mmmM'^rmy.:m-y:': 
 
 
:^ix 
 
 ipisdpuias\-esi-vnati^ 
 
 (i|arnell Untoerattg ffiibrarg 
 
 3tt|ats. Nrw ^orb 
 
 H t;tte l^iBtorical ffiibrarji 
 
 THE GIFT OF PRESIDENT WHITE 
 
 MAINTAINED BY THE UNIVERSITY IN ACCORD- 
 ANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS 
 OF THE GIFT 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSITY .LIBRAHV 
 
 3 1924 088 646 454 
 
 All books are subject to recall after two weeks 
 Olin/Kroch Library 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 jfM M 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 nr^'^ 
 
 rTwr-' 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ,. iTi 
 
 
 
 
 rtt'*^ 
 
 gf»»«w!Br** 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S.A. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924088646454 
 
SPAIN. 
 
SPAIN 
 
 BY 
 
 THE BARON CH. DAVILLIER 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 GUSTAVE DORE 
 
 TRANSLATED BY J. THOMSON, F.R.G.S. 
 
 LONDON « 
 
 BICKERS & SON, i LEICESTER SQUARE 
 
 1881 
 
DP 
 
 v-v 
 
 Jl - zv<?^ 
 
DEFILE OF DESPEifArEREOS IN THE SIERRA JIORENA ipa(/e 358). 
 
 ■Frontispiece, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER T. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 From Perpignan to Figueras— The night watchman— The irrigation wheel— From Gerona to Barcelona — The 
 capital of Catalonia — The churches — The beggars— A Spanish cemetery — The Eambla — The ancient prisons 
 of the Inquisition — The convent of Monserrat — -Tarragona — Spanish brigands — Tlie diligence — ^The galera, 
 and other vehicles — The mayoral, the zagal, and the delamtero — Reus and Poblet — Tortosa — Vinaroz and the 
 Due de Vend6me — The algarrohos — Benicarlo, how the wine of Bordeaux was made a century ago — Ancient 
 Saguntum — ^Murviedro and its theatre ... .... ... . i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Valencia del Cid — Agricultural labours — Valencian costume — The Llotja de seda—Tl'aQ Sew and the Micalet — 
 The Guadalaviar and aqueducts — Tribunal of the waters — The singers of the oraciones — The handarria and 
 the cUara — Valencia, the birthplace of printing in Spain — The Gallede la PZaferw —Ancient delf Hispano- 
 Moresques — Manises — The Valencian tartana . . 22 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Antiquity of bull-fighting — Royal toreros— K feast on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid— Costillares — Romero — Pepe 
 Illo and his book — The ganaderias — The herradura — The novillos — The vaqueros and the cahestros — The 
 midnight journey of the bulls— The Plaza de foros— Bills and programmes of the corridas— The toreros . . 38 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A bull-fight at Valencia— Aspect of the arena — The despejo — The defile of the Cuadrilla — The alguaciles—The 
 espadas— The banderilleros — The chulos — The picadores — The release of the bull — The suerfes and the cogidas 
 — The picador Calderon is wounded — An obstacle — The Gordito — The Tato — The sword and the muleta — 
 The estocada a, volapi^ — A shower of somhreros^Vhe cachetero~The tiros of mules — The banderillas de fuego 
 — The sobresaliemte — The suertes de capa — The Gordito and his chair — A banderillero in danger — The bull- 
 vaulter .... 46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Albufera — Shooting and fishing — The sportsmen — Alcira — Carcagente — The oranges of the kingdom of 
 Valencia — The Mierta of Gandia — Aloes and their uses — The papel de hilo — The f§te of St. George — Combat 
 between Moors and Spaniards — Jativa — Almanza — The pyramid — -Albacete, the Sheffield of Spain — N'avajas, 
 cuchillos, eeaipunales — The poniard in the garter — From Albacete to Alicante — ^ViUena— Alicante — Elche and 
 its forest of palms— The dates and palms . 65 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Orihuela — Extraordinary fertility — The Segura — Murcia — Popular costumes— The fete of Corpus — Cartagena — 
 From Murcia to Granada — The galera atartanada — Totana — The gipsies — Lorca — CuUar de Baza — A 
 
 population of cave-dwellers — Baza — The Inn of Gor— Guadiz — Arrival at Granada 57 
 
 h 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Granada-The Casa de ^»pifos-Musicians and their music-Origin of Granada, the ancient Karnattah- 
 Phoenicians, Komans, Goths, and Arabs-Grandeur and decadence of the Moorish capital-lhe 6a«e de 
 loB Gomeres-1h^ Puerta de las Granadas-.The hill of the Alhambra-The Gate of Judgment-The hand 
 and the key-The Flaza de los Algibes-The Puerta del Fmo -The palace of Charles V.-The Adarves-The 
 vases of the Alhambra-The foundation of the Alhambra-The governments and their devastat.ons-ihe 
 Gohernador Manco .... ■ ■ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 113 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The tower de los Siete ^wZos-The ghosts of the Alhambra-Tho headless horse and the hairy phantom-The 
 Alcazaha-'Y\iB Torre del Homenage and that of the FeZa-The bell and the young spinsters-The fall of 
 Granada-The palace of the Alhambra-The Patio de los Arrayanes-Hhs Patio and the Taza de los Leones ; 
 the blood-stains— The Abencerrages and the Zegris— Massacre in the Court of the Lions— The Hall of the 
 Abencerrages— The Sala de las Bos Hermanas-ThB Hall of Ambassadors-The azidejos— The beautiful 
 Galiana— The Tocador de la Peina— The garden and balcony of Liiidaraja— The Sala de, Secretos and that of 
 the nymphs— The baths of the Sultana— The paintings of the Sala del Tribunal i37 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 The Generalife ; the cypresses of the Sultana— The Silla del Mora— The Fuente el Avellano— The Darro— The 
 Zacatin— The Cathedral of Granada— The Capilla real; the tombs of the Catholic sovereigns— The 
 Bibrambla ; more about the Abencerrages and the Zegris ; burning of Arabic books— The Ear arcade and 
 the street of Knives— The Alcaiceria— The Museum— The Cariuia— The church and promenade of las 
 Aiigmtias—The Plaza de Bailen ; Maria Pineda— The Salon— The Genii ; Boabdil and the Catholic sove- 
 reigns—The Moorish baths- Sacro-Monte— The gipsies of Granada— An improvised ball; the Pelra— 
 Excursion to the Sierra Nevada— The neveros— The harrancos and the ventisqueros — The Picacho de Veleta . 164 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 From Granada to Jaen — The Javalcuz and the Pandera — Jaen ; the Santo Rostro — Excursion to the Alpujarra 
 — Alhendin ; el 'Ultimo Suspire del Mora— The Valley of Lecrin — Padul — The Venta de los Mosquitos — 
 Durcal — Atrocities of the Moorish War — Fernando del Valor and Aben-Humeya — Ginez Perez de Hita, 
 soldier and historian — Lanjaron— Ujijar — The Barranco de Poqueria — Abeu Abu — The Sierra de Gador — 
 Tlie Pio Verde — Berja — Almeria ; the Sacro Catino — The Moor Tuzani — Adra and Motril ; tropical vegetation 
 — Salobrena and the goddess Salambo — Almunecar — The cartas dulces and the sugar mills — Velez-Malaga — 
 Garcilaso and the Veja — Malaga — The malaguenas— The Cathedral — Andalucian fencing ; punal and navaja — 
 The javeque, the desjarretazo, the plu7nada, the floreiazo, the corrida, etc. — The molinete, etc. ; lanzar la 
 navaja — Types of Jfa/ag'MeBos ; the cAa?Tare / the arrisTO and the ounce of gold — The harateros . . . 195 
 
 CHAPTEE XL 
 
 Environs of Malaga — Loja — The Peiia de los Enamorados — Archiduna — Tlie Andalucian bandoleros; the Niiios 
 of Ecija ; Jose Maria — Antequera — Ronda : the Rondehas — The contrahandistas and the contraband trade 
 of Andalucia — Gaucin — Gibraltar — San Roque — Aljeciras — Tarifa : the Tarifenas — Vejer and the tardios — 
 Chiclana — Cadiz ; the "improbae Gaditanse" of Martial — Lord Byron and the bulls — The Puerta Santa Maria 
 — Jarez de la Frontera — The Jarezanos — The Plaza — The toro del aguardiente — The vineyards — The wines 
 of Jarez — Arcos de la Frontera — San Lucar de Barrameda ; the manzanilla — Bonanza — The Guadalquivir 
 -An herradero — The novilladas de lugar — San Juan de Alfarache — Arrival at Seville 223 
 
 CHAPTEE XI I. 
 
 The origin of Seville— The calk de las Sierpes— The Sevillians— The Mantilla de fo'm- The Correo— Christian 
 names— The Ayuntamiento— The arms of Seville— Streets in Seville ; the calle de Genoa ; the calle de Mar— 
 The calle de Candidejo and Peter the Cruel— The Feria— The plaza de la Magdalena; the puestos de agua 
 —The Alemeda de Ilercides— The Giralda— The Cathedral— The Alcdzar ; the hanos de Padilla— The Capilla 
 de Azidejos— The Casa de Pilatos— The University— The Museum ; Murillo— The FAbrica de Tahacos ; the 
 cigarreras ... • • . . . . _ ^.^ 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 CHAPTER XI 11. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The feria de Seville — The clialmies and the cJialanerias — The Noche buena — The bunoleras — The majos and majas — 
 The Aiidalucian dialect — The feria de Torrijos : popuhir scenes — A gipsy in liquor — The Roinerias — The Virrjen 
 del ^oao— Sante-Ponce, the ancien* Italica— The religious fetes of Seville ; the Pasos— The Crista del Gran 
 /"ocfer— The Girio Fascual — The Passion-week processions— The brotherhoods— The theatres of Seville — 
 Zarzuelas and saime^es— The Barateros of Seville : Barbers of Seville— Triana and its inhabitants — The potteries 
 of Triana — Gipsies of Triana, their funeral ceremonies and their language . . 278 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Antiquity of Spanish dances — Martial and the puellce gaditance — The crotalia and the eastanuelas — A treatise on 
 the castanets — The tambourine — The pavana of Spain — The paspil, the pasacalle, and the folias — The zara- 
 banda ; opinion of Padre Mariana — The zarabanda at the Courts of Spain and of France — Ancient Arabian 
 dances — The fandango — A Dancing Academy — The boleras robadas, and the jaleo de Jerez — An improvised 
 musician — A baile de candil in the suburb of Triana — The cantadores — The polo — Supper in a gipsy tavern — 
 The caleseras de Cadiz — The cana — The zapateado at the fair of Seville — An old gipsy — The bolero — The 
 national dancers and the ancient Spanish engravings — The seguidillas — The seguidillas manchegas — The Jota 
 Aragonesa — Religious coplas — The Valencianjoto — Dancing at a funeral — The jota of Navarre and Catalonia 
 — Tiie danza prima — The Carmago . . .... . . ... 302 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A bull-fight a la Portugiiesa — Don Joaquin de los Santos ; el Gaballero en Plaza — Jose Bo, el Tigre — The rejoncillos 
 — The Pegadores — The Indians, or Negroes — Maria Rosa Carmona — The Gorrito and his stilts — Repartee of a 
 picador to the actor Maiquez — A torera: Teresa Bolsi — Olive plantations in the- environs of Seville — Spanish 
 olive oil — From Seville to Cordova ; Carmona — Excursion to Ecija — Palma ; the Genii — Arrival at Cordova — 
 Antiquity of the town — Cordova during the Roman epoch — Abdul-Rahman and the Califat of the West — 
 Entering Cordova in olden times by diligence — The Mezquita : the court of the orange-trees — Interior of the 
 Mosque : the Mihr4b ; el zancarron — Riches of the Mosque during the Arab epoch — The choir — Marble pillar 
 sculptured by a Christian captive — Curious tombs — The Puerta del Perdon — Decadence of Cordova . . 338 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The environs of Cordova : the mills of the Guadalquivir — The Palace of Az-Zarah — Luxury of the Califs of Cordova 
 — Serenading in Andaluoia ; the novia and the novio — Pelar la pava, " Plucking the turkey " — Mascar hien-o, 
 " Chewing iron " — Some couplets — Andalucian devotion to the Virgin — Andujar and its alcarrazas — The Sierra 
 Morena and its ermitanos — More about Jose Maria — The Venta de Cdrdenas — Spanish beggars — La Maiicha 
 and its inhabitants — Causes of the misery of the population — Santa Cruz de Mudela and its cutlery — The wine 
 of La Mancha — Ciudad-Real and Valdepenas — Manzanares . . . . . 353 
 
 CHAPTER XVI I. 
 
