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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Spain, v. 2 (of 2) - -Author: Edmondo de Amicis - -Translator: Stanley Rhoads Varnall - -Release Date: December 20, 2015 [EBook #50727] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPAIN, V. 2 (OF 2) *** - - - - -Produced by Josep Cols Canals, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes - - Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected and - inconsistencies of hyphenation have been removed. All other variations - in spelling, punctuation and accents are unchanged from the original. - - The following corrections have been made to the Index. - Rembrandt von changed to Rembrandt van Rijn - Pousin, Nicola changed to Poussin, Nicolas - Zorilla, Ruiz changed to Zorrilla, Ruiz - - Repetition of chapter titles on consecutive pages has been removed. - - Italics are indicated thus _italic_. - - - * * * * * - - - SPAIN - - -[Illustration: _Alcazar, Seville_] - - - _EDITION ARTISTIQUE_ - - The World's Famous - Places and Peoples - - -[Illustration: Flower] - - - SPAIN - - - BY - - EDMONDO DE AMICIS - - - _Translated - by Stanley Rhoads Yarnall, M.A._ - - - In Two Volumes - - Volume II. - - - MERRILL AND BAKER - New York London - - -THIS EDITION ARTISTIQUE OF THE WORLD'S FAMOUS PLACES AND PEOPLES IS -LIMITED TO ONE THOUSAND NUMBERED AND REGISTERED COPIES, OF WHICH THIS -COPY IS NO. _______ - - - Copyright, Henry T. Coates & Co., 1895 - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - ARANJUEZ 7 - - TOLEDO 15 - - CORDOVA 53 - - SEVILLE 97 - - CADIZ 147 - - MALAGA 165 - - GRANADA 175 - - VALENCIA 257 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -VOLUME II - - - PAGE - - ALCAZAR, SEVILLE _Frontispiece_ - - GATE OF THE SUN, TOLEDO 18 - - ALCAZAR AND BRIDGE OF SAN MARTIN, TOLEDO 40 - - COURT OF ORANGES, MOSQUE OF CORDOVA 68 - - MOORISH ARCHES, ALCAZAR, SEVILLE 124 - - CADIZ 158 - - MALAGA 170 - - COURT OF MYRTLES, ALHAMBRA 194 - - FOUNTAIN IN THE COURT OF LIONS, ALHAMBRA 200 - - QUEEN'S BOUDOIR, ALHAMBRA 212 - - COURT OF GENERALIFE, GRANADA 226 - - THE ALHAMBRA AND THE VALLEY OF THE DARRO 250 - - - - -ARANJUEZ. - - -As on arriving at Madrid by way of the north, so on leaving it by way -of the south, one must pass through a desolate country that resembles -the poorest provinces of Arragon and Old Castile. There are vast -plains, parched and yellow, which look as though they would echo like a -hollow passageway if one were to strike them, or crumble like the crust -of a crisp tart. And through the plains are scattered a few wretched -villages of the same color as the soil, which seem as though they would -take fire like a pile of dry leaves if one were to touch a torch to -the corner of one of the huts. After an hour of travel my shoulders -sought the cushions of the carriage, my elbow sought for a support, -my head sought my hand, and I fell into a deep sleep like a member of -Leopardi's "Assembly of Listeners." A few minutes after I had closed -my eyes I was rudely awakened by a desperate cry from the women and -children, and leaped to my feet, demanding of my neighbors what had -occurred. - -But before I had ended my question a general burst of laughter -reassured me. A company of huntsmen, scattered over the plain, on -noticing the approach of the train, had planned to give the travellers -a little scare. At that time there was a rumor that a band of Carlists -had appeared in the vicinity of Aranjuez. The huntsmen, pretending to -be the vanguard of the band, had given a loud shout while the train -was passing, as if to call the great body of their comrades to their -assistance, and as they shouted they went through the motions of firing -at the railway-carriages; hence arose the fright and the cries of my -fellow-travellers. And then the huntsmen suddenly threw the butts of -their guns into the air to show that it was all a joke. - -When the alarm, in which I too shared for a moment, had subsided, I -fell once more into my academic doze, but was again awakened in a few -moments in a manner much more pleasant than on the first occasion. - -I looked around: the vast barren plain had been transformed as by magic -into a great garden full of the most charming groves, traversed in all -directions by wide avenues, dotted with country-houses and cottages -festooned with verdure; here and there the sparkling of fountains, -shady grottoes, flowering meadows, vineyards, and bridle-paths--a -verdure, a freshness, a vernal odor, an atmosphere of happiness and -peace, that enchanted the soul. We had arrived at Aranjuez. I left the -train, walked up a beautiful avenue shaded by two rows of noble trees, -and after a few steps found myself in front of the royal palace. - -The minister Castelar had written in his memorandum a few days before -that the fall of the ancient Spanish monarchy was predoomed on that -day when a mob of the populace, with curses on their lips and hatred -in their hearts, had invaded the palace of Aranjuez to disturb the -majestic repose of their sovereigns. I had reached that square where -on the 17th of March, 1808, occurred those events which were the -prologue of the national war, and, as it were, the first word of the -death-sentence of the ancient monarchy. My eyes quickly sought the -windows of the apartments of the Prince of Peace; I imagined him, -as he fled from room to room, pale and distracted, searching for a -hiding-place as the echo of the cry followed him up the stairs; I saw -poor Charles IV., as with trembling hands he placed the crown of Spain -on the head of the prince of the Asturias; all the scenes of that -terrible drama were enacted in fancy before my eyes, and the profound -silence of the place and the sight of that palace, closed and desolate, -sent a chill to my heart. - -The palace has the appearance of a castle: it is built of brick, with -trimmings of light stone, and covered with a tile roof. Every one knows -that it was built for Philip II. by the celebrated architect Herrera, -and that it was adorned by all the later kings, who made it their -summer residence. I enter: the interior is magnificent; there is the -stupendous reception-hall of the ambassadors, the beautiful Chinese -cabinet belonging to Charles V., the marvellous dressing-chamber of -Isabella II., and a profusion of the most precious ornaments. But all -the riches of the palace are as nothing to the beauty of the gardens. -The expectation is not disappointed. - -The gardens of Aranjuez (Aranjuez is the name of a little town which -lies a short distance from the palace) seem to have been laid out for -a race of Titan kings, to whom the royal parks and gardens of our -country would have seemed like the flower-beds on their terraces or -the plots before their stables. Endless avenues, bordered by trees -of measureless height with arched branches interlacing as if bent -toward each other by contrary winds, extend in every direction like a -forest whose boundaries one cannot see, and through this forest the -Tagus, a wide, swift stream, flows in a majestic curve, forming here -and there cascades and lakes: an abundant and luxuriant vegetation -springs up amid a labyrinth of bypaths, crossways, and sylvan glades; -and in every part gleam statues, vases, columns, and fountains rising -to a great height and falling in spray, festoons, and drops of water, -placed in the midst of all manner of flowers from Europe and America; -and, mingling with the majestic roar of the cascades of the Tagus, a -flood of song from innumerable nightingales, which make the mysterious -gloom of the lonely paths ring with their mellow notes. In the depths -of the gardens rises a small marble palace of modest proportions -which contains all the wonders of the most magnificent royal abode; -and here one may still breathe, so to speak, the air of the inmost -life of the kings of Spain. Here are the small secret chambers whose -ceilings one may touch with the hand, the billiard-room of Charles -IV., his cue, the cushions embroidered by the hands of his queens, the -musical clocks which enlivened the playtime of his children, the narrow -staircases, the little windows about which cluster a hundred traditions -of princely caprices, and, finally, the richest retiring-room in -Europe, created at a whim of Charles V., containing in itself alone -sufficient riches to adorn a palace, without depriving it of the noble -primacy which it proudly holds among all other cabinets designed for -the same use. Beyond this palace and all around the groves extend -vineyards and olive-groves and orchards of fruit-bearing trees and -smiling meadows. It is a veritable oasis in the midst of the desert--an -oasis which Philip II. chose to create on a day when he was in good -humor, as if to enliven with one cheerful image the black melancholy -of the Escurial. On returning from the little marble palace toward -the great royal palace through those endless avenues, in the shade of -those noble trees, in that profound forest silence, I thought of the -splendid trains of ladies and cavaliers who once wandered about in the -footsteps of the gay young monarchs or the capricious and dissolute -queens to the sound of amorous music and songs which told of the -grandeur and glory of unconquered Spain; and I sadly repeated with the -poet, Ricanati, - - ... "All is peace and silence, - And their names are no longer heard." - -But as I looked at those marble seats, half hidden in the shrubbery, -and fixed my eyes on the shadow of certain distant paths, and thought -of those queens, those lovers, and those mad pranks, I could not -refrain from a sigh, which was not one of pity, and a secret sense of -bitterness stung me to the heart; and I said, like poor Adan in the -poem _Diablo Mundo_, "How are these grand ladies made? How do they -live? What do they do? Do they talk, make love, and enjoy like us?" -And I left for Toledo, imagining the love of a queen like a young -adventurer of the Arabian Nights. - - - - -TOLEDO. - - -When one approaches an unknown city one ought to have near by some one -who has already seen it and is able to indicate the opportune moment to -put one's head out of the window and get the first view. I had the good -fortune to be informed in time. Some one said to me, "There is Toledo!" -and I sprang to the window with an exclamation of wonder. - -Toledo rises on a sheer rocky height, at whose foot the Tagus describes -a grand curve. From the plain one sees only the rocks and the walls -of the fortress, and beyond the wall the tips of the belfries and -the towers. The houses are hidden from view; the city seems to be -closed and inaccessible, and presents the appearance of an abandoned -stronghold rather than of a city. From the walls to the river-banks -there is not a single house nor tree; all is bare, parched, craggy, -precipitous; not a soul is in sight; you would say that to make the -ascent it would be necessary to climb, and it seems that at the first -appearance of a man on the face of those rocks a shower of arrows would -fall upon him from the top of the wall. - -You leave the train, get into a carriage, and arrive at the entrance -of a bridge. It is the famous bridge Alcantara, which spans the Tagus, -surmounted by a beautiful Moorish gate in the form of a tower, which -gives it a bold, severe appearance. Crossing the bridge, you turn -into a wide roadway which winds up in large serpentine curves until -it reaches the top of the mountain. Here it really seems that you are -under a fortified city of the Middle Ages, and you imagine yourself in -the guise of a Moor or a Goth or a soldier of Alfonso VI. From every -part precipitous rocks hang over your head, crumbling walls, towers, -and the ruins of ancient bastions, and higher up the last wall which -encircles the city, black, crowned with enormous battlements, opened -here and there by great breaches, behind which the imprisoned houses -rear their heads; and as you climb higher and higher the city seems -to draw back and hide itself. Halfway up the ascent you come to the -_Puerto del Sol_, a jewel of Moorish architecture, consisting of two -embattled towers which are joined over a very graceful double-arched -colonnade, under which runs the ancient street; and from that point, if -you look back, you may see at a glance the Tagus, the valley, and the -hills. You go on and find other walls and other ruins, and finally the -first houses of the city. - -What a city! At the first moment I caught my breath. The carriage had -turned down a little street, so narrow that the hubs of the wheels -almost touched the walls of the houses. - -[Illustration: _Gate of the Sun, Toledo_] - -"Why do you turn in here?" I asked the driver. - -He laughed and answered, "Because there is no wider street." - -"Is all Toledo like this?" I asked again. - -"It is all like this," he replied - -"Impossible!" I exclaimed. - -"You will see," he added. - -To tell the truth, I did not believe him. I entered a hotel, dropped my -valise in a room, and ran headlong down the stairs to take a look at -this very strange city. One of the hotel-porters stopped me at the door -and asked with a smile, - -"Where are you going, _caballero_?" - -"To see Toledo," I replied. - -"Alone?" - -"Yes; why not?" - -"But have you ever been here before?" - -"Never." - -"Then you cannot go alone." - -"And why not?" - -"Because you will get lost." - -"Where?" - -"As soon as you go out." - -"For what reason?" - -"The reason is this," he answered, pointing to a wall on which hung a -map of Toledo. I approached and saw a network of white lines on a black -background that seemed like one of those flourishes which school-boys -make on their slates to waste the chalk and vex their teacher. - -"No matter," said I; "I am going alone, and if I get lost, let them -come and find me." - -"You will not go a hundred steps," observed the porter. - -I went out and turned down the first street I saw, so narrow that on -extending my arms I touched both walls. After fifty paces I turned into -another street, narrower than the first, and from this passed into a -third, and so on. - -I seemed to be wandering not through the streets of the city, but -through the corridors of a building, and I went forward, expecting -momentarily to come out into an open place. It is impossible, I -thought, that the whole city is built in this manner; no one could -live in it. But as I proceeded the streets seemed to grow narrower and -shorter; every moment I was obliged to turn; after a curving street -came a zigzag one, and after this another in the form of a hook, which -led me back into the first, and so I wandered on for a little while, -always in the midst of the same houses. Now and then I came out at a -crossway where several alleys ran off in opposite directions, one of -which would lose itself in the dark shadow of a portico, another would -end blindly in a few paces against the wall of a house, a third in -a short distance would descend, as it were, into the bowels of the -earth, while a fourth would clamber up a steep hill; some were hardly -wide enough to give a man passage; others were confined between two -walls without doors or windows; and all were flanked by buildings of -great height, between whose roofs one could see a narrow streak of sky. - -One passed windows defended by heavy iron bars, great doors studded -with enormous nails, and dark courtyards. I walked for some time -without meeting anybody, until I came out into one of the principal -streets, lined with shops and full of peasants, women, and children, -but little larger than an ordinary corridor. Everything is in -proportion to the streets: the doors are like windows, the shops like -niches, and by glancing into them one sees all the secrets of the -house--the table already spread, the babies in the cradle, the mother -combing her hair, and the father changing his shirt; everything is -on the street, and it does not seem like a city, but like a house -containing a single great family. - -I turned into a less-frequented street, where I heard only the buzzing -of a fly; my footsteps echoed to the fourth story of the houses and -brought some old women to the windows. A horse passes; it seems like a -squadron; everybody hurries to see what is going on. The least sound -re-echoes in every direction; a book falls in a second story, an old -man coughs in a courtyard, a woman blows her nose in some unknown -place; one hears everything. - -Sometimes every sound will suddenly cease; you are alone, you see no -sign of life: you seem to be surrounded by the houses of witches, -crossways made for conspirators, blind alleys for traitors, narrow -doorways suitable for any crime, windows for the whispers of guilty -lovers, gloomy doorways suggestive of blood-stained steps. But yet in -all this labyrinth of streets there are no two alike; each one has -its individuality: here rises an arch, there a column, yonder a piece -of statuary. Toledo is a storehouse of art-treasures. Every little -while the walls crumble, and there are revealed in every part records -of all the centuries--bas-reliefs, arabesques, Moorish windows, and -statuettes. The palaces have doorways defended by plates of engraved -metal, historical knockers, nails with carved heads, 'scutcheons and -emblems; and they form a fine contrast to the modern houses painted -with festoons, medallions, cupids, urns, and fantastic animals. - -But these embellishments detract in no way from the severe and gloomy -aspect of Toledo. Wherever you look you see something to remind you of -the city fortified by the Arabs; however little your imagination may -exert itself, it will succeed in rearranging from the relics scattered -here and there the whole fabric of that darkened image, and then the -illusion is complete: you see again the glorious Toledo of the Middle -Ages, and forget the solitude and silence of its streets. But it is a -fleeting illusion, and you soon relapse into sad meditation and see -only the skeleton of the ancient city, the necropolis of three empires, -the great sepulchre of the glory of three races. Toledo reminds you of -the dreams which come to young men after reading the romantic legends -of the Middle Ages. You have seen many a time in your dreams dark -cities encircled by deep moats, frowning walls, and inaccessible rocks; -and you have crossed those draw-bridges and entered those tortuous, -grass-grown streets, and have breathed that damp, sepulchral, prison -air. Well, then, you have dreamed of Toledo. - -The first thing to see, after making a general survey of the city, is -the cathedral, which is justly considered one of the most beautiful -cathedrals in the world. The history of this cathedral, according to -popular tradition, dates from the times of the apostle Saint James, -first bishop of Toledo, who selected the place where it should be -erected; but the construction of the edifice as it appears to-day -was begun in 1227, during the reign of San Fernando, and was ended -after twenty-five years of almost continuous labor. The exterior of -this immense church is neither rich nor beautiful, as is that of -the cathedral of Burgos. A little square extends in front of the -façade, and is the only place from which one can get a view of any -considerable part of the building. It is entirely surrounded by a -narrow street, from which, however much you may twist your neck, you -can see only the high outer walls which enclose the church like a -fortress. The façade has three great doorways, the first of which is -named _Pardon_, the second _Inferno_, and the third _Justice_. Over it -rises a substantial tower which terminates in a beautiful octagonal -cupola. Although in walking around the building one may have remarked -its great size, on first entering one is struck by a profound sense of -wonder, which quickly gives place to another keen sense of pleasure, -the result of the freshness, the repose, the soft shadow, and the -mysterious light which steals through the stained glass of innumerable -windows and breaks in a thousand rays of blue, golden, and rosy light -which glides here and there along the arches and columns like the -bands of a rainbow. The church is formed of five great naves divided -by eighty-eight enormous pilasters, each of which is composed of -sixteen turned columns as close together as a bunch of spears. A sixth -nave cuts the other five at right angles, extending from the great -altar to the choir, and the vaulted roof of this principal nave rises -majestically above the others, which seem to be bowing to it as if in -homage. The many-colored light and the clear tone of the stone give -the church an air of quiet cheerfulness which tempers the melancholy -appearance of the Gothic architecture without depriving it of its -austere and serious character. To pass from the streets of the city to -the naves of this cathedral seems like coming out of a dungeon into an -open square: one looks around, draws a deep breath, and begins to live -again. - -The high altar, if one wished to examine it minutely, would require -as much time as the interior of a church: it is itself a church--a -miracle of little columns, statuettes, traceries, and ornaments of -endless variety, creeping along the iron frames, rising above the -architraves, winding about the niches, supporting one another, climbing -and disappearing, presenting on every side a thousand outlines, groups, -combinations, effects in gilding and color, every sort of grace that -art can devise--giving to the whole an effect of magnificence, dignity, -and beauty. Opposite the high altar rises the choir, divided into -three orders of stalls, marvellously carved by Philip of Bourgogne -and Berruguete, with bas-reliefs representing historical events, -allegories, and sacred legends--one of the most famous monuments of art. - -In the centre, in the form of a throne, stands the seat of the -archbishop surrounded by a circle of enormous jasper columns, with -colossal statues of alabaster resting on the architraves; on either -side rise enormous bronze pulpits provided with two great missals, and -two gigantic organs, one in front of the other, from which it seems -that at any moment a flood of melody may burst forth and make the vault -tremble. - -The pleasure of one's admiration in these great cathedrals is almost -always disturbed by importunate guides, who wish at any cost to amuse -you after their fashion. And it was my misfortune to become convinced -that the Spanish guides are the most persistent of their kind. When -one of them has gotten it into his head that you are to spend the day -with him, it is all over. You may shrug your shoulders, refuse to -notice him, let him talk himself hoarse without so much as turning to -look at him, wander about on your own account as though you had not -seen him: it is all the same thing. In a moment of enthusiasm before -some painting or statue a word escapes you, a gesture, a smile: it -is enough. You are caught, you are his, you are the prey of this -implacable human cuttle-fish, who, like the cuttle-fish of Victor Hugo, -does not leave his victim until he has cut off his head. While I stood -contemplating the statuary of the choir I saw one of these cuttle-fish -out of the corner of my eye--a miserable old rake, who approached me -with slow steps sidewise, like a cutthroat with the air of one who was -saying, "Now I have got you!" I continued to look at the statues; the -old man came up to my side, and he too began to look; then he suddenly -asked me, "Do you wish my company?" - -"No," I replied, "I don't need you." - -And he continued, without any embarrassment, - -"Do you know who Elpidius was?" - -The question was so remarkable that I could not keep from asking in my -turn, - -"Who was he?" - -"Elpidius," he replied, "was the second bishop of Toledo." - -"Well, what of him? - -"'What of him?' It was the bishop Elpidius who conceived the idea of -consecrating the church to the Virgin, and that is the reason why the -Virgin came to visit the church." - -"Ah! how do you know that?" - -"How do you know it? You see it." - -"Do you mean to say that it has been seen?" - -"I mean to say that it is still to be seen: have the goodness to come -with me." - -So saying, he started off, and I followed him, very curious to -learn what this visible form of the descent of the Virgin might be. -We stopped in front of a sort of chapel close to one of the great -pilasters of the central nave. The guide pointed out a white stone set -in the wall covered by an iron net, and with this inscription running -around it: - - "Quando la reina del cielo - Puso los pies en el suelo, - En esta piedra los puso." - - "When the Queen of heaven - Descended to the earth, - Her feet rested on this stone." - -"Then the Holy Virgin has actually placed her feet on this stone?" I -asked. - -"On this very stone," he replied; and, thrusting a finger between the -strands of the iron net, he touched the stone, kissed his finger, made -the sign of the cross, and turned toward me as if to say, "Now it is -your turn." - -"My turn?" I replied. "Oh, really, my friend, I cannot do it." - -"Why?" - -"Because I do not feel myself worthy to touch that sacred stone." - -The guide understood, and, looking hard at me with a serious aspect, he -asked, "You do not believe?" - -I looked at a pilaster. Then the old man made a sign for me to follow, -and started toward a corner of the church, murmuring with an air of -sadness, "_Cadanno es dueño de su alma_" (Every man is master of his -soul). - -A young priest who was standing near, and who had divined the cause of -his words, cast a piercing glance at me, and went off in an opposite -direction, muttering I know not what. - -The chapels correspond in style with that of the church: almost all of -them contain some fine monuments. In the chapel of Santiago, behind -the high altar, are two magnificent tombs of alabaster which contain -the remains of the constable Alvaro de Luna and his wife; in the chapel -of San Ildefonso, the tomb of the cardinal Gil Carrillo de Albornoz; -in the chapel of the "New Kings," the tombs of Henry II., John II., -and Henry III.; in the chapel of the sacristy, a stupendous group of -statues and busts of marble, silver, ivory, and gold, and a collection -of crosses and relics of inestimable value, the remains of Saint -Leucadia and Saint Eugenia preserved in two silver caskets exquisitely -chased. - -The Chapel Mozarabe, which is under the tower of the church, and was -erected to perpetuate the tradition of the primitive Christian rite, -is probably the most worthy of attention. One of its walls is entirely -covered with a fresco, in the Gothic style, representing a conflict -between the Moors and the Toledans--marvellously preserved, even to -the most delicate lines. It is a painting worth a volume of history. -In it one sees the Toledo of those times with all its walls and its -houses; the habiliments of the two armies; the arms, faces, everything -portrayed with an admirable finish and an unspeakable harmony of color -which answers perfectly to the vague and fantastic idea which one may -have formed of those centuries and those races. Two other frescoes on -either side of the first represent the fleet which bore the Arabs into -Spain, and they offer a thousand minute details of the mediæval marine -and the very air of those times, if one may so speak, which makes one -think of and see a thousand things not represented in the painting, as -one hears distant music on looking at a landscape. - -After the chapels one goes to see the sacristy, where are gathered -enough riches to restore the finances of Spain to a sound basis. There -is, among others, a vast room on the ceiling of which one sees a -fresco by Luca Giordano, which represents a vision of paradise, with -a myriad of angels, saints, and allegorical figures floating in the -air or standing out like statues from the cornices of the walls in a -thousand bold attitudes, with so much action and foreshortening that -one is bewildered. The guide, pointing out this miracle of imagination -and genius, which in the estimation of all artists, to use a very -curious Spanish expression, is a work of _merito atroz_ (of atrocious -merit),--the guide bids you to look attentively at the ray of light -which falls upon the walls from the centre of the vaulted ceiling. You -look at it and then make a circuit of the room, and wherever you find -yourself that ray of light is falling directly upon your head. - -From this hall you pass into a room which is also beautifully painted -in fresco by the nephew of Berruguete, and from it into a third, where -a sacristan lays the treasures of the cathedral before your eyes--the -enormous silver candlesticks; the pyxes flashing with rubies; the -golden stands for the elevation of the Host, studded with diamonds; -the damask vestments, embroidered in gold; the robes of the Virgin, -covered with arabesques, garlands of flowers, and stars of pearl, which -at every motion of the cloth flash forth in a thousand rays and colors -and quite dazzle one's eyes. A hour is scarcely sufficient to see -hurriedly all that display of treasures, which would certainly satisfy -the ambition of ten queens and enrich the altars of ten cathedrals; -and when, after he has shown you everything, the sacristan looks in -your eyes for an expression of surprise, he finds only astonishment and -stupefaction, which give evidence of an imagination wandering in far -distant regions--in the realms of the Arabian legends where the kindly -genii gather all the riches dreamed of by the glowing fancy of enamored -sultans. - -It was the eve of _Corpus Domini_, and in the sacristy they were -preparing the robes for the processional. Nothing can be more -unpleasant or more at variance with the quiet and noble sadness of -the church than the theatrical hurry-scurry which one sees on such -occasions. It is like being behind the scenes on the evening of a -dress rehearsal. From one room of the sacristy to another half-dressed -boys were coming and going with a great clatter, carrying armfuls -of surplices, stoles, and capes; here a sour-tempered sacristan was -opening and banging the doors of a wardrobe; there a priest, all red -in the face, was calling angrily to a chorister who did not hear him; -yonder other priests were running through the room with their robes -partly on their backs and partly trailing behind them; some laughing, -some screaming, and some shouting from one room to another at the top -of their voices; everywhere one heard a swish of skirts, a breathless -panting, and an indescribable stamping and tramping. - -I went to see the cloister, but, as the door was open through which one -reaches it from the church, I saw it before entering. From the middle -of the church one gets a glimpse of a part of the cloister-garden, a -group of fine leafy trees, a little grove, a mass of luxuriant plants -which seem to close the doorway and look as though they are framed -beneath a graceful arch and between the two slender columns of the -portico which extends all around. It is a beautiful sight, which makes -one think of Oriental gardens encircled by the columns of a mosque. -The cloister, which is very large, is surrounded by a colonnade, -graceful, though severe in form; the walls covered with great frescoes. -The guide advised me to rest here a little while before ascending to -the campanile. I leaned against a low wall in the shade of a tree, -and remained there until I felt able to make another expedition, as -the expression is. Meanwhile, my commander extolled in bombastic -language the glories of Toledo, carrying his impudence so far, in his -patriotism, as to call it "a great commercial city" which could buy -and sell Barcelona and Valencia, and a city strong enough, if need be, -to withstand ten German armies and a thousand batteries of Krupp guns. -After each of his exaggerations I kept spurring him on, and the good -man enjoyed himself to the full. What pleasure there is in knowing how -to make others talk! Finally, when the proud Toledan was so swollen -with glory that the cloister could no longer hold him, he said to me, -"We may go now," and led the way toward the door of the campanile. - -When we were halfway up we stopped to take breath. The guide knocked at -a little door, and out came a swaggering little sacristan, who opened -another door, and made me enter a corridor where I saw a collection of -gigantic puppets in very strange attire. Four of them, the guide told -me, represented Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, and two others Faith -and Religion; and they were so made that a man could hide in them and -raise them from the ground. - -"They take them out on the occasions of the royal fêtes," the sacristan -added, "and carry them around through the city;" and, to show me how -it was done, he crept in under the robes of Asia. Then he led me to -a corner where there was an enormous monster which when touched, I -know not where, stretched out a very long neck and a horrible head -and made a dreadful noise. But he could not tell me what this ugly -creature signified, and so invited me instead to admire the marvellous -imagination of the Spaniards, which creates so "many new things" to -sell in all the known world. I admired, paid, and continued the ascent -with my Toledan cuttle-fish. From the top of the tower one enjoys a -splendid view--the city, the hills, the river, a vast horizon, and, -below, the great mass of the cathedral, which seems like a mountain of -granite. But there is another elevation, a short distance away, from -which one sees everything to a better advantage, and consequently I -remained in the campanile only a few moments, especially as at that -hour the sun was shining very strongly, confusing all the colors of the -city and country in a flood of light. - -From the cathedral my guide led me to see the famous church of _San -Juan de los Reyes_, situated on the banks of the Tagus. My mind is -still confused when I think of the windings and turnings which we were -obliged to make in order to reach it. It was mid-day, the streets were -deserted; gradually, as we went farther from the centre of the city, -the solitude became more depressing; not a door or window was open, not -the slightest sound was heard. For a moment I suspected that the guide -was in league with some assassin to entice me into an out-of-the-way -place and rob me; he had a suspicious face, and then he kept glancing -here and there with a suspicious air, like one meditating a crime. - -"Is it much farther?" I would ask from time to time, and he would -always answer: "It is right here," and yet we never reached it. - -At a certain point my uneasiness changed into fear: in a narrow, -tortuous street a door opened; two bearded men came out, made a sign -to the cuttle-fish, and fell in behind us. I thought it was all over -with me. There was only one way of escape--to strike the guide, knock -him down, jump over his body, and run. But which way? And on the other -side there came into my mind the high praises which Thiers bestows -on the "Spanish legs" in his _History of the War of Independence_; -and I thought that flight would only prove an opportunity to plant a -dagger in my back instead of my stomach, Alas! to die without seeing -Andalusia! To die after taking so many notes, after giving so many -tips--to die with pockets full of letters of introduction, with a purse -fat with doubloons--to die with a passport covered with seals--to die -by treachery! As God willed, the two bearded men disappeared at the -first corner and I was saved. Then, overwhelmed by compunction for -suspecting that the poor old man could be capable of a crime, I came -over to his left side, offered him a cigar, said that Toledo was worth -two Romes, and showed him a thousand courtesies. Finally we arrived at -_San Juan de los Reyes_. - -It is a church which seems like a royal palace: the highest part is -covered by a balcony surrounded with a honeycombed and sculptured -breastwork, upon which rises a series of statues of kings, and in the -middle stands a graceful hexagonal cupola which completes the beautiful -harmony of the edifice. From the walls hang long iron chains which were -suspended there by the Christian prisoners released at the conquest of -Granada, and which, together with the dark color of the stone, give -the church a severe and picturesque appearance. We entered, passed -through two or three large, bare rooms, unpaved, cluttered with piles -of dirt and heaps of rubbish, climbed a staircase, and came out upon -a high gallery inside the church, which is one of the most beautiful -and noblest of the monuments of Gothic architecture. It has a single -great nave divided into four vaults, whose arches intersect under rich -rosettes. The pilasters are covered with festoons and arabesques; -the walls ornamented with a profusion of bas-reliefs, with enormous -shields bearing the arms of Castile and Arragon, eagles, dragons, -heraldic animals, trailing vines, and emblematic inscriptions; the -gallery running all around the room is perforated and carved with great -elegance; the choir is supported by a bold arch; the color of the stone -is light gray, and everything is admirably finished and preserved, as -if the church had been built but a few years ago, instead of at the -end of the fifteenth century. - -From the church we descended to the cloister, which is, in truth, -a miracle of architecture and sculpture. Graceful slender columns -which could be broken in two by the stroke of a hammer, looking like -the trunks of saplings, support capitals richly adorned like curving -boughs; arches ornamented with flowers, birds, and grotesque animals -in every sort of carving. The walls are covered with inscriptions -in Gothic characters in a framework of leaves and very delicate -arabesques. Wherever one looks one finds grace mingled with riches in -enchanting harmony: it would not be possible to accumulate in an equal -space and with more exquisite art a larger number of the most delicate -and beautiful objects. It is a luxuriant garden of sculpture, a grand -saloon embroidered, quilted, and brocaded in marble, a great monument, -majestic as a temple, magnificent as a palace, delicate as a toy, and -graceful as a flower. - -After the cloisters one goes to see a picture-gallery which contains -only some paintings of little value, and then to the convent with its -long corridors, its narrow stairs, and empty cells, almost on the point -of falling into ruins, and in some parts already in ruins; throughout -bare and squalid like a building gutted by fire. - -A little way from _San Juan de los Reyes_ there is another monument -well worthy of attention, a curious record of the Judaic period--the -synagogue now known by the name of Santa Maria la Blanca. One enters -an untidy garden and knocks at the door of a wretched-looking house. -The door opens. There is a delightful sense of surprise, a vision of -the Orient, a sudden revelation of another religion and another world. -There are five narrow alleys divided by four long rows of little -octagonal pilasters, which support as many Moorish arches with stucco -capitals of various forms; the ceiling is of cedar-wood divided into -squares, and here and there on the walls are arabesques and Arabic -inscriptions. The light falls from above, and everything is white. The -synagogue was converted into a mosque by the Arabs, and the mosque into -a church by the Christians, so that, properly, it is none of the three, -although it still preserves the character of the mosque, and the eye -surveys it with delight, and the imagination follows from arch to arch -the fleeting images of a sensuous paradise. - -When I had seen Santa Maria la Blanca, I had not the strength to see -anything else, and, refusing all the tempting propositions of the -guide, I told him to lead me back to the hotel. After a long walk -through a labyrinth of narrow, deserted streets we arrived there; I put -a _peseta_ and a half in the hand of my innocent assassin, who found -the fee too small, and asked (how I laughed at the word!) for a little -_gratificacion_. - -I went into the dining-room to eat a chop or _chuleta_ (which is -pronounced _cuileta_), as the Spanish call it--a name at which they -would turn up their noses in some of the provinces of Italy. - -Toward evening I went to see the Alcazar. The name raises expectations -of a Moorish palace, but there is nothing Moorish about it except the -name. The building which one admires to-day was built in the reign of -Charles V. on the ruins of a castle which was in existence as early -as the eighth century, although the notices of it in contemporary -chronicles are vague. This edifice rises upon a height overlooking the -city, so that one sees its walls and towers from every point above the -level of the streets, and the foreigner finds it a sure landmark amid -the confusion and labyrinths of the city. I climbed the height by a -broad winding street, like that one which runs from the plain up to -the city, and found myself in front of the Alcazar. It is an immense -square palace, at whose corners rise four great towers that give it the -formidable appearance of a fortress. A vast square extends in front -of the façade, and all around it runs a chain of embattled bulwarks -of Oriental design. The entire building is of a decided chalky color, -relieved by a thousand varied shades of that powerful painter of -monuments, the burning sun of the South, and it appears even lighter -against the very clear sky upon which the majestic form of the building -is outlined. - -The façade is carved in arabesques in a manner at once dignified and -elegant. The interior of the palace corresponds with the exterior: it -is a vast court surrounded by two orders of graceful arches, one above -the other, supported by slender columns, with a monumental marble -staircase starting at the centre of the side opposite the door, and a -little way above the pavement divides into two parts that lead to the -interior of the palace, the one on the right, the other on the left. -To enjoy the beauty of the courtyard it is necessary to stand on the -landing where the staircase separates: from that point one comprehends -at a glance the complete harmony of the edifice, which inspires a sense -of cheerfulness and pleasure, like fine music performed by hidden -musicians. - -Excepting the courtyard, the other parts of the building--the -stairways, the rooms, the corridors--everything is in ruins or falling -to ruins. They were at work turning the palace into a military school, -whitewashing the walls, breaking down the partitions to make great -dormitories, numbering the doors, and converting the palace into -a barracks. Nevertheless, they left intact the great subterranean -chambers which were used for stables at the time of Charles V., and -which are still able to hold several thousand horses. The guide made -me approach a window from which I looked down into an abyss that -gave me an idea of their vastness. Then we climbed a series of unsteady -steps into one of the four towers; the guide opened with pincers and a -hammer a window that had been nailed fast, and with the air of one who -was announcing a miracle said to me, "Look, sir!" - -[Illustration: _Alcazar and Bridge of San Martin, Toledo_] - -It was a wonderful panorama. One had a bird's-eye view of the city of -Toledo, street by street and house by house, as if one were looking at -a map spread upon a table: here the cathedral, rising above the city -like a measureless castle, and making all the buildings around it seem -as small as toy houses; there the balcony of _San Juan de las Reyes_, -crowned with statues; yonder the embattled towers of the New Gate, the -circus, the Tagus running at the foot of the city between its rocky -banks; and beyond the river, opposite the bridge of Alcantara, on a -precipitous crag, the ruins of the ancient castle of San Servando; -still farther off a verdant plain, and then rocks, hills, and mountains -as far as the eye can see; and over all a very clear sky and the -setting sun, which gilded the summits of the old buildings and flashed -on the river like a great silver scarf. - -While I was contemplating this magic spectacle the guide, who had -read the _History of Toledo_ and wished me to know the fact, was -telling all sorts of stories with that manner, half poetical and half -facetious, which is distinctive of the Spaniards of the South. Above -all, he wished to explain the history of the work of fortification, -and although, where he said that he saw clear and unmistakable remains -which he pointed out to me, I saw nothing at all, I succeeded, -nevertheless, in learning something about it. - -He told me that Toledo had been thrice surrounded by a wall, and that -the traces of all three walls were still clear. "Look!" he said; -"follow the line which my finger indicates: that is the Roman wall, -the innermost one, and its ruins are still visible. Now look a little -farther on: that other one beyond it is the Gothic wall. Now let your -glance describe a curve which embraces the first two: that is the -Moorish wall, the most recent. But the Moors also built an inner wall -on the ruins of the Roman wall: this you can easily see. Then observe -the direction of the streets, which converge toward the highest point -of the city; follow the line of the roofs--here, so; you will see that -all the streets go up zigzag, and they were built purposely in this -manner, so that the city could be defended even after the walls had -been destroyed; and the houses were built so close one against another -in order that it would be possible to jump from roof to roof, you -see; and then the Arabs have left it in their writings. This is the -reason that the Spanish gentlemen from Madrid make me laugh when they -come here and say, 'Pooh! what streets!' You see, they do not know a -particle of history: if they knew the least bit, if they read a little -instead of spending their days on the Prado and in the Recoleto, they -would understand that there is a reason for the narrow streets of -Toledo, and that Toledo is not a city for ignoramuses." - -I began to laugh. - -"Do you not believe?" continued the custodian: "it is a sacred fact. -Not a week ago, to cite a case, here comes a dandy from Madrid with -his wife. Well, even as they were climbing the stairs they began to -run down the city, the narrow streets, and the dark houses. When they -came to this window and saw those two old towers down yonder on the -plain on the left bank of the Tagus, they asked me what they were, and -I answered, '_Los palacios de Galiana_.' 'Oh! what beautiful palaces!' -they exclaimed, and began to laugh and looked in another direction. -Why? Because they did not know their history. Now, I imagine that -you do not know any better; but you are a stranger, and that makes a -difference. Know, then, that the great emperor Charlemagne came to -Toledo when he was a very young man. King Galafro was reigning then, -and dwelt in that palace. King Galafro had a daughter Galiana, as -beautiful as an angel; and, as Charlemagne was a guest of the king -and saw the princess every day, he fell in love with her with all -his heart, and so did the princess with him. But there was a rival -between them, and this rival was the king of Guadalajara, a Moorish -giant of herculean strength and the courage of a lion. This king, to -see the princess without being seen, had a subterranean passage made -all the way from the city of Guadalajara to the very foundation of the -palace. But what good did it do? The princess could not even bear to -see him, and as often as he came, so often did he return crestfallen; -but not for this did the enamored king stop paying his court. And so -much did he come hanging around that Charlemagne, who was not a man to -be imposed upon, as you can imagine, lost his patience, and to end the -matter challenged him. They fought: it was a terrible struggle, but the -Moor, for all he was a giant, got the worst of it. When he was dead -Charlemagne cut off his head and laid it at the feet of his love, who -approved the delicacy of his offering, became a Christian, gave her -hand to the prince, and went away with him to France, where she was -proclaimed empress." - -"And the head of the Moor?" - -"You may laugh, but these are sacred facts. Do you see that old -building down there at the highest point of the city? It is the church -of San Ginés. And do you know what is inside of it? Nothing less than -the door of an underground passage which extends three leagues beyond -Toledo. You do not believe it? Listen! At the place where the church -of San Ginés now stands there once was an enchanted palace before the -Moors invaded Spain. No king had ever had the courage to enter it, -and those who might possibly have been so bold did not do it because, -according to the tradition, the first man who crossed that threshold -would be the ruin of Spain. Finally King Roderic, before setting out -for the battle of Guadalete, hoping to find in it some treasures which -would furnish him means to resist the invasion of the Moors, had the -doors broken open and entered, preceded by his warriors, who lighted -the way. After a great deal of trouble to keep their torches lighted -for the furious wind which came through the underground passages, -they reached a mysterious room where they saw a chest which bore the -inscription, 'He who opens me will see miracles.' The king commanded -that it be opened: with incredible difficulty they succeeded in opening -it, but, instead of gold or diamonds, they found only a roll of -linen, on which were painted some armed Moors, with this inscription -underneath: '_Spain will soon be destroyed by these_.' That very night -a violent tempest arose, the enchanted palace fell, and a short time -afterward the Moors entered Spain. You don't seem to believe it?" - -"What stuff you are talking! How can I believe it?" - -"But this history is connected with another. You know, without doubt, -that Count Julian, the commandant of the fortress of Ceuta, betrayed -Spain and allowed the Moors to pass when he might have barred the way. -But you do not know why Count Julian turned traitor. He had a daughter -at Toledo, and this daughter went every day with a number of her young -friends to bathe in the Tagus. As misfortune willed it, the place -where they went to bathe, which was called _Los Baños de la Cava_, was -near a tower in which King Roderic was accustomed to pass the mid-day -hours. One day Count Julian's daughter, who was called Florinda, tired -of sporting in the water, sat down on the river-bank and said to her -companions, 'Companions, let us see who is the most beautiful.'