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Bruno, said the father, the author or founder of this order, was not originally of this, but of another. He had a holy brother of the same order, that was his cell-mate, or chamber-fellow, who was reputed by all that ever saw or knew him, for a person of exalted piety, and of a most exact holy life. This man, Bruno had intimately known for many years; and agreed, in his character, that general consent did him no more than justice, having never observed anything in any of his actions, that, in his opinion, could be offensive to God or man. He was perpetually at his devotions; and distinguishably remarkable for never permitting anything but pious ejaculations to proceed out of his mouth. In short, he was reputed a saint upon earth.

This man at last dies, and, according to custom, is removed into the chapel of the convent, and there placed with a cross fixed in his hands: soon after which, saying the proper masses for his soul, in the middle of their devotion, the dead man lifts up his head, and with an audible voice cried out, Vocatus sum. The pious brethren, as any one will easily imagine, were most prodigiously surprised at such an accident, and therefore they earnestly redoubled their prayers; when, lifting up his head a second time, the dead man cried aloud, Judicatus sum. Knowing his former piety, the pious fraternity could not then entertain the least doubt of his felicity; when, to their great consternation and confusion, he lifted up his head a third time, crying out in a terrible tone, Damnatus sum; upon which they incontinently removed the corpse out of the chapel, and threw it upon the dunghill.

Good Bruno, pondering upon these passages, could not fail of drawing this conclusion:-that if a person, to all appearance so holy and devout, should miss of salvation, it behoved a wise man to contrive some way more certain to make his calling and election sure. To that purpose he instituted this strict and severe order, with an injunction to them, sacred as any part, that every professor should always wear hair-cloth next his skin; never eat any flesh, not speak to one another, only, as passing by, to say, Memento mori.

This account I found to agree pretty well with what I had before heard; but at the same time, I found the redouble of it made but just the same impression it had at first made upon my heart. However, having made it my observation, that a spirit the least contradictory best carries a man

through Spain, I kept Father White company, and in humour, till we arrived at Victoria; where he added one thing, by way of appendix, in relation to the Carthusians, that every person of the society is obliged every day to go into their place of burial, and take up as much earth as he can hold at a grasp with one hand, in order to prepare his grave.

Next day we set out for Victoria. It is a sweet, delicious, and pleasant town. It received that name in memory of a considerable victory there obtained over the Moors. Leaving this place, I parted with Father White; he going where his affairs led him, and I to make the best of my way to Bilboa.

CHAPTER XI.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BISCAY AND OTHER TOWNS-ISLE OF CONFERENCE, AND INTERVIEW BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND SPAIN-NARROW ESCAPE FROM BEING DROWNED TEMPEST IN THE BAY OF BISCAY, AND MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE-ARRIVAL IN ENGLANDCONCLUSION.

ENTERING into Biscay, soon after I left Victoria, I was at a loss almost to imagine what country I was got into. By my long stay in Spain, I thought myself a tolerable master of the tongue; yet here I found myself at the utmost loss to understand landlord, landlady, or any of the family. I was told by my muleteer, that they pretend their language, as they call it, has continued uncorrupted from the very confusion of Babel; though, if I might freely give my opinion in the matter, I should rather take it to be the very corruption of all that confusion. Another rhodomontado they have (for in this they are perfect Spaniards), that neither Romans, Carthaginians, Vandals, Goths, or Moors, ever totally subdued them. And yet any man that has ever seen their country, might cut this knot without a hatchet, by saying truly, that neither Roman, Carthaginian, nor any victorious people, thought it worth while to make a conquest of a country so mountainous and so barren.

However, Bilboa must be allowed, though not very large, to be a pretty, clean, and neat town. Here, as in Amsterdam,

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they allow neither cart nor coach to enter; but everything of merchandise is drawn and carried upon sledges; and yet it is a place of no small account as to trade, and especially for iron and wool. Here I hoped to have met with an opportunity of embarking for England; but to my sorrow I found myself disappointed, and under that disappointment obliged to make the best of my way to Bayonne.

