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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Picturesque Antiquities of Spain, by
+Nathaniel Armstrong Wells
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Pictureque Antiquities of Spain;
+ Described in a series of letters, with illustrations
+ representing Moorish palaces, cathedrals, and other
+ monuments of art, contained in the cities of Burgos,
+ Valladolid, Toledo, and Seville.
+
+Author: Nathaniel Armstrong Wells
+
+Release Date: June 15, 2010 [EBook #32821]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PICTUREQUE ANTIQUITIES ***
+
+
+
+
+Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: CHAPEL OF SAN ISIDRO,
+
+IN THE CHURCH OF SAN ANDRES, MADRID.]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+PICTURESQUE ANTIQUITIES
+
+OF
+
+SPAIN;
+
+DESCRIBED IN A SERIES OF LETTERS,
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS,
+
+REPRESENTING MOORISH PALACES, CATHEDRALS, AND OTHER MONUMENTS OF ART,
+
+CONTAINED IN THE CITIES OF
+
+BURGOS, VALLADOLID, TOLEDO, AND SEVILLE.
+
+BY
+
+NATHANIEL ARMSTRONG WELLS.
+
+LONDON:
+
+RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
+
+Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.
+
+M.DCCC.XLVI.
+
+LONDON:
+
+Printed by S. & J. BENTLEY, WILSON, and FLEY, Bangor House, Shoe Lane.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The author of the following letters is aware that his publication would
+have possessed greater utility, had the architectural descriptions been
+more minute. He ventures to hope, however, that this imperfection may be
+in some measure balanced by the more extended sphere opened to whatever
+information it may contain.
+
+The absence of many technical expressions, especially those which enter
+into a detailed description of almost all Gothic buildings, and the
+employment of which was forbidden by the occasion, may tend to
+facilitate the satisfaction of popular curiosity respecting Spanish art:
+the more so from the circumstance that the most intelligent in such
+subjects are scarcely sufficiently agreed on the application of
+technical terms, to allow of the compilation of a standard vocabulary.
+His ambition will be more than satisfied, should his past, and perhaps
+future researches, succeed, in some degree, in pioneering the path for a
+more scientific pen.
+
+Should this work fall into the hands of any reader, whose expectations
+of entertainment may have been encouraged by the announcement of another
+Spanish tour, but who may feel but moderate enthusiasm for the artistic
+and monumental glories of the Peninsula, an explanation is due to him,
+exonerative of the author from much of the responsibility attached to
+the matter-of-fact tone of his descriptions. It is no less his nature
+than it was his wish to paint what he saw as he saw it. Unfortunately
+his visits to Spain took place after the accomplishment of the
+revolution, the hardest blows of which were aimed at her church. The
+confiscation of the ecclesiastical revenues has necessarily stripped the
+processions and other ceremonies of their former splendour, and by
+suppressing what constituted one of their chief attractions to the
+native population, transferred the interest of the lover of the
+picturesque from the bright colours of animated grouping, to the dead
+background of stone and marble they have left.
+
+In studying, however, to preserve this strict accuracy in all that
+related to the principal subject of his correspondence, his aim was to
+enliven it by the introduction of any incidents worthy of notice which
+came under his observation. In this object he hopes he may have
+succeeded.
+
+One more remark is necessary. The letters from Seville, which form the
+second of the two parts into which the volume is divided, although
+placed last in order of succession, date in reality from an earlier
+period than the rest; and even from a different tour, as will appear
+from the description of the route. They were addressed to various
+individuals, whereas those forming the first part were all written to
+the same person. They are thus placed with a view to geographical order
+and clearness, and to a sort of unity, which appeared advisable in the
+subject of a volume. The two excursions having been separated by an
+interval of three years, should alterations have taken place during that
+period in the places described, the above circumstance not being borne
+in mind might lead to an appearance of chronological inaccuracy in the
+descriptions, although there is not much probability of the existence of
+such changes.
+
+LONDON. _December 1845._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+ PAGE
+
+PART I.
+
+
+LETTER I.
+
+TO MRS. C----R 1
+
+LETTER II.
+
+ROUTE TO SPAIN THROUGH FRANCE 9
+
+LETTER III.
+
+THE BASQUE PROVINCES 15
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+ARRIVAL AT BURGOS. CATHEDRAL. 28
+
+LETTER V.
+
+TOMB OF THE CID. CITADEL. 52
+
+LETTER VI.
+
+CARTUJA DE MIRAFLORES. CONVENT OF LAS HUELGAS. 70
+
+LETTER VII.
+
+ROUTE TO MADRID. MUSEO. 78
+
+LETTER VIII.
+
+PICTURESQUE POSITION OF TOLEDO. FLORINDA. 103
+
+LETTER IX.
+
+CATHEDRAL OF TOLEDO 121
+
+LETTER X.
+
+CAFES. WEDDING CEREMONY. CATHEDRAL CONTINUED. ALCAZAR HOSPITAL
+OF SANTA CRUZ. CONVENT OF LA CONCEPTION. MYSTERIOUS CAVERN.
+CONVENT OF SANTA FE, OR OF SANTIAGO. SONS-IN-LAW OF THE CID. 143
+
+LETTER XI.
+
+STREETS OF TOLEDO. EL AMA DE CASA. MONASTERY OF SAN JUAN DE
+LOS REYES. PALACE OF DON HURTADO DE MENDOZA. 172
+
+LETTER XII.
+
+ARAB MONUMENTS. PICTURES. THE PRINCESS GALIANA. ENVIRONS. 195
+
+LETTER XIII.
+
+CASTLES OF ALMONACID, GUADAMUR, MONTALBAN, AND ESCALONA.
+TORRIJOS. 214
+
+LETTER XIV.
+
+VALLADOLID. SAN PABLO. COLLEGE OF SAN GREGORIO. ROUTE BY
+SARAGOZA. 240
+
+PART II.--SEVILLE.
+
+
+LETTER XV.
+
+JOURNEY TO SEVILLE. CHARACTER OF THE SPANIARDS. VALLEY OF
+THE RHONE. 259
+
+LETTER XVI.
+
+VOYAGE TO GIBRALTAR 288
+
+LETTER XVII.
+
+CADIZ. ARRIVAL AT SEVILLE. 308
+
+LETTER XVIII.
+
+THE ARABS IN SPAIN. ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE. 315
+
+LETTER XIX.
+
+CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE 350
+
+LETTER XX.
+
+SPANISH BEGGARS. HAIRDRESSING. THE GIRALDA. CASA DE PILATOS.
+MONASTERIES. ITALICA. 369
+
+LETTER XXI.
+
+PRIVATE HOUSES, AND LOCAL CUSTOMS IN SEVILLE 399
+
+LETTER XXII.
+
+INQUISITION. COLLEGE OF SAN TELMO. CIGAR MANUFACTORY. BULL
+CIRCUS. EXCHANGE. AYUNTAMIENTO. 416
+
+FOOTNOTES
+
+
+
+
+ENGRAVED PLATES.
+
+
+ PAGE
+
+CHAPEL OF SAN ISIDRO, MADRID To face Title.
+
+TRANSEPT OF CATHEDRAL, BURGOS 38
+
+INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH OF MIRAFLOR ES 72
+
+VIEW OF TOLEDO 106
+
+INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL, TOLEDO 140
+
+FAÇADE OF SAN GREGORIO, VALLADOLID 248
+
+HALL OF AMBASSADORS, DO. 315
+
+FAÇADE OF THE ALCAZAR, SEVILLE 325
+
+GREAT COURT OF DO. 328
+
+INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL, SEVILLE 353
+
+
+WOOD ENGRAVINGS.
+
+ARCO DE SANTA MARIA. BURGOS. 30
+
+INTERIOR OF THE CHOIR, CATHEDRAL OF BURGOS 33
+
+SCULPTURE IN THE APSE, DO. DO. 40
+
+HEAD OF ST. FRANCIS 48
+
+FOUNTAIN OF SANTA MARIA, BURGOS 69
+
+ITALIAN GALLERY AT THE MUSEO, MADRID 94
+
+FLORINDA'S BATH, TOLEDO 112
+
+APSE OF THE CATHEDRAL, TOLEDO 129
+
+COSTUME OF A MILITARY NUN, SANTA FE, TOLEDO 165
+
+CHURCH OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES, DO. 179
+
+CLOISTER OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES, DO. 182
+
+INTERIOR OF SANTA MARIA LA BLANCA, DO. 196
+
+INTERIOR OF CHRISTO DE LA LUZ, DO. 201
+
+CASTLE OF GUADAMUR. ENVIRONS OF DO. 226
+
+FAÇADE OF SAN PABLO. VALLADOLID 242
+
+COURT OF SAN GREGORIO. VALLADOLID 249
+
+COURT OF DOLLS, ALCAZAR, SEVILLE 331
+
+FOUNTAINS AT THE ALCAZAR 339
+
+PORTAL OF SAN TELMO, SEVILLE 422
+
+
+
+
+PICTURESQUE ANTIQUITIES
+
+OF
+
+SPAIN.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER I.
+
+TO MRS. C---- R.
+
+
+Rue de Richelieu.
+
+You perceived at a glance the satisfaction you caused me, when, on
+receiving my temporary adieus, you requested me to send you some account
+of my travels in Spain. Had it not been so, you had not been in
+possession, on that day, of your usual penetration. Indeed, you no doubt
+foresaw it; aware that, next to the pleasure of acquiring ocular
+information respecting the peculiar objects which interest an
+individual, there is no greater one than that of communicating to a
+spirit, animated by congenial tastes, the results of his explorations.
+You must have foreseen, that, with my recollections of the pleasure I
+had derived from our excursions in one of the most interesting regions
+of France, during which I was witness to the intelligence and rapidity
+of perception you displayed in the appreciation of the monuments of the
+Middle Ages, the opportunity of committing to paper the impressions I
+should receive in a country so rich in those treasures, with a view to
+your information, would give an additional interest to my tour, as well
+as encouragement in surmounting the obstacles to be met with among a
+people not yet broken in to the curiosity of tourists.
+
+You professed also, with a modesty always becoming to talent and worth,
+a complete ignorance respecting Spain: adding, that you would be
+grateful for every sort of information; and that you were anxious to be
+enlightened on the subject not only of the monuments and fine arts, but
+also of the history of that country, of which you had never had an
+opportunity of informing yourself; summing up by the enumeration of the
+three names of the Cid, Charles the Fifth, and Roderic the Goth, the
+entire amount of your acquaintance with the leading characters of
+Spanish history.
+
+Indeed, the ignorance you profess with some exaggeration, is more or
+less general in our country; nor is it surprising that such should be
+the case. Spain has been in modern times in the background of European
+progress. The thousand inconveniences of its routes and inns have
+deterred the most enterprising from making it a place of resort; and
+while a hundred less interesting scenes of travel, such as Baden-Baden,
+Bohemia, sporting adventures in Norway, or winterings in St. Petersburg,
+have claimed your attention during the reposes of quadrilles, and
+substantiated the conversation of several of your morning visitors,
+Spain has been unnoticed and unknown--laid on the shelf with the Arabian
+Nights--considered a sort of fabulous country, which it would be
+charming to know, but with which there would never be a chance of
+forming an acquaintance; and you have contented yourself with a sort of
+general information respecting it, derived from a few romances and
+poems. You are intimate with Boabdil and the wars of Granada, but to
+those events is limited your knowledge of its ancient history; and the
+reigns of Charles the Fifth and Philip the Second, with the addition of
+some confused visions, in which _autos-da-fé_ and dungeons contrast in a
+rather gloomy background with laughing majas, whirling their
+castagnettes to the soft cadences of guitars, fill up the remaining
+space allotted to Spain in your recollections.
+
+It would be a task full of interest for me--possessed, as I shall
+probably be, of ample opportunities for its accomplishment--to draw up
+for your information a summary of the leading events of Spanish
+history; connecting them by the chain of reigns of the successive
+sovereigns; and thus to press into a limited compass a sort of abstract
+of the annals of this extraordinary nation: but I am deterred by the
+certainty that such an attempt, by me, would fail of its intended
+object. The events, thus slurred over, would have the effect of whetting
+the appetite for knowledge, which they would not satisfy; and the
+interminable lists of monarchs, of successions, usurpations, alliances
+and intermarriages, rendered doubly intricate by the continual
+recurrence of the same names, without sufficient details to
+particularise each--a chaos of outlines without the necessary shading to
+bring out the figures from the canvass--would not only set at defiance
+the clearest memory, but would be a trial which I would not for worlds
+impose upon your patience. No history is more attractive than that of
+Spain; and those works which exist upon the subject, although all, more
+or less, sullied with inaccuracies, and most of them infected with
+prejudice, and immersed in superstitious delusion, are still well worth
+your perusal; but it would lead me out of my depth, were I to undertake
+in my correspondence more than an occasional historical quotation, when
+required by the interest attached to any monument which it may fall to
+my lot to describe.
+
+Were I not to transmit to you a conscientious and faithful account of
+all that I shall see, I should be guilty of cruelty; and that the more
+base, from the certain impunity that must attend it. I say this, from
+the impossibility of your ever undertaking the same journey, and
+consequently of your ever being able to compare my portraits with their
+originals. In fact, the incompatibility of your nature, and that of the
+Spanish climate, must ever be present to me, who, during the vivifying
+heats of the late very bearable _canicule_, in your French château--so
+constructed as to perform the functions of an atmospheric sieve, by
+separating the wind, which rushed through its doors and windows,
+judiciously placed in parallels for the purpose, from the warmer
+sunshine without--was witness, nevertheless, to your unaffected
+distress, when you protested against any lofty, oak-panelled room being
+sat or reclined in by more than one human being at a time, lest it
+should be over-heated; placing thus an obstacle in the way of
+conversation, in which to shine is your especial province, by rendering
+it necessary to converse through various open doors; while, were an
+additional testimony necessary to prove the sincerity of your
+sufferings, your favourite of favourites, Caliph, repulsed and
+uncaressed, hung his silken ears, as he solemnly retreated to coil
+himself on a distant rug, and voted the dog-days a misnomer.
+
+Nor were you contented with your atmosphere, until, the season of
+insects and _al-fresco_ suppers being long left behind, and the autumnal
+equinox having peremptorily closed the doors and windows, fitted, alas!
+by a carpenter who flourished in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth, so
+plentiful a supply of air was afforded by the handy-works of the said
+carpenter, that the Chinese screen had some difficulty in maintaining
+its post, and the flames of the well-furnished elm-fire ascended with a
+roar that would have shamed many a cataract of the rival element. Not
+but that I would willingly forego the opportunity of sending you
+erroneous information, in exchange for your presence in that country;
+and for your assistance in comprehending the nature of a people
+apparently composed of such contradictory ingredients. You might
+probably succeed in fathoming the hidden springs of character, which
+give birth to a crowd of anomalies difficult to explain. You would
+discover by what mystery of organization a people, subject to the
+influence of violent passions, combine an abject subjection to the forms
+of etiquette, carried to its extreme in every-day life, with occasional
+outbreaks of adventure and romance worthy of the days of Orlando and
+Rodomonte; and account for a nation exchanging a costume which combines
+utility with grace, for one inferior in both respects. Inventors of
+whatever is most fascinating in dances and music--you would discover the
+motive which induces them to abandon both, but principally the first,
+which they replace by the French _rigodon_, or dancing-made-easy, and
+adapted to youth, manhood, and all stages of paralysis; and, possessing
+the cathedrals of Leon, Burgos, and Seville, to denounce Gothic
+architecture as barbarous, and to brand it with the contemptuous
+denomination of "crested masonry."
+
+Should my mono-(--monument-) mania run riot, and over-describe,
+over-taxing even your passion for that branch of art, be assured--and to
+this promise you may always look back for consolation and
+encouragement--that I will not write you a history of the recent, or any
+previous Spanish revolution, _apropos_ of the first sentry-box I meet
+with, even though its form be that of a Lilliputian brick castle. Nor
+shall my first glimpse of a matador occasion you a list of bull-fights,
+voluminous enough to line the circumference of the _barrera_. No
+Diligence shall be waylaid, nor in my presence shall any ladies' fingers
+be amputated, the quicker to secure her rings, if I can possibly avoid
+it; and, as far as depends on me, I shall arrive in a whole skin at each
+journey's end, and without poisoning you or myself with garlick, unless
+the new Cortes pass a law for denying to the stranger all other sorts of
+aliment.
+
+I have resolved, by a process of reasoning which I need not at present
+impart to you, and in virtue of a permission which I have little doubt
+of your granting, to publish my part of our correspondence. I think that
+neither of us will be a loser by this plan, however conceited I may
+appear to you for saying so. Yourself, in the first place, must be a
+gainer by the perusal of descriptions, on which, from their being
+prepared for the ordeal of a less indulgent eye, greater care will
+necessarily be expended: the public may benefit in obtaining
+information, which shall be at all events accurate, relative to subjects
+as yet inadequately appreciated by those they are the most likely to
+interest: while the chief gainer, in the event of these two ends being
+attained, will of course be your devoted and humble correspondent.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER II.
+
+ROUTE TO SPAIN THROUGH FRANCE.
+
+
+Bayonne.
+
+The position of Burgos on the principal line of communication by which
+Madrid is approached from the north of Europe; the fact of its being the
+first city met with, after crossing the Pyrenees, in which monuments are
+found remaining of the former genius and grandeur of the country; and
+the name of which calls up the more stirring and eventful epochs of
+Spanish history,--render it, notwithstanding its actual distance from
+the frontier, a sort of introduction or gateway to Spain--the Spain of
+the tourist.
+
+The most agreeable and least troublesome way of visiting the best parts
+of Spain excludes, it is true, this route; for the provinces of the
+Peninsula which combine the greater number of requisites for the
+enjoyment of life with the most attractive specimens of the picturesque,
+whether natural or artificial, are those nearest to the coast, and they
+are approached more conveniently by sea. Those, however, who can devote
+sufficient time, will be repaid, by a tour in the interior of the
+country, for the increase of trouble it may occasion them; and this tour
+should precede the visit to the maritime provinces, as it will render
+their superior comforts and climate the more acceptable from the
+contrast. The scenery of the Pyrenees, and the passing acquaintance
+formed with the original and picturesque population of the Basque
+provinces, secure the traveller against any danger of ennui throughout
+the land-journey between the frontier and the city of Burgos.
+
+There does not exist the same security throughout the extent of route
+which it is necessary to travel in order to reach this frontier. The
+approach to Spain across the south-western provinces of France offers
+few objects worthy of detaining us on our way to the Peninsula. It is
+one of the least interesting of French routes. From Paris you pass
+through Orleans and Tours. At Chatellerault--between the latter city and
+Poitiers--the inn-door is besieged by women offering knives for sale. It
+is everywhere known that cutlery is not one of the departments of French
+manufactures which have attained the greatest degree of superiority. A
+glance at the specimens offered for our choice while changing horses at
+Chatellerault, showed them to be very bad, even for France.
+
+This did not, however, prevent a multitude of travellers from purchasing
+each his knife, nor one of them from laying in a plentiful stock,
+stating that he destined a knife for each member of his
+family--evidently one of the most numerous in France. I inquired of a
+native the explanation of this scene, and whether these knives were
+considered superior to those met with in other towns. "Oh no," was the
+reply; "but it is usual to buy knives here." I ventured to say I thought
+them very bad. "That is of no consequence; because, whenever you have
+passed through Chatellerault, every one asks you for a knife made on the
+spot." These victims of custom had paid enormous prices for their
+acquisitions.
+
+Poitiers is a crazy old town, but contains one of the most admirable
+specimens of the architecture immediately preceding the pointed, or
+ogivale, and which the French savans call "the Romane." I allude to the
+church called "the Notre Dame de Poitiers." The west front is highly
+ornamented, and unites all the peculiar richness with the quaintness and
+simplicity of design which characterize that fine old style. I must not
+omit the forest of Chatellerault, passed through on leaving that town.
+It is famous as the scene of the picnic given to the ladies of the
+neighbouring city by the officers of a Polish regiment quartered there,
+immediately before the breaking out of the Peninsular war. It is
+related that Polish gallantry overstepped etiquette to such a
+degree,--and _that_ by premeditation,--as to urge these cavaliers, by
+force of bayonet, and sentries, to separate all the husbands, and other
+male relatives, from the fairer portion of the guests. The consequences
+of such a termination of the festivities may easily be imagined;
+Bonaparte, a rigid judge with regard to all divorces except his own, on
+receiving the complaint of the insulted town, condemned the officers _en
+masse_ to be decimated, and the survivors degraded from their rank. He
+relented, however, afterwards, on an understanding that they were to
+regain their sullied laurels in the Peninsula; where, in fact, in
+consequence of his orders, such opportunities were afforded them, that
+scarcely a man in the regiment survived the earliest campaigns.
+
+The inhabitants of Chatellerault are said to take great offence on being
+asked their age, suspecting the inquirer of a malicious calculation.
+
+The new quarter of Bordeaux is handsome, spacious, and airy. In the
+promenade called "La Quinconce," on the bank of the river, a large
+insulated edifice, the most monumental in view, is discovered by the
+inscription on its front to be an establishment for warm baths. At one
+extremity of the principal façade is seen, in sculptured letters, "Bains
+des dames;" at the other, "Bains des hommes." At this latter entrance a
+handsome staircase leads to the corridor of general communication, on
+the unsullied white wall of which the code of discipline of the
+establishment, traced in large sable characters, forces itself on the
+notice of the visitor. It consists of the following single and rather
+singular statute: "Il est expressement défendu aux garçons de permettre
+à deux hommes de se servir de la même baignoire." After some reflection
+I concluded it to be a measure of precaution with regard to cleanliness,
+carried, no doubt, to an extreme at Bordeaux. This town is well
+deserving of a few days' halt, should the traveller's object be
+amusement, or the pleasures of the table, for which it enjoys a
+well-merited reputation. It is a large and handsome city, the second in
+France in beauty, and vies with the capital in the elegance of its shops
+and principal streets. The theatre is, externally, the finest in France;
+and there is, besides the cathedral, and surpassing it in interest and
+antiquity, a remarkable Gothic church.
+
+Of the sixty leagues which separate this town from Bayonne, forty afford
+the most perfect example of monotony. One sighs for the Steppes of
+Russia. These are the well-known Landes, consisting of uncultivated
+sands and morass; now covered league after league with the unvarying
+gloom of the pine and cork forests,--now dreary and bare,--but ever
+presenting to the wearied eye a wide interminable waste, replete with
+melancholy and desolation. It is true, that a day of pouring rain was
+not calculated to set off to advantage the qualities of such a region,
+and should in strict justice be admitted in evidence before passing
+condemnation on the Landes.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER III.
+
+THE BASQUE PROVINCES.
+
+
+Burgos.
+
+It never causes me surprise when I see the efforts made by persons of
+limited means to obtain the situation of Consul in a continental town.
+
+In spite of one's being, as it were, tied to one's residence,--and that
+not one's home,--there are advantages which counterbalance the evil. The
+place carries with it a certain degree of consequence. One feels oneself
+suddenly a man of influence, and a respectable public character. I have
+heard one, certainly far from being high on the list of these
+functionaries, termed by a humbler inhabitant of his "residence," the
+"Premier Consul."
+
+The income, too, is, it is true, limited; but then one is usually in a
+cheap place. In fact, I always envied these favoured individuals. No
+calling, however, is without its _déboires_. It seems as if Providence
+had decreed that an income cannot be fairly, if agreeably, earned.
+Thus, the set-off against the bliss of the consul, is the necessity he
+is under of holding out his hand for his fee. I make these remarks, to
+introduce to your notice an ingenious method, put in practice--probably
+invented--by our consul at Bayonne, for getting over the irksomeness of
+this duty. I found him in his _bureau_, pen in hand, and a large sheet
+of official-shaped paper before him, half written over. On my passport
+being presented for his _visa_, his countenance assumed a painful
+expression, in which regret was blended with a sort of tendency to
+compassion, and which at first occasioned me a sensation of alarm,
+conjuring up in my imagination all the consequences of an irregular
+passport--tedious routes to be retraced, time lost, expense incurred,
+and suspicion, and even incarceration--infection--death!
+
+Meanwhile he pointed to the letter he was writing, and, drawing forward
+with the other hand a chair, said that he was at that moment
+memorializing the Foreign Office on the subject of these visas; that his
+pain was extreme at seeing travellers compelled to send or come to his
+office, and to lose thus much valuable time; he was likewise concerned
+at their having to pay three francs each for so useless a ceremony as
+his visa; but he wished it to be remarked, that it was at present a
+ceremony quite indispensable; since, only four days back, a gentleman
+had been compelled to return from the Spanish frontier (a distance of
+seven leagues) in the middle of the night, in consequence of his having
+neglected this, as yet, necessary observance.[1]
+
+Leaving Bayonne by Diligence, although still at some distance from the
+frontier, you are already in a Spanish vehicle. The only difference
+consists in its being drawn by horses as far as Irun, a few hundred
+yards in Spain, at which place they are replaced by a team of mules; but
+the _mayoral_ is Spanish from the commencement, as also usually the
+greater number of the travellers. From the first view of Spanish ground,
+the monotony of the landscape ceases, and gives place to picturesque
+scenery. This effect is as sudden as if produced by the whistle of a
+scene-shifter. From the brow of a hill the valley of the Bidassoa opens
+on the view, the bay on the right, two or three towns in the centre, and
+beyond them, stretching to the left, the chain of the Pyrenees. This
+opening scene is very satisfactory to the newly arrived traveller, whose
+expectations have been rising towards fever-heat as he gradually neared
+the object of his dreams--the "renowned romantic land;" the more so, as
+he is well prepared, by the Landes of France, to enjoy to the utmost
+the variety of scene afforded by the two days of mountain and valley
+which separate the frontier from the town of Vitoria.
+
+The Diligence comes to a halt every afternoon; the day's journey having
+commenced at three in the morning. There are three of these days between
+Bayonne and Burgos. At Tolosa and Vitoria--the intermediate places of
+rest--the system is as follows: Arriving at about four in the afternoon,
+an interval is allowed of about two hours, which in a long journey can
+always be profitably employed, until the meal, called supper. This is
+Homerically plentiful, and varied sufficiently to suit the tastes of all
+such as are accustomed to the vicissitudes of travelling. The repast
+over, all gradually retire to their sleeping apartments, where they are
+undisturbed until two o'clock in the morning.
+
+At this hour each passenger is furnished with a candle, and requested to
+get up; and at a quarter to three the _muchacha_ (chambermaid)
+reappears, bearing in her hand a plate, on which, after rubbing his
+eyes, the traveller may discover, if it be allowed so to speak, an
+imperceptible cup, a _xicara_,--since, having the thing, they have a
+name for it, which is of course untranslateable,--of excellent
+chocolate, an _azucarillo_ (almost transparent sugar prepared for
+instantaneous melting), a glass of water, and a piece of bread. After
+partaking of this agreeable refreshment, you have just time left to pay
+your bill, fold up your passport, which during the night has remained in
+the hands of the police, and to take your seat in the Diligence.
+
+The towns of the Basque provinces appear not to have been much
+maltreated during the Carlist war; not so the villages, most of which
+present a melancholy aspect of ruin and desolation. The churches, built
+so as to appear more like keeps of castles, have mostly withstood the
+shock. The destruction was oftener the result of burning than of
+artillery. The lover of the picturesque offers his silent gratitude to
+the combatants on both sides, for sparing, although unintentionally,
+some of the most charming objects of all Spain.
+
+Among the most striking of these is Hernani. It is composed of one
+street, of the exact required width for the passage of an ordinary
+vehicle. This street is a perfect specimen of picturesque originality.
+The old façades are mostly emblazoned with the bearings of their ancient
+proprietors, sculptured in high relief. On entering the place, the
+effect is that of a deep twilight after the broad blaze of the sunny
+mountains. This is caused by the almost flat roofs, which advance
+considerably beyond the fronts of the houses, and nearly meet in the
+centre of the street: the roof of each house is either higher or lower,
+or more or less projecting, than its neighbour; and all are supported by
+carved woodwork, black from age. The street terminates on the brow of a
+hill, and widens at the end, so as to form a small square, one
+retreating side of which is occupied by the front of a church covered
+with old sculpture; and the diligence, preceded by its long team of
+tinkling mules, disappears through the arched gateway of a Gothic
+castle.
+
+In this part of Spain one does not hear the sounds of the guitar; these
+commence further on. On Sundays and holydays, the fair of Tolosa, and of
+the other Basque towns, flourish their castagnettes to the less romantic
+whinings of the violin; but, in traversing the country, the ear is
+continually met by a sound less musical, although no less national, than
+that of the guitar--a sort of piercing and loud complaint, comparable to
+nothing but the screams of those who have "relinquished hope" at Dante's
+grim gateway.
+
+These unearthly accents assail the ear of the traveller long before he
+can perceive the object whence they proceed; but, becoming louder and
+louder, there will issue from a narrow road, or rather ravine, a
+diminutive cart, shut in between two small round tables for wheels.
+Their voice proceeds from their junction with the axle, by a
+contrivance, the nature of which I did not examine closely enough to
+describe. A French tourist expresses much disgust at this custom, which
+he attributes to the barbarous state of his neighbours, and their
+ignorance of mechanical art; it is, however, much more probable that the
+explanation given by the native population is the correct one. According
+to this, the wheels are so constructed for the useful purpose of
+forewarning all other drivers of the approach of a cart. The utility of
+some such invention is evident. The mountain roads are cut to a depth
+often of several yards, sometimes scores of yards, (being probably
+dried-up beds of streams,) and frequently for a distance of some
+furlongs admit of the passage of no more than one of these carts at a
+time, notwithstanding their being extremely narrow. The driver,
+forewarned at a considerable distance by a sound he cannot mistake,
+seeks a wide spot, and there awaits the meeting.
+
+You need not be told that human experience analysed resolves itself into
+a series of disappointments. I beg you to ask yourself, or any of your
+acquaintances, whether any person, thing, or event ever turned out to be
+exactly, or nearly, such as was expected he, she, or it would be.
+According to the disposition of each individual, these component parts
+of experience become the bane or the charm of his life.
+
+This truth may be made, by powerful resolve, the permanent companion of
+your reflections, so as to render the expectation of disappointment
+stronger than any other expectation. What then? If you know the expected
+result will undergo a metamorphosis before it becomes experience, you
+will not be disappointed. Only try. For instance,--every one knows the
+Spanish character by heart; it is the burden of all literary
+productions, which, from the commencement of time, have treated of that
+country. A Carlist officer, therefore,--the hopeless martyr in the
+Apostolic, aristocratic cause of divine right; the high-souled being,
+rushing into the daily, deadly struggle, supported, instead of pay and
+solid rations, by his fidelity to his persecuted king;--such a character
+is easily figured. The theory of disappointments must here be at fault.
+He is a true Spaniard; grave, reserved, dignified. His lofty presence
+must impress every assembly with a certain degree of respectful awe.--I
+mounted the _coupé_, or _berlina_, of the Diligence, to leave Tolosa,
+with a good-looking, fair, well-fed native, with a long falling auburn
+moustache. We commenced by bandying civilities as to which should hold
+the door while the other ascended. No sooner were we seated than my
+companion inquired whether I was military; adding, that he was a Carlist
+captain of cavalry returning from a six months' emigration.
+
+Notwithstanding the complete polish of his manners in addressing me, it
+was evident he enjoyed an uncommon exuberance of spirits, even more than
+the occasion could call for from the most ardent lover of his country;
+and I at first concluded he must have taken the earliest opportunity (it
+being four o'clock in the morning) of renewing his long-interrupted
+acquaintance with the flask of _aguardiente_: but that this was not the
+case was evident afterwards, from the duration of his tremendous
+happiness. During the first three or four hours, his tongue gave itself
+not an instant's repose. Every incident was a subject of merriment, and,
+when tired of talking to me, he would open the front-window and address
+the _mayoral_; then roar to the postilion, ten mules ahead; then swear
+at the _zagal_ running along the road, or toss his cigar-stump at the
+head of some wayfaring peasant-girl.
+
+Sometimes, all his vocabulary being exhausted, he contented himself with
+a loud laugh, long continued; then he would suddenly fall asleep, and,
+after bobbing his head for five or six minutes, awake in a convulsion of
+laughter, as though his dream was too merry for sleep. Whatever he said
+was invariably preceded by two or three oaths, and terminated in the
+same manner. The Spanish (perhaps, in this respect, the richest European
+language) hardly sufficed for his supply. He therefore selected some of
+the more picturesque specimens for more frequent repetition. These, in
+default of topics of conversation, sometimes served instead of a fit of
+laughter or a nap: and once or twice he hastily lowered the window, and
+gave vent to a string of about twenty oaths at the highest pitch of his
+lungs; then shut it deliberately, and remained silent for a minute.
+During dinner he cut a whole cheese into lumps, with which he stuffed an
+unlucky lap-dog, heedless of the entreaties of two fair
+fellow-travellers, proprietors of the condemned quadruped. This was a
+Carlist warrior!
+
+The inhabitants of the Basque provinces are a fine race, and taller than
+the rest of the Spaniards. The men possess the hardy and robust
+appearance common to mountaineers, and the symmetry of form which is
+almost universal in Spain, although the difference of race is easily
+perceptible. The women are decidedly handsome, although they also are
+anything but Spanish-looking; and their beauty is often enhanced by an
+erect and dignified air, not usually belonging to peasants, (for I am
+only speaking of the lower orders,) and attributable principally to a
+very unpeasant-like planting of the head on the neck and shoulders. I
+saw several village girls whom nothing but their dress would prevent
+from being mistaken for German or English ladies of rank, being moreover
+universally blondes. On quitting Vitoria, you leave behind you the
+mountains and the pretty faces.
+
+For us, however, the latter were not entirely lost. There were two in
+the Diligence, belonging to the daughters of a Grandee of the first
+class, Count de P. These youthful señoritas had taken the opportunity,
+rendered particularly well-timed by the revolutions and disorders of
+their country, of passing three years in Paris, which they employed in
+completing their education, and seeing the wonders of that town,
+_soi-disant_ the most civilized in the world; which probably it would
+have been, had the old _régime_ not been overthrown. They were now
+returning to Madrid, furnished with all the new ideas, and the various
+useful and useless accomplishments they had acquired.
+
+Every one whose lot it may have been to undertake a journey of several
+days in a Diligence,--that is, in one and the same,--and who
+consequently recollects that trembling and anxious moment during which
+he has passed in review the various members of the society of which he
+is to be, _nolens volens_, a member; and the feverish interest which
+directed his glance of rapid scrutiny towards those in particular of the
+said members with whom he was to be exposed to more immediate contact,
+and at the mercy of whose birth and education, habits, opinions,
+prejudices, qualities, and propensities, his happiness and comfort were
+to be placed during so large and uninterrupted a period of his
+existence,--will comprehend my gratitude to these fair _émigrées_, whose
+lively conversation shortened the length of each day, adding to the
+charms of the magnificent scenery by the opportunity they afforded of a
+congenial interchange of impressions. Although we did not occupy the
+same compartment of the carriage, their party requiring the entire
+interior and _rotonde_, we always renewed acquaintance when a prolonged
+ascent afforded an opportunity of liberating our limbs from their
+confinement.
+
+The two daily repasts also would have offered no charm, save that of the
+Basque _cuisine_,--which, although cleanly and solid, is not perfectly
+_cordon bleu_,--but for the entertaining conversation of my fair
+fellow-travellers, who had treasured up in their memory the best sayings
+and doings of Arnal, and the other Listons and Yateses of the French
+capital, which, seasoned with a slight Spanish accent, were
+indescribably _piquants_ and original. My regret was sincere on our
+respective routes diverging at Burgos; for they proceeded by the direct
+line over the Somo sierra to Madrid, while I take the longer road by the
+Guadarramas, in order to visit Valladolid. I shall not consequently make
+acquaintance with the northern approach to Madrid, unless I return
+thither a second time; as to that of my fellow-travellers, I should be
+too fortunate were it to be renewed during my short stay in their
+capital.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+ARRIVAL AT BURGOS. CATHEDRAL.
+
+
+Burgos.
+
+The chain of the Lower Pyrenees, after the ascent from the French side,
+and a two days' journey of alternate mountain and valley, terminates on
+the Spanish side at almost its highest level. A gentle descent leads to
+the plain of Vitoria; and, after leaving behind the fresh-looking,
+well-farmed environs of that town, there remains a rather monotonous
+day's journey across the bare plains of Castile, only varied by the
+passage through a gorge of about a mile in extent, called the Pass of
+Pancorbo, throughout which the road is flanked on either side by a
+perpendicular rock of from six to eight hundred feet elevation. The
+ancient capital of Castile is visible from a considerable distance, when
+approached in this direction; being easily recognised by the spires of
+its cathedral, and by the citadel placed on an eminence, which forms a
+link of a chain of hills crossing the route at this spot.
+
+The extent of Burgos bears a very inadequate proportion to the idea
+formed of it by strangers, derived from its former importance and
+renown. It is composed of five or six narrow streets, winding round the
+back of an irregularly shaped colonnaded plaza. The whole occupies a
+narrow space, comprised between the river Arlançon, and the almost
+circular hill of scarcely a mile in circumference, (on which stands the
+citadel) and covers altogether about double the extent of Windsor
+Castle.
+
+The city has received a sort of modern facing, consisting of a row of
+regularly built white houses, which turn their backs to the Plaza, and
+front the river; uniting at one extremity with an ancient gateway,
+which, facing the principal bridge, must originally have stood slightly
+in advance of the town, to which it formed a very characteristic
+entrance. It is a quadrangular edifice, pierced with a low semicircular
+arch. The arch is flanked on the river front by small circular turrets,
+and surmounted by seven niches, containing statues of magistrates,
+kings, and heroes; while over these, in a centre niche, stands a
+semicolossal statue of the Virgin, from which the monument derives its
+title of "Arco de Santa Maria." Another arch, but totally simple,
+situated at the other extremity of the new buildings, faces another
+bridge; and this, with that of Santa Maria, and a third, placed halfway
+between them, leading to the Plaza, form the three entrances to the city
+on the river side.
+
+[Illustration: ARCO DE SANTA MARIA.]
+
+The dimensions of this, and many other Spanish towns, must not be
+adopted as a base for estimating their amount of population. Irun, at
+the frontier of France, stands on a little hill, the surface of which
+would scarcely suffice for a country-house, with its surrounding
+offices and gardens: it contains, nevertheless, four or five thousand
+inhabitants, and comprises a good-sized market-place and handsome
+town-hall, besides several streets. Nor does this close packing render
+the Spanish towns less healthy than our straggling cities, planned with
+a view to circulation and purity of atmosphere, although the difference
+of climate would seem to recommend to each of the two countries the
+system pursued by the other. The humidity of the atmosphere in England
+would be the principal obstacle to cleanliness and salubrity, had the
+towns a more compact mode of construction; whilst in Spain, on the
+contrary, this system is advantageous as a protection against the
+excessive power of the summer sun, which would render our wide
+streets--bordered by houses too low to afford complete shade--not only
+almost impassable, but uninhabitable.
+
+The Plaza of Burgos (entitled "de la Constitucion," or "de Isabel II.,"
+or "del Duque de la Victoria," or otherwise, according to the government
+of the day,) has always been the resort of commerce. The projecting
+first-floors being supported by square pillars, a sort of bazaar is
+formed under them, which includes all the shop population of the city,
+and forms an agreeable lounge during wet or too sunny weather.
+Throughout the remainder of the town, with the exception of the modern
+row of buildings above mentioned, almost all the houses are entered
+through Gothic doorways, surmounted by armorial bearings sculptured in
+stone, which, together with their ornamental inner courts and
+staircases, testify to their having sheltered the chivalry of Old
+Castile. The Cathedral, although by no means large, appears to fill half
+the town; and considering that, in addition to its conspicuous and
+inviting aspect, it is the principal remaining monument of the ancient
+wealth and grandeur of the province, and one of the most beautiful
+edifices in Europe, I will lose no time in giving you a description of
+it.
+
+This edifice, or at least the greater portion of it, dates from the
+thirteenth century. The first stone was laid by Saint Ferdinand, on the
+20th of July 1221. Ferdinand had just been proclaimed king by his mother
+Doña Berenguela, who had invested him with his sword at the royal
+convent of the Huelgas, about a mile distant from Burgos. Don Mauricio,
+Bishop of Burgos, blessed the armour as the youthful king girded it,
+and, three days subsequently to the ceremony, he united him to the
+Princess Beatrice, in the church of the same convent. This bishop
+assisted in laying the first stone of the cathedral, and presided over
+the construction of the entire body of the building, including half of
+the two principal towers.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHOIR.]
+
+His tomb may be seen at the back of the Choir. From the date of the
+building its style may at once be recognised, allowing for a difference
+which existed between England and the Continent, the latter being
+somewhat in advance. The original edifice must have been a very perfect
+and admirable specimen of the pointed architecture of its time in all
+its purity. As it is, unfortunately, (as the antiquary would say, and, I
+should add, the mere man of taste, were it not that tastes are various,
+and that the proverb says they are all in nature,) the centre of the
+building, forming the intersection of the transept and nave, owing to
+some defect in the original construction, fell in just at the period
+during which regular architecture began to waver, and the style called
+in France the "Renaissance" was making its appearance. An architect of
+talent, Felipe de Borgoña, hurried from Toledo, where he was employed in
+carving the stalls of the choir, to furnish a plan for the centre tower.
+He, however, only carried the work to half the height of the four
+cylindrical piers which support it. He was followed by several others
+before the termination of the work; and Juan de Herrera, the architect
+of the Escorial, is said to have completed it. In this design are
+displayed infinite talent and imagination; but the artist could not
+alter the taste of the age. It is more than probable that he would have
+kept to the pure style of his model, but for the prevailing fashion of
+his time. Taken by itself, the tower is, both externally and internally,
+admirable, from the elegance of its form, and the richness of its
+details; but it jars with the rest of the building.
+
+Placing this tower in the background, we will now repair to the west
+front. Here nothing is required to be added, or taken away, to afford
+the eye a feast as perfect as grace, symmetry, grandeur, and lightness,
+all combined, are capable of producing. Nothing can exceed the beauty of
+this front taken as a whole. You have probably seen an excellent view of
+it in one of Roberts's annuals. The artists of Burgos complain of an
+alteration, made some fifty years back by the local ecclesiastical
+authorities, nobody knows for what reason. They caused a magnificent
+portal to be removed, to make way for a very simple one, totally
+destitute of the usual sculptured depth of arch within arch, and of the
+profusion of statuary, which are said to have adorned the original
+entrance. This, however, has not produced a bad result in the view of
+the whole front. Commencing by solidity and simplicity at its base, the
+pile only becomes ornamental at the first story, where rows of small
+trefoil arches are carved round the buttresses; while in the
+intermediate spaces are an oriel window in an ornamental arch, and two
+narrow double arches. The third compartment, where the towers first rise
+above the body of the church, offers a still richer display of ornament.
+The two towers are here connected by a screen, which masks the roof,
+raising the apparent body of the façade an additional story. This
+screen is very beautiful, being composed of two ogival windows in the
+richest style, with eight statues occupying the intervals of their lower
+mullions. A fourth story, equally rich, terminates the towers, on the
+summits of which are placed the two spires.
+
+These are all that can be wished for the completion of such a whole.
+They are, I imagine, not only unmatched, but unapproached by any others,
+in symmetry, lightness, and beauty of design. The spire of Strasburg is
+the only one I am acquainted with that may be allowed to enter into the
+comparison. It is much larger, placed at nearly double the elevation,
+and looks as light as one of these; but the symmetry of its outline is
+defective, being uneven, and producing the effect of steps. And then it
+is alone, and the absence of a companion gives the façade an unfinished
+appearance. For these reasons I prefer the spires of Burgos. Their form
+is hexagonal; they are entirely hollow, and unsupported internally. The
+six sides are carved _à jour_, the design forming nine horizontal
+divisions, each division presenting a different ornament on each of its
+six sides. At the termination of these divisions, each pyramid is
+surrounded near the summit by a projecting gallery with balustrades.
+These appear to bind and keep together each airy fabric, which,
+everywhere transparent, looks as though it required some such
+restraint, to prevent its being instantaneously scattered by the winds.
+
+On examining the interior of one of these spires, it is a subject of
+surprise that they could have been so constructed as to be durable.
+Instead of walls, you are surrounded by a succession of little
+balustrades, one over the other, converging towards the summit. The
+space enclosed is exposed to all the winds, and the thickness of the
+stones so slight as to have required their being bound together with
+iron cramps. At a distance of a mile these spires appear as transparent
+as nets.
+
+On entering the church by the western doors, the view is interrupted, as
+is usual in Spain, by a screen, which, crossing the principal nave at
+the third or fourth pillar, forms the western limit of the choir; the
+eastern boundary being the west side of the transept, where there is an
+iron railing. The space between the opposite side of the transept and
+the apse is the _capilla mayor_ (chief chapel), in which is placed the
+high altar. There are two lower lateral naves, from east to west, and
+beyond them a series of chapels. The transept has no lateral naves. Some
+of the chapels are richly ornamented. The first or westernmost, on the
+north side, in particular, would be in itself a magnificent church. It
+is called the "Chapel of Santa Tecla." Its dimensions are ninety-six
+feet in length, by sixty-three in width, and sixty high. The ceiling,
+and different altars, are covered with a dazzling profusion of gilded
+sculpture. The ceiling, in particular, is entirely hidden beneath the
+innumerable figures and ornaments of every sort of form, although of
+questionable taste, which the ravings of the extravagant style, called
+in Spain "Churriguesco" (after the architect who brought it into
+fashion), could invent.
+
+The next chapel--that of Santa Ana--is not so large, but designed in far
+better taste. It is Gothic, and dates from the fifteenth century. Here
+are some beautiful tombs, particularly that of the founder of the
+chapel. But the most attractive object is a picture, placed at an
+elevation which renders difficult the appreciation of its merits without
+the aid of a glass,--a Holy Family, by Andrea del Sarto. It is an
+admirable picture; possessing all the grace and simplicity, combined
+with the fineness of execution, of that artist. The chapel immediately
+opposite (on the south side) contains some handsome tombs, and another
+picture, representing the Virgin, attributed by the cicerone of the
+place to Michael Angelo. We next arrive at the newer part, or centre of
+the building, where four cylindrical piers of about twelve feet
+diameter, with octagonal bases, form a quadrangle, and support the
+centre tower, designed by Felipe de Borgoña. These pillars are
+connected with each other by magnificent wrought brass railings, which
+give entrance respectively, westward to the choir,--on the east to the
+sanctuary, or capilla mayor,--and north and south to the two ends of the
+transept. Above is seen the interior of the tower, covered with a
+profusion of ornament, but discordant with every other object within
+view.
+
+[Illustration: _W.F. Starling, sc._
+
+TRANSEPT OF THE CATHEDRAL, BURGOS.]
+
+The high altar at the back of the great chapel is also the work of
+Herrera. It is composed of a series of rows of saints and apostles,
+superposed one over the other, until they reach the roof. All are placed
+in niches adorned with gilding, of which only partial traces remain. The
+material of the whole is wood. Returning to either side-nave, a few
+smaller chapels on the outside, and opposite them the railings of the
+sanctuary, conduct us to the back of the high altar, opposite which is
+the eastern chapel, called "of the Duke de Frias," or "Capilla del
+Condestable."
+
+[Illustration: SCULPTURE IN THE APSE.]
+
+All this part of the edifice--I mean, from the transept eastward--is
+admirable, both with regard to detail and to general effect. The pillars
+are carved all round into niches, containing statues or groups; and the
+intervals between the six last, turning round the apse, are occupied by
+excellent designs, sculptured in a hard white stone. The subjects are,
+the Agony in the Garden, Jesus bearing the Cross, the Crucifixion, the
+Resurrection, and the Ascension. The centre piece, representing the
+Crucifixion, is the most striking. The upper part contains the three
+sufferers in front; and in the background a variety of buildings, trees,
+and other smaller objects, supposed to be at a great distance. In the
+foreground of the lower part are seen the officers and soldiers employed
+in the execution; a group of females, with St. John supporting the
+Virgin, and a few spectators. The costumes, the expression, the symmetry
+of the figures, all contribute to the excellence of this piece of
+sculpture. It would be difficult to surpass the exquisite grace
+displayed in the attitudes, and flow of the drapery, of the female
+group; and the Herculean limbs of the right-hand robber, as he writhes
+in his torments, and seems ready to snap the cords which retain his feet
+and arms,--the figure projecting in its entire contour from the surface
+of the background,--present an admirable model of corporeal expression
+and anatomical detail.
+
+In clearing the space to make room for these sculptures, the artist had
+to remove the tomb of a bishop, whose career, if the ancient _chronique_
+is to be depended on, must have been rather singular. The information,
+it must be owned, bears the appearance of having been transmitted by
+some contemporary annalist, whose impartiality may have perhaps been
+biassed by some of the numerous incitements which operate upon
+courtiers.
+
+Don Pedro Fernandez de Frias, Cardinal of Spain, Bishop of Osma and
+Cuenca, was, it is affirmed, of low parentage, of base and licentious
+habits of life, and of a covetous and niggardly disposition. These
+defects, however, by no means diminished the high favour he enjoyed at
+the successive courts of Henry the Third and Juan the Second. The Bishop
+of Segovia, Don Juan de Tordesillas, happened by an unlucky coincidence
+to visit Burgos during his residence there. The characters of the two
+prelates were not of a nature to harmonise in the smallest degree, and,
+being thrown necessarily much in each other's way, they gave loose
+occasionally to expressions more than bordering on the irreverent. It
+was on one of these occasions, that, the eloquence of the Cardinal
+Bishop here interred being at default, a lacquey of his followers came
+to his assistance, and being provided with a _palo_, or staff, inflicted
+on the rival dignitary certain arguments _ad humeros_--in fact, gave the
+Bishop of Segovia a severe drubbing. The Cardinal was on this occasion
+compelled to retire to Italy.
+
+Turning our backs to the centre piece of sculpture last described, we
+enter the Capilla del Condestable through a superb bronze railing. In
+these railings the Cathedral of Burgos rivals that of Seville,
+compensating by number for the superior size and height of those
+contained in the latter church. That of the chapel we are now entering
+entirely fills the entrance arch, a height of about forty feet; the
+helmet of a mounted knight in full armour, intended to represent St.
+Andrew, which crowns its summit, nearly touching the keystone of the
+arch. This chapel must be noticed in detail. Occupying at the extremity
+of the church a position answering to that of Henry the Seventh's
+Chapel at Westminster Abbey, it forms a tower of itself, which on the
+outside harmonises with peculiar felicity with the three others, and
+contributes to the apparent grandeur and real beauty of the exterior
+view. The interior is magnificent, although its plan and style, being
+entirely different from those of Henry the Seventh's Chapel, prevent the
+comparison from going further. Its form is octagonal, measuring about
+fifty feet in diameter, by rather more than a hundred in height. Its
+style florid Gothic of the fourteenth century. The effect of its first
+view is enhanced by its being filled, unlike the rest of the church,
+with a blaze of light introduced through two rows of windows in the
+upper part.
+
+Two of the sides are furnished with recesses, which form lesser chapels,
+and in one of which there is a fine organ. Between the centre of the
+pavement and the principal altar, a large square block of mixed marble
+covers the remains of the founders of the chapel, and bears on its
+surface their recumbent figures executed in great perfection.[2] This
+is the finest tomb in the cathedral. The embroidery of the cushions, the
+ornaments on the count's armour, the gloves of the countess, are among
+the details which merit particular notice amidst the beautiful execution
+of the whole. The high altar of this chapel does not accord with the
+general effect, being designed in the style of the _renascimiento_. In
+the centre of it is nevertheless fixed a treasure that would compensate
+for worse defects. A small circular medallion represents the Virgin and
+Child, in an attitude very similar to that of the Madonna della
+Seggiola, executed on porphyry. This delicious little work, of about
+nine inches in diameter, forms the centre of attraction, and is the most
+precious ornament of the chapel. On the right hand, near the altar, a
+small doorway admits to the sacristy.
+
+This contains several relics of the founders. A small portable altar of
+ivory, forming the base of a crucifix of about eighteen inches in
+height, is an exquisite model of delicate workmanship. Here also has
+been treasured up a picture, behind a glass, and in a sort of wooden
+case; a bequest likewise of the founders. Unfortunately they neglected
+to impart the name of its author. The nebulous sort of uncertainty thus
+made to surround this relic has magnified its merits, which might
+otherwise perhaps not have claimed particular notice, to the most
+colossal dimensions. They scarcely at last know what to say of it. At
+the period of my first visit to Burgos, it was a Leonardo da Vinci; but,
+after a lapse of two years, the same sacristan informed me that it was
+uncertain whether the painting was executed by Raffaelle or Leonardo,
+although it was generally supposed to be by Raffaelle; and a notice,
+published since, gives the authority of an anonymous connaisseur, who
+asserts it to be far superior to Raffaelle's "Perle." It is now
+consequently decided that it cannot be a Leonardo, and is scarcely bad
+enough for a Raffaelle.
+
+Without venturing _tantas componere lites_, I may be allowed to give my
+impression, on an inspection as complete as the studied darkness of the
+apartment, added to the glass and wooden case, would permit. It is a
+half-figure of the Magdalene. The execution is very elaborate and highly
+finished, but there are evident defects in the drawing. In colouring and
+manner it certainly reminds you of da Vinci--of one of whose works it
+may probably be a copy; but, whatever it is, it is easy to discover that
+it is _not_ a Raffaelle.
+
+This chapel does not occupy the precise centre of the apse. A line drawn
+from the middle of the western door through the nave would divide it
+into two unequal parts, passing at a distance of nearly two yards from
+its centre. An examination of the ground externally gives no clue to the
+cause of this irregularity, by which the external symmetry of the
+edifice is rendered imperfect, although in an almost imperceptible
+degree; it must therefore be accounted for by the situation of the
+adjoining parochial chapel, of more ancient construction, with which it
+was not allowable to interfere, and by the unwillingness of the founder
+to diminish the scale on which his chapel was planned.
+
+Before we leave the Chapel del Condestable, one of its ceremonies
+deserves particular mention. I allude to the _missa de los carneros_
+(sheep-mass). At early mass on All Souls day, a feast celebrated in this
+chapel with extraordinary pomp, six sheep are introduced, and made to
+stand on a large block of unpolished marble, which has been left lying
+close to the tombs, almost in the centre of the chapel; near the six
+sheep are placed as many inflated skins of pigs, resembling those
+usually filled with the wine of the country; to these is added the
+quantity of bread produced from four bushels of wheat: and all remain in
+view during the performance of high mass. At the conclusion of the final
+response, the sheep are removed from their pedestal, and make for the
+chapel-gates, through which they issue; and urged by the voice of their
+driver, the peculiar shrill whistle of Spanish shepherds, and by the
+more material argument of the staff, proceed down the entire length of
+the cathedral to the music of the aforesaid whistle, accompanied by
+their own bleatings and bells, until they vanish through the great
+western portal.
+
+Returning to the transepts, we find two objects worthy of notice. The
+cathedral having been erected on uneven ground, rising rapidly from
+south to north, the entrance to the north transept opens at an elevation
+of nearly thirty feet from the pavement. To reach this door there is an
+ornamental staircase, of a sort of white stone, richly carved in the
+_renaissance_ style. This door is never open, a circumstance which
+causes no inconvenience; the steps being so steep as to render them less
+useful than ornamental, as long as any other exit exists.
+
+A beautifully carved old door, of a wood become perfectly black,
+although not so originally, gives access to the cloister from the east
+side of the south transept. The interior of the arch which surmounts it
+is filled with sculpture. A plain moulding runs round the top, at the
+left-hand commencement of which is carved a head of the natural size,
+clothed in a cowl.
+
+[Illustration: HEAD OF SAINT FRANCIS.][3]
+
+The attention is instantly rivetted by this head: it is not merely a
+masterpiece of execution. Added to the exquisite beauty and delicate
+moulding of the upper part of the face, the artist has succeeded in
+giving to the mouth an almost superhuman expression. This feature, in
+spite of a profusion of hair which almost covers it, lives and speaks. A
+smile, in which a barely perceptible but irresistible and, as it were,
+innate bitterness of satire and disdain modifies a wish of benevolence,
+unites with the piercing expression of the eyes in lighting up the stone
+with a degree of intellect which I had thought beyond the reach of
+sculpture until I saw this head. Tradition asserts it to be a portrait
+of Saint Francis, who was at Burgos at the period of the completion of
+the cathedral; and who, being in the habit of examining the progress of
+the works, afforded unconsciously a study to the sculptor.
+
+The two sacristies are entered from the cloister: one of them contains
+the portraits of all the bishops and archbishops of Burgos.
+Communicating with this last is a room destined for the reception of
+useless lumber and broken ornaments. Here the cicerone directs your
+attention to an old half-rotten oaken chest, fixed against the wall at a
+considerable height. This relic is the famous Coffre del Cid, the
+self-same piece of furniture immortalised in the anecdote related of the
+hero respecting the loan of money obtained on security of the supposed
+treasure it enclosed. The lender of the money, satisfied by the weight
+of the trunk, and the chivalrous honour of its proprietor, never saw
+its contents until shown them by the latter on the repayment of the
+loan: they were then discovered to consist of stones and fragments of
+old iron.
+
+One is disappointed on finding in this cathedral no more durable
+_souvenir_ of the Cid than his rat-corroded wardrobe. His remains are
+preserved in the chapel of the Ayuntamiento; thither we will
+consequently bend our steps, not forgetting to enjoy, as we leave the
+church, a long gaze at its elegant and symmetrical proportions. It may
+be called an unique model of beauty of its particular sort, especially
+when contemplated without being drawn into comparison with other
+edifices of a different class. Catalani is said, on hearing Sontag's
+performance, to have remarked that she was "la première de son genre,
+mais que son genre n'était pas le premier." Could the cathedral of
+Seville see that of Burgos, it would probably pronounce a similar
+judgment on its smaller rival.
