galleys, after three years of close confinement, he had 
 seen, through the intervention of a deputation of all 
 evangelical Europe, his sentence changed into that of 
 exile. Nor were they ignorant that he had, while 
 confessing his faith before the tribunal, displayed a 
 
 * At Gibraltar a cannon is fired off at daybreak. 
 
252 HIS CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 
 
 courage which called to mind that of the early martyrs 
 of the Christian Church, and that when called upon to 
 retract he determined to write with his own hand the 
 expression of his faith, that is to say, to write his own 
 condemnation. But what was Matamoros at heart? 
 Born of persecution, the hero of a day, and one whose 
 heroism would die with him ? Or a man, a Christian, 
 born to leave an unmistakable footprint wherever he 
 passed 1 What was he in exile ? What effect will his 
 death produce? This is known only to a comparatively 
 small circle, and is that of which I wish to convey 
 some idea. 
 
 " It was not difficult to know him ; it was sufficient 
 to love him ; and it was so easy to love him. There 
 was an indescribably noble, yet child-like, candour in 
 him that was irresistibly attractive. He met men and 
 circumstances with the fresh confidence of a child, and 
 faced them with the brave determination of a strong 
 man, who has found in his religious faith an immov- 
 able foundation. All that he had to suffer did not 
 shake his confidence, and it is needless to add, that 
 trial appeared only to strengthen his determination. 
 We have often admired how many dangers Matamoros 
 was preserved from by the candour of his nature and 
 of his faith. We do not mean by this to allude to the 
 trials he underwent in his persecution ; they were not 
 the greatest he met with ; but in religious matters how 
 happily did he avoid the many rocks that he might 
 so easily have been dashed against. Perhaps it was 
 the natural reaction against the ecclesiastical system in 
 whose bosom he had been educated, or, perhaps the 
 affection that he owed, -and with good reason, to 
 
HIS MOTHER'S TESTIMONY. 253 
 
 Christians of different denominations who sustained 
 him in his captivity or received him in exile. But 
 the fact remains the same : his faith enabled him to 
 preserve to the end his own peculiar style, as well as 
 his original and apostolic simplicity. And the same 
 may be said of his private character. Over those in 
 Spain who shared his convictions Matamoros had 
 acquired a moral ascendancy, the measure of which we 
 shall be able to appreciate by and by. He was 
 received in his exile by numerous tender, powerful, 
 sympathizing hearts, and in all this there was for him 
 a double danger. But over all he triumphed gloriously, 
 for he was as humble in what for lack of a better word 
 we might call success, as he had been strong in the 
 midst of persecution and obscurity. This is saying 
 much. But I express now not merely a personal 
 conviction, but that of those who were most intimately 
 acquainted with this great witness for the gospel, but 
 who at first asserted that because his danger was great, 
 his fall was certain." 
 
 M. Hollard continues his interesting account by 
 giving an extract from a letter of Manuel's noble 
 mother, whom the son resembled both in appearance 
 and in heart : 
 
 " This lady, in a letter to Dr. Cappadose, says : 
 ' "With joy do I watch him treading that thorn-covered 
 path, which the enemies of Jesus have prepared for 
 my son ; but I see him strong and unmovable in his 
 career : I see with infinite satisfaction that he is 
 aiming at nothing short of the crown of life; and 
 forgetting his sufferings, I rejoice with him. Had I 
 beheld him weak or wavering, then his poor mother 
 
254 A GENERATION WITHOUT HEROES. 
 
 would have died, not from, the fear of his imprisonment 
 but of his ultimate salvation.'" 
 
 On one occasion, the director of the prison found 
 Matamoros's mother in tears by the sick bed of her 
 son. The report had been spread that his powerful 
 enemies had poisoned him, and the director had come 
 to hold an inquest. 
 
 "You weeping 1 " he said to his mother. 
 
