my master's pleasant countenance, would not fancy he had supped plentifully last night, had lain upon a down bed, and, early as it is, had drunk his chocolate very heartily this morning? and yet, good Lord, thou knowest, though the world believes quite otherwise, that there is no such thing. Who could think, to look upon his state and gravity, and his fine cloaths, that a 'squire of his appearance had passed the whole day with a crust of bread, which his most humble valet, Lazarillo, had carried in his pocket eight-and-forty hours, among all the rest of his luggage, where it could not be much refined? That's beyond all imagination.'

The next day, the squire leaves home to take his usual rounds. Lazarillo waits in vain for his return until two o'clock, till he is, at last, driven, in order to satisfy the yearning of an empty stomach, to walk forth and solicit the charity of welldisposed persons.

“After this manner I went from door to door, demanding a morsel of bread, with my hands joined, my eyes looking up to heaven, and the names of all the saints in my mouth, and was always sure to stop at the houses of best appearance. I had suck'd in all the niceties and secrets of my profession like my mother's milk, in the service of my blind master, and so effectually did I exert my faculties on that occasion, that before four o'clock, though the season was then very bad, and charity as cold, I had four pounds of good bread in my belly, and at least two pounds in my pockets. In my way home, going thro' the market, a butcher-woman gave me a piece of an ox foot and some boiled tripe. The poor 'squire was got home before me, and having already laid aside his cloak, was walking at a great rate in the yard. He made up to me when I came in, as I thought with a design to chide me for staying so long; but God had made him of a more peaceable temper: his business was only to ask me where I had been. I told him, that having stood it out till two o'clock, and not seeing him come home, I had been to the city to recommend myself to the charity of well-disposed persons, who had given me the bread and tripe, which I then showed him; and though I could easily observe he was rejoiced at the sight, Poor boy (quoth he) seeing thou wert so long a coming, I dined alone. Better beg in God's name than steal; only take care, for my honour, that nobody know thou art in my service, which 'tis very easy for thee to do, since I am so little known in this town, and wou'd to God I had never seen it.-Alas! sir, (said I) why should trouble yourself about that? Nobody asks me such questions, and I have no occasion to talk to any body of it.-Well, poor Lazarillo, (quoth he) eat thy dinner. We shall be in a better condition, an't please God, in a little while; though, to tell the truth, this is a most unlucky house; nothing has prospered with me since I came to it; it must certainly be situated under some unhappy planet; there are several such houses, which communicate their unluckiness to those that dwell in them, of which doubtless this is one; but I promise thee, as soon as this month is out, I will bid adieu to it.

you

"I sat down upon the end of the stone seat, and began to eat, that he might fancy I was fasting; and observed, without seeming to take notice, that his eye was fixed upon my skirt, which was all the plate and table that I had.

66

May God pity me as I had compassion on that poor 'squire; daily experience made me sensible of his trouble. I did not know whether I should invite him; for since he had told me he had dined, I thought he would make a point of honour to refuse to eat: but, in short, being very desirous to supply his necessity, as I had done the day before, and which I was then much better in a condition to do, having already sufficiently stuffed my own guts, it was not long before an opportunity fairly offered itself; for he taking occasion to come near me in his walks, Lazarillo, quoth he, (as soon as he observed me begin to eat) I never saw any body eat so handsomely as thee; a body can scarce see thee fall to work without desiring to bear thee company; let their stomachs be ever so full, or their mouth ever so much out of taste. Faith, thought I to myself, with such an empty belly as yours, my own mouth would water at a great deal less.

"But finding he was come where I wished him; Sir, (said I) good stuff makes a good workman. This is admirable bread, and here's an ox foot so nicely drest, and so well seasoned, that any body would delight to taste of it.

"How! cry'd the 'squire, interrupting me, an ox foot? Yes, sir, (said I) an ox foot. Ah! then, (quoth he) thou hast in my opinion the delicatest bit in Spain; there being neither partridge, pheasant, nor any other thing, that I like near so well as that.

"Will you please to try, sir? (said I) putting the ox foot in his hand, with two good morsels of bread; when you have tasted it, you will be convinced that 'tis a treat for a king, 'tis so well dressed and seasoned.

