![touched us with their streamers. Even frigates and ships of the first rate
approach within a quarter of a mile of the palace.
There was a greater crowd of attendants than usual round our table at
dinner to-day, and the huge massy dishes were brought up by a long train of
gentlemen and chaplains, several of them decorated with the orders of Avis
and Christ. This attendance had quite a feudal air, and transported the
imagination to the days of chivalry, when great chieftains were waited upon
like kings, by noble vassals.
The Portuguese had need have the stomachs of ostriches to digest the
loads of savoury viands with which they cram themselves. Their vegetables,
their rice, their poultry, are all stewed in the essence of ham, and so strongly
seasoned with pepper and spices, that a spoonful of peas, or a quarter of an
onion, is sufficient to set one’s mouth in a flame. With such a diet, and the
continual swallowing of sweetmeats, I am not surprised at their
complaining so often of head-aches and vapours.
Several of the old Marquis of M——’s confidants and buffoons crept
forth to have a peep at the stranger, and hear the famous missionary descant
upon martyrdom and miracles. The scenery of Boa Morte being fresh in his
thoughts, his descriptions were gloomy and appalling: Don Pedro, his
sisters, and his cousin, the young Conde d’Atalaya,[23] gathered round him
with all the trembling eagerness of children who hunger and thirst after
hobgoblin stories. You may be sure he sent them not empty away. A blacker
dose of legendary superstition was never administered. The Marchioness
seemed to swallow these terrific narrations with nearly as much avidity as
her children, and the old Abade, dropping his chin in a woful manner,
produced an enormous rosary, and kept thumbing his beads and mumbling
orisons.
M—— had luckily been summoned to the palace by a special mandate
from his royal mistress. Had he been of the party, I fear Verdeil’s prophecy
would have been accomplished, for never did mortal hold forth with so
much scaring energy as this enthusiastic preacher. The most terrible
denunciations of divine wrath which ever were thundered forth by ancient
or modern writers of sermons and homilies recurred to his memory, and he
dealt them about him with a vengeance. The last half hour of the discourse
we were all in total darkness,—nobody had thought of calling for lights: the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/3426713-250620113611-2adff69a/85/Getting-Started-With-Ubuntu-1210-1st-Edition-The-Ubuntu-Manual-Team-25-320.jpg)
![mother is so cordially observed as in Portugal. Happy if, in our intercourse
with that nation, we had profited in that respect by their example; the peace
of so many of our noblest families would not have been disturbed by the
lowest connexions, nor their best blood contaminated by matches of the
most immoral, degrading tendency. We should not have seen one year a
performer acting the part of lady this or lady t’other upon the stage, and the
next in the drawing-room; nor, upon entering some of our principal houses,
have been tempted to cry out—“Bless me! that lovely countenance is the
same I recollect adoring by moonlight on the fine broad flagstones of Bond
Street or Portland Place!”[24]
It was now after two in the morning, and I must own, notwithstanding
the good cheer of which I had participated, and the kind entertainment I had
received, I began to feel a little tired. The children were in such spirits, so
full of frolic, and her sublimity, the Camareira-mor, so unusually tolerant
and condescending, that there was no knowing when the party would break
up. Taking, therefore, my leave in due form, I made my retreat escorted by
half-a-dozen torch-bearers.
Just as I had gotten about half-way on my journey through what
appeared to me interminable passages, I was arrested in my progress by a
pair of dominicans, father Rocha, and his scarecrow satellite frè Josè do
Rosario. A person less accustomed than I had lately been to such apparitions
would have been startled; especially, too, if he had found himself like me
between the most formidable living pillars of the holy inquisition.
“What are you doing here so very late,” I could not help exclaiming,
“my reverend fathers? What’s the matter?”
“The matter is,” answered Rocha, with a voice of terrific hoarseness,
“that we have caught cold waiting for you in these confounded corridors.
The archbishop, above half-an-hour ago, commanded us to bring you to him
dead or alive; but a rascally jackanapes in waiting upon her excellency the
Camareira-mor would not let us in to deliver our message, so we have been
airing ourselves hitherto to no purpose.”
“Do you know,” said Rocha, taking me into a little room where a lamp
was still burning, “that affairs do not go on so smoothly as they ought? The
archbishop seems to have lost both time and temper since he has been
pressed into the cabinet; and, as for the Prince of Brazil and his consort,
God forgive me for wishing their advisers and all their intrigues in the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/3426713-250620113611-2adff69a/85/Getting-Started-With-Ubuntu-1210-1st-Edition-The-Ubuntu-Manual-Team-31-320.jpg)
![lowest abyss of perdition. How can you be scheming a journey to Madrid at
this season? The floods are out, and the robbers also, and I tell you what, as
the archbishop says twenty times a day, if you do go you deserve to be
drowned and murdered.”
“The die is cast,” I replied, “and I must take my chance; but really I wish
you would have the goodness to bid the archbishop a very good night in my
name, and let me put off asking his benediction till to-morrow, for I am
quite jaded.”
“Jaded or not,” answered the monk, “you must come with me; the wind
is up in the archbishop’s brain just at this moment, and by the least
contradiction more would become a hurricane.”
Finding resistance vain, I suffered myself to be conducted through two
or three open courts, very refreshing at this hour you may suppose, and up a
little staircase into the archbishop’s interior cabinet. All was still as death—
no lay-brother bustling about—no sound audible but a low breathing, which
now and then swelled into a half suppressed groan, from the agitated
prelate, whom we found knee-deep in papers, immersed in thought.
“So,” said he, “there you are at last. What have you been doing all this
while? Who but a brute of an Englishman would have kept me waiting. Ay,
ay, you told me how it would be, and you are right. They plague my soul
out. We have twenty rascals pulling as many ways. Your people too are not
what they used to be, though Mello would make us believe to the contrary.
One thing I know for certain, some infernal mischief is afloat, and unless
God’s grace is speedily manifested, I see no end to confusion, and wish
myself anywhere but where I am. These smooth-tongued, Frenchified,
Italian, Voltaireists and encyclopedians have poisoned all sound doctrine.
Ay,” continued he, rising up, with an expression of indignation and anger I
never saw before on his countenance, “somebody’s ears[25] are poisoned
whom I could name.... But where is the use of talking to you? You are
determined to leave us, be it so. God’s providence is above all. He knows
what is best for you, and for me, and for these kingdoms. There is your
passport, countersigned by your friend Mello; and here is a letter for
Lorenzana, and another for his catholic majesty’s confessor, in which I tell
him what an amazing fool you are, and unless you continue one without any
remission, we shall soon have you back again. Tell Marialva,” he added,
addressing himself to Rocha (for the other father had not been admitted),](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/3426713-250620113611-2adff69a/85/Getting-Started-With-Ubuntu-1210-1st-Edition-The-Ubuntu-Manual-Team-32-320.jpg)
Getting Started With Ubuntu 1210 1st Edition The Ubuntu Manual Team
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- 7. Copyright © – by e Ubuntu Manual Team. Some rights reserved. cba is work is licensed under the Creative Commons Aribution–Share Alike . License. To view a copy of this license, see Appendix A, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/./, or send a leer to Creative Commons, Second Street, Suite , San Francisco, California, , USA. Geing Started with Ubuntu . can be downloaded for free from http:// ubuntu-manual.org/ or purchased from http://ubuntu-manual.org/buy/ gswu/en_US. A printed copy of this book can be ordered for the price of printing and delivery. We permit and even encourage you to distribute a copy of this book to colleagues, friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested. http://ubuntu-manual.org Revision number: Revision date: -- :: -
- 9. Contents Prologue Welcome Ubuntu Philosophy A brief history of Ubuntu Is Ubuntu right for you? Contact details About the team Conventions used in this book Installation Geing Ubuntu Trying out Ubuntu Installing Ubuntu—Geing started Finishing Installation Ubuntu installer for Windows e Ubuntu Desktop Understanding the Ubuntu desktop Unity Using the Launcher e Dash Workspaces Managing windows Browsing files on your computer Nautilus file manager Searching for files and folders on your computer Customizing your desktop Accessibility Session options Geing help Working with Ubuntu All the applications you need Geing online Browsing the web Reading and composing email Using instant messaging Microblogging Viewing and editing photos Watching videos and movies Listening to audio and music Burning CDs and DVDs Working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations Ubuntu One Hardware Using your devices Hardware identification
- 10. . Displays Connecting and using your printer Sound Using a webcam Scanning text and images Other devices Soware Management Soware management in Ubuntu Using the Ubuntu Soware Center Managing additional soware Manual soware installation Updates and upgrades Advanced Topics Ubuntu for advanced users Introduction to the terminal Ubuntu file system structure Securing Ubuntu Why Ubuntu is safe Basic security concepts User accounts System updates Firewall Encryption Troubleshooting Resolving problems Troubleshooting guide Geing more help Learning More What else can I do with Ubuntu? Open source soware Distribution families Choosing amongst Ubuntu and its derivatives Finding additional help and support e Ubuntu community Contributing A License Creative Commons Aribution–ShareAlike . Legal Code Creative Commons Notice Glossary Credits Index
- 11. Prologue Welcome Welcome to Geing Started with Ubuntu, an introductory guide wrien to help new users get started with Ubuntu. Our goal is to cover the basics of Ubuntu (such as installation and work- ing with the desktop) as well as hardware and soware management, work- ing with the command line, and security. We designed this guide to be simple to follow, with step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots, allowing you to discover the potential of your new Ubuntu system. Ubuntu . is considered a regular release and is supported by Canon- ical with patches and upgrades for eighteen months. Ubuntu . is the most recent and has support for years. Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, we will incorporate updates and changes into our guide, and make a new version available at http://www.ubuntu-manual.org. Geing Started with Ubuntu . is not intended to be a comprehensive Ubuntu instruction manual. It is more like a quick-start guide that will get you doing the things you need to do with your computer quickly and easily, without geing bogged down with technical details. As with prior versions, Ubuntu . incorporates many new features, including a new kernel supporting newer graphics cards, updates to the Update Manager, and full-disk encryption, to name just a few. For more detailed information on any aspect of the Ubuntu desktop, see the “Ubuntu Desktop Guide,” which can be obtained in any of the following ways: ‣ in the Dash, type help. ‣ in the desktop menu bar, click Help ‣ Ubuntu Help. ‣ go to https://help.ubuntu.com, Ubuntu . ‣ Ubuntu Desktop Help. ere are also many excellent resources available on the Internet. For example, on https://help.ubuntu.com you will find documentation on in- stalling and using Ubuntu. At the Ubuntu Forums (http://ubuntuforums.org) and Ask Ubuntu (http://askubuntu.com), you will find answers to many Ubuntu-related questions. You can find more information about Ubuntu’s online and system documentation in Chapter 8: Learning More. If something isn’t covered in this manual, chances are you will find the information you are looking for in one of those locations. We will try our best to include links to more detailed help wherever we can. Ubuntu Philosophy e term “Ubuntu” is a traditional African concept originating from the Bantu languages of southern Africa. It can be described as a way of con- People sometimes wonder how to pronounce Ubuntu. Each u is pronounced the same as in the word put except for the last u which is pronounced the same as in the word due. necting with others—living in a global community where your actions affect all of humanity. Ubuntu is more than just an operating system: it is a community of people coming together voluntarily to collaborate on an international soware project that aims to deliver the best possible user experience.
