WEDDING. 



215 



reading the service. This, notwithstanding its 

 scandalous impropriety, was almost irresistibly co- 

 mic, and I had the utmost difficulty to repress a 

 laugh. I was restrained by an idea, that, what- 

 ever liberties these people might themselves choose 

 to take on such an occasion, they must have been 

 displeased at a heretic^s presuming to join in the 

 jest. This prudent gravity, which cost me a con- 

 siderable effort, was the means of bringing me ac- 

 quainted with an old gentleman I had not seen 

 before. He came up to me, and begged to intro- 

 duce himself, saying, he wished to express how 

 much pleased he was to observe that all English- 

 men did not ridicule the Roman Catholic Sacra- 

 ments ; and he hoped I would accept a copy of 

 Don Quixote, of which he had an old and valu- 

 able edition, in testimony of his satisfaction, as 

 well as to keep me in mind of his friend, Don 

 N.''s marriage. 



On the 18th of April I accompanied a Spanish 

 gentleman and a native merchant of Tepic to the 

 top of a hill in the neighbourhood of the town. 

 Our object was to gain a view of the surrounding 

 country ; and in this we succeeded beyond our 



