ole period been unable
to obtain a master in need of his services, so that he was brought nearly
to the verge of desperation; but that on the night immediately preceding
my arrival he had a dream in which he saw me, mounted on a black horse,
ride up to the gate of the _posada_, and that on that account he had been
waiting there during the greatest part of the day. I do not pretend to
offer any opinion concerning this narrative, which is beyond the reach of
my philosophy, and shall content myself with observing that only two
individuals in Madrid, one of them Lord Clarendon (late Sir George
Villiers), were aware of my arrival in Spain. I was very glad to receive
him again into my service, as notwithstanding his faults, and he has
many, he has in many instances proved of no slight assistance to me in my
wanderings and Biblical labours, as indeed I have informed you on
previous occasions.

I was soon settled in my former lodgings, when one of my first cares was
to pay a visit to Lord Clarendon. I need not dilate on the particulars
of our interview; suffice it to say, that he received me with more than
usual kindness, and assured me that I might invariably rely upon him, if
I should ever chance to be in need of his assistance and protection. I
told him that it was not our intention to take any steps towards
preventing the civil or ecclesiastical authorities of Toledo from
destroying the Testaments seized at Ocana; and he smiled when I added
that the only wish we ventured to express concerning the matter was that,
in the event of these books, which contain the Word of God, being
committed to the flames, the said authorities, civil or ecclesiastic,
would commit the act with all the publicity possible.

My preparations for taking the field are now nearly completed, and within
forty hours I hope to commence operations. My first attempt will be made
in a large village [at] about a league's distance; and if it please the
Lord to permit me to succeed there, it is my intention to proceed to all
those villages or hamlets in the vicinity of Madrid hitherto not
supplied. I then wend towards the east, to a distance of about thirty
leagues. I have been very passionate in prayer during the last two or
three days; and I entertain some hope that the Lord has condescended to
answer me, as I appear to see my way with considerable clearness. It
may, of course, prove a delusion, and the prospects which seem to present
themselves may b