30 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



I have mentioned in the course of my narrative that 

 two Carthusians often left their convent in the Desierto 

 de las Palmas, and came, though prohibited, to see me at 

 my station, situated about two hundred metres higher. 

 A few particulars will give an idea of what certain monks 

 were, in the Peninsula, in 1807. 



One of them, Father Trivulce, was old ; the other was 

 very young. The former, of French origin, had played 

 a part at Marseilles, in the counter-revolutionary events 

 of which this town was the theatre, at the commence- 

 ment of our first revolution. His part had been a very 

 active one ; one might see the proof of this in the scars 

 of sabre cuts which furrowed his breast. It was he who 

 was the first to come. When he saw his young comrade 

 march up, he hid himself; but as soon as the latter had 

 fully entered into conversation with me, Father Trivulce 

 showed himself all at once. His appearance had the 

 effect of Medusa's head. " Reassure yourself," said he 

 to his young compeer ; " only let us not denounce each 

 other, for our prior is not a man to pardon us for having 

 come here and infringed our vow of silence, and we 

 should both receive a punishment, the recollection of 

 which would long remain." The treaty was at once 

 concluded, and from that day forward the two Carthu- 

 sians came very often to converse with me. 



The youngest of our two visitors was an Aragonian, 

 his family had made him a monk against his will. He 

 related to me one day, before M. Biot, (then returned 







from Tarragon, where he had taken refuge to get cure* 1 ! 

 of his fever,) some particulars which, according to him , 

 proved that in Spain there was no longer more than the 

 ghost of religion. These details were mostly borrowed 

 from the secrets of confession. M. Biot manifested 



