The Life and Trials of Lazarus: A Journey Through Adversity
The First Treaty
Lazarus begins with telling the story of his childhood. His nickname comes from his birthplace, the River Tormes. At age eight, his father, Gonzalez, was charged with robbery and forced to serve as a knight against the Moors. During this expedition, he lost his life.
Lazarus and his mother, Antona Perez, went to live in the city, where she cooked for students and washed clothes for the grooms of the commander of the Madeleine. She started having a relationship with a boy called Zaide, and Lazarus accepted their relationship because he felt better bringing food home. Then, his mother’s brother, Lazarus, was born, but happiness would not last long because Zaide stole and was caught and whipped.
His mother knew a blind man, whom she thought Lazarus could serve as a guide. She gave him permission, and Lazarus went along with the blind man. The blind man was very astute and, more than anyone else, taught Lazarus how difficult life was. The blind man was also very greedy and barely fed him. When Lazarus finally got tired of living with the blind man, he deceived his master to be given a stick to get out of it.
The Second Treaty
In this treaty, Lazarus becomes a cleric. Lazarus accepted the work proposed by the cleric. However, Lazarus did not fare very well in this job, since the cleric was not greedy and did not feed him decently. Eventually, Lazarus became tired and decided to rob the clerk of the Mass for bread to eat. To get the bread, he took a copy of the trunk key where the bread was kept and took it out one night to eat. When the priest learned of this, he decided to secure the trunk, thinking mice were eating the bread, but when he found it was Lazarus, he fired him from his work.
The Third Treaty
Lazarus came to Toledo, where he lived on alms for fifteen days. One day, he met a good-looking squire, who became his next master. Their new home had little lighting and no furniture. Lazarus soon realized that the squire, although he appeared to be a man of good family, was really poor. To eat, Lazarus had to beg and give some of what he received to the squire. One day, the government banned begging in the streets, and Lazarus, luckily, got food through some neighbors. The squire did not eat for eight days until Lazarus was sent to buy food at the market. Later, the owners of the house came to collect rent, but the squire apologized and disappeared, leaving Lazarus once again without a master.
The Fourth Treaty
The neighbors brought Lazarus to the Friar of Mercy, his next master. The friar enjoyed walking and visiting. Both Lazarus and the priest walked for eight days until Lazarus broke his first pair of shoes. The monk was the first master to give him a pair of shoes. However, Lazarus grew tired of following him and left.
The Fifth Treaty
In this treaty, Lazarus becomes a pardoner. The pardoner deceived the people, trying to convince them to believe in his ideals. For example, they staged a “tragedy” to make people believe in miracles. After four months, Lazarus left the pardoner and continued on his way.
The Sixth Treaty
His next master was a master painter of tambourines, with whom he did not last long. Once, Lazarus came to a church, where he met a chaplain, who became his next master. The chaplain gave Lazarus a donkey and four jars of water to sell around the city. This was the first job where Lazarus earned commissions every Saturday. In these conditions, over four years, he saved little by little and was able to buy his first sword and used clothing. After improving his appearance, Lazarus left the chaplain and also left his office.
The Seventh Treaty
Afterward, Lazarus took up with a sheriff. He did not last long with him because he thought the trade of his master was dangerous. The day came when the archpriest of San Salvador saw Lazarus and married his maid. He lived very well with his new wife in a house next to the archpriest. However, stories began to circulate about his wife and the archpriest. Lazarus’s wife cried a lot over these stories, but reassured Lazarus. He decided to ignore the rumors to avoid any intervention in their happiness. Finally, a period of stability came into his life, and for him, there was nothing better.