+
+The profusion of ornament, the perfection of symmetry, the completeness
+of finish, produce an instantaneous impression that nothing is wanting
+in this charming edifice; but any one who should happen to have
+previously seen that of Seville cannot, after the first moments of
+enthusiasm, escape the comparison which forces itself on him, and which
+is not in favour of this cathedral. It is elegant, but deficient in
+grandeur; beautiful, but wanting in majesty. The stern and grand
+simplicity of the one, thrown into the scales against the light, airy,
+and diminutive, though graceful beauty of the other, recalls the
+contrast drawn by Milton between our first parents; a contrast which,
+applied to these churches, must be considered favourable to the more
+majestic, however the balance of preference may turn in the poem.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER V.
+
+TOMB OF THE CID. CITADEL.
+
+
+Burgos.
+
+The Ayuntamiento, or Town-hall, presents one façade to the river, and
+the other to the Plaza Mayor, being built over the archway which forms
+the already mentioned entrance to the central portion of the city. The
+building, like other town-halls, possesses an airy staircase, a large
+public room, and a few other apartments, used for the various details of
+administration; but nothing remarkable until you arrive at a handsomely
+ornamented saloon, furnished with a canopied seat fronting a row of
+arm-chairs. This is the room in which the municipal body hold their
+juntas. It contains several portraits: two or three of kings, suspended
+opposite to an equal number of queens; the two likenesses of the
+celebrated judges Nuño Rasura and Lain Calvo, near which are seen the
+simple square oaken chairs from within the angular and hard embrace of
+which they administered the laws and government of Castile; a
+full-length of Fernan Gonzalez; and lastly, one of the Cid.
+
+Owing to the singularity of this last portrait, it is the first to
+attract attention. The hero is represented in the most extraordinary of
+attitudes: the head is thrown back, and the face turned towards one
+side; the legs in a sort of studied posture; a drawn sword is in the
+right hand, the point somewhat raised. The general expression is that of
+a comic actor attempting an attitude of mock-heroic impertinence; and is
+probably the result of an unattained object in the mind of the artist,
+of producing that of fearless independence.
+
+Beyond this apartment is the Chapel, a plain, not large room, containing
+but two objects besides its very simple altar, with its, almost black,
+silver candlesticks. Over the altar is a Conception, by Murillo; and, in
+the centre of the chapel, a highly polished and neatly ornamented
+funereal urn, composed of walnut-wood, contains the remains of the Cid:
+the urn stands on a pedestal. On its two ends in letters of gold, are
+inscriptions, stating its contents, and the date of its application to
+its present purpose. I was told that the bones were contained in a
+leaden box, but that a glass one was being prepared, which, on opening
+the lid of the urn, would afford a view of the actual dust of the
+warrior.
+
+The remains of the Cid have only recently been conveyed to Burgos from
+the monastery of San Pedro de Cardenas, about four miles distant. They
+had been preserved there ever since his funeral, which took place in the
+presence of King Alonzo the Sixth, and the two Kings, sons-in-law of the
+hero, as soon as the body arrived from Valencia.
+
+This monastic retreat, if dependence may be placed on the testimony of
+the Cerberus of the Alcalde,--the cicerone (when duly propitiated) of
+the municipal edifice,--did not turn out to be altogether a place of
+repose to the warrior. According to this worthy, an amusing interpreter
+of the popular local traditions, the exploits performed subsequently to
+the hero's interment were such as almost to throw a shadow over those he
+enacted during his mortal existence. One specimen will suffice. Some
+twenty thousand individuals, including the monks of all the neighbouring
+monasteries, were assembled in the church of San Pedro, and were
+listening to a sermon on the occasion of the annual festival in honour
+of the patron saint. Guided by curiosity, a Moor entered the church and
+mingled with the crowd. After remaining during a short time motionless,
+he approached a pillar, against which was suspended a portrait of the
+Cid, for the purpose of examining the picture. Suddenly the figure was
+seen by all present, whose testimony subsequently established the fact,
+to grasp with the right hand the hilt of its sword, and to uncover a few
+inches of the naked blade. The Moor instantly fell flat on the pavement,
+and was found to be lifeless.
+
+You would be surprised at the difficulty of forming even here, in the
+midst of the scenes of his exploits, a definite idea of this Hercules of
+the Middle Ages. For those who are satisfied with the orthodox histories
+of the monks, he is without defects--a simple unsophisticated demi-god.
+But there have been Mahometan historians of Spain. These are universally
+acknowledged to have treated of all that concerned themselves with
+complete accuracy and impartiality; and, when this happens, it should
+seem to be the best criterion, in the absence of other proof, of their
+faithful delineation of others' portraits.
+
+However that may be, here is an instance which will give you an idea of
+the various readings of the Cid's history.
+
+Mariana relates, that an Arab expedition, headed by five kings (as he
+terms them) of the adjoining states, being signalized as having passed
+the mountains of Oca, and being occupied in committing depredations on
+the Christian territory, Rodrigo suddenly took the field, recovered all
+the booty, and made all five kings prisoners. All this being done by
+himself and his own retainers. The kings he released after signing a
+treaty, according to which they agreed to pay him an annual tribute. It
+happened, that on the occasion of the first payment of this, Rodrigo was
+at Zamora, whither he had accompanied the King of Castile; and he took
+an opportunity of receiving the Arab messengers in presence of the
+court. This was at least uncommon. The messengers addressed him by the
+appellation of Syd (sir) as they handed over the money. Ferdinand,
+delighted with the prowess of his courtier, expressed on this occasion
+the desire that he should retain the title of Syd.
+
+This anecdote undergoes, in the hands of the Arab writers, a curious
+metamorphosis. According to them, the expression Syd was employed, not
+by tributary kings, but by certain chiefs of that creed whose pay the
+Catholic hero was receiving in return for aid lent against the
+Christians of Aragon.
+
+They attribute, moreover, to this mirror of chivalry, on the surrender
+of Valencia, a conduct by no means heroic--not to say worthy a
+highwayman. He accepted, as they relate, the pay of the Emyr of Valencia
+to protect the city against the Almoravides, who at that period were
+extending their conquests all over Moorish Spain. The Cid was repulsed,
+and the town taken. After this defeat he shut himself up in a castle,
+since called the Peña del Cid (Rock of the Cid), and there waited his
+opportunity. On the departure of the conquerors from the city, in which
+they left an insufficient garrison, he hastened down at the head of his
+campeadores, and speedily retook Valencia.
+
+The Cadi, Ahmed ben Djahhaf, left in command of the place, had, however,
+only surrendered on faith of a capitulation couched in the most
+favourable terms. It was even stipulated that he should retain his post
+of governor; but no sooner was the Cid master of the place than he
+caused the old man to be arrested and put to the torture, in order to
+discover from him the situation of a treasure supposed to be concealed
+in the Alcazar; after which, finding he would not speak, or had nothing
+to reveal, he had him burned on the public place.
+
+The Citadel of Burgos, at present an insignificant fortress, was
+formerly a place of considerable importance, and commanded the
+surrounding country; especially on the side on which the town--placed at
+the foot of the eminence--lay beneath its immediate protection, and
+could listen unscathed to the whizzing of the deadly missiles of war as
+they passed over its roofs. During the various wars of which Castile has
+been the theatre at different periods, this citadel has, from its
+important position, occupied the main attention of contending armies;
+and, from forming a constant _point-de-mire_ to attacking troops, has
+finally been almost annihilated. The principal portion of the present
+buildings is of a modern date, but, although garrisoned, the fortress
+cannot be said to be restored.
+
+The extent of the town was greater than at present, and included a
+portion of the declivity which exists between the present houses and the
+walls of the fortress. At the two extremities of the town-side of the
+hill, immediately above the level of the highest-placed houses now
+existing, two Arab gate-ways give access through the ancient town-walls,
+which ascended the hill from the bottom. Between these there exists a
+sort of flat natural terrace, above the town, and running along its
+whole length, on to which some of the streets open. On this narrow level
+stood formerly a part, probably the best part, of the city, which has
+shared the fate of its protecting fortress; but, not being rebuilt, it
+is now an empty space,--or would be so, but for the recent erection of a
+cemetery, placed at about half the distance between the two extremities.
+
+Before, however, the lapse of years had worn away the last surviving
+recollections of these localities, some worshipper of by-gone glory
+succeeded in discovering, on the now grass-grown space, the situations
+once occupied by the respective abodes of the Cid and of Fernan
+Gonzalez. On these spots monuments have been erected. That of Gonzalez
+is a handsome arch, the piers supporting which are each faced with two
+pillars of the Doric order on either side; above the cornice there is a
+balustrade, over which four small obelisks correspond with the
+respective pillars. The arch is surmounted by a sort of pedestal, on
+which is carved an inscription, stating the object of the monument.
+There is nothing on the top of the pedestal, which appears to have been
+intended for the reception of a statue.
+
+The monument in memory of the Cid is more simple. It consists of three
+small pyramids in a row, supported on low bases or pedestals; that in
+the centre higher than the other two, but not exceeding (inclusive of
+the base) twenty feet from the ground. On the lower part of the centre
+stone is carved an appropriate inscription, abounding in ellipsis, after
+the manner usually adopted in Spain.
+
+It is not surprising that these monuments, together with the memory of
+the events brought about by the men in whose honour they have been
+erected, should be fast hastening to a level with the desolation
+immediately surrounding them. The present political circumstances of
+Spain are not calculated to favour the retrospection of by-gone glories.
+Scarcely is time allowed--so rapidly are executed the transmutations of
+the modern political diorama--for examining the events, or even for
+recovery from the shock, of each succeeding revolution; nor force
+remaining to the exhausted organs of admiration or of horror, to be
+exercised on almost forgotten acts, since those performed before the
+eyes of the living generation have equalled or surpassed them in
+violence and energy. The arch of Fernan Gonzalez, if not speedily
+restored, (which is not to be expected,) runs the risk, from its
+elevation and want of solidity, of being the first of the two monuments
+to crumble to dust; a circumstance which, although not destitute of an
+appearance of justice,--from the fact of the hero it records having
+figured on an earlier page of Castilian annals,--would nevertheless
+occasion regret to those who prefer history to romance, and who estimate
+essential services rendered to the state, as superior to mere individual
+_éclat_, however brilliant.
+
+You will not probably object to the remainder of this letter being
+monopolized by this founder of the independence of Castile; the less so,
+from the circumstance of the near connection existing between his
+parentage and that of the city we are visiting, and which owes to him so
+much of its celebrity. Should you not be in a humour to be lectured on
+history, you are at all events forewarned, and may wait for the next
+despatch.
+
+Unlike many of the principal towns of the Peninsula, which content
+themselves with no more modern descent than from Nebuchadnezzar or
+Hercules, Burgos modestly accepts a paternity within the domain of
+probability. A German, Nuño Belchides, married, in the reign of Alonzo
+the Great, King of Oviedo, a daughter of the second Count of Castile,
+Don Diego Porcellos. This noble prevailed on his father-in-law to
+assemble the inhabitants of the numerous villages dispersed over the
+central part of the province, and to found a city, to which he gave the
+German name of "city" with a Spanish termination. It was Don Fruela
+III., King of Leon, whose acts of injustice and cruelty caused so
+violent an exasperation, that the nobles of Castile, of whom there
+existed several of a rank little inferior to that of the titular Count
+of the province, threw up their allegiance, and selected two of their
+own body, Nuño Rasura and Lain Calvo, to whom they intrusted the supreme
+authority, investing them with the modest title of Judges, by way of a
+check, lest at any future time they should be tempted, upon the strength
+of a higher distinction, to make encroachments on the common liberties.
+
+The first of the two judges, Nuño Rasura, was the son of the
+above-mentioned Nuño Belchides and his wife, Sulla Bella (daughter of
+Diego Porcellos), and grandfather of Fernan Gonzalez. His son Gonzalo
+Nuño, Fernan's father, succeeded on his death to the dignity of Judge of
+Castile, and became extremely popular, owing to his affability, and
+winning urbanity of deportment in his public character. He established
+an academy in his palace for the education of the sons of the nobles,
+who were instructed under his own superintendence in all the
+accomplishments which could render them distinguished in peace or in
+war. The maternal grandfather of Fernan Gonzalez was Nuño Fernandez, one
+of the Counts of Castile who were treacherously seized and put to death
+by Don Ordoño, King of Leon. The young Count of Castile is described as
+having been a model of elegance. To singular personal beauty he added an
+unmatched proficiency in all the exercises then in vogue, principally in
+arms and equitation. These accomplishments, being added to much
+affability and good-nature, won him the affections of the young nobles,
+who strove to imitate his perfections, while they enjoyed the
+festivities of his palace.
+
+It appears that, notwithstanding the rebellion, and appointment of
+Judges, Castile had subsequently professed allegiance to the Kings of
+Leon; for a second revolt was organized in the reign of Don Ramiro, at
+the head of which we find Fernan Gonzalez. On this occasion, feeling
+themselves too feeble to resist the royal troops, the rebels had
+recourse to a Moorish chief, Aecipha. The King, however, speedily drove
+the Moors across the frontier, and succeeded in capturing the principal
+revolters. After a short period these were released, on the sole
+condition of taking the oath of allegiance; and the peace was
+subsequently sealed by the marriage of a daughter of Gonzalez with Don
+Ordoño, eldest son of Ramiro, and heir to the kingdom.
+
+The Count of Castile was, however, too powerful a vassal to continue
+long on peaceable terms with a sovereign, an alliance with whose family
+had more than ever smoothed the progressive ascent of his pretensions.
+Soon after the accession of his son-in-law Don Ordoño, he entered into
+an alliance against him with the King of Navarre. This declaration of
+hostility was followed by the divorce of Fernan's daughter by the King,
+who immediately entered into a second wedlock. The successor of this
+monarch, Don Sancho, surnamed the Fat, was indebted for a large portion
+of his misfortunes and vicissitudes to the hostility of the Count of
+Castile. Don Ordoño, the pretender to his throne, son of Alonzo surnamed
+the Monk, with the aid of Gonzalez, whose daughter Urraca, the
+repudiated widow of the former sovereign, he married, took easy
+possession of the kingdom, driving Don Sancho for shelter to the court
+of his uncle the then King of Navarre. It is worth mentioning, that King
+Sancho took the opportunity of his temporary expulsion from his states,
+to visit the court of Abderahman at Cordova, and consult the Arab
+physicians, whose reputation for skill in the removal of obesity had
+extended over all Spain. History relates that the treatment they
+employed was successful, and that Don Sancho, on reascending his throne,
+had undergone so complete a reduction as to be destitute of all claims
+to his previously acquired _sobriquet_.
+
+All these events, and the intervals which separated them, fill a
+considerable space of time; and the establishment of the exact dates
+would be a very difficult, if not an impossible, undertaking. Various
+wars were carried on during this time by Gonzalez, and alliances formed
+and dissolved. Several more or less successful campaigns are recorded
+against the Moors of Saragoza, and of other neighbouring states. The
+alliance with Navarre had not been durable. In 959 Don Garcia, King of
+that country, fought a battle with Fernan Gonzalez, by whom he was taken
+prisoner, and detained in Burgos thirteen months. The conquest of the
+independence of Castile is related in the following manner.
+
+In the year 958, the Cortes of the kingdom were assembled at Leon,
+whence the King forwarded a special invitation to the Count of Castile,
+requiring his attendance, and that of the Grandees of the province, for
+"deliberation on affairs of high importance to the state." Gonzalez,
+although suspicious of the intentions of the sovereign, unable to devise
+a suitable pretext for absenting himself, repaired to Leon, attended by
+a considerable _cortége_ of nobles. The King went forth to receive him;
+and it is related, that refusing to accept a present, offered by
+Gonzalez, of a horse and a falcon, both of great value, a price was
+agreed on; with the condition that, in case the King should not pay the
+money on the day named in the agreement, for each successive day that
+should intervene until the payment, the sum should be doubled. Nothing
+extraordinary took place during the remainder of the visit; and the
+Count, on his return to Burgos, married Doña Sancha, sister of the King
+of Navarre.
+
+It is probable that some treachery had been intended against Gonzalez,
+similar to that put in execution on a like occasion previous to his
+birth, when the Counts of Castile were seized and put to death in their
+prison; for, not long after, a second invitation was accepted by the
+Count, who was now received in a very different manner. On his kneeling
+to kiss the King's hand, Don Sancho burst forth with a volley of
+reproaches, and, repulsing him with fury, gave orders for his immediate
+imprisonment. It is doubtful what fate was reserved for him by the
+hatred of the Queen-mother, who had instigated the King to the act of
+treachery, in liquidation of an ancient personal debt of vengeance of
+her own, had not the Countess of Castile, Doña Sancha, undertaken his
+liberation.
+
+Upon receiving the news of her husband's imprisonment, she allowed a
+short period to elapse, in order to mature her plan, and at the same
+time lull suspicion of her intentions. She then repaired to Leon, on
+pretext of a pilgrimage to Santiago, on the route to which place Leon is
+situated. She was received by King Sancho with distinguished honours,
+and obtained permission to visit her husband, and to pass a night in his
+prison. The following morning, Gonzalez, taking advantage of early
+twilight, passed the prison-doors in disguise of the Countess, and,
+mounting a horse which was in readiness, escaped to Castile.
+
+This exploit of Doña Sancha does not belong to the days of romance and
+chivalry alone: it reminds us of the still more difficult task,
+accomplished by the beautiful Winifred, Countess of Nithisdale, who,
+eight centuries later, effected the escape of the rebel Earl, her
+husband, from the Tower, in a precisely similar manner; thus rescuing
+him from the tragic fate of his friends and fellow-prisoners, the Lords
+Derwentwater and Kenmure.
+
+Doña Sancha obtained her liberty without difficulty, being even
+complimented by the King on her heroism, and provided with a brilliant
+escort on her return to Castile. Gonzalez contented himself with
+claiming the price agreed upon for the horse and falcon; and--the King
+not seeming inclined to liquidate the debt, which, owing to the long
+delay, amounted already to an enormous sum, or looking upon it as a
+pretext for hostility, the absence of which would not prevent the Count
+of Castile, in his then state of exasperation, from having recourse to
+arms--passed the frontier of Leon at the head of an army, and, laying
+waste the country, approached gradually nearer to the capital. At length
+Don Sancho sent his treasurer to clear up the account, but it was found
+that the debt exceeded the whole amount of the royal treasure; upon
+which Gonzalez claimed and obtained, on condition of the withdrawal of
+his troops, a formal definitive grant of Castile, without reservation,
+to himself and his descendants.
+
+Before we quit Burgos for its environs, one more edifice requires our
+notice. It is a fountain, occupying the centre of the space which faces
+the principal front of the cathedral. This little antique monument
+charms, by the quaint symmetry of its design and proportions, and
+perhaps even by the terribly mutilated state of the four fragments of
+Cupids, which, riding on the necks of the same number of animals so
+maltreated as to render impossible the discovery of their race, form
+projecting angles, and support the basin on their shoulders. Four
+mermaids, holding up their tails, so as not to interfere with the
+operations of the Cupids, ornament the sides of the basin, which are
+provided with small apertures for the escape of the water; the top being
+covered by a flat circular stone, carved around its edge. This stone,--a
+small, elegantly shaped pedestal, which surmounts it,--and the other
+portions already described, are nearly black, probably from antiquity;
+but on the pedestal stands a little marble virgin, as white as snow.
+This antique figure harmonises by its mutilation with the rest, although
+injured in a smaller degree; and at the same time adds to the charm of
+the whole, by the contrast of its dazzling whiteness with the dark mass
+on which it is supported. The whole is balanced on the capital of a
+pillar, of a most original form, which appears immediately above the
+surface of a sheet of water enclosed in a large octagonal basin.
+
+[Illustration: FOUNTAIN OF SANTA MARIA.]
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VI.
+
+CARTUJA DE MIRAFLORES. CONVENT OF LAS HUELGAS.
+
+
+Burgos.
+
+The Chartreuse of Miraflores, situated to the east of the city, half-way
+in the direction of the above-mentioned monastery of San Pedro de
+Cardeñas, crowns the brow of an eminence, which, clothed with woods
+towards its base, slopes gradually until it reaches the river. This spot
+is the most picturesque to be found in the environs of Burgos,--a region
+little favoured in that respect. The view, extending right and left,
+follows the course of the river, until it is bounded on the west by the
+town, and on the east by a chain of mountains, a branch of the Sierra of
+Oca. Henry the Third, grandfather of Isabel the Catholic, made choice of
+this position for the erection of a palace; the only remnant of it now
+existing is the church, which has since become the inheritance of the
+Carthusian monks, the successors of its royal founder.
+
+The late revolution, after sparing the throne of Spain, displayed a
+certain degree of logic, if not in all its acts, at least in sparing,
+likewise, two or three of the religious establishments, under the
+protection of which the principal royal mausoleums found shelter and
+preservation. The great Chartreuse of Xeres contained probably no such
+palladium, for it was among the first of the condemned: its lands and
+buildings were confiscated; and its treasures of art, and all portable
+riches, dispersed, as likewise its inhabitants, in the direction of all
+the winds.
+
+In England the name of Xeres is only generally known in connection with
+one of the principal objects of necessity, which furnish the table of
+the _gastronome_; but in Andalucia the name of Xeres de la Frontera
+calls up ideas of a different sort. It is dear to the wanderer in Spain,
+whose recollections love to repose on its picturesque position, its
+sunny skies, its delicious fruits, its amiable and lively population,
+and lastly on its once magnificent monastery, and the treasures of art
+it contained. The Prior of that monastery has been removed to the
+Cartuja of Burgos, where he presides over a community, reduced to four
+monks, who subsist almost entirely on charity. This amiable and
+gentleman-like individual, in whom the monk has in no degree injured
+the man of the world,--although a large estate, abandoned for the
+cloister, proved sufficiently the sincerity of his religious
+professions,--had well deserved a better fate than to be torn in his old
+age from his warm Andalucian retreat, and transplanted to the rudest
+spot in the whole Peninsula, placed at an elevation of more than four
+thousand feet above the level of the Atlantic, and visited up to the
+middle of June by snow-storms. At the moment I am writing, this innocent
+victim of reform is extended on a bed of sickness, having only recently
+escaped with his life from an attack, during which he was given over.
+
+This Cartuja possesses more than the historical reminiscences with which
+it is connected, to attract the passing tourist. It owes its prolonged
+existence to the possession of an admirable work of art,--the tomb of
+Juan the Second and his Queen Isabel, which stands immediately in front
+of the high altar of the church. This living mass of alabaster, the work
+of Gil de Siloë, son of the celebrated Diego, presents in its general
+plan the form of a star. It turns one of its points to the altar. Its
+mass, or thickness from the ground to the surface, measures about six
+feet; and this is consequently the height at which are laid the two
+recumbent figures.
+
+[Illustration: _N. A. Wells. deb._ W. I. Starling, "84"
+
+INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH OF MIRAFLORES,
+
+NEAR BURGOS.]
+
+It is impossible to conceive a work more elaborate than the details of
+the costumes of the King and Queen. The imitation of lace and
+embroidery, the exquisite delicacy of the hands and features, the
+infinitely minute carving of the pillows, the architectural railing by
+which the two statues are separated, the groups of sporting lions and
+dogs placed against the foot-boards, and the statues of the four
+Evangelists, seated at the four points of the star which face the
+cardinal points of the compass,--all these attract first the attention
+as they occupy the surface; but they are nothing to the profusion of
+ornament lavished on the sides. The chisel of the artist has followed
+each retreating and advancing angle of the star, filling the innermost
+recesses with life and movement. It would be endless to enter into a
+detailed enumeration of all this. It is composed of lions and lionesses,
+panthers, dogs,--crouching, lying, sitting, rampant, and standing; of
+saints, male and female, and personifications of the cardinal virtues.
+These figures are represented in every variety of posture,--some
+standing on pedestals, and others seated on beautifully wrought
+arm-chairs, but all enclosed respectively in the richest Gothic tracery,
+and under cover of their respective niches. Were there no other object
+of interest at Burgos, this tomb would well repay the traveller for a
+halt of a few days, and a country walk.
+
+At the opposite side of the town may be seen the royal convent of Las
+Huelgas; but as the nuns reserve to themselves the greater part of the
+church, including the royal tombs, which are said to be very numerous,
+no one can penetrate to satisfy his curiosity. It is, however, so
+celebrated an establishment, and of such easy access from the town, that
+a sight of what portions of the buildings are accessible deserves the
+effort of the two hundred yards' walk which separates it from the river
+promenade. This Cistercian convent was founded towards the end of the
+twelfth century by Alonzo the Eighth,--the same who won the famous
+battle of the Navas de Tolosa. It occupies the site of the
+pleasure-grounds of a royal retreat, as is indicated by the name itself.
+In its origin it was destined for the reception, exclusively, of
+princesses of the blood royal. It was consequently designed on a scale
+of peculiar splendour. Of the original buildings, however, only
+sufficient traces remain to confirm the records of history, but not to
+convey an adequate idea of their magnificence. What with the
+depredations of time, the vicissitudes of a situation in the midst of
+provinces so given to contention, and repeated alterations, it has
+evidently, as far as regards the portions to a view of which admission
+can be obtained, yielded almost all claims to identity with its ancient
+self.
+
+The entire church, with the exception of a small portion partitioned off
+at the extremity, and containing the high altar, is appropriated to the
+nuns, and fitted up as a choir. It is very large; the length, of which
+an estimate may be formed externally, appearing to measure nearly three
+hundred feet. It is said this edifice contains the tomb of the founder,
+surrounded by forty others of princesses. The entrance to the public
+portion consists of a narrow vestibule, in which are several antique
+tombs. They are of stone, covered with Gothic sculpture, and appear,
+from the richness of their ornaments, to have belonged also to royalty.
+They are stowed away, and half built into the wall, as if there had not
+been room for their reception. The convent is said to contain handsome
+cloisters, courts, chapter-hall, and other state apartments, all of a
+construction long subsequent to its foundation. The whole is surrounded
+by a complete circle of houses, occupied by its various dependants and
+pensioners. These are enclosed from without by a lofty wall, and face
+the centre edifice, from which they are separated by a series of large
+open areas. Their appearance is that of a small town, surrounding a
+cathedral and palace.
+
+The convent of the Huelgas takes precedence of all others in Spain. The
+abbess and her successors were invested by the sovereigns of Leon and
+Castile with especial prerogatives, and with a sort of authority over
+all convents within those kingdoms. Her possessions were immense, and
+she enjoyed the sovereign sway over an extensive district, including
+several convents, thirteen towns, and about fifty villages. In many
+respects her jurisdiction resembles that of a bishop. The following is
+the formula which heads her official acts:
+
+"We, Doña ..., by the grace of God and of the Holy Apostolic See, Abbess
+of the royal monastery of Las Huelgas near to the city of Burgos, order
+of the Cister, habit of our father San Bernardo, Mistress, Superior,
+Prelate, Mother, and lawful spiritual and temporal Administrator of the
+said royal monastery, and its hospital called 'the King's Hospital,' and
+of the convents, churches, and hermitages of its filiation, towns and
+villages of its jurisdiction, lordship, and vassalage, in virtue of
+Apostolic bulls and concessions, with all sorts of jurisdiction, proper,
+almost episcopal, _nullius diocesis_, and with royal privileges, since
+we exercise both jurisdictions, as is public and notorious," &c.
+
+The hospital alluded to gives its name to a village, about a quarter of
+a mile distant, called "Hospital del Rey." This village is still in a
+sort of feudal dependance on the abbess, and is the only remaining
+source of revenue to the convent, having been recently restored by a
+decree of Queen Isabella; for the royal blood flowing in the veins of
+the present abbess had not exempted her convent from the common
+confiscation decreed by the revolution. The hospital, situated in the
+centre of the village, is a handsome edifice. The whole place is
+surrounded by a wall, similar to that which encloses the convent and its
+immediate dependances, and the entrance presents a specimen of much
+architectural beauty. It forms a small quadrangle, ornamented with an
+elegant arcade, and balustrades of an original design.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VII.
+
+ROUTE TO MADRID. MUSEO.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+The route from Burgos to Madrid presents few objects of interest. The
+country is dreary and little cultivated; indeed, much of it is incapable
+of culture. For those who are unaccustomed to Spanish routes, there may,
+indeed, be derived some amusement from the inns, of which some very
+characteristic specimens lie in their way. The Diligence halts for the
+night at the Venta de Juanilla, a solitary edifice situated at the foot
+of the last or highest _étage_ of the Somo Sierra, in order to leave the
+principal ascent for the cool of early dawn. The building is seen from a
+considerable distance, and looks large; but is found, on nearer
+approach, to be a straggling edifice of one story only.
+
+It is a modern inn, and differs in some essential points from the
+ancient Spanish _posada_,--perfect specimens of which are met with at
+Briviesca and Burgos. In these the vestibule is at the same time a
+cow-shed, sheepfold, stable, pigsty,--in fact, a spacious Noah's Ark, in
+which are found specimens of all living animals, that is, of all sizes,
+down to the most minute; but for the purification of which it would be
+requisite that the entire flood should pass within, instead of on its
+outside. The original ark, moreover, possessed the advantage of windows,
+the absence of which causes no small embarrassment to those who have to
+thread so promiscuous a congregation, in order to reach the staircase;
+once at the summit of which, it must be allowed, one meets with
+cleanliness, and a certain degree of comfort.
+
+The Venta de Juanilla, on the Somo Sierra, is a newish, clean-looking
+habitation, especially the interior, where one meets with an excellent
+supper, and may feast the eyes on the sight of a printed card, hanging
+on the wall of the dining-room, announcing that luxury of exotic
+gastronomy--Champagne--at three crowns a bottle: none were bold enough
+that evening to ask for a specimen.
+
+There is less of the exotic in the bed-room arrangements; in fact, the
+building appears to have been constructed by the Diligence proprietors
+to meet the immediate necessity of the occasion. The Madrid road being
+served by two Diligences, one, leaving the capital, meets at this point,
+on its first night, the other, which approaches in the contrary
+direction. In consequence of this arrangement, the edifice is provided
+with exactly four dormitories,--two male, and two female.
+
+Nor is this the result of an intention to diminish the numbers quartered
+in each male or female apartment; on the contrary, two rooms would have
+answered the purpose better than four, but for the inconvenience and
+confusion which would have arisen from the denizens of the Diligence
+destined to start at a later hour being aroused from their slumbers, and
+perhaps induced to depart by mistake, at the signal for calling the
+travellers belonging to the earlier conveyance,--the one starting at two
+o'clock in the morning, and the other at three.
+
+On the occasion of my _bivouaque_ in this curious establishment, an
+English couple, recently married, happened to be among the number of my
+fellow-sufferers; and the lady's report of the adventures of the female
+dormitory of our Diligence afforded us sufficient amusement to enliven
+the breakfast on the other side of the mountain. It appeared, that,
+during the hustling of the males into their enclosure, a fond mother,
+moved by Heaven knows what anxious apprehensions, had succeeded in
+abstracting from the herd her son, a tender youth of fourteen. Whether
+or not she expected to smuggle, without detection, this contraband
+article into the female pen we could not determine. If she did, she
+reckoned somewhat independently of her host; for on a fellow-traveller
+entering in the dark, and groping about for a considerable time in
+search of an unoccupied nest, a sudden exclamation aroused the fatigued
+sleepers, followed by loud complaints against those who had admitted an
+interloper to this holy of holies of feminine promiscuousness, to the
+exclusion of one of its lawful occupants. The dispute ran high; but it
+must be added to the already numerous proofs of the superior energy
+proceeding from aroused maternal feelings, that the intruder was
+maintained in his usurped resting-place by his determined parent,
+notwithstanding the discontent naturally caused by such a proceeding.
+
+We have now reached the centre of these provinces, the destinies of
+which have offered to Europe so singular an example of political
+vicissitude. It is an attractive occupation, in studying the history of
+this country, to watch the progress of the state, the ancient capital of
+which we have just visited,--a province which, from being probably the
+rudest and poorest of the whole Peninsula, became the most influential,
+the wealthiest, the focus of power, as it is geographically the centre
+of Spain,--and to witness its constantly progressive advance, as it
+gradually drew within the range of its influence all the surrounding
+states; exemplifying the dogged perseverance of the Spanish character,
+which, notwithstanding repeated defeat, undermined the Arab power by
+imperceptible advances, and eventually ridded the Peninsula of its
+long-established lords. It is interesting to thread the intricate
+narrative of intermarriages, treaties, wars, alliances, and successions,
+interspersed with deeds of heroic chivalry and of blackest treachery,
+composing the annals of the different northern states of Spain; until at
+length, the Christian domination having been borne onward by successive
+advantages nearly to the extreme southern shores of the Peninsula, a
+marriage unites the two principal kingdoms, and leads to the subjection
+of all Spain, as at present, under one monarch.
+
+It is still more attractive to repair subsequently to the country
+itself; and from this central, pyramidal summit--elevated by the hand of
+Nature to a higher level than the rest of the Peninsula; its bare and
+rugged surface exposed to all the less genial influences of the
+elements, and crowned by its modern capital, looking down in all
+directions, like a feudal castle on the fairer and more fertile regions
+subject to its dominion, and for the protection of which it is there
+proudly situated,--to take a survey of this extraordinary country, view
+the localities immortalized by the eventful passages of its history, and
+muse on its still varying destinies.
+
+Madrid has in fact already experienced threatening symptoms of the
+insecurity of this feudal tenure, as it were, in virtue of which it
+enjoys the supreme rank. Having no claim to superiority derived from its
+commerce, the fertility of its territory, the facility of its means of
+communication and intercourse with the other parts of the kingdom or
+with foreign states,--nothing, in fact, but its commanding and central
+position, and the comparatively recent choice made of it by the
+sovereigns for a residence; it has seen itself rivalled, and at length
+surpassed in wealth and enterprize, by Barcelona, and its right to be
+continued as the seat of government questioned and attacked. Its fall is
+probably imminent, should some remedy not be applied before the
+intermittent revolutionary fever, which has taken possession of the
+country, makes further advances, or puts on chronic symptoms; but its
+fate will be shared by the power to which it owes its creation. No
+residence in Europe bears a prouder and more monarchical aspect than
+Madrid, nor is better suited for the abode of the feudal pomp and
+etiquette of the most magnificent--in its day--of European courts: but
+riding and country sports have crossed the Channel, and are
+endeavouring to take root in France; fresco-painting has invaded
+England; in Sicily marble porticoes have been painted to imitate red
+bricks; and a Constitutional monarchy is being erected in Spain.
+Spaniards are not imitators, and cannot change their nature, although
+red bricks should become the materials of Italian _palazzi_, Frenchmen
+ride after fox-hounds, and Englishmen be metamorphosed to Michael
+Angelos. The Alcazar of Madrid, commanding from its windows thirty miles
+of royal domains, including the Escorial and several other royal
+residences, is not destined to become the abode of a monarch paid to
+receive directions from a loquacious and corrupt house of deputies,--the
+utmost result to be obtained from forcing on states a form of government
+unsuited to their character. If the Spanish reigning family, after
+having settled their quarrel with regard to the succession, (if ever
+they do so,) are compelled to accept a (so-called) Constitutional form
+of government, with their knowledge of the impossibility of its
+successful operation, they will probably endeavour, in imitation of the
+highly gifted sovereign of their neighbours, to stifle it, and to
+administrate in spite of it; until, either wanting the talent and energy
+necessary for the maintenance of this false position, or their subjects,
+as may be expected, getting impatient at finding themselves mystified,
+a total overthrow will terminate the experiment.
+
+I am aware of the criticism to which this opinion would be exposed in
+many quarters; I already hear the contemptuous upbraidings, similar to
+those with which the "exquisite," exulting in an unexceptionable
+wardrobe, lashes the culprit whose shoulders are guilty of a coat of the
+previous year's fashion. We are told that the tendency of minds, the
+progress of intellect, the spirit of the age,--all which, translated
+into plain language, mean (if they mean anything) the fashion,--require
+that nations should provide themselves each with a new Liberal
+government; claiming, in consideration of the fashionable vogue and the
+expensive nature of the article, its introduction (unlike other British
+manufactures) duty-free. But it ought first to be established, whether
+these larger interests of humanity are amenable to the sceptre of so
+capricious a ruler as the fashion. It appears to me, that nations should
+be allowed to adapt their government to their respective characters,
+dispositions, habits of life, and traditions. All these are more
+dependant than is supposed by those who possess not the habit of
+reflection, on the race, the position, the soil and climate each has
+received from nature, which, by the influence they have exercised on
+their habits and dispositions, have fitted them each for a form of
+constitution equally appropriate to no other people; since no two
+nations are similarly circumstanced, not only in all these respects, but
+even in any one of them.
+
+What could be more Liberal than the monarchy of Spain up to the
+accession of the Bourbon dynasty? the kings never reigning but by the
+consent of their subjects, and on the condition of unvarying respect for
+their privileges; but never, when once seated on the throne, checked and
+embarrassed in carrying through the measures necessary for the
+administration of the state. The monarch was a responsible but a free
+monarch until these days, when an attempt is being made to deprive him
+both of freedom of action and responsibility--almost of utility, and to
+render him a tool in the hands of a constantly varying succession of
+needy advocates or military _parvenus_, whom the chances of civil war or
+the gift of declamation have placed in the way of disputing the
+ministerial salaries, without having been able to furnish either their
+hearts with the patriotism, or their heads with the capacity, requisite
+for the useful and upright administration of the empire. In Spain, the
+advocates of continual change, in most cases in which personal interest
+is not their moving spring, hope to arrive ultimately at a republic.
+Now, no one more than myself admires the theories of Constitutional
+governments, of universal political power and of republicanism: the last
+system would be the best of all, were it only for the equality it is to
+establish. But how are men to be equalised by the manufacturers of a
+government? How are the ignorant and uneducated to be furnished with
+legislative capacity, or the poor or unprincipled armed against the
+seductions of bribery? It is not, unfortunately, in any one's power to
+accomplish these requisite preliminary operations; without the
+performance of which, these plausible theories will ever lose their
+credit when brought to the test of experiment. How is a republic to be
+durable without the previous solution of the problem of the equalisation
+of human capacities? In some countries it may be almost attained for a
+time; in others, never put in motion for an instant. No one more than
+myself abhors tyranny and despotism; but, after hearing and reading all
+the charges laid at the door of Absolutism during the last quarter of a
+century, I am at a loss to account for the still greater evils and
+defects, existing in Constitutional states, having been overlooked in
+the comparison. The subject is far less free in France than in the
+absolute states of Germany: and other appropriate comparisons might be
+made which would bring us still nearer home. I would ask the advocates
+for putting in practice a republican form of government, and by way of
+comparing the two extremes, whether all the harm the Emperors of Russia
+have ever done, or are likely to do until the end of the
+world,--according to whatever sect the date of that event be
+calculated,--will not knock under to one week of the exploits of the
+French republicans of the last century? And if we carry on the
+observation to the consequences of that revolution, until we arrive at
+the decimation of that fine country under the military despotism which
+was necessarily its offspring, we shall not find my argument weakened.
+
+I entreat your pardon for this political digression, which I am as happy
+to terminate as yourself. I will only add, that, should the period be
+arrived for the Spanish empire to undergo the lot of all human
+things--decline and dissolution, it has no right to complain, having had
+its day; but, should that moment be still distant, let us hope to see
+that country, so highly favoured by Nature, once more prosperous under
+the institutions which raised her to the highest level of power and
+prosperity.
+
+Meanwhile, the elements of discord still exist in a simmering state
+close to the brim of the cauldron, and a mere spark will suffice at any
+moment to make them bubble over. The inhabitants of Madrid are in
+hourly expectation of this spark; and not without reason, if the
+_on-dits_ which circulate there, and reach to the neighbouring towns,
+are deserving of credit. Queen Christina, on her road from Paris to
+resume virtually, if not nominally, the government, conceived the
+imprudent idea of taking Rome in her way. It is said that she confessed
+to the Pope, who, in the solemn exercise of his authority as
+representative of the Deity, declared to her that Spain would never
+regain tranquillity until the possessions of the clergy should be
+restored to them.
+
+Whatever else may have passed during the interview is not stated; but a
+deep impression was produced on the conscience of the Queen, to which is
+attributed the change in her appearance evident to those who may happen
+to have seen her a few months since in Paris. This short space of time
+has produced on her features the effect of years. She has lost her
+_embonpoint_, and acquired in its place paleness and wrinkles. She is
+firmly resolved to carry out the views of the Pope. Here, therefore, is
+the difficulty. The leading members of her party are among those who
+have profited largely by the change of proprietorship which these vast
+possessions have undergone: being the framers or abettors of the decree,
+they were placed among the nearest for the scramble. In the emptiness of
+the national treasury, they consider these acquisitions their sole
+reward for the trouble of conducting the revolution, and are prepared to
+defend them like tigers.
+
+When, therefore, Queen Christina proposed her plan[4] to Narvaez, she
+met with a flat refusal. He replied, that such a decree would deluge the
+country with blood. The following day he was advised to give in his
+resignation. This he refused to do, and another interview took place.
+The Queen-mother insisted on his acceptance of the embassy to France. He
+replied, that he certainly would obey her Majesty's commands; but that,
+in that case, she would not be surprised if he published the act of her
+marriage with Muños, which was in his power.[5] This would compel
+Christina to refund all the income she has received as widow of
+Ferdinand the Seventh. The interview ended angrily; and, doubtless,
+recalled to Christina's recollection the still higher presumption of the
+man, who owed to her the exalted situation from which, on a former
+occasion, he levelled his attack on her authority. I am not answerable
+for the authenticity of these generally received reports; but they prove
+the unsettled state of things, when the determined disposition of the
+two opposite parties, and the nearly equal balance of their force, are
+taken into consideration.
+
+I was scarcely housed at Madrid, having only quitted the hotel the
+previous day, when the news reached me of the death of one of the fair
+and accomplished young Countesses--the companions of my journey from
+Bayonne to Burgos. You would scarcely believe possible the regret this
+intelligence occasioned me,--more particularly from the peculiar
+circumstances of the occurrence. Her father had recently arrived from
+France, and the house was filled for the celebration of her birthday;
+but she herself was forbidden to join the dinner-party, being scarcely
+recovered from a severe attack of small-pox. The father's weakness could
+not deny her admission at dessert, and an ice. The following day she was
+dead.
+
+Acquaintances made on the high road advance far more rapidly than those
+formed in the usual formal intercourse of society. I can account in no
+other way for the tinge of melancholy thrown over the commencement of my
+sojourn at Madrid by this event,--befalling a person whose society I had
+only enjoyed during three days, and whom I scarcely expected to see
+again.
+
+The modern capital of Spain is an elegant and brilliant city, and a very
+agreeable residence; but for the admirer of the picturesque, or the
+tourist in search of historical _souvenirs_, it contains few objects of
+attraction. The picture-gallery is, however, a splendid exception; and,
+being the best in the world, compensates, as you may easily suppose, for
+the deficiency peculiar to Madrid in monuments of architectural
+interest.
+
+To put an end to the surprise you will experience at the enumeration of
+such a profusion of _chefs d'œuvre_ of the great masters as is here
+found, it is necessary to lose sight of the present political situation
+of Spain, and to transport ourselves to the age of painting. At that
+time Spain was the most powerful, and especially the most opulent empire
+in Europe. Almost all Italy belonged to her; a large portion actually
+owning allegiance to her sceptre, and the remainder being subject to her
+paramount influence. The familiarity which existed between Charles the
+Fifth and Titian is well known; as is likewise the anecdote of the
+pencil, picked up and presented by the Emperor to the artist, who had
+dropped it.
+
+The same taste for, and patronage of, painting, continued through the
+successive reigns, until the period when painting itself died a natural
+death; and anecdotes similar to that of Charles the Fifth are related of
+Philip the Fourth and Velasquez. All the works of art thus collected,
+and distributed through the different palaces, have been recently
+brought together, and placed in an edifice, some time since commenced,
+and as yet not entirely completed. Titian was the most favoured of all
+the Italian painters, not only with respect to his familiar intercourse
+with the Emperor, but also in a professional point of view. The Museo
+contains no less than forty of his best productions. Nor is it
+surprising that the taste of the monarch, being formed by his
+masterpieces, should extend its preference to the rest of the Venetian
+school in a greater degree than to the remaining Italian schools. There
+are, however, ten pictures by Raffaelle, including the Spasimo,
+considered by many to be his greatest work.
+
+A cause similar to that above named enables us to account for the riches
+assembled in the Dutch and Flemish rooms, among which may be counted
+more than two hundred pictures of Teniers alone. I should observe, that
+I am not answerable for this last calculation; being indebted for my
+information to the director, and distinguished artist, Don Jose
+Madrazo. There is no catalogue yet drawn up. Rubens has a suite of rooms
+almost entirely to himself, besides his just portion of the walls of the
+gallery. The Vandykes and Rembrandts are in great profusion. With regard
+to the Spanish schools, it may be taken for granted that they are as
+well represented as those of the foreign, although partially subject,
+nations. The works of Velasquez are the most numerous; which is
+accounted for by his situation of painter to the Court, under Philip the
+Fourth. There are sixty of his paintings.
+
+[Illustration: ITALIAN GALLERY AT THE MUSEO, MADRID.]
+
+The Murillos are almost as numerous, and in his best style: but Seville
+has retained the cream of the genius of her most talented offspring; and
+even at Madrid, in the collection of the Academy, there is a
+Murillo--the Saint Elizabeth--superior to any of those in the great
+gallery. It is much to be wished that some artist, gifted with the pen
+of a Joshua Reynolds, or even of a Mengs (author of a notice on a small
+portion of these paintings), could be found, who would undertake a
+complete critical review of this superb gallery. All I presume to say on
+the subject is, were the journey ten times longer and more difficult,
+the view of the Madrid Museo would not be too dearly purchased.
+
+Before I left Madrid, I went to the palace, to see the traces of the
+conspiracy of the 7th October, remaining on the doors of the Queen's
+apartments. You will recollect that the revolt of October 1842 was that
+in favour of Christina, when the three officers, Concha, Leon, and
+Pezuela, with a battalion, attacked the palace in the night, for the
+purpose of carrying off the Queen and her sister. On the failure of the
+attempt, owing to its having been prematurely put in execution, the
+Brigadier Leon was shot, and the two others escaped.
+
+It appears that the execution of this officer, unlike the greater number
+of these occurrences, caused a strong sensation in Madrid, owing to the
+sympathy excited by his popular character, and the impression that he
+was the victim of jealousy in the mind of the Regent. The fine speech,
+however, attributed to him by some of the newspapers, was not pronounced
+by him. His words were very few, and he uttered them in a loud and clear
+tone, before giving the word of command to his executioners. This, and
+his receiving the fire without turning his back, were the only incidents
+worthy of remark.
+
+One of the two sentries stationed at the door of the Queen's anteroom
+when I arrived, happened to have played a conspicuous part on the
+eventful night. The Queen was defended by the guard of hallebardiers,
+which always mounts guard in the interior of the palace. This sentinel
+informed me that he was on guard that night, on the top step of the
+staircase, when Leon, followed by a few officers, was seen to come up.
+Beyond him and his fellow-sentry there were only two more, who were
+posted at the door of the Queen's anteroom, adjoining her sleeping
+apartment. This door faces the whole length of the corridor, with which,
+at a distance of about twenty yards, the top of the staircase
+communicates. In order to shield himself from the fire of the two
+sentinels at the Queen's door, Leon grasped my informant by the ribs
+right and left, and, raising him from the ground, carried him, like a
+mummy, to the corridor; and there, turning sharp to the left, up to the
+two sentries, whom he summoned to give him admittance in the name of the
+absent Christina.
+
+On the soldiers' refusal, he gave orders to his battalion to advance,
+and a pitched battle took place, which was not ultimately decided until
+daybreak--seven hours after. The terror of the little princesses, during
+this night, may be imagined. Two bullets penetrated into the bed-room;
+and the holes made by about twenty more in the doors of some of the
+state apartments communicating with the corridor, are still preserved as
+souvenirs of the event. The palace contains some well-painted ceilings
+by Mengs, and is worthy of its reputation of one of the finest
+residences in Europe. The staircase is superb. It was here that
+Napoleon, entering the palace on the occasion of his visit to Madrid, to
+install Joseph Buonaparte in his kingdom, stopped on the first landing;
+and, placing his hand on one of the white marble lions which crouch on
+the balustrades, turned to Joseph, and exclaimed, "Mon frère, vous serez
+mieux logé que moi."
+
+There is no road from Madrid to Toledo. On the occasions of religious
+festivities, which are attended by the court, the journey is performed
+by way of Aranjuez, from which place a sort of road conducts to the
+ancient capital of Spain. There is, however, for those who object to
+add so much to the actual distance, a track, known, in all its
+sinuosities, throughout its depths and its shallows, around its bays,
+promontories, islands, and peninsulas--to the driver of the diligence,
+and to the mounted bearer of the mail; both of whom travel on the same
+days of the week, in order to furnish reciprocal aid, in case of damage
+to either. A twenty-four hours' fall of rain renders this track
+impassable by the usual conveyance; a very unusual sort of carriage is
+consequently kept in reserve for these occasions, and, as the period of
+my journey happened to coincide with an uncommonly aqueous disposition
+of the Castilian skies, I was fortunately enabled to witness the less
+every day, and more eventful transit, to which this arrangement gave
+rise.
+
+Accordingly at four o'clock on an April morning--an hour later than is
+the custom on the road from France to Madrid--I ascended the steps of a
+carriage, selected for its lightness, which to those who know anything
+of Continental coach-building, conveys a sufficient idea of its probable
+solidity. There was not yet sufficient daylight to take a view of this
+fabric; but I saw, by the aid of a lantern, my luggage lifted into a
+sort of loose net, composed of straw-ropes, and suspended between the
+hind wheels in precisely such juxtaposition, as to make the
+portmanteaus, bags, &c. bear the same topographic relation to the
+vehicle, as the truffles do to a turkey, or the stuffing to a duck.
+There was much grumbling about the quantity of my luggage, and some
+hints thrown out, relative to the additional perils, suspended over our
+heads, or rather, under our seats, in consequence of the coincidence of
+the unusual weight, with the bad state of the _road_, as they termed it,
+and the acknowledged caducity of the carriage. I really was, in fact,
+the only one to blame; for I could not discover, besides my things, more
+than two small valises belonging to all the other six passengers
+together.
+
+At length we set off, and at a distance of four miles from Madrid, as
+day began to break, we broke down.
+
+The break-down was neither violent nor dangerous, and was occasioned by
+the crash of a hind wheel, while our pace did not exceed a walk: but it
+was productive of some amusement, owing to the position, near the corner
+of the vehicle which took the greatest fancy to _terra firma_, of a not
+over heroic limb of the Castilian law, who had endeavoured to be
+facetious ever since our departure, and whose countenance now exhibited
+the most grotesque symptoms of real terror. Never, I am convinced, will
+those moments be forgotten by that individual, whose vivacity deserted
+him for the remainder of the journey; and whose attitude and
+expression, as his extended arms failed to recover his centre of gravity
+exchanged for the supine, folded-up posture, unavoidable by the occupant
+at the lowest corner of a broken-down vehicle,--while his thoughts
+wandered to his absent offspring, whose fond smiles awaited him in
+Toledo, but to whom perhaps he was not allowed to bid an eternal
+adieu--will live likewise in the memory of his fellow-travellers.
+
+This _dénouement_ of the adventures of the first carriage rendered a
+long halt necessary; during which, the postilion returned to Madrid on a
+mule, and brought us out a second. This proceeding occupied four hours,
+during which some entered a neighbouring _venta_, others remained on the
+road, seated on heaps of stones, and all breakfasted on what provisions
+they had brought with them, or could procure at the said _venta_. The
+sight of the vehicle that now approached, would have been cheaply bought
+at the price of twenty up-sets. Don Quixote would have charged it, had
+such an apparition suddenly presented itself to his view. It was called
+a phaeton, but bore no sort of resemblance to the open carriage known in
+England by that name. Its form was remarkable by its length being out of
+all proportion to its width,--so much so as to require three
+widely-separated windows on each side. These were irregularly placed,
+instead of being alike on the two sides, for the door appeared to have
+been forgotten until after the completion of the fabric, and to have
+taken subsequently the place of a window; which window--pursuant to a
+praiseworthy sense of justice--was provided for at the expense of a
+portion of deal board, and some uniformity.
+
+The machine possessed, nevertheless, allowing for its rather exaggerated
+length, somewhat of the form of an ancient landau; but the roof
+describing a semicircle, gave it the appearance of having been placed
+upside down by mistake, in lowering it on to the wheels. Then, with
+regard to these wheels, they certainly had nothing very extraordinary
+about their appearance, when motionless; but, on being subjected to a
+forward or backward impulse, they assumed, respectively, and
+independently of each other, such a zigzag movement, as would belong to
+a rotatory, locomotive pendulum, should the progress of mechanics ever
+attain to so complicated a discovery. Indeed, the machine, in general,
+appeared desirous of avoiding the monotony attendant on a
+straight-forward movement; the body of the monster, from the groans,
+sighs, screams, and other various sounds which accompanied its heaving,
+pitching, and rolling exertions, appearing to belong to some unwieldy
+and agonised mammoth and to move by its own laborious efforts, instead
+of being indebted for its progress to the half-dozen quadrupeds hooked
+to its front projections.
+
+The track along which this interesting production of mechanical art now
+conveyed us, bore much resemblance to a river, in the accidents of its
+course. Thus we were reminded at frequent intervals, by the suddenly
+increased speed of our progress, that we were descending a rapid: at
+other times the motion was so vertical, as to announce the passage down
+a cataract. These incidents were not objectionable to me, as they
+interrupted the monotony of the walking pace, to which we were
+condemned; although one or two passengers of rather burly proportions,
+seemed not much to enjoy their repetition. However this might be,
+assuredly we were none of us sorry to find ourselves at eight o'clock
+that evening safely housed at Toledo.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VIII.
+
+PICTURESQUE POSITION OF TOLEDO. FLORINDA.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+Every traveller--I don't mean every one who habitually assists in
+wearing out roads, whether of stone or iron--nor who travels for
+business, nor who seeks to escape from himself--meaning from ennui, (a
+vain attempt, by the way, if Horace is to be depended on; since, even
+should he travel on horseback, the most exhilarating sort of locomotion,
+ennui will contrive to mount and ride pillion)--but every one who
+deserves the name of traveller, who travels for travelling sake, for the
+pleasure of travelling, knows the intensity of the feeling which impels
+his right hand, as he proceeds to open the window-shutter of his
+bed-room, on the morning subsequent to his nocturnal arrival in a new
+town.
+
+The windows of the Posada del Miradero at Toledo are so placed as by no
+means to diminish the interest of this operation. The shutter being
+opened, I found myself looking from a perpendicular elevation of
+several hundred feet, on one of the prettiest views you can imagine. The
+town was at my back, and the road by which we had arrived, was cut in
+the side of the precipice beneath me. In following that direction, the
+first object at all prominent was the gate leading to Madrid--a cluster
+of half Arab embattled towers and walls, standing somewhat to the left
+at the bottom of the descent. These gave issue to the track mentioned in
+my journey, and which could now be traced straight in front, to a
+considerable distance.
+
+The ground rises slightly beyond the gates of the town, and preserves a
+moderate elevation all across the view, retreating right and left, so as
+to offer the convex side of the arc of an immense circle. This formation
+gives to the view a valley, extending on either side, shut in on the
+left by mountains at a distance of four miles; while to the east it
+extends as far as the eye can reach,--some mountains, scarcely
+perceptible, crossing it at the horizon. The Tagus advances down the
+eastern valley from Aranjuez; which château is in view at the distance
+of twenty-eight miles, and approaching with innumerable zigzags to the
+foot of the town, suddenly forms a curve, and, dashing into the rocks,
+passes round the back of the city, issues again into the western valley,
+and, after another sharp turn to the left, resumes the same direction
+as before. All this tract of country owes to the waters of the Tagus a
+richness of vegetation, and a bright freshness nowhere surpassed. So
+much for the distant view.
+
+To judge of the nearer appearance of the town, I crossed the bridge of
+Alcantara, placed at the entrance of the eastern valley, and leading to
+Aranjuez. The situation may be described in a few words. Toledo stands
+on an eminence nearly circular in its general form. It is a mass of
+jagged rock, almost perpendicular on all its sides. The river flows
+rather more than half round it, descending from the east, and passing
+round its southern side. The left or south bank is of the same
+precipitous formation; but, instead of presenting that peculiarity
+during only a short distance, it continues so both above and below the
+town; while on the opposite side the only high ground is the solitary
+mass of rock selected, whether with a view to defence or to
+inconvenience, for the position of this ancient city. The Tagus is
+crossed by two bridges, one at each extremity of the semi-circle
+described by it round the half of the town. These bridges are both
+highly picturesque, from their form no less than their situation. They
+are raised upon arches of a height so disproportionate to their width,
+as to appear like aqueducts; and are provided at each extremity with
+towers, all, with one exception, Moorish in their style. The lower
+bridge (lower by position, for it is the higher of the two in actual
+elevation) bears the name of San Martin, and is traversed by the road to
+Estremadura; the other leads to Aranjuez, and is the puente de
+Alcantara. We are now standing on this last, having passed under the
+Arab archway of its tower.
+
+Its width is just sufficient for the passage of two vehicles abreast,
+and it is covered with flag-paving. The river flows sixty feet below. At
+the back of the tower which faces you, at the opposite end of the
+bridge, rises a rock, almost isolated from the rest of the cliff, and on
+its top the half-ruined towers and walls of a Moorish castle. On the
+left hand extends the valley, through which the river approaches in a
+broad mass. The road to Aranjuez follows the same direction, after
+having first disappeared round the base of the rock just mentioned, and
+is bordered with rose-trees, and occasional groups of limes, which
+separate it from the portions set apart for pedestrians. On the right
+hand the river (still looking from the bridge) is suddenly pressed in
+between precipices, becomes narrow, and at the distance of a few hundred
+yards, forms a noisy cascade.
+
+[Illustration: VIEW OF TOLEDO]
+
+Still looking in that direction, the left bank--a rocky precipice, as I
+mentioned before--curves round and soon hurries it out of sight. The
+lower part of the opposite or town bank is ornamented, close to the
+cascade, with a picturesque ruin, on which you look down from your
+position. This consists of three stories of arches, standing partly in
+the water. Above and behind them rise a few larger buildings, almost
+perpendicularly over each other, and the summit is crowned with the
+colossal quadrangular mass of the Alcazar.
