Spain is yet oriental; earliest ages And less in Gothic, than Arabian yet. Tyre, Carthage, Greece and Rome, have each contended, For charms, her riches, and her beauty, blended, 'Tis said e'en now, the wealthy Moor of Tunis To yield them back the land, from whence they sprung.* Vain hope for lo, the dawning Future, ruddy "This I was told in Spain." CHAPTER V. BOOK HUNTING-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. "They lived unknown Till persecution dragged them into fame, And chased them up to heaven. Their ashes flew No marble tells us whither." WE E are able to narrate, in Mr. Wiffen's own words, the story of his successful searches, which resulted in the discovery of materials largely contributing to the great work of Don Luis, the "Reformistas Antiguos Españoles," and overflowing into the continuation edited by Dr. Boehmer, under the appropriate title of " Bibliotheca Wiffeniana." Although the bulk of this, has been previously published in the form of notes, to that work, yet we shall be doing good service, in reproducing it in the present form. In the autumn of 1841, Luis, and his wife, returned to Spain. Early in the following spring, I was invited by my friend, G. W. Alexander, a second time to accompany him, to that country, and in the course. of our journey, I met my friends again at Sevilla. Luis, has himself, reported his own impressions of this interview, in the twentieth volume of his “Reformistas Antiguos Españoles" (p. 156). On my return home, from this second visit to Spain, I found in a bookseller's catalogue a tract in English entitled "The Reformed Spaniard," by Juan de Nicholas Sacharles. I sent it to Luis; it was unknown, even by name, to him. He translated it into Spanish, and inserted it, with the title "El Español Reformado," in the eighth volume of the "Reformistas Antiguos Españoles." The author of the work wrote at first in Latin, a copy of which is in the Library of the British Museum, with several others, of which I have not been able to purchase one. Perceiving in this incident, a certain aptitude in me which might facilitate his object, Luis remitted a small sum of money, with a request that I would send him certain books, of a general character, and all others, of this special nature, that I could discover and procure. When Luis, was in London, he had become acquainted with the Canon Riego, a Spanish refugee, the brother of the patriot Riego. He knew that the Canon possessed certain books which he highly valued, and which he had not succeeded in purchasing of him, whilst he remained in London; he now wrote to me to obtain them, if the owner could be persuaded to sell them. They were "Valera's Calvino," (1597,) "Juan Perez's Psalms," (1557,) and the "Epistola Consolatoria," (1560,) an unknown work also by Juan Perez. I took an opportunity to see the Canon about them. I found him occupying two upstairs rooms, in a house, kept by a shoemaker in Seymour Street, Camden Town; the front room was crowded with books, chiefly Spanish, for he was a dealer, and combined love of money, with love of books; the smaller back room, served him for chamber, and kitchen, where he slept, and prepared his food, leaving space that barely sufficed for a chair for himself, and another for a guest. He was shy to me about his books. I candidly avowed my object, at the same time manifesting my respect to him; for indeed I felt pity for his misfortunes, and sympathy with the cause that produced them. I did not, however, urge my wishes, and went away unsuccessful. After a lapse of some months, taking a niece of mine with. me, I called upon him again, and repeated my desire to purchase the books, and asked permission at least to look at them. He showed me two of the books, and for the third, "The Epistola," he substituted a written copy of his own for the printed one. I had been informed that he would certainly try to expunge some offensive passages from the work, and been warned to be careful, that it was not mutilated, or rendered imperfect. This interview therefore, ended unsuccessfully. About half a year afterwards, I called upon him a third time. I avowed the same purpose, and the old man yielding somewhat to more familiar acquaintance, somewhat to my perseverance, perhaps forgetful of his caution, showed me the little book itself. I had it in my hands but a few moments, and was looking through the leaves, when he passionately snatched it away, and this third interview passed like the previous ones, with the addition of a little troubled feeling between us. He had expressed his desire that the Psalms, of Juan Perez, should be printed, and I had avowed my own wish for the "Epistola.” I waited again an interval of some months, and then wishing to remove any unfavourable impressions that might remain on his mind from our last meeting, my residence being at a distance from London, I wrote to him kindly, and asked him once more whether he was willing that I should have the books. He replied promptly that he was willing, and that for a certain sum he would send them. I answered I would give him a high price; and now aware that I was not to be put off with a copy, he sent the three printed books down to me. On examination, I found that he had obliterated a long passage in the "Epistola." I regretted to see this, not only for the literary injury, but for the flaw in the Canon's moral integrity, the more so, because he had many times declared to me how much he loved and honoured the book and its author, saying, that while the sentiments of the book were Protestant, they were however not Lutheran. The passage, as I afterwards found, was one in which he had a deep personal interest: it strongly condemned the folly, and idolatry, of the reverence, or worship paid to relics; and Riego himself was a Canon of the church at Oviedo, where, of all places in the kingdom |