Setting out for which place, the first town of note that I came to was St. Sebastian. A very clean town, and neatly paved; which is no little rarity in Spain. It has a very good wall about it, and a pretty citadel. At this place I met with two English officers, who were under the same state with myself; one of them being a prisoner of war with me at Denia. They were going to Bayonne to embark for England as well as myself; so we agreed to set out together for Port Passage. The road from St. Sebastian is all over a wellpaved stone causeway; almost at the end whereof, there accosted us a great number of young lasses. They were all prettily dressed, their long hair flowing in a decent manner over their shoulders, and here and there decorated with ribbons of various colours, which wantonly played on their backs with the wind. The sight surprised my fellow-travellers no less than me; and the more, as they advanced directly up to us, and seized our hands. But a little time undeceived us, and we found what they came for; and that their contest, though not so robust as our oars on the Thames, was much of the same nature; each contending who should have us for their fare. For it is here a custom of time out of mind, that none but young women should have the management and profit of that ferry. And though the ferry is over an arm of the sea, very broad, and sometimes very rough, those fair ferriers manage themselves with that dexterity, that the passage is very little dangerous, and in calm weather very pleasant. In short, we made choice of those that best pleased us; who, in a grateful return, led us down to their boat under a sort of music, which they, walking along, made with their oars, and which we all thought far from being disagreeable. Thus were we transported over to Port Passage; not undeservedly accounted the best harbour in all the Bay of Biscay.

We stayed not long here after landing, resolving, if possible, to reach Fonterabia before night; but all the expedition we could use, little availed; for before we could reach hither,

the gates were shut, and good nature and humanity were so locked up with them, that all the rhetoric we were masters of could not prevail upon the governor to order their being opened; for which reason, we were obliged to take up our quarters at the ferry house.

When we got up the next morning, we found the waters so broad, as well as rough, that we began to inquire after another passage; and were answered, that at the Isle of Conterence, but a short league upwards, the passage was much shorter, and exposed to less danger. Such good reasons soon determined us: so, setting out, we got there in a very little time, and very soon after were landed in France. Here we found a house of very good entertainment; a thing we had long wanted, and much lamented the want of.

We were hardly well seated in the house, before we were made sensible, that it was the custom, which had made it the business of our host, to entertain all his guests at first coming in, with a prolix account of that remarkable interview between the two Kings of France and Spain. I speak safely now, as being got on French ground: for the Spaniard in his own country would have made me to know, that putting Spain after France had there been looked upon as a mere solecism in speech. However, having refreshed ourselves, to show our deference to our host's relation, we agreed to pay our respects to that famous little isle he mentioned: which, indeed, was the whole burthen of the design of our crafty landlord's relation.

When we came there, we found it a little oval island, overrun with weeds, and surrounded with reeds and rushes. Here, said our landlord, for he went with us, upon this little spot, were at that juncture seen the two greatest monarchs in the universe. A noble pavilion was erected in the very middle of it, and in the middle of that was placed a very large oval table; at which was the conference, from which the place received its title. There were two bridges raised; one on the Spanish side, the passage to which was a little upon a descent by reason of the hills adjacent; and the other upon the French side, which, as you see, was all upon a level. The music playing, and trumpets sounding, the two kings, upon a signal agreed upon, set forward at the same time; the Spanish monarch handing the infanta, his daughter, to the place of interview. As soon as they were entered the pavilion, on each

side, all the artillery fired, and both armies after that made their several vollies. Then the King of Spain advancing on his side the table with the infanta, the King of France advanced at the same moment on the other; till meeting, he received the infanta at the hands of her father, as his queen; upon which, both the artillery and small arms fired as before. After this was a most splendid and sumptuous entertainment; which being over, both kings retired into their several dominions; the King of France conducting his new queen to St. Jean de Luz, where the marriage was consummated; and the King of Spain returning to Port Passage.

After a relation so very inconsistent with the present state of the place, we took horse (for mule-mounting was now out of fashion), and rode to St. Jean de Luz, where we found as great a difference in our eating and drinking, as we had before done in our riding. Here they might be properly called houses of entertainment; though, generally speaking, till we came to this place, we met with very mean fare, and were poorly accommodated in the houses where we lodged.

A person, that travels this way, would be esteemed a man of a narrow curiosity, who should not desire to see the chamber where Louis le Grand took his first night's lodging with his queen. Accordingly, when it was put into my head, out of an ambition to evince myself a person of taste, I asked the question, and the favour was granted me, with a great deal of French civility. Not that I found anything here, more than in the Isle of Conference, but what tradition only had rendered remarkable.

St. Jean de Luz is esteemed one of the greatest village towns in all France. It was in the great church of this place, that Louis XIV., according to marriage articles, took before the high altar the oath of renunciation to the crown of Spain, by which all the issue of that marriage were debarred inheritance, if oaths had been obligatory with princes. The natives here are reckoned expert seamen, especially in whale fishing. Here is a fine bridge of wood; in the middle of which is a descent, by steps, into a pretty little island; where is a chapel, and a palace belonging to the Bishop of Bayonne. Here the queen dowager of Spain often walks to divert herself; and on this bridge, and in the walks on the island, I had the honour to see that princess more than once.

This villa not being above four leagues from Bayonne, we