It was against the perpetrators of this _The Picturesque Antiquities of Spain Described in a series of letters, with illustrations representing Moorish palaces, cathedrals, and other monuments of art, contained in the cities of Burgos, Valladolid, Toledo, and Seville.

justice. A certain number of nobles were selected by Alonzo, and

directed to give a decision after hearing the accusation and the

defence. The offence being proved, the Counts had nothing to urge in

extenuation, and judgment was pronounced. All the sums of money,

treasures, gold and silver vases and goblets, and precious stones,

given by the Cid with his daughters as their dowry, to be restored; and

(at the request of Ruy Diaz) the two Counts of Carrion, and their uncle,

who had advised them to commit the act, were condemned to enter the

lists against three of the followers of the Cid. The last decision was

momentarily evaded by the Counts; who urged, that, having come to Toledo

to be present at the cortez, they were unprovided with the necessary

accoutrements. The King, however, insisted that they should not escape

so mild a punishment, and repaired himself to Carrion, where he

witnessed the combat, in which, it is needless to add, the culprits came

off second best. The marriages being, at the same time, declared null,

the Cid's daughters were shortly afterwards married a second time; the

eldest, Doña Elvira, to Don Ramiro, son of Sancho, King of Navarre; and

the younger, Doña Sol, to Don Pedro, hereditary Prince of Aragon.

LETTER XI.

STREETS OF TOLEDO. EL AMA DE CASA. MONASTERY OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES.

PALACE OF DON HURTADO DE MENDOZA.

Toledo.

We will now hasten to the opposite extremity of the city, where the

monastery of San Juan de los Reyes lays claim to especial interest. But

I already hear you cry for mercy, and exclaim against these endless

convents and monasteries; the staircases, courts, and corridors of which

cause more fatigue to your imagination, than to the limbs of those who,

however laboriously, explore their infinite details. Infinite they are,

literally, in Toledo; where the churches, the greater number of which

belong to convents, are not seen, as elsewhere, scattered singly among

the masses of the habitations, but are frequently to be found in

clusters of three or four, whether united by the same walls, or facing

each other at the two sides of a street. It may, perhaps, afford you a

short relief to pick your way over the somewhat rugged pavement of a

few of the Toledo streets, and take a survey of the exterior town, which

our present destination requires us to traverse in its entire extent. I

must inform you that, for the success of this enterprise, the stranger

stands in absolute need of a pilot, without whose assistance his

embarrassments would be endless.

Toledo scarcely boasts a street in which two vehicles could meet and

continue their route. Most are impassable for a single cart; and, in

more than one, I have found it impossible to carry an open umbrella.

Such being the prevailing width of the streets, their tortuous direction

causes a more serious inconvenience. He who has attempted the task of

Theseus, in the mazes of some modern garden labyrinth, will comprehend

the almost inevitable consequence of relying on his own wits for finding

his way about Toledo,--namely, the discovery that he has returned to his

point of departure at the moment he imagined that half the town

separated him from it. This result is the more favoured by the

similarity of the streets and houses. No such thing as a land-mark. All

the convents are alike. You recollect at a particular turning, having

observed a Moorish tower; consequently, at the end of the day, the sight

of the Moorish tower leads you on, buoyed up by doubly elevated

spirits, in the required direction, most anxious to bring the tiring

excursion to a close: but this tower leads you to the opposite extremity

of the city to that you seek, for there are half a dozen Moorish towers,

all alike, or with but a trifling difference in their construction.

Nor is this obstacle to solitary exploration unaccompanied by another

inconvenience. I allude to the continual ascents and descents. The

surface of the mountain on which Toledo is built, appears to have been

ploughed by a hundred earthquakes, so cut and hacked is it, to the

exclusion of the smallest extent of level ground. To carry a railroad

across it, would require an uninterrupted succession of alternate

viaducts and tunnels. In consequence of this peculiarity, the losing

one's way occasions much fatigue. To do justice to the inhabitants, an

almost universal cleanliness pervades the town,--an excellence the

attainment of which is not easy in a city so constructed, and which

gives a favourable impression of the population. It is one of the towns

in which is proved the possibility of carrying on a successful war

against the vermin for which the Peninsula has acquired so bad a

reputation, by means of cleanliness maintained in the houses.

In the house I inhabited on my arrival, I had suspected for some days an

unusual neglect in the duties of the housemaid, to whose department it

belonged to sweep the _esteras_ or matting, which serve for carpets,

from the circumstance of my having been visited by one or two unwelcome

tormentors. I ventured a gentle remonstrance to the _ama_ (landlady),

stating my reasons for the suspicion I entertained. It happened that on

the previous day I had mentioned my having been shown over the

Archbishop's palace. This she had not forgotten; for with a superb

coolness, scarcely to be met with out of Spain, she replied, "Fleas! oh,

no! sir! we have none here,--you must have brought them with you from

the Palace." Satisfied, however, with having maintained her dignity of

landlady, she took care to have the nuisance removed.

This _ama_, as may be already judged, was a curiosity. In the first

place, she was a dwarf. The Spaniards are not, generally speaking, a

more diminutive race than the other inhabitants of Southern Europe: but

when a Spaniard, especially a woman, takes it into her head to be small,

they go beyond other nations. Nowhere are seen such prodigies of

exiguity. The lady was, moreover, deformed, one of her legs describing a

triangle, which compelled her in walking to imitate the sidelong

progress of a crab. Possessed of these peculiarities she had attained,

as spinster, that very uncertain age called by some "certain," but

agreed by all to be nearer the end than the commencement of life.

Although not an exception, with regard to temper, to the generality of

those whose fate it is to endure such a complication of ills, she

nevertheless on frequent occasions gave way to much amiability, and

especially to much volubility of discourse. She was not without a tinge

of sentimentality; and when seated, fan in hand, and the _mantilla

puesta_, on one of the chairs shorn of almost their entire legs, which

were to be found in all parts of the house,--she made by no means a bad

half-length representation of a fine lady.

She had apparently experienced some of the sorrows and disappointments

incident to humanity; and on such occasions had frequently, no doubt,

formed the resolution of increasing, although in a trifling degree, some

religious sisterhood, of which establishments she had so plentiful a

choice in her native city; but, whether on a nearer approach, she had

considered the veil an unbecoming costume, or her resolution had failed

her on the brink of the living tomb, the project had not as yet taken

effect. The turn, however, thus given to her reflections and inquiries,

had perfected in her a branch of knowledge highly useful to strangers

who might be thrown in her way. She was a limping encyclopedia of the

convents and monasteries of Toledo; and could announce each morning,

with the precision of an almanack, the name of the saint of the day,--in

what church or convent he was especially fêted, and at what hour the

ceremony would take place. She was likewise _au fait_ of the foundation,

ancient and modern annals, and peculiarities of every sort which belong

to every religious establishment of the many scores existing in Toledo.

Her administration of the household affairs was admirably organized

owing to her energetic activity. Her love of cleanliness would

frequently induce her to take the sweeping department into her own

hands--a circumstance which was sure to render the operation doubly

successful, for the brooms, which in Toledo are not provided with

handles or broomsticks, were exactly of a length suited to her stature.

Before we take leave of her, here is one more of her original replies.

I complained to her at breakfast that the eggs were not as fresh as

usual; and, suiting the action to the word, approached the egg-cup

containing the opened one so near to her, that the organs of sight and

smell could not but testify to the justice of my _reclamation_.

Shrugging her shoulders, until they almost reached the level of the

table--and with much contempt depicted on her countenance: "How could it

be otherwise?" she exclaimed, "the egg was taken a quarter of an hour

ago from under the hen; but you have broken it at the wrong end."

The monastery called San Juan de los Reyes, was founded by Ferdinand and

Isabella, on their return from the conquest of Granada, and given to a

fraternity of Franciscan friars. An inscription to this effect in gothic

characters runs round the cloister walls, where it forms a sort of

frieze, in a line with the capitals of the semi-columns. The inhabited

part of the establishment is in a state of complete ruin, having been

destroyed by the French during the Peninsular War. The cloisters are,

likewise, in a semi-ruinous state: the part best preserved being the

church; although that was not entirely spared, as may be supposed from

its having been used as cavalry stables.

The choice of a situation for the erection of this convent was perfect

in the then flourishing state of Toledo; and, even now, its picturesque

position lends a charm to the melancholy and deserted remains still

visible of its grandeur and beauty. It stands on the brow of the cliff,

commanding the termination of the chasm already described as commencing

at the bridge of Alcantara. It commands, therefore, the ruins of

Roderick's palace, placed a few hundred yards further on, and on a lower

level; still lower the picturesque bridge of St. Martin, striding to

the opposite cliff, over arches of ninety feet elevation, and the lovely

_vega_ which stretches to the west.

[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES.]

This monastery was one of the most favoured amongst the numerous royal

endowments of that period. It is said that its foundation was the result

of a vow pronounced by Ferdinand and the Queen before the taking of

Granada. In addition to the scale of magnificence adopted throughout the

entire plan, the royal founders, on its completion, bestowed a highly

venerated donation--the collection of chains taken from the limbs of the

Christian captives, rescued by them from the dungeons of the Alhambra.

They are suspended on the outside walls of the two sides of the

north-eastern angle of the church, and are made to form a frieze, being

placed in couples crossing each other at an acute angle; while those

that remained are suspended vertically in rows by fours or fives, in the

intervals of the pilastres.

The interior of the church is still sufficiently entire to give some

idea of its original splendour. Its dimensions are rather more than two

hundred feet in length, by eighty in width, and as many in

height--excepting over the intersection of the nave and transept, where

the ceiling rises to a hundred and eight feet. These dimensions are

exclusive of three recesses on either side, forming chapels open to the

nave, there being no lateral naves or aisles. The style of the whole is

very ornamental; but the east end is adorned with an unusual profusion

of sculpture. The transept is separated from the eastern extremity of

the building, by a space no greater than would suffice for one of the

arches; and its ends form the lines, which being prolonged, constitute

the backs of the chapels. The royal arms, supported by spread eagles,

are repeated five times on each end-wall; separated respectively by

statues of saints in their niches, and surmounted by a profusion of rich

tracery. These subjects entirely cover the walls to a height of about

forty feet, at which elevation another inscription in honour of the

founders runs round the whole interior. The transepts not being formed

by open arches, the sides afford space for a repetition of the same

ornament, until at their junction with the nave they are terminated by

two half-piers covered with tracery, and surmounted by semi-octagonal

balconies, beneath which the initials of Ferdinand and Isabella, made to

assume a fancy shape, and surmounted by coronets, are introduced with

singularly graceful effect.

But the chief attraction of this ruin is the cloister. A small

quadrangle is surrounded by an ogival or pointed arcade, enriched with

all the ornament that style is capable of receiving. It encloses a

garden, which, seen through the airy-web of the surrounding tracery,

must have produced in this sunny region a charming effect. At present,

one side being in ruins and unroofed, its communication with the other

three has been interrupted; and, whether or not in the idea of

preserving the other sides from the infection, their arches have been

closed nearly to the top by thin plaister walls. Whatever may have been

the motive of this arrangement, it answers the useful purpose of

concealing from the view a gallery which surmounts the cloister, the

arches of which would neutralize the souvenirs created by the rest of

the scene, since they announce a far different epoch of art, by the

grievous backsliding of taste evinced in their angular form and uncouth

proportions.