 The Campo de Montiel — Peter the Cruel and Henry of Trastamare — The Venta of Quesada — The windmills of La 
 Mancha — Souvenirs of Don Quixote and of Sancho — Toboso — Tembleque — Estremadura and its inhabitants — 
 Deserts and pasturages — Tlie convent of Guadalupe — Trujillo — Merida and its ancient monuments — Badajoz — 
 Spanish inns : fonda, parador,posada, meson, venta, etc. — Picturesque names — Accounts of ancient travellers — 
 Why the inns are so miserable — Montanchez — Flocks of sheep and the Mesta — The merinos — Organisation of 
 nomadic flocks — Shepherds and dogs — Caceres — The b&caros of Estremadura — Bridge of Alconetar — Bridge of 
 Alcantara — Plasencia — The retreat of Charles V. : why named Yuste and not Saint Just — Talavera de la 
 Reina, anciently famed for its /ai'eraccs .... . . . . . 356 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Antiquity of Toledo ; the city under the Romans, the Visigoths, and the Arabs — The Cathedral — Wealth of the 
 ancient clergy — The Zocodover — The Alcdzar — Ancient synagogues : Santa Maria la Blanca — The ancient Jews 
 of Spain — Ancient convents of Toledo — Monks — Some proverbs — Saint-Simon and the monks of Toledo — The 
 crowns of Guarrazar — The Fdbrica de Armas — Ancient fame of the blades of Toledo — Their temper — The iron 
 of Spain — Decadence of the arms of Toledo . . • ■ ■ . ■ 38 1 
 
VIU 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 From Toledo to Madrid-Aranjuez : the palace and gardens-Bull and tiger fighting-Arrival at Madrid ; historical 
 notes— The ancient houses ; interior decorations— Some strophes of Madrid ridicule— The climate— The Pa erfa 
 del Sol— Go%i of building materials— The shops and shopkeepers— Notes- on the Spanish press— The news- 
 papers—The petty journals— Satirical papers— Theatrical and sporting sheets— Journals of Barcelona and 
 the provinces — The Kepublican press • .... • 394 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 The Calk de ^fca^o— Academy of San Fernando and the GaUnete de Historia N'atural— The Calle J/ayor— Silver- 
 ware of the ancient Palace of Madrid— Theatres of Madrid— Theatrical success— The Flaza Mayor and its 
 fetes ; the Festas reales ; the Autos de Fd ; the great Acte de Foi of 1680— The bull-fights— Politicians of the 
 Plaza Mayor— The Maragaios— The Escribanos of the Calle Mayor— The prison of Francis I. — The Calle de 
 Toledo— Street merchants— The cries of Madrid— The Kastro— The Fdhrica de Tahacos— The Cigarrera 
 and the Manola — The Frado and the Fuente Castellana — The Buen Retiro ■ ■ ■ ■ 4°^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Museum of Madrid — The foreign schools — The Spanish school — Velazquez : his portraits ; abuse of paint 
 at the court of Philip IV. — Murillo — The churches — The Processions of Madrid : penitents, scourgers, and 
 others — The Brotherhood of Faz y Caridad ; a capital execution — The Palacio Real, and ancient Alcdzar 
 of Madrid — The prison of Francis I. — The Armaria : historical arms ; the casque of Charles V., and that of 
 Francis I. — The Manzanares ; public baths — The environs of Madrid — Sportsmen — The Casa del Campo 
 and the Prado .... .... 417 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Escurial — The vow of Phillip II. — The patio de los Reyes — The Relicario — The Panteon — The Library — 
 Alcala de Heuarfes — The University — The Students — From Madrid to Cuenga — The pine forests — The 
 Cathedral of Cuei) 9a — Segovia . the aqueduct ; the Alcazar and the Cathedral . . -431 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Avila — The Cathedral — An inn — Salamanca : its university — Alba de Tormes — The Charros and Charras — From 
 Salamanca to Zamora — Toro — Medina del Campo — Charles V. at Medina — The Braseros — Valladolid ; the 
 Plaza Mayor — The Museum ; Pompeo Leoni — Berruguete and Gregorio Hernandez — Houses of historic fame 444 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Palencia : the Cathedral — The Cathedral of Leon — Astorga — Some words about Spanish cookery The 
 
 temperance of Spaniards — The olla podrida and the puchero — The chocolate of Astorga ; antiquity of 
 chocolate in Spain— Curious traits— Philip V. and Saint-Simon— Galicia—Villafranca del Fierzo— Lugo— 
 The segadores gallegos—Topul&v songs and sayings about the Galicians— Santiago— Saint James of Com- 
 postelle— The Cathedral— Oviedo— The Asturias— Covadonga— The inscription of the King Silo— The pass 
 of Pajares . 
 
 452 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Burgos— Costumes of the peasants ; the Moute7-a— The Mercado de la Llendre— The Casa del Cordon and the 
 Arco de Santa Maria — The Ayuntamiento ; the bones of the Cid — The Cathedral — A statue of Christ cov 1 
 with human skin ; el Co/re de Cid— The monastery of Las Huelgas and the Cartvja de Miraflores ■ the 
 nuns — San Pedro de Cordova ; the tomb of the Cid — The Cid : did he really exist ?— Miranda de Ebr — TI 
 Ebro — The Calahorra — Tudela .... 
 
 466 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 CHAP TEE XXV I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Aragonese and tlieir costume; the cinta morada; the aZ/jar^ates— Kick — Carinena — Teruel : legend 
 of los Amantes de Teruel — Calatayud : the Moreria — The Castillo del Beloj — Medina-Celi — Siguenza— The 
 popular physicians of Spain : Barberos, sangradores, sacamuelas, curanderos ; and other charlatans — 
 Bleeding the arm and the foot ; satirical couplets on the doctors ; Guadalajara ; the palace of the dukes 
 of the Infantado — Saragossa ; the Torre Nueva (leaning tower) — Our Lady del Pilar — The popular saints ; 
 San Antou and the loaves and ladies ; a saint in a well ; some coplas—San Juan de Dios, San Hoque, etc. . 478 
 
 CHAP TEE XX VI I. 
 
 Sale or the Jewels op oue Lady del Filar. — The Catalogue ; duration of sale ; the adjudication ; principal 
 objects sold. The Goldsmith's Art. — The crowns of gold of Guarrazar — The jewels of the sixteenth century 
 — The art of enamelling in Spain, etc. — Arms and Ieon-Woek. Spanish Ceramic and Glass-ware. — 
 ^2MZe/os— Hispano-Moresque Ware — Arab potteries — Spanish porcelains of Buen Ketiro, Alcora, and Madrid. 
 Wood-carving. — The wood-carving of the sixteenth century — The Arabian ivories — Carvings of the Middle 
 Ages — Decadence of the art. Furniture. Fabrics. — Kichness of the stuffs made by the Arabs of Spain— 
 The silks of Toledo, Valencia, Talavera, etc. — The tapestries of Alcaraz — Kich embroideries of the Cathedrals. 
 Illuminadoees. — Illuminated chronicles, romances, and other writings— Collectors of objects of antiquity — 
 Portrait of a collector — The trade in curiosities in the Peninsula— Counterfeits .... . . 490 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVIII. 
 
 The provincias Vascongadas : Alava, Guipilzcoa, and Vizcaya — Thsfueros — Ancient nobility — The Basque language 
 — Vitoria : the Plaza nueva ; the market — A proverb touching figs — False money and counterfeit coiners — 
 Zumarraga — Mondragon — Gipsies — Vergara — The Carlists ; popular pictures ; la Historia de Cabrera ; Mozen 
 Anton — Tolosa : church of Santa-Maria — Ancient devotion to souls in purgatory — Some anecdotes : Philip IV. 
 and his hundred thousand masses ; the Count of Villa Mediaua and the priest — The mountains — Basque carts ; 
 singular noise produced by their wheels ; some details on the subject — Saint Sebastian — Bilbao — Irun . . 495 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIX. 
 
 The Balearic Islands — Their ancient civilisation ; the Gyrrmesis of the Greeks — Wealth of Majorca during 
 the Middle Ages — The Majolica — Printing introduced in Majorca — Palma : the cathedral — The Llotja — 
 The convent of San Francisco de Asis and Raymond LuUe — Ancient reputation for beauty of the 
 women of Majorca — Cardinal de Ketz at Palma — Ancient dwellings of Palma — The palace of Montenegro ; 
 Mme. Sand — The ancient Jews of Majorca : la Chueteria — Excursion round the island — Valldemosa ; 
 souvenirs of the author of " Indiana " — The peasants and their costume — Deya — Seller and its oranges — The 
 island of Minorca . • .... .512 
 
LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 Defile op DbspeSaperros in the Siehea 
 
 MoRENA Frontis;piece 
 
 Beggars in the Cloister op the Cathedral 
 OF Barcelona ..... 
 
 A Burial at Barcelona 
 
 Prison of the Inquisition at Barcelona 
 
 An Accident 
 
 Working Men op Valencia . 
 
 Market-Gardeners, Valencia 
 
 Young Valencians 
 
 Tribunal of the Waters, Valencia 
 
 Drove op Fighting Bulls : Midnight . 
 
 The Picador Calderon .... 
 
 Arrival of Picadores . 
 
 The Cachetero ..... 
 
 A Banderillbro in Danger . 
 
 A Bull clearing the Barrier 
 
 The Torero's Narrative after a Bull-fight 
 
 The Banks of the Guadalaviar . 
 
 The Lake of Albufera. .... 
 
 Flamingo-shooting on the Lake of Albufera 
 
 F£te of Alcoy 
 
 Orange-trees at Carcagente 
 
 Peasants in the Neighbourhood of Carca- 
 gente ....... 
 
 A Street in Albacete ..... 
 
 Forest of Palms at Elchb .... 
 
 A Gipsy's Toilet at Dibzma .... 
 
 Ladies of Granada listening to Itinerant 
 Dwarf Musicians .... 
 
 Balconies at Granada ..... 
 
 A Family of Beggars at Granada . .122 
 
 General View of the Alhambra . . .126 
 
 Gate of the Torre de las Infantas . . 130 
 The Vase of the Alhambra . . . 134 
 
 The Tower of Comares . . .138 
 
 Patio de los Array anes (Court of Myrtles) 144 
 Gallery of the Patio de los Arrayanes . 148 
 Patio de los Lbones (Court op Lions) . 152 
 The Torres Bermejas and the Generalipe . 156 
 Gate op the Sala de Justicia . . 160 
 
 12 
 16 
 22 
 26 
 30 
 34 
 ■40 
 46 
 5° 
 54 
 58 
 62 
 66 
 70 
 74 
 78 
 82 
 86 
 
 90 
 
 94 
 
 98 
 
 108 
 
 114 
 T18 
 
 The Generalipe 
 
 Banks op the Darro .... 
 Tomb op Ferdinand and Isabella in the 
 
 Cathedral op Granada . 
 The Grottoes op the Gipsies at Sacro- 
 
 Monte ...... 
 
 An Adventure at Sacro-Monte . 
 
 A Gipsy dancing the Zorongo 
 
 Dance op Gipsy Children at Sacro-Monte 
 
 The Puerta de Arenas — Eoutb from Granada 
 
 TO Jaen ...... 
 
 A Relay at Jaen ... 
 
 A Family op Mendicants 
 
 The Barranco of Poqueria in the Alpu- 
 
 JARRAS . 
 
 The Cathedral and Port of Malaga . 
 Charranes and Marineros on the Beach 
 A Baratero exacting the Barato 
 Smugglers of the Serrania de Eonda. 
 The Eock op Gibraltar 
 Cadiz ... ... 
 
 Arcos de la Fronteea .... 
 
 The Herradero on the Banks op the 
 
 Guadalquivir ..... 
 Palacio del Ayuntamiento, Seville 
 The Giralda, Seville .... 
 Puerta del Perdon, Seville Cathedral 
 Interior op Seville Cathedral . 
 Moorish Arches op the Alcazar, Seville 
 La Fabrica de Tabacos, Seville . 
 La Sala de Embajadores, Alcazar, Seville 
 Peasants going to the Fair. 
 A Paso at Seville .... 
 Penitents accompanying a Paso . 
 Gipsies Mourning (Suburb of Triana) . 
 The Fandango at the Theatre San Fernando, 
 
 Seville ...... 
 
 A Dancing Academy, Seville 
 Gipsy dancing the Vito Sbvillano 
 Gipsies dancing in a Court op Seville 
 A Funereal Jota (Province of Alicante) 
 
 PACING 
 PAGE 
 
 164 
 
 168 
 
 172 
 
 176 
 180 
 184 
 188 
 
 192 
 196 
 
 200 
 
 204 
 210 
 216 
 
 218 
 230 
 
 234 
 238 
 
 242 
 246 
 
 250 
 
 254 
 258 
 
 262 
 
 266 
 
 270 
 
 274 
 278 
 286 
 
 290 
 296 
 
 304 
 310 
 
 314 
 
 318 
 
 324 
 
Xll 
 
 LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 Portuguese Corrida at Seville : the Pega- 
 
 DORES .... . . 330 
 
 Teresa Bolsi, Akdalucian Toreka . 334 
 
 Exterior of the Mosque op Cordova . -342 
 Chapel op the Zancarron, Mosque of Cor- 
 dova ... . . 346 
 Interior op the Mosque of Cordova . 350 
 A Sbrbnata at Cordova . . 354 
 Defile of the Despbnaperros, in the Sierra 
 
 Morena . ... 358 
 
 Arrival of the Diligence at the Inn, Santa 
 
 Cruz de Mudbla . . . . -362 
 The Mills op La Mancha . . 366 
 
 The Jars of La Mancha . 370 
 
 EuiNS OF THE ancient ThEATRE OP MlSRIDA . 374 
 
 A Shepherd of Estremadura . . -378 
 
 Interior op Toledo Cathedral . , .382 
 Alcazar op Toledo .... 386 
 
 The Puerta del Sol (Gate op the Sun), 
 
 Toledo . . . .390 
 
 The Queen's Avenue, Aranjuez . . -394 
 
 General View of Madrid . .398 
 Scene prom the " Tio Canititas ' . 406 
 
 The Palacio Eeal op Madrid 
 
 La Fuente del Cisnb (Fountain of the 
 
 Swan), Madrid 
 
 General View op the Escurial . 
 
 Library of the Escurial 
 
 Students serenading ..... 
 
 Segovia : the Alcazar and Cathedral . 
 
 Peasant's Funeral, Old Castile . 
 
 Sahagun, Province of Leon . 
 
 The Poplars of the Country round Leon . 
 
 Native Cart and Chestnut Merchant. 
 
 The Poor db Solemnidad, Burgos 
 
 Old Clothes Market, Burgos 
 
 Gorges of Pancorbo 
 
 Court of the Palace of the Duo de l'In- 
 
 fantado ...... 
 
 The Leaning Tower op Saragossa 
 
 Church op Ocr Lady del Pilar, Saragossa 
 
 Balconies of Vitoria .... 
 