--'Let -us see!' they cried, and as soon done as said. They seated themselves -around Florinda, and each one revealed her beauty. But Florinda -surpassed them all, and, unfortunately, just at the moment when she -said to the others, 'Look!' King Roderic put his head out of the window -and saw them. Young and dissolute, you may imagine he took fire like a -match, paid his court to the beautiful Florinda, ruined and abandoned -her; and from this followed the fury of the revenge of Count Julian, -the treason, and the invasion." - -At this point it seemed that I had listened long enough: I gave the -custodian two _reales_, which he took and put in his pocket with a -dignified air, and, giving a last look at Toledo, I descended. - -It was the hour for promenading. The principal street, hardly wide -enough for a carriage to pass through, was full of people; there may -have been a few hundred persons, but they seemed like a great crowd; -it was dusk, the shops were closing, and a few stray lights began to -flicker here and there. I went to get my dinner, but came out quickly, -so as not to lose sight of the promenade. It was night: there was -no other illumination save the moonlight, and one could not see the -faces of the people; I seemed to be in the midst of a procession -of spectres, and was overwhelmed with sadness. "To think that I am -alone!" I said--"that in all this city there is not a soul who knows -me; that if I fall dead at this moment, there would not be a dog to -say, 'Poor man! he was a good fellow!'" I saw joyous young men pass, -fathers of families with their children, husbands or those who had -the air of husbands with beautiful creatures on their arms; every one -had a companion; they laughed and talked, and passed without so much -as looking at me. How wretched I was! How happy I should have been if -a boy, a beggar, or a policeman had come up and said, "It seems to -me that I recognize you, sir"!--"It is impossible, I am a foreigner, -I have never been in Toledo before; but it makes no matter; don't go -away; stay here, and we will talk a while, for I am lonely." - -In a happy moment I remembered that at Madrid I had received a letter -of introduction to a Toledan gentleman. I hurried to the hotel, took -out my letter, and was at once shown to his house. The gentleman was -at home and received me courteously. It was such a pleasure to hear my -own name again that I could have thrown my arms around his neck. He was -Antonio Gamero, the author of a highly esteemed _History of Toledo_. We -spent the evening together. I asked him a hundred things; he told me a -thousand, and read me some splendid passages from his book, which made -me better acquainted with Toledo than I should otherwise have been in a -month's residence there. - -The city is poor, and worse than poor: it is dead; the rich have -abandoned it for Madrid; the men of genius have followed the rich; it -has no commerce; the manufacture of cutlery, the only industry which -flourishes, provides a livelihood for some hundreds of families, but -not for the city; popular education is neglected; the people are lazy -and miserable. - -But they have not lost their ancient character of nobility. Like all -the peoples of great declining cities, they are proud and chivalrous; -they abhor baseness, deal justice with their own hands, when they -can, to assassins and thieves and murderers; and, although the poet -Zorilla, in one of his ballads, has bluntly called them a silly -people, they are not so; they are alert and bold. They combine the -seriousness of the Spaniards of the North with the vivacity of the -Spaniards of the South; they hold the middle ground between the -Castilian and the Andalusian; they speak the language with refinement, -with a greater variety of inflexion than the people of Madrid, and -with greater precision than the people of Cordova and Seville; they -love poetry and music; they are proud to number among their great men -the gentle Garcilaso de la Vega, the reformer of Spanish poetry, and -the illustrious Francisco de Rojas, the author of the _Garcia del -Castañar_; and they take pride in welcoming within their walls artists -and students from all the countries in the world who come to study the -history of three nations and the monuments of three civilizations. -But, whatever its people may be, Toledo is dead; the city of Wamba, -of Alfonso the Brave, and of Padilla is nothing but a tomb. Since -Philip II. took from it the crown of the capital, it has been steadily -declining, and is still declining, and it is consuming itself little by -little, solitary on the summit of its gloomy mountain, like a skeleton -abandoned on a rock in the midst of the waves of the sea. - -I returned to the hotel shortly before midnight. Although the moon was -shining brightly--for on moonlight nights they do not illuminate the -streets, although the light of that silvery orb does not penetrate -those narrow ways--I was obliged to grope my way along like a thief. -With my head full, as it was, of fantastic ballads which describe the -streets of Toledo traversed at night by cavaliers muffled in their -cloaks, singing under the windows of their ladies, fighting and killing -one another, climbing into palaces and stealing the maidens away, I -imagined I should hear the tinkle of guitars, the clashing of swords, -and the cries of the dying. Nothing of the kind: the streets were -deserted and silent and the windows dark, and one heard faintly from -time to time at the corners and crossways the light step of some one -passing or a fugitive whisper, the source of which one could in no way -discover. I reached the hotel without harming any fair Toledan, which -might have caused me some annoyance, and also without having any holes -made in my stomach, which was undoubtedly a consolation. - -The morning of the next day I visited the beautiful building of the -hospital of San Cruz, the church of _Nuestra Señora del Transito_, an -ancient synagogue, the ruins of an amphitheatre and of an arena where -naval battles were fought in Roman times, and the famous manufactory -of arms, where I bought a beautiful dagger with a silver handle and a -blade covered with arabesques, which at this moment lies on my table, -and when I shut my eyes and take it in my hand I seem to be still -there, in the courtyard of the factory, a mile out of Toledo, under -the mid-day sun, surrounded by a group of soldiers, and enveloped in a -cloud of smoke from their cigarettes. I remember that as I was walking -back to Toledo, as I was crossing a bit of country solitary as a -desert and silent as the Catacombs, a terrible voice cried out, "Away -with the foreigner!" - -The voice came from the city. I stopped--I was the foreigner, that cry -was directed at me, and my blood curdled; the solitude and silence of -the place increased my fear. I started forward and the voice cried -again, "Away with the foreigner!" - -"Is it a dream?" I exclaimed, stopping again, "or am I awake? Who is -shouting? Where is he? Why does he do it?" - -I started on again, and the voice came the third time, "Away with the -foreigner!" - -I stopped the third time, and when, all disturbed, I cast my eyes -around, I saw a boy sitting on the ground, who looked at me with a -laugh and said, "He is a crazy man, who thinks he is living in the time -of the War of Independence. Look, sir! that is the insane asylum." -And he pointed out the place on a hill among the outermost houses of -Toledo. I drew a long breath which would have blown out a torch. - -In the evening I left Toledo, regretting that I had not time to see -once and again all that was ancient and wonderful in it: this regret -was tempered, however, by my ardent desire for Andalusia, which had -not allowed me a moment's peace. But how long I saw Toledo before my -eyes! How long I remembered and dreamed of those headlong rocks, those -enormous walls, those dark streets, that fantastic appearance of a -mediæval city! Even to-day I review the picture with a sort of sombre -pleasure and grave melancholy, and with this picture before me my mind -wanders back in a thousand strange thoughts among distant times and -marvellous events. - - - - -CORDOVA. - - -On arriving at Castillejo I was obliged to wait until midnight for -the Andalusia train. I dined on hard-boiled eggs and oranges, with -a little sprinkling of Val de Peñas, murmured a poem of Espronceda, -chatted a little with a custom-house officer who between parentheses -made me a confession of his political faith--Amadeus, liberty, an -increase of wages to the custom-house officers, etc; finally I heard -the long-desired whistle, entered a railway-carriage crowded full of -women, children, civil guards, boxes, cushions, and wraps, and away -with a speed unusual for the Spanish railways. It was a beautiful -night; my travelling-companions talked of bulls and Carlists; a -beautiful girl, whom more than one devoured with his eyes, pretended -to sleep that she might still further heighten their curiosity; some -were rolling cigarettes, some peeling oranges, others humming songs -from the _Zarzuela_. Nevertheless, I fell asleep in a few minutes. I -believe I had already dreamed of the mosque of Cordova and the Alcazar -of Seville, when I was aroused by a hoarse cry, "Daggers!" - -"Daggers? Heavens! for whom?" Before I discovered who had shouted -there flashed before my eyes a long sharp blade, and the unknown voice -asked again, - -"Do you like it?" - -One must admit that there are pleasanter ways to be awakened. I -looked in the faces of my travelling-companions with an expression of -consternation, which made them all burst into a shout of laughter. -Then they explained that at every railway-station there are vendors of -knives and daggers who offer tourists their wares, just as the boys -offer newspapers and refreshments in our country. Assured that my life -was safe, I bought my scarecrow--five francs; a splendid dagger for a -villain in a tragedy, with an ornamented handle, inscriptions on the -blade, and a sheath of embroidered velvet; and I put it in my pocket, -thinking that I might find it useful in Italy to settle difficulties -with my publishers. - -The vendor must have had fifty of those knives in a great red sash -tied around his waist. Other travellers bought them, the civil guards -complimented one of my neighbors on the good selection he had made; the -boys cried, "Buy me one too!" The mammas answered, "We will buy you a -bigger one some other time." "O happy Spain!" I exclaimed, and thought -with horror of our barbarous laws, which forbid the innocent amusement -of a little cold steel. - -We crossed La Mancha, the celebrated La Mancha, the immortal -theatre of the adventures of Don Quixote. It is such a place as I -imagined--wide, bare plains, long tracts of sandy soil, here and there -a windmill, a few wretched villages, lonely lanes, and forsaken huts. -On seeing these places I felt that vague sense of melancholy which -steals over me as I read the book of Cervantes, and repeated to myself -what I always say on reading it: "This man cannot make one laugh -without also making one's tears flow as the laughter dies away." - -Don Quixote is a sad and sombre figure: his madness is a lament; -his life is the history of the dreams, illusions, awakenings, and -aberrations of each of us; the struggle of reason with imagination, of -truth with falsehood, of the ideal with the real. We all have something -of Don Quixote in our nature; we all mistake windmills for giants; we -are all now and then spurred on by the impulse of enthusiasm, only -to be driven back by the laugh of scorn; we are each a mixture of -the sublime and the ridiculous; we all feel bitterly and profoundly -the eternal conflict between the grandeur of our aspirations and the -impotence of our powers. O beautiful dreams of childhood and youth! -Generous impulses to consecrate our life to the defence of virtue and -justice, fond imaginations of dangers faced, of adventurous struggles, -of magnanimous deeds, and sublime loves, fallen one by one, like the -petals of a flower, in the narrow and uneventful paths of life! To what -new life have they arisen in our soul, and what vague thoughts and -profound inspirations have we derived from thee, O generous and hapless -cavalier of the sad figure! - -We arrived at Argamasilla de Alba, where Don Quixote was born and died, -and where poor Cervantes, the tax-gatherer of the great priory of San -Juan, was arrested by angry debtors and imprisoned in a house which is -said to be still in existence, and where he probably conceived the plan -of his romance. We passed near the village of Val de Peñas, which gives -its name to one of the most exquisite wines of Spain--dark, tingling, -exhilarating, the only one, forsooth, which permits the foreigner from -the North to indulge in copious libations at his meals; and finally we -arrived at Santa Cruz de Mudela, a village famous for its manufactories -of _navajas_ (knives and razors), near which the way begins to slope -gently upward toward the mountain. - -The sun had risen, the women and children had left the carriage, and a -number of peasants, officers, and _toreros_ had entered on their way -to Seville. One saw in that small space a variety of costume which -would not be seen even in an Italian market-place--the pointed caps of -the peasants of the Sierra Morena, the red trousers of the soldiers, -the great sombreros of the _picadores_, the shawls of the gypsies, the -mantles of the Catalans, Toledo blades hanging from the walls, capes, -belts, and finery of all the colors of a harlequin. - -The train entered the rocks of the Sierra Morena, which separate the -valley of the Guadiana from that of the Guadalquivir, famous for the -songs of poets and the deeds of brigands. The railway runs at times -between two walls of rock sheer from the very peaks, so high that to -see the top one must put one's head all the way out of the window -and turn one's face up, as if to look at the roof of the carriage. -Sometimes the rocks are farther away and rise one above the other, the -first like enormous broken stones, the last straight and sharp like -bold towers rising upon measureless bastions; between them a mass of -boulders cut into teeth, steps, crests, and humps, some almost hanging -in the air, others separated by deep caverns and frightful precipices, -presenting a confusion of curious forms, of fantastic suggestions -of houses, gigantic figures and ruins, and offering at every step a -thousand outlines and surprising appearances; and, together with this -infinite variety of form, an infinite variety of color, shadow, dancing -and changing light. For long distances, to the right, to the left, and -overhead, one sees nothing but stone, without a house, a path, or a -patch of ground where a man could set his foot, and, as one advances, -rocks, ravines, and precipices: everything grows larger, deeper, and -higher until one reaches the summit of the Sierra, where the solemn -majesty of the spectacle provokes a cry of wonder. - -The train stopped a few minutes, and all the travellers put their heads -out of the window. - -"Here," said one in a loud voice,--"here Cardenio jumped from rock to -rock to do penance for his sins" (Cardenio, one of the most remarkable -characters in _Don Quixote_, who jumped about among the rocks of the -Sierra in his shirt to do penance for his sins). "I wish," continued -the traveller, "that Sagasta might have to do the same." - -They all laughed, and began to find, each one on his own account, -some political enemy upon whom in imagination he might inflict this -punishment: one proposed Serrano, another Topete, and a third another, -and so on, until in a few minutes, if their desires had been realized, -one might have seen the entire Sierra filled with ministers, generals, -and deputies in their shirts skipping from crag to crag like the famous -rock of Alessandro Manzoni. - -The train started, the rocks disappeared, and the delightful valley -of the Guadalquivir, the garden of Spain, the Eden of the Arabs, the -paradise of painters and of poets, blessed Andalusia, revealed herself -to my eyes. I can still feel the thrill of childish joy with which I -hurried to the window, saying to myself, "Let me enjoy it." - -For a long distance the country does not offer any new appearance to -the ardent curiosity of the traveller. At Vilches there is a vast -plain, and beyond it the level country of Tolosa, where Alfonso VIII., -king of Castile, won the celebrated victory of _de las Navas_ over the -Mussulman army. The sky was as clear as air--in the distance rose the -mountains of the Sierra de Segura. Suddenly I made one of those quick -motions which seemed to correspond to an unuttered cry of astonishment: -the first aloes with their broad heavy leaves, the unexpected -harbingers of the tropical vegetation, rise beside the road. Beyond -them the fields sprinkled with flowers begin to appear. The first -fields sprinkled, those which follow almost covered, then vast tracts -of country wholly clothed, with wild poppies, daisies, iris, mushrooms, -cowslips, and buttercups, so that the country appears like a succession -of vast carpets of purple and gold and snowy white, and far away, among -the trees, innumerable streaks of blue, white, and yellow until the eye -is lost; and hard by, on the edge of the ditches, the mounds, and the -banks, even to the very track, flowers in beds, groups, and clusters, -one above the other, fashioned like great bouquets, trembling on their -stems, which one can almost touch with the hand. Then waving fields -of grain with great heavy bearded heads, bordered by long gardens of -roses; then orange-orchards and vast olive-groves; hillocks varied -by a hundred shades of green, surmounted by ancient Moorish towers, -dotted with many-colored cottages, with here and there white, graceful -bridges, which span rivulets hidden by the trees. On the horizon rise -the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and below this white line other -blue undulating lines of the nearer mountains. The country grows ever -more various and blooming: Arjonilla, embowered in an orange-grove -whose limits are lost in the distance; Pedro Abad, in the midst of a -plain covered with vineyards and orchards; Ventas de Alcolea, on the -hills of the Sierra Morena, crowned with villas and gardens. We are -drawing near to Cordova: the train flies; one sees little stations half -hidden among trees and flowers; the wind blows the rose-leaves into -the cars, great butterflies sail past the windows, a delicious perfume -fills the air, the travellers are singing, we pass through an enchanted -garden, the aloes, oranges, palms, and villas become more frequent; one -hears a cry: "Here is Cordova!" - -How many beautiful images and how many memories are recalled by that -name! - -Cordova, the ancient pearl of the Occident, as the Moorish poets called -her, the city of cities, Cordova of the thirty burgs and the three -thousand mosques, which contained within her walls the greatest temple -of Islam! Her fame spread through the Orient and obscured the glory -of ancient Damascus,--from the remotest regions of Asia the faithful -journeyed toward the banks of the Guadalquivir to prostrate themselves -in the marvellous mihrab of her mosque, in the blaze of a thousand -brazen lamps cast from the bells of the Spanish cathedrals. From every -part of the Mohammedan world artists, scholars, and poets crowded to -her flourishing schools, her vast libraries, and the magnificent courts -of her caliphs. Hither flowed wealth and beauty, drawn by the fame of -her splendor. - -And from here they separated, eager for knowledge, along the coasts of -Africa, among the schools of Tunis, Cairo, Bagdad, and Cufa, as far as -India and China, in search of books, inspiration, and memories; and the -poems sung on the slopes of the Sierra Morena flew from harp to harp -even to the valleys of the Caucasus, to make the hearts of pilgrims -burn within them. The beautiful, the mighty, the wise Cordova, crowned -with three thousand villages, proudly reared her white minarets among -her orange-groves and spread through the divine valley a voluptuous air -of gladness and glory. - -I descend from the train, cross a garden, and look around: I am -alone; the travellers who came with me have disappeared in different -directions; I still hear the rumble of the receding carriages; then all -is silent. - -It is mid-day: the sky is very clear, the air burning. I see two white -cottages; it is the opening of a street; I enter and go forward. The -street is narrow, the houses small as the little villas built on the -hillocks of artificial gardens; nearly all of them are one story in -height, with windows a little way from the ground, roofs so low that -one can almost touch them with a cane, and very white walls. The street -makes a turn; I look down it; no one is in sight; I do not hear a -step nor a voice. "It must be an abandoned street," I say, and turn -in another direction: white cottages, closed windows, solitude, and -silence. "Where am I?" I ask myself. - -I walk on: the street is so narrow and crooked that a carriage could -not pass through it; to the right and left one sees other deserted -streets, other white houses, and other closed windows; my step echoes -as in a corridor; the white of the walls is so bright that the -reflection almost blinds me, and I am obliged to walk with my eyes -closed; I seem to be passing through snow. I reach a little square: -everything is closed, there is no one about. Then a feeling of vague -melancholy begins to steal into my heart, such as I have never felt -before, a mingling of enjoyment and sorrow like that which children -experience when after a long run they find themselves in a beautiful -country-place and enjoy it, but with a tremor of fear at being so -far away from home. Above the many roofs rise the palms of the inner -gardens. O fantastic legends of odalisques and caliphs! - -On from street to street and square to square; I meet a few persons, -but they all pass and disappear like phantoms. The streets are all -alike, the houses have only two or four windows; and there is not a -stain, not a scratch, not a crack in the walls, which are as smooth -and white as a sheet of paper. Now and then I hear a whisper behind a -venetian blind, and almost at the same moment see a dark head with a -flower in the hair peep out and disappear. I approach a door. - -A _patio_! How shall I describe a _patio_? It is not a courtyard, it -is not a garden, it is not a room; it is the three in one. Between the -_patio_ and the street there is a vestibule. On the four sides of the -_patio_ rise graceful columns which support a sort of balcony enclosed -in glass at the height of the second story; over the balcony extends a -canvas which shades the court. The vestibule is flagged with marble, -the doorway supported by columns surmounted by bas-reliefs and closed -by a delicate iron lattice of very beautiful design. At the back of -the _patio_, opposite the doorway, stands a statue, in the centre a -fountain, and all around chairs, work-tables, paintings, and vases of -flowers. I run to another door. Another _patio_, its walls covered with -ivy, and a line of niches containing statuettes and urns. I hurry to -a third door. A _patio_ with its walls adorned with mosaic, a palm in -the centre, and all around a mass of flowers. A fourth door. Behind -the _patio_ another vestibule, and then a second _patio_, in which one -sees other statues, columns, and fountains. And all these rooms and -gardens are clean and tidy, so that you could pass your hands over the -walls and along the floor without leaving a mark; and they are fresh -and fragrant, lighted with a dim light which heightens their beauty and -mystery. - -Still forward, from street to street, at random. Gradually, as I walk -on, my curiosity increases and I hasten my steps. It seems impossible -that the whole city can be like this: I am afraid of coming upon a -house or finding a street which will remind me of other cities and -rouse me from my pleasant dream. - -But, no: the dream is unbroken. Everything is small, graceful, -mysterious. Every hundred paces a deserted little square, in which I -stop breathless; now and then a crossway, and not a living soul; and -everything always white--closed windows and silence. At every door -there is a new spectacle: arches, columns, flowers, fountains, palms; -a marvellous variety of design, color, light, perfume, here of roses, -there of oranges, yonder of violets; and with the perfume a breath of -fresh air, and borne on the air the subdued sound of women's voices, -the rustling of leaves, and the singing of birds--a sweet and various -harmony, which, without disturbing the silence of the street, soothes -the ear like the echo of distant music. Ah! it is not a dream! Madrid, -Italy, Europe, surely they are far, far away. Here one lives another -life, here one breathes the air of another world; I am in the Orient. - -I remember that at a certain point I stopped in the middle of the -street and suddenly discovered, I know not how, that I was sad -and restless, and that in my heart there was a void which neither -admiration nor enjoyment could fill. I felt an irrepressible necessity -of entering those houses and those gardens, of tearing asunder, so to -speak, the mysterious veil which concealed the life of the unknown -people within; of sharing in that life; of grasping some hand and -gazing into two pitying eyes, and saying, "I am a stranger, I am alone; -I too want to be happy; let me linger among your flowers, let me enjoy -all the secrets of your paradise, teach me who you are and how you -live; smile on me and calm me, for my head is burning!" - -And this sadness grew upon me until I said to myself, "I cannot stay in -this city; I am suffering here; I will leave it!" - -And I believe I should have left if at a happy moment I had not -remembered that I carried in my pocket a letter of introduction to -two young men of Cordova, brothers of a friend of mine in Florence. I -dismissed the idea of leaving, and started at once to find them. - -How they laughed when I told them of the impression Cordova had made -upon me! They proposed that we go at once to see the cathedral; so we -turned down a narrow white street and were off. - -The mosque of Cordova, which was converted into a cathedral after the -overthrow of the Moors, but which must always remain a mosque, was -built on the ruins of the original cathedral, a little way back from -the bank of the Guadalquivir. Abdurrahman commenced its construction -in the year 785 or 786 A. D. "Let us rear a mosque," said he, "which -shall surpass that of Bagdad, of Damascus, and of Jerusalem--a mosque -which shall be the greatest temple of Islam, one which shall become the -Mecca of the West." They undertook the work with great ardor. Christian -slaves carried the stone for its foundations from their ruined -churches; Abdurrahman himself worked an hour every day; in a few years -the mosque was built, the caliphs who succeeded Abdurrahman embellished -it, and after a century of almost continuous labor it was finished. - -"Here we are!" said one of my friends, stopping suddenly in front of a -vast edifice. - -I thought it was a fortress, but it was the wall which surrounds the -mosque--an old embattled wall in which there were at one time twenty -great bronze doors ornamented with the most beautiful arabesques, and -arched windows supported by graceful columns, now covered by a triple -coat of plaster. A turn around this wall is a nice little walk to -take after dinner: one may judge, therefore, of the vast size of the -building. - -[Illustration: _Court of Oranges, Mosque of Cordova_] - -The principal door of the enclosure is north of the point where rises -the minaret of Abdurrahman, from whose summit floated the Mohammedan -standard. We entered: I expected to see at once the interior of the -mosque, but found myself in a garden full of orange trees, cypresses, -and palms, surrounded on three sides by a very beautiful portico and -closed on the fourth side by the façade of the mosque. In the midst -of this garden there was, in the time of the Moors, the fountain for -their ablutions, and in the shade of these trees the faithful refreshed -themselves before entering the sanctuary. - -I stood for some moments looking around and breathing in the fresh -odorous air with the liveliest sense of pleasure, and my heart leaped -at the thought of the famous mosque standing there before me, and I -felt myself impelled toward the door by a boundless curiosity, and -at the same time restrained by I know not what feeling of childish -hesitation. - -"Let us enter," said my companions. "One moment more," I replied: "let -me thoroughly enjoy the delight of anticipation." Finally I moved -forward and entered, without so much as looking at the marvellous -doorway which my companions pointed out. - -What I did or said on entering I do not know, but some strange -exclamation must surely have escaped me or I must have made an odd -gesture, for some persons who were just then coming toward me began to -laugh and turned again to look around, as if to discover the reason of -the profound emotion which I had manifested. - -Imagine a forest and suppose yourself in the thickest part, where -you see only the trunks of trees. So in the mosque wherever you turn -your gaze is lost among the columns. It is a forest of marble whose -boundaries one cannot discover. One follows with the eye, one by one, -those lengthening rows of columns crossed at every step by innumerable -other rows, and perceives a dimly-lighted background in which one -seems to see the gleaming of still other columns. There are nineteen -naves which extend in the direction in which you enter, crossed by -thirty-three other naves, and supported, in all, by more than nine -hundred columns of porphyry, jasper, onyx, and marble of every color. -Each column is surmounted by a pilaster, and between one column and -the next bends an arch, and a second arch above the first extends from -pilaster to pilaster, both of them in the form of a horseshoe; and so, -imagining the columns to be the trunks of so many trees and the arches -to represent the branches, the resemblance of the mosque to a forest is -complete. - -The central nave, much larger than the others, leads to the Maksura, -the most sacred part of the temple, where they worshipped the Koran. -Here from the vaulted windows steals a faint ray of light which glides -along a row of columns; there a dark place, and yonder another ray -pierces the gloom of another nave. It is impossible to express the -feeling of mystical wonder which fills one's mind at this spectacle. -It is like the sudden revelation of a religion, a nature, and a life -unknown, leading the fancy captive among the delights of that paradise -of love and pleasure where the blessed, sitting in the shade of leafy -plane trees and of thornless roses, drink from crystal beakers wine -gleaming like pearls, mixed by immortal children, and repose in the -embrace of lovely virgins with great dark eyes! All the images of -that external pleasure, eager, warm, and glowing, which the Koran -promises to the faithful, crowd upon the mind at the first sight of the -mosque, and give one a delicious moment of intoxication which leaves -in the heart an indescribable feeling of gentle melancholy. A brief -tumult in the mind and a rapid thrill which goes tingling through the -veins,--such is one's first sensation on entering the cathedral of -Cordova. - -We began to wander from passage to passage, examining everything -minutely. What a variety in that edifice which at first sight appears -so uniform! The proportions of the columns, the design of the capitals, -the form of the arches change, one may say, at every step. The greater -part of the columns are old and were taken by the Moors from Northern -Spain, Gaul, and Roman Africa, and one is said to have belonged -to a temple of Janus, upon whose ruins stood the church which the -Arabians destroyed to build the mosque. On several of the capitals -one may still see the traces of the crosses carved upon them, which -the Arabians broke off with their hammers. In some of the columns -iron rings are fastened to which it is said the Arabians bound the -Christians, and among the others there is one pointed out to which the -popular tradition narrates a Christian was bound for many years, and -in that time, by continually scratching with his nails, he succeeded -in engraving a cross on the stone, which the guides show with profound -veneration. - -We entered the Maksura, which is the most perfect and marvellous work -of Moorish art of the twelfth century. At the entrance there are three -continuous chapels, with vaulted roofs formed by indented arches, and -walls covered with magnificent mosaics which represent wreaths and -flowers and passages from the Koran. At the back of the middle chapel -is the principal _mihrab_, the holy place, where dwelt the Spirit of -God. It is a niche with an octagonal base enclosed above by a colossal -marble shell. In the _mihrab_ was kept the Koran written by the hands -of the caliph Othman, covered with gold, adorned with pearls, suspended -above a seat of aloe-wood; and here came thousands of the faithful to -make the circuit of it seven times on their knees. On approaching the -wall I felt the pavement slipping from under me: the marble had been -worn hollow! - -On leaving the niche I stood a long time contemplating the vault and -the walls of the principal chapel, the only part of the mosque which -has been preserved almost intact. It is a dazzling flash of crystals -of a thousand colors, an interweaving of arabesques which confuse the -mind, a mingling of bas-reliefs, gilding, ornaments, and minute details -of design and coloring of a delicacy, grace, and perfection which would -prove the despair of the most patient artist. It is impossible to -retain in one's mind any part of that prodigious work: you might return -a hundred times to look at it, but in reality it would only remain -before your eyes as a tantalizing blur of blue, red, green, golden, -and luminous shades of colors, or a very intricate piece of embroidery -continually and rapidly changing in color and design. Only from the -ardent and tireless imagination of the Moors could such a miracle of -art have issued. - -We began to wander through the mosque again, observing here and there -on the walls the arabesques of the ancient doorways which are now -and then discovered under the detestable plaster of the Christians. -My companions looked at me, laughed, and whispered something to each -other. "Have you not seen it yet?" one of them asked me. - -"What do you mean?" - -They looked at me again and smiled. - -"You think you have seen all the mosque, do you?" continued my -companion. - -"Yes, indeed," I replied, looking around. - -"Well," said the first, "you have not seen it all, and what remains to -be seen is nothing less than a church." - -"A church?" I exclaimed stupefied, "but where is it?" - -"Look!" answered my other companion, pointing; "it is in the very -centre of the mosque." - -"By the powers!" And I had not seen it! - -From this one may judge of the vastness of the mosque. - -We went to see the church. It is beautiful and very rich, with a -magnificent high altar and a choir worthy to stand beside those in the -cathedrals of Burgos and Toledo, but, like everything out of place, -it moves one to anger rather than admiration. Without this church -the appearance of the mosque would be much improved. Charles V., who -himself gave the chapter permission to build it, repented when he saw -the Mohammedan temple for the first time. Besides the church there is a -sort of Moorish chapel in a good state of preservation, rich in mosaics -not less varied and splendid than those of the Maksura, and where it is -said the ministers of the faith used to assemble to discuss the book of -the Prophet. - -Such is the mosque to-day. But what must it have been in the time of -the Arabs! It was not entirely enclosed by a wall, but open, so that -one could see the garden from every side, and from the garden one -could look to the very end of the long naves, and the fragrance of -orange-blossoms and flowers was wafted even to the vaulted roofs of the -Maksura. The columns, which now number less than a thousand, were then -fourteen hundred in number; the ceiling was of cedar-wood and larch, -carved and enamelled with exquisite workmanship; the walls were lined -with marble; the light of eight hundred lamps filled with fragrant oil -made the crystals in the mosaic-work flash like pearls, and produced on -the pavement, the arches, and the walls a marvellous play of color and -reflection. "A sea of splendors," sang a poet, filled the mysterious -enclosure, and the warm air was laden with perfume and harmony, and the -thoughts of the faithful wandered and were lost in the labyrinth of -columns gleaming like lances in the sun. - -Frederick Schrack, the author of a good work on the _Poetry and Art -of the Moors in Spain and Sicily_, gives a description of the mosque -on a day of solemn festival, which forms a very lively image of the -Mohammedan religion and completes the picture of the monument. - -On both sides of the almimbar, or pulpit, wave two banners, to signify -that Islam has triumphed over Judaism and Christianity and that the -Koran has conquered both the Old and the New Testament. The _almnedani_ -ascend to the gallery of the high minaret and intone the salam, or -salutation, to the Prophet. Then the aisles of the mosque are filled -with believers, who with white vestments and in festal attire come -together to worship. In a few moments, throughout the length and -breadth of the edifice, one sees only kneeling people. The caliph -enters by the secret way which leads from the Alcazar to the temple, -and seats himself in his elevated station. A reader of the Koran reads -a _sura_ from the low desk of the pulpit. - -The voice of the muezzin sounds again, calling men to mid-day prayer. -All the faithful rise and murmur their prayers, bowing as they do so. -An attendant of the mosque opens the doors of the pulpit and seizes a -sword, and, holding it, he turns toward Mecca, admonishing the people -to worship Mohammed, while the _mubaliges_ are chanting his praises -from the gallery. Then the preacher mounts the pulpit, taking from -the hand of the servant the sword, which calls to mind and symbolizes -the subjection of Spain to the power of Islam. It is the day when -the _Djihad_, or the holy war, must be proclaimed, the call for all -able-bodied men to go to war and descend into the battlefield against -the Christians. The multitude listens with silent devotion to the -sermon, woven from texts of the Koran, which begins in this wise: - -"Praise be to Allah, who has increased the glory of Islam, thanks to -the sword of the champion of the faith, who in his holy book has -promised succor and victory to the believer. - -"Allah scatters his benefits over the world. - -"If he did not put it in the hearts of men to take up arms against -their fellows, the world would be lost. - -"Allah has ordained to fight against the people until they know that -there is but one God. - -"The torch of war will not be extinguished until the end of the world. - -"The blessing of God will fall upon the mane of the war-horse to the -day of judgment. - -"Armed from head to foot or but lightly clad, it matters not--up and -away! - -"O believers! what shall be done to you if, when called to the battle, -you remain with face turned to the earth? - -"Do you prefer the life of this world to the life to come? - -"Believe me, the gates of paradise stand in the shadow of the sword. - -"He who dies in battle for the cause of God shall wash away with his -blood all the defilement of his sins. - -"His body shall not be wasted like the other bodies of the dead, for on -the day of judgment his wounds shall yield a fragrance like musk. - -"When the warriors present themselves at the gates of paradise, a voice -within shall ask, 'What have you done in your life?' - -"And they shall answer, 'We have brandished the sword in the struggle -for the cause of God.' - -"Then the eternal doors will swing open, and the warriors will enter -forty years before the rest. - -"Up, then, ye faithful; leave your women, your children, your kindred, -and your goods, and go out to the holy war! - -"And thou, God, Lord of this present world and of that which is to -come, fight for the armies of those who recognize thy unity! Cast down -the unbelievers, the idolaters, and the enemies of thy holy faith! -Overwhelm their standards, and give them, with whatever they possess, -as a prey to the Mussulman!" - -The preacher as he ends his discourse turns toward the congregation and -exclaims, "Ask of God!" and begins to pray in silence. - -All the faithful, with heads bowed to the ground, follow his example. -The _mubaliges_ chant, "Amen! Amen, O Lord of all being!" Burning like -the heat which precedes the oncoming tempest, the enthusiasm of the -multitude, restrained at first in awful silence, now breaks out into -deep murmurs, which rise like the waves and swell through all parts of -the temple, until finally the naves, the chapels, and the vaulted roofs -resound to the echo of a thousand voices united in a single cry: "There -is no God but Allah!" - -The mosque of Cordova is even to-day, by universal consent, the most -beautiful temple of Islam and one of the most marvellous monuments in -the world. - -When we left the mosque it was already long past the hour of the -siesta, which everybody takes in the cities of Southern Spain, and -which is a necessity by reason of the insupportable heat of the noon -hours. The streets began to fill with people. "Alas!" said I to my -companions, "how badly the silk hat looks in the streets of Cordova! -How have you the heart to introduce the fashion-plates in this -beautiful Oriental picture? Why do you not adopt the dress of the -Moors?" Coxcombs pass, workmen, and girls: I looked at them all with -great curiosity, hoping to find one of those fantastic figures which -Doré has represented as examples of the Andalusian type, with that -dark-brown complexion, those thick lips, and large eyes, but I saw -none. Walking toward the centre of the city, I saw the first Andalusian -women--ladies, girls and women of the middle classes--almost all small, -graceful, and well-formed, some of them beautiful, many attractive in -appearance, but the greater part neither one thing nor the other, as is -the case in all countries. In their dress, with the exception of the -so-called mantilla, they do not differ at all from the French women nor -from those of our country--great masses of false hair in plaits, knots, -and long curls, short petticoats, long plaited over-skirts, and boots -with heels as sharp as daggers. The ancient Andalusian costume has -disappeared from the city. - -I thought that in the evening the streets would be crowded, but I saw -only a few people, and only in the streets of the principal quarters; -the others remain as empty as at the hour of the siesta. And one must -pass through those deserted streets at night to enjoy Cordova. One sees -the light streaming from the _patios_; one sees in the dark corners -fond lovers in close colloquy, the girls usually at the windows, with -a hand resting lightly on the iron grating, and the young men close to -the wall in poetic attitudes, with watchful eyes, but not so watchful, -however, as to make them take their lips from those hands before -they discover that some one is passing; and one hears the sound of -guitars, the murmur of fountains, sighs, the laughter of children, and -mysterious rustlings. - -The following morning, still stirred by the Oriental dreams of the -night, I again began my wandering through the city. To describe all -that is remarkable there one would require a volume: it is a very -museum of Roman and Arabian antiquities, and one finds a profusion of -martial columns and inscriptions in honor of the emperors; the remains -of statues and bas-reliefs; six ancient gates; a great bridge over the -Guadalquivir dating from the time of Octavius Augustus and restored -by the Arabians; ruins of towers and walls; houses which belonged to -the caliphs, and which still contain the columns and the subterranean -arches of the bathing apartments; and everywhere there are doors, -vestibules, and stairways that would delight a legion of archæologists. - -Toward noon, as I was passing through a lonely little street, I saw -a sign on the wall of a house beside a Roman inscription, _Casa de -huespedes. Almuerzos y comidas_, and as I read I felt the gnawing, as -Giusti says, of such a desperate hunger that I determined to give it a -quietus in this little shop upon which I had stumbled. I passed through -a little vestibule, and found myself in a _patio_. It was a poor little -_patio_, without marble floor and without fountains, but white as snow -and fresh as a garden. As I saw neither tables nor chairs, I feared I -had mistaken the door and started to go out. A little old woman bustled -out from I know not where and stopped me. - -"Have you anything to eat?" I demanded. - -"Yes, sir," she answered. - -"What have you?" - -"Eggs, sausages, chops, peaches, oranges, and wine of Malaga." - -"Very good: you may bring everything you have." - -She commenced by bringing me a table and a chair, and I sat down and -waited. Suddenly I heard a door open behind me and turned.... Angels -of heaven! what a sight I saw!--the most beautiful of all the most -beautiful Andalusians, not only of those whom I saw at Cordova, but -of all those whom I afterward saw at Seville, Cadiz, and Granada: if -I may be allowed to use the word, a superb girl, who would make one -flee or commit some deviltry; one of those faces which make you cry, -"O poor me!" like Giuseppe Baretti when he was travelling in Spain. -For some moments she stood motionless with her eyes fixed on mine as -if to say, "Admire me;" then she turned toward the kitchen and cried, -"_Tia, despachate!