[Illustration: CLOISTER OF SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES, TOLEDO.]

Until the destruction of the monastery by the French, the number of

monks was very considerable; and in consequence of the unusual

privileges accorded to their body, had become the objects of especial

veneration. A curious proof of this still exists in the form of a

printed paper, pasted on one of the doors in the interior of the church,

and no doubt preserved carefully by the fifteen or sixteen brothers, who

continued after the dispersion of the rest to inhabit the few

apartments, which, by their situation over the cloister, had escaped the

flames; and who were only finally compelled to evacuate their retreat on

the occasion of the general convent crusade of the late revolution. It

is an announcement of indulgences, of which the following is the opening

paragraph:--

"Indulgence and days of pardon to be gained by kissing the robe of the

brothers of San Francisco.

"All the faithful gain, for each time that they kiss the aforesaid holy

robe with devotion of heart, two thousand and seventy-five days of

Indulgence. Further than this, whosoever of the faithful shall kiss the

aforesaid holy robe devoutly, gains each time eight thousand one hundred

days of pardon. The which urges to the exercise of this devotion the

Princes, Kings, Emperors, Bishops, and highest dignitaries of the

Church, and the monks of other religious orders; and even those of the

same order gain the same, according to the doctrine of Lantusca, who

writes, 'Videant religiosi quantum thesaurum portent secum.' Since those

who with hearts filled with lowliness and love, bend the knees to kiss

the precious garment, which opens to so many souls the entrance to

Heaven, leading them aside from the paths of perdition, with trembling

and terror of the entire hosts of hell, are doubtless those who gain the

above-mentioned Indulgences, &c."

Cardinal Ximenes had assumed the habit of this monastery before his

nomination to the see of Toledo.

Among the numerous relics of the ancient prosperity of this ruinous

corner of Toledo, are seen the walls of the palace of Don Juan Hurtado

de Mendoza. To them were confided the secret murmurings of Charles the

Fifth's vexation, when, elated with his Italian successes--lord of the

greatest empire of Christendom, and flattered by the magnificent

hospitality of the Genoese, he only resorted hither to be bearded by his

Spanish vassals, and to hear his request for supplies unceremoniously

refused. Although monarch of nearly half Europe, and, better still, of

Mexico and Peru, that sovereign appears to have undergone the torments

of a constantly defective exchequer.

His armies were not numerous for such an empire, and yet they were

frequently in revolt for arrears of pay. Could at that time the inventor

of a constitution on the modern principle have presented himself to

Charles, with what treasures would he not have rewarded him? On his

arrival in Spain, in the autumn of 1538, the emperor convoked the cortez

in Toledo, "for the purpose of deliberation on the most grave and urgent

causes, which obliged him to request of his faithful vassals an

inconsiderable contribution, and of receiving the assurance of the

desire with which he was animated, of diminishing their burdens as soon

as circumstances should enable him to do so." All assembled on the

appointed day--the prelates, the grandees, the knights, the deputies of

cities and towns. The opening session took place in the great salon of

the house of Don Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, Count of Melita, in which the

emperor had taken up his abode; and two apartments in the convent of San

Juan de los Reyes, were prepared for the remaining meetings--one for the

ecclesiastical body, presided by the Cardinal de Tavera, archbishop of

Toledo, accompanied by Fray Garcia de Loaysa, cardinal, and confessor of

the emperor, afterwards Archbishop of Seville--the other for the lay

members of the cortez.

Although an adept at dissimulation, what must have been the impatience

of Charles, while under the necessity of listening, day after day, to

reports of speeches pronounced by the independent members of his _junta_

on the subject of his unwelcome proposition, without the consolation of

foreseeing that the supplies would eventually be forthcoming. The

orators did not spare him. The historian, Mariana, gives at full length

the speech of the condestable Don Velasco, Duke of Frias, a grandee

enjoying one of the highest dignities at the court, who commences by

declaring that, "with respect to the Sisa," (tax on provisions, forming

the principal subject of the emperor's demand,) "each of their

lordships, being such persons as they were, would understand better than

himself this business: but what he understood respecting it was, that

nothing could be more contrary to God's service, and that of his

Majesty, and to the good of these kingdoms of Castile, of which they

were natives, and to their honour, than the Sisa;" and, further on,

proposes that a request be made to his Majesty, that he would moderate

his expenditure, which was greater than that of the Catholic kings.

On an address to this effect being presented to the emperor, he replied,

that "he thanked them for their kind intentions; but that his request

was for present aid, and not for advice respecting the future:" and

finding, at length, that no Sisa was to be obtained, he ordered the

archbishop to dissolve the _junta_, which he did in the following

words:--"Gentlemen,--his Majesty says, that he convoked your lordships'

assembly for the purpose of communicating to you his necessities, and

those of these kingdoms, since it appeared to him that, as they were

general, such also should be the remedy; but seeing all that has been

done, it appears to him that there is no need of detaining your

lordships, but that each of you may go to his house, or whither he may

think proper."

It must be confessed that the grandees, who had on this occasion

complained of Charles's foreign expeditions, and neglect of his Spanish

dominions, did not pursue the system best calculated to reconcile him to

a residence among them. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunities

afforded by social intercourse, for making amends for the repulse he had

suffered from the cortez, they appeared desirous of rendering the amount

of humiliation which awaited him in Spain a counterpoise to his triumphs

in his other dominions. On the close of the above-mentioned session, a

tournament was celebrated in the _vega_ of Toledo. On arriving at the

lists, an _alguacil_ of the court, whose duty it was to clear the way

on the emperor's approach--seeing the Duke de l'Infantado in the way,

requested him to move on, and on his refusal struck his horse with his

staff. The duke drew his sword and cut open the officer's head. In the

midst of the disturbance occasioned by the incident, the _alcalde_

Ronquillo came up, and attempted to arrest the duke in the emperor's

name--when the constable, Duke de Frias, who had just ridden to the

scene of bustle, reining in his horse, exclaimed, "I, in virtue of my

office, am chief minister of justice in these kingdoms, and the duke is,

therefore, my prisoner;" and addressing himself to the alcalde: "know

better another time, on what persons you may presume to exercise your

authority." The duke left the ground in company of the last speaker, and

was followed by all the nobles present, leaving the emperor entirely

unaccompanied. It appears that no notice was taken by Charles of this

insult; his manner towards the Duke of Infantado on the following day

being marked by peculiar condescension, and all compensation to the

wounded _alguacil_ left to the duke's generosity.

The personal qualities of this prince, as a monarch, appear to have been

overrated in some degree in his own day; but far more so by subsequent

writers. The brilliancy of his reign, and the homage which surrounded

his person were due to the immense extent of his dominions; and would

never have belonged to him, any more than the states of which he was in

possession, had their attainment depended in any degree on the exercise

of his individual energies. When in the prime of youth, possessed of

repeated opportunities of distinguishing himself at the head of his

armies, he kept aloof, leaving the entire conduct of the war to his

generals. His rival, Francis the First, wounded at Pavia in endeavouring

to rally his flying troops, and at length taken prisoner while half

crushed beneath his dead horse, was greater--as he stood before the

hostile general, his tall figure covered with earth and blood--than the

absent emperor, who was waiting at Valladolid for the news of the war.

Nor were the qualities of the statesman more conspicuous than those of

the warrior on this occasion. Having received the intelligence of his

victory, and of the capture of his illustrious prisoner, he took no

measures--gave no orders. To his general every thing was left; and when

the captive King was, at his own request, conveyed some time after to

Spain, the astonished emperor had received no previous notice of his

coming. He allowed himself to be out-manoeuvred in the treaty for the

liberation of his prisoner; and when Francis broke the pledge he had

given for the restitution of Burgundy, he took no steps to enforce the

execution of the stipulations; and he ultimately gave up the two French

princes, who remained in his power as hostages, in return for a sum of

money.

Far from maintaining the superiority in European councils due to his

extensive dominions, the Italian republics were only prevented with the

greatest difficulty, and by the continual presence of armies, from

repeatedly declaring for France: and even the popes, to whom he paid

continual court, manifested the small estimation in which they held his

influence by constantly deserting his cause in favour of Francis,--the

cause of the champion of Christianity in favour of the ally of the

Infidel, and _that_ frequently in defiance of good faith; shewing how

little they feared the consequences of the imperial displeasure.

If these facts fail in affording testimony to his energy and capacity,

still less does his character shine in consistency. He professed an

unceasing ardour in the cause of Christianity; offering to the French

king the renunciation of his rights, and a release from that monarch's

obligations to him, on condition of his joining him in an expedition

against the Infidels; but when he found himself at the head of an

immense army under the walls of Vienna, he sat still and allowed

Solyman to carry off at his leisure the spoils of the principal towns of

Hungary.

When at length he made up his mind to take the field, he selected, as

most worthy of the exercise of his prowess, the triumph over the pirate

Barbarossa and his African hordes: the most important result of the

campaign being the occupation of Tunis, (where in his zealous burnings

for Christianity he installed a Mahometan sovereign,) and the wanton

destruction by his soldiers of a splendid library of valuable

manuscripts.

We have seen how little his Spanish subjects allowed themselves to be

dazzled by the splendours of his vast authority, and history informs us

how far he was from conceiving the resolution of reducing them to

obedience by any measures savouring of energetic demonstration. The

irreverence to his person he calmly pocketed, and the deficiences in his

exchequer were supplied by means of redoubled pressure on his less

refractory Flemings. He submitted to the breach of faith of Francis of

France, and to the disrespect of his Castilian vassals; but, on the

burghers of the city of Ghent being heard to give utterance to

expressions of discontent at the immoderate liberties taken with their

purse-strings, he quits Madrid in a towering rage, crosses France at

the risk of his liberty, and enters his helpless burg at the head of a

German army, darting on all sides frowns of imperial wrath, each

prophetic of a bloody execution.

Aware of the preparations of Francis for attacking his dominions

simultaneously in three different directions, he took insufficient or

rather no measures to oppose him, but turning his back, embarked for

Algiers, where he believed laurels to be as cheap as at Tunis. There,

however, he lost one half of his armament, destroyed by the elements;

and the remainder narrowly escaping a similar fate, and being dispersed

in all directions, he returned in time to witness the unopposed

execution of the plans of his French enemy. What measures are his on

such an emergency? Does he call together the contingents of the German

States? Unite the different corps serving in Lombardy and

Savoy,--dispatch an order to the viceroy of Naples to march for the

north of Italy; and having completed his combinations, cross the

Pyrenees at the head of a Spanish army, and give the law to his far

weaker antagonist? No! nothing that could lead to an encounter with the

French king accorded with his policy, as it has been called, but more

probably with his disposition. He quits Spain, it is true, and using all

diligence, travels round France, but not too near it, and arrives in

Flanders. Here he puts himself at the head of his Germans, and

marches--against the Duke of Cleves! who had formed an alliance with his

principal enemy.

