第206章

DIONYSIUS.- I will tell you, Kyrie: the generality of their converts consist of German or English Protestant adventurers, who come here to settle, and in course of time take to themselves wives from among the Spanish, prior to which it is necessary to become members of the Latin church.A few are vagabond Jews, from Gibraltar or Tangier, who have fled for their crimes into Spain, and who renounce their faith to escape from starvation.These gentry, however, it is necessary to pay, on which account the priests procure for them padrinos or godfathers; these generally consist of rich devotees over whom the priests have influence, and who esteem it a glory and a meritorious act to assist in bringing back lost souls to the church.The neophyte allows himself to be convinced on the promise of a peseta a day, which is generally paid by the godfathers for the first year, but seldom for a longer period.

About forty years ago, however, they made a somewhat notable convert.A civil war arose in Morocco, caused by the separate pretensions of two brothers to the throne.One of these being worsted, fled over to Spain, imploring the protection of Charles the Fourth.He soon became an object of particular attention to the priests, who were not slow in converting him, and induced Charles to settle upon him a pension of a dollar per day.He died some few years since in Seville, a despised vagabond.He left behind him a son, who is at present a notary, and outwardly very devout, but a greater hypocrite and picaroon does not exist.I would you could see his face, Kyrie, it is that of Judas Iscariot.I think you would say so, for you are a physiognomist.He lives next door to me, and notwithstanding his pretensions to religion, is permitted to remain in a state of great poverty.

And now nothing farther for the present about Dionysius.

About the middle of July our work was concluded at Seville, and for the very efficient reason, that I had no more Testaments to sell; somewhat more than two hundred having been circulated since my arrival.

About ten days before the time of which I am speaking, Iwas visited by various alguazils, accompanied by a kind of headborough, who made a small seizure of Testaments and Gypsy Gospels, which happened to be lying about.This visit was far from being disagreeable to me, as I considered it to be a very satisfactory proof of the effect of our exertions in Seville.

I cannot help here relating an anecdote - A day or two subsequent, having occasion to call at the house of the headborough respecting my passport, I found him lying on his bed, for it was the hour of siesta, reading intently one of the Testaments which he had taken away, all of which, if he had obeyed his orders, would have been deposited in the office of the civil governor.So intently, indeed, was he engaged in reading, that he did not at first observe my entrance; when he did, however, he sprang up in great confusion, and locked the book up in his cabinet, whereupon I smiled, and told him to be under no alarm, as I was glad to see him so usefully employed.

Recovering himself, he said that he had read the book nearly through, and that he had found no harm in it, but, on the contrary, everything to praise.Adding, he believed that the clergy must be possessed with devils (ENDEMONIADOS) to persecute it in the manner they did.

It was Sunday when the seizure was made, and I happened to be reading the Liturgy.One of the alguazils, when going away, made an observation respecting the very different manner in which the Protestants and Catholics keep the Sabbath; the former being in their own houses reading good books, and the latter abroad in the bull-ring, seeing the wild bulls tear out the gory bowels of the poor horses.The bull amphitheatre at Seville is the finest in all Spain, and is invariably on a Sunday (the only day on which it is open) filled with applauding multitudes.

I now made preparations for leaving Seville for a few months, my destination being the coast of Barbary.Antonio, who did not wish to leave Spain, in which were his wife and children, returned to Madrid, rejoicing in a handsome gratuity with which I presented him.As it was my intention to return to Seville, I left my house and horses in charge of a friend in whom I could confide, and departed.The reasons which induced me to visit Barbary will be seen in the following chapters.