+
+The ruinous arches just mentioned, are the remains of a building erected
+by a speculator, who had conceived a plan for raising water to the
+Alcazar by means of wheels, furnished with jars, according to the custom
+of this part of Spain. The arrangement is simple; the jars, being
+attached round a perpendicular wheel, successively fill with water, as
+each arrives at the bottom, and empty themselves, on reaching the
+summit, into any receptacle placed so as to receive their contents. The
+speculator, having to operate on a colossal scale, intended probably to
+super-pose wheel over wheel, and to establish reservoirs at different
+elevations, as it would scarcely be possible to work a wheel of such
+dimensions as to carry jars to the height required (more than three
+hundred feet), even though furnished with ropes, which are made to turn
+round the wheel and descend below it.
+
+Crossing the bridge, the road quits the river, or rather is left for a
+certain space by it, until it meets it at the distance of a mile. This
+road is a favourite promenade of the inhabitants, and deservedly so. On
+each side, for the distance of a mile, it is bordered by hedges of
+magnificent rose-trees. These hedges are double on both sides, enclosing
+walks for the promenaders on foot. Behind those on the outside, the
+colours are varied by the pale green of the olive-tree; and over them
+occasional clusters of lime-trees, mingled with the acacia and laburnum,
+furnish shade, in case of an excess of sunshine. This promenade, flanked
+on one side by the hills, and on the other, by the highly cultivated
+plain, in parts of which the Tagus is seen occasionally to peep through
+its wooded banks, is most delicious during the rose season. I should
+especially recommend the visitor of Toledo to repair to it during the
+first hour after sunrise, when thronged with birds, which are here
+almost tame, and fill the air with their music; and also in the evening,
+when frequented by the mantilla-hooded fair of the city.
+
+There is, however, notwithstanding the beauty and gay appearance of this
+profusion of roses, a singular effect produced by their situation.
+Usually seen surrounded by other flowers or by well-kept grass or earth,
+they do not look quite themselves on the side on which they rest their
+bushy foundations on a dusty road, covered with deep ruts. The fish out
+of water forms a hackneyed, not to say a dried up, comparison; but we
+can compare the rather pallid and unnatural appearance of these plants
+to that of a bevy of ladies, who, tired of the monotony of a ball-room
+in Grosvenor Place, should resolve, precisely at the crisis when
+candle-light is more than ever required for their rather suffering
+complexions, to compel their partners to lead them, at sunrise, a
+galopade down Tattersall's yard. The roses, thus misplaced, are
+nevertheless roses, and cease not to be fair, in spite of their unusual
+_entourage_, and to contribute to the beauty and novelty of this
+picturesque promenade.
+
+Amongst the variety of harmless weaknesses by which human imagination,
+and consequently human locomotion are influenced, I look upon one of the
+most irresistible (if such an epithet be applicable to a weakness) to be
+that fractional component part of the cravings of antiquarianism, which
+urges some persons in the search after, and rewards their labours on the
+discovery of, the locality supposed to be the birthscene of some great
+historical event, however insignificant in other respects, or even
+however loathsome its actual state may be to the outward senses. Thus,
+when, in Normandy, the worthy and probably waggish majordomo of the
+crumbling old castle of Falaise, directs your attention to the window
+from which Duke Robert caught the first glance of the ankle of William
+the Conqueror's mother,--as she pursued her professional labours, and
+polluted with her soapsuds the silver brook a quarter of a mile below
+him,--and suddenly yielded his soul to its irresistible beauty:
+notwithstanding the impossibility of the thing, many, and I confess
+myself one, are too delighted with the window, and the rivulet, and the
+majordomo, and the--God knows what!--perhaps with the very
+impossibility--to allow themselves a moment's sceptical or sarcastic
+feeling on the subject.
+
+I should mention that my visit to Falaise happening to take place
+shortly after the passage of the King of the French on a tour through
+his western provinces, the aforesaid cicerone pointed out a highly
+suspicious-looking inscription, being the initials of the monarch,
+carefully engraved in the stone; which he informed me had been cut by
+Louis Philippe, on the occasion of his visit at midnight to the room of
+Duke Robert; but of which I took the liberty of suspecting himself of
+being the sculptor, during some idle moment,--fond as he probably was of
+contemplating the innocently expressive countenances of his satisfied
+visitors.
+
+Actuated by the feeling I have attempted to describe, one of my first
+inquiries at Toledo related to the well-known story of Florinda and her
+bath, so fatal to the Gothic sway in Spain. I was immediately directed
+to the spot, on which is seen a square tower, pierced by arched openings
+through its two opposite sides, and on a third side by a similar but
+smaller aperture. The four walls alone remain, and the whole is
+uncovered. This symmetrical-looking edifice, well built and composed of
+large stones, measures about sixteen feet square, and from forty to
+fifty in elevation, and stands on the edge of the river, on the town
+side, about a hundred yards below the western bridge--that called after
+Saint Martin--at the precise point at which the river quits the town,
+and its north bank ceases to be precipitous.
+
+The extreme point of the termination of the high ground is immediately
+over the building, and is covered with the ruins of King Roderick's
+palace, the outer walls of which descend to the water, and are
+terminated by a small roundtower within a few yards of the quadrangular
+edifice. The edifice is called the Baño de la Cava, meaning Florinda's
+bath, although the native popular tradition, losing sight of the events
+of the history, has metamorphosed the heroine of the spot into a Moorish
+princess.
+
+In fact, the rocky precipice terminates at this spot,--the last piece
+of rock forming part of the foundation of the square tower, immediately
+beyond which is a gently descending sand-bank most convenient and
+tempting to bathers. This circumstance, added to the situation of
+Roderick's residence, immediately above the scene, was delightfully
+corroborative of the tradition; and proved sufficiently, had all
+investigation ceased there, the identity of the spot with the scene of
+the anecdote. Owing to an excess of curiosity a new discovery threw a
+doubt over the whole affair.
+
+[Illustration: FLORINDA'S BATH.]
+
+A bridge is too public a thoroughfare to allow of bathing to be
+practised in its immediate neighbourhood: and, in fact, the erection of
+the neighbouring one of St. Martin is of much later date than the events
+of the history in question. Fatal curiosity, however, led me to the back
+of the building,--the very bath of Florinda,--where it was impossible
+not to discover, even to conviction, that it, the square tower itself,
+had formerly been the entrance of a bridge. This is proved by the ruins
+of two piers, which appear above the water,--one near to the shore on
+which I was standing, the other near to the opposite bank, and both
+forming a line with the square tower on looking through its two opposite
+arches. The tower possesses other peculiarities which, compared with
+those belonging to the bridges actually in existence, fully confirm the
+supposition.
+
+Now, although the tradition has christened the spot Baño de la Cava,
+which expression is translated "bath of the prostitute," it is certain
+that Florinda was the daughter of Count Julian, governor of the Spanish
+possessions in Africa, and a personage of sufficient rank and influence
+to obtain a hearing at the court of the Arab Caliph, or at all events of
+his viceroy in Africa, and to conceive the idea of calling a foreign
+army to execute his private vengeance. It is therefore extremely
+improbable that the daughter of such a person should have been seen to
+measure and compare the proportions of her legs with those of her
+companions in the immediate vicinity of a bridge, necessarily the most
+frequented of thoroughfares.
+
+I confess I left the spot filled with disappointment. In vain I
+reflected that after all the fact is fact--that the sensual Roderick may
+certainly have spied from behind a window-lattice the frolics of some
+ladies at their bath; and that, wherever his _espionage_ took place, he
+may for that purpose have intentionally procured himself a place of
+concealment, and have formed the resolution of possessing one of them.
+In fact, it was a matter of indifference to me whether the circumstance
+had occurred or not, provided I should ascertain its whereabouts,
+supposing it real, instead of merely discovering the spot on which it
+did not take place.
+
+Having thus convicted the generally received tradition of deceit,--at
+least, in one of its parts,--it became an object to discover some other
+version of the story, which might tally in a more satisfactory manner
+with present existing proofs. The Arab historians deny the invasion to
+have been brought about by any such occurrence; but Mariana, copied by
+more recent writers, has either discovered or compiled a very plausible
+story, clear in its details, only erroneous in respect of the heroine's
+name, which he makes out to be Cava. From this version the bath is
+entirely excluded.
+
+According to the custom in Gothic Spain, the sons of the nobles received
+their education in the royal palace, and on attaining the age of
+manhood, they formed an escort round the sovereign on all expeditions,
+whether to the field or the chase. Their daughters were likewise
+entrusted to the care of royalty, and attended the person of the Queen,
+after having completed their education and instruction in the
+accomplishments suited to their sex, under her superintendence. When
+these noble damsels could number sufficient summers, their hands were
+bestowed according to the royal selection.
+
+Among the attendants of Queen Egilona, was a daughter of Count Julian,
+possessed of extreme beauty. Florinda, while playing with her companions
+in a garden, situated on the banks of the Tagus, and overlooked by a
+tower, which contained a portion of Don Rodrigo's apartments, exposed to
+view, more than accorded either with etiquette or with her intention,
+the symmetry of her form. King Rodrigo, who, favoured by the concealment
+of a window-blind, had been watching the whole scene, became suddenly
+enamoured of her, and resolved to obtain a return of his passion; but,
+after finding every effort useless, and his object unattainable, he at
+length employed violence.
+
+Every circumstance of this story is corroborated, as far as is possible
+in the present time, by the position of the localities, the known
+customs of the period, and the character of King Roderick. But the
+historian Mariana, to show the minuteness and triumph of research, on
+which he has founded his relation, quotes the young lady's own version
+of the affair; in fact, no less interesting a document than her letter
+to her father, then in Africa, disclosing the insult offered to the
+family. The following is the translation of this portentous dispatch. A
+_billet-doux_ pregnant with greater events never issued from the boudoir
+of beauty and innocence.
+
+"Would to Heaven, my lord and father!--Would to Heaven the earth had
+closed over me, before it fell to my lot to write these lines, and with
+such grievous news to cause you sadness and perpetual regret! How many
+are the tears that flow while I am writing, these blots and erasures are
+witnesses. And yet if I do not immediately, I shall cause a suspicion
+that not only the body has been polluted, but the soul likewise blotted
+and stained with perpetual infamy. Would I could foresee a term to our
+misery!--Who but yourself shall find a remedy for our misfortunes? Shall
+we delay, until time brings to light that which is now a secret, and
+the affront we have received entail on us a shame more intolerable than
+death itself? I blush to write that which I am bound to divulge. O
+wretched and miserable fate! In a word, your daughter--your blood, that
+of the kingly line of the Goths, has suffered from King Rodrigo,--to
+whose care, alas! she was entrusted like the sheep to the wolf,--a most
+wicked and cruel affront. It is for you, if you are worthy the name of a
+man, to cause the sweet draught of our ruin to become a deadly poison to
+his life; nor to leave unpunished the mockery and insult he has cast on
+our line and on our house."
+
+Don Julian, who, as some say, was of royal descent, and a relative, not
+far removed, of Roderick--was possessed of qualities no less marked by
+daring than artifice. His plans well digested, he committed his
+government in Africa to the charge of a deputy, and repaired to the
+court at Toledo. There he made it his business to advance in credit and
+favour until the moment should arrive for action. His first step was, by
+means of false alarms of attacks meditated on the northern frontier, to
+get rid of the principal part of the disposable forces in that
+direction. Meanwhile he caused a letter from his Countess, who remained
+in Africa, to be forwarded to the King, in which, on the plea of serious
+illness, she urgently entreats the royal permission for the departure
+of Florinda to Ceuta. It is related that the profligate Rodrigo
+consented to the journey with so much the better grace, that possession
+had divested the attractions of his victim of all further hold of his
+passions, already under the dominion of new allurements.
+
+There is a gate at Malaga, giving issue towards the sea-shore, which
+bears to this day the name of Gate of the Cava: through it she is said
+to have passed on embarking for Africa.
+
+With regard to the name "la Cava" given to the gate and to the bath, I
+am disposed to prefer the popular notion to the assertion of Mariana,
+that it was her name. It is a natural supposition that the anecdote of
+the affair of Toledo, spread among the Arabs, who, for centuries after
+this period, were the depositaries of the annals and traditions of the
+Peninsula,--should have become tinted with a colour derived from their
+customs and ideas. Now it would be difficult to persuade an Arab that
+the circumstances of the story in question could befall a virtuous
+female, surrounded with the thousand precautions peculiar to an oriental
+court. If we add to this the contemptuous tone assumed by them towards
+those of the hostile creed--a tone that must have suited in an especial
+degree with their way of thinking on the subject of female deportment
+among the Christians, which they look upon as totally devoid of
+delicacy and reserve--the epithet applied to Florinda is easily
+accounted for. But to return to the story.
+
+It only now remained for Don Julian to determine the Caliph's viceroy in
+Africa in favour of the invasion. Repairing to his court, he obtained an
+audience, in which he painted to the Prince, in such eloquent terms, the
+natural and artificial wealth of the Spanish peninsula, the facility of
+the enterprise, owing to the absence of the principal part of the
+disposable hostile force, and the unpopularity of King Rodrigo, that an
+expedition was immediately ordered; which, although at first prudently
+limited to a small troop under Tharig, led to the conquest, in a few
+campaigns, of the whole Peninsula.
+
+Mingled with the ruins of Roderick's palace are seen at present those of
+the monastery of Saint Augustin, subsequently erected on the same site:
+but on the side facing the river, the ancient wall and turrets, almost
+confounded with the rock, on which they were built, have outlived the
+more recent erections, or perhaps have not been interfered with by them.
+Immediately beyond the portion of these walls, beneath which is seen the
+Baño de la Cava, they turn, together with the brink of the precipice,
+abruptly to the north, forming a right angle with the river bank: this
+part faces the western _vega_ or valley, and looks down on the site of
+the ancient palace gardens, which occupied the first low ground. They
+extended as far as the chapel of Santa Leocadia. The ground is now
+traversed by the road to the celebrated sword-blade manufactory,
+situated on the bank of the river, half a mile lower down. With the
+exception of the inmates of that establishment, the only human beings
+who frequent the spot are the votaries on their way to the shrine of
+Santa Leocadia, and the convicts of a neighbouring _Presidio_ in search
+of water from the river.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IX.
+
+CATHEDRAL OF TOLEDO.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+Every successive æra of civilization, with the concomitant religion on
+which it has been founded, and from which it has taken its peculiar
+mould, has, after maintaining its ground with more or less lustre, and
+throughout a greater or smaller duration, arrived at its inevitable
+period of decline and overthrow.
+
+In ceasing, however, to live, and to fill society far and wide with its
+enlightening influence,--in exchanging its erect attitude for the
+prostrate one consequent on its fall,--seldom has a creed, which has
+long held possession of the most enlightened intellects of our race for
+the time being, undergone an entire extinction, so as to disappear
+altogether from the face of the earth, and leave no trace of its
+existence. The influence of the soil, formation, and climate of the
+region, in the bosom of which such civilization has had its birth, on
+the dispositions and faculties of the race which has become its
+depositary, has always set its peculiar mark on its monuments, whether
+civil, military, or religious, but especially the last; which monuments,
+surviving the reign of the power to which they owe their existence,
+prolong and sanctify its memory, while they stand, erect and silent,
+over its grave; and furnish valuable information and benefit to those
+future generations sufficiently enlightened to consult them.
+
+If this theory of successions and vicissitudes be consonant (which
+probably no one will deny) with the march of events on the surface of
+this our planet, then do the circumstances of the present situation
+invest, as far as regards Spain, those relics of human genius and human
+enthusiasm, the venerable temples of her declining faith, with an
+interest beyond that which they have possessed at any period since their
+foundation. It is impossible to have paid any attention to the events of
+the last few years, without having received the conviction that the
+reign of Christianity is here fast approaching,--not the commencement,
+but the termination of its decline. Spaniards will never do things by
+halves; and will probably prefer the entire overthrow of ancient customs
+to the system pursued in France, of propping up, by government
+enactments and salaries, a tottering edifice of external forms, long
+since divested of its foundation of public belief.
+
+To speak correctly, the decline of religious supremacy in Spain is by no
+means recent. It was coeval with that of the arts, and of the political
+grandeur of the country. The gradual cessation of the vast gifts and
+endowments for the erection of the religious establishments was a
+symptom of devotional enthusiasm having passed its zenith. Had not this
+occurred nearly three centuries back, Madrid would not have wanted a
+Cathedral. Nothing could ever have tended more directly to compromise
+the durability of Christianity in Spain, than the final expulsion or
+extermination of the Moors and Jews. Had Torquemada and a few others
+possessed heads as clear and calculating as their hearts were resolute
+and inexorable--a knowledge of human nature as profound as their
+ambition of divine honours was exalted, they would have taken care not
+entirely to deprive the Church of food for its passions and energies.
+They would not have devoured all their heretics at a single meal, but
+would have exercised more _ménagement_ and less voracity. They would
+have foreseen that by burning a few hundred Jews and Arabs less each
+year, nourishment would remain to animate the declamations of preachers,
+and the energies of the faithful; without which the fatal effects of
+sloth and indifference must inevitably take root in the imaginations,
+and eventually undermine their lofty fabric.
+
+The decline was, however, so gradual as to exercise no perceptible
+influence on the general conduct of the population, by whom forms were
+still observed, churches filled, and acts of devotion unceasingly
+accomplished. A variety of causes (into a description of which it is not
+my object, nor would it be your wish, that I should enter, but of which
+one of the most influential has been the importation of foreign
+ideas--as well through natural channels, as by special and interested
+exertions) has precipitated the _dénouement_ of this long-commenced
+revolution; and that with so headlong a rapidity, that, in that Spain
+which surpassed all other nations in bigoted attachment to religious
+rites, the confiscation of all the possessions of the Church, under a
+promise (not to be performed) of salaries for a certain number of
+ecclesiastics, insufficient for the continuation of the ancient
+ceremonies, is received by the population with indifference! The
+Cathedral of Toledo, deprived of the greater number of its
+functionaries,--including its archbishop and fifty-six of its sixty
+canons, and no longer possessing, out of an income of hundreds of
+thousands sterling, a treasure sufficient for providing brooms and
+sweepers for its pavement,--will, in perhaps not much more than another
+year, if the predictions of the inhabitants be verified, be finally
+closed to public worship.
+
+The same interest, therefore, which surrounded the Arab monuments three
+centuries since, and the Roman edifices of Spain in the fifth century,
+attaches itself now to the Christian temples; which, at this crisis,
+offer themselves to the tourist in the sad but attractive gloom of
+approaching death; since depriving them of the pomp and observances
+which filled their tall arcades with animation, is equivalent to
+separating a soul from a body. He will explore them and examine their
+ceremonies with all the eagerness and perseverance of a last
+opportunity,--he will wander untired through the mysterious twilight of
+their arched recesses, and muse on the riches lavished around him to so
+little purpose, and on the hopes of those who entrusted their memories
+to the guardianship of so frail and transient a depositary. The tones of
+their giant though melodious voices, as, sent from a thousand brazen
+throats, they roll through the vaulted space the dirge of their
+approaching fate, will fill him with sadness; and the ray that streams
+upon him from each crimson and blue _rosace_ will fix itself on his
+memory, kindling around it an inextinguishable warmth, as though he had
+witnessed the smile of a departing saint.
+
+I had read of Toledo being in possession of the finest church in
+Spain,--and _that_ in the book of a tourist, whose visit to this town
+follows immediately that to Seville. Begging pardon of the clever and
+entertaining writer to whom I allude, the Cathedral of Toledo strikes me
+as far from being the finest in Spain; nor would it be the finest in
+France, nor in England, nor in other countries that might be enumerated,
+could it be transported to either. It is large; but in this respect it
+yields to that of Seville. What its other claims to pre-eminence may be,
+it is difficult to discover. It is true that its interior presents a
+specimen of the simple and grand pointed style of its period. This being
+put in execution on a large scale, would render it an imposing and a
+beautiful edifice, but for a subsequent addition, which, to render
+justice to the architect, he certainly never could have contemplated.
+The noble pillars, towering to a height of sixty feet, have been
+clothed, together with their capitals, in a magnificent coat of
+whitewash! Without having witnessed such a desecration in this or some
+similar edifice, it is impossible to conceive the deadening effect it
+produces on the feeling of admiration such a building ought to excite.
+An inscription in distinct and large characters, over the southernmost
+of the three western doors, after recording the conquest of Granada by
+the Catholic Kings, as Ferdinand and Isabella are here termed, the
+expulsion of the Jews, and the completion of the Cathedral, brands with
+this act of barbarism one Don Francisco Fernandez de Cuença, _obrero
+mayor_ (almost a Dean) of the Cathedral in the year 1493.
+
+There is, however, a moment of each day when the tall arcades vindicate
+their outraged majesty. "La nuit tous les chats sont gris," says the
+proverb. I therefore proceeded at the approach of twilight (all access
+at a later hour being prohibited) to see whether its application would
+extend to this church. This is, in fact, the hour, just before the
+closing of the doors, at which it should be visited. Darkness has
+assumed his empire within these walls long before the stirring labyrinth
+without has had warning of his approach. No colours nor gildings (the
+latter being rather injudiciously distributed) are visible--nothing but
+a superb range of beautifully painted windows; and the columns only
+trace their dim outline a little less black against the deep gloom of
+the rest of the building. At this hour, could it last, it would be
+impossible to tire of wandering through this forest of magnificent
+stems, of which the branches are only seen to spring, and immediately
+lose themselves beneath the glories of the coloured transparencies
+rendered doubly brilliant by their contrast with the gloom of all below
+them. The principal merit, in fact, of this edifice, consists in its
+windows. That of the purity of its general style deserves also to be
+allowed; but with some reserve in the appreciation of the accessory
+points of the design. It depended, for instance, on the judgment of the
+architect, to diminish or to increase the number of columns which
+separate the different naves, and by their unnecessary abundance he has
+impaired the grandeur of the general effect.
+
+The interior dimensions are as follows:--Length, including a moderately
+sized chapel at the eastern extremity, three hundred and fifty English
+feet; width, throughout, one hundred and seventy-four feet; height of
+the principal nave and transept, about one hundred and twenty feet. The
+width is divided into five naves; those at the outside rising to about
+two-thirds of the height of the two next adjoining; and these to about
+half that of the centre nave. An entire side of a chapel opening out of
+the southernmost nave, is ornamented in the Arab style--having been
+executed by a Moorish artist at the same period as the rest; and not (as
+might be conjectured) having belonged to the mosque, which occupied the
+same site previously to the erection of the present cathedral. This
+small chapel would be a beautiful specimen of the Arab ornament in
+stucco, but for several coats of whitewash it has received. An arched
+recess occupies the centre, and is called the Tomb of the Alguazil. A
+handsome doorway in the same style is seen in the anteroom of the
+Chapter-saloon.
+
+[Illustration: APSE OF THE CATHEDRAL, TOLEDO.]
+
+Facing the entrance to the centre or extreme eastern chapel, that of San
+Ildefonzo, the back of the high altar, or, as it is vulgarly called, the
+Trascoro, is--not adorned, would it were possible not to say
+disfigured, by an immense mass of sculpture called the Transparente. It
+is not easy to imagine the reason of this altar-piece having received
+its name, for it is not more transparent than any other mountain--never
+was witnessed so lamentable a mis-application of riches and labour! Some
+of the marble was brought from Carrara; the rest is not of a very good
+white, and being thus exposed to an unfavourable contrast, adds to the
+displeasing effect of the unwieldy forms which enter into the
+composition of this huge blunder of art--this pile of masses on masses
+of ugliness. At the sight of a large spherical form rising abruptly from
+the surface of some shaft of a pillar, you step back, and discover that
+it forms part of the posteriors of a corpulent cherub, as large as the
+column itself, which he has thus unmercifully annihilated, in order to
+save himself the trouble of passing a few inches to the left or right.
+But it is needless to notice the details of this piece of sculpture,
+which being the largest, and occupying the most conspicuous position in
+the whole church, forcibly attracts the attention which, but for that
+circumstance, one would rather bestow in another direction.
+
+It is a relief to take one's station on the shining mahogany benches
+adjoining the wall of the opposite chapel of San Ildefonzo; and to
+contemplate its chaste style and graceful proportions, and the handsome
+tombs which occupy its octagonally divided walls. The piece of sculpture
+in marble, placed over the principal altar, is undeserving of its
+conspicuous situation. It represents the Vision of San Ildefonzo, to
+which we shall shortly have occasion to direct our attention.
+
+The adjoining chapel, as we proceed towards the northernmost nave, that
+of Santiago, or more generally called after its founder, Don Alvaro de
+Luna, is still finer. It is larger and loftier, and of a more ornamental
+design. It presents five sides of an octagon: the three remaining sides
+turning inwards to suit the form of the apse. This Alvaro de Luna, the
+Lord Essex of Juan the Second, having by the high favour he enjoyed in
+the intimacy of the monarch, given umbrage to the courtiers, was put to
+death by the King, who gave credit to the charges falsely brought
+against him. Don Juan, however, who did not long survive his friend, had
+justice done to his remains. Being found innocent by a posthumous trial
+at Valladolid, his body was conveyed with great pomp to Toledo, and
+placed in the centre of his chapel. The tomb of his Countess stands
+close to his own; and in the niches of the surrounding walls, those of
+his most distinguished relatives, one of whom, on the right of the
+altar, is represented in complete armour, with a turban on his head. The
+treasures bestowed on this favourite, flowed plentifully into the
+Cathedral of Toledo. Besides his chapel, the finest of all--the
+elaborately executed enclosure of the sanctuary, is one of his gifts:
+his arms are there recognised, frequently recurring among the various
+designs of the external tracery.
+
+A narrow passage, leading from the apse between the chapel of Don
+Alvaro, and the entrance to the sacristy, communicates with the chapel
+of the kings. After passing through a simply designed anteroom of more
+recent date, the eye reposes with pleasure on a small interior in the
+pointed style of the latest period--of proportions, perhaps, not the
+less graceful from their being rather narrow for the length. Two richly
+ornamented arches, stretching across the interior, divide it into three
+parts, in the first of which is seen a gallery containing an elaborately
+wrought gilded confessional. The walls of the two other divisions are
+divided into six parts; the chapel having been constructed and endowed
+by Juan the First, for the reception of six monuments: those of himself
+and his Queen Isabella; those of his father Henry the Second, (natural
+son of Alonzo the Eleventh, and who dethroned and killed with his own
+hand his half-brother, Pedro the cruel,) and Doña Juana his wife; and
+those of Henry the Third, and Doña Catalina his wife.
+
+Returning to the interior of the apse, and continuing in the direction
+of the north side, another small passage and anteroom lead to the
+principal sacristy, which communicates with the next chapel, called the
+Sagrario, and composed of three apartments. The great sacristy contains
+some good paintings, particularly the ceiling by Giordano--a modern tomb
+of the late archbishop, Cardinal de Bourbon, and a series of narrow
+doors, within which are recesses. The first of these contains the crown
+and bracelets of the Virgin of the Sagrario: in four others are
+preserved magnificent ornaments of silver, representing emblematically
+the four quarters of the globe. Each quarter is personified by a figure
+invested with the attributes which characterize the region she
+represents, seated on a large silver globe, on the front of which is
+traced the quarter represented. The globe is supported by figures of
+animals. In the last of these recesses is seen the sword of Alonzo the
+Sixth, who won Toledo from the Moors. It is small, and unornamented,
+except by a hilt of embossed silver, on which the arms are repeated four
+times. In the smaller sacristy within are several good pictures, but not
+so remarkable as to prevent their being eclipsed by the splendid robe
+of the Virgin of the neighbouring Sagrario, here exhibited, extended
+flat on a semicircular board, such being the form of the garment.
+
+No one knows the value of this treasure. During the Peninsular War, the
+archbishop, in order to spare the French Generals too great a
+temptation, conveyed it, together with whatever else deserved the
+precaution, to Cadiz. It is embroidered almost entirely with pearls on a
+tissue of silver; but none of the silver is visible without separating
+the pearls, diamonds, &c., with the fingers. Most of the larger pearls
+possess the irregular sort of beaten shape often observed in the best
+specimens. Some are enormous. Numbers of diamonds, rubies, and other
+stones are admitted in the upper part, to vary and enliven the effect of
+the different designs of the embroidery. In another case is extended the
+front-piece, worn together with the robe, which is open in front. The
+robe sits nearly in the fashion of a lady's cloak, but perfectly stiff,
+and widening as it descends, so much as to make the figure assume the
+appearance of a triangle, of which the base is longer than the two other
+sides. The opening in front corresponds with the outline of the two
+sides, being wider below than above, although not in as great a degree.
+This opening is occupied by the front-piece, which is much smaller than
+the robe, but still more valuable, being principally worked in
+brilliants. It contains also every variety of precious stones,
+introduced as their colours may happen to accord with the design.
+
+In addition to these is shown the dress of the Bambino, similar in
+materials to the two others; but the pearls and diamonds more equally
+distributed.
+
+But the marvel of this costume is the crown. This ornament adds to the
+splendour of its materials, the most exquisite and elaborate
+workmanship. It would require hours to appreciate the labour and taste
+displayed in all its details. Marshal Soult, could he but see it, would
+order masses for the soul of the prelate who spared him such a
+temptation. The diamonds, especially those which compose a cross
+surmounting the centre, are of the purest water, and of immense size.
+But in the midst of the dazzling and harmonious intricacy of this gem of
+all colours, there is a centre of attraction, which took my fancy more
+than the rest. Immediately under the centre ball, an immense spherical
+emerald, which supports the diamond cross, is a small bird suspended on
+a hook within the crown. All the parts of this bird are composed of
+white enamel, except the body, around which the wings, legs, neck, and
+head, are attached, and which consists of a pearl of an oval form, about
+the size of a sparrow's egg. The movement of the statue during a
+procession, keeps the bird (hanging from its hook) in constant
+agitation, and produces the effect of a living bird enclosed in a cage
+of precious stones.[6]
+
+A pair of bracelets, possessing no less magnificence than the crown, but
+rather too heavy and bulky to be graceful, are suspended in the same
+recess, and worn on the same occasions.
+
+It should not be forgotten, as a proof of the judgment shown in the
+choice of ornaments, which, as far as regards the front, consist
+principally of diamonds, that the complexion of the Virgin of the
+Sagrario, is more than dark--in fact, quite black.[7] The innermost of
+the three apartments forming the chapel of the Sagrario is called the
+Ochavo, and is the deposit of a collection of relics of all kinds. It is
+an octagon, surmounted at an elevation of more than double its diameter
+by a dome ornamented with excellent painting. The walls are faced with
+the best Spanish marbles. Each of the eight sides contains an open
+recess reaching to the first cornice--an elevation of about twenty-five
+feet; and in these recesses are contained all the valuable relics
+belonging to the cathedral;--a rich display of silver statues,
+reliquaries, coffins, chests, and crosses of gold and silver, some
+containing jewels of great value. A silver statue of Saint Ferdinand
+wearing a golden crown is among the objects most worthy of remark; also
+a cross containing a portion of the true cross, presented to the
+cathedral by St. Louis. This and several other relics, such as a phial
+containing the Virgin's milk, a portion of our Saviour's purple garment,
+&c., were presented to the cathedral by St. Louis on his return from the
+east, and are here preserved, together with the letter in his own
+hand-writing, which accompanied them.
+
+The Virgin of the Sagrario receives by far the greatest share of
+devotion brought to the numerous shrines of this vast temple, even
+greater than that offered at the high altar. More masses are performed
+at her altar than at all the others added together. The aisles facing
+her antechapel are constantly filled with a crowd of kneeling votaries.
+She stands in the second enclosure, turning her back to the Ochavo. An
+iron railing separates her apartment from the first chapel, which is
+usually open to the aisles. She stands consequently in full view,
+magnificently robed in a _fac simile_ imitation of her pearl dress, the
+original being only worn on one or two occasions during the year.
+
+The interior of the Capilla Mayor, is ornamented with several rows of
+statues, and some handsome funereal monuments, forming together a sort
+of transparent wall of sculpture on each of its sides. In the midst of a
+series of mitred archbishops, and coroneted princes, the figure of a
+peasant occupies one of the most conspicuous positions. It stands on the
+left side, as you face the High Altar, and about twenty feet from the
+pavement. This statue represents a celebrated historical personage.
+Alonzo the Eighth, when penetrating across the Sierra Morena into
+Andalucia, in search of the Moorish army under the King of Morocco,
+Mahomed ben Jacob, was in danger of losing the fruit of his exertions,
+in bringing together the forces of the Kings of Aragon and Navarre,
+together with numerous other confederates. He had led the combined army
+into a defile, in which he would have had to receive the attack of the
+Moor at an insuperable disadvantage. The hostile forces occupied a
+height called the Puerto del Miradal.
+
+It was at the moment that retreat was the subject of deliberation, that
+a peasant presented himself, and offered to guide the army out of the
+pass. Having assured himself of the man's sincerity, Alonzo put himself
+under his conduct, and was led to the summit of the mountain, where he
+found himself on the border of an immense plain. This decided the great
+victory of las Navas de Tolosa gained over the Moors on the 16th of
+July, 1212. Alonzo ordered a statue of the peasant to be placed in this
+cathedral. He is represented in a costume not unlike that of an ancient
+Roman rustic, a sort of tunic reaching to the knees, and his face is
+covered with a profuse beard.
+
+The interior of the choir is the work of Felipe de Borgoña, and
+Berruguete; the latter having been employed, after the death of Felipe
+de Borgoña, in 1548, in continuing the sculptures. The entire south side
+was left for him to complete; after which he added a group in marble,
+representing the Transfiguration, placed rather injudiciously, since it
+out-tops the screen or back of the choir; thus presenting to the view of
+those who enter from the western or grand entrance, and who are more
+likely to have come with the intention of viewing the ornaments, than
+the canons who are seated in the choir--the back of the subject, or
+rather, forms which represent no subject whatever. There is a Virgin on
+a pedestal in the centre of the eastern end of the choir, turning her
+back to the bronze railing which separates it from the transept. This
+statue has occupied its present position ever since the erection of the
+cathedral; and it is probable would long since have quitted it, but for
+a still greater inconvenience consequent on its removal. The attempt was
+recently made, when a mass of water issued with much violence from
+beneath the pedestal, and putting to flight the canons who were
+assembled to preside at the operation, instantly inundated the whole
+church. The virgin occupies probably the site of the fountain which must
+have been the centre of the court, at the period of the existence of the
+mosque. However that may be, the spot is the exact centre of the present
+edifice.
+
+At the two eastern angles of the quadrangle, formed by the intersection
+of the transept and principal nave, close to the railing of the capilla
+mayor are two pulpits of bronze, excellently wrought; supported on short
+pillars of rare marbles.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL, TOLEDO.]
+
+A tall pyramidal Gothic edifice[8] of gilded and painted wood, rising to
+the full height of the ceiling, stands in front of a column of the
+second nave from the north side. All its sides are open, and furnished
+with bronze railings, through which is seen an altar, raised on three or
+four steps. In the centre of the altar is inserted a marble slab--a
+highly prized relic, being the stone on which the Virgin placed her foot
+on the occasion of her appearing in the cathedral in _propriâ personâ_
+to the Archbishop San Ildefonzo. This peculiar favour bestowed on the
+saint--and a robe with which she invested him with her own hands, were
+bestowed, according to the historian Mariana, in recompense of his zeal
+in opposing the doctrine of the two Frenchmen, Pelagio and Helvidio,
+whose writings and preachings tended to shake the belief in the
+virginity of the Saviour's mother. The occurrence is thus described:
+
+"The night immediately preceding the feast of the Annunciation, the
+archbishop entered the church, surrounded by several of the clergy. As
+they entered, the cathedral appeared filled with a brilliant light.
+Those who accompanied the saint, overcome with terror, turned and fled.
+Remaining alone, he advanced to the foot of the high altar, and fell on
+his knees; when, on the chair from which it was his custom to deliver
+his exhortations to the people,--clothed in more than human
+majesty--appeared the mother of Christ, who addressed him in the
+following words:--'This gift, brought from Heaven, shall be the reward
+of the virginity which thou hast preserved in thy body, joined with
+purity of mind, and ardour of faith; and for having defended our
+virginity.'
+
+"Having thus spoken, she placed on him, with her own hands, a robe,
+which she commanded him to wear on the celebration of her festivals, and
+those of her Son."
+
+The representations of this scene, from which is derived the claim of
+superior sanctity assumed by this cathedral, are multiplied both in
+marble and on canvas in all parts of the edifice, as well as in almost
+all the churches of Toledo. In most cases, the execution of them has
+been intrusted to unskilful hands. The best specimen is that executed in
+marble over the small altar I have just noticed. It is remarkable for
+the graceful and good-humoured expression of the Virgin, and the easy,
+almost merry, demeanour of her celestial attendants.
+
+The marble box which contains the Host is let into the altar-piece, of
+which it appears to form a part of the surface, only projecting slightly
+as its sides are convex. Turning on a pivot, it presents four different
+fronts, each representing, in well executed relief, a different scene in
+the Virgin's life.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER X.
+
+CAFÉS. WEDDING CEREMONY. CATHEDRAL CONTINUED. ALCAZAR HOSPITAL OF SANTA
+CRUZ. CONVENT OF LA CONCEPTION. MYSTERIOUS CAVERN. CONVENT OF SANTA FE,
+OR OF SANTIAGO. SONS-IN-LAW OF THE CID.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+One of the first contrasts between this and other countries, which
+forces itself on the observation, is the amalgamation of the different
+classes of society in public places of resort. The grandee is far too
+sure of his personal importance and consideration, to entertain any fear
+of its being diminished by contact with those of inferior rank; and the
+peasant is far too proud to importune his superiors by any indiscreet
+efforts at familiarity.
+
+At Burgos I found the _Gefe politico_, or governor of the province,
+sipping his lemonade in the evening at the _café_; his elbow brushing
+the back of a mayoral of a diligence, and surrounded by an assemblage of
+all classes of the male inhabitants of the town. These cafés are curious
+establishments; they are divided into two classes--the Café, properly
+so called, and the Botilleria--in which tea and coffee are not usually
+called for, but all the other refreshments of the café; such as
+_helados_ (frozen beverages of all sorts), _sorbetes_ (ices), liqueurs,
+wines, etc. These latter are the resort, in some towns, of both sexes,
+and indeed the cafés also in a less degree. But the etiquette in these
+things differs in the different provinces.
+
+At Madrid, where foreign customs first penetrate, ladies are rarely seen
+in these resorts; by which they are considerable losers. No doubt, were
+the attractions of French cafés sufficiently powerful, your sex would
+not have withered them, by their disdain, into the uncivilized dens
+which they are. You are not of course invited by the billiard tables, or
+by the allurements of black coffee and cognac; but were the waiters to
+set before you a tumbler of frozen lemonade after a July evening's dusty
+walk, you would speedily bring such habits into fashion.
+
+Much as the refreshments of Spanish cafés have been celebrated, their
+fame is surpassed by the reality. It is only when you have panted
+through a southern summer's day, and breathed an atmosphere of fire,
+that you are disposed to receive the illustration of the full sense of
+the word refreshment; and it is then they hand you a brobdignag goblet,
+brim full of frozen orange-water or lemonade, or snow-white
+orgeat--which, from the imperceptible inroads made by the teaspoon on
+its closing-up surface, appears likely to last you the whole night.
+These and other similar luxuries, including the ices, at which those of
+a Grange or Tortoni would melt with jealousy, are plentiful in second
+and third-rate towns, and rank among the necessaries of life, rather
+than as objects of indulgence. They are of course cheap, or it would not
+answer.
+
+The poor apply to the distributors of iced barley-water, who carry about
+a sort of cask, strapped between their shoulders, and containing ice in
+the centre, to maintain the frigidity of the beverage. By lowering and
+advancing the left shoulder, the vendor pours the contents of the cask
+through a small neck or pipe into the glasses, which he carries in a
+flat basket with cellaret partitions. A tumbler of this costs a
+halfpenny; its imbibing occupies two or three minutes, and assuages for
+hours the sufferings of the thirstiest palate.
+
+At Madrid, the cafés have each its political colour; except that called
+del Principe, after the adjoining theatre. In this, politics are less
+characterised, literature having here taken up her quarters. It is
+probable that she is a less profitable customer, being habitually less
+thirsty. Accordingly, on putting your head into the door, you see a
+saloon far more brilliantly lighted up than the others; but the
+peripatetic doctrines seem to prevail. Few persons are seated at the
+tables; and instead of the more profitable wear and tear of broken
+glasses, the proprietor probably finds substituted a thankless annual
+item for worn out floors. In the same street there is a club; but this
+is an exotic importation and on the exclusive plan, not quite of London,
+but of the Paris _cercles_.
+
+In the cafés of Toledo, on the days of _fiesta_, the fair sex
+predominates, especially in summer. The great resort is, however, the
+Zocodover, from nine to ten in the evening. This little irregularly
+formed _plaza_ is crowded like an assembly-room, and possesses its rows
+of trees, although a respectable oak would almost fill it.
+
+A soirée has occasionally been known to be given in Toledo, but it is an
+occurrence of much rarity, and mostly occasioned by some unusual
+event,--the arrival of a public singer, or, still more unusual, a newly
+made fortune. The other evening I was admitted to one, the pretext for
+which was a wedding. This ceremony takes place at the residence of the
+bride, and although a subsequent formality is necessary in the Church,
+its delay does not defer the validity of the union, nor its
+consummation. The wedding-day arrived, the families and friends of both
+parties assemble at eight in the evening.
+
+The bride was distinguishable by a white veil or _mantilla_ in the
+middle seat of a sofa, between her mother and sister, who rose to
+receive the guests. A narrow table had been dressed up into a temporary
+altar, and furnished with a crucifix and candles. All the party being
+arrived, a priest left his chair, and entered an adjoining room to robe;
+on his reappearance the company rose and flocked round the bride and
+bridegroom, who stood together before the priest, doing penance each
+with a long wax-light in the right hand, held in a muslin handkerchief.
+
+The ceremony lasts about ten minutes without any change of posture. The
+priest departs to unrobe; the miserable bride and blushing bridegroom
+receive felicitations; and all resume their seats, and look at each
+other.
+
+Presently chocolate was handed round, and an attempt at conversational
+murmur commenced, afterwards ices. And now the minister took a formal
+leave of the company, after complimenting the bride. Two or three other
+holy men, obedient to the signal, carried out their interminable hats
+before them: when a sudden revolution broke out. At the closing of the
+door on the hindmost ecclesiastic the bridegroom rushed to the altar,
+and grasping with one hand the crucifix, and with the other two of the
+candlesticks, ran to the apartment that had assumed the character of
+vestry, and deposited them there, followed by officious friends bearing
+the remaining articles, until every awe-compelling symbol had
+disappeared. One or two guitars were extracted from their hiding-places
+under sofas, and sent forth careless but lively preludes. The men stood
+up and circulated; the women talked and laughed; a quadrille was
+speedily formed, and concluded; waltzing followed, and forfeits, and
+whatever you like, and--"the arrangements were on a scale of costly
+magnificence, and the festivities were prolonged, &c."
+
+But these events are rare in Toledo. The every-day amusements consist in
+an infamous theatre, and the promenade; this is only on Saints' days;
+but these are almost every day. On six or seven occasions in the year,
+these promenades are absolute events, and much looked forward to. It is
+necessary to inquire which is the promenade patronised by the saint of
+the great day, whoever he is, and take your place in the tide, for no
+one absents himself.
+
+Dresses for these celebrations are things pre-meditated; and the effect
+produced, and all the little events and rencontres of the day form for
+each belle, thrilling subjects of retrospection. _Mantillas_ may be
+trimmed, and innocent plots woven for these occasions, without danger of
+disappointment by clouds or storms; and instead of the Virgin being
+implored that the sun may shine, who never disappoints them, she is
+sometimes requested to inspire some ruse for a momentary escape from his
+too searching effulgence.
+
+Here may fair foreigners feast their eyes on fawn-coloured _majos_,
+whose every step (although no more exalted beings than butchers,
+postilions, horsedealers, and such like) would be envied by Antinous and
+Apollo. I should advise no veils, nor winkings, nor blinkings on these
+occasions, but eyes wide open--for never more (the Pyrenees once
+repassed) will their orbits expand to the forms and costumes of
+blackguards half so beautiful.
+
+But these are subjects slightly unsuited to the interior of the
+cathedral, of our presence in which we are evidently forgetful. The
+Mozarabic Chapel, founded by Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros, is situated
+under the southern tower, and contains a Virgin and Child executed in
+Mosaic, and a curious old fresco painting, representing the battle of
+Oran, at which the Cardinal was victorious over the Arabs. This chapel
+is set apart for the performance of the Mozarabic ritual, still retained
+by a portion of the population of Toledo, and the exercise of which was
+continued in several churches, until the closing of some of them at the
+recent revolution.
+
+The Arab conquerors of Spain exercised towards the religion of the
+country, the most complete and liberal tolerance. All who preferred
+remaining in the conquered towns to flight and exile, were allowed to
+retain a sufficient number of places of worship for the free exercise of
+their religion. On the subsequent introduction of the Italian missal,
+those who retained the ancient gothic forms were called Mozarabes (mixti
+Arabes, according to some, from their service being the same as that in
+use during the co-existence together of the two creeds). A more probable
+origin is attributed to the expression by some antiquaries, who derive
+it from Muza, the name of the Moorish general. The mass of the
+Christians who had taken refuge in the Asturias, applied the term to
+their brethren, who preferred accepting from the Arabs what they
+considered a degrading tolerance. The following singular mode of
+decision was adopted for the purpose of settling the question between
+the two missals.
+
+The King, Alonzo the Sixth, the Archbishop Don Bernardo, and the court,
+were among the advocates of the new missal, which, being adopted in
+Rome, they were very desirous of establishing on the occasion of the
+restoration of the Christian supremacy at Toledo. The mass of the
+people were attached to their ancient forms. It was resolved that the
+question should be decided by an appeal to a sort of neutral power; and
+Mars was selected, probably on account of his being a person
+disinterested in the affair. A champion was chosen by each party, and a
+day appointed for settling the difference by single combat. Accordingly,
+the court, the clergy, and the people being assembled, the
+representatives of the two missals took their station, lance in rest,
+and on the appointed signal spurred to the encounter. The ancient missal
+was approved of by the warlike god; but the King and his party were
+dissatisfied with the result, and resolved on another trial. A large
+fire was lighted in the principal plaza, and the two missals were thrown
+into it.
+
+Again the ancient forms conquered, the rival parchment having caught the
+flame and being drawn out in a blaze. The populace now commenced a cry
+of triumph; but, to their great disappointment, the King, in his quality
+of umpire, pronounced a judgment which he might as easily have put in
+execution before the trials: namely, that considering that the Roman
+Missal, although on fire, was not consumed, they were both equally
+agreeable to the deity--they should therefore both be preserved, and
+that some of the more ancient churches should continue the exercise of
+the Mozarabic service, while the Roman ritual should be established in
+the metropolitan temple, and in the greater number of the parishes.
+
+Before we leave the cathedral, the cloister claims our attention. It is
+a spacious and handsome quadrangle, inclosing a garden. The eastern wall
+is adorned with excellent frescos of comparatively modern date, and all
+bearing the same signature--Francisco Bayeu. There are seven subjects on
+that side, being the number of intervals corresponding with the arcades,
+and three more continuing down another side. The best are two, taken
+from the history of Saint Casilda; and three from that of San Eugenio,
+first archbishop of Toledo, martyrised in France. The arcades on the
+east side are shut in by large pieces of sail-cloth, in order to protect
+the paintings against the sun's rays.
+
+The library of manuscripts belonging to this cathedral is distinguished
+rather by the quality than the quantity of its contents. It is
+approached by a staircase communicating with the cloister, and is a
+handsome room. It contains a copy of the Talmud on the papyrus leaves,
+and in the Coptic dialect. The following are also among its treasures:
+The Book of Esther in Hebrew, on a single piece of parchment; two
+bibles of the seventh century, one of which belonged to St. Isidore; the
+missal used by Charles the Fifth in the monastery of Yuste; the poems of
+Dante, manuscript of the poet's time, with illustrations; the laws of
+Alonso the Tenth (surnamed the wise), and a volume of his poetical
+works, with the music opposite those intended to be sung: two ancient
+Chinese volumes, one on botany, the other on natural history, both
+illustrated.
+
+The next edifice I visited was the Alcazar, the largest and most
+conspicuous building in Toledo. I expected to find there some Arab and
+Roman remains, having so read in more than one tour. It was not until
+some time after my visit that I obtained the information that the
+Moorish palace occupied a different site. The present comparatively
+modern building is principally of two epochs. On the east is the
+original portion erected by Alonzo the Sixth. The entire north and south
+fronts are probably additions of Philip the Second. The whole partakes
+of a divided character between castle and palace: it is not remarkable
+for any architectural merit, possessing neither beauty as a palace, nor
+solidity as a fortress; and having been occupied as a military position
+during the war of the succession, and more recently in that of
+independence, its being already a ruin, before its modern appearance
+would seem to legitimize such a state, causes no surprise. But its
+position is superb. Occupying the most elevated point of the town, it
+far exceeds the whole by the immense height of its walls, and commands
+an admirable view of the surrounding country. The only object deserving
+notice in this ruin is a colossal staircase, which occupies an entire
+side of the court,--a length of about two hundred and fifty feet,--and
+is ornamented by a light and elegant colonnade. This edifice ceased to
+be a palace on the final establishment of the court at Madrid, and after
+some time became the manufactory whence issued the famous silk and
+velvet brocades, the fabrication of which has now ceased, but with which
+Toledo formerly supplied the wardrobes of the court, and the
+well-garnished sacristies of Spain's wealthiest cathedrals.
+
+Descending from the Alcazar through the Plaza de Zocodover, and thence
+towards the bridge of Alcantara, a few yards from the Plaza bring us in
+view of the façade of the Hospital of Santa Cruz, or "de los niños
+expositos,"--foundling hospital. The institution owes its origin to the
+Archbishop, Don Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, called the Great Cardinal of
+Spain. Although death prevented his witnessing the execution of his
+project, his fortune, administered by his next relatives and
+executors,--the Queen Isabella, and the Duke of Infantado,--was
+employed in the erection of the buildings, and in the endowment of the
+establishment. The plans and conditions were not even drawn up until
+after the Cardinal's death; and they were never entirely put in
+execution. The church consists of one nave, of a length out of all
+proportion to its width and elevation. It was to have been crossed by
+another of the same proportions, with the exception of the elevation,
+which was to have been eighty feet in both. This combined with the
+length--about three hundred and fifty feet, as is seen in the existing
+nave,--would have rendered the edifice one of the most extraordinary in
+existence. The altar was to have stood in the centre of the intersection
+of the two naves. As it is, the long bare interior looks as though it
+had been destined for a picture gallery or library, but rather for the
+latter from the low-coved roof of cedar, and from the inadequate
+distribution of light. To the left of the altar is seen a portrait of
+the founder; and on the opposite side, about a hundred feet further down
+the nave, a large Adoration,--a superior painting, especially with
+regard to the colouring: the author unknown.
+
+There are two large courts surrounded by arcades: one of them is a model
+of lightness and beauty, and contains in one of its angles an admirably
+ornamented staircase. The architect of the Santa Cruz was Enrique Egas,
+who also built the celebrated hospital of the same name at Valladolid.
+He designed the whole according to the style then introduced, after the
+pointed style had been abandoned, and which in Spain received vulgarly
+the appellation of Plateresco, from the ornaments resembling the
+embossing of a silversmith. It is also confounded with the Renacimiento.
+The Plateresco style, from the too great liberty it afforded the
+architect, of setting aside the classic models, and following his own
+inventions, has produced in Spain, more than in any other country, (from
+there being at that period more wealth devoted to the construction of
+public monuments there than elsewhere,) the evil effects resulting from
+ill-guided and unrestrained powers of imagination. Fortunately, however,
+a few architects existed whose more correct taste kept them within some
+bounds; and who, in deserting the old models, replaced them by a style,
+if less pure, yet by no means inelegant. The architect Egas appears to
+have partaken of both natures at different moments; for, while his court
+above-mentioned is a specimen of consummate grace and good taste, the
+entrance front of the building is one of the bad examples of the style
+of the period.
+
+The establishment covers a large space, about half the extent occupied
+by the double palace of the Arab kings of Toledo. The remainder of the
+site contains two convents,--that of Santiago, and that of the
+Conception. The hospital was conducted formerly on a scale proportionate
+to the extent of its accommodation; but it is now no more than a
+reminiscence; the revenues having probably been incorporated in the
+recent registrations of national property. The number of inmates at
+present enjoying the benefits of the foundation amounts to fourteen
+only.
+
+The Convent of la Conception adjoins the hospital of Santa Cruz. From
+the exterior are seen two churches, placed in close parallel contact,
+and each composed of a single nave. Both are evidently very ancient, one
+being in the Arab style; but the form of the other renders it probable
+that it is the more ancient of the two. You are disappointed after being
+shown this last, on being informed that the Moorish portion is forbidden
+ground, being appropriated by the nuns to their private use, and
+possessing no communication with the adjoining edifice, but a curtained
+grating, through which its secluded inmates assist at religious
+services. In the public church, a singular ornament figures on a
+conspicuous part of the wall near the entrance; it is the carcass of a
+large crocodile, fixed high enough to be out of reach, although no one
+would be likely to purloin so unwieldy a curiosity. We are told the
+animal frequented the neighbourhood of Toledo; where, under cover of the
+pine forests, which formerly extended far over this mountainous region,
+its existence had long filled with terror the few travellers whom their
+mercantile pursuits compelled to pass within its accustomed haunts: that
+at length a knight (it was in the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella)
+clothed in a full suit of armour, rode forth from Toledo, fully resolved
+to try conclusions with the monster, in order if possible to immortalize
+his name throughout the surrounding regions, by ridding them of so dire
+a scourge. The battle took place, and victory declaring for the knight,
+whose name unfortunately does not figure in the legend,--he assembled
+the peasants, and had his enemy's carcass borne in triumph to Toledo,
+where he made a present of it to the convent.
+
+While on the subject of traditions, it is worth while adverting to a
+cavern, the entrance of which exists in this part of the town; and which
+is said to extend to a distance of eight miles, passing under the Tagus.
+It is related that somewhat less than a century back, the government
+ordered this cavern to be explored; but the exploring party was met at
+the commencement of the descent by so violent a gust of wind, as to
+extinguish all the torches, and the courage of the explorers, for the
+attempt was never resumed. The failure by no means contributed to
+diminish the mysterious qualities attributed to the cavern, on the
+subject of which the wildest notions are currently entertained.
+
+A worthy and excellent native of Toledo, to whose antiquarian enthusiasm
+(a quality doubly valuable here from its scarcity) I am indebted for
+some information and much entertainment, undertook one day to enlighten
+me with regard to the origin of this subterranean curiosity. Commencing
+by warning my credulity against the innumerable fables current on the
+subject, and which only resembled each other in their absurdity and
+impossibility, he added, "The real fact is this,--the cavern is the work
+of Hercules, who excavated it for the accommodation of the assemblies of
+the people, whom he instructed in the elements of magic."
+
+The convent of Santiago, or of Santa Fé, or of Las monjas santiagistas,
+or Las cavalleras, occupies the portion of the ancient Moorish alcazar,
+remaining from the site of the two last-mentioned buildings. It is built
+round two courts, one of which is divided into planted parterres,
+intersected with brick-paved walks. The architecture of this first court
+is very simple; it consists of a plain arcade of semicircular arches
+supported on square piers, and a repetition of the same on the first
+story. From this court opens the parlour of the Commendadora or abbess,
+and the choir, which forms a continuation of the public chapel. There is
+also under the arcade a folding door, which, when opened exhibits a
+collection of small pictures attached to it, as on the leaves of an
+album, and others suspended against the portion of wall it encloses. The
+centre painting of these last represents the Mater dolorosa weeping over
+the dead body of her Son. It has much of the manner of Alonzo Cano, and
+is an admirable painting, more especially the dead body: the superior,
+however, did not know the name of the artist. She complained bitterly of
+the loss of a first-rate picture of the Divino Morales, which formerly
+occupied the place of her little collection, and which was taken
+possession of by Marshal Soult.
+
+The second court is highly ornamental owing to the elegance of its
+architecture, and its magnificent proportions; it is a long quadrangle;
+the pillars below are very lofty, and support the gallery above without
+intermediate arches. They are not of a pure design, the shafts being too
+long for their diameter: in other respects they imitate the Tuscan
+order. Those of the arcade above are Ionic; but the effect here is
+destroyed by walls and windows, which have been constructed in their
+intervals, for the purpose of converting the open gallery into a warmer
+corridor. The walls below are clothed to the height of about four feet
+with the _azulejos_, or porcelain mosaic, of the sort originally
+employed by the Arabs, and from which the ornament took its name, being
+blue and white, without any other colour.
+
+Opening from this court is the Sala Capitular a handsome saloon used on
+occasions of elections of the Commendadora, or other solemnities, which
+do not take place in the church. It contains a portrait of the sister of
+St. Ferdinand,--a member of the community; and a curious picture of St.
+Iago leading to victory the christian army of Don Ramiro the First. In
+fulfilment of a promise made to the king the night preceding the battle
+of Albayde, the apostle, according to the historians, led the army in
+person, mounted on a milk-white charger, which cantered along at a
+sufficient elevation over the heads of the combatants, to be visible to
+all; thus inspiring, simultaneously, his _protégés_ with confidence, and
+the Moors with terror. From that victory the Spanish war-cry of Santiago
+is said to derive its origin.
+
+The buildings on the north side of the large court stand on the brink of
+a perpendicular rock, overhanging the _faubourg_ on the Madrid side of
+Toledo, and commanding right and left the luxuriant _vega_, to an extent
+of from forty to fifty miles. Over the highest story of this portion of
+the building, and forming a continuation of the rock, a Belvidere has
+been constructed, the roof of which is supported by piers, leaving all
+the sides open: it forms a promenade of about a hundred feet in length,
+by twenty-five in width.
+
+The regulations of this convent are much less strict than those observed
+by all other religious communities. It would not otherwise have been
+possible to obtain permission to visit the establishment in detail. The
+_monjas cavalleras_ (knight-nuns) of the military order of Santiago,
+take the white veil only, and not the black. If a nun inherits a
+property, she obtains permission from the council of military orders,
+sitting at Madrid, to absent herself from the convent for the purpose of
+transacting all necessary business. The same permission may be obtained
+in cases of illness. In taking the vows there is no prostration beneath
+the veil. The novice crosses her hands in a kneeling posture, and takes
+the oath on the Gospel. One is struck by something invincibly puzzling
+in this amalgamation of military regulation with religious hierarchy and
+female seclusion. They call themselves knights; their abbess, commander.
