Military Memoirs of Capt. George CarletonDefoe, Daniel
History
Military Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Great Britain -- History, Military -- Fiction; Soldiers -- Fiction
Next Morning, when we had mounted our Mules, and were got a little
Distance from _Burgos_; he began to relate to me a great many impious
Pranks of an _English_ Officer, who had been a Prisoner there a little
before I came; concluding all, with some Vehemence, that he had given
greater Occasion of Scandal and Infamy to his native Country, than would
easily be wiped off, or in a little Time. The Truth of it is, many
Particularly, which he related to me, were too monstrously vile to admit
of any Repetition here; and highly meriting that unfortunate End, which
that Officer met with some time after. Nevertheless the just Reflection
made by that Father, plainly manifested to me the Folly of those
Gentlemen, who, by such Inadvertencies, to say no worse, cause the
Honour of the Land of their Nativity to be called in question. For tho',
no doubt, it is a very false Conclusion, from a singular, to conceive a
general Character; yet in a strange Country, nothing is more common, A
Man therefore, of common Sense, would carefully avoid all Occasions of
Censure, if not in respect to himself, yet out of a human Regard to such
of his Countrymen as may have the Fortune to come after him; and, it's
more than probable, may desire to hear a better and juster Character of
their Country, and Countrymen, than he perhaps might incline to leave
behind him.
As we travelled along, Father _White_ told me, that near the Place of
our Quartering that Night, there was a Convent of the _Carthusian_
Order, which would be well worth my seeing. I was doubly glad to hear
it, as it was an Order most a Stranger to me; and as I had often heard
from many others, most unaccountable Relations of the Severity of their
Way of Life, and the very odd Original of their Institution.
The next Morning therefore, being _Sunday_, we took a Walk to the
Convent. It was situated at the Foot of a great Hill, having a pretty
little River running before it. The Hill was naturally cover'd with
Evergreens of various Sorts; but the very Summit of the Rock was so
impending, that one would at first Sight be led to apprehend the
Destruction of the Convent, from the Fall of it. Notwithstanding all
which, they have very curious and well ordered Gardens; which led me to
observe, that, what ever Men may pretend, Pleasure was not incompatible
with the most austere Life. And indeed, if I may guess of others by
this, no Order in that Church can boast of finer Convents. Their Chapel
was completely neat, the Altar of it set out with the utmost
Magnificence, both as to fine Paintings, and other rich Adornments. The
Building was answerable to the rest; and, in short, nothing seem'd
omitted, that might render it beautiful or pleasant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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