- 12. . The Ubuntu Promise ‣ Ubuntu will always be free of charge, along with its regular enterprise releases and security updates. ‣ Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hun- dreds of companies from across the world. ‣ Ubuntu provides the best translations and accessibility features that the free soware community has to offer. ‣ Ubuntu’s core applications are all free and open source. We want you to use free and open source soware, improve it, and pass it on. A brief history of Ubuntu Ubuntu was conceived in by Mark Shuleworth, a successful South African entrepreneur, and his company Canonical. Shuleworth recognized Canonical is the company that provides financial and technical support for Ubuntu. It has employees based around the world who work on developing and improving the operating system, as well as reviewing work submitted by volunteer contributors. To learn more about Canonical, go to http://www.canonical.com. the power of Linux and open source, but was also aware of weaknesses that prevented mainstream use. Shuleworth set out with clear intentions to address these weaknesses and create a system that was easy to use, completely free (see Chapter : Learning More for the complete definition of “free”), and could compete with other mainstream operating systems. With the Debian system as a base, Shuleworth began to build Ubuntu. Using his own funds at first, Debian is the Linux operating system that Ubuntu is based upon. For more information visit http://www.debian.org/. installation s were pressed and shipped worldwide at no cost to the recipients. Ubuntu spread quickly, its community grew rapidly, and soon Ubuntu became the most popular Linux distribution available. With more people working on the project than ever before, its core fea- tures and hardware support continue to improve, and Ubuntu has gained the aention of large organizations worldwide. One of ’s open source operating systems is based on Ubuntu. In , the French Police began to transition their entire computer infrastructure to a variant of Ubuntu—a process which has reportedly saved them “millions of euros” in licensing fees for Microso Windows. By the end of , the French Police antici- pates that all of their computers will be running Ubuntu. Canonical profits from this arrangement by providing technical support and custom-built soware. While large organizations oen find it useful to pay for support services, For information on Ubuntu Server Edition, and how you can use it in your company, visit http:// www.ubuntu.com/business/server/overview. Shuleworth has promised that the Ubuntu desktop operating system will always be free. As of , Ubuntu is installed on an estimated % of the world’s computers. is equates to tens of millions of users worldwide, and is growing each year. As there is no compulsory registration, the percentage of Ubuntu users should be treated as an estimate. What is Linux? Ubuntu is built on the foundation of Linux, which is a member of the Unix family. Unix is one of the oldest types of operating systems, and together with Linux has provided reliability and security for professional applica- tions for almost half a century. Many servers around the world that store data for popular websites (such as YouTube and Google) run some variant of Linux or Unix. e popular Android system for smartphones is a Linux variant; modern in-car computers usually run on Linux. Even the Mac is based on Unix. e Linux kernel is best described as the core—almost the brain—of the Ubuntu operating system. e Linux kernel is the controller of the operating system; it is responsi-
- 13. ble for allocating memory and processor time. It can also be thought of as the program which manages any and all applications on the computer itself. Linux was designed from the ground up with security and hardware While modern graphical desktop environments have generally replaced early command-line interfaces, the command line can still be a quick and efficient way of performing many tasks. See Chapter 6: Advanced Topics for more information, and Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop to learn more about GNOME and other desktop environments. compatibility in mind, and is currently one of the most popular Unix-based operating systems. One of the benefits of Linux is that it is incredibly flex- ible and can be configured to run on almost any device—from the smallest micro-computers and cellphones to the largest super-computers. Unix was entirely command line-based until graphical user interfaces (s) emerged in (in comparison, Apple came out with Mac ten years later, and Microso released Windows . in ). e early s were difficult to configure, clunky, and generally only used by seasoned computer programmers. In the past decade, however, graphical user interfaces have grown in usability, reliability, and appear- ance. Ubuntu is just one of many different Linux distributions, and uses one To learn more about Linux distributions, see Chapter 8: Learning More. of the more popular graphical desktop environments called . Is Ubuntu right for you? New users to Ubuntu may find that it takes some time to feel comfort- able when trying a new operating system. You will no doubt notice many similarities to both Microso Windows and Mac as well as some dif- ferences. Users coming from Mac are more likely to notice similarities due to the fact that both Mac and Ubuntu originated from Unix. e Unity shell, which is the default in Ubuntu, is a completely new concept, which needs some exploring to get used to it. See Chapter : e Ubuntu Desktop for more information about the Unity shell. Before you decide whether or not Ubuntu is right for you, we suggest giving yourself some time to grow accustomed to the way things are done in Ubuntu. You should expect to find that some things are different from what you are used to. We also suggest taking the following into account: Ubuntu is community based. at is, Ubuntu is developed, wrien, and maintained by the community. Because of this, support is probably not available at your local computer store. Fortunately, the Ubuntu community is here to help. ere are many articles, guides, and manuals available, as well as users on various Internet forums and Internet Relay Chat () rooms that are willing to assist beginners. Additionally, near the end of this guide, we include a troubleshooting chapter: Chapter : Troubleshooting. Many applications designed for Microso Windows or Mac will not run on Ubuntu. For the vast majority of everyday computing tasks, you will find suitable alternative applications available in Ubuntu. However, many professional applications (such as the Adobe Creative Suite) are not developed to work with Ubuntu. If you rely on commercial soware that is not compatible with Ubuntu, yet still want to give Ubuntu a try, you may want to consider dual-booting. Alternatively, some applications To learn more about dual-booting (running Ubuntu side-by-side with another operating system), see Chapter 1: Installation. developed for Windows will work in Ubuntu with a program called Wine. For more information on Wine, go to http://www.winehq.org. Many commercial games will not run on Ubuntu. If you are a heavy gamer, then Ubuntu may not be for you. Game developers usually design games for the largest market. Since Ubuntu’s market share is not as substantial as Microso’s Windows or Apple’s Mac , fewer game developers allocate resources towards making their games compatible with Linux. If See Chapter 5: Software Management to learn more about Ubuntu Software Center.
- 14. . you just enjoy a game every now and then, there are many high quality games that can be easily installed through the Ubuntu Soware Center. Contact details Many people have contributed their time to this project. If you notice any errors or think we have le something out, feel free to contact us. We do everything we can to make sure that this manual is up to date, informative, and professional. Our contact details are as follows: ‣ Website: http://www.ubuntu-manual.org/ ‣ Reader feedback: feedback@ubuntu-manual.org ‣ : #ubuntu-manual on irc.freenode.net ‣ Bug Reports: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-manual/+filebug ‣ Mailing list: ubuntu-manual@lists.launchpad.net About the team Our project is an open-source, volunteer effort to create and maintain qual- ity documentation for Ubuntu and its derivatives. Want to help? We are always looking for talented people to work with, and due to the size of the project we are fortunate to be able to cater to a wide range of skill sets: ‣ Authors and editors ‣ Programmers (Python or TEX) ‣ User interface designers ‣ Icon and title page designers ‣ Event organizers and ideas people ‣ Testers ‣ Web designers and developers ‣ Translators and screenshoers ‣ Bug reporters and triagers To find out how you can get started helping, please visit http://ubuntu-manual. org/getinvolved. Conventions used in this book e following typographic conventions are used in this book: ‣ Buon names, menu items, and other elements are set in boldfaced type. ‣ Menu sequences are sometimes typeset as File ‣ Save As…, which means, “Choose the File menu, then choose the Save As….” ‣ Monospaced type is used for text that you type into the computer, text that the computer outputs (as in a terminal), and keyboard shortcuts.
- 15. 1 Installation Getting Ubuntu Before you can get started with Ubuntu, you will need to obtain a copy of Many companies (such as Dell and System76) sell computers with Ubuntu preinstalled. If you already have Ubuntu installed on your computer, feel free to skip to Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop. the Ubuntu installation image for or . Some options for doing this are outlined below. Minimum system requirements Ubuntu runs well on most computer systems. If you are unsure whether it The majority of computers in use today will meet the requirements listed here; however, refer to your computer documentation or manufacturer’s website for more information. will work on your computer, the Live is a great way to test things out first. Below is a list of hardware specifications that your computer should meet as a minimum requirement. ‣ GHz x processor (Pentium or beer) ‣ of system memory () ‣ of disk space (at least is recommended) ‣ Video support capable of × resolution ‣ Audio support ‣ An Internet connection (highly recommended, but not required) Downloading Ubuntu e easiest and most common method for geing Ubuntu is to download the Ubuntu image directly from http://www.ubuntu.com/download. Choose how you will install Ubuntu: ‣ Download and install ‣ Try it from a or stick ‣ Run it with Windows Download and Install / Try it from a DVD or USB stick For the Download and install, or Try it from a or stick options, select whether you require the -bit or -bit version (-bit is recommended for most users), then click “Start download.” Installing and run alongside Windows For the Run it with Windows option, simply select “Start download,” and then follow the instructions for the Ubuntu installer for Windows. 32-bit versus 64-bit Ubuntu and its derivatives are available in two versions: -bit and -bit. is difference refers to the way computers process information. Comput- 32-bit and 64-bit are types of processor architectures. Most new desktop computers have a 64-bit capable processor. ers capable of running -bit soware are able to process more information than computers running -bit soware; however, -bit systems require more memory in order to do this. Nevertheless, these computers gain per- formance enhancements by running -bit soware. ‣ If your computer has a -bit processor install the -bit version.