+The king, as Grand Master of the military orders (since Ferdinand the
+Fifth) of Calatrava, Alcantara, and Santiago, is their recognised chief;
+and whenever military mass is required to be performed, the troops march
+into their chapel to beat of drum.
+
+I was even assured that these recluses are not obliged to refuse a hand
+offered for a waltz, if it belongs to an arm having an epaulette at its
+other extremity; and that such scenes are known to occur in the presence
+of the commandress herself.
+
+Our party, formed for the visit to this convent, having been presented
+to the superior, she gave directions to a nun to show us every part of
+the establishment. This sister, who, we were told, bore the title and
+rank of serjeantess (sargenta), possessed the remains of great beauty,
+and her (probably) forty summers had not injured her commanding and
+graceful figure. No sooner had she ushered us into the choir than she
+left us for an instant, and returned with her mantle of ceremony,--the
+costume in which they take the vow, and in which they appear on all
+occasions of solemnity. It was with evident satisfaction that she
+performed this part of her duties of cicerone; nor was it to be wondered
+at. No costume could have been invented better calculated to set off her
+natural advantages. It is composed of a sort of white serge, and
+appears to have no seam. Attached round the shoulders it sweeps the
+ground with a train of four or five feet. A cross of scarlet cloth,
+bound with dark brown edges, and of a graceful form, figures on the
+portion which covers the left arm from the shoulder to the elbow. The
+white cap, gathered all over into minute plaits, rises into two parallel
+ridges, which passing over to the back of the head, imitate the form of
+a helmet. Two large lappets descend to the shoulders and complete the
+costume, which is entirely white, with the exception of the cross. In
+walking round the choir to display to us the effect of this dress, the
+fair _santiagista_ was a model of majesty and grace.
+
+To judge from her replies to our questions, it would appear that the
+system of softening the severity of monastic seclusion, and of partial
+and occasional communication with the beings of the outer world, instead
+of producing more contentment in the minds of the recluses, may possibly
+tend to unsettle them, and render them more dissatisfied with their lot.
+When asked how long she had inhabited the convent, she replied with an
+unrestrained and most pathetic inflation of the chest, more eloquent
+than the loudest complaint--"A very long time; nearly twenty years." The
+white mantle, she told us, was an object the sight of which always gave
+birth to serious reflections; since it was destined not even to quit her
+after death, but to serve also for her shroud.
+
+[Illustration: COSTUME OF A MILITARY NUN.]
+
+The nun's choir is entirely separated from the public chapel, with the
+exception of two gratings, which admit to the latter the sound of the
+organ, and through which the nuns have a better view of the church than
+the public can obtain of the choir, this being less lighted, and on a
+lower level. Near the choir a small oratory of no greater dimensions
+than about seven feet square, appears to be the only remains extant of
+the Arab buildings, which occupied the site. The ceiling is
+hemispherical, and ornamented in the Arab style; and one of the walls
+contains a niche surrounded by Arab tracery. I should mention likewise a
+fountain in the garden, which bears a similar character.
+
+These nuns live less in community with each other than those of other
+convents; in fact, their life resembles in many respects that of
+independent single ladies. Each inhabits her own suite of apartments,
+and keeps her own servant. Her solitary repasts are prepared in her own
+separate kitchen, and at the hour chosen by herself. Once a-year only,
+on the occasion of the festival of the patron Apostle, the community
+assembles at dinner. The common refectory is at present let to
+strangers, together with other portions of the convent. The novice who
+wishes to enter this convent must be of good family, (proof of noble
+descent being demanded up to grand-fathers and grandmothers inclusive)
+and possessed of property. Of the entrance of the present _commendadora_
+into the convent thirty years since, a romantic story is related. She
+belongs to a family of rank in the province of La Mancha,--and it is
+worth mentioning, that she recollects Espartero's father, who, as she
+states, served a neighbouring family in the capacity of cowherd.
+
+A match, _de convenance_, had been arranged for her by her parents, on
+the accomplishment of which they insisted the more rigidly from her
+being known to entertain an attachment, the object of which was
+disapproved. No resistance being of any avail, the wedding-day was
+named; and she was taken to Toledo for the purpose of making the
+necessary purchases for the occasion. It so happened that she was
+received by a relative, a member of the community of Santiagistas; and
+whether she confided her pains to the bosom of this relative, and
+yielded to her persuasions--nuns being usually given to proselytism; or
+perhaps acting on the impulse of the moment; she declared on the morning
+after her arrival her resolution never to quit the convent; preferring,
+as she resolutely affirmed, an entire life of seclusion, to an union
+with a man she detested. Instead, therefore, of the wedding dresses, a
+_manton capitular_ was the only ornament purchased.
+
+The property of this establishment remaining for the most part in
+possession of the respective original possessors, and not forming a
+common stock, the conscientious scruples of the revolution made an
+exception in its favour, owing to which it is not reduced to so
+destitute a condition as that of the other unclosed convents. The nuns
+of San Clemente--the principal convent of Toledo, and of which the
+abbess alone possessed private property, are reduced to a life of much
+privation, as are also those of all the other convents. Some obtain
+presents in return for objects of manual industry, such as dolls'
+chairs, and other similar toys. Those of San Clemente had, and still
+have, a reputation for superior skill in confectionary. A specimen of
+their talent, of which I had an opportunity of judging in the house of a
+friend of the abbess, appeared to me to warrant the full extent of their
+culinary fame. They do not, however, exercise this art for gain. At San
+Clemente, and no doubt at all the others, the new government--besides
+the confiscation of all rents and possessions in money and land--seized
+the provisions of corn and fruits which they found on searching the
+attics of the building.
+
+Immediately below the ruined modern Alcazar, and facing the Expositos,
+is seen a vast quadrangular building, each front of which presents from
+twenty to thirty windows on a floor. It is without ornament, and is
+entered by a square doorway, which leads to an interior court. It is now
+an inn, called Fonda de la Caridad, but was originally the residence of
+the Cid, who built it simultaneously with the erection of the Alcazar,
+by Alonzo the Sixth, shortly after the taking of the town; Ruy Diaz
+being at that time in high favour, and recently appointed first Alcalde
+of Toledo, and governor of the palace. It was on the occasion of the
+first cortez held in this town, that the hero demanded a formal audience
+of Alonzo, in which he claimed justice against his two sons-in-law, the
+counts of Carrion.
+
+These were two brothers, who had married the two Countesses of Bivar. On
+the occasion of the double marriage, a brilliant party had assembled at
+the Cid's residence, where all sorts of festivities had succeeded each
+other. The two bridegrooms, finding themselves, during their presence in
+this knightly circle, in positions calculated to test their mettle,
+instead of proving themselves, by a display of unequalled valour and
+skill, to be worthy of the choice by which they had been distinguished,
+gave frequent proofs of deficiency in both qualities; and, long before
+the breaking up of the party, their cowardice had drawn upon them
+unequivocal signs of contempt from many of the company, including even
+their host. Obliged to dissimulate their vexation as long as they
+remained at the château of the Cid, they concerted a plan of vengeance
+to be put in execution on their departure.
+
+They took formal leave, and departed with their brides for their
+estate, followed by a brilliant suite. No sooner, however, had they
+reached the first town, than, inventing a pretext, they despatched all
+the attendants by a different route, and proceeded on their journey,
+only accompanied by their wives. Towards evening the road brought them
+to a forest, which appeared to offer facilities for putting their
+project in execution. Here they quitted the highway, and sought a
+retired situation.
+
+It happened that an attendant of the Countesses, surprised at the
+determination of the party to divide routes, had been led by curiosity
+to follow them unobserved. This follower, after having waited some time
+for their return to the high-road, penetrated into the midst of the
+wood, in order to discover the cause of the delay. He found the two
+brides lying on the ground, almost without clothing, and covered with
+blood, and learned that they had just been left by their husbands, who
+had been scourging them almost to death.
+
+It was against the perpetrators of this outrage that the Cid pleaded for
+justice. A certain number of nobles were selected by Alonzo, and
+directed to give a decision after hearing the accusation and the
+defence. The offence being proved, the Counts had nothing to urge in
+extenuation, and judgment was pronounced. All the sums of money,
+treasures, gold and silver vases and goblets, and precious stones,
+given by the Cid with his daughters as their dowry, to be restored; and
+(at the request of Ruy Diaz) the two Counts of Carrion, and their uncle,
+who had advised them to commit the act, were condemned to enter the
+lists against three of the followers of the Cid. The last decision was
+momentarily evaded by the Counts; who urged, that, having come to Toledo
+to be present at the cortez, they were unprovided with the necessary
+accoutrements. The King, however, insisted that they should not escape
+so mild a punishment, and repaired himself to Carrion, where he
+witnessed the combat, in which, it is needless to add, the culprits came
+off second best. The marriages being, at the same time, declared null,
+the Cid's daughters were shortly afterwards married a second time; the
+eldest, Doña Elvira, to Don Ramiro, son of Sancho, King of Navarre; and
+the younger, Doña Sol, to Don Pedro, hereditary Prince of Aragon.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XI.
+
+STREETS OF TOLEDO. EL AMA DE CASA. MONASTERY OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES.
+PALACE OF DON HURTADO DE MENDOZA.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+We will now hasten to the opposite extremity of the city, where the
+monastery of San Juan de los Reyes lays claim to especial interest. But
+I already hear you cry for mercy, and exclaim against these endless
+convents and monasteries; the staircases, courts, and corridors of which
+cause more fatigue to your imagination, than to the limbs of those who,
+however laboriously, explore their infinite details. Infinite they are,
+literally, in Toledo; where the churches, the greater number of which
+belong to convents, are not seen, as elsewhere, scattered singly among
+the masses of the habitations, but are frequently to be found in
+clusters of three or four, whether united by the same walls, or facing
+each other at the two sides of a street. It may, perhaps, afford you a
+short relief to pick your way over the somewhat rugged pavement of a
+few of the Toledo streets, and take a survey of the exterior town, which
+our present destination requires us to traverse in its entire extent. I
+must inform you that, for the success of this enterprise, the stranger
+stands in absolute need of a pilot, without whose assistance his
+embarrassments would be endless.
+
+Toledo scarcely boasts a street in which two vehicles could meet and
+continue their route. Most are impassable for a single cart; and, in
+more than one, I have found it impossible to carry an open umbrella.
+Such being the prevailing width of the streets, their tortuous direction
+causes a more serious inconvenience. He who has attempted the task of
+Theseus, in the mazes of some modern garden labyrinth, will comprehend
+the almost inevitable consequence of relying on his own wits for finding
+his way about Toledo,--namely, the discovery that he has returned to his
+point of departure at the moment he imagined that half the town
+separated him from it. This result is the more favoured by the
+similarity of the streets and houses. No such thing as a land-mark. All
+the convents are alike. You recollect at a particular turning, having
+observed a Moorish tower; consequently, at the end of the day, the sight
+of the Moorish tower leads you on, buoyed up by doubly elevated
+spirits, in the required direction, most anxious to bring the tiring
+excursion to a close: but this tower leads you to the opposite extremity
+of the city to that you seek, for there are half a dozen Moorish towers,
+all alike, or with but a trifling difference in their construction.
+
+Nor is this obstacle to solitary exploration unaccompanied by another
+inconvenience. I allude to the continual ascents and descents. The
+surface of the mountain on which Toledo is built, appears to have been
+ploughed by a hundred earthquakes, so cut and hacked is it, to the
+exclusion of the smallest extent of level ground. To carry a railroad
+across it, would require an uninterrupted succession of alternate
+viaducts and tunnels. In consequence of this peculiarity, the losing
+one's way occasions much fatigue. To do justice to the inhabitants, an
+almost universal cleanliness pervades the town,--an excellence the
+attainment of which is not easy in a city so constructed, and which
+gives a favourable impression of the population. It is one of the towns
+in which is proved the possibility of carrying on a successful war
+against the vermin for which the Peninsula has acquired so bad a
+reputation, by means of cleanliness maintained in the houses.
+
+In the house I inhabited on my arrival, I had suspected for some days an
+unusual neglect in the duties of the housemaid, to whose department it
+belonged to sweep the _esteras_ or matting, which serve for carpets,
+from the circumstance of my having been visited by one or two unwelcome
+tormentors. I ventured a gentle remonstrance to the _ama_ (landlady),
+stating my reasons for the suspicion I entertained. It happened that on
+the previous day I had mentioned my having been shown over the
+Archbishop's palace. This she had not forgotten; for with a superb
+coolness, scarcely to be met with out of Spain, she replied, "Fleas! oh,
+no! sir! we have none here,--you must have brought them with you from
+the Palace." Satisfied, however, with having maintained her dignity of
+landlady, she took care to have the nuisance removed.
+
+This _ama_, as may be already judged, was a curiosity. In the first
+place, she was a dwarf. The Spaniards are not, generally speaking, a
+more diminutive race than the other inhabitants of Southern Europe: but
+when a Spaniard, especially a woman, takes it into her head to be small,
+they go beyond other nations. Nowhere are seen such prodigies of
+exiguity. The lady was, moreover, deformed, one of her legs describing a
+triangle, which compelled her in walking to imitate the sidelong
+progress of a crab. Possessed of these peculiarities she had attained,
+as spinster, that very uncertain age called by some "certain," but
+agreed by all to be nearer the end than the commencement of life.
+
+Although not an exception, with regard to temper, to the generality of
+those whose fate it is to endure such a complication of ills, she
+nevertheless on frequent occasions gave way to much amiability, and
+especially to much volubility of discourse. She was not without a tinge
+of sentimentality; and when seated, fan in hand, and the _mantilla
+puesta_, on one of the chairs shorn of almost their entire legs, which
+were to be found in all parts of the house,--she made by no means a bad
+half-length representation of a fine lady.
+
+She had apparently experienced some of the sorrows and disappointments
+incident to humanity; and on such occasions had frequently, no doubt,
+formed the resolution of increasing, although in a trifling degree, some
+religious sisterhood, of which establishments she had so plentiful a
+choice in her native city; but, whether on a nearer approach, she had
+considered the veil an unbecoming costume, or her resolution had failed
+her on the brink of the living tomb, the project had not as yet taken
+effect. The turn, however, thus given to her reflections and inquiries,
+had perfected in her a branch of knowledge highly useful to strangers
+who might be thrown in her way. She was a limping encyclopedia of the
+convents and monasteries of Toledo; and could announce each morning,
+with the precision of an almanack, the name of the saint of the day,--in
+what church or convent he was especially fêted, and at what hour the
+ceremony would take place. She was likewise _au fait_ of the foundation,
+ancient and modern annals, and peculiarities of every sort which belong
+to every religious establishment of the many scores existing in Toledo.
+Her administration of the household affairs was admirably organized
+owing to her energetic activity. Her love of cleanliness would
+frequently induce her to take the sweeping department into her own
+hands--a circumstance which was sure to render the operation doubly
+successful, for the brooms, which in Toledo are not provided with
+handles or broomsticks, were exactly of a length suited to her stature.
+Before we take leave of her, here is one more of her original replies.
+
+I complained to her at breakfast that the eggs were not as fresh as
+usual; and, suiting the action to the word, approached the egg-cup
+containing the opened one so near to her, that the organs of sight and
+smell could not but testify to the justice of my _reclamation_.
+Shrugging her shoulders, until they almost reached the level of the
+table--and with much contempt depicted on her countenance: "How could it
+be otherwise?" she exclaimed, "the egg was taken a quarter of an hour
+ago from under the hen; but you have broken it at the wrong end."
+
+The monastery called San Juan de los Reyes, was founded by Ferdinand and
+Isabella, on their return from the conquest of Granada, and given to a
+fraternity of Franciscan friars. An inscription to this effect in gothic
+characters runs round the cloister walls, where it forms a sort of
+frieze, in a line with the capitals of the semi-columns. The inhabited
+part of the establishment is in a state of complete ruin, having been
+destroyed by the French during the Peninsular War. The cloisters are,
+likewise, in a semi-ruinous state: the part best preserved being the
+church; although that was not entirely spared, as may be supposed from
+its having been used as cavalry stables.
+
+The choice of a situation for the erection of this convent was perfect
+in the then flourishing state of Toledo; and, even now, its picturesque
+position lends a charm to the melancholy and deserted remains still
+visible of its grandeur and beauty. It stands on the brow of the cliff,
+commanding the termination of the chasm already described as commencing
+at the bridge of Alcantara. It commands, therefore, the ruins of
+Roderick's palace, placed a few hundred yards further on, and on a lower
+level; still lower the picturesque bridge of St. Martin, striding to
+the opposite cliff, over arches of ninety feet elevation, and the lovely
+_vega_ which stretches to the west.
+
+[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES.]
+
+This monastery was one of the most favoured amongst the numerous royal
+endowments of that period. It is said that its foundation was the result
+of a vow pronounced by Ferdinand and the Queen before the taking of
+Granada. In addition to the scale of magnificence adopted throughout the
+entire plan, the royal founders, on its completion, bestowed a highly
+venerated donation--the collection of chains taken from the limbs of the
+Christian captives, rescued by them from the dungeons of the Alhambra.
+They are suspended on the outside walls of the two sides of the
+north-eastern angle of the church, and are made to form a frieze, being
+placed in couples crossing each other at an acute angle; while those
+that remained are suspended vertically in rows by fours or fives, in the
+intervals of the pilastres.
+
+The interior of the church is still sufficiently entire to give some
+idea of its original splendour. Its dimensions are rather more than two
+hundred feet in length, by eighty in width, and as many in
+height--excepting over the intersection of the nave and transept, where
+the ceiling rises to a hundred and eight feet. These dimensions are
+exclusive of three recesses on either side, forming chapels open to the
+nave, there being no lateral naves or aisles. The style of the whole is
+very ornamental; but the east end is adorned with an unusual profusion
+of sculpture. The transept is separated from the eastern extremity of
+the building, by a space no greater than would suffice for one of the
+arches; and its ends form the lines, which being prolonged, constitute
+the backs of the chapels. The royal arms, supported by spread eagles,
+are repeated five times on each end-wall; separated respectively by
+statues of saints in their niches, and surmounted by a profusion of rich
+tracery. These subjects entirely cover the walls to a height of about
+forty feet, at which elevation another inscription in honour of the
+founders runs round the whole interior. The transepts not being formed
+by open arches, the sides afford space for a repetition of the same
+ornament, until at their junction with the nave they are terminated by
+two half-piers covered with tracery, and surmounted by semi-octagonal
+balconies, beneath which the initials of Ferdinand and Isabella, made to
+assume a fancy shape, and surmounted by coronets, are introduced with
+singularly graceful effect.
+
+But the chief attraction of this ruin is the cloister. A small
+quadrangle is surrounded by an ogival or pointed arcade, enriched with
+all the ornament that style is capable of receiving. It encloses a
+garden, which, seen through the airy-web of the surrounding tracery,
+must have produced in this sunny region a charming effect. At present,
+one side being in ruins and unroofed, its communication with the other
+three has been interrupted; and, whether or not in the idea of
+preserving the other sides from the infection, their arches have been
+closed nearly to the top by thin plaister walls. Whatever may have been
+the motive of this arrangement, it answers the useful purpose of
+concealing from the view a gallery which surmounts the cloister, the
+arches of which would neutralize the souvenirs created by the rest of
+the scene, since they announce a far different epoch of art, by the
+grievous backsliding of taste evinced in their angular form and uncouth
+proportions.
+
+[Illustration: CLOISTER OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES, TOLEDO.]
+
+Until the destruction of the monastery by the French, the number of
+monks was very considerable; and in consequence of the unusual
+privileges accorded to their body, had become the objects of especial
+veneration. A curious proof of this still exists in the form of a
+printed paper, pasted on one of the doors in the interior of the church,
+and no doubt preserved carefully by the fifteen or sixteen brothers, who
+continued after the dispersion of the rest to inhabit the few
+apartments, which, by their situation over the cloister, had escaped the
+flames; and who were only finally compelled to evacuate their retreat on
+the occasion of the general convent crusade of the late revolution. It
+is an announcement of indulgences, of which the following is the opening
+paragraph:--
+
+"Indulgence and days of pardon to be gained by kissing the robe of the
+brothers of San Francisco.
+
+"All the faithful gain, for each time that they kiss the aforesaid holy
+robe with devotion of heart, two thousand and seventy-five days of
+Indulgence. Further than this, whosoever of the faithful shall kiss the
+aforesaid holy robe devoutly, gains each time eight thousand one hundred
+days of pardon. The which urges to the exercise of this devotion the
+Princes, Kings, Emperors, Bishops, and highest dignitaries of the
+Church, and the monks of other religious orders; and even those of the
+same order gain the same, according to the doctrine of Lantusca, who
+writes, 'Videant religiosi quantum thesaurum portent secum.' Since those
+who with hearts filled with lowliness and love, bend the knees to kiss
+the precious garment, which opens to so many souls the entrance to
+Heaven, leading them aside from the paths of perdition, with trembling
+and terror of the entire hosts of hell, are doubtless those who gain the
+above-mentioned Indulgences, &c."
+
+Cardinal Ximenes had assumed the habit of this monastery before his
+nomination to the see of Toledo.
+
+Among the numerous relics of the ancient prosperity of this ruinous
+corner of Toledo, are seen the walls of the palace of Don Juan Hurtado
+de Mendoza. To them were confided the secret murmurings of Charles the
+Fifth's vexation, when, elated with his Italian successes--lord of the
+greatest empire of Christendom, and flattered by the magnificent
+hospitality of the Genoese, he only resorted hither to be bearded by his
+Spanish vassals, and to hear his request for supplies unceremoniously
+refused. Although monarch of nearly half Europe, and, better still, of
+Mexico and Peru, that sovereign appears to have undergone the torments
+of a constantly defective exchequer.
+
+His armies were not numerous for such an empire, and yet they were
+frequently in revolt for arrears of pay. Could at that time the inventor
+of a constitution on the modern principle have presented himself to
+Charles, with what treasures would he not have rewarded him? On his
+arrival in Spain, in the autumn of 1538, the emperor convoked the cortez
+in Toledo, "for the purpose of deliberation on the most grave and urgent
+causes, which obliged him to request of his faithful vassals an
+inconsiderable contribution, and of receiving the assurance of the
+desire with which he was animated, of diminishing their burdens as soon
+as circumstances should enable him to do so." All assembled on the
+appointed day--the prelates, the grandees, the knights, the deputies of
+cities and towns. The opening session took place in the great salon of
+the house of Don Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, Count of Melita, in which the
+emperor had taken up his abode; and two apartments in the convent of San
+Juan de los Reyes, were prepared for the remaining meetings--one for the
+ecclesiastical body, presided by the Cardinal de Tavera, archbishop of
+Toledo, accompanied by Fray Garcia de Loaysa, cardinal, and confessor of
+the emperor, afterwards Archbishop of Seville--the other for the lay
+members of the cortez.
+
+Although an adept at dissimulation, what must have been the impatience
+of Charles, while under the necessity of listening, day after day, to
+reports of speeches pronounced by the independent members of his _junta_
+on the subject of his unwelcome proposition, without the consolation of
+foreseeing that the supplies would eventually be forthcoming. The
+orators did not spare him. The historian, Mariana, gives at full length
+the speech of the condestable Don Velasco, Duke of Frias, a grandee
+enjoying one of the highest dignities at the court, who commences by
+declaring that, "with respect to the Sisa," (tax on provisions, forming
+the principal subject of the emperor's demand,) "each of their
+lordships, being such persons as they were, would understand better than
+himself this business: but what he understood respecting it was, that
+nothing could be more contrary to God's service, and that of his
+Majesty, and to the good of these kingdoms of Castile, of which they
+were natives, and to their honour, than the Sisa;" and, further on,
+proposes that a request be made to his Majesty, that he would moderate
+his expenditure, which was greater than that of the Catholic kings.
+
+On an address to this effect being presented to the emperor, he replied,
+that "he thanked them for their kind intentions; but that his request
+was for present aid, and not for advice respecting the future:" and
+finding, at length, that no Sisa was to be obtained, he ordered the
+archbishop to dissolve the _junta_, which he did in the following
+words:--"Gentlemen,--his Majesty says, that he convoked your lordships'
+assembly for the purpose of communicating to you his necessities, and
+those of these kingdoms, since it appeared to him that, as they were
+general, such also should be the remedy; but seeing all that has been
+done, it appears to him that there is no need of detaining your
+lordships, but that each of you may go to his house, or whither he may
+think proper."
+
+It must be confessed that the grandees, who had on this occasion
+complained of Charles's foreign expeditions, and neglect of his Spanish
+dominions, did not pursue the system best calculated to reconcile him to
+a residence among them. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunities
+afforded by social intercourse, for making amends for the repulse he had
+suffered from the cortez, they appeared desirous of rendering the amount
+of humiliation which awaited him in Spain a counterpoise to his triumphs
+in his other dominions. On the close of the above-mentioned session, a
+tournament was celebrated in the _vega_ of Toledo. On arriving at the
+lists, an _alguacil_ of the court, whose duty it was to clear the way
+on the emperor's approach--seeing the Duke de l'Infantado in the way,
+requested him to move on, and on his refusal struck his horse with his
+staff. The duke drew his sword and cut open the officer's head. In the
+midst of the disturbance occasioned by the incident, the _alcalde_
+Ronquillo came up, and attempted to arrest the duke in the emperor's
+name--when the constable, Duke de Frias, who had just ridden to the
+scene of bustle, reining in his horse, exclaimed, "I, in virtue of my
+office, am chief minister of justice in these kingdoms, and the duke is,
+therefore, my prisoner;" and addressing himself to the alcalde: "know
+better another time, on what persons you may presume to exercise your
+authority." The duke left the ground in company of the last speaker, and
+was followed by all the nobles present, leaving the emperor entirely
+unaccompanied. It appears that no notice was taken by Charles of this
+insult; his manner towards the Duke of Infantado on the following day
+being marked by peculiar condescension, and all compensation to the
+wounded _alguacil_ left to the duke's generosity.
+
+The personal qualities of this prince, as a monarch, appear to have been
+overrated in some degree in his own day; but far more so by subsequent
+writers. The brilliancy of his reign, and the homage which surrounded
+his person were due to the immense extent of his dominions; and would
+never have belonged to him, any more than the states of which he was in
+possession, had their attainment depended in any degree on the exercise
+of his individual energies. When in the prime of youth, possessed of
+repeated opportunities of distinguishing himself at the head of his
+armies, he kept aloof, leaving the entire conduct of the war to his
+generals. His rival, Francis the First, wounded at Pavia in endeavouring
+to rally his flying troops, and at length taken prisoner while half
+crushed beneath his dead horse, was greater--as he stood before the
+hostile general, his tall figure covered with earth and blood--than the
+absent emperor, who was waiting at Valladolid for the news of the war.
+
+Nor were the qualities of the statesman more conspicuous than those of
+the warrior on this occasion. Having received the intelligence of his
+victory, and of the capture of his illustrious prisoner, he took no
+measures--gave no orders. To his general every thing was left; and when
+the captive King was, at his own request, conveyed some time after to
+Spain, the astonished emperor had received no previous notice of his
+coming. He allowed himself to be out-manœuvred in the treaty for the
+liberation of his prisoner; and when Francis broke the pledge he had
+given for the restitution of Burgundy, he took no steps to enforce the
+execution of the stipulations; and he ultimately gave up the two French
+princes, who remained in his power as hostages, in return for a sum of
+money.
+
+Far from maintaining the superiority in European councils due to his
+extensive dominions, the Italian republics were only prevented with the
+greatest difficulty, and by the continual presence of armies, from
+repeatedly declaring for France: and even the popes, to whom he paid
+continual court, manifested the small estimation in which they held his
+influence by constantly deserting his cause in favour of Francis,--the
+cause of the champion of Christianity in favour of the ally of the
+Infidel, and _that_ frequently in defiance of good faith; shewing how
+little they feared the consequences of the imperial displeasure.
+
+If these facts fail in affording testimony to his energy and capacity,
+still less does his character shine in consistency. He professed an
+unceasing ardour in the cause of Christianity; offering to the French
+king the renunciation of his rights, and a release from that monarch's
+obligations to him, on condition of his joining him in an expedition
+against the Infidels; but when he found himself at the head of an
+immense army under the walls of Vienna, he sat still and allowed
+Solyman to carry off at his leisure the spoils of the principal towns of
+Hungary.
+
+When at length he made up his mind to take the field, he selected, as
+most worthy of the exercise of his prowess, the triumph over the pirate
+Barbarossa and his African hordes: the most important result of the
+campaign being the occupation of Tunis, (where in his zealous burnings
+for Christianity he installed a Mahometan sovereign,) and the wanton
+destruction by his soldiers of a splendid library of valuable
+manuscripts.
+
+We have seen how little his Spanish subjects allowed themselves to be
+dazzled by the splendours of his vast authority, and history informs us
+how far he was from conceiving the resolution of reducing them to
+obedience by any measures savouring of energetic demonstration. The
+irreverence to his person he calmly pocketed, and the deficiences in his
+exchequer were supplied by means of redoubled pressure on his less
+refractory Flemings. He submitted to the breach of faith of Francis of
+France, and to the disrespect of his Castilian vassals; but, on the
+burghers of the city of Ghent being heard to give utterance to
+expressions of discontent at the immoderate liberties taken with their
+purse-strings, he quits Madrid in a towering rage, crosses France at
+the risk of his liberty, and enters his helpless burg at the head of a
+German army, darting on all sides frowns of imperial wrath, each
+prophetic of a bloody execution.
+
+Aware of the preparations of Francis for attacking his dominions
+simultaneously in three different directions, he took insufficient or
+rather no measures to oppose him, but turning his back, embarked for
+Algiers, where he believed laurels to be as cheap as at Tunis. There,
+however, he lost one half of his armament, destroyed by the elements;
+and the remainder narrowly escaping a similar fate, and being dispersed
+in all directions, he returned in time to witness the unopposed
+execution of the plans of his French enemy. What measures are his on
+such an emergency? Does he call together the contingents of the German
+States? Unite the different corps serving in Lombardy and
+Savoy,--dispatch an order to the viceroy of Naples to march for the
+north of Italy; and having completed his combinations, cross the
+Pyrenees at the head of a Spanish army, and give the law to his far
+weaker antagonist? No! nothing that could lead to an encounter with the
+French king accorded with his policy, as it has been called, but more
+probably with his disposition. He quits Spain, it is true, and using all
+diligence, travels round France, but not too near it, and arrives in
+Flanders. Here he puts himself at the head of his Germans, and
+marches--against the Duke of Cleves! who had formed an alliance with his
+principal enemy.
+
+Seeing the emperor thus engaged, Francis completes a successful
+campaign, taking possession of Luxembourg and other towns. At length the
+sovereign of half Europe, having received news of the landing of an
+English army in Picardy, resolves to venture a demonstration against
+France. He therefore traverses Lorraine at the head of eighty thousand
+troops, and makes himself master of Luneville: after which, hearing that
+Francis had despatched his best troops to oppose Henry the Eighth, and
+was waiting for himself, as the less dangerous foe, with an army of half
+the strength of his own, and composed of recruits, he makes up his mind
+to advance in the direction of Paris. After a fortnight's march he finds
+himself in presence of the French king, to whom he sends _proposals of
+peace_!
+
+These being rejected, he continues his march; when a messenger from
+Francis announces his consent to treat. Under these circumstances, does
+he require the cession of Burgundy, according to the terms of the
+unexecuted treaty of Madrid? Does he even stipulate for any advantage,
+for any equality? No! he agrees, on the contrary, to cede Flanders to
+the French, under colour of a dowry with his daughter the Infanta Maria,
+who was to be married to the Duke of Orleans; or else Milan, with his
+niece the daughter of the King of the Romans; and he beats a retreat
+with his immense army, as if taking the benefit of a capitulation.
+
+There is something in the result of this French campaign which appears
+to explain much of Charles's previous conduct; and shows that in many
+instances he was actuated by personal fear of his gallant rival. On this
+occasion he did not hesitate to desert the King of England, who had no
+doubt calculated on his coöperation, as much as Charles had depended on
+the diversion created by the British army. The more one reflects on the
+passages of this emperor's history, the less one is surprised at his
+resolution to abdicate. He gave in this a proof of his appreciation of
+his real character, which undoubtedly fitted him rather for a life of
+ease and retirement, than for the arduous duties of supreme power.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XII.
+
+ARAB MONUMENTS. PICTURES. THE PRINCESS GALIANA. ENVIRONS.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+Returning along the edge of the cliff, a very short space separates the
+extreme walls of the ruined monastery of Ferdinand and Isabella, from an
+edifice of much greater antiquity, although not yet a ruin. Its exterior
+as you approach, is more than simple. It is not even a neatly
+constructed building; but such a pile of rough looking mud and stone,
+as, on the continent, announces sometimes a barn, or granary of a
+farming establishment _mal monté._ A high central portion runs from end
+to end, from either side of which, at about four-fifths of its height,
+project lower roofs of brownish-red tiles. The old square rotten door is
+in exact keeping with all this exterior, and contributes its share to
+the surprise experienced on entering, when you discover, on a level with
+the eye, distributed over a spacious quadrangular area, a forest of
+elaborately carved capitals, surmounting octagon-shaped pillars, and
+supporting innumerable horse-shoe arches, scattered in apparent
+confusion. All these as you advance down a flight of steps, fall into
+rank, and you speedily find yourself in the centre of an oriental temple
+in all its symmetry.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF SANTA MARIA LA BLANCA, TOLEDO.]
+
+The principal light entering from the western extremity, you do not at
+first perceive that three of the five naves terminate at the opposite
+end, by half domes of more modern invention. These have since been
+almost built out, and do not form a part of the general view,--not in
+consequence of a decree of a committee of fine arts, but for the
+convenience of the intendant of the province, who selected the edifice,
+as long as it remained sufficiently weather-proof for such a purpose,
+for a magazine of government stores. There is no record of the antiquity
+of this church, supposed to be the most ancient in Toledo: at all
+events, it is the most ancient of those constructed by the Arabs. It was
+originally a synagogue, and received the above mentioned half cupolas on
+its conversion to a Catholic church; since which period it has been
+known by its present title of Santa Maria la Blanca.
+
+A few hundred yards further on, following the same direction, is the
+church called the Transito, also in the oriental style, but on a
+different plan: a large quadrangular room, from about ninety to a
+hundred feet in length, by forty in width, and about seventy high,
+without arches or columns, ornamented with Arab tracery in stucco, on
+the upper part of the walls, and by a handsome cedar roof. A cement of a
+different colour from the rest runs round the lowest portion of the
+walls, up to about breast high; no doubt filling the space formerly
+occupied by the azulejos. Some remains of these still decorate the
+seats, which are attached to the walls at the two sides of the altar.
+The building is in excellent preservation, and until lately was used as
+a church of the Mozarabic sect. The ornaments are remarkable for the
+exquisite beauty of their design, and are uninjured, excepting by the
+eternal whitewash, the monomania of modern Spanish decorators.
+
+The Jews were the primitive occupants of this elegant temple also.
+Samuel Levi, treasurer and favourite of Pedro the Cruel (who
+subsequently transferred his affection from the person of his faithful
+servant to the enormous wealth, amassed under so indulgent a prince, and
+seized a pretext for ordering his execution) was the founder of this
+synagogue. The inauguration was accompanied by extraordinary pomp. The
+treasurer being, from his paramount position at the court of Castile,
+the most influential personage of his tribe, the leading members of
+Judaism flocked from all parts of Europe to Toledo to be present on the
+occasion, and a deputation from Jerusalem brought earth of the Holy
+Land, which was laid down throughout the whole interior before the
+placing of the pavement.
+
+A very different origin, more suited to believers in miracles, is
+attributed to this church by the present titular sacristan. This
+Quasimodo of the fabric, a simple and worthy functionary, enjoys a
+sinecure, except, it is to be feared, with regard to salary. Although,
+however, no duties confine him to his post, his attachment to the
+edifice prevents his ever being found further from it than the porch;
+under the cool shelter of which, as he leans against the wall, he
+fabricates and consumes the friendly _cigarito_. When questioned with an
+appearance of interest on the subject of the building, he replies with
+unrestrained delight. Its foundation he attributes to Noah, fixing the
+date at seventeen hundred years back; but without adding any particulars
+relative to this miraculous visit paid to Toledo, by the ghost of the
+patriarch.
+
+As is the case with all other ecclesiastical edifices closed pursuant to
+the recent decrees, this building may become the property of any one,
+who would offer a sufficient price, not according to the real value, but
+to that to which such objects are reduced by the great number in the
+market. Several other churches are simply closed and left unguarded; but
+the antiquarian sacristan above mentioned, is placed here on account of
+the existence of a room in which are contained the archives of the
+knights of Calatrava and Alcantara, until recently its proprietors. No
+reparations, however, are ordered; and there is many an enthusiast in
+archæological research who, should such an edifice fall under his
+notice, would, no doubt, rescue it from its now imminent fate. It is not
+only a monument admirable for the details of the ornaments, the best of
+its sort to be met with north of Andalucia, but it forms a valuable link
+in the chain of architectural history. It is the first ecclesiastical
+edifice of its style recorded as having set the example of an open area,
+destitute of columns and arcades.
+
+At the distance of a few hundred yards from this building, a portion of
+the precipice is pointed out, to which was given in former times the
+name of the Tarpeian rock. It was the spot selected by the Jewish
+authorities, (who enjoyed in Toledo, under the Kings of Castile, the
+right of separate jurisdiction in their tribe,) for the execution of
+their criminals. It is a perpendicular rock, but with an intermediate
+sloping space between its base and the Tagus.
+
+One of the most curious of the Arab monuments of Toledo, is the church
+called the Christo de la Luz, formerly a mosque. It is extremely small;
+a square of about twenty feet; and is divided by four pillars into three
+naves, connected with each other, and with the surrounding walls, by
+twelve arches. This disposition produces in the ceiling nine square
+compartments, which rise each to a considerable height, enclosed by
+walls from the tops of the arches upwards. Each small square ceiling is
+coved and ornamented with high angular ribs, rising from the cornice and
+intersecting each other, so as to form a different combination in each
+of the nine.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CHRISTO DE LA LUZ. TOLEDO.]
+
+The principal remaining Arab buildings are, the beautiful gate called
+Puerta del Sol; part of the town walls with their towers; the parochial
+church of San Roman; the tower of the church of St. Thomas; and two or
+three other similar towers. Several private houses contain single rooms
+of the same architecture, more or less ornamental. The most considerable
+of these is situated opposite the church of San Roman, and belongs to a
+family residing at Talavera. They have quitted the house in Toledo,
+which is in a ruinous state. The Moorish saloon is a fine room of about
+sixty feet in length by upwards of forty high, and beautifully
+ornamented. The Artesonado roof of cedar lets in already, in more than
+one part, light and water; and half the remainder of the house has
+fallen.
+
+The good pictures in Toledo are not very plentiful. It is said some of
+the convents possessed good collections, which were seized, together
+with all their other property. Many of these are to be seen in the
+gallery called the Museo Nacional, at Madrid. Others have been sold.
+Those of the cathedral have not been removed; but they are not numerous:
+among them is a St. Francisco, by Zurbaran; and a still more beautiful
+work of Alonzo del Arco, a St. Joseph bearing the Infant. It is in a
+marble frame fixed in the wall, and too high to be properly viewed: but
+the superiority of the colouring can be appreciated, and the excellence
+of the head of the saint. In the smaller sacristy are two pictures in
+Bassano's style, and some copies from Raphael, Rubens, and others. At
+the head of the great sacristy, there is a large work of Domenico
+Theotocopuli, commonly called El Greco, (the head of the school of
+Toledo) which I prefer much to the famous Funeral of the Count Orgaz, in
+the church of Santo Tonie, which, according to some, passes for his
+masterpiece. In the first are traits of drawing, which forcibly call to
+mind the style of the best masters of the Roman school, and prove the
+obligation he was under to the instructions of his master Michel Angelo.
+The subject is the Calvary. The soldiery fill the back ground. On the
+right hand the foreground is occupied by an executioner preparing the
+cross, and on the left, by the group of females. The erect figure of the
+Christ is the principal object, and occupies the centre, somewhat
+removed from the front. This is certainly a fine picture; the
+composition is good, and the drawing admirable, but the colouring of the
+Greco is always unpleasing.
+
+In the Funeral of Count Orgaz it is insufferably false; nor, in fact, is
+it easy to conjecture to what sort of merit this picture owes its
+celebrity. It possesses neither that of conception, nor that of
+composition, nor of expression: least of all that of colouring. All that
+can be said in its favour is, that the row of heads extending from one
+end of the canvass to the other, across the centre, are correct
+portraits of personages of note, who figured in the history of the
+epoch. The worst part of all is, the Heaven of the upper plan of the
+picture, into which the soul of the Count has the bad taste to apply for
+admission. This was, in fact, one of the works which gave occasion to
+the saying of a critic of a contemporary school, who declared that the
+Glorias (heavenly visions) of the Greco looked like Infernos, and his
+Infernos like Glorias.
+
+In the Transito there is an Adoration, a charming picture, apparently by
+Rembrandt. There are here and there good pictures among the other
+churches, but none very remarkable. In general, the most attractive
+objects are the old picture-frames, and other gilded ornaments and wood
+carvings. All these, in the taste of the commencement of the last
+century and earlier, which is at present so much in request, are in such
+profusion, as would draw tears of admiration from the eyes of a Parisian
+upholsterer, and showers of bank notes from the purses of furniture
+collectors.
+
+You will not, I am sure, by this time, object to our quitting Toledo,
+and making a short excursion in its environs. I shall therefore request
+you to accompany me to the ruins of a Moorish palace, on the banks of
+the Tagus, a mile distant from the town, called the Palacio de Galiana.
+The Princess Galiana was the daughter of Galafre, one of the earlier
+Arab Kings of Toledo. The widely extended fame of her beauty, is said to
+have fired the imagination of Charles, son of Pepin, King of France, who
+resolved to throw himself at her feet as a suitor, and forthwith
+repaired to Toledo. However glowing the terms in which report had
+represented her charms, he found them surpassed by the reality; but a
+prince of a neighbouring state had forestalled him in his suit. This
+obstacle did not, however, deter him from persisting in his resolution.
+He forthwith challenged his rival to mortal combat; and, clearing his
+road to the hand of the princess with the point of his lance, married
+her, and carried her back with him to Paris.
+
+The attachment of her father to this princess is said to have been such
+from her earliest childhood, that he gave himself up entirely to this
+affection--devoting all his wealth to the gratification of her caprices.
+The Arab palace, now no longer in existence, took its name from hers, in
+consequence of a new one having been erected for her by her father,
+adjoining his own, at a period at which she had scarcely grown out of
+childhood. The two residences being occupied by succeeding princes as
+one, received the appellation of los Palacios, (the Palaces) of Galiana.
+
+In addition to her town residence, she soon after had the other palace
+constructed about a mile from Toledo. To arrive at the ruins, we pass
+the bridge of Alcantara, and follow the rose-tree promenade. From this a
+path on the left-hand leads to the spot across a field in garden-like
+cultivation. The selection made by the Arab princess of this situation,
+proves her to have possessed, in addition to her beauty, a consummate
+taste and intelligence of rural life.
+
+The Tagus--a name, by the way, more deserving of poetic fame than many a
+more widely echoed stream--in this spot, as if conscious of the pains he
+must shortly undergo, while dashing through the deep and narrow chasm
+through which he must force a passage around Toledo, seems to linger,
+desirous of putting off the fated storm. His course becomes more
+circuitous as he approaches; and indulging in a hundred irregularities
+of form, he plays round several small thickly wooded islands,
+penetrating with innumerable eddies and back currents, into flowery
+nooks and recesses; while here and there he spreads out in a wide sheet
+his apparently motionless waters, as if seeking to sleep away the
+remainder of his days on these green and luxurious banks.
+
+In the midst of this delicious region, which recalls to the recollection
+some of the more favoured spots in England, but which, with the addition
+of the Spanish climate in early summer, is superior to them all, was
+placed the palace. The valley for a considerable distance still bears
+the name of the Garden of the King,--Huerta del Rey. The site of part of
+the pleasure grounds immediately adjoining the river, is left wild, and
+covered with woods; and the remainder is converted into a farm in the
+highest state of cultivation. The ruin consists of three sides of a not
+very large quadrangle; the massive walls of which are pierced with two
+stories of arched windows. The remainder of the edifice was doubtless
+less solid, and has entirely disappeared.
+
+Many a tale of romance would be gathered--many a stirring scene
+recorded, could so precious a document be brought to light as a
+chronicle drawn up by some St. Simon of the Court of Toledo, who had
+recorded the daily events of which this retreat was the theatre, during
+the time it served as a residence for several successive sovereigns. But
+in this land words have always been fewer than deeds, and records are
+the rarest sort of subsisting monuments. One anecdote, however, is
+transmitted, of which this spot was the scene, in the time of the last
+but one of the Moorish princes who reigned at Toledo, before its
+surrender to Alonzo the Sixth.
+
+Alonzo was himself one of the actors on the occasion. In early life he
+had been deprived by his brother Sancho, King of Castile, of the portion
+of the kingdoms which fell to his share by the will of his father,
+Ferdinand the First. On his expulsion from his inheritance he took
+refuge at the court of the Arab king of Toledo, by whom he was received
+with every mark of favour which could have been lavished on a friend.
+The Moor (for the family then reigning was not Arab, although the two
+races are constantly confounded in Spanish histories) gave him a palace,
+and settled on him splendid revenues, to be continued during the time he
+should think fit to accept his hospitality. He even sent invitations to
+all the friends and followers of his guest, in order that he might be
+surrounded with his own court.
+
+Alonzo, touched by this delicate hospitality, attached himself warmly to
+his host; his friendship for whom (I believe a solitary instance in
+those times among the sovereigns in Spain) lasted until the death of the
+latter. The youthful exile, thus handsomely treated, passed much of his
+time in the society of his royal protector.
+
+On one occasion, the court being at the country palace of Galiana, the
+king and his attendants were reclining in the cool shade of the garden,
+and Alonzo at a short distance, apparently asleep. The king, pointing to
+the town, which towered on its precipice immediately in front of the
+party, was expatiating on the strength of its position. All agreed that
+it was impregnable; until a brother of the monarch observed, that there
+was one mode of warfare against which it would not hold out: and he
+proceeded to explain his plan, which consisted of an annual devastation
+of the valley of the Tagus at the time of harvest, to be executed by an
+invading army, which might be disbanded during the winter months. This
+system, he maintained, would inevitably reduce the city by famine to the
+necessity of a surrender.
+
+No sooner was the last phrase uttered, than all present in an instant
+struck by the same thought, turned towards the sleeper; and the greater
+number, filled with suspicion respecting the reality of his slumbers,
+addressed significant looks to the king, the intention of which could
+not be mistaken, and which boded no good to Alonzo. Whatever might have
+been the feelings of the Moor at this moment, he took no further notice
+of the incident, and allowed his guest to terminate his nap when he
+thought proper.
+
+When the death of Sancho took place before Zamora, Alonzo was still at
+Toledo. The intelligence being conveyed to him by a confidential
+messenger from his sister, he lost no time in taking leave of his host,
+who wished him success with every demonstration of friendship, and
+repairing to Burgos. There, after some hesitation, the nobles consented
+to his investiture with the sovereignty. During his brilliant reign he
+resisted several tempting opportunities of breaking with his Moorish
+ally and former host, and thus adding to his dominions,--and preserved
+his friendship and loyalty unstained. After the death of the Moorish
+king, he, however, speedily fell out with his successor. War was
+declared on both sides, and it was resolved to attack Toledo. The well
+known result was, the taking of the town after seven years, the time
+mentioned in the garden of Galiana, and by means of the annually
+repeated devastation of the Vega, according to the plan imagined and
+described in the above mentioned conversation.
+
+Returning by the Rose-tree Walk, immediately on approaching the bridge,
+an advanced portion of the cliff which bounds the road on the left
+detaches itself from the rest towards the summit, which rises in a
+circular form. On it stands the Castle of San Servando, one of the most
+picturesque of the Arab remains existing in this part of Spain. The
+origin of this fort is uncertain. Some attribute it to the Romans, and
+consider the Moorish windows and ornaments to be subsequent additions,
+from their being constructed with bricks instead of the same stone as
+the rest of the walls. But this is not a sufficient reason, since the
+same peculiarity exists in all the Arab edifices in Toledo. In fact, the
+reason is evident. The hard black sort of stone used for the walls,
+would almost have defied the chisel which should have attempted to
+fashion its surface into the delicate forms required by the Arab mode of
+decorating. This argument, therefore, being set aside--remains the
+masonry, which is more likely from its appearance to be Gothic or Arab,
+than Roman.
+
+It is probably entirely Arab. It encloses a quadrangular space of about
+a quarter of an acre, and is a ruin; but the walls and towers are almost
+entire. There are three small towers, that is of small diameter, but
+lofty; and two larger, one of which is circular: the other is a
+parallelogram terminating by a semicircle at one of its extremities.
+This tower has lost apparently about a third of its elevation. Their
+walls are so perfectly constructed as to appear externally like solid
+rocks smoothed and rounded. Each larger tower contains two rectangular
+brick projections, in which are small elegantly-arched openings for
+windows.
+
+The edifice was thoroughly repaired by Don Pedro Tenorio, archbishop of
+Toledo; the same who built the bridge of San Martin. It has since played
+its part in numberless wars, and was at length reduced to a ruin during
+the insurrection headed by Juan de Padilla, at the commencement of
+Charles the Fifth's reign.
+
+During the Peninsular war of the present century, the old battlements
+echoed once more with the sounds of warfare. It was occupied by a body
+of French, who repaired a portion of the masonry at the summits of the
+towers, and erected a low wall along the whole length of the Toledo
+side. They were able, from their position, to batter the Alcazar, which
+is immediately opposite, but on a higher level; and to command the
+bridge of Alcantara, and road to Aranjuez.
+
+In the other valley which extends to the west of Toledo exist the
+remains of a circus for chariot races, generally supposed, at first
+sight, to be Roman. They present, in fact, every characteristic of a
+Roman work. The rough interior masonry is all that remains; and that
+only rising to a height of from three to four feet from the ground, with
+the exception of a single arch. The earth mingled with ruins, has
+apparently filled up much of the interior, and surrounding the exterior
+simultaneously, has only left visible the upper portion of the edifice.
+The end which is in the best preservation is of a semicircular form.
+From it the sides run in parallel directions, and lose themselves in the
+ruins of a more recently erected convent. They are traceable to a length
+of more than four hundred yards. The width is two hundred and ninety
+feet within the building, at the present elevation of the ground, and
+three hundred and twenty feet on the outside, which appears to have
+consisted of a series of arches. There are also remains of an
+amphitheatre adjoining the semicircular end of the stadium.
+
+There being no indication of the Romans having at any period planted any
+considerable establishment at Toledo, in fact no author but Livy having
+noticed the place, and he but slightly; the antiquaries have sought for
+the origin of these monuments among Gothic traditions; and it is
+believed by them, that they were erected during the early part of the
+sixth century, by Theudio, a Gothic King, who manifested much attachment
+to Roman customs.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIII.
+
+CASTLES OF ALMONACID, GUADAMUR, MONTALBAN, AND ESCALONA. TORRIJOS.
+
+
+Toledo.
+
+I met this morning with an entertaining scene, in a quarter in which it
+might be the least looked for. The archiepiscopal palace contains an
+excellent library, which has always been open to the public. Although
+the revenues of the see are now withdrawn, and the palace is vacant, the
+books remain on the shelves, and the head librarian, a _racionero_ of
+the cathedral, has the good nature to throw open the rooms from eleven
+to twelve, on all days of labour, (as those are called on which no saint
+is celebrated,) although he no longer enjoys a salary, nor the means of
+providing a single attendant to see to what passes in the different
+apartments.
+
+I was occupied this morning in the _racionero's_ room, when he received
+a visit from two French tourists, both persons of notoriety; one being
+a member of the chamber of deputies, and one of the leaders of the
+republican party; and the other, I believe, also in the chamber, but
+principally known as a writer of political pamphlets, in which the
+French reigning family, and the powers that be are lashed with
+unwearying severity. The first mentioned personage commenced the
+conversation in Spanish, which the other did not speak: but on hearing
+the librarian make an observation in French, the pamphleteer took up the
+argument in his own language, and nearly in the following terms.
+
+"As this gentleman understands French, I will explain to him the object
+of my tour," and addressing himself to the Spaniard, he continued--"I
+find it a relief, in the midst of my arduous political duties, to make
+an occasional excursion in a foreign country, and thus to enlarge the
+sphere of my usefulness, by promoting the cause of humanity in the
+various localities I visit. It is thus that I have recently passed
+through Andalucia, and have recommended, and, I doubt not, successfully,
+to the principal personages possessed of influence in its numerous
+cities, the establishment of all sorts of useful institutions. I am now
+in Toledo, animated with the same zeal. I have obtained an introduction
+to you, Sir, understanding that you are an individual possessed of
+considerable influence, and enjoying unbounded means of carrying out
+the projects, which, I doubt not, you will agree with me in considering
+essential to the well being and improvement, both moral and material, of
+your ancient locality."
+
+During this exordium, the Spaniard, who happens to be possessed of a
+vivacity, unusual in his countrymen, and a sort of impatience of manner,
+had endeavoured more than once to obtain a hearing. At length he
+replied, that he feared it would not be in his power to carry out the
+views which Monsieur did him the honour to communicate to him, owing to
+the absence of sufficient resources at his disposal, whether for public
+purposes, or in his individual and private capacity.
+
+The Frenchman was not, however, to be so easily discouraged. "This,
+Sir," he replied, "is the result of your modesty; but I am persuaded
+that I have only to make my objects understood, in order to obtain their
+complete execution. For instance, one of the most insignificant in
+expense, but of infinite utility, is this: it would be a source of much
+gratification to me, if you would have the most conspicuous spots
+throughout Toledo ornamented with statues, representing, with greater or
+less resemblance, all the personages, distinguished from various causes
+in the history of Spain, to whom Toledo has given birth. These works I
+should wish to be entrusted to artists of acknowledged talent, and"--he
+was proceeding with constantly increasing rapidity of enunciation, when
+the exhausted librarian's patience being at an end, he interrupted the
+torrent. "However grateful the city of Toledo and myself must be for
+your interest and advice, I am grieved to repeat that my anxiety to
+comply with your wishes is totally powerless. We are without funds; and
+I, for my own part, can assure you that I am _sans le sou_. Do me the
+favour to name any service of a less expensive nature, and I shall
+rejoice in proving to you my entire devotion. Excuse my _impolitesse_. I
+am called for in the next room. I kiss your hand." It is needless, in
+fact the attempt would baffle human intelligence, to conjecture what the
+real object of these very liberal and very political gentlemen might be,
+in honouring all parts of Spain with their visit.
+
+The more distant environs of Toledo, principally towards the south and
+south-east, are remarkable for a profusion of ruined castles. Supposing
+a circle drawn at a distance of thirty miles from Toledo as its centre,
+and divided, as it would be, by the Tagus, descending from east to west,
+into two equal parts, the southern half, and the western portion of the
+other, are so plentifully strewed with these fortresses, that, in many
+instances, five or six are visible from the same point of view.
+
+A chain of low mountains crosses the southern portion of the semicircle,
+in a parallel line with the Tagus. Some of its branches advance into
+this region, and terminate in detached peaks, which have afforded to the
+aristocracy of former times favourable positions for their strongholds;
+and a still greater number of proprietors, not being possessed of the
+same advantages of site, were compelled to confide in the solidity of
+their walls and turrets, which they constructed in the plain, usually
+adjoining the villages or towns inhabited by their vassals. The greater
+number of these edifices are of a date subsequent to the surrender of
+Toledo to the Christians, and were erected on the distribution of the
+different towns and estates among the nobility, on their being
+successively evacuated by their Moorish proprietors. The Count of
+Fuensalida, Duke of Frias, is the most considerable landed proprietor on
+this side of Toledo, and several of the ruined castles have descended to
+him.
+
+I will not fatigue you by the enumeration of all these remains, of which
+but a few are remarkable for picturesque qualities, and still fewer for
+the possession of historical interest, as far as can be known at
+present. One of them, situated ten miles to the south-east of Toledo,
+and visible from its immediate neighbourhood, attracts notice owing to
+its striking position. Occupying the summit of a conical hill, which
+stands alone on the plain, and placed at four times the elevation of
+Windsor Castle, you expect to find it connected with the history of some
+knightly Peveril of the Peak, but learn with surprise that it was the
+stronghold of the Archbishops of Toledo; and was erected by Don Pedro
+Tenorio, the same prelate who rebuilt the bridge of San Martin, and
+repaired the Moorish castle of San Servando.
+
+Before you ascend the peak, you pass through the village of Almonacid,
+from which the castle takes its name, and which, unlike that more
+recently erected pile, is completely Arab in aspect. All the houses are
+entered through back courts, and present no difference of appearance,
+whether shops, taverns, _posadas_, or private residences. After tying my
+horse in the stable of the posada, and giving him his meal of barley,
+which he had carried in the _alforjas_ (travelling bags) suspended
+behind the saddle, I took my own provisions out of the opposite
+receptacle, and established myself before the kitchen fire.
+
+On my asking for wine, the hostess requested I would furnish her with
+two _quartos_ (one halfpenny) with which she purchased me a pint, at the
+tavern next door. The host of the posada, who was seated next me, and a
+friend at the opposite corner of the fire-place, favoured me, during my
+meal, with their reminiscences of a battle fought here, during the
+Peninsular war. They had not heard of the English having taken any part
+in the quarrel, with the exception of the old woman, who recollected
+perfectly the name of Wellington, and pronounced it as perfectly, but
+thought he had been a Spanish general. They described the battle as a
+hard fought one, and won by the French, who marched up the hill with
+fixed bayonets, as the old host, almost blind, described by assuming the
+attitude of a soldier jogging up a hill, and dislodged the Spanish
+garrison from the castle.
