they were well Mann'd Within the City I observ'd no regular Militia only a Muster of a few ragged Rogues which don't deserve the Name of a Regiment for neither Government nor Discipline appears among 'em yet these Rascals are so Insolent that a Stranger wou'd be in danger of his Life if he shou'd refuse to give the most beggarly among 'em the Wall and the Salute They have three Gates which are open'd and shut every Morning and Evening each of 'em guarded with the Officers of the Customs and I think they make little use of 'em but to that purpose nor that neither effectually for nothing here is more common than to run Goods ashore and carry Mony out either by Stratagem or the Connivance of the Officers At the Sounding of the Oraison Bell these Gates are all shut and the Keys carry'd to the Governor and upon no Terms to be deliver'd out again unless on very important Necessities The first and principal is called Puerta de la Sevilla because the Boats which Trade between Sevil and this City lie before it the Second is called Puerta de la Mar because here the Captains and Masters of Ships generally come a Shore and the third Puerta de la Tierra because it is the Key which opens to the Island But since I have mention'd the Oration give me leave to acquaint you That the custom of the Evening Prayer is here perform'd with wonderful Devotion not but that I know 't is in all Catholick Countries observ'd less or more but here it is done with so much severity that not one Person be who he will who is at that time in the Streets tho' the weather be never so dirty but falls down on his Knees in the very place where he stood and in that Posture gives up his Thanksgivings for the Mercies of the Day And surely there is in this custom an exceeding show of Piety not to be met with among our pretended reformers those zealots who have elop'd from the Church and now set up for Christians more Spiritualiz'd than we It was no small pleasure to me My Dear Brunet to see those obstinate Hereticks obey this custom of falling down on their Knees at the call of a Catholick Signal and bemire their lac'd Coats to conform with a Religion they so much rail against but 't was their Fear of being knockt on the Head and not their Devotion which made 'em comply and they were so much in the right on 't as to save their Bones tho' they ventur'd at what they themselves call Idolatry as indeed they impiously call most of our Devotions Soon as this is over the City is on all Sides shut in and 't is then impossible to get out and this is the only Face of a Garrison which I cou'd see among ' em 'T is almost incredible the Opulence and Traffick of this City there 's scarce a Nation upon Earth that has not sent some of its Natives to Trade here and among these there 's such Diversity and Confusion of Habits and Languages that at high Change which is always at Eleven in the Morning the Scene looks like an Opera and the Eye is filled with Show and Figure But 't is a strange Thing to consider that among such Crowds of all Countries there is hardly one Spaniard to be seen these are so Lazy or so Proud that they give ' emselves no manner of Exercise for they had rather Starve than Work If they had not the best Country in the World their Condition wou'd be very Miserable and as it is they can but barely Live for notwithstanding their Ostentation there 's the Curse of Poverty in all their Families At the time of Exchange one may see some of all the Kingdoms of the Earth negotiating their private Affairs which are mostly levelled against the Interest of Spain so that when I consider'd this strange Medley I cou'd not chuse but commend what I had once in Holland seen of a Picture which show'd the King of Spain lolling on a Table cover'd with Pieces of Eight with the King of England and the States of Holland on each Hand raking from under his Arms the shining Metal the Genoeses behind his Chair making Grimaces at him and the King of France snatching it before his Face whether he wou'd or no And indeed 't is literally true for all Nations prey upon him and either by Wile or Force get most of his Treasure out of his Country How shou'd it else be For there 's not another Kingdom in Europe has any Mines of its own and tho' the French and English have a small Trade with Guinea and bring sometimes Dust from thence yet that is so small a Parcel of the Riches of both Countries that it must be confest the Body of their Treasure must come from hence and so be disperst thro' all Parts of the World to the utter Subversion of the Spanish Power And were it not for their Possessions which they still hold in America they wou'd inevitably fall before every Prince that cou'd draw an Army against 'em and be reduc'd to Nothing But to return to Cadiz The Goverment of the City is in the Hands first of the Government and next to him of the Alcalde the first is for the