Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible SocietyBorrow, George
Religion
Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society
Borrow, George
Authors, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence; British and Foreign Bible Society; English letters
REVD. AND DEAR SIR,--In my last communication I stated that I had got
everything in readiness to commence operations in the neighbourhood of
Madrid, and indeed since that period I have entered upon my labours in
reality, though unforeseen circumstances produced an unavoidable delay of
several days. It is with feelings of gratitude to the Almighty that I
now state that considerable success has attended my feeble efforts in the
good cause. All the villages within the distance of four leagues to the
east of Madrid have been visited, and Testaments to the number of nearly
two hundred have been disposed of. It will be here necessary for me to
inform you that these villages, for the most part, are very small; some
of them consisting of not more than a dozen houses, or I should rather
say miserable cabins. I left my servant Antonio to superintend matters
in Madrid, and proceeded with Vitoriano, the peasant from Villa Seca, in
the direction which I have already mentioned. We however soon parted
company, and pursued different routes. The first village at which I made
an attempt was Cobenna, about three leagues from Madrid. I was dressed
in the fashion of the peasants of the neighbourhood of Segovia in Old
Castile, namely, I had on my head a species of leather helmet, or
_montera_, with a jacket and trowsers of the same material. I had the
appearance of a person between sixty and seventy years of age, and drove
before me a _burrico_, with a sack of Testaments lying across its back.
On nearing the village I met a genteel-looking young woman leading a
little boy by the hand. As I was about to pass her with the customary
salutation of '_Vaya usted con Dios_,' she stopped, and after looking at
me for a moment she said; 'Uncle (_Tio_), what is that you have on your
_burrico_? Is it soap?' I replied, 'Yes; it is soap to wash souls
clean.' She demanded what I meant; whereupon I told her that I carried
cheap and godly books for sale. On her requesting to see one, I produced
a copy from my pocket, and handed it to her. She instantly commenced
reading it with a loud voice, and continued so for at least ten minutes,
occasionally exclaiming, '_Que lectura tan bonita_, _que lectura tan
linda_!' ('What beautiful, what charming reading!') At last, on my
informing her that I was in a hurry and could not wait any longer, she
said, 'True, true,' and asked me the price of the book. I told her 'But
three _reals_'; whereupon she said that though what I asked was very
little, it was more than she could afford to give, as there was little or
no money in those parts. I said I was sorry for it, but that I could not
dispose of the book for less than I had demanded, and accordingly
resuming it, wished her farewell and left her. I had not, however,
proceeded thirty yards, when the boy came running behind me, shouting out
of breath: 'Stop, uncle! the book, the book.' Upon overtaking me he
delivered me the three _reals_ in copper, and seizing the Testament, ran
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