CHARACTERS. 



813 



tliat is, the meat is grass, the grass 

 water, the men are women, the 

 women nothing. But they have 

 been judged too harshly; the con- 

 trast of their manners willi that of 

 the rest of Spain, of their hvely 

 disposition, ever ready for plea- 

 sure, with Spanish gravity and re- 

 serve, have been the grounds of 

 this opinion. 



It is true tiiat the Valencians 

 have a great degree of levity, a 

 fickleness of disposition, and a ga- 

 iety in their manners; that tliey are 

 swayed by the love of pleasure : 

 that they are fond of singing, danc- 

 ing, banquetting, and all kinds of 

 feasting ; that these are perpetually 

 running in their head, at work or 

 at prayers, abroad or at home, in 

 the streets or in company; the very 

 festivals of the church become with 

 them objects of recreation ; but, 

 notwithstanding all this, they can 

 be serious when circumstances re- 

 quire it ; they are not the less 

 active in commerce, the less indus- 

 trious in the arts, the less assiduous 

 in agriculture, or the less profound 

 in the sciences ; Valencia can ad- 

 duce scholars, literary men, artists, 

 and able merchants enough to 

 overturn the imputation of frivolity, 

 which the imposition of appear- 

 ances only could have given rise to. 



The women are still less deserv- 

 ing of reproach, they are mild 

 and amiable, and sometimes show 

 more courage and energy than the 

 men. 



On juster grounds are the nobi- 

 lity of Valencia charged with an 

 excessive pride, which the preju- 

 dices of an erroneous education 

 keep up. They are, by them- 

 selves, divided into three classes, 

 blue blood, red blood, and yellow 

 blood. Blue blood is confined to 



families who have been made gran- 

 dees, and to soflie other houses 

 thought entitled to it. lied blood 

 comprehends families of great 

 antiquity, and the old titles of 

 Castile and Arragon. Yellow blood 

 comprehends the modern titles of 

 Castile, and families, the date of 

 whose nobility extends no farther 

 back than two centuries. This 

 division generates envy in the se- 

 cond class against the first, and in 

 the third against the two others, so 

 that no attachment takes place 

 except among the nobles of the 

 same class 



The tradesman of Valencia loves 

 pleasure and good living ; so would 

 the lowest class of people if they 

 had the means of gratification. 

 Theseappeargentle,butarecharged 

 with concealing their hatred : they 

 were formerly accused of making 

 frequent use of the dagger, and it 

 has been even said that there were 

 a great number of professed assas- 

 sins for hire in Valencia. One 

 shudders in passing through the 

 streets, particularly those near the 

 Mercado square, at the sight of 

 crosses on the walls with inscrip- 

 tions containing the names of per- 

 sons assassinated near the spot. 

 We must however do justice to the 

 modern Valencians: they are more 

 civilized ; there are no assassins for 

 hire among them ; the dagger is 

 no longer used ; and murders are 

 much less frequent, though they 

 are still heard of now and then. 



The Valencian women are na- 

 turally gentle, but the ascendancy 

 they have acquired over the men 

 renders them at times imperious ; 

 they know their superiority, and 

 some of them abuse it. The more 

 active and industrious the men of 

 the middle classes are, the more 



lazy 



