Life of George Borrow , livre ebook

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pubOne.info present you this new edition. During the whole of Borrow's manhood there was probably only one period when he was unquestionably happy in his work and content with his surroundings. He may almost be said to have concentrated into the seven years (1833-1840) that he was employed by the British and Foreign Bible Society in Russia, Portugal and Spain, a lifetime's energy and resource. From an unknown hack-writer, who hawked about unsaleable translations of Welsh and Danish bards, a travelling tinker and a vagabond Ulysses, he became a person of considerable importance. His name was acclaimed with praise and enthusiasm at Bible meetings from one end of the country to the other. He developed an astonishing aptitude for affairs, a tireless energy, and a diplomatic resourcefulness that aroused silent wonder in those who had hitherto regarded him as a failure. His illegal imprisonment in Madrid nearly brought about a diplomatic rupture between Great Britain and Spain, and later his missionary work in the Peninsula was referred to by Sir Robert Peel in the House of Commons as an instance of what could be achieved by courage and determination in the face of great difficulties

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	06 novembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819948681
Langue	English

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PREFACE
During the whole of Borrow's manhood there wasprobably only one period when he was unquestionably happy in hiswork and content with his surroundings. He may almost be said tohave concentrated into the seven years (1833-1840) that he wasemployed by the British and Foreign Bible Society in Russia,Portugal and Spain, a lifetime's energy and resource. From anunknown hack-writer, who hawked about unsaleable translations ofWelsh and Danish bards, a travelling tinker and a vagabond Ulysses,he became a person of considerable importance. His name wasacclaimed with praise and enthusiasm at Bible meetings from one endof the country to the other. He developed an astonishing aptitudefor affairs, a tireless energy, and a diplomatic resourcefulnessthat aroused silent wonder in those who had hitherto regarded himas a failure. His illegal imprisonment in Madrid nearly broughtabout a diplomatic rupture between Great Britain and Spain, andlater his missionary work in the Peninsula was referred to by SirRobert Peel in the House of Commons as an instance of what could beachieved by courage and determination in the face of greatdifficulties.
Those seven rich and productive years realised tothe full the strange talents and unsuspected abilities of GeorgeBorrow's unique character. He himself referred to the period spentin Spain as the “five happiest years” of his life. When, however,his life came to be written by Dr Knapp, than whom no biographerhas approved himself more loyal or enthusiastic, it was found thatthe records of that period were not accessible. The letters that hehad addressed to the Bible Society had been mislaid. These came tolight shortly after the publication of Dr Knapp's work, andtype-written copies were placed at my disposal by the GeneralCommittee long before they were given to the public in volumeform.
A systematic search at the Public Record Office hasrevealed a wealth of unpublished documents, including a lengthyletter from Borrow relating to his imprisonment at Seville in 1839.From other sources much valuable information and many interestinganecdotes have been obtained, and through the courtesy of theirpossessor a number of unpublished Borrow letters are either printedin their entirety or are quoted from in this volume.
My thanks are due in particular to the Committee ofBritish and Foreign Bible Society for placing at my disposal thecopies of the Borrow Letters, and also for permission to reproducethe interesting silhouette of the Rev. Andrew Brandram, and to theRev. T. H. Darlow, M. A. (Literary Superintendent), whose uniformkindness and desire to assist me I find it impossible adequately toacknowledge. My thanks are also due to the Rt. Hon. Sir EdwardGrey, M. P. , for permission to examine the despatches from theBritish Embassy at Madrid at the Record Office, and the Registersof Passports at the Foreign Office, and to Mr F. H. Bowring (son ofSir John Bowring), Mr Wilfrid J. Bowring (who has placed at mydisposal a number of letters from Borrow to his grandfather), Mr R.W. Brant, Mr Ernest H. Caddie, Mr William Canton, Mr S. D. Charles,an ardent Borrovian from whom I have received much kindness andmany valuable suggestions, Mr A. I. Dasent, the editors of TheAthenaeum and The Bookman, Mr Thomas Hake, Mr D. B. Hill ofMattishall, Norfolk, Mr James Hooper, Mr W. F. T. Jarrold (forpermission to reproduce the hitherto unpublished portrait of Borrowpainted by his brother), Dr F. G. Kenyon, C. B. , Mr F. A. Mumby,Mr George Porter of Denbigh (for interesting particulars aboutBorrow's first visit to Wales), Mr Theodore Rossi, Mr TheodoreWatts-Dunton, Mr Thomas Vade-Walpole, who have all responded to myappeal for help with great willingness.
To one friend, who elects to be nameless, I amdeeply grateful for many valuable suggestions and much help; butabove all for the keen interest he has taken in a work which hefirst encouraged me to write. To her who gave so plentifully of herleisure in transcribing documents at the Record Office and inresearch work at the British Museum and elsewhere, I am indebtedbeyond all possibility of acknowledgment. To no one more than to MrJohn Murray are my acknowledgments due for his unfailing kindness,patience and assistance. It is no exaggeration to state that butfor his aid and encouragement this book could not have beenwritten.