- 16. . ‣ If your computer is older, a netbook, or you do not know the type of processor in the computer, install the -bit version. If your computer has a -bit processor, click on the “-bit” option before you click “Start download.” Downloading Ubuntu as a torrent When a new version of Ubuntu is released, the download servers can get Torrents are a way of sharing files and informa- tion around the Internet via peer-to-peer file sharing. A file with the .torrent extension is made available to users, which is then opened with a compatible program such as uTorrent, Deluge, or Transmission. These programs download parts of the file from other people all around the world. “clogged” as large numbers of people try to download or upgrade Ubuntu at the same time. If you are familiar with using torrents, you can download the torrent file by clicking “Alternative downloads,” and then “BitTorrent download.” Downloading via torrent may improve your download speed, and will also be help to spread Ubuntu to other users worldwide. Burning the DVD image Once your download is complete, you will be le with a file called ubuntu- While the 64-bit version of Ubuntu is referred to as the “AMD64” version, it will work on Intel, AMD, and other compatible 64-bit processors. .-desktop-i.iso or similar (i here in the filename refers to the -bit version. If you downloaded the -bit version, the filename contains amd instead). is file is a image—a snapshot of the contents of a — which you will need to burn to a . Creating a bootable USB drive If your is able to boot from a stick, you may prefer to use a memory stick instead of burning a . Scroll down to “Burn your or create a drive,” select or stick, choose the you are using to create the drive, and then click Show me how. If you select the “ Stick” option, your installation will be running from the memory stick. In this case, references to Live , will refer to the memory stick. Trying out Ubuntu e Ubuntu and stick function not only as installation media, but also allow you to test Ubuntu without making any permanent changes to your computer by running the entire operating system from the or stick. Your computer reads information from a at a much slower speed In some cases, your computer will not recognize that the Ubuntu DVD or USB is present as it starts up and will start your existing operating system instead. Generally, this means that the priority given to boot devices when your computer is starting needs to be changed. For example, your computer might be set to look for information from your hard drive, and then to look for information on a DVD or USB. To run Ubuntu from the Live DVD or USB, we want the computer to look for information from the appropriate device first. Changing your boot priority is usually handled by BIOS settings; this is beyond the scope of this guide. If you need assistance with changing the boot priority, see your computer manufacturer’s documentation for more information. than it can read information off of a hard drive. Running Ubuntu from the Live also occupies a large portion of your computer’s memory, which would usually be available for applications to access when Ubuntu is running from your hard drive. e Live / experience will therefore feel slightly slower than it does when Ubuntu is actually installed on your computer. Running Ubuntu from the / is a great way to test things out and allows you to try the default applications, browse the Internet, and get a general feel for the operating system. It’s also useful for checking that your computer hardware works properly in Ubuntu and that there are no major compatibility issues. To try out Ubuntu using the Live / stick, insert the Ubuntu into your drive, or connect the drive and restart your computer. Aer your computer finds the Live / stick, and a quick load- ing screen, you will be presented with the “Welcome” screen. Using your mouse, select your language from the list on the le, then click the buon
- 17. labeled Try Ubuntu. Ubuntu will then start up, running directly from the Live / drive. Figure 1.1: The “Welcome” screen allows you to choose your language. Once Ubuntu is up and running, you will see the default desktop. We will talk more about how to actually use Ubuntu in Chapter : e Ubuntu Desktop, but for now, feel free to test things out. Open some applications, change seings and generally explore—any changes you make will not be saved once you exit, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally breaking anything. When you are finished exploring, restart your computer by clicking Alternatively, you can also use your mouse to double-click the “Install Ubuntu 12.10” icon that is visible on the desktop when using the Live DVD. This will start the Ubuntu installer. the “Power” buon in the top right corner of your screen (a circle with a line through the top) and then select Restart. Follow the prompts that appear on screen, including removing the Live and pressing Enter when instructed, and then your computer will restart. As long as the Live is no longer in the drive, your computer will return to its original state as though nothing ever happened! Installing Ubuntu—Getting started At least of free space on your hard drive is required in order to install Clicking on the underlined “release notes” link will open a web page containing any important information regarding the current version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu; however, or more is recommended. is will ensure that you will have plenty of room to install extra applications later on, as well as store your own documents, music, and photos. To get started, place the Ubuntu in your drive and restart your computer. Your computer should load Ubuntu from the . When you first start from the , you will be presented with a screen asking you whether you want to first try out Ubuntu or install it. Select the language you want to view the installer in and click on the Install Ubuntu buon. is will start the installation process. If you have an Internet connection, the installer will ask you if you would like to “Download updates while installing.” We recommend you do so. e second option, “Install this third-party soware,” includes the Fluendo codec, and soware required for some wireless hardware. If you are not connected to the Internet, the installer will help you set up a wireless connection. e “Preparing to install Ubuntu” screen will also let you know if you have enough disk space and if you are connected to a power source (in case
- 18. . you are installing Ubuntu on a laptop running on baery). Once you have selected your choices, click Continue. Figure 1.2: Preparing to install. Internet connection If you are not connected to the Internet, the installer will ask you to choose a wireless network (if available). We recommend that you connect during install, though updates and third-party software can be installed after installation. . Select Connect to this network, and then select your network from the list. . If the list does not appear immediately, wait until a triangle/arrow ap- pears next to the network adapter, and then click the arrow to see the available networks. . In the Password field, enter the network or key (if necessary). . Click Connect to continue. Figure 1.3: Set up wireless. Allocate drive space is next step is oen referred to as partitioning. Partitioning is the process If you are installing on a new machine with no operating system, you will not get the first option. The upgrade option is only available if you are upgrading from a previous version of Ubuntu. of allocating portions of your hard drive for a specific purpose. When you create a partition, you are essentially dividing up your hard drive into sec- tions that will be used for different types of information. Partitioning can sometimes seem complex to a new user; however, it does not have to be. In
- 19. fact, Ubuntu provides you with some options that greatly simplify this pro- cess. e Ubuntu installer will automatically detect any existing operating system installed on your machine, and present installation options suitable for your system. e options listed below depend on your specific system and may not all be available: ‣ Install alongside other operating systems ‣ Install inside Windows ‣ Upgrade Ubuntu … to . ‣ Erase … and install Ubuntu ‣ Something else Install alongside other operating systems. If you are a Windows or Mac user and you are trying to install Ubuntu for Ubuntu provides you with the option of either replacing your existing operating system altogether, or installing Ubuntu alongside your existing system. The latter is called dual- booting. Whenever you turn on or restart your computer, you will be given the option to select which operating system you want to use for that session. the first time, select the Install alongside other operating systems option. is option will enable you to choose which operating system you wish to use when you computer starts. Ubuntu will automatically detect the other operating system and install Ubuntu alongside it. For more complicated dual-booting setups, you will need to configure the parti- tions manually. Figure 1.4: Choose where you would like to install Ubuntu. Upgrade Ubuntu … to 12.10 is option will keep all of your Documents, music, pictures, and other personal files. Installed soware will be kept when possible (not all your currently installed soware may be supported on the new version). System- wide seings will be cleared. Erase disk and install Ubuntu Use this option if you want to erase your entire disk. is will delete any existing operating systems that are installed on that disk, such as Microso Windows, and install Ubuntu in its place. is option is also useful if you have an empty hard drive, as Ubuntu will automatically create the neces- sary partitions for you. Formaing a partition will destroy any data currently on the partition. Be sure to back up any data you want to save before formaing.