_" ("Hurry up, aunty!") This gave me an opportunity -of thanking her with a stammering tongue, and gave her a pretence for -approaching me and replying, "It is nothing," with a voice so gentle -that I was obliged to offer her a chair, whereupon she sat down. She -was a girl about twenty years old, tall, straight as a palm, and dark, -with two great eyes full of sweetness, lustrous and humid as though she -had just been in tears: she wore a mass of wavy jet-black hair with a -rose among her locks. She seemed like one of the Arabian virgins of the -tribe of the Usras for whom men died of love. - -She herself opened the conversation: - -"You are a foreigner, I should think, sir?" - -"Yes." - -"French?" - -"Italian." - -"Italian? A fellow-countryman of the king?" - -"Yes." - -"Do you know him, sir?" - -"By sight!" - -"They say he is a handsome young fellow." - -I did not answer, and she began to laugh, and asked me, "What are you -looking at, sir?" and, still laughing, she hid her foot, which on -taking her seat she thrust well forward that I might see it. Ah! there -is not a woman in that country who does not know that the feet of the -Andalusians are famous throughout the world. - -I seized the opportunity of turning the conversation upon the fame of -the Andalusian women, and expressed my admiration in the most fervent -words of my vocabulary. She allowed me to talk on, looking with great -attention at the crack in the table, then raising her face, she asked -me, "And in Italy, how are the women there?" - -"Oh, there are beautiful women in Italy too." - -"But ... they are cold?" - -"Oh no, not at all," I hastened to respond; "but, you know, ... in -every country the women have an _I-know-not-what_ which distinguishes -them from the women of all other countries; and among them all the -_I-know-not-what_ of the Andalusians is probably the most dangerous for -a poor traveller whose hairs have not turned gray. There is a word to -express what I mean: if I could remember it, I would say it to you; I -would say, "_Señorita_, you are the most ..." - -"_Salada_," exclaimed the girl, covering her face with her hands. - -"_Salada!_ ... the most _salada_ Andalusian in Cordova." - -_Salada_ is the word commonly used in Andalusia to describe a woman -beautiful, charming, affectionate, languid, ardent, what you will--a -woman with two lips which say, "Drink me," and two eyes which make one -close one's teeth. - -The aunt brought me the eggs, chops, sausage, and oranges, and the girl -continued the conversation: "Sir, you are an Italian: have you seen the -Pope?" - -"No, I am sorry to say." - -"Is it possible? An Italian who has not seen the Pope! And tell me, -sir: why do the Italians make him suffer so much?" - -"Suffer in what way?" - -"Yes. They say that they have shut him up in his house and thrown -stones at the windows." - -"Oh no! Don't believe it! There is not a particle of truth in it," -etc., etc. - -"Have you seen Venice, sir?" - -"Venice? oh yes." - -"Is it true that it is a city which floats on the sea?" - -And here she made a thousand requests that I would describe Venice, -and that I would tell her what the people were like in that strange -city, and what they do all the day long, and how they dress. And while -I was talking besides the pains I took to express myself with a little -grace, and to eat meanwhile the badly-cooked eggs and stale sausage--I -was obliged to see her draw nearer and nearer to me, that she might -hear me better perhaps, without being conscious of the act. She came -so close that I could smell the fragrance of the rose in her hair and -feel her warm breath; I was obliged, I may say, to make three efforts -at once--one with my head, another with my stomach, and a third with -both--especially when, now and then, she would say, "How beautiful!"--a -compliment which applied to the Grand Canal, but which had upon me the -effect a bag full of napoleons might have upon a beggar if swung under -his nose by an insolent banker. - -"Ah, señorita!" I said at last, beginning to lose patience, "what -matters it, after all, whether cities are beautiful or not? Those who -are born in them think nothing of it, and the traveller still less. I -arrived at Cordova yesterday: it is a beautiful city, without doubt. -Well--will you believe it?--I have already forgotten all that I have -seen; I no longer wish to see anything; I do not even know what city I -am in. Palaces, mosques, they make me laugh. When you have a consuming -fire in your heart, do you go to the mosque to quench it?--Excuse me, -will you move back a little?--When you feel such a madness that you -could grind up a plate with your teeth, do you go to look at palaces? -Believe me, the traveller's life is a sad one. It is a penance of the -hardest sort. It is torture. It is...." A prudent blow with her fan -closed my mouth, which was going too far both in words and action. I -attacked the chop. - -"Poor fellow!" murmured the Andalusian with a laugh after she had given -a glance around. "Are all the Italians as ardent as you?" - -"How should I know? Are all the Andalusians as beautiful as you?" - -The girl laid her hand on the table. - -"Take that hand away," I said. - -"Why?" she asked. - -"Because I want to eat in peace." - -"Eat with one hand." - -"Ah!" - -I seemed to be pressing the little hand of a girl of six; my knife fell -to the ground; a dark veil settled upon the chop. - -Suddenly my hand was empty: I opened my eyes, saw the girl all -disturbed, and looked behind me. Gracious Heavens! There was a handsome -young fellow, with a stylish little jacket, tight breeches, and a -velvet cap. Oh terrors! a _torero_! I gave a start as if I had felt two -_banderillas de fuego_ planted in my neck. - -"I see it at a glance," said I to myself, like the man at the comedy; -and one could not fail to understand. The girl, slightly embarrassed, -made the introduction: "An Italian passing through Cordova," and she -hastened to add, "who wants to know when the train leaves for Seville." - -The _torero_, who had frowned at first sight of me, was reassured, -told me the hour of departure, sat down, and entered into a friendly -conversation. I asked for the news of the last bull-fight at Cordova: -he was a _banderillero_, and he gave me a minute description of the -day's sport. The girl in the mean time was gathering flowers from the -vases in the _patio_. I finished my meal, offered a glass of Malaga to -the _torero_, drank to the fortunate planting of all his _banderillas_, -paid my bill (three _pesetas_, which included the beautiful eyes, -you understand), and then, putting on a bold front, so as to dispel -the least shadow of suspicion from the mind of my formidable rival, -I said to the girl, "_Señorita!_ one can refuse nothing to those who -are taking leave. To you I am like a dying man; you will never see -me again; you will never hear my name spoken: then let me take some -memento; give me that bunch of flowers." - -"Take it," said the girl; "I picked it for you." - -She glanced at the _torero_, who gave a nod of approval. - -"I thank you with all my heart," I replied as I turned to leave. They -both accompanied me to the door. - -"Have you bull-fights in Italy?" asked the young man. - -"Oh heavens! no, not yet!" - -"Too bad! Try to make them popular in Italy also, and I will come to -_banderillar_ at Rome." - -"I will do all in my power.--_Señorita_, have the goodness to tell me -your name, so that I may bid you good-bye." - -"Consuelo." - -"God be with you, Consuelo!" - -"God be with you, _Señor Italiano_!" - -And I went out into the lonely little street. - -There are no remarkable Arabian monuments to be seen in the -neighborhood of Cordova, although at one time the whole valley was -covered with magnificent buildings. Three miles to the south of the -city, on the side of the mountain, rose the Medina Az-Zahra, the -city of flowers, one of the most marvellous architectural works of -the caliph Abdurrahman, begun by the caliph himself in honor of his -favorite Az-Zahra. The foundations were laid in the year 936, and ten -thousand workmen labored on the edifice for twenty-five years. The -Arabian poets celebrated Medina Az-Zahra as the most splendid of royal -palaces and the most delightfullyl garden in the world. It was not an -edifice, but a vast chain of palaces, gardens, courts, colonnades, -and towers. There were rare plants from Syria--the fantastic playing -of lofty fountains, streams of water flowing in the shade of palm -trees, and great basins overflowing with quicksilver, which reflected -the rays of the sun like lakes of fire; doors of ebony and ivory -studded with gems; thousands of columns of the most precious marbles; -great airy balconies; and between the innumerable multitudes of -statues twelve images of animals of massy gold, gleaming with pearls, -sprinkling sweetened water from their mouths and noses. In this vast -palace swarmed thousands of servants, slaves, and women, and hither -from every part of the world came poets and musicians. And yet this -same Abdurrahman III., who lived among all these delights, who reigned -for fifty years, who was powerful, glorious, and fortunate in every -circumstance and enterprise, wrote before his death that during his -long reign he had been happy only fourteen days, and his fabulous city -of flowers seventy-four years after the laying of its first stone was -invaded, sacked, and burned by a barbarian horde, and to-day there -remain only a few stones which hardly recall its name. - -Of another splendid city, called Zahira, which rose to the east of -Cordova, built by the powerful Almansur, governor of the kingdom, not -even the ruins remain: a handful of rebels laid it in ashes a little -while after the death of its founder. - - "All returns to the great ancient mother." - -Instead of taking a drive around Cordova, I simply wandered here and -there, weaving fancies from the names of the streets, which to me is -one of the greatest pleasures in which a traveller may indulge in a -foreign city. Cordova, _alma ingeniorum parens_, could write at every -street-corner the name of an artist or an illustrious author born -within her walls; to give her due honor, she has remembered them all -with maternal gratitude. You find the little square of Seneca and the -house where he may have been born; the street of Ambrosio Morales, -the historian of Charles V., who continued the _Chronicle General of -Spain_ commenced by Florian d'Ocampo; the street of Pablo de Cespedes, -painter, architect, sculptor, antiquary, and the author of a didactic -poem, "The Art of Painting," unfortunately not finished, though adorned -with splendid passages. He was an ardent enthusiast of Michelangelo, -whose works he had admired in Italy, and in his poem he addressed a -hymn of praise to him which is one of the most beautiful passages in -Spanish poetry, and, in spite of myself, the last verses have slipped -from my pen, which every Italian, even if he does not know the sister -language, can appreciate and understand. He believes, he tells the -reader, that one cannot find the perfection of painting anywhere except - - "Que en aquela escelente obra espantosa - Mayor de cuantas se han jamas pintado, - Que hizo el Buonarrota de su mano - Divina, en el etrusco Vaticano! - - "Cual nuevo Prometeo en alto vuelo - Alzándose, estendiò los alas tanto, - Que puesto encima el estrellado cielo - Una parte alcanzò del fuego santo; - Con que tornando enriquecido al suelo - Con nueva maravilla y nuevo espanto, - Diò vida con eternos resplandores - À marmoles, à bronces, à colores. - ¡O mas que mortal hombre! ¿Angel divino - O cual te nomaré? No humano cierto - Es tu ser, que del cerco empireo vino - Al estilo y pincel vida y concierto: - Tu monstraste à los hombres el camino - Por mil edades escondido, incierto - De la reina virtud; a ti se debe - Honra que en cierto dia el sol renueve." - -"In that excellent marvellous work, greater than all that has ever been -painted, which Buonarroti made with his divine hand in the Etruscan -Vatican! - -"Look how the new Prometheus, rising in lofty flight, extends his -wings so wide that above the starry sky he has obtained a part of -the celestial fire; with it, returning, he enriched the earth with -new marvels and new surprises, giving life, with eternal splendors, -to marble, bronze, and colors. More than mortal man! angel divine! -or what shall I call thee? Surely thou art not human, who from the -empyrean circle came, bringing life and harmony to chisel and brush! -Thou hast shown men the road hidden for a thousand ages, uncertain of -the sovereign virtue; to thee belongs honor which one day the sun will -bestow." - -Murmuring these lines, I came out into the street of Juan de Mena, -the Ennius of Spain, as his compatriots call him, the author of a -phantasmagorial poem called "The Labyrinth," an imitation of _The -Divina Commedia_ very famous in its day, and in truth not without -some pages of inspired and noble poetry, but, on the whole, cold and -overloaded with pedantic mysticism. John II., king of Castile, went mad -over this "Labyrinth," kept it beside the missal in his cabinet, and -carried it with him to the hunt; but witness the caprice of a king! The -poem had only three hundred stanzas, and to John II. this number seemed -too small, and do you know the reason? It was this: the year contains -three hundred and sixty-five days, and it seemed to him that there -ought to be as many stanzas in the poem as there are days in the year, -and so he besought the poet to compose sixty-five other stanzas, and -the poet complied with his request--most cheerfully, the flatterer!--to -gain an occasion for flattering still more, although he had already -flattered his sovereign to the extent of asking him to correct the poem. - -From the street of Juan de Mena I passed into the street of Gongora, -the Marini of Spain, and no less a genius than he, but perhaps one -who corrupted the literature of his country even more than Marini -corrupted that of Italy, for he spoiled, abused, and corrupted the -language in a thousand ways: for this reason Lope de Vega wittily -makes a poet of the Gongorist school ask one of his hearers, "Do you -understand me?"--"Yes," he replies; and the poet retorts, "You lie! for -I do not even understand myself." But Lope himself is not entirely free -from Gongorism, for he has the courage to write that Tasso was only the -rising of Marini's sun; nor is Calderon entirely free of it, nor some -other great men. But enough of poetry: I must not digress. - -After the siesta I hunted up my two companions, who took me through -the suburbs of the city, and here, for the first time, I saw men and -women of the true Andalusian type as I had imagined them, with eyes, -coloring, and attitudes like the Arabians, and here too, for the first -time, I heard the real speech of the Andalusian people, softer and more -musical than in the Castiles, and also gayer and more imaginative, -and accompanied by livelier gestures. I asked my companions whether -that report about Andalusia is true, affirming that with their early -physical development vice is more common, manners more voluptuous, and -passion less restrained. "Too true," they replied, giving explanations, -descriptions, and citing cases which I forbear to repeat. On returning -to the city they took me to a splendid casino, with gardens and -magnificent rooms, in one of which, the largest and richest, adorned -with paintings of all the illustrious men of Cordova, rises a sort of -stage where the poets stand to read their works on evenings appointed -for public contests of genius; and the victors receive a laurel crown -from the hands of the most beautiful and cultured girls in the city, -who, crowned with roses, look on from a semi-circle of seats. That -evening I had the pleasure of meeting several young Cordovese ardently -attached, as they say in Spain, to the cultivation of the Muses--frank, -courteous, and vivacious, with a medley of verses in their heads, -and a smattering of Italian literature; and so imagine how from dusk -to midnight, through those mysterious streets, which from the first -evening had made my head whirl, there was a constant, noisy interchange -of sonnets, hymns, and ballads in the two languages, from Petrarch to -Prati, from Cervantes to Zorilla; and a delightful conversation closed -and sealed by many cordial hand-clasps and eager promises to write, to -send books, to come to Italy, to visit Spain again, etc. etc.--merely -words, as is always the case, but words not less dear on that account. - -In the morning I left for Seville. At the station I saw Frascuelo, -Lagartijo, Cuco, and the whole band of _toreros_ from Madrid, who -saluted me with a benevolent look of protection. I hurried into a dusty -carriage, and as the train moved off and my eyes rested on Cordova -for the last time, I bade the city adieu in the lines of the Arabian -poet--a little too tropical, if you will, for the taste of a European, -but, after all, admirable for the occasion: - -"Adieu, Cordova! Would that my life were as long as Noah's, that I -might live for ever within thy walls! Would that I had the treasures -of Pharaoh, to spend them upon wine and the beautiful women of Cordova -with the gentle eyes which invite kisses!" - - - - -SEVILLE. - - -The journey from Cordova to Seville does not awaken a sense of -astonishment, as does that from Toledo to Cordova, but it is even -more beautiful: there are continuous orange-orchards, boundless -olive-groves, hills clothed with vineyards, and meadows carpeted with -flowers. A few miles from Cordova one sees the ruined towers of the -frowning castle of Almodovar standing on a very high rock-platform, -which overlooks a vast extent of the surrounding country; at -Hornachuelos another old castle on the summit of a hill, in the midst -of a lonely, melancholy landscape; and then, beyond, the white city of -Palma, hidden in a dense orange-grove, which is surrounded in its turn -by a circle of truck-farms and flower-gardens. As the train runs on -one is carried through the midst of golden fields of grain, bordered -by long hedges of Indian fig trees and rows of dwarf palms, and dotted -with groves of pine and frequent orchards of fruit-bearing trees; and -at short intervals there are hills and castles, roaring streams, the -slender village belfries hidden among the trees, and the purple peaks -of distant mountains. - -Most beautiful of all are the little country-houses scattered along the -road. I do not remember to have seen a single one of them that was not -as white as snow. The house was white, the neighboring well-curb was -white, the little wall around the kitchen-garden was white, as were -also the two posts of the garden-gate: everything seemed as if it had -been whitewashed the day before. Some of these houses have one or two -mullioned windows of Moorish design; others have arabesques over the -door; and still others roofs covered with variegated tiles like Arabian -houses. Here and there through the fields one sees the red-and-white -capes of the peasants, velvet hats against the green grass, and sashes -of all colors. The peasants whom one sees in the furrows and those who -run to see the train pass are dressed in the costumes of forty years -ago as they are represented in paintings: they wear velvet hats with -very broad brims which roll slightly back, with little crowns like -a sugar-loaf; short jackets, open waistcoats, breeches gathered in -at the knee like those of the priests, gaiters which almost meet the -breeches, and sashes around the waist. This style of dress, picturesque -but inconvenient, is exceedingly becoming to the slender figures of -these men, who prefer discomfort, if it be attended by beauty, to -comfort without it, and who spend half an hour every morning adorning -themselves, besides the time required to get into a pair of tight -breeches which will display a shapely thigh and a well-turned leg. -They have nothing in common with our Northern peasant of the hard face -and dull eye. Their great black eyes meet your own with a smile, as -if they would say, "Don't you remember me?" They cast daring glances -at the ladies who put their heads out of the windows, run to fetch a -match before you have so much as asked for it, sometimes answer your -questions in rhyme, and are even capable of laughing to show their -white teeth. - -At Rinconado the campanile of the cathedral of Seville comes into view -in a line with the railroad, and to the right, beyond the Guadalquivir, -one sees the beautiful low hills, covered with olive-groves, at the -foot of which lie the ruins of Italica. The train rolled on, and I said -to myself, under my breath, speaking faster and faster as the houses -became thicker, with that suspense, full of longing and delight, which -one feels on approaching the doorway of one's love, "Seville! this is -Seville! The queen of Andalusia is at hand, the Athens of Spain, the -mother of Murillo, the city of poets and lovers, the storied Seville, -whose name I have pronounced from a child with a sentiment of loving -sympathy! What should I have given a few years since to have seen -it? No, it is not a dream! Those are really the houses of Seville; -those peasants yonder are Sevillians; that campanile which I see is -the Giralda! I am at Seville! How strange! It makes me laugh! What is -my mother doing at this moment? Would that she were here! Would that -this friend and that were here! It is a sin to be alone! See the white -houses, the gardens, the streets.... We are in the city.... It is time -to get out.... Ah! how beautiful is life!" - -I went to a hotel, threw down my valise in the _patio_, and began -to stroll about the city. It seemed like seeing Cordova over again, -on a large scale, embellished and enriched; the streets are wider, -the houses higher, the _patios_ more spacious, but the general -appearance of the city is the same: there is the same spotless white, -the same intricate network of streets, everywhere the fragrance of -orange-blossoms, that subtile air of mystery, that Oriental atmosphere, -filling one's heart with a delicious sense of amorous melancholy, and -calling to mind a thousand fancies, desires, and visions of a distant -world, a new life, an unknown people, and an earthly paradise of -love, pleasure, and content. In those streets one reads the history -of the city: every balcony, every fragment of sculpture, every lonely -crossway, recalls some nocturnal adventure of a king, the inspiration -of a poet, the romance of a beauty, an amour, a duel, an abduction, a -story, or a festival. Here a memento of Maria de Padilla, there one of -Don Pedro; yonder of Cervantes, Columbus, Saint Theresa, Velasquez, or -Murillo. A column tells of the Roman dominion; a tower, the splendor of -Charles V.'s monarchy; and an alcazar, the magnificence of the Arabian -court. Beside the modest white cottages rise sumptuous marble palaces; -the little tortuous streets open into vast squares full of orange -trees; from silent, deserted corners one enters with a short turn a -street filled with a noisy crowd: and wherever one passes one sees -on the opposite side the graceful lattices of the _patios_, flowers, -statues, fountains, flights of stairs, walls covered with arabesques, -small Moorish windows, and slender columns of costly marble; and -at every window and in every garden little women clothed in white, -half hidden, like timid nymphs, among the leaves of grapevines and -rosebushes. - -Passing from street to street, I came at length to the bank of the -Guadalquivir, close to the avenues of the Christina promenade, which -is to Seville what the Lung d'arno is to Florence. Here one enjoys a -charming spectacle. - -I first approached the famous Torre del Oro. This famous tower was -called the Golden, either because it received the gold which the -Spanish ships brought from America or because King Don Pedro hid his -treasures there. It is an octagonal structure of three stories, growing -smaller as they ascend, crowned with battlements and washed by the -river. The story runs that this tower was built in Roman times, and -that for a long period the king's most beautiful favorite dwelt there -after it had been joined to the Alcazar by an edifice which was torn -away to make room for the Christina promenade. - -This promenade extends from the ducal palace of Montpensier to the -Torre del Oro. It is entirely shaded with Oriental plane trees, oaks, -cypresses, willows, poplars, and other trees of northern latitudes, -which the Andalusians admire, as we admire the palms and aloes of the -plains of Piedmont and Lombardy. A great bridge spans the river and -leads to the suburb of Triana, from which one sees the first houses on -the opposite bank. A long line of ships, coasting vessels, and barges -extends along the river, and from the Torre del Oro to the ducal palace -there is a coming and going of rowboats. The sun was setting. A crowd -of ladies filled the avenues, groups of workmen were crossing the -bridge, the workmen on the ships labored more busily, a band of music -was playing among the trees, the river was rose-colored, the air was -fragrant with the perfume of flowers, the sky seemed all on fire. - -I returned to the city and enjoyed the marvellous spectacle of Seville -by night. All the _patios_ were illuminated--those of the humble -houses with a half light, which gave them an air of mysterious beauty, -those of the palaces, full of little flames which were reflected in -the mirrors and flashed like jets of quicksilver in the spray of the -fountains, and shone with a thousand colors on the marbles of the -vestibules, the mosaics of the walls, the glass of the doors, and -the crystal of the candlesticks. Inside one saw a crowd of ladies, -everywhere one heard the sound of laughter, low voices, and music; -one seemed to be passing through so many ball-rooms; from every door -flowed a stream of light, fragrance, and harmony; the streets were -crowded; among the trees of the squares, in the avenues, at the end -of the narrow streets, and on the balconies,--everywhere were seen -white skirts fluttering, vanishing, and reappearing in the darkness, -and little heads ornamented with flowers peeped coquettishly from -the windows; groups of young men broke through the crowd with merry -shouts; people called to each other and talked from window to street, -and everywhere were rapid motion, shouting, laughter, and festal -gaiety. Seville was simply an immense garden in which revelled a people -intoxicated with youth and love. - -Such moments are very sad ones for a stranger. I remember that I could -have struck my head against the wall. I wandered here and there almost -abashed, with hanging head and sad heart, as if all that crowd was -amusing itself for the sole purpose of insulting my loneliness and -melancholy. It was too late to present my letters of introduction, too -early to go to bed: I was the slave of that crowd and that gaiety, and -was obliged to endure it for many hours. I found a solace in resolving -not to look at the faces of the women, but I could not always keep my -resolve, and when my eyes inadvertently met two black pupils the wound, -because so unexpected, was more grievous than if I had encountered -the danger more boldly. Yes, I was in the midst of those wonderfully -famous women of Seville! I saw them pass on the arms of their husbands -and lovers; I touched their dresses, breathed their perfume, heard the -sound of their soft speech, and the blood leaped to my head like a -flame of fire. Fortunately, I remembered to have heard from a Sevillian -at Madrid that the Italian consul was in the habit of spending the -evening at the shop of his son, a merchant; I sought out the shop, -entered, and found the consul, and as I handed him a letter from a -friend I said, with a dramatic air which made him laugh, "Dear sir, -protect me; Seville has terrified me." - -At midnight the appearance of the city was unchanged: the crowd and -light had not disappeared; I returned to the hotel and locked my door -with the intention of going to bed. Worse and worse! The windows -of my room opened on a square where crowds of people were swarming -around an orchestra that played without interruption, when the music -finally ended the guitars commenced, together with the cries of the -water-carriers and snatches of song and laughter; the whole night -through there was noise enough to wake the dead. I had a dream at -once delightful and tantalizing, but rather more tantalizing than -delightful. I seemed to be tied to the bed by a very long tress of dark -hair twisted into a thousand knots, and felt on my lips a mouth of -burning coals which sucked my breath, and around my neck two vigorous -little hands which were crushing my head against the handle of a guitar. - -The following morning I went at once to see the cathedral. - -To adequately describe this measureless edifice one should have at -hand a collection of the most superlative adjectives and all the most -extravagant similes which have come from the pens of the grand writers -of every country whenever they have described something of prodigious -height, enormous size, appalling depth, and incredible grandeur. When -I talk to my friends about it, I too, like the Mirabeau of Victor -Hugo, involuntarily make _un colossal mouvement d'epaules_, puff out -my throat, and gradually raise my voice, like Tommaso Salvini in the -tragedy of _Samson_ when, in tones which make the parquet tremble, he -says that he feels his strength returning to his limbs. To talk of the -cathedral of Seville tires one like playing a great wind instrument or -carrying on a conversation across a roaring torrent. - -The cathedral of Seville stands alone in the centre of a vast square, -and consequently one can measure its vastness at a single glance. At -the first moment I thought of the famous motto which the chapter of the -primitive church adopted on the eighth of July, 1401, when they decreed -the erection of the new cathedral: "Let us build a monument which will -make posterity declare that we were mad." Those reverend canons did not -fail in their intention. But one must enter to be sure of this. - -The exterior of the cathedral is grand and magnificent, but not to -be compared with the interior. The façade is lacking: a high wall -surrounds the entire building like a fortress. However much one walks -around and looks at it, one cannot succeed in fixing in one's mind a -single outline which, like the preface of a book, will give a clear -conception of the design of the work; one admires and occasionally -breaks out in the exclamation, "It is stupendous!" but it does not -please, and one hurries into the church, hoping to feel a sentiment of -deeper admiration. - -On first entering one is amazed, and feels as if one were lost in an -abyss, and for some moments the eye can only describe immense curves -through that vast space, as if to assure you that the sight is real -and that fancy is not deceiving you. Then you approach one of the -pilasters, measure it, and look at the others in the distance: they are -as massive as towers, and yet they look so slender that one trembles -to think the edifice is resting on them. You run from one to another -with a rapid glance, follow their lines from pavement to vaulted -arch, and seem to be able to count the moments which it would take -for the eye to climb them. There are five naves, each of which would -form a great church, and in the central nave one could build another -high cathedral with its cupola and belfry. Altogether they form sixty -light, noble vaults which seem to be slowly expanding and rising as -one looks at them. Everything in this cathedral is enormous. The great -chapel in the middle of the principal nave, so high that it almost -touches the roof, seems like a chapel built for giant priests, to whose -knees the common altars would scarcely reach; the Easter candle seems -like the mast of a ship, the bronze candlestick which supports it, -like the pilaster of a church; the organs are like houses; the choir -is a museum of sculpture and carving which alone deserves a day's -study. The chapels are worthy of the church: in them are scattered -the masterpieces of sixty-seven sculptors and thirty-eight painters. -Montegna, Zurbaran, Murillo, Valdes, Herrera, Boldan, Roelas, and -Campana have left a thousand immortal traces of their handiwork. The -chapel of Saint Ferdinand, which contains the tombs of this king, -his wife Beatrice, Alfonso the Wise, the celebrated minister Florida -Blanca, and other illustrious personages, is one of the richest and -most beautiful. The body of King Ferdinand, who rescued Seville from -the dominion of the Arabs, clothed in his coat-of-mail with crown and -royal robe, rests in a crystal casket covered with a pall; on one side -lies the sword which he wore on the day of his entrance into Seville; -on the other, the staff, an emblem of authority. In this same chapel -is preserved a little ivory Virgin which the sainted king carried with -him to war, and other relics of great value. In the other chapels there -are great marble altars, Gothic tombs, statues of stone, wood, and -silver enclosed in large glass cases, with the breast and hands covered -with diamonds and rubies; there are also magnificent paintings, but, -unfortunately, the dim light which falls from the high windows does not -make them clear enough to be enjoyed in all their beauty. - -From the examination of the chapels, paintings, and sculptures one -returns unwearied to admire the cathedral in its grand and, if one -may say, its formidable aspect. After climbing to those dizzy heights -one's glance and thoughts, as if exhausted by the effort, fall back -to the earth to gather new strength for another ascent. And the -images which multiply in one's head correspond to the vastness of the -basilica--measureless angels, heads of enormous cherubim, great wings -like the sails of a ship, and the fluttering of immense white robes. -The impression produced by this cathedral is wholly religious, but -it is not depressing: it is that sentiment which bears the thought -into interminable spaces and the awful silences where the thoughts of -Leopardi lost themselves; it is a sentiment full of yearning and holy -boldness, that delightful shudder which one feels on the brink of a -precipice, the turbulence and confusion of great thoughts, the divine -fear of the infinite. - -As the cathedral is the most various of Spain (since the Gothic, -Germanic, Græco-Roman, Moorish, and, as it is vulgarly called, the -plateresque styles of architecture, have each left their individual -impress upon it), it is also the richest and has the greatest -privileges. In the times of greater clerical power they burned in -it every year twenty thousand pounds of wax; in it every day were -celebrated five hundred masses on eighty altars; the wine consumed -in the sacrifice amounted to the incredible quantity of eighteen -thousand seven hundred and fifty litres. The canons had trains of male -attendants like monarchs, came to church in splendid carriages drawn -by superb horses, and while they were celebrating mass had priests to -fan them with enormous fans adorned with feathers and pearls--a direct -concession from the Pope of which some avail themselves even in this -day. One need not speak of the festivals of Holy Week, which are still -famous the world over, and to which people gather from all parts of -Europe. - -But the most curious privilege of the cathedral of Seville is the -so-called dance _de los seises_, which takes place every evening at -dusk for eight consecutive days after the festival of _Corpus Domini_. -I was in Seville during those days, and went to see it, and it seems -to me worth describing. From what had been told me I expected to see -a scandalous piece of buffoonery, and entered the church with my -mind prepared for a feeling of indignation at the desecration of the -sanctuary. The church was dark; only the great chapel was lighted; a -crowd of kneeling women filled the space between the chapel and the -choir. Some priests were sitting to the right and left of the altar; in -front of the altar-steps was spread a great carpet; two lines of boys -from eight to thirteen years of age, dressed like Spanish cavaliers -of the Middle Ages, with plumed hats and white stockings, were drawn -up, one before the other, facing the altar. At a signal from a priest -a soft strain from violins broke the profound silence of the church, -and the two rows of boys advanced with the step of a contra-dance, and -began to divide, intermingle, separate, and come together again with a -thousand graceful movements, and then all together they broke into a -harmonious musical chant, which echoed through the gloom of the vast -cathedral like the singing of an angelic choir; and a moment later -they began to accompany the dance and the chant with tamborines. No -religious ceremony has ever moved me like this. It is impossible to -express the effect produced by those young voices under those immense -domes, those little creatures at the foot of the towering altars, that -dance, solemn and almost humble, the ancient costume, the kneeling -crowd, and the surrounding gloom. I left the church with my soul calmed -as if I had been praying. - -A very curious anecdote is related in connection with this ceremony. -Two centuries ago an archbishop of Seville, who regarded the dance -and tamborines as unworthy instruments of praising God, wished to -prohibit the ceremony. Everything was thrown into confusion: the -people protested; the canons made themselves heard; the archbishop was -obliged to appeal to the Pope. The Pope, whose curiosity was aroused, -wished to see this silly dance with his own eyes, that he might decide -intelligently in the matter. The boys in their cavalier dress were -taken to Rome, received at the Vatican, and made to dance and sing -before His Holiness. His Holiness laughed, did not disapprove, and, -wishing to give one knock on the hoop and another on the barrel, and so -to satisfy the canons without offending the archbishop, decreed that -the boys should continue to dance so long as the clothes which they -then wore lasted; after that time the ceremony was to be abolished. -The archbishop laughed in his beard, if he had one; the canons laughed -too, as if they had already found the way to outwit both the Pope and -the archbishop. And, in fact, they renew some part of the boys' dress -every year, so that the whole garment can never be said to have worn -out, and the archbishop, as a scrupulous man, who observed the commands -of the Pope to the letter, could not oppose the repetition of the -ceremony. So they continued to dance, and they dance and will dance so -long as it pleases the canons and the Lord. - -As I was leaving the church a sacristan made me a sign, led me behind -the choir, and pointed out a tablet in the pavement, upon which I read -an inscription which stirred my heart. Under that stone lay the bones -of Ferdinand Columbus, the son of Christopher, who was born at Cordova, -and died at Seville on the twelfth of July, 1536, in the fiftieth -year of his age. Under the inscription run some Latin verses with the -following significance: - -"Of what avail is it that I have bathed the entire universe with my -sweat, that I have three times passed through the New World discovered -by my father, that I have adorned the banks of the gentle Beti, and -preferred my simple taste to riches, that I might again draw around -thee the divinities of the Castalian spring, and offer thee the -treasures already gathered by Ptolemy,--if thou, passing this stone in -silence, returnest no salute to my father and givest no thought to me?" - -The sacristan, who knew more about the inscription than I did, -explained it to me. Ferdinand Columbus was in his early youth a page of -Isabella the Catholic and of the prince Don Juan; he travelled to the -Indies with his father and his brother the admiral Don Diego, followed -the emperor Charles V. in his wars, made other voyages to Asia, Africa, -and America, and everywhere collected with infinite care and at great -expense the most precious books, from which he composed a library which -passed after his death into the hands of the chapter of the cathedral, -and remains intact under the famous name of the Columbian Library. -Before his death he wrote these same Latin verses which are inscribed -on the tablet of his tomb, and expressed a desire to be buried in the -cathedral. In the last moments of his life he had a vessel full of -ashes brought to him and sprinkled his face with them, pronouncing -as he did so the words of Holy Writ, _Memento homo quia pulvis es_, -chanted the _Te Deum_, smiled, and expired with the serenity of a -saint. I was at once seized with a desire to visit the library and left -the church. - -A guide stopped me on the threshold to ask me if I had seen the _Patio -de los Naranjos_--the Court of Oranges--and, as I had not done so, he -conducted me thither. The Court of Oranges lies to the north of the -cathedral, surrounded by a great embattled wall. In the centre rises a -fountain encircled by an orange-grove, and on one side along the wall -is a marble pulpit, from which, according to the tradition, Vincenzo -Ferrer is said to have preached. In the area of this court, which is -very large, rose the ancient mosque, which is thought to have been -built toward the end of the twelfth century. There is not the least -trace of it now. In the shade of the orange trees around the margins of -the basin the good Sevillians come to take the air in the burning noons -of summer, and only the delightful verdure and the perfumed air remain -as memorials of the voluptuous paradise of Mohammed, while now and then -a beautiful girl with great dark eyes darts between the distant trees. - -The famous Giralda of the cathedral of Seville is an ancient Moorish -tower, built, it is affirmed, in the year one thousand after the design -of the architect Geber, the inventor of algebra. The upper part has -been changed since Spain was reconquered, and has been rebuilt like a -Christian bell-tower, but it will always retain its Moorish appearance, -and, after all, is prouder of the banished standards of the vanquished -than of the cross recently planted upon it by the victors. It is a -monument which produces a strange sensation: it makes one smile; it is -measureless and imposing as an Egyptian pyramid, and at the same time -light and graceful as a summer-house. It is a square brick tower of a -mellow rose-color, unadorned to a certain height, and from that point -up ornamented with mullioned Moorish windows, which appear here and -there like the windows of a house provided with balconies, and give -it a very beautiful appearance. From the platform, which was formerly -covered by a variegated roof surmounted by an iron pole which supported -four enormous golden balls, now rises the Christian bell-tower in three -stories, the first of which is taken up by the bells, the second is -encircled by a balcony, and the third consists of a sort of cupola -upon which, like a weather-vane, turns a colossal gilded statue which -represents Faith, with a palm in one hand and a banner in the other. -This statue is visible a long distance from Seville, and flashes when -the sun strikes it like an enormous ruby in the crown of a gigantic -king, who sweeps with his glance the entire valley of Andalusia. - -I climbed all the way to the top, and was there amply rewarded for -the fatigue of the ascent. Seville, all white like a city of marble, -encircled by a diadem of gardens, groves, and avenues, surrounded by a -landscape dotted with villas, lay open to the view in all the wealth of -its Oriental beauty. The Guadalquivir, freighted with ships, divides -and embraces it in a majestic curve. Here the Torre del Oro casts its -graceful shadow on the azure waters of the river; there the Alcazar -rears its frowning towers; yonder the gardens of Montpensier raise -above the roofs of the building an enormous mass of verdure: one's -glance penetrates the bull-ring, the public gardens, the _patios_ of -the homes, the cloisters of the churches, and all the streets which -converge toward the cathedral; in the distance appear the villages -of Santi Ponce, Algaba, and others which whiten the slopes of the -hills; to the right of the Guadalquivir the great suburb of Triana; -on one side along the horizon the broken peaks of the Sierra Morena; -and in the opposite direction other mountains enlivened by infinite -azure tints; and over all this marvellous panorama the clearest, most -transparent, and entrancing sky which has ever smiled upon the face of -man. - -I descended from the Giralda and went to see the Columbian Library, -located in an old building beside the Court of Oranges. After I had -seen a collection of missals, Bibles, and ancient manuscripts, one of -which is attributed to Alfonso the Wise, entitled "The Book of the -Treasure," written with the most scrupulous care in the ancient Spanish -language, I saw--let me repeat it, I saw--I, with my own moist eyes, -as I pressed my hand on my beating heart--I saw a book, a treatise -on cosmography and astronomy in Latin, with the margins covered with -notes written in the hand of Christopher Columbus! He had studied that -book while he revolved his great design in his mind, had pored over -its pages in the night-watches, had touched it perhaps with his divine -forehead in those exhausting vigils when sometimes he bent over the -parchments with utter weariness and bathed them with his sweat. It is -a tremendous thought! But there is something better. I saw a writing -in the hand of Columbus in which are collected all the prophecies of -the ancient writers, sacred and profane, in regard to the discovery of -the New World, written, it is said, to induce the sovereigns of Spain -to provide the means to carry out his enterprise. There is, among -others, a passage from the _Medea_ of Seneca, which runs: _Venient -annis saecula seris, quibus oceanus vincula rerum laxet et ingens -pateat tellus_. And in the volume of Seneca, which may also be found -in the Columbian Library, alongside of this passage there is a note -by Ferdinand Columbus, which says: "This prophecy was fulfilled by my -father, the admiral Christopher Columbus, in the year 1492." My eyes -filled with tears; I wished I were alone, that I might have kissed -those books, have tired myself out turning and re-turning their leaves -between my hands, have detached a tiny fragment, and carried it with me -as a sacred thing. Christopher Columbus! I have seen his characters! I -have touched the leaves which he has touched! I have felt him very near -me! On leaving the library, I know not why--I could have leaped into -the midst of the flames to rescue a child, I could have stripped myself -to clothe a beggar, I could joyfully have made any sacrifice--I was so -rich! - -After the library the Alcazar, but before reaching it, although it is -in the same square as the cathedral, I felt for the first time what the -Andalusian sun is like. Seville is the hottest city of Spain, it was -the hottest hour of the day, and I found myself in the hottest part -of the city; there was a flood of light; not a door, not a window, -was open, not a soul astir; if I had been told that Seville was -uninhabited, I should have believed it. I crossed the square slowly -with half-shut eyes and wrinkled face, with the sweat coursing in great -drops down my cheeks and breast, while my hands seemed to have been -dipped in a bucket of water. On nearing the Alcazar I saw a sort of -booth belonging to a water-carrier, and dashed under it headlong, like -a man fleeing from a shower of stones. I took a little breathing-spell, -and went on toward the Alcazar. - -The Alcazar, the ancient palace of the Moorish kings, is one of the -best-preserved monuments in Spain. From the outside it looks like a -fortress: it is entirely surrounded by high walls, embattled towers, -and old houses, which form two spacious courtyards in front of the -façade. The façade is bare and severe, like the rest of the exterior; -the gate is adorned with gilded and painted arabesques, between which -one sees a Gothic inscription which refers to the time when the Alcazar -was restored by order of King Don Pedro. The Alcazar, in fact, although -a Moorish palace, is the work of Christian rather than of Moorish -kings. It is not known exactly in what year it was built: it was -reconstructed by King Abdelasio toward the end of the twelfth century, -conquered by King Ferdinand toward the middle of the thirteenth -century; altered a second time, in the following century, by King Don -Pedro; and then occupied for longer or shorter periods by nearly all -the kings of Castile; and finally selected by Charles V. as the place -for the celebration of his marriage with the infanta of Portugal. The -Alcazar has witnessed the loves and crimes of three generations of -kings; every stone awakens a memory and guards a secret. - -You enter, cross two or three rooms in which there remains little -of the Moorish excepting the vaulted ceiling and the mosaics around -the walls, and come out into a court where you stand speechless with -wonder. A portico of very delicate arches extends along the four sides, -supported by slender marble columns, joined two by two, and arches -and walls and windows and doors are covered with carvings, mosaics, -and arabesques most intricate and exquisite, here perforated like -lace, there closely woven and elaborate like embroidered tapestry, -yonder clinging and projecting like masses and garlands of flowers; -and, except the mosaics, which are of a thousand colors, everything -is white, clean, and smooth as ivory. On the four sides are four -great doors, through which you enter the royal apartments. Here -wonder becomes enchantment: whatever is richest, most various, and -most splendid, whatever the most ardent fancy sees in its most ardent -dreams, is to be found in these rooms. From pavement to the vaulted -ceiling, around the doors, along the window-frames, in the most hidden -corners, wherever one's glance falls, one sees such a luxuriance -of ornaments in gold and precious stones, such a close network of -arabesques and inscriptions, such a marvellous profusion of designs and -colors, that one has scarcely taken twenty steps before one is amazed -and confused, and the wearied eye wanders here and there searching for -a hand's breadth of bare wall where it may flee and rest. In one of -these rooms the guide pointed out a red spot which covered a good part -of the marble pavement, and said in a solemn voice, "These are the -blood-stains of Don Fadrique, grand master of the order of Santiago, -who was killed on this very spot, in the year 1358, by order of his -brother, King Don Pedro." - -I remember that when I heard these words I looked in the face of the -custodian, as if to say, "Come, let us be going," and that good man -answered in a dry tone, - -"_Caballero_, if I had told you to believe this thing on my word, you -would have had every reason to doubt; but when you can see the thing -with your very eyes, I may be wrong, but--it seems to me...." - -"Yes," I hastened to say--"yes, it is blood: I believe it, I see it; -let's say no more about it." - -But if one can be playful over the blood-spots, one cannot be so over -the story of the crime; the sight of the place revives in the mind all -the most horrible details. Through the great gilded halls one seems -to hear the echo of Don Fadrique's footsteps, followed by those of -the bowmen armed with bludgeons; the palace is immersed in gloom; one -hears no other sound save that of the executioners and their victim; -Don Fadrique tries to enter the courtyard; Lopez de Padilla catches -him; Fadrique throws him off and is in the court; he grasps his sword; -curses on it! the cross of the hilt is held fast in the mantle of -the order of Santiago; the bowmen gain upon him; he has not time to -unsheath the sword; he flees here and there, groping his way; Fernandez -de Roa overtakes him and fells him with a blow of his club; the others -run up and set upon him, and Fadrique dies in a pool of blood.... - -But this sad recollection is lost among the thousand images of the -sensuous Moorish kings. Those graceful little windows, where it seems -as if you ought to see every other moment the languid face of an -odalisque; those secret doors, at which you pause in spite of yourself, -as if you heard the rustle of garments; those sleeping chambers of -the sultans, shrouded in mysterious gloom, where you seem to hear -only the confused amorous lament of all the maidens who there lost -the flower of their virgin purity; that prodigal variety of color and -line, which like a tumultuous and ever-changing harmony arouses the -senses to such fantastic flights that you doubt whether you are waking -or sleeping; that delicate and lovely architecture, all of slender -columns, that seem like the arms of women; capricious arches, little -rooms, arched ceilings crowded with ornaments hanging in the form of -stalactites, icicles, and clusters of grapes, of as many colors as a -flower-garden;--all this stirs your desire to sit down in the middle of -one of those rooms and to press to your heart a lovely brown Andalusian -head which will make you forget the world and time, and, with one long -kiss that drinks away your life, give you eternal sleep. - -On the ground floor the most beautiful room is the Hall of the -Ambassadors, formed by four great arches which support a gallery -with forty-four smaller arches, and above a beautiful cupola carved, -painted, gilded, and chased with inimitable grace and fabulous splendor. - -On the upper floor, where were the winter apartments, there remain only -an oratory of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic, and a little room in -which the king Don Pedro is said to have slept. From it one descends by -a narrow mysterious staircase to the rooms where dwelt the famous Maria -de Padilla, the favorite of Don Pedro, whom popular tradition accuses -of instigating the king to kill his brother. - -[Illustration: _Moorish Arches, Alcazar, Seville_] - -The gardens of the Alcazar are neither very large nor particularly -beautiful, but the memories which they recall are of greater value than -extent or beauty. In the shade of those orange trees and cypresses, to -the murmur of those fountains, when the great white moon was shining in -that limpid Andalusian sky, and the many groups of courtiers and slaves -rested there, how many long sighs of ardent sultanas! how many lowly -words from proud kings! what passionate loves and embraces! "Itimad, my -love!" I murmured, thinking of the famous mistress of King Al-Motamid -as I wandered from path to path as if following her phantom,--"Itimad," -I repeated, "do not leave me alone in this silent paradise! Dost -thou remember how thou camest to me? Thy wealth of hair fell over my -shoulder, and dearer than the sword to the warrior wert thou to me! How -beautiful thou art! Thy neck is soft and white as the swan's, and like -berries are thy red, red lips! How marvellous is the perfection of thy -beauty! How dear thou art, Itimad, my love! Thy kisses are like wine, -and thy eyes, like wine, steal away my reason!" - -While I was thus making my declarations of love with phrases and images -stolen from the Arabian poets, at the very moment when I turned into -a bypath all bordered with flowers, suddenly I felt a stream of water -first on one leg and then on the other. I jumped aside, and received -a spray in my face; I turned to the right, and felt another stream -against my neck; to the left, another jet between my shoulders. I began -to run: there was water under me and around me in every direction, in -jets, streams, and spray; in a moment I was as wet as if I had been -dipped in the bath-tub. Just as I opened my mouth to call for help it -all subsided, and I heard a ringing laugh at the end of the garden. I -turned and saw a young fellow leaning against a low wall looking at me -as if he were saying, "How did you like it?" When I came out he showed -me the spring he had touched to play this little joke, and comforted me -with the assurance that the sun of Seville would not leave me long in -that dripping condition, into which I had passed so rudely, alas! from -the lovely arms of my sultana. - -That evening, in spite of the voluptuous images which the Alcazar had -called to my mind, I was sufficiently calm to contemplate the beauty -of the women of Seville without fleeing to the arms of the consul for -safety. I do not believe that the women of any other country are so -bewitching as the fair Andalusians, not only because they tempt one -into all sorts of mischief, but because they seem to have been made to -be seized and carried away, so small, graceful, plump, elastic, and -soft are they. Their little feet could both be put easily into one's -coat-pocket, and with an arm one could lift them by the waist like -babies, and by the mere pressure of the finger could bend them like -willow wands. To their natural beauty they add the art of walking and -looking in a way to turn one's head. They fly along, glide, and walk -with a wave-like motion, and in a single moment, as they pass, they -show a little foot, make you admire an arm or a slender waist, reveal -two rows of the whitest teeth, and dart at you a long veiled glance -that melts and dies in your own; and on they go with an air of triumph, -certain of having turned your blood topsy-turvy. - -To form an idea of the beauty of the women of the people and the -picturesqueness of their dress you must go by day to visit the -tobacco-manufactory, which is one of the largest establishments of -the kind in Europe and employs not less than five thousand hands. The -building faces the vast gardens of the duke of Montpensier: almost all -of the women work in three immense rooms, each divided into three parts -by as many rows of pillars. The first view is astounding: there, all -at once, eight hundred girls present themselves before one's eyes in -groups of five or six, sitting around work-tables as close as possible, -the farthest indistinct and the last scarcely visible; all of them -young and a few children--eight hundred jet-black heads and eight -hundred brown faces from every province of Andalusia, from Jaen to -Cadiz, from Granada to Seville! - -One hears a buzzing as of a square full of people. The walls, from one -door to the other, in all three of the rooms are lined with skirts, -shawls, kerchiefs, and scarfs; and--a very curious thing--that entire -mass of garments, which would fill to overflowing a hundred old-clothes -shops, presents two predominant colors, in two continuous lines one -above the other, like the stripes of a very long flag--the black of the -shawls above, and the red mixed with white, purple, and yellow--so that -one seems to see an immense costumer's shop or an immense ball-room -where the ballet-dancers, in order to be free, have hung on the walls -every part of their dress which it is not absolutely necessary to wear. -The girls put on these dresses when they go out, and wear old clothes -to work in; but white and red predominate in those dresses also. The -heat is insupportable, consequently they lighten their clothing as -much as possible, and among those five thousand one will scarcely find -fifty whose arms and shoulders the visitor may not contemplate at -his pleasure, without counting the extraordinary cases which present -themselves suddenly as one passes from room to room, behind the doors -and columns, and around the distant corners. There are some very -beautiful faces, and even those who are not beautiful have something -about them which attracts one's glance and lingers in the memory--the -complexion, the eyes, the brow, or the smile. Many of them, especially -so-called _Gitane_, are as dark as dark mulattos and have protruding -lips; others have eyes so large that a faithful picture of them would -be considered a monstrous exaggeration; the greater part are small and -well-formed, and all have a rose or carnation or some sort of wild -flower in their hair. They are paid in proportion to the work they do, -and the most skilful and industrious earn as much as three francs per -day; the lazy ones--_las holgazanas_--sleep with their arms crossed on -the table and their heads resting on their arms; mothers are working, -and swinging a leg to which is bound a cord that rocks the cradle. -From the cigar-room one passes to the cigarette-room, and from it to -the box-factory, and from the box-factory to the packing-room, and in -them all one sees the red skirts, black hair, and fine eyes. In each of -those rooms how many stories of love, jealousy, despair, and misery! -On leaving the factory one seems for some time to see black eyes in -every direction regarding him with a thousand varying expressions -of curiosity, indifference, sympathy, cheerfulness, sadness, and -drowsiness. - -The same day I went to see the Museum of Painting. The Seville gallery -does not contain very many paintings, but those few are worth a -great museum. There are the masterpieces of Murillo, and among them -his immortal _Saint Anthony of Padua_, which is said to be the most -divinely inspired of his works, and one of the greatest achievements -of human genius. I visited the gallery in the company of Señor Gonzalo -Segovia and Ardizone, one of the most illustrious young men of Seville, -and I wish he were here beside my table at this moment to testify in a -foot-note that when my eyes first lit upon the picture I seized his arm -and uttered a cry. - -Only once in my life have I felt such a profound stirring of my soul as -that which I felt on seeing this picture. It was one beautiful summer -night: the sky was bright with stars, and the vast plain lay extended -before me from the high place where I stood in deep silence. One of -the noblest creatures I have ever met in my life was at my side. A few -hours before we had been reading some pages from one of Humboldt's -works: we looked at the sky and talked of the motion of the earth, the -millions of worlds, and the infinite with those suppressed tones as of -distant voices which one unconsciously uses in speaking of such things -in the silent night. Finally we were still, and each, with eyes fixed -on the heavens, gave himself up to fancies. I know not by what train -of thought I was led; I know not what mysterious chain of emotions was -formed in my heart; I know not what I saw or felt or dreamed. I only -know that suddenly a veil before my mind seemed to be rent asunder; I -felt within me a perfect assurance of that which hitherto I had longed -for rather than believed; my heart expanded with a feeling of supreme -joy, angelic peace, and limitless hope; a flood of scalding tears -suddenly filled my eyes, and, grasping the hand of my friend, which -sought my own, I cried from the depths of my soul, "It is true! It is -true!" and began to cry like a child. - -The _Saint Anthony of Padua_ brought back the emotions of that evening. -The saint is kneeling in the middle of his cell; the child Jesus in -a nebulous halo of white vaporous light, drawn by the power of his -prayer, is descending into his arms. Saint Anthony, rapt in ecstasy, -throws himself forward with all his power of body and soul, his head -thrown back, radiant with an expression of supreme joy. So great was -the shock which this picture gave me that when I had looked at it a few -moments I was as exhausted as if I had visited a vast gallery, and a -trembling seized me and continued so long as I remained in that room. - -Afterward I saw the other great paintings of Murillo--a _Conception_, a -_Saint Francis embracing Christ_, another version of _Saint Anthony_, -and others to the number of twenty or more, among them the famous and -enchanting _Virgin of the Napkin_, painted by Murillo upon a real -napkin in the Capuchin convent of Seville to gratify a desire of a lay -brother who was serving him: it is one of his most delicate creations, -in which is revealed all the magic of his inimitable coloring--but none -of these paintings, although they are objects of wonder to all the -artists of the world, drew my heart or thoughts from that divine _Saint -Anthony_. - -There are also in this gallery paintings by the two Herreras, Pacheco, -Alonzo Cano, Pablo de Cespedes, Valdes, Mulato, a servant of Murillo -who ably imitated his style, and finally the large famous painting of -the _Apotheosis of Saint Thomas of Aquinas_, by Francesco Zurbaran, -one of the most eminent artists of the seventeenth century, called -the Spanish Caravaggio, and possibly his superior in truth and moral -sentiment,--a powerful naturalist, a strong colorist, and an inimitable -painter of austere friars, macerated saints, brooding hermits, and -terrible priests, and an unsurpassed poet of penitence, solitude, and -meditation. - -After seeing the picture-gallery Señor Gonzalo Segovia led me through -a succession of narrow streets to the street _Francos_, one of the -principal ways of the city, and stopped me in front of a little -draper's shop, saying with a laugh, "Look! Doesn't this shop make you -think of something?" - -"Nothing at all," I replied. - -"Look at the number." - -"It is number fifteen: what of it?" - -"Oh! plague on it!" exclaimed my amiable guide, - - "'Number fifteen, - On the left-hand side'!" - -"The shop of the _Barber of Seville_!" I cried. - -"Precisely!" he responded--"the shop of the Barber of Seville; but -be on your guard when you speak of it in Italy; do not take your -oath, for traditions are often misleading, and I would not assume the -responsibility of confirming a fact of such importance." - -At that moment the merchant came to the door of the shop, and, divining -why we were there, laughed and said, "_No esta_" ("Figaro is not -here"), and with a gracious bow he retired. - -Then I besought Señor Gonzalo to show me a _patio_, one of those -enchanting _patios_ which as I looked at them from the street made me -imagine so many delightful things. "I want to see at least one," I said -to him--"to penetrate once into the midst of those mysteries, to touch -the walls, to assure myself that it is a real thing and not a vision." - -My desire was at once fulfilled: we entered the _patio_ of one of his -friends. Señor Gonzalo told the servant the object of our visit, and we -were left alone. The house was only two stories in height. The _patio_ -was no larger than an ordinary room, but all marble and flowers, and -a little fountain in the middle, and paintings and statues around, -and from roof to roof an awning which sheltered it from the sun. In -a corner was a work-table, and here and there one saw low chairs and -little benches whereon a few moments previously had doubtless rested -the feet of some fair Andalusian, who at that moment was watching us -from between the slats of a blind. I examined everything minutely, as -I would have done in a house abandoned by the fairies: I sat down, -closed my eyes, imagined I was the master, then arose, wet my hand with -the spray of the fountain, touched a slender column, went to the door, -picked a flower, raised my eyes to the windows, laughed, sighed, and -said, "How happy must those be who live here!" At that moment I heard -a low laugh, and saw two great black eyes flash behind a blind and -instantly disappear. "Truly," I said, "I did not believe that it was -possible to still live so poetically upon this earth. And to think that -you enjoy these houses all your life! and that you have the inclination -to rack your brains about politics!" - -Señor Gonzalo showed me the secrets of the house. "All this furniture," -said he, "these paintings, and these vases of flowers disappear on -the approach of autumn and are taken to the second story, which is -the living apartment from autumn to spring. When summer comes beds, -wardrobes, tables, chairs--everything is brought down to the rooms on -the ground floor, and here the family sleep and eat, receive their -friends, and do their work, among the flowers and marbles to the murmur -of the fountain. And at night they have the doors open, and from the -sleeping-rooms one can see the _patio_ flooded with moonlight and -smell the fragrance of roses." - -"Oh, stop!" I exclaimed, "stop, Señor Gonzalo! Have pity on strangers!" -And, laughing heartily, we both went out on our way to see the famous -_Casa de Pilato_. - -As we were passing along a lonely little street I looked in a window -of a hardware-shop and saw an assortment of knives so long, broad, -and unusual that I felt a desire to buy one. I entered: twenty were -displayed before my eyes, and I had the salesman to open them one by -one. As each knife was opened I took a step backward. I do not believe -it is possible to imagine an instrument more barbarous and terrifying -in appearance than one of them. The handles are of wood, copper, and -horn, curved and carved in open patterns, so that one may see through -their little pieces of isinglass. The knives open with a sound like a -rattle, and out comes a large blade as broad as the palm of your hand, -as long as both palms together, and as sharp as a dagger, in the form -of a fish, ornamented with red inlaying, which suggests streaks of -clotted blood, and adorned with fierce and threatening inscriptions. -On the blade of one there will be written in Spanish, _Do not open -me without reason, nor shut me without honor_; on another, _Where I -strike, all is over_; on a third, _When this snake bites, there is -nothing left for the doctor to do_; and other gallantries of the same -sort. The proper name of these knives is _navaja_--a word which also -has the meaning of razor--and the _navaja_ is the popular duelling -weapon. Now it has fallen into disuse, but was at one time held in -great honor; there were masters who taught its use, each of whom had -his secret blow, and duels were fought in accordance with the rules -of chivalry. I bought the most terrible _navaja_ in the shop, and we -entered the street again. - -The _Casa de Pilato_, held by the Medina-Coeli family, is, after -the Alcazar, the most beautiful monument of Moorish architecture in -Seville. The name, _Casa de Pilato_, comes from the fact that its -founder, Don Enriquez de Ribera, the first marquis of Tarifa, had -it built, as the story goes, in imitation of the house of the Roman -prætor, which he had seen in Jerusalem, where he went on a pilgrimage. -The edifice has a modest exterior, but the interior is marvellous. -One first enters a court not less beautiful than the enchanting court -of the Alcazar, encircled by two orders of arches, supported by -graceful marble columns, forming two very light galleries, one above -the other, and so delicate that it seems as if the first puff of wind -would cast them into ruins. In the centre is a lovely fountain resting -on four marble dolphins and crowned by a bust of Janus. Around the -lower part of the walls run brilliant mosaics, and above these every -sort of fantastic arabesque, here and there framing beautiful niches -containing busts of the Roman emperors. At the four corners of the -court the ceilings, the walls, and the doors are carved, embroidered, -and covered with flowers and historic tapestries with the delicacy of -a miniature. In an old chapel, partly Moorish and partly Gothic in -style, and most delicate in form, there is preserved a little column, -scarcely more than three feet in height, the gift of Pius V. to a -descendant of the founder of the palace, at one time viceroy of Naples: -to that column, says the tradition, was bound Jesus of Nazareth to be -scourged. This fact, even if it were true, would prove that Pius V. did -not believe it in the slightest degree. For he would not lightly have -committed the unpardonable mistake of depriving himself of a valuable -relic to make a present to the first comer. The entire palace is full -of sacred memories. On the first floor the custodian points out a -window which corresponds to that by which Peter sat when he denied his -Lord, and the little window from which the maid-servant recognized him. -From the street one sees another window with a little stone balcony, -which represents the exact position of the window where Jesus, wearing -the crown of thorns, was shown to the people. - -The garden is full of fragments of ancient statuary brought from Italy -by that same Don Pedro Afan de Ribera, viceroy of Naples. Among the -other fables that are told about this mysterious garden is one to the -effect that Don Pedro Afan de Ribera placed in it an urn brought -from Italy containing the ashes of the emperor Trajan, and a curious -person carelessly struck the urn and overturned it; the emperor's ashes -were thus scattered over the grass, and no one has ever succeeded in -collecting them. So this august monarch, born at Italica, by a very -strange fate has returned to the vicinity of his natal city, not in the -very best condition in which to meditate upon its ruins, to tell the -truth, but he was near it, at any rate. - -In spite of all that I have described, I may say that I did not see -Seville, but just commenced to see it. Nevertheless, I shall stop -here, because everything must have an end. I pass by the promenaders, -the squares, the gates, the libraries, the public buildings, the -mansions of the grandees, the gardens and the churches; but allow -me to say that, after several days' wandering through Seville from -sunrise to sunset, I was obliged to leave the city under the weight of -a self-accusing conscience. I did not know which way to turn. I had -reached such a condition of weariness that the announcement of a new -object to be seen filled me with foreboding rather than pleasure. The -good Señor Gonzalo kept up my courage, comforted me, and shortened the -journeys with his delightful company, but, nevertheless, I have only a -very confused remembrance of all that I saw during those last days. - -Seville, although it no longer merits the glorious title of the -Spanish Athens, as in the times of Charles V. and Philip II., when it -was mother and patron of a large and chosen band of poets and artists, -the seat of culture and of the arts in the vast empire of its monarchs, -is even yet that one among the cities of Spain, with the exception -of Madrid, in which the artistic life is most vigorously maintained, -as is evidenced by the number of its men of genius, the liberality -of its patrons, and the popular love of the fine arts. It contains a -flourishing academy of literature, a society for the protection of the -arts, a well-known university, and a colony of scholars and sculptors -who enjoy an honorable distinction throughout Spain. But the highest -literary fame in Seville belongs to a woman--Catharine Bohl, the -author of the novels which bear the name of Fernan Caballero, widely -read in Spain and America, translated into almost all the languages -of Europe, and known also in Italy (where some of them were published -not long since) by every one who at all occupies himself with foreign -literature. They are admirable pictures of Andalusian manners, full -of truth, passion, and grace, and, above all, possessing a vigor of -faith and a religious enthusiasm so fearless and a Christian charity -so broad that they would startle and confuse the most skeptical man -in the world. Catharine Bohl is a woman who would undergo martyrdom -with the firmness and serenity of a Saint Ignatius. The consciousness -of her power is revealed in every page: she does not hesitate to -defend her religion, and confronts, assails, threatens, and overthrows -its enemies; and not only the enemies of religion, but every man and -everything that, to use a common expression, conforms to the spirit -of the age, for she never forgives the least sin which has been -committed from the times of the Inquisition to our own day, and she is -more inexorable than the Pope's syllabus. And herein perhaps lies her -greatest defect as a writer--that her religious convictions and her -invectives are entirely too frequent and grow tiresome, and disgust and -prejudice the reader rather than convince him of her own beliefs. But -there is not a shadow of bitterness in her heart, and as her books, so -is her life, noble, upright, and charitable. In Seville she is revered -as a saint. Born in that city, she married early in life, and is now a -widow for the third time. Her last husband, who was Spanish ambassador -at London, committed suicide, and from that day she has never laid -aside her mourning. At the time of my visit she was almost seventy; she -had been very beautiful, and her noble, placid face still preserved -the impress of beauty. Her father, who was a man of considerable -genius and great culture, taught her several languages in early life: -she knows Latin thoroughly and speaks Italian, German, and French -with admirable facility. At this time, however, she is not writing at -all, although the editors and publishers of Europe and America are -offering her large sums for her works. But she does not live a life of -inactivity. From morning to night she reads all sorts of books, and -while she reads she is either knitting or embroidering, for she very -firmly believes that her literary studies ought not to take one minute -from her feminine employments. She has no children, and lives in a -lonely house, the best part of which has been given to a poor family; -she spends a great part of her income in charity. A curious trait of -her character is her great love of animals: she has her house full of -birds, cats, and dogs, and her sensibilities are so delicate that she -has never consented to enter a carriage, for fear of seeing the horse -beaten on her account. All suffering affects her as if she herself -were bearing it: the sight of a blind man or of a sick person or of a -cripple of any sort distresses her for an entire day; she cannot close -her eyes to sleep unless she has wiped away a tear; she would joyfully -forego all her honors to save any unknown person a heartache. Before -the Revolution her life was not so isolated: the Montpensier family -received her with great honor, and the most illustrious families of -Seville vied with each other in entertaining her at their homes: now -she lives only among her books and a few friends. - -In Moorish times Cordova took the lead in literature and Seville in -music. "When a scholar dies at Seville," said Averroes, "and they wish -to sell his books, they send them to Cordova; but if a musician dies -at Cordova, they send his instruments to Seville to be sold." Now -Cordova has lost her literary primacy, and Seville holds first place -both in literature and music. Truly the times are past in which a poet -by singing of the beauty of a maiden draws around her a crowd of lovers -from all parts of the realm, and when one prince envies another simply -because a poet has sung in his praise a verse more beautiful than any -which the other had inspired, and a caliph rewards the author of a -noble hymn by a gift of a hundred camels, a troop of slaves, and a vase -of gold--when a happy strophe improvised at an opportune time releases -a slave from his chains or saves the life of one condemned to death, -and when the musicians are followed through the streets of Seville by -a train of monarchs, and the favor of poets is more sought than that -of kings, and the lyre is more terrible than the sword. But the people -of Seville are always the most poetic people of Spain. The _bon mot_, -the word of love, the expression of joy and enthusiasm, fly from their -lips with a fascinating spontaneity and grace. The common people of -Seville improvise, and talk as though they are singing, gesticulate as -if they are declaiming, laugh and play like children. One never grows -old at Seville. It is a city where life melts away in a continuous -smile, with no other thought than the enjoyment of the beautiful sky, -the lovely little houses, and the delightful little gardens. It is -the most peaceful city in Spain, and the only one which since the -Revolution has not been agitated by those sad political commotions -which have stirred the others: politics do not penetrate the surface; -the Sevillians are content to make love; all else they take in jest. -_Todo lo toman de broma_, say the other Spaniards of the Sevillians; -and in truth with that fragrant air, with those little streets like -those of an Oriental city, with those fiery little women, why should -they trouble themselves? At Madrid they speak ill of them; they say -they are vain, false, fickle, and silly. It is jealousy: they envy them -their happy indolence, the sympathy which they inspire in strangers, -their girls, their poets, their painters, their orators, their Giralda, -their Alcazar, their Guadalquivir, their life, and their history. So -say the Sevillians, striking their breasts with one hand and puffing -into the air a cloud of smoke from the inseparable _cigaritto_; and -their lovely little women revenge themselves upon their envious sisters -and all the other women in the world, speaking with spiteful pity of -long feet, large waists, and dull eyes, that in Andalusia would not -receive the honor of a glance or the homage of a sigh. A charming and -amiable people, in truth; but, alas! one must look at the reverse side -of the medal: superstition reigns and schools are lacking, as is the -case throughout all Southern Spain; this is partly their own fault and -partly not; but the negative is probably the smaller part. - -The day of my departure arrived unexpectedly. It is strange: I remember -scarcely any particulars of my life at Seville; it is remarkable if -I can tell where I dined, what I talked about with the consul, how I -spent the evenings, and why I chose any given day to take my departure. -I was not myself; I lived, if I may use the expression, out of myself; -all the while I remained in the city I was a little dazed. Apart from -the art-gallery and the _patio_ my friend Segovia must have found that -I knew very little; and now, I know not why, I think of those days -as of a dream. Of no other city are my recollections so vague as of -Seville. Even to-day, while I am certain of having been at Saragossa, -Madrid, and Toledo, sometimes when I think of Seville a doubt steals -upon me. It seems to me like a city much farther away than the most -distant boundaries of Spain, and that to journey there again I must -travel months and months, cross unknown continents and wide seas, -among people totally different from our own. I think of the streets -of Seville, of certain little squares and certain houses, as I would -think of the spots on the moon. Sometimes the image of that city passes -before my eyes like a white figure, and disappears almost before I -can grasp it with my mind--sometimes in a breath of air, at certain -hours of the day, at a garden-gate; in humming a song which I heard a -boy sing on the steps of the Giralda. I cannot explain this secret to -myself; I think of Seville as of a city which I have still to see, and -I enjoy looking at the prints and thumbing the books which I bought -there, for they are tangible things that convince me of my visit. A -month ago I received a letter from Segovia which said, "Come back to -us." It gave me untold pleasure, but at the same time I laughed as if -he had written, "Make a voyage to Pekin." It is for this very reason -that Seville is dearer to me than all the other cities of Spain; I -love it as I might love a beautiful unknown woman who, crossing a -mysterious wood, might look my way and throw me a flower. How often in -the theatre or at the café, when a friend shakes me and asks, "What are -you thinking about?" I am obliged to leave the little room of Maria de -Padilla to return to him, or a boat that is gliding along in the shade -of the Christina plane trees, or Figaro's shop, or the vestibule of a -_patio_ full of flowers, fountains, and lights. - -I embarked on a boat of the Segovia Company, near the Torre del Oro, at -an hour when Seville is wrapped in deep sleep and a burning sun covers -it with a flood of light. I remember that a few moments before the -boat started a young man came on board in search of me, and gave me a -letter from Gonzalo Segovia, containing a sonnet which I still cherish -as one of my most precious mementos of Seville. On the boat there was -a company of Spanish singers, an English family, some laboring-men, -and babies. The captain, being a good Andalusian, had a cheery word -for everybody. I soon began a conversation with him. My friend Gonzalo -was a son of the proprietor of the line, and we talked of the Segovia -family, of Seville, the sea, and a thousand pleasant things. Ah! the -poor man was far from thinking that a few days later the unlucky ship -would founder in the midst of the sea and bring him to such a terrible -end! It was the _Guadaira_, that was lost a short distance from -Marseilles by the bursting of the boiler on the sixteenth day of June, -1872. - -At three o'clock the boat started for Cadiz. - - - - -CADIZ. - - -That was the most delightful evening of all my journey. - -A little while after the ship had commenced to move there sprang up one -of those gentle breezes which played with one as an infant plays with -one's cravat or a lock of one's hair, and from stem to stern there was -a sound of the voices of women and children, like that which one hears -among a group of friends at the first crack of the whip announcing -their departure for a merry outing. All the passengers gathered at the -stern in the shade of a gayly-colored awning like a Chinese pavilion: -some were sitting on coils of rope, others were stretched at full -length on the benches, others were leaning against the rail--every one -looked back in the direction of the Torre del Oro to enjoy the famous -and enchanting spectacle of Seville as it faded away in the distance. -Some of the women had not yet dried the tears of parting, and some of -the children were still a little frightened by the sound of the engine. -And some ladies were still quarrelling with the porters for abusing -their baggage; but in a few moments all was serene again, and the -passengers began to peel oranges, light cigars, pass little flasks of -liquor, converse with their unknown neighbors, sing and laugh, and in a -quarter of an hour we were all friends. - -The boat glided along as smoothly as a gondola over the still, limpid -waters, which reflected the white dresses of the ladies like a mirror, -and the breeze brought the delightful fragrance from the orange-groves -of the villas scattered along the shore. Seville was hidden behind -her circle of gardens, and we saw only an immense mass of trees of -vivid green, and above them the black pile of the cathedral and the -rose-colored Giralda surmounted by its statue flaming like a tongue -of fire. As the distance widened the cathedral appeared grander and -more majestic, as if it were following the vessel and gaining upon -her: now, although still following, it seemed to retire a great way -from the shore; now it would seem to be spanning the river; one -moment it would appear suddenly to return to its place; a moment -later it looked so close that we suspected the boat had turned back. -The Guadalquivir wound along in short curves, and as the boat turned -this way and that Seville appeared and disappeared, now peeping out -in one place as if it had stolen beyond its boundaries, now raising -its head suddenly behind a wood, gleaming like a snowclad mountain, -now revealing some white streaks here and there amid the verdure, and -suddenly disappearing from view and performing all sorts of fantastic -wiles, like a coquettish woman. Finally it disappeared and we saw it -no more: the cathedral alone remained. Then every one turned to look -at the shore. We seemed to be sailing on the lake of a garden. Here -was a hillside clothed with cypresses, here a hilltop all covered -with flowers, yonder a village extending along the shore, and under -the garden trellises and along the terraces of the villas sat ladies -looking at us with spy-glasses; and here and there were peasants' -families in brightly-colored dresses, sail-boats; and naked boys who -plunged into the water and turned sommersaults, frisked about, shouted, -and waved their hands toward the ladies on the boat, who covered their -faces with their fans. Some miles from Seville we met three steamboats, -one after the other. The first came upon us so suddenly at a turn of -the river that, having had no experience in that sort of navigation, -I was afraid, for a moment, that we should not have time to avoid a -collision; the two boats almost grazed each other in passing, and the -passengers of each saluted each other and threw across oranges and -cigars, and charged each other with messages to be borne to Cadiz or -Seville. - -My fellow-voyagers were almost all Andalusians, and so, after an -hour of conversation, I knew them from first to last as well as if -we had all been friends from infancy. Every one instantly told every -one else, whether he wanted to know it or not, who he was, his age, -occupation, and where he was going, and one even went so far as to tell -how many sweethearts he had and how many pesetas were in his purse. I -was taken for a singer; and this is not strange if one considers that -in Spain the people think three-fourths of the Italians are trained to -sing, dance, or declaim. One gentleman, noticing that I had an Italian -book in my hand, asked me, point-blank, "Where did you leave the -company?" - -"What company?" I demanded. - -"Weren't you singing with Fricci at the Zarzuela?" - -"I am sorry, but I have never appeared on the stage." - -"Well, I must say, then, that you and the second tenor look as much -alike as two drops of water." - -"You don't say so?" - -"Pray excuse me." - -"It's of no consequence." - -"But you are an Italian?" - -"Yes." - -"Do you sing?" - -"I am sorry, but I do not sing." - -"How strange! To judge by your throat and breast, I should have said -that you must have a splendid tenor voice." - -I put my hand to my chest and neck, and replied, "It may be so; I will -try--one never knows. I have two of the necessary qualifications: I am -an Italian and have the throat of a tenor; the voice ought to follow." - -At this point the prima donna of the company, who had overheard the -dialogue, entered the conversation, and after her the entire company: - -"Is the gentleman an Italian?" - -"At your service, madam." - -"I ask the question because I wish him to do me a favor. What is the -meaning of those short verses from _Il Trovatore_ which run-- - - "Non può nemmeno un Dio - Donna rapirti a me." - (Not even a god can steal my lady from me.) - -"Is the lady married?" - -They all began to laugh. - -"Yes," replied the prima donna; "but why do you ask me that?" - -"Because ... 'not even a god can steal you from me' is what your -husband ought to say, if he has two good eyes in his head, every -morning when he rises and every night when he goes to bed." - -The others laughed, but to the prima donna this imaginary presumption -on the part of her husband in affirming that he was secure even against -a god seemed too extravagant, possibly because she knew that she had -not always been sufficiently wary in her regard for men; and so she -scarcely deigned by so much as a smile to show that she had understood -my compliment. She at once asked the meaning of another verse, and -after her the baritone, and after the baritone the tenor, and after -the tenor the second lady, and so on, until for a little while I did -nothing but translate poor Italian verses into worse Spanish prose, to -the great satisfaction of some of them, who for the first time were -able to repeat intelligently a little of what they had so often sung -with an air of perfect knowledge. When every one had learned as much -as he wished to know, the conversation came to a close, and I stood -talking a little while with the baritone, who hummed me an air from -the _Zarzuela_; then I attached myself to one of the chorus, who told -me that the tenor was making love to the prima donna; then I went off -with the tenor, who told me about the baritone's wife; then I talked -with the prima donna, who said disagreeable things about the whole -company; but they were all good friends, and when they met, as they -walked about the boat and gathered under the awning, the men pulled -each other's beards and the women kissed each other, and one and all -exchanged glances and smiles which revealed secret understandings. Some -ran through the gamut here, some hummed yonder, others practised trills -in a corner, and others again tried a guttural _do_ that ended in a -wheezing sound in the throat; and meanwhile they all talked at once -about a thousand trifles. - -Finally, the bell sounded and we rushed headlong to the table, like -so many officials invited to a spread at the unveiling of a monument. -At this dinner, amid the cries and songs of all those people, I drank -for the first time an unmixed glass of that terrible wine of Xeres -whose wonders are sung in the four corners of the earth. I had scarcely -swallowed it before I seemed to feel a spark run through all my veins, -and my head burned as if it was full of sulphur. All the others drank, -and all were filled with unrestrained mirth and became irresistibly -loquacious; the prima donna began to talk in Italian, the tenor in -French, the baritone in Portuguese, the others in dialect, and I in -every tongue; and there were toasts and snatches of song, shouts, -arch glances, clasping of hands above table and the kicking of feet -below, and declarations of good fellowship exchanged on all sides, -like the personalities in Parliament when the opposing factions join -battle. After dinner we all went on deck, flushed and in great spirits, -breathless and enveloped in a cloud of smoke from our cigarettes, and -then, in the light of the moon, whose silvery rays gleamed on the wide -river and covered the hillsides and the groves with limpid light, we -began again a noisy conversation, and after the conversation there -was singing, not only the trifling airs of _Zarzuela_, but passages -from operas, with solos, duets, trios, and choruses, with appropriate -gestures and stage strides, diversified with declamations from -the poets, stories, and anecdotes, hearty laughter, and tumultuous -applause; finally, tired and breathless, we were all silent, and some -fell asleep with upturned faces, others went to lie down under cover, -and the prima donna seated herself in a corner to look at the moon. -The tenor was snoring. I profited by the occasion to go and have an -aria from the _Zarzuela_--_El Sargento Federico_--sung to me in a low -voice. The courteous Andalusian did not wait to be pressed: she sang, -but suddenly she was silent and hid her face. I looked at her: she -was weeping. I asked her the cause of her distress, and she answered, -sadly, "I am thinking of a perjury." Then she broke into a laugh and -began to sing again. She had a melodious, flexible voice, and sang with -a feeling of gentle sadness. The sky was all studded with stars, and -the boat glided so smoothly through the water that it scarcely seemed -to be moving; and I thought of the gardens of Seville, of the near -African shore, and of the dear one waiting for me in Italy, and my eyes -too were wet, and when the lady stopped singing, I said, "Sing on, for-- - - 'Mortal tongue cannot express - That which I felt within my breast....'" - -At dawn the boat was just entering the ocean; the river was very wide. -The right bank, scarcely visible in the distance, stretched along like -a tongue of land, beyond which shone the waters of the sea. A moment -later the sun rose above the horizon, and the vessel left the river. -Then there unfolded before my eyes a sight that could not be described -if it were possible to join poetry, painting, and music in one supreme -art--a spectacle whose magnificence and enchantment I believe not even -Dante could describe with his grandest images, nor Titian with his -most brilliant colors, nor Rossini with his most perfect harmonies, -nor even all three of them together. The sky was a miracle of sapphire -light unflecked by a cloud, and the sea was so beautiful that it seemed -like an immense carpet of shimmering silk; the sun was shining on the -crests of the little ripples caused by a light breeze, and it seemed as -if they were tipped with amethyst. The sea was full of reflections and -luminous bands of light, and in the distance were streaks of silver, -with here and there great white sails, like the trailing wings of -gigantic fallen angels. I have never seen such brilliancy of color, -such splendor of light, such freshness, such transparency, such limpid -water and sky. It seemed like a daybreak of creation, which the fancy -of poets had pictured so pure and effulgent that our dawns are only -pale reflections in comparison. It was more than Nature's awakening and -the recurring stir of life: it was a hallelujah, a triumph, a new birth -of creation, growing into the infinite by a second inspiration of God. - -I went below deck to get my spyglass, and when I returned Cadiz was in -sight. - -The first impression which it made upon me was a feeling of doubt -whether it was a city or not. I first laughed, then turned toward my -fellow-traveller with the air of one seeking to be assured that he is -not deceived. Cadiz is like an island of chalk. It is a great white -spot in the midst of the sea, without a cloud, without a black line, -without a shadow--a white spot as clear and pure as a hilltop covered -with untrodden snow, standing out against a sky of beryl and turquoise -in the midst of a vast flooded plain. A long, narrow neck of land -unites it to the continent; on all other sides it is surrounded by the -sea, like a boat just ready to sail bound to the shore only by a cable. -As we approached, the forms of the campaniles, the outlines of the -houses, and the openings of the streets became clear, and everything -seemed whiter, and, however much I looked through my spyglass, I could -not have discovered the smallest spot in that whiteness, either on a -building near the harbor or in the farthest suburbs. We entered the -port, where there were but a few ships and those a great way apart. I -stepped into a boat without even taking my valise with me, for I was -obliged to leave for Malaga that same evening, and so eager was I to -see the city that when the boat came to the bank, I jumped too soon -and fell to the ground like a corpse, although, alas! I still felt the -pains of a living body. - -[Illustration: _Cadiz_] - -Cadiz is the whitest city in the world; and it is of no use to -contradict me by saying that I have not seen every other city, for -my common