We remounted our horses, after having made a much better meal than we expected on entering so inconsiderable an inn; and, far from preserving the silence we had kept up all the morning, we conversed on various subjects. Amongst the rest I chanced to ask Sayavedra how he first became an adventurer. He answered, that the only way to satisfy my curiosity was to relate to me the history of his life. I assured him, that it would afford me great pleasure to hear his adventures, and, without any more ceremony, he began in these terms:
“Though I told you at Rome that I was born at Seville, it was not the truth. Valencia was in reality my native place, where perhaps may be found more rogues than in any other city in Spain; because it is a place which abounds with good things, and rich countries seldom produce honest men. My father was certainly only a commoner, but of that sort of citizens who pretend to hold up their heads with the nobility. Having lost his wife whom he loved tenderly, he took it so much to heart, that he did not long survive her. He left two sons; and these two sons, of whom I was the younger, sold all his property, which was but trifling, and divided its produce equally. After which my brother asked me what plans I had in my head. I confessed to him candidly, that my ruling passion was to travel. And mine also, said he. I have always taken pleasure in any accounts of foreign countries, and long extremely to see how people live who were not born in Spain. Both led on thus by the force of our stars, or rather, perhaps by our own evil propensities, we set off together one fine morning from Valencia, each with a small parcel under his arm.
“We had not travelled above a league, when my brother said to me: a thought has just entered my head. We are about to abandon ourselves to fortune, and as we cannot know in what manner she may treat us, we may hereafter find ourselves in situations where our greatest pain may be that we are known, and that our real names may be covered with infamy. To prevent this misfortune, let us change them. I approved of this idea, and we soon found ourselves fresh names. My brother took that of Mateo Lujan, and as I recollected that the most illustrious in Seville was that of Sayavedra, I assumed that name, which I have passed by ever since. Being decked out with these fine titles then,” continued he, “we began to think of the route we should take. I had declared my wish to pass into Italy, and my brother testified the same desire; but changing his mind all of a sudden, he took it into his head to go to France. The dispute ran so high between us on the subject, that on arriving at cross roads, one of which led to Saragossa and the other to Barcelona, my brother took the former, and I the latter, wishing each other every sort of happiness and prosperity. After this fraternal separation, I repaired to Barcelona, intending, as well as a great many other persons who were waiting there with the same design, to take my passage by the galleys. They did not arrive, however, until above a month after; during which time I dressed handsomely, sought the best company, and young Signor Sayavedra was extremely well received every where. He gamed, gave entertainments, and did not fail to devote some portion of his time to love. In short I made so merry during this interval, that when the galleys arrived, and my debts were paid, I embarked with six pistoles only in my pocket. We arrived safely at Genoa, where, finding a vessel on the point of sailing for Naples, I would not lose so good an opportunity, and the wind being extremely favourable, we made but a short voyage of it.
“If on the one hand I was now rejoiced to find myself in the city, which of all others I had wished to be in, how mortified was I on the other when I considered the condition of my purse, which was as empty as any hermit’s. Doubtless, thought I, Naples is a place where pleasures abound: but they are as dear here as elsewhere, and a man without money in his pocket will cut but a very ridiculous figure. I knew well that I must be industrious, and accordingly addressed myself to certain other gentlemen who lived by their wits. I apprised them of my desire and necessity to become one of their brethren. My roguish air prepossessed them instantly in my favour, and after a short examination which I was obliged to undergo, I was pronounced to be fully qualified to be one of their company. I was no sooner enrolled, than they made me commence my operations in their way of business. By their own confession I acquitted myself as if the principles were innate with me; and accordingly I was soon employed in all sorts of thieving, that is to say, in cutting purses, picking locks, stealing cloaks in the darkness of the night; in short a hundred such-like exercises, which are but A, B, C, to old practitioners in the science, but have a wonderful tendency to raise an honest man step by step to the gallows.
“But without vanity, my abilities were of too superior a kind to confine myself to these little tricks, and I certainly performed two or three which were considered master-pieces. I must relate one of them to you. The Lord High Constable’s house was the rendezvous of every person of quality, who assembled there of an evening to play. I had already been once in this house while the game had been going on, and had observed every thing with a curious eye. I had particularly noticed that on each of the tables there stood two handsome silver candlesticks with wax lights, and I determined to think of some expedient by which I could possess myself of a pair of them. With this view I bought a pair of pewter ones of about the same height, with two wax candles in them. I managed to get these very conveniently into my pocket, and one evening having dressed myself so that I might pass for a boy belonging to one of the gentlemen of the party, I stole to the high Constable’s house, and posted myself at the door of a small room where two young gentlemen only were at play. I perceived with pleasure that all the pages of the house were engaged in the other rooms, which appeared to be full of company. My two players continued engaged together for a long time, and their candles being almost burnt out seemed to require fresh ones. I seized this favourable moment, and drawing from my pocket my pewter candlesticks, I lighted my wax candles by the lamp on the staircase, and entered the room in which the two gentlemen were with a most respectful bow, and with my two candlesticks in my hand. These I placed boldly on the table in the place of the two silver ones, which I carried off under my cloak after having extinguished them. I then ran as fast as my legs would carry me to our captain, who was the receiver-general of our stolen goods, a very grave personage, and who passed in the city as a very honest man. He acted both as a protector and a lawyer towards us when we happened to be caught in a trap: and out of gratitude we gave him a fifth part of the produce of all the thefts we committed.
