Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper · Chapter
Of my flight from Segovia, with what happened to me by the way to Madrid explained
Pablo flees Segovia after leaving a sarcastic letter for his uncle Alonso Ramplón, hires a donkey from a carrier, and sets out for Madrid.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
Don Toribio's fine starched band and cloak hide his tattered breeches and lack of shirt, illustrating the gap between outward show and inner poverty.
Poverty and Desperation
Don Toribio's account of selling everything, even his burial plot, and his need to beg for a ride highlight the desperate straits of impoverished nobles.
Survival and Trickery
Don Toribio describes how a clever wit at Court can turn everything to gold, and Pablo is eager to learn these survival skills.
Characters to notice
- Pablo de Segovia
Flees Segovia, hires a donkey, meets Don Toribio on the road, and is eager to learn the tricks of survival at Court.
- Alonso Ramplón
Pablo's uncle, left a mocking letter; his rage is implied but not shown directly.
- Toribio Rodriguez Vallejo
A threadbare gentleman met on the road; his fine clothes hide extreme poverty, and he explains how poor nobles live by their wits in Madrid.
Key passages
“All is not gold that glitters, sir Licentiate”
Outward appearances can be deceiving.
Don Toribio uses this proverb to explain that his fine clothes hide his true poverty.
“I am now convinced of the value of a good pedigree, for being ready to starve one day, they would not give a chop of mutton in the cook’s-shop for mine; for they said it was not flourished with gold letters; but the leaf gold on pills is more valuable, and few men of letters have any gold.”
A noble lineage is worthless when you are starving; no one will trade food for a pedigree that isn't written in gold.
Don Toribio laments that his noble ancestry cannot buy him a meal.
“a good wit at Court is like the philosopher’s stone, which converts all it touches into gold.”
Cleverness at Court can turn any situation to profit.
Don Toribio explains the key to survival in Madrid.