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Upon that, sitting down by my side, he began to eat, or rather to devour what I had given him, so that the bones could hardly escape. Oh, the excellent bit (did he cry) that this would be with a little garlick. Ha! thought I to myself, how lustily thou eatest it without sauce. Gad, (said the 'squire) I have eaten this as heartily as if I had not tasted a bit of victuals to day: which I did very easily believe. He then called for the pitcher with the water, which was full as I had brought it home; so you may guess whether he had eat any."

Our hero's master being one day in better humour than ordinary, because he had had a tolerable dinner, was pleased to give him the following account of his affairs.

"He told me, that he was of Old Castile, and that he had left his country only because he would not pull off his hat to a person of quality of his neighbourhood. But, sir, (quoth I) if he was your superior by his birth and estate, as you seem to own he was, you might well enough have saluted him first, without any injury to yourself, since he did not fail to make you a civil return.

"All that's true enough, answered the 'squire. He was a greater man than I, and returned my civilities; but he should have begun once,

and forced me to let myself be saluted first, by taking me by the hand when he saw me carrying it to my head to pull off my hat.

"For my part, sir, (quoth I) I should not have minded things so nearly.

"Yes, that's well enough for thee (interrupted he.) Thou art but young, and so a stranger to those sentiments of honour, in which the riches of those that now profess it do principally consist. But thou must know, that, a simple 'squire as I am, if I met a prince in the street, and he did not take off his hat to me right (I say, take it off right) gadzooks, on the first occasion I would find a way to go into some house, under pretence of business, or slip away into the next street before he came near me, that I might not be obliged to salute him. Look ye, (continued the 'squire) except God and the king, a gentleman is inferior to none, and ought not to yield an ace to any.

"I remember (added he) I taught an officer good manners once, and had like to have caned him for saluting me with a God save you. Learn to speak as you ought, Mr. Scoundrel, (said I) and don't use me like such a clown as yourself, with your God save you! And after that, he never failed to salute me as far as he could see me, and to speak when he came near me as became him.

"Here I could not avoid interrupting him. it an offence to say, God save a man?

What, sir, (said I) is

"What a foolish boy is this! (answered the 'squire.) That's well enough for ordinary people; but for a man of my quality, the least that can be given is, your most humble servant, sir; or at least, your servant, if it be a gentleman that speaks to me: and you may see by that, whether it was fit for me to submit to the behaviour of my noble neighbour, who, to tell you the truth, did likewise use to plague me, upon all occasions, with a God save you, sir! No, by St. Anthony, I'll never take a God save you at any body's hands but the king's, if they were to add, my lord, at the end of the compliment, to sweeten

it"

The unhappy squire, required to pay his rent, is under the necessity of taking a sudden leave of man and house, under pretence of changing a double pistole; and Lazarillo is once more without a master. A publisher of false indulgences succeeds to his services, but Lazarillo soon quits him, and begins to rise in the world; and the first part of the volume leaves him a very accommodating and contented husband.

This production, which was printed in 1586, is attributed to D. Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, who was not only a soldier, philosopher, historian, and statesman, but a poet; who, in his vernacular language, was second to none of his age. It is by some, also, ascribed to John de Ortega, a monk.*

The work being left incomplete by the author, a second part was added by H. de Luna, which is much inferior to the

* Vide Bibliot. Hisp. Nova, tom 1. p. 291.

VOL. II. PART I.

L

first.-Lazarillo, after having served all sorts of masters, been water-carrier, public-cryer, Indian-merchant, sea-monster, gentleman-usher, &c. died a recluse. His being converted into a sea-monster is vastly extravagant. As he is returning from South America, he is wrecked off the coast of his native country, and escapes on a plank to shore, but so intangled and covered with sea-weeds, that certain fishermen, by whom he is found, conceive the idea of shewing him about the country as a sea-monster, which they actually put in execution. The squire is, also, again introduced in continuation, but in such a way as to destroy the truth of the original character. We will make one quotation from the second part.

