CHARACTERS. 



821 



orders of his superiors without 

 iiesitation, and never suffers a mur- 

 mur to escape him. Shades of 

 difference are observed, Jiowever, 

 in the different provinces. The 

 Galicians are accounted the best 

 soldiers in Spain : Strabo has said 

 of them, that they were warlike 

 and difficult to be subjugated. 

 The valour of the Catalonian is 

 the most intrepid; that of the Ar- 

 agonese the most considerate; 

 that of the Andalnsian the most 

 presumptuous ; of the Castilian the 

 coolest; that of the Biscayan more 

 active amongst rocks than on the 

 plain. 



The Spaniards are very reserved; 

 they have little of those exterior 

 demonstrations of that deceitful 

 show which is called politeness. 

 They do not make advances to a 

 stranger ; they wait for him to do it ; 

 they study him, and do notgivethera- 

 selves up to him till they think they 

 know him ; even then it is with 

 reserve. Their address is serious, 

 cold, sometimes even repulsive ; 

 but, under this unpromising exte- 

 rior, they conceal a worthy heart, 

 and a great disposition to oblige ; 

 they scatter around their benefits, 

 without endeavouring to make a 

 merit of them, and grant without 

 having promised. This character 

 belongs especially to the Castilians. 



In spite of this apparent gravity, 

 the Spaniard has an inward gaiety 

 which easily discovers itself, and 

 on some occasions burst out. It 

 is usually noisy, but genuine, con- 

 stant, frank, and natural. It dis- 

 covers itself in the most ordinary 

 conversation, by a succession of 

 sallies, pleasantries, and plays up- 

 on words, full of point and viva- 

 city. The people of the south of 

 Spain succeed .particularly in this 



line. Their repartees are prompt, 

 ingenious, expressive ; their de- 

 scriptions original ; their irony 

 keen ; their comparisons just and 

 well applied ; it is not the genteel- 

 est persons who excel most in wit, 

 which is found among the lowest 

 classes. When one can enter into 

 the beauties and delicacies of the 

 language, one is surprised to hear 

 pleasantries, full of grace and spi- 

 rit, proceed from the mouths of 

 the common people. 



The Spaniard is very slow in all 

 his operations ; in business, in 

 politics, in the sciences, in the arts, 

 in his loves, in his pleasures. He 

 often deliberates when he ought 

 to act, and spoils aflairs as much 

 by his temporising as other nations 

 by their precipitation. They have 

 a proverb contrary to one of ours ; 

 — they say that one should never 

 do to-day what may be put off till 

 to-morrow. This slowness of the 

 Spaniards appears incompatible 

 with the vivacity of their imagina- 

 tion ; it is the consequence of the 

 distrust and circumspection that 

 are natural to them ; but when 

 their pride is irritated, their anger 

 provoked, or their generosity sti- 

 mulated, they wake in a moment 

 from their apathy, and are capa- 

 ble of the most violent or the most 

 noble actions. 



Their tardiness would be but a 

 slight defect, did it not proceed 

 from a radical defect of a much 

 more serious nature, and the con- 

 sequences of which have always 

 been dreadful to their country ; 

 I mean the invincible indolence 

 and hatred of labour wHich pre- 

 vails in their national character, 

 and has at ail times paralised the 

 government of their best princes, 

 and impeded tiic succesb of their 



most 