- 20. Exploring the Variety of Random Documents with Different Content
- 21. royal highness, “according to what the Duke d’Alafoens has repeatedly assured me, I am conversing with a person who has no weak, blind prejudices, in favour of his country, and who sees things as they are, not as they have been, or as they ought to be. That commercial greediness the English display in every transaction has cost us dear in more than one particular.” He then ran over the ground Pombal had so often trodden bare, both in his state papers and in various publications which had been promulgated during his administration, and I soon perceived of what school his royal highness was a disciple. “We deserve all this,” continued he, “and worse, for our tame acquiescence in every measure your cabinet dictates; but no wonder, oppressed and debased as we are, by ponderous, useless institutions. When there are so many drones in a hive, it is in vain to look for honey. Were you not surprised, were you not shocked, at finding us so many centuries behind the rest of Europe?” I bowed, and smiled. This spark of approbation induced, I believe, his royal highness to blaze forth into a flaming encomium upon certain reforms and purifications which were carrying on in Brabant, under the auspices of his most sacred apostolic Majesty Joseph the Second. “I have the happiness,” continued the Prince, “to correspond not unfrequently with this enlightened sovereign. The Duke d’Alafoens, who has likewise the advantage of communicating with him, never fails to give me the detail of these salutary proceedings. When shall we have sufficient manliness to imitate them!” Though I bowed and smiled again, I could not resist taking the liberty of observing that such very rapid and vigorous measures as those his imperial Majesty had resorted to, were more to be admired than imitated; that people who had been so long in darkness, if too suddenly broken in upon by a stream of effulgence, were more likely to be blinded than enlightened; and that blows given at random by persons whose eyes were closed were dangerous, and might fall heaviest perhaps in directions very opposite to those for which they were intended. This was rather bold, and did not seem to please the novice in boldness. After a short pause, which allowed him, at least, an opportunity of taking breath, he looked steadily at me, and perceiving my countenance arrayed in
- 22. the best expression of admiration I could throw into it, resumed the thread of his philosophical discourse, and even condescended to detail some very singular and, as they struck me, most perilous projects. Continuing to talk on with an increased impetus (like those whose steps are accelerated by running down hill) he dropped some vague hints of measures that filled me not only with surprise, but with a sensation approaching to horror. I bowed, but I could not smile. My imagination, which had caught the alarm at the extraordinary nature of the topics he was discoursing upon, conjured up a train of appalling images, and I asked myself more than once whether I was not under the influence of a distempered dream. Being too much engaged in listening to himself to notice my confusion, he worked as hard as a pioneer in clearing away the rubbish of ages, entered minutely and not unlearnedly into the ancient jurisprudence and maxims of his country, its relations with foreign powers, and the rank from whence it had fallen in modern times, to be attributed in a great measure, he observed, to a blind and mistaken reliance upon the selfish politics of our predominant island. Although he did not spare my country, he certainly appeared not over partial to his own. He painted its military defects and priest-ridden policy in vivid colours. In short, this part of our discourse was a “deploratio Lusitanicæ Gentis,” full as vehement as that which the celebrated Damien a Goes, to show his fine Latin and fine humanity, poured forth some centuries ago over the poor wretched Laplanders. Not approving in any degree the tendency of all this display, I most heartily prayed it might end. Above an hour had passed since it began, and flattered as I was by the protraction of so condescending a conference, I could not help thinking that these fountains of honour are fountains of talk and not of mercy; they flow over, if once set a going, without pity or moderation. Persons in supreme stations, whom no one ventures to contradict, run on at a furious rate. You frequently flatter yourself they are exhausted; but you flatter yourself in vain. Sometimes indeed, by way of variety, they contradict themselves, and then the debate is carried on between self and self, to the desperation of their subject auditors, who, without being guilty of a word in reply, are involved in the same penalty us the most captious disputant. This was my case. I scarcely uttered a syllable after my first unsuccessful essay; but thousands of words were nevertheless lavished upon me, and innumerable questions proposed and answered by the questioner with equal rapidity.
- 23. In return for the honour of being admitted to this monological dialogue, I kept bowing and nodding; and towards the close of the conference, contrived to smile again pretty decently. His royal highness, I learned afterwards, was satisfied with my looks and gestures, and even bestowed a brevet upon me of a great deal more erudition than I possessed or pretended to. The sun set, the dews fell, the Prince retired, Louis de Miranda followed him, and I remounted my horse with an indigestion of sounding phrases, and the most confirmed belief that “the church was in danger.” Tired and exhausted, I threw myself on my sofa the moment I reached Ramalhaô; but the agitation of my spirits would not allow me any repose. I swallowed some tea with avidity, and driving to the palace, evocated the archbishop confessor, who had been locked up above half-an-hour in his interior cabinet. To him I related all that had passed at this unsought, unexpected interview. The consequences in time developed themselves. LETTER XXXII. Convent of Boa Morte.—Emaciated priests.—Austerity of the Order.—Contrite personages.—A nouveau riche.—His house.—Walk on the veranda of the palace at Belem.—Train of attendants at dinner.—Portuguese gluttony.—Black dose of legendary superstition.—Terrible denunciations.—A dreary evening. Nov. 9th, 1787. M—— and his principal almoner, a renowned missionary, and one of the most eloquent preachers in her Majesty’s dominions, were at my door by ten, waiting to take me with them to the convent of Boa Morte. This is a true Golgotha, a place of many skulls, for its inhabitants, though they live, move, and have a sort of being, are little better than skeletons. The priest who officiated appeared so emaciated and cadaverous, that I could hardly have supposed he would have had strength sufficient to elevate the chalice. It did not, however, fall from his hands, and having finished his mass, a second phantom tottered forth and began another. From the pictures and images of more than ordinary ghastliness which cover the chapels and cloisters, and from the deep contrition apparent in the tears, gestures, and ejaculations of the faithful who resort to them, I fancy no convent in Lisbon can be compared with this for austerity and devotion.
- 24. M—— shook all over with piety, and so did his companion, whose knees are become horny with frequent kneelings, and who, if one is to believe Verdeil, will end his days in a hermitage, or go mad, or perhaps both. He pretends, too, that it is this grey-beard that has added new fuel to the flame of M——’s devotion, and that by mutually encouraging each other, they will soon produce fruits worthy of Bedlam, if not of Paradise. To be sure, this father may boast a conspicuously devout turn, and a most resolute manner of thumping himself; but he must not be too vain. In Lisbon there are at least fifty or sixty thousand good souls, who, without having travelled so far, thump full as sonorously as he. This morning, at Boa Morte, one shrivelled sinner remained the whole time the masses lasted with outstretched arms, in the shape and with all the inflexible stiffness of an old-fashioned branched candlestick. Another contrite personage was so affected at the moment of consecration, that he flattened his nose on the pavement, and licked the dirt and dust with which it was thickly encrusted. I must confess that, notwithstanding this very superior display of sanctity, I was not sorry to escape from the dingy cloisters of the convent, and breathe the pure air, and look up at the blue exhilarating sky. The weather being delightful, we drove to several distant parts of the town, to which I was yet a stranger. Returning back by the Bairro Alto, we looked into a new house, just finished building at an enormous expense, by Joaô Ferreira, who, from an humble retailer of leather, has risen, by the archbishop’s favour, to the possession of some of the most lucrative contracts in Portugal. Uglier-shaped apartments than those the poor shoe- man had contrived for himself I never beheld. The hangings are of satin of the deepest blue, and the fiercest and most sulphureous yellow. Every ceiling is daubed over with allegorical paintings, most indifferently executed, and loaded with gilt ornaments, in the style of those splendid sign-posts which some years past were the glory of High-Holborn and St. Giles’s. We were soon tired of all this finery, and as it was growing late, made the best of our way to Belem. Whilst M—— was writing letters, I walked out with Don Pedro on the verandas of the palace, which are washed by the Tagus, and flanked with turrets. The views are enchanting, and the day being warm and serene, I enjoyed them in all their beauty. Several large vessels passed by as we were leaning over the balustrades, and almost
- 25. touched us with their streamers. Even frigates and ships of the first rate approach within a quarter of a mile of the palace. There was a greater crowd of attendants than usual round our table at dinner to-day, and the huge massy dishes were brought up by a long train of gentlemen and chaplains, several of them decorated with the orders of Avis and Christ. This attendance had quite a feudal air, and transported the imagination to the days of chivalry, when great chieftains were waited upon like kings, by noble vassals. The Portuguese had need have the stomachs of ostriches to digest the loads of savoury viands with which they cram themselves. Their vegetables, their rice, their poultry, are all stewed in the essence of ham, and so strongly seasoned with pepper and spices, that a spoonful of peas, or a quarter of an onion, is sufficient to set one’s mouth in a flame. With such a diet, and the continual swallowing of sweetmeats, I am not surprised at their complaining so often of head-aches and vapours. Several of the old Marquis of M——’s confidants and buffoons crept forth to have a peep at the stranger, and hear the famous missionary descant upon martyrdom and miracles. The scenery of Boa Morte being fresh in his thoughts, his descriptions were gloomy and appalling: Don Pedro, his sisters, and his cousin, the young Conde d’Atalaya,[23] gathered round him with all the trembling eagerness of children who hunger and thirst after hobgoblin stories. You may be sure he sent them not empty away. A blacker dose of legendary superstition was never administered. The Marchioness seemed to swallow these terrific narrations with nearly as much avidity as her children, and the old Abade, dropping his chin in a woful manner, produced an enormous rosary, and kept thumbing his beads and mumbling orisons. M—— had luckily been summoned to the palace by a special mandate from his royal mistress. Had he been of the party, I fear Verdeil’s prophecy would have been accomplished, for never did mortal hold forth with so much scaring energy as this enthusiastic preacher. The most terrible denunciations of divine wrath which ever were thundered forth by ancient or modern writers of sermons and homilies recurred to his memory, and he dealt them about him with a vengeance. The last half hour of the discourse we were all in total darkness,—nobody had thought of calling for lights: the
- 26. children were huddled together, scarce venturing to move or breathe. It was a most singular scene. Full of the ghastly images the good father had conjured up in my imagination, I returned home alone in my carriage, shivering and shuddering. My friends were out, and nothing could be more dreary than the appearance of my fireless apartments. LETTER XXXIII. Rehearsal of Seguidillas.—Evening scene.—Crowds of beggars.—Royal charity misplaced.—Mendicant flattery.—Frightful countenances.—Performance at the Salitri theatre.—Countess of Pombeiro and her dwarf negresses.—A strange ballet. —Return to the Palace.—Supper at the Camareira Mor’s.—Filial affection.—Last interview with the Archbishop.—Fatal tide of events.—Heart-felt regret on leaving Portugal. Sunday, November 25th, 1787. WHAT a morning for the 25th of November! The sun shining most brilliantly, insects fluttering about, and flowers expanding—the late rains having called forth a second spring, and tinted the hills round Almada, on the opposite shore of the Tagus, with a lively green. I breakfasted alone, Verdeil being gone to St. Roch’s, to see the ceremony of publishing the bull of the Crusade, which allows good Christians to eat eggs and butter during Lent, upon paying his holiness a few shillings. I stayed at home, hearing a rehearsal of Seguidillas, in preparation for a new intermez at the Salitri theatre, till the hour of mass was over, then getting into the Portuguese chaise, drove headlong to the palace in the Placa do Commercio, and hastened to the Marquis of M——’s apartments. All his family were assembled to dine with him. Had it not been for the thoughts of my approaching departure, I should have felt more comfort and happiness than has fallen to my lot for a long interval. M——, whose attendance on the Queen may be too justly termed a state of downright slavery, had hardly taken his place at table, before he was called away. The Marchioness, Donna Henriquetta, and her little sister, soon retreated to the Camareira-Mor’s apartments, and I was left alone with Pedro and Duarte. They seized fast hold, each of a hand, and running like
- 27. greyhounds through long corridors, took me to a balcony which commands one of the greatest thoroughfares in Lisbon. The evening was delightful, and vast crowds of people moving about, of all degrees and nations, old and young, active and crippled, monks and officers. Shoals of beggars kept pouring in from every quarter to take their stands at the gates of the palace and watch the Queen’s going out; for her Majesty is a most indulgent mother to these sturdy sons of idleness, and scarcely ever steps into her carriage without distributing considerable alms amongst them. By this misplaced charity, hundreds of stout fellows are taught the management of a crutch instead of a musket, and the art of manufacturing sores, ulcers, and scabby pates, in the most loathsome perfection. Duarte, who is all life and gaiety, vaulted upon the railing of the balcony, and hung for a moment or two suspended in a manner that would have frightened mothers and nurses into convulsions. The beggars, who had nothing to do till her Majesty should be forthcoming, seemed to be vastly entertained with these feats of agility. They soon spied me out, and two brawny lubbers, whom an unfortunate combination of smallpox and king’s-evil had deprived of eye-sight, informed, no doubt, by their comrades of what was going forward, began a curious dialogue with voices still deeper and harsher than those of the holy crows:—“Heaven prosper their noble excellencies, Don Duarte Manoel and Don Pedro, and all the Marialvas—sweet dear youths, long may they be blessed with the use of their eyes and of all their limbs! Is that the charitable Englishman in their sweet company?”—“Yes, my comrade,” answered the second blind.—“What!” said the first, “that generous favourite of the most glorious Lord St. Anthony? (O gloriosissimo Senhor Sant- Antonio!)”—“Yes, my comrade.”—“O that I had but my precious eyes, that I might enjoy the sight of his countenance!” exclaimed both together. By the time the duet was thus far advanced, the halt, the maimed, and the scabby, having tied some greasy nightcaps to the end of long poles, poked them up through the very railing, bawling and roaring out charity, “charity for the sake of the holy one of Lisbon.” Never was I looked up to by a more distorted or frightful collection of countenances. I made haste to throw down a plentiful shower of small copper money, or else Duarte would have twitched away both poles and nightcaps, a frolic by no means to be encouraged, as it might have marred our fame for the readiest and most polite attention to every demand in the name of St. Anthony.
