almost done, but as I am very little confident of my English, I require a great leisure to write to a man whose goodness is not well known to me as yours is. You may be sure, my Lord, that your observations will be always agreable and instructive to me, and that I will make use of them in the first opportunity. Be so kind as to present my humble respects to Lady Holland. I am, my Lord, yours faithfully, J. M. BLANCO. Seville, 10th of June, 1809. My Lord, I have seen with the greatest pleasure the approbation you are so kind as to give to my little Discourse on the accord of Monarchy and Liberty; and you may be sure that your friendly advices will be allways beneficial both to my publication and to the cause of our country. I therefore adopt the idea of writing another Discourse upon the plan you propose to me about nobility, which will be an appendix to a few lines on Equality that are already prepared for publishing. The hurry in which I am obliged to write keeps me always short from the perfection to which, according to my feeble talents, I would endeavour to reach; but I will be very happy if I can by these means excite the curiosity and interest of my countrymen for public bussnes. I am, my Lord, yours, J. M. BLANCO. My Lord, Seville, the 20th of Juin, 1809. I am very sorry to tell you that I have been stopped in my scheme of writing the Discourse upon Nobility, by our friend Quintana's advice. As we cannot write upon this subject without pursuing the many abuses which are the beloved objects of our Gentry, he thinks not proper to awake their pride, neither to give them the alarm against the general reformation. It is true that I cannot prevail upon myself not to give some strong hints against those prejudices, whenever I find an occassion. Though I acknowledge the advantages of that conciliating manner of writing which you recommend to me, I must own that I cannot temperate my indignation, when I consider this hideous crowd of Grandees, Hidalgos, and Churchmen, who will never be gained to any thing favourable to the good principles. Our friend, who is pretty inclined to this disposition of mind, prefers the adjournment of the struggle against the usurpations of our Nobility, to the necessity of yielding in the least to their extravagant pride. I assure you it must be a struggle, and no kind of transaction is a sufficient remedy. There is hardly a man in Spain who is not a nobleman: you will find, even amongst the beggars, who will boast of his ancestors. The generallity of this prejudice making it ridiculous, renders it in a great manner harmless in the populous towns; but it is not so in the villages, where two or three familys of hidalgos are sufficient to ruin all their neighbours, and to keep the poor in the most intolerable state of abjection. Nobility in our large towns is a sort of foolishness; in the country, a right to tyranny. We must leave Nobility stand as an unavoidable evil; but how shall we contrive to put all our hidalgos to one level, which is absolutely necessary? How can they be reduced to believe that a man who is newly incorporated in the Gentry must be entitled to equall rights with those who can show their genealogy to the age of the Deluge? Every family has a measure of their own to calculate the degrees of nobility, and every town is subdivided in many classes of hidalguia, whose members have no intercourse, no civil commerce one with the others. I cannot pass over these considerations, and will rather be silent for some time upon this point, than to be indulgent to this kind of people. The This is also the origin of our silence upon the Decree of Convocation. Every day I am more and more persuaded of the unlawfull intentions which are there concealed. generality of our rulers are displaying in an unveiled manner the true caracter of the Roman decemvirs; and we shall not be their support by praising, directly or indirectly, a Decree which they forward on purpose to appear as lovers of our rights, while they only aspire to perpetuate their power. I suppose that the introduction of our public paper in Germany ought to be the business of the Government: but they look more for an opportunity of forbidding the publication, than to the means of giving it any degree of importance. At the publication of every numero we are sure of a motion against it. I have been delighted with Cowper's verses, and I would endeavour to translate them into Spanish, if the genius of our Poetry could admit so much of a didactical character as the English and French. Yours affectionately, J. M. BLANCO. My Lord, The Espanol. (Vol. I. p. 180-208.) [No date.] I give you my warm thanks for the subscriptions to the Espanol, with which I have been favoured from your house, and most sincerely wish that it might by worthy of your approbation when published. I am not able to express the fatigue and trouble I have undergone in this first publication. I thought I would have a coadjutor in Mr. Abella, but we could not agree in Principles, and I was left to my own exertions when the time was very much advanced. You may conceive what is correcting a Spanish book printed in England: this and every other mechanical part of the work, together with the rest of troublesome arrangements, have fallen upon me, and I very probably see that I can entertain no hopes of being relieved for the future. The Government appears not inclined to support the Espanol. All Mr. Wellesley's solicitations to his father in my favour, have proved hitherto inefficacious, and I do not expect that the appearance of the first number might change the Marquis's mind, as he very likely will never read it. Things being in this situation, I must augment my exertions as far as it is my power, and endeavour to compensate the loss of a litterary speculation with the probable success of another, about which I take the liberty to request your advice. A selection of Spanish Old Comedies is a work which never has been performed. Huerta began his Teatro Espanol, but you know very well his corrupted taste and litterary extravagance. The work remained incomplete, and is by no means fit to give an idea of our stage. I think I would do a real service to the Amateurs of the Spanish language in England, by publishing a pretty edition which should contain the best plays of Lope de Vega, Moreto, and Calderon. A Preface, or introductory chapter, presenting a general view of the Spanish Comedy, and some critical remarks upon every play contained in the volume, would, I fancy, embellish the work and make it more interesting. In case you should think favourably of my plan, I am determined to steal some moments from the tedious Periodical Pamphlet, and to pursue constantly, though slowly, this more flattering scheme. I am so confident of your goodness towards me, that I owe the first idea of this work to the recollection of your Spanish books. I therefore expect that you will have the kindness to let me know whether I might peruse those which I may want for my purpose. I am, my Lord, Most faithfully yours, I am very P.S. I was just finishing this letter when I received your kind invitation, by the medium of Mr. Allen. happy in admitting it, and shall have the pleasure to dine with you on Tuesday. My Lord, 32, Upper Marylebone Street, July 10, 1810. I am not surprised to hear Quintana's opinion about the first number of the Espanol, for though I honour myself |