Seeing the emperor thus engaged, Francis completes a successful

campaign, taking possession of Luxembourg and other towns. At length the

sovereign of half Europe, having received news of the landing of an

English army in Picardy, resolves to venture a demonstration against

France. He therefore traverses Lorraine at the head of eighty thousand

troops, and makes himself master of Luneville: after which, hearing that

Francis had despatched his best troops to oppose Henry the Eighth, and

was waiting for himself, as the less dangerous foe, with an army of half

the strength of his own, and composed of recruits, he makes up his mind

to advance in the direction of Paris. After a fortnight's march he finds

himself in presence of the French king, to whom he sends _proposals of

peace_!

These being rejected, he continues his march; when a messenger from

Francis announces his consent to treat. Under these circumstances, does

he require the cession of Burgundy, according to the terms of the

unexecuted treaty of Madrid? Does he even stipulate for any advantage,

for any equality? No! he agrees, on the contrary, to cede Flanders to

the French, under colour of a dowry with his daughter the Infanta Maria,

who was to be married to the Duke of Orleans; or else Milan, with his

niece the daughter of the King of the Romans; and he beats a retreat

with his immense army, as if taking the benefit of a capitulation.

There is something in the result of this French campaign which appears

to explain much of Charles's previous conduct; and shows that in many

instances he was actuated by personal fear of his gallant rival. On this

occasion he did not hesitate to desert the King of England, who had no

doubt calculated on his coöperation, as much as Charles had depended on

the diversion created by the British army. The more one reflects on the

passages of this emperor's history, the less one is surprised at his

resolution to abdicate. He gave in this a proof of his appreciation of

his real character, which undoubtedly fitted him rather for a life of

ease and retirement, than for the arduous duties of supreme power.

LETTER XII.

ARAB MONUMENTS. PICTURES. THE PRINCESS GALIANA. ENVIRONS.

Toledo.

Returning along the edge of the cliff, a very short space separates the

extreme walls of the ruined monastery of Ferdinand and Isabella, from an

edifice of much greater antiquity, although not yet a ruin. Its exterior

as you approach, is more than simple. It is not even a neatly

constructed building; but such a pile of rough looking mud and stone,

as, on the continent, announces sometimes a barn, or granary of a

farming establishment _mal monté._ A high central portion runs from end

to end, from either side of which, at about four-fifths of its height,

project lower roofs of brownish-red tiles. The old square rotten door is

in exact keeping with all this exterior, and contributes its share to

the surprise experienced on entering, when you discover, on a level with

the eye, distributed over a spacious quadrangular area, a forest of

elaborately carved capitals, surmounting octagon-shaped pillars, and

supporting innumerable horse-shoe arches, scattered in apparent

confusion. All these as you advance down a flight of steps, fall into

rank, and you speedily find yourself in the centre of an oriental temple

in all its symmetry.

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF SANTA MARIA LA BLANCA, TOLEDO.]

The principal light entering from the western extremity, you do not at

first perceive that three of the five naves terminate at the opposite

end, by half domes of more modern invention. These have since been

almost built out, and do not form a part of the general view,--not in

consequence of a decree of a committee of fine arts, but for the

convenience of the intendant of the province, who selected the edifice,

as long as it remained sufficiently weather-proof for such a purpose,

for a magazine of government stores. There is no record of the antiquity

of this church, supposed to be the most ancient in Toledo: at all

events, it is the most ancient of those constructed by the Arabs. It was

originally a synagogue, and received the above mentioned half cupolas on

its conversion to a Catholic church; since which period it has been

known by its present title of Santa Maria la Blanca.

A few hundred yards further on, following the same direction, is the

church called the Transito, also in the oriental style, but on a

different plan: a large quadrangular room, from about ninety to a

hundred feet in length, by forty in width, and about seventy high,

without arches or columns, ornamented with Arab tracery in stucco, on

the upper part of the walls, and by a handsome cedar roof. A cement of a

different colour from the rest runs round the lowest portion of the

walls, up to about breast high; no doubt filling the space formerly

occupied by the azulejos. Some remains of these still decorate the

seats, which are attached to the walls at the two sides of the altar.

The building is in excellent preservation, and until lately was used as

a church of the Mozarabic sect. The ornaments are remarkable for the

exquisite beauty of their design, and are uninjured, excepting by the

eternal whitewash, the monomania of modern Spanish decorators.

The Jews were the primitive occupants of this elegant temple also.

Samuel Levi, treasurer and favourite of Pedro the Cruel (who

subsequently transferred his affection from the person of his faithful

servant to the enormous wealth, amassed under so indulgent a prince, and

seized a pretext for ordering his execution) was the founder of this

synagogue. The inauguration was accompanied by extraordinary pomp. The

treasurer being, from his paramount position at the court of Castile,

the most influential personage of his tribe, the leading members of

Judaism flocked from all parts of Europe to Toledo to be present on the

occasion, and a deputation from Jerusalem brought earth of the Holy

Land, which was laid down throughout the whole interior before the

placing of the pavement.

A very different origin, more suited to believers in miracles, is

attributed to this church by the present titular sacristan. This

Quasimodo of the fabric, a simple and worthy functionary, enjoys a

sinecure, except, it is to be feared, with regard to salary. Although,

however, no duties confine him to his post, his attachment to the

edifice prevents his ever being found further from it than the porch;

under the cool shelter of which, as he leans against the wall, he

fabricates and consumes the friendly _cigarito_. When questioned with an

appearance of interest on the subject of the building, he replies with

unrestrained delight. Its foundation he attributes to Noah, fixing the

date at seventeen hundred years back; but without adding any particulars

relative to this miraculous visit paid to Toledo, by the ghost of the

patriarch.

As is the case with all other ecclesiastical edifices closed pursuant to

the recent decrees, this building may become the property of any one,

who would offer a sufficient price, not according to the real value, but

to that to which such objects are reduced by the great number in the

market. Several other churches are simply closed and left unguarded; but

the antiquarian sacristan above mentioned, is placed here on account of

the existence of a room in which are contained the archives of the

knights of Calatrava and Alcantara, until recently its proprietors. No

reparations, however, are ordered; and there is many an enthusiast in

archæological research who, should such an edifice fall under his

notice, would, no doubt, rescue it from its now imminent fate. It is not

only a monument admirable for the details of the ornaments, the best of

its sort to be met with north of Andalucia, but it forms a valuable link

in the chain of architectural history. It is the first ecclesiastical

edifice of its style recorded as having set the example of an open area,

destitute of columns and arcades.

At the distance of a few hundred yards from this building, a portion of

the precipice is pointed out, to which was given in former times the

name of the Tarpeian rock. It was the spot selected by the Jewish

authorities, (who enjoyed in Toledo, under the Kings of Castile, the

right of separate jurisdiction in their tribe,) for the execution of

their criminals. It is a perpendicular rock, but with an intermediate

sloping space between its base and the Tagus.

One of the most curious of the Arab monuments of Toledo, is the church

called the Christo de la Luz, formerly a mosque. It is extremely small;

a square of about twenty feet; and is divided by four pillars into three

naves, connected with each other, and with the surrounding walls, by

twelve arches. This disposition produces in the ceiling nine square

compartments, which rise each to a considerable height, enclosed by

walls from the tops of the arches upwards. Each small square ceiling is

coved and ornamented with high angular ribs, rising from the cornice and

intersecting each other, so as to form a different combination in each

of the nine.

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CHRISTO DE LA LUZ. TOLEDO.]

The principal remaining Arab buildings are, the beautiful gate called

Puerta del Sol; part of the town walls with their towers; the parochial

church of San Roman; the tower of the church of St. Thomas; and two or

three other similar towers. Several private houses contain single rooms

of the same architecture, more or less ornamental. The most considerable

of these is situated opposite the church of San Roman, and belongs to a

family residing at Talavera. They have quitted the house in Toledo,

which is in a ruinous state. The Moorish saloon is a fine room of about

sixty feet in length by upwards of forty high, and beautifully

ornamented. The Artesonado roof of cedar lets in already, in more than

one part, light and water; and half the remainder of the house has

fallen.

The good pictures in Toledo are not very plentiful. It is said some of

the convents possessed good collections, which were seized, together

with all their other property. Many of these are to be seen in the

gallery called the Museo Nacional, at Madrid. Others have been sold.

Those of the cathedral have not been removed; but they are not numerous:

among them is a St. Francisco, by Zurbaran; and a still more beautiful

work of Alonzo del Arco, a St. Joseph bearing the Infant. It is in a

marble frame fixed in the wall, and too high to be properly viewed: but

the superiority of the colouring can be appreciated, and the excellence

of the head of the saint. In the smaller sacristy are two pictures in

Bassano's style, and some copies from Raphael, Rubens, and others. At

the head of the great sacristy, there is a large work of Domenico

Theotocopuli, commonly called El Greco, (the head of the school of

Toledo) which I prefer much to the famous Funeral of the Count Orgaz, in

the church of Santo Tonie, which, according to some, passes for his

masterpiece. In the first are traits of drawing, which forcibly call to

mind the style of the best masters of the Roman school, and prove the

obligation he was under to the instructions of his master Michel Angelo.

The subject is the Calvary. The soldiery fill the back ground. On the

right hand the foreground is occupied by an executioner preparing the

cross, and on the left, by the group of females. The erect figure of the

Christ is the principal object, and occupies the centre, somewhat

removed from the front. This is certainly a fine picture; the

composition is good, and the drawing admirable, but the colouring of the

Greco is always unpleasing.

In the Funeral of Count Orgaz it is insufferably false; nor, in fact, is

it easy to conjecture to what sort of merit this picture owes its

celebrity. It possesses neither that of conception, nor that of

composition, nor of expression: least of all that of colouring. All that

can be said in its favour is, that the row of heads extending from one

end of the canvass to the other, across the centre, are correct

portraits of personages of note, who figured in the history of the

epoch. The worst part of all is, the Heaven of the upper plan of the

picture, into which the soul of the Count has the bad taste to apply for

admission. This was, in fact, one of the works which gave occasion to

the saying of a critic of a contemporary school, who declared that the

Glorias (heavenly visions) of the Greco looked like Infernos, and his

Infernos like Glorias.

In the Transito there is an Adoration, a charming picture, apparently by

Rembrandt. There are here and there good pictures among the other

churches, but none very remarkable. In general, the most attractive

objects are the old picture-frames, and other gilded ornaments and wood

carvings. All these, in the taste of the commencement of the last

century and earlier, which is at present so much in request, are in such

profusion, as would draw tears of admiration from the eyes of a Parisian

upholsterer, and showers of bank notes from the purses of furniture

collectors.

You will not, I am sure, by this time, object to our quitting Toledo,

and making a short excursion in its environs. I shall therefore request

you to accompany me to the ruins of a Moorish palace, on the banks of

the Tagus, a mile distant from the town, called the Palacio de Galiana.

The Princess Galiana was the daughter of Galafre, one of the earlier

Arab Kings of Toledo. The widely extended fame of her beauty, is said to

have fired the imagination of Charles, son of Pepin, King of France, who

resolved to throw himself at her feet as a suitor, and forthwith

repaired to Toledo. However glowing the terms in which report had

represented her charms, he found them surpassed by the reality; but a

prince of a neighbouring state had forestalled him in his suit. This

obstacle did not, however, deter him from persisting in his resolution.

