he
rode as far as Talavera. At Madrid his business was to print the New
Testament in a Spanish Catholic translation. He had to wait; but with a
new Cabinet permission was obtained and arrangements for the printing
were made. The Revolution of La Granja, which he describes in "The Bible
in Spain," caused another delay. Then, in October, after a visit to the
Gypsies of Granada, he returned to London.

He had written long letters to the Bible Society, and one which was
combined and published in the "Athenaeum" with that written from Moscow.
It is dated, Madrid, July 19, 1836, but describes his visit to Badajoz on
January 6. He says, on entering Badajoz:

"I instantly returned thanks to God, who had protected me during a
journey of five days through the wilds of the Alemtejo, the province of
Portugal the most infested by robbers and desperate characters, and which
I had traversed with no other human companion than a lad, nearly idiotic,
who was to convey back the mules which carried myself and luggage."

Two men were passing him in the street, and seeing the face of one he
touched his arm: "I said a certain word, to which, after an exclamation
of surprise, he responded in the manner I expected." They were Gypsies.
He continues:

"They left me in haste and went about the town informing the rest that a
stranger had arrived who spoke Rommany as well as themselves, who had the
eyes and face of a Gitano, and seemed to be of the 'cratti' or blood. In
less than half an hour the street before the inn was filled with the men,
women and children of Egypt. I went out amongst them, and my heart sank
within me as I surveyed them; so much squalidness, dirt and misery I had
never before seen amongst a similar number of human beings; but the worst
of all was the evil expression of their countenances, denoting that they
were familiar with every species of crime, and it was not long before I
found that their countenances did not belie them. After they had asked
me an infinity of questions, and felt my hands, face, and clothes, they
returned to their homes."

He stayed with them nearly three weeks, he says; about ten days, says Dr.
Knapp. Borrow continues:

"The result of my observations was a firm belief that the Spanish Gitanos
are the most vile, degraded and wretched people upon the earth. The
great wickedness of these outcasts may, perhaps, be attributed to their
having abandoned their wandering life and become inmates of