- 28. Just as the orators were receiving their portion of pence and farthings, a cry of “There’s the Queen, there’s the Princess!” carried the whole hideous crowd away to another scene of action, and left me at full liberty to be amused in my turn with the squirrel-like gambols of my lively companion; he is really a fine enterprising boy, bold, alert, and sprightly; quite different from most of his illustrious young relations. Don Pedro by no means approved my English partiality to such active feats, and after scolding his cousin for skipping about in so hazardous a style, entreated me to take them to the Salitri theatre, where a box had been prepared for us by his father’s orders. Upon the whole, I was better entertained than I expected, though the performance lasted above four hours and a half, from seven to near twelve. It consisted of a ranting prose tragedy, in three acts, called Sesostris, two ballets, a pastoral, and a farce. The decorations were not amiss, and the dresses showy. A shambling, blear- eyed boy, bundled out in weeds of the deepest sable, squeaked and bellowed alternately the part of a widowed princess. Another hob-e-di-hoy, tottering on high-heeled shoes, represented her Egyptian majesty, and warbled two airs with all the nauseous sweetness of a fluted falsetto. Though I could have boxed his ears for surfeiting mine so filthily, the audience were of a very different opinion, and were quite enthusiastic in their applause. In the stage-box I observed the mincing Countess of Pombeiro, whose light hair and waxen complexion was finely contrasted by the ebon hue of two little negro attendants perched on each side of her. It is the high tone at present in this court to be surrounded by African implings, the more hideous, the more prized, and to bedizen them in the most expensive manner. The Queen has set the example, and the royal family vie with each other in spoiling and caressing Donna Rosa, her Majesty’s black-skinned, blubber-lipped, flat-nosed favourite. One of the ballets was admirably got up; upon the rising of the curtain, a strange cabalistic apartment is discovered, where an astrologer appears very busy at a table covered with spheres and astrolabes, arranging certain mysterious images, and pinking their eyes with a gigantic pair of black compasses. A sort of Pierrot announces some inquisitive travellers, who enter with many bows and scrapings. One of them, the chief of the party, an old dapper beau in pink and silver, reminded me very much of the Duke d’Alafoens, and sidled along and tossed his cane about, and seemed to ask
- 29. questions without waiting for answers, with as good a grace as that janty general. The astrologer, after explaining the wonders of his apartment with many pantomimical contortions, invites his company to follow him, and the scene changes to a long gallery, illuminated with a profusion of lights in gilt branches. The perspective ends in a flight of steps, upon each of which stands a row of figures, pantaloons, harlequins, sultans, sultanas, Indian chiefs, devils, and savages, to all appearance motionless. Pierrot brings in a machine like a hand-organ, and his master begins to grind, the music accompanying. At the first chord, down drop the arms of all the figures; at the second, each rank descends a step, and so on, till gaining the level of the stage, and the astrologer grinding faster and faster, the supposed clock- work-assembly begin a general dance. Their ballet ended, the same accords are repeated, and all hop up in the same stiff manner they hopped down. The travellers, highly pleased with the show, depart; Pierrot, who longs to be grinding, persuades his master to take a walk, and leave him in possession of the gallery. He consents; but enjoins the gaping oaf upon no account to meddle with the machine, or set the figures in motion. Vain are his directions! no sooner has he turned his back than Pierrot goes to work with all his strength; the figures fall a shaking as if on the point of disjoining themselves; creak, crack, grinds the machine with horrid harshness; legs, arms, and noddles are thrown into convulsions, three steps are jumped at once. Pierrot, frightened out of his senses at the goggle-eyed crowd advancing upon him, clings close to the machine and gives the handle no respite. The music, too, degenerates into the most jarring, screaking sounds, and the figures knocking against each other, and whirling round and round in utter confusion, fall flat upon the stage. Pierrot runs from group to group in rueful despair, tries in vain to reanimate them, and at length losing all patience, throws one over the other, and heaps sultanas upon savages, and shepherds upon devilkins. Most of these personages being represented by boys of twelve or thirteen were easily wielded. After Pierrot has finished tossing and tumbling, he drops down exhausted and lies as dead as his neighbours, hoping to escape unnoticed amongst them. But this subterfuge avails him not; in comes the astrologer armed with his compasses; back he starts at sight of the confounded jumble. Pierrot pays for it all, is soon drawn forth from his lurking-place, and the astrologer grinding in a moderate and scientific
- 30. manner, the figures lift themselves up, and returning all in status quo, the ballet finishes. Shall I confess that this nonsense amused me pretty nearly as much as it did my companions, whose raptures were only exceeded by those of madame de Pombeiro’s implings. They, sweet, sooty innocents, kept gibbering and pointing at the man with the black compasses in a manner so completely African and ludicrous, that I thought their contortions the best part of the entertainment. The play ended, we hastened back to the palace, and traversing a number of dark vestibules and guard-chambers, (all of a snore with jaded equerries,) were almost blinded with a blaze of light from the room in which supper was served up. There we found in addition to all the Marialvas, the old marquis only excepted, the Camareira-mor, and five or six other hags of supreme quality, feeding like cormorants upon a variety of high-coloured and high-seasoned dishes. I suppose the keen air from the Tagus, which blows right into the palace-windows, operates as a powerful whet, for I never beheld eaters or eateresses, no not even our old acquaintance madame la Présidente at Paris, lay about them with greater intrepidity. To be sure, it was a splendid repast, quite a banquet. We had manjar branco and manjar real, and among other good things a certain preparation of rice and chicken, which suited me exactly, and no wonder, for this excellent mess had been just tossed up by Donna Isabel de Castro with her own illustrious hands, in a nice little kitchen adjoining the queen’s apartment, in which all the utensils are of solid silver. The number of lights upon the table, and of attendants and pages in rich uniforms around it, was prodigious; but what interested me far more than all this parade, was the sportive good-humour and frankness of the company. How it happened that the presence of a stranger failed to inspire any reserve, is one of those odd circumstances I can hardly account for; especially as the higher orders of the Portuguese are the farthest removed of all persons from admitting any but their nearest relations to these family parties; but so it was, and I felt both flattered and gratified at being permitted to witness the ease and hilarity which prevailed. The dutiful, affectionate attention of the younger part of the company to their parents was truly amiable; nor do I believe that, at this day in any other realm in Europe, the sacred precept of honouring your father and your