He forthwith challenged his rival to mortal combat; and, clearing his

road to the hand of the princess with the point of his lance, married

her, and carried her back with him to Paris.

The attachment of her father to this princess is said to have been such

from her earliest childhood, that he gave himself up entirely to this

affection--devoting all his wealth to the gratification of her caprices.

The Arab palace, now no longer in existence, took its name from hers, in

consequence of a new one having been erected for her by her father,

adjoining his own, at a period at which she had scarcely grown out of

childhood. The two residences being occupied by succeeding princes as

one, received the appellation of los Palacios, (the Palaces) of Galiana.

In addition to her town residence, she soon after had the other palace

constructed about a mile from Toledo. To arrive at the ruins, we pass

the bridge of Alcantara, and follow the rose-tree promenade. From this a

path on the left-hand leads to the spot across a field in garden-like

cultivation. The selection made by the Arab princess of this situation,

proves her to have possessed, in addition to her beauty, a consummate

taste and intelligence of rural life.

The Tagus--a name, by the way, more deserving of poetic fame than many a

more widely echoed stream--in this spot, as if conscious of the pains he

must shortly undergo, while dashing through the deep and narrow chasm

through which he must force a passage around Toledo, seems to linger,

desirous of putting off the fated storm. His course becomes more

circuitous as he approaches; and indulging in a hundred irregularities

of form, he plays round several small thickly wooded islands,

penetrating with innumerable eddies and back currents, into flowery

nooks and recesses; while here and there he spreads out in a wide sheet

his apparently motionless waters, as if seeking to sleep away the

remainder of his days on these green and luxurious banks.

In the midst of this delicious region, which recalls to the recollection

some of the more favoured spots in England, but which, with the addition

of the Spanish climate in early summer, is superior to them all, was

placed the palace. The valley for a considerable distance still bears

the name of the Garden of the King,--Huerta del Rey. The site of part of

the pleasure grounds immediately adjoining the river, is left wild, and

covered with woods; and the remainder is converted into a farm in the

highest state of cultivation. The ruin consists of three sides of a not

very large quadrangle; the massive walls of which are pierced with two

stories of arched windows. The remainder of the edifice was doubtless

less solid, and has entirely disappeared.

Many a tale of romance would be gathered--many a stirring scene

recorded, could so precious a document be brought to light as a

chronicle drawn up by some St. Simon of the Court of Toledo, who had

recorded the daily events of which this retreat was the theatre, during

the time it served as a residence for several successive sovereigns. But

in this land words have always been fewer than deeds, and records are

the rarest sort of subsisting monuments. One anecdote, however, is

transmitted, of which this spot was the scene, in the time of the last

but one of the Moorish princes who reigned at Toledo, before its

surrender to Alonzo the Sixth.

Alonzo was himself one of the actors on the occasion. In early life he

had been deprived by his brother Sancho, King of Castile, of the portion

of the kingdoms which fell to his share by the will of his father,

Ferdinand the First. On his expulsion from his inheritance he took

refuge at the court of the Arab king of Toledo, by whom he was received

with every mark of favour which could have been lavished on a friend.

The Moor (for the family then reigning was not Arab, although the two

races are constantly confounded in Spanish histories) gave him a palace,

and settled on him splendid revenues, to be continued during the time he

should think fit to accept his hospitality. He even sent invitations to

all the friends and followers of his guest, in order that he might be

surrounded with his own court.

Alonzo, touched by this delicate hospitality, attached himself warmly to

his host; his friendship for whom (I believe a solitary instance in

those times among the sovereigns in Spain) lasted until the death of the

latter. The youthful exile, thus handsomely treated, passed much of his

time in the society of his royal protector.

On one occasion, the court being at the country palace of Galiana, the

king and his attendants were reclining in the cool shade of the garden,

and Alonzo at a short distance, apparently asleep. The king, pointing to

the town, which towered on its precipice immediately in front of the

party, was expatiating on the strength of its position. All agreed that

it was impregnable; until a brother of the monarch observed, that there

was one mode of warfare against which it would not hold out: and he

proceeded to explain his plan, which consisted of an annual devastation

of the valley of the Tagus at the time of harvest, to be executed by an

invading army, which might be disbanded during the winter months. This

system, he maintained, would inevitably reduce the city by famine to the

necessity of a surrender.

No sooner was the last phrase uttered, than all present in an instant

struck by the same thought, turned towards the sleeper; and the greater

number, filled with suspicion respecting the reality of his slumbers,

addressed significant looks to the king, the intention of which could

not be mistaken, and which boded no good to Alonzo. Whatever might have

been the feelings of the Moor at this moment, he took no further notice

of the incident, and allowed his guest to terminate his nap when he

thought proper.

When the death of Sancho took place before Zamora, Alonzo was still at

Toledo. The intelligence being conveyed to him by a confidential

messenger from his sister, he lost no time in taking leave of his host,

who wished him success with every demonstration of friendship, and

repairing to Burgos. There, after some hesitation, the nobles consented

to his investiture with the sovereignty. During his brilliant reign he

resisted several tempting opportunities of breaking with his Moorish

ally and former host, and thus adding to his dominions,--and preserved

his friendship and loyalty unstained. After the death of the Moorish

king, he, however, speedily fell out with his successor. War was

declared on both sides, and it was resolved to attack Toledo. The well

known result was, the taking of the town after seven years, the time

mentioned in the garden of Galiana, and by means of the annually

repeated devastation of the Vega, according to the plan imagined and

described in the above mentioned conversation.

Returning by the Rose-tree Walk, immediately on approaching the bridge,

an advanced portion of the cliff which bounds the road on the left

detaches itself from the rest towards the summit, which rises in a

circular form. On it stands the Castle of San Servando, one of the most

picturesque of the Arab remains existing in this part of Spain. The

origin of this fort is uncertain. Some attribute it to the Romans, and

consider the Moorish windows and ornaments to be subsequent additions,

from their being constructed with bricks instead of the same stone as

the rest of the walls. But this is not a sufficient reason, since the

same peculiarity exists in all the Arab edifices in Toledo. In fact, the

reason is evident. The hard black sort of stone used for the walls,

would almost have defied the chisel which should have attempted to

fashion its surface into the delicate forms required by the Arab mode of

decorating. This argument, therefore, being set aside--remains the

masonry, which is more likely from its appearance to be Gothic or Arab,

than Roman.

It is probably entirely Arab. It encloses a quadrangular space of about

a quarter of an acre, and is a ruin; but the walls and towers are almost

entire. There are three small towers, that is of small diameter, but

lofty; and two larger, one of which is circular: the other is a

parallelogram terminating by a semicircle at one of its extremities.

This tower has lost apparently about a third of its elevation. Their

walls are so perfectly constructed as to appear externally like solid

rocks smoothed and rounded. Each larger tower contains two rectangular

brick projections, in which are small elegantly-arched openings for

windows.

The edifice was thoroughly repaired by Don Pedro Tenorio, archbishop of

Toledo; the same who built the bridge of San Martin. It has since played

its part in numberless wars, and was at length reduced to a ruin during

the insurrection headed by Juan de Padilla, at the commencement of

Charles the Fifth's reign.

During the Peninsular war of the present century, the old battlements

echoed once more with the sounds of warfare. It was occupied by a body

of French, who repaired a portion of the masonry at the summits of the

towers, and erected a low wall along the whole length of the Toledo

side. They were able, from their position, to batter the Alcazar, which

is immediately opposite, but on a higher level; and to command the

bridge of Alcantara, and road to Aranjuez.

In the other valley which extends to the west of Toledo exist the

remains of a circus for chariot races, generally supposed, at first

sight, to be Roman. They present, in fact, every characteristic of a

Roman work. The rough interior masonry is all that remains; and that

only rising to a height of from three to four feet from the ground, with

the exception of a single arch. The earth mingled with ruins, has

apparently filled up much of the interior, and surrounding the exterior

simultaneously, has only left visible the upper portion of the edifice.

The end which is in the best preservation is of a semicircular form.

From it the sides run in parallel directions, and lose themselves in the

ruins of a more recently erected convent. They are traceable to a length

of more than four hundred yards. The width is two hundred and ninety

feet within the building, at the present elevation of the ground, and

three hundred and twenty feet on the outside, which appears to have

consisted of a series of arches. There are also remains of an

amphitheatre adjoining the semicircular end of the stadium.

There being no indication of the Romans having at any period planted any

considerable establishment at Toledo, in fact no author but Livy having

noticed the place, and he but slightly; the antiquaries have sought for

the origin of these monuments among Gothic traditions; and it is

believed by them, that they were erected during the early part of the

sixth century, by Theudio, a Gothic King, who manifested much attachment

to Roman customs.

LETTER XIII.

CASTLES OF ALMONACID, GUADAMUR, MONTALBAN, AND ESCALONA. TORRIJOS.

Toledo.

I met this morning with an entertaining scene, in a quarter in which it

might be the least looked for. The archiepiscopal palace contains an

excellent library, which has always been open to the public. Although

the revenues of the see are now withdrawn, and the palace is vacant, the

books remain on the shelves, and the head librarian, a _racionero_ of

the cathedral, has the good nature to throw open the rooms from eleven

to twelve, on all days of labour, (as those are called on which no saint

is celebrated,) although he no longer enjoys a salary, nor the means of

providing a single attendant to see to what passes in the different

apartments.

I was occupied this morning in the _racionero's_ room, when he received

a visit from two French tourists, both persons of notoriety; one being

a member of the chamber of deputies, and one of the leaders of the

republican party; and the other, I believe, also in the chamber, but

principally known as a writer of political pamphlets, in which the

French reigning family, and the powers that be are lashed with

unwearying severity. The first mentioned personage commenced the

conversation in Spanish, which the other did not speak: but on hearing

the librarian make an observation in French, the pamphleteer took up the

argument in his own language, and nearly in the following terms.

"As this gentleman understands French, I will explain to him the object

of my tour," and addressing himself to the Spaniard, he continued--"I

find it a relief, in the midst of my arduous political duties, to make

an occasional excursion in a foreign country, and thus to enlarge the

sphere of my usefulness, by promoting the cause of humanity in the

various localities I visit. It is thus that I have recently passed

through Andalucia, and have recommended, and, I doubt not, successfully,

to the principal personages possessed of influence in its numerous

cities, the establishment of all sorts of useful institutions. I am now

in Toledo, animated with the same zeal. I have obtained an introduction

to you, Sir, understanding that you are an individual possessed of

considerable influence, and enjoying unbounded means of carrying out

the projects, which, I doubt not, you will agree with me in considering

essential to the well being and improvement, both moral and material, of

your ancient locality."

During this exordium, the Spaniard, who happens to be possessed of a

vivacity, unusual in his countrymen, and a sort of impatience of manner,

had endeavoured more than once to obtain a hearing. At length he

replied, that he feared it would not be in his power to carry out the

views which Monsieur did him the honour to communicate to him, owing to

the absence of sufficient resources at his disposal, whether for public

purposes, or in his individual and private capacity.