 "How can I help it," she replied, "when my son is 
 sick and nigh unto death 1 " 
 
 " If your son," replied the director, "was not as bad 
 a son to you as he is to his mother the Church of 
 Rome, it would be easy for him to dry your tears." 
 
 At these words his mother arose quickly, and left the 
 prison, remarking, "If my son were to deny his Saviour, 
 Jesus Christ, I, in my turn, would deny him as my son." 
 
 The director, not a little surprised, turned to 
 Matamoros and said, " You have a noble mother." 
 
 Further on M. Hollard remarks, " There was one 
 joy that Matamoros could not do without, the joy of 
 being understood and loved both himself and his 
 cause, for they were inseparable. Alas, even in his 
 exile he was sometimes deprived of this joy. He 
 came to us out of prison full of confidence and hope, 
 doubting not but that soon he would have inspired us 
 all with pity for his poor country, and inflamed us 
 with love for the work he lived for. Matamoros knew 
 little about us ; he did not understand that one of the 
 misfortunes and one of the first impulses of a genera- 
 tion without heroes, is to look with suspicion on 
 heroism wherever it appears. 
 
LETTERS TO M. AND MME. BRIDEL. 255 
 
 " They called him imperious : he was only determined 
 to sacrifice all to his mission, beginning by sacrificing 
 himself. He was accused of imprudence : he had 
 faith. They said he confided too easily : he only 
 loved. But let us be silent about all these miseries. 
 They were more painful to him than his captivity or 
 his exile, and caused him to shed many a tear ; but no 
 uncharitable wish or word escaped his lips. Let us 
 call to mind sweeter thoughts. We have said that he 
 lived to be loved ; and he was loved, and deeply. If 
 there was anything on earth that could have caused 
 him to forget his exile, undoubtedly it was the 
 sympathy that he enjoyed in his last days. Above all, 
 there was one little spot to which he clung with deep 
 affection. He thus wrote, a year before his death, to 
 some of the best friends he had during his exile. 
 
 " 'As far as I am concerned/ he said to M. Louis 
 Bridel, ' do what you think best j I will go where you 
 say, and do what you like. But withal, Lausanne has 
 been to me such a consolation, so pure and so holy in 
 times past, and has answered so completely all the 
 wants of my spirit, that just as, if in Spain, I should 
 choose Malaga as the spot for my tomb, so, out of Spain, 
 I would select Lausanne.' And in June, 1866, he wrote 
 to Mme. Bridel, ' On the day that your poor adopted 
 son shall leave this world, gather around you all the 
 others of your adopted family, and make them sing a 
 song of eternal thanksgiving. My tomb must not be 
 watered by tears, but compassed with a song of 
 triumph. My tomb will only be a shadow, a dream. 
 I myself shall live in the midst of that joy unceasing, 
 of that peace and of that love, that I have sought in 
 
256 THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 
 
 vain on earth. And though. I have experienced it 
 with a few of those noble beings who love me, and 
 whom I have loved with a heavenly love, yet even 
 then, here below it has been ever watered by tears of 
 separation and of suffering.' 
 
 " Such was the man we lament. The void that he 
 leaves in the hearts of his friends is deep, and that 
 which he has left in the heart of his Spanish brethren 
 is immeasurable ; but when men like Matamoros fall, 
 broken down by labour and suffering, they not only 
 leave behind them a great void, but also a great work 
 which cannot perish; a great example, more needed 
 to-day than ever. And what they find in the presence 
 of that God whom they have served, is a great repose, 
 the very thought of which dries the tears of those 
 whom the affliction had caused to mourn." 
 
 I may safely let the curtain fall at this part of my 
 narrative. He has fought a good fight; he has 
 finished his course ; in a Laodicean and degenerate age 
 witnessed a good confession ; and, by God's grace, he 
 has left us an example well worth imitating. " Let 
 me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end 
 be like his." 
 
