CHAPTER XLVII

Termination of our Rural Labours—­Alarm of the Clergy—­A New Experiment—­Success at Madrid—­Goblin-Alguazil—­Staff of Office—­ The Corregidor—­An Explanation—­The Pope in England—­New Testament expounded—­Works of Luther.

We proceeded in our task of distributing the Scriptures with various success, until the middle of March, when I determined upon starting for Talavera, for the purpose of seeing what it was possible to accomplish in that town and the neighbourhood.  I accordingly bent my course in that direction, accompanied by Antonio and Victoriano.  On our way thither we stopped at Naval Carnero, a large village five leagues to the west of Madrid, where I remained three days, sending forth Victoriano to the circumjacent hamlets with small cargoes of Testaments.  Providence, however, which had hitherto so remarkably favoured us in these rural excursions, now withdrew from us its support, and brought them to a sudden termination; for in whatever place the sacred writings were offered for sale, they were forthwith seized by persons who appeared to be upon the watch; which events compelled me to alter my intention of proceeding to Talavera and to return forthwith to Madrid.

I subsequently learned that our proceedings on the other side of Madrid having caused alarm amongst the heads of the clergy, they had made a formal complaint to the government, who immediately sent orders to all the alcaldes of the villages, great and small, in New Castile, to seize the New Testament wherever it might be exposed for sale; but at the same time enjoining them to be particularly careful not to detain or maltreat the person or persons who might be attempting to vend it.  An exact description of myself accompanied these orders, and the authorities both civil and military were exhorted to be on their guard against me and my arts and machinations; for, I as the document stated, was to-day in one place, and to-morrow at twenty leagues’ distance.

I was not much discouraged by this blow, which indeed did not come entirely unexpected.  I, however, determined to change the sphere of action, and not expose the sacred volume to seizure at every step which I should take to circulate it.  In my late attempts, I had directed my attention exclusively to the villages and small towns, in which it was quite easy for the government to frustrate my efforts by means of circulars to the local authorities, who would of course be on the alert, and whose vigilance it would be impossible to baffle as every novelty which occurs in a small place is forthwith bruited about.  But the case would be widely different amongst the crowds of the capital, where I could pursue my labours with comparative secrecy.  My present plan was to abandon the rural districts, and to offer the sacred volume at Madrid, from house to house, at the same low price as in the country.  This plan I forthwith put into execution.