Miscellaneous prose works 5 Author:Walter Scott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XLIII. State ofmoralt and manners in Spain— The Nobility—the Middle dosses—the Lower Ranks — the indignation of the People strongly excited against th... more »e French.—Insurrection at Madrid on the 2d May.—Murat proclaims an amnesty, notwithstanding which, many Spanish prisoners are put to death.—King Charles appoints Murat Lieutenant- General of the Kingdom, and Ferdinand's resignation of the throne is announced.—Murat unfolds the plan of government to the Council of Castile, and addresses of submission are sent to Buonaparte from various quarters—Notables appointed to meet at Bayonne on 15th June—The flame of resistance becomes universal throughout Sjxiin. The government of Spain, a worn-out despotism lodged in the hands of a family of the lowest degree of intellect, was one of the worst in Europe; and the state of the nobility, speaking in general, (for there were noble exceptions,) seemed scarce less degraded. The incestuous practice of marrying within the near degrees of propinquity, had long existed, with its usual consequences, the dwarfing of the body, and degeneracy of the understanding. The education of the nobility was committed to the priests, who took care to give them no lights beyond Catholic bigotry. The custom of the country introduced them to premature indulgences, andthey ceased to be children, without arriving either at the strength or the intellect of youth. The middling classes, inhabitants of towns, and those who followed the learned professions, had not been so generally subjected to the same withering influence of superstition and luxury. In many instances, they had acquired good education, and were superior to the bigotry which the ecclesiastics endeavoured to inspire them with ; but, mistaking the reverse of wrong for the right, many of these cl...« less