 May God bless my little book. May He make it 
 acceptable to those of His blood-bought flock who shall 
 read it. May they be stirred up by it to live a little 
 nearer to Jesus, and to pray and labour a little more 
 for Spain. 
 
257 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 IN the month of July, 1866, dear Matamoros went 
 to his happy home in Jesus' bosom. He had told 
 me in one of our interesting and intimate conversations 
 that he had asked God to give " Libertad de Cultos" 
 (freedom of worship) in Spain, and that soon, very 
 soon, I should see it with my eyes, for God had 
 heard his prayer. In the year 1868 occurred 
 the memorable revolution undertaken and carried 
 out by three of Spain's best men, Prim, Serrano 
 and Topete. The two first Generals in the army, 
 and Topete Admiral in the navy. The men who 
 had suffered like Matamoros, and who had been 
 liberated at the time of his release, were some of them 
 in Bayonne and Bordeaux, some in Gibraltar. General 
 Prim being in Andalucia at the time of the great victory 
 obtained by his troops over Queen Isabella's in the 
 Valley of the Guadalquiver, not far from Cordova, 
 went soon after to Algeciras, a Spanish town opposite 
 Gibraltar, and had there an interview with the three 
 S 
 
258 CONCLUSION. 
 
 principal religious leaders who had suffered bonds for 
 Christ's sake. Their names were Cabrera, Alhama and 
 Hernandez. General Prim received these gentlemen 
 with the greatest kindness. In reply to their remarks 
 that their only crime had been, that they did not 
 profess the Roman Catholic religion, General Prim 
 said, "From this day forth there shall be liberty in our 
 country, real liberty; every man shall be master of his 
 own conscience, and shall profess the faith which 
 seems best in his own eyes. You gentlemen," he added, 
 "may return to your country at once, and you are at 
 liberty to enter Spain with your bibles under your 
 arms, to preach its doctrines." Afterwards these 
 gentlemen were sent for by the administrative Junta of 
 Algeciras and informed that they were at full liberty 
 to take up their residence in that town, or that they 
 should be provided with passports if they wished to 
 proceed elsewhere. It is generally well known how, 
 not only these three refugees, but all those from 
 Bordeaux and Bayonne at once entered Spain, and the 
 majority of them went to Madrid, and during several 
 years great activity was displayed in preaching the 
 pure Gospel of Christ. A large bible dep6t was opened 
 in one of the principal streets, minor ones in other 
 places ; colporteurs employed in numbers to carry the 
 Word of Life into the provinces; halls erected for 
 preaching in all the large towns, and schools established 
 in connection with many of them. Indeed, seldom 
 has such an impetus been given to the spread of 
 evangelical truth in any place in such a short period of 
 time. At the period of which I am writing great 
 improvements were being made at Madrid, new roads 
 
CONCLUSION. 259 
 
 and streets being laid out all round and about that city. 
 In cutting through one of these which passed through 
 the " Quemadero de la Cruz," the celebrated spot 
 where the wicked tribunal of the Inquisition had burnt 
 so many of God's saints some 300 years ago, the 
 amount of human bones and other remains brought to 
 light was appalling. Among other horrors were found 
 two bony hands, transfixed by a large nail, and clasped 
 in the attitude of prayfer, and the ribs of some victim, 
 with the spear still protruding by which they had 
 been pierced. The effect of the discovery was 
 immense. Rome was revealed more clearly than ever 
 before the eyes of Spain. A speaker in the Cortes 
 said that while there were strange geological sections 
 and strata, there were also strange theological sections 
 and strata declaring the history of the past. There 
 was a public meeting held on the site, attended by 
 multitudes. On one side of the excavation there was 
 a high bank, halfway down which the long black strata 
 was exposed to the light of day. Their contents crumbled 
 beneath the touch, and were found on examination to 
 consist principally of the debris of fuel and human 
 bodies burned and buried together. God has truly 
 said in his word, " The earth shall disclose her blood, 
 and shall no more cover her slain." The devoted 
 missionary, Mr. Grattan Guinness, accompanied me to 
 this celebrated " Burning place of the dross! " where 
 the Autos da fe (acts of faith) were executed. His 
 spirit was moved within him, and he, without loss of 
 time, wrote the following appropriate lines. 
 
