He Says That He Shall Be Judged
After His Own Law, And Therefore He Prizes And Gets By Heart The
Entire Book Of His Law.
We were now at the consul's house, a large roomy habitation, built
in the English style.
The soldier led me through a court into a
large hall hung with the skins of all kinds of ferocious animals,
from the kingly lion to the snarling jackal. Here I was received
by a Jew domestic, who conducted me at once to the consul, who was
in his library. He received me with the utmost frankness and
genuine kindness, and informed me that, having received a letter
from his excellent friend Mr. B., in which I was strongly
recommended, he had already engaged me a lodging in the house of a
Spanish woman, who was, however, a British subject, and with whom
he believed that I should find myself as comfortable as it was
possible to be in such a place as Tangier. He then inquired if I
had any particular motive for visiting the place, and I informed
him without any hesitation that I came with the intention of
distributing a certain number of copies of the New Testament in the
Spanish language amongst the Christian residents of the place. He
smiled, and advised me to proceed with considerable caution, which
I promised to do. We then discoursed on other subjects, and it was
not long before I perceived that I was in the company of a most
accomplished scholar, especially in the Greek and Latin classics;
he appeared likewise to be thoroughly acquainted with the Barbary
empire and with the Moorish character.
After half an hour's conversation, exceedingly agreeable and
instructive to myself, I expressed a wish to proceed to my lodging:
whereupon he rang the bell, and the same Jewish domestic entering
who had introduced me, he said to him in the English language,
"Take this gentleman to the house of Joanna Correa, the Mahonese
widow, and enjoin her, in my name, to take care of him and attend
to his comforts; by doing which she will confirm me in the good
opinion which I at present entertain of her, and will increase my
disposition to befriend her."
So, attended by the Jew, I now bent my steps to the lodging
prepared for me. Having ascended the street in which the house of
the consul was situated, we entered a small square which stands
about half way up the hill. This, my companion informed me, was
the soc, or market-place. A curious spectacle here presented
itself. All round the square were small wooden booths, which very
much resembled large boxes turned on their sides, the lid being
supported above by a string. Before each of these boxes was a
species of counter, or rather one long counter ran in front of the
whole line, upon which were raisins, dates, and small barrels of
sugar, soap, and butter, and various other articles. Within each
box, in front of the counter, and about three feet from the ground,
sat a human being, with a blanket on its shoulders, a dirty turban
on its head, and ragged trousers, which descended as far as the
knee, though in some instances, I believe, these were entirely
dispensed with.
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