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LA PELEGR1NA.
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65
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and
jeweller to his Catholic Majesty, being present when thus it was valued
said aloud that it was worth thirty — fifty — a hundred thousand ducats
in order to show thereby that it was without parallel in the world. It
was consequently called in Spanish La Peregrina which may be translated, I think, into " incomparable." * People used to go to Seville to see it as a curiosity.
"
At that time there chanced to be in that city an Italian who was buying
the finest pearls for a great nobleman in Italy, but the largest gems
he had were to it as a grain of sand to a large pebble. In a word,
lapidaries and all those who understand the subject of Pearls said in
order to express its value that it outweighed by twenty-four carats
every other pearl in the world. It was found by a little negro boy, so
said his master. The shell was very small and to all appearance there
was nothing good inside, not even a hundred reals worth, so that he
was on the point of throwing it back into the sea."
Fortunately
he thought better of it and kept the insignificant shell. The lucky
slave was rewarded with his liberty, while his master was given the
post of alcalde of Panama, and the king kept the pearl.
*
The pearl was doubtless " incomparable " as de la Vega says, but at the
same time it must not be supposed that such is the correct rendering
of the word Peregrina or Pelegrina which means, originally stranger, hence our word "pilgrim."
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