Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-05-17
Fyom tie Freemaa's Journal.
SPANISH REVOLUTIONS.
Nc. III.

1t has been remarked by several of the
most profound historians, that the excessive
and unbounded ambition Of successful con-
querors has ever been the cause of their
ruin. The Carthagenians, the Romans,
and the Mooss, have been exhibited as o.
overwhelming testimonies to this Inomentous
truth. Carthage, the Acknowledged capital
Of Africa, and mistress of the Mediterra-
mean andits great islands, Sardinia and ST.
citY, should have been ,~nambitious of do
sninion on the continent of Europe, and IN
that case would long have preserved her
:sower. Had the successor OF Augustus
followed his example, ard kept the gates Of
the temple of Janus closed from the mo-
mens when the eesritaries OF the empire had
beconae sufficiently extensive for all the pur-
poses of power and of glory, Rome might
have bcen inyulaaerabesto every attack from
ths~north, and might even now have been
the metropolis Of the world. In like man
1ser, the Noes, had they beer satisfied with
the distraction of the Gothic power in Spain,
might perhaps have continued masters of
the finest provinces IN that Kingdom, IN
sn;te Of Palagius and his successors. At
~terapting, IN pursuance of the suggestions
of an 5 ararice of airs as we'll as Of gold,
alike unsuitable and i~mprudens, to deprive
the Goths of theK dorninions IN Gaal also,
they c Q realized the maxiiga that
Extended empire, nsr sxpapded gold,
Exchanges Sold streassh'hr feeble spHk
dor.
AIabor, IN consequence OF orders FROM
the Calipl OF the Saracers, regardless Of
the few fugitive Christians IN the mountains
OF As,usia and Biscay, passed che Pyrenees
with a formidable force, and subdued and
nlundered several Of the Gallo provinces.
At this IiiYse it pleased Divine Providence
70 rye up a Barak and q Deborah, or ra-
shcr a Gideon and a Jael, TO revive the fad
iag glory OF Spain, and Light anew the lamp
of rsEIlgioGS truth IN that dark corner of the
globe.
It Is not alittle singular that similar cir
cufnstance so that which produced the inva-
sion and conques4 OF Spain by the RJoors,
should have led to the resusctation of that
ancient spirit OF the Goths, which seemed
to have been sunk Cor ever III q torrent Of
n~aisfortunes.
pelagius, or Pelayo, was the sen Of Ia
Ta or IraoiAQ, govesnos OF Biscay, who
had been barbaYously murdered by the cruel
mnnarch, Vita. To avert from his own
| head the horrid fate of his father, he aed,
in carly life, to the vgilds of Biscay, among
whose rude but faithful people the memory
: Of his father was regarded with q reverence
bordering upon alteration, and where every
che felt il to be a sacred duty to preserve
be son from harm. When Witiza died, he
ventured to abandon his retreat, and sought
the court Of Roderic, where the royal blood
that he inherited from his grandfather king
Racesn5nt, and his own personal qualifca-
tions, which were even ehen preemlnent,
quickly LED him to promotion and to favor.
He attended the king, at the great battle of
Xeres, as a~rnlor-beareg, and distinguished !,
himself by repeatedly exposing his own life
40 save that OF the monarch. He was a.
anong Inc fugitives FROM that battle, and re-
manned four years IN solitude in the Astu-
! ran mountains, at the end Of which reriod |
be repaired to Muqu1a, a native Spaniard,
who governed Giion, an inconsmerable city,
under the protection rather than the power
of the Moors, by whom he was received in
a manner suitable to the illustrious rank 10
which he had been originally destined
Mousa having experienced the fidelity of
Munuza, had entrusted him with the 60
vernnaent of GIon, as it was not convent
eut for him to spare troops to garrison the
place. Here he lived as the great lord of
a little city, and soon evinced that he was
sufficiently disposed TO
PLAY such fantastic tricks before high Heaven
AS make ey'n angels weep.
pelapius found his situation more 81; lille