260 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Ye layers of ashes black, and half burnt boues, 
 Ye monuments of martyr's stifled moans 
 Of human agony and dying groans, 
 Cry out till every ear has heard your tones ! 
 Cry till the murderess trembles, though her brain 
 Is drunken with the blood of millions slain 
 She did not mean to show you ; 'twas the spade 
 Of simple workmen which your horrors laid 
 Unearthed and bare, before the light of day; 
 They only dug to open a new way. 
 As they advanced, the ground before them grew 
 In patches softer, changed its wonted hue, 
 And with the smell of death denied the air. 
 They dug, and they discovered, layer on layer, 
 Black bones, and rusted chains, and human hair, 
 And iron nails, and bits of melted lead, 
 And the burnt fuel of unnumbered dead. 
 They cut the heap across ; it crowns a hill. 
 Its length is shown its breadth lies buried still. 
 Doubtest thou reader? I was there to-day; 
 I saw them at the work ; I brought away 
 Some horrible remains, which while I write 
 These very lines, are lying in my sight. 
 A piece of paper on this table holds 
 Some of this martyr dust within its folds. 
 I pause, and gently touch it with my hand : 
 It is not common earth ; it is not sand ; 
 I look at it ; the tears have filled my eyes ; 
 My God, what is it that before me lies ? 
 The ground beneath was gravel and was red, 
 But this is dark, and formed a separate bed. 
 How soft it is, and light ; it feels like soil 
 That has been saturated once with oil ; 
 'Tis full of small black cinders, most is grey 
 And ashen ; here is something burnt away 
 Black as the blackest coal ; this was the meat 
 Of some relentless and devouring heat. 
 
CONCLUSION. 261 
 
 A little box beside the paper stands, 
 
 Its relics I collected with these hands. 
 
 I take a something from it like a stone ; 
 
 Tis grey and light ; ah ! 'tis a piece of bone ; 
 
 This was the side on which the muscles grew, 
 
 The other side its chambers are burnt blue. 
 
 These four are lumps of iron, they are red 
 
 Like fetters that have rusted off the dead. 
 
 This was an iron bolt, 'tis long and curved, 
 
 To hold a chain or cord it doubtless served ; 
 
 This is a hollow bone, burnt through and through, 
 
 It leaves upon my hand a dusky hue. 
 
 That was a bar of iron, now mere rust, 
 
 And this is indistinguishable dust. 
 
 Oh Rome, thou mother of a cherished race, 
 
 Blush not to show the world thy kindly face ! 
 
 Thy bosom hide its demons, hush thy breast, 
 
 'Tis there alone that suffering men find rest. 
 
 How mild the chastisements thy love has used 
 
 Whene'er thy children have thy laws refused ! 
 
 Gentle coercion ! Pity's tender tones ! 
 
 Tell me, thou murderess black, what mean these bones ? 
 
 These bones before me, those upon the hill, 
 
 Who, what were these thus slaughtered by thy will? 
 
 What did these helpless women ? these poor men ? 
 
 Why did'st thou shut them up in thy dark den? 
 
 Why did'st thou pinch their flesh and starve their fran es, 
 
 And cast them bound into devouring flames ? 
 
 True they reproached thee for thy crimes and lies, 
 
 And prayed for thee with sin-forgiving sighs. 
 
 Thy multiplied idolatries abhorred; 
 
 Nor mediator honoured but their Lord ; 
 
 Condemned thy priestcraft and thy love of gold ; 
 
 Clung to God's word, and for its truths were bold 
 
 Adorned by blamelessness the name they bore ; 
 
 Loved not their lives to death. What did they more ? 
 
