Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper by Francisco de Quevedo.
Chapter 1
Quevedo and His Works
This chapter provides an extensive critical introduction to Francisco de Quevedo and his picaresque novel 'Paul the Sharper' (Don Pablo de Segovia). It discusses the nature of the picaresque genre, the character of the picaro, and the social and historical conditions in 16th-century Spain that gave rise to such literature. The author praises Quevedo's art in presenting the rogue Don Pablo without sentimentality or moralizing, as a pure picaro who never deviates into respectability. The chapter also surveys Quevedo's life, his vast and varied literary output, and his place as a major figure in Spain's Golden Age.
Chapter 2
Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper
The chapter introduces the protagonist, Pablo de Segovia, and his family background, including his father's profession as a barber and thief, and his mother's dubious lineage. It sets the stage for Pablo's early life and education, leading to his eventual departure for school.
Chapter 3
Book I
The first book introduces the protagonist Pablo de Segovia, recounting his birth and family background. His father is a barber-thief, his mother a witch and procuress, and his brother dies in prison. Pablo is sent to school, then to a boarding school under the miserly Master Cabra, where he suffers extreme hunger. After his father is executed and his mother imprisoned, Pablo leaves Alcalá for Segovia, meeting a mad fencing master and an old poet along the way. He arrives at his uncle Alonso Ramplón's house, but after a series of misadventures, including a flight from Segovia, he travels to Madrid. There, he encounters a gentleman who tells him about life at court.
Chapter 4
I
Pablo arrives in Madrid with Don Toribio and meets a group of impoverished, cunning rogues who survive through elaborate deceptions and shared misery. He observes their tricks—such as collecting money under false pretenses, hiding tattered clothes, and impersonating soldiers—and learns the art of sponging.
Chapter 5
II
Pablo continues his initiation into the brotherhood of beggars and tricksters in Madrid. He observes their morning rituals of patching clothes, is outfitted in a makeshift suit from their communal wardrobe, and is assigned his 'walk' (territory) for begging. His mentor teaches him tricks to avoid creditors, including disguises and lies. Pablo struggles with hunger, eventually contrives to invite himself to dinner at the home of an old acquaintance, the licentiate Flechilla, and gorges himself.
Chapter 6
III
Pablo describes the various members of the sharping gang, including Merlo Diaz, Don Lorenzo de Pedroso, Don Cosme, and Polanco, each with their own distinctive scams and hypocrisies. He recounts how he joined them and how the old woman Mother Lebrusca eventually betrayed them to the authorities, leading to the entire gang being arrested and thrown into prison.
Chapter 7
IV
Pablo describes his imprisonment, using bribery to avoid the dungeon. He observes the colorful and desperate characters in the prison, including a one-eyed giant and a thief called the Tumbler. Through further bribery and a fabricated claim of kinship with the gaoler's wife, Donna Anna Moraez, he secures better treatment and eventually bail, while his companions are publicly shamed and banished.
Chapter 8
How I took a lodging, and the misfortune that befell me therein
Pablo, newly out of prison and alone, takes lodging with a family where he courts the daughter, Donna Berenguela de Rebolledo, by pretending to be wealthy under the alias Don Ramiro de Guzman. He orchestrates false inquiries and a staged bill of exchange to convince the family of his riches. His rivals, a Portuguese knight and a miserly Catalonian, slander him. In an attempt to meet his mistress secretly on the tiles, he falls into a neighbor's house, is beaten by a notary and his servants, and is threatened with jail despite his protests.
Chapter 9
VI
Pablo, after a night of scheming following his fall and beating, is rescued from the notary by the Portuguese and Catalonian. He then orchestrates a fake Inquisition seizure to escape his debts, transforms his appearance to pose as a wealthy gentleman, and successfully infiltrates Madrid's high society by deceiving two gentlemen and a coach of ladies, even arranging a collation to further his plan of marrying for fortune.
Chapter 10
Chapter VII
Pablo continues his schemes in Madrid, narrowly avoiding exposure by Don Diego Coronel, who suspects him of being the scoundrel he truly is. After being beaten by thugs hired by Don Diego, Pablo is robbed by his companions and left wounded, unable to pursue his marriage or escape the city.
Chapter 11
VIII
Pablo recovers from his illness and turns to begging in Madrid, learning the tricks of the trade from a seasoned beggar named Valcazar. He earns money through begging, flattery, and even stealing children for rewards. After amassing some wealth, he decides to leave for Toledo. Before departing, his landlady, La Guía, a procuress and teacher of deception, confronts him about his wasteful ways and offers her own services in procuring women and teaching the arts of trickery.
Chapter 12
IX
Pablo joins a troupe of strolling players, becomes a poet and actor, and later becomes a gallant of nuns, detailing his adventures and misadventures in these roles.
Chapter 13
Chapter X: Of what happened to me at Seville, till I took ship for the Indies
Pablo arrives in Seville, where he reunites with an old schoolfellow, Matorral, who initiates him into a gang of ruffians. Through gambling tricks and a life of debauchery, Pablo learns the cant and customs of the criminal underworld. After a drunken brawl that results in the deaths of two catchpoles, he takes sanctuary in the cathedral. There, he takes up with a prostitute named La Grajales, who clothes and supports him. Ultimately, feeling that ill fate pursues him, he decides to sail to the Indies with her, hoping for better fortune.
