The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes

married me. She went on in such a way that I wished I had died before I let such words out of my mouth.

I on one side and the Archpriest on the other entreated her to leave off crying, and I swore that never in all my life would I refer to the matter again. I declared that I should rejoice to see her go in and out of our patron’s house whenever she liked, as I was convinced of her honesty. So we all three continued to have a good understanding as to this, and have never heard more about it. When anyone tries to say anything I stop him by saying: “Look here! if you are a friend do not say anything that will annoy me, for I do not look upon him as my friend who causes me sorrow, more especially if he tries to make trouble between me and my wife, for she is the thing in the world that I care for most. I love her, and may God show favour to her. She is a far better wife than I deserve, and I swear before the consecrated host that she is as good a woman as can be found within the gates of Toledo. He who says the contrary shall answer to me for it.” By this means I manage that they shall say nothing, and I have peace in my house.

This was in the same year that our victorious Emperor entered into this famous city of Toledo, and held the Cortes here,29 and there were great rejoicings as your Worship will have heard. At this time I was prosperous and at the summit of all good fortune.

Sketch Map of the Route from Salamanca to Toledo

Endnotes

1. Doubt has been thrown on the authorship, but without sufficient reason. See Antonio, Bib. Nov. i. 291. ↩

2. They have killed the horse of thine,
   Save thy life and mount on mine.

   ↩

3. History of Spanish Literature, i. 469⁠–⁠71. ↩

4. Brunet mentions an Antwerp edition of 1553. ↩

5. At Tarragona, 1586; Zaragoza, 1595; Medina del Campo and Valladolid, 1603; Zaragoza again, 1652, with Luna’s second part; Madrid, 1664, without the second part. There was a new edition published at Paris in 1847, with the second parts. ↩

6. Lazarillo was about eight years old when his father went in the Gelves expedition in 1510. ↩

7. See Sir Francis Doyle’s poem. ↩

8. Cervantes knew his Lazarillo well. He copies this quotation and puts it into the mouth of the curate when he was examining the books of Don Quixote. ↩

9. Tejares is a small village on the left bank of the river Tormes, about two miles from Salamanca. It consists of a church dedicated to San Pedro, and about fifty houses on the skirts of a hill. ↩

10. The river Tormes rises in the Sierra de Gredos, a range of hills dividing Estremadura from Old Castille, on the confines of the province of Avila. Its chief sources are a large sheet of water called the “Laguna de Gredos,” and a perennial stream called “Tornella.” Receiving several streams from the Gredos hills, the Tormes flows north, passing by Alba de Tormes, where there is a stone bridge; and then turns northwest, passing Salamanca, where there is another fine stone bridge, and Ledesma. Finally, it falls into the Douro, on the Portuguese frontier. The Tormes turns many flour mills. ↩

11. This expedition against the Moors started from Malaga under the command of Don Garcia de Toledo in 1510, when Lazarillo was seven years old. The fleet first touched at Sicily and then made for the island of Los Gelves, off the African coast, between Tunis and Tripoli, now called Zerbi. With Toledo were Diego de Vera and Count Pedro Navarro. Zerbi was a low sandy island covered with palm-trees, ruled by a Sheikh of its own. The army landed on the 8th of August 1510. But the Spaniards fell into an ambuscade and were defeated, Toledo being among the slain. Four thousand were killed or taken prisoners. The rest escaped to the ships and returned to Sicily. Toledo was a grandson of the first Duke of Alva. ↩

12. Comendadores were knights of the Orders of Santiago, Calatrava, and Alcantara. Each had a title affixed to their knighthood. The Comendador of La Magdalena was a knight of the Order of Alcantara. ↩

13. See note 11. ↩

14. There was a huge mass of granite rudely carved in the shape of an animal, which had been on the bridge from time immemorial; and which Lazarillo thought was like a bull. Its great weight was considered a danger, and it was removed about thirty years ago. It is now in the vestibule of the cloister of San Domingo at Salamanca, but without a head. ↩

15. The copper maravedi was a coin the value of which varied. It may be taken as a penny. The blanca was so called from the whiteness of the metal of which it was made. In the time of Alonso XI there were three blancas to the maravedi. From 1497 the maravedi was worth two blancas. The great dictionary of the Spanish Academy quotes Lazarillo de Tormes as the authority for the value of the blanca and half blanca, or