 Were they adulterers, these prisoned saints? 
 
 Or murderers these who died without complaints' 
 
262 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Hush, for they sleep in Jesus, soft their bed. 
 His suffering saints their Lord hath comforted ! 
 Hush, for the sevenfold wrath of God grows hot 1 
 Hush, for her deep damnation slumbereth not. 
 
 G. GUINNESS. 
 Madrid, January 14, 1870. 
 
 Latterly I again visited this celebrated burning spot, 
 but much pains had been taken to cut away all the 
 ground that was in any way blackened; but though 
 the ground has been removed, the fact remains, and 
 these lines, too, will remain to testify of Rome's 
 treachery and unchangeable character, as recorded in 
 holy writ drunk with the blood of the saints. In the 
 present year, 1881, I visited Spain, passing through 
 Barcelona by Saragossa to Madrid, and returning to 
 London by Bordeaux and Paris. During the last ten 
 years great progress has been made in developing the 
 railway system and the other branches of her industry. 
 I remember in 1855 making the journey from Bayonnc 
 to Madrid by the diligence; it occupied seventy- two 
 hours, and I arrived at the capital exhausted and 
 fatigued beyond measure. In the month of May, 
 1881, it was comfortably performed in nineteen hours, 
 without any fatigue whatever. The same was the case 
 in passing from Perpignan to Barcelona by the Cata- 
 lonian railway. The railways have been a great help 
 to the introduction of the Gospel into Spain, and 
 frequently, during their execution, the words of the 
 prophet, as quoted by Luke, came into my mind: 
 " Every vaHey shall be filled, and every mountain and 
 hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be 
 
CONCLUSION. 263 
 
 made straight, and the rough ways shall be made 
 smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" 
 Yes, man has been busy in executing these railroads for 
 his own convenience in carrying his merchandize more 
 easily; but God had his plans in view for his own 
 far more important and blessed ends, even for the 
 gathering out of his elect church in Spain, and this, 
 His purpose, is in course of fulfilment evidently. 
 
 The sufferings of Matamoros have not been in vain. 
 The Gospel trumpet has been sounded now on her hills 
 and in her valleys by numbers of God's faithful wit- 
 nesses, and that trumpet has given no uncertain sound ; 
 and it is very interesting and worthy of note that the 
 seven principal witnesses called out and fitted by God 
 in his infinite wisdom, after they had finished their 
 glorious testimony, were caught up to God and to his 
 throne. Their names were Matamoros, Cosido, Carrasco, 
 Astray, Ruet, Gould and Gladstone. How mysterious 
 are God's ways. Truly we must say with the prophet, 
 They are higher than our ways. Yea, past finding out. 
 Humanly speaking, these excellent seven were almost 
 indispensable to the progress of the Gospel in Spain; 
 but we are taught by their removal that God can dis- 
 pense with the best of us, and that at the best we are 
 but " the worm Jacob " in His eyes. He is ever 
 proving to us in such dispensations of His providence 
 that all flesh is grass. It is not by might nor by 
 power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts, that 
 all My purposes are accomplished. Would that we 
 were not so slow in learning the lesson. 
 
 Other faithful men are labouring unceasingly and 
 indefatigably throughout Spain, and those centres I 
 