- 31. mother is so cordially observed as in Portugal. Happy if, in our intercourse with that nation, we had profited in that respect by their example; the peace of so many of our noblest families would not have been disturbed by the lowest connexions, nor their best blood contaminated by matches of the most immoral, degrading tendency. We should not have seen one year a performer acting the part of lady this or lady t’other upon the stage, and the next in the drawing-room; nor, upon entering some of our principal houses, have been tempted to cry out—“Bless me! that lovely countenance is the same I recollect adoring by moonlight on the fine broad flagstones of Bond Street or Portland Place!”[24] It was now after two in the morning, and I must own, notwithstanding the good cheer of which I had participated, and the kind entertainment I had received, I began to feel a little tired. The children were in such spirits, so full of frolic, and her sublimity, the Camareira-mor, so unusually tolerant and condescending, that there was no knowing when the party would break up. Taking, therefore, my leave in due form, I made my retreat escorted by half-a-dozen torch-bearers. Just as I had gotten about half-way on my journey through what appeared to me interminable passages, I was arrested in my progress by a pair of dominicans, father Rocha, and his scarecrow satellite frè Josè do Rosario. A person less accustomed than I had lately been to such apparitions would have been startled; especially, too, if he had found himself like me between the most formidable living pillars of the holy inquisition. “What are you doing here so very late,” I could not help exclaiming, “my reverend fathers? What’s the matter?” “The matter is,” answered Rocha, with a voice of terrific hoarseness, “that we have caught cold waiting for you in these confounded corridors. The archbishop, above half-an-hour ago, commanded us to bring you to him dead or alive; but a rascally jackanapes in waiting upon her excellency the Camareira-mor would not let us in to deliver our message, so we have been airing ourselves hitherto to no purpose.” “Do you know,” said Rocha, taking me into a little room where a lamp was still burning, “that affairs do not go on so smoothly as they ought? The archbishop seems to have lost both time and temper since he has been pressed into the cabinet; and, as for the Prince of Brazil and his consort, God forgive me for wishing their advisers and all their intrigues in the
- 32. lowest abyss of perdition. How can you be scheming a journey to Madrid at this season? The floods are out, and the robbers also, and I tell you what, as the archbishop says twenty times a day, if you do go you deserve to be drowned and murdered.” “The die is cast,” I replied, “and I must take my chance; but really I wish you would have the goodness to bid the archbishop a very good night in my name, and let me put off asking his benediction till to-morrow, for I am quite jaded.” “Jaded or not,” answered the monk, “you must come with me; the wind is up in the archbishop’s brain just at this moment, and by the least contradiction more would become a hurricane.” Finding resistance vain, I suffered myself to be conducted through two or three open courts, very refreshing at this hour you may suppose, and up a little staircase into the archbishop’s interior cabinet. All was still as death— no lay-brother bustling about—no sound audible but a low breathing, which now and then swelled into a half suppressed groan, from the agitated prelate, whom we found knee-deep in papers, immersed in thought. “So,” said he, “there you are at last. What have you been doing all this while? Who but a brute of an Englishman would have kept me waiting. Ay, ay, you told me how it would be, and you are right. They plague my soul out. We have twenty rascals pulling as many ways. Your people too are not what they used to be, though Mello would make us believe to the contrary. One thing I know for certain, some infernal mischief is afloat, and unless God’s grace is speedily manifested, I see no end to confusion, and wish myself anywhere but where I am. These smooth-tongued, Frenchified, Italian, Voltaireists and encyclopedians have poisoned all sound doctrine. Ay,” continued he, rising up, with an expression of indignation and anger I never saw before on his countenance, “somebody’s ears[25] are poisoned whom I could name.... But where is the use of talking to you? You are determined to leave us, be it so. God’s providence is above all. He knows what is best for you, and for me, and for these kingdoms. There is your passport, countersigned by your friend Mello; and here is a letter for Lorenzana, and another for his catholic majesty’s confessor, in which I tell him what an amazing fool you are, and unless you continue one without any remission, we shall soon have you back again. Tell Marialva,” he added, addressing himself to Rocha (for the other father had not been admitted),
- 33. “tell Marialva and all his friends that I have dried up my tongue almost more times than one, in attempting to argue a thousand silly whimsies and crotchets out of his harum-scarum English brain; but come,” said he, extending his arms, “I bear no malice, I pity, I do not condemn. Let me give you an embrace, and pray God it may not be the last you will receive from me.” It was, alas! the last I ever received from him, poor, honest-hearted, kind old man! A sort of melancholy foreboding which seemed to pervade all he said in this interview was too soon realized. The fatal tide of events flowing on as it were with redoubled, tremendous velocity, swept away in the course of a few short months from this period the Prince of Brazil, the lovely and amiable infanta his sister, her husband Don Gabriel of Spain, and the good old King Charles the Third. Not long after, the archbishop-confessor himself was called from the plenitude of power and the enjoyment of unrivalled influence to the presence of that Being in whose sight “no man living shall be justified;” but as in many trying and peculiar instances he had shown the tenderest mercy, it may tremblingly be hoped that mercy has been shown to him. Notwithstanding the bluntness of his manner, the kindness of his heart, so apparent in his good-humoured, benevolent eye, found its way, almost imperceptibly to himself, to the hearts of others, and tempered the despotic roughness he sometimes assumed both in voice and gesture. I still seem to behold the last, earnest, solemn look he gave me when, the door closing, he retired to the cares of state, and I with my escort of torch- bearers and dominicans hastened forth to breathe the open air, of which I stood greatly in need. Many things I had heard, and many others I conjectured, above all, the reluctance I felt at the bottom of my heart to leave a country in which I had received such uncommon marks of friendship, bore heavily upon me. When I got home, scarcely two hours before daybreak, and tried to compose myself to sleep, I was neither refreshed nor recruited, but experienced the agitation of feverish and broken slumbers. LETTER XXXIV. Dead mass at the church of Martyrs.—Awful music by Perez and Jomelli.— Marialva’s affecting address.—My sorrow and anxiety.
- 34. 26th Nov. 1787. I WENT to the church of the Martyrs to hear the matins of Perez and the dead mass of Jomelli performed by all the principal musicians of the royal chapel for the repose of the souls of their deceased predecessors. Such august, such affecting music I never heard, and perhaps may never hear again; for the flame of devout enthusiasm burns dim in almost every part of Europe, and threatens total extinction in a very few years. As yet it glows at Lisbon, and produced this day the most striking musical effect. Every individual present seemed penetrated with the spirit of those awful words which Perez and Jomelli have set with tremendous sublimity. Not only the music, but the serious demeanour of the performers, of the officiating priests, and indeed of the whole congregation, was calculated to impress a solemn, pious terror of the world beyond the grave. The splendid decoration of the church was changed into mourning, the tribunes hung with black, and a veil of gold and purple thrown over the high altar. In the midst of the choir stood a catafalque surrounded with tapers in lofty candelabra, a row of priests motionless on each side. There was an awful silence for several minutes, and then began the solemn service of the dead. The singers turned pale as they sang, “Timor mortis me conturbat.” After the requiem, the high mass of Jomelli, in commemoration of the deceased, was performed; that famous composition which begins with a movement imitative of the tolling of bells, “Swinging slow with sullen roar.” These deep, majestic sounds, mingled with others like the cries for mercy of unhappy beings, around whom the shadows of death and the pains of hell were gathering, shook every nerve in my frame, and called up in my recollection so many affecting images, that I could not refrain from tears. I scarcely knew how I was conveyed to the palace, where Marialva expected my coming with the utmost impatience. Our conversation took a most serious turn. He entreated me not to forget Portugal, to meditate upon the awful service I had been hearing, and to remember he should not die in peace unless I was present to close his eyes. In the actual tone of my mind I was doubly touched by this melancholy, affectionate address. It seemed to cut through my soul, and I execrated Verdeil and all those who had been instrumental in persuading me to
- 35. abandon such a friend. The grand prior wept bitterly at seeing my agitation. Marialva went to the queen, and the grand prior home with me. We dined alone; my heart was full of heaviness, and I could not eat. At night we returned to the palace, and there all my sorrow and anxiety was renewed.