The Frenchman was not, however, to be so easily discouraged. "This,

Sir," he replied, "is the result of your modesty; but I am persuaded

that I have only to make my objects understood, in order to obtain their

complete execution. For instance, one of the most insignificant in

expense, but of infinite utility, is this: it would be a source of much

gratification to me, if you would have the most conspicuous spots

throughout Toledo ornamented with statues, representing, with greater or

less resemblance, all the personages, distinguished from various causes

in the history of Spain, to whom Toledo has given birth. These works I

should wish to be entrusted to artists of acknowledged talent, and"--he

was proceeding with constantly increasing rapidity of enunciation, when

the exhausted librarian's patience being at an end, he interrupted the

torrent. "However grateful the city of Toledo and myself must be for

your interest and advice, I am grieved to repeat that my anxiety to

comply with your wishes is totally powerless. We are without funds; and

I, for my own part, can assure you that I am _sans le sou_. Do me the

favour to name any service of a less expensive nature, and I shall

rejoice in proving to you my entire devotion. Excuse my _impolitesse_. I

am called for in the next room. I kiss your hand." It is needless, in

fact the attempt would baffle human intelligence, to conjecture what the

real object of these very liberal and very political gentlemen might be,

in honouring all parts of Spain with their visit.

The more distant environs of Toledo, principally towards the south and

south-east, are remarkable for a profusion of ruined castles. Supposing

a circle drawn at a distance of thirty miles from Toledo as its centre,

and divided, as it would be, by the Tagus, descending from east to west,

into two equal parts, the southern half, and the western portion of the

other, are so plentifully strewed with these fortresses, that, in many

instances, five or six are visible from the same point of view.

A chain of low mountains crosses the southern portion of the semicircle,

in a parallel line with the Tagus. Some of its branches advance into

this region, and terminate in detached peaks, which have afforded to the

aristocracy of former times favourable positions for their strongholds;

and a still greater number of proprietors, not being possessed of the

same advantages of site, were compelled to confide in the solidity of

their walls and turrets, which they constructed in the plain, usually

adjoining the villages or towns inhabited by their vassals. The greater

number of these edifices are of a date subsequent to the surrender of

Toledo to the Christians, and were erected on the distribution of the

different towns and estates among the nobility, on their being

successively evacuated by their Moorish proprietors. The Count of

Fuensalida, Duke of Frias, is the most considerable landed proprietor on

this side of Toledo, and several of the ruined castles have descended to

him.

I will not fatigue you by the enumeration of all these remains, of which

but a few are remarkable for picturesque qualities, and still fewer for

the possession of historical interest, as far as can be known at

present. One of them, situated ten miles to the south-east of Toledo,

and visible from its immediate neighbourhood, attracts notice owing to

its striking position. Occupying the summit of a conical hill, which

stands alone on the plain, and placed at four times the elevation of

Windsor Castle, you expect to find it connected with the history of some

knightly Peveril of the Peak, but learn with surprise that it was the

stronghold of the Archbishops of Toledo; and was erected by Don Pedro

Tenorio, the same prelate who rebuilt the bridge of San Martin, and

repaired the Moorish castle of San Servando.

Before you ascend the peak, you pass through the village of Almonacid,

from which the castle takes its name, and which, unlike that more

recently erected pile, is completely Arab in aspect. All the houses are

entered through back courts, and present no difference of appearance,

whether shops, taverns, _posadas_, or private residences. After tying my

horse in the stable of the posada, and giving him his meal of barley,

which he had carried in the _alforjas_ (travelling bags) suspended

behind the saddle, I took my own provisions out of the opposite

receptacle, and established myself before the kitchen fire.

On my asking for wine, the hostess requested I would furnish her with

two _quartos_ (one halfpenny) with which she purchased me a pint, at the

tavern next door. The host of the posada, who was seated next me, and a

friend at the opposite corner of the fire-place, favoured me, during my

meal, with their reminiscences of a battle fought here, during the

Peninsular war. They had not heard of the English having taken any part

in the quarrel, with the exception of the old woman, who recollected

perfectly the name of Wellington, and pronounced it as perfectly, but

thought he had been a Spanish general. They described the battle as a

hard fought one, and won by the French, who marched up the hill with

fixed bayonets, as the old host, almost blind, described by assuming the

attitude of a soldier jogging up a hill, and dislodged the Spanish

garrison from the castle.

I could have willingly passed a week in this village, so exciting are

the remains of Arab manners to the curiosity. The name of the place had

already raised my expectations, but the blind landlord of the posada

unconsciously won my attachment from the first moment. No sooner was I

seated, than, leaning towards me, and patting my arm to draw my

attention, he pointed to his two eyes. At first I was at a loss to

understand him; but soon discovered that he was desirous of knowing

whether I was sufficiently versed in the mysteries of Esculapius, to

prescribe for the relief of his suffering organs. To this trait he soon

added one still more characteristic, by actually speaking of Toledo, by

its Moorish appellation Tolaite. Had he worn a turban, sat cross-legged

and offered me coffee and a pipe, I should not have been more taken by

surprise, than by this Arab expression assailing the ear, in the heart

of Spain, ten miles from the town itself, in which the name had probably

not been uttered for three or four centuries.

The builder of the castle of Almonacid must have placed more confidence

in the difficulties of approach, than in the solidity of his structure.

The walls are partly of stone, and partly of _tapia_, or earth. There

only remain, the exterior wall, enclosing an area of about sixty to

seventy yards in diameter, and of a pentagonal form; and, in the centre,

the keep, a quadrangular tower, somewhat higher than the rest of the

buildings. There are no traces of living apartments. At each of the five

angles of the outer wall, is a small tower, and others in the centres of

some of the fronts; those looking to the west are circular, the rest

square. The nearer view of this ruin causes disappointment, as it

appears to have been a slovenly and hasty construction: but, at a

distance, its effect is highly picturesque.

The castle of Montalban is situated to the south-west of Toledo, at a

distance of six Spanish leagues. It resembles, in size and importance,

some of the largest English castles; and justifies thus far the

tradition preserved here, of its having for a short period, served for a

royal prison--Juan the Second being said to have been confined there by

his exasperated favourite, Don Alvaro de Luna. This story is not,

however, confirmed by historians, several of whom I have vainly

consulted, for the purpose of discovering it. Ferreras mentions the

castle, or rather the town, which lies at a distance of two leagues

(eight miles) from it, as having belonged to the queen of Juan the

Second; who, he states, was deprived of it, against her will, in favour

of Don Alvaro, and another place given her in exchange. On the

confiscation of the favourite's possessions, previous to his

decapitation, it reverted to the crown; and there is no further notice

taken of it in the history, until the Emperor Charles the Fifth, confers

on its then proprietor the title of Count. This personage was Don Alonzo

Tellez Giron, third in descent from Juan Pacheco, Duke of Escalona, who

had erected Montalban into a separate fief, in favour of one of his sons

and his descendants, on the singular condition of the family name

undergoing a change, on each successive descent. The alternate lords

were to bear the names respectively of Giron and Pacheco. The first

Count of Montalban married a daughter of D. Ladron de Guevara,

proprietor, _à propos_ of castles, of that of Guevara, in the

neighbourhood of Vitoria, constructed in an extremely singular form. The

centre tower appears intended to imitate the castles of a chess-board.

It is situated on the southern declivity of the chain of mountains, a

branch of the Pyrenees, which separates the province of Guipuscoa from

those of Navarre and Alava.

On the opposite descent of the chain another fortress existed in remote

times. Both were strongholds of robbers, whose descendants derived their

family name, Ladron (robber) from their ancestors' profession. In a

document signed by D. Garcia Ramirez, King of Navarre in 1135, D. Ladron

de Guevara, governor of Alava, figures among the grandees of the

kingdom; the descendants were afterwards called lords of Oñate, and the

castle is at present the property of the Count de Oñate, a grandee of

the first class. From its occupying a point _stratégique_ of

considerable importance, commanding the plain of Alava, and the high

road as it enters the valley of Borunda, it has been in recent times

occupied by the Carlists, and fortified.

Montalban belongs at present to the Count of Fuensalida. It is

completely ruinous, but the outer wall is almost entire; and one of two

lofty piles of building, in the form of bastions, which flanked the

entrance, is in sufficient preservation to allow the apartments to be

recognised. Their floors were at a height of about eighty feet from the

ground; and the mass of masonry which supported them, is pierced by an

immense gothic arch reaching to the rooms. The opposite corresponding

mass remains also with its arch; but the upper part which contained

rooms, no longer exists. On this, the entrance side, the approach is

almost level, and the defence consisted of a narrow and shallow moat;

but the three other sides, the fortress being of a quadrangular form,

look down into a deep ravine, through which a river, issuing from the

left, passes down two sides of the castle, and makes for the valley of

the Tagus, which river is seen at a distance of five or six miles.

The precipice at the furthest side descends perpendicularly, and is

composed of rocks in the wildest form. The river below leaps from rock

to rock, and foams through a bed so tormented, that, although owing to

its depth of at least five hundred feet from the foundations of the

castle, it looks almost like a thread, it sends up a roar not less loud

than that of the breakers under Shakspeare's Cliff. The valley, opening

for its passage, gives to the view, first, the Tagus, on the opposite

bank of which lies the town of Montalban, dependant on the lords of the

castle; beyond it an extensive plain, dotted with castles and towns,

most of them on the road from Madrid to Talavera; and at the horizon the

Sierra del Duque, coated with snow from about half its height upwards.

The extent of the view is about sixty miles.

The outer enceinte of the castle of Montalban encloses a space of five

or six acres in extent, in which no buildings remain, with the exception

of the picturesque ruin of a small chapel in the centre. Like almost all

other residences possessed of scenery sufficiently precipitous, this

castle boasts its lover's leap. A projection of wall is pointed out,

looking over the most perpendicular portion of the ravine, to which a

tradition is attached, deprived by time of all tangible distinctness, if

ever it possessed any. The title given to the spot in this instance is

"The Leap of the Moorish Girl," Despeñadera de la Mora. The position

will probably bear no comparison with the Leucadian promontory; nor is

it equal to the Peña de los Enamorados, near Antequera, in Andalucia,

immortal likewise in the annals of passion, and of which the authentic

story is preserved. Of those in our country I could name one--but I will

not, though few know it better--nor is it the meanest of its tribe. But

with these exceptions I know of none among the numerous plagiarisms of

the famous lover's leap of antiquity that offers to despair in search of

the picturesque more attractions than the Despeñadera of Montalban.

[Illustration: CASTLE OF GUADAMUR.]

The best preserved castle of these environs, and the handsomest

building, is that of Guadamur. It is not large, but it is impossible for

a residence-fortress to be more complete, and more compact. It is

composed of three enclosures, one within the other, and forms a

quadrangle, with the addition of a lofty and massive tower, projecting

from one of the angles. The centre, or inner quadrangle, is about half

the height of the tower, and has, at its three remaining angles, and at

the centre of each front, an elegant circular turret. This portion of

the edifice formed a commodious and handsome residence. It was divided

into two stories, with vaulted ceilings,--the lower apartments being

probably set apart for the offices of attendants, and places of

confinement for prisoners: in the centre of the upper story was a

diminutive open court, supported by the vaults of the ground-floor, and

into which a series of elegantly proportioned rooms opened on all sides.