+
+I could have willingly passed a week in this village, so exciting are
+the remains of Arab manners to the curiosity. The name of the place had
+already raised my expectations, but the blind landlord of the posada
+unconsciously won my attachment from the first moment. No sooner was I
+seated, than, leaning towards me, and patting my arm to draw my
+attention, he pointed to his two eyes. At first I was at a loss to
+understand him; but soon discovered that he was desirous of knowing
+whether I was sufficiently versed in the mysteries of Esculapius, to
+prescribe for the relief of his suffering organs. To this trait he soon
+added one still more characteristic, by actually speaking of Toledo, by
+its Moorish appellation Tolaite. Had he worn a turban, sat cross-legged
+and offered me coffee and a pipe, I should not have been more taken by
+surprise, than by this Arab expression assailing the ear, in the heart
+of Spain, ten miles from the town itself, in which the name had probably
+not been uttered for three or four centuries.
+
+The builder of the castle of Almonacid must have placed more confidence
+in the difficulties of approach, than in the solidity of his structure.
+The walls are partly of stone, and partly of _tapia_, or earth. There
+only remain, the exterior wall, enclosing an area of about sixty to
+seventy yards in diameter, and of a pentagonal form; and, in the centre,
+the keep, a quadrangular tower, somewhat higher than the rest of the
+buildings. There are no traces of living apartments. At each of the five
+angles of the outer wall, is a small tower, and others in the centres of
+some of the fronts; those looking to the west are circular, the rest
+square. The nearer view of this ruin causes disappointment, as it
+appears to have been a slovenly and hasty construction: but, at a
+distance, its effect is highly picturesque.
+
+The castle of Montalban is situated to the south-west of Toledo, at a
+distance of six Spanish leagues. It resembles, in size and importance,
+some of the largest English castles; and justifies thus far the
+tradition preserved here, of its having for a short period, served for a
+royal prison--Juan the Second being said to have been confined there by
+his exasperated favourite, Don Alvaro de Luna. This story is not,
+however, confirmed by historians, several of whom I have vainly
+consulted, for the purpose of discovering it. Ferreras mentions the
+castle, or rather the town, which lies at a distance of two leagues
+(eight miles) from it, as having belonged to the queen of Juan the
+Second; who, he states, was deprived of it, against her will, in favour
+of Don Alvaro, and another place given her in exchange. On the
+confiscation of the favourite's possessions, previous to his
+decapitation, it reverted to the crown; and there is no further notice
+taken of it in the history, until the Emperor Charles the Fifth, confers
+on its then proprietor the title of Count. This personage was Don Alonzo
+Tellez Giron, third in descent from Juan Pacheco, Duke of Escalona, who
+had erected Montalban into a separate fief, in favour of one of his sons
+and his descendants, on the singular condition of the family name
+undergoing a change, on each successive descent. The alternate lords
+were to bear the names respectively of Giron and Pacheco. The first
+Count of Montalban married a daughter of D. Ladron de Guevara,
+proprietor, _à propos_ of castles, of that of Guevara, in the
+neighbourhood of Vitoria, constructed in an extremely singular form. The
+centre tower appears intended to imitate the castles of a chess-board.
+It is situated on the southern declivity of the chain of mountains, a
+branch of the Pyrenees, which separates the province of Guipuscoa from
+those of Navarre and Alava.
+
+On the opposite descent of the chain another fortress existed in remote
+times. Both were strongholds of robbers, whose descendants derived their
+family name, Ladron (robber) from their ancestors' profession. In a
+document signed by D. Garcia Ramirez, King of Navarre in 1135, D. Ladron
+de Guevara, governor of Alava, figures among the grandees of the
+kingdom; the descendants were afterwards called lords of Oñate, and the
+castle is at present the property of the Count de Oñate, a grandee of
+the first class. From its occupying a point _stratégique_ of
+considerable importance, commanding the plain of Alava, and the high
+road as it enters the valley of Borunda, it has been in recent times
+occupied by the Carlists, and fortified.
+
+Montalban belongs at present to the Count of Fuensalida. It is
+completely ruinous, but the outer wall is almost entire; and one of two
+lofty piles of building, in the form of bastions, which flanked the
+entrance, is in sufficient preservation to allow the apartments to be
+recognised. Their floors were at a height of about eighty feet from the
+ground; and the mass of masonry which supported them, is pierced by an
+immense gothic arch reaching to the rooms. The opposite corresponding
+mass remains also with its arch; but the upper part which contained
+rooms, no longer exists. On this, the entrance side, the approach is
+almost level, and the defence consisted of a narrow and shallow moat;
+but the three other sides, the fortress being of a quadrangular form,
+look down into a deep ravine, through which a river, issuing from the
+left, passes down two sides of the castle, and makes for the valley of
+the Tagus, which river is seen at a distance of five or six miles.
+
+The precipice at the furthest side descends perpendicularly, and is
+composed of rocks in the wildest form. The river below leaps from rock
+to rock, and foams through a bed so tormented, that, although owing to
+its depth of at least five hundred feet from the foundations of the
+castle, it looks almost like a thread, it sends up a roar not less loud
+than that of the breakers under Shakspeare's Cliff. The valley, opening
+for its passage, gives to the view, first, the Tagus, on the opposite
+bank of which lies the town of Montalban, dependant on the lords of the
+castle; beyond it an extensive plain, dotted with castles and towns,
+most of them on the road from Madrid to Talavera; and at the horizon the
+Sierra del Duque, coated with snow from about half its height upwards.
+The extent of the view is about sixty miles.
+
+The outer enceinte of the castle of Montalban encloses a space of five
+or six acres in extent, in which no buildings remain, with the exception
+of the picturesque ruin of a small chapel in the centre. Like almost all
+other residences possessed of scenery sufficiently precipitous, this
+castle boasts its lover's leap. A projection of wall is pointed out,
+looking over the most perpendicular portion of the ravine, to which a
+tradition is attached, deprived by time of all tangible distinctness, if
+ever it possessed any. The title given to the spot in this instance is
+"The Leap of the Moorish Girl," Despeñadera de la Mora. The position
+will probably bear no comparison with the Leucadian promontory; nor is
+it equal to the Peña de los Enamorados, near Antequera, in Andalucia,
+immortal likewise in the annals of passion, and of which the authentic
+story is preserved. Of those in our country I could name one--but I will
+not, though few know it better--nor is it the meanest of its tribe. But
+with these exceptions I know of none among the numerous plagiarisms of
+the famous lover's leap of antiquity that offers to despair in search of
+the picturesque more attractions than the Despeñadera of Montalban.
+
+[Illustration: CASTLE OF GUADAMUR.]
+
+The best preserved castle of these environs, and the handsomest
+building, is that of Guadamur. It is not large, but it is impossible for
+a residence-fortress to be more complete, and more compact. It is
+composed of three enclosures, one within the other, and forms a
+quadrangle, with the addition of a lofty and massive tower, projecting
+from one of the angles. The centre, or inner quadrangle, is about half
+the height of the tower, and has, at its three remaining angles, and at
+the centre of each front, an elegant circular turret. This portion of
+the edifice formed a commodious and handsome residence. It was divided
+into two stories, with vaulted ceilings,--the lower apartments being
+probably set apart for the offices of attendants, and places of
+confinement for prisoners: in the centre of the upper story was a
+diminutive open court, supported by the vaults of the ground-floor, and
+into which a series of elegantly proportioned rooms opened on all sides.
+Although the greater part of the vaults and interior walls are fallen
+in, the rooms are all to be traced, and inscriptions in the old Gothic
+letter run round the walls of some of the apartments. A second enclosure
+rises to about two-thirds of the elevation of the inner quadrangle, and
+is provided with corresponding turrets; but the proportions of these are
+more spacious, and their construction and ornament more massive. Beyond
+this are the exterior defences rising out of the moat, and very little
+above the surrounding ground.
+
+Viewed from without, nothing indicates that this edifice is a ruin. Over
+the entrance are the arms of the Counts of Fuensalida. It is supposed by
+many that this castle was erected by Garcilaso de la Vega, grandfather
+of the "Prince of Spanish poets," as the celebrated bard of Toledo is
+entitled. Others maintain its founder to have been Pedro Lopez de
+Ayala, first Count of Fuensalida. This latter story is the more probable
+one; since, besides its being confirmed by the armorial shield above
+mentioned, it has been adopted by Haro in his Nobiliario, a work drawn
+up with care and research, in which Garcilaso de la Vega is stated to
+have purchased some towns from the family of Ayala,--among others
+Cuerva, in the near neighbourhood, but not Guadamur.
+
+The Ayalas were descended from the house of Haro, lords of Biscay.
+Several of them had held high offices at the Court of Castile. The
+grandfather of the founder of the castle had been High Chancellor of
+Castile, and Great Chamberlain of Juan the First; and his father, the
+first lord of Fuensalida, was High Steward, and first Alcalde of Toledo.
+He lost an eye at the siege of Antequera,--taken from the Moors by
+Ferdinand, afterwards King of Aragon, in the year 1410, and thus
+acquired the surname of the One-eyed. To him Juan II. first granted the
+faculty of converting his possessions into hereditary fiefs: "Because,"
+according to one of the clauses of the act, "it was just that the houses
+of the grandees should remain entire in their state for the eldest son;
+and in order that the eldest sons of the grandees might be maintained in
+the estates of their predecessors, that the name and memory of the
+grandees of the kingdom might not be lost, and that the hereditary
+possessions and houses, and the generations of the sons of grandees
+might be preserved."
+
+It was Pedro Lopez de Ayala, son of the one-eyed lord of Fuensalida
+created Count by Enrique the Fourth, that built the castle. He was a
+great favourite with the king, and his constant companion,
+notwithstanding his being afflicted with deafness--a bad defect in a
+courtier, and which procured him also a surname. He succeeded his father
+in his different dignities. His loyalty did not keep pace with his
+obligations to Henry the Fourth; for, being first Alcalde of Toledo, he
+made no effort to prevent that town from joining the party of the Prince
+Alonzo, who pretended to his brother's crown; but he was recalled to his
+allegiance by the devoted exertions of his wife.
+
+This lady was Doña Maria de Silva, a daughter of Alonzo Tenorio de
+Silva, Adelantado of Cazorla. On the breaking out of the rebellion of
+Toledo, she agreed with her brother Pedro de Silva, Bishop of Badajos,
+to send a joint letter to the king, in which they pressed him to come to
+Toledo in disguise. Enrique the Fourth approved of the plan; and
+arriving in the night, accompanied by a single attendant, was received
+by the bishop at his residence in the convent of San Pedro Martir.
+Notwithstanding the darkness, he had been recognised by a servant of
+Marshal Payo de Ribera, a partisan of Prince Alonzo. This noble,
+immediately on learning the king's arrival, joined with the Alcalde, who
+had not been let into the secret by his wife, and called the citizens to
+arms by sounding the great bell of the cathedral. A crowd was speedily
+assembled at the king's lodging, who would have been immediately made
+prisoner, but for his attendant Fernando de Ribadenegra, who succeeded,
+single handed, in repulsing a party who had forced an entrance.
+
+At this crisis the disloyal magistrate became alarmed, and sent his two
+sons, Pedro de Ayala, and Alonzo de Silva, accompanied by Perafande
+Ribera, son of the above-mentioned marshal, to entreat the king to quit
+the town. Henry consented; and at midnight left the convent, accompanied
+by the three youths. He had ridden sixteen leagues that day, and his
+horses being exhausted with fatigue, he requested the two sons of Ayala
+to lend him theirs. They did so, and accompanied him on foot as far as
+the city gates, where he left them, and set off for Madrid.
+
+In order to pacify the people, Pedro Lopez ordered his brother-in-law,
+the bishop, to quit the town, and he repaired to the Huerta del Rey, a
+country-house in the environs. On arriving at Olias the king sent the
+two brothers, in recompense of their good service, a deed of gift of
+seventy thousand _maravedis_ of annual revenue.
+
+The grief of Maria de Silva at the failure of her project was such as
+almost to deprive her of her reason, and added to the eloquence of her
+entreaties to win over her husband to the king's interests. He now,
+therefore, exerted himself to gain the principal citizens, and succeeded
+so completely, that within three days from the departure of Enrique the
+Fourth, he was enabled to recall the Bishop of Badajos to Toledo, and to
+banish in his stead the Marshal de Payo and his son, who retired to
+their estates. Unanimous was now the cry of "Viva Enrique Quarto, y
+Mueren los rebeldes!" and the following day, a Sunday, the king
+re-entered Toledo in the midst of the general joy and festivity, and
+preceded directly to the residence of the Alcalde, in order to thank his
+wife for her loyal efforts. A lodging was there in readiness to receive
+him, which he occupied during his stay in Toledo. Pedro Lopez de Ayala
+received on the king's return to Madrid the title of Count of his town
+of Fuensalida, and shortly afterwards, at Medina del Campo, a grant of
+the towns of Casaruvias del monte, Chocas, and Arroyomolinos.
+
+The town and castle of Escalona are situated at eight leagues, or
+thirty-two miles, to the east of Toledo. It is one of the towns, about
+a dozen in number, the foundation of which is attributed by the Count de
+Mora, in his history of Toledo, to the Jews. He fixes the date at about
+five centuries before the Christian era, when a large number of
+Israelites, to whom Cyrus, king of Babylon, had granted their liberty,
+arrived in Spain under the guidance of a Captain Pirrus, and fixed
+themselves principally in and around Toledo. He also states that the
+synagogue of Toledo--since called Santa Maria la Blanca--was erected by
+them. The name given by them to Escalona was Ascalon. The neighbouring
+Maqueda was another of their towns, and was called Mazeda. It was
+created a duchy by Ferdinand and Isabella in favour of their courtier
+Cardenas. I cannot learn the date of the castle of Escalona. Alonzo the
+Sixth won the town from the Moors; and it is probable that the castle
+was erected, at least in part, by Diego and Domingo Alvarez, two
+brothers, to whom he granted the place. After their death it reverted to
+the crown of Castile, and continued to be royal property until Juan II.
+gave it to his favourite Don Alvaro de Luna.
+
+This grandee was known to have amassed great treasures in the castle;
+and on the confiscation of his possessions at the period of his final
+disgrace, the king marched an army to take possession of the fortress;
+but the countess held out successfully, and obliged the royal troops to
+raise the siege. On a second attempt, made after Don Alvaro's execution,
+his widow considered she had no further object in maintaining it, and
+lost no time in coming to terms. The conditions of the surrender were,
+that the treasure should be divided into three equal parts, one for the
+king, another for herself, and the third for her son. The son was
+likewise allowed to inherit the castle, and by the marriage of his
+daughter, it came into the possession of the Marquis of Villena, D.
+Lopez Pacheco, created Duke of Escalona by Henry the Fourth. The family
+of Fellez Giron, proprietors of Montalban, were descendants of this
+duke. At present the castle of Escalona belongs to the Duke of Ossuna.
+It is not only the most considerable of the numerous ruins disposed over
+the territory of Toledo, but one of the most interesting historical
+relics of Spain, having filled an important place in the annals of
+several of the most stirring periods. The unfortunate Blanche, Queen of
+Pedro the Cruel, was its inmate during several years; as also her rival,
+Maria de Padilla, at a subsequent period.
+
+The best excursion from Toledo in point of architectural interest, is
+that to Torijos, a small town situated rather to the left of the direct
+road to Escalona, and five leagues distant. Immediately before arriving
+there, the castle of Barciense is met with, situated on an eminence
+which commands an admirable view, extending south and west to a
+semi-circle of mountains, composed of the Sierra del Duque, and the
+chain called the mountains of Toledo, and for a foreground looking down
+on a perfect forest of olive-grounds, surrounding the town of Torijos,
+two miles distant. The ruin of Barciense consists of a lofty square
+tower, and the outer walls of a quadrangle. There is nothing worth
+notice, with the exception of a bas-relief, which occupies all the upper
+half of the tower on the east side. It consists of a solitary lion
+rampant; probably the largest crest ever emblazoned. The Dukes of
+Infantado were proprietors of this castle.
+
+The little town of Torijos contains a Gothic, or rather semi-Moorish
+palace, two Gothic churches, an ancient picturesque gateway, and the
+ruins of a magnificent monastery. It is one of those towns here and
+there met with on the Continent, which, at a favourable crisis of the
+arts, have fallen to the proprietorship of one of those individuals
+idolised by architects--men whose overplus of fortune is placed at the
+disposal of their eyes, and employed in ministering to the gratification
+of those organs. The greater part of the decoration of Torijos dates
+from the reign of Ferdinand the Catholic, when it belonged to D.
+Gutiere de Cardenas, father of the first duke of Maqueda. The following
+story is related respecting the founding of the monastery by his wife
+Teresa Enriquez.
+
+This lady resided, when at Toledo, in a mansion, the ruins of which
+still exist, on the opposite side of the street to the monastery of San
+Juan de los Reyes, of which I sent you a description in a former letter.
+Being warmly attached to religious observances, (for she went by the
+name of Teresa la Santa,) and animated with an enthusiastic fervour
+towards everything which appertained to the splendid establishment in
+front of her residence, she had discovered a position, from which a view
+could be obtained, overlooking the principal scene of the religious
+ceremonies of the Franciscans. She there caused a window to be
+constructed, splendidly ornamented in the Arab style, and kneeling on a
+rich _prie-dieu_, she united her daily devotions with those of the
+_frailes_.
+
+No small sensation was caused by this proceeding, most perceptible
+probably within the monastery, on the discovery being made by the
+brethren of the addition to their holy fraternity. The cardinal became
+alarmed, and intimated to Doña Teresa that the window was
+ill-placed,--that it admitted too much light in a wrong direction; that,
+in short, it must disappear. The veto of the all-powerful Ximenes de
+Cisneros, already regarded as the dispenser of the royal frowns and
+favours, could not be resisted. The window was blocked up; but the
+interference was replied to in terms pointed with pious pique and holy
+revenge. The lady declared verbally to the prelate that she had no need
+of his convent, for she would found a more splendid one at Torijos. This
+threat, immediately put in execution, produced the building I mentioned
+above, the ruin of which is all that now remains.
+
+Of the inhabited portions the external walls alone remain. The cloister
+is almost entire, and the church has only lost its roof. The rich
+tracery surrounding the doorways, and the sculpture in all parts of the
+interior, consisting chiefly of repetitions of the founder's armorial
+bearings--in imitation or satire of the profusion of similar ornament in
+San Juan de los Reyes--are entire, and appear as though they had been
+recently executed. The church is designed after the plan of San Juan,
+but the style of its ornament is much more elegant. The cloister is,
+however, very inferior to that of Toledo, and the whole establishment on
+a smaller scale.
+
+Every traveller in search of the picturesque knows in how great a degree
+his satisfaction has been increased whenever the meeting with a scene
+deserving of his admiration assumes the nature of a discovery. For this
+reason, the chapters of tourists should never be perused before a
+journey--independently of their possessing more interest subsequently to
+an acquaintance having been made with the country described. Strictly
+speaking written tours are intended for those who stay at home.
+
+But the most favourable first view of a highly admirable building or
+landscape, is the one you obtain after the perusal of tours and
+descriptions of the country, in none of which any notice is taken of
+that particular object or scene. The village of Torijos is approached
+under these advantageous circumstances. Every step is a surprise, owing
+partly to the above cause, and partly to one's being inured to the
+almost universal dreariness and ugliness of the villages and small towns
+of this part of Spain. The appearance under these circumstances of a
+beautiful Gothic cross and fountain, of an original and uncommon design,
+outside the walls of the place, and the open tracery of the tall windows
+of the ruined monastery at the other side of a green meadow, creates an
+agreeable surprise, and adds considerably to the pleasure which would be
+derived from the same objects, had expectation been already feeding on
+their beauties. Imagine, then, the discovery, after leaving behind these
+monuments, (sufficient for the immortality of a score of Castilian
+villages,) of the façade of the principal church, consisting of one of
+the richest and most exquisite specimens of Gothic decoration in Spain;
+and, a street further on, of a second ornamental portal of a different
+sort, but Gothic likewise, giving access to a half Arab palace.
+
+The Count of Altamira is the proprietor of this place, but neither he
+nor any of his family have inhabited the edifice for several years, and
+it is allowed to go to decay. Some of the _artesonado_ ceilings, more
+especially that of the chapel in form of a cupola, admit the light
+through the joinings of the gilded woodwork. A large hall on the
+first-floor, which formed the anteroom to a suite of inner apartments,
+decorated in the Arab style, has been taken possession of by the _haute
+volée_ of Torijos for their public ball-room. A tribune for musicians is
+placed against one of the end walls, and adorned with paper festoons. A
+placard, inscribed with the word _galop_, was visible in front of the
+seat of the leader of the band, indicating that the Torijos balls
+terminate with that lively dance. There was no furniture in that nor any
+other part of the house, with the exception of an _entresol_ inhabited
+by the count's steward. This person no sooner learned that I was an
+Englishman, than he commenced setting in the best possible light the
+advantages the premises possessed for the establishment of every sort of
+manufactory.
+
+It appears the proprietor is anxious to dispose of the building; and as
+all the English pass here for manufacturers, owing to the principal
+articles of common use, introduced by smugglers, being English, the
+worthy factotum had instantly made up his mind that I was the purchaser
+sent by Providence to take the old edifice off his master's hands. He is
+evidently either promised a bonus on the success of his efforts to sell,
+or he wished to pass with the property; for his idea produced a degree
+of zeal most useful towards the satisfaction of my curiosity, and
+without which his patience would have been exhausted before I had
+completed the view of the building. One peculiarity of the rooms
+consists in the ceilings--that is, the ornamental ones--being nearly all
+either domes, or interiors of truncated pyramids. There is only one
+flat. It is ornamented with the shell of the arms of the Cardenas
+family--each of the hundreds of little square compartments having one in
+its centre. The staircase is adorned with beautiful Gothic tracery.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIV.
+
+VALLADOLID. SAN PABLO. COLLEGE OF SAN GREGORIO. ROUTE BY SARAGOZA.
+
+
+Tolosa.
+
+I should have sent you an account of my excursion to Valladolid at the
+time it took place, but was prevented by the shortness of my stay and
+the hurry of my departure from Madrid, which immediately followed. I
+preserved, however, memoranda of the limited explorations which were to
+be made during a flying visit of three days, and will now give you the
+benefit of them, such as they are; as also of my experience of the
+public travelling in that direction. You will recommend your friends,
+who may visit this land of adventure, and are careful at the same time
+of their personal comforts, to wait the introduction of railroads,
+before attempting this excursion, when you hear that I met with three
+upsets in one night, and was afforded, in all, nearly five hours'
+leisure for contemplating the effect of moonlight upon the sleeping
+mules and an upside-down carriage!
+
+The town of Valladolid contains monuments of much interest, although
+none of great antiquity. The greater number date from the sixteenth and
+seventeenth centuries, and form a chain, illustrative of the progress of
+architecture in this country, subsequently to the abandonment of the
+Gothic style. This style is, however, worthily represented by two
+edifices, placed in juxtaposition, and ornamented each with a façade of
+extraordinary richness. I will content myself with the endeavour to give
+you some idea of these two buildings, which, although belonging to a
+style so common in England and France, are totally unlike all the Gothic
+specimens I am acquainted with in those countries.
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE OF SAN PABLO.]
+
+The largest of the two is the monastery of San Pablo. It was a
+foundation of much magnificence, and the building has sustained very
+little injury, owing to its having, immediately on the expulsion of the
+monks, been applied to other uses, instead of being deserted and left to
+decay. It is now a Presidio, or central prison for condemned
+malefactors. The cloister is a superb quadrangle, of the pointed style
+of the end of the fourteenth century, and is the usual resort of the
+prisoners, who are grouped so thickly over its pavement, that it is with
+difficulty one passes between them, without adding to the clanking of
+chains as their wearers change their posture to make way. The façade of
+the church is enclosed between two small octagon towers without
+ornament, like a picture in a frame. Within these all is sculpture. The
+door-way is formed of a triple concentric arch, flanked by rows of
+statues, all of which are enclosed within another arch, which extends
+across the whole width, from tower to tower. Over this there is a
+circular window, surrounded with armorial escutcheons, and the remainder
+of the façade is covered with groups of figures in compartments, up to
+the summit, a height of about a hundred and thirty feet, where there is
+a pediment ornamented with an immense armorial shield and lions rampant
+as supporters, and the whole is surmounted by a cross.
+
+The church was erected by the celebrated Torquemada, who was a monk in
+the establishment. Doña Maria, Queen of Sancho the Fourth, although
+mentioned as the founder of the monastery, only completed a small
+portion of the edifice compared to what was subsequently added. A
+handsome tomb by Pompeyo Leoni, is seen in the church. It is that of Don
+Francisco de Sandoval, Duke of Lerma, and his wife. The woodwork of the
+stalls is by Ferrara. It is adorned with fluted Doric columns, and is
+composed of walnut, ebony, box and cedar. The superb façade of this
+church and its sumptuous tracery, had well nigh been the cause of a
+misunderstanding between the representative of the Spanish Government
+and myself. To obtain admission to the interior of the building, which I
+was told had become national property, I addressed my humble request in
+writing to the _gefe politico_, or governor of the province, resident at
+Valladolid. I left the note at his official residence, and was
+requested to return at an hour appointed, when I was to obtain an
+audience. The functions of a _gefe politico_ answer to those of no
+provincial functionary in England, or any other constitutional state--he
+has more authority even than a Préfet in France. He represents the
+monarchical power, with this difference, that he is uncontrolled by
+parliament within the limits of his province. Although not charged with
+the military administration, he can direct and dispose of the armed
+force; besides being a sort of local home minister and police
+magistrate; in fact, the factotum or _âme damnée_ of the Cromwell of the
+moment, with whom he is in direct and constant communication on the
+affairs of his district.
+
+I was at Valladolid during the regency of Espartero, when the cue given
+to these functionaries, relative to the _surveillance_ of foreigners was
+very anti-French, and favourable to England. Now in the eyes of a
+_gens-d'armes_ every one is a thief until he can bring proof to the
+contrary, just as by the jurisprudence of certain continental countries,
+every accused is presumed criminal--just as every one who comes to a Jew
+is presumed by him to have old clothes to sell, or money to borrow.
+Thus, owing to the nature of the duties of the Governor of Valladolid,
+every foreigner who met his eye, was a Frenchman, and an _intrigant_,
+until he should prove the reverse.
+
+Not being aware of this at the time, I had drawn up my petition in
+French. On my return for the answer, my reception was any thing but
+encouraging. The excessive politeness of the Spaniard was totally lost
+sight of, and I perceived a moody-looking, motionless official, seated
+at a desk, with his hat resting on his eyebrows, and apparently studying
+a newspaper. I stood in the middle of the room for two or three minutes
+unnoticed; after which, deigning to lift his head, the personage
+inquired in a gruff tone, why I did not open my cloak. I was not as yet
+acquainted with the Spanish custom of drawing the end of the cloak from
+off the left shoulder, on entering a room. I therefore only half
+understood the question, and, being determined, at whatever price, to
+see San Pablo, I took off my cloak, laid it on a chair, and returned to
+face the official. "I took the liberty of requesting your permission to
+view the ancient monastery of San Pablo."--"And, pray, what is your
+reason for wishing to see San Pablo?"--"Curiosity."--"Oh, that is all,
+is it!"--"I own likewise, that, had I found that the interior
+corresponded, in point of architectural merit, with the façade, I might
+have presumed to wish to sketch it, and carry away the drawing in my
+portmanteau."--"Oh, no doubt--very great merit. You are a
+Frenchman?"--"I beg your pardon, only an Englishman."--"You! an
+Englishman!!" No answer. "And pray, from what part of England do you
+come?" I declined the county, parish, and house.
+
+These English expressions, which I had expected would come upon his ear,
+with the same familiarity as if they had been Ethiopian or Chinese,
+produced a sudden revolution in my favour. The Solomon became
+immediately sensible of the extreme tact he had been displaying.
+Addressing me in perfect English, he proceeded to throw the blame of my
+brutal reception on the unfortunate state of his country. "All the
+French," he said, "who come here, come with the intention of intriguing
+and doing us harm. You wrote to me in French, and that was the cause of
+my error. The monastery is now a prison; I will give you an order to
+view it, but you will not find it an agreeable scene, it is full of
+criminals in chains." And he proceeded to prepare the order.
+
+Not having recovered the compliment of being taken for a conspirator;
+nor admiring the civilisation of the governor of a province, who
+supposed that all the thirty-four millions of French, must be
+_intrigants_, I received his civilities in silence, took the order, and
+my departure. The most curious part of the affair was, that I had no
+passport at the time, having lost it on the road. Had my suspicious
+interrogator ascertained this before making the discovery that I was
+English, I should inevitably have been treated to more of San Pablo than
+I desired, or than would have been required for drawing it in detail.
+
+The adjoining building is smaller, and with less pretension to
+magnificence is filled with details far more elaborate and curious. The
+Gothic architecture, like the Greek, assumed as a base and principle of
+decoration the imitation of the supposed primitive abodes of rudest
+invention. The Greek version of the idea is characterised by all the
+grace and finished elegance peculiar to its inventors; while the same
+principle in the hands of the framers of Gothic architecture, gave birth
+to a style less pure and less refined; but bolder, more true to its
+origin, and capable of more varied application. In both cases may be
+traced the imitation of the trunks of trees; but it is only in the
+Gothic style that the branches are added, and that instances are found
+of the representation of the knots and the bark. In this architecture,
+the caverns of the interior of mountains are evidently intended by the
+deep, multiplied, and diminishing arches, which form the entrances of
+cathedrals; and the rugged exterior of the rocky mass, which might
+enclose such a primæval abode, is imaged in the uneven and pinnacled
+walls.
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE OF SAN GREGORIO, VALLADOLID.]
+
+The façade of the college of San Gregorio, adjoining San Pablo,
+furnishes an example of the Gothic decoration brought back to its
+starting point. The tree is here in its state of nature; and contributes
+its trunk, branches, leaves, and its handfuls of twigs bound together. A
+grove is represented, composed of strippling stems, the branches of some
+of which, united and bound together, curve over, and form a broad arch,
+which encloses the door-way. At each side is a row of hairy savages,
+each holding in one hand a club resting on the ground, and in the other
+an armorial shield. The intervals of the sculpture are covered with
+tracery, representing entwined twigs, like basket-work. Over the door is
+a stone fourteen feet long by three in height, covered with
+_fleurs-de-lis_ on a ground of wicker-work, producing the effect of
+muslin. Immediately over the arch is a large flower-pot, in which is
+planted a pomegranate tree. Its branches spread on either side and bear
+fruit, besides a quantity of little Cupids, which cling to them in all
+directions. In the upper part they enclose a large armorial escutcheon,
+with lions for supporters. The arms are those of the founder of the
+college, Alonzo de Burgos, Bishop of Palencia. On either side of this
+design, and separated respectively by steins of slight trees, are
+compartments containing armed warriors in niches, and armorial shields.
+All the ornaments I have enumerated cover the façade up to its summit,
+along which project entwined branches and sticks, represented as broken
+off at different lengths.
+
+[Illustration: COURT OF SAN GREGORIO. VALLADOLID.]
+
+The court of this edifice is as elaborately ornamented as the façade,
+but it was executed at a much later period, and belongs to the
+renaissance. The pillars are extremely elegant and uncommon. The doorway
+of the library is well worthy of notice; also that of the refectory.
+The college of San Gregorio was, in its day, the most distinguished in
+Spain. Such was the reputation it had acquired, that the being announced
+as having studied there was a sufficient certificate for the proficiency
+of a professor in science and erudition. It is still a college, but no
+longer enjoys the same exclusive renown. In the centre of the chapel is
+the tomb of the founder, covered with excellent sculpture, representing
+the four virtues, and the figures of three saints and the Virgin. It is
+surrounded by a balustrade ornamented with elaborate carving. Berruguete
+is supposed to have been the sculptor, but in the uncertainty which
+exists on the subject, it would not be difficult to make a better guess,
+as it is very superior to all the works I have seen attributed to that
+artist. At the foot of the statue of the bishop is the following short
+inscription, "Operibus credite." To this prelate was due the façade of
+San Pablo; he was a Dominican monk at Burgos, where he founded several
+public works. He became confessor, chief chaplain, and preacher to
+Isabel the Catholic: afterwards Bishop of Cordova; and was ultimately
+translated to the see of Palencia. He received the sobriquet of Fray
+Mortero, as some say from the form of his face, added to the
+unpopularity which he shared with the two other favorites of Ferdinand
+and Isabella,--the Duke of Maqueda, and Cardinal Ximenes, with whom he
+figured in a popular triplet which at that period circulated throughout
+Spain,
+
+ Cardenas, el Cardenal,
+ Con el padre Fray Mortero,
+ Fraen el reyno al retortero.
+
+which may be freely translated thus:
+
+ What with his Grace the Cardinal,
+ With Cardenas, and Father Mortar,--
+ Spain calls aloud for quarter! quarter!
+
+The concise inscription seen on the tomb, was probably meant as an
+answer to this satire, and to the injurious opinion generally received
+respecting his character.
+
+I returned from Toledo by way of Madrid and Saragoza. The diligence
+track from Toledo to Madrid was in a worse state than at the time of my
+arrival: a circumstance by no means surprising, since what with the wear
+and tear of carts and carriages, aided by that of the elements, and
+unopposed by human labour, it must deteriorate gradually until it
+becomes impassable. Since my last visit to the Museo the equestrian
+portrait of Charles the Fifth by Titian has been restored. It was in so
+degraded a condition that the lower half, containing the foreground and
+the horses' legs, presented scarcely a distinguishable object. It has
+been handled with care and talent, and, in its present position in the
+centre of the gallery, it now disputes the palm with the Spasimo, and is
+worth the journey to Madrid, were there nothing else to be seen there. I
+paid another visit to the Saint Elizabeth in the Academy, and to the
+Museum of Natural History, contained in the upper floor of the same
+building. This gallery boasts the possession of an unique curiosity; the
+entire skeleton of a Megatherion strides over the well-furnished tables
+of one of the largest rooms. I believe an idea of this gigantic animal
+can nowhere else be formed. The head must have measured about the
+dimensions of an elephant's body.
+
+From Castile into Aragon the descent is continual, and the difference of
+climate is easily perceptible. Vineyards here climb the mountains, and
+the plains abound with olive-grounds, which are literally forests, and
+in which the plants attain to the growth of those of Andalucia. In
+corresponding proportion to the improving country, complaints are heard
+of its population. Murders and robberies form the subject of
+conversations; and certain towns are selected as more especially
+_mal-composées_, for the headquarters of strong bodies of _guardia
+civile_; without which precaution travelling would here be attended with
+no small peril. This state of things is attributed partly to the
+disorganising effects of the recent civil war, which raged with
+peculiar violence in this province. The same causes have operated less
+strongly in the adjoining Basque provinces, from their having to act on
+a population of a different character,--colder, more industrious, and
+more pacifically disposed, and without the desperate sternness and
+vindictive temper of the Aragonese.
+
+The inhabitants of this province differ in costume and appearance from
+the rest of the Spaniards. Immediately on setting foot on the Aragonese
+territory, you are struck by the view of some peasant at the road-side:
+his black broad-brimmed hat,--waistcoat, breeches, and stockings all of
+the same hue, varied only by the broad _faja_, or sash of purple, make
+his tall erect figure almost pass for that of a Presbyterian clergyman,
+cultivating his Highland garden. The natives of Aragon have not the
+vivacity and polished talkativeness of the Andalucian and other
+Spaniards; they are reserved, slow, and less prompt to engage in
+conversation, and often abrupt and blunt in their replies. These
+qualities are not, however, carried so far as to silence the continual
+chatter of the interior of a Spanish diligence. Spanish travelling opens
+the sluices of communicativeness even of an Aragonese, as it would those
+of the denizens of a first class vehicle of a Great Western train, were
+they exposed during a short time to its vicissitudes.
+
+However philosophers may explain the phenomenon, it is certain that the
+talkativeness of travellers augments in an inverse ratio to their
+comforts. The Spaniards complain of the silence of a French diligence;
+while, to a Frenchman, the occupants of the luxurious corners of an
+English railroad conveyance, must appear to be afflicted with dumbness.
+
+Saragoza is one of the least attractive of Spanish towns. Its situation
+is as flat and uninteresting as its streets are ugly and monotonous. The
+ancient palace of the sovereigns of Aragon is now the Ayuntamiento. It
+would form, in the present day, but a sorry residence for a private
+individual, although it presents externally a massive and imposing
+aspect. Its interior is almost entirely sacrificed to an immense hall,
+called now the Lonja. It is a Gothic room, containing two rows of
+pillars, supporting a groined ceiling. It is used for numerous
+assemblies, elections, and sometimes for the carnival balls. The ancient
+Cathedral of La Seu is a gothic edifice, of great beauty internally; but
+the natives are still prouder of the more modern church called Nuestra
+Señora del Pilar,--an immense building in the Italian style, erected for
+the accommodation of a statue of the Virgin found on the spot, standing
+on a pillar. This image is the object of peculiar veneration.
+
+After leaving Saragoza you are soon in the Basque provinces. The first
+considerable town is Tudela in Navarre; and here we were strongly
+impressed with the unbusinesslike nature of the Spaniard. This people,
+thoroughly good-natured and indefatigable in rendering a service, when
+the necessity arises for application to occupations of daily routine
+appear to exercise less intelligence than some other nations. It is
+probably owing to this cause that at Madrid the anterooms of the Foreign
+Office, situated in the palace, are, at four in the afternoon, the scene
+of much novelty and animation. In a town measuring no more than a mile
+and a half in each direction, the inexperienced stranger usually puts
+off to the last day of his stay the business of procuring his passport,
+and he is taken by surprise on finding it to be the most busy day of
+all. Little did he expect that the four or five _visas_ will not be
+obtained in less than forty-eight hours: and he pays for his place in
+the diligence or mail (always paid in advance) several days before. It
+is consequently worth while to attend in person at the Secretary of
+State's office, in search of one's passport, in order to witness the
+scene.
+
+The hour for the delivery of these inevitable documents, coincides with
+the shutting up for the day of all the embassies: so that those which
+require the subsequent _visa_ of an ambassador, have to wait twenty-four
+hours. Hence the victims of official indifference, finding themselves
+disappointed of their departure, and minus the value of a place in the
+mail, give vent to their dissatisfaction in a variety of languages,
+forming a singular contrast to the phlegmatic and _impassible_ porters
+and ushers, accustomed to the daily repetition of similar scenes. Some,
+rendered unjust by adversity, loudly accuse the government of complicity
+with the hotel-keepers. I saw a Frenchman whose case was cruel. His
+passport had been prepared at his embassy, and as he was only going to
+France, there were no more formalities necessary, but the visa of the
+police, and that of the foreign office. All was done but the last, and
+he was directed to call at four o'clock. His place was retained in that
+evening's mail, and being a mercantile traveller, both time and cash
+were of importance to him. On applying at the appointed hour, his
+passport was returned to him without the _visa_, because the French
+Secretary had, in a fit of absence, written Cadiz, instead of
+Bordeaux--he was to wait a day to get the mistake rectified.
+
+These inconveniences were surpassed by that to which the passengers of
+our diligence were subjected at Tudela. Imagine yourself ensconced in a
+corner of the Exeter mail (when it existed) and on arriving at Taunton,
+or any intermediate town, being informed that an unforeseen circumstance
+rendered it necessary to remain there twenty-four hours, instead of
+proceeding in the usual manner. On this announcement being made at
+Tudela, I inquired what had happened, and learned that a diligence,
+which usually met ours, and the mules of which were to take us on, was
+detained a day at Tolosa, a hundred miles off. Rather than send a boy to
+the next stage to bring the team of mules, which had nothing to do, a
+dozen travellers had to wait until the better fortunes of the previous
+vehicle should restore it to its natural course.
+
+As if this contretems was not sufficient, we were subjected to the most
+galling species of tyranny, weighing on the dearest of human privileges,
+I mean that which the proprietor of a shilling,--zwanziger, franc, or
+pezeta,--feels that he possesses of demanding to be fed. We had left
+Saragoza at nine in the morning, and had arrived without stoppages at
+six. A plentiful dinner, smoking on the table of the _comedor_, might
+have produced a temporary forgetfulness of our sorrows: but no
+entreaties could prevail on the hostess to lay the table-cloth. It was
+usual for the joint supper of the two coaches to take place at nine, and
+not an instant sooner should we eat. Weighed down by this complication
+of miseries, we sat, a disconsolate party, round the _brasero_, until at
+about eight our spirits began to rise at the sight of a table-cloth; and
+during half an hour, the occasional entrance of a waiting woman, with
+the different articles for the table, kept our hopes buoyed up, and our
+heads in motion towards the door, each time it opened to give entrance,
+now to a vinegar cruet, now to a salt-cellar.
+
+At length an angelic figure actually bore in a large dish containing a
+quantity of vegetables, occasioning a cry of joy to re-echo through our
+end of the room. She placed it on a side-board and retired. Again the
+door opened, when to our utter dismay, another apparition moved towards
+the dish, took it up and carried it away; shutting the door carefully
+behind her. This was the best thing that could have occurred; since it
+produced a sudden outburst of mirth, which accompanied us to the table,
+now speedily adorned with the materials of a plentiful repast.
+
+The next town to Tudela, is the gay and elegant little fortress of
+Pamplona, from which place an easy day's journey, through a tract of
+superb mountain scenery, brings you to Tolosa, the last resting-place on
+the Spanish side.
+
+
+
+
+PART II.
+
+SEVILLE.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XV.
+
+JOURNEY TO SEVILLE. CHARACTER OF THE SPANIARDS. VALLEY OF THE RHONE.
+
+
+Marseille.
+
+In order to reach the south of Spain, the longest route is that which,
+passing through France, leads by Bayonne to the centre of the northern
+frontier of the Peninsula, which it then traverses from end to end. It
+is not the longest in actual distance; but in regard to time, and to
+fatigue, and (for all who do not travel by Diligence), by far the
+longest, with regard to expense. Another route, longer, it is true, in
+distance, but shorter with respect to all these other considerations, is
+that by Lyons and Marseille; from either of which places, the journey
+may be made entirely by steam.
+
+The shortest of all, and in every respect, is that by the Gibraltar
+mail, which leaves London and Falmouth once a week. This is a quicker
+journey than that through France, even for an inhabitant of France,
+supposing him resident at Paris, and to proceed to England _viâ le
+Hâvre_. But there is an objection to this route for a tourist. Desirous
+of visiting foreign scenes, he will find it too essentially an English
+journey--direct, sure, and horribly business-like and monotonous. You
+touch, it is true, at Lisbon, where during a few hours, you may escape
+from the beef and Stilton cheese, if not from the Port wine; and where
+you may enjoy the view of some fine scenery; but all the rest is
+straight-forward, desperate paddling night and day; with the additional
+objection, that being surrounded by English faces, living on English
+fare, and listening to English voices, the object of the traveller--that
+of quitting England--is not attained; since he cannot be said to have
+left that country, until he finds himself quarrelling with his rapacious
+boatman on the pier of the glittering Cadiz.
+
+Although this arrangement may possess the merit of the magic transition
+from England to Andalucia, which, it must be allowed, is a great
+one--many will prefer being disembarked in France; looking forward,
+since there is a time for all things, to a still more welcome
+disembarkation on England's white shores, when the recollected
+vicissitudes of travel shall have disposed them to appreciate more than
+ever her comforts and civilization, and to be more forgiving to her
+defects; and, should they not be acquainted with the banks of the Rhone
+below Lyons, adopting that equally commodious and infinitely more varied
+course.
+
+In fact, there are few who will not agree with me in pronouncing this
+the best way, for the tourist, of approaching Spain. It is not every
+one, who will not consider the gratifications which the inland territory
+of the Peninsula may offer to his curiosity too dearly purchased by the
+inconveniences inseparable from the journey. Add to this the superiority
+of the maritime provinces, with scarcely any exception, in point of
+climate, civilization, and attractions of every sort. Valencia,
+Barcelona, Malaga, and Cadiz are more agreeable places of residence, and
+possess more resources than even Madrid; but their chief advantage is a
+difference of climate almost incredible, from the limited distance which
+separates them from the centre of the Peninsula. The Andalucian coast
+enjoys one of the best climates in the world; while the Castiles,
+Aragon, and La Mancha can hardly be said to possess the average
+advantages in that respect; owing to the extremes of cold and heat,
+which characterize their summer and winter seasons, and which, during
+autumn and spring, are continually alternating in rapid transition.
+
+Andalucia unites in a greater degree than the other maritime provinces,
+the advantages which constitute their superiority over the rest of
+Spain. It does more, for it presents to the stranger a combination of
+the principal features of interest, which render the Peninsula more
+especially attractive to the lover of travel. It is, in fact, to Spain
+what Paris is to France; Moscow and Petersburg to Russia. England,
+Italy, and Germany are not fit subjects for illustrating the comparison;
+their characteristic features of attraction and interest being
+disseminated more generally throughout all their provinces or states.
+Whoever wishes to find Spain herself, unalloyed, in her own character
+and costume, and in her best point of view, should disembark in
+Andalucia.
+
+There, unlike the Castiles, and the still more northern provinces, in
+which only the earth and air remain Spanish, and those not the best
+Spanish--where all the picturesque and original qualities that
+distinguish the population, are fast fading away--the upper classes in
+their manners and costumes, and the Radicals in their politics, striving
+to become French--there, on the contrary, all is natural and national in
+its half-Arab nationality: and certainly nature and nationality have
+given proof of taste in selecting for their last refuge, the most
+delicious of regions; where earth and heaven have done their utmost to
+form an abode, worthy of the most beautiful of the human, as well as the
+brute creation.
+
+I will not pause to inquire whether the reproach be justly addressed by
+the other Spaniards, to the inhabitants of this province, of indolence
+and love of pleasure, and of a disposition to deceitfulness, concealed
+beneath the gay courtesy of their manners; it would, indeed, be a
+surprising, a miraculous exception to the universal system of
+compensations that we recognise as governing the world, had not this
+people some prominent defect, or were they not exposed to some peculiar
+element of suffering, to counterbalance in a degree the especial and
+exclusive gifts heaped upon them. By what other means could their
+perfect happiness be interfered with? Let us, then, allow them their
+defects--the necessary shade in so brilliant a picture--defects which,
+in reducing their felicity to its due level, are easily fathomed, and
+their consequences guarded against, by sojourners amongst them, in whose
+eyes their peculiar graces, and the charm of their manner of life, find
+none the less favour from their being subject to the universal law of
+humanity. They cannot be better painted in a few words, than by the
+sketch, drawn by the witty and graceful Lantier, from the inhabitants
+of Miletus. "Les Milesiens," he says, "sont aimables. Ils emportent,
+peut-être, sur les Athéniens" (read "Castillans") "par leur politesse,
+leur aménité, et les agrémens de leur esprit. On leur reproche avec
+raison cette facilité--cette mollesse de mœurs, qui prend quelquefois
+l'air de la licence. Tout enchante les sens dans ce séjour fortuné--la
+pureté de l'air--la beauté des femmes--enfin leur musique--leurs danses,
+leurs jeux--tout inspire la volupté, et pénêtre l'âme d'une langueur
+délicieuse. Les Zéphirs ne s'y agitent que pour repandre au loin
+l'esprit des fleurs et des plantes, et embaumer l'air de leurs suaves
+odeurs."
+
+This passage is, word for word, so exactly applicable to the Andalucians
+and their land, that it is difficult to imagine another people to have
+sat for the portrait, nor to a more talented painter. It is a pity that
+the author I quote, is a rarity in modern libraries: owing, perhaps, to
+his descriptions being at times rather warm, or, as his compatriots
+would say, _un peu regence_.
+
+In Spain, the country of proverbs, they are very fond of summing up, by
+the aid of a few epithets, the distinctive character of each province.
+As bad qualities frequently predominate in these estimates, it is of
+course usual for the individual, who undertakes the instruction of a
+foreigner in this department of knowledge, to omit the mention of his
+own province. After all, the defects attributed to the inhabitants of
+one portion of a country by those of another, are not to be taken for
+granted without considerable reservation; allowance must be made for
+rivalry and jealousies. Almost every country affords examples of these
+wholesale accusations laid to the charge of particular counties or
+divisions of territory. Thus the character usually attributed in Spain
+to the Andalucians, is that of a people lively, gay, of extreme polish
+and amiability of manners, but false and treacherous. The Galicians are
+said to be stupid and heavy, but remarkably honest; the Catalonians
+courageous but quarrelsome, _mauvais coucheurs_. No doubt in some of
+these instances, the general impression may be borne out to a certain
+extent, by some particular class of the denizens of the province alluded
+to; but such distinctions are rarely perceptible among the educated
+classes. It is perhaps less easy in Spain than elsewhere, to establish
+these classifications at all successfully. Contradictions will be met
+with at every step, calculated to shake their infallibility. To our eye,
+as foreigners, there are sufficient peculiarities belonging to the
+nation universally, and respecting which our knowledge is far from being
+complete, without attempting to classify a greater or smaller list of
+subdivisions, the appreciation of which would require a prolonged
+residence in the country.
+
+Spain is looked upon by the greater number of strangers as a land
+delivered over to depredation, and highly insecure. In fact, it is
+surprising that such should not be the fate of a country in which
+instruction is limited, and where, as I myself have witnessed, servants
+may be known to be in the daily practice of stealing without their
+dismissal being by any means a necessary result. It is surprising, that
+in the absence of any strong natural objection to theft, any honesty
+should exist in the presence of temptation; yet I know no country where
+there is more, if I may form an opinion from the individuals of whom I
+have had an opportunity of judging. However, as an instance of the
+contradictions one meets with, the following event was represented as
+having taken place in one of the provinces in which I had received the
+favourable impression above-mentioned.
+
+A ci-devant colonel, just arrived in Madrid, related the fact to me one
+evening, on which, as chance would have it, I found him at supper.
+Immediately on my entering the room he commenced complaining of the lack
+of silver articles of necessity for the table, and accounted for it in
+the following manner. He had recently arrived with his family from a
+provincial town, in which he had filled a government situation. Shortly
+before his departure he had invited all his friends to a leave-taking
+repast; and after the departure of his guests nearly two dozen articles
+of plate were missing. "In packing up," I observed, "no doubt some
+dishonest domestic--" "No, no," he interrupted, "they were all pocketed
+by my guests."
+
+That the man in office should have conciliated the attachment of all his
+acquaintances to such a degree, as that all should conceive
+simultaneously the idea of preserving a _souvenir_ of his person, and
+that in so delicate and unostentatious a manner,--was not possible. As,
+therefore, I still retained my impression of the honesty of the lower
+classes, and as the sufferer appeared to treat the occurrence as one by
+no means extraordinary, I came to the conclusion, that--either Spanish
+integrity, unlike that of other nations, must rise in an inverse ratio
+to men's fortunes and stations; or that the author of the anecdote had
+been tempted, by the desire of masking the (perhaps unavoidable)
+deficiencies in his supper service, to have recourse to his inventive
+talent, at the expense of his absent friends' reputation.
+
+I believe it must be allowed that with respect to the disregard of the
+rights of proprietorship, of which the lower classes are accused, there
+are sufficient instances on record to counterbalance, in some degree,
+my personal experience; but there is this to be urged in favour of that
+class of culprits, where such are met with, that their mode of operation
+is far more manly and courageous than that of the depredators of some
+other climes--by which means they obtain also the full reputation of
+their misdeeds. There may scarcely be said to be anything mean or
+degrading in their manner of thieving: and their system is itself a
+proof that they see no sin in it. They take to the mountains, and
+declare open war against those whom they consider the unjust
+monopolizers of wealth.
+
+Instances of this sort are no doubt frequent in Spain; in Toledo they
+relate that, some years since, the passes of Estremadura were occupied
+by one of the most formidable and best organized of these bands, under
+the orders of a female. Various versions were given of this woman's
+history; but the one most accredited accounted in the following manner
+for her having adopted the profession of freebooter. A young lady of
+rank had disappeared from her family residence, leaving no trace by
+which to guide conjecture as to her fate. It was therefore presumed she
+had been kidnapped. The event, however, had already long ceased to be a
+subject of conversation in the district, when three or four years after,
+a traveller, who had escaped from an attack of banditti, announced the
+fact of their being commanded by a woman. Although well disguised, her
+voice, and delicate figure had betrayed her sex. The fact was
+subsequently confirmed by positive discoveries; and, at length,
+confiding in the alteration time and her mode of life had produced in
+her appearance, she ceased to make a mystery of the circumstance, and
+headed the attacks, mounted usually on a large black horse. Her age and
+beauty coinciding with the description given of the young countess who
+had disappeared some years previously, gave rise to the supposition of
+their identity. The band has been since dispersed, and many of them
+captured; but their chief has contrived to escape, and it is probable
+the truth respecting her may never be divulged.
+
+It is said she at times exercised more pitiless cruelties than are
+usually practised by the male chiefs of the regular banditti; and that,
+after such acts,--as though conscience-stricken,--she would, by way of
+compensation, allow parties to pass unmolested.
+
+From such instances as these a portion of the Spanish population must be
+considered amenable to the charge brought against them; but there are
+peculiarities of a different stamp, which mark the Spaniards in
+general, and are more deserving of notice in a summary of the national
+characteristic qualities. It is impossible, for instance, not to be
+struck by the intelligence and tact, independent of cultivation, which
+pervade all classes. Whether the denizens of these southern climes are
+indebted to the purity of their atmosphere, for this gift of rapid
+perception, in which they surpass our northern organizations, or to
+whatever cause they may owe it; the fact leads to involuntary
+speculation on what might have been the results, in a country so
+distinguished, besides, by its natural advantages, had the Arab
+supremacy lasted until our days. At a period when education was
+generally held in no estimation in Europe, the first care of almost
+every sovereign of that race was usually directed to the establishment,
+or improvement, of the public schools, in which the sciences and
+languages were taught at the royal expense. No town being unprovided
+with its schools, it is difficult to imagine to what degree of
+superiority over the rest of Europe the continuation of such a system
+would have raised a people so gifted as to be capable of supplying, by
+natural intelligence, the almost universal absence of information and
+culture.
+
+You continually meet with such instances of uncultivated intelligence as
+the following. I was occupied in sketching in a retired part of the
+environs of Madrid, when a ragged, half-naked boy, not more than ten or
+eleven years of age, and employed in watching sheep, having to pass near
+me, stopped to examine my work. He remained for nearly a quarter of an
+hour perfectly still, making no movement except that of his eyes, which
+continually travelled from the paper to the landscape, and back from
+that to the paper. At length, going away, he exclaimed, "Que paciencia,
+Dios mio!"
+
+The following is an example of the absence of cultivation, where it
+might have been expected to exist. A student leaving the university of
+Toledo, at the age of twenty-seven, told me he had studied there eleven
+years, and had that day received his diploma of barrister, which, when
+sent to Madrid, where it would be backed by the sanction of the
+minister, would authorise him to practise his profession in any town
+throughout Spain. In the course of the same conversation, he asked me
+whether Russia was not situated in the Mediterranean, and whether
+England did not form a portion of that country.
+
+Tact and good manners are so universal among the lower classes, that a
+more familiar intercourse than we are accustomed to, can be allowed
+between persons of different ranks. Those of the highest class are seen,
+during a journey, dining at the same table with their servants; and on
+all other occasions entering into conversation with them. This
+intercourse of good nature and good understanding, universally existing
+between superiors and inferiors, and which is never known to degenerate
+into familiarity, would preserve Spain a long time from revolutions of a
+popular origin--were she left to herself. The Spaniard of the lowest
+station has as considerable an idea of his personal consequence as a
+marquis, and maintains with his equals all the forms of high breeding.
+If you stop to listen to the discussions of a knot of ragged children
+playing at marbles, you will hear them address each other by the title
+of Señor.
+
+The urbanity and polish which prevails throughout all classes is
+genuine, and the result of good-nature. This is proved by their
+readiness to render all sorts of services as soon as they are acquainted
+with you, and even before; and _that_ notwithstanding their suspicion
+and dislike of strangers, a disposition for which they have ample cause.
+I don't mean to include services which might incur pecuniary outlay; it
+would be something like requesting the loan of the Highlander's
+inexpressibles. Although even of this a remarkable instance has fallen
+under my observation,--the capability existing,--but they will spare no
+trouble nor time: doubling the value of the obligation by the graceful
+and earnest manner of rendering it.
+
+Should your reception by a Spaniard be marked by coldness, it is
+generally to be accounted for by a very excusable feeling. The Spaniard
+is usually deeply preoccupied by the unfortunate state of his country.
+This subject of continual reflection operating on a character singularly
+proud, but which is at the same time marked by a large share of
+modesty,--qualities by no means incompatible,--occasions him a sensation
+when in presence of a foreigner nearly approaching to suffering. He
+feels a profound veneration for the former glories of his land, and
+admiration of its natural superiority; but he is distrustful of his
+modern compatriots, of whom he has no great opinion. His anxiety is,
+therefore, extreme with regard to the judgment which a Frenchman or
+Englishman may have formed respecting his countrymen and country: and he
+is not at his ease until satisfied on that point; fearing that the
+backward state of material civilization may be attributed by them to
+hopeless defects in the national character, and diminish their respect
+for his country. He is restored to immediate peace of mind by a delicate
+compliment, easily introduced, on the ancient grandeur of Spain, or the
+eternal splendour of her skies and soil, and especially by an expression
+of disapproval of the influence which foreign governments seem desirous
+of arrogating to themselves over her political destinies.
+
+Should the stranger delay the application of some such soothing balm, he
+will not hesitate to provoke it, by ingeniously leading the conversation
+in the direction he wishes, and then heaping abuse and censure on his
+compatriots.
+
+The interference of foreign governments in their politics is, in fact,
+one of the consequences of the present national inferiority, the most
+galling to their feelings. This is accounted for by the high
+independence, which is one of the principal features of their character,
+and is observable in the most insignificant events of their daily life.
+The practice which prevails in some countries, of meddling each with his
+(and even _her_) neighbour's concerns, and of heaping vituperation where
+a man's conduct or opinions differ from his who speaks, is one of the
+most repugnant to the Spanish nature. If a Spaniard hears such a
+conversation, he stares vacantly, as though he comprehended nothing; and
+the natural expression traceable on not a few countenances and attitudes
+may be translated, "I don't interfere in your affairs, pray don't
+trouble yourself about mine."