HERBERT JENKINS.
January, 1912.
CHAPTER I: 1678-MAY 1816
On 28th July 1783 was held the annual fair atMenheniot, and for miles round the country folk flocked into thelittle Cornish village to join in the festivities. Among the throngwas a strong contingent of young men from Liskeard, a town threemiles distant, between whom and the youth of Menheniot an ancientfeud existed. In days when the bruisers of England were nationalheroes, and a fight was a fitting incident of a day's revelry, thevery presence of their rivals was a sufficient challenge to thechivalry of Menheniot, and a contest became inevitable. Someunrecorded incident was accepted by both parties as a sufficientcause for battle, and the two factions were soon fighting furiouslymidst collapsing stalls and tumbled merchandise. Women shrieked andfainted, men shouted and struck out grimly, whilst thestall-holders, in a frenzy of grief and despair, wrung their handshelplessly as they saw their goods being trampled to ruin beneaththe feet of the contestants.
Slowly the men of Liskeard were borne back by theirmore numerous opponents. They wavered, and just as defeat seemedinevitable, there arrived upon the scene a young man who, on seeinghis townsmen in danger of being beaten, placed himself at theirhead and charged down upon the enemy, forcing them back by theimpetuosity of his attack.
The new arrival was a man of fine physique, abovethe medium height and a magnificent fighter, who, later in life,was to achieve something of which a Mendoza or a Belcher might havebeen proud. He fought strongly and silently, inspiring his fellowtownsmen by his example. The new leader had entirely turned thetide of battle, but just as the defeat of the men of Menheniotseemed certain, a diversion was created by the arrival of the localconstables. Now that their own villagers were on the verge ofdisaster, there was no longer any reason why they should remain inthe background. They made a determined effort to arrest the leaderof the Liskeard contingent, and were promptly knocked down byhim.
At that moment Mr Edmund Hambley, a much-respectedmaltster and the headborough of Liskeard, was attracted to thespot. Seeing in the person of the outrageous leader of the battleone of his own apprentices, he stepped forward and threatened himwith arrest. Goaded to desperation by the scornful attitude of theyoung man, the master-maltster laid hands upon him, and instantlyshared the fate of the constables. With great courage anddetermination the headborough rose to his feet and again attemptedto enforce his authority, but with no better result. When he pickedhimself up for a second time, it was to pass from the scene of hishumiliation and, incidentally, out of the life of the young man whohad defied his authority.
The young apprentice was Thomas Borrow (bornDecember 1758), eighth and posthumous child of John Borrow and ofMary his wife, of Trethinnick (the House on the Hill), in theneighbouring parish of St Cleer, two and a half miles north ofLiskeard. At the age of fifteen, Thomas had begun to work upon hisfather's farm. At nineteen he was apprenticed to Edmund Hambley,maltster, of Liskeard, who five years later, in his officialcapacity as Constable of the Hundred of Liskeard, was to bepublicly defied and twice knocked down by his insubordinateapprentice.
A trifling affair in itself, this village fracas wasto have a lasting effect upon the career of Thomas Borrow. He wasgiven to understand by his kinsmen that he need not look to themfor sympathy or assistance in his wrongdoing. The Borrows ofTrethinnick could trace back further than the parish registersrecord (1678). They were godly and law-abiding people, who hadstood for the king and lost blood and harvests in his cause. If ason of the house disgrace himself, the responsibility must be his,not theirs. In the opinion of his family, Thomas Borrow had, by hisvigorous conduct towards the headborough, who was also his master,placed himself outside the radius of their sympathy. At this periodTrethinnick, a farm of some fifty acres in extent, was in the handsof Henry, Thomas' eldest brother, who since his mother's death, tenyears before, had assumed the responsibility of launching hisyoungest brother upon the world.
Fearful of the result of his assault on theheadborough, Thomas Borrow left St Cleer with great suddenness, andfor five months disappeared entirely. On 29th December he presentedhimself as a recruit before Captain Morshead, {3a} in command of adetachment of the Coldstream Guards, at that time stationed in theduchy.
Thomas Borrow was no stranger to military training.For five years he had been in the Yeomanry Militia, which involveda short annual training. In the regimental records he is creditedwith five years “former service. ” He remained for eight years withthe Coldstream Guards, most of the time being passed in Londonbarracks. He had no money with which to purchase a commission, andhis rise was slow and deliberate. At the end of nine months he waspromoted to the rank of corporal, and five years later he became asergeant. In 1792 he was transferred as Sergeant-Major to theFirst, or West Norfolk Regiment of Militia, whose headquarters wereat East Dereham in Norfolk.
It was just previous to this transfer that SergeantBorrow had his famous encounter in Hyde Park with Big Ben Bryan,the champion of England; he “whose skin was brown and dusky as thatof a toad. ” It was a combat in which “even Wellington or Napoleonwould have been heartily glad to cry for quarter ere the lapse offive minutes, and even the Blacksmith Tartar would, perhaps, haveshrunk from the