702 
Hand of which is Fontaralia, a ftrong Fort juft on the 
Frontiers of Spain. About half a League from Irim 
is the River that parts France and Spain. In the mid- 
dle of this River is an Wand where the Kings of France 
and Spain metj when Lewis XIV. the prefent King, 
married Philip the IV’s Daughter. The Wand was di- 
vided juft in the middle, and a Houle built, fo that at 
the Table where they fat to eat, the King of France fat 
in France., and the King of Spain in Spain. 
15. Spain is, in many Places, not to fay moft, very 
thin of People, and almoft defolate. The Gaufes 
are, A bad Religion. 2. The tyrannical Inquifi- 
tion. 3. The Multitude of Whores. 4. The Barren- 
refs of the Soil. 5. The wretched Lazinefs of the 
People, very like the Irijh^ walking flowly^ and 
always cumber’d with a great Cloak and long Sword. 
6. The Expulfion of the Jews and Moors., the firft of 
which were planted there by the Emperor Adrian., and 
the latter by the Caliphs after the Conqueft of Spain. 
7. Wars and Plantations. In all the Towns, efpecially 
in the South and JVeJl Parts of Spain, a great many Ru- 
ins of Houfes are to be feen. Within a Quarter ot a 
League of a Town you begin to fee Ground ploughed, 
otherwife all a wild Country, and Nothing but Rofemary, 
Cidus, Juniper, Lavender, Broom, Lentifcus, &c. grow- 
ing in the Fields and on the Hills. Little or no Hay 
any where in Spain, they feeding their Mules and Hor- 
fes with Straw ‘ At leaft one half of Spain is mountain- 
ous. The Spaniards are not fo abftinent as fome People 
take them to be, eating the beft they can get, and 
freely enough, if it be at another Man’s Coft, and in 
Inns never refufing Partridges, Qualls, Cfr. for the 
Dearnefs. Lazinefs and Slooth makes them poor, and 
Poverty makes them pinch their Bellies and fair hardly. 
They feldom mingle Water with their Wine, it be- 
ing a common Saying among them, Vino poco et puro, 
though all over Spain the Wine is very hot and 
ftrong. They delight much in Pimentone, i. e. Guiny 
Pepper, and mingle it with their Sauces. In roafting 
of Meat they never ufe a Dripping-pan, but draw the 
Coals juft under the Meat, which though it be not fo 
cleanly, yet is the quicker and more thrifty Way for 
faving of Fewel. They tear Rabbits in funder with 
their Hands, when they are almoft roafted, and ftew 
them in a Pot with Water and Pimentone. To toaft 
Bread they throve it upon the Coals. They long and 
ask for every Thing they fee, to avoid which, a Mer- 
chant that travelled with me was wont to put fomething 
into his Vidluals which they did not love. They take 
Tobacco much in Snuff, and if one take out a Box of 
Snuff, he muft give fome to all the Company. The 
beft Perlon in the Company, at Table, cuts and tears 
the Meat in Pieces, and gives to every Man his Share, 
They are moft impertinently inquifitive whence you 
come, whither you go, what Bufinefs you have •, moft 
horribly rude, infolent, and imperious, uncivil to Stran- 
gers, asking them. What do you come into our Coun- 
try for ? We do not go into yours ; i. e. this is to be 
underftood of the middle and inferior Sort of People, 
many of the Gentry being very civil and well bred. 
Their Children are the moft unmannerly and ill-bred 
of any in the World. The Sons of French Fathers and 
Spanijh Women, when they are grown up, often turn 
their Fathers out of Doors, having many Privileges 
above them for being born in Spain. They are ex- 
tremely given to Lying ; Almuzzos, and fuch Kind of 
Fellows, not to be believed or trufted in any Thing they 
promife. They ride altogether upon Mules, and carry 
their Portmanteaus befor^ them, for fear they fhould 
be loft or ftolen from behind them ; they lie between 
a high Pummel of the Saddle and an Iron Hook. In- 
ftead of Stirrops, Perfons of Quality ufe great Clogs of 
Wood, of the Shape of Shoes without Heels. They 
cut away the Mules Hair clofe to the Skin under the 
Saddles and Portmanteaus to avoid Galling. Of this 
Baftard Breed of Animals, the Males are ufually bigger 
than the Females. ^ Whether the Reafon be that 
they are always bred of a Mare and an He-Afs. They 
pils very often. Whether the Reafon be the Sharp- 
nefs of their Urine, or the Smallnefs of their Bladder ? 
Book II. 
They pifs almoft always when they gb through Water. 