+
+It is curious to trace this in their favourite sayings, or proverbs
+(_refrans_), by which the national peculiarities of character are
+admirably depicted. Of these no people possess so complete a collection.
+The following is one which expresses the feeling to which I allude:
+
+ El Marques de Santa Cruz hizó
+ Un palacio en el Viso:
+ Porque pudó, y porque quisó.
+
+or, translated,
+
+ What could induce Sir Santa Cruz to
+ Build a house the Viso close to?
+ --He had the money, and he chose to.
+
+I place, in the translation, the edifice close to the Viso, instead of
+upon it, as in the original text. I doubt whether any apology is
+necessary for this poetical licence, by which the intention of the
+proverb undergoes no alteration. It is true, a house may be close to a
+hill without being erected upon it; but if, as in this instance, it is
+on the top of the hill, it is most certainly close to it likewise.
+
+The submission of the Spaniards to the despotism of etiquette and custom
+in trifles, does not (otherwise than apparently) constitute a
+contradiction to this independence of character. However that may be,
+the breach of all other laws meets with easier pardon, than that of the
+laws of custom. This code is made up of an infinity of minute
+observances, many of which escape the notice of a foreigner, until
+accustomed by degrees to the manners of those who surround him. He will
+not, for instance, discover, until he has made himself some few
+temporary enemies, that no greater insult can be offered to a person of
+rank, or in authority, than saluting him in a cloak _embozado_--the
+extremity thrown over the shoulder.--A similar neglect is not pardoned
+either by the fair sex. The minutest peculiarities in dress are
+observed, and if at all discordant with the received mode of the day,
+incur universal blame. The situation of a stranger is, in fact, at first
+scarcely agreeable in a country in which the smallest divergence from
+established customs attracts general attention and criticism. This does
+not, however, interfere with the ready good-nature and disposition to
+oblige met with, as I said before, on all occasions.
+
+In some instances the attachment to external forms operates
+advantageously. Such is that of the picturesque practice prevailing in
+many of the provinces, of assuming the quality of the _Beata_. In
+Toledo, certain peculiarities in the toilette of one of a group of young
+ladies attracted my curiosity. She was apparently about seventeen;
+pretty, but by no means remarkably so for a Spaniard, and appeared to be
+in deep mourning. Whenever, in speaking, a movement of her right hand
+and arm lifted up her mantilla, a japanned leather sash was exposed to
+view, of about two inches in width, an end of which hanging from the
+right side, reached rather lower than the knee. On the right sleeve,
+half-way between the shoulder and the elbow, was fixed a small silver
+plate, called an _escudo_, and a rosary was worn round her neck.
+
+I was informed, on inquiry, that she was _una beata_; and being still in
+the dark, my informant related her story. He commenced by the inquiry,
+whether I had heard of a young man being drowned four months previously
+in the Tagus. I replied that I had heard of thirty or forty; for he
+referred to the bathing season, during which, as the river is sown with
+pits and precipices, and unprovided with humane societies, accidents
+occur every day. He then named the victim, of whose death I had in fact
+heard. He was a youth of the age of twenty, and the _novio_ (intended)
+of the young lady in black. On hearing suddenly, and without
+preparation, the fatal news, she had been seized with a profuse vomiting
+of blood, and had continued dangerously ill during several weeks. She
+was now convalescent, and had made her appearance in society for the
+first time.
+
+My informant added, on my repeating the inquiry respecting the costume,
+that it is the custom for a young lady, on recovering from a serious
+illness, to offer herself to the _Virgen de los dolores_; the external
+sign of the vow consisting in the adoption of a dress similar to that
+worn by the Virgin in the churches. The obligation assumed lasts
+generally during a year; although some retain the dress for the
+remainder of their life. Examples are known of this practice among the
+other sex; in which case the costume is that of a Franciscan friar; but
+the _beato_ becomes the object of ridicule.
+
+Among the forms of society to which especial importance is attached are
+the ceremonies and duration of mourning for relations. The friends of
+the nearest relative,--especially if a lady,--of a person newly
+deceased, assemble day after day for a considerable time in her house.
+All are in full dress of deep mourning; and the victim of sorrow and
+society is expected to maintain a continual outpouring of sighs and
+tears, while she listens to each consoler in turn. Much importance is
+attached to the display of the usual appearances of grief, even when the
+circumstances of the case do not necessarily call for it. Happening to
+enter a house in which news had been received of the death of a
+relative, who resided in another part of Spain, I found the lady of the
+house discussing with a friend the form of her new mourning dress.
+
+Struck by the melancholy expression of her countenance, and the redness
+of her eyes, I inquired whether any bad news had been received. My
+question gave rise to a renewed flood of tears; "Yes, yes," was the
+reply; "I have had terrible news; my poor uncle, who had been afflicted
+for years with dropsy, died only six days ago." I expressed my sincere
+regret at so sad an event, while she continued her explanations to the
+other lady. "I understand," she said, in a voice almost suffocated,
+"that this sleeve is no longer to be--drawn in; and the--front,
+according to the last--French--fashion,--is at least an inch--shorter."
+Taking the opportunity of the first moment of silence, I asked for some
+further details respecting this beloved uncle. "It was your Señora
+mother's brother, I believe?" "No, no, the husband of my aunt: and
+what--do you--think of the--mantilla?" After the reply of the other
+visitor to the latter question, I continued,--"But your profound regret,
+on occasion of the loss of so amiable a companion, is natural."
+"Terrible, sir, yes--my poor uncle!" "Had you seen him shortly before
+the sad event?" "Alas! no, sir, I never--saw him but--once in my life;
+and--should not now have recognized him--for I--was then--only five
+years old."
+
+The Spaniards are not a dinner-giving nation; obedient, as some suppose,
+to their proverb,--which although the effect, may also operate as a
+cause,--namely, 'Feasts are given by fools, and partaken of "by wise
+men." This proverb, however, paints the national character with less
+fidelity than most others; the parsimonious selfishness it implies is
+not Spanish. Sufficient reasons exist to account for the rarity of
+dinner invitations.
+
+Although the English are not responsible for the geniality of climate,
+which corks up their crystallized souls to be enclosed fog-tight, until
+released by a symbolical ceremony of the popping of champagne corks,--it
+is not the less true that dinners are their only introductions to
+acquaintanceship. Spaniards have corks also, and well worth the trouble
+of drawing, as well as all the other _materiel_ of conviviality; but
+they despise it, finding the expansion operated by their sunshine more
+complete and less laborious. Their sociability no more requires dinner
+parties than their aloes hedges do steam-pipes. With the exception of
+their ungovernable passion for cold water, their sobriety is extreme;
+and this may perhaps unite with a dislike to social ostentation in
+resisting the exotic fashion of dinners. But bring a good letter of
+introduction to a Spaniard, and you will find a daily place at a
+well-supplied table, the frequent occupation of which will give
+unmistakable pleasure.
+
+In such case you are looked for as a daily visitor; not ceremoniously,
+but as using the house when in want of a more cheerful home than your
+_posada_. Æolus has not yet been appointed here the arbiter of
+smiles,[9] and your entrance is always the signal for the same animated
+welcome. The only variation will be a good-natured remonstrance, should
+your visits have undergone any interruption.
+
+To return to my route. Aware of the inconvenience of Spanish inland
+travelling, and with Seville for my object, I proceeded to Lyon. Nor had
+I long to wait for the reward attendant on my choice of route. Getting
+on board the steam-packet at six o'clock on an autumn morning, I
+experienced at first some discouragement, from the fog, which I had not
+reflected was the natural--or rather unnatural--atmosphere of that most
+discouraging of all places, a prosperous manufacturing town. No sooner,
+however, had we escaped, by the aid of high-pressure steam, from these
+deleterious influences, than our way gradually opened before us, rather
+dimly at first, but more and more clear as the sun attained height: the
+banks of the Rhone having, during this time, been progressing also in
+elevation and grandeur, by eight o'clock we were enjoying a rapidly
+moving panorama of superb scenery.
+
+This day's journey turned out unusually auspicious. Owing to some
+favourable combination of celestial influences, (although I perceived no
+one on board likely to have an astrologer in his pay,) no untoward
+accident--so common on this line--befell us. No stoppages--no running
+down of barges, nor running foul of bridges--nor bursting of engines.
+The stream was neither too shallow, nor too full, so that we were
+preserved both from running aground, and from being run away with. Our
+boat was the fastest of the six which started at the same time; and one
+is never ill-disposed by a speed of eighteen miles an hour, although it
+may be acquired at an imminent risk of explosion.
+
+There is many a day's journey of equal or greater beauty than the
+descent of the Rhone; but I know of none which operates a more singular
+effect on the senses. It is that of being transported by a leap from the
+north to the south of Europe. The Rhone valley, in fine weather, enjoys
+a southern climate, while all the region to the north of Lyon is marked
+by the characteristics of the more northern provinces. That town itself,
+with its smoke, its gloom, and its dirt, maintains itself at the
+latitude of Manchester; whose excellent money-making inhabitants, if
+thrown in the way of a party of Lyonnais, would scarcely feel themselves
+among strangers, so complete would be the similarity of habits and
+manners. The transition, therefore, to those wafted down the sunny
+valley of the Rhone, is as theatrical as the scenery itself, but with
+the agreeable addition of reality. Every surrounding object contributes
+to the magic of the change. Taking leave of a bare and treeless country,
+and its consequently rough and ungenial climate, which, in its turn,
+will necessarily exercise its influence on the character of the
+population, you find yourself gliding between vine-clad mountains, not
+black and rugged like those of the Rhine, but soft and rosy, and lighted
+by a sky, which begins here to assume a southern brilliancy. The
+influence of the lighter atmosphere first begins to be felt, expanding
+the organs, and filling the frame with a sensation, unknown to more
+northern climes, of pleasure derived from mere existence. Then the
+language you hear on all sides is new and musical; for the crew of the
+steamer is Provençal, and their _patois_ falls on the ear with something
+approaching the soft accent of Italy; while their expressive eyes,
+sunburnt faces, and a certain mixture of animation and languor--the
+exact counterpart of the phlegmatic industry of the north, complete the
+scene, with which they are in perfect harmony.
+
+_A propos_ of harmony, when the sailors' dinner hour arrived, they were
+summoned by an air of Rossini, played on a bugle; the performer--one of
+their number--having first thrown himself flat on the deck, in the
+attitude of a Turk about to receive the bastinado, and then raising his
+chest, by the aid of his two elbows, to the height required for the
+inflation of the instrument.
+
+Nor is this leap from north to south so purely imaginary, since the boat
+Sirius, aided by the furious current, actually paddled at the rate of
+from seventeen to eighteen miles an hour; and we reached Avignon at
+sunset, about five o'clock. The distance being calculated, allowing for
+the windings of the river, will verify the rate maintained during the
+day. Notwithstanding the odious nature of comparisons, I could not help
+forming that between this river and the Rhine, and giving the preference
+to the first. The bold though gloomy precipices of the Rhine yield, in
+point of charm, to the more open expanse of the Rhone valley, and the
+larger scale of the scenery, especially when the far more brilliant
+lighting-up is considered. Nor does the Rhone yield to its rival, in
+regard to the picturesque form and position of its castles and other
+buildings; while its greater width, and handsome bridges, add an
+additional feature.
+
+The best scene of the day, and a fit climax for its termination, was the
+approach to Avignon at sunset,--a superb Claude. A turn of the river
+placed the castle--an immense mass crowning the city, and presenting an
+irregular outline--directly between us and the sun, the sky doing away,
+by its brightness, with all the details of the landscape. The principal
+objects were, the broad expanse of water, and the mass of deep purple,
+tracing its dark but soft outline on the blaze of gold at its back. On
+turning to look in the opposite direction, a scene equally striking
+presented itself. The mountains between which we had been winding during
+the last half of the day, are, from this point of view, ranged in an
+immense semicircle, extending round half the horizon, and at that moment
+were tinged by the sun with a bright rose colour, while they scarcely
+appeared at half their actual distance. It looked like the final scene
+of an aërial ballet, when a semicircle is formed by the rosy sylphs who
+have figured during the representation.
+
+After the hurly burly of debarkation at Avignon, and forcing our way
+through the army of luggage porters--a ferocious race, notorious, at
+this place, for the energy, amounting often to violence, with which they
+urge the acceptance of their kind offices--the picturesque look of the
+place, and the necessary hour of waiting for dinner, led me to a scene,
+which I accepted as a satisfactory greeting on my arrival in the land
+of the troubadours. A group of half a dozen labourers, returned from
+their day's work, were lolling in every variety of attitude, on some
+large stones placed in front of the _château_. They were singing--and
+with perfect precision of _ensemble_--each his part of the chorus. At
+the conclusion of every _morceau_, the whole party made the façade of
+the ancient palace echo with peals of laughter; after which they all
+talked at once, until they had agreed on the choice of the succeeding
+air.
+
+The castle of Avignon--ancient residence of the Popes, shelters now a
+different sort of inmates. It serves for barracks for a regiment of
+infantry. At this moment the lamplighter had completed his rounds in the
+interior, and given to each of the innumerable windows an undue
+importance in the architectural effect of the mass. Such is the
+irregularity of their distribution over this vast façade--or such it
+appeared to be then, for I have not seen it by daylight--as to give them
+the appearance of having been thrown at it by handfuls, and fixed
+themselves each at its first point of contact with the wall.
+
+Or by way of compensation for the extravagant supposition of so large a
+hand, we can suppose the edifice diminished, and resembling with its
+jagged outline, a ragged black cloak, which, having been stretched out,
+to serve as a mark for rifle-shooters, would admit the light through
+openings not less symmetrically distributed than these windows.
+
+Between Avignon and Marseille, by the land route, the only spot of
+interest is Aix. It is a well placed little town; although, in the
+summer, its position must procure for it rather too much warmth. There
+are no remains of king Réné's palace; nor could I learn that any
+souvenir of him was extant, with the exception of a statue, which
+represents the jovial old king of the _trouvères_ in the character of
+Bacchus. This figure ornaments a hot fountain, situated at the head of
+the wide street, planted with trees, by which the town is entered.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVI.
+
+VOYAGE TO GIBRALTAR.
+
+
+Cadiz.
+
+I have just returned from a visit to the signal-tower--the highest
+look-out in Cadiz; from which is seen a panorama equalled by few in
+Europe. The Atlantic, and its coast down to Trafalgar Cape--the mountain
+distances of the Ronda--and Medina Sidonia on its sugar-loaf rock, like
+an advanced sentinel--all Cadiz, with its hundreds of white
+Belvideres--and the bright blue bay, decked with glittering white towns,
+and looking (but with more sparkling glow) like an enormous turquoise
+set round with pearls. But let not, I entreat you, these magic
+words--Cadiz--Andalucia--raise your expectations unduly; lest they be
+disappointed, on rinding that I fail in doing justice to this charming
+country. With regard to this town, not only would it be a task beyond my
+powers to paint its bright aspect and to give you a sufficiently glowing
+description of its pleasures. It is not even my intention to partake of
+these--being bent on accomplishing my principal object--the exploration
+of the monuments of Seville. However let us not anticipate. You ought to
+have had news of me from Gibraltar, where I made a much longer stay than
+I had intended, owing to an unexpected meeting with an old friend.
+
+The fact is, I put off writing until I should again be in movement,
+hoping that my letters might thus acquire greater interest. I will
+resume my journey from France, in which country we parted.
+
+The steam-packets leave Marseille for the south of Spain every tenth
+day; and I happened to arrive a day or two after one of the departures.
+Rather than wait eight days, therefore, I agreed for my passage on board
+a trader bound for Gibraltar; by which arrangement, as the captain
+assured me that the voyage would only occupy five days, I was to be at
+my journey's end before the departure of the Phénicien, as the
+steam-packet was called. The latter, moreover, made no progress
+excepting during the night, in order to afford the passengers an
+opportunity of passing each day in some town; and being anxious to
+arrive at Seville, I should not have liked the delays thus occasioned. I
+do not, however, recommend the adoption of my plan; for the five days,
+as it turned out, became twenty-four, and the Phénicien arrived at Cadiz
+long before I reached Gibraltar.
+
+The captain's prognostic of course supposed a favourable voyage; and I
+was wrong in reckoning on this, particularly at the time of year, and in
+the Mediterranean. I was wrong, also, in confiding in my Provençal
+captain, who, in addition to various other bad qualities, turned out to
+be the most inept blockhead to whom ever were entrusted lives and
+cargoes.
+
+My fellow-passengers consisted of a Marseille merchant, who possessed a
+trading establishment at Gibraltar; a young French officer, on leave of
+absence to visit his mother, who was Spanish; and a Moorish traveller,
+proceeding homeward to Tetuan. From certain hints dropped by the
+merchant, who was well acquainted with the passage, we soon learned the
+probable character of our captain, as he belonged to a race not very
+favourably spoken of by those whose goods and persons they were in the
+habit of conveying; and these predictions being soon partially confirmed
+by the man's incivility, we began to look upon him as our common enemy.
+One of the accusations brought against his class was, a disposition to
+reduce the supply of provisions within undue limits. This, however, we
+could not lay to his charge, as the adverse winds rendered necessary an
+extreme prudence in our daily consumption. My principal anxiety arose
+from want of confidence in the capacity of the man for the performance
+of his duties as a seaman. This anxiety was grounded on various symptoms
+sufficiently striking to attract the notice even of a landsman; and more
+particularly on a scene, during which his presence of mind, if mind he
+possessed, totally deserted him.
+
+We had passed several days off the Balearic Islands--or rather on and
+off--for each morning we issued from behind Ivica, and returned at night
+to take shelter under its cliffs; ours being the only vessel of several
+performing the same passage restrained by fear from attempting any
+progress during these nights. The reason of this we learned
+subsequently. At length, when we did risk an advance, we chose the worst
+moment of all: the breeze becoming a gale, and almost a head-wind, from
+having been less unfavourable. Whatever may now have been our anxiety,
+we could easily discover that the author of our misfortune was a prey to
+more terror than ourselves.
+
+Against this wind we proceeded, gaining about a hundred yards an hour,
+during five days; at the end of which it changed slightly, and allowed
+us to reach the entrance of the channel; that is, we had doubled the
+Cape de Gata, and were off the south coast of the peninsula, nearly
+opposite Almeria, and in the direct line of all the vessels entering the
+Mediterranean; which, as they are sometimes delayed in expectation of a
+favourable wind for passing the Straits of Gibraltar, were now bearing
+down in great numbers. At this crisis the gale, which had all along
+continued to be violent, became once more almost directly adverse, and
+increased in fury.
+
+Our gallant captain's features always assumed towards evening a more
+serious expression. A faint tinge of green was observed to replace the
+yellow of his usual complexion, and he passed the nights on deck, as
+unapproachable as a hyena--by the way, also a most cowardly animal. At
+length one day as evening approached, the wind was almost doing its
+worst, and we went to bed tossed about as if in a walnut-shell--lulled
+by an incessant roaring, as it were, of parks of Perkin's artillery.
+
+It being essential to keep a good look-out, and to show a light
+occasionally, in order to avoid being run down--the lantern--unable to
+live on deck, from the water as well as the wind, which passed through
+the rigging--was confided to the passengers, with a recommendation, by
+no means likely to be neglected, to keep it in good trim, and to hand
+it up with promptitude when called for.
+
+At about twelve o'clock, sure enough, the call was heard, in the
+somewhat agitated tones of the captain. The passenger, whose business it
+was, for we took the watch each in his turn--immediately jumped up and
+handed up the lantern. Thinking this sufficient, we remained as we were;
+but in less than a minute, it was brought back extinguished, and thrown
+down into the cabin. Immediately after a general view holloa was audible
+above the roar of the storm, and the mate's voice was heard at the top
+of our staircase, begging us to get up as we were going to be run down.
+
+We now lost no time in making our way to the deck; no one speaking a
+word, but each waiting for his turn to mount. Being furthest from the
+staircase, or rather ladder, I arrived the last. On reaching the deck, I
+was met by about a ton of salt water, which appeared to have mistaken me
+for a wicket, as it came in as solid a mass, and with about the same
+impulse as a cricket ball. Finding I was not to be dashed back again
+down stairs, it took the opportunity of half filling the cabin, the door
+of which I had not thought of shutting. On recovering my breath and
+reopening my eyes, I discerned, by aid of the white bed-apparel of my
+fellow passengers, a dim crowd, pressed together at the bow of the
+vessel, consisting of all the inhabitants of the frail tenement,
+excepting the steersman and myself. I rushed forward; but finding my
+voice insufficient to add any effect to the cry which had been set up,
+to give notice to the crew of the approaching vessel, I made for the
+side, which I saw, by the position of the group, was threatened with the
+expected contact; and catching at a rope ladder, placed myself on the
+top of the bulwarks, resolved on trying a jump as the only chance of
+escape in case of meeting.
+
+There was now time to examine our situation perfectly well. I looked
+towards the stern, and could see that the helm was not deserted: but it
+was of no avail to save us from the danger; since, sailing as near the
+wind as we could, as far as I understood the subsequent explanation of
+the sailors, we could not change our direction on a sudden, otherwise
+than by turning a sort of right-about-face. We went on, therefore,
+trusting that the other crew would hear the cry, and discover our
+position in time. The night being extremely dark, and the sea running
+high, the approaching vessel was scarcely visible to us when first
+pointed out by the sailors; still less should I have looked forward to
+its threatening us with any danger; but the eye of experience had not
+been deceived, and from my perch I was soon able to discover, as each
+passage over the summit of a wave brought the dark mass against the sky,
+that its approach was rapid, and directed with unerring precision, so as
+to cross our course at the fatal moment. She was scudding before the
+gale, with almost all her sails set, and consequently, on striking our
+ship, nothing could save us from an instantaneous founder.
+
+At each successive appearance the mass became larger and blacker; but
+the cry of our crew, in which I now joined, never ceased. At length we
+were only separated by the ascent of one wave, at the summit of which
+was balanced the huge bulk of our antagonist, while we were far below
+the level of her keel--but her steersman had heard the cry; for at the
+moment when certainly no hope of saving--at least our ship, remained to
+any of us, we saw the other swerve as she descended--and after
+approaching to within half her length of our starboard bow, she glided
+by at the distance of a yard from where I was standing.
+
+I now drew a deep breath before I jumped down on to the deck; after
+which, beginning to perceive that I was as wet as if we had been run
+down, I was hastening to the cabin, when my progress was stopped by the
+captain, who, without perceiving any one, was stamping up and down the
+centre of the vessel, and actually tearing his hair with both his hands.
+I paused to observe this tragic performance, which shortly gave place to
+an indistinct and much interrupted speech, in which, in the intervals
+left by all the oaths as yet invented in the French and Languedoc
+tongues, there could be distinguished dark threats of vengeance,
+addressed to the captain of the large brig, whom he was to discover
+without fail on his return to Marseille.
+
+All the passengers now descended to the cabin, and having stripped and
+rolled myself in my cloak turned inside out, I threw myself on my couch.
+We were now, in spite of recent experience, provided with a fresh
+lighted lantern, to be produced on the next call. This we took care
+still to look to, although we hardly expected more than one such chance
+in one night.
+
+It was past two, and we had scarcely left off discussing our narrow
+escape, when another rapid and significant demand for the lantern
+announced a second peril. On this occasion I took my time, for I had
+reflected on the odds, which were immense, against our being a second
+time so exactly in any one's way, where there was room for the whole
+navigation of the world to pass abreast. Nor could I suspect any of my
+fellow-passengers of being the unlucky Jonas of our misfortunes;
+although the Moor was looked upon by some of the sailors with a
+suspicious eye, for not consenting to partake of a leg of chicken, if
+the animal had been killed and cooked by any other hand than his own,
+and for the mysterious formalities they accused him of observing in
+killing his poultry; such as turning his face in a particular direction,
+and requiring the blood to flow in a particular manner--on failure of
+which last requisite, he threw the fowl overboard. These things alarmed
+the sailors, but helped, on the contrary, to encourage me; as I thought
+the man's being possessed of a conscience and religious scruples,
+rather, if any thing, an additional safeguard for us.
+
+This time, therefore, I drew on my boots and trowsers; and, wrapped in
+my cloak, proceeded in company with the Moor, who had taken it as
+leisurely as myself, to join the party on deck. They had kept the
+lantern in a safe position until the moment it would have the best
+chance of taking effect, a proper precaution, as it was likely to be so
+short-lived. And at the moment I arrived the order was being given to
+shew it ahead. A sailor took it, and before he could reach the bow of
+the vessel, a wave broke over him and washed his lantern fairly into the
+sea. Upon this the captain said not a word, but running to the helm,
+took it in hand, and turned the ship right round, presenting her stern
+to the wind, and to the approaching vessel,--which we now soon lost
+sight of, as we were not a slow sailing craft in a fair wind. Having
+performed this masterly feat, and given orders that no change should be
+made in any respect, he went to bed; muttering as he left the deck
+various indistinct sounds between his teeth. The next morning we had
+undone nearly all our six day's work, and before evening of the
+following day, had returned to within sight of Cape St. Martin near
+Valencia.
+
+It was now a fortnight since we had quitted Marseille, and we were
+nearly half-way to our place of destination; but Neptune took pity on
+us, and having given the usual scolding to Eolus, we were allowed to
+resume our course, although not at as good a rate as we could have
+wished. The tempest had ceased, and by means of a feeble but fair wind
+which succeeded, we regained in three days and nights almost all our
+lost way, and were on the point of doubling the Cape Gata. Here we
+remained stationary in a dead calm during another three days, after
+which an almost imperceptible movement in the air in the wished-for
+direction bore us to within sight of Gibraltar.
+
+This progress along the southern coast lasted three days more, and
+introduced me to the climate of Andalucia. At the end of November it was
+still a splendid summer--but with just sufficient air to prevent our
+suffering from the heat. The blue Mediterranean at length vindicated her
+fair fame, and proved that one of her smiles had the power of throwing
+oblivion over all the harm of which she was capable during her moments
+of fretfulness. As you will easily imagine, I passed these delicious
+days, and nearly the entire nights on deck. Our view consisted of the
+magnificent precipices which terminate, at the shore, the Alpuxarras
+chain of mountains. These are coloured with the various tints peculiar
+to the ores and marbles of which they are formed; and now showed us all
+their details, although we never approached within twenty-five miles off
+shore. The purity of the atmosphere added to their great elevation, gave
+them the appearance of being only four or five miles distant. The only
+means of proving the illusion consisted in directing the telescope along
+the line of apparent demarcation between the sea and the rock, when the
+positions of the different towns situated on the shore were indicated
+only by the tops of their towers. Among others, the tower of Malaga
+Cathedral appeared to rise solitarily from the water, the church and
+town being hidden by the convexity of the sea's surface.
+
+With the bright blue sea for a foreground, varied by continually passing
+sails, these superb cliffs formed the second plan of the picture; while
+over them towered the Granada mountains of the Sierra Nevada, cutting
+their gigantic outlines of glittering snow out of the dark blue of the
+sky, at a distance of twenty leagues. The evenings more particularly
+possessed a charm, difficult to be understood by the thousands of our
+fellow creatures, unable to kill that fragment of time without the aid
+of constellations of wax-lights, and sparkling toilettes,--not to
+mention the bright sparks which conversation sometimes, but not always,
+sprinkles o'er the scene. Now I do not pretend to speak with disrespect
+of _soirées_, nor even of balls or ra-outes, as our neighbours say;
+Polka forfend I should blaspheme her deity, depreciate her loudly
+laudable energies, or apostrophize her strangely muscular hamstrings! I
+only maintain that a night passed at sea, off the southern Spanish coast
+in fine weather, does not yield to the best of nights.
+
+The observation of the land, of the passing sails, and the management of
+our own, and the various phenomena of sea and sky, having gradually
+yielded to sunset and twilight--and these in their turn leaving the
+vessel to its solitude, conversation became amusing between people of
+such different origin, habits, and ideas, brought together by chance,
+drawn nearer to each other by the force of circumstances, and by having
+partaken of the same buffetings. The Moor would then offer a cup of his
+coffee, or rather, according to the Oriental custom, a thimbleful of his
+quintessence of that exquisite berry. Our French ensign was a tolerable
+musician, and was easily prevailed on to unpack his cornet-à-piston, and
+to astonish the solitude of the night, and the denizens of the deep, by
+the execution of the favourite airs of Auber and Halevy. Sometimes a
+bark too distant to be visible would hail us on hearing these unusual
+strains; and faint sounds of applause would arrive as if from wandering
+naiads.
+
+At length one afternoon brought us in sight of Gibraltar. And now, lest
+we should arrive without further mishap, our precious Provençal took
+care to give us a parting proof of his incapacity,--which however,
+thanks to our good fortune, did not bring upon us the annoyance it
+threatened. The rock of Gibraltar was before us the whole of the
+following day; but there appeared also in sight, somewhat to its left,
+and at a much greater distance, a sort of double mountain, apparently
+divided from the middle upwards by a wedge-formed cleft. The captain
+replied to all questions by describing this object as consisting of two
+distinct mountains, which he pronounced to be no others than the two
+Pillars of Hercules,--promising us that the next morning we should see
+them separated by the entire width of the Straits.
+
+Far from suspecting the authenticity of this explanation, I innocently
+inquired what was the large rock (Gibraltar itself) apparently much
+nearer to us. "Oh!" he replied, "it was some promontory on the coast of
+Andalucia, the name of which had escaped his memory;" adding that we
+steered very slightly to the left of the said rock, because the wind
+having increased, and blowing off shore, we could not make Gibraltar
+otherwise than by keeping well into the shore, to prevent our being
+driven towards Africa. All this about the wind was so true, that had we
+preserved to the last the direction we were then following, we must
+inevitably have gone to Africa, and added a day and a night to our
+voyage.
+
+The Marseille merchant, who had made the voyage twenty times, listened
+to all this; but although very intelligent on most subjects, and more
+particularly with regard to the qualities and value of silks and
+quincaillerie, his notions of practical geography had not probably
+attained any great development, as he appeared perfectly satisfied. I
+therefore passed the day and retired that night filled with curiosity
+respecting this remarkable promontory, that had escaped the notice of
+Arrowsmith and the continental geographers. The following morning, to my
+extreme astonishment, the double mountain was still as undivided as
+ever, notwithstanding our having approached so near to the great rock as
+to distinguish its colour, and the details of its surface. We were still
+steering so as to leave it behind us.
+
+I now began to suspect something was wrong; and getting hold of the
+merchant, proceeded to question him closely, recalling to his
+recollection the captain's explanation of the previous day, and the
+consequent miraculous union of Gibraltar with the mountain of the
+monkies, to accomplish which the former must have quitted Europe
+subsequently to the publication of the last newspapers we had seen at
+Marseille. His replying that he certainly thought the great rock put him
+in mind of Gibraltar confirmed my suppositions; and I prevailed upon him
+to repeat his opinion to the ignoramus, who was peaceably eating his
+breakfast on the bulwarks of the quarter-deck. We went to him instantly,
+and on hearing the remark, he merely observed that it was very possible;
+and leaving his sausage, quietly proceeded to the helm, which he no more
+quitted until we were in the bay at four in the afternoon. We had only
+lost about five or six hours by the blunder; but had we continued the
+same course another half-hour, we could not possibly have made Gibraltar
+that day.
+
+It was with more than the ordinary excitement of the organ of
+travelling,--for if phrenology deserves to be called a science, such an
+organ must exist,--that I approached this great Leviathan of the seas;
+perhaps, all causes considered, the most remarkable object in Europe.
+During the approach the interest is absorbing; and the two or three
+hours employed in passing round the extremity of the rock, and
+stretching sufficiently far into the Straits, to gain wind and channel
+for entering the bay, slipped away more rapidly than many a ten minutes
+I could have called to my recollection. The simultaneous view of Europe
+and Africa; the eventful positions with which you are surrounded,--Tarifa,
+Algeciras, and further on Trafalgar; the very depths beneath you too
+shallow for the recollections which crowd into this limited space;
+commencing with history so ancient as to have attained the rank of
+fable,--and heroes long since promoted to demi-gods; and reaching to the
+passage of the injured Florinda, so quickly responded to by that of
+Tharig, followed by a hundred Arab fleets. The shipping of all nations
+continually diverting the attention from these _souvenirs_; and,
+crowning all, the stupendous mass of the now impregnable rock.
+
+Amidst all this, I could not drive from my thoughts the simple and
+patriotic old Spanish historian de Pisa, and the operation to which he
+attributes the origin of this mountain. From him may be learned all the
+details respecting this work of Hercules; as to which, as well as to the
+motives of its fabricator, the poets of antiquity were in the dark.
+Hercules had been induced, by the high reputation of Spain, of her
+population, and her various natural advantages, to conduct thither an
+army for the purpose of taking possession of the country. After having
+put his project in execution, he remained in Spain, and enjoyed a long
+and prosperous reign. The victory, which gave him possession of the
+country, took place at Tarifa; and it was in its commemoration and
+honour that before he established the seat of government at Toledo, he
+assembled the conquered population, and compelled them to throw stones
+into the sea, by which means, in a short time, this monument was
+completed.
+
+Before we set foot on this imperceptible trophy of a league in length by
+two thousand feet high the French ensign and myself hailed a steamer as
+we passed by her in the offing, and found she was bound for Cadiz, and
+we must go on board the following afternoon. On landing, however, my
+projects underwent a change, as I told you at the commencement of my
+letter. There is not much to be seen at Gibraltar that would interest
+you, except indeed the unique aspect and situation of the place. To
+military men its details offer much interest. There is a large public
+garden on the side of the mountain, between the town, which occupies the
+inmost extremity, and the Governor's house near the entrance of the bay.
+The batteries constructed in the rock are extremely curious, and
+calculated to embarrass an enemy whose object should be to dismount
+them. I thought, however, with deference to those conversant with these
+subjects, that they were likely to possess an inconvenience--that of
+exposing to suffocation the gunners employed in the caverns, out of
+which there does not appear to exist sufficient means of escape for the
+smoke.
+
+The most amusing sight in Gibraltar is the principal street, filled, as
+it is, with an infinitely varied population. Here you see, crowded
+together as in a fair, and distinguished by their various costumes,--the
+representatives of Europe, Asia, and Africa,--Arabs, Moors, Italians,
+Turks, Greeks, Russians, English, and Spaniards, Jews, and,
+occasionally, a holy friar conversing with some Don Basilio, appearing,
+in his long cylindrical hat, as if blessed with a skull sufficiently
+hard to have entered the side of a tin chimney-top, precipitated upon
+it by a gust of wind.
+
+Among all these a successful guess may here and there be risked at the
+identity of the Andalucian leader of banditti, lounging about in search
+of useful information. The contrabandistas are likewise in great
+plenty.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVII.
+
+CADIZ. ARRIVAL AT SEVILLE.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+Cadiz is the last town in Europe I should select for a residence, had I
+the misfortune to become blind. One ought to be all eyes there. It is
+the prettiest of towns. After this there is no more to be said, with
+regard, at least, to its external peculiarities. It possesses no
+prominent objects of curiosity. There is, it is true, a tradition
+stating it to have possessed a temple dedicated to Hercules; but this
+has been washed away by the waves of the ocean, as its rites have been
+by the influx of succeeding populations. Nothing can be more remote from
+the ideas of the visitor to Cadiz, than the existence of anything
+antique; unless it be the inclination to prosecute such researches: the
+whole place is so bright and modern looking, and pretty in a manner
+peculiar to itself, and unlike any other town,--since, like everything
+else in Spain, beauty also has its originality. Nothing can be gayer
+than the perspective of one of the straight, narrow streets. On either
+side of the blue ribbon of sky, which separates the summits of its lofty
+houses, is seen a confusion of balconies, and projecting
+box-windows,--all placed irregularly--each house possessing only one or
+two, so as not to interfere with each other's view, and some placed on a
+lower story, others on a higher; their yellow or green hues relieving
+the glittering white of the façades. Nor could anything improve the
+elegant effect of the architectural ornaments, consisting of pilasters,
+vases, and sculpture beneath the balconies, still less, the animated
+faces--the prettiest of all Spain, after those of Malaga--whose owners
+shew a preference to the projecting windows, wherever a drawing-room or
+boudoir possesses one.
+
+The pavement of these elegant little streets, is not out of keeping with
+the rest. It would be a sacrilege to introduce a cart or carriage into
+them. A lady may, and often does, traverse the whole town on foot, on
+her way to a ball. It is a town built as if for the celebration of a
+continual carnival. Nor does the charge brought against the Gaditanas,
+of devotion to pleasure, cause any surprise: were they not, they would
+be misplaced in Cadiz. Hither should the victim of spleen and melancholy
+direct his steps. Let him choose the season of the carnival. There is
+reason to suspect that the advertiser in the Herald had this remedy in
+view, when he promised a certain cure to "clergymen and noblemen, who
+suffer from blushing and despondency, delusion, thoughts of self-injury,
+and groundless fear:" these symptoms being indications of an attack of
+that northern epidemy, which takes its name from a class of fallen
+angels of a particular hue.
+
+In Cadiz, in fact, does Carnival--that modern Bacchus of fun, give a
+loose to his wildest eccentricities--nor may those who are least
+disposed to do homage to the god escape his all-pervading influence. All
+laws yield to his, during his three days of Saturnalia. Not the least
+eccentric of his code is that one, which authorizes the baptism of every
+passenger in a street with the contents of jugs, bestowed from the fair
+hands of vigilant angels who soar on the second-floor balconies. The
+statute enjoins also the expression of gratitude for these favours,
+conveyed with more or less precision of aim, in the form of hen's
+eggs--of which there is consequently a scarcity on breakfast-tables on
+the mornings of these festive days. At eleven o'clock each night, four
+spacious buildings scarcely suffice for the masquerading population.
+
+But the paddles have been battering for some hours the waters of the
+Guadalquivir, and we are approaching Seville, a city given to less
+turbulent propensities--where Pleasure assumes a more timid gait, nor
+cares to alarm Devotion--a partner with whom she delights, hand in hand,
+to tread this marble-paved Paradise. The passage between Cadiz and
+Seville, is composed of two hours of sea, and eight or nine of river.
+The beautiful bay, and its white towns, with Cadiz itself, looking in
+the sunshine like a palace of snow rising out of the sea--have no power
+now to rivet the attention, nor to occupy feelings already glowing with
+the anticipation of a sail between the banks of the Guadalquivir. A
+ridge of hidden rocks lengthens the approach, compelling the pilot to
+describe a large semicircle, before he can make the mouth of the river.
+This delay is a violent stimulant to one's impatience. At length we have
+entered the ancient Betis; and leaving behind the active little town of
+St. Lucar, celebrated for its wines, and for those of the neighbouring
+Xeres, of which it embarks large quantities--we are gliding between
+these famous shores.
+
+Great, indeed, is the debt they owe to the stirring events that have
+immortalized these regions, for they are anything but romantic. Nothing
+can be less picturesque;--all the flatness of Holland, without the
+cultivation, and the numerous well-peopled villages, which diminish the
+monotonous effect. On the right are seen at some distance the wooded
+hills of Xeres; but for scores of miles, on the opposite side, all is
+either marsh, or half-inundated pasture, with here and there some
+thinly-scattered olive trees, and herds of oxen for its sole living
+occupants. At a few leagues from Seville, the increased frequency of the
+olive grounds--a few villages and convents, and at length the darker
+green masses of the orange groves, give rapidly strengthening
+indications of approaching civilization; and you are landed a short
+distance below the town, to reach which, it is necessary to traverse the
+Christina Gardens. The cathedral occupies this southern extremity of the
+city; and on your way to the inn, you may make an estimate of the length
+of one side of its immense quadrangular enclosure. Immediately beyond
+this you are received into the inevitable labyrinth of crooked lanes,
+peculiar to an Arab town.
+
+The steam trip from Cadiz is so easy a day's journey, that no necessity
+for repose or refitting interferes with the impatience of those who
+arrive to explore the external town. You speedily, therefore, sally
+forth, and thread a few of the mazy streets; but without venturing too
+far, on account of the evident risk of losing your way. Should you
+chance to stumble on the Plaza Mayor,--called Plaza de San
+Francisco,--you are at once rewarded by the view of the _ayuntamiento_,
+one of the most elegant edifices in Spain: otherwise the extreme
+simplicity of the bare, irregular, but monotonous white houses, will
+create disappointment--you will stare about in the vain search of the
+magnificence, so much extolled, of this semi-Moorish capital, and
+discover, that nothing can be plainer, more simple, more ugly, than the
+exterior of the Seville habitations. At length, however, some open door,
+or iron grille, placed on a line with an inner court, will operate a
+sudden change in your ideas, and afford a clue to the mystery. Through
+this railing, generally of an elegant form, is discovered a delicious
+vista, in which are visible, fountains, white marble colonnades,
+pomegranate and sweet lemon-trees, sofas and chairs (if in summer), and
+two or three steps of a porcelain staircase.
+
+You now first appreciate the utility of the more than plain exteriors of
+the houses of this town; and you admire an invention, which adds to the
+already charming objects, composing the interior of these miniature
+palaces, a beauty still greater than that which they actually possess,
+lent by the effect of contrast. It is calculated that there are more
+than eighty thousand white marble pillars in Seville. For this luxury
+the inhabitants are indebted in a great measure to the Romans, whose
+town, Italica, seated, in ancient times, on the opposite bank of the
+river, four miles above Seville, and since entirely buried, furnished
+the Arab architects with a considerable portion of their decorating
+materials.
+
+In a future letter I hope to introduce you to the interior of some of
+these abodes, where we shall discover that their inhabitants prove
+themselves not unworthy of them, by the perfect taste and conception of
+civilized life, with which their mode of existence is regulated.
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF AMBASSADORS, ALCAZAR, SEVILLE.]
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVIII.
+
+THE ARABS IN SPAIN. ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+The chief attraction of this most interesting of the provinces of the
+Peninsula, consists in the numerous well preserved remains of Arab art.
+The most sumptuous of their palaces are, it is true, no longer in
+existence, nor the principal mosques, with the exception of the
+metropolitan temple of Cordova: but there remain sufficient specimens to
+shew, that their architecture had attained the highest excellence in two
+of the principal requisites for excellence in that science--solidity and
+beauty.
+
+The superiority of the Arabs in this branch of science and taste is so
+striking, that all other departments of art, as well as the customs and
+peculiarities of that race, and the events of their dominion in this
+country, become at once the subjects of interest and inquiry. It is
+consequently very satisfactory to discover that one can examine almost
+face to face that people,--probably the most advanced in science and
+civilization that ever set foot in Europe; so little are the traces of
+their influence worn away, and so predominant is the portion of it still
+discernible in the customs, manners, and race of the population of this
+province, and even to a considerable extent in their language.
+
+There is something so brilliant in the career of the Arab people, as to
+justify the interest excited by the romantic and picturesque (if the
+expression may be allowed), points of their character and customs. Their
+civilization appears to have advanced abreast with their conquests, and
+with the same prodigious rapidity; supposing, that is, that previously
+to their issuing from their peninsula, they were as backward as
+historians state them to have been: a point not sufficiently
+established. Sallying forth, under the immediate successors of Mahomet,
+they commenced, in obedience to the injunction of their new faith, a
+course of conquest unrivalled in rapidity. Their happy physical and
+mental organization, enabled them to appropriate whatever was superior
+in the arts and customs of the conquered nations; and whatever they
+imitated acquired during the process of adaptation, new and more
+graceful modifications. It has been asserted that they owed their
+civilization to the Greeks; and, certainly, the first subjected
+provinces being Greek, their customs could not but receive some
+impression from the contact; but it is not probable that the Greeks were
+altogether their instructors in civilization. Had such been the case
+their language would probably have undergone a change, instead of
+continuing totally independent of the Greek, and attaining to greater
+richness. They are known to have possessed poets of eminence before the
+appearance of Mahomet, consequently before they had any communication
+with the Greeks; shortly after the commencement of their intercourse
+with them, they shewed a marked superiority over them in geometry, in
+astronomy, architecture, and medicine, and it would probably be found,
+but for the destruction of so many Arab libraries, that they did not
+yield to them in eloquence and poetic genius.
+
+Established in Spain, they carried the arts of civilization--the useful
+no less than the elegant, to the highest perfection. They introduced
+principles of agriculture adapted to the peculiarities of the country.
+The chief requisite for a country, parched by a cloudless sun, being
+water--they put in practice a complete system of irrigation, to which
+the Spaniards are still indebted for the extraordinary fertility of
+their soil. Many other arts that have since been permitted to dwindle
+into insignificance, and some altogether to disappear, were bequeathed
+by them. The Morocco preparation of leather is an instance of these
+last.
+
+Their high chivalry, added to their moderation after victory, would have
+divested even war of much of its barbarism, had they had to do with a
+race less impenetrable, and more susceptible of polish than were the
+iron legions of their Gothic antagonists. The persevering and repeated
+acts of treachery practised by these, at last drew their civilized
+adversaries, forcibly into the commission of acts of a similar
+nature--it being frequently necessary in self-defence to adopt the same
+weapons as one's enemy. When firmly settled in Spain, the Arabs no
+longer appear to have taken the field with a view to conquest.
+Abderahman the First, Almansor, and other conquerors, returned from
+their victories to repose in their capital; contenting themselves with
+founding schools and hospitals to commemorate their successes, without
+making them instrumental to the increase of their domination. After this
+time campaigns seem frequently to have been undertaken from motives of
+emulation, and for the purpose of affording them opportunities for a
+display of their prowess, and giving vent to their military ardour. They
+considered an irruption on the hostile territory, or an attack on a
+town, in the light of a tournament. The Christians, on the contrary,
+fought with a view to exterminate, and without ever losing sight of
+their main object--the expulsion of the Arabs and Moors from the
+Peninsula. It was thus that they ultimately succeeded--a result they
+probably would not have attained, had the Moorish leaders been actuated
+by similar views, and displayed less forbearance.
+
+Much of the misapprehension which exists in Europe respecting this race
+is attributable to the exaggerations of writers; much more to the
+absence of reflection in readers, and to the almost universal practice
+of bringing every act related of personages inhabiting remote and
+half-known climes, to the test of the only customs and manners with
+which we are familiar, and which we consider, for no other reason,
+superior to all others--making no allowance for difference of education,
+climate, tradition, race. An European, subjected to a similar process of
+criticism, on the part of an inhabitant of the East, would certainly not
+recognise his own portrait--a new disposition of light bearing upon
+peculiarities, the existence of which had hitherto been unsuspected by
+their owner; and he would manifest a surprise as unfeigned, as a
+Frenchman once expressed in my hearing, on finding himself in a
+situation almost parallel. Conversing on the subject of a play, acted
+in Paris, in which an Englishman cut a ridiculous figure--a lady present
+remarked, that, no doubt, in the London theatres the French were not
+spared; upon which the Frenchman I allude to--a person possessed of
+superior intelligence--exclaimed: "How could that be, since there was
+nothing about a Frenchman that could be laughed at?"
+
+On reading of a reprehensible act attributed to a Mahometan, some will
+brand Mahometanism in general, and of all times and places, with the
+commission of the like crimes, placing the event at a distance of a
+thousand leagues, or of a thousand years from its real place and date:
+forgetting that power has been abused under all religions; and that we
+only hear one side of the question with respect to all that relates to
+the Oriental races--our information only reaching us through the medium
+of writers of different and hostile faith. It is a singular fact that
+the popular terror, which so long attached itself to the idea of a
+Saracen, and which derived its origin from the conquests of the
+Mahometans, has its equivalent in certain Mahometan countries. In some
+parts of the empire of Morocco, the idea of a Christian is that of a
+ruffian of immense stature and terrific features; calculated to inspire
+the utmost fear in the breasts of all who approach him. Such is their
+notion of his ferocity, that one of the emperors, Muley Ismael, in order
+to terrify his refractory subjects into obedience, was in the habit of
+threatening to have them eaten up by the Christians.
+
+From the inferior value set on human life by the races of the East, we
+accuse them of barbarity: forgetting, that, owing to the absence of all
+analogy between our origin, races, and education, we are incompetent to
+appreciate their feelings, and the motives of their conduct, and have
+consequently no right to condemn them. If we abstain from taking our
+neighbour's life, we set also a proportionate value on our own: a native
+of the East displays, it is true, less veneration for his own species.
+Deeply impressed with the dogmas of his religion, which form the guide
+of his every day life, the habit of acting up to the doctrines which he
+has been taught to believe, diminishes his estimate of the value of
+temporal life, whether that of others, or his own, which he exposes on
+occasions on which we should not be inclined to do so. He does not take
+life for cruelty's sake, nor without provocation. Were he to be
+furnished with Arabian accounts of the treatment of a London or Paris
+hackney-coach horse, he would think of the noble and friendly animal
+which carries him to battle, and turn in disgust from such a page.
+
+The system practised at Constantinople of nailing to his door-post the
+ear of the culprit detected in the employment of false weights, is, no
+doubt, very discordant with our customs; but this mode of punishment is
+said to be attended with such success, as to do away almost entirely
+with the occasion for it. Were it adopted in some other capitals, it
+would certainly at first disfigure many a neatly adorned entrance, and
+give additional occupation to painters; but the result might possibly be
+a more universal observance of the injunction contained in the eighth
+commandment. As far as regards the Arabs of Spain, it may be securely
+affirmed, that, during the course of their triumphs, and long before
+they had attained their highest civilization, no cruelties were
+exercised by them, which came near to the barbarity of those practised
+subsequently by their Christian adversaries on victims of a different
+creed, when in their power. We may instance the example set by St.
+Ferdinand, who, it is said, when burning some Moors, piously stirred up
+the fire himself in the public place of Palencia.
+
+It cannot, however, be denied that cases of cruelty have occurred, and
+are related in history of the Arabs, although they are rare among those
+of Spain; but, if cruel, the Arab never added hypocrisy to his cruelty.
+After having ravaged all Andalucia with fire and famine, St. Ferdinand
+formed the project of proceeding to Africa the following year, in order
+to attack the inhabitants of that country. His death interrupted the
+course of these humane projects. Being dropsical, and feeling his end
+approaching, he called for his son Alphonso, afterwards his successor,
+to whom this prince--cut off in the midst of his thirsty longings for
+blood and slaughter--is related to have given "the counsels, which the
+sentiments of piety, justice, and love for mankind, with which he was
+filled, inspired so great a monarch."
+
+As for the degenerate modern tribes, descendants of some of the most
+civilized of former days, we have witnessed their contest, _pro aris et
+focis_, during the last few years, against a sample of the Christians of
+to-day: the mode of making war is perfectly similar on both sides.
+
+It is a no less curious _travers_ of human nature, from its being an
+almost universal one--that of which the modern Spaniards afford an
+example. They apply the term "barbarians" to the descendants of their
+Moorish compatriots, although they themselves have scarcely advanced a
+step in civilization since the day that, in the public place of Granada,
+Ferdinand the Catholic burned one million five thousand Arab books,
+being all he could collect throughout Spain; showing what tremendous
+power may be wielded by a single human hand, when applied to the task of
+undoing. That King, by a single signature, accomplished an act which may
+be considered as equivalent to retarding, by several centuries, the
+civilization of a great country,--perhaps, even, to cutting it off from
+the only opportunity it was destined to possess, during the present
+ages, of arriving at the summit which the more privileged nations are
+permitted to attain; while it influenced injuriously the progress of
+letters, science, and art throughout Europe. But we will no longer allow
+digressions to delay our visit to the Alcazar, where we shall find
+visible proof of Arab superiority, at least, in architectural science
+and invention.
+
+Passing to the east of the cathedral through the large open space, on
+the left of which is the Archbishop's palace, and on the right the
+cathedral and exchange, the embattled outer walls of the Alcazar stop
+the view in front; varied here and there with square towers, and
+containing in the centre an arched entrance. The present buildings
+occupy the south-eastern corner of the ancient enclosure of the royal
+residence, which comprised all the remaining space as far as the banks
+of the river, passing round the south side of the cathedral, and, in
+fact, including it in its precincts--an enclosure of about a mile and
+a half in circumference. An old tower, or scrap of wall, indicates here
+and there the position of the ancient buildings, the site of which is
+now occupied by two or three _plazuelas_, or squares, and several
+streets communicating between them. The present palace scarcely covers a
+third of the original extent.
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE ALCAZAR, SEVILLE.]
+
+Having passed through the first entrance, you are in a large square,
+surrounded with buildings without ornament, and used at present as
+government offices. At the opposite side another archway passes under
+the buildings, and leads to a second large court. This communicates on
+the left with one or two others; one of these is rather ornamental, and
+in the Italian style, surrounded by an arcade supported on double
+columns, and enclosing a garden sunk considerably below the level of the
+ground. This court is approached by a covered passage, leading, as
+already mentioned, from the left side of the second large square, the
+south side of which--the side opposite to that on which we
+entered--consists of the façade and portal of the inner palace of
+all;--the Arab ornamental portion, the residence of the royal person.
+
+At the right-hand extremity of this front is the entrance to the first
+floor, approached by a staircase, which occupies part of the building on
+that side of the square, and which contains the apartments of the
+governor. The staircase is open to the air, and is visible through a
+light arcade. The centre portal of this façade is ornamented, from the
+ground to the roof, with rich tracery, varied by a band of blue and
+white _azulejos_, and terminating in an advancing roof of carved cedar.
+Right and left, the rest of the front consists of a plain wall up to the
+first floor, on which small arcades, of a graceful design, enclose
+retreating balconies and windows.
+
+Entering through the centre door, a magnificent apartment has been
+annihilated by two white partitions, rising from the ground to the
+ceiling, and dividing it into three portions, the centre one forming the
+passage which leads from the entrance to the principal court. Several of
+the apartments are thus injured, owing to the palace being occasionally
+used as a temporary lodging for the court. Passing across the degraded
+hall, a magnificent embroidered arch--for the carving with which it is
+covered more resembles embroidery than any other ornament--gives access
+to the great court.
+
+It is difficult to ascertain what portion of this palace belongs to the
+residence of the Moorish Kings, as Pedro the Cruel had a considerable
+portion of it rebuilt by Moorish architects in the same style. The still
+more recent additions are easily distinguished. One of them, in this
+part of the edifice, is a gallery, erected by Charles the Fifth, over
+the arcades of the great court. This gallery one would imagine to have
+been there placed with a view to demonstrate the superiority of Arab art
+over every other. It is conceived in the most elegant Italian style, and
+executed in white marble; but, compared with the fairy arcades which
+support it, it is clumsiness itself. The court is paved with white
+marble slabs, and contains in the centre a small basin of the same
+material, of chaste and simple form, once a fountain. The arcades are
+supported on pairs of columns, measuring about twelve diameters in
+height, and of equal diameter throughout. The capitals are in imitation
+of the Corinthian. The entire walls, over and round the arches, are
+covered with deep tracery in stucco; the design of which consists of
+diamond-shaped compartments, formed by lines descending from the
+cornice, and intersecting each other diagonally. These are indented in
+small curves, four to each side of the diamond. In each centre is a
+shell, surrounded by fanciful ornaments. The same design is repeated on
+the inside of the walls, that is, under the arcade, but only on the
+outer wall; and this portion of the court is covered with a
+richly-ornamented ceiling of Alerce, in the manner called _artesonado_.
+
+On the opposite side of the court to that on which we entered, another
+semicircular arch, of equal richness, leads to a room extending the
+whole length of the court, and similar in form to that situated at the
+entrance, possessing also an ornamental ceiling, but plainer walls. The
+left and right sides of the court are shorter than the others. In the
+centre of the left side, a deep alcove is formed in the wall, probably
+occupied in former times by a sofa or throne: at present it is empty,
+with the exception, in one corner, of a dusty collection of _azulejos_
+fallen from the walls, and exposing to temptation the itching palms of
+enthusiasts. At the opposite end a large arch, admirably carved, and
+containing some superb old cedar doors, leads to the Hall of
+Ambassadors. This apartment is a square of about thirty-three feet, by
+nearly sixty in height. It is also called the _media naranja_
+(half-orange), from the form of its ceiling.
+
+[Illustration: GREAT COURT OF THE ALCAZAR, SEVILLE.]
+
+In the centre of each side is an entrance, that from the court consists
+of the arch just mentioned, forming a semicircle with the extremities
+prolonged in a parallel direction. Those of the three other sides are
+each composed of three arches of the horse-shoe form, or three-quarters
+of a circle, and supported by two columns of rare marbles and jasper
+surmounted by gilded capitals. The walls are entirely covered with
+elegant designs, executed in stucco, the effect of which suffers from
+a series of small arches, running round the upper part of the room,
+having been deprived of their tracery to make room for the painted heads
+(more or less resembling) of the kings of Spain, Goths and their
+successors, excepting the Arabs and Moors. This degradation is, however,
+forgotten from the moment the eye is directed to the ceiling.
+
+In the Arab architecture, the ornament usually becomes more choice, as
+it occupies a higher elevation; and the richest and most exquisite
+labours of the artist are lavished on the ceilings. The designs are
+complicated geometrical problems, by means of which the decorators of
+that nation of mathematicians and artists attained to a perfection of
+ornament unapproached by any other style. From the cornice of this room
+rise clusters of diminutive gilded semi-cupolas, commencing by a single
+one, upon which two are supported, and multiplying so rapidly as they
+rise, some advancing, others retreating, and each resting on a shoulder
+of one below, that, by the time they reach the edge of the great cupola,
+they appear to be countless. The ornament of this dome consists of
+innumerable gilt projecting bands, of about two inches in width; these
+intersect each other in an infinite profusion of curves, as they stretch
+over the hemispherical space. The artist, who would make a pencil
+sketch of this ceiling, should be as deep a geometrician as the
+architect who designed it.
+
+On quitting the Hall of Ambassadors, we arrive at the best part of the
+building. Passing through the arcade at the right-hand side, a long
+narrow apartment is crossed, which opens on a small court called the
+Court of Dolls (Patio de los Muceñas). No description, no painting can
+do justice to this exquisite little enclosure. You stand still, gazing
+round until your delight changes into astonishment at such an effect
+being produced by immoveable walls and a few columns. A space, of about
+twenty feet by thirty,--in which ten small pillars, placed at
+corresponding but unequal distances, enclose a smaller quadrangle, and
+support, over a series of different sized arches, the upper walls,--has
+furnished materials to the artist for the attainment of one of the most
+successful results in architecture. The Alhambra has nothing equal to
+it. Its two large courts surpass, no doubt, in beauty the principal
+court of this palace; but, as a whole, this residence, principally from
+its being in better preservation and containing more, is superior to
+that of Granada, always excepting the advantage derived from the
+picturesque site of the latter. The Court of Dolls, at all events, is
+unrivalled.
