The Bible in Spain Volume I Part 29

{39} "The Fas.h.i.+on or ordering of the Chapel of the most ill.u.s.trious and Christian prince, Henry VI. King of England and France, and lord of Ireland, described for the most serene prince, Alfonso the ill.u.s.trious King of Portugal [Alfonso V., 'The African'] by his humble servant William Sav., Dean of the aforesaid chapel." This was William Saye of New College, Oxford, who was Proctor of the University in 1441, and afterwards D.D. and Dean of the Cathedral of St. Paul, and of the Chapel of Henry VI. (See Gutch, _Appendix to Woods Fasti Oxonienses_, p. 48).

{41} Portuguese _oraco_ or _oracam_-a prayer.

{44} This, the correct Portuguese form, is that generally used in English, though the Spanish _auto-de-fe_ is often referred to.

{47} _Alecrim_ is usually supposed to be a word of Arab origin. The Spanish for rosemary is, however, quite different, _romero_. The Goths and Vandals have, it may be noticed in pa.s.sing, scarcely enriched the modern vocabulary of the Peninsula by a single word. (See the Glossary.)

{50} The modern form of "_Hymne Ma.r.s.eillaise_" is less correct. Hymns of the kind are masculine in French; those that are sung in churches only are feminine!

{55} Spanish _hidalgo_.

{57} "Surrender, scoundrel, surrender!"

{59a} The Portuguese form.

{59b} The missing word would seem to be "Catholics." Borrow was fond of such, apparently meaningless, mystery.

{66} Toreno (17861843), a statesman and historian, thrice banished on account of his liberal opinions, died in exile in Paris. His friend Martinez de la Rosa (17891862), who experienced a somewhat similar fate, was the author of some dramas and a satire ent.i.tled _El Cementerio de Monco_. See Kennedy, _Modern Poets and Poetry of Spain_, p. 169.

Toreno's historical works have been translated into French.

{67a} When the Jews were banished from Spain by the Catholic sovereign in 1492, they were received into Portugal by the more liberal John II., on payment of a tax or duty of eight _cruzados_. Armourers and smiths paid four _cruzados_ only. Before the marriage of his cousin, King Emmanuel, with the widowed Princess Isabella in 1497, the Jews were subject to renewed persecution in Portugal by arrangement between Isabella the Catholic and her son-in-law (see Burke's _History of Spain_, chaps, xlvi., xlix.).

{67b} See Appendix to this volume.

{68} A seaport town in North Africa, better known by the name of Mogadore (see chap. lii.).

{69} The name that may not be spoken; that is, Jehovah or _Yahweh_ (see Glossary, _sub verb_.).

{70} Strange anecdotes, however, are told, tending to prove that Jews of the ancient race are yet to be found in Portugal: it is said that they have been discovered under circ.u.mstances the most extraordinary. I am the more inclined to believe in their existence from certain strange incidents connected with a certain race, which occurred within the sphere of my own knowledge, and which will be related further on.-Note by Borrow.

{75} Portuguese _real_ = one-twentieth of an English penny.

{76} The lines, which Borrow, quoting from memory, has not given quite accurately, occur in the ballad of "The Cout of Keilder." They are, according to the text in the edition of 1858, with "Life by Sir Walter Scott"-

"The hounds they howled and backward fled, As struck by Fairy charm" (stan. 16).

John Leyden, M.D., was born in 1775, near Hawick, and died in Java in 1811, after an adventurous and varied life. His ballad of Lord Soulis is of the same character as that so highly praised by Borrow.

{81} The place of the brooks, or water-courses. Sp. _arroyo_ = brook.

{83} The first Lusitanians of whom we have any record or tradition were almost certainly Celts.

{85} May you go with G.o.d; _i.e._ G.o.d be with you; good-bye.

{89} The modern Portuguese _vossem_ or _vosse_ has degenerated into a mode of address to inferiors, and not having any such vocable as the Spanish Vd nor using the second person plural in ordinary address, as in French and English, the Portuguese is forced to turn every sentence, "Is the gentleman's health good?" "Will Mr. Continho pa.s.s the mustard?" "If Mr. Borrow smokes, will he accept this cigar?" In familiar speech the second person singular is universally used.

{90} _Castellano afrancesado Diablo condenado_. The proverb is of very general application.

{96} During the Peninsular war, Badajoz was besieged by the French in 1808 and in 1809, and again in 1811, when it surrendered, March 11, to Soult. It was thrice besieged by Wellington; first on April 20, 1811; next in May and June of the same year; and thirdly, in the spring of 1812, when he captured the city by storm, on the night of April 6, after a murderous contest, and a loss, during the twenty days' siege, of 72 officers and 963 men killed, and 306 officers and 3483 men wounded. The province of Badajoz has an area of 8687 square miles, and a population of (1884) 457,365.

{98} See note on p. 11. It is uncertain where the missionary Joao Ferreira d'Almeida made this translation; probably in Ceylon. The place and date of his death are equally uncertain. His translation, revised by more than one Dutch scholar, was finally printed in 1712 at Amsterdam, at the cost of the Dutch East India Company. When the British and Foreign Bible Society first undertook the publication of the Bible in Portuguese in the years 18091810, this version of Almeida was selected; but the objections made to its accuracy were so numerous that in 1818, and again in 1821, a reprint of Pereira's translation was adopted in its place.

{99} This was indeed treason, when the "1811's" were in their prime, and the "1834's" were already maturing. But ordinary port wine, as made up for the English market, was rather filthy, and as remade up by the grocer or small wine merchant in England, resembled blacking rather than the juice of the grape.

{100} This is certainly not true now. Perhaps, if Borrow's explanation is the true one, in that we have not of late "roughly handled" our jealous neighbours, Sebastopol and Pekin and excuses for being in Egypt have dulled the friendly feelings generated by Vitoria and Waterloo!

{102a} "Charity, Sir Cavalier, for the love of G.o.d, bestow an alms upon me, that I may purchase a mouthful of red wine."

{102b} "St. James and close Spain!" The battle-cry of Castilian chivalry for a thousand years.

{102c} Every one who has gone from Portugal into Spain must understand and sympathize with Borrow's feelings. I have even felt something of the same expansion in South America, when the Brazilian gave place to the Argentine. I have no doubt that the language has a great deal to say to it.

{103a} In _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. i., the date is given as January 6, 1836.

{103b} They are as old as the ancient Celtiberian times, and are mentioned as s???? in a treaty, over 150 years B.C., by Appian, in his _Iberica_.

{104} I suppose Portugal, Spain, and England.

{105a} See _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. i.

{105b} For the meaning of this and other gypsy words, see the Glossary.

{106a} See _The Zincali_, part i. chap. vii., part ii. chap. vi., _Romano Lavo-Lil_, p. 244.

{106b} See _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. vi.

{108} _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. i.

{110} "I do not understand."

{112} Spirit of the old man.

{114a} Deceived. An English termination added to a Spanish termination of a Romany word, _jonjabar_, _q.v._ in Glossary.

{114b} _El crallis ha nicobado la liri de los Cales_. (See _The Zincali_ part ii. chap. i.)

{115} "Doing business, doing business; he has much business to do."

{116} "We have the horse."

{118} See _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. vi.

{120} "Don't trouble yourself," "Don't be afraid." See vol. ii. p. 2.

_Cuidao_ is Andalusian and Gitano for _cuidado_.

{122} See _The Zincali_, part ii. chap. vi.

{123a} Mother of the gypsies.