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"I arrived at Valladolid with six rials in my pocket, every one I met with being liberal in bestowing their charity, to which the paleness of my countenance and weakness of my limbs did much incite them. I went strait to a broker's shop, and, for four rials, I bought me an old thread-bare frize cloak, and, for a half rial more, a hat as tall as a chimney, with a large brim; and in that equipage, with a stick in my hand, I walked up and down the street, where every one laughed at me. Here is a tavern philosopher, (says one.)-There goes St. Peter in his holiday clothes, (says another.)-Hola! Signior Ratigno! (cry'd a third) do you want a little tallow to grease your boots?.-There is, (says a fourth) a fellow as like the soul of an hospital doctor, as one drop of water is like another.

"I had not gone far before I met a woman leaning upon a boy's shoulder, who asking me, if I knew any gentleman-usher that wanted a place, I told her I knew no other than myself, adding, that if her ladyship would accept of my service, I was very ready to obey her commands.

"We soon agreed. She promised me nine blancs a day, and I immediately took possession of my office, by giving her my hand, and throwing my stick away with great disdain, it being now become useless, having worn it formerly only to excite compassion, by leaning upon it as a mark of my weakness.

She sent the boy back, commanding him to tell the maid to make the dinner ready, and to lay the cloth, that every thing might be in order against she came home; and then trotted up and down a couple of hours.

"At the first visit she made, she acquainted me, that when she had a mind to go any where, I ought to go before, and calling for the master or mistress of the house, inform them that Madam Pirez (which was her ladyship's name) desired to kiss their hands. She likewise told me, that I ought never to go before, when she was stopt at any place; to which I answered, that I understood the duty of a servant, and should endeavour to behave myself towards her ladyship as became me. During all this time I would fain have seen her face, but could not, she being veiled.

"Before we got to the house, she informed me further, that she

was not to keep me alone, but that she would find out some more of her neighbours, whom I should serve in conjunction with her, and who' all together would pay me the salary she had promised me, but that, in the mean time, she would pay me her part. And then, asking me if I had a bed, and being told I had not, Very well, (said she) my husband is a taylor, and you may creep in with the boys; neither could you have found a better place in all the town, for before three days be at an end you shall have six other mistresses, who will give you a blanc a day.

"I was strangely surprized at the state of this taylor's wife, who behaved herself as if she had been some lady of distinction, or, at least, a rich citizen's wife; and what did yet further surprize me was, that from seven mistresses I was to serve, I should earn but eight or nine poor blancs a day. Yet I considered this was better than nothing, and especially since it was not a laborious trade, which I ever hated like the devil, choosing always rather to eat cabbage and garlick without working, than partridges and capons with any labour.

"As soon as we came home, she gave me her veil and her pattens to give to the maid; and then I saw what I desired, her face, that was not ugly, being of a pleasant countenance, a brown complexion, and good shape; the only thing about her that displeased me was the paint, which made her skin shine as if it had been the varnishing of a box. Then giving me her blanc, she bid me attend her twice a day, to see if she would go abroad, viz. at eleven in the morning, and three in the afternoon. I went strait to a pastry-shop, where I soon laid out my money, passing away the remainder of the day very poorly, having before consumed all I had got in alms, and not daring to beg any more, lest it should come to my mistress's knowledge.

"At three o'clock I returned to wait upon her ladyship, who told me she would not go abroad, and informed me that she would pay me only on such days as she went out, and that if she went but once, she would give me but one half of my salary; adding further, that since she gave me a bed, I ought to prefer her to all my other mistresses, and stile myself in particular her servant, which the bed well deserved, and much more. This fine bed was nothing else but the working table, upon which I lay with her husband's apprentices, having nothing to cover us but an old rotten blanket, and that in a little time was torn into twenty pieces, by pulling and hauling to see which of us should have it.

"Two days I passed over in such misery as may easily be imagined I should with four deniers a day; when a tanner's wife entered into the society, and was above an hour in agreeing with me for four deniers more so that, in short, in five days I had seven mistresses, and six or seven blancs a day. Then I began to eat most splendidly, and to drink none of the worst, tho' none of the dearest, that I might not cut my cloak larger than my cloth.

"The five other mistresses were, the widow of a bailiff's follower, a gardener's wife, another that pretended to be cousin to a Carmelite monk, and a tripe-woman, the last of whom I liked better than all the rest, because, when she gave me my blanc, she never failed to add