+
+[Illustration: COURT OF DOLLS, ALCAZAR, SEVILLE.[10]]
+
+The architect made here a highly judicious use of some of the best
+gleanings from Italica, consisting of a few antique capitals, which,
+being separated from their shafts, have been provided with others,
+neither made for them, nor even fitted to them. The pillars are small,
+and long for their diameter, with the exception of the four which occupy
+the angles, which are thicker and all white. The rest are of different
+coloured marbles, and all are about six feet in height. The capitals are
+of still smaller proportions; so that at the junction they do not cover
+the entire top of the shaft. This defect, from what cause it is
+difficult to explain, appears to add to their beauty.
+
+The capitals are exquisitely beautiful. One in particular, apparently
+Greek, tinged by antiquity with a slight approach to rose colour, is
+shaped, as if carelessly, at the will of the sculptor; and derives from
+its irregularly rounded volutes and uneven leaves, an inconceivable
+grace. The arches are of various shapes, that is, of three different
+shapes and dimensions, and whether more care, or better materials were
+employed in the tracery of the walls in this court, or for whatever
+other reason, it is in better preservation than the other parts of the
+palace. It has the appearance of having been newly executed in hard
+white stone.
+
+Through the Court of Dolls you pass into an inner apartment, to which it
+is a worthy introduction. This room has been selected in modern times,
+as being the best in the palace, for the experiment of restoring the
+ceiling. The operation has been judiciously executed, and produces an
+admirable effect. The design of this ceiling is the most tasteful of the
+whole collection. Six or seven stars placed at equal distances from each
+other, form centres, from which, following the direction of the sides of
+their acute angles, depart as many lines; that is, two from each point;
+or, supposing the star to have twelve points--twenty-four from each
+star: but these lines soon change their directions, and intersecting
+each other repeatedly, form innumerable small inclosures of an hexagonal
+shape. The lines are gilt. Each hexagonal compartment rises in relief of
+about an inch and a half from the surface, and is ornamented with a
+flower, painted in brilliant colours on a dark ground.
+
+The room is twenty-four feet in height by only sixteen wide, and between
+sixty and seventy in length. At the two ends, square spaces are
+separated from the centre portion by a wall, advancing about two feet
+from each side, and supporting an arch, extending across the entire
+width. These arches were probably furnished with curtains, which
+separated at will the two ends from the principal apartment, and
+converted them into sleeping retreats. Their ornaments are still more
+choice than those of the centre. With the exception of this room, all
+the principal apartments, and the two courts, are decorated from the
+ground upwards to a height of about five feet, with the _azulejos_, or
+mosaic of porcelain tiles, the colours of which never lose their
+brilliancy.
+
+The first floor is probably an addition made entirely subsequently to
+the time of the Moors. It contains several suites of plain white-washed
+rooms, and only two ornamental apartments, probably of Don Pedro's time.
+These are equal to those on the ground floor with respect to the tracery
+of the walls, unfortunately almost filled with white-wash; but their
+ceilings are plainer. There is a gallery over the Court of Dolls, of a
+different sort from the rest, but scarcely inferior in beauty to any
+part of the edifice. The pillars, balustrades, and ceilings, are of
+wood.
+
+One of the last mentioned apartments has an advantage over all the rest
+of the palace, derived from its position. It opens on a terrace looking
+over the antique gardens,--a view the most charming and original that
+can be imagined. This room must be supposed to have been the boudoir of
+Maria Padilla,--the object of the earliest and most durable of Pedro's
+attachments; whose power over him outlived the influence of all his
+future liaisons. It is indeed probable that the taste for this
+residence, and the creation of a large portion of its beauties, are to
+be attributed to the mistress, rather than to a gloomy and bloodthirsty
+king, as Pedro is represented to have been, and whose existence was
+totally unsuited to such a residence. In the Court of Dolls the portion
+of pavement is pointed out on which his brother Don Fadrique fell,
+slaughtered, as some say, by Pedro's own hand,--at all events in his
+presence, and by his order.
+
+This monarch, were his palace not sufficient to immortalize him, would
+have a claim to immortality, as having ordered more executions than all
+the other monarchs who ever ruled in Spain, added together. It appears
+to have been a daily necessity for him; but he derived more than
+ordinary satisfaction when an opportunity could be obtained of ordering
+an archbishop to the block. The see of Toledo became under him the most
+perilous post in the kingdom, next to that of his own relatives: but he
+occasionally extended the privilege to other archbishopricks. It is a
+relief to meet with a case of almost merited murder in so sanguinary a
+list. Such may be termed the adventure of an innocent man, who, seeing
+before him a noose which closes upon everything which approaches it,
+carefully inserts his neck within the circumference.
+
+This was the case of a monk, who, hearing that Pedro, during one of his
+campaigns, was encamped in a neighbouring village, proceeded thither,
+and demanded an audience. His request being immediately granted, no
+doubt in the expectation of some valuable information respecting the
+enemy's movements, the holy man commenced an edifying discourse, in
+which he informed Don Pedro, that the venerabilissimo San Somebody (the
+saint of his village) had passed a considerable time with him in his
+dream of the previous night: that his object in thus miraculously
+waiting upon him was, to request he would go to his Majesty, and tell
+him, that, owing to the unpardonable disorders of his life, it was
+determined he should lose the approaching battle. It was the unhappy
+friar's last sermon; for in less than five minutes he had ceased to
+exist.
+
+It stands to reason, that, owing to the retired habits of this friar, a
+certain anecdote had never reached his ear relative to another member of
+a religious fraternity. At a period that had not long preceded the event
+just related, the misconduct of this sovereign had drawn down upon him
+the displeasure of the head of the church.[11] The thunderbolt was
+already forged beneath the arches of the Vatican; but a serious
+difficulty presented itself. The culprit was likely to turn upon the
+hand employed in inflicting the chastisement. At length a young monk,
+known to a member of the holy synod as a genius of promise, energetic
+and fertile in resources, was made choice of, who unhesitatingly
+undertook the mission. He repaired to Seville, and after a few days'
+delay, employed in combining his plan of operation, he got into a boat,
+furnished with two stout rowers, and allowing the current to waft him
+down the Guadalquivir, until he arrived opposite a portion of the bank
+known to be the daily resort of the King, he approached the shore, and
+waited his opportunity.
+
+At the accustomed hour the royal cavalcade was seen to approach; when,
+standing up in the boat, which was not allowed to touch the shore, he
+made signs that he would speak to the party. The monkish costume
+commanded respect even from royalty, and Don Pedro reined in his horse.
+The monk then inquired whether it would gratify his Majesty to listen to
+the news of certain remarkable occurrences that had taken place in the
+East, from which part of the world he had just arrived. The King
+approached, and ordered him to tell his story: upon which he unrolled
+the fatal document, and with all possible rapidity of enunciation read
+it from beginning to end.
+
+Before it was concluded, the King had drawn his sword, and spurred his
+horse to the brink of the water; but at his first movement the boat had
+pushed off,--the reader still continuing his task,--so that by the time
+Pedro found himself completely excommunicated, his rage passing all
+bounds, he had dashed into the water, directing a sabre cut, which only
+reached the boat's stern. He still, however, spurred furiously on, and
+compelled his horse to swim a considerable distance; until, the animal
+becoming exhausted, he only regained the shore after being in serious
+danger of drowning. It may easily be imagined that the papal messenger,
+satisfied with his success, avoided the contact of terra firma, until he
+found himself clear of Pedro's dominions.
+
+Quitting the room--that of Maria Padilla (according to my conjecture) by
+the door which leads to the terrace, you look down on a square portion
+of ground, partitioned off from the rest by walls, against which
+orange-trees are trained like our wall-fruit trees, only so thickly that
+no part of the masonry is visible. All the walls in the garden are thus
+masked by a depth of about eight inches of leaves evenly clipped. In the
+fruit season the effect is admirable. The small square portions next to
+the palace thus partitioned off are laid out in flower-beds, separated
+by walks of mixed brick and porcelain, all of which communicate with
+fountains in the centres. The fountains, simple and destitute of the
+usual classical menagerie of marine zoology and gods and goddesses,
+whose coöperation is so indispensable in most European gardens to the
+propulsion of each curling thread or gushing mass of the cold
+element,--derive all their charm from the purity and taste displayed in
+their design. One of the most beautiful of them consists merely of a
+raised step, covered with _azulejos_, enclosing a space of an hexagonal
+form, in the centre of which the water rises from a small block of
+corresponding form and materials. The mosaic is continued outside the
+step, but covers only a narrow space.
+
+[Illustration: FOUNTAINS AT THE ALCAZAR.]
+
+The terrace stretches away to the left as far as the extremity of the
+buildings, the façade of which is hollowed out into a series of
+semicircular alcoves; there being no doors nor windows, with the
+exception of the door of the room through which we issued. The alcoves
+are surrounded with seats, and form so many little apartments, untenable
+during the summer, as they look to the south, but forming excellent
+winter habitations. Arrived at the extremity of the palace front, the
+promenade may be continued at the same elevation down another whole side
+of the gardens, along a terrace of two stories, which follows the outer
+enclosure. This terrace is very ornamental. From the ground up to a
+third of its height, its front is clothed with the orange-tree, in the
+same manner as the walls already described. Immediately above runs a
+rustic story of large projecting stones, which serves as a basement for
+the covered gallery, or lower of the two walks. This gallery is closed
+on the outside, which is part of the town wall. The front or garden side
+is composed of a series of rustic arches, alternately larger and
+smaller, formed of rugged stones, such as are used for grottoes, and of
+a dark brown colour--partly natural, partly painted.
+
+The arches are supported by marble columns, or rather fragments of
+columns,--all the mutilated antique trunks rummaged out of Italica. For
+a shaft of insufficient length a piece is found of the dimensions
+required to make up the deficiency, and placed on its top without mortar
+or cement. Some of the capitals are extremely curious. Among them almost
+every style may be traced, from the Hindoo to the Composite: but no one
+is entire, nor matched with any part of the column it was originally
+destined to adorn. Over this gallery is the open terrace, which
+continues that of the palace side on the same level. The view extends in
+all directions, including the gardens and the surrounding country; for
+we are here at the extremity of the town. At the furthest end the
+edifice widens, and forms an open saloon, surrounded with seats,
+glittering with the bright hues of the _azulejos_.
+
+From these terraces you look down on the portion of the garden in which
+the royal arms are represented, formed with myrtle-hedges. Eagles,
+lions, castellated towers,--all are accurately delineated. Myrtle-hedges
+are also used in all parts of the gardens as borders to the walks. It is
+a charming evening's occupation to wander through the different
+enclosures of these gardens, which, although not very extensive, are
+characterised by so much that is uncommon in their plan and ornaments,
+that the lounger is never weary of them. Nor is the visible portion of
+their attractions more curious than the hidden sources of amusement
+and--ablution, by means of which an uninitiated wanderer over these
+china-paved walks, may be unexpectedly, and more than necessarily
+refreshed. By means of a handle, concealed--here in the lungs of some
+bathing Diana in the recesses of her grotto--here in the hollow of a
+harmless looking stone--an entire line of walk is instantaneously
+converted into a stage of hydraulics--displaying to the spectator a long
+line of embroidery, composed of thousands of silver threads sparkling in
+the sunshine, as issuing from unseen apertures in the pavement they
+cross each other at a height of a few feet from the ground, forming an
+endless variety of graceful curves. Almost all the walks are sown with
+these _burladores_, as they are termed.
+
+A large portion of the grounds consists of an orange-grove, varied with
+sweet lemon-trees. The trees are sufficiently near to each other to
+afford universal shade, without being so thickly planted as to interfere
+with the good-keeping of the grass, nor with the movement of promenading
+parties. In the centre of this grove is a beautiful edifice,--a square
+pavilion entirely faced, within and without, with the _azulejos_, with
+the exception only of the roof. Around it is a colonnade of white
+marble, enclosing a space raised two feet above the ground, and
+surrounded by a seat of the same mosaic. The interior is occupied by a
+table, surrounded with seats.
+
+The subterranean baths, called the baths of Maria Padilla, are entered
+from the palace end of the garden. They extend to a considerable
+distance under the palace, and must during the summer heats, have been a
+delightfully cool retreat.
+
+This _alcazar_ is probably the best specimen of a Moorish residence
+remaining in Europe. The Alhambra would, no doubt, have surpassed it,
+but for the preference accorded by the Emperor, Charles the Fifth, to
+its situation over that of Seville: owing to which he contented himself
+with building a gallery over the principal court at the latter; while at
+Granada, he destroyed a large portion of the old buildings, which he
+replaced by an entire Italian palace. At present the ornamented
+apartments of the Seville palace are more numerous, and in better
+preservation than those of the Alhambra.
+
+Both, however, would have been thrown into the shade, had any
+proportionate traces existed of the palace of Abderahman the Third, in
+the environs of Cordova. Unfortunately nothing of this remains but the
+description. It is among the few Arab manuscripts which escaped the
+colossal _auto-da-fé_ of Ferdinand and Isabella, and would appear too
+extravagant to merit belief, but for the known minuteness and accuracy
+of the Arab writers, proved by their descriptions of the palaces and
+other edifices which remain to afford the test of comparison.
+
+The immense wealth lavished by these princes, must also be taken into
+consideration, and especially by the Caliphs of Cordova, who possessed a
+far more extended sway than belonged to the subsequent dynasties of
+Seville and Granada. According to a custom prevalent at their court,
+rich presents were offered to the sovereign on various occasions. Among
+others, governors of provinces, on their nomination, seldom neglected
+this practical demonstration of gratitude. This practice is to this day
+observed at the court of the Turkish Sultan, and serves to swell the
+treasury in no small degree. Abderahman the Third, having granted a
+government to the brother of his favourite, Ahmed ben Sayd, the two
+brothers joined purses, and offered a present made up of the following
+articles--accompanied by delicate and ingenious compliments in verse,
+for the composition of which they employed the most popular poet of the
+day:--Four hundred pounds weight of pure gold; forty thousand sequins in
+ingots of silver; four hundred pounds of aloes; five hundred ounces of
+amber; three hundred ounces of camphor; thirty pieces of tissue of gold
+and silk; a hundred and ten fine furs of Khorasan; forty-eight
+caparisons of gold and silk, woven at Bagdad; four thousand pounds of
+silk in balls; thirty Persian carpets; eight hundred suits of armour; a
+thousand shields; a hundred thousand arrows; fifteen Arabian, and a
+hundred Spanish horses, with their trappings and equipments; sixty young
+slaves--forty male, and twenty female.
+
+The palace near Cordova, erected by this sovereign, was called Azarah
+(the Flower) after the name of his favourite mistress. Its materials
+consisted entirely of marble and cedar wood; and it contained four
+thousand three hundred columns. It was sufficiently spacious to lodge
+the whole court, besides a guard of cavalry. The gardens, as was usual
+with the Arabs, formed the part of the residence on which were lavished
+the greatest treasures of wealth, and the choicest inventions of taste.
+The fountains were endless in number and variety. On one of the most
+picturesque spots was situated an edifice called the Caliph's Pavilion.
+It consisted of a circular gallery of white marble columns with gilded
+capitals; in the centre rose a fountain of quicksilver, imitating all
+the movements of water, and glittering in the sun with a brightness too
+dazzling for the eye to support. Several of the saloons of this palace
+were ornamented with fountains. In one, which bore the name of the
+Caliph's Saloon, a fountain of jasper contained in the centre a golden
+swan of beautiful workmanship--and over it hung from the ceiling a
+pearl, which had been sent from Constantinople as a present from the
+Greek Emperor to Abderahman. The mosque of this palace surpassed in
+riches, although not in size, the Aljama of Cordova.
+
+These were monuments worthy to have kings and caliphs for architects,
+for such they had. There is no doubt that the palace of Azahrah was
+planned and designed by the Caliph himself; and the founder of that
+dynasty, Abderahman the First, not only designed the magnificent mosque
+of Cordova, but presided daily over the progress of its erection.
+Possessed, as these sovereigns were, as well as all the well-born
+portion of their nation, of a highly cultivated education, the intervals
+of leisure, left them by war, were rarely thrown away in idleness.
+Abderahman the First was a poet, besides being a mathematician, an
+architect, and the first soldier of his time. Some of his writings have
+been preserved, and are among the Arab works collected and translated by
+Condé into Spanish. The following stanzas, addressed to a palm-tree,
+must be, as is always the case, still more beautiful in the original,
+although charming in the Spanish. The monarch of the Western Empire,
+after having vanquished his enemies, and pacified his dominions,--beloved
+by his subjects and by all who approached him, and possessed of the
+resources of science to occupy his mind, was nevertheless unhappy. He
+preferred his home in Asia to the splendours of an imperial throne in
+such a land as Andalucia. He caused a young palm-tree to be brought from
+Syria, and planted in a garden formed by him in the environs of Cordova;
+and it was his delight to sit in a tower constructed in the garden, and
+gaze at his tree.
+
+It was to this tree he addressed the lines thus translated:--
+
+ Tu tambien, insigne palma,
+ Eres aqui forastera.
+ De Algarbe las dulces auras
+ Tu pompa halagan y besan.
+ En fecundo suelo arraigas,
+ Y al cielo tu cima elevas,
+ Tristes lagrimas lloraras,
+ Si qual io sentir pudieras.
+
+ Tu no sientes contratiempos
+ Como io de suerte aviesa:
+ A mi de pena y dolor
+ Continuas lluvias me annegan.
+ Con mis lagrimas regue
+ Las palmas que el Forat riega,
+ Pero las palmas y el rio
+ Se olvidan de mis penas.
+
+ Cuando mios infaustos hados,
+ Y de Al. Abas la fiereza
+ Mi forzaron de dexar
+ Del alma las dulces prendas;
+ A ti de mi patria amada
+ Ningun recuerda ti queda;
+ Pero io, triste, no puedo
+ Dexar de llorar por ella.
+
+It is probable that on the occasion of the surrender of Cordova to
+Ferdinand the Third, the Moors destroyed their palace of Azarah, since
+they were desirous of acting in a similar manner at Seville, with regard
+to Geber's Tower. Perhaps from disgust at the idea that a monument, the
+beauty and grandeur of which had inspired them with a sort of affection,
+would be, being gazed at, trodden, and possibly disfigured, (as it
+turned out) by those whom they looked upon as barbarians, and who would
+not appreciate its perfection, they attempted to introduce a clause into
+the conditions of the surrender of Seville, stipulating the destruction
+of the tower.
+
+By way of testifying to the accuracy of the opinion they had formed of
+their adversaries, Saint Ferdinand was on the point of agreeing to the
+clause: when his son, afterwards his successor, Alonso el Sabio, perhaps
+the only Christian present, who felt sufficient interest in a square
+mass of masonry, to care how the question was decided, energetically
+interfered, affirming that a single brick displaced, should be paid with
+the lives of the whole population.
+
+This most perfect scientific monument left by the Arabs, for the
+possession of which, after the architect, Europe is indebted to Alonso
+the Tenth, we will presently examine, together with the cathedral, which
+was afterwards erected, so as to include it in his plan.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIX
+
+CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+We have visited the most beautiful edifice in Seville; we are now
+approaching the most magnificent. The native writers, participating
+somewhat in the character attributed to the inhabitants of their
+province, sometimes called the Gascony of Spain, declare this cathedral
+to be the grandest in the world. This is going too far; setting aside
+St. Peter's, and the Santa Maria del Fiore, the style of which renders
+the comparison more difficult, the Duomo of Milan, of which this
+building appears to be an imitation, must be allowed to be superior to
+it, externally at least, if not internally. Had they ranked it as the
+finest church out of Italy, they would not have been much in error, for
+such it probably is.
+
+No one in approaching, excepting from the west, would imagine it to be a
+Gothic edifice. You perceive an immense quadrangular enclosure, filled
+apparently with cupolas, towers, pinnacles of all sorts and styles, but
+less of the Gothic than any other. These belong to the numerous
+accessory buildings, subsequently annexed to the church; such as
+sacristies, chapels, chapter-hall, each subsequent erection having been
+designed in a different style. The cathedral is inaccessible on the
+south side, that which we first reach in coming from the Alcazar. It is
+enclosed here within a long Italian façade of about thirty to forty feet
+elevation, ornamented by a row of Ionic pilasters, supporting an elegant
+frieze and balustrade. We therefore ascend the raised pavement, which,
+bounded by a series of antique shafts of columns, surrounds the whole
+enclosure; and having passed down the greater part of the east end, find
+a small portal close to the Giralda, which admits to the church through
+the court of orange-trees. Before we enter, we will look round on this
+view, which possesses more of the Moorish character, than that which
+awaits us in the interior. Some idea of the general plan of these
+buildings will be necessary, in order that you may perfectly understand
+our present point of view.
+
+I mentioned above, that the general enclosure formed a square. This
+square, the sides of which face the four points of the compass, is
+divided by a straight line into two unequal parts, one being about a
+third wider than the other. The direction of the line is east and west;
+to the south of it is the cathedral, to the north, the Moorish court of
+orange-trees. The Arab Tower, now called the Giralda, stands in the
+north-east angle of the cathedral, and the small door, through which we
+have just entered, in the south-eastern angle of the court, is close by
+it.
+
+The court is surrounded by buildings; for besides the church on its
+south side, a chapel called the Sagrario, runs down the entire western
+end. The east side and half the north are occupied by arcades, which
+support the library, the gift of the son of Columbus to the cathedral;
+and the remaining half side by a sacristy. The buildings of the east and
+north sides lean against the old embattled wall on the outside. The
+chapel of the Sagrario to the west is in the Italian style. Avenues of
+orange-trees, and a marble fountain of a simple but choice design, are
+the only objects which occupy the open space. Throughout it reigns an
+eternal gloom, maintained by the frowning buttresses and pinnacles of
+the cathedral, which overhang it from the south.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL, SEVILLE.]
+
+A small doorway, near to that by which we entered the court, gives
+access to the cathedral at all hours. On entering an almost more than
+twilight would confuse the surrounding objects, did it immediately
+succeed the sunshine of Andalucia; and were not the transition rendered
+gradual to the eye by the deep shades of the orange court. As you
+advance towards the centre nave, this darkness aids in producing the
+effect of immensity, which is the next idea that presents itself. In
+fact the enormous elevation and width of the edifice is such as at first
+to overpower the imagination, and to deprive you of the faculty of
+appreciating its dimensions. It produces a novel species of giddiness
+arising from looking upwards.
+
+To arrive at the intersection of the principal nave and transept, you
+traverse two side naves, both about eighty-five feet in height, and
+spacious in proportion. The centre nave is a hundred and thirty-two
+feet, but rises at the quadrangle, forming its intersection with the
+transept about twenty feet higher. The ceiling here, and over the four
+surrounding intercolumniations, is ornamented with a groining of
+admirable richness. That of the centre quadrangle is here and there
+tinged with crimson and orange tints, proceeding from some diminutive
+windows placed between the lower and upper ceilings.
+
+After having sufficiently examined the upper view, the eye wanders over
+the immense vacuum of the transept, and rests at length on the bronze
+railings which, on the east, separate you from the high-altar, and on
+the west from the choir. These are superb.
+
+That of the Capilla Mayor rises to an elevation of sixty feet, and is
+throughout of the most elaborate workmanship. It is the work of a
+Dominican monk, who also executed the two pulpits. The choir forms, as
+usual, a sort of saloon, which occupies the centre of the church, that
+is, in this instance, two of the five intercolumniations which reach
+from the transept to the western portal. Passing round it, in the
+direction of the western doors, where the view is more open, the plan
+and style of the building are more easily distinguished. They are
+remarkably simple. The area is a quadrangle of three hundred and
+ninety-eight feet by two hundred and ninety-one, and is divided into
+five naves by four rows of pillars, all of about sixty feet elevation.
+The width of the centre nave and transept is fifty-nine feet, and the
+whole is surrounded by chapels. The distance between the pillars, of
+which there are only eight in each row, has the effect of generalizing
+the view of the whole edifice, and imparting to it a grandeur which is
+not obtained in the cathedral of Toledo, of almost equal dimensions;
+while the smaller and less gaudily coloured windows shed a more
+religious ray, and are preferable to those of Toledo, which,
+magnificent in themselves, attract an undue share of the observation,
+instead of blending into one perfect composition of architectural
+harmony.
+
+Immediately above the arches of the principal nave and transept, at a
+height of about ninety feet, runs a balustrade, the design of which
+consists of a series of pointed arches. Above it are the windows,
+reaching nearly to the ceiling. They are painted in rather dark tints,
+and afford no more than a sort of _demi-jour_, which at the east end
+decreases to twilight. Rather more light is admitted towards the western
+extremity, from some windows of plain glass, in the lateral chapels,
+without which the pictures they contain could not be viewed; but from
+this end the high-altar is scarcely discernible. The simple grandeur of
+this view loses nothing by the absence of all ornamental detail: the
+portion most ornamented is the pavement, composed of a mosaic of the
+richest marbles. About half-way between the portals and the choir, are
+inserted two or three large slabs, bearing inscriptions; one of them is
+to the memory of Christopher Columbus; another to his son. There are no
+other details to draw the attention until we visit the chapels, in which
+all the treasures of art are dispersed. A few pictures are scattered
+here and there around the eastern part of the building; all of them are
+good. A large one of Zurbaran, in the north transept, is a master-piece.
+It represents St. Jerome, surrounded by an assembly of monks.
+
+At the west end of the northernmost nave, the first door opens to a vast
+church, called the chapel of the Sagrario, already alluded to as forming
+the western boundary of the orange-court. It is nearly two hundred feet
+in length; in the Italian style; the orders Doric and Ionic, but loaded
+with heavy sculpture in the worst taste. After this a series of chapels,
+of a style analogous to the body of the edifice, succeed each other,
+commencing with that of San Antonio, and continuing all round the
+church. Several of them contain beautiful details of ornament, and
+handsome tombs. That of the Kings should be mentioned as an exception,
+with regard to the architecture, since its style is the _plateresco_. It
+contains the tombs of Alonzo the Tenth, and his Queen Beatrix, with
+several others. The most beautiful of these chapels is that of Nuestra
+Señora la Antigua, situated on the south side, below the transept. It
+forms a square of about thirty feet, and rises to an elevation of
+upwards of eighty. The walls are divided into stories and compartments,
+and covered, as is also the ceiling, with admirable frescos by Martinez
+and Rovera. At a side door leading to the sacristy, are two beautiful
+columns of _verde antico_. The high-altar is composed of jasper, from
+quarries which existed at the distance of a few leagues from Seville.
+The statues are by Pedro Cornejo; and there are handsome tombs let into
+the lower part of the walls. Four antique chandeliers, one in each
+corner, are designed with uncommon grace and originality. From the
+summit of a short column rises a silver stem, from different parts of
+which spring flat rods of the same metal, so slight as to bend with the
+smallest weight: they are of various lengths, and at the extremity of
+each waves an elegantly formed lamp. Each of these clusters assumes a
+pyramidal form, and produces a charming effect when lighted up on days
+of ceremony,--from their harmonizing with the rest of the decorations of
+the chapel, no less than from the elegance of their form.
+
+Some of the chapels of this side, and east of the transept, communicate
+with other buildings, erected subsequently to the principal edifice, and
+consequently not comprised in its plan, nor analogous to its style.
+Thus, after passing through the chapel called Del Mariscal, situated at
+the south-east of the apse, you enter an anteroom, which leads to the
+chapter-hall. The anteroom is an apartment of handsome proportions,
+covered, in the intervals of a row of Ionic pilasters, with a series of
+pieces of sculpture in white marble. The hall itself is magnificent. It
+is an oval of fifty-seven feet in length, entirely hung with crimson
+velvet enriched with gold embroidery. Another of the side chapels leads
+to the smaller sacristy. I call it smaller because it is not so large as
+that which adjoins the orange-court; but it is the principal of the two.
+It is a superb saloon, upwards of seventy feet in length by about sixty
+wide, ornamented with a profusion of rich sculpture. The architect was
+Juan de Herrera.
+
+From the floor to a height of about four feet, a spacious wardrobe,
+composed of large mahogany drawers, runs down the two longer sides of
+the room. These contain probably the richest collection that exists of
+gold and silver embroidered velvets and silks,--brocades--lace--scarfs
+and mantles ornamented with precious stones: all these are the ornaments
+belonging to altars and pulpits; robes, trains, and vestures of
+different sorts, worn on occasions of ceremony by the principal
+dignitaries. The cathedral of Seville is said to surpass all others in
+these ornaments.
+
+In this sacristy are contained likewise the treasure of gold and silver
+vessels, and basins; innumerable crosses, reliquaries, chalices, boxes,
+and candlesticks; and, in an upright mahogany case of about twenty feet
+elevation, lined with white silk, the front of which opens like a door,
+stands the Custodia--a silver ornament about sixteen feet high,
+including its base. On the day of the Corpus Christi, the Host is placed
+in this Custodia, and carried in procession through Seville. The silver
+of which it is composed weighs seven hundred weight. But it must not be
+supposed from this circumstance that the ornament has a heavy
+appearance. It is a tapering edifice containing four stories, ornamented
+by as many orders of architecture. The general form is circular,
+diminishing up to the summit, which supports a single statue. Each story
+rests on twenty-four columns, most of which are fluted, and all,
+together with their capitals, remarkable for their delicacy of finish.
+Among these are numerous statues of saints, in whose costumes precious
+stones are introduced. In that of the statue of Faith, which stands in
+the centre of the lower story, are some of immense value. This ornament
+was the work of Juan de Arfe, the Cellini of Spain.
+
+But the pictures are the richest treasure of this apartment. It is an
+epitome of the Cathedral, which may be called a gallery--one of the
+richest that exists--of the paintings of Spanish schools: consequently,
+according to the opinion of many--one of the best of all galleries. The
+pictures are not in great numbers, but they are well adapted to their
+situation, being the largest in dimension, and among the most prominent
+in value and merit, that have been produced by their respective
+painters.
+
+By the greater portion of spectators, the Spanish artists, of what may
+be called the golden age of painting, will always be preferred to the
+Italian; because their manner of treating their subject, appeals rather
+to the passions than to the understanding. It is the same quality which
+renders the Venetian school more popular than the other schools of
+Italy; and the Italian music more attractive than the German--Rossini
+than Spohr or Beethoven. I do not mean that the preference will be the
+result of choice, in an individual who appreciates the two styles
+perfectly; but that the difference I allude to renders the works of the
+greatest masters of Italy less easily understood.
+
+With all the intelligence and taste necessary for the appreciation of a
+picture of Raffaelle, many will have had a hundred opportunities of
+studying such a picture, and will nevertheless have passed it by,
+scarcely noticed; merely, because on the first occasion of seeing it,
+they have not immediately caught the idea of the artist, nor entered
+sufficiently into his feelings to trace the sparks of his inspiration
+scattered over the canvass. How many are there too careless to return to
+the charge, and thus to acquire the cultivation necessary to enable them
+to judge of such works, who the moment a Murillo, or a Zurbaran meets
+their view, will gaze on it with delight, for the simple reason, that it
+is calculated to strike the intelligence the least cultivated.
+
+The Spanish artists usually endeavoured to produce an exact imitation of
+material nature; while the Italians aimed at, and attained higher
+results. The object of the Spaniards being less difficult of attainment,
+the perfection with which they imitated nature passes conception. To
+that they devoted all the energies of their genius; while you may search
+in vain in the best productions of Italy, not excepting the school of
+Venice, the one that most resembles the Spanish,--for anything
+approaching their success in that respect. By way of an example, in the
+Spasimo of Raffaelle, we trace the operations of the mind, as they
+pierce through every feature of every countenance, and the attitude of
+every limb throughout the grouping of that great master-piece of
+expression; from the brutal impatience of the one, and the involuntary
+compassion of the other executioner, up to the intensity of maternal
+suffering in the Virgin, and the indescribable combination of heaven and
+earth, which beams through the unequalled head of the Christ; but there
+is no deception to the eye. No one would mistake any of the figures for
+reality; nor exclaim that it steps from the canvass; nor does any one
+wish for such an effect, or perceive any such deficiency.
+
+What, on the contrary, was the exclamation of Murillo before Campana's
+Descent from the Cross? This master-piece of Pedro de Campana is seen at
+the head of the sacristy of the cathedral. It was so favourite a picture
+with Murillo, that he used to pass much of his time every day, seated
+before it. On one occasion, his presence being required on an affair of
+importance, which he had forgotten, his friends found him at his usual
+post before the Descent; when, pointing to the figure of the Christ, he
+replied to their remonstrances, "I am only waiting until they have taken
+him down."
+
+Although Murillo admired this perfect representation of material nature,
+his own works are exceptions, in fact almost the only exceptions, to
+this peculiarity of the Spanish masters. He partakes, indeed, of the
+qualities of both schools in an eminent degree. In intellectual
+expression and delineation of the operations of the mind, he is superior
+to all his countrymen, but inferior to the first Italian painters. In
+the material imitation of nature, he is superior to the greater number
+of the Italians, but inferior to the other principal Spanish artists.
+There is, at Madrid, a Christ on the Cross, of his, in which he has
+attempted this effect--an effort he ought rather to have despised. The
+picture contains no other object than the figure, and the cross of
+admirably imitated wood, on a simple black, or rather dark brown
+background, representing complete darkness. After sitting a short time
+before it, you certainly feel a sort of uncomfortable sensation, caused
+by the growing reality of the pale and tormented carcass; but it is not
+to be compared to the Descent of Campana. There the whole group is to
+the life, and no darkness called in to aid the effect. The drooping body
+is exposed to a powerful light, and hangs its leaden weight on the arms
+of those who support it, with a reality perfectly startling.
+
+This picture is placed in the centre of the upper end of the sacristy,
+as being considered the best of those therein contained: but it is not
+without rivals. The few paintings placed here are first rate;
+particularly the portraits of the two archbishops of Seville, San
+Leandro, and San Isidore--two of Murillo's most exquisite productions.
+Some of the greatest compositions of this painter are contained in the
+chapels we have passed in review, where they serve for altar-pieces,
+each filling an entire side of a chapel. Of these large pictures, I
+think the best on the side we are visiting is the Saint Francis. The
+Saint is represented kneeling to a vision of the Virgin. It may
+certainly be ranked among Murillo's best efforts in the style he
+employed, when treating these celestial subjects, and which has been
+called his vaporous manner. To speak correctly, two of his three manners
+are employed in this picture, since the Saint is an instance of that
+called his warm manner.
+
+On the opposite or north side of the cathedral, in the first chapel
+after passing the door of the Sagrario, is the San Antonio. This is
+probably the greatest work of Murillo in the two styles just mentioned,
+and certainly the most magnificent picture contained in the cathedral.
+On the lower foreground is the Saint, in adoration before the Christ,
+who appears in the centre, surrounded by the Heavenly Host.
+
+No one but Murillo could ever have thus embodied his conception of a
+supernatural vision. On sitting down before this canvass, from which, as
+it extends across the whole chapel, no other object can draw off the
+attention, you speedily yield to the irresistible power of abstraction,
+and are lost in an ecstacy, nearly resembling that which the artist has
+sought to represent in the countenance and attitude of his Saint. The
+eye wanders in a sort of trance through the glorious assemblage of
+Heaven. The whole scene looks real: but it is only on taking time to
+study the details that you discover the prodigies of talent displayed in
+the drawing and finishing of this picture. An angel, suspended in front
+of the lower portion of the group, more especially attracts the
+attention. One leg is extended towards the spectator, the foreshortening
+of which is a marvel of execution.
+
+Over the San Antonio, as it does not reach to the ceiling, there is a
+smaller picture, representing the Baptism of Christ, also by Murillo. In
+a chapel at the south-west angle of the church, there are several fine
+paintings by Luis de Vargas, one of the founders of the school of
+Seville.
+
+In the choir, the collection of books for the chanting services is worth
+seeing. Of these immense folios, enclosed in massive covers, bound with
+a profusion of wrought metal mostly silver--may be counted upwards of a
+hundred. They are filled with paintings, infinite in minuteness and
+beauty. For the performances of the daily services and all duties,
+ordinary and extraordinary, within this edifice, more than eight hundred
+persons are employed. Five hundred masses are recited each day at the
+different altars: all of which taking place during the early part of the
+day, an idea may be formed of the business which goes on. Of the six or
+seven organs, I have heard three playing at the same time in different
+parts of the church; but so widely separated, as by no means to
+interfere with each other's harmony. One of them was one of the two
+great organs which face each other over the choir. These two play a duet
+once a year, on the day of the Corpus. The effect they produce is not so
+powerful as that produced at Toledo, but far more beautiful. At Toledo
+the two which correspond to these, are assisted on that occasion by a
+third, as powerful as both the others united, placed over the portal of
+the south transept, at an elevation of about seventy feet from the
+ground.
+
+Among the ceremonies of the cathedral of Seville is one sufficiently
+unique to be deserving of notice. _El baile de los seis_ (dance of the
+six), is performed by eight youths--probably by six originally--every
+evening during the feast of the Conception. It takes place in front of
+the high-altar, on which her statue is placed on that occasion. The
+service is one of especial solemnity; and, as such, accompanied,
+unfortunately as on all such occasions, by an orchestra of violins, to
+the exclusion of the organs. The singing commences at four o'clock in
+the afternoon, in the choir, and continues until half-past six, when all
+move in procession through the great railing, across the transept, and
+ascend the flight of steps which lead to the Capilla Mayor. Here they
+take their seats according to rank, on benches placed in rows from east
+to west, fronting a space which is left open down the centre, in front
+of the altar. The orchestra occupies a corner near the railing; and on
+the two front benches are seated--four facing four--the eight youths,
+dressed in the ancient Spanish costume, all sky blue silk and white
+muslin, and holding each his hat, also light blue, with a flowing white
+feather.
+
+The chorus now recommences, but speedily drops; when the orchestra
+sounds a beautiful air in the waltz measure. This is played once by the
+instruments alone, and joined the second time by the voices of the eight
+boys, or youths of the age of sixteen to eighteen; who, after having
+accompanied a short time, start to their legs, and continue in the same
+strain. At the next reprise they all, as if by word of command, place
+their hats on their heads, and one or two minutes after, the chant still
+continuing, advance, and meet in the centre, then return each to his
+place; advance a second time, and turn round each other, using the waltz
+step.
+
+After singing and dancing for about a quarter of an hour, the voices are
+exchanged for the sounds of castagnettes, which they have held all this
+time in their hands, and the measure becomes more animated; and thus
+they terminate the performance. The same ceremony is repeated each night
+of the seven; only varying the air of the waltz, of which they have two.
+
+This ceremony, now belonging exclusively to the cathedral of Seville,
+was originally performed in some other cathedrals; but has been
+gradually laid aside in all the others, having been found to occasion
+irreverent behaviour among a portion of the spectators. It was
+originally introduced among the observances in honour of the anniversary
+of the Conception, as a natural manifestation of joy; and such a genuine
+Spanish bolero would have been: but the slow time of the music, and the
+measured movements, adopted for the purpose of suiting the performance
+to the solemnity of the place, have changed the nature of the dance, and
+deprived it of everything approaching to cheerfulness.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XX.
+
+SPANISH BEGGARS. HAIRDRESSING. THE GIRALDA. CASA DE PILATOS.
+MONASTERIES. ITALICA.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+Mendicity is one of the Curiosities--and not the least picturesque
+one--of this antique country. There should be a Mendicity Society for
+its preservation, together with other legacies of the middle ages. An
+entertaining book might be filled with its annals and anecdotes.
+
+Nowhere, I should think, can beggary be a more lucrative calling. The
+convents having been the inexhaustible providence of these tribes, on
+their suppression the well-born and bred Spaniards consider the charge
+to have devolved upon them, in the absence of all possible legislation
+on the subject: and few, especially of the fair sex, turn a deaf ear to
+the mute eloquence of the open hand. Even a stranger, if possessed of an
+ear, resists with difficulty the graceful appeal of the well trained
+proficient: _Noble caballero, un ochavito por Dios._--A blind girl made
+no request; but exclaimed--"Oh that the Virgin of Carmen may preserve
+your sight!"
+
+The mendicants are classified, and assume every form of external
+humanity. Being in the coach-office near the Plaza del Duque, a tall
+well-dressed man, dangling a dark kid glove, entered, and, walking up to
+the book-keeper, after having carefully closed the door, made some
+communication to him in a low voice. The other replied in a similar
+tone, and they parted with mutual bows. I was puzzled on the man's
+turning to me and observing that the beggars were very annoying in
+Seville; but still certain my conjecture could not but be erroneous, I
+said "you don't mean to say that your acquaintance"--"Oh, no
+acquaintance; I never saw him before: he only came to beg."
+
+This species of _cavallero_ pauper should by no means be encouraged; he
+is not of the picturesque sort. Nowhere do the wretches look their
+character better than at Seville; as all admirers of Murillo can
+testify, without consulting any other nature than his canvass. But these
+consider they confer a sort of obligation on the individual they
+condescend to apply to. Nothing can exceed their astonishment and
+indignation when refused. Their great highway is the superb polished
+mosaic marble of the Cathedral; where they divide the authority with the
+embroidered dignitaries of the choir. It is useless to hope for an
+instant's leisure for the contemplation of this unique temple, until you
+have disposed of its entire population of ragged despots.
+
+A sort of chivalrous etiquette is observed, in virtue of which a female
+chorus is the first to form your escort from pillar to pillar. These
+dismissed, you are delivered over to the barefooted Murillos. There are
+two modes of escape. The rich man should go in with his two hands filled
+with coin, and distribute to all, even to many who will return for a
+second contribution before he has done. But if economical, you may
+attain the same end, and more permanently, by sacrificing four or five
+days to walking up and down the nave, without looking at anything, but
+simply undergoing the persecution of the mob. After the fourth visit you
+will be left in peace.
+
+These counsels I am competent to give you from dreadful experience; more
+dreadful from my having pursued a middle course. To one barefooted and
+rotten-scalped embryo brigand I only gave a two-_quarto_ piece
+(halfpenny) about equal in real consequence to twopence in England. If
+you have ever seen, in the era of mail coaches, the look of quiet
+surprise on the countenance of the well-fed charioteer, who, having,
+after the sixth or seventh stage, opened the door, and muttered from
+behind his _cache-nez_ the usual "coachman, gen'lemen" received a
+long-searched-for deprecatory sixpence from some careful knight with a
+false shirt-collar--you have noticed the self-same look, which was
+leisurely transferred by the urchin from the piece of copper in the open
+palm to my face, and back to the piece of copper.
+
+Instead, however, of restoring it to me, his indignation seemed to
+inspire him with a sudden resolution. He rushed to a kneeling Señorita a
+few paces distant, and interrupting her devotions by a pull at the side
+of her mantilla, he showed the coin in the open hand, while with the
+other he pointed to the culprit. If he meditated revenge, he should have
+made another choice, instead of deranging a garment, from the folds of
+which a real Andalucian mouth and pair of eyes, turning full on me,
+aimed a smile which, I need not inform you, was not dear at two
+_quartos_.
+
+Could such a smile have been natural, and the expression of mere
+curiosity, or was it intended for a death-wound, dealt for another's
+vengeance? and did the velvet language of those eyes signify a horrible
+"Pallas te hoc vulnere," in favour of the ragamuffin I had offended? At
+all events, the incident lost him a more munificent remuneration, by
+driving me from the spot, and expelling from my head, a project
+previously formed, of inviting him to my _fonda_ to be sketched.
+
+With regard to the oft and still recurring subject of Spanish beauty,
+you are hereby warned against giving ear to what may be said by
+tourists, who, by way of taking a new view of an old subject, simply
+give the lie to their predecessors. It is true, that in the central
+provinces, the genuine characteristic Moro-Iberian beauty is rare, and
+that there is little of any other sort to replace it; but this is not
+the case with Andalucia, where you may arrive fresh from the perusal of
+the warm effusions of the most smitten of poets, and find the Houris of
+real flesh and blood, by no means overrated.
+
+One of their peculiar perfections extends to all parts of the Peninsula.
+This is the hair; everywhere your eye lights upon some passing specimen
+of these unrivalled masses of braided jet; at which not unfrequently
+natives of the same sex turn with an exclamation--Que pelo tan hermoso!
+
+I surprised the other day a village matron, whose toilette, it being a
+holiday afternoon, was in progress in no more secluded a _tocador_ than
+the middle of the road. The rustic lady's-maid (whether the practice be
+more or less fashionable I know not) had placed on a stool, within reach
+of her right hand as she stood behind her seated mistress, a jug of
+fresh water. This did she lift, just as I approached, up to her mouth,
+into which she received as large a portion of its contents as could be
+there accommodated; while with her left hand she grasped the extremity
+of a mass of silken hair, black as the raven's wing, and an ell in
+length. Both hands now, stroking down the mass, spread it out so as to
+present a horizontal surface of as large an extent as possible, when,
+suddenly, from the inflated cheeks of the abigail, re-issued with a loud
+sound the now tepid liquid, and bathed the entire surface, which it
+seemed to render, if possible, still more glossy than before. The rest
+of the duty of the hands appeared to consist in repeatedly separating
+and replacing the handfuls, until the same proceeding was reacted.
+
+The entrance to the Giralda is outside the cathedral. Before we make the
+ascent, we will walk to the extremity of the Moorish enclosure of the
+orange-court, along the raised pavement which surrounds the whole. At
+the angle there is an antique shaft of granite, higher than the rest of
+those placed at equal distances along the edge of the pavement. From
+that point the proportions of the tower are seen to advantage, while you
+are at the same time sufficiently near to observe the details of the
+carving, and of the windows, with their delicately formed columns of
+rare marbles; and to lose in a great measure the effect of the
+subsequent additions, which surmount and disfigure the work of Geber.
+
+The Arabian part of the building is a square of about forty-five feet,
+and measures in elevation four times its width. The ornaments are not
+exactly alike on all the four sides. On the north side (our present
+view) the tracery commences at a height of eighty feet, up to which
+point the wall of brick is perfectly plain and smooth, with only the
+interruption of two windows, placed one above the other in the centre.
+The ornament, from its commencement to the summit, is divided into two
+lofty stories, surmounted by a third, of half the height of one of the
+others. The two first are divided vertically into three parts by narrow
+stripes of the plain wall. The centre portions contain two windows in
+each story, one over the other, making, with the two in the lower
+portion, six altogether, which are at equal distances from each other.
+The form of these windows is varied, and in all uncommonly elegant; some
+are double, with a marble column supporting their two arches, and all
+are ornamented round the arches with beautiful tracery, and furnished
+with marble balconies. At one of the balconies, the Muezzin, in
+Mahometan times was accustomed to present himself at each of the hours
+appointed for prayer, and to pronounce the sentences ordained by that
+religion for calling the people. The half-story at the summit is
+ornamented with a row of arches, supported by pilasters.
+
+On the top of the tower were seen originally, four gilded balls of
+different sizes, one over the other, diminishing upwards; the iron bar
+on which they were fixed, was struck by lightning, and gave way, leaving
+the balls to roll over; since which period they were never restored to
+their place.
+
+The additional buildings were not erected until the seventeenth century.
+They are not in themselves inelegant, with the exception of the portion
+immediately rising from the old tower, and containing the bells. This
+portion is of the same width as the tower, and appears to weigh it down
+with its heavy effect; on the summit of the whole, at about three
+hundred feet from the ground, is a colossal statue of bronze,
+representing Faith, holding in one hand a shield, and in the other an
+olive-branch. By means of the shield, the statue obeys the movements of
+the wind, and thus gives the name of Giralda (weather-cock) to the
+tower.
+
+An interior tower, rather more than twenty feet square, runs up the
+whole height of the Moorish portion of the building; between which and
+the external walls an easy ascent is contrived on an inclined plane. The
+necessity of introducing light throughout the ascent accounts for the
+different elevation of the windows and ornaments of the different sides;
+but the architect has so managed this difficulty, that no bad effect is
+produced in the external view. At the lower part of the tower the ascent
+is sufficiently wide to admit of the passage of two men on horseback
+abreast; but it becomes narrower as it approaches the summit. Queen
+Christina is said to have been drawn up in a small carriage. The walls,
+both of the inner and outer tower, increase in thickness as they rise,
+and as the ascending plane decreases in width: a plan which appears
+opposed to the principle usually adopted by modern architects.
+
+It is known that Geber was the architect of the Giralda, but no
+certainty exists respecting its date. The Spanish antiquarian Don
+Rodrigo Caro supposes it to have been erected during the reign of
+Benabet Almucamus, King of Seville, shortly before the appearance in
+Spain of the Almoravides; but this is no more than a conjecture, founded
+on the supposed wealth of that King, who possessed larger states than
+his successors, and who paid no tribute to the sovereigns of Castile.
+
+Immediately over the highest story of the Moorish tower is the belfry.
+The bells are suspended on the centre of revolving beams, which traverse
+the open arches of the four faces of the tower. They are consequently in
+full view, as they throw their somersets and send forth their lively
+clatter on a _dia de fiesta_.
+
+Their effect is very original, and as unlike as possible to the
+monotonous and melancholy cadence of an English peal. None of them are
+deep-toned nor solemn, but all high and sharp: so that being let loose
+in merry disorder, and without tune, they somehow appear to harmonize
+with the brilliant skies, just as the descending ding-dong in England
+suits the gloom of the northern heavens. Leave Seville, and never shall
+their tones steal on your memory without your being transported into a
+blaze of bright sunshine.
+
+In Spain the houses of the grandees are not called palaces, as those of
+the same rank in Italy are usually termed. There is not even an
+intermediate term, such as mansion,--still less the hall--abbey, or
+castle. They have the last, but only applied in cases in which it is
+correctly and legitimately applicable. The Arab expression _alcazar_,
+composed of the article _al_ and _cazar_, is so like the Spanish _la
+casa_ (the house), that, not having at hand a professor of Arabic to
+consult, I will risk the assertion that it bore the same meaning;
+notwithstanding the opinion of several French writers who translate it
+_château_. Chenier, author of the history of Morocco, derives it from
+the word Caissar, which he considers synonymous with Cæsar: but this
+derivation appears to admit of much doubt, as the word would signify the
+Emperor, instead of his residence. Supposing it to signify the house, it
+must no doubt have meant the principal, or royal house. At present the
+two words are admitted into the Spanish language as one, which is
+applied indiscriminately to royal town-residences, whether castles or
+not, as well as the term _palacio_. But a private residence of whatever
+extent is modestly termed a house.
+
+In this instance, as in many others, the proud contempt of high-sounding
+phraseology is common to Spain and England, where some of the most
+palace-like habitations are called Wentworth House, Hatfield House,
+Burleigh House: the very porters' lodges being sometimes such edifices
+as would claim the title of _château_ in some other countries. But this
+same haughty modesty is rather individual than collective, and does not
+prevail as applied to towns and cities. In public acts and addresses,
+and even in the most homely precautionary warnings placarded at the
+corners of streets or promenades, the form used is,--"The constitutional
+Alcalde of this heroic and very invincible town of Madrid, or Seville,
+forbids, or orders, &c.;" and still more splendid epithets are found for
+the nation in general.
+
+I don't know whether it has occurred to you that this progressive
+dereliction of consistency is universal in human nature, although it
+assumes a variety of forms. In the present instance modesty commences at
+home, as they say charity should.
+
+By the way, if charity should commence at home, together with the other
+affections of the heart, such as patriotism, then did the first Brutus
+make a mistake. If, on the contrary, his merit was great in sacrificing
+his son to his nation, it follows, that, in causing his entire nation to
+be butchered the first time they were guilty of any encroachment on the
+rights of the rest of the world, his glory would have increased in the
+ratio of one to some millions.
+
+He either acted on a principle of justice, or preferred the applause of
+his compatriots to the affection of his son. If, therefore, an
+opportunity was ever afforded him of doing the world the above-mentioned
+act of justice at the expense of his countrymen, and he abstained from
+it,--it being impossible to suppose a Roman republican capable of a
+dereliction of principle--it is clear that he preferred the applause of
+his nation to that of the rest of the world; and all becomes a question
+of taste. But what, you exclaim, has the first or any other Brutus to do
+with Pilate's house, the description of which is preceded by this long
+introduction? And was not his murder of his son benevolence itself,
+compared to the infliction of these digressions on your patience?
+
+The Casa de Palatos is a palace belonging to the Duke of Medina Cœli.
+One of his ancestors is said to have built it in exact imitation of
+Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, and to have obtained possession of
+a large quantity of the ornaments and portable furniture belonging to
+the ancient building, which, on the completion of his edifice at
+Seville, he established, each object in the place corresponding to that
+which it originally occupied.
+
+A lofty wall, filling the side of the small square, called the Plaza de
+Pilatos, and surmounted by a balustrade, forms the outer enclosure of
+the palace. You enter through a large plain arched doorway, and pass
+through a court, containing the porter's house, and other out-buildings
+devoid of ornament. A small door on the left leads from this enclosure
+to the principal court. Here you might imagine yourself still in the
+Alcazar. The ornament is in the same style; only the arcades are
+inferior in lightness and beauty. It contains, however, a fountain very
+superior to that of the principal court of the Alcazar.
+
+At the four angles are colossal statues of white marble, representing
+deities of the Grecian mythology. They are antique, and of Roman origin.
+Under the arcades a series of busts of the Roman emperors, are placed
+round the walls; the greater part of them are also antique. On one side
+of this court is the chapel, very small, and entirely covered with
+Arabesque ornament. At one side is placed erect against the wall a black
+cross, said to be a facsimile imitation of that actually carried by our
+Saviour, which occupied a similar situation in the palace at Jerusalem.
+Its length is about seven feet, and the thickness of the wood about four
+inches by two. Opposite to the cross is a Madonna by Raffaelle. As no
+light enters the chapel, excepting through a small door, and that placed
+under the arcades, and the picture is hung at a considerable height, it
+can only be examined by the aid of a ladder, which is kept near it, and
+then only very imperfectly. At the time the chapel was habitually used,
+it probably contained candles always burning.
+
+The great staircase is very ornamental and leads to several handsome
+suites of rooms. There is a colonnade on one side of the garden, under
+which lies a valuable collection of antique busts, columns, capitals,
+and fragments of all sorts, "in most admired disorder." The proprietor
+never visits this residence, and every part of it is in a very neglected
+state.
+
+Seville lays claim to no less a founder than Hercules. A magnificent
+temple dedicated to him is said to have existed on the spot at present
+occupied by the parish church of San Nicholas. Near it a statue of the
+demigod has been discovered, together with six columns, four of which
+are sunk so deeply in the earth that they cannot be brought to light.
+The other two are placed on lofty pedestals, and adorn the largest of
+the promenades of Seville, that called the Alameda. One of them is
+surmounted by the statue mentioned above, and the other by one of Julius
+Cæsar. Venus is also stated to have shared with Hercules the devotions
+of the Sevillanos. The existence of her worship in ancient times is
+placed beyond a doubt by the well authenticated martyrdom of Saints
+Justa and Rufina, condemned for refusing to do honour to the rites of
+that goddess, and to figure in her processions.
+
+These two martyrs to the Christian faith have pursued, on various
+subsequent occasions, a conduct calculated to afford a degree of
+advantage to an adversary, should he presume to accuse them of renegade
+propensities. They have manifested themselves determined protectors of
+the Arab tower, on every occasion of its being threatened with danger.
+Numerous instances are on record; the most remarkable of which, is one
+that has given rise to much controversy, and employed in more recent
+times the researches of learned men. The tradition states, that, during
+an earthquake, which took place in the year 1504, and of which a vivid
+description may be found at the end of a book, called the Regla Vieja,
+which exists in the archives of the cathedral--the two virgins were seen
+to support the tower and prevent it from falling, surrounding it with
+their arms, one on each side. It is also related that, on the occasion
+of a previous earthquake, that of the year 1396, voices were heard in
+the air, articulated by demons, crying, "Throw it down, throw it down;"
+and that others replied, "No, we cannot, for those villanous saints,
+Justa and Rufina, are guarding it." For these reasons it is usual, in
+paintings representing the Giralda, to place the figures of the two
+virgin Saints supporting it, one on either side; and a small model thus
+supported by images of the two martyrs, executed in wood, is carried in
+the principal religious processions. In all these representations, the
+figures stand rather taller than the tower.
+
+The hospital of La Caridad is one of the principal attractions to
+strangers at Seville; for in its chapel is contained the picture, which
+passes for the master-piece of Murillo. The chapel is narrow and lofty,
+and the picture placed as near as possible to the ceiling. A sight of it
+can only be obtained at an angle of about twenty degrees. But the aching
+of the neck is unheeded during the examination of this superb picture.
+It is called Las Aguas, the Waters. Moses has just struck the rock, and
+stands in a simple and dignified attitude. In the complete contentment
+of his countenance there may be traced a mingled expression of pity and
+gratitude, as he looks on the scene which follows his action. The artist
+has given proof of consummate talent in the choice and treatment of his
+subject; which afforded him a variety of grouping, of expression, and of
+attitude, of which few were capable of taking better advantage.
+
+This picture is a specimen of his natural style, and its success is
+considered, and I think justly, superior to that of any other of his
+works. The imitation of material nature is here carried to as great
+perfection as in many of his paintings; while at the same time nothing
+can surpass the poetry of the composition, nor the exquisitely
+harmonious grouping of the men and animals. In this last quality,
+Murillo is certainly unequalled. He seems also in this instance, to have
+reached the utmost limits of art in the expression of the countenances,
+throughout the different groups, whether employed in offering silent
+thanksgivings, or entirely absorbed in the eager effort to obtain for
+their parched lips a draught of the bright liquid. In the feeling
+displayed in these instances, and so well represented, there is, it is
+true, nothing elevated, but still it is feeling; and its materiality is
+amply made amends for, by the chief personage of the scene, in whose
+countenance nothing but the sublime can be traced.
+
+Had Murillo not painted this picture and the Saint Elizabeth of Hungary,
+Spanish art must have contented itself with the second rank, and Raphael
+would have continued without a rival. These pictures occasion regret
+that such genius should have employed itself during a long period, on
+works of a different sort. The San Antonio and a few others, were no
+doubt productions worthy of the painter of the Aguas, and a hundred or
+two others are magnificent paintings; but the time employed on some of
+these, and on a still greater number of less prominent merit, would have
+been more profitably devoted to the production of two or three which
+might have ranked with these giant creations of his talent.
