Skippers of Padron - Caldas de los Reyes - Pontevedra - The Notary Public -Insane Barber - An Introduction - Gallegan Language - Afternoon Ride -Vigo - The Stranger - Jews of the Desert - Bay of Vigo -Sudden Interruption - The Governor.
After a stay of about a fortnight at Saint James, we again mounted our horses and proceeded in the direction of Vigo.As we did not leave Saint James till late in the afternoon, we travelled that day no farther than Padron, a distance of only three leagues.This place is a small port, situate at the extremity of a firth which communicates with the sea.It is called for brevity's sake, Padron, but its proper appellation is Villa del Padron, or the town of the patron saint; it having been, according to the legend, the principal residence of Saint James during his stay in Galicia.By the Romans it was termed Iria Flavia.It is a flourishing little town, and carries on rather an extensive commerce, some of its tiny barks occasionally finding their way across the Bay of Biscay, and even so far as the Thames and London.
There is a curious anecdote connected with the skippers of Padron, which can scarcely be considered as out of place here, as it relates to the circulation of the Scriptures.Iwas one day in the shop of my friend the bookseller at Saint James, when a stout good-humoured-looking priest entered.He took up one of my Testaments, and forthwith burst into a violent fit of laughter."What is the matter?" demanded the bookseller."The sight of this book reminds me of a circumstance": replied the other, "about twenty years ago, when the English first took it into their heads to be very zealous in converting us Spaniards to their own way of thinking, they distributed a great number of books of this kind amongst the Spaniards who chanced to be in London; some of them fell into the hands of certain skippers of Padron, and these good folks, on their return to Galicia, were observed to have become on a sudden exceedingly opinionated and fond of dispute.It was scarcely possible to make an assertion in their hearing without receiving a flat contradiction, especially when religious subjects were brought on the carpet.`It is false,' they would say; `Saint Paul, in such a chapter and in such a verse, says exactly the contrary.' `What can you know concerning what Saint Paul or any other saint has written?' the priests would ask them.`Much more than you think,' they replied; `we are no longer to be kept in darkness and ignorance respecting these matters:' and then they would produce their books and read paragraphs, making such comments that every person was scandalized; they cared nothing about the Pope, and even spoke with irreverence of the bones of Saint James.However, the matter was soon bruited about, and a commission was dispatched from our see to collect the books and burn them.This was effected, and the skippers were either punished or reprimanded, since which I have heard nothing more of them.I could not forbear laughing when I saw these books; they instantly brought to my mind the skippers of Padron and their religious disputations."Our next day's journey brought us to Pontevedra.As there was no talk of robbers in these parts, we travelled without any escort and alone.The road was beautiful and picturesque, though somewhat solitary, especially after we had left behind us the small town of Caldas.There is more than one place of this name in Spain; the one of which I am speaking is distinguished from the rest by being called Caldas de los Reyes, or the warm baths of the kings.It will not be amiss to observe that the Spanish CALDAS is synonymous with the Moorish ALHAMA, a word of frequent occurrence both in Spanish and African topography.Caldas seemed by no means undeserving of its name: it stands on a confluence of springs, and the place when we arrived was crowded with people who had come to enjoy the benefit of the waters.In the course of my travels I have observed that wherever warm springs are found, vestiges of volcanoes are sure to be nigh; the smooth black precipice, the divided mountain, or huge rocks standing by themselves on the plain or on the hill side, as if Titans had been playing at bowls.This last feature occurs near Caldas de los Reyes, the side of the mountain which overhangs it in the direction of the south being covered with immense granite stones, apparently at some ancient period eructed from the bowels of the earth.From Caldas to Pontevedra the route was hilly and fatiguing, the heat was intense, and those clouds of flies, which constitute one of the pests of Galicia, annoyed our horses to such a degree that we were obliged to cut down branches from the trees to protect their heads and necks from the tormenting stings of these bloodthirsty insects.Whilst travelling in Galicia at this period of the year on horseback, it is always advisable to carry a fine net for the protection of the animal, a sure and commodious means of defence, which appears, however, to be utterly unknown in Galicia, where, perhaps, it is more wanted than in any other part of the world.
Pontevedra, upon the whole, is certainly entitled to the appellation of a magnificent town, some of its public edifices, especially the convents, being such as are nowhere to be found but in Spain and Italy.It is surrounded by a wall of hewn stone, and stands at the end of a creek into which the river Levroz disembogues.It is said to have been founded by a colony of Greeks, whose captain was no less a personage than Teucer the Telemonian.It was in former times a place of considerable commerce; and near its port are to be seen the ruins of a farol, or lighthouse, said to be of great antiquity.