Although the greater part of the vaults and interior walls are fallen

in, the rooms are all to be traced, and inscriptions in the old Gothic

letter run round the walls of some of the apartments. A second enclosure

rises to about two-thirds of the elevation of the inner quadrangle, and

is provided with corresponding turrets; but the proportions of these are

more spacious, and their construction and ornament more massive. Beyond

this are the exterior defences rising out of the moat, and very little

above the surrounding ground.

Viewed from without, nothing indicates that this edifice is a ruin. Over

the entrance are the arms of the Counts of Fuensalida. It is supposed by

many that this castle was erected by Garcilaso de la Vega, grandfather

of the "Prince of Spanish poets," as the celebrated bard of Toledo is

entitled. Others maintain its founder to have been Pedro Lopez de

Ayala, first Count of Fuensalida. This latter story is the more probable

one; since, besides its being confirmed by the armorial shield above

mentioned, it has been adopted by Haro in his Nobiliario, a work drawn

up with care and research, in which Garcilaso de la Vega is stated to

have purchased some towns from the family of Ayala,--among others

Cuerva, in the near neighbourhood, but not Guadamur.

The Ayalas were descended from the house of Haro, lords of Biscay.

Several of them had held high offices at the Court of Castile. The

grandfather of the founder of the castle had been High Chancellor of

Castile, and Great Chamberlain of Juan the First; and his father, the

first lord of Fuensalida, was High Steward, and first Alcalde of Toledo.

He lost an eye at the siege of Antequera,--taken from the Moors by

Ferdinand, afterwards King of Aragon, in the year 1410, and thus

acquired the surname of the One-eyed. To him Juan II. first granted the

faculty of converting his possessions into hereditary fiefs: "Because,"

according to one of the clauses of the act, "it was just that the houses

of the grandees should remain entire in their state for the eldest son;

and in order that the eldest sons of the grandees might be maintained in

the estates of their predecessors, that the name and memory of the

grandees of the kingdom might not be lost, and that the hereditary

possessions and houses, and the generations of the sons of grandees

might be preserved."

It was Pedro Lopez de Ayala, son of the one-eyed lord of Fuensalida

created Count by Enrique the Fourth, that built the castle. He was a

great favourite with the king, and his constant companion,

notwithstanding his being afflicted with deafness--a bad defect in a

courtier, and which procured him also a surname. He succeeded his father

in his different dignities. His loyalty did not keep pace with his

obligations to Henry the Fourth; for, being first Alcalde of Toledo, he

made no effort to prevent that town from joining the party of the Prince

Alonzo, who pretended to his brother's crown; but he was recalled to his

allegiance by the devoted exertions of his wife.

This lady was Doña Maria de Silva, a daughter of Alonzo Tenorio de

Silva, Adelantado of Cazorla. On the breaking out of the rebellion of

Toledo, she agreed with her brother Pedro de Silva, Bishop of Badajos,

to send a joint letter to the king, in which they pressed him to come to

Toledo in disguise. Enrique the Fourth approved of the plan; and

arriving in the night, accompanied by a single attendant, was received

by the bishop at his residence in the convent of San Pedro Martir.

Notwithstanding the darkness, he had been recognised by a servant of

Marshal Payo de Ribera, a partisan of Prince Alonzo. This noble,

immediately on learning the king's arrival, joined with the Alcalde, who

had not been let into the secret by his wife, and called the citizens to

arms by sounding the great bell of the cathedral. A crowd was speedily

assembled at the king's lodging, who would have been immediately made

prisoner, but for his attendant Fernando de Ribadenegra, who succeeded,

single handed, in repulsing a party who had forced an entrance.

At this crisis the disloyal magistrate became alarmed, and sent his two

sons, Pedro de Ayala, and Alonzo de Silva, accompanied by Perafande

Ribera, son of the above-mentioned marshal, to entreat the king to quit

the town. Henry consented; and at midnight left the convent, accompanied

by the three youths. He had ridden sixteen leagues that day, and his

horses being exhausted with fatigue, he requested the two sons of Ayala

to lend him theirs. They did so, and accompanied him on foot as far as

the city gates, where he left them, and set off for Madrid.

In order to pacify the people, Pedro Lopez ordered his brother-in-law,

the bishop, to quit the town, and he repaired to the Huerta del Rey, a

country-house in the environs. On arriving at Olias the king sent the

two brothers, in recompense of their good service, a deed of gift of

seventy thousand _maravedis_ of annual revenue.

The grief of Maria de Silva at the failure of her project was such as

almost to deprive her of her reason, and added to the eloquence of her

entreaties to win over her husband to the king's interests. He now,

therefore, exerted himself to gain the principal citizens, and succeeded

so completely, that within three days from the departure of Enrique the

Fourth, he was enabled to recall the Bishop of Badajos to Toledo, and to

banish in his stead the Marshal de Payo and his son, who retired to

their estates. Unanimous was now the cry of "Viva Enrique Quarto, y

Mueren los rebeldes!" and the following day, a Sunday, the king

re-entered Toledo in the midst of the general joy and festivity, and

preceded directly to the residence of the Alcalde, in order to thank his

wife for her loyal efforts. A lodging was there in readiness to receive

him, which he occupied during his stay in Toledo. Pedro Lopez de Ayala

received on the king's return to Madrid the title of Count of his town

of Fuensalida, and shortly afterwards, at Medina del Campo, a grant of

the towns of Casaruvias del monte, Chocas, and Arroyomolinos.

The town and castle of Escalona are situated at eight leagues, or

thirty-two miles, to the east of Toledo. It is one of the towns, about

a dozen in number, the foundation of which is attributed by the Count de

Mora, in his history of Toledo, to the Jews. He fixes the date at about

five centuries before the Christian era, when a large number of

Israelites, to whom Cyrus, king of Babylon, had granted their liberty,

arrived in Spain under the guidance of a Captain Pirrus, and fixed

themselves principally in and around Toledo. He also states that the

synagogue of Toledo--since called Santa Maria la Blanca--was erected by

them. The name given by them to Escalona was Ascalon. The neighbouring

Maqueda was another of their towns, and was called Mazeda. It was

created a duchy by Ferdinand and Isabella in favour of their courtier

Cardenas. I cannot learn the date of the castle of Escalona. Alonzo the

Sixth won the town from the Moors; and it is probable that the castle

was erected, at least in part, by Diego and Domingo Alvarez, two

brothers, to whom he granted the place. After their death it reverted to

the crown of Castile, and continued to be royal property until Juan II.

gave it to his favourite Don Alvaro de Luna.

This grandee was known to have amassed great treasures in the castle;

and on the confiscation of his possessions at the period of his final

disgrace, the king marched an army to take possession of the fortress;

but the countess held out successfully, and obliged the royal troops to

raise the siege. On a second attempt, made after Don Alvaro's execution,

his widow considered she had no further object in maintaining it, and

lost no time in coming to terms. The conditions of the surrender were,

that the treasure should be divided into three equal parts, one for the

king, another for herself, and the third for her son. The son was

likewise allowed to inherit the castle, and by the marriage of his

daughter, it came into the possession of the Marquis of Villena, D.

Lopez Pacheco, created Duke of Escalona by Henry the Fourth. The family

of Fellez Giron, proprietors of Montalban, were descendants of this

duke. At present the castle of Escalona belongs to the Duke of Ossuna.

It is not only the most considerable of the numerous ruins disposed over

the territory of Toledo, but one of the most interesting historical

relics of Spain, having filled an important place in the annals of

several of the most stirring periods. The unfortunate Blanche, Queen of

Pedro the Cruel, was its inmate during several years; as also her rival,

Maria de Padilla, at a subsequent period.

The best excursion from Toledo in point of architectural interest, is

that to Torijos, a small town situated rather to the left of the direct

road to Escalona, and five leagues distant. Immediately before arriving

there, the castle of Barciense is met with, situated on an eminence

which commands an admirable view, extending south and west to a

semi-circle of mountains, composed of the Sierra del Duque, and the

chain called the mountains of Toledo, and for a foreground looking down

on a perfect forest of olive-grounds, surrounding the town of Torijos,

two miles distant. The ruin of Barciense consists of a lofty square

tower, and the outer walls of a quadrangle. There is nothing worth

notice, with the exception of a bas-relief, which occupies all the upper

half of the tower on the east side. It consists of a solitary lion

rampant; probably the largest crest ever emblazoned. The Dukes of

Infantado were proprietors of this castle.

The little town of Torijos contains a Gothic, or rather semi-Moorish

palace, two Gothic churches, an ancient picturesque gateway, and the

ruins of a magnificent monastery. It is one of those towns here and

there met with on the Continent, which, at a favourable crisis of the

arts, have fallen to the proprietorship of one of those individuals

idolised by architects--men whose overplus of fortune is placed at the

disposal of their eyes, and employed in ministering to the gratification

of those organs. The greater part of the decoration of Torijos dates

from the reign of Ferdinand the Catholic, when it belonged to D.

Gutiere de Cardenas, father of the first duke of Maqueda. The following

story is related respecting the founding of the monastery by his wife

Teresa Enriquez.

This lady resided, when at Toledo, in a mansion, the ruins of which

still exist, on the opposite side of the street to the monastery of San

Juan de los Reyes, of which I sent you a description in a former letter.

Being warmly attached to religious observances, (for she went by the

name of Teresa la Santa,) and animated with an enthusiastic fervour

towards everything which appertained to the splendid establishment in

front of her residence, she had discovered a position, from which a view

could be obtained, overlooking the principal scene of the religious

ceremonies of the Franciscans. She there caused a window to be

constructed, splendidly ornamented in the Arab style, and kneeling on a

rich _prie-dieu_, she united her daily devotions with those of the

_frailes_.

No small sensation was caused by this proceeding, most perceptible

probably within the monastery, on the discovery being made by the

brethren of the addition to their holy fraternity. The cardinal became

alarmed, and intimated to Doña Teresa that the window was

ill-placed,--that it admitted too much light in a wrong direction; that,

in short, it must disappear. The veto of the all-powerful Ximenes de

Cisneros, already regarded as the dispenser of the royal frowns and

favours, could not be resisted. The window was blocked up; but the

interference was replied to in terms pointed with pious pique and holy

revenge. The lady declared verbally to the prelate that she had no need

of his convent, for she would found a more splendid one at Torijos. This

threat, immediately put in execution, produced the building I mentioned

above, the ruin of which is all that now remains.

Of the inhabited portions the external walls alone remain. The cloister

is almost entire, and the church has only lost its roof. The rich

tracery surrounding the doorways, and the sculpture in all parts of the

interior, consisting chiefly of repetitions of the founder's armorial

bearings--in imitation or satire of the profusion of similar ornament in

San Juan de los Reyes--are entire, and appear as though they had been

recently executed. The church is designed after the plan of San Juan,

but the style of its ornament is much more elegant. The cloister is,

however, very inferior to that of Toledo, and the whole establishment on

a smaller scale.

Every traveller in search of the picturesque knows in how great a degree

his satisfaction has been increased whenever the meeting with a scene

deserving of his admiration assumes the nature of a discovery. For this

reason, the chapters of tourists should never be perused before a

journey--independently of their possessing more interest subsequently to

an acquaintance having been made with the country described. Strictly

speaking written tours are intended for those who stay at home.