 Market at Vitoria . ._ . . 
 Basque Shepherd, Province of Alava . 
 Basque Dairymaid, San Sbbasxian 
 EocKS OP Aumalluch, Majorca 
 
 FACINO 
 PAGE 
 
 420 
 
 424 
 428 
 
 432 
 436 
 440 
 448 
 
 452 
 456 
 
 460 
 
 466 
 
 470 
 
 474 
 
 478 
 482 
 486 
 496 
 500 
 
 504 
 508 
 516 
 
 OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Noria ...... 
 
 The Col de Pertus; the Cork-trees . 
 
 The Custom-house Officers op Junquera 
 
 Col de Pebtus (Chateau de Bellegabde) 
 
 EuiNS OP the Eoman Theatre op Murviedro 
 
 Passage of a Torrent . 
 
 A Quarrel at the Game op Ball, Valencia 
 
 Valencian Labourers . 
 
 An Old Woman op Valencia 
 
 Valencian Labourer 
 
 Boatmen of the Port of Valencia 
 
 Musicians at the Gate of the Cathedral, 
 
 Valencia 
 A Tartanero . 
 The Espada . 
 Pose of Bandbbillas 
 The Gordito . 
 
 The Triumph op the Espada 
 Play op the Cape 
 Toreros in the Calle Zabagoza 
 Wandering Musicians . 
 Preparation op the Aloes . 
 Peasant op Alcoy . 
 A Sketch at the FSte of Alcoy 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 
 25 
 26 
 
 29 
 30 
 
 33 
 37 
 38 
 
 45 
 46 
 
 58 
 62 
 
 65 
 69 
 
 74 
 77 
 78 
 
 Eh INS of the Castle op Chinchilla 
 The Navaja ...... 
 
 Sketch in Albacete 
 
 Alicante ..... 
 
 Traders of Alicante .... 
 
 Two Ladies. — Sketch made at Alicante 
 
 Binding up the Palm- leaves . 
 
 The Gip,sy's Breakfast .... 
 
 Peasant op Obihuela .... 
 
 Eeapers in the Fields op Muecia 
 Sketch made at Murcia 
 Market-gardeners, Murcia . 
 Peasants op Totana .... 
 
 Aguadorbs op Loeoa .... 
 
 Peasant op the Environs op Granada. 
 
 The Gate op Justice, Alhambra . 
 
 Family of Travelling Musicians . 
 
 Dbspoilers of the Azulejos op the Alhambra 
 
 The Balcony op Lindaraja 
 
 Sketch in the Suburbs op Granada 
 
 The Gipsy Eico . . , _ 
 
 The Panderon in the Sierra Nevada . 
 
 Nevbro op the Sierra Nevada 
 
 View of Lanjaron in the Alpujarras. 
 
 82 
 
 85 
 86 
 
 89 
 
 90 
 
 93 
 94 
 97 
 98 
 
 lOI 
 
 102 
 103 
 104 
 108 
 112 
 
 "3 
 121 
 
 134 
 137 
 164 
 
 183 
 188 
 192 
 
 195 
 
OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 xin 
 
 An Aged Mendicant and his Grandchild . 
 A Duel with the Navaja .... 
 
 Throwing the Navaja 
 
 The Charean of Malaga .... 
 Fencing with the Punal 
 Arranco in the Sierra de Eonda 
 EoMAN Bridge at Eonda .... 
 The young Toreros : a Scene in Eonda 
 Majo and Peasants in the Environs of 
 Jerez ..... 
 
 CiGARRERAS AT WoRK IN THE FaBRICA DE 
 
 Tabacos of Seville .... 
 Inhabitants of the Suburb Macarena, 
 
 Seville 
 
 cigarreras of the tobaoco factory, seville 
 Majos and Majas at THE Fair of Eocio, 
 
 Environs of Seville .... 
 EuiNS op Italica, near Seville . 
 A Box in the Principal Theatre of Seville 
 
 The Bolero 
 
 Andalucian Dancers 
 
 An Andalucian Bolera and her Mother . 
 The Aragonbse Jota 
 
 GUITARRERO AND PoOR DaNCING GiRL . 
 
 Miguel Lopez Gorrito, Mounted on Stilts, 
 Killing a Bull in the Plaza of Seville 
 Andalucian Santbeo .... 
 Cattle Merchant of Cordova 
 Sketch at Valdepenas .... 
 A Youthful Mendicant. — Sketch made at 
 
 THE VeNTA de CarDINAS . 
 
 Ancient Aqueduct at Merida 
 An Unfortunate Day : Despair op a Guitar- 
 RERO ...... 
 
 Idlers on the Bridge of Alicante 
 Bridge of Saint Martin, Toledo . 
 An Arabian Well, Toledo . 
 Interior of San Juan de los Eeyes, Toledo 
 A Door of the Middle Ages, Toledo . 
 A Eelay between Toledo and Madrid 
 Combat between a Bull and a Tiger . 
 Vendor of "Wax Matches 
 
 PAGE 
 209 
 214 
 
 217 
 222 
 223 
 227 
 228 
 
 249 
 
 250 
 
 277 
 
 278 
 285 
 301 
 302 
 
 3°9 
 313 
 322 
 
 327 
 
 328 
 
 339 
 35° 
 353 
 
 365 
 366 
 
 378 
 381 
 385 
 386 
 
 390 
 393 
 394 
 397 
 403 
 
 Peasant in the Environs op Madrid 
 
 A Barber and his Customers 
 
 Peasants in the Neighbourhood of Madrid 
 
 Valencian Waitress .... 
 
 Jar Merchant, Madrid 
 
 EoASTiNG Chestnuts 
 
 Weighing Charcoal .... 
 
 Fountain of the Four Seasons, Madrid 
 
 Interior of the Armeria, Madrid 
 
 Peasant of the Environs of Madrid . 
 
 Shepherdess, Environs op Madrid 
 
 Students de la Tuna .... 
 
 Students Travelling with Muleteers . 
 
 CuENfA ..... 
 
 Pine Forest of Cuenja 
 
 Salamanca : the Town and Eoman Bridge 
 
 Charro of Salamanca . 
 
 Mendicants . ." . . 
 
 Banks of the Carrion, Palencia 
 
 Grajal, near Leon 
 
 Galician, Holiday Costume . 
 
 Interior op a Country Inn . 
 
 The Cid's Coffer, Burgos Cathedral 
 
 Gorges of Pancorbo : the Tunnel 
 
 The Monastery of Las Huelgas, near Burgos 
 
 Olive Plantations near Saragossa 
 
 An Aeagonese Pedlar . 
 
 Buckler, with the Head of Medusa, in the 
 
 Armoury of Madrid 
 HispANO Moresque Vase 
 Mieanda de Ebro . 
 Castilian Shepherd 
 The Sierra de Oca, near Miranda de Ebro 
 Fowl Merchant, Vitoria 
 Gipsy Camp, near Zumareaga 
 
 Basque Peasant 
 
 Village on the Eoad to San Sebastian 
 
 View in Majorca 
 
 Environs of Valldemosa, Majorca 
 Peasant Woman, Majorca . 
 Peasants, Majorca 
 Peasant, Majorca 
 
 PAGE 
 
 4'S 
 406 
 411 
 412 
 413 
 415 
 416 
 417 
 424 
 427 
 428 
 
 431 
 436 
 440 
 
 443 
 444 
 446 
 
 45 1 
 452 
 456 
 464 
 
 465 
 466 
 
 474 
 477 
 478 
 489 
 
 490 
 494 
 495 
 496 
 
 499 
 503 
 504 
 5°7 
 5" 
 512 
 
 515 
 
 519 
 
 520 
 
THE NOHIA. 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 From Perpignan to Figueras — The night watchmen — The irrigation wheel — From Gerona to Barcelona — The capital of 
 Catalonia — The churches — The heggars — A Spanish cemetery — The Eambla — The ancient prisons of the Inquisition — 
 The Convent of Monserrat — Tarragona — Spanish brigands — The diligence — The galera, and other vehicles— The mayoral, 
 the za^al and the delantero—VieviS and Poblet — Tortosa — ^Vinaroz and the Due de Venddme — The algarrohos — Benicarlo, 
 how the wine of Bordeaux was made a century ago— Ancient Sagrintum — Murviedro and its theatre. 
 
 My old friend Dor^ had been talking to me for a long time of his desire to visit Spain. At 
 first it was only a vague project negligently thrown out between the whiflFs of a cigar ; but 
 it soon became a fixed idea, one of those dreams that leave no lest to the mind until they 
 are realised. I never saw him at any time but he put the question, " When shall we set 
 out for Spain ? " 
 
 " My dear friend," I replied, " you forget that twenty times already, if I remember 
 rightly, I have traversed the classic land of the Castanet and bolero." 
 
 "All the more reason," he said ; " seeing that you know Spain so well, there should be 
 no further cause for delay." I own I could raise no objection to his forcible pleading, and 
 our departure was speedily resolved upon. Is it not one of the greatest pleasures of a 
 journey to revisit familiar scenes in the company of an excellent and sympathetic friend ? 
 
 Some days later we took our tickets for Perpignan, where we arrived on the following 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 horses, with which we made an unpretentious start. 
 
 evening. In the same way as Bayonne is half-Basque, Perpignan is semi-Catalonian ; 
 the popular dialect is almost the same as that spoken in Ca.talonia. Our conveyance, 
 which started next dav, had nothing Spanish in its appearance: a comman-lookmg 
 driver, crowned with a "vulgar cap, took the place of the mayoral in famous Andalusian 
 costume. Instead of the ten or twelve handsomely caparisoned mules, we had six strong 
 
 Our path lay along a road hedged 
 in with aloes, whose sharp 
 leaves stood up like a bristling 
 array of poniards ; and being 
 in the most southern latitude 
 of France, we could already 
 descry the snowy summits 
 of Canigou rising above a 
 vast horizon of blue and rose- 
 coloured mountains. Soon we 
 left the plain, and passing 
 through the little village of 
 Boulou, entered the defile of 
 Pertus. Here, as our vehicle 
 made its slow and tortuous 
 way up the stony steeps, we 
 were enabled to proceed on 
 foot, and found leisure to sketch 
 one or two gigantic specimens 
 of the cork-tree, which twines 
 its noble branches into a cover- 
 ing for the mountain sides. 
 The trunk, before it is denuded 
 of its bark, is as rough as an un- 
 hewn rock, but when stripped 
 it has a bright rose tint, as if 
 bleeding from its wounds. The 
 picturesque ruins which border 
 the pass, with their charming 
 contrasts of light and shade, 
 also afforded excellent subjects 
 for the pencil. These old 
 towers and strongholds have 
 stood unmoved on their rocky 
 foundations, the grim witnesses 
 of many a conflict. The Col de 
 Pertus has always been the natural passage across the eastern extremity of the chain 
 of the Pyrenees. . Pompey and Caesar passed through, and Iberia became a Eoman province. 
 Many centuries later the Goths made their way through this defile, and established them- 
 selves in the land in place of the Romans. They in their turn were driven out by the 
 Arabs ; the latter entered France through the Col de Pertus, and their progress was only 
 arrested by Charles Martel. Louis XIV., in order to secure the possession of the province 
 
 THE COL DE PERTUS ; THE COEK-TREES. 
 
JUNQUERA. 
 
 THE CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICERS OF JUNQUEEA. 
 
 built the castle of Bellegarde, whose towers we could just see crowning a high peak, 
 whence it overlooks and commands the approach. 
 
 Junquera is the first village at which we stopped after, crossing the frontier. Here 
 our passports were adorned with new signatures, and a delay of two hours enabled us 
 to make the acquaintance of the Custom- 
 house officers, who only differed from 
 our own in their dress, and in the more 
 startling name of carabineros. To do 
 justice to the zeal of these functionaries, 
 they overhauled our luggage most con- 
 scientiously, turned everything upside 
 down, and, in the trouble they caused, 
 gave us the full benefit of their official 
 power. We were now in Spain, or 
 more correctly Catalonia, for many of 
 the Catalonians hardly consider them- 
 selves Spanish. They speak a peculiar 
 dialect, which bears a strikino- resem- 
 
 blance to the Limousine language of the Middle Ages; this dialect Las not only .its 
 grammar and its dictionaries, but a literature of its own. The Catalonians are accounted 
 the most thrifty and industrious people in Spain. Their industry has indeed become 
 proverbial ; thus in some provinces the common phrase for going to shop or market is, " Go 
 to the Catalonians." Another proverb says, 
 
 " Dicen que los Catalanes 
 De las piedras saoan panes." 
 
 " If you give stones to the Catalonian he will extract bread from them." 
 
 After passing through Junquera the country xesembles a forest of olives, forming 
 large greyish masses ; soon we arrive at Figueras, one of the strongest towns in Spain. 
 Gerona, through which we also made our way, is equally well defended, and has survived 
 many a desperate siege ; it is a quaint old town, and historically most interesting. 
 Often in traversing its narrow and tortuous streets one notices the fronts of the old 
 houses covered with the most grotesque sculptures of the Middle Ages. The cathedral 
 stands upon a height which overlooks the town, and is reached by a handsome staircase 
 of one b undred steps. The principal doorway, named Puerta de los Apostoles, is ornamented 
 with rare . terra-cotta statues representing the apostles, and it bears the date 1458. 
 