Regulation of the Military as the latter of the Civil Affairs and between these Two are frequent Disputes about Prerogatives which are generally determin'd in Favour of the Governour who has a Power such as it is to awe and intimidate the Civil Magistrate who in so deprav'd a Reign may complain of the Usurpation of his Rival to no Purpose in the World At our first Arrival Don Pedro de Velasco was Governour who was afterwards presented to the Viceroyate of Catalonia a Man suppos'd to be in the Interests of France and supported by the Authority of his Father who is Constable of Castile and one of the prime Ministers of State The Conduct of this Governour was highly Censur'd when Admiral Tourvile lay before this Place for as it is reported there was a private Correspondence between 'em and the Governor openly regal'd him with several great Presents to Bribe him from any Hostilities and to gain the good Will of the French Merchants who were not wanting to reward him Here is an excellent Market for Fish and Fruit but as for Meat I have seen more on one Butchers Stall in London than in all the Shambles here All manner of tame and wild Fowl are scarce tho' I have sometimes seen of both Sorts exceeding good but in no plentiful manner for these are Forestall'd before they come to Market and they who can't go to the Price of 'em must Feast on Herbs or eat their Fish as their Daily Food and thank God for Blessing 'em with the Neighbourhood of the Sea Their Pork indeed is the best in the World but their Mutton Beef and Veal the worst for whatever becomes of all their Cattel there is little
Friends in Heav'n which were constantly ply'd to for that Purpose And now I shall shut up my long Letter without troubling you with any other Adventures but I hope in few Months more to find you some other Diversion for I have made an Acquaintance in this Place which will furnish me with all Occurrences that are worth hearing Till then I release you from any further importunity and remain Your most Devoted Friend R Cadiz Dec. 4th 1694. POSTCRIPT IF you intend to Honour me with any of yours let 'em be directed for me here The Method of this Post-Office is very extraordinary and I can't miss of any of your Favours if you write between this and May. There 's such a Number of Strangers in this City that ' twouâ—d be impossible to know every Man by his Name or almost by the Place of his Dwelling therefore the Officers of the Postage order their Business thus When the Mail arrives the Clerks write down the Number upon every Letter from One perhaps to 1000 as many as there are and then the Copy of the Names as they are Superscrib'd is writ down on a Table kept for that Purpose putting opposite to the Name the Number that lies upon his Letter and this Table always hangs in the Passage where every one who comes to inquire looks if there be one for him and if he finds his Name in the Alphabet of the Table he takes notice of the Number and goes in to the Clerk who always attends for that end and reporting his Number his Letter is presently found LETTER II. NOW again I have got something to entertain my dear Brunet with but how agreable it may be to him I am not positive to determine tho' I have taken some Pains to find him Matter of Diversion and if I give him half so much Entertainment as I receive in furnishing my self with Adventures to please him I shall think my Time and my Toil amply rewarded As I told you in my last I had now leisure enough to make my Observation of every thing I saw and heard and when I got leave to go Ashore to Cales which I inform'd you were our Winter Quarters I drest my self in the Habit of my own Country and went to see some French Merchants I was recommended to who were very glad to receive me And I so well pleas'd them with the Relation of my Undertaking that I made my self many good Friends among ' em There are great Numbers of French over all this Kingdom and I have been told that in Madrid alone there are Forty Thousand who follow their several Vocations generally under the disguise of Flemings Whenever I had any curiosity to see the Rarities of this Town one or other of my Friends always accompany'd me to protect me from the insults of the Spaniards who are very Inhospitable to Strangers And where ever we went I found our Countrymen well esteem'd notwithstanding their national Prejudices for being accounted as indeed they generally are Wealthy the Fame of such a Character draws some Veneration from the People The City of Cadiz is a very ancient City the Foundation of it having been laid by the Phoenicians It is Situate on the Skirt of the Island famous heretofore for being the Habitation of Geryon the Antagonist of Hercules who is said to have carry'd away the Herds of Cattle which graz'd in this Fruitful Pasture and at this Day the Pasture is so rich that Cattle will die of Fatness within 30 Days