sense tells me that a city whiter than this, which is -superlatively and perfectly white, cannot exist. Cordova and Seville -cannot be compared with Cadiz: they are as white as a sheet, but Cadiz -is as white as milk. To give an idea of it, one could not do better -than to write the word "white" a thousand times with a white pencil -on blue paper, and make a note on the margin: "Impressions of Cadiz." -Cadiz is one of the most extravagant and graceful of human caprices: -not only the outer walls of the houses are white, but the stairs are -white, the courts are white, the shop-walls are white, the stones are -white, the pilasters are white, the most secret and darkest corners -of the poorest houses and the loneliest streets are white; everything -is white from roof to cellar wherever the tip of a brush can enter, -even to the holes, cracks, and birds' nests. In every house there is -a pile of chalk and lime, and every time the eagle eye of the inmates -spies the least spot the brush is seized and the spot covered. Servants -are not taken into families unless they know how to whitewash. A -pencil-scratch on a wall is a scandalous thing, an outrage upon the -public peace, an act of vandalism: you might walk through the entire -city, look behind all the doors, and poke your nose into the very -holes, and you would find white, only and always and eternally. - -But, for all this, Cadiz does not in the least resemble the other -Andalusian cities. Its streets are long and straight, and the houses -are high, and lack the _patios_ of Cordova and Seville. But, although -the appearance is different, the city does not appear less interesting -and pleasant to the eye of the stranger. The streets are straight, but -narrow, and, moreover, they are very long, and many of them cross the -entire city, and so one can see at the end, as through the crack in a -door, a slender strip of sky, which makes it seem as if the city was -built on the summit of a mountain cut on all sides in regular channels: -moreover, the houses have a great many windows, and, as at Burgos, -every window is provided with a sort of glass balcony which rises in -tiers from story to story, so that in many streets the houses are -completely covered with glass, and one sees scarcely any traces of the -walls. It seems like walking through a passage in an immense museum. -Here and there, between one house and the next, rise the graceful -fronds of a palm; in every square there is a luxuriant mass of verdure, -and at all the windows bunches of grass and bouquets of flowers. - -Really, I had been far from imagining that Cadiz could be so gay -and smiling--that terrible, ill-fated Cadiz, burned by the English -in the sixteenth century, bombarded at the end of the eighteenth, -devastated by the pestilence, hostess of the fleets of Trafalgar, the -seat of the revolutionary council during the War of Independence, the -theatre of the horrible butchery of the Revolution of 1820, the target -of the French bombs in 1823, the standard-bearer of the Revolution -which hurled the Bourbons from the throne,--Cadiz always restless -and turbulent and first of all to raise the battle-cry. But of such -calamities and such struggles there remain only some cannon-balls -half buried in the walls, for over all the traces of destruction has -passed the inexorable brush, covering every dishonor with a white veil. -And as it is with the latest wars, so too there remains not a trace -of the Phœnicians who founded the city, nor of the Carthaginians and -Romans who enlarged and beautified it, unless one wishes to consider -as a trace the tradition which says, "Here rose a temple to Hercules," -"There rose a temple to Saturn." But time has done a worse thing than -to deprive Cadiz of her ancient monuments: it has stolen away her -commerce and her riches since Spain lost her possessions in America, -and now Cadiz lies there inert on her solitary rock, waiting in vain -for the thousand ships which once came with flags and festoons to offer -her the tribute of the New World. - -I had a letter of introduction to the Italian consul, and after -receiving it he courteously took me to the top of a tower from which I -was able to get a bird's-eye view of the city. It was a novel sight and -a very lively surprise: seen from above, Cadiz is white, entirely and -perfectly white, just as it appears from the sea; there is not a roof -in all the city; every house is covered on top by a terrace surrounded -by a low whitewashed wall; on almost every terrace rises a little white -tower, which is surmounted, in its turn, by another smaller terrace -or by a little cupola or sort of sentry-box: everything is white; all -these little cupolas, these pinnacles, and these towers, which give -the city a very odd and uneven appearance, gleam and stand out white -against the vivid blue of the sea. One's view extends over the entire -length of the isthmus which connects Cadiz to the main land, embraces -a far-off strip of distant coast whitened by the cities of Puerto Real -and Puerto Santa Maria, dotted with villages, churches, and villas, and -includes also the port and the clear and a very beautiful sky which -vies with the sea in transparency and light. I could not look enough -at that strange city. On closing my eyes it appeared as if covered -by an immense sheet. Every house seemed to have been built for an -astronomical observatory. The entire population, in case the sea should -inundate the city, as in ancient times, might gather on the terraces -and remain there in perfect ease, saving the fright. - -I was told that a few years ago, on the occasion of some eclipse -of the sun, this very spectacle was witnessed: the seventy thousand -inhabitants of Cadiz all ascended to the terraces to watch the -phenomenon. The city changed its perfect whiteness for a thousand -colors; every terrace was thick with heads; one saw at a single glance, -quarter after quarter, and finally the entire population: a low murmur -rose to heaven like the roar of the sea, and a great movement of arms, -fans, and spy-glasses, pointing upward, made it seem as if the people -were awaiting the descent of some angel from the solar sphere. At a -certain moment there was a profound silence: when the phenomenon was -over the entire population gave a shout, which sounded like a clap of -thunder, and a few moments later the city was white again. - -I descended from the tower and went to see the cathedral, a vast -marble edifice of the sixteenth century, not to be compared to the -cathedrals of Burgos and Toledo, but nevertheless dignified and bold in -architecture and enriched by every sort of treasure, like all the other -Spanish churches. I went to see the convent where Murillo was painting -a picture over a high altar when he fell from the scaffold and received -the wound which caused his death. I passed through the picture-gallery, -which contains some fine paintings of Zurbaran; entered the bull-ring, -built entirely of wood, which was created in a few days to provide -a spectacle for Queen Isabella. Toward evening I took a turn in the -delightful promenade along the sea-shore, in the midst of orange trees -and palms, where the most beautiful and elegant ladies of the city -were pointed out to me, one by one. Whatever may be the judgment of -the Spaniards, to me the feminine type of Cadiz did not seem at all -inferior to the celebrated type of Seville. The women are a little -taller, a little heavier, and are somewhat darker. Some observer has -ventured to say that they closely resemble the Grecian type, but I do -not know in what respect. I saw no difference from the Andalusian type -except in stature, and that was enough to make me heave sighs which -might have propelled a ship, and constrained me to return as soon as -possible to the vessel as a place of refuge and peace. - -When I arrived on board it was night; the sky was all twinkling with -stars, and the breeze bore faintly to my ears the music of a band -playing on the promenade of Cadiz. The singers were asleep; I was -alone, and the sight of the city lights and the recollection of the -lovely faces filled me with melancholy. I did not know what to do -with myself, so I went down to the cabin, took out my note-book, and -commenced the description of Cadiz. But I only succeeded in writing ten -times the words, "White, blue, snow, brightness, colors," after which I -made a little sketch of a woman and then closed my eyes and dreamed of -Italy. - - - - -MALAGA. - - -The next day, at sunset, the vessel was passing through the Straits of -Gibraltar. - -Now, as I look at that point on the map, it seems so near home that -when I am in the humor and my domestic finances permit I ought not to -hesitate a moment to pack my valise and run down to Genoa on my way -to enjoy a second time the most beautiful sight of two continents. -But then it seemed to be so far away that when I had written a letter -to my mother on the rail of the ship, intending to give it to one of -the passengers for Gibraltar to post, as I was writing the address I -laughed at my confidence, as if it were impossible for a letter to -travel all the way to Turin. "From here!" I thought--"from the Pillars -of Hercules!" and I pronounced the Pillars of Hercules as if I had said -the Cape of Good Hope or Japan. - -"... I am on the ship Guadaira: behind me is the ocean, and in front -the Mediterranean, on the left Europe and on the right Africa. On this -side I see the cape of Tarifa, and on that the mountains of the African -coast, which look indistinct like a gray cloud; I see Ceuta, and a -little beyond it Tangiers like a white spot, and in a direct line with -the ship rises the Rock of Gibraltar. The sea is as placid as a lake, -and the sky is red and gold; all is serene, beautiful, and magnificent, -and I feel in my mind an inexpressible and delightful stirring of great -thoughts, which, if I could put them into words, would become a joyful -prayer beginning and ending with thy name...." - -The vessel stopped in the Gulf of Algeciras: the entire company of -singers got into a large boat from Gibraltar, and went off, waving fans -and handkerchiefs as a parting salute. It was growing dark when the -boat started again. Then I was able to measure the enormous mass of the -Rock of Gibraltar at every turn. At first I thought we should leave -it behind in a few moments, but the moments became hours. Gradually, -as we approached, it towered above us, and presented a new appearance -every instant--now the silhouette of some measureless monster, now the -image of an immense staircase, now the outline of a fantastic castle, -now a shapeless mass like a monstrous aërolite fallen from a world -shivered in a battle of the spheres. Then, on nearer view, behind a -high rock like an Egyptian pyramid, there came into sight a great -projection as large as a mountain, with fissures and broken boulders -and vast curves which lost themselves in the plain. It was night; the -rock stood outlined against the moonlit sky as clear and sharp as a -sheet of black paper on a pane of glass. One saw the lighted windows -of the English barracks, the sentry-boxes on the summit of the dizzy -crags, and a dim outline of trees which seemed little larger than a -tuft of grass among the nearest rocks. For a long time the boat seemed -motionless or else the rock was receding, so close and threatening did -it always appear; then, little by little, it began to diminish, but our -eyes were weary of gazing before the rock grew weary of threatening us -with its fantastic transformations. At midnight I gave a final salute -to that formidable, lifeless sentinel of Europe, and went to wrap -myself up in my little corner. - -At break of day I awoke a few miles from the port of Malaga. - -The city of Malaga, seen from the port, presents a pleasing appearance -not wholly without grandeur. On the right is a high rocky mountain, -upon the top of which and down one side, even to the plain, are the -enormous blackened ruins of the castle of Gibralfaro, and on the -lower slopes stands the cathedral towering majestically above all the -surrounding buildings, lifting toward heaven, as an inspired poet might -say, two beautiful towers and a very high belfry. Between the castle -and the church and on the face and sides of the mountain there is a -mass--a _canaille_, as Victor Hugo would say--of smoky little houses, -placed confusedly one above the other, as if they had been thrown down -from above like stones. To the left of the cathedral, along the shore, -is a row of houses, gray, violet, or pale yellow in color, with white -window-and door-frames, that suggest the villages along the Ligurian -Riviera. Beyond rises a circle of green and reddish hills enclosing the -city like the walls of an amphitheatre, and to the right and left along -the sea-shore extend other mountains, hills, and rocks as far as the -eye can see. The port was almost deserted, the shore silent, and the -sky very blue. - -Before landing I took my leave of the captain, who was going on to -Marseilles, said good-bye to the boatswain and passengers, telling them -all that I should arrive at Valencia a day ahead of the boat, and I -should certainly join them again and go on to Barcelona and Marseilles, -and the captain replied, "We shall look for you," and the steward -promised that my place should be saved for me. How often since then -have I remembered the last words of those poor people! - -[Illustration: _Malaga_] - -I stopped at Malaga with the intention of leaving that same evening -for Granada. The city itself offers nothing worthy of note, excepting -the new part, which occupies a tract of land formerly covered by -the sea. This is built up in the modern style, with wide, straight -streets and large, bare houses. The rest of the city is a labyrinth -of narrow, winding streets and a mass of houses without color, -without _patios_, and without grace. There are some spacious squares -with gardens and fountains; columns and arches of Moorish buildings, no -modern monuments; a great deal of dirt, and not a great many people. -The environs are very beautiful, and the climate is milder than that of -Seville. - -I had a friend at Malaga, and after finding him we passed the day -together. He told me a curious fact: At Malaga there is a literary -academy of more than eight hundred members, where they celebrate the -birthdays of all the great writers, and hold twice a week a public -lecture on some subject connected with literature or science. That same -evening they were to celebrate a solemn function. Some months earlier -the academy had offered a prize of three golden flowers, enamelled -in different colors, to the three poets who should compose the best -ode on "Progress," the best ballad on the "Recovery of Malaga," and -the best satire on one of the most prevalent vices of modern society. -The invitation had been extended to all the poets of Spain; poems had -poured in in abundance; a board of judges had secretly considered them; -and that very evening the choice was to be announced. The ceremony was -to be conducted with great pomp. The bishop, the governor, the admiral, -the most conspicuous personages of the city, with dress-coats, orders, -and shoulder-scarfs, and a great number of ladies in evening dress, -were to be present. The three most beautiful Muses of the city were -to present themselves on a sort of stage adorned with garlands and -flags, each of whom was to open the roll containing the prize poem -and to proclaim three times the name of its author: if the author -were present, he was to be invited to read his verses and receive his -flower; if he were not present, his verses were to be read for him. -Throughout the whole city they talked of nothing but the academy, -guessed the names of the victors, predicted the wonders of the three -poems, and extolled the decorations of the hall. This festival of -poetry, called the _juegos floreales_, had not been celebrated for ten -years. Others may judge whether such contests and displays benefit or -injure poets and poetry. As for me, whatever may be the dubious and -fleeting literary glory which is bestowed by the sentence of the jury -and the homage of a bishop and a governor, I believe that to receive -the gift of a golden flower from the hand of a most beautiful woman -under the eyes of five hundred fair Andalusians, to the sound of soft -music and amid the perfume of jessamine and roses, that would be a -delight even truer and more lively than any which comes from real and -enduring glory. No? Ah! we are sincere. - -One of my first thoughts was to taste a little of the genuine Malaga -wine, for no other reason than to repay myself for the many headaches -and stomachaches caused by the miserable concoctions sold in many -Italian cities under the false recommendation of its name. But either -I did not know how to ask or they did not wish to understand: the -fact remains that the wine they gave me at the hotel burned my throat -and made my head spin. I was not able to walk straight even to the -cathedral, or from the cathedral to the castle of Gibralfaro, or to -the other places, nor could I form an idea of the beauties of Malaga -without seeing them double and unsteadily, as some spiteful person -might suppose. - -On our walk my friend talked to me about the famous Republican people -of Malaga, who are every moment doing something on their own account. -They are a very fiery people, but fickle and yet tractable, like all -people who feel much and think little; and they act upon the impulse -of passion rather than the strength of conviction. The least trifle -calls together an immense crowd and stirs up a tumult that turns -the city topsy-turvy; but on most occasions a resolute act of a man -in authority, an exhibition of courage, or a burst of eloquence is -sufficient to quiet the tumult and disperse the crowd. The nature of -the people is good on the whole, but superstition and passion have -perverted them. And, above all, superstition is perhaps more firmly -entrenched in Malaga than in any other city of Andalusia, by reason -of the greater popular ignorance. Altogether, Malaga was the least -Andalusian of the cities I had seen: even the very language has been -corrupted, and they speak worse Spanish than at Cadiz, where, forsooth! -they speak badly enough. - -I was still at Malaga, but my imagination was far away among the -streets of Granada and in the gardens of the Alhambra and the -Generalife. Shortly after the noon hour I took my leave from the only -city in Spain, to tell the truth, that I left without a sigh of regret. -When the train started, instead of turning for a last look, as I had -done in all of its sister towns, I murmured the verses sung by Giovanni -Prati at Granada when the duke d'Aosta was leaving for Spain: - - "Non più Granata è sola - Sulle sur mute pietre; - L'inno in Alhambra vola - Sulle Moresche cetre." - -(_No more does Granada stand alone on her silent stones: the hymn flies -to the Alhambra on Moorish lyres._) - - * * * * * - -And now, as I write them again, it seems to me that the music of the -band of the National Guard of Turin inspires peace and gladness more -even surely than Moorish lyres, and that the pavement of the porticoes -of the Po, although it be ever so silent, is better laid and smoother -than the stones of Granada. - - - - -GRANADA. - - -GRANADA. - - -The journey from Malaga to Granada was the most adventurous and -unfortunate that I made in Spain. - -In order that my compassionate readers may pity me as much as I -desire, they must know (I am ashamed to occupy people with these -little details) that at Malaga I had eaten only the lightest sort of -an Andalusian repast, of which at the moment of departure I retained -a very vague recollection. But I started, feeling sure that I could -alight at some railway-station where there would be one of those rooms -or public choking-places where one enters at a gallop, eats until one -is out of breath, pays as one scampers out to rush into a crowded -carriage, suffocated and robbed, to curse the schedule, travel, and the -minister of public works who deceives the country. I departed, and for -the first hours it was delightful. The country was all gently sloping -hills and green fields, dotted with villages crowned with palms and -cypresses, and in the carriage, between two old men who rode with their -eyes shut, there was a little Andalusian who kept looking around with -a roguish smile which seemed to say, "Go on; your lovelorn glances -do not offend me." But the train crept along as slowly as a worn-out -diligence, and we stopped only a few moments at the stations. By sunset -my stomach began to cry for help, and, to render the pangs of hunger -even more severe, I was obliged to make a good part of the journey on -foot. The train stopped at an unsafe bridge, and all the passengers got -out and filed around, two by two, to meet the train on the other side -of the river. We were surrounded by the rocks of the Sierra Nevada, -in a wild, desert place, which made it seem as if we were a company -of hostages led by a band of brigands. When we had clambered into the -carriage the train crawled along no faster than before, and my stomach -began to complain more desperately than at first. After a long time we -arrived at a station all crowded with trains, where a large part of the -travellers hurried out before I could reach the step. - -"Where are you going?" asked a railroad official, who had seen me -alight. - -"To dine," I replied. - -"But aren't you going to Granada?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you won't have time; the train starts immediately." - -"But the others have gone." - -"You will see them come back on the run in a minute." - -The freight-trains in front prevented me from seeing the station; I -thought it was a great way off, and so stayed where I was. Two minutes -passed, five, eight; the tourists did not return and the train did not -start. I jumped out, ran to the station, saw a café, and entered a -large room. Great heavens! Fifty starving people were standing around -a refreshment-table with their noses in their plates, elbows in the -air, and their eyes on the clock, devouring and shouting; another fifty -were crowding around a counter seizing and pocketing bread, fruit, and -candies, while the proprietor and the waiters, panting like horses -and streaming with sweat, ran about, tucked up their sleeves, howled, -tumbled over the seats and upset the customers, and scattered here and -there streams of soup and drops of sauce; and one poor woman, who must -have been the mistress of the café, imprisoned in a little niche behind -the besieged counter, ran her hands through her hair in desperation. At -this sight my arms hung down helplessly. But suddenly I roused myself -and made an onslaught. Driven back by a feminine elbow in my chest, I -rushed in again; repulsed by a jab in the stomach, I gathered all my -strength to make a third attack. At this point the bell rang. There was -a burst of imprecations and then a falling of seats, a scattering of -plates, a hurry-scurry, and a perfect pandemonium. One man, choking -in the fury of his last mouthfuls, became livid and his eyes seemed -bursting from his head as though he were being hanged; another in -stretching out his hand to seize an orange, struck by some one rushing -past, plunged it into a bowl of cream; another was running through the -room in search of his valise with a great smear of sauce on his cheeks; -another, who had tried to drink his wine at one gulp, had strangled -and coughed as if he would tear open his stomach; the officials at the -door cried, "Hurry!" and the travellers called back from the room, -"Ahogate!" (choked), and the waiters ran after those who had not paid, -and those who wanted to pay could not find the waiters; and the ladies -swooned, and the children cried, and everything was upside down. - -By good fortune I was able to get into my carriage before the train -started. - -But there a new punishment awaited me. The two old men and the little -Andalusian, who must have been the daughter of the one and niece of -the other, had been successful in securing a little booty in the midst -of that accursed crowd at the counter, and they were eating right and -left. I began to watch them with sorrowful eyes like a dog beside his -master's table, counting the mouthfuls and the number of times they -chewed. The little Andalusian noticed it, and, pointing to something -which looked like a croquet, made a gracious bow as if to ask if I -would take it. - -"Oh no, thank you," I replied with the smile of a dying man; "I have -eaten." - -My angel, I continued to myself, if you only knew that at this moment -I would prefer those two croquets to the bitter apples--as Sir Niccolo -Machiavelli would generously say--even those bitter apples from the -famous garden of the Hesperides! - -"Try a drop of liquor at least," said the old uncle. - -I do not know what childish pique against myself or against those good -people took possession of me, but it was a feeling which other men -experience on similar occasions; however, I replied this time too, "No, -thank you; it would be bad for me." - -The good old man looked me over from head to foot as if to say that I -did not appear like a man to be the worse for a drop of liquor, and the -Andalusian smiled, and I blushed for shame. - -Night settled down, and the train went on at the pace of Sancho Panza's -steed for I knew not how many hours. That night I felt for the first -time in my life the pangs of hunger, which I thought I had felt already -on the famous day of the twenty-fourth of June, 1866. To relieve these -torments I obstinately thought of all the dishes which filled me with -repugnance--raw tomatoes, snails in soup, roasted crabs, and snails -in salad. Alas! a voice of derision told me, deep down in my vitals, -that if I had any of them I should eat them and lick my fingers. Then I -began to make imaginary messes of different dishes, as cream and fish, -with a dash of wine, with a coat of pepper, and a layer of juniper -preserves, to see if I could thus hold my stomach in check. Oh misery! -my cowardly stomach did not repel even those. Then I made a final -effort and imagined that I was at table in a Parisian hotel at the time -of the siege, and that I gently lifted a mouse by the tail out of some -pungent sauce, and the mouse, unexpectedly regaining life, bit my thumb -and transfixed me with two wicked little eyes, and I, with raised fork, -hesitated whether to let it go or to spit it without pity. But, thank -Heaven! before I had settled this horrible question, to perform such an -act as has never been recorded in the history of any siege, the train -stopped and a ray of hope revived my drooping spirits. - -We had reached some nameless village, and while I was putting my head -out of the window a voice cried, "All out for Granada!" I rushed -headlong from the carriage and found myself face to face with a huge -bearded fellow, who took my valise, telling me that he was going to put -it in the diligence, for from that village to I know not how many miles -from _imperial Granada_ there is no railway. - -"One moment!" I cried to the unknown man in a supplicating voice: "how -long before you start?" - -"Two minutes," he replied. - -"Is there an inn here?" - -"There it is." I flew to the inn, bolted a hard-boiled egg, and rushed -back to the diligence, crying, "How much time now?" - -"Two minutes more," answered the same voice. - -I flew back to the hotel, seized another egg, and ran again to the -diligence with the question, "Are you off?" - -"In a minute." - -Back again to the inn, and a third egg, and then to the diligence: "Are -we going?" - -"In half a minute." - -This time I heaved a mighty sigh, ran to the inn, swallowed a fourth -egg and a glass of wine, and rushed toward the diligence. But before -I had taken ten steps my breath gave out, and I stopped with the egg -halfway down my throat. At this point the whip cracked.--"Wait!" I -cried in a hoarse voice, waving my hands like a drowning man. - -"_Que hay?_" (What's the matter?) demanded the driver. - -I could not reply. - -"He has an egg stuck in his throat," some stranger answered for me. - -All the travellers burst into a laugh, the egg went down; I laughed -too, overtook the diligence, which had already started, and, regaining -my breath, gave my companions an account of my troubles, and they were -much interested, and pitied me even more than I had dared to hope after -that cruel laugh at my suffocation. - -But my troubles were not ended. One of those irresistible attacks -of sleepiness which used to come upon me treacherously in the long -night-marches among the soldiers seized me all at once, and tormented -me as far as the railway-station without my being able to get a moment -of sleep. I believe that a cannon-ball suspended by a cord from the -roof of the diligence would have given less annoyance to my unfortunate -companions than my poor nodding head gave as it bobbed on all sides as -if it was attached to my neck by a single tendon. On one side of me sat -a nun, on the other a boy, and opposite a peasant-woman, and throughout -the entire journey I did nothing but strike my head against these three -victims with the monotonous motion of a bell-clapper. The nun, poor -creature! endured the strokes in silence, perhaps in expiation for her -sins of thought; but the boy and peasant-woman muttered from time to -time, "He is a barbarian!"--"This must stop!"--"His head is like lead!" -Finally, a witticism from one of the passengers released all four of us -from this suffering. The peasant-woman was lamenting a little louder -than usual, and a voice from the end of the diligence exclaimed, "Be -consoled; if your head is not yet broken, you may be sure it will -not be, for it must certainly be proof against the hammer." They -all laughed; I awakened, excused myself, and the three victims were -so happy to find themselves released from that cruel thumping that, -instead of taking revenge with bitter words, they said, "Poor fellow! -you have slept badly. How you must have hurt your head!" - -We finally arrived at the railway, and behold what a perverse fate! -Although I was alone in the railway-carriage, where I might have slept -like a nabob, I could not close my eyes. A pang went through my heart -at the thought of having made the journey by night when I could not see -anything nor enjoy the distant view of Granada. And I remembered the -lovely verses of Martinez de la Rosa: - -"O my dear fatherland! At last I see thee again! I see thy fair soil, -thy joyful teeming fields, thy glorious sun, thy serene sky! - -"Yes! I see the fabled Granada stretching along the plain from hill to -hill, her towers rising among her gardens of eternal green, the crystal -streams kissing her walls, the noble mountains enclosing her valleys, -and the Sierra Nevada crowning the distant horizon. - -"Oh, thy memory haunted me wherever I went, Granada! It destroyed my -pleasures, my peace, and my glory, and oppressed my heart and soul! By -the icy banks of the Seine and the Thames I remembered with a sigh the -happy waters of the Darro and the Genil, and many times, as I carolled -a gay ballad, my bitter grief overcame me, and weeping, not to be -repressed, choked my voice. - -"In vain the delightful Arno displayed her flower-strewn banks, sweet -seats of love and peace! 'The plain watered by the gentle Genil,' said -I, 'is more flowery, the life of the lovely Granada is more dear.' And -I murmured these words as one disconsolate, and, remembering the house -of my fathers, I raised my sad eyes to heaven. - -"What is thy magic, what thy unspeakable spell, O fatherland! O sweet -name! that thou art so dear? The swarthy African, far from his native -desert, looks with sad disdain on fields of green; the rude Laplander, -stolen from his mother-earth, sighs for perpetual night and snow; and -I--I, to whom a kindly fate granted birth and nurture in thy bosom -blest by so many gifts of God--though far from thee, could I forget -thee, Granada?" - -When I reached Granada it was quite dark, and I could not see so much -as the outlines of a house. A diligence drawn by two horses, - - "... anzi due cavallette - Di quella de Mosé lá dell' Egitto," - -landed me at a hotel, where I was kept waiting an hour while my bed was -being made, and finally, just before three o'clock in the morning, I -was at last able to lay my head on the pillow. But my troubles were not -over: just as I was falling into a doze I heard an indistinct murmur in -the next room, and then a masculine voice which said distinctly, "Oh, -what a little foot!" You who have bowels of compassion, pity me. The -pillow was torn a little; I pulled out two tufts of wool, stuffed them -in my ears; and, rehearsing in thought the misfortunes of my journey, I -slept the sleep of the just. - -In the morning I went out betimes and walked about through the streets -of Granada until it was a decent hour to go and drag from his home -a young gentleman of Granada whom I had met at Madrid at the house -of Fernandez Guerra, Gongora by name, the son of a distinguished -archeologist and a descendant of the famous Cordovan poet Luigi -Gongora, of whom I spoke in passing. That part of the city which I -saw in those few hours did not fulfil my expectation. I had expected -to find narrow mysterious streets and white cottages like those of -Cordova and Seville, but I found instead spacious squares and some -handsome straight streets, and others tortuous and narrow enough, it is -true, but flanked by high houses, for the most part painted in false -bas-reliefs with cupids and garlands and flourishes and draperies, and -hangings of a thousand colors, without the Oriental appearance of the -other Andalusian cities. - -The lowest part of Granada is almost all laid out with the regularity -of a modern city. As I passed along those streets I was filled with -contempt, and should certainly have carried a gloomy face to Señor -Gongora if by chance as I walked at random I had not come out into -the famous _Alameda_, which enjoys the reputation of being the most -beautiful promenade in the world, and it repaid me a thousand times for -the detestable regularity of the streets which lead to it. - -Imagine a long avenue of unusual width, along which fifty carriages -might pass abreast, flanked by other smaller avenues, along which run -rows of measureless trees, which at a noble height form an immense -green arch, so dense that not a sunbeam can penetrate it, and at the -two ends of the central avenue two monumental fountains throwing up -the water in two great streams which fall again in the finest vaporous -spray, and between the many avenues crystal streams, and in the middle -a garden all roses and myrtle and jessamine and delicate fountains; and -on one side the river Genil, which flows between banks covered with -laurel-groves, and in the distance the snowclad mountains, upon whose -sides distant palms raise their fantastic fronds; and everywhere a -brilliant green, dense and luxuriant, through which one sees here and -there an enchanting strip of azure sky. - -As I turned off of the Alameda I met a great number of peasants -going out of the city, two by two and in groups, with their wives and -children, singing and jesting. Their dress did not seem to me different -from that of the peasants in the neighborhood of Cordova and Seville. -They wore velvet hats, some with very broad brims, others with high -brims curved back; a little jacket made with bands of many-colored -cloth; a scarf of red or blue; closely-fitting trousers buttoned along -the hip; and a pair of leathern gaiters open at the side, so as to show -the leg. The women were dressed like those in the other provinces, and -even in their faces there was no noticeable difference. - -I reached my friend's house and found him buried in his archæological -studies, sitting in front of a heap of old medals and historic stones. -He received me with delight, with a charming Andalusian courtesy, and, -after exchanging the first greetings, we both pronounced with one voice -that magic word that in every part of the world stirs a tumult of great -recollections in every heart and arouses a sense of secret longing; -that gives a final spur toward Spain to one who has the desire to -travel thither and has not yet finally resolved to start; that name at -which hearts of poets and painters beat faster and the eyes of women -flash--"The Alhambra!" - -We rushed out of the house. - - * * * * * - -The Alhambra is situated upon a high hill which overlooks the city, -and from a distance presents the appearance of a fortress, like almost -all Oriental palaces. But when, with Gongora, I climbed the street of -_Los Gomeles_ on our way toward the famous edifice, I had not yet seen -the least trace of a distant wall, and I did not know in what part of -the city we should find it. The street of _Los Gomeles_ slopes upward -and describes a slight curve, so that for a good way one sees only -houses ahead, and supposes the Alhambra to be far away. Gongora did not -speak, but I read in his face that in his heart he was greatly enjoying -the thought of the surprise and delight that I should experience. He -looked at the ground with a smile, answering all my questions with a -sign which seemed to say, "Wait a minute!" and now and then raised -his eyes almost furtively to measure the remaining distance. And I so -enjoyed his pleasure that I could have thrown my arms around his neck -in gratitude. - -We arrived before a great gate that closed the street. "Here we are!" -said Gongora. I entered. - -I found myself in a great grove of enormously high trees, leaning one -toward another, on this side and on that, along a great avenue which -climbs the hill and is lost in the shade: so close are the trees that -a man could scarcely pass among them, and wherever one looks one sees -only their trunks, which close the way like a continuous wall. The -branches meet above the avenues; not a sunbeam penetrates the wood; the -shade is very dense; on every side glide murmuring streams, and the -birds sing, and one feels a vernal freshness in the air. - -"We are now in the Alhambra," said Gongora: "turn around, and you will -see the towers and the embattled barrier-wall." - -"But where is the palace?" I demanded. - -"That is a mystery," he answered; "let us go forward at random." - -We climbed an avenue running along beside the great central avenue that -winds up toward the summit. The trees form overhead a green pavilion -through which not a particle of sky is visible, and the grass, the -shrubbery, and the flowers make on either side a lovely border, bright -and fragrant, sloping slightly toward each other, as if they are trying -to unite, mutually attracted by the beauty of their colors and the -fragrance of their perfume. - -"Let us rest a moment," I said: "I want to take a great breath of this -air; it seems to contain some secret germs that if infused into the -blood must prolong one's life; it is air redolent of youth and health." - -"Behold the door!" exclaimed Gongora. - -I turned as if I had been struck in the back, and saw a few steps ahead -a great square tower, of a deep-red color, crowned with battlements, -with an arched door, above which one sees a key and a hand cut in the -stone. - -I questioned my guide, and he told me that this was the principal -entrance of the Alhambra, and that it was called the Gate of Justice, -because the Moorish kings used to pronounce sentence beneath that arch. -The key signifies that this door is the key to the fortress, and the -hand symbolizes the five cardinal virtues of Islam--Prayer, Fasting, -Beneficence, Holy War, and the Pilgrimage to Mecca. The Arabian -inscription attests that the edifice was erected four centuries ago -by the Sultan Abul Hagag Yusuf, and another inscription, which one -sees everywhere on the columns, says, "There is no God but Allah, and -Mohammed is his Prophet! and there is no power, no strength, apart from -Allah!" - -We passed under the arch and continued the ascent along an enclosed -street until we found ourselves at the top of the hill, in the middle -of an esplanade surrounded by a parapet and dotted with shrubs and -flowers. I turned at once toward the valley to enjoy the view, -but Gongora seized me by the arm and made me look in the opposite -direction. I was standing in front of the great palace of the -Renaissance, partly in ruins and flanked by some wretched little houses. - -"Is this a joke?" I demanded. "Have you brought me here to see a -Moorish castle, for me to find the way closed by a modern palace? -Whose abominable idea was it to run up this building in the gardens of -the caliphs?" - -"Charles V.'s." - -"He was a vandal. I have not yet forgiven him for the Gothic church he -planted in the middle of the mosque of Cordova, and now these barracks -fill me with utter loathing of his crown and his glory. But, in the -name of Heaven, where is the Alhambra?" - -"There it is." - -"Where?" - -"Among those huts." - -"Oh, fudge!" - -"I pledge you my word of honor." - -I folded my arms and looked at him, and he laughed." - -"Well, then," I exclaimed, "this great name of the Alhambra is only -another of those usual false exaggerations of the poets. I, Europe, and -the world have been shamefully deceived. Was it worth while to dream of -the Alhambra for three hundred and sixty-five nights in succession, and -then to come to see a group of ruins with some broken columns and smoky -inscriptions?" - -"How I enjoy this!" answered Gongora with a peal of laughter. "Cheer up -now; come and be persuaded that the world has not been deceived: let us -enter this rubbish-pile." - -We entered by a little door, crossed a corridor, and found ourselves -in a court. With a sudden cry I seized Gongora's hand, and he asked -with a tone of triumph, - -"Are you persuaded?" - -I did not answer, I did not see him: I was already far away; the -Alhambra had already begun to exercise upon me that mysterious and -powerful fascination which no one can avoid nor any one express. - -We were in the _Patio de los Arrayanes_, the Court of the Myrtles, -which is the largest in the edifice, and presents at once the -appearance of a room, a courtyard, and a garden. A great rectangular -basin full of water, surrounded by a myrtle hedge, extends from one -side of the _patio_ to the other, and like a mirror reflects the -arches, arabesques, and the mural inscriptions. - -To the right of the entrance there extend two orders of Moorish -arches, one above the other, supported by slender columns, and on the -opposite side of the court rises a tower with a door through which -one sees the inner rooms in semi-darkness and the mullioned windows, -and through the windows the blue sky and the summits of the distant -mountains. The walls are ornamented to a certain height from the -pavement with brilliant mosaics, and above the mosaics with arabesques -of very intricate design that seem to tremble and change at every step, -and here and there among the arabesques and along the arches they -stretch and creep and intertwine, like garlands, Moorish inscriptions -containing greetings, proverbs, and legends. - -[Illustration: _Court of Myrtles, Alhambra_] - -Beside the door of entrance is written in Cufic characters: Eternal -Happiness!--Blessing!--Prosperity!--Felicity!