 Towards midnight, in one of the dark streets of Gerona, we heard for the first time 
 the melancholy voices of the serenes; these guardians of the night, wrapped in their 
 stone-coloured mantles, and with their lanterns dangling from the end of a pole, carried 
 one back to the heart of the Middle Ages. Not content with watching over the sleeping 
 townsmen, they, in a manner peculiar to themselves, announce the passing hours, and as 
 the nights in Spain are usually calm, the watchmen have naturally received the name serenos. 
 These men remind one of the Nachtwachters of Amsterdam, who parade the streets armed 
 with a sabre and a staff, and cry the hours to the inharmonious accompaniment of a 
 wooden rattle. The serenos, devoid of this instrument, herald the hours with a sort of 
 chant full of originality; sometimes they lead off with a few words to the praise of God, 
 Alabado sea Dios ! or Ave Maria purisima ! This last form is more especially used in 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 Andcalusia, where the Virgin is the object of veneration under the name Santisima. Before 
 commenciDg theiT nocturnal promenade they generally meet at the town-hall, from which 
 they disperse to their wards. These watclimen render many and varied services to the 
 townsfolk; they not only see that the doors of the houses are properly secured, but in 
 cases of extremity they fetch the monthly nurse, doctor, or priest ; at times they are charged 
 with missions of a more profane order, and lost strangers find in them trusty friends. One 
 
 night, losing our way in a 
 labyrinth of streets, we came 
 brave sereno, who 
 to us his many 
 was, above all, 
 his post, as 
 of this 
 much coveted 
 
 He 
 
 losing 
 
 dignified 
 
 by 
 
 across a 
 
 recounted 
 
 troubles. 
 
 afraid of 
 
 situations 
 
 order were 
 
 his countrymen. Having taken 
 
 leave of our communicative 
 
 friend, we retraced our steps 
 
 to the station, and took our 
 
 places for Barcelona. 
 
 We had already made our 
 way so far along a detestable 
 road, when our progress was 
 stopped by a sudden rise in the 
 torrent del Manol, which is 
 usually passed by a ford, and 
 we were obliged to wait until 
 the water had subsided. Hap- 
 pily day began to dawn, and 
 profiting by our forced delay, 
 we set out to explore the envi- 
 rons. The vegetation was mag- 
 nificent, thanks to the noria 
 so common in this rejjion. 
 
 The noria, the an-naoHra of 
 the Arabs, is a machine of 
 primitive simplicity, used to 
 raise water for the purposes of 
 irrigation. The water is col- 
 lected in tanks several yards 
 deep, lined with mortar. A 
 circular cord like an endless 
 chain descends into the tank; to this cord terra-cotfca buckets are attached at regular 
 intervals. Eacli bucket is made to hold six or eight quarts of water. An immense WQoden 
 wheel, turning horizontally on its axis, communicates its motion to a vertical wheel, 
 over which the endless chain of buckets has been passed. The buckets when descendin fl- 
 are filled in the tank, and when ascending are emptied into a reservoir placed on a higher 
 level, which communicates with a network of canals cut through the fields requirino- 
 
 COL DB PERTUS (CHATEAU DB BELLEGARDE). 
 
BARCELONA. 7 
 
 irrigation. These buckets are so arranged that four or five discharge their contents while 
 an equal number are filliug. The motive power which drives this curious macliine is 
 usually supplied by some poor superannuated horse. Often a tawny child, clad in rags or 
 else entirely nude, directs this jaded brute ; sometimes the child is required for other work, 
 when an ingenious piece of mechanism is brought into play : it consists of a long stick 
 so arranged that it comes down with fearfully persuasive force upon the jaded animal 
 whenever it stops, leaving the borse but little inducement to prolong its rest. It is 
 said that a single noria will irrigate land sufficient to maintain an entire family. 
 
 In a lieighbouring village not far from the scene of our accident we made the 
 acquaintance of a country priest, an excellent man, who had a joyous and prosperous 
 appearance. It was Sunday, and he was strolling along peacefully, smoking iu the society 
 of several of his parishioners on the Plaza de la constitucion ; in Spain no town or village 
 is without its Plaza de la constitucion. In France people would be very much surprised to 
 encounter a priest smoking iu public ; here no one pays the slightest attention. We once 
 even saw a priest light his cigar at the censer in the sacristy. 
 
 The railway to Barcelona follows the seashore : the journey is most agreeable, recalling 
 the route from Naples to Castellamare. On the left the sea, blue as a sapphire, was dotted 
 with fishing craft, whose long lateen sails were spread out to the morning breeze, white 
 and smooth as the wings of a seagull ; on the right, the vast plain was mantled with the 
 dark foliage of the orange and other fruit trees. We passed through about twenty 
 villages and towns, of which the most industrious is Matard, celebrated for its glass 
 factories. On each side the road was bordered with cactus, forming a fence that is strong 
 and at the same time picturesque. 
 
 The railway is only slightly above sea-level : thus during high tides the rails seem 
 to be submerged. When the sea has risen it produces a singular perspective efiect, which- 
 we noticed when one day sailing in a boat off the coast near Barcelona; the train 
 appeared to be running through the water just in the same way as when, sailing on the 
 Dutch coast, the laud disappears and the trees and dwellings of the Hollanders seem to 
 rise up out of the sea. 
 
 Barcelona, as we approached, was bathed in bright sunlight. " Barcelona," says 
 Cervantes, " is the home of courtesy, asylum of strangers, shelter of the poor, land of the 
 brave, refuge of offenders ; the common centre of all that is sincere in friendship ; 
 a city unequalled for situation and beauty." It stands at the foot of Mont-Juich — ^the 
 mountain of the Jews — an immense rock, whose summit, bristling with fortifications, rises 
 above a forest of Gothic spires. Cervantes said truly that Barcelona was during the 
 Middle Ages, and in his own time, one of the most flourishing cities and frequented 
 ports in the Mediterranean, equal to Venice, Genoa, or Pisa, with which places it held 
 intimate trading relations. During the fifteenth century it was celebrated for its 
 sculpture, and its early masterpieces are still admired ; it had also a well-merited 
 reputation for the beauty of its work in bronze and iron. Barcelona boasted a numerous 
 corporation of rejeros, the artists who forged and cut the marvellous iron gates of 
 the churches aud cloisters, which are so finely wrought that they have been compared 
 to microscopic filigree-work. 
 
 The capital of Catalonia, the first industrial city in the Peninsula, has lost 
 nothing of its commercial activity, and its port is still as animated as in the days of the 
 valiant Don Quixote and his faithful attendant. Steamers have now however replaced the 
 galleys which the brave Sancho mistook for monsters ploughing their way with a hundred 
 
8 • SPAIN. 
 
 crimson feet across the Avater. He would have died of panic-fear had he beheld the great 
 steamships of the Mediterranean calmly advancing against wind and waves. 
 
 Barcelona nowadays resembles Marseilles ; it presents nearly the same activity, the 
 same mixture of diverse nationalities, and the same absence of any distinctive type. The 
 mantilla is rarely seen, and it is in vain we have tried to discover the least trace of the 
 " Andalouse au teint bruni " of Alfred de Musset. Even in Andalusia they become rarer 
 every day, and Dor^ never lost an opportunity of studying those we came across, for 
 a day will come when railways, forming a network over Spain, will cause them to 
 disappear. 
 
 Some of the old parts of the town still retain their original features, such as the 
 Calle de la Plateria — street of the goldsmiths. Most Spanish towns have their Calle de 
 la Plateria, where one can study the gold and silver work, which forms an important 
 feature in the costume of the people. The shops display an attractive array of gold and 
 silver ornaments, coarse and heavy in workmanship, but whose angular designs have 
 a charming originality. There are earrings so ponderous that they require to be partly 
 suspended by strong thread ; rings with red and green stones, and all sorts of ex-voto ; 
 figures also of the Madonna de Monserrat, held in great veneration by the Cata- 
 lonians. All this jewelry is designed for the use of the peasantry. Side by side with 
 these are the jewels al estilo de Paris, for people who pride theniselves on following the 
 Parisian fashions. 
 
 The Cathedral of Barcelona, called the Seti, (pronounced Seou), from the Latin 
 
 sedes, while outwardly unattractive, has at the same time a most imposing interior. 
 
 Beneath the choir, tapers are kept constantly burning in honour of the patron saint of 
 
 the city. 
 
 " Esta es la Eulalia, la de Barcelona, 
 De la rica ciiidad la rica joya ! " 
 
 "It is Saint Eulalia," says the popular refrain, "that of Barcelona, rich jewel of a 
 rich city." 
 
 The organ pipes, in place of standing upright, as in our churches, are ranged 
 horizontally, and resemble the pointed cannons of some infernal machine. The base 
 supporting them is terminated with a huge Saracen's head, wearing a long red beard 
 which looks as if it had been dipped in blood. This singular ornament, the symbol of the 
 deep-rooted hatred which the Spaniards felt for their Moorish foes, is frequently met with 
 in Spain. 
 
 The cloister adjoining the churcli contains a number of chapels shut off by the 
 beautiful iron rejas of which we have already spoken. It is impossible to find anywhere 
 more carefully finished and patiently elaborated work ; happily the rejeros who executed 
 these masterpieces have left us their names. In the centre of the cloister there is a 
 charming fountain shaded by orange-trees. Here we felt as if transported to the midst of 
 a scene in the Middle Ages ; and to complete the illusion this cloister is a sort of Cour des 
 Miracles, where is found a motley crew of importunate whining vagrants, who, although 
 now almost unknown with us, still flourish in some parts of the Peninsula. There is 
 indeed hardly any civilised country, unless it be Italy, where one sees mendicity establish 
 itself in broad daylight, and with less ceremony than in Spain. Full of dignity, one 
 might almost say pride, the Spanish beggar wraps himself in the remains of his mantle, 
 and is seen armed with an immense stick, used to drive off the dogs, which by instinct 
 are hostile to men of his type. Shrouded in his rags, he philosophically carries on his 
 
A BUEIAL AT BAECELONA. 
 
 To face paje 
 
THE EAMBLA. ii 
 
 profession or his art — wbicli you please — as Lis highest ambition is to be accounted an 
 accomplished mendicant. A modern Spanish author who has paid special attention to 
 this subject assures us that in many families the profession becomes hereditary; the 
 children religiously observe the precepts of those who have grown old in the arts of 
 mendicity, and are not slow to profit by the hard-won experience of their teachers. Thus 
 the veteran knows full well how to portion out his time and lay his plans for each day's 
 campaign, so that by appearing in a certain place at a time carefully determined before- 
 hand, his tatters, tricks, and misery will meet with their fullest reward. 
 
 After the churches we visited the cemetery, where the path lies through long parallel 
 alleys hedged in on each side by high walls pierced with a multitude of compartments, one 
 above the other, at regular intervals, not unlike the niches of a Roman columbarium, or 
 pigeon-house ; each one of these compartments is destined for the reception of a corpse, 
 enclosed in a coffin, and when an interment has been effected, masous are employed to wall 
 up the opening with bricks and mortar. This cit)^ of the dead contains many streets, 
 which form a singular perspective. The sepulchres of the rich are closed with slabs of 
 white marble, adorned with bas-reliefs and inscribed with the names of the defunct. When 
 an interment takes place, the parents and friends of the deceased repair to the cemetery 
 to lend their aid in placing the coffin in its niche. We were witnesses of a scene of this 
 kind; the masons had just placed the large and heavy ladder by means of which they 
 were enabled to reach an elevated opening in the wall. A scpulturero approached, bearing 
 a child's coffin decked with artificial flowers ; then followed a group of mourners, who 
 halted at the foot of the ladder, in vain attempting to console the poor mother, who burst 
 into an agony of grief as she caught the last glimpse of the coffin passing out of sight. 
 Leaving this sad scene, we were led to an apartment where the bodies of the dead are 
 required to rest for twenty-four hours before interment, in order to make certain that life 
 is extinct. Here a precaution is used which seemed strange to us : a cord fastened to 
 the arm of the corpse is attached to a bell, in such a way that the least motion sounds 
 an alarm and summons the guard, who watches day and night in this waiting-room 
 of the dead. The attendant assured us that never in the memory of man had they heard 
 the sound of the bell. 
 
 The Eambla is the great promenade, the Boulevard des Italiens of Barcelona ; 
 where one can form some notion of the Catalonians of all classes, from the senora 
 covered with satin and lace, to the simple fisherman in a red cap and with his jacket 
 carelessly thrown over his shoulder, or the Catalonian exquisite strutting daintily along, 
 the slave of capricious fashion. Not far frOm the Rambla rises the Palace of Justice, a 
 charming structure of the fifteenth century ; the patio, or inner court, is shaded by orange- 
 trees, whose topmost branches reach nearly to the roof of the edifice. Under a covered 
 gallery are ranged a number of tables for the use of the lawj^ers, who there give their 
 professional advice in public. 
 
 The ancient prison of the Inquisition may still be seen in Barcelona ; it is a massive 
 gloomy building, pierced with a number of narrow windows. There the terrible tribunal 
 sat in all its splendour. We were shown the Frado de San Sebastian, beyond the walls 
 of the town, the site of the Quemadero, where heretics were consumed by fire for the good 
 of the faith. Never was edifice more purely in harmony with its design, and the famous 
 Torquemada, the model inquisitor, the great burner of heretics, ought to have found it 
 to his taste. 
 
 Before bidding adieu to Barcelona we visited the convent of Monserrat, where the 
 
12 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Virgin, lield in great veneration by tlie Catalonians, is supposed to work innumerable 
 miracle,?. This convent is built on a peak more than a thousand feet in height, and not 
 far off rises a group of conical mountains, whose jagged summits remind one of the teeth 
 of a saw, which accounts for the name Monserrat. Since the suppression of the Spanish 
 convents, more than thirty years ago, that of Monserrat has lost much of its ancient 
 splendour; nevertheless the view from the terrace of the convent amply repays a visit. 
 In the distance there is a bright blue line of sea which borders one of the grandest 
 panoramas of the Pyrenees. 
 
 Tarragona, nearly the same distance from Barcelona, but to the south, is a small city, 
 which we reached by sea in a few hours. During the Roman period it was the most 
 important city of the Peninsula, when its population is said to have been about a mdlion. 
 Tarragona as it now stands is almost entirely built out of the ruins of the Eoman city ; 
 at each step one stumbles on some fragment of ancient bas-relief. The cathedral is one of 
 the oldest in Spain, and in its cloister we noticed a remarkable arch of horse-shoe shape, 
 whose finely sculptured ornaments and inscriptions date from the tenth century. In spite 
 of the early fame of the city and its environs, the only trace we could discover of its great 
 works was an ancient aqueduct in partial preservation, and the ruins of a tomb near the 
 sea, to which tradition has given the name Torre de los Escipiones. 
 
