The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes
Yet they are included in recent Spanish editions, which is much to be
deplored. For the work itself is a classic. In at least two instances
the Dictionary of the Spanish Academy refers to _Lazarillo de Tormes_
as an authority for the meaning of words.
ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS
_Lazarillo de Tormes_ was first translated into English by David
Rowlands of Anglesey. He called it _The Pleasant History of Lazarillo
de Tormes drawn out of Spanish_. It was published by Abel Jeffes in
the Fore Street without Grepell-gate near Groube Street at the sign
of the Bell, and dedicated to Sir Thomas Gresham. It contains the
Prologue, and a short chapter at the end about Lazaro’s continued
prosperity, which is not in the first edition of 1554. This is the best
translation. It was published in 1586.
A new edition appeared in 1596, also published by Abel Jeffes, who had
then removed to the Blacke Fryers near Puddle Wharfe. There were twenty
editions or reprints, and _Lazarillo_ was exceedingly popular with the
Elizabethan reading public.
James Blakiston brought out a new edition in 1653 dedicated to Lord
Chandos. It consists of the translation by David Rowlands, omitting the
Prologue, and of a translation of the spurious second part by Juan de
Luna. Another edition appeared in 1669, another in 1677. The title is
_The Excellent History of Lazarillo de Tormes, the witty Spaniard_.
In 1726 there appeared _The Life and Adventures of Lazarillo de Tormes,
with twenty curious copper cuts_. In 1727 the nineteenth edition was
published. This version is a bad translation, omits the Prologue, and
includes the spurious second parts.
The worst performance of all was the edition of 1789 in two volumes.
The type is better, but it is a very careless reprint of a bad
translation. It omits the execrable illustrations of the earlier
editions. Spanish names are scarcely recognisable. Gelves is called
“the battle of Geleas!” for Escalona we have “Evealona.”
All these translations are from late editions; none from the first
edition.
NOTES ON THE CHARACTER OF LAZARO
The conception of the author, Don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, was first
to portray a boy, with everything against him, rising from the lowest
rank of society to a prosperous condition, and to give a humorous
account of his adventures; and secondly, to satirise certain types of
men, the products of the age in which he wrote, through the medium of
his boy hero.
The author himself was a boy at the time, or at least a very young man,
a student at Salamanca. He had no model, and the conception was quite
original. He makes Lazarillo de Tormes a boy of his own age. [Sidenote:
The author made Lazaro’s age coincide with his own.] Don Diego was born
in 1503. Assuming Lazarillo to have been born in 1503,[6] he was about
10 years old when he took service with the blind man, three years with
his first three masters, and 14 years old when he took service with
the seller of Indulgences. He carried on the business of water-carrier
from the ages of 15 to 19, and was 20 when he married. That would bring
him to 1523. The next year, when the Cortes met at Toledo, is made
to be the year when Lazarillo de Tormes wrote the story of his life.
Doubtless it was the year when Don Diego really completed his little
romance, also aged 21.
[6] Lazarillo was about eight years old when his father went in
the Gelves expedition in 1510.
In conceiving the character of Lazaro it is likely that the young
student had in his mind what he himself might have been, if he had been
born in the same obscurity. [Sidenote: The author’s conception of the
two destinies.] “The two destinies”[7] were framed out of a noble and
an ignoble birth, success in the latter case being far more meritorious
than in the former. We find this reflection in the last sentence of the
Prologue, where Don Diego points out how much more those have done who,
not being favoured by noble birth, have, nevertheless, by cleverness
and force of character, arrived at a good estate. If this idea of a boy
such as the author, but without his noble birth and other advantages,
was in Don Diego’s mind, we should expect to find Lazaro portrayed as
a boy of a naturally good disposition and fine instincts, whose bad
qualities were due to his lowly birth and vicious surroundings. It is
just such a boy as this that Don Diego presents to us.
[7] See Sir Francis Doyle’s poem.
Nothing could be worse than poor Lazaro’s home. His mother was a widow
who had intimacies with a groom of Moorish blood, had a child by him,
and lived on the proceeds of his thieving, while Lazaro was employed to
dispose of the stolen goods. [Sidenote: Lazaro’s baneful surroundings
as a child. His mother not unfeeling.] When they were found out, the
widow’s position became most precarious. Just then the wonderfully
clever and plausible blind man appeared on the scene. He offered what,
in comparison with the boy’s lot with his mother, seemed to be a decent
provision. She is accused of unfeeling conduct in thus parting with
her son. I do not think this is intended. The poor woman did what she
thought was best for the child, and their parting was sorrowful and
affectionate. Don Diego made her a thief and worse, but not a mother
without feeling.
The account of the professional cleverness and knowledge of the blind
man is very interesting, but, in spite of it all, the little boy seems
to have held his own to some extent with the old rascal. [Sidenote:
Capital stories most amusingly told.] The trick with the half blancas,
the story of the wine, and of the bunch of grapes, are capitally
told and very amusing. It is true that the old man was handicapped by
his blindness, though his strength, cleverness, and experience made
up for it. He treated Lazaro abominably, but it must be acknowledged
that, great as the provocation was, the boy’s revenge was cruel and
unfeeling. He was sorry afterwards, for he wrote that his understanding
was blinded in that hour.