+
+In viewing either of these compositions, the other speedily becomes
+present to the imagination, and forces you to draw a comparison between
+them. They have a sort of affinity in their subject as well as in their
+style. The sufferers of the St. Elizabeth, occupied with their torments
+and their gratitude, answer to those of the Aguas, engrossed also with
+almost parallel feelings. The Moses, tranquil and erect in the midst of
+the action which surrounds him, is the exact pendant of the majestic
+figure and compassionate countenance of the youthful princess,
+exercising her saintly charities. These pictures ought to be companions
+in the same gallery, were it possible for two such works to find their
+way into one and the same apartment. But that would be a consummation as
+hopeless as finding St. Peter's and the Duomo of Milan in the same town;
+Naples and Seville in one province, a London and a Paris in one country,
+an Ariosto and a Byron in the same language. It has more than once
+occurred to me, since I have seen these two pictures, that were
+Raphael's Spasimo and Transfiguration placed on one side of a room, and
+these two on the other, and the choice offered me which pair I would
+possess, I should never be able to come to a decision.
+
+Another large picture by Murillo, the multiplying of the Loaves in the
+Desert, is suspended opposite the Aguas, and at the same elevation. On
+attempting to examine it, you are forcibly reminded by certain acute
+sensations in the region of the neck, of the unnatural position it has
+so long maintained, and you leave this picture, together with two
+others, placed near the entrance of the chapel, for a subsequent visit.
+
+In the church of the Faubourg Triana, on the right hand after passing
+the bridge, are some excellent pictures, particularly a Conception by
+Murillo. The multitude of paintings left by this artist is incredible,
+when to all those scattered through Spain, France, and England, are
+added those preserved in this his native town. Almost all the good
+houses in Seville contain collections of pictures; and all the
+collections have their Murillos. There are no fewer than sixteen in the
+gallery of the Canon, Don Manuel Cepero; but this is the largest of the
+private collections, and the best, as it ought to be, since it is
+contained in Murillo's house. It is the residence occupied by him during
+the latter part of his life, and in which he died. Its dimensions and
+distribution are handsome. At the back of it there is a garden of
+limited extent, but in which not an inch of space is thrown away. Where
+there remains no room for choice flowers and orange trees, the walls are
+painted to prolong the illusion. The Canon possesses also several good
+paintings by Italian masters. I counted likewise four Rembrandts, and
+two of Rubens. Among the other private collections, that of the Alcalde
+Don Pedro Garcia is one of the richest; it contains a Santa Barbara of
+Cano, an exquisite picture. A Saint Joseph by Murillo, in the collection
+of the French Consul (a native of Seville) is admirable.
+
+In most of the churches there is sufficient of this sort of attraction
+to make them worth a visit. In the convents nothing is left; in fact
+they no longer exist as convents. There may be one or two remaining in
+Seville, but I did not hear of them. The monastery of Jeronimites, and
+the Chartreuse--both situated in the environs--were the most
+considerable religious establishments of Seville. They are converted,
+one into a school, and the other into a porcelain manufactory. This
+last, the Chartreuse, contains in its church and refectory, plentiful
+traces of its former magnificence. An Englishman has purchased the
+monastery with three or four acres of ground, containing the immediate
+dependencies; and he is occupied with the labours which necessarily
+precede its appearance in its new character, replacing the butteries,
+kitchens, storehouses, and cells, by rows of pudding-shaped
+baking-houses.
+
+He has, however, spared the chapel, which is to continue in its former
+state. All the stalls, the altar, and other immoveable furniture, remain
+as he found them. The pictures and statues had of course been
+previously removed. The woodwork is inimitable--the best I have seen in
+Spain; it would be impossible in painting to represent with more
+delicacy, the very texture of the drapery, the very veins of the hands,
+and hair of the beards--of figures of a quarter the natural dimensions.
+You are filled with astonishment, that the infinite patience necessary
+for this mechanical labour should have accompanied the genius which
+conceived and executed the incomparable figures and heads. The
+refectory, of which the ceiling is the principal ornament, is to be the
+great show-room for the display of the china. The fortunate manufacturer
+inhabits, with his family, the prior's residence--one of the most
+elegant habitations in the world: surrounding a court, which contains of
+course its white marble fountain and colonnades: and he is in treaty for
+the purchase of the orange-grove, the park of the monastery. This
+pleasure-ground is ornamented here and there with Kiosks, from which are
+obtained views of Seville, and the intervening Guadalquivir.
+
+On the confiscation of this monastery, several magnificent pictures
+disappeared, a few of which have since been placed in the cathedral. Two
+alabaster monuments, belonging to the family of Medina Cæli, were also
+removed; they are placed in a church at present under repair. They are
+erect, and fit into the wall; measuring about forty feet in height.
+Their upper portion is adorned with several well-executed small statues.
+
+The other convent--that dedicated to S. Geronimo, is situated on the
+opposite side of the river, about a mile higher up. It is not so
+beautiful as the Cartuja, but on a grander scale. The principal court is
+magnificent; it is surrounded with upper and lower arcades, respectively
+of the Ionic and Doric orders: the apartments and church are of
+corresponding extent; but have either been deprived of their ornaments,
+or were originally but sparingly decorated. A ci-devant governor of
+Seville--a general officer, very distinguished as a linguist, has turned
+schoolmaster, and taken up his abode here. The day of my visit happened
+to be the general's birthday, and a scene of much festivity presented
+itself. The schoolmaster's successor in his former post at Seville, had
+arrived, attended by the band of a cavalry regiment; and the great court
+having been converted into a ball-room, the marble arcades were made to
+ring with the thrilling cadences of the hautbois and clarionette--by way
+of a fitting afterpiece to the tragic chants of former days.
+
+The relatives and friends of the students were present, so that the
+youthful dancers were well-provided with partners. The performances were
+French quadrilles, English hornpipes, German waltzes, Russian mazurkas,
+and Spanish fandangos. I had arrived too late for the first part of the
+entertainment, which consisted of a bull-fight, for which a temporary
+arena had been enclosed. The bulls were what are called _novillos_--that
+is, scarcely more than calves; as the full-grown animals would have been
+more than a match for their juvenile antagonists.
+
+The ruins of the Roman city of Italica, to which I have already alluded,
+are situated four miles from Seville in ascending the river--and on the
+opposite bank. The whole town is underground, with the exception of a
+few houses in the part in which excavations have been made, and of the
+amphitheatre which occupies an eminence. No notice was taken in modern
+times of the existence of this buried town, until towards the end of the
+last century, when the remains of the amphitheatre, the only portion of
+the ruins which were visible, drew the attention of travellers: and the
+authorities of Seville received orders to commence excavating. The
+search yielded a large quantity of valuable remains; a temple was
+discovered, in the neighbourhood of which were found several statues and
+capitals of columns. A choice was made of the objects in the best state
+of preservation, which were forwarded to Madrid in order to form a
+museum. Large quantities of coins were also sent, and collections of
+household utensils, and ornaments. The Arabs, who did not consider these
+Roman relics worthy objects of antiquarian research, nevertheless had
+either discovered and laid open a large portion of the town, or were
+themselves its destroyers. From it they extracted the large quantities
+of marble columns and slabs with which Seville is filled. The mutilated
+statues, together with several funereal monuments, found in later times,
+and not considered deserving of the journey to Madrid, have been
+deposited in a large room in the Alcazar of Seville, where they are now
+exhibited.
+
+No record exists of the foundation of Italica. Its annals are traced to
+the time of Scipio Africanus, who, on the completion of his conquest of
+Spain, and the final expulsion of the Carthaginians, finding himself
+embarrassed by the number of wounded and sick among his troops,
+established them in this town under the protection of a garrison. He
+gave to the town its name of Italica,[12] its previous name being
+Sancius: the real situation of Italica has been the subject of much
+controversy. Like the Grecian cities, which claimed each to be the
+birthplace of Homer, several of the towns in the neighbourhood of
+Seville are candidates for the honour of being representatives of the
+ancient Italica; but ample proof exists of the identity of these ruins
+with that city.[13] The Historia general, written by Alonso el Sabio,
+book 1., chap, XV., speaks of Italica as a place of much importance in
+ancient times, in allusion to the invasion of a people called the
+Almunizes. He adds, in the antiquated Spanish of his time, "Las nuevas
+fueron por todas las tierras de como aquellas gentes avian ganado a
+España, e todos los de las islas quel oyeron crecieron les corazones por
+fazer otro tal, e ayuntaron muy grandes navios, e vinieronse para
+España, e entraron por cuatro partes. Los que entraron por Cadiz
+vinieron Guadalquibir arriba, e llegaron a Italica e los de la villa
+salieron e lidiaron con ellos, e los de fuera entraron con ellos de
+vuelta por medio de la villa, e mataron los a todos, e ganaron la
+villa." It is not clear what invasion is here alluded to.
+
+The town of Italica was one of the six or seven in these provinces which
+possessed the title of _municipia_; a superior one to that of _colonia_,
+from its involving the privilege of retaining its ancient laws and
+customs, while on the colonies those of Rome were imposed. It was among
+the cities which sheltered some of the earliest converts to
+Christianity. Its first bishop was the martyr Saint Geruncio, put to
+death in prison. The prison, being considered sanctified, from its
+containing the saint's remains, became subsequently the resort of pious
+votaries from all parts of the province. In the Mozarabic ritual there
+is a hymn for the day of this saint, one of the stanzas of which fixes
+the epoque of his life and martyrdom, at that of the apostles.[14]
+
+The centurion Cornelius, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, as
+converted by the preaching of St. Peter, was, it is said, a native of
+this city, and commanded a cohort raised in his native place.
+
+The date of the destruction of Italica, is as uncertain as that of its
+origin. The fact of its existence during almost the entire period of the
+Gothic dominion, is established, by the presence of its bishops being
+recorded at the different councils. It is conjectured that its
+destruction was the work of the Arabs, who were no sooner in possession
+of Seville, than they considered it imprudent to allow so large a town
+to be in the hands of enemies in their immediate neighbourhood. This
+supposition of Spanish antiquaries seems hazarded without sufficient
+reflection; since, in the first place, had the occupants of Italica
+occasioned the Arabs any uneasiness, nothing was easier than to occupy
+the place themselves; and secondly, the ruins bear strong symptoms of
+having been reduced to their present state by some convulsion of nature,
+rather than by human agency: not to mention the coins discovered in
+large quantities, which would not have been neglected by human
+destroyers. It is not likely that the destruction of so considerable a
+place by the conquerors of the province, at the time they were too few
+to defend it, would have been overlooked by their historians--who make
+no allusion to the event.
+
+The present appearance is that of a green undulating hill, which no one
+would imagine to be composed of the remains of streets, palaces,
+temples, and market-places. The upper portion only of the amphitheatre
+remains above-ground. Its form is slightly oval, nearly approaching to a
+circle. The greatest diameter is three hundred and twenty-five feet. It
+has twenty rows of seats, half of which are buried; each seat is two
+feet and a half in depth, and two in height. Part of the Podium remains;
+and enough of the entrance, to distinguish that it consisted of three
+large arches. It was constructed with Roman solidity. Nothing less than
+an earthquake could have toppled over the masses of masonry, which
+appear in their confusion like solid rocks. A very small portion of the
+ruins has been explored: and part of that, for want of being
+sufficiently cleared out, is again buried in earth, and the work is
+discontinued. The objects now above-ground, consist of five or six
+tessalated floors, two of which have been considered of sufficient value
+to be walled in, and locked up, but without being roofed.
+
+These ruins are well worth a visit, although the road to them from
+Seville, bears terrible symptoms of having been constructed before
+Macadam's day; perhaps even before that of the Scipios.
+
+At the distance of a few hundred yards from the nearest portion of the
+ruined town is situated the village of Santi-ponce, in which is the
+convent of S. Isidoro, of the order of St. Jerome. The church contains
+the tombs of Don Alonzo Perez de Guzman, surnamed the Good, and of his
+wife Doña Maria Alonzo Coronel, founders of the ducal house of Medina
+Sidonia. This family obtained from Ferdinand the Fourth, a grant of
+Santi-ponce and old Seville (Italica), with the district, and temporal
+and spiritual jurisdiction. Don Sancho had already rewarded the services
+and tried fidelity of Perez de Guzman by presenting him with the town of
+Medina Sidonia. An anecdote is told of him worthy of a Roman republican.
+Being governor of Tarifa under Sancho the Fourth, he had to defend the
+town against the Infant, Don Juan, who had revolted against his brother.
+This prince, learning that a child of Guzman was in his power, being at
+nurse in the environs of the town, sent for it; and, presenting himself
+before the walls, declared to the governor that he would kill the child,
+if the town were not immediately surrendered. Guzman replied by drawing
+his sword, and throwing it down to the prince, who had the barbarity to
+order the infant to be murdered before his father's eyes.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXI.
+
+PRIVATE HOUSES, AND LOCAL CUSTOMS IN SEVILLE.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+The greater number of private houses are situated in an interminable
+labyrinth of winding streets, between the Calle de la Sierpe, and Plaza
+de San Francisco and the city wall, which connects the Aqueduct of
+Carmona with the Alcazar. It is the South-eastern half of the city. To
+the west of the Calle de la Sierpe there are also a few streets
+containing private residences, but they are not in so large a
+proportion. Some of the most elegant are, however, on this side; which
+being less Moorish and more modern, is less chary of its attractions,
+and allows a part of its decoration to enliven the external façades;
+while its spacious doorways frequently open to the view of the passer-by
+a gay perspective of gardens and courts.
+
+The sunny balcony, crowded with a crimson forest of cactuses, is not
+more attractive to the sight, than the more mysterious vista beneath
+it, of retreating colonnades, mingled with orange and pomegranate trees,
+through which the murmur of the fountain is scarcely audible. Few cities
+present more charms to the wanderer than one in which the houses offer a
+combination so luxurious as is met with in the greater number of those
+of Seville. The cool summer rooms opening into the court, in which the
+drawing-room furniture is arranged on all sides of a fountain,
+plentifully supplied from the aqueduct of Carmona: and, on the upper
+floor, the winter apartments, chosen from their being better lighted,
+for the deposit of a collection of pictures and these almost always
+excellent,--and opening to the gallery; to which, during this season,
+the furniture having been removed from below, is placed, together with
+the work frames and portable musical instruments, on the side exposed to
+the sun. One sees these houses and their amiable and happy-looking
+inhabitants, and imagines there is no life to be compared to it. Yet the
+experiment may be made, and fail to answer the expectations of the
+stranger, who, confident in his discovery of the road to happiness, may
+have pitched his tent in the midst of these bewitching regions.
+
+Can it be fatality--or is it essential in human nature, to find ever the
+least felicity there, where it looks for the greatest? The experiment,
+I say, was made. An Englishman, possessing every advantage of taste,
+talent, and wealth, took up his residence here, resolved to devote the
+remainder of his days to the peaceable enjoyments of a literary and
+social life. Thanks to his literary propensities, we are enabled to
+judge of the result of the trial. In a book published by the person to
+whom I allude, we find that no one could be less satisfied with his lot.
+Seville and the Sevillanos meet with no mercy at his hands, and must, if
+we may judge by his dislike of them, have rendered his life a burden.
+
+This, however, is a single example, and insufficient to deter others
+from the attempt. It may be that this individual had not entered fully
+into the spirit of Andalucian existence. Every detail of life being here
+adapted to the place and its customs and climate, no custom can be erred
+against with impunity--that is, without the forfeit of some
+corresponding advantage.
+
+Seville presents two so different aspects during the two opposite
+seasons of the year, that to be well understood it should be visited at
+both. During the winter, the existence does not materially differ from
+that of the inhabitants of most other European towns; excepting that the
+intercourse of society is subjected to less formality. Cards of
+invitation are rarely made use of; and you are not, consequently,
+exposed to the annoyance of seeing and hearing your house invaded by a
+dense crowd, on a night you have appointed a month before, without any
+possibility of foreseeing whether you would be disposed or not on that
+particular night to undergo such a toil. These crowds are, I believe,
+unheard of in Seville; but those who are pleased in each other's
+society, know where to find each other; and without waiting for
+invitations, small circles are formed every evening, from which all
+crushing, fatigue, and intense dressing are excluded.
+
+The winter is also a more advantageous season for the stranger, who
+would be totally debarred by the summer heats from the activity
+necessary for the satisfaction of his curiosity, in visiting the objects
+of interest contained in and around Seville. On the other hand, the
+summer season offers to his contemplation the successful attainment of a
+mode of existence suited to the burning climate; a problem found to be
+solved but in few instances. The first and most essential arrangement
+appears to be the turning night into day, and _vice versâ_, as far as
+regards society and all locomotion. No one leaves his house until long
+after sunset, and visiting commences some hours later. The morning being
+consequently the time for repose, and the breakfast hour nevertheless
+remaining the same all the year round, the _siesta_ is very essential,
+and is judiciously placed between the dinner, which terminates at four,
+and the hour for movement--nine, when the Sevillano, refreshed by three
+or four hours sleep, and a fresh toilette, is infinitely better disposed
+for the evening's amusements than the denizen of more northern climes,
+who rises at that or a later hour from the chief repast of the day, and
+is put _en train_ by the less natural and less durable stimulants of the
+table.
+
+This mode of life presents other numerous advantages. A very prominent
+one is the inviolable division of time between society and solitude. We
+suppose the hour for rising eight,--immediately after the
+chocolate,--that of breakfast eleven. The intervening hours are
+solitary, and are frequently divided between the pillow and the
+toilette; while they are sometimes devoted to more useful occupations,
+and added to by earlier risers. From the family meeting at breakfast
+until the dinner hour, three, the time may be employed in business,
+reading, in fact, in every one's habitual pursuits. No intrusion is to
+be feared. No accursed idler lounges in to interrupt with his
+compliments, or gossip, your letter to your lawyer, or, if you are a
+lawyer yourself, that to your client; nor is the conscience of
+scrupulous porters burdened with the mendacious "not at home."
+
+These hours are sacred, and guaranteed by the very air, which renders
+the streets impassable, but leaves the cool court protected from the
+sun's ray by the _toldo_, (canvas awning spread at a level with the
+roof, and which is reefed up at night like a sail,) and refreshed by its
+ever-murmuring fountain and cool marble pavement, to the peaceable
+enjoyment of its owners. The female portion of the family are thus
+enabled to devote themselves to household occupations, or to their
+favourite employments, without having to undergo, until the second
+getting up in the evening, the fever of a complete toilette, which
+would, during the day, be insupportable. The time thus devoted to
+society, is amply sufficient; as it may be prolonged, as each party
+feels inclined, from an hour or two after sunset, until the returning
+rays drive all back to their cool retreat.
+
+The night of the festival of St. John is, in Seville, sacred, from
+remote time, to amusement and festivity. During the five or six hours of
+darkness accorded by the Midsummer sun, the banks of the Guadalquivir
+echo the gay melodious laugh, which enlivens the animated buzz of the
+crowd; and the morning ray gilds the upper windows of the deserted
+houses before their doors are opened to the supper-craving population.
+The rite practised on this occasion is marked by a simplicity
+altogether antique. The youth of Seville, that is the masculine
+portion, have provided themselves with small boxes, containing a sort of
+sugar-plum of exquisite flavour. One of these is held between the finger
+and thumb of the _cavallero_, from the moment he sets foot on the
+promenade. On the approach of a party of ladies he endeavours to
+distinguish, as far off as the gloom permits, the features or dress of
+an already selected object of preference; or, if still free to make a
+selection, some countenance possessed of sufficient attraction to
+determine his choice. On discovering the owner of either of these
+requisites, he watches a favourable opportunity, and approaching the
+lady, offers the bonbon.
+
+The _señorita_--of course unmarried--thus selected, is obliged to accept
+the compliment if properly offered, as well as the arm of the
+_cavallero_ during the rest of the night; and, on arriving at her house,
+he receives from her parents, or chaperon, as the case may be, an
+invitation to supper. Should the lady be desirous of avoiding the
+compliment, of the approach of which she is usually aware, she must
+exercise her ingenuity in putting obstacles in the way of the attempt.
+In this effort many are successful, since the peculiar mode of
+proceeding, obligatory on those who make the offer, affords certain
+facilities. The condition is not binding on the fair object of the
+compliment, unless the lips receive the bonbon immediately from the
+finger and thumb of the cavalier. This is a source of no small amusement
+to the _señoritas_ at the expense of strangers from other provinces of
+Spain. Conscious of being the object of preference of some young
+beginner, or stranger uninitiated in the mysteries of the rite--and who,
+let it be understood, does not happen to be an object of preference with
+them--they will afford him every facility of approach, and on receiving
+the present in the hand, will repulse without mercy the luckless wight,
+whose retiring steps are accompanied by peals of laughter from all the
+party.
+
+The month of June is likewise distinguished by the procession of the
+Corpus Christi. On this occasion all the principal streets are protected
+from the sun by canvas awnings; and from the windows of every house
+draperies are suspended, the materials of which are more or less rich
+according to the means of their respective proprietors. From an early
+hour of the morning, ushered in by sunshine and the gay orchestra of the
+Giralda bells, the vast marble pavement of the cathedral begins to
+disappear beneath the momentarily increasing crowd. Here all classes are
+mingled; but the most conspicuous are the arrivals from the surrounding
+villages, distinguished by their more sunburnt complexions and the showy
+colours of their costume, contrasted with the uniformly dark tints of
+the attire of the Sevillanos.
+
+Here are seen also in great numbers, accompanied by their relatives, the
+gay _cigarreras_, whose acquaintance we shall presently make in the
+_fabrica de tabaco_. The instinctive coquetry discernible, no less in
+the studied reserve of their looks than in the smart step and faultless
+nicety of costume, indicates how easy would be the transition to the
+quality of the still more _piquant_ but somewhat less moral _maja_. The
+black satin, low-quartered shoe is of a different material; but the
+snow-white stocking, and dark green skirt the same--and the black-velvet
+bordered mantilla is the identical one, which was held tight to the
+chin, when passing, the evening before, under the city walls on the
+return from the manufactory to the faubourg at the other extremity of
+Seville.
+
+The procession, headed by a band of music, and accompanied by the
+dignitaries of the diocese, and civil authorities of the province,
+bearing _cierges_, winds through the principal streets, and re-enters
+the church to the sound of the two magnificent organs, never heard in
+unison except on this anniversary. The exterior of the principal portal
+is ornamented on this occasion with a sort of curtain, which is said to
+contain upwards of three thousand yards of crimson velvet, bordered with
+gold lace. The columns of the centre nave are also completely attired
+from top to bottom with coverings of the same material. The value of the
+velvet employed, is stated at nearly ten thousand pounds.
+
+Christmas-day is also solemnized at Seville, with much zeal; but the
+manner of doing it honour presents more of novelty than splendour. At
+the early hour of seven the parish churches are completely filled. The
+organ pours forth, from that time until the termination of the service,
+an uninterrupted succession of airs, called _seguidillas_, from the
+dance to which they are adapted. On the gallery, which adjoins the
+organ-loft of each church, are established five or six muscular youths,
+selected for their untiring activity. They are provided each with a
+tambourine, and their duty consists in drawing from it as much, and as
+varied sound as it will render without coming to pieces. With this view
+they enter upon the amiable contest, and try, during three or four
+hours, which of their number, employing hands, knees, feet, and elbows
+in succession, can produce the most racking intonations. On the pavement
+immediately below, there is generally a group, composed of the friends
+of the performers, as may be discerned from the smiles of intelligence
+directed upwards and downwards. Some of these appear, from the animated
+signs of approbation and encouragement, with which they reward each more
+than usually violent concussion, to be backers of favourite heroes.
+During all this time one or two priests are engaged before the altar in
+the performance of a series of noiseless ceremonies; and the pavement of
+the body of the church is pressed by the knees of a dense crowd of
+devotees.
+
+The propensity to robbery and assassination, attributed by several
+tourists to the population of this country, has been much exaggerated.
+The imagination of the stranger is usually so worked upon by these
+accounts, as to induce him never to set foot outside the walls of
+whatever city he inhabits, without being well armed. As far as regards
+the environs of Seville, this precaution is superfluous. They may be
+traversed in all directions, at all events within walking distance, or
+to the extent of a moderate ride, without risk. Far from exercising
+violence, the peasants never fail, in passing, to greet the stranger
+with a respectful salutation. But I cannot be guarantee for other towns
+or environs which I have not visited. It is certain that equal security
+does not exist nearer the coast, on the frequented roads which
+communicate between San Lucar, Xeres, and Cadiz; nor in the opposite
+direction, throughout the mountain passes of the Sierra Morena. But this
+state of things is far from being universal.
+
+I would much prefer passing a night on a country road in the
+neighbourhood of Seville, to threading the maze of streets, which form
+the south-eastern portion of the town, mentioned above as containing the
+greater number of the residences of private families. This quarter is
+not without its perils. In fact, if dark deeds are practised, no
+situation could possibly be better suited to them. These Arab streets
+wind, and twist, and turn back on themselves like a serpent in pain.
+Every ten yards presents a hiding-place. There is just sufficient
+lighting up at night to prevent your distinguishing whether the street
+is clear or not: and the ground-floors of the houses, in the winter
+season, are universally deserted.
+
+An effectual warning was afforded me, almost immediately on my arrival
+at Seville, against frequenting this portion of the town without
+precaution after nightfall. An acquaintance, a young Sevillano, who had
+been my daily companion during the first five or six days which followed
+my arrival, was in the habit of frequenting with assiduity, some of the
+above-mentioned streets. He inhabited one of them, and was continually
+drawn by potent attraction towards two others. In one, in particular,
+he followed a practice, the imprudence of which, in more than one
+respect, as he was much my junior, I had already pointed out to him. A
+lady, as you have already conjectured, resided in the house, in
+question. My friend, like many of his compatriots, "sighed to many;" but
+he loved this one; and she was precisely the one that "could ne'er be
+his." She allowed him, however, a harmless rendezvous, separated from
+all danger, as she thought, by the distance from the ground to the
+balcony, situated on the first-floor. The lady being married, and
+regular visiting being only possible at formal intervals, these
+interviews had by degrees alarmingly, as appeared to me, increased in
+frequency and duration; until at length during two hours each evening,
+my acquaintance poured forth in a subdued tone, calculated to reach only
+the fair form which bent over the balcony, his tender complaints.
+
+The youth of these climes are communicative on subjects which so deeply
+interest their feelings; and whether willing or not, one is often
+admitted to share their secrets at the commencement of an acquaintance.
+It was thus that I had had an opportunity of lecturing my friend on the
+various dangers attending the practice in which he was persisting, and
+of recommending him--the best advice of all being, of course,
+useless--to revive the more prudent custom of by-gone times, and if he
+must offer nightly incense to the object of his fire, to adopt the mode
+sanctioned by Count Almaviva, and entrust his vows to the mercenary
+eloquence of choristers and catgut--to anything--or anybody, provided it
+be done by proxy. My warning was vain; but the mischief did not befall
+him exactly in the manner I had contemplated.
+
+His cousin opened my door while I was breakfasting, and informed me that
+L---- was in the house of Don G---- A----, and in bed, having received a
+wound the previous night from some robbers; and that he wished to see
+me. I found him in a house, into which I had already been introduced,
+being one of those he most frequented. A bed had been prepared in the
+drawing-room, all the window-shutters of which were closed, and he was
+lying there, surrounded by the family of his host, to whom was added his
+sister. As he was unable to speak above a whisper, I was given the seat
+by the bedside, while he related to me his adventure.
+
+He had just quitted the street of the balcony at about nine o'clock, and
+was approaching the house we were now in, when, on turning a corner, he
+was attacked by three ruffians, one of whom demanded his money in the
+usual terms, "Your purse, or your life!" while, before he had time to
+reply, but was endeavouring to pass on, a second faced him, and stabbed
+him in the breast through his cloak. He then ran forward, followed by
+the three, down the street, into the house, and up the staircase; the
+robbers not quitting the pursuit until he rang the bell on the
+first-floor. The surgeon had been immediately called, and had pronounced
+him wounded within--not an inch, but the tenth part of an inch--of his
+life; for the steel had penetrated to within that distance of his heart.
+
+My first impression was that the robbers were acting a part, and had
+been hired to get rid of him,--otherwise what were the utility of
+stabbing him, when they might have rifled his pockets without such
+necessity? But this he assured me could not be the case, as the person
+most likely to fall under such suspicion, was incapable of employing
+similar means; adding, that that was the usual mode of committing
+robberies in Seville. I left him, after having assured him how much I
+envied his good fortune; seeing that he was in no danger, and only
+condemned to pass a week or two in the society of charming women, all
+zealously employed in nursing him--for such was the truth--one of the
+young ladies being supposed, and I fear with justice, to be the object
+of his addresses.
+
+The ungrateful wretch convinced me by his reply (as we conversed in
+French, and were not understood by those present) that his greatest
+torment was impatience to escape from his confinement, in order to see
+or write to the other fair one.
+
+At the end of a week he was sufficiently recovered to be removed to the
+house of his family. From certain hints, dropped during a conversation
+which took place more than a month after the event, it is to be feared
+that the knife of the assassin, in approaching so near to the heart of
+his intended victim, succeeded, by some mysterious electric
+transmission, in inflicting a positive wound on that of the lady of the
+balcony.
+
+I afterwards learned that it was usual for those who inhabited or
+frequented this part of Seville, and indeed all other parts, excepting
+the few principal thoroughfares and streets containing the shops and
+cafés, to carry arms after nightfall; and in shaking hands with an
+acquaintance, I have sometimes perceived a naked sword-blade half
+visible among the folds of his cloak. These perils only exist in the
+winter, and not in all winters; only in those during which provisions
+increase in price beyond the average, and the season is more than
+usually rigorous: the poor being thus exposed to more than the
+accustomed privations.
+
+There are towns in which assassination and robbery are marked by more
+audacity than is their habitual character in this part of Andalucia. Of
+these, Malaga is said to be one of the worst, although perhaps the most
+favoured spot in Europe, with respect to natural advantages. An instance
+of daring ruffianism occurred there this winter. A person of
+consideration in the town had been found in the street stabbed and
+robbed. His friends, being possessed of much influence, and disposing,
+no doubt, of other weighty inducements to action, the police was aroused
+to unusual activity; the murderer was arrested, and brought before the
+Alcalde primero. A summary mode of jurisprudence was put in practice,
+and the culprit was ordered for execution on the following day. On being
+led from the presence of the court, he turned to the Alcalde, and
+addressing him with vehemence, threatened him with certain death, in the
+event of the sentence being put in execution. The Alcalde, although
+doubtless not entirely free from anxiety, was, by the threat itself, the
+more forcibly bound to carry into effect the judgment he had pronounced.
+The execution, therefore, took place at the appointed hour. The
+following morning, the dead body of the Alcalde was found in a street
+adjoining that in which he resided.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXII.
+
+INQUISITION. COLLEGE OF SAN TELMO. CIGAR MANUFACTORY. BULL CIRCUS.
+EXCHANGE. AYUNTAMIENTO.
+
+
+Seville.
+
+In the faubourg of Triana, separated from the town by the river, may be
+distinguished remains of the ancient castle, which became the
+headquarters of the Inquisition, on its first creation, in 1482. That
+body was, however, shortly afterwards, compelled to evacuate the
+building, by a great inundation of the Guadalquivir, which occurred in
+the year 1626. It then moved into the town, and, from that period to the
+close of its functions, occupied an edifice situated in the parish of
+Saint Mark. Its jurisdiction did not extend beyond Andalucia. The entire
+body was composed of the following official persons:--three inquisitors,
+a judge of the fisc, a chief Alguazil, a receiver, (of fines,) five
+secretaries, ten counsellors, eighty qualifiers, one advocate of the
+fisc, one alcayde of the prison, one messenger, ten honest persons, two
+surgeons, and one porter. For the City of Seville, one hundred
+familiars: for the entire district, the commissaries, notaries, and
+familiars, amounted to four thousand. The ten honest persons cut but a
+sorry figure in so long a list. Do they not tempt you to parody Prince
+Hal's exclamation "Monstrous! but one halfpenny-worth of bread to this
+intolerable deal of sack?"
+
+The Inquisition of Seville is of an earlier date than that of Toledo,
+and was the first established in Spain. It was likewise the most
+distinguished by the rigour of its sentences. The actual horrors of the
+inquisitorial vaults were, I imagine, in general much exaggerated. A few
+instances of severity, accompanied by a mystery, skilfully designed to
+magnify its effect, was sufficient to set on fire the inflammable
+imaginations of these sunny regions, and to spread universal terror. It
+was on finding these means insufficient for the extirpation of religious
+dissent, that, at length, executions were decreed by wholesale. Rather
+than give credit to the voluminous list of the secret cruelties, which
+were supposed by many to be exercised by the midnight tribunals, and
+which could have no adequate object, since a conversion brought about by
+such means could not, when known, profit the cause. I think it probable
+that all acts of severity were made as public as possible, in order to
+employ the terror they inspired as a means of swelling the ranks of
+Catholicism.
+
+My opinion is in some measure backed by what occurred at Toledo. On the
+Inquisition of that city being dislodged from its palace,--now the seat
+of the provincial administration,--it was expected that the exploration
+of the subterraneous range of apartments, known to be extensive, would
+bring to light a whole Apocalypse of horrors; and all who had interest
+enough to obtain admission, pressed in crowds to be present at the
+opening. The disappointment was immense on finding not a single piece of
+iron, not the shadow of a skeleton, not a square inch of bloodstain.
+Each individual, however, during the permanence of these tribunals,
+lived in awe of their power; and the daily actions of thousands were
+influenced by the fear of becoming the victims of their cruelties,
+whether real or imaginary.
+
+The terror which surrounded the persons of their agents invested them
+with a moral power, which frequently rendered them careless of the
+precaution of physical force in cases where it would have appeared to be
+a necessary instrument in the execution of their designs. This
+confidence was once well-nigh fatal to two zealous defenders of the
+faith. The Archbishop of Toledo, subsequently Cardinal Ximenes de
+Cisneros being on a visit at the residence of his brother of the see of
+Granada, it occurred to them during an after-dinner conversation that,
+could they accomplish the immediate conversion of the few thousands of
+Moors remaining in Granada, it would be the means of rendering a signal
+service to the Catholic Roman Apostolic religion.
+
+Inflamed with a sudden ardour, and rendered doubly fearless of results
+by the excellence of the archiepiscopal repast, they resolved that the
+project should be put in execution that very evening.
+
+Ever since the Conquest of Granada, a portion of the city had been
+appropriated to the Moors who thought proper to remain; and who received
+on that occasion the solemn assurance that no molestation would be
+offered to their persons or property, nor impediment thrown in the way
+of their worship. Their part of the town was called the Albaycin, and
+was separated from the rest by a valley. It contained some twenty to
+thirty thousand peaceably disposed inhabitants.
+
+The two enterprising archbishops, their plan being matured (although
+insufficiently, as will appear) repaired to a house bordering on the
+Moorish quarter; and, calling together all the Familiars of the
+Inquisition who could be met with on the spur of the occasion, divided
+them into parties, each of a certain force, and dispatched them on
+their errand, which was, to enter the houses of the infidels, and to
+intimate to the principal families the behest of the prelates, requiring
+them by break of day, to abjure the errors of their creed, and to
+undergo the ceremony of baptism.
+
+But in order that so meritorious a work should meet with the least
+possible delay, all the children under a certain age were to be conveyed
+instantaneously to the house occupied by the Archbishops, in order that
+they might be baptised at once.
+
+The agents opened the campaign, and had already made away with a certain
+number of terrified infants, whose souls were destined to be saved thus
+unceremoniously, when the alarm began to spread; and, at the moment when
+the two dignitaries, impatient to commence operations, were inquiring
+for the first batch of unfledged heretics, an unexpected confusion of
+sounds was heard to proceed simultaneously from all sides of the house,
+and to increase rapidly in clearness and energy: and some of the
+attendants, entering, with alarm depicted on their countenances,
+announced that a few hundred armed Moors had surrounded the house, and
+were searching for an entrance.
+
+It now, for the first time, occurred to the confederates, that
+difficulties might possibly attend the execution of their project; and
+their ardour having had nearly time to cool, Archbishop Ximenes, a
+personage by no means wanting in prudence and energy, during his moments
+of reason, employed the first instants of the siege in taking what
+precautions the circumstances admitted. He next proceeded to indite a
+hasty line, destined for the sovereigns Ferdinand and Isabella, who were
+journeying in the province, to inform them of his situation, and request
+immediate assistance. A black slave was selected to be the bearer of the
+letter: but, thinking to inspire him with greater promptitude and zeal,
+an attendant thrust into his hand a purse of money together with the
+document.
+
+The effect of this was the opposite to that which was intended. The
+negro treated himself at every house of entertainment on his road;
+until, before he had half accomplished his journey, he was totally
+incapacitated for further progress. This circumstance could not,
+however, influence the fate of the besieged prelates; who would have had
+time to give complete satisfaction to the offended Moors before the King
+could receive the intelligence. Fortunately for them, the news had
+reached the governor of Granada, a general officer in whose religious
+zeal they had not had sufficient confidence to induce them to apply to
+him for aid in the emergency. That officer, on hearing the state of
+things, sent for a body of troops stationed at a neighbouring village,
+to whose commander he gave orders to place a guard, for the protection
+at the same time of the churchmen from violent treatment, and of the
+Moors from every sort of molestation. This adventure of the Archbishop
+drew upon him the temporary displeasure of the Court.
+
+[Illustration: PORTAL OF SAN TELMO, SEVILLE.]
+
+The public buildings of Seville are on as grand a scale as those of some
+of the principal capitals of Europe. The college of San Telmo, fronting
+the Christina-gardens, is composed of two large quadrangles, behind a
+façade of five or six hundred feet in length, the centre of which is
+ornamented by a portal of very elaborate execution in the _plateresco_
+style. The architect, Matias de Figueroa, has literally crammed the
+three stories with carved columns, inscriptions, balconies, statues
+single and grouped, arches, medallions, wreaths, friezes. Without
+subjecting it to criticism on the score of purity, to which it makes no
+pretension, it certainly is rich in its general effect, and one of the
+best specimens of its style. This college was founded for the
+instruction of marine cadets, and for that reason named after S. Telmo,
+who is adopted by the mariners for their patron and advocate, as Santa
+Barbara is by the land artillery. He was a Dominican friar, and is
+recorded to have exercised miraculous influence on the elements, and
+thereby to have preserved the lives of a boatful of sailors, when on the
+point of destruction. The gardens in front of this building are situated
+between the river and the town walls. They are laid out in flower beds
+and walks. In the centre is a raised platform of granite, forming a
+long square of about an acre or more in extent, surrounded with a seat
+of white marble. It is entered at each end by an ascent of two or three
+steps. This is called the Salon, and on Sundays and Feast-days is the
+resort of the society of Seville. In the winter the hour of the
+promenade is from one to three o'clock; in the summer, the hours which
+intervene between sunset and supper. During winter as well as summer,
+the scent of the flowers of the surrounding gardens fills the Salon,
+than which it is difficult to imagine a more charming promenade.
+
+The cigar manufactory is also situated outside the walls. It is a modern
+edifice of enormous dimensions, and not inelegant. In one of the rooms
+between two and three hundred _cigareras_, girls employed in rolling
+cigars, are seen at work, and heard likewise; for, such a Babel of
+voices never met mortal ear, although familiar with the music of the
+best furnished rookeries. The leaden roof, which covers the whole
+establishment, furnishes a promenade of several acres.
+
+I am anxious to return to the interior of Seville, in order to introduce
+you to the Lonja; but we must not omit the Plaza de los Toros, (bull
+circus,) situated likewise outside the walls, and in view of the river.
+It is said to be the handsomest in Spain, as well as the largest. In
+fact it ought to be the best, as belonging to the principal city of the
+especial province of _toreadores_. It is approached by the gate nearest
+to the cathedral, and which deserves notice, being the handsomest gate
+of Seville. The principal entrance to the Plaza is on the opposite side
+from the town, where the building presents a large portion of a circle,
+ornamented with plain arches round the upper story. This upper portion
+extends only round a third part of the circus, which is the extent of
+the part completed with boxes and galleries, containing the higher class
+seats. All the remainder consists of an uniform series of retreating
+rows of seats, in the manner of an amphitheatre, sufficient for the
+accommodation of an immense multitude. These rows of seats are continued
+round the whole circus: but those beneath the upper building are not
+accessible to the same class of spectators as the others--the price of
+the place being different. This is regulated by the position with regard
+to the sun, the shaded seats being the dearest. The upper story consists
+of an elegant gallery, ornamented with a colonnade, in the centre of
+which the box of the president is surmounted by a handsomely decorated
+arch.
+
+The circus, measured from the outside, is about two hundred and fifty
+feet in diameter. Those who are desirous of witnessing to what lengths
+human enthusiasm may be carried, should see a representation in this
+Plaza. With seven prime bulls from La Ronda, and a quadrille of Seville
+_toreros_--the enormous circumference as full as it can hold, (as it
+always is,) it is one of the most curious sights that can be met with.
+
+The origin of this amusement is not easy to be ascertained. It was
+undoubtedly in vogue among the Spanish Arabs, and probably originated in
+the time of the Goths, on the falling off of the representations of the
+Roman amphitheatres for want of a sufficient supply of wild beasts. In
+times not very remote, it had become principally an amateur performance,
+and the _toreros_ were men of rank, who made choice of this arena,
+subsequently to the falling into disuse of the lists, in order to
+exhibit their daring and dexterity before the objects of their flame.
+The science is still studied by the greater part of the Spanish youth;
+just as, in England, the custom is maintained of receiving instruction
+in pugilism; but an amateur is rarely seen in these days to figure in a
+public arena.
+
+The intense interest which absorbs the feelings of those present at
+these representations, affords a faint notion of what must have been the
+attractions of a Roman circus, in which combats were sustained by
+hundreds of wild beasts. In the bull-fight--sustained by a single
+animal, the interest would not probably be excited by the mere contest
+for life which takes place between the man and the brute, and of which
+the ultimate result is foreseen. It would, on the contrary, often yield
+to the disgust produced by the needless massacre of the horses; were it
+not that the graceful performance of the _toreros_, and their elegant
+costume, so well calculated to set off the symmetry of their form, first
+draws the attention, which, once fixed, is gradually absorbed by the
+progress of the contest, and at length irresistibly won by the variety
+of unforeseen incidents which follow in rapid succession.
+
+Frequenters of theatres have been seen to fall asleep during the most
+stirring scene of a melodrame; and a continual murmur of conversation
+usually forms a running accompaniment to the voices of opera singers;
+but no one was ever detected slumbering in a _plaza de toros_; nor is a
+remark uttered that does not relate to the performance. This difference
+may probably be explained by the superior attraction of the _imprévu_.
+In the playhouse not only is the event known beforehand, but also every
+incident by which it is preceded; whereas, throughout a _corrida de
+toros_ nothing can be foreseen. No one knows, during the present minute,
+whether the next will give birth to the direst of tragedies, or to the
+most exhilarating farce.
+
+At Madrid the representations are inferior to those at Seville. They are
+able, it is true, to procure as fierce bulls; but they are brought from
+a considerable distance, and are much more expensive. The principal
+inferiority consists in the men, who at Madrid are wanting in the
+rapidity of eye, and careless courage of the Andaluz. On the entrance of
+a bull on the arena, whose attitude gives promise of an animated course,
+almost all the Madrid _toreros_, (I have seen all,) will, at his first
+onset, disappear simultaneously over the _barrera_. The _barrera_ is the
+enclosure of stout planks, strengthened by posts, which separates the
+performers from the spectators. It is about six feet in height. At a
+height of three feet a projecting ledge runs round the whole, upon
+which, in vaulting over, the _toreador_ places his foot. Behind this
+enclosure an open space of four feet in width is left, and serves as a
+refuge for those who are hard pressed. Very different is the graceful
+and careless attitude with which the Andaluz awaits the approach of the
+infuriated brute, and quietly springs aside with a flourish of his
+mantle of silk, while he knows there are others at hand to draw off the
+animal's attention.
+
+With the exception of the _Toros_ the public amusements of Seville are
+limited to the balls at the Lonja during the Carnival, and to the opera.
+The opera varies its own pleasures, while it distributes its favours
+between the two western capitals of the province. From midsummer to
+midwinter Cadiz receives her share of melody, and the remaining six
+months are bestowed on Seville. Xeres has, I believe, a company to
+itself, supplied by a different _impresario_.
+
+The Rossi is an excellent _primera dama_, although wanting in animation;
+and Comfortini is by no means a bad tenor. The second tenor, Tosi, is
+said to be ambitious of displaying his somewhat exaggerated attitudes on
+the boards of the Haymarket. There is a deficiency of _ensemble_, since
+the severe discipline necessary for obtaining that result does not
+accord with the genius of the place--or perhaps an unexceptionable
+_maestro de capella_ is too expensive a luxury to suit the Seville
+purses. However this may be, the easy inhabitants, who hear the same
+opera frequently six times in a week, and would hear it seven times had
+not the performers a holiday on Saturday--may be taken grievous
+liberties with before they utter a complaint. They, in fact, look upon
+the performance chiefly as an excuse for resorting to this their
+habitual lounge.
+
+The Barbiere di Seviglia should, however, be witnessed here by every
+amateur. It is only here that justice is done to the _libretto_ of
+Rossini's masterpiece. Figaro becomes a real barber, and scorns all
+velvets and finery; and Almaviva leaves his court-dress at home, and
+takes a good _capa_ of _paño pardo_ for his nocturnal excursions. The
+scenery represents the actual streets of Seville. Local customs are
+introduced, and local expressions interspersed in the Italian dialogue.
+On this occasion one spirit animates boxes, lunetas, orchestra, and
+stage. At the opening note of the first melody the allegro, passing like
+electricity from the corner of the page through the eye, brain, and arm
+of the leader, appears as though it spirted like wildfire from the
+extremity of his bow over stage, boxes, stalls, and galleries, lighting
+up in an instant all eyes with animation and pleasure.
+
+In the scene of old Bartolo's discomfiture the melodies of the _maestro_
+are totally extinguished beneath the din of overturned tables and
+chairs, and cracking furniture; and the joyous exclamations of the
+entire assembly, unite with the jibes of the actors, and seem to pursue
+the poor old guardian with one overwhelming peal of derision.
+
+But it is only in this one instance that representations come off in
+such a manner. On the contrary, the company exhibit habitually all the
+aristocratic _nonchalance_ of larger capitals. Their business there is
+society. It is there that _les affaires de cœur_ hold their Royal
+Exchange; and observation, conjecture, and speculation,--but usually
+without ill-nature,--sufficiently occupy those who are not actors in
+this general by-play. The youth of these climes do not put in practice
+the same arts of concealment and reserve as are adopted in colder
+cities; but each, unconscious of evil, makes for the box of his
+_enamorata_; or, if that is impossible, for the nearest vacant
+situation. Advise, therefore, any friend who may intend visiting
+Seville, not hastily to pay his visit of curiosity to the opera, but to
+wait, if possible, until offered a seat by some _habituée_ in her box.
+This _Senora_ may possibly not have any _affaire_ of her own on hand; in
+fact the married ladies of course form an exception, if not in all
+cases, at least as far as regards such undisguised manifestations of
+preference:--in this case she will take delight in putting him _au fait_
+of all those that are going forward.
+
+If in a conversable humour she will do more. Commencing with the
+nearest, or the most conspicuous of the performers in these mute dramas,
+she will relate to him the vicissitudes of the respective histories up
+to the time then present, and the probabilities which each case may
+suggest for the future. Thus your friend, instead of having sacrificed
+an entire evening to the dubious amusement of following the plot of a
+single opera, which may have been a bad one, or interpreted by bad
+actors, will return to rest with some score of plots and romances
+filling all the corners of his memory--all possessing the zest of
+reality and actuality, as he will have contemplated the heroes and
+heroines in their mortal shape, and clothed in indisputable _capas_ and
+_mantillas_; besides, another advantage which these romances will
+possess over all the popular and standard novels--that of omitting the
+most insipid chapter of all, the one containing the _dénouement_.
+
+There only remain two public buildings worthy of notice; but they are
+such as to rank among the most remarkable of Spain. The Lonja (Exchange)
+was erected during the reign of Philip the Second, in the year 1583, by
+Juan de Herrera. At this period the excesses committed in all parts of
+Spain by the architects, no longer restrained by rule of any sort, had
+brought about a salutary effect, after a sufficiently lengthened surfeit
+of extravagance. Herrera took the lead in the reaction, and followed the
+more correct models of art.
+
+Among the authors of some of the most lamentable specimens of aberration
+of style scattered throughout Spain, are found several names high in
+rank among the painters of the best period. These artists, desirous of
+emulating some of the great masters of Italy, who had attained equal
+superiority in architecture, painting, and sculpture, risked their
+reputation in these different pursuits with greater confidence than just
+appreciation of their peculiar genius. At the head of them was Alonzo
+Cano, one of the most distinguished painters of the schools of
+Andalucia; and who has been called the Guido of Spain. He may certainly
+lay a more legitimate claim to that title than to that of the Michael
+Angelo of Spain, accorded to him by some of the less judicious of his
+admirers for no other reason than that of his combining the three above
+mentioned arts.
+
+His paintings are characterized by a peculiar delicacy of manner,
+correct drawing, and exquisite finish. The sickly paleness of his flesh
+is sometimes unpleasing, and his personages are gainers by the addition
+of drapery, in the arrangement of which he approaches to the excellence
+of the best Italian schools. The life of this artist was varied by more
+adventure than usually falls to the lot of those of his profession. His
+talent as a painter had already become celebrated while he was still a
+monk, having taken the vows very early in life. He had been from the
+first an enemy to the subordination of the cloister, and at length a
+series of irregularities led to his expulsion from his monastery.
+
+Alonzo was not, however, the original inventor of this eccentric style.
+A Roman architect, Francisco Borromini, the rival of Bernini, and of
+whom it was said, that he was the first of his time in elevation of
+genius, and the last in the employment of it,--is supposed to have first
+introduced it. Followers and imitators of these sprung up in great
+numbers, and Spain was speedily inundated with extravagancies: façades,
+moulded into more sinuosities than a labyrinth,--cornices, multiplying
+their angles like a saw, murderously amputated columns, and
+broken-backed pediments. Juan de Herrera was not, probably, possessed of
+more talent than the Roman; but of what he had he made a better use. His
+reputation was beginning to make rapid progress when he was selected, on
+the death of Juan Baptista de Toledo, to continue the Escorial. His task
+there was not the simple one of continuing the unfinished pile according
+to the plans already traced.
+
+The religious fervor of Philip the Second was on the ascent, and during
+the progress of the building he had resolved to double the number of
+monks, for whom accommodation had been provided by the original plan. To
+meet this necessity, Herrera raised the buildings to double their
+intended elevation. His completion of this immense work, rendered more
+difficult than it would have been had the original design been his own,
+or even had that of his predecessor been persisted in (for various
+other modifications were commanded, especially with regard to the plan
+of the church,) fully established his fame; and the edifice would
+probably have gained, had Philip not, at the last moment, yielded to a
+new caprice, and called in another artist (the architect of the famous
+country-house of the Viso) to erect the great staircase.
+
+The object of Herrera, traceable in all his works, was the
+re-establishment of antique art in all its purity. In cathedrals success
+was more difficult of attainment than in civil edifices; but the effort
+is easily discerned, striving against the difficulties inseparable from
+the system, which applies to the purposes of one creed the principles of
+art invented for ministering to other forms. His cathedral of Valladolid
+is an instance of this: the most unsuccessful portion of which (the
+tower) has fallen before the completion of the edifice. Should the works
+ever be continued, this would be a most fortunate circumstance, were it
+not that the future builders are sure to persist in the same course, and
+to disfigure the pile with another similar excrescence, in contempt of
+symmetry and rule.
+
+The Lonja of Seville is a structure so perfect as to bid defiance to
+criticism. It might have been built by Vitruvius. The general plan is a
+quadrangle, enclosing a court surrounded by an arcade. There are two
+stories, ornamented externally by pilasters. The order is Tuscan, both
+above and below. The court, staircase, and various apartments, are
+decorated with a profusion of the rarest marbles. The whole is a
+specimen, almost unique, of chaste elegance and massive solidity. In
+this edifice, the resort of wealthy traders during the period of the
+colonial prosperity of Spain, are contained, among the archives, the
+original despatches of Columbus: and, it is also said, those of Cortez
+and Pizarro.
+
+The Ayuntamiento, or Town Hall, is an edifice of another sort. It is of
+the _plateresco_ epoch. But Seville, having been apparently preserved by
+especial favour from the introduction of specimens of bad taste; it is a
+building of extreme beauty. The façade is divided into two unequal
+parts. The smaller of the two is covered with sculpture, and contains an
+open porch or vestibule, decorated throughout with a profusion of
+ornament. I could not learn the name of the artist to whom these
+sculptures are attributed, but they are worthy of the chisel of John of
+Bologna. The other portion of the front is without ornament from the
+ground to the first story, along the whole extent of which runs a series
+of open arches supported by columns. These columns and arches are models
+of lightness and grace.
+
+The Ayuntamiento is situated in the Plaza de San Francisco; from one
+extremity of which a street leads to the cathedral: at the other
+commences the principal street of Seville, called the Calle de la
+Sierpe. Here are all the best shops, and the principle cafés. It leads
+also to the post-office, to the opera, and to the Plaza del Duque, so
+called from its containing the house of the Duke of Medina Sidonia; but
+it possesses, likewise, two other ducal residences, besides others of
+almost equal pretension. These mansions are scarcely ever occupied by
+their proprietors. It is a small irregularly formed place, and its ducal
+habitations, whatever they may be internally, by no means improve its
+appearance.
+
+A few streets further on is the Alameda. This is a place magnificent in
+extent, but possessing no architectural merit. Its principal ornament is
+an avenue of elms, of about half a mile in length, at the head of which
+are placed the two antique columns and statues of the temple of
+Hercules. At the further extremity, on the left, is the church of the
+Jesuits, closed since the revolution.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+LONDON:
+
+Printed by S. & J. BENTLEY, WILSON, and FLEY,
+
+Bangor House, Shoe Lane.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] The very polite individual alluded to no longer fills the post of
+Consul at Bayonne.
+
+[2] The following inscriptions are placed at the feet of the respective
+statues:
+
+"Aqui yace el muy Ilustre Señor Don Pedro Hernandez de Velasco,
+Condestable de Castilla, Señor del estado, y gran casa de Velasco, hijo
+de Don Pedro Hernandez de Velasco, y de Doña Beatriz Manrique, Condes de
+Haro. Murio de setenta y siete años, anno de mil cuatro cientos y
+noventa y dos, siendo solo Virey de estos reynos por los Reyes
+Catolicos."
+
+"Aqui yace la muy Ilustre Señora Doña Mencia de Mendoza, Condesa de
+Haro, muger del Condestable Don Pedro Hernandez de Velasco, hija de Don
+Inigo Lopez de Mendoza, y de Doña Catalina de Figueroa, Marqueses de
+Santillana. Murio de setenta y nueve annos, anno de mil y quiniento."
+
+[3] The above woodcut may, it is hoped, serve as a guide to future
+travellers in their search for this head, of which it has no pretension
+to give an adequate idea.
+
+[4] It will be seen that this letter was written shortly after the
+Queen's return to Spain, and previous to the publication of her
+marriage.
+
+[5] It is probable that this threat, supposing it real, may have
+assisted in determining the Queen's resolution, since executed, of
+publishing the marriage.
+
+[6] The crown was valued in Cadiz at a hundred and sixty thousand
+pounds, of which the emerald, which supports the cross, represents forty
+thousand.
+
+[7] She is of a wood, whether artificially or naturally, of a tint
+between the darkest mahogany and ebony.
+
+[8] The Author has in every instance made use of the word Gothic, in
+preference to the employment of any sort of periphrasis; considering
+that the chief intention of a name is, not that its application should
+accord with its derivation, but rather that it should present to all who
+know it, or have dictionaries, an identical meaning, in order that the
+idea of the individual employing it may be speedily caught. Now the word
+Gothic having always been applied to this architecture, it is
+comprehended. A dismounted highwayman is termed a pad. The oblong area
+in the centre of Madrid is called a door. "What's in a name?"
+
+[9]
+
+ "Who does a kindness is not therefore kind.--
+ Perhaps the wind has shifted from the East."--POPE.
+
+[10] Feeling his powers as a draughtsman inadequate to do justice to
+this court, the author has inserted the above sketch merely to show the
+general architectural design.
+
+[11] He had put to death the "Master of St. Bernard," a title of those
+days possessed by the chief of that order appointed by the Pope. It was
+Urbano V, who, on the occasion of this act, resented at the same time
+various other offences.
+
+[12] The above is gathered from the following passage of Appianus
+Alexandrinus. "Relicto, utpote pacata regione, valido præsidio, Scipio
+milites omnes vulneribus debiles in unam urbem compulit, quam ab Italiâ
+Italicam nominavit, claram natalibus Trajani et Adriani, qui posteris
+temporibus Romanum imperium tenuere."
+
+Elius Sparcianus, in the life of Adrian, says, "Origo imperatoris
+Adriani vetustior a Picentibus, posterior ab Hispaniensibus manat;
+siquidem Adriâ ortos majores suos apud Italicam, Scipionum temporibus
+resedisse in libris vitæ suæ Adrianus ipse commemorat."
+
+[13] No other town is so placed as to accord with the description given
+by Pliny, who passes it on the right bank of the river, and arrives at
+Seville lower down on the left: "Italica et a lævâ Hispalis colonia
+cognomine Romulensis."
+
+Lucas de Tuy, who wrote four centuries back, says, "Italica est Hispalis
+Antigua."
+
+[14]
+
+ Hic fertur Apostolico
+ Vates fulsisse tempore:
+ Et prædicasse supremum
+ Patrem potentis filii.
+
+
+
+Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
+
+Alonza Cano=>Alonzo Cano (1)
+
+Abderrahman=>Abderahman (1)
+
+Andalusia=>Andalucia (1)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pictureque Antiquities of Spain;, by
+Nathaniel Armstrong Wells
+
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