 At the time of our first visit to Spain the railway from Barcelona to Valencia, now 
 many years completed, was hardly commenced. Taking our place in the coach, drawn by 
 a team of six mules, a hailstorm of blows with the whip gave the signal for departure. 
 The heavy machine unexpectedly kept on its wheels, notwithstanding the violent jerks and 
 plunging motion to which it was subjected along the rough road, and night was falling as 
 we lost sight of the ancient capital of Catalonia. 
 
 The route from Catalonia to Valencia enjoyed an unenviable fame for brigandage. If 
 we can credit travellei-s' tales no one ever set out without preparing for some adventure, and 
 those who lived to return, if they had not been actually attacked, had barely escaped, and 
 could tell at least one tale of mysterious Spaniards, wrapped alike in their mantles and the 
 gloom of night, or disappearing suddenly, on some deed of darkness bent, with their up- 
 lifted swords or daggers gleaming in the pale moonlight. These were the good old times, 
 when the coaches were regularly stopped, and no one ever settled in his seat without having 
 his ransom ready at hand. The brigand's profession was then a lucrative one, carried on 
 in broad daylight, and each highway was scoured by its own peculiar band, who regarded it 
 as private property. It is even said that the cosarios — drivers — were in league with the 
 bandits, and agreed with them to share their booty, or rather the coachman paid a regular 
 blackmail, which was contributed by the passengers ; and curiously enough the members of 
 the band always knew when and where to receive this tribute. Sometimes the chief of a 
 band, having earned a competency by the exercise of his noble profession, would settle down 
 to an uneventful life of simple respectability, but before abandoning the king's highway 
 he was careful to sell the goodwill of his business to some enterprising successor, who 
 probably inspected the accounts, and was fully instructed in the secrets of the profession. 
 
 In spite of these attractive stories, alas ! we have never seen, far or near, the figure of 
 a single brigand, although we have frequently traversed the roads and rocky defiles re- 
 commended as the most likely and dangerous. For example, on the road from Gerona to 
 Figueras, where the coach stopped on the evening of our journey in May 1872, we had not 
 the good fortune to encounter a single armed adventurer, which is much to be regretted, as 
 we had nothing to lose, and a few words from the lips of a living bandit would have greatly 
 
PBISON OF THE INQUISITION AT BARCELONA. 
 
 To face page 12. 
 
FEOM BARCELONA TO TARRAGONA. 15 
 
 enlivened our narrative. At times we did meet men wearing a fierce and defiant expression 
 of countenance, and armed with nothing more formidable than a blunderbuss ; but in 
 passing, instead of demanding our purse or our life, they greeted us with the traditional 
 salutation, " Vayan ustedes con Dios," God be with you \ 
 
 But everything has improved in this age of progress ; they have found the means of 
 stopping the railway trains in this the year of grace 1872, as actually happened near 
 Sierra-Morena hardly more than twelve months ago. 
 
 We had already passed through the country watered by the Llobregat (Rubricatus), 
 a name appropriate to this red muddy stream. Our rumbling vehicle raised clouds of 
 white dust, but it hardly reached us, as we had taken our seats on the box, where we 
 were enabled to study at leisure all the arrangements of a Spanish coach. It was well for 
 us that its body was strongly braced with iron, in a manner calculated to resist the 
 roughest shocks. The interior diff"ers but slightly from our diligence ; there are two 
 compartments, separated by a partition fitted with a shutter, which may be opened or closed 
 at pleasure, while Venetian blinds afi'ord protection against the heat. The horses or 
 mules, numbering from six to fourteen, are clipped, so as to leave the upper half of the coat 
 intact, and are harnessed in pairs. Coaching is very costly in Spain ; we had frequently to 
 pay at the rate of tM'o pesetas a mile, that is to say nearly five times the cost of a first-class 
 railway fare. Baggage is charged at the same exorbitant rates, and the traveller is only 
 allowed to carry a nominal weight free. Mr. Barriuger, United States Minister, stated 
 in a report to his Government that about fifteen years ago he had to pay three hundred 
 duros — more than fifteen hundred francs — for the transport of a carriage from Cadiz to 
 Madrid, which had only cost fifty duros from New York to Cadiz. The attendants of the 
 diligence are invariably made up of the mayoral, the zagal, and the delantero. The 
 common type of mayoral is a big man with a broad florid face, encased in chop-cut whiskers ; 
 his head is protected by a silk kerchief knotted behind, and topped by a sombrero calanes, an 
 Andalusian hat with upturned brim, and decked with two tufts of black silk. , He wears 
 the marsille, a short jacket embroidered and tagged at the elbows with pieces of red and 
 green cloth and a great embroidered pot of flowers, which spread their charms over the 
 middle of the back. The pantaloons, descending a little below the knees, are edged with 
 velvet or sheepskin calzon de pellejo, while his feet are encased in white shoes covered with 
 a sort of buskin or leathern gaiter, which leaves the calf half exposed. 
 
 The mayoral is a most important personage, and knowing this, he abuses his power 
 by tyrannising not only over his subordinates, but over the unfortunate traveller as 
 well. 
 
 Here is a short dialogue jotted down on the spot by a Spaniard between a mayoral 
 and a traveller. 
 
 "Mayoral, will you have the goodness to listen to me for an instant?" 
 
 " What's the matter ? " 
 
 " Hombre! I wish to leave with this coach; if there is no room inside may I have 
 a seat on the box ? " 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 " Consider, mayoral. Do not leave me thus in the lurch ; could I not at least sit 
 under the tilt?" 
 
 "^Ye shall see." 
 
 " How much will that cost ? " 
 
 " The inside fare." 
 
 B 
 
1 6 SPAIN. 
 
 It is said tliat the name zagal was derived from an Arabic word which signifies agile, 
 or quick. Indeed the work of the zagal is of the most active description : half his time 
 at least is speut in running by the side of the mules, and in urging them on ; at times 
 he leaps from the first to the List mule, distributing to each in turn a blow with his stick. 
 Sometimes he darts off in advance in order to discharge a store of small pebbles, which 
 he adroitly shoots into the ears of the most sluggish mules. These missiles rarely miss 
 their mark, and the mules, electrified and tickled by the unwelcome projectiles, kick 
 vigorously right and left ; there is then a jumble of legs tangled in the traces, and the 
 spirited zagal, to restore order, begins anew a distribution of the pebbles, and succeeds 
 as if by a miracle. 
 
 It is wonderful how the Spanish mules survive the blows with which they are over- 
 whelmed. If they had only to bear the brunt of the zagal's blows it would not matter, ■ 
 but the established usage of the country secures to them a large additional supply, and 
 no one armed with a stick fails to contribute his share. The zagal. wears a light and 
 simple costume : a kerchief tied round the head, a coloured shirt, cotton velvet pants, a 
 striped waistband, and sandals of spun flax. This functionary is always furnished with 
 a supple stick, stuck in his waistband and carried behind his back ; like the wand of a 
 harlequin, the badge of his profession. 
 
 The delantero, or postillion, is thus named because he rides in front on the leading near- 
 side mule. He rejoices in thc: cognomen of " the condemned," as his toil is incessant. 
 Formerly he spent forty-eight hours in the saddle, and at times more ; from Madrid to 
 Bayonne the delantero was not relieved a single time during the long journey. He 
 usually wears a cap of lambskin, -which imparts a most savage expression to his bronzed 
 face. TJie staff of attendants was formerly considered incomplete without the escopeteros, 
 a name given to two gendarmes charged with the protection of the travellers in case of 
 attack, and who, seated on the top of the coach, commanded the route. 
 
 Throughout the entire journey the mayoral and zagal kept shouting to the mules, 
 addressing them each by name, sometimes in friendly, sometimes in threatening tones, 
 according to circumstances, in this style : " Colonel, on arriving I will make me a cap 
 of your skin." Night did not stop the discordant sounds, and even when the mayoral 
 had succumbed to sleep one heard him murmuring : " Capitanaaa .... comisariooo . . . raa 
 .... puliaaa .... bandolero . . . arre carboneraaa," &c., until he was quite overcome, 
 when he was ably supported by the zagal. 
 
 The diligence offers the most aristocratic mode of travelling, as it is only foUiid on 
 the king's highways. More correctly, its journeys have become extremely select, for 
 since railways have furrowed Spain, this superannuated vehicle has almost entirely disap- 
 peared. Besides the inconvenience we have pointed out, there is the constant danger of the 
 coach upsetting ; at such times the mayoral escapes by paying a fine of about sixty francs. 
 Twice we were upset without suffering any serious inconvenience; but passengers are not 
 always so fortunate. When travelling from Barcelona to Valencia we passed a frightful 
 ravine, into which a diligence had been precipitated, carrying in its fall both travellers 
 and horses. 
 
 There is a mail-coach, which travels faster, and only carries one or two passengers, 
 a badly suspended vehicle ; also the coche de colleras, a small diligence, only covering 
 about thirteen miles a day. Next in order is the galera, and never M'as instrument of 
 torture more deserving of its name. Imagine a very long cart on four wheels, the bottom 
 made up of a strong network of ropes, which, curving downwards, nearly touches the 
 
AN ACCIDENT. 
 
 To face page i6. 
 
TAREAGONA AND TORTOSA. 19 
 
 ground. Into this airy receptacle are placed pell-mell botli merchandise and travellers — 
 one ought rather to name the latter the condemned. The top of this waggon consists 
 of a series of parallel hoops covered with canvas. The interior of the galera is a pure 
 chaos, where the unfortunate travellers are compelled to struggle with the baggage which 
 keeps falling on them, and to which the mayoral gives the preference, as he is responsible 
 for its safety. As to the travellers, should they at their journey's end find their ribs 
 broken, it is their own affair. We once ventured into a galera, but did not remain long 
 in the vehicle, preferring rather to travel on foot, as it only makes about seven or eight 
 miles a day. 
 
 While we are on the highway we must not omit to say something about the peones 
 camineros ; this startling name simply denotes the men in charge of the road. The 
 ordinary peons have a brass plate fixed to their hat as an official badge. Besides pickaxe 
 and spade, they carry a short flint musket, which is supposed to secure for them the respect 
 of the rateros, or the sneaking robbers said to frequent almost every road in the country; 
 these rateros are many of them apprentice bandits. The Spanish road-mender spends 
 his entire leisure in smoking, and is careful to Liboiir as little as he possibly can. 
 Who is the traveller who has not seen him slowly transport his small wicker basket 
 (the wheelbarrow being unknown) of earth or pebbles, and, arrived at the end of his 
 journey, carefully deposit its fearfully inadequate contents in some yawning rut, which 
 he at times succeeds in filling up ? 
 
 We need say nothing more of the country between Barcelona and Tarragona than 
 that it is one of the most populous districts in Spain. 
 
 Villa Franca de Panades and Torredembara are two little towns with whitewashed 
 houses, of which -we caught a glimpse. Ou the occasion of a second visit to Tarragona 
 we profited by a branch railway, which conveyed us in half an hour to Reus, the home 
 of General Prim, and of the celebrated painter Fortuny. Not far from Reus, standing 
 in a rich valley called La Conca, there is the famous convent of Poblet of the order of 
 Clteaux, in ancient times the St. Denis of Aragon. They say that the convent derived 
 its name from tbat of a hermit who lived on the spot at the time when the country was 
 under the dominion of the Arabs. 
 
 One day an Emir, when hunting, met Poblet, and ordered him to be cast into prison ; 
 but soon angels descended from heaven and broke his chains. The Emir, struck with the 
 miracle, not only gi-anted the recluse his liberty, but overwhelmed him with riches. Sooner 
 or later, according to tLe legend, the convent was raised over the hermit's tomb ; but it 
 is now almost abandoned, and this is all the more to be regretted, as the architecture is 
 excellent, and the sculpture marvellously elaborate. 
 
 After leaving Tarragona the winding and not unpicturesque road soon brought us 
 to Tortosa, whose waters are yellow and muddy, like those of the Tagus or Guadal- 
 quivir. 
 
 Tortosa is an interesting town : its cathedral, one of the oldest in Spain, was 
 built on the foundation of a mosque, and one may still see an ancient inscription 
 which points to the time when Tortosa was the capital of a small Arab kingdom. The 
 sacristan who accompanied us seemed proud to show the marvellous relic of Tortosa, the 
 veritable waistband of the Blessed Virgin, the cinta, which has worked numerous 
 miracles. In 1822 it was carried in great state, to facilitate the accouchement of a princess 
 of the royal family. 
 
 After quitting Tortosa our road lay through Amposta, and leaving on the left the 
 
20 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Puerto de los Alfaques, we rested at Vinaroz, a small port whose environs produce an 
 abundance of rich black wine. There we saw the palace where the Due de Vendome died 
 of indigestion after an inordinate meal of fish — an end hardly worthy of the great-grandson 
 of Henry IV. and of the conqueror of Villa-Vi,ciosa. Philip V., who owed him his throne, 
 had his remains transported to rest in the vault of the Escurial. 
 
 Not far from Vinaroz we enter the kingdom of Valencia, the much-vaunted terrestrial 
 paradise, and without doubt the richest province in Spain ; it is separated from Catalonia 
 by a small stream called the Ceuia. Here at each step we fell upon traces of the Moorish 
 dominion. The atalayas — square watch-towers — rise from place to place on the heights 
 which overlook the sea. Although it was September the heat was quite tropical ; 
 here aloes attain to gigantic proportions, and palms begin to be seen more frequently. 
 
 
 RUINS OF THE ROMAN THEATRE OF MURVIEDRO. 
 
 On the right of the roadway the mountains were covered with the dark-green foliage 
 of carob-trees ; women and children, armed with long sticks, were beating the branches 
 to bring down the ripe pods, others were loading donkeys with the fruit until they almost 
 disappeared beneath their well-stocked wicker baskets. The carobs, or algarrohas, as they 
 are called in Spain, supply food for cattle, and are much prized in those provinces where 
 forage is scarce. The pods grow in great abundance ; we have seen a siugle tree yield 
 1 200 kilogrammes. 
 