But the most favourable first view of a highly admirable building or

landscape, is the one you obtain after the perusal of tours and

descriptions of the country, in none of which any notice is taken of

that particular object or scene. The village of Torijos is approached

under these advantageous circumstances. Every step is a surprise, owing

partly to the above cause, and partly to one's being inured to the

almost universal dreariness and ugliness of the villages and small towns

of this part of Spain. The appearance under these circumstances of a

beautiful Gothic cross and fountain, of an original and uncommon design,

outside the walls of the place, and the open tracery of the tall windows

of the ruined monastery at the other side of a green meadow, creates an

agreeable surprise, and adds considerably to the pleasure which would be

derived from the same objects, had expectation been already feeding on

their beauties. Imagine, then, the discovery, after leaving behind these

monuments, (sufficient for the immortality of a score of Castilian

villages,) of the façade of the principal church, consisting of one of

the richest and most exquisite specimens of Gothic decoration in Spain;

and, a street further on, of a second ornamental portal of a different

sort, but Gothic likewise, giving access to a half Arab palace.

The Count of Altamira is the proprietor of this place, but neither he

nor any of his family have inhabited the edifice for several years, and

it is allowed to go to decay. Some of the _artesonado_ ceilings, more

especially that of the chapel in form of a cupola, admit the light

through the joinings of the gilded woodwork. A large hall on the

first-floor, which formed the anteroom to a suite of inner apartments,

decorated in the Arab style, has been taken possession of by the _haute

volée_ of Torijos for their public ball-room. A tribune for musicians is

placed against one of the end walls, and adorned with paper festoons. A

placard, inscribed with the word _galop_, was visible in front of the

seat of the leader of the band, indicating that the Torijos balls

terminate with that lively dance. There was no furniture in that nor any

other part of the house, with the exception of an _entresol_ inhabited

by the count's steward. This person no sooner learned that I was an

Englishman, than he commenced setting in the best possible light the

advantages the premises possessed for the establishment of every sort of

manufactory.

It appears the proprietor is anxious to dispose of the building; and as

all the English pass here for manufacturers, owing to the principal

articles of common use, introduced by smugglers, being English, the

worthy factotum had instantly made up his mind that I was the purchaser

sent by Providence to take the old edifice off his master's hands. He is

evidently either promised a bonus on the success of his efforts to sell,

or he wished to pass with the property; for his idea produced a degree

of zeal most useful towards the satisfaction of my curiosity, and

without which his patience would have been exhausted before I had

completed the view of the building. One peculiarity of the rooms

consists in the ceilings--that is, the ornamental ones--being nearly all

either domes, or interiors of truncated pyramids. There is only one

flat. It is ornamented with the shell of the arms of the Cardenas

family--each of the hundreds of little square compartments having one in

its centre. The staircase is adorned with beautiful Gothic tracery.

LETTER XIV.

VALLADOLID. SAN PABLO. COLLEGE OF SAN GREGORIO. ROUTE BY SARAGOZA.

Tolosa.

I should have sent you an account of my excursion to Valladolid at the

time it took place, but was prevented by the shortness of my stay and

the hurry of my departure from Madrid, which immediately followed. I

preserved, however, memoranda of the limited explorations which were to

be made during a flying visit of three days, and will now give you the

benefit of them, such as they are; as also of my experience of the

public travelling in that direction. You will recommend your friends,

who may visit this land of adventure, and are careful at the same time

of their personal comforts, to wait the introduction of railroads,

before attempting this excursion, when you hear that I met with three

upsets in one night, and was afforded, in all, nearly five hours'

leisure for contemplating the effect of moonlight upon the sleeping

mules and an upside-down carriage!

The town of Valladolid contains monuments of much interest, although

none of great antiquity. The greater number date from the sixteenth and

seventeenth centuries, and form a chain, illustrative of the progress of

architecture in this country, subsequently to the abandonment of the

Gothic style. This style is, however, worthily represented by two

edifices, placed in juxtaposition, and ornamented each with a façade of

extraordinary richness. I will content myself with the endeavour to give

you some idea of these two buildings, which, although belonging to a

style so common in England and France, are totally unlike all the Gothic

specimens I am acquainted with in those countries.

[Illustration: FAÇADE OF SAN PABLO.]

The largest of the two is the monastery of San Pablo. It was a

foundation of much magnificence, and the building has sustained very

little injury, owing to its having, immediately on the expulsion of the

monks, been applied to other uses, instead of being deserted and left to

decay. It is now a Presidio, or central prison for condemned

malefactors. The cloister is a superb quadrangle, of the pointed style

of the end of the fourteenth century, and is the usual resort of the

prisoners, who are grouped so thickly over its pavement, that it is with

difficulty one passes between them, without adding to the clanking of

chains as their wearers change their posture to make way. The façade of

the church is enclosed between two small octagon towers without

ornament, like a picture in a frame. Within these all is sculpture. The

door-way is formed of a triple concentric arch, flanked by rows of

statues, all of which are enclosed within another arch, which extends

across the whole width, from tower to tower. Over this there is a

circular window, surrounded with armorial escutcheons, and the remainder

of the façade is covered with groups of figures in compartments, up to

the summit, a height of about a hundred and thirty feet, where there is

a pediment ornamented with an immense armorial shield and lions rampant

as supporters, and the whole is surmounted by a cross.

The church was erected by the celebrated Torquemada, who was a monk in

the establishment. Doña Maria, Queen of Sancho the Fourth, although

mentioned as the founder of the monastery, only completed a small

portion of the edifice compared to what was subsequently added. A

handsome tomb by Pompeyo Leoni, is seen in the church. It is that of Don

Francisco de Sandoval, Duke of Lerma, and his wife. The woodwork of the

stalls is by Ferrara. It is adorned with fluted Doric columns, and is

composed of walnut, ebony, box and cedar. The superb façade of this

church and its sumptuous tracery, had well nigh been the cause of a

misunderstanding between the representative of the Spanish Government

and myself. To obtain admission to the interior of the building, which I

was told had become national property, I addressed my humble request in

writing to the _gefe politico_, or governor of the province, resident at

Valladolid. I left the note at his official residence, and was

requested to return at an hour appointed, when I was to obtain an

audience. The functions of a _gefe politico_ answer to those of no

provincial functionary in England, or any other constitutional state--he

has more authority even than a Préfet in France. He represents the

monarchical power, with this difference, that he is uncontrolled by

parliament within the limits of his province. Although not charged with

the military administration, he can direct and dispose of the armed

force; besides being a sort of local home minister and police

magistrate; in fact, the factotum or _âme damnée_ of the Cromwell of the

moment, with whom he is in direct and constant communication on the

affairs of his district.

I was at Valladolid during the regency of Espartero, when the cue given

to these functionaries, relative to the _surveillance_ of foreigners was

very anti-French, and favourable to England. Now in the eyes of a

_gens-d'armes_ every one is a thief until he can bring proof to the

contrary, just as by the jurisprudence of certain continental countries,

every accused is presumed criminal--just as every one who comes to a Jew

is presumed by him to have old clothes to sell, or money to borrow.

Thus, owing to the nature of the duties of the Governor of Valladolid,

every foreigner who met his eye, was a Frenchman, and an _intrigant_,

until he should prove the reverse.

Not being aware of this at the time, I had drawn up my petition in

French. On my return for the answer, my reception was any thing but

encouraging. The excessive politeness of the Spaniard was totally lost

sight of, and I perceived a moody-looking, motionless official, seated

at a desk, with his hat resting on his eyebrows, and apparently studying

a newspaper. I stood in the middle of the room for two or three minutes

unnoticed; after which, deigning to lift his head, the personage

inquired in a gruff tone, why I did not open my cloak. I was not as yet

acquainted with the Spanish custom of drawing the end of the cloak from

off the left shoulder, on entering a room. I therefore only half

understood the question, and, being determined, at whatever price, to

see San Pablo, I took off my cloak, laid it on a chair, and returned to

face the official. "I took the liberty of requesting your permission to

view the ancient monastery of San Pablo."--"And, pray, what is your

reason for wishing to see San Pablo?"--"Curiosity."--"Oh, that is all,

is it!"--"I own likewise, that, had I found that the interior

corresponded, in point of architectural merit, with the façade, I might

have presumed to wish to sketch it, and carry away the drawing in my

portmanteau."--"Oh, no doubt--very great merit. You are a

Frenchman?"--"I beg your pardon, only an Englishman."--"You! an

Englishman!!" No answer. "And pray, from what part of England do you

come?" I declined the county, parish, and house.

These English expressions, which I had expected would come upon his ear,

with the same familiarity as if they had been Ethiopian or Chinese,

produced a sudden revolution in my favour. The Solomon became

immediately sensible of the extreme tact he had been displaying.

Addressing me in perfect English, he proceeded to throw the blame of my

brutal reception on the unfortunate state of his country. "All the

French," he said, "who come here, come with the intention of intriguing

and doing us harm. You wrote to me in French, and that was the cause of

my error. The monastery is now a prison; I will give you an order to

view it, but you will not find it an agreeable scene, it is full of

criminals in chains." And he proceeded to prepare the order.

Not having recovered the compliment of being taken for a conspirator;

nor admiring the civilisation of the governor of a province, who

supposed that all the thirty-four millions of French, must be

_intrigants_, I received his civilities in silence, took the order, and

my departure. The most curious part of the affair was, that I had no

passport at the time, having lost it on the road. Had my suspicious

interrogator ascertained this before making the discovery that I was

English, I should inevitably have been treated to more of San Pablo than

I desired, or than would have been required for drawing it in detail.

The adjoining building is smaller, and with less pretension to

magnificence is filled with details far more elaborate and curious. The

Gothic architecture, like the Greek, assumed as a base and principle of

decoration the imitation of the supposed primitive abodes of rudest

invention. The Greek version of the idea is characterised by all the

grace and finished elegance peculiar to its inventors; while the same

principle in the hands of the framers of Gothic architecture, gave birth

to a style less pure and less refined; but bolder, more true to its

origin, and capable of more varied application. In both cases may be

traced the imitation of the trunks of trees; but it is only in the

Gothic style that the branches are added, and that instances are found

of the representation of the knots and the bark. In this architecture,

the caverns of the interior of mountains are evidently intended by the

deep, multiplied, and diminishing arches, which form the entrances of

cathedrals; and the rugged exterior of the rocky mass, which might

enclose such a primæval abode, is imaged in the uneven and pinnacled

walls.

[Illustration: FAÇADE OF SAN GREGORIO, VALLADOLID.]