--Praised be God for the -blessing of Islam! - -In another place it is written: I seek my refuge in the Lord of the -Morning. - -In another place: O God! to thee belong eternal thanksgiving and -undying praise. - -Elsewhere there are verses from the Koran and entire poems in praise of -the caliphs. - -We stood some minutes in silent admiration; not the buzz of a fly was -heard; now and then Gongora started toward the tower, but I clutched -him by the arm and felt that he was trembling with impatience. - -"But we must make haste," said he, finally, "or else we shall not get -back to Granada before evening." - -"What do I know of Granada?" I answered; "what do I know of morning or -evening or of myself? I am in the Orient!" - -"But this is only the antechamber of the Alhambra, my dear Arabian," -said Gongora, urging me forward. "Come, come with me where it will -really seem like being in the Orient." - -And he led me, reluctant though I was, to the very threshold of the -tower-door. There I turned to look once more at the Court of Myrtles -and gave a cry of surprise. Between two slender columns of the arched -gallery which faces the tower, on the opposite side of the courtyard, -stood a girl, a beautiful dark Andalusian face, with a white mantle -wound around her head and falling over her shoulder: she stood leaning -upon the railing in a languid attitude, with her eyes fixed upon us. -I cannot tell the fantastic effect produced by that figure at that -moment--the grace imparted by the arch which curved above the girl's -head and the two columns which formed a frame around her, and the -beautiful harmony which she gave to the whole court, as if she were -an ornament necessary to its architecture conceived in the mind of -the architect at the moment he imagined the whole design. She seemed -like a sultana awaiting her lord, thinking of another sky and another -love. She continued looking at us, and my heart began to beat faster. I -questioned my friend with my eyes, as if to be assured that I was not -deceived. Suddenly the sultana laughed, dropped her white mantle, and -disappeared. - -"She is a servant," said Gongora. - -Still I remained in the mist. - -She was, in fact, a servant of the custodian of the Alhambra who was in -the habit of practising that joke upon strangers. - -We entered the tower called the Tower of Comares, or, vulgarly, the -Tower of the Ambassadors. The interior forms two halls, the first of -which is called the Hall of the Barca, and takes its name either from -the fact that it is shaped like a boat or because it was called by the -Moors the Hall of _Baraka_, or Blessing, a word which might have been -contracted by the people into _barca_ (a boat.) This hall hardly seems -the work of human hands: it is all a vast network of tracery in the -form of garlands, rosettes, boughs of trees, and leaves, covering the -vaulted ceiling, the arches, and the walls in every part and in every -way--closely twining, checkered, climbing higher and higher, and yet -marvellously distinct and combined in such a manner that the parts -are presented to the eye altogether at a single glance, affording a -spectacle of dazzling magnificence and enchanting grace. I approached -one of the walls, fixed my eyes upon the extreme point of an arabesque, -and tried to follow its windings and turnings: it was impossible; my -eye was lost, my mind confused, and all the arabesques from pavement -to ceiling seemed to be moving and blending, as if to conceal the -thread of their inextricable network. You may make an effort not to -look around, to centre your whole attention upon a single spot of the -wall, to scan it closely and follow the thread with your finger: it -is futile; in a moment the tracery is a tangled skein, a veil steals -between you and the wall, and your arm falls. The wall seems woven -like a web, wrought like brocade, netted like lace, and veined like a -leaf; one cannot look at it closely nor fix its design in one's mind: -it would be like trying to count the ants in an anthill: one must be -content to look at the walls with a wandering glance, then to rest and -look again later, and then to think of something else and talk. After I -had looked around a little with the air of a man overcome with vertigo -rather than admiration, I turned toward Gongora, so that he might read -in my face what I would have spoken. - -"Let us enter the other pile of ruins," he answered with a smile as he -drew me into the great Hall of the Ambassadors, which fills all the -interior of the tower, for, really, the Hall of the _Barca_ belongs to -a little building which does not form a part of the tower, although it -is joined to it. The tower is square in form, spacious, and lighted -with nine great arched windows in the form of doors, which present -almost the appearance of so many alcoves, so great is the thickness of -the wall; each one is divided down the middle toward the outside by a -little marble column that supports two beautiful arches surmounted in -their turn by two little arched windows. The walls are covered with -mosaics and arabesques indescribably delicate and multiform, and with -innumerable inscriptions extending like wide embroidered ribbons over -the arches of the windows, up the massive cornices, along the friezes, -and around the niches where once stood vases full of flowers and -perfumed water. The ceiling, which rises to a great height, is inlaid -with cedar-wood, white, gold, and azure, joined together in circles, -stars, and crowns, and forming many little arches, cells, and vaulted -windows, through which falls a wavering light, and from the cornice -which joins the ceiling to the walls hang tablets of stucco-work cut in -facets chiselled and moulded like stalactites and bunches of flowers. -The throne stood at the central window on the side opposite the door of -entrance. From the windows on that side one enjoys a stupendous view -of the valley of the Darro, deep and silent, as if it too felt the -fascination of the Alhambra's grandeur; from the windows on the other -two sides one sees the boundary-wall and the towers of the fortress; -and through the entrance the light arches of the Court of the Myrtles -in the distance and the water of the basin, which reflects the blue of -the sky. - -"Well!" Gongora demanded; "was it worth dreaming of the Alhambra for -three hundred and sixty-five nights?" - -"There is a strange thought passing through my brain at this moment," I -replied. "That court as it looks from here, that hall, those windows, -those colors, everything that surrounds me, seems familiar; it seems to -correspond with a picture which I have carried in my head I know not -how long and I know not in what manner, confused with a thousand other -things, perhaps born of a dream--how should I know? When I was sixteen -years old I was a lover, and the young girl and I alone in a garden in -the shade of a summer-house, as we gazed in each other's eyes, uttered -unconsciously a cry of joy that stirred our blood as if it had come -from the mouth of a third person who had discovered our secret. Well, -since that time I have often longed to be a king and to have a palace; -but in giving form to that desire my imagination did not rest merely in -the grand gilded palaces of our country; it flew to distant lands, and -there on the summit of a lofty mountain reared a castle of its own in -which everything was small and graceful and illumined by a mysterious -light; and there were long suites of rooms adorned with a thousand -fanciful and delicate ornaments, with windows through which we two -alone might look, and little columns behind which my little one might -almost hide her face playfully as she listened to my step approaching -from hall to hall, or heard my voice mingled with the murmur of the -fountains in the garden. All unconsciously, in building that castle -in fantasy, I was building the Alhambra; in those moments I imagined -something like these halls, these windows, and this court that we see -before us--so similar, indeed, that the more I look around the better -I remember and seem to recognize the place just as I have seen it a -thousand times. All lovers dream a little of the Alhambra, and -if they were able to reproduce all their dreams in line and color, -they would make pictures that would amaze us by their likeness to all -one sees here. This architecture does not express power, glory, and -grandeur; it expresses love and passion--love with its mysteries, its -caprices, its fervor, its bursts of God-given gratitude; passion with -its melancholy and its silences. There is, then, a close connection, a -harmony, between the beauty of this Alhambra and the souls of those who -have loved at sixteen, when longings are but dreams and visions. And -hence arises the indescribable fascination exercised by this beauty, -and hence the Alhambra, although deserted and ruined as it is, is -still the most enchanting castle in the world, and to the end of time -visitors will leave it with a tear. For in parting with the Alhambra -we bid a last adieu to the most beautiful dreams of youth revived -among these walls for the last time. We bid adieu to faces unspeakably -dear that have broken the oblivion of many years to stand beside us a -last time by the little columns of these windows. We bid adieu to all -the fancies of youth. We bid adieu to that love which will never live -again." - -[Illustration: _Fountain in the Court of Lions, Alhambra_] - -"It is true," answered my friend, "but what will you say when you have -seen the Court of the Lions? Come, let us hurry." - -We left the tower with hasty steps, crossed the Court of Myrtles, and -came to a little door opposite the door of entrance. - -"Stop!" cried Gongora. - -I stopped. - -"Do me a favor?" - -"A hundred." - -"Only one: shut your eyes and don't open them until I tell you." - -"Well, they are shut." - -"See that you keep them so; I sha'n't like it if you open them." - -"Never fear." - -Gongora took me by the hand and led me forward: I trembled like a leaf. - -We took about fifteen steps and stopped. - -"Look!" said Gongora in an agitated voice. - -I looked, and I swear by the head of my reader I felt two tears -trickling down my cheeks. - -We were in the Court of the Lions. - -If at that moment I had been obliged to go out as I had come in, I -could not have told what I had seen. A forest of columns, a vision of -arches and tracery, an indefinable elegance, an unimaginable delicacy, -prodigious wealth; an irrepressible sense of airiness, transparency, -and wavy motion like a great pavilion of lace; an appearance as of -an edifice which must dissolve at a breath; a variety of lights and -mysterious shadows; a confusion, a capricious disorder, of little -things; the grandeur of a castle, the gayety of a summer-house; an -harmonious grace, an extravagance, a delight; the fancy of an enamored -girl, the dream of an angel; a madness, a nameless something,--such is -the first effect of the Court of the Lions. - -The court is not larger than a great ball-room; it is rectangular in -form, with walls no higher than a two-storied Andalusian cottage. -A light portico runs all around, supported by very slender white -marble columns grouped in symmetrical disorder, two by two and three -by three, almost without pedestals, so that they are like the trunks -of trees standing on the ground: they have varied capitals, high and -graceful, in the form of little pilasters, above which bend little -arches of very graceful form, which do not seem to rest upon the -columns, but rather to be suspended over them like curtains upholding -the columns themselves and resembling ribbons and twining garlands. -From the middle of the two shortest sides advance two groups of -columns forming two little square temples of nine arches in the form -of stalactites, fringes, pendants, and tassels that seem as though -they ought to swing and become tangled with the slightest breeze. -Large Arabian inscriptions run along the four walls, over the arches, -around the capitals, and along the walls of the little temple. In the -middle of the court rises a great marble basin supported by twelve -lions and surrounded by a paved channel, from which flow four other -smaller channels that make a cross between the four sides of the -court, cross the portico, enter the adjoining rooms, and join the -other water-courses which surround the entire edifice. Behind the two -two little temples and in the middle of the other two sides there -appear halls and suites of rooms with great open doors, through which -one can see the dark background broken by the white columns, gleaming -as if they stood at the mouth of a grotto. At every step the forest -of columns seems to move and rearrange itself in a new way; behind -a column that is apparently single spring up two, three, a row of -columns; some fade away, others unite, and still others separate: -on looking back from the end of one of the halls everything appears -different; the arches on the opposite side seem very far away; the -columns appear out of place; the little temples have changed their -form; one sees new arches rising beyond the walls, and new columns -gleaming here in the sunlight, there in the shadow, yonder scarcely -visible by the dim light which sifts through the tracery of the stucco, -and the farthest lost in the darkness. There is a constant variety of -scene, distance, deceptive effects, mysteries, and playful tricks of -the eye, produced by the architecture, the sun, and one's heightened -imagination. - -"What must this _patio_ have been," said Gongora, "when the inner -walls of the portico were resplendent with mosaics, the capitals of -the columns flashed with gold, the ceilings and vaults were painted -in a thousand colors, the doors hung with silken curtains, the niches -full of flowers, and under the little temples and through the halls ran -streams of perfumed water, and from the nostrils of the lions spurted -twelve jets which fell into the basin, and the air was heavy with the -most delicious perfumes of Arabia!" - -We remained in the court over an hour, and the time passed like a -flash; and I too did what all have done in that place--Spaniards and -foreigners alike, men and women, poets and those who are not poets. I -ran my hand along the walls, touched all the little columns, clasped -them one by one with my two hands like the waist of a child, hid among -them, counted them, looked at them from a hundred directions, crossed -the court in a hundred ways; tried if it were true that by speaking a -word in a deep voice in the mouth of one of the lions you could hear -it distinctly from the mouths of all the others; searched along the -marbles for the blood-spots of the romantic legends, and wearied my -eyes and brain in following the arabesques. There were a number of -ladies present. In the Court of the Lions ladies show every sort of -childish delight: they look out between two twin columns, hide in the -dark corners, sit on the floor, and stand for hours motionless, resting -their heads upon their hands, dreaming. These ladies did likewise. -There was one dressed in white who, as she passed behind the distant -columns, when she thought no one saw her assumed a certain majestic -air, like a melancholy sultana, and then laughed with one of her -friends: it was enchanting. - -"Let us go," said my friend. - -"Let us go," I replied, and could not move a step. I was experiencing -not only a delightful sense of surprise, but I was trembling with -pleasure, and was filled with a longing to touch, to probe, and in some -way to see behind those walls and those columns, as if they were made -of some secret material and ought to disclose in their inmost part the -first cause of the fascination which the place exerts. In all my life I -have never thought or said, or shall ever say, so many fond words, so -many foolish expressions, so many pretty, happy, senseless things, as I -thought and said at that hour. - -"But one must come here at sunrise," said Gongora, "one must come at -sunset, or at night when the moon is full, to see the miracles of -color, light, and shade. It is enough to make one lose one's head." - -We went to see the halls. On the eastern side is the Hall of Justice, -which is reached by passing under three great arches, each of which -corresponds with a door opening into the court. It is a long, narrow -hall, with intricate arabesques and precious mosaics, and its vaulted -ceiling all points and hollows and clusters of stucco that hang down -from the arches and run along the walls, clustered together here and -there, drooping, growing one out of the other, crowding and overtopping -each other, so that they seem to dispute the space like the bubbles -in boiling water, and still presenting in many parts traces of old -colors that must have given the ceiling the appearance of a pavilion -covered with flowers and hanging fruit. The hall has three little -alcoves, in each of which one may see a Moorish painting, to which time -and the extreme rarity of works remaining from the brush of Moorish -artists have given a very high value. The paintings are on leather, -and the leather is fastened to the wall. In the central alcove there -are painted on a golden ground ten men, supposed to be ten kings of -Granada, clothed in white, with cowls on their heads and scimitars in -their hands, sitting on embroidered cushions. The paintings in the -other two alcoves represent castles, ladies and cavaliers, hunting -scenes, and love episodes whose significance it is difficult to -understand. But the faces of the ten kings are marvellously true to -the picture one has formed of their race: there is the dark olive -complexion, the sensuous lips, the black eyes, with an intense -mysterious glance that seems always to be shining in the dark corners -of the halls of the Alhambra. - -On the north side of the court there is another hall, called the -hall _De las dos Hermanas_ (of the two sisters), so called from two -great marble slabs which form the pavement. It is the most beautiful -hall in the Alhambra--a little square arched room, with one of those -ceilings in the form of a cupola which the Spaniards call half oranges, -supported by slender columns and arches arranged in a circle, all -adorned, like a grotto full of stalactites, with an infinite number -of points and hollows, colored and gilded, and so light to the view -that it seems as if they are suspended in the air, and would tremble -at a touch like a curtain or separate like a cloud or disappear like -a cluster of soap-bubbles. The walls, like those of all the other -halls, are bedecked with stucco and carved with arabesques incredibly -intricate and delicate, forming one of the most marvellous works of -human patience and imagination. The more one looks, the more numberless -become the lines which blend and cross, and from one figure springs -another, and from that a third, and all three produce a fourth that -has escaped the eye, and this divides suddenly into ten other figures -that have passed unnoticed, and then they mingle again and are again -transformed; and one never ceases to discover new combinations, for -when the first reappear they are already forgotten, and produce the -same effect as at the beginning. One would lose sight and reason in -trying to comprehend that labyrinth: it would require an hour to -study the outlines of a window, the ornaments of a pilaster, and the -arabesques of a frieze; an hour would not be sufficient to fix upon -the mind the design of one of the stupendous cedar doors. On either -side of the hall there are two little alcoves, and in the centre a -little basin with a pipe for a fountain that empties into the channel -that crosses the portico and flows to the Fountain of the Lions. - -Directly opposite the entrance there is another door, through which one -passes into another long, narrow room called the Hall of the Oranges. -And from this hall, through a third door, one enters a little chamber -called the Cabinet of Lindaraja, very richly ornamented, at the end of -which there is a graceful window with two arches overlooking a garden. - -To enjoy all the beauty of this magical architecture one must leave the -Hall of the Two Sisters, cross the Court of the Lions, and enter a room -called the Hall of the Abencerrages, which lies on the southern side, -opposite the Hall of the Two Sisters, to which it is very similar in -form and ornamentation. From the end of this hall one looks across the -Court of the Lions through the Hall of the Two Sisters into the Hall -of the Oranges and even into the Cabinet of Lindaraja and the garden -beyond, where a mass of verdure appears under the arches of that jewel -of a window. The two sides of this window, so diminutive and full of -light when seen in the distance from the end of that suite of darkened -rooms, look like two great open eyes, that look at you and make -you imagine that beyond them must lie the unfathomable mysteries of -paradise. - -After seeing the Hall of the Abencerrages we went to see the baths, -which are situated between the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Court -of the Myrtles. We descended a flight of stairs, passed a long narrow -corridor, and came out into a splendid hall called the hall _De las -Divans_, where the favorites of the king came to rest on their Persian -rugs to the sound of the lyre after they had bathed in the adjoining -rooms. This hall was reconstructed on the plans of the ancient ruins, -and adorned with arabesques, gilded and painted, by Spanish artists -after the ancient patterns; consequently one may consider it a room of -the Moorish period remaining intact in every part. In the middle is a -fountain, and in the opposite walls are two alcoves where the women -reposed on divans, and overhead the galleries where the musicians -played. The walls are laced, dotted, checkered, and mottled with a -thousand brilliant hues, presenting the appearance of a tapestry of -Chinese stuff shot with golden threads, with an endless interweaving of -figures that must have maddened the most patient mosaic-worker on earth. - -Nevertheless, a painter was at work in the hall. He was a German who -had worked for three months in copying the walls. Gongora knew him, and -asked, "It is wearisome work, is it not?" - -And he answered with a smile, "I don't find it so," and bent again over -his picture. - -I looked at him as if he had been a creature from another world. - -We entered the little bathing-chambers, vaulted and lighted from above -by some star-and flower-shaped apertures in the wall. The bathing-tubs -are very large, single blocks of marble enclosed between two walls. The -corridors which lead from one room to the other are low and narrow, -so that a man can scarcely pass through them; they are delightfully -cool. As I stood looking into one of these little rooms I was suddenly -impressed with a sad thought. - -"What makes you sad?" asked my friend. - -"I was thinking," I replied, "of how we live, summer and winter, in -houses like barracks, in rooms on the third floor, which are either -dark or else flooded with a torrent of light, without marble, without -water, without flowers, without columns; I was thinking that we -must live so all our lives and die between those walls without once -experiencing the delights of these charmed palaces; I was thinking that -even in this wretched earthly life one may enjoy vastly, and that I -shall not share this enjoyment at all; I was thinking that I might have -been born four centuries ago a king of Granada, and that I was born -instead a poor man." - -My friend laughed, and, taking my arm between his thumb and finger, as -if to give me a pinch, he said, "Don't think of that. Think of how much -beauty, grace, and mystery these tubs must have seen; of the little -feet that have played in their perfumed waters; of the long hair which -has fallen over their rims; of the great languid eyes that have looked -at the sky through the openings in the vaulted ceiling, while beneath -the arches of the Court of the Lions sounded the hastening step of -an impatient caliph, and the hundred fountains of the castle sighed -with a quickening murmur, 'Come! come! come!' and in a perfumed hall -a trembling slave reverently closed the windows with the rose-colored -curtains." - -"Ah! leave my soul in peace!" I replied, shrugging my shoulders. - -We crossed the garden of the Cabinet of Lindaraja and a mysterious -court called the _Patio de la Reja_, and by a long gallery that -commands a view of the country reached the top of one of the farthest -towers of the Alhambra, called the _Mirador de la Reina_ (the Queen's -toilet), shaded by a little pavilion and open all round, hanging over -an abyss like an eagle's nest. The view one enjoys from this point--one -may say it without fear of contradiction--has not its equal on the face -of the earth. - -[Illustration: _Queen's Boudoir, Alhambra_] - -Imagine an immense plain, green as a meadow, covered with young grass, -crossed in all directions by endless rows of cypresses, pines, oaks, -and poplars, dotted with dense orange-groves that in the distance look -no larger than shrubs, and with great orchards and gardens so crowded -with fruit trees that they look like green hillocks; and the river -Xenil winding through this immense plain, gleaming among the groves -and gardens like a great silver ribbon; and all around wooded hills, -and beyond the hills lofty rocks of fantastic form, which complete the -picture of a barrier-wall with gigantic towers separating that earthly -paradise from the world; and there, just beneath one's eyes, the city -of Granada, partly extending to the plain and partly on the slope of -the hill, all interspersed with groups of trees, shapeless masses of -verdure which rise and wave above the roofs of the houses like enormous -plumes, until it seems as if they were striving to expand and unite -and cover the entire city; and still nearer the deep valley of the -Darro more than covered--yes, filled to overflowing and almost heaped -full--with its prodigious growth of vegetation, rising like a mountain, -and above it there rises yet again a grove of gigantic poplars tossing -their topmost boughs so close under the windows of the tower that one -can almost touch them; and to the right beyond the Darro, on a high -hill towering toward heaven, bold and rounded like a cupola, the palace -of the Generalife, encircled by its aërial gardens and almost hidden -in a grove of laurels, poplars, and pomegranates; and in the opposite -direction a marvellous spectacle, a thing incredible, a vision of a -dream--the Sierra Nevada, after the Alps, the highest mountain-range in -Europe crowned with snow, white even to a few miles from the gates of -Granada, white even to the hills on whose sides spread the pomegranates -and palms, and where a vegetation almost tropical expands in all its -splendid pomp. - -Imagine now over this vast paradise, containing all the smiling graces -of the Orient and all the severe beauties of the North, wedding Europe -to Africa, and bringing to the nuptials all the choicest marvels of -nature, and exhaling to heaven all the perfumes of the earth blended -in one breath,--imagine above this happy valley the sky and sun of -Andalusia, rolling on to its setting and tinting the peaks with a -divine rose-color, and painting the mountain-sides of the Sierra -with all the colors of the rainbow, and clothing them with all the -reflections of the most limpid azure pearls, its rays breaking in a -thousand mists of gold, purple, and gray upon the rocks encircling -the plain, and, as it sinks in a flame of fire, casting like a last -good-night a luminous crown about the gloomy towers of the Alhambra and -the flower-crowned pinnacles of the Generalife, and tell me if this -world can give anything more solemn, more glorious, more intoxicating -than this love-feast of the earth and sky, before which for nine -centuries Granada has trembled with delight and throbbed with pride? - -The roof of the _Mirador de la Reina_ is supported by little Moorish -columns, between which extend flattened arches which give the pavilion -an extremely fanciful and graceful appearance. The walls are frescoed, -and one may see along the friezes the initials of Isabella and Philip -interwoven with cupids and flowers. Close by the door there still -remains a stone of the ancient pavement, all perforated, upon which -it is said the sultanas sat to be enveloped in the clouds of perfumed -vapor which arose from below. - -Everything in this place tells of love and happiness. There one -breathes an air as pure as that on a mountain-peak, there one perceives -a mingled fragrance of myrtles and roses, and no other sound reaches -the ear save the murmur of the Darro as it dashes among the rocks of -its stony bed, and the singing of a thousand birds hidden in the dense -foliage of the valley; it is truly a nest of loves, a hanging alcove -where to go and dream of an aërial balcony to which one might climb and -thank God for being happy. - -"Ah, Gongora," I exclaimed after contemplating for some moments that -enchanting spectacle, "I would give years of my life to be able to -summon here, with a stroke of a magic wand, all the dear ones who are -looking for me in Italy." - -Gongora pointed out a large space on the wall, all black with dates and -names of visitors to the Alhambra, written with crayon and charcoal and -cut with knives. - -"What is this written here?" he demanded. - -I approached and uttered a cry: "Chateaubriand!" - -"And here?" - -"Byron!" - -"And here?" - -"Victor Hugo!" - -After descending from the _Mirador de la Reina_ I thought I had seen -the Alhambra, and was so imprudent as to tell my friend so. If he had -had a stick in his hand, I verily believe he would have struck me; but, -as he had not, he contented himself by regarding me with the air of one -demanding whether or not I had lost my senses. - -We returned to the Court of the Myrtles and visited the rooms situated -on the other side of the Tower of Comares, the greater part in ruins, -the rest altered, some absolutely bare, without either pavement or -roof, but all worth seeing, both in remembrance of what they had -been and for the sake of understanding the plan of the edifice. The -ancient mosque was converted into a chapel by Charles V., and a great -Moorish hall was changed into an oratory; here and there one still -sees the fragments of arabesques and carved ceilings of cedar-wood; -the galleries, the courts, and the vestibules remind one of a palace -dismantled by fire. - -After seeing that part of the Alhambra I really thought there was -nothing else left to see, and a second time was imprudent enough to -say so to Gongora: this time he could no longer contain himself, and, -leading me into a vestibule of the Court of Myrtles and pointing to a -map of the building hanging on the wall, he said, "Look, and you will -see that all the rooms of the courts and the towers that we have so far -visited do not occupy one-twentieth part of the space embraced within -the walls of the Alhambra; you will see that we have not yet visited -the remains of the three other mosques, the ruins of the House of Cadi, -the water-tower, the tower of the Infantas, the tower of the Prisoner, -the tower of Candil, the tower of the Picos, the tower of the Daggers, -the tower of the _Siete Suelos_, the tower of the Captain, the tower of -the Witch, the tower of the Heads, the tower of Arms, the tower of the -Hidalgos, the tower of the Cocks, the tower of the Cube, the tower of -Homage, the tower of Vela, the Powder Tower, the remains of the House -of Mondejar, the military quarters, the iron gate, the inner walls, the -cisterns, the promenades; for I would have you know that the Alhambra -is not a palace: it is a city, and one could spend his life in studying -its arabesques, reading its inscriptions, and every day discovering -a new view of the hills and mountains, and going into ecstasies -regularly once every twenty-four hours." - -And I thought I had seen the Alhambra! - -On that day I did not wish to learn anything more, and the dear -knows how my head ached when I returned to the hotel. The day after, -at the peep of dawn, I was back at the Alhambra, and again in the -evening, and I continued to go there every day so long as I remained -at Granada, with Gongora, with other friends, with guides, or alone; -and the Alhambra always seemed vaster and more beautiful as I wandered -through the courts and halls, and passed hour after hour sitting among -the columns or gazing out of the windows with an ever-heightening -pleasure, every time discovering new beauties, and ever abandoning -myself to those vague and delightful fancies among which my mind had -strayed on the first day. I cannot tell through which entrances my -friends led me into the Alhambra, but I remember that every day on -going there I saw walls and towers and deserted streets that I had not -seen before, and the Alhambra seemed to me to have changed its site, -to have been transformed, and surrounded as if by enchantment with new -buildings that changed its original appearance. Who could describe -the beauty of those sunset views; those fantastic groves flooded with -moonlight; the immense plain and the snow-covered mountains on clear, -serene nights; the imposing outlines of those enormous walls, superb -towers, and those measureless trees under a starry sky; the prolonged -rustling of those vast masses of verdure overflowing the valleys and -climbing the hillsides? It was a spectacle before which my companions -remained speechless, although they were born in Granada and accustomed -from infancy to look upon these scenes. So we would walk along in -silence, each buried in his own thoughts, with hearts oppressed by mild -melancholy, and sometimes our eyes were wet with tears, and we raised -our faces to heaven with a burst of gratitude and love. - -On the day of my arrival at Granada, when I entered the hotel at -midnight, instead of finding silence and quiet, I found the _patio_ -illuminated like a ball-room, people sipping sherbet at the tables, -coming and going along the galleries, laughing and talking, and I was -obliged to wait an hour before going to sleep. But I passed that hour -very pleasantly. While I stood looking at a map of Spain on the wall a -great burly fellow, with a face as red as a beet and a great stomach -extending nearly to his knees, approached me and, touching his cap, -asked if I was an Italian. I replied that I was, and he continued with -a smile, "And so am I; I am the proprietor of the hotel." - -"I am delighted to hear it, the more so because I see you are making -money." - -"Great Heavens!" he replied in a tone which he wished to seem -melancholy. "Yes, ... I cannot complain; but, ... believe me, my dear -sir, however well things may go, when one is far from his native land -one always feels a void here;" and he put his hand upon his enormous -chest. - -I looked at his stomach. - -"A great void," repeated mine host; "one never forgets one's -country.... From what province are you, sir?" - -"From Liguria. And you?" - -"From Piedmont. Liguria! Piedmont! Lombardy! They are countries!" - -"They are fine countries, there is no doubt of that, but, after all, -you cannot complain of Spain. You are living in one of the most -beautiful cities in the world, and are proprietor of one of the finest -hotels in the city; you have a crowd of guests all the year round, and -then I see you enjoy enviable health." - -"But the void?" - -I looked again at his stomach. - -"Oh, I see, sir; but you are deceived, you know, if you judge me by -appearances. You cannot imagine what a pleasure it is when an Italian -comes here. What you will? Weakness it may be.... I know not, ... but -I should like to see him every day at table, and I believe that if my -wife did not laugh at me I should send him a dozen dishes on my own -account, as a foretaste." - -"At what hour do you dine to-morrow?" - -"At five. But, after all, ... one eats little here, ... hot country, -... everybody lives lightly, ... whatever their nationality may be.... -That is the rule.... But you have not seen the other Italian who is -here?" - -So saying, he turned around, and a man came forward from a corner of -the court where he had been watching us. The proprietor, after a few -words, left us alone. The stranger was a man of about forty, miserably -dressed, who spoke through closed teeth, and kept continually clenching -his hands with a convulsive motion as if he was making an effort to -keep from using his fists. He told me he was a chorus-singer from -Lombardy, and that he had arrived the day before at Granada with other -artists booked to sing at the opera for the summer season. - -"A beastly country!" he exclaimed without any preamble, looking around -as if he wished to make a speech. - -"Then you do not remain in Spain voluntarily?" I asked. - -"In Spain? I? Excuse me: it is just as if you had asked me whether I -was staying voluntarily in a galley." - -"But why?" - -"Why? But can't you see what sort of people the Spaniards -are--ignorant, superstitious, proud, bloodthirsty, impostors, thieves, -charlatans, villains?" - -And he stood a moment motionless in a questioning attitude, with the -veins of his neck so swollen that they seemed ready to burst. - -"Pardon me," I replied; "your judgment does not seem favorable enough -to admit of my agreeing with you. When it comes to ignorance, excuse -me, it will not do for us Italians, for us who still have cities where -the schoolmasters are stoned and the professors are stabbed if they -give a zero to their scholars,--it will not do for us, I say, to pick -flaws in others. As for superstition, alas for us again! since we may -still see in that city of Italy in which popular instruction is most -widely diffused an unspeakable uproar over a miraculous image of the -Madonna found by a poor ignorant woman in the middle of a street! -As for crime, I frankly declare that if I were obliged to draw a -comparison between the two countries before an audience of Spaniards, -with the statistics now in hand, without first proving my data and -conclusions, I should be very much alarmed.... I do not wish to say -by this that we are not, on the whole, sailing in smoother water than -is Spain. I wish to say that an Italian in judging the Spanish, if he -would be just, must be indulgent." - -"Excuse me: I don't think so. A country without political direction! -a country a prey to anarchy! a country--Come, now, cite me one great -Spaniard of the present day." - -"I cannot, ... there are so few great men anywhere." - -"Cite me a Galileo." - -"Oh, there are no Galileos." - -"Cite me a Ratazzi." - -"Well, they have none." - -"Cite me ... But, really, they have nothing. And then, does the country -seem beautiful to you?" - -"Ah! excuse me; that point I will not yield: Andalusia, to cite a -single province, is a paradise; Seville, Cadiz, and Granada are -splendid cities." - -"How? Do you like the houses of Seville and Cadiz, with walls that -whiten a poor devil from head to foot whenever he happens to touch -them? Do you like those streets along which one can hardly pass after -a good dinner? And do you find the Andalusian women beautiful with -their devilish eyes? Come, now, you are too indulgent. They are not a -_serious_ people. They have summoned Don Amadeus, and now they don't -want him. They are not worthy of being governed by a _civilized man_." -(These were his actual words.) - -"Then you don't find any good in Spain?" - -"Not the least." - -"But why do you stay?" - -"I stay ... because I make my living here." - -"Well, that is something." - -"But what a living! It is a dog's life! Everybody knows what Spanish -cooking is." - -"Excuse me: instead of living like a dog in Spain, why not go and live -like a man in Italy?" - -Here the poor artist seemed somewhat disconcerted, and I, to relieve -his annoyance, offered him a cigar, which he took and lighted without -a word. And he was not the only Italian in Spain who had spoken to me -in those terms of the country and its inhabitants, denying even the -clearness of the sky and the grace of the Andalusian women. I do not -know what enjoyment there can be in travelling after this fashion, with -the heart closed to every kindly sentiment, and continually on the -lookout to censure and despise, as if everything good and beautiful -which one finds in a foreign country has been stolen from our own, -and as if we are of no account unless we run down everybody else. The -people who travel in such a mental attitude make me pity rather than -condemn them, because they voluntarily deprive themselves of many -pleasures and comforts. So it appears to me, at least, to judge others -by myself, for wherever I go the first sentiment which the sights and -the people inspire in me is a feeling of sympathy; a desire not to find -anything which I shall be obliged to censure; an inclination to imagine -every beautiful thing more beautiful; to conceal the unpleasant things, -to excuse the defects, to be able to say candidly to myself and others -that I am content with everything and everybody. And to arrive at this -end I do not have to make any effort: everything presents itself -almost spontaneously in its most pleasing aspect, and my imagination -benignly paints the other aspects a delicate rose-color. I know well -that one cannot study a country in this way, nor write sage essays, nor -acquire fame as a profound thinker; but I know that one travels with a -peaceful mind, and that such travels are of unspeakable benefit. - -The next day I went to see the Generalife, which was a sort of villa -of the Moorish kings, and whose name is linked to that of the Alhambra -as is that of the Alhambra to Granada; but now only a few arches and -arabesques remain of the ancient Generalife. It is a small palace, -simple and white, with few windows, and an arched gallery surrounded -with a terrace, and half hidden in the midst of a grove of laurel and -myrtles, standing on the summit of a mountain covered with flowers, -rising upon the right bank of the Darro opposite the hill of the -Alhambra. In front of the façade of the palace extends a little garden, -and other gardens rise one above another almost in the form of a -vast staircase to the very top of the mountain, where there extends -a very high terrace that encloses the Generalife. The avenues of the -gardens and the wide staircases that lead from one to another of the -flower-beds are flanked by high espaliers surmounted by arches and -divided by arbors of myrtle, curved and intertwined with graceful -designs, and at every landing-place rise white summer-houses shaded by -trellises and picturesque groups of orange trees and cypresses. Water -is still as abundant as in Moorish times, and gives the place a grace, -freshness, and luxuriance impossible to describe. From every part one -hears the murmur of rivulets and fountains; one turns down an avenue -and finds a jet of water; one approaches a window and sees a stream -reaching almost to the window-sill; one enters a group of trees and -the spray of a little waterfall strikes one's face; one turns and sees -water leaping, running, and trickling through the grass and shrubbery. - -From the height of the terrace one commands a view of all those gardens -as they slope downward in platforms and terraces; one peers down -into the abyss of vegetation which separates the two mountains; one -overlooks the whole enclosure of the Alhambra, with the cupolas of its -little temples, its distant towers, and the paths winding among its -ruins; the view extends over the city of Granada with its plain and -its hills, and runs with a single glance along all the summits of the -Sierra Nevada, that appear so near that one imagines they are not an -hour's walk distant. And while you contemplate that spectacle your ear -is soothed by the murmur of a hundred fountains and the faint sound of -the bells of the city, which comes in waves scarcely audible, bearing -with it the mysterious fragrance of this earthly paradise which makes -you tremble and grow pale with delight. - -[Illustration: _Court of the Generalife, Granada_] - -Beyond the Generalife, on the summit of a higher mountain, now bleak -and bare, there rose in Moorish times other royal palaces, with gardens -connected with each other by great avenues lined with myrtle hedges. -Now all these marvels of architecture encircled by groves, fountains, -and flowers, those fabulous castles in the air, those magnificent and -fragrant nests of love and delight, have disappeared, and scarcely -a heap of rubbish or a short stretch of wall remains to tell their -story to the passer-by. But these ruins, that elsewhere would arouse a -feeling of melancholy, do not have such an influence in the presence -of that glorious nature whose enchantment not even the most marvellous -works of man have ever been able to equal. - -On re-entering the city I stopped at one end of the _Carrera -del Darro_, in front of a house richly adorned with bas-reliefs -representing heraldic shields, armor, cherubs, and lions, with a little -balcony, over one corner of which, partly on one wall and partly on -another, I read the following mysterious inscription stamped in great -letters: - - "ESPERANDO LA DEL CIELO," - -which, literally translated, signifies "_Awaiting her in Heaven_." -Curious to learn the hidden meaning of those words, I made a note of -them, so that I might ask the learned father of my friend about them. -He gave me two interpretations, the one almost certainly correct, but -not at all romantic; the other romantic, but very doubtful. I give the -last: The house belonged to Don Fernando de Zafra, the secretary of -the Catholic kings. He had a very beautiful daughter. A young hidalgo, -of a family hostile or inferior in rank to the house of Zafra, became -enamored of the daughter, and, as his love was returned, he asked -for her hand in marriage, but was refused. The refusal of her father -stirred the love of the two young hearts to flame: the windows of the -house were low; the lover one night succeeded in making the ascent -and entered the maiden's room. Whether he upset a chair on entering, -or coughed, or uttered a low cry of joy on seeing his beautiful love -welcoming him with open arms, the tradition does not tell, and no one -knows; but certain it is that Don Fernando de Zafra heard a noise, ran -in, saw, and, blind with fury, rushed upon the ill-fated young man -to put him to death. But he succeeded in making his escape, and Don -Fernando in following him ran into one of his own pages, a partisan -of the lovers, who had helped the hidalgo to enter the house: in his -haste his master mistook him for the betrayer, and, without hearing his -protests and prayers, he had him bound and hanged from the balcony. The -tradition runs that while the poor victim kept crying, "Pity! pity!" -the outraged father responded as he pointed toward the balcony, "Thou -shalt stay there _esperando la del Cielo_!" (awaiting her in heaven)--a -reply which he afterward had cut in the stone walls as a perpetual -warning to evil-doers. - -I devoted the rest of the day to the churches and monasteries. - -The cathedral of Granada deserves to be described part by part in -an even higher degree than the cathedral of Malaga, although it too -is beautiful and magnificent; but I have already described enough -churches. Its foundation was laid by the Catholic kings in 1529 upon -the ruins of the principal mosque of the city, but it has never been -finished. It has a great façade with three doorways, adorned with -statues and bas-reliefs, and it consists of five naves, divided by -twenty measureless pilasters, each composed of a bundle of slender -columns. The chapels contain paintings by Boccanegra, sculptures by -Torrigiano, and tombs and other precious ornaments. Admirable above all -is the great chapel, supported by twenty Corinthian columns divided -into two orders, upon the first of which rise colossal statues of -the twelve apostles, and on the second an entablature covered with -garlands and heads of cherubs. Overhead runs a circle of magnificent -stained-glass windows, which represent the Passion, and from the frieze -which crowns them leap ten bold arches forming the vault of the chapel. -Within the arches that support the columns are six great paintings by -Alonzo Cano, which are said to be his most beautiful and finished work. - -And since I have spoken of Alonzo Cano, a native of Granada, one of -the strongest Spanish painters of the seventeenth century, although -a disciple of the Sevillian school rather than the founder, as some -assert, of a school of his own, but less original than his greatest -contemporaries,--since I have spoken of him, I wish here to record some -traits of his genius and anecdotes of his life little known outside -of Spain, although exceedingly remarkable. Alonzo Cano was the most -quarrelsome, the most irascible, and the most violent of the Spanish -painters. He spent his life in contention. He was a priest. From 1652 -to 1658, for six consecutive years, without a day's intermission, he -wrangled with the canons of the cathedral of Granada, of which he was -steward, because he was not willing to become subdeacon in accordance -with the stipulated agreement; before leaving Granada he broke into -pieces with his own hands a statue of Saint Anthony of Padua which he -had made to the order of an auditor of the chancery, because the man -allowed himself to observe that the price demanded seemed a little -dear. Chosen master of design to the royal prince, who, as it appears, -was not born with a talent for painting, he so exasperated his pupil -that the boy was obliged to have recourse to the king that he might -be taken out of his hands. Remanded to Granada, to the neighborhood -of the chapter of the cathedral, as an especial favor, he bore such a -deep rancor from his old litigations with his canons that throughout -his life he would not do a stroke of work for them. But this is a small -matter. He nursed a blind, bestial, inextinguishable hatred against the -Hebrews, and was firmly convinced that in any way to touch a Hebrew or -any object that a Hebrew had touched would bring him misfortune. Owing -to this conviction he did some of the most extravagant feats in the -world. If in walking along the street he ran against a Jew, he would -strip off the infected garment and return home in his shirt-sleeves. -If by chance he succeeded in discovering that in his absence a servant -had admitted a Jew into the house, he discharged the servant, threw -away the shoes with which he had touched the pavement profaned by the -circumcised, and sometimes even had the pavement torn up and reset. And -he found something to find fault with even as he was dying. When he was -approaching the end of life the confessor handed him a clumsily-made -crucifix that he might kiss it, but he pushed it away with his hand, -saying, "Father, give me a naked cross, that I may worship Jesus Christ -as He Himself is and as I behold Him in my mind." But, after all, his -was a rare, charitable nature which abhorred every vulgar action, -and loved with a deep and very pure love the art in which he remains -immortal. - -On returning to the church after I had made the round of all the -chapels and was preparing to leave, I was impressed by a suspicion that -there was something else still to be seen. I had not read the Guidebook -and had been told nothing, but I heard an inner voice which said to -me, "Seek!" and, in fact, I sought with my eyes in every direction, -without knowing what I sought. A cicerone noticed me and sidled up to -me, as all of his kind do, like an assassin, and asked me with an air -of mystery, "_Quiere usted algo?