 Benicarlo, where we rested some time, is famed for its wines. Swinburne, an English 
 tourist of the last century, assures us that cargoes of wine were sent from Benicarlt to 
 Cette, where it was diluted and forwarded to Bordeaux by the Languedoc canal, and thence 
 to England. That is how the wine of Bordeaux was made a century ago. Truly there is 
 nothing new uuder the sun. 
 
SA.GUNTUM. 
 
 21 
 
 The ancient Saguntum is now a small town of about one thousand inhabitants ; even 
 its old name has disappeared, and its modern substitute suggests nothing more than 
 the idea of an ancient wall. 
 
 Saguntum formed an alliance with Eome at the time of the Punic Wars, and, faithful 
 to the Eoman cause, it opposed Hannibal, and sustained one of the most terrible sieges 
 that history records. In order to end the determined resistance and compel speedy 
 capitulation, the Carthaginians surrounded the town with walls and towers. The besieged, 
 perishing from starvation, were at last forced to eat the leather of their bucklers ; but at 
 length, losing all hope, they raised a huge wooden pyre, and consigned their families and 
 their treasures to the flames. 
 
 Saguntum was rebuilt by the Eomans. After the fall of the Empire it belonged 
 successively to the Goths, the Arabs, and finally to the Spaniards ; the latter, using its 
 ruins as a quarry, rebuilt the town, which, in its turn, has fallen into decay. Nevertheless 
 the ancient theatre is so well preserved as to' enable one to form a correct idea of its 
 design ; it was said to have held nine thousand speetators. It is now a deserted spot ; 
 the hill on which it stands is overlooked by a grim crest of Arab walls, and the once 
 splendid arena is solely tenanted by owls amd lizards. Even the sea has retreated from the 
 old port of Saguntum, leaving the modern town of Murviedro about a mile from its shores. 
 The houses of Murviedro, as we have already said, are for the most part built out of the 
 ruins of ancient Saguntum. Leonardo de Argensola, a poet of the sixteenth century, says, 
 " Out of the marbles with their noble inscriptions, torn from the theatre and from the 
 ancient altars of Saguntum, they have built their taverns and ruinous ^abodes." 
 
 PASSAGE OP A TORRENT. 
 
A QUARREL AT THE GAME OF BALL, VALENCIA. 
 
 CHAPTEE 11. 
 
 Valencia del Cid— Asiicultuial labouieis— Valeiician costume— The Llotja de serfos— The Seu and the Micalet—TYie Giiada- 
 laviar and aqueducts— Tribunal of the Waters— The singers of the oracioraes— The bandurria and the cftara— Valencia, 
 the birthplace of printing in Spain— The Calle de la Pfafma— Ancient delf Hispano-Moresques— Manises— The Valen- 
 cian tartana. 
 
 "Valencia," says Victor Hugo in one of his Orientates, "lias spires to three hundred 
 churches:" but after the most painstaking and exhaustive searcli we failed to discover a 
 single example of the forest of spires described by the poet. We looked for them as a 
 mariner would for the friendly light that should guide him into port after the perils of a 
 long voyage. Since leaving Barcelona we had spent full forty hours stifled with dust and 
 heat in the diligence, and it was impossible to tell by what roads we travelled. At last 
 we descried a noble structure rearing its head above an enclosure of palm-trees ; it was 
 the convent of San Miguel de los Reyes, built during the sixteenth century with stones 
 taken from the ancient monuments of Saguntum ; about a quarter of an hour afterwards we 
 entered the City of the Cid, that is to say, the most noble, celebrated, ancient, loyal, 
 distinguished, illustrious, learned, and never-enough-lauded city of Valencia del Cid. 
 Such are the modest titles usually bestowed on it by its chroniclers. This lono- 
 enumeration seems hardly distinctive enough, as most towns in Spain are similarly 
 described by their citizens. Valencia, it must be owned, merits this chaplet of praise 
 perhaps more than any other town. Its ever-blue sky was first celebrated by the Arab 
 
WORKIXG MEN OF VALENCIA. 
 
 To face page 22. 
 
VALENCIA. 
 
 poets ; and where in Europe can one find a climate more balmy, where tropical palms 
 flourish in the streets, and where one may cull violets and primroses in the middle of 
 September ! Winter is hardly known in this happy spot, and we were assured that neither 
 hoar-frost nor fog, had been seen more than twice in five centuries. 
 
 Valencia, with its creiiated walls and towers, preseuts the aspect of a Moorish 
 town. The streets are nari'ow, and on the balconies of the whitewashed houses one gets 
 many a glimpse of the brown, bright-eyed Valenciennes, who are half hidden by long 
 striped curtains, or mats made of reeds, called esteras. There are few provinces in Spain 
 which have retained the Moorish type so completely. The costume appears to have 
 undergone no change for mau}^ centuries ; that worn by the peasantry is not only well 
 adapted to the climate, but its colours are well chosen to suit the complexion of the natives, 
 who are dark as Bedouins. The head-dress is of 
 the most simple kind, and consists of a kerchief of 
 vivid colours made up to form a turban ; sometimes 
 a felt or black velvet hat is added, with its edges 
 turued up like the sombrero calanes of the Anda- 
 lusiaus, but much larger. The shirt is fastened at 
 the neck by means of a large double button, similar 
 to that worn by the peasants in some provinces of 
 France. The Valencians rarely wear a vest unless 
 it be on fete days, when they put on one of blue 
 or green velvet, decorated with a multitude of 
 silver buttons ; on such occasions the pantaloons 
 are replaced by white drawers, zaragiielles de lienzo, 
 which fall to the knees. The zaragiielles are fas- 
 tened by a waistband of silk or wool striped with 
 a solar spectrum of colour. The stockings, when 
 any, are devoid of feet, resembling the cnemides of 
 
 an ancient warrior. The feet are protected by hempen sandals, which leave the instep 
 exposed ; these are fixed by broad blue ribbon twisted round the calf like the straps of 
 a theatrical buskin. But by far the most important, and at the same time most character- 
 •istic part of the costume is the vivid-striped mantle ; a Valencian is never seen abroad 
 without it, and it is either carried draped over the arm, or flung negligently across the 
 shoulder or chest. These mantles are manufactured in Valencia, and distributed all over 
 Spain. They not only form a graceful covering, but when the ends are tucked up they 
 are used for carrying provisions from market. More than that, when riding, the mantle 
 is folded up so as to form at once an elegant and comfortable saddle. At night, when 
 one sleeps out of doors, — a practice by no means uncommon in summer, — the mantle is 
 spread for a couch, and the elbow forms a pillow for the night. It is impossible to say 
 how long such mantles will last ; some have survived more than a generation, if one 
 may judge by their rusty appearance and medley of faded colours. 
 
 In the market-place the labourers are seen carrying their oranges, with leaves still 
 attached, loads of fresh dates, or luscious bunches of grapes, gleaming with bright golden 
 seeds worthy of the land of Canaan. These wonderful fruits are sold by Valencian girls, 
 some of whom are remarkably beautiful. Their tresses, black as a raven's wing, are rolled 
 in round plaits over the temples, and. caught up behind in an enormous chignon. This 
 chignon is pierced by a long gold-plated pin, having at each end a button set with 
 
 VALENCIAN LABODHEKS. 
 
26 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 imitation jewels. During our stay in Valencia our custom was to visit tlie market-place 
 each morning, when Dore reaped a harvest of rare types. A remark which certain 
 travellers have made before us is that, singularly enough, one encounters among these 
 brunettes the fairest daughters of the South, perfect blondes, who, but for their costume 
 would be set down as either German or Dutch— a circumstauce quite unaccountable under 
 this burning sun. Another remark, still more easily made, is that the women age rapidly, 
 much more rapidly than with us. One day we came across a striking example of this in 
 the keeper of an orange-stall, who had all the appearance of being full eighty years old, 
 
 although she had not yet 
 seen sixty summers. This 
 old crone had in her day 
 been one of the beauties of 
 Valencia. We could hardly 
 credit it, seeing her once 
 shapely nose bent like a 
 crow's beak, her toothless 
 mouth and upturned chin ; 
 and a few grey bristles, the 
 only remnant of her raven 
 tresses. The golden orna- 
 ments were still there, but 
 alas ! the chignon had al- 
 most vanished. 
 
 The Valencians have the 
 reputation of being at once 
 gay and cruel. I forget 
 which poet it is, who, after 
 describing the costume of 
 Folly, says that " The tra- 
 ditional bells are replaced 
 by the empty heads of the 
 Valencians : " 
 
 " Y lleva por cascaLeles 
 Cabezas de Valencianos." 
 
 AN OLD WOMAN OF VAL15NCIA. 
 
 If we believe the popular 
 proverb, the kingdom of 
 Valencia is a demons' paradise — Paraiso liahitado por detnonios, but, like most proverbs, 
 it has its opposite. Tbey say also. En Valencia la came es yerha, la yerba es agua, el 
 hombre mujer, y la mujer nada — that is to say, " In Valencia the meat is the herb, the herb 
 is the water, the man is the woman, and the woman is nobody." 
 
 It is our belief that the ferocity of the Valencians has been much exaggerated ; with 
 the exception of a quarrel at the game of ball, which threatened to prove serious, we have 
 never witnessed anything approaching the tragic. We have repeatedly walked all through 
 the environs of Valencia, and always foui}d the people obliging and inoffensive. One day, 
 when overtaken by a storm, we had barely time to seek shelter in the hut of a poor labourer. 
 Our host, after making us sit down, offered some fruit, and wished us to taste his sweet 
 
f,A,V"lr 
 
 
 MARKET GAKDENERS, VALENCIA. 
 
 To face page 26. 
 
VALENCIA— THE CATHEDRAL. 
 
 29 
 
 black wine, and it took all my knowledge of the Valcneian tongue to persuade him to 
 accept a trifle to purchase a present for his children. 
 
 The Valencian dialect is rather more refined than the Catalonian or Majorca tongue ; 
 to the latter it bears a strong resemblance, while it differs widely from Catalonian, and 
 approaches more closely the patois of the South of France, and, like the latter, is derived 
 from the Limousine language of the Middle Ages. 
 
 In the market-place there is the Lonja de seda, or silk exchange (Llotja in the 
 Valencian dialect), which recalls 
 the loggia oi Italian towns. It 
 was there that the silk merchants 
 used to meet to dispose of their 
 goods. To-day the trade is of 
 great importance in Valencia, and 
 one sees quantities of silk hung in 
 blonde tresses on the walls of the 
 Llotja. This graceful edifice dates 
 from the end of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury. The front is surmounted by 
 battlements in the form of a 
 mural crown, imparting to the 
 building quite a heraldic appear- 
 ance ; as for the interior, it is a 
 marvellously elegant apartment, 
 whose roof, as high as the ceiling 
 of a cathedral, is supported by 
 rows of twisted pillars, perfect 
 cables of stone. Turning towards 
 the entrance, we obtain a glimpse 
 of a garden planted with citron 
 and orange trees, probably as old 
 as the Llotja itself. 
 
 The cathedral, called the Sen — 
 as in Catalonia^offers a mixture 
 of all the styles that succeeded 
 each other from the thirteenth 
 century down to the present time. 
 Like all Spanish churches, the 
 interior is very dark, and it is 
 only at certain hours that the 
 
 sun's rays penetrate into the nave, permitting one to see what turns out to be a 
 really fine example of a church of the Valencian school. One of the chapels has 
 been preserved intact, just as it was built during the fifteenth century, presenting a 
 lofty interior, whose walls are ornamented with certain warriors of the Middle Ages, 
 while enormous chains of iron hang in festoons ; they are said to have been used to 
 block the port of Marseilles, and were deposited there as ex-voto by a king of 
 Aragon. 
 
 The tower of the cathedral is called the Micalet, or Miguelete, the name also of an 
 
 VALENCIAN LABOURER. 
 
30 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 enormous bell, weighing 250 cwfc., consecrated on the day of St. Michael, and used to 
 announce the hours of irrigation to the husbandmen. No words of ours can convey 
 an idea of the splendid view to be seen from the top of the Micalet. The city with 
 its houses and white terraces lay at our feet, while the domes of its numerous churches 
 shone in the sunlight like polished brass. Around Valencia our vision was lost in a green 
 expanse of gardens, and along the dim horizon we could trace the faint outlines of blue 
 and rose-coloured mountains bathed in a transparent light. The great lake of Albufera 
 blended with the sea, while the masts of ships at the Port of Grao could be descried as if 
 
 they were growing out of a 
 belt of palm-trees. About an 
 hour before sunset we realised 
 the full beauty of the scene, 
 but alas ! its splendour was 
 soon lost in the shades of 
 night. 
 
 Valencia boasts a charnling 
 promenade, the Alameda and 
 the Glorieta on the banks of 
 the Guadalaviar, where one 
 may form an idea of the genial 
 climate of this province ; for 
 many tropical plants, among 
 others bamboos and bananas, 
 grow in the open air, the lat- 
 ter bearing fruit to perfec- 
 tion. 
 
 Although the Guadalaviar, 
 or Turia, is spanned by four 
 handsome stone bridges, during 
 nine months in the year these 
 bridges might be dispensed 
 with, as the bed of the river 
 is absolutely dry ; but during 
 winter it frequently rises and 
 overflows its banks, spreading 
 terrible destruction around. 
 From the mountains of 
 Aragon, where this stream takes its rise, many canals have been cut for the purposes of 
 irrigation. 
 
 The system of irrigation has for many centuries been a great source of wealth to the 
 country. Before 1238, the year of the conquest by James I., El Conquistador, the Arabs 
 put into execution their great scheme of drawing off the waters of the Guadalaviar, 
 which otherwise Avere lost in the Mediterranean. Eight canals were cut, and are still 
 in use ; that of Moncada is like a great artery, branching off into an infinite number 
 of veins, or minor canals, named acequias, charged with fertilising the smallest vineyards. 
 The great importance of these irrigation channels to the farmers may be gathered 
 from the fact that water-thefts are by no means infrequent ; there are those whose thirsty 
 
 BOATMEN OF THE PORT 01? VALENCIA. 
 