unless they be let Blood and to say true the whole Province is so exuberantly Rich that in the Time of the Carthaginians before the first Punick War it was a Temptation to those warlike Invaders to make War against it which they did so successfully that all that part of Spain was Conquer'd by 'em tho' afterwards the Romans sent their Armies hither against the Carthaginians and in process of Time the African Scipio Conquer'd it and made it an Appendix of the Roman Empire This Island by Mariana's Account was formerly 700 Paces from the Continent and had 300 Leagues circumference What he means by so extravagant a Measure is beyond my Apprehension for tho' I have often Pac d it round to examine if there were any Footsteps of so unlikely a Compass I cou'd never find 'em for at this Day it is no more than 3 Leagues about and the River that parts it from the Continent is so narrow that a Bridge of 6 Arches strides it over But as to the Situation of the Land every School-Boy knows Hercules concluded his Ramble here and left his Name to those Two great Hills Calpe and Abyla which front each other from Africa and Europe which are to this Day and will be to all Posterity called his Pillars as if he had erected 'em for the Boundaries of his Conquest It was many Years afterwards the Vrbs Gaditana of the Romans and one of their Magazines for furnishing their Transports in their Maritime Expeditions The City is not extraordinary large but so full of People that no Habitation in the World can boast of greater Numbers and for Magnificence of Churches Convents and private Houses neither Paris nor London Germany or Italy can out go it The Fortifications are not the best that I have seen for all the backside which fronts the Southward is naked but on the Angle they have built a small Fort into the Sea which they call St. Sebastians and in time of War it may serve to prevent a descent on that Quarter But the front which looks upon the Bay is well walled and mounted with good store of fine Brass Cannon and serves for the Evening Walk of the Merchants and other Inhabitants Higher up towards the Bay is a Neck of Land which runs like an Isthmus between the two Seas lately Fortify'd and indeed I think impregnable and they have good Reason to guard that Place well for it was on that Side the famous Descent was made by the English Generals Essex and Rawleigh whoâ— in one Day they Sackt this wealthy City and laid it in Ashes A Mile without these Works stands the Castle of Puntal a small well built Garrison but ill Arm'd and more negligently Guarded For I don't know what use they make of it but to lay up the Plate and Mony which contrary to the Statutes of their Country they provide for the Genoeses and other Ships which come here for that Purpose and from hence to convey it aboard 'T is true this Castle and the other opposite to 't on the other side of the Bay made some resistance when Essex invaded 'em but it was so small that he was not twelve Hours in gaining 'em and in beating the Garrison out The other that I nam'd is built on purpose to Countenance this and to oppose the Passage of an Enemy into the Creeks and not being above a Cannon Shot asunder it wou'd prove hard for a Man of War to go between 'em if
Mony arriving from Africk Scituate in a Peninsula but so impregnably Fortify'd in the time of Scipio that but for a Stratagem he wou'd never have taken it Memorable likewise for the Piety of that General who wou'd not see those Spanish Beauties which were presented to him least they shou'd betray him to Incontinency By Constantine it was made the chief City of the Province which took its Name from it but this not being intended for a History I have done 'T is now a Populous and Beautiful City well Fortify'd and has a good Harbour I shou'd have mention'd Alicant in the Kingdom of Valentia famous for the Wines it sends to all Parts Over this City is a Castle on the Top of a Prodigious High and Steep Hill 't is a hard Journey to 't if you set out at Noon as we did and when you are in it you meet with very little to reward your Labour the only thing I Remember worth Writing is that at our going in our Company were stript of their Swords but had them restor'd at their going away this Caution may be necessary for t wou'd be no difficult matter for half a Dozen Brisk fellows to roll the Garrison down the Hill At the bottom of this stands that Celebrated Place well known to the English Sailors by the Name of Mount-Whoredom and it well deserves such an Epithite for there is not such another spot of Ground in Europe for all manner of Pollutions Lower down lies Malaga and Velez Malaga the first not to mention the History is a Town of great Traffick for Almonds Raisins and the Wines of that Name 'T is a Rich Populous and Strong Place full of all Nations but especially of English whose Merchandize is its chief Reputation The latter