November, 1833, as he had already done to some extent by telling her that
he would "endeavour to get ordained." He also would see Mrs. Clarke,
with whom he had been corresponding for the past two years. Both she and
his mother had been unwilling for him to go to Pekin.

CHAPTER XVIII--THE BIBLE SOCIETY: SPAIN

Borrow's chief regret at leaving Russia was that his active life was
interrupted, perhaps at an end. He was dreading the old life of
unprofitable study with no complete friends. But luckily, when he had
only been a month in England, the Bible Society resolved to send him to
Lisbon and Oporto, to look for openings for circulating the Bible in
Portugal and perhaps in Spain. After this they had thoughts of sending
him to China by sea. In November, 1835, he sailed for Lisbon.

Spain was at this time the victim of private quarrels which had been
allowed to assume public importance. King Ferdinand VII. had twice been
restored to an unloving people by foreign, especially English, aid. This
King had for heir his brother Carlos, until his fourth wife, Maria
Christina, bore him a daughter, Isabella, in 1830; and to secure her
succession he set aside the Salic law. In 1833 he died. Isabella II.
was proclaimed Queen, and Christina Regent. Christinists and Carlists
were soon at war, and very bloody war. The English intervened, once
diplomatically, once with a foreign legion. The war wavered, with
success now to the Carlist Generals Zumalacarregui and Cabrera and now to
the Christinist Espartero. There were new Prime Ministers about twice
yearly. The parties were divided amongst themselves, and treachery was
common. The only result that could always be foreseen was that the
people and the country would suffer. Not until 1841 did Espartero
finally defeat Cabrera.

Portugal, in 1835, had just had its eight years of civil war between the
partisans of a child--Maria II.--aged seven, and her uncle, Miguel,
ending in the departure of Miguel. Borrow made a preliminary journey in
the forlorn country and decided for Spain instead. Escaping the bullets
of Portuguese soldiers, he crossed the boundary at the beginning of 1836
and entered Badajoz. There he met the Gypsies, and put off his journey
to Madrid to see more of them and translate the fifteenth chapter of St.
Luke into their tongue. At Merida he stopped again for a Gypsy wedding.
His guide was the Gypsy, Antonio Lopez, who sold him the donkey which