_" (Do you wish something, sir?) - -"I should like to know," I replied, "if there is anything to see in -this cathedral besides that which I have seen already?" - -"How!" exclaimed the cicerone; "you have not seen the royal chapel, -have you, sir?" - -"What is there in the royal chapel?" - -"What is there? Caramba! Nothing less than the tombs of Ferdinand and -Isabella the Catholics." - -I could have said so! I had in my mind a place ready for this idea, -and the idea was lacking! The Catholic kings must certainly have been -buried in Granada, where they fought the last great chivalrous war of -the Middle Ages, and where they gave Christopher Columbus a commission -to fit out ships which bore him to the New World. I ran rather than -walked to the royal chapel, preceded by the limping cicerone; an old -sacristan opened the door of the sacristy, and before he allowed me to -enter and see the tombs he led me to a sort of glass cupboard full of -precious objects, and said to me, "You will remember that Isabella the -Catholic, to furnish Christopher Columbus with the money that he needed -to supply the ships for the voyage, not knowing where to turn because -the coffers of the state were empty, put her jewels in pawn." - -"Yes: well?" I demanded impatiently; and, divining the answer, felt my -heart beat faster the while. - -"Well," replied the sacristan, "that is the box in which the queen -locked her jewels to send them to be pawned." - -And so saying he opened the cupboard and took out the box and handed it -to me. - -Oh! brave men may say what they will; as for me, there are things that -make me tremble and weep. I have touched the box that contained the -treasure by which Columbus was enabled to discover America. Every time -I repeat those words my blood is stirred, and I add, "I have touched it -with these hands," and I look at my hands. - -That cupboard contains also the sword of King Ferdinand, the crown and -sceptre of Isabella, a missal and some other ornaments of the king and -queen. - -We entered the chapel. Between the altar and a great iron chancel that -separates it from the remaining space stand two great mausoleums of -marble adorned with statuettes and bas-reliefs of great value. Upon -one of them lie the statues of Ferdinand and Isabella in their royal -robes, with crown, sword, and sceptre; on the other the statues of the -other two princes of Spain, and around the statues lions, angels, and -arms, and various ornaments, presenting a regal appearance, austere and -magnificent. - -The sacristan lighted a flambeau, and, pointing out a sort of trap-door -in the pavement between the two mausoleums, asked me to open it and -descend into the subterranean chamber. With the cicerone's aid I opened -the trap-door; the sacristan descended, and I followed him down a -narrow little staircase until we reached a little room. There were five -caskets of lead, bound with iron bands, each sealed with two initials -under a crown. The sacristan lowered the torch, and, touching all five -of them, one after another, with his hand, said in a slow, solemn voice, - -"Here rests the great queen Isabella the Catholic. - -"Here rests the great king Ferdinand V. - -"Here rests the king Philip I. - -"Here rests Queen Joanna the Mad. - -"Here rests Lady Maria, her daughter, who died at the age of nine years. - -"God keep them all in his holy peace!" - -And, placing the torch on the ground, he crossed his arms and closed -his eyes, as if to give me time for meditation. - -One would become a hunchback at his desk if he were to describe all -the religious monuments of Granada--the stupendous Cartuja; the Monte -Sacro, containing the grottoes of the martyrs; the church of San -Geronimo, where the great leader Gonzalez di Cordova is buried; the -convent of Santo Domingo, founded by Torquemada the Inquisitor; the -convent of the Angels, containing paintings by Cano and Murillo and -many others; but I suppose that my readers may be even more weary than -I am, and will consequently pardon me for passing by a mountain of -description which probably would only give them a confused idea of the -things described. - -But as I have mentioned the sepulchre of the great commander, Gonzalez -di Cordova, I cannot forbear translating a curious document in -reference to him which was shown me in the church of San Geronimo by a -sacristan who was an admirer of the deeds of that hero. The document, -in the form of an anecdote, is as follows: - -"Every step of the great captain Don Gonzalez di Cordova was an -assault, and every assault a victory; his sepulchre in the convent of -the Geronomites at Granada was adorned with two hundred banners which -he had taken. His envious rivals, and the treasurers of the kingdom of -Naples in particular, induced the king in 1506 to demand a statement -from Gonzalez of the use he had made of the great sums received from -Spain for the conduct of the war in Italy; and, in fact, the king was -so small as to consent, and even to be present on the occasion of the -conference. - -"Gonzalez acceded to the demand with the haughtiest disdain, and -proposed to give a severe lesson to the treasurers and the king upon -the treatment and consideration to be accorded a conqueror of kingdoms. - -"He replied with great indifference and calmness that he would prepare -his accounts for the following day, and would let it appear which was -the debtor, himself or the exchequer, which demanded an account of one -hundred and thirty thousand ducats delivered upon the first payment, -eighty thousand crowns upon the second, three millions upon the third, -eleven millions upon the fourth, thirteen millions upon the fifth, -and so on as the solemn, nasal, foolish secretary who authorized so -important an act continued to enumerate the sums. - -"The great Gonzalez kept his word, presented himself at the second -audience, and, bringing out a voluminous book in which he had noted his -justification, he began with the following words in a deep, sonorous -voice: - -"'Two hundred thousand seven hundred and thirty-six ducats and nine -reales to the fathers, the nuns, and the poor, to the end that they -might pray God for the triumph of the Spanish arms. - -"'One hundred thousand ducats for powder and shot. - -"'Ten thousand ducats for perfumed gloves to protect the soldiers from -the stench of the corpses of the enemy left on the field of battle. - -"'One hundred and seventy thousand ducats for renewing bells worn out -by continuous ringing for constant new victories over the enemy. - -"'Fifty thousand ducats for brandy for the soldiers on the day of -battle. - -"'A million and a half ducats for the maintenance of the prisoners and -wounded. - -"'A million for returning thanks and Te Deums to the Omnipotent. - -"'Three hundred millions in masses for the dead. - -"'Seven hundred thousand four hundred and ninety-four ducats for spies -and ... - -"'One hundred millions for the patience which I showed yesterday on -hearing that the king demanded an account from the man who has given -him his kingdom.' - -"These are the celebrated accounts of the great captain, the originals -of which are in the possession of Count d'Altimira. - -"One of the original accounts, with the autograph seal of the great -captain, exists in the Military Museum of London, where it is guarded -with great care." - -On reading this document I returned to the hotel, making invidious -comparisons between Gonzalez di Cordova and the Spanish generals of our -times, which, for grave state reasons, as they say in the tragedies, I -dare not repeat. - -In the hotel I saw something new every day. There were many university -students who had come from Malaga and other Andalusian cities to take -the examination for the doctor's degree at Granada, whether because -they were a little easier there or for what other reason I do not -know. We all ate at a round table. One morning at breakfast one of the -students, a young man of about twenty, announced that at two o'clock -he was to be examined in canon law, and that, not feeling very sure of -himself, he had decided to take a glass of wine to refresh the springs -of eloquence. He was accustomed to drink only wine weakened with water, -and committed the imprudence of emptying at a single draught a glass -of the vintage of Xerez. His face changed in an instant in so strange -a manner that if I had not seen the transformation with my own eyes I -should not have believed that he was the same person. - -"There! that is enough!" cried his friends. - -But the young man, who already felt that he had become suddenly strong, -keen, and confident, cast a compassionate glance at his companions, and -with a lordly gesture ordered the waiter to fetch him another glass. - -"You will be drunk," they said. - -His only response was to drain a second glass. - -Then he became wonderfully talkative. There was a score of persons -at table: in a few minutes he was conversing with them all, and he -revealed a thousand secrets of his past life and his plans for the -future. He said that he was from Cadiz, that he had eight thousand -francs a year to spend, and that he wished to devote himself to a -diplomatic career, because with that revenue, added to something which -his uncle would leave him, he should be able to cut a good figure -wherever he might be; that he had decided to take a wife at thirty, and -to marry a woman as tall as himself, because it was his opinion that -the wife should be of the same stature as her husband, to keep either -from getting the upper hand of the other; that when he was a boy he -was in love with the daughter of an American consul as beautiful as a -flower and strong as a pine, but she had a red birth-mark behind one -ear, which looked badly, although she knew how to cover it very well -with her scarf, and he showed us with his napkin how she covered it; -and that Don Amadeus was too ingenuous a man to succeed in governing -Spain; that of the poets Zorilla and Espronceda, he had always -preferred Espronceda; that it would be folly to cede Cuba to America; -that the examination on canon law made him laugh; and that he wished to -drink another four fingers of Xerez, the finest wine in Europe. - -He drank a third glass in spite of the good counsel and disapprobation -of his friends, and after prattling a little longer amid the laughter -of his audience, he suddenly became silent, looked fixedly at a lady -sitting opposite to him, dropped his head, and fell asleep. I thought -that he could not present himself for the examination that day, but -was mistaken. A short hour later they awakened him; he went up stairs -to wash his face, ran off to the university still drowsy, took his -examination, and was promoted, to the greater glory of the wine of -Xerez and Spanish diplomacy. - -I devoted the following days to visiting the monuments, or, to be -more accurate, the ruins of the Moorish monuments which besides the -Alhambra and the Generalife attest the ancient splendor of Granada. -Insomuch as it was the last bulwark of Islam, Granada is the city which -presents the most numerous relics of all the cities of Spain. On the -hill called the hill of _Dinadamar_ (the Fountain of Tears) one may -still see the ruins of four towers rising at the four corners of a -great cistern into which flowed the waters from the Sierra to supply -the highest part of the city. There were baths, gardens, and villas of -which not a trace remains: from that point one overlooked the city with -its minarets, its terraces, and its mosques gleaming among the palms -and cypresses. Near there one sees a Moorish gate called the gate of -Elvira--a great arch crowned with battlements--and beyond it are the -ruins of the palaces of the caliphs. Near the Alameda promenade stands -a square tower in which there is a great hall ornamented with the usual -Arabian inscriptions. Near the convent of San Domingo are the remains -of gardens and palaces once joined to the Alhambra by a subterranean -passage. Within the city is the Alcaiceria, a Moorish market almost -perfectly preserved, formed of a few little streets as straight and -narrow as corridors, lined with two rows of shops, one adjoining the -other, and presenting the strange appearance of an Asiatic bazaar. -In short, one cannot take a step in Granada without coming face to -face with an arch, an arabesque, a column, or a pile of stones which -suggests its fantastic, luxurious past. - -What turns and windings have I not made through those tortuous streets -at the hottest hour of the day, under a sun that shrivelled my brain, -without meeting a living soul! At Granada, as in the other cities of -Andalusia, the people are alive only at night, and the night repays -them for the imprisonment of the day; the public promenades are crowded -and confused by the hurry and jostling of a multitude, one half of -which seems to be seeking the other half upon urgent business. The -crowd is densest in the Alameda, but, for all that, I spent my evenings -on the Alameda with Gongora, who talked to me of Moorish monuments, and -with a journalist who discoursed on politics, and also with another -young man who talked of women, and frequently with all three of them -together, to my infinite pleasure, because those cheery meetings, like -those of school-boys, at odd times and places, refreshed my mind, to -steal a beautiful simile, like a summer shower refreshes the grass as -it falls faster and faster, dancing for joy. - -If I were obliged to say something about the people of Granada, I -should be embarrassed, because I have not seen them. In the day-time -I met no one in the streets, and at night I could not see them. The -theatres were not open, and when I might have found some one in the -city I was wandering through the halls or avenues of the Alhambra; and -then I had so much to do to see everything in the short time which I -had allowed myself that no unoccupied moments remained for those chance -conversations, like the ones I had in the other cities, in the streets -and the cafés, with whomever I happened to meet. - -But from what I learned from men who were in a position to give me -trustworthy information, the people of Granada do not enjoy an enviable -reputation in Spain. They are said to be ill-tempered, violent, -vindictive, and bloodthirsty; and this arraignment is not disproved by -the pages of the city newspapers. It is not publicly stated, but every -one knows it for a fact, that popular instruction in Granada is at a -lower ebb than even in Seville and the other smaller Spanish cities, -and, as a rule, everything that cannot be produced by the sun and the -soil, which produce so bountifully, goes to the bad, either through -indolence or ignorance or shiftlessness. Granada is not connected -by railway with any important city: she lives alone, surrounded by -her gardens, enclosed by her mountains, happy with the fruits which -Nature produces under her hand, gently lulling herself to sleep in the -vanity of her beauty and the pride of her history--idle, drowsy, and -fanciful, content to answer with a yawn to any one who reproves her -for her condition: "I gave Spain the painter Alonzo Cano, the poet -Louis de Leon, the historian Fernando de Castillo, the sacred orator -Luis di Grenada, and the minister Martinez de la Rosas. I have paid -my debt, leave me in peace;" and this is the reply made by almost all -the southern cities of Spain, more beautiful, alas! than wise and -industrious, and proud rather than civilized. Ah! one who has seen them -can never have done exclaiming, "What a pity!" - -"Now that you have seen all the marvels of Moorish art and tropical -vegetation there remains the suburb of the Albaicin to be seen before -you can say that you know Granada. Prepare your mind for a new world, -put your hand on your purse, and follow me." - -So said Gongora to me on the last evening of my sojourn in Granada. -A Republican journalist was with us, Melchiorre Almago by name, the -director of the _Idea_, a congenial, affable young man, who to -accompany us sacrificed his dinner and a leading article that he had -been cogitating since morning. - -We walked on until we came to the square of the _Audiencia_. There -Gongora pointed out an alley winding up a hill, and said to me, "Here -commences the Albaicin;" and Señor Melchiorre, touching a house with -his cane, added, "Here commences the territory of the republic." - -We turned up the alley, passed from it into another, and from that into -a third, always ascending, without my seeing anything extraordinary, -although I looked curiously in every direction. Narrow streets, squalid -houses, old women dozing on the doorsteps, mothers carefully inspecting -their children's heads, gaping dogs, crowing cocks, ragged boys running -and shouting, and the other things that one always sees in the suburbs; -but in those streets nothing more. But gradually, as we ascended, the -appearance of the houses and the people began to change; the roofs -became lower, the windows fewer, the doors smaller, and the people more -ragged. In the middle of every street ran a little stream in a walled -gutter, in the Moorish style; here and there over the doors and around -the windows one saw the remains of arabesques and fragments of columns, -and in the corners of the squares fountains and well-curbs of the time -of the Moorish dominion. At every hundred steps it seemed as if we had -gone back fifty years toward the age of the caliphs. My two companions -touched me on the elbow from time to time, saying as they did so, "Look -at that old woman!"--"Look at that little girl!"--"Look at that man!" -and I looked, and asked, "Who are these people?" If I had unexpectedly -found myself in that place, I should have believed on seeing those men -and women that I was in an African village, so strange were the faces, -the dress, the manner of moving, talking, and looking, at so short a -distance from the centre of Granada--so different were they from the -people that I had seen up to that time. At every turn I stopped to look -in the face of my companions, and they answered, "That is nothing; we -are now in the civilized part of the Albaicin; this is the Parisian -quarter of the suburb; let us go on." - -We went on, and the streets seemed like the bed of a torrent--paths -hollowed out among the rocks, all banks and gullies, broken and -stony--some so steep that a mule could not climb them, others so narrow -that a man could scarcely pass; some blocked by women and children -sitting on the ground, others grass-grown and deserted; and all so -squalid, wild, and uncouth that the most wretched of our villages -cannot give one an idea of them, because this is a poverty that bears -the impress of another race and another continent. We turned into a -labyrinth of streets, passing from time to time under a great Moorish -arch or through a high square from which one commanded a view of the -wide valleys, the snow-covered mountains, and a part of the lower city, -until finally we arrived at a street rougher and narrower than any we -had yet seen; and there we stopped to take breath. - -"Here commences the real Albaicin," said the young archeologist. "Look -at that house!" - -I looked; it was a low, smoke-stained, ruinous house, with a door that -seemed like the mouth of a cavern, before which one saw, under a mass -of rags, a group, or rather a heap, of old women and little children, -who upon our approach raised their eyes heavy with sleep, and with bony -hands removed from the threshold some filth which impeded our passage. - -"Let us enter," said my friend. - -"Enter?" I demanded. - -If they had told me that beyond those walls there was a facsimile of -the famous Court of Miracles which Victor Hugo has described, I should -not have doubted their word. No door has ever said more emphatically -than that, "Stand back!" I cannot find a better comparison than the -gaping mouth of a gigantic witch breathing out pestilential vapors. But -I took courage and entered. - -Oh, marvellous! It was the court of a Moorish house surrounded by -graceful little columns surmounted by lovely arches, with those -indescribable traceries of the Alhambra along the porticoes and around -the mullioned windows, with the beams and ceiling carved and enamelled -with little niches for vases of flowers and urns of perfume, with a -pool in the middle, and all the traces and memorials of the delicate -life of an opulent family. And in that house lived those wretched -people! - -We went out and entered other houses, in all of which I found some -fragments of Moorish architecture and sculpture. From time to time -Gongora would say to me, "This was a harem. Those were the baths of -the women; up yonder was the chamber of a favorite;" and I fixed my -eyes upon every bit of the arabesqued wall and upon all the little -columns of the windows, as if to ask them for a revelation of their -secrets--only a name or a magic word with which I might reconstruct in -an instant the ruined edifice and summon the beautiful Arabians who had -dwelt there. But, alas! amid the columns and under the arches of the -windows there were only rags and wrinkled faces. - -Among other houses, we entered one where we found a group of girls -sewing under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, directed by an old -woman. They were all working upon a great piece of cloth that seemed -like a mat or a bed-spread, in black and gray stripes. I approached and -asked one of the girls, "What is this?" - -They all looked up and with a concerted movement spread the cloth open, -so that I could see their work plainly. Almost before I had seen it I -cried, "I will buy it." - -They all began to laugh. It was the mantle of an Andalusian -mountaineer, made to wear in the saddle, rectangular in form, with -an opening in the middle to put one's head through, embroidered in -bright-colored worsteds along the two shortest sides and around the -opening. The design of the embroideries, which represented birds -and fantastic flowers, green, blue, white, red, and yellow, all in -a mass, was as crude as a pattern a child might make: the beauty of -the work lay altogether in the harmony of the colors, which was truly -marvellous. I cannot express the sensation produced by the sight of -that mantle, except by saying that it laughed and filled one with its -cheerfulness; and it seems to me impossible to imagine anything gayer, -more festive, or more childishly and gracefully capricious. It was a -thing to look upon in order to bring yourself out of a bad humor, or -when you wish to write a pretty verse in a lady's album, or when you -are expecting a person whom you wish to receive with your brightest -smile. - -"When will you finish these embroideries?" I asked one of the girls. - -"_Hoy mismo_" (to-day), they all replied in chorus. - -"And what is the mantle worth?" - -"_Cinco_" (five), stammered one. - -The old women pierced her with a glance which seemed to say, -"Blockhead!" and answered hastily, "Six _duros_." - -Six _duros_ are thirty francs; it did not seem much to me, and I put my -hand in my pocket. - -Gongora cast a withering glance at me which seemed to say, "You -simpleton!" and, drawing me back by the arm, said, "One moment: six -_duros_ is an exorbitant price." - -The old woman shot him another glance which seemed to say, "Brigand!" -and replied, "I cannot take less." - -Gongora gave her another glance, which seemed to say, "Liar!" and said, -"Come, now; you can take four _duros_; you would not ask more from the -country-people." - -The old woman insisted, and for a while we continued to exchange with -our eyes the titles of simpleton, swindler, marplot, liar, pinch-penny, -spend-thrift, until the mantle was sold to me for five duros, and I -paid and left my address, and we went out blessed and commended to -God by the old woman and followed a good way by the black eyes of the -embroiderers. - -We went on from street to street, among houses increasingly wretched -and growing blacker and blacker, and more revolting rags and faces. But -we never came to the end, and I asked my companions, "Will you have the -goodness to tell me if Granada has any limits, and if so where they -are? May one ask where we are going and how we shall return home?" But -they simply laughed and went forward. - -"Is there anything stranger than this to be seen?" I asked at a certain -point. - -"Stranger?" they both replied. "This second part of the suburb which -you have seen still belongs to civilization: if not the Parisian, it is -at least the Madrid, quarter of the Albaicin, and there _is_ something -else; let us go on." - -We passed through a very small street containing some scantily-clothed -women, who looked like people fallen from the moon; crossed a little -square full of babies and pigs in friendly confusion; passed through -two or three other alleys, now climbing, now descending, now in the -midst of houses, now among piles of rubbish, now between trees and -now among rocks, until we finally arrived at the solitary place on a -hillside from which we saw in front the Generalife, to the right the -Alhambra, and below a deep valley filled with a dense wood. - -It was growing dark; no one was in sight and not a voice was heard. - -"Is this the end of the suburb?" I asked. - -My two companions laughed and said, "Look in that direction." - -[Illustration: _The Alhambra and the Valley of the Darro_] - -I turned and saw along the street that was lost in a distant grove -an interminable row of houses. Of houses? Rather of dens dug in the -earth, with a bit of wall in front, with holes for windows and -crevices for doors, and wild plants of every sort on top and along -the sides--veritable caves of beasts, in which by the glow of faint -lights, scarcely visible, swarmed the gypsies by hundreds; a people -multiplying in the bowels of the mountain, poorer, blacker, and more -savage than any seen before; another city, unknown to the greater part -of Granada, inaccessible to the police, closed to the census-officers, -ignorant of every law and of all government, living one knows not -how, how numerous no one knows, foreign to the city, to Spain, and to -modern civilization, with a language and statutes and manners of their -own--superstitious, false, thieving, beggarly, and fierce. - -"Button up your coat and look out for your watch," said Gongora to me, -"and let us go forward." - -We had not taken a hundred steps when a half-naked boy, black as the -walls of his hovel, ran out, gave a cry, and, making a sign to the -other boys who followed him, dashed toward us; behind the boys came the -women; behind the women the men, and then old men, old women, and more -children; and in less time than it takes to tell it we were surrounded -by a crowd. My two friends, recognized as Granadines, succeeded in -saving themselves; I was left in the lurch. I can still see those -horrid faces, still hear those voices, and still feel the pressure of -those hands: gesticulating, shouting, saying a thousand things which I -did not understand; dragging at my coat, my waistcoat, and my sleeves, -they pressed upon me like a pack of famished people, breathed in my -face, and cut off my very breath. They were, for the most part, half -naked and emaciated--their garments falling in tatters, with unkempt -hair, horrible to see; I seemed to be like Don Roderick in the midst of -a crowd of the infected in that famous dream of the August night. - -"What do these people want?" I asked myself. "Where have I been -brought? How shall I get out of this?" I felt almost a sense of fear, -and looked around uneasily. Little by little I began to understand. - -"I have a sore on my shoulder," said one; "I cannot work; give me a -penny." - -"I have a broken leg," said another. - -"I have a palsied arm." - -"I have had a long sickness." - -"_Un cuarto, Señorito!_" - -"_Un real, caballero!_" - -"_Una peseta para todos!_" - -This last request was received with a general cry of approval: "_Una -peseta para todos!_" (a _peseta_ for us all). - -With some little trepidation I drew out my purse; they all stood on -tiptoe; the nearest poked their chins into it; those behind put their -chins on the heads of those in front; the farthest stretched out their -arms. - -"One moment," I cried. "Who has the most authority among you all?" - -They all replied with one voice, stretching out their arms toward the -same person, "That one." - -It was a terrible old hag, all nose and chin, with a great tuft of -white hair standing straight above her head like a bunch of feathers, -and a mouth which seemed like a letter-box, with little clothing save a -chemise--black, shrivelled, and mummified; she approached me bowing and -smiling, and held out her hands to take mine. - -"What do you want?" I demanded, taking a step backward. - -"Your fortune," they all cried. - -"Tell my fortune, then," I replied, holding out my hand. - -The old woman took my poor hand between her ten--I cannot say fingers, -but shapeless bones--placed her sharp nose on it, raised her head, -looked hard at me, pointed her finger toward me, and, swaying and -pausing at every sentence as if she were reciting poetry, said to me in -inspired accents, "Thou wert born upon a famous day. - -"Upon a famous day also shalt thou die. - -"Thou art the possessor of amazing riches." - -Here she muttered I know not what about sweethearts and marriage and -felicity, from which I understood that she supposed I was married, -and then she continued: "On the day of thy marriage there was great -feasting in thy house; there were many to give and take. - -"And another woman wept. - -"And when thou seest her the wings of thy heart open." - -And so on in this strain, saying that I had sweethearts and friends -and treasures and jewels in store for me every day of the year, in -every country of the world. While the old woman was speaking they -were all silent, as if they believed she had prophesied truly. She -finally closed her prophecy with a formula of dismissal, and ended the -formula by extending her arms and making a skip in a dancing attitude. -I gave her the peseta, and the crowd broke into shouting, applause, -and singing, making a thousand uncanny hops and gestures around me, -saluting me with nudges and slaps of the hand on my back, as if I were -an old friend, until finally, by dint of wriggling and striking now -one and then another, I succeeded in opening a passage and rejoined -my friends. But a new danger threatened us. The news of the arrival -of a foreigner had spread, the tribes were in motion, the city of the -gypsies was all in an uproar; from the neighboring houses and from the -distant huts, from the top of the hill and the bottom of the valley, -ran boys, women with babies about their necks, old men with canes, -cripples, and professional imposters, septuagenarian prophetesses who -wished to tell my fortune--an army of beggars coming upon us from every -direction. It was night; there was no time for hesitation; we broke -into a run toward the city like school-boys. Then a devilish cry broke -out behind us, and the nimblest began to chase us. Thanks to Heaven! -after a short race we found ourselves in safety--tired and breathless, -and covered with dust, but safe. - -"It was necessary to escape at any cost," said Señor Melchiorre with a -laugh; "otherwise we should have gone home without our shirts." - -"And take notice," added Gongora, "that we have seen only the door of -Gypsy-town, the civilized part, not the Paris nor the Madrid, but at -least the Granada, of the Albaicin. If we could only have gone on! if -you could have seen the rest!" - -"But how many thousand are there of those people?" I demanded. - -"No one knows." - -"How do they live?" - -"No one can imagine." - -"What authority do they recognize?" - -"One only--_los reyes_ (the kings), the heads of families or of houses, -those who have the most money and years. They never go out of their -city; they know nothing, they live in the dark as to all that happens -beyond the circle of their hovels. Dynasties fall, governments change, -armies clash, and it is a miracle if the news ever reaches their ears. -Ask them if Isabella is still on the throne; they do not know. Ask -them who Amadeus is; they have never heard his name. They are born -and perish like flies, and they live as they lived centuries ago, -multiplying without leaving their own boundaries, ignorant and unknown, -seeing nothing all their lives beyond the valleys lying below their -feet and the Alhambra towering above their heads." - -We passed again through all the streets that we had traversed, now -dark and deserted, and endless as it seemed to me; and, climbing and -descending, turning and twisting, and turning again, we finally arrived -at the square of the Audiencia in the middle of the city of Granada--in -the civilized world. At the sight of the brightly-lighted cafés and -shops I experienced a feeling of pleasure, as if I had just returned to -city-life after a year's sojourn in an uninhabited wilderness. - -On the evening of the next day I left for Valencia. I remember that a -few moments before starting, as I was paying my hotel-bill, I observed -to the proprietor that there was an overcharge for one candle, and -playfully asked him, "Will you deduct it for me?" The proprietor seized -his pen, and, deducting twenty centimes from the total charge, replied -in a voice which he wished to appear emotional, "The devil! among -Italians!" - - - - -VALENCIA. - - -The journey from Granada to Valencia, made all _de un tiron_ (at one -breath), as they say in Spain, is one of those recreations in which a -rational man indulges only once in his life. From Granada to Menjibar, -a village on the left bank of the Guadalquivir, between Jaen and -Andujar, is a night's ride by diligence; from Menjibar to the Alcazar -de San Juan is a half-day's journey by railway in an uncurtained -carriage, through a plain as bare as the palm of one's hand, under -a blazing sun; and from the Alcazar de San Juan to Valencia, taking -account of an entire evening spent in the station of the Alcazar, makes -another night and another morning before one reaches the longed-for -city at noon, where Nature, as Emile Praga would say, is horrified at -the dreadful idea that there are still four months of summer. - -But it must be said that the country through which one passes is -so beautiful from beginning to the end that if one were capable of -appreciation when one is dead with sleep and finds one's self turning -into water by reason of the heat, one would go into ecstasies a -thousand times. It is a journey of unexpected landscapes, sudden -vistas, remarkable contrasts, theatrical effects of Nature, so to -speak--marvellous and fantastic transformations, which leave in the -mind an indescribable, vague illusion of having passed not through a -part of Spain, but along an entire meridian of the earth across the -most dissimilar countries. From the _vega_ of Granada, which you cross -in the moonlight, almost opening a way among the groves and gardens, -in the midst of a luxuriant vegetation that seems to crowd around -you like a tossing sea, ready to overflow and engulf you with its -billows of verdure,--from this you emerge into the midst of ragged -and precipitous mountains, where not a trace of human habitation is -to be seen; you graze the edge of precipices, wind along the banks of -mountain-torrents, run along at the bottom of the ravines, and seem to -be lost in a rocky labyrinth. Then you come out a second time among -the green hills and flowery fields of upper Andalusia, and then, all -suddenly, the fields and hills disappear and you find yourself in the -midst of the rocky mountains of the Sierra Morena, that hang over -your head from every direction and close the horizon all around like -the walls of an immense abyss. You leave the Sierra Morena, and the -desert plains of La Mancha stretch before you; you leave La Mancha and -advance through the flowery plain of Almansa, varied by every sort of -cultivation, presenting the appearance of a vast carpet of checkered -pattern colored in all the shades of green that can be found upon the -pallet of a landscape-painter. And, finally, the plain of Almansa opens -into a delightful oasis, a land blest of God, a true earthly paradise, -the kingdom of Valencia, from whose boundaries, even to the city -itself, you pass through gardens, vineyards, fragrant orange-groves, -white villas encircled by terraces, cheerful, brightly-colored -villages, clusters, avenues, and groves of palms, pomegranates, -aloes, and sugar-canes, interminable hedges of Indian fig, long -chains of low hills, and conical mounds cultivated as kitchen-gardens -and flower-beds, laid out with minute care from top to bottom, and -variegated like great bunches of grass and flowers; and everywhere a -vigorous vegetation which hides every bare spot, covers every height, -clothes every projection, climbs, falls, trails along, marches forward, -overflows, intertwines, shuts off the view, impedes the road, dazzles -with its verdure, wearies with its beauty, confounds with its caprices -and its frolics, and produces an effect as of a sudden parting of the -earth raised to fever heat by the fires of a secret volcano. - -The first building which meets the eye on entering Valencia is an -immense bull-ring situated to the right of the railway. The building -consists of four orders of superimposed arches rising on stout -pilasters, all of brick, and in the distance resembling the Colosseum. -It is the bull-ring where on the fourth of September, 1871, King -Amadeus, in the presence of thousands of spectators, shook hands with -Tato, the celebrated one-legged _torero_, who as director of the -spectacle had asked permission to render his homage in the royal box. -Valencia is full of mementos of the duke d'Aosta. The sacristan of the -cathedral has in his possession a gold chronometer bearing the duke's -initials in diamonds, with a chain of pearls, which was presented by -him when he went to pray in the chapel of Our Lady of the Desolate. -In the hospice of the same name the poor remember that one day they -received their daily bread from his hand. In the mosaic workshop of -one Nolla they preserve two bricks, upon one of which he cut his own -name with his sword, and upon the other the name of the queen. In the -Plaza di Tetuan the people point out the house of Count di Cervellon, -where he was entertained; it is the same house in which Ferdinand -VII. signed the decrees annulling the constitution in 1814, in which -Queen Christina abdicated the throne in 1840, in which Queen Isabella -spent some days in 1858. In short, there is not a corner of the city -of which it cannot be said, Here he shook hands with a working-man, -here he visited a factory, there he passed on foot far from his suite, -surrounded by a crowd, trustful, serene, and smiling. - -It was in Valencia, since I am speaking of the duke d'Aosta,--it was -in the city of Valencia that a little girl of five years in reciting -some verses touched upon that terrible subject of a _foreign king_ -with probably the noblest and most considerate words spoken in Spain -for many years previous to that time--words which, if all Spain had -remembered and pondered then, would perhaps have spared her many of -those calamities which have befallen her, and others which still -threaten; words which perhaps one day some Spaniard may repeat with -a sigh, and which already at this time draw from events a marvellous -light of truth and beauty. And, since these verses are graceful and -simple, I transcribe them here. The poem is entitled "God and the -King," and runs as follows: - - "Dios, en todo soberano, - Creó un dia á los mortales, - Y á todos nos hizo iguales - Con su poderosa mano. - - "No reconoció Naciones - Ni colores ni matices? - Y en ver los hombres felices - Cifró sus aspiraciones. - - "El Rey, che su imágen es, - Su bondad debe imitar - Y el pueblo no ha de indagar - Si es aleman ó francés. - - "Porqué con ceño iracundo - Rechazarle siendo bueno? - Un Rey de bondades lleno - Tiene por su patria el mundo. - - "Vino de nacion estraña - Cárlos Quinto emperador, - Y conquistó su valor - Mil laureles para España. - - "Y es un recuerdo glorioso - Aunque en guerra cimentado, - El venturoso reinado - De Felipe el Animoso. - - "Hoy el tercero sois vos - Nacido en estraño suelo - Que viene á ver nuestro cielo - Puro destello de Dios. - - "Al rayo de nuestro sol - Sed bueno, justo y leal, - Que á un Rey bueno y liberal - Adora el pueblo español. - - "Y á vuestra frente el trofeo - Ceñid de perpetua gloria, - Para que diga la historia - --Fué grande el Rey Amadeo." - -"God, Ruler over all, created mortals one day, and made all equal -with His mighty hand. He recognized neither nations nor colors nor -divisions, and to behold men happy was His desire. The king, who is His -image, ought to imitate His goodness, and the people have no need to -ask whether he be German or French. Why, then, with angry frown repulse -him if he be good? A king abounding in good deeds holds the world as -his country. Charles V., the emperor, came from a foreign nation, and -by his valor won a thousand laurels for Spain. And the fortunate reign -of Philip the Courageous is a glorious memory even though founded upon -war. - -"To-day a third king rules you born on a foreign soil, who comes to -look upon our sky, a clear spark of God. His love is true and just and -loyal to the light of our sun, and this is a good and liberal king -Spanish people adore. And around your brows you shall wear the trophy -of perpetual glory upon which history shall write, 'Great was King -Amadeus.'" - -Oh, poor little girl! how many wise things you have said! and how many -foolish things others have done! - -The city of Valencia, if one enters it with one's mind full of the -ballads in which the poets sang of its marvels, does not seem to -correspond to the lovely image formed of it; neither, on the other -hand, does it offer that sinister appearance for which one is prepared -if one considers its just fame as a turbulent, warlike city, the -fomenter of civil strife--a city prouder of the smell of its powder -than of the fragrance of its orange-groves. It is a city built in the -midst of a vast flowery plain on the right bank of the Guadalquivir, -which separates it from the suburbs, a little way from the roadstead -which serves as a port, and consists all of tortuous streets lined with -high, ungainly, many-colored houses, and on this account less pleasing -in appearance than the streets of the Andalusian cities, and entirely -devoid of that evasive Oriental grace which so strangely stirs one's -fancy. Along the left bank of the river extends a magnificent promenade -formed of majestic avenues and beautiful gardens. These one reaches by -going out of the city through the gate of the Cid, a structure flanked -by two great embattled towers named after the hero because he passed -through it in 1094 after he had expelled the Moors from Valencia. The -cathedral, built upon the spot where stood a temple of Diana in Roman -times, then a church of San Salvador in the time of the Goths, then -a mosque in Moorish times, afterward converted into a church by the -Cid, changed a second time into a mosque by the Moors in 1101, and -for the third time into a church by King Don Jayme after the final -overthrow of the invaders, is a vast structure, exceedingly rich in -ornaments and treasures, but it cannot bear comparison with the greater -number of the other Spanish cathedrals. There are a few palaces worth -seeing, besides the palace of the Audiencia, a beautiful monument of -the sixteenth century in which the Cortes of the kingdom of Valencia -assembled; the _Casa de Ayuntamiento_, built between the fifteenth and -sixteenth centuries, in which are preserved the sword of Don Jayme, the -keys of the city, and the banner of the Moors; and, above all, _the -Lonja_--the Bourse of the merchants--notable for its celebrated hall -consisting of three great naves divided by twenty-four spiral columns, -above which curve the light arches of the vaulted roof in bold lines, -the architecture imparting to the eye a pleasing impression of gayety -and harmony. And, finally, there is the art-gallery, which is not one -of the least in Spain. - -But, to tell the truth, in those few days that I remained at Valencia -waiting for the boat I was more occupied by politics than by art. And -I proved the truth of the words I heard an illustrious Italian say -before I left Italy--one who knew Spain like his his own home: "The -foreigner who lives even for a short time in Spain is drawn little -by little, almost insensibly, to heat his blood and muddle his brain -over politics, as if Spain were his own country or as if the fortunes -of his country were depending upon those of Spain. The passions are -so inflamed, the struggle is so furious, and in this struggle there -is always so clearly at stake the future, the safety, and the life of -the nation, that it is impossible for any one with the least tinge -of the Latin blood in his imagination and his system to remain an -indifferent spectator. You must needs grow excited, speak at party -meetings, take the elections seriously, mingle with the crowd at the -political demonstrations, break with your friends, form a clique of -those who think as you think--make, in a word, a Spaniard of yourself, -even to the whites of your eyes. And gradually, as you become Spanish, -you forget Europe, as if it were at the antipodes, and end in seeing -nothing beyond Spain, as if you were governing it, and as if all its -interests were in your hands." - -Such is the case, and this was my experience. In those few days the -Conservative ministry was shipwrecked and the Radicals had the wind -behind them. Spain was all in a ferment; governors, generals, officials -of all grades and of all administrations fell; a crowd of parvenus -burst into the offices of the ministry with cries of joy: Zorilla was -to inaugurate a new era of prosperity and peace; Don Amadeus had had an -inspiration from heaven; liberty had conquered; Spain was saved. And -I, as I listened to the band playing in front of the new governor's -mansion under a clear starry sky in the midst of a joyous crowd,--I too -had a ray of hope that the throne of Don Amadeus might finally extend -its roots, and reproached myself for being too prone to predict evil. -And that comedy which Zorilla played at his villa when he would by no -means accept the presidency of the ministry, and sent back his friends -and the members of the deputation, and finally, tired of continually -saying no, fell into a swoon on saying yes, this, I say, gave me at -the time a high opinion of the firmness of his character and led me to -augur happily for the new government. And I said to myself that it was -a sin to leave Spain just when the horizon was clearing and the royal -palace of Madrid was tinted rose-color. And I had already considered -the plan of returning to Madrid that I might have the satisfaction -of sending some consoling news to Italy, and so be pardoned for the -imprudence of sending unvarnished accounts of the situation up to that -time. And I repeated the verses of Prati: - - "Oh qual destin t'aspetta - Aquila giovenetta!" - -(Oh what a destiny awaits thee, young eagle!) And, save a little -bombast in the appellation, it seemed to me that they contained a -prophecy, and I imagined meeting the poet in the Piazza Colonna at -Rome and running toward him to offer my congratulations and press his -hand.... - -The most beautiful sight in Valencia is the market. The Valencian -peasants are the most artistic and bizarre in their dress of all the -peasants of Spain. To cut a good figure in a group of maskers at one -of our masquerades they need only enter the theatre dressed as they -would be on a festival or market-day in the streets of Valencia and -along the country roads. On first seeing them dressed in this style, -one laughs, and cannot in any way be brought to believe that they are -Spanish peasants. They have an indescribable air of Greeks, Bedouins, -buffoons, tightrope-walkers, women partly undressed on their way to -bed, the silent characters of a play not quite ready to make their -appearance, or facetious people who wish to make themselves generally -ridiculous. They wear a full white shirt that takes the place of a -jacket; a parti-colored velvet waistcoat open at the breast; a pair of -zouave linen breeches which do not reach the knee, looking like drawers -and standing out like the skirts of a ballet-dancer; a red or blue sash -around the waist; a sort of embroidered white woollen stockings that -leave the knee bare; a pair of corded sandals like those of the Catalan -peasants; and on their heads, which are almost all shaved like those -of the Chinese, they wear a handkerchief, red, sky-blue, yellow, or -white, bound around like a cornucopia, and knotted at the temples or -at the nape of the neck. They sometimes wear small velvet hats similar -in shape to those worn in the other provinces of Spain. When they go -into the city they nearly all carry around their shoulders or on their -arms, now like a shawl, now like a mantle, or again like a little -cape, a woollen _capa_, long and narrow, in brightly-colored stripes -in which white and red predominate, adorned with fringe and rosettes. -One may easily imagine the appearance presented by a square where there -are gathered some hundreds of men dressed after this fashion: it is a -Carnival scene, a festival, a tumult of colors, that makes one feel as -gay as a band of music; a spectacle at once clownish, pretty, imposing, -and ridiculous, to which the haughty faces and the majestic bearing -which distinguish the Valencian peasants add an air of gravity which -heightens the extraordinary beauty of the scene. - -If there is an insolent, lying proverb, it is that old Spanish one -which says, "In Valencia flesh is grass, grass is water, men are -women, and the women nothing." Leaving that part about the flesh and -the grass, which is a pun, the men, especially those of the lower -classes, are tall and robust, and have the bold appearance of the -Catalans and Arragonese, with a livelier and more luminous expression -of the eye; and the women, by the consent of all the Spaniards and -of as many foreigners as have travelled in Spain, are the most -classically beautiful in the country. The Valencians, who know that -the eastern coast of the Peninsula was originally settled by Greeks -and Carthaginians, say, "It is a clear case. The Grecian type of -beauty has lingered here." I do not venture to say yes or no to this -assertion, for to describe the beauty of the women of a city where -one has passed only a few hours would seem to me like a license to be -taken only by the compiler of a "Guide." But one can easily discover -a decided difference between the Andalusian and Valencian types of -beauty. The Valencian is taller, more robust, and fairer, with more -regular features, gentler eyes, and a more matronly walk and carriage. -She does not possess the bewitching air of the Andalusian, which makes -it necessary to bite one's finger as if to subdue the sudden and -alarming insurrection of one's capricious desires at sight of her; but -the Valencian is a woman whom one regards with a feeling of calmer -admiration, and while one looks one says, as La Harpe said of the -Apollo Belvidere, "_Notre tete se releve, notre maintien s'ennoblit_," -and instead of imagining a little Andalusian house to hide her from the -eyes of the world, one longs for a marble palace to receive the ladies -and cavaliers who will come to render her homage. - -If one is to believe the rest of the Spaniards, the Valencian people -are fierce and cruel beyond all imagination. If one wishes to get rid -of an enemy, he finds an obliging man who for a few crowns undertakes -the business with as much indifference as he would accept a commission -to carry a letter to the post. A Valencian peasant who finds that he -has a gun in his hands as he passes an unknown man in a lonely street -says to his companion, "See if I can aim straight?" and takes aim and -fires. This actually occurred not many years ago: I was assured of its -truth. In the cities and villages of Spain the boys and young men of -the people are accustomed to play at being bulls, as they call it. One -takes the place of the bull and does the butting; another, with a sharp -stick under his arm like a lance, climbs on the back of a third, who -represents the horse, and repulses the assaults of the first. Once a -band of young Valencians thought they would introduce some innovations -into this sport, and so make it seem a little more realistic and afford -the spectators and the participants a little more amusement than the -customary way of playing it; and the innovations were to substitute -for the stick a long sharp-pointed knife, one of those formidable -_navajas_ that we saw at Seville, and to give the man who took the part -of the bull two other shorter knives, which, fastened firmly on either -side of his head, answered the purpose of horns. It seems incredible, -but it is true. They played with the knives, shed a sea of blood, -several were killed, some were mortally wounded, and others badly hurt, -without the game becoming a fight, without the rules of the sport -being transgressed, and without any one raising his voice to end the -slaughter. - -I tell these things as they were told to me, although I am far from -believing all that is said against the Valencians; but it is certain -that at Valencia the public safety, if not a myth, as our papers -poetically say in speaking of Romagna and Sicily, is certainly not the -first of the good things which one enjoys after the blessing of life. I -was persuaded of this fact the first evening of my stay in the city. I -did not know the way to the port, but thought I was near it, and asked -a shop-woman which way I should take. She uttered a cry of astonishment: - -"Do you wish to go to the port, _caballero_?" - -"Yes." - -"_Ave Maria purissima!