264 CONCLUSION. 
 
 visited gave proof to the untiring zeal of the Lord's 
 servants at each post. In Barcelona I learnt that there 
 are some thousand children in the schools; eight 
 hundred in Madrid. By a recent change of ministry 
 a better state of things is expected with regard to 
 liberty of worship, which for some years had been 
 curtailed ever since the reaction which was gradually 
 inaugurated after the assassination of the liberal General 
 Prim. Poor Spain needs the sympathies and prayers 
 .of God's children as much as ever, and how much 
 my visit encouraged the dear labourers was quite 
 evident to me. Oh that there was more earnest 
 prayer offered by the saints for this deeply inte- 
 resting field. In a letter just received from a friend 
 I visited on my journey, he says, " God be praised for 
 sending you here. How precious is the flower of 
 Christian sympathy; but, alas! how rare in this poor 
 world of sin." I had the great privilege during 
 my short stay at Madrid of hearing the glorious 
 Gospel preached in all its life-giving and consoling 
 power in the fine old Castillian tongue to a numer- 
 ous and attentive audience, who were visibly 
 drinking in every word of the preacher. The words 
 were words of power evidently felt by the preacher 
 and also by his congregation. The hall was well filled, 
 and I observed many a tear in the eyes of the listeners, 
 for which I praise God. I must say that, for my own 
 part, the words were precious to my soul as ever 
 Spurgeon's or Outline's have been, and all this occurred 
 within gunshot of the burning place of the heretics 
 mentioned above. 
 
 Much of the wine growing district I passed through 
 
CONCLUSION. 265 
 
 in the south of France has been a prey to the 
 Phyloxera, and consequently for hundreds of miles 
 no more vines are grown, and the land is turned into 
 pasture or arable land, so the French people have been 
 obliged to send to the south of Spain for the wine 
 that used to be grown on their own territory. This has 
 enriched Spain to an extent hardly credible, as I 
 was told at Barcelona, and this new capital is being 
 invested in new railways and several other ways, 
 and a new life is observant in Barcelona and all along 
 the southern coast. The iron trade in the north, 
 zinc, coal, copper, lead and silver, with many other 
 precious metals, in the- south, have brought the 
 energies of Spain into new life as far as commerce 
 is concerned, but, much as we may approve of this 
 material progress, yet it is the careful labours of the 
 men of God and the praying groups up and down the 
 land that are more blessed in the eyes of God than all 
 human activities. Our Lord tells us what to do to 
 meet the emergency. Pray ye the Lord of the harvest 
 that He would send labourers into His harvest. Let 
 us obey His command, believing that as He has 
 given us this command He will certainly answer 
 our cry, and this new edition of this book will answer 
 the end I have in view if it stirs up once again the 
 sympathies of the Christian Church to labour and pray 
 for Spain. 
 
 The publication of these letters some twenty years 
 ago was much used by God in directing attention to 
 the wants of the Peninsula. Their reproduction at 
 this time will, with God's blessing, give a fresh and 
 blessed impetus to the same holy cause. God can do it 
 
266 CONCLUSION. 
 
 and I believe He will. " Call upon me in the time of 
 trouble, I will hear thee and thou shalt glorify Me." 
 
 I have been much encouraged in my efforts for the 
 circulation of the Gospel in Spain when constructing 
 the railways in that country, and in order to en- 
 courage those who are desirous of working in a 
 similar way I must just recite a short story to show 
 how abundantly our God does bless our feeble and 
 unworthy efforts, for the advancement of His kingdom. 
 An interesting Spaniard in La Mancha had executed a 
 portion of the railway between Madrid and Alicante 
 entirely to my satisfaction, and from many interesting 
 conversations with him, I found great honesty of 
 purpose in him, as well as other lovely qualities as a 
 natural man. I had with difficulty smuggled into 
 Spain a beautiful large copy of the New Testament 
 at this time (1852), bound in red morocco, with gilt 
 edges, and I had kept it for a long time so as to place 
 it in good hands at last. The man of La Mancha 
 mentioned above was the person I thought of as the 
 one most likely to give it a careful perusal, and I 
 was confirmed in this judgment by a circumstance 
 which happened. I had a new section or contract of 
 the same railway to give in his neighbourhood, and 
 proposed it to him because of the clever and rapid way 
 in which he had executed his first work, but, as he 
 had a large family, I suggested to him to undertake 
 this work alone without having any partners to share 
 in the profits, but he refused, and said he did not 
 want to have it all for himself, but wished his friends 
 to share. This act of unselfishness decided me in 
 bestowing on him the true riches contained in the 
 