The boy’s ingenious ways of getting at the provisions of his second
master, who was starving him, are capitally and most amusingly told.
But the funniest and most witty story in the book is the boy’s terror
at the coffin he believed to be coming to the house, and the reason he
thought so.
With the first two masters it was an incessant fight against
starvation. Lazaro’s resourceful ingenuity was conspicuous, and, under
the circumstances, he had a perfect right to use all his wits against
the wretches who ill-treated him. But there was no opportunity of
bringing out his finer qualities.
With the third master it was very different. He was a penniless
esquire, starving himself, and so excessively proud that he thought
only of concealing his poverty. Lazaro had to resort to begging, and so
he kept his poor master, as well as himself, alive. Here Lazaro comes
out in an excellent light. [Sidenote: Lazaro’s higher qualities shown
in his intercourse with the esquire.] He was not only kind-hearted
and generous, but he showed tact and a wish to avoid hurting the poor
proud creature’s feelings. Don Diego thus shows his hero in the light
of one of nature’s gentlemen. The esquire’s account of himself, and
his views of honour and its obligations are interesting, as showing a
type of character which was common in Spain in those days. It was more
elaborately portrayed by Cervantes.
Lazaro is made to tell the story of the seller of Indulgences, and a
very amusing story it is, no doubt true to life. For it aroused the
anger of the Inquisition, and was expurgated from future editions.
But Lazaro merely appears as a narrator; and his character is not
developed; though it is in the rapid sketch of his rise to prosperity.
[Sidenote: Development of Lazaro’s character.] He was a lad who was
liked. His girl-friends who were kind to him in adversity, as well as
the archpriest and many others who were good friends when he rose to
prosperity, showed that he was a favourite among those with whom he
came in contact.
His marriage brought him great advantages. Critics have called it
disgraceful, because we are told that evil tongues suggested that the
girl had been the archpriest’s mistress. But there is nothing in the
narrative to justify the belief that the evil tongues did not lie. On
the contrary, the conclusion is the other way, and the story ends with
a defence of his wife by Lazaro himself.
The work is the production of a genius. [Sidenote: Merits of the work.]
Its originality, and the admirable way in which the stories in it are
told make it deserving of a wider audience, though of course it is well
known to students of the literature of Europe. Seldom has so much wit,
fun, and wisdom been gathered into so small a compass.
PROLOGUE
I hold it to be good that such remarkable things as have happened to
me, perhaps never before seen or heard of, should not be buried in the
tomb of oblivion. [Sidenote: Reasons for relating all the circumstances
of his life.] It may be that some one who reads may find something
that pleases him. For those who do not go very deep into the matter
there is a saying of Pliny “_that there is no book so bad that it does
not contain something that is good_.”[8] Moreover, all tastes are not
the same, and what one does not eat another will. Thus we see things
that are thought much of by some, depreciated by others. Hence no
circumstance ought to be omitted, how insignificant soever it may be,
but all should be made known, especially as some fruit might be plucked
from such a tree.
[8] Cervantes knew his _Lazarillo_ well. He copies this quotation
and puts it into the mouth of the curate when he was examining
the books of Don Quixote.
If this were not so, very few would write at all, for it cannot be
done without hard work.
[Sidenote: Motives of authors not to gain money, but to win fame.]
Authors do not wish to be recompensed with money, but by seeing that
their work is known and read, and, if it contains anything that is
worthy, that it is praised. On this point Tully says: “Honour creates
the arts.” Think you that the soldier who is first on the ladder cares
less for his life than the others? Certainly not. It is the desire for
fame that leads him to seek such danger. It is the same in the arts
and in letters. We say: “The Doctor preaches very well and he is one
who desires much the welfare of souls,” but ask him whether he is much
offended when they say, “How wonderfully your reverence has done it!”
So also in arms, men report how such an one has jousted wretchedly, and
he has given his arms to a jester because he praised him for using his
lances so well. What would he have given if he had been told the truth?
Now that all things go in this manner, I confess that I am not more
righteous than my neighbours. I write in this rough style, and all who
may find any pleasure in it will be satisfied to know that there lives
a man who has met with such fortunes, encountered such dangers, and
suffered such adversities. I beseech your Honour that you will accept
the poor service of one who would be richer if his power was equal to
his desire. Well, your Honour! This author writes what he writes, and
relates his story very fully.
It seemed to him that he should not begin in the middle, but quite at
the beginning, [Sidenote: Success of the poor should be a lesson to
the rich.] so that there might be a full notice of his personality,
and also that those who inherit noble estates may consider how little
fortune owes them, having been so very partial to them in its gifts;
and how much more those have done who, not being so favoured, have, by
force and management, arrived at a good estate.
I
LAZARO RELATES THE WAY OF HIS BIRTH AND TELLS WHOSE SON HE IS