Ofalia, On Reading It, Said, "What
A Pity That This Is A Protestant Society, And That All Its Members
Are Not Catholics."
A few days subsequently, to my great astonishment, he sent a
message to me by a friend, requesting that I would send him a copy
of my Gypsy Gospel.
I may as well here state, that the fame of
this work, though not yet published, had already spread like
wildfire through Madrid, and every person was passionately eager to
possess a copy; indeed, several grandees of Spain sent messages
with similar requests, all of which I however denied. I instantly
resolved to take advantage of this overture on the part of Count
Ofalia, and to call on him myself. I therefore caused a copy of
the Gospel to be handsomely bound, and proceeding to the palace,
was instantly admitted to him. He was a dusky, diminutive person,
between fifty and sixty years of age, with false hair and teeth,
but exceedingly gentlemanly manners. He received me with great
affability, and thanked me for my present; but on my proceeding to
speak of the New Testament, he told me that the subject was
surrounded with difficulties, and that the great body of the clergy
had taken up the matter against me; he conjured me, however, to be
patient and peaceable, in which case he said he would endeavour to
devise some plan to satisfy me. Amongst other things, he observed
that the bishops hated a sectarian more than an Atheist. Whereupon
I replied, that, like the Pharisees of old, they cared more for the
gold of the temple than the temple itself. Throughout the whole of
our interview he evidently laboured under great fear, and was
continually looking behind and around him, seemingly in dread of
being overheard, which brought to my mind an expression of a friend
of mine, that if there be any truth in metempsychosis, the soul of
Count Ofalia must have originally belonged to a mouse. We parted
in kindness, and I went away, wondering by what strange chance this
poor man had become prime minister of a country like Spain.
CHAPTER XXXIX
The Two Gospels - The Alguazil - The Warrant - The Good Maria - The
Arrest - Sent to Prison - Reflections - The Reception - The Prison
Room - Redress Demanded.
At length the Gospel of Saint Luke in the Gypsy language was in a
state of readiness. I therefore deposited a certain number of
copies in the despacho, and announced them for sale. The Basque,
which was by this time also printed, was likewise advertised. For
this last work there was little demand. Not so, however, for the
Gypsy Luke, of which I could have easily disposed of the whole
edition in less than a fortnight. Long, however, before this
period had expired, the clergy were up in arms. "Sorcery!" said
one bishop. "There is more in this than we can dive into,"
exclaimed a second. "He will convert all Spain by means of the
Gypsy language," cried a third. And then came the usual chorus on
such occasions, of Que infamia! Que picardia! At last, having
consulted together, away they hurried to their tool the corregidor,
or, according to the modern term, the gefe politico of Madrid. I
have forgotten the name of this worthy, of whom I had myself no
personal knowledge whatever. Judging from his actions, however,
and from common report, I should say that he was a stupid wrong-
headed creature, savage withal - a melange of borrico, mule, and
wolf. Having an inveterate antipathy to all foreigners, he lent a
willing ear to the complaint of my accusers, and forthwith gave
orders to make a seizure of all the copies of the Gypsy Gospel
which could be found in the despacho. The consequence was, that a
numerous body of alguazils directed their steps to the Calle del
principe; some thirty copies of the book in question were pounced
upon, and about the same number of Saint Luke in Basque. With this
spoil these satellites returned in triumph to the gefatura
politica, where they divided the copies of the Gypsy volume amongst
themselves, selling subsequently the greater number at a large
price, the book being in the greatest demand, and thus becoming
unintentionally agents of an heretical society. But every one must
live by his trade, say these people, and they lose no opportunity
of making their words good, by disposing to the best advantage of
any booty which falls into their hands. As no person cared about
the Basque Gospel, it was safely stowed away, with other
unmarketable captures, in the warehouses of the office.
The Gypsy Gospels had now been seized, at least as many as were
exposed for sale in the despacho. The corregidor and his friends,
however, were of opinion that many more might be obtained by means
of a little management. Fellows, therefore, hangers-on of the
police office, were daily dispatched to the shop in all kinds of
disguises, inquiring, with great seeming anxiety, for "Gypsy
books," and offering high prices for copies. They, however,
returned to their employers empty-handed. My Gallegan was on his
guard, informing all who made inquiries, that books of no
description would be sold at the establishment for the present.
Which was in truth the case, as I had given him particular orders
to sell no more under any pretence whatever.
I got no credit, however, for my frank dealing. The corregidor and
his confederates could not persuade themselves but that by some
means mysterious and unknown to them, I was daily selling hundreds
of these Gypsy books, which were to revolutionize the country, and
annihilate the power of the Father of Rome. A plan was therefore
resolved upon, by means of which they hoped to have an opportunity
of placing me in a position which would incapacitate me for some
time from taking any active measures to circulate the Scriptures,
either in Gypsy or in any other language.
It was on the morning of the first of May, if I forget not, that an
unknown individual made his appearance in my apartment as I was
seated at breakfast; he was a mean-looking fellow, about the middle
stature, with a countenance on which knave was written in legible
characters.
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