“Another time I performed a still more desperate trick. I happened to be passing one morning before a house which appeared to be the residence of some man of opulence, and which turned out afterwards to be really the case. The door being open I walked in. I entered two or three rooms on the same floor, without meeting any one, and I perceived, on the table of the last, a complete new lady’s dress of the finest velvet. I deposited this without ceremony under my cloak, and in two jumps was in the hall again; but unfortunately I found the master of the house at the door, who seeing me come out with a large parcel under my arm, stopped me short, and enquired in a voice of thunder what I had got under my cloak. Most people in my situation would have been quite confounded; but I, on the contrary, without being in the least at a nonplus, answered him immediately, that it was his lady’s velvet robe which I was carrying home in order to set the collar to rights and alter one of the sleeves. So much the better, replied he, but you must bring it back as soon as possible, for my wife will want it this afternoon, to visit a lady of quality of her acquaintance. I assured him that I would not fail, and thus saying, shot from him as swift as a roebuck.
“This adventure soon spread itself in the town; and even the next day I heard that the gentleman, after having spoken to me, immediately entered his house, where he heard his wife and two or three of the servants making as much noise as if they were in a tavern; that the mistress was crying out most vehemently: where is my velvet robe? it was here not one minute ago: you shall pay me for it:——that the servants having seen no one either enter or leave the house, protested that it must have been the devil who had carried it off; and that at last the husband quieted this uproar, by telling them what had really become of it. I was given to understand also, that the officers of justice had been informed of it; that my person had been very accurately described to them, and they were actually every where in search for me, the gentleman whom I had robbed being himself a notary. During all this time, my booty was in safety at our protector’s house, where the whole company laughed heartily at their fruitless exertions to find me. Nevertheless this trick, which I played with as much good luck as dexterity, had consequences which do not occupy a very agreeable place in my memory. Thus it happened:
“Happening one day to be taking a stroll out of the city, near a pretty large rivulet, I observed some very fine linen on the banks, which a laundress had just washed and spread out upon the grass. Such opportunities as these always tempted me; and I could not resist my extreme desire of making myself master of some part of this linen; the more especially as I really was in want of some. I only waited, therefore, for the moment when I could make the attempt without being perceived, and that moment at length arriving, I performed the exploit with such rapidity, that to possess myself of some of the very best of the linen, and take the way back to the town, was done in the twinkling of an eye. Though the old washerwoman had not observed the action at the moment, it so happened that she just afterwards turned her head to look at her linen. Astonished to perceive a reduction of at least two-thirds she looked quickly around her, and seeing nobody but me, she thought rightly enough that I must be the thief, and accordingly, leaving the remainder of her linen to take its chance, she ran after me, crying out: stop thief! stop thief! in a voice which made the country resound. In this embarrassment, what could I do? I let the parcel slip gently from under my cloak upon the ground, hoping that the laundress satisfied with having her property, would pursue me no further; but, whether she thought that I had more about me, or was bent upon my ruin, she followed me up to the city gates, where the sentry stopped me, asking what was the matter. The washerwoman was soon up with us, and began immediately by cuffing me, saying that I had stolen the whole of her linen. I was then searched all over, and as my cloak and the under part of my arm were wet through, it was easy enough to guess that I had got rid of the bundle, in order to deny that I had robbed my accuser. Nothing more was necessary to entitle me to a lodging in one of the palaces of justice.
“I communicated my imprisonment to our lawyer, who came to me immediately. I told him the circumstances, and he repaired to a criminal judge. They had a long conversation together, which ended with the promise that I should be set at liberty that very day. He brought me the good news, and I prepared to leave the place. The order was already made out, the gaoler satisfied, and I had one foot out of prison, when by the malice of the devil, my friend the notary, who had been so actively in search for me, and who happened to have a little business there, presented himself before me. He stared me full in the face, and recognizing me immediately, he flew in a passion, gave me a violent blow with his fist, which made me reel back into the prison again, and told the gaoler to lock me in, for that I had robbed him, and he would certainly get me committed. Our lawyer, who was present, exerted all his flowers of rhetoric to appease him. He even went so far as to promise the value of the robe; but the cursed notary, preferring the pleasure of being revenged on me, to that of recovering his property, was inexorable: the consequences of which were that I was honoured with a hearty whipping, and banished the kingdom.
“After this disgrace, which I bore as patiently as I could, my captain, by way of consolation, offered me a letter of recommendation to a friend of his, the chief of a banditti who inhabited a retreat in the Roman mountains, which, not knowing what better I could do, I accepted of. The chief had no sooner read my letter than he gave me a most gracious reception. He introduced me to the cavaliers of his company, than whom I never saw more savage looking animals. It is true, that having left at Naples comrades so perfectly civilized, it was impossible but these mountaineers must have appeared to me wild and unsociable. Nevertheless, as one must always follow the fashion, I by degrees became accustomed to them, notwithstanding the terrible life they led. We made some good hits, and I found myself in a short time with a purse well stocked. No sooner was this the case than I determined on leaving these honest folks. With this view, I requested leave of our chief for two months, under pretence of having some business at Rome. This was readily granted me, on my taking oath that I would return at the expiration of that time. This oath I certainly submitted to, but fully determined to forget it as soon as I got to Rome.