They fhoe them with Shoes a deal broader than their 
Feet, to prevent^ I fuppofe, the breaking of their 
Hoofsi Under the Mouths of their Mules of Burthen, 
they ufually hang a Net with Provender in it. Thefe 
Beafts are better at climbing of Mountains than Horfes, 
Imve a greater Courage to endure Jong and hard’ 
Travel, and, befides, are maintained at Jefs Charge. 
The Spaniards feldom ride alone, but ftay for a 
Froppas, as they do for a Caravan in Arabia. The 
common Phrafes or Forms of Salutation, when they 
meet or pafs by one another, are, Guarda Bios vojies^ 
ii e. vous autres-, i. e. God defend you. Adios, i. e. 
Adieu. Vaga con Bios, i. e. God go along with you. 
When they are angry, Cornuto, i. e. Cuckold, is the firft 
Word, ^n 6 .^Q^[\e:i\mt^ Cornuti£imo. When they fpeak 
to their Mules, or Boys they fend of Errands, they fay 
Anda Cornuto, i, C; Go, Cuckold. AVhen they refufe a 
Courtefy or Complement to drink firft, go firft, or the 
like, they fay, Nanper vita mea, i. e. no, by my Life. 
At any Thing ftrange or ridiculous, they cry out, Cuerpo 
di Bios or di Chrijlo, i. e. Body of God or Body of Chrift. 
When they call to one to make him hear, inftead of 
Efcoutes in French, or Senti in Italian, they cry, O yes^ 
juft as Criers do in England. When they put off a 
Beggar, not giving him an Alms, they fay, Vodes per- 
donne, i. e. Good Friend, pardon or excufe me. As 
for their Religion, the Spaniards are the moft orthodox 
and rigid Romanijls in the World, it being a Saying 
among them, Faltando in uno punto a Bios, i. e. If you 
leave the Church in one Punffulio ; God be with you ; 
you muft needs be damned. All over Spain there are 
Abundance of pitiful wooden Croffes fet up in the 
Middle of Heaps of Stone. Under all the Pidures of 
the Virgin Mary is written, Concehida ftn peccado ori- 
ginale, i. e. conceived without original Sin. At the 
Ave Mary Bell, they all fall down upon their Knees ; 
whereas in other Countries they are contented only to 
pluck off their Hats. When they have done their De- 
votions, as alfo after their Meals, when they take away,' 
and when they go to Bed, they fay, Sia lodato il fan- 
tijftmo Sacramento, i. e. praifed be the moft holy Sacra- 
ment. 
For Fornication and Impurity, they are the worft of 
all Nations, at leaft in Europe ; almoft all the Inns in 
Andalufia, CaJUle, Granada, Murcia, &c. having Whores 
who drefs the Meat, and do all the Bufinefs. They 
are to be hired at a very cheap Rate. It were a Shame 
to mention their Impudence, Lewdnefs and immodeft 
Behaviour and Praflices. In Catalonia, Guipufcoa, and 
fome other Places, they are not fo bad. They are fo 
lazy, that in their Shops they will fay they have not a 
Commodity, rather than take Pains to look for it, not 
to be hired to carry a Portmanteau, go of an Errand, 
fsfr. but at an exceffive Rate. Mercers never tie up 
any Thing they fell, and if they allow Paper, they only 
rudely mumble up the Commodities in it. Of their 
fantaftical and ridiculous Pride, and that too in the ex- 
tremeft Poverty, all the World rings. If there be any 
Employment that you would let them about, which, 
they think themfelves too good for, they prefen tly lay. 
Send for a Frenchman. Indeed, the French do almoft 
all the Work in Spain. All the beft Shops are kept by 
Frenchmen, the beft Workmen in every Kind 2LVt French, 
and, I believe, near one Fourth or one Fifth Part of 
the People in Spain are of that Nation. I have heard 
fome Travellers fay, that Ihould the King France re- 
call his Subjects out of Spain, the Spaniards would hazard 
b^ing all ftarved to Death. 
Bread is very fcarce and very dear in many Places of 
Spain, becaufe of the Barren nefs of the Soil, and Want 
of Rain, but chiefly becaufe of the Sloth of the People 
m letting a great deal of Ground lie untilled, and in 
not taking the Pains to fetch Corn and Bread from 
thofe Places where there is Plenty. So that in a Day’s 
Journey the Price of Bread will be trebled, and in 
another Day’s Journey fall as mUch again. This Sum- 
mer there was a Tumult at Madrid, the poor People 
gathering about the King’s Palace, cried out. Let the 
King live, but let the ill Government die ; let Exadlors 
Mr. Willoughby’j Travels 
1 