CONCLUSION. 267 
 
 lovely volume. He treasured up the Book to his 
 dying hour. He had been a diligent student 
 of its sacred truths; it had brought joy and peace 
 to his honest, noble heart. At his death he 
 handed the volume to his sons, telling them that 
 it contained the truth, and leaving it to them as the 
 greatest and best gift he could give them. This 
 Book was the means of the decided conversion of 
 the two sons, who brought another interesting man 
 to join them, who was also converted. They three 
 became among the best of the Spanish colporteurs, and 
 have gone through many and great dangers in the pro- 
 pagation of the truth, one of them having lost his 
 eye by a stone lately thrown at him, when defending 
 the doctrine of his Lord. Who can tell the results 
 that the giving of that one red testament may produce? 
 Eternity will reveal the hidden things that we see not 
 at present. "Cast thy bread upon the waters, thou 
 shalt find it after many days." About the year 1856 
 I passed through Bayonne. There lives there an 
 earnest Christian French pasteur, Moris. Jean Nogaret 
 by name. He had the dark state of Spain laid upon 
 his heart, and had an ardent desire to do something 
 for the spreading of Gospel light in that country. He 
 proposed to me to accompany him to Paris in order to 
 form an association of Christian friends for the pro- 
 clamation of the glad tidings there. I did so, and we 
 succeeded in getting the cordial co-operation of Pastor 
 Fisch, Valette, Fred. Monod, and others for this im- 
 portant work. The first labourer they sent there was 
 named Pinto. He brought dear Matteo Cosido to the 
 Divine Saviour, and afterwards they helped dear Mata- 
 
268 CONCLUSION. 
 
 nioros in his glorious mission, until he had the greai 
 honour to suffer bonds for Christ. Eternity will 
 tell by-and-bye the result of this Paris journey but 
 one result manifested at present is the existence of 
 some sixty congregations in Spain where idolatry is 
 banished. Where God's word is read and where 
 prayer is wont to be made ; but there is still much land 
 to be occupied. We want now men of the stamp of 
 the writer of the letter at page 87 of this edition, 
 to help forward this work by their prayers and 
 sympathy, and I trust God will find them ; precious 
 Phebes, " who was a succourer of many," and 
 such holy faithful women whose labours have been 
 and are being owned of God in Spain now. We 
 aave some there, I say, but may our God send 
 many such, and may He abundantly bless those who 
 are at present at work, whose praise is in all the 
 churches. America has given us two dear labourers, 
 the brothers Gulick, one stationed at Santander and 
 ane at Saragossa. Little did Finney think what would 
 result when Mrs. Gulick was converted through his 
 oowerful appeals a whole family of missionaries. Oh 
 for more. Einneys, and more converts like this noble 
 voman. 
 
 I now terminate this second edition, commending 
 these pages to my dear Lord and compassionate 
 Saviour, beseeching Him to use them as He did the 
 previous ones, to the edification of His precious blood- 
 bought family, and to the stirring up of the wise 
 virgins of our day to obey His Divine command, " Go 
 ye into all the world and preach tho Gospel to every 
 creature." 
 
CONCLUSION. 269 
 
 Awake, awake, for night is flying, 
 The watchmen on the heights are crying; 
 Awake, Jerusalem at last ! 
 Midnight hears the welcome voices, 
 And at the thrilling cry rejoices ; 
 Come forth ye virgins, night is past ! 
 The Bridegroom comes, awake ! 
 Your lamps with gladness take ; 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 And for His marriage feast prepare, 
 For ye must go and meet Him there. 
 
 THE END, 
 
 LONDON : ALFRED HOLNESS, 14 PATERNOSTER Row. 
 GLASGOW: R. L. ALLAN, 143 SAUCHIEHALL STREET. 
 
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IN IMMANUEL'S LAND. 
 
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