is still Famous for being in the Neighbourhood of those Hills where there is a small remnant of the old Moors who still speak the Arabick Language from those hills may be seen the whole course of the Straits of Gibralter the Cities of Ceuta and Tangier in Africk Next we come to Gibralter formerly Heracela Built by Hercules at the very entrance into the Mediterranean a small Town but very Strong of little or no Commerce the English Consul here being in Deputation from him of Malaga Here the Sea is so narrow that 't is a common thing for the Moors from Africk to cross and Land in the Night and carry a way whole Villages into Slavery On the point of the Calpe one of the Fabulous Pillars of Hercules stands a little Chappel sacred to all Catholicks who sail by who alwaies Salute it with their Guns because it is the most Westerly in Europe I 'll Close this Letter with acquainting you That after a Pleasant Voyage we arriv'd at Cales where we were Welcom'd after a more grateful manner than ever and where nothing was to be heard but Universal applause of the General for the whole Series of this Summers Expedition Health and long Life to him and Prosperity to the Arms of England remaining in the Sincerest manner Your most Devoted Friend and Servant R. Cadiz September 18th 95. LETTER V. My Dear Brunett THE Winter being again our long Vacation I began to indulge my â—elf in all the Pleasures so much leisure might afford me The first undertaking I had was to Ride to St. Lucar in company with my old Friend the French Merchant who had an acquaintance in that place But before I wou'd undertake my Journey I wou'd make my Comrade promise to Club for a Calash having had enough of their Pack-saddles and Mules in my ramble to Xeres I found no difficulty in perswading him I sound much more to prevail with him to let me bear half the Charge in which I wou'd not be deny'd I had not rid one of the 4 Leagues we were to goe but the dam'd Calash was so uneasy that I cou'd not chuse but think of the death of being broken on the Wheel Certainly next to the Wheel there is no Rack on Earth like this sort of Carriages but tho' our Calash was the Devil our Mules were swift which in an Hour and a half ran us to St. Lucar which was four long Leagues and the end of our Stage St. Lucar was the Templum Luciferi of the Ancients from the Temple of Venus which stood there that Star being sometimes called Lucifer and of later years very famous for being the Port belonging to Sevil where that Wonder of Cities loaded and unloaded all her Bullion which came to her from America But since Cales has got the Ascendant of Sevil in her Trade she is mightily decay'd and consequently this Town which sits upon the Channel that goes up to 't is proportionably lessen'd Not that 't is now poor or ill built but as formerly she was so large that she contended for the place of the Second City in Andaluzia so we now wonder there shou'd be so little to shew for all that Boast which she made in the fulness of her Glory It is still a good Town and has daily Intercourse with Cales and Sevil by its Barco Longo's which pass every Tide between the two great Cities and is indifferently supported by this Second-hand Trade The Governour has a stately House scituate on a Hill almost inaccessible that looks all over the Town the River and the Country almost as high as Sevil. Here are but few Monasteries but those very well built and richly endow'd Among 'em is a little College erected for the English Refugees and dedicated to St. George The Foundation of this College is just as Ancient as what the English call the Reformation that is as their Apostacy from the Catholick Church and was laid for the Reception of those persecuted Catholicks who fled for their Religion in the Reign of that Scourge of the Catholick Faith Queen Elizabeth At this time there were but three Fathers in 't but they live the better for their being so few having all the Revenues in their own disposal We saw but little here to please our Curiosity unless you 'll esteem this one that tho' the Fathers were Englishmen born and bred in England yet by so long a disuse of their own Language they had almost forgot to speak it and when I wou'd have talk'd to 'em in their own Tongue they answer'd in Spanish and were not to be got out of that Language into their own In my many Conversations with these Religious I had more than once met with such an Adventure before particularly after I had seen the Carthusian Monastery at Xeres I went into the Town to visit an English Nun who had been much fam'd for her Beauty She indeed deserv'd that Character which was given her for I never saw any thing more Charming Her Name was Philippa Ward Daughter to an eminent Merchant of that Name who liv'd at Puerto desancta Maria and in her Infancy had put this Girl into this Convent When I found this fair Creature so agreeable I