YOUNG VALENCIANS. 
 
 To face parje 30. 
 
TEIBUNAL OF THE WATERS. 
 
 land tempts them to draw off more than their fair share of the streams upon which they 
 depend for sustenance. But in Spain there is a court, established by Al-Hakem-al-Mos- 
 tansir-Billah in the year 920, called the Tribunal of the Waters, where all cases connected 
 with irrigation are adjusted with truly Oriental simplicity. It is the most patriarchal 
 justice that one can imagine, requiring neither gendarmes, ushers, advocates, nor attorneys. 
 The judges, or sindicos, are simple labourers elected by their fellow husbandmen. 
 
 The court is held on Thursday 
 at midday in front of the cathe- 
 dral gateway. We took good care 
 to be present at a sitting, and 
 before twelve o'clock were well to 
 the front among the labourers. 
 The sindicos, representing the 
 acequias of the gardens, were at 
 their posts, seated on a simple 
 couch covered with Utrecht vel- 
 vet. There was not even a table, 
 as paper, pens, and ink would 
 be quite superfluous to these truly 
 biblical judges, who recalled to 
 us Saiut Louis dispensing justice 
 under the oak in the Forest of 
 Vincennes. The bell having 
 sounded the midday hour, the 
 sitting commenced. The first 
 pleaders who presented them- 
 selves were two peasants dressed 
 in the Valencian costume. The 
 plaintiff recounted his wrongs 
 with the aid of the most striking 
 gestures, to which his adversary 
 replied with a vehemence not less 
 subdued. The sindico of the 
 acequia, a big brawny peasant, 
 whose prosperous mien recalled 
 that of Sancho, tranquilly seated 
 on his couch, listened to the con- 
 tending parties, and then in- 
 terrogated them, after which the 
 court deliberated, and finally 
 
 delivered its judgment. The sindico who had not taken part in the proceedings 
 pronounced the sentence, condemning the delinquent to pay a fine of sixty reals, or 
 about twelve shillings. Other cases came on in turn, and the sitting terminated, when 
 judges and litigants returned to their labour of tilling the soil. 
 
 In spite of the simple organisation of this court, its decisions have all the authority 
 of a higher tribunal, and are as a rule considered final. 
 
 The place was soon deserted, and we entered the portal and found the tympanum 
 
 MUSICIANS AT THE GATE OF THE CATHEDRAL, VALENCIA. 
 
34 SPAIN. 
 
 ornamented with a bas-relief of the Virgin surrounded by seraphs, while statues of the 
 twelve apostles stood out from the ogive, whence the name Puerta de los Apdstoles. While 
 absorbed in our contemplation, a strange noise assailed our ears, a sort of vague buzzing, 
 mingled with whining voices, and accompanied by the sound of metallic chords. " These," 
 I remarked to Dore, " must be the singers of the oracio7ies, let us listen to them." Making 
 the circuit of the chancel, we perceived two ciegos, or blind men, leaning against a Roman 
 doorway, wrapped in the folds of their mantles, and siuging the oraciones, that is to say, 
 a species of litanies in honour of divers saints: the rhythm was strange, and the 
 modulations most singular. The younger of the two, the tenor, accompanied himself on 
 the handurria, while the baritone, a fine old man, crowned with a broad-brimmed velvet 
 ]iat, struck the chords on a cUat^a. The two instruments played by the singers are 
 common to the province of Valencia, just as the guitar is the favourite instrument in the 
 other Spanish provinces. 
 
 Valeijcia was the cradle of the printing art in Spain, and its library is one of the 
 finest in the kingdom. The director politely showed us the first book printed in the 
 Peninsula : it is entitled Obres o Trobes, poems in honour of the Holy Virgin, written in 
 the Valencian dialect, and printed in 1474. We were also shown the famous romance of 
 chivalry, Tirant lo Blanch, en vulgar lengua Valenciana, printed at Valencia in 1490. 
 " Treasure of jo3'-fulness and mine of amusement, when the knights-errant ate, slept, and 
 died in their beds, everything wanting in other books is found here." 
 
 Valencia, like Barcelona, has its Calle de la Plateria, where all the shops are occupied 
 by goldsmiths, who manufacture jewelry which finds a ready market among the rich 
 lahradoras of the hiierta. The designs are most tasteful, and the jewels are generally 
 mounted in unpolished gold after the most ancient patterns. 
 
 One of the chief industries of Valencia is the manufacture of delf-ware ; that of the 
 Middle Ages, loza valenciana, is still in great demand in Italy, iu the Levant, in France, 
 and many other quarters, where specimens are greatly prized by amateur collectors. 
 Ren^ I., Due d'Anjou, had he lived in our day, would have been a passionate 
 collectionneur : the good king ornamented the dressouers of his castles with Valencian delf- 
 ware. At times could be seen " a Valencian plate," sometimes " a hand-basin," or else 
 "plates of earthenware with golden leaves, Persian flowers, or on the back an eagle." 
 We have elsewhere tried to find out the history of the elegant Hispano-Moresque 
 pottery, to which we shall again have occasion to refer. We will at present only ofi'er 
 one or two words touching the way by which amateurs recognise certain pieces of 
 Valencian ware. 
 
 First there is the plate, ornamented on the back with an eagle of heraldic design, 
 or that with an eagle in front. Often enough one sees plates bearing the following 
 inscription in a circle : " In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum." Every- 
 body knows the beginning of St. John's Gospel. Let us note a plate in the British Museum, 
 on which we may read these words, " Senta Catalina, guarda nos," " St. Catherine, protect 
 us." The church of Santa Catalina, and the place of the same name in Valencia, date from 
 the Middle Ages. 
 
 A peculiarity worthy of notice is that the ware, so often ornamented with inscriptions 
 or Christian symbols, was manufactured by the ikfor«scos— seemingly good Christians, who 
 were nevertheless faithful sons of Islam. Often these poor workmen contented them- 
 selves with nothing more than food and clothing during four years' apprenticeship to 
 their craft. 
 
MANISES. 
 
 Zl 
 
 At Manises and several njeiglibouring villages a variety of different sorts of delf-ware 
 is still produced, notably the azulejos (in Valeucian dialect rajolas), coloured glazed tiles, 
 used for paving and for the covering of walls. This ware is largely exported to 
 foreign countries. 
 
 Manises is a pretty little village about two miles from Valencia, where we liired a 
 tartana, the only kind of vehicle used in this part of the country, and at the same 
 time one of the most primitive type to be met with anywhere, bearing no resemblance to 
 the boat of the same name. It is simply a cart covered with blue tarpaulin, supported 
 on a skeleton of arched hoops, the inside garnished with two parallel planks placed 
 lengthwise, while the frame, devoid of springs, is fixed on the axles so that the least 
 roughness in the road is apt to toss the passengers one on the top of the other. This 
 cart, closed in front and entered from behind, is reached by a wooden step. As to the 
 conductor, he is called tartanero, and is seated on the left shaft, his feet supported by a 
 little step ; habituated to constant jolting and tossing, he sticks to his perch with 
 marvellous address. Two hours spent iu a tartana ought to be sufficient to fracture every 
 bone in one's frame. We ought to mention, however, that there are the tartanas ciudadanas, 
 perfectly suspended, and fitted with many comforts ; these equipages have up to the 
 present time resisted all attempts at foreign innovations. 
 
 A TARTANERO. 
 
THE ESPADA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Antiquity of bull-fighting— Royal toreros— A. feast on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid — Costillares— Romero — Pepe Illo and his 
 ■book — The ganaderias — The herradttrd—1\i6 novillos — The vaqueros and the cabestros — The midnight journey of the 
 bulls — The Plaza de toros — Bills and programmes of the corridas — The toreros. 
 
 Etjll-fighting must be set clown as one of the chief amusements of Spain. "All 
 Spaniards," says an author who has treated the subject professionally, "are born with a 
 passion for this sport," and he adds " all that has been said and written against the bar- 
 barity of bull-fighting has in no way diminished its popularitj'." If one is to credit native 
 tradition, the noble science of bull-fighting boasts a high antiquity ; nevertheless, there 
 are those who insist that the usage was imported by the conquering Arabs. Be that as it 
 may, it is generally believed that the Cid Campeador — the popular hero, the Achilles of 
 Spain — was a cousummate bull-fighter. The celebrated Moratin, in a poem entitled Fiesta 
 antigua de toros, presents him to us lance in hand, mounted on a spirited steed, displaying 
 his address and courage against a bull of the most powerful and savage breed. 
 
 During the Middle Ages the sport had neither the ceremony nor the ^clat which was 
 imparted to it by the Fiestas de toros, when it became food for popular romance. 
 
 The Mussulman nobility were not less passionately fond of the popular sport than 
 were the Christian hidalgos ; the Bibrambla, which still exists at Granada, served the Moors 
 as an arena to which the fighting bulls were brought at that time from the mountains 
 of Ronda. Goya, the celebrated etcher, who was a great amateur, a passionate 
 aficionado, has left sketches of his sporting experiences in his " Tauromaquia." He has 
 
BULL-FIGHTING. 39 
 
 shown us the valiant Moor Gazul piercing a fierce bull when the auimal had over- 
 thrown him. At the same time the Emperor Charles II. is pictured on horseback, fighting 
 a bull at a fdte given in honour of the birth of Philip II. 
 
 That the passion for the national sport became geueral about the middle of the 
 sixteenth century may be gathered from the fact that Pius V. issued a Bull reproving 
 the clergy and people for their love of the arena. At the same time this ornament 
 of the Christian faith published a second edict in favour of the barbarities of the 
 Inquisition. The former had but little effect in diverting the popular taste, which 
 was fostered at the time by a series of works on the art of bull-fighting. Even the 
 clergy paid little heed to the edict. A manuscript in the National Library contains 
 a detailed account of a fdte held in 1626, which was honoured by the presence of a 
 Cardinal Legate. J. Pellicer de Tovar brought out a pamphlet in 163 1 to celebrate a 
 suerte, an extraordinary encounter which Philip IV., the royal torero, had during a f^te iu 
 October of the same year. 
 
 The Plaza Mayor of Madrid, which still exists in its primitive state, served as an 
 enclosure for these combats, as well as for the cruel scenes of the Inquisition. These 
 were the two favourite spectacles of the court. " The Plaza Mayor," says Aarsens de 
 Sommerdyck, "is very beautiful, its houses, the highest in Madrid, are surrounded by 
 balconies serving for the accommodation of the spectators at the feasts of bulls, the 
 most celebrated f^tes in Spain, and which are said to date from the time of the Moors. 
 This sort of amusement, if it has no other merit, is as ancient as it is barbarous. It is so 
 thoroughly a national taste that there are few towns in Spain where it is not the chiefest 
 joy of the inhabitants. There is hardly a citizen of Madrid who would not rather dispose 
 of all his worldly goods to raise money for a f^te than deny himself this crowning pleasure 
 of his life." 
 
 The same traveller describes to us one of tlie f^tes of the Plaza Mayor : " There 
 entered foremost among the champions a man of Valladolid mounted on a bull which he 
 had trained and accustomed to the saddle and bridle. He proceeded to the foot of the 
 throne, and making his obeisance to the King, mounted his bull to show its training. He 
 made him gallop and wheel about, until the brute, tired of his performance, began to kick 
 and plunge with such violence that he soon tossed his rider, who, recovering himself, 
 pursued his bull, accompanied by the yells and hooting of the spectators. Again commenced 
 the uproar, when one of the most savage bulls was let out, and rushed at his enemy, who, 
 although tamed and trained, was eager for the fray. After a series of fearful encounters 
 the champion retired. Throughout the entire feste one remarks the most inveterate 
 cruelty, said to have been imported from Africa, but which unfortunately did not return 
 with the Saracens." 
 
 Many sermons have been preached and printed, having for their sole object the 
 suppression of bull-fighting. The father Pedro de Guzman, a Jesuit who wrote at the 
 beginning of the seventeenth century, assures us that in his time there never was a bull- 
 fight that did not cost the lives of two or three persons, and frequently the number of 
 victims was greater. At Valladolid, in 15 12, during a course given on the occasion of the 
 fdtes of the Holy Cross, when only two or three bulls appeared, ten of the combatants met 
 their death. He describes these f^tes of Aragon as harbarie inimitable, "and it is an 
 acknowledged fact," adds the Jesuit father, " that in Spain two or three hundred persons are 
 thus annually slain." Madame de Sevign^, in 1680, said in a letter to her friend Madame de 
 Grignan : " The bull-fights are frightful. Two nobles almost perished in the arena, their 
 
40 SPAIN. 
 
 horses were killed under them. Very often the scene is most bloody and revolting. 
 These are the amusements of a Christian kingdom." 
 
 Under Charles II. the popularity of these exhibitions was at its height, but during 
 the reign of PJjilip V., in the eighteenth century, they were in decadence. The grandson 
 of Louis -XIV., doubtless aided by French influence, afi'ected to condemn these spectacles, 
 but they were never entirely given up, and in process of time they regained their freedom 
 and popularity, only the art had changed its character : formerly the nobles took an active 
 part in these f^tes, when it sufficed to fight the bull with horse and lance. Towards the 
 end of last century the picadores, the adroit handerilleros, the agile chulos, and lastly the 
 espada appeared in the arena ; the latter fought face to face with the bull, armed simply 
 with his sword and red mantle, called engano, that is to say the bait, because it is used to 
 draw off the bull. If we are to credit the "Memoires Secrets," it was proposed in 1778 to 
 introduce this amusement into Paris. A theatre was to be built to hold 20,000 spectators, 
 and a staff of men were to be imported capable of directing these bloody butcheries. The 
 project rested there. 
 