_ to the port at this hour?" - -And she turned toward a group of women who were standing by the door, -and said to them in the Valencian dialect, "Women, do you answer for -me: this gentleman is asking me the way to the port!" - -The women replied in one voice, "God save him!" - -"But from what?" - -"Don't risk yourself, sir." - -"What is your reason?" - -"A thousand reasons." - -"Tell me one of them?" - -"You would be murdered." - -One reason was enough for me, as any one can imagine, and I did not go -to the port. - -For the rest, at Valencia as elsewhere, in whatever intercourse I had -with the people I met only with courtesy as a foreigner and as an -Italian--a friendly welcome even among those who would not hear foreign -kings discussed in general, and princes of the house of Savoy in -particular, and such men were numerous, but they were courteous enough -to say at once, "Let us not harp on that string." To a foreigner who, -when asked whence he comes, replies, "I am a Frenchman," they respond -with an agreeable smile, as if to say, "We recognize each other." To -one who answers, "I am a German or an Englishman," they make a slight -inclination of the head, which implies, "I bow to you;" but when one -replies, "I am an Italian," they eagerly extend the hand as if to -say, "We are friends;" and they look at one with an air of curiosity, -as you look for the first time at a person who is said to resemble -you, and they smile pleasantly on hearing the Italian tongue, as you -would smile on hearing some one, though in no mocking spirit, imitate -your voice and accents. In no country in the world does an Italian -feel nearer home than in Spain. The sky, the speech, the faces, and -the dress remind him of his fatherland; the veneration with which -the Spanish pronounce the names of our great poets and our great -painters, that vague and pleasing sense of curiosity with which they -speak of our famous cities, the enthusiasm with which they cultivate -our music, the impulsiveness of their affections, the fire of their -language, the rhythms of their poetry, the eyes of their women, the air -and the sun,--oh! an Italian must be without a spark of love for his -fatherland who does not feel an emotion of sympathy for this country, -who does not feel inclined to excuse its errors, who does not sincerely -deplore its misfortunes, who does not desire for it a happy future. O -beautiful hills of Valencia, smiling banks of the Guadalquivir, charmed -gardens of Granada, little white cottages of Seville, proud towers of -Toledo, roaring streets of Madrid, and venerable walls of Saragossa! -and you, kindly hosts and courteous companions of my travels--you who -have spoken to me of Italy as of a second fatherland, who with your -festal gayety have scattered my restless melancholy!--I shall always -carry deep down in my heart a feeling of gratitude and love for you, -and I shall cherish your images in my memory, as one of the dearest -recollections of my youth, and shall always think of you as one of the -loveliest dreams of my life. - -I repeated these words to myself at midnight as I looked over -brightly-lighted Valencia, leaning against the rail of the good ship -_Xenil_, which was on the point of sailing. Some young Spaniards had -come on board with me. They were going to Marseilles to take ship from -that port to the Antilles, where they expected to remain for some -years. One of them stood alone weeping; suddenly he raised his head and -looked toward the shore between two anchored vessels, and exclaimed in -a tone of desolation, "Oh, my God! I hoped she would not come!" - -In a few moments a boat approached the ship; a little white figure, -followed by a man enveloped in a cloak, hastily climbed the ladder, and -with a deep sob threw herself into the arms of the young man, who had -run to meet her. - -At that moment the boatswain called, "All off, gentlemen!" - -Then there followed a most distressing scene: the two young persons -were torn apart, and the young lady was borne almost fainting to the -boat, which pushed off a little and remained motionless. - -The ship started. - -The young man dashed madly forward toward the rail, and, sobbing, cried -in a voice that pierced one's heart, "Adieu, darling! adieu! adieu!" - -The little white figure stretched out her arms and perhaps responded, -but her voice was not heard. The boat was dropped behind and -disappeared. - -One of the young men said to me in a whisper, "They are betrothed." - -It was a lovely night, but sad. Valencia was soon lost to view, and I -thought I should never see Spain again, and wept. - - -END OF VOL. II. - - - - -INDEX. - - -A. - - Abdelasio reconstructs the Alcazar of Seville, ii. 121. - - Abdurrahman I. builds the mosque of Cordova, ii. 68. - - Abdurrahman I. builds Medina Az-Zahra, ii. 88; - his happy days, ii. 89. - - Abencerrages, Hall of the, Alhambra, ii. 209. - - Abrantes, duke d', at the bull-fights, 209. - - Absolutist party, 96. - - Academy, a dream of the, 280. - - Academy of San Fernando, Madrid, 193. - - Acquasola gardens, Genoa, 10. - - Alameda, Granada, ii. 188, ii. 241. - - Alarcon y Mendoza, Juan Ruiz de, dramatist, 169. - - Alarmed travellers, ii. 9, ii. 55. - - Albaicin at Granada, ii. 244; - courtyard in, ii. 246; - fortune-telling, ii. 253; - government of, ii. 255; - ignorance in, ii. 256; - Parisian quarter, ii. 245; - squalor of, ii. 251. - - Albornoz, Gil Carillo de, tomb of, Toledo, ii. 29. - - Alcaiceria, Granada, ii. 241. - - Alcala street, Madrid, 156, 168. - - Alcanadre, Roman aqueduct at, 91. - - Alcantara, bridge of, Toledo, ii. 18. - - Alcazar de San Juan, ii. 259; - of Seville, ii. 120; - of Toledo, ii. 39. - - Alcayde of Saragossa's bold republicanism, 83. - - Aleardi Gaetano, on the can-can, 171. - - Alfonso and the Cid, 121. - - Alfonso the Wise, MSS. of, ii. 118; - tomb of, ii. 109. - - Alfonso VIII. defeats the Moors at las Navas de Tolosa, ii. 61. - - Alfonso XII., favored by the Moderate party, 96. - - Algaba, ii. 118. - - Algeciras, Gulf of, ii. 168. - - Alhambra, arabesques, ii. 197, 208, ii. 210, ii. 211; - baths, ii. 211; - cabinet of Linderaja, ii. 209; - Charles V.'s palace, ii. 192; - Court of Lions, ii. 201; - Court of Myrtles, ii. 194; - fascination of, ii. 205; - Gate of Justice, ii. 192; - grounds of ii. 190; - Hall of Abencerrages, ii. 209; - Hall of Barca, ii. 197; - Hall of Divans, ii. 210; - Hall of Justice, ii. 206; - Hall of Oranges, ii. 209; - Hall of the Ambassadors, ii. 198; - Hall of the Two Sisters, ii. 207; - Mirador de la Reina, ii. 212, ii, 215; - mosque, ii. 216; - paintings in, ii. 207; - Patio de la Reja, ii. 212; - realization of a dream, ii. 200; - situation of, ii. 190; - Tower of Commares, ii. 196; - Tower of the Ambassadors, ii. 196; - vastness of the, ii. 217; - view from, ii. 213. - - Ali Pacha, relics of, 176. - - Almago, Melchiorre, republican journalist, ii. 243. - - Almansa, plain of, ii. 260. - - Almansur builds Zahira, ii. 89. - - Almodovar, castle of, ii. 99. - - Altimura, Count d', possesses the fiscal accounts of Gonzalez di - Cordova, ii. 237. - - Alvarez, Gen., house of, at Gerona, 16. - - Amadeus at Gerona, 16; - at Logroño, 85; - at Madrid, 166, 194; - at Saragossa, 82; - at the bull-fights, 213; - at Valencia, ii. 262; - character of, 201; - courage of, 199; - court-life of, 194; - encourages bull-fights, 223, 235; - hostility of the newspapers to, 93, 200; - hostility of the soldiery to, 204; - prejudice against, 15, 33, 80. - - Ambassadors, Hall of the, Alhambra, ii. 198; - at Seville, ii. 124; - Tower of the, Alhambra, ii. 196. - - Amusements, 168. - - Andalusian characteristics, 36; - dialect, ii. 93; - scenery, ii. 61, 100, ii. 177; - women, ii. 79, ii. 93, ii. 126. - - Angels, convent of, Granada, ii. 238. - - Ansurez, Pedro, tomb of, 137. - - Aosta, duke d'. See Amadeus. - - Aqueduct, Roman, at Segovia, 124. - - Arabesques in the Alhambra, beauty of, ii. 197; - intricacy of design, ii. 197, ii. 208, ii. 210, ii. 211. - - Aranjuez, arrival at, ii. 10; - gardens, ii. 12; - historic associations, ii. 11; - royal palace, ii. 11; - suburbs of, ii. 10. - - Argamasilla de Alba, birthplace of Don Quixote, ii. 58. - - Argensola, the brothers, 72; - sonnet by, 73. - - Arjonilla, ii. 62. - - Armory, royal, at Madrid, 174. - - Arragon, decay of, 52; - dialect of, 54; - independence of, 49; - mountains of, 48. - - Artillery museum at Madrid, 180. - - Asturia, prince of, title instituted, 98. - - Atocha, Church of Our Lady of, Madrid, 166, 204; - street of, Madrid, 174. - - Avilo, 124. - - "Awaiting her in heaven," ii. 227. - - Ayala, d', dramatist, 169. - - - B. - - Banderillas, de fuego, 226. - - Barber of Seville, house of the, ii. 132. - - Barcelona, arrival at, 20; - cafés, 30; - carnival masqueraders, 22; - Catalonian peculiarities, 35; - cathedral, 24; - cemetery, 27; - Cervantes on, 42; - circus, 235; - dialect, 21; - foreign hotel waiters, 20; - palaces, 26; - revolutionary proclivities, 35; - Roman ruins, 26; - streets, 22; - suburbs, 22; - theatre, 40; - women of, 41. - - Baretti, Giuseppe, 206; ii. 82. - - Barili, Anton Giulio, travelling companion, 10. - - Batista, Juan, architect of the Escurial, 260. - - Beatrice, Queen, tomb of, ii. 109. - - Beggary, modest, 135. - - Berruguete, Alonzo, carvings by, at Toledo, ii. 25; - at Valladolid, 146. - - Berseo, poet, 283. - - Blanca, Florida, tomb of, Seville, ii. 109. - - Boabdil's helmet, 176. - - Boccanegra, paintings by, at Granada, ii. 229. - - Bohl, Catherine de Faber ("Fernan Caballero"), 281; - ascetic character of, ii. 140; - charity of, ii. 141; - genius of, ii. 139; - history of, ii. 140. - - Boldan, painting by, at Seville, ii. 109. - - Bollo, a delicious cake, 31. - - Boscan, Juan, poet, influence on Spanish literature, 37. - - Bosch, Jacob van den, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Bourse, the, at Saragossa, 74; - at Valencia, ii. 266. - - Brazil, Dom Pedro, emperor of, arrives at Burgos, 123. - - Breton de los Herreres, Manuel, dramatist, 169, 281. - - Breughel, Jan, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Bridge of Alcantara, Toledo, ii. 18. - - Briviesca, States-general, 98. - - Brujola, mountain of, 98. - - Buen Retiro garden at Madrid, 166, 174. - - Bull-fights at Madrid, 206; - accidents, 225; - anticipations of, 207; - arena, the, 203; - attendance, 208; - banderillas, de fuego, 226; - banderilleros, 214, 219, 220; - brutality of, 227, 229; - capeadors, 214, 217, 219, 220; - chulos or apprentices, 214, 216, 217; - dangers of, 229; - death of the bull, 222, 228; - disgusting spectacle, 218; - entrance of the cuadrilla, 214; - entrance of the bull, 215; - espadas, 221; - excitement of audience, 215, 224; - exits, the, 232; - fights in the audience, 230; - final impressions, 231; - getting into position, 215; - history of, 234; - Homeric struggle, 221; - national amusement, the, 235; - picadores, 214, 216, 218; - picturesque scene, 214; - sale of tickets, 207; - torturing the bulls into fighting, 226; - trophies of victory, 223; - with other wild animals, 239. - - Bull-fighters, amateur, 237; - artistic gradations, 241; - dress, 240; - female toreros, 238; - lucrative business, 241. - - Burgos, arrival at, 98; - birthplace of the Cid, 119; - cathedral, 104; - Cid's coffer, 112; - gate of St. Maria, 104; - houses, 101; - municipal palace, 103; - "remains of the Cid," 103; - seats of the first judges, 103; - "The Christ," 111; - streets, 101; - tobacco-shops, 118; - undertaker's shop, 117; - women hotel servants, 99. - - Byron, Lord, writing of, at the Alhambra, ii. 216. - - - C. - - Caballero, Fernan. See Bohl, Catherine. - - Cadiz, arrival at, ii. 158; - astronomical facilities, ii. 163; - bird's-eye view, ii. 162; - cathedral, ii. 163; - circus, 235; - commercial decay, ii. 161; - historical remains, ii. 161; - houses, ii. 160; - Murillo's last painting, ii. 163; - revolutionary tendencies, ii. 160; - streets, ii. 160; - whiteness, ii. 158; - women, ii. 164. - - Cafés: Barcelona, 30; - Madrid, 173; - Miranda, 95. - - Calahorra, battle of, 91. - - Calderon de la Barca, Pedro, poet, 169; - ii. 93. - - Calderon, Francesco, the matador, 207; - patronizes cock-fights, 249, 250. - - Campana, Pedro, paintings by, at Seville, ii. 109. - - Can-can at Madrid, 171. - - Candan, political leader, 96. - - Cano, Alonzo, character of, ii. 231; - hatred of Jews, ii. 231; - history of, ii. 230; - paintings by, at Granada, ii. 230, ii. 235; - at Madrid, 182, 193; - at Seville, ii. 132. - - Canovas del Castillo, political leader, 96. - - Canovist party, 96. - - Carbajal, Bernardino, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 193. - - Cardenas, paintings by, at Valladolid, 143. - - Cardenio's penance, scene of, ii. 60. - - Carducci, Vincenzo, paintings by, at Madrid, 182; - at Valladolid, 143. - - Carlists, 32, 33, 96, 194. - - Carlos I., Don, tomb of, 266. - - Carlos II., Don, tomb of, 266. - - Carlos III., Don, tomb of, 266. - - Carnival masqueraders at Barcelona, 22; - at Saragossa, 65, 68. - - Cartuja convent, Granada, ii. 245. - - Castaños, Gen. Francisco Xavier, defeated at Tudela, 91. - - Castelar, Emilio, as an orator, 279; - as a political leader, 80, 96; - eloquence, 276; - friendship, 291; - on Arragon, 50; - personal popularity, 277; - ruler of the Assembly, 279. - - Castilian dialect, 39, 55; - scenery, 124. - - Castillego, ii. 55. - - Castles: Almodovar, ii. 99; - Hornachuelos, ii. 99; - Monzon, 51; - Pancorbo, 98; - San Servando, ii. 41. - - Catalan characteristics, 35; - dialect, 15, 39; - dress, 18; - hospitality, 148; - school-boys, 46. - - Catalonia, description of, 18, 48. - - Cathedrals: Barcelona, 24; - Burgos, 104; - Cadiz, ii. 163; - Cordova, ii. 74; - Granada, ii. 329; - Our Lady of the Pillar, Saragossa, 60; - San Salvador, Saragossa, 65; - Seville, ii. 108; - Toledo, ii. 23; - Valencia, ii. 266; - Valladolid, 136. - - Cava, Los Baños de la, at Toledo, ii. 46. - - Cayetano, the matador, 214, 240. - - Cellini, Benvenuto, crucifix by, at the Escurial, 263. - - Cemetery, Barcelona, 27. - - Cervantes, Saavedra Miguel de, at Seville, ii. 103; - house at Valladolid, 137; - imprisoned at Argamasilla de Alba, ii. 58; - naturalness of Don Quixote, ii. 57; - on Barcelona, 42; - popularity of, 286; - statue at Madrid, 156; - story of, 139. - - Cervellon, Count di, entertains Amadeus at Valencia, ii. 262. - - Cervera, 48. - - Ceuta, ii. 168. - - Cespedes, Pablo de, born at Cordova, ii. 90; - paintings by, at Seville, ii. 132; - quotation from, ii. 90. - - Charlemagne and the Moor, ii. 43. - - Charles I. (afterward Emperor Charles V. of Germany), altar at - the Escurial, 272; - anger at the destruction of mosque of Cordova, ii. 74; - apartments at Aranjuez, ii. 13; - a bull-fighter, 234; - converts mosque of the Alhambra into a chapel, ii. 216; - married in Alcazar of Seville, ii. 121; - monumental gate at Burgos, 104; - on the Spanish language, 160; - palace in the Alhambra, ii. 192; - relics of, 175, 176, ii. 112; - statue at the Escurial, 262; - tomb at the Escurial, 265, 267. - - Charles II. encourages bull-fights, 234; - portrait at the Escurial, 264. - - Charles III. forbids bull-fights, 235; - statue at Burgos, 102. - - Charles IV.'s billiard-room in palace of Aranjuez, ii. 13; - resigns the crown, ii. 11. - - Chateaubriaud, François Auguste, Viscount de, writing in the - Alhambra, ii. 216. - - Chocolate, Spanish, 31. - - Chorizos, 14, 162. - - Christina abdicates the throne at Valencia, ii. 262; - promenade, Seville, ii. 104. - - Chulos, 214. - - Churches: Nuestra Señora, Toledo, ii. 50; - Our Lady of Atocha, Madrid, 166; - San Geronimo, Granada, ii. 235; - San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo, ii. 36; - Santiago, Saragossa, 74; - St. Agnes, Burgos, 121. - - Cid Campeador, the, and King Alfonso, 121; - and the Jew, 120; - at Valencia, ii. 266; - birthplace, 120; - coffer, 112; - portrait of, 104; - remains, 103; - statue, 104; - sword, 176; - originator of bull-fights, 234. - - Cigars and cigarettes, 118; - vs. pipes, 132. - - Cimbrios party, 96. - - Claude, Lorraine, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Clot, 19. - - Cock-fighting at Madrid, 248; - arena, the, 249; - audience, 250; - disgusting spectacle, 256; - gambling on, 252, 254. - - Coello, Claudio, paintings by, at Madrid, 193; - at the Escurial, 264. - - Colantes as an orator, 276. - - Collantes, Francisco, paintings by, at Madrid, 193. - - College of San Gregorio, Valladolid, 135; - Santa Cruz, Valladolid, 443. - - Columbian library at Seville, ii. 118. - - Columbus, Christopher, annotations in books in library of - Seville, ii. 118; - armor of, 175; - portrait of, 178; - mementoes of, ii. 103. - - Columbus, Ferdinand, history of, ii. 115; - library of, ii, 118; - note on his father's annotations, ii. 118; - tomb of, ii. 114. - - Concerts at Madrid, 173. - - Conde, Henry II. de Bourbon, prince de, sword of, 176. - - Conservative party, 96. - - Consuelo the beautiful, ii. 81. - - Consul, seeking the protection of the, ii. 106. - - Convents: Angels, Granada, ii. 235; - Cartuja, Granada, ii. 235; - of the Escurial, 268; - Santo Domingo, Granada, ii. 235; - San Pablo, Valladolid, 134. - - Cook, Capt. James, cane of, 180. - - Cookery, Spanish, 14, 160; ii. 223. - - Cordova, arrival at, ii. 62; - at night, ii. 80; - cathedral, ii. 74; - Consuelo the beautiful, ii. 81; - departed glory, ii. 62; - impressions of, ii. 67; - mosque, ii. 68; - patio, a, ii. 65; - pearl of the Orient, ii. 66; - preaching the Holy War, ii. 75; - relics of the past, ii. 80; - streets of, ii. 64. - - Cordova, General de, at Saragossa, 84. - - Corregio, Antonio Allegri da, painting by, at Madrid, 182. - - Cortes, the, 274; - deputies, 274; - oratorical displays, 275. - - Cortez, Hernando, portrait of, 178; - sword of, 176. - - Cosa, Juan de la, map by, at Madrid, 178. - - Costumes of peasantry: Andalusian, ii. 100; - Catalan, 18; - Cordovan, ii. 58; - Granadan, ii. 189; - Madrid, 165; - Saragossan, 56; - Valencian, ii. 270. - - Country houses, ii. 100. - - Courts: Lions, Alhambra, ii. 201; - Myrtles, Alhambra, ii. 194; - Oranges, Seville, ii. 115. - - Court-life under Amadeus, 198. - - Courtesy inherent in the Spanish people, 53, 290. - - Cuco the matador, 207; ii. 94. - - Currency, Spanish, 118. - - Custejon, 92. - - Customs officials, 14, 95. - - Cybele, fountain of, at Madrid, 166. - - - D. - - "Daggers," ii. 55. - - Daguet, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - "Dance de los seises," ii. 112. - - Darro, the, ii. 213. - - Democratic party, 96. - - Democratic Progressionist party, 96, 97. - - Deronda, Francisco Romero, the torero, 235. - - Dialects: Andalusian, ii. 93; - Arragonese, 55; - Barcelonian, 20; - Castilian, 55; - Catalan, 15, 39; - Madrid, 158; - Perpignan, 12; - Valencian, ii. 275; - Valladolid, 132. - - Dinadamar, hill of, ii. 240. - - Discoveries, cabinet of, Naval Museum, Madrid, 177. - - Djihad, or Holy War, ii. 76. - - Domenichino, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Dominoes, popularity of game of, 31. - - Don Quixote on Barcelona, 42; - popularity of, 286; - true to life, ii. 57. - - Door-keys in Madrid, 171. - - Drama, 169. - - Drunkenness rare in Spain, 162. - - Dumas, Alexandre, on Spanish cookery, 160. - - Dürer, Albert, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - - E. - - Ebro, commerce on the, 51; - description of, 92. - - Economist party, 96. - - Education in Granada, ii. 242. - - Egon ad Agoncilla, ruins of, 91. - - Elpidius, bishop of Toledo, ii. 27. - - Elvira Gate, Granada, ii. 240. - - Escurial, the, arrival at, 258; - altar of Santa Forma, 264; - cell of Philip II., 261; - church, 262; - convent, 268; - courtyard, 261; - gardens, 272; - gloominess, 273; - history of, 260; - holy relics, 272; - horrible place, 267; - library, 268; - pantheon, 265; - picture-gallery, 268; - royal palace, 261; - sacristy, 264; - statues, 262; - tombs, 265; - view from, 153, 272; - village, 259. - - Espadas, famous, 214; - dangerous life of, 230; - skill of, 221. - - Espartero, Gen. Baldemero, addresses Amadeus, 85. - - Esperondo la del Cielo, house of, ii. 227. - - Esproncedo, Jose de, the Byron of Spain, 282; - popularity of, 287; - quotation from, 136. - - Exaggeration, the national failing, 287. - - - F. - - Fadrique, Don, blood of, ii. 122; - murdered by Don Pedro's orders, ii. 123. - - Farcical revenge, a, 71. - - Fatherly admonitions, 54. - - Federalist party, 96, 97. - - Ferdinand III. (the Saint) captures Seville, ii. 121; - relics of, ii. 110; - tomb of, 109. - - Ferdinand V. (the Catholic), oratory in Alcazar of Seville, 124; - relics of, ii. 233; - tomb of, ii. 234. - - Ferdinand VII. annuls the constitution, ii. 262; - encourages bull-fighting, 235; - tomb of, 266. - - Ferrer, Vincenzo, in Seville cathedral, ii. 116. - - Figueras, political leader, 80, 96. - - First glimpses of Spain, 14. - - Florinda, legend of, ii. 46. - - Flor, Roger de, a typical Arragonese, 50. - - Fomento picture-gallery, Madrid, 193. - - Fortune-telling in the Albaicin, Granada, ii. 253. - - Fountain of Cybele, Madrid, 166. - - Fra Angelica, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Francis I., shield of, 176. - - Frascuelo the matador, 207, 214, 221, 225, 240, 242; ii. 94; - interview with, 242. - - Fricci in opera at Madrid, 168; ii. 152. - - Fronterizos party, 96. - - Fruit, Spanish, 162. - - Fugitive wife, a, 69. - - Funeral memorial ceremonies of the second of May, 243. - - - G. - - Galafro, legend of King, ii. 43. - - Galiana, palaces of, ii. 43. - - Gallegos, Don Juan Nicasio, poet, 282. - - Gamero, Antonio, historian of Toledo, ii. 48. - - Garbanzos, 161. - - Garcilaso de la Vega, poet, 37; - armor of, 176. - - Gardens: Alcazar, Seville, ii. 125; - Aranjuez, ii. 12; - Buen Retiro, Madrid, 174; - Escurial, 271; - Montpensier, Seville, ii. 117. - - Garrido, political leader, 96. - - Gates: Elvira, Granada, ii. 240; - Justice, Alhambra, ii. 192; - Santa Maria, Burgos, 104. - - Gayangos, Pascual y, the Orientalist, 281. - - Geber, architect of the Giralda at Seville, ii. 116. - - Generalife, Granada, ii. 213; - description of, ii. 225; - view from, ii. 226. - - Genoa, 10. - - Gerona, arrival at, 16; - Amadeus at, 16. - - Gibraltar, rock of, ii. 168; - Straits of, ii. 167. - - Giordano Luci, paintings by, at Madrid, 182; - frescoes by, at the Escurial, 262, 264, 268; - at Toledo, ii. 30. - - Giralda of Seville, the, ii. 116; - first sight of, ii. 101; - view from, ii. 117. - - Gitane of Seville, the, ii. 128. - - Godoy, Alvarez de Faria Rios Sanches y Zarsoa, Prince of Peace, ii. 11. - - Golden Tower, Seville, ii. 103. - - Gongora y Argote, Luis, poet, 129; - birthplace at Cordova, ii. 92. - - Gongora, Señor, ii. 187, _et seq._ - - Gonzales, Ferdinand (first Count of Castile), monument to, 119; - portrait of, 104; - statue of, 104; - sword of, 176; - tomb of, 114. - - Gonzalez, Fernandez y, novelist, 282. - - Gonzalez di Cordova, anecdote of, ii. 235; - tomb, ii. 235. - - Goya, Francisco, criticism on, 185; - love of bull-fights, 184; - paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183; - sanguinary genius, a, 184; - tapestries by, in the Escurial, 261. - - Granada, Alameda, ii. 188; - Albaicin, ii. 244; - Alcaiceria, ii. 241; - Alhambra, ii. 190; - arrival at, ii. 186; - Audiencia square, ii. 244; - birthplace of famous men, ii. 243; - Cartuja, ii. 235; - cathedral, ii. 229; - church of San Geronimo, ii. 235; - convent of Santa Domingo, ii. 235; - convent of The Angels, ii. 235; - education, ii. 242; - Generalife, ii. 213, ii. 225; - markets, ii. 241; - Monte Sacro, ii. 235; - royal chapel, ii. 232; - ruins, ii. 240; - streets, ii. 187, ii. 190, ii. 241; - Vega, ii. 260. - - Granada, Fray Louis de, ii. 243. - - Granallers, 19. - - Gravina, Admiral Frederick de, relics of, 179. - - Guadaira, ill-fated steamer, ii. 146. - - Guadalquivir, the, ii. 59, ii. 60, ii. 101; ii. 118, ii. 150. - - Guadiana, valley of the, ii. 59. - - Guerra, Fernandez, archæologist, 281, 291; ii. 187. - - Guides, Spanish, persistency of, ii. 26. - - Guido, Reni, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Guest-houses, 157. - - Gutierrez, Antonio Garcia, dramatist, 169. - - - H. - - Halls: Abencerrages, Alhambra, ii. 209; - Ambassadors, Alhambra, ii. 198; - Barca, Alhambra, ii. 197; - Divans, Alhambra, ii. 210; - Justice, Alhambra, ii. 206; - Oranges, Alhambra, ii. 209; - Two Sisters, Alhambra, ii. 207. - - - Hartzenbusch, Juan Eugenio, dramatist, 169, 281, 291. - - Heat, intense, ii. 260. - - Henry II. (de Transtamare), defeated by Pedro the Cruel, 91; - tomb of, ii. 29 - - Henry III. and Papa Moscas, 113; - tomb of, ii. 29. - - Hernandez, sculptures by, at Valladolid, 146. - - Herrera, Francisco, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 193; - at Seville, ii. 109, ii. 132; - at the Escurial, 263. - - Herrera, Juan de, architect of palace of Aranjuez, ii. 11; - of the Escurial, 260. - - Historical Progressionist party, 96. - - Holy Cross, relics of the, 272. - - "Honor of Spain," 290. - - Hornachuelos, castle of, ii. 99. - - Hospitality, Catalan, 148. - - Hospital of Santa Cruz, Toledo, ii. 44. - - Hotel porters at Barcelona, 20; - women as, 99. - - Huerva river, at Saragossa, 77. - - Hugo Victor's Mirabeau, ii. 107; - at the Alhambra, ii. 216. - - - I. - - "Il Trovatore," quotation from, ii. 153. - - Inquisition, palaces of; at Barcelona, 26; - at Valladolid, 146. - - International Socialist party, 96. - - Isabella the Catholic opposed to bull-fights, 234; - oratory in the Alcazar of Seville, ii. 124; - relics of, ii. 233; - sword of, 176; - tomb of, ii. 234. - - Isabella II. at Madrid, 197; - at Valencia, ii. 262; - dressing-chamber at Aranjuez, ii. 12; - encourages bull-fighting, 235; - favored by the Moderate party, 96. - - Isabella, Empress, statue of, 262. - - Italian, the language of opera, 171. - - Italians, prejudice against, 34, 138. - - Italica, ruins of, ii. 101. - - - Italy and Spain, compared, ii. 220. - - Itimad, a dream of, ii. 125. - - - J. - - Jerez, circus at, 235. - - Joanes, Juan de, criticism on, 192; - paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Joanna the Mad, tomb of, ii. 234. - - John, Don, of Austria, 25. - - John I. of Castile and the States-General, 98. - - John II. of Austria, heart of, 63; - sword of, 176. - - John II., admiration of de Mena's "Labyrinth," ii. 92; - tomb of, ii. 29. - - John Frederick, duke of Saxony, armor of, 176. - - Jordaens, Jacob, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Juegos floreales, ii. 172. - - Julian, Count, revenge of, ii. 46. - - Juni, Juan de, sculptures by, at Valladolid, 146. - - - K. - - Knives, ii. 135. - - - L. - - La Costa, Gen., killed at Saragossa, 59. - - La Cruz, Ramon de, dramatist, 170. - - Lagartijo the matador, 214, 240, 241; ii. 94. - - La Harpe, Jean François, on the Apollo Belvidere, ii. 272. - - Lainus Calvo, judge of Castile, 103. - - La Mancha, ii. 56, ii. 260. - - Language, Italian, in opera, 171; - Spanish, allied to the Italian, 159; - pronunciation of, 159. - See also Dialect. - - Lauria, Roger de, 50. - - Leon, Louis de, 54; - born in Granada, ii. 243. - - Leonardo, Lupercio, sonnet to, 73. - - Leopardi Giacomo, Count, 283; - ii. 9; - in Seville cathedral, ii. 111; - on Spanish pride, 284. - - Lepanto, relics of battle of, 25, 174, 176. - - Lerida, 48. - - Light-fingered gentry, 98. - - Literature, discouragements of, 282; - dramatic, 283; - national pride in, 287; - present state of, 280; - contests of genius at Cordova, ii. 94. - - Logroño, Amadeus at, 85; - Moorish ruins at, 91. - - Loneliness of travel, ii. 47, ii. 67, ii. 105. - - Lope de Vega's criticism of Gongorist poets, ii. 93; - houses at Madrid, 156; - popularity, ii. 9. - - Lorraine. See Claude Lorraine. - - Louis I., tomb of, 266. - - Love, travelling for, 13. - - Loyola, Ignatius, at Montserrat, 46. - - Luna, Don Alvaro de, tomb of, ii. 29. - - Lunatic asylum, Toledo, ii. 51. - - - M. - - Madrazo, Federico de, paintings by, at Madrid, 183. - - Madrid, academy of San Fernando, 193; - amusements, 168; - armory, 174; - arrival at, 154; - Buen Retiro garden, 174; - bull-fights, 206; - cafés, 173; - church of Our Lady of Atocha, 166; - Fomento art-gallery, 193; - guest-houses, 157; - language, 157; - markets, 174; - museum of artillery, 180; - museum of fine arts, 181; - naval museum, 177; - opera, 168; - Prado, 166; - Puerta del Sol, 155; - Recoletos promenade, 167; - royal palace, 154; - serenos, 172; - streets, 156, 163; - suburbs, 173. - - Maksura of mosque of Cordova, ii. 69. - - Malaga, ii. 170; - literary academy, ii. 171; - poetical contests, ii. 172; - popular characteristics, ii. 173; - streets, ii. 170; - wine of, ii. 172. - - Manners of the Spaniards, 290. - - - Manzoni, Alessandro, 189. - - Margall, Pi y, political leader, 96; - oratory of, 276. - - Maria, granddaughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, tomb of, ii. 234. - - Maria Louisa of Savoy, tomb of, 266. - - Marini, Giambattista, influence on Italian poetry, ii. 92. - - Markets: Granada, ii. 241; - Madrid, 174; - Valencia, ii. 269; - Valladolid, 132. - - Marseilles, 11. - - Martina the torera, 238. - - Martinez de la Rosa, Francisco, 282, ii. 243; - exiled in London, 65; - quotation from, ii. 185. - - Martos, political leader, 96; - oratory of, 226. - - Mascagni, Donato, paintings by, at Valladolid, 143. - - Masked balls, 86. - - May, second of, funeral memorial ceremonies, 243; - monument to, 247. - - Medina Az-Zahra, ii. 88. - - Medina-Coeli, family, owners of the Casa de Pilato, ii. 136. - - Mena, Juan de, "Labyrinth," ii. 92; - popularity of, 287; - street of, ii. 92. - - Menendez, paintings by, at Madrid, 193. - - Mengs, Anton Rafael, paintings by, at Madrid, 183. - - Menjibar, ii. 259. - - Merced, marquis de, 207. - - Merriones, Gen., victories over Carlists, 288. - - Michelangelo, Buonarroti, Cespedes's tribute to, ii. 90; - paintings by, at Burgos, 109; - at Madrid, 182. - - Mihrab of mosque of Cordova, ii. 72. - - Military Museum of London possesses Gonzalez di Cordova's fiscal - accounts, ii. 237. - - Militia system, 202. - - Mirabeau, Victor Hugo's description of, ii. 107. - - Miranda, 94. - - Moderate party, 96, 97. - - Monastery of Montserrat, 46. - - - Monegro, Battista, statue by, 262. - - Montegna, paintings by, at Seville, ii. 109. - - Montpensier gardens, Seville, ii. 117, ii. 127; - palace, ii. 104. - - Montpensier, duke of, at Madrid, 197; - party, 96, 97. - - Montserrat, description of, 45; - excursion to, 46; - monastery of, 46. - - Monzon, 50; - castle, 51. - - Moorish art, ii. 207; - ruins, ii. 240. - - Morales, Ambrosio, born in Cordova, ii. 90. - - Moret, political leader, 96. - - Moreto, Don Augustin, dramatist, 169. - - Mosque of Cordova, ii. 68; - of the Alhambra, ii. 216. - - Mozarabe chapel, Toledo, ii. 29. - - Mulato, paintings by, at Seville, ii. 109, ii. 132. - - Murat, Joachim, 50. - - Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban, a painter of saints and virgins, 191; - death of, ii. 163; - estimate of his genius, 192; - last painting, ii. 163; - mementoes of, ii. 103; - painting by, at Granada, ii. 235; - at Madrid, 182, 183; - at Seville, ii. 109, ii. 129; - statue at Madrid, 156, 292. - - - N. - - Naples, king of, demands an accounting from Gonzalez di Cordova, ii. 235. - - Navagero, Andrea, influences poetry of Boscan, 37. - - Navajas, ii. 136. - - Navarrete, battle of, 91. - - Navarrete, Juan Fernandez (El Mudo), paintings by, at Madrid, 193; - at the Escurial, 263. - - News from Spain, 10. - - Newspapers hostile to Amadeus, 93, 200. - - Nun, the flirting, 53. - - Nunes, Duke Ferdinand, at the bull-fight, 209. - - Night journey to Aranjuez, ii. 9; - to Barcelona, 13; - to Burgos, 97; - to Cadiz, ii. 149; - to Cordova, ii. 55; - to Granada, ii. 181. - - - - O. - - O'Campo, Florian d', at Toledo, ii. 90. - - O'Donnell, Gen. Leopold, Spanish estimate of, 288. - - Olesa de Montserrat, 47. - - Olivares, Duke de, portrait of, by Velasquez, 183, 188; - sword of, 176. - - Opera at Madrid, 168. - - Oranges, Court of, Cordova, ii. 69; - Court of Seville, ii. 15; - Hall of, Alhambra, ii. 207. - - Our Lady of Atocha, church of, at Madrid, 166; - of the Pillar, Saragossa, 60. - - - P. - - Pacheco, Francisco, paintings by, at Madrid, 193; - at Seville, ii. 132. - - Padilla, Lopez de, assists in the murder of Don Fadrique, ii. 123. - - Padilla, Maria de, apartments of, in the Alcazar of - Seville, ii. 124, 145; - mementoes of, ii. 102. - - Painting, museums: Escurial, 268; - Fomento, Madrid, 193; - Madrid, 181; - Seville, ii. 129; - Toledo, ii. 37; - Valencia, ii. 260; - Valladolid, 143. - - Palaces: Audiencia, Valencia, ii. 266; - Burgos, 102; - Charles V., Granada, ii. 192; - Consistorial, Barcelona, 26; - Deputation, Barcelona, 26; - Galiana, 43; - Inquisition, Barcelona, 26; - Inquisition, Valladolid, 146; - Royal, Aranjuez, ii. 11; - Royal, Escurial, 261; - Royal, Madrid, 154; - Royal, Valladolid, 133. - - Palafox, José, at Saragossa, 77. - - Palma, ii. 99. - - Pancorbo, 98; - castle destroyed, 98. - - Paolo Veronese, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Papal question, the, 12, 34, 138. - - Papa Moscas, legend of, 113. - - Pareja, Juan de, paintings by, at Cordova, ii. 58; - at Madrid, 193. - - Party spirit, 96, 289, ii. 60. - - Patio, described, ii. 65; - at Seville, - ii. 163; - de la Reja, Alhambra, ii. 212; - de los Arrayanes, Alhambra, ii. 194. - - Patriotism vs. common sense, ii. 222. - - Peasantry: Andalusian, ii. 100; - Catalan, 18; - Cordovan, ii. 58; - of Madrid, 165; - Saragossan, 56. - - Pedro Abad, ii. 62. - - Pedro the Cruel, apartments of, in the Alcazar of Seville, ii. 124; - defeats Henry of Transtamare, 91; - mementoes of, ii. 103; - murders Don Fadrique, ii. 122; - restores the Alcazar of Seville, ii. 120; - treasure-house, ii. 103. - - Perpignan dialect, 12. - - Pescara, Marquis de, armor of, 176. - - Philibert, Emmanuel, armor of, 175, 176. - - Philip I., tomb of, ii. 231. - - Philip II., armor of, 175, 176; - birthplace at Valladolid, 134; - books in the library of the Escurial, 268; - builds palace of Aranjuez, ii. 11, ii. 13; - builds the Escurial, 260; - cell of, 261; - his personality pervades the Escurial, 271; - statue of, 262; - sword of, 176; - tomb of, 265, 266. - - Philip III. encourages bull-fights, 234; - tomb of, 265, 266. - - Philip IV., a royal bull-fighter, 235; - statue of, 156; - tomb of, 265, 266. - - Philip V. encourages bull-fights, 235; - his garden of St. Ildefonso, 124. - - Philip of Bourgoyne, carvings by, at Burgos, 111; - at Toledo, ii. 25. - - Piedmontese waiters in hotel at Barcelona, 20. - - Pilate's house, Seville, ii. 136. - - Pillar, church of Our Lady of the, Saragossa, 60. - - Pius V. presents holy relics to Ribera, ii. 137. - - Pizarro, Francisco, as a bull-fighter, 234; - portrait of, 178; - sword of, 176. - - - Plazas: Alameda, Granada, ii. 188, ii. 241; - Campo Grande, Valladolid, 131; - Constitution, Saragossa, 74; - Cortez, Madrid, 156; - Mayor, Burgos, 123; - Mayor, Madrid, 156; - Mayor, Valladolid, 131; - Orient, Madrid, 156; - Puerto del Sol, Madrid, 155; - San Pablo, Valladolid, 133. - - Poetical contests, ii. 171; - rivalry, 38. - - Politeness, Spanish, 52. - - Political leaders, 96. - - Politics, absorbing interest in, 15, 32, 95, 147; - partisanship in, 289; ii. 267. - - Pompey defeated by Sertorius at Calahorra, 91. - - Poussin, Nicolas, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Prado, Madrid, 166. - - Praga, Emile, on Nature, ii. 259. - - Prati, Giovanni, quotation from, ii. 269. - - Pride, national, characteristic of the Spanish, 284. - - Priests, friendly, 46, 54. - - Prim, Gen. Juan, assassination of, at Madrid, 156, 166; - high estimation of, 288. - - Puchero, the national dish, 161. - - Puerto del Sol, at Madrid, 155, 163; - at Toledo, ii. 18. - - Puerto Real, ii. 162. - - Puerto de Santa Maria, ii. 162; - circus at, 238. - - Pyrenees, the, 48, 92; - crossing the, 13. - - - Q. - - Quintana, Manuel José, poet of the Revolution, 282, 291. - - Quevedo, Francisco Gomez, on Valladolid, 129. - - - R. - - Radical party, 96. - - Railway travel, 52; ii. 55; ii. 175. - - Raphael, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Rasura, Nunnius, judge of Castile, 103. - - Recoletos promenade at Madrid, 167. - - - Rembrandt von, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Republican opinions, 15, 16, 32, 80; - of the soldiers, 205; - party, 96, 97. - - Restaurants, Cordova, ii. 81. - - Revenge, a farcical, 71. - - Ribera, Enriquez de, builds the Casa de Pilato, ii. 136. - - Ribera, José, criticism of his genius, 186; - a lover of the horrible, 188; - paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183; - at the Escurial, 264. - - Ribera, Pedro Afan de, viceroy of Naples, ii. 137. - - Ribero, political leader, 96. - - Ricanati, quotation from, ii. 14. - - Rinconado, ii. 101. - - Rios, Amador de los, critic, 281. - - Rivas, Duke de, 282. - - Rizzi, Francisco, paintings by, at Madrid, 193. - - Roa, Ferdinand de, kills Don Fadrique, ii. 123. - - Roderic and the enchanted tower, ii. 45; - and Florinda, ii. 46. - - Roelas, Juan de las, paintings by, at Seville, ii. 109. - - Rojas, Francisco de, 169; - native of Toledo, ii. 49 - - Rodriguez as an orator, 276, 291; - political leader, 96. - - Roman aqueduct at Alcanadre, 91; - at Segovia, 124; - ruins at Barcelona, 26. - - Ros de Olano invents the soldier cap, 24. - - Rosas, Rios y, political leader, 96; - oratory of, 276. - - Resell, Gen., at Saragossa, 84. - - Rubens, Peter Paul, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183; - at Valladolid, 144. - - Ruins of Alcanadre, 91; - Egon ad Agoncilla, 91; - Logroño, 91. - - Ruiz Garcia, political leader, 96. - - - S. - - Saavedra, Señor, 291, 292. - - Sagasta, Praxedes Mateo, political leader, 79, 96, 97; - a modern Cardenio, ii. 60. - - St. Agnes, church of, Burgos, 121. - - - St. Andrea de Palomar, 19. - - St. Anthony of Padua, Murillo's, ii. 129. - - St. Eugenia, tomb of, ii. 29. - - St. Eulalia, tomb of, 28. - - St. Ferdinand, chapel of, Seville, ii. 109. - - St. George Chapel, Barcelona, 26. - - St. Ildefonso, garden of Philip V., 124. - - St. Isadore, memorial ceremony at church of, 244. - - St. James, the first bishop of Toledo, ii. 23; - and the Virgin Mary, 61. - - St. Lawrence, Philip II.'s vow to, 260; - relic of, 272. - - St. Leucadia, tomb of, ii. 29. - - St. Theresa, birthplace of, 124; - inkhorn of, 272; - mementoes of, ii. 103. - - Salamanca, a suburb of Madrid, 167, 208. - - Salvator Rosa, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Salvini, Tommaso, as Samson, ii. 107. - - San Fernando, Madrid, academy of, 193. - - San Geronimo, church of, ii. 235. - - San Ginés, church of, ii. 44. - - San Gregorio, college of, 135. - - San José, church of, Madrid, 204. - - San Juan de los Reyes, church of, ii. 36. - - San Pablo, convent of, 134. - - San Quentin, Philip II.'s vow at battle of, 260; - relics of, 174. - - San Salvador, Saragossa, 65. - - San Servando, castle of, ii. 41. - - Santa Cruz, hospital of, ii. 50. - - Santa Cruz de Mudela, ii. 58. - - Santa Cruz, Marquis of, armor of, 176. - - Santa Domingo, convent of, ii. 235. - - Santa Maria, gate of, Burgos, 104. - - Santa Maria la Blanca, synagogue of, ii. 38. - - Santi Ponce, ii. 118. - - Saragossa, 56; - alcayde's bold - speech, 82; - Amadeus enters, 82; - arrival at, 55; - Bourse, 74; - carnival maskers, 65, 68; - cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar, 60; - cathedral of San Salvador, 65; - church of Santiago, 74; - costume of peasantry, 56; - masked balls, 87; - new tower, 75; - siege of, 59, 77; - streets, 58; - suburbs, 91. - - Sarto, Andrea del, paintings by, at Burgos, 109; - at Madrid, 182. - - Schoen, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - School-boys, 46. - - Shrack, Frederick, description of the Djihad, ii. 75. - - Sea, beauty of the, ii. 157. - - Sebastian of Portugal, a royal bull-fighter, 234. - - Segovia, 124. - - Segovia and Ardizone, Gonzalo, ii. 130, 132, 145; - sad fate of, ii. 146. - - Seneca, born in Cordova, ii. 90. - - Seo, Saragossa, 65. - - Serenos, 172. - - Serrano, Gen. Francesco, political leader, 96, 97; - reputation of, 288. - - Sertorius defeats Pompey at Calahorra, 91. - - Seville, Alcazar, ii. 120; - at night, ii. 106; - Barber of, ii. 132, 14; - cathedral, ii. 108; - Columbian library, ii. 118; - gaiety of, ii. 143; - gardens, ii. 125; - Giralda, ii. 101, ii. 116; - house of Pilate, ii. 136; - literary and artistic fame, ii. 139; - museum of painting, ii. 129; - Oriental character, ii. 102; - patios, ii. 133; - poetical character of, ii. 142; - streets, ii. 120; - Torre del Oro, ii. 103, 117; - tropical heat, ii. 120; - women of, ii. 126. - - Sierra de Segura, ii. 61. - - Sierra Morena, ii. 59, ii. 62, ii. 118, ii. 260. - - Sierra Nevada, ii. 214, ii. 226. - - Siestas necessary, ii. 79. - - Socialist party, 96. - - Soldiers, 23; - political feeling shown by, 204; - reviewed by Amadeus, 202. - - - Soria, 124. - - Stagno in opera at Madrid, 168. - - Streets of Barcelona, 22, 27; - Burgos, 101; - Cadiz, ii. 160; - Cordova, ii. 64; - Granada, ii. 187; - Madrid, 166; - Malaga, ii. 170; - Saragossa, 58; - Seville, ii. 102; - Toledo, ii. 17; - Valencia, ii. 265. - - Studying for a degree, ii. 238. - - - T. - - Tagus, the, at Aranjuez, ii. 12; - at Toledo, ii. 17. - - Tamayo, dramatist, 169, 281, 291. - - Tangiers, ii. 168. - - Tarifa, Cape, ii. 167. - - Tasso, Torquato, influence on Italian poetry, ii. 93. - - Tato, the one-legged torero, ii. 262. - - Teniers, David, paintings by, at Madrid, 182. - - Theatres at Barcelona, 40; - at Madrid, 168; - and literature, 169, 282. - - Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista, paintings by, at Madrid, 183. - - Tintoretto, Giacomo, paintings by, at Madrid, 182; - at the Escurial, 264. - - Tirso de Molina, dramatist, 169. - - Titian, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Tobacco manufactories at Burgos, 118; - at Madrid, 173; - at Seville, ii. 127; - cigarettes vs. pipes, 132. - - Toledo, Alcazar, ii. 39; - arrival at, ii. 17; - at night, ii. 47; - bridge of Alcantara, ii. 18; - cathedral, ii. 23; - church of San Juan de los Reyes, ii. 36; - church of San Ginés, ii. 44; - church of Nuestra Señora di Transito, ii. 50; - dead city, a, ii. 48; - historical, ii. 22; - hospital of Santa Cruz, ii. 50; - legends of, ii. 43; - lunatic asylum, ii. 51; - manufactory of arms, ii. 50; - popular characteristics, ii. 48; - Puerto del Sol, ii. 18; - Santa Maria la Blanca, ii. 38; - view from cathedral, ii. 34; - silent and gloomy, ii, 21; - streets, ii. 19. - - - Tolosa, Las Navas de, battlefield, ii. 60. - - Topete, Juan, ii. 60. - - Toreros, 213; - dangers of, 229; - dress of, 240; - highly respectable, 239; - lucrative business, 241. - - Torrigiano, Pietro, sculptures by, at Granada, ii. 229. - - Torquemada, Tomas de, founds the convent of Santa Domingo, ii. 235; - origin of, 235. - - Torre del Oro, Seville, ii. 103. - - Tower, new, Saragossa, 75; - Golden, Seville, ii. 103. - - Trafalgar, relics of, 179. - - Trajan's ashes brought to Seville, ii. 138. - - Travelling for love, 13; - amenities of, 48, 52; - miseries of, ii. 177; - opera troupes, ii. 153; - philosophy of, ii. 224; - soldiers, ii. - - Triana, ii. 118. - - Tudela, battle of, 91; - canal, 51, 92. - - - U. - - Undertaker's shop, 117. - - Unionist party, 96, 97. - - University students at Granada, ii. 238; - at Valladolid, 148. - - - V. - - Val de Peñas, ii. 58; - wine of, 162; ii. 58. - - Valencia, ii. 265; - Amadeus at, ii. 262; - art-gallery, ii. 267; - bull-ring, 235; ii. 262; - Casa de Ayuntamiento, ii. 266; - cathedral, ii. 266; - dress of peasantry, ii. 270; - historic houses, ii. 262; - Lonja, ii. 266; - market, ii. 269; - palace of the Audiencia, ii. 266; - popular characteristics, ii. 271; - streets, ii. 266; - women, ii. 271. - - Valdes Leal, Juan de, paintings by, at Seville, ii. 109, 132. - - Valera, Señor, 291. - - Valladolid, 129; - cathedral, 136; - convent of San Pablo, 134; - college of San Gregorio, 135; - decay of, 131; - dialect of, 132; - hospitality, 148; - house of Cervantes, 137; - house of Zorilla, 141; - Inquisition, 146; - markets, 132; - picture-gallery, 143; - Plaza Major, 132; - polite beggary, 135; - royal palace, 133. - - Van Dyke, Antonio, paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Vega, Granada, ii. 260. - - Vega, de Armijo, Marquis de, 207. - - Vega, Garcilasso de la, armor of, 176; - native of Toledo, ii. 49. - - Velasquez, Don Diego, masterpieces, 188; - mementoes of, ii. 103; - paintings by, at Madrid, 182, 183. - - Ventas de Alcolea, ii. 62. - - Ventura de la Vega, dramatist, 169. - - Veragua, duke of, 207. - - Victoria, at Madrid, 195; - charity of, 196; - learning of, 199; - universal respect for, 81, 200. - - Vilches, ii. 61. - - Villadomat, paintings by, at Barcelona, 26. - - Villaseca, dowager of, 307. - - Vinci, Leonardo da, paintings by, at Burgos, 109. - - Virgin Mary appears to St. James at Toledo, ii. 27; - miraculous image of, 61; - robes of, ii. 31. - - - W. - - Walk of the Spanish women, 136. - - War of Independence influences Spanish national character, 35, 285; - relics of, 174. - - Water abundant in the Alhambra, ii. 226. - - - Wife, a fugitive, 69. - - Wine of Malaga, ii. 172; - Val de Peñas, 162; ii. 58; - Xeres, ii. 155. - - Women of Barcelona, 41; - Cadiz, ii. 164; - Cordova, ii. 79; - Madrid, 165; - Saragossa, 57; - Seville, ii. 126; - Valencia, ii. 271; - Valladolid, 136; - toreros, 238; - walk of Spanish, 136. - - - X. - - Xenil river, ii. 213. - - Xeres, wine of, ii. 155. - - Ximenes, wife of the Cid, remains of, 103. - - - Z. - - Zafra, Don Fernando de, legend of, ii. 228. - - Zahira, ii. 89. - - Zainete, 170. - - Zarzuela, the, 168, 170; ii. 154, ii. 156 - - Zorrilla, Ruiz, political leader, 86, 69, 97; - consents to accept office, ii. 268. - - Zorrilla, José, 281; - birthplace at Valladolid, 141; - influence on Spanish literature, 141; - on people of Toledo, ii. 48; - popularity of, 142. - - Zouave officers, 11. - - Zuera, 54. - - Zurbaran, Francisco de, paintings by, at Cadiz, ii. 163; - at Madrid, 193; - at the Escurial, 264; - at Seville, ii. 109, ii. 132. - - -[Illustration: Map of SPAIN & PORTUGAL] - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Spain, v. 2 (of 2), by Edmondo de Amicis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPAIN, V. 2 (OF 2) *** - -***** This file should be named 50727-0.txt or 50727-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/7/2/50727/ - -Produced by Josep Cols Canals, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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