Chapter 14
Chapter XI
Pablo visits his uncle Alonso Ramplón, a hangman living near the slaughterhouse, and is horrified by the low company of a beggar, a swineherd, and a mulatto. They feast and drink excessively, leading to a drunken brawl. Pablo recovers his inheritance of three hundred ducats, then secretly leaves a letter and departs for an inn, resolved to return to Madrid and never see his uncle again.
Chapter 15
Of my flight from Segovia, with what happened to me by the way to Madrid
Pablo flees Segovia after leaving a sarcastic letter for his uncle Alonso Ramplón, hires a donkey from a carrier, and sets out for Madrid. On the road he meets a threadbare gentleman, Don Toribio Rodriguez Vallejo Gomez de Ampuero y Jordan, whose fine outward appearance belies his extreme poverty—his breeches are held up by a single point and he has no shirt. Don Toribio explains that many nobles at Court live by their wits, and that a clever person can survive in Madrid through flattery and trickery. Pablo is intrigued and asks to learn more.
Chapter 16
XIII
The gentleman continues his tale, describing the lives of impoverished gentlemen at court who survive by their wits, trickery, and elaborate deceptions about their wealth and status. Pablo is delighted by these revelations and decides to join the brotherhood of tricksters, offering his friendship and a small sum of money. They travel together to Madrid.
Chapter 17
Book II
Pablo continues his journey through various misadventures, encountering a mad fencing master and an old poet, before arriving at his uncle Alonso Ramplón's house in Segovia. He then flees to Madrid, where he meets a gentleman who shares a tale of life at court.
Chapter 18
I
Pablo arrives in Madrid with Don Toribio and meets a group of impoverished, cunning rogues who survive through elaborate deceptions and shared misery. He observes their tricks—such as collecting money under false pretenses, hiding tattered clothes, and impersonating soldiers—and learns the art of sponging.
Chapter 19
II
Pablo continues his initiation into the brotherhood of beggars and tricksters in Madrid. He observes their morning rituals of patching clothes, is outfitted in a makeshift suit from their communal wardrobe, and is assigned his 'walk' (territory) for begging. His mentor teaches him tricks to avoid creditors, including disguises and lies. Pablo struggles with hunger, eventually contrives to invite himself to dinner at the home of an old acquaintance, the licentiate Flechilla, and gorges himself.
Chapter 20
III
Pablo describes the various members of the sharping gang, including Merlo Diaz, Don Lorenzo de Pedroso, Don Cosme, and Polanco, each with their own distinctive scams and hypocrisies. He recounts how he joined them and how the old woman Mother Lebrusca eventually betrayed them to the authorities, leading to the entire gang being arrested and thrown into prison.
Chapter 21
IV
Pablo describes his imprisonment, using bribery to avoid the dungeon. He observes the colorful and desperate characters in the prison, including a one-eyed giant and a thief called the Tumbler. Through further bribery and a fabricated claim of kinship with the gaoler's wife, Donna Anna Moraez, he secures better treatment and eventually bail, while his companions are publicly shamed and banished.
Chapter 22
How I took a lodging, and the misfortune that befell me therein
Pablo, newly out of prison and alone, takes lodging with a family where he courts the daughter, Donna Berenguela de Rebolledo, by pretending to be wealthy under the alias Don Ramiro de Guzman. He orchestrates false inquiries and a staged bill of exchange to convince the family of his riches. His rivals, a Portuguese knight and a miserly Catalonian, slander him. In an attempt to meet his mistress secretly on the tiles, he falls into a neighbor's house, is beaten by a notary and his servants, and is threatened with jail despite his protests.
Chapter 23
VI
Pablo, after a night of scheming following his fall and beating, is rescued from the notary by the Portuguese and Catalonian. He then orchestrates a fake Inquisition seizure to escape his debts, transforms his appearance to pose as a wealthy gentleman, and successfully infiltrates Madrid's high society by deceiving two gentlemen and a coach of ladies, even arranging a collation to further his plan of marrying for fortune.
Chapter 24
Chapter VII
Pablo continues his schemes in Madrid, narrowly avoiding exposure by Don Diego Coronel, who suspects him of being the scoundrel he truly is. After being beaten by thugs hired by Don Diego, Pablo is robbed by his companions and left wounded, unable to pursue his marriage or escape the city.
Chapter 25
VIII
Pablo recovers from his illness and turns to begging in Madrid, learning the tricks of the trade from a seasoned beggar named Valcazar. He earns money through begging, flattery, and even stealing children for rewards. After amassing some wealth, he decides to leave for Toledo. Before departing, his landlady, La Guía, a procuress and teacher of deception, confronts him about his wasteful ways and offers her own services in procuring women and teaching the arts of trickery.
Chapter 26
IX
Pablo joins a troupe of strolling players, becomes a poet and actor, and later becomes a gallant of nuns, detailing his adventures and misadventures in these roles.
Chapter 27
Chapter X: Of what happened to me at Seville, till I took ship for the Indies
Pablo arrives in Seville, where he reunites with an old schoolfellow, Matorral, who initiates him into a gang of ruffians. Through gambling tricks and a life of debauchery, Pablo learns the cant and customs of the criminal underworld. After a drunken brawl that results in the deaths of two catchpoles, he takes sanctuary in the cathedral. There, he takes up with a prostitute named La Grajales, who clothes and supports him. Ultimately, feeling that ill fate pursues him, he decides to sail to the Indies with her, hoping for better fortune.
Chapter 28
Endnotes
This section provides explanatory endnotes for the translation, clarifying historical references, wordplay, and cultural allusions in the main text.