 This mode of fighting face to face was introduced by an Audalusian, Francisco Komero 
 of Ronda, who foiind the art at once fascinating and profitable. His mantle fell upon his 
 son Juan, who emulated his father and founded a school for training picadores, hdndenlleros, 
 and chulos. He was succeeded by Joaquin Eodriguez, known in Spain by the name 
 Costillares. It is to him they owe the introduction of the suertes, and he may be fairly 
 said to have brought the art to its present state of perfection, and sporting characters set 
 him down as the father of modem bull-fighting. 
 
 Before the advent of Costillares several modes of defence were known, but the espada 
 without proper means of defence was at the mercy of his enemy. Costillares regulated the 
 employment of the muleta, so as to completely command the bulls, and, to use the technical 
 expression, en sazonpara la muerte — to lead them on to death. Formerly the espada allowed 
 the bull to fall upon him or rush madly upon his uplifted sword. If the animal was too 
 dull or too cunning to make the final charge, he was despatched by the hands of the 
 profane, pierced by an attendant with a long lance called the punzon. Sometimes also 
 they treacherously cut the ham by means of the media luna, or half moon, a crescent of 
 sharp steel fixed to the end of a long pole. To escape this barbarous practice this torero 
 invented tlje famous suerte de volapies, to which we shall refer in a future page, and which 
 enabled the espada to throw himself upon the animals refusing to advance, thus placing 
 him in a position to overcome his worst enemies. 
 
 "Bull-fights are alike the delight of both young and old, and those who with-, 
 hold themselves from such spectacles are accounted fools or cowards, who are either 
 incapable of appreciating these noble exercises, or too timid to sit out the glorious contests 
 between men and brutes. Timid moralists profess to look upon these f^tes alike with 
 terror and disgust, nevertheless, does there exist a single manly exercise exempt from 
 danger? The game of mallet, the taste for rowing and racing, have they not cost more 
 lives than fighting bulls have ever sacrificed, or will sacrifice ? Our sport has now reached 
 such a degree of perfection— to make use of an expression that fell from a Moorish 
 chief when he for the first time witnessed an encounter at Cadiz— ' We treat the bulls with 
 as perfect impunity as if they were sheep.'" Such were the sentiments of a distinguished 
 advocate of the corrida, Pepe Illo. 
 
 The corrida is the sport of the Spaniards, and the plaza is their Epsom or their Derby. 
 The bulls of Spain have their stud-book, wherein are recorded the histories of their descent 
 
PEOVE OF FIGHTING BULLS; MIDNIGHT. 
 
 To face page 40. 
 
FIGHTING-BULLS. 43 
 
 and achievements. Hercules, who was a great tamer of bulls, was, it is said, attracted to 
 Spain by the bulls of Gary on, which were reared on the vast pastures of Bsetica. Here, 
 then, is a lineage older than the Crusades. 
 
 Each ganaderia — it is thus they name the herds of fighting-bulls — is also known as 
 aficionados, or untamed bulls, which do not require the divisa as a distinguishing mark. 
 The divisa is a bow of ribbon fixed round the animal's neck before the course, serving 
 to indicate to what family he belongs. Thus, the bulls of the ganaderia Gijona, 
 the property of the Marquis of Casa Gaviria, are known by their red bow, those of the 
 Vista Hermosa wear blue and white, and so on. The bulls of each family have well-marked 
 hereditary 'qualities or defects : some, such as those of Salvatierra, are bold and quick, 
 and defend themselves with fiery impetuosity ; but their ardour is soon expended, after 
 which they are easily overcome. Those of Gijon are active at the beginning of a 
 course, but become sluggish towards the end. Amongst the most esteemed ganaderias 
 are those of Colmenar Viejo, not far from the Escurial ; these bulls are very much alike 
 in height, build, and colour. Those of the Vista Hermosa enjoy a special reputation in 
 Andalusia. 
 
 Bulls are generally fed in vast prairies, far from human habitations, where one 
 seldom encounters any being other than the vaqueros, or herdsmen, charged with their 
 care. The purity of race is not only steadily kept up, but the bulls destined ' for the 
 arena are always carefully selected ; when they are a year old, one of the vaqueros, called 
 the conocedor, has the animals passed before him for inspection. Mounted on a powerful 
 horse, and armed with a lance, he charges the most likely specimens, in order to try their 
 temper and disposition ; those of them that take to flight, or stand to receive the blow 
 good-naturedly, are at once rejected, and are condemned to the doom of being fed up as 
 beef for the market. On the other hand, those which show pluck are branded, an operation 
 called the herradura. After a time the young subject is promoted, and becomes a novillo, 
 and is required to submit to a new test of valour. When at last he has acquired 
 sufficient power to become dangerous, it is necessary that he should be subjected to an 
 operation called emholado. 
 
 The novillos are usually tested in obscure localities for the amusement of the lower 
 orders among the people, who are unable to gratify their taste by paying to witness a 
 regular fight. The real aficionados scorn this mimicry of war as a drama without denoue- 
 ment, since the novillo is spared to fight another day. It is towards the age of four years 
 that the toros de muerte are raised to the dignity of taking part in a corrida ; they are then 
 brought to town, a sort of travelling not exempt from danger, as it involves guarding a 
 troop of the fiercest bulls, who at the sight of any unfamiliar object might break from the 
 herd and spread death and destruction around. Indeed, it would be quite impossible to 
 get them to their destination were it not for the cabestros, large oxen, ordinarily light- 
 skinned, and quite harmless, in spite of the great length of their horns. These animals feed 
 in the pastures in company with the fighting-bulls, which are accustomed to their society 
 from their tenderest calfhood, and follow them with marvellous docility as their recognised 
 chiefs. Further to reduce the risk of accidents, the bulls are nearly always driven from 
 the pastures during the night. The cabestros are forced to the front by the herdsmen, who 
 keep them in position with their lances. Meeting one day a fighting-herd, we were 
 reminded of the Cahallero de la Mancha, who, when encamped in the middle of tlic 
 highway, defied the vaqueros. " Sancho resta moulu, Don Quichotte epouvante, le grison 
 assomme, et Rossinante fort peu catholique." 
 
 D 
 
44 SPAIN. 
 
 When near the town the herd are put up for the night, and are led to the plaza the 
 day previous to the fight. This last journey is by far the most hazardous, for the peasants 
 and citizens, easily excited by anything connected with a course, crowd round the animals, 
 who are apt to resent the familiarity. Arrived at their destination, the bulls are shut up 
 in the corral, where they await the moment of passing into the toril, a narrow sort of 
 condemned cell, which the animal only leaves to meet his death in the flaza. 
 
 Above the different cells there are galleries, with balustrades in front, from which 
 cords are let down and fastened to the doors of the cells in such a way that the doors may 
 be readily drawn up or closed at pleasure. The bulls are placed in the cells in the order in 
 which they are to take part in the combat. 
 
 The courses are regularly held at Madrid every Sunday from Easter to All Saints' 
 Day. In provincial towns they are only held from time to time on the occasion of the 
 principal f^tes, and rarely during the winter months, as the cold renders the brutes much 
 less furious ; besides this, as the majority of the spectators are exposed to the air, they 
 would run the risk of being frozen to death in their seats in a climate like that of Madrid, 
 where the winter frosts are quite as keen as in Paris. In Andalusia and Valencia the 
 mildness of the climate sometimes admits of winter courses ; at Seville, for example, we 
 witnessed a bull-fight in the month of December. There are hardly any Spanish towns 
 that have not their plaza de toros : sometimes these amphitheatres belong to the 
 municipality and to the hospitals, which are partly supported by letting the plaza to tlie 
 asentistas, or contractors for the courses. The asentista is here what the impresario is in 
 Italy ; he organises the courses at his own risk, just as the impresario manages the opera 
 or the drama. The cost of a corrida is very considerable ; thus, the plaza of Madrid is let 
 out for about 7000 francs for a single course, and the bulls cost some of them as much 
 as 800 francs a head. The number of bulls killed on a single occasion varies between 
 six and eight, and even at times the public demand a toro de gracia, which swells the 
 number to nine, and we ourselves have seen ten slaughtered during a single course. 
 Some days before a corrida the town is placarded with bills of gigantic proportions and all 
 colours, giving a detailed programme of the fight. In these bills not only the names of 
 the bulls and their assailants are given, but the pedigree, not of the men, but of the brutes 
 to be slaughtered, is carefully recorded. Smaller programmes are issued, having blank 
 spaces, on which the spectators delight to jot down the harrowing events of the f6te. 
 There are few, if any, of the witnesses of a bull-fight who are not careful to exhibit their 
 passion for the sport by keeping a record of the different rounds by pricking the paper 
 with a pin, just as the players at Homburg or Baden used to note the fortunes of the 
 roulette ; one would almost say that the pinholes correspond exactly with the wounds 
 inflicted on the bulls, horses, or, alas ! toreros. One of these programmes artistically pricked 
 at Valencia presented the fearful total of wounds that could be inflicted in a two hours' 
 combat ; thirty-one horses killed or wounded by eight bulls, which had themselves received 
 twenty-nine thrusts in exchange for twenty-five falls of the picadores. 
 
 The amphitheatres are almost the same everywhere : a wide circular arena bestrewn 
 with fine sand to prevent the combatants from slipping. This arena is hedged round by 
 a wooden fence, rising to a height of about six feet ; on each side of the barrier there is 
 a wooden step, designed to enable the torero, when pressed by his foe, to vault over at a 
 single bound. The fence is further pierced with four doors, the first door leads to the 
 toril, or cell where the bulls are imprisoned : the others are used by the attendants 
 and toreros. Around the arena there is a gutter, called valla, or callejon, and beyond the 
 
THE AEENA. 
 
 45 
 
 fence rises an inclined plane of seats to accommodate spectators. The seats most eagerly- 
 sought after are in front, where the details of the combat may be closely scrutinised, while 
 those of inferior grades rise tier above tier beyond, until the palcos are reached ; but 
 the prices are also greatly affected by the position of the sun, those in the shade, offering 
 coolness and comfort, being naturally considered the best. 
 
 POSE OP BANDEKILLAS. 
 
THE GORDITa 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A bull-fight at Valencia— Aspect of the arena— The despejo—'Vhe defile of the Cuadrilla— The algiiaciles—lhe espadas—Thc 
 batiderilleros— The chulos— The pieadores— The release of the bull— The suertes and the cogidas— The picador Calderon 
 is wounded— An obstacle— The Gm-dito—The Taio- The sword and the mideta— The estocada A volapU—A shoAver of 
 so nibreros— The cachetero— The tiros of mules— The banderillas de fuego— The sobresaliente— The suertes de capa— The 
 Gordito and his chair — A banderillero in danger — The buU-vaulter. 
 
 The great day of the corrida had at last arrived. It was Sunday, and tlie f^te promised 
 to be a splendid one. The Cuadrilla had brought together some of the first fighting-men 
 in Spain : Antonio Sanchez, known as the Tato, the best sword of the day, a picador 
 as valiant as the Cid himself, and the Gordito, a banderillero, whose marvellous address 
 was only equalled by his bravery. 
 
 A Spanish town on a fSte day presents a most curious and interesting spectacle. The 
 extraordinary animation contrasts strongly with the habitual calm of the place. We met 
 many men coming and going, some loitering in friendly groups, and others hastening to 
 secure their tickets at the hospital. All the town seemed to be astir, and from behind the 
 striped hangings of the balconies one heard the buzzing of the guitar or the metallic 
 throbs of the citara. Peasants were crowding in in dense masses, some on foot, others on 
 their ponies or mules, covered with graceful mantles in place of saddles. The huerta had 
 indeed iuvaded Valencia en masse; decked in holiday attire, the lahradoras added to 
 the charm of their olive complexions their finest jewels. Some splendid models were 
 passing and repassing, and Dord, startled by their beauty, devoured them with his eyes. 
 All at once, at the angle of a street, there appeared a picador in. splendid costume, proudly 
 seated on his horse. "It is Calderon," said one of our friends, a Valeucian and ardent 
 sportsman, who was accompanying us to the course. Hats were tossed into the air, and 
 
THE PICADOR CALDEEON. 
 
 To face xiagc 46- 
 
THE ARENA. 49 
 
 young and old were writhing and struggling to get a good look at the horseman. Soon he 
 was followed by other picadores. The enthusiastic crowd, augmented every moment, 
 became so dense that the picadores were obliged to struggle through in Indian file. We 
 could now descry the imposing mass of the amphitheatre lit by a blazing sun. 
 
 Following the stream, we were soon lodged in the front row, impatient to witness the 
 drama about to be played before us. The plaza presented one of those spectacles which 
 can never be forgotten. There were some fifteen thousand spectators, in brilliant costumes, 
 whose effect was heightened by a brilUant sun. In front of where we stood the seats in 
 the sun were already full, a few fresh arrivals had claimed the last vacant places, so that 
 there was not a single gap or flaw in this human mosaic, whose many hues stood out in 
 bright relief against the deep blue of the sky. A murmur of many voices rose from the 
 throng, and was only broken by the cries of hawkers selling their wares, and by those of 
 the naranjeros, whose oranges, cleverly thrown, always reached their men even at the highest 
 seats. Vendors of fans at a penny each were driving a brisk trade among the unfortunates 
 who were being grilled like lizards in the hot sun. Leathern bottles filled with dark 
 wine were busily circulated, and might be seen to collapse with amazing celerity as 
 they passed from hand to hand. Here and there disputes arose, but no blows were 
 exchanged. 
 
 Soon a murmur of excitement announced the despejc, an operation which consists of 
 clearing the arena and valla; the soldiers pushing the stragglers before them, little by 
 little, to the accompanying growls of the audience, who were becoming impatient for the 
 commencement of the course. After clearing the arena there followed the procession 
 which precedes the corrida. At the- heaid were the alguaciles, mounted on jet-black steeds 
 decked with crimson velvet, while their riders, attired in black, wore a costume of the 
 sixteenth century. These men did not seem' to enjoy great popularity, as their approach 
 was greeted by outbursts of shrill whistling, and torrents of abuse. Then came the gente