"Right,"
Said I, "A Home-Bred Englishman Could Not Have Given Me That
Answer; Yet He Is As Much Acquainted With Pomegranates And Bolotas
As Your Lordship Is With The Line Of Conduct Which It Is Incumbent
Upon England To Pursue In Her Foreign And Domestic Policy."
This answer of mine, I confess, was not that of a Christian, and
proved to me how much of the
Leaven of the ancient man still
pervaded me; yet I must be permitted to add, that I believe no
other provocation would have elicited from me a reply so full of
angry feeling: but I could not command myself when I heard my own
glorious land traduced in this unmerited manner. By whom? A
Portuguese! A native of a country which has been twice liberated
from horrid and detestable thraldom by the hands of Englishmen.
But for Wellington and his heroes, Portugal would have been French
at this day; but for Napier and his mariners, Miguel would now be
lording it in Lisbon. To return, however, to the officer; every
one laughed at him, and he presently went away.
The next day I became acquainted with a respectable tradesman of
the name of Almeida, a man of talent, though rather rough in his
manners. He expressed great abhorrence of the papal system, which
had so long spread a darkness like that of death over his
unfortunate country, and I had no sooner informed him that I had
brought with me a certain quantity of Testaments, which it was my
intention to leave for sale at Elvas, than he expressed a great
desire to undertake the charge, and said that he would do the
utmost in his power to procure a sale for them amongst his numerous
customers.
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