The Bible in Spain, Vol. 2 [of 2]: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the PeninsulaBorrow, George
Religion
The Bible in Spain, Vol. 2 [of 2]: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula
Borrow, George
Borrow, George, 1803-1881 -- Travel -- Spain; Spain -- Description and travel; Spain -- History -- 19th century
Abades is about three leagues distant from Segovia, and upon receiving
this intelligence, I instantly departed for the former place, with three
donkeys laden with Testaments. I reached Abades at nightfall, and found
Lopez, with two peasants whom he had engaged, in the house of the surgeon
of the place, where I also took up my residence. He had already disposed
of a considerable number of Testaments in the neighbourhood, and had that
day commenced selling at Abades itself. He had, however, been
interrupted by two of the three _curas_ of the village, who, with horrid
curses, denounced the work, threatening eternal condemnation to Lopez for
selling it, and to any person who should purchase it; whereupon Lopez,
terrified, forbore until I should arrive. The third _cura_, however,
exerted himself to the utmost to persuade the people to provide
themselves with Testaments, telling them that his brethren were
hypocrites and false guides, who, by keeping them in ignorance of the
word and will of Christ, were leading them to the abyss. Upon receiving
this information, I instantly sallied forth to the market-place, and that
same night succeeded in disposing of upwards of thirty Testaments. The
next morning the house was entered by the two factious _curas_; but upon
my rising to confront them, they retreated, and I heard no more of them,
except that they publicly cursed me in the church more than once, an
event which, as no ill resulted from it, gave me little concern.
I will not detail the events of the next week; suffice it to say that,
arranging my forces in the most advantageous way, I succeeded, by God’s
assistance, in disposing of from five to six hundred Testaments amongst
the villages from one to seven leagues’ distance from Abades. At the
expiration of that period I received information that my proceedings were
known in Segovia, in which province Abades is situated, and that an order
was about to be sent to the _alcalde_ to seize all books in my
possession. Whereupon, notwithstanding that it was late in the evening,
I decamped with all my people, and upwards of three hundred Testaments,
having a few hours previously received a fresh supply from Madrid. That
night we passed in the fields, and next morning proceeded to Labajos, a
village on the high-road from Madrid to Valladolid. In this place we
offered no books for sale, but contented ourselves with supplying the
neighbouring villages with the Word of God; we likewise sold it in the
highways.
[Picture: Segovia]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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