The façade of the college of San Gregorio, adjoining San Pablo,

furnishes an example of the Gothic decoration brought back to its

starting point. The tree is here in its state of nature; and contributes

its trunk, branches, leaves, and its handfuls of twigs bound together. A

grove is represented, composed of strippling stems, the branches of some

of which, united and bound together, curve over, and form a broad arch,

which encloses the door-way. At each side is a row of hairy savages,

each holding in one hand a club resting on the ground, and in the other

an armorial shield. The intervals of the sculpture are covered with

tracery, representing entwined twigs, like basket-work. Over the door is

a stone fourteen feet long by three in height, covered with

_fleurs-de-lis_ on a ground of wicker-work, producing the effect of

muslin. Immediately over the arch is a large flower-pot, in which is

planted a pomegranate tree. Its branches spread on either side and bear

fruit, besides a quantity of little Cupids, which cling to them in all

directions. In the upper part they enclose a large armorial escutcheon,

with lions for supporters. The arms are those of the founder of the

college, Alonzo de Burgos, Bishop of Palencia. On either side of this

design, and separated respectively by steins of slight trees, are

compartments containing armed warriors in niches, and armorial shields.

All the ornaments I have enumerated cover the façade up to its summit,

along which project entwined branches and sticks, represented as broken

off at different lengths.

[Illustration: COURT OF SAN GREGORIO. VALLADOLID.]

The court of this edifice is as elaborately ornamented as the façade,

but it was executed at a much later period, and belongs to the

renaissance. The pillars are extremely elegant and uncommon. The doorway

of the library is well worthy of notice; also that of the refectory.

The college of San Gregorio was, in its day, the most distinguished in

Spain. Such was the reputation it had acquired, that the being announced

as having studied there was a sufficient certificate for the proficiency

of a professor in science and erudition. It is still a college, but no

longer enjoys the same exclusive renown. In the centre of the chapel is

the tomb of the founder, covered with excellent sculpture, representing

the four virtues, and the figures of three saints and the Virgin. It is

surrounded by a balustrade ornamented with elaborate carving. Berruguete

is supposed to have been the sculptor, but in the uncertainty which

exists on the subject, it would not be difficult to make a better guess,

as it is very superior to all the works I have seen attributed to that

artist. At the foot of the statue of the bishop is the following short

inscription, "Operibus credite." To this prelate was due the façade of

San Pablo; he was a Dominican monk at Burgos, where he founded several

public works. He became confessor, chief chaplain, and preacher to

Isabel the Catholic: afterwards Bishop of Cordova; and was ultimately

translated to the see of Palencia. He received the sobriquet of Fray

Mortero, as some say from the form of his face, added to the

unpopularity which he shared with the two other favorites of Ferdinand

and Isabella,--the Duke of Maqueda, and Cardinal Ximenes, with whom he

figured in a popular triplet which at that period circulated throughout

Spain,

Cardenas, el Cardenal,

Con el padre Fray Mortero,

Fraen el reyno al retortero.

which may be freely translated thus:

What with his Grace the Cardinal,

With Cardenas, and Father Mortar,--

Spain calls aloud for quarter! quarter!

The concise inscription seen on the tomb, was probably meant as an

answer to this satire, and to the injurious opinion generally received

respecting his character.

I returned from Toledo by way of Madrid and Saragoza. The diligence

track from Toledo to Madrid was in a worse state than at the time of my

arrival: a circumstance by no means surprising, since what with the wear

and tear of carts and carriages, aided by that of the elements, and

unopposed by human labour, it must deteriorate gradually until it

becomes impassable. Since my last visit to the Museo the equestrian

portrait of Charles the Fifth by Titian has been restored. It was in so

degraded a condition that the lower half, containing the foreground and

the horses' legs, presented scarcely a distinguishable object. It has

been handled with care and talent, and, in its present position in the

centre of the gallery, it now disputes the palm with the Spasimo, and is

worth the journey to Madrid, were there nothing else to be seen there. I

paid another visit to the Saint Elizabeth in the Academy, and to the

Museum of Natural History, contained in the upper floor of the same

building. This gallery boasts the possession of an unique curiosity; the

entire skeleton of a Megatherion strides over the well-furnished tables

of one of the largest rooms. I believe an idea of this gigantic animal

can nowhere else be formed. The head must have measured about the

dimensions of an elephant's body.

From Castile into Aragon the descent is continual, and the difference of

climate is easily perceptible. Vineyards here climb the mountains, and

the plains abound with olive-grounds, which are literally forests, and

in which the plants attain to the growth of those of Andalucia. In

corresponding proportion to the improving country, complaints are heard

of its population. Murders and robberies form the subject of

conversations; and certain towns are selected as more especially

_mal-composées_, for the headquarters of strong bodies of _guardia

civile_; without which precaution travelling would here be attended with

no small peril. This state of things is attributed partly to the

disorganising effects of the recent civil war, which raged with

peculiar violence in this province. The same causes have operated less

strongly in the adjoining Basque provinces, from their having to act on

a population of a different character,--colder, more industrious, and

more pacifically disposed, and without the desperate sternness and

vindictive temper of the Aragonese.

The inhabitants of this province differ in costume and appearance from

the rest of the Spaniards. Immediately on setting foot on the Aragonese

territory, you are struck by the view of some peasant at the road-side:

his black broad-brimmed hat,--waistcoat, breeches, and stockings all of

the same hue, varied only by the broad _faja_, or sash of purple, make

his tall erect figure almost pass for that of a Presbyterian clergyman,

cultivating his Highland garden. The natives of Aragon have not the

vivacity and polished talkativeness of the Andalucian and other

Spaniards; they are reserved, slow, and less prompt to engage in

conversation, and often abrupt and blunt in their replies. These

qualities are not, however, carried so far as to silence the continual

chatter of the interior of a Spanish diligence. Spanish travelling opens

the sluices of communicativeness even of an Aragonese, as it would those

of the denizens of a first class vehicle of a Great Western train, were

they exposed during a short time to its vicissitudes.

However philosophers may explain the phenomenon, it is certain that the

talkativeness of travellers augments in an inverse ratio to their

comforts. The Spaniards complain of the silence of a French diligence;

while, to a Frenchman, the occupants of the luxurious corners of an

English railroad conveyance, must appear to be afflicted with dumbness.

Saragoza is one of the least attractive of Spanish towns. Its situation

is as flat and uninteresting as its streets are ugly and monotonous. The

ancient palace of the sovereigns of Aragon is now the Ayuntamiento. It

would form, in the present day, but a sorry residence for a private

individual, although it presents externally a massive and imposing

aspect. Its interior is almost entirely sacrificed to an immense hall,

called now the Lonja. It is a Gothic room, containing two rows of

pillars, supporting a groined ceiling. It is used for numerous

assemblies, elections, and sometimes for the carnival balls. The ancient

Cathedral of La Seu is a gothic edifice, of great beauty internally; but

the natives are still prouder of the more modern church called Nuestra

Señora del Pilar,--an immense building in the Italian style, erected for

the accommodation of a statue of the Virgin found on the spot, standing

on a pillar. This image is the object of peculiar veneration.

After leaving Saragoza you are soon in the Basque provinces. The first

considerable town is Tudela in Navarre; and here we were strongly

impressed with the unbusinesslike nature of the Spaniard. This people,

thoroughly good-natured and indefatigable in rendering a service, when

the necessity arises for application to occupations of daily routine

appear to exercise less intelligence than some other nations. It is

probably owing to this cause that at Madrid the anterooms of the Foreign

Office, situated in the palace, are, at four in the afternoon, the scene

of much novelty and animation. In a town measuring no more than a mile

and a half in each direction, the inexperienced stranger usually puts

off to the last day of his stay the business of procuring his passport,

and he is taken by surprise on finding it to be the most busy day of

all. Little did he expect that the four or five _visas_ will not be

obtained in less than forty-eight hours: and he pays for his place in

the diligence or mail (always paid in advance) several days before. It

is consequently worth while to attend in person at the Secretary of

State's office, in search of one's passport, in order to witness the

scene.

The hour for the delivery of these inevitable documents, coincides with

the shutting up for the day of all the embassies: so that those which

require the subsequent _visa_ of an ambassador, have to wait twenty-four

hours. Hence the victims of official indifference, finding themselves

disappointed of their departure, and minus the value of a place in the

mail, give vent to their dissatisfaction in a variety of languages,

forming a singular contrast to the phlegmatic and _impassible_ porters

and ushers, accustomed to the daily repetition of similar scenes. Some,

rendered unjust by adversity, loudly accuse the government of complicity

with the hotel-keepers. I saw a Frenchman whose case was cruel. His

passport had been prepared at his embassy, and as he was only going to

France, there were no more formalities necessary, but the visa of the

police, and that of the foreign office. All was done but the last, and

he was directed to call at four o'clock. His place was retained in that

evening's mail, and being a mercantile traveller, both time and cash

were of importance to him. On applying at the appointed hour, his

passport was returned to him without the _visa_, because the French

Secretary had, in a fit of absence, written Cadiz, instead of

Bordeaux--he was to wait a day to get the mistake rectified.

These inconveniences were surpassed by that to which the passengers of

our diligence were subjected at Tudela. Imagine yourself ensconced in a

corner of the Exeter mail (when it existed) and on arriving at Taunton,

or any intermediate town, being informed that an unforeseen circumstance

rendered it necessary to remain there twenty-four hours, instead of

proceeding in the usual manner. On this announcement being made at

Tudela, I inquired what had happened, and learned that a diligence,

which usually met ours, and the mules of which were to take us on, was

detained a day at Tolosa, a hundred miles off. Rather than send a boy to

the next stage to bring the team of mules, which had nothing to do, a

dozen travellers had to wait until the better fortunes of the previous

vehicle should restore it to its natural course.

As if this contretems was not sufficient, we were subjected to the most

galling species of tyranny, weighing on the dearest of human privileges,

I mean that which the proprietor of a shilling,--zwanziger, franc, or

pezeta,--feels that he possesses of demanding to be fed. We had left

Saragoza at nine in the morning, and had arrived without stoppages at

six. A plentiful dinner, smoking on the table of the _comedor_, might

have produced a temporary forgetfulness of our sorrows: but no

entreaties could prevail on the hostess to lay the table-cloth. It was

usual for the joint supper of the two coaches to take place at nine, and

not an instant sooner should we eat. Weighed down by this complication

of miseries, we sat, a disconsolate party, round the _brasero_, until at

about eight our spirits began to rise at the sight of a table-cloth; and

during half an hour, the occasional entrance of a waiting woman, with

the different articles for the table, kept our hopes buoyed up, and our

heads in motion towards the door, each time it opened to give entrance,

now to a vinegar cruet, now to a salt-cellar.

At length an angelic figure actually bore in a large dish containing a

quantity of vegetables, occasioning a cry of joy to re-echo through our

end of the room. She placed it on a side-board and retired. Again the

door opened, when to our utter dismay, another apparition moved towards

the dish, took it up and carried it away; shutting the door carefully

behind her. This was the best thing that could have occurred; since it

produced a sudden outburst of mirth, which accompanied us to the table,

now speedily adorned with the materials of a plentiful repast.

The next town to Tudela, is the gay and elegant little fortress of

Pamplona, from which place an easy day's journey, through a tract of

superb mountain scenery, brings you to Tolosa, the last resting-place on

the Spanish side.

The Picturesque Antiquities of Spain Described in a series of letters, with illustrations representing Moorish palaces, cathedrals, and other monuments of art, contained in the cities of Burgos, Valladolid, Toledo, and Seville. · 第 4 / 6 章

It was against the perpetrators of this outrage that the Cid pleaded for