The Life and Trials of Lázaro de Tormes
Treaty 1:
Lázaro de Tormes is an 8-year-old boy whose father was arrested at that age. Lazarus’s mother began having relations with a fellow named Zaide, and Lázaro accepted their relationship because he felt better bringing food home. Then a brother was born to Lazarus’s mother, but their happiness was short-lived because Zaide stole and was caught and whipped.
In an inn, his mother met a blind man who took Lázaro to be his servant. The boy was always trying to steal food from the blind man, who taught him much about life. However, one day, Lázaro left in search of another master after he broke his teeth when caught drinking the blind man’s wine through a hole he had made in the jar, which he covered with wax.
The Blind Man: This is a very clever man, despite his lack of sight. He is the first love and best master of Lázaro. He had his own jargon, and all the blind men taught the boy. They always competed for food, although the blind man trusted Lázaro so much that when he fired him, he left him lying in the middle of a stream.
Treaty 2:
The second master Lázaro encountered was a clergyman.
Lázaro did not fare very well in this work, as the cleric was greedy and did not feed him decently. Eventually, Lázaro grew tired and decided to rob the clerk of the Mass of the bread to eat. To get the bread, he took a copy of the key to the trunk where the bread was stored, took it out one night, and ate it. The clerk, upon discovering this, decided to secure the trunk, thinking mice were eating the bread. However, when he found out it was Lázaro, he fired him from his job.
The Priest: This is a very greedy man who makes Lázaro suffer from hunger. Instead of being a master, he consumes Lázaro’s food. He always blames everything bad on hell. Despite the hunger he causes, he never hits or abuses Lázaro, nor does he realize that it was Lázaro who robbed him.
Treaty 3:
Lázaro arrived in 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 was quite poor. Lázaro soon realized that the squire, who appeared to be a man of good family, was actually impoverished. To eat, Lázaro had to beg and give part of what he received to the squire. One day, the government banned begging on the streets, and Lázaro, fortunately, found food through a neighborhood. The squire went without food for eight days until Lázaro was finally sent to buy food at the market. Later, the owners of the house came to collect the rent, but the squire made excuses and disappeared. Lázaro was once again without a master.
Treaty 4:
The neighbors brought Lázaro to the Fraile de la Merced, his next master. The friar loved to walk. They walked for eight days until Lázaro broke his first pair of shoes. The monk was the first master to give him a pair of shoes. Lázaro grew tired of following him and left.
The Friar: This fourth master of Lázaro was a great enemy of prayer and eating in the monastery. He loved to walk outside the convent, do business, and visit secular people.
Treaty 5:
In this treatise, Lázaro becomes a Pardoner (a religious figure charged with selling indulgences). The Pardoner, along with a sheriff, deceived the people, trying to convince them to buy more indulgences. For example, they staged a “drama” to make people believe in miracles. After four months, Lázaro left the Pardoner and moved on. With this master, Lázaro ate better than with the others.
The Pardoner: The Pardoner was a person who sold indulgences. He was a swindler who deceived innocent people. For the priests and clergy, he provided lettuce, limes, oranges, and other items to make the sale.
Treaty 6:
His next master was a master painter of tambourines, with whom he had a short-lived relationship. Once, Lázaro went to a church, where he met a chaplain, who became his next master. The chaplain gave Lázaro a donkey and four pitchers of water to sell in the city. This was the first job where Lázaro earned commissions every Saturday. Under these conditions, he worked for four years, and little by little, he saved enough to buy his first sword and used clothing. After improving his appearance, Lázaro left the chaplain and also left his job.
Treaty 7:
Afterward, Lázaro went to work for a sheriff. He did not stay long with him because he thought his master’s trade was dangerous. One day, the Archpriest of San Salvador saw Lázaro and married his maid. Lázaro 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. Lázaro’s wife cried a lot over these stories, but Lázaro reassured her. He decided to ignore the rumors to protect their happiness. Eventually, a period of stability came into his life, and for him, there was nothing better.