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
Arrived at Madrid, I lost not a moment in putting into execution the plan
which I had formed. Having an extensive acquaintance amongst the lower
orders, I instantly selected eight of the most intelligent to co-operate
with me, amongst whom were five women. All these I supplied with
Testaments, and then sent them forth to all the parishes in Madrid. I
will at once state the result which, I confess, has more than answered my
expectations. Since my return from Naval Carnero nearly six hundred
copies of the life and words of Him of Nazareth have been sold in the
streets and alleys of Madrid, a fact which I hope I may be permitted to
mention with gladness and with decent triumph in the Lord. There is a
place in Madrid called the Puerta del Sol, which is a central spot,
surrounded with shops, into which the four principal streets disembogue,
if I may be allowed the expression. These streets are the Calle Alcala,
the Calle Montera, the Calle Mayor, and that of Carreta. The wealthiest
of all these is the Calle Montera, where reside the principal merchants
and shop-keepers of Madrid; it is in fact the street of commerce, and is
in many respects similar to the Zacatin of Granada. Every house in this
street is supplied with its Testament, and the same may be said with
respect to the Puerta del Sol; nay, in some instances every individual in
the house, man and child, man-servant and maid-servant, is furnished with
a copy, which we have invariably sold, and never given. My Greek Antonio
has made wonderful exertions in this quarter, and it is but justice to
say that but for his instrumentality, on many occasions, I might be by no
means able to give so favourable an account of the spread of the Bible in
Spain, as I now conscientiously can. There was a time when, as you are
well aware, I was in the habit of saying, 'Dark Madrid,' an expression
which I thank God I may now drop; for can that city justly be called
'dark' in which thirteen hundred Testaments, at least, are in circulation
and in daily use?
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