- 36. SPAIN. LETTER I. Embark on the Tagus.—Aldea Gallega.—A poetical postmaster.—The church.— Leave Aldea Gallega.—Scenery on the road.—Palace built by John the Fifth.— Ruins at Montemor.—Reach Arroyolos. Wednesday, Nov. 28th, 1787. THE winds are reposing themselves, and the surface of the Tagus has all the smoothness of a mirror. The clouds are dispersing, for it rained heavily in the night, and the sun tinging the distant mountains of Palmella. Charming weather for crossing to Aldea Gallega, that self-same village in whose praises Baretti launches out with so much luxuriance. Horne and his nephew accompanied me to the stairs of Pampulha, where the old marquis’s scalera was waiting for me, with eight-and-twenty rowers in their bright scarlet accoutrements. Beggars innumerable, blind, dumb, and scabby, followed me almost into the water. No beggars equal those of Portugal for strength of lungs, luxuriance of sores, profusion of vermin, variety and arrangement of tatters, and dauntless perseverance. Several clocks were striking one when we pushed off from the shore, and in a few minutes less than two hours we found ourselves at Aldea Gallega, four leagues from Lisbon. Vast numbers of boats and skiffs passed us in the course of our navigation, which I should have thought highly agreeable in other circumstances; but I felt oppressed and melancholy; the thoughts of my separation from the Marialvas bearing heavily on my mind. Nor could the grand prospects of the river, and its shores, crowded with convents, towers, and palaces, remove this dead cold weight a single instant. The sun having sunk into watery clouds, the expanse of the Tagus wore a dismal, leaden-coloured aspect. Lisbon was cast into shade, and the huge mass of the convent of San Vicente, crowning an eminence, looked dark and solemn. The low shores of Aldea Gallega are pleasant and woody;
- 37. many varieties of the tulip, the iris, and other bulbous roots, already springing up under the protection of spreading pines. Instead of going to a swinish, stinking estellagem, my courier, Martinho de mello’s prime favourite, and the one he employs upon the most confidential negociations, conducted me to the postmaster’s; a neat, snug habitation, where I found very tolerable accommodations, and dined in the midst of a vapour of burnt lavender, that was near depriving us of all appetite. Before I sat down to table, I wrote to M——, and sent my letter by the return of the scalera. It was not without difficulty I wrote then, or write at present, for my kind host, the postmaster, has not only the same age, but equal glibness of tongue as the abade. They were cotemporary at Coimbra, and their tongues have kept pace with each other these eighty years. The postmaster is blessed with a most tenacious memory, and having been a mighty reader of operas, serenatas, sonnets, and romances, seemed to sweat verses at every pore. For three hours he gave neither himself nor us any respite, but spouted whole volleys of Metastasio, till he was black in the face. Having washed down the heroic sentiments of Megacle, Artaserse, and Demetrio with a dish of tea, he fell to quoting Spanish and Latin authors, Ovid, Seneca, Lopez de Vega, Calderon, with the same volubility. As millers sleep sound to the click of their mill, so I, at the end of the two hours’ gabbling, was perfectly well-seasoned, and let him run on with the most resigned composure, writing and reading as unconcernedly as if in a convent of Carthusians. Thursday, November 29th. THERE was a continual racket in the house and about the street-door all night. At four o’clock the baggage-carts set forth, with a tremendous jingling of bells. The morning was so soft and vernal, that we drank our chocolate on the veranda, which commands a wild rural view of shrubby fields and scattered pines, terminated by a long range of blue hills, most picturesquely varied in form, if not in colour. After breakfast I went to the church, which Colmenar pretends is magnificently gilt and ornamented; but which, in fact, can boast no other decoration than a few shabby altars, displaying the images of Nossa Senhora, and the patron saint, in tinselled garments of faded taffeta. I knelt on a mouldy pavement, and felt a chill wind issuing from between the
- 38. crevices of loose grave-stones, that returned a hollow sound when I rose up and walked over them. A priest, who was saying mass, officiated with uncommon slowness and solemnity. It was hardly light in the recesses of the chapels. Soon after eight o’clock we left Aldea Gallega, and ploughed through deep furrows of sand at the sober rate of two miles and a half in an hour. On both sides of the heavy road the eye ranges uninterrupted, except by the stems of starveling pines, through a boundless extent of barren country, overgrown with stunted ilex and gum-cistus. The same scenery lasted without any variation full five leagues, to the venta de Pegoens, where I am now writing, in a long dismal room, with plastered walls, a damp brick- floor, and cracked window-shutters. A pack of half-famished dogs are leaping around me, their eyes ready to start out of their sockets and their ribs out of their skin. After dining upon the provisions we brought with us, of which the yelping generation enjoyed no inconsiderable share, we proceeded through sandy wilds diversified alone by pines. Not a single habitation occurred, till by a glimmering dubious starlight, for it was now half-past seven, we discovered the extensive front of a palace, built in the year 1729, by John the fifth, for the accommodation of the infanta of Spain, who married his son, the late king D. Josè. Here we were to lodge, and I was rather surprised, upon entering a long suite of well-proportioned apartments, to find doors and windows still capable of being shut and opened, large chimneys guiltless of smoking out of their right channel, and painted ceilings without cracks or crevices. A young priest, neither deficient in manners nor erudition, the keeper of this solitary palace, did his utmost to make our stay in it agreeable. By his attention, we had some chairs and tables placed by a blazing fire, which I worshipped with all the fervour of an ancient Persian. I had need of this consolation, being much disordered by the tiresome dragging of our heavy coach through heaps of sand, and depressed with feverish shiverings. Friday, November 30th. IT was a long while last night before I composed myself to sleep, and being called at the first dawn, I rose, if possible, more indisposed than when I lay down; I could scarcely swallow any refreshment, and kept walking disconsolately through the vast range of naked apartments, till the rays of
- 39. the rising sun entered the windows. The horizon glowed with ruddy clouds. The vast desert levels, discovered from the balconies of the palace, gleamed with dewy verdure. I hastened out to breathe the fresh morning air, impregnated with the perfume of a thousand aromatic shrubs and opening flowers. I could not believe it was the last day of November, but fancied I had slept away the winter, and was just awakened in the month of May. To enjoy these fragrant breezes in full liberty, I left our carriage to drag along as slowly as the mules pleased, and the muleteers to smoke their cigarros as deliberately as they thought proper; and mounting my horse, rode the best part of the way to Montemor; which is built on the acclivity of a mountain, and surrounded on every side by groves of olives. The whole face of the country is covered by the same vegetation, and, of course, presents no very cheerful appearance. About a mile from Montemor we crossed a clear river, whose banks are thick-set with poplars, and a light, airy species of broom, intermixed with indian-fig, and laurustine in full blossom. The bees were swarming amongst the flowers, and filling the air with their hum. Whilst our dinner was preparing we climbed up the green slopes of a lofty hill, to some ruins on its summit; and passing under a narrow arch discovered a broad flight of steps, which lead to a very ancient church of gothic uncouth architecture: the pavement almost entirely composed of sepulchral slabs and brasses. As we walked on a platform before the entrance, the sun shone so fiercely that we were glad to descend the eminence on its shadiest side, and take refuge in a cavern-like apartment of the estallagem, very damp and dingy; but in which, however, an excellent dinner awaited our arrival. We set out at two in a blaze of sunshine, so cheerful and reviving, that I got once more on horseback, and never dismounted till I reached Arroyolos. Just as we came in sight of this ugly old town, which, like Montemor, crowns the summit of a rocky eminence, it fell totally dark; but the postmaster coming forth with torches, lighted us through several winding alleys to his house. I found some pleasant apartments amply furnished, and richly carpeted, and had the comfort of settling myself by a crackling fire, writing to the whole circle of the Marialvas, and drinking tea without being attacked by quotations of Virgil and Metastasio.
- 40. LETTER II. A wild tract of forest-land.—Arrival at Estremoz.—A fair.—An outrageous sermon. —Boundless wastes of gum-cistus.—Elvas.—Our reception there.—My visiters. Saturday, December 1st, 1787. HITHERTO I have had no reason to complain of my accommodations in travelling through Portugal. A mandate from the governor procured me milk this morning for my breakfast, much against the will of the proprietor, who had a great inclination to keep all to himself. The idea of its being squeezed out by force, persuaded me that it had a very sour taste, and I hardly touched it. I laid in a stock of carpets for my journey, of strange grotesque patterns and glaring colours, the produce of a manufactory in this town, which employs about three hundred persons. Methinks I begin to write as dully as Major W. Dalrymple, whose dry journal of travels through a part of Spain I had the misfortune of reading in the coach this morning, as we jogged and jolted along the dreary road between Arroyolos and Venta do Duque. We passed a wild tract of forest-land, and saw numerous herds of swine luxuriously scratching themselves against the rugged bark of cork-trees, and routing up the moss at their roots in search of acorns. Venta do Duque is a sty right worthy of being the capital of hoggish dominions. It can boast, however, of a chimney, which, giving us the opportunity of making a fire, rendered our stay in it less intolerable. The evening turned out cloudy and cold. Before we arrived at Estremoz, another city on a hill, better and farther seen than it merits, it began to rain with a vengeance. I hear it splashing and driving this moment in the puddles which lie in the vast, forlorn market-place, at one end of which our posada is situated. For Portugal, this posada is by no means indifferent; the walls and ceilings have been neatly whitewashed, and here are chairs and tables. My carpets are of essential service in protecting my feet from the damp brick-floors. I have spread them all round my bed, and they make a flaming exotic appearance. Sunday, December 2nd. WHEN I opened my eyes about seven in the morning, the sky was still dismal and lowering; and a crowd of human figures, enveloped in dark capotes, were just issuing from several dens and lurking-places on each side
- 41. the entrance of the posada. A fair, which was held to-day, had drawn them together, and they were lamenting in chorus the rainy weather, which prevented the display of their rural finery. Most of these good people had passed the night in the stables of the posada. As I came down stairs, I saw several of their companions of both sexes lying about like the killed and wounded on a field of battle; or, to use a less fatal comparison, like the dead-drunk during a contested election in England. From the windows of the posada I looked down on a vast opening a thousand feet in breadth, surrounded by irregular buildings; amongst which I could not discover any of those handsome edifices adorned with marble columns, some travelling scribblers mention in terms of the highest commendation. The marble tower, too, they describe, built by Don Deniz, has totally lost its polish, if true it is it ever had any. Hard by the posada is a little chapel, to which I repaired as soon as I had breakfasted, and heard an outrageous sermon preached by a grey-headed, fiery-eyed capuchin, to a troop of blubbering females. As it did not positively rain, but only drizzled, after the fashion of my own dear native country, I rode part of the way to Elvas, and traversed boundless wastes of gum-cistus, whose dark-green casts a melancholy shade over the face of the country. A mile or two from Elvas, the scene changes to a forest of olives, with fountains by the wayside, and avenues of poplars, which were not yet deprived of their foliage. Above their summits tower the arches of an aqueduct, supported by strong buttresses, and presenting, when seen in perspective, an appearance, in some points of view, not unlike that of a ruined gothic cathedral. The ramparts of Elvas are laid out and planted much in the style of our English gardens, and form very delightful walks. Upon entering the town, which seems populous and thriving, we were conducted to a very clean neat house, prepared for our reception by order of the governor, Monsieur de Vallarè. A dignified sort of a page, or groom of the chambers, in a blue coat richly laced, and the order of St. Jago dangling at his buttonhole, stood ready at the door to show us up stairs, and, according to the Portuguese system of politeness, never quitted our elbows a single moment. I had hardly reconnoitred my new apartments, before Monsieur de Vallarè was announced. He brought with him the Abade Correa, one of the
- 42. luminaries of modern Portuguese literature, whose conversation afforded me great amusement. We sallied out together to visit the fortifications, the stables for the cavalry, and barracks for the soldiers, which are all in admirable order; thanks to the governor, who is indefatigable in his exertions, and retains at a very experienced age the agility of five-and- twenty. I was delighted with his cheerful, military frankness, and unaffected attentions. He told me, he had stood the fire of our formidable column at Fontenoy, and never enjoyed himself so much in his life, as in the smoke and havoc of that furious engagement. From one of the bastions to which he conducted us, we had a distinct view of the fort de la Lippe, erected at an enormous expense on the summit of a woody mountain. Had the weather been fine, it might have tempted me to climb up to it; but showers beginning to descend, I preferred taking shelter in a snug apartment of the maréchal, enlivened by a blazing pile of aromatic woods, raised up on a grate in a christian-like manner. The abade and I drawing close to this hospitable hearth, talked over Lisbon and its inhabitants; whilst Verdeil amused himself with scrutinizing some minerals the maréchal had collected, and which lay scattered about his room. In these occupations the time passed till supper. We had pork delicately flavoured, exquisite quails, and salads, prepared in different manners, the most delicious I ever tasted. Our conversation was lively and unrestrained; Correa has an originality of genius and freedom of sentiment, which the terrors of the inquisition have not yet extinguished. LETTER III. Pass the rivulet which separates Spain and Portugal.—A muleteer’s enthusiasm.— Badajoz.—The cathedral.—Journey resumed.—A vast plain.—Village of Lubaon. —Withered hags.—Names and characters of our mules.—Posada at Merida. Monday, Dec. 3rd, 1787. THE maréchal and the abade breakfasted with me, but the rain prevented my taking another walk about the fortifications, and seeing the troops go through their exercise. At ten we set off, well escorted, traversed a dismal plain, and passed a rivulet which separates the two kingdoms. No sooner had one of our muleteers passed this boundary, than cutting a cross in the
- 43. turf with his knife, he fell prostrate and kissed the ground with a transport of devotion. Upon ascending the bank of the rivulet we came in sight of Badajoz and its long narrow bridge over the Guadiana. The custom-house was all mildness and moderation. Its harpies have neither flown away with my books, as Bezerra predicted, nor set their talons in my coffers. At sight of my passport, such a one, I believe, as is not very frequently granted, all difficulties gave way, and I was permitted to enter the lonely, melancholy streets of Badajoz, without being stopped an instant, or having my baggage ransacked. This circumstance, no wonder, gave me greater satisfaction than the aspect of the town and its inhabitants, which is decidedly gloomy. Every house almost has grated-windows, and the few human creatures that stared at us from them, were muffled up to their noses in heavy mantles of the darkest colours. We continued winding half an hour in slow and solemn procession through narrow streets and alleys, whose gutters were full to the brim, before we reached the large dingy mansion their excellencies, the governor and intendant, had been so gracious as to allot for my reception. Both these personages were, providentially, laid up with agues, or else, it seems, I should have been honoured with their company the whole evening. A mob of eyes and mantles, for neither mouths, arms, nor scarcely legs were discernible, assembled round the carriages the moment they halted, and had the patience to remain in the street, silently smoking their cigarros, the whole time I was at dinner. It was night before I rose from table, crept down stairs, and, though it continued raining at frequent intervals, waded to the cathedral, through much mire, and between several societies of hogs, which lay sweetly sleeping to the murmur of dropping eaves, in the midst of gutters and kennels. The cathedral is formed by three aisles of equal breadth, supported by pillars and arches, in a tolerably good pointed style. Several lofty chapels open into them, with solemn gates of iron. In the centre of the middle aisle some bungling architect has awkwardly stuck the choir, not many paces from the principal entrance, and by so doing has shut out the view of the high altar: no great loss, however, the high altar looking little better than a
- 44. huge mass of rock-work, gilt and burnished. Under the choir is a staircase leading down to the grated entrance of a vault. Lamps were burning before many of the altars, and they distributed a faint light throughout the whole edifice. I paced silently to and fro in the aisles, whilst the canons were chaunting vespers. The choristers still retain the same dress in which St. Anthony is represented, in the picture which hung by the miraculous cross he indented when flying the persecutions of Satan. There was a solemnity in the glimmer of the lamps, the gloomy, indefinite depth of the chapels, and the darkness of the vault beneath the choir, that affected me. I passed a very uncomfortable evening, and a worse night. Tuesday, Dec. 4. NOT a wink of sleep did the musquitos allow me. I was glad to call for lights at four, and was still happier to step into the coach at five; from that hour to half-past-eight I contrived to slumber in a feverish, agitated manner, that did me little good. When I opened my eyes, I found myself traversing a vast plain as level as the ocean. In summer, this waste must convey none but ideas of sterility and desolation; at present, a fresh verdure, browsed by numerous flocks, rendered its appearance tolerable. The sheep, which are large and thriving, have fleeces as long and as silky as the hair of a barbet, combed every day by the hands of its mistress. I observed numbers of lambs of the most shining whiteness, with black ears and noses; just such neat little animals as those I remember to have seen in the era of Dresden china, at the feet of smirking shepherdesses. We dined at a village of mud cottages, called Lubaon, situated on some rising ground, about eighteen miles from Badajoz, whose inhabitants seem to have attained the last stage of poverty and wretchedness. Two or three withered hags, that even in the prophet Habakkuk’s resurrection of dry bones, would have attracted attention, laid hold of me the moment I got out of the carriage. I thought the cold hand of the weird sisters was giving me a gripe; and trembled lest, whether I would or not, I might hear some fatal prediction. To get out of their way I flew to the church, an old gothic building, placed on the edge of a steep, which shelves almost perpendicularly down to the banks of the Guadiana, and took sanctuary in
- 45. its porch. There I remained till summoned to dinner, listening to the murmur of the distant river flowing round sandy islands. I won the hearts of my muleteers by caressing their mules, and inquiring with a respectful earnestness their names and characters. Capitana may be depended upon in cases of labour and difficulty; Valerosa is skittish and enterprising; Pelerina rather sluggish and cowardly; but la Commissaria unites every mulish perfection; is tractable, steady, and sure-footed, and at the same time (to use the identical expression of my calasero) the greatest driver of dirt before her in the universe. She is certainly an animal of uncommon resolution; and when tired to death by the slow paces of her companions, how often have I wished myself abandoned to her guidance in a light two-wheeled chaise. We left Lubaon at half-past two, and, as I had the happiness of sleeping almost the whole way to Merida, can give little account of the country. I was hardly awake, when we entered the posada at Merida, and started back, dazzled with an illumination of wax-lights, solemnly stuck in sconces all round a lofty room, with glaring white walls, as if I had been expected to lie in state. In the middle of the apartment stood a large brasier, full of glowing embers, exhaling so strong a perfume of rosemary and lavender, that my head swam, and I reeled like a drunkard. But as soon as this vile machine was removed, I sat down to write in peace and comfort. LETTER IV.
- 46. Arrival at Miaxadas.—Monotonous singing.—Dismal country.—Truxillo.—A rainy morning.—Resume our journey.—Immense wood of cork-trees.—Almaraz.— Reception by the escrivano.—A terrific volume.—Village of Laval de Moral.— Range of lofty mountains.—Calzada. Wednesday, Dec. 5th, 1787. ABOUT five leagues from Merida we stopped at a hovel too wretched to afford shelter even to our mules. The situation, amidst green hills scattered over with picturesque ilex, is not unpleasant; and such was the mildness of the day, that we spread our table on a knoll, and dined in the open air, surrounded by geese and asses, to whom I distributed ample slices of water- melons. From this spot three short leagues brought us to Miaxadas, where we arrived at night. Its inhabitants were gathered in clusters at their doors, each holding a lamp, and crying, “Biva! Biva!” Instead of entering a dirty posada, my courier ushered me into a sort of gallery, with a handsome arched roof, matted all over, and set round with gilt chairs. The donna de la casa made very low obeisances, not without great primness, and her maids sang tirannas with a wailful monotony that wore my very soul out. Thursday, Dec. 6th. SOAKING rain and dismal country, thick strewn with fragments of rock. Mountains wrapped in mists,—here and there a few green spots studded with mushrooms. We went seven leagues without stopping, and reached Truxillo by four. It was this gloomy city, situated on a black eminence, that gave birth to the ruthless Pizarro, the scourge of the Peruvians, and the murderer of Atabaliba. We were lodged in a very tolerable posada, unmolested by speech-makers, and heard no noise but the trickling of showers. Friday, Dec. 7th. I WAS awakened at five: the gutters were pouring, and all the water- spouts of Truxillo streaming with rain. An hour and a half did I pass in a ghostly twilight, my candles being packed up, and all the oil of the house expended. It required great exertion on the part of my vigilant courier to prevail on our hulky muleteers to expose themselves to the bad weather. At length, with much ado, we rumbled out of Truxillo, and after traversing for the space of two leagues the nakedest and most dreary region
- 47. I ever beheld, a faint gleam of sunshine melted the deadly white of the thick clouds which hung over us, and the horizon brightening up, we discovered a wood of cork-trees interspersed with lawns extending as far as the eye could stretch itself. These green spots continued to occur our whole way to Saraseços. There we halted, dined in haste at not half so wretched a posada as I had been taught to expect, and continuing our route, the sky clearing, ascended a mountain, from whose brow we looked down on a valley variegated with patches of ploughed land, wild shrubberies, and wandering rivulets. We had not much time to feast our eyes with this pastoral prospect; the clouds soon rolled over it, and we found ourselves in a damp fog. The rest of our journey to Almaraz was a total blank; we saw nothing and heard nothing, and arrived at the place of our destination in perfect health and stupidity. The escrivano, who is the judge and jury of the village, was so kind as to accommodate us with his house, and so polite as not to incommode us with his presence. He is a holy man, and a strenuous advocate for the immaculate conception, no less than three large folios upon that mysterious subject lying about in his apartment. Saturday, Dec. 8th. WHILST the muleteers were harnessing their beasts together with rotten cords, I took up a little old book of my pious host’s, full of the most dismal superstitions, entitled Espeio de Cristal fino, y Antorcha que aviva el alma, and read in it till I was benumbed with horror. Many pages are engrossed with a description of the state into which the author imagines we are plunged immediately after death. The body he supposes conscious of all that befalls it in the grave, of exchanging its warm, comfortable habitation for the cold, pestilential soil of a churchyard, conscious that its friends have abandoned it for ever, and of its inability to call them back; to be sensible of the approaches and progress of the most loathsome corruption, and to hear the voice of an accusing angel, recapitulating its offences, and summoning it to the judgment of God. The book ends with a vehement exhortation to repent while there is yet time, and to procure by fervent prayer, and ample donations to religious communities, the intercession of the host of martyrs and of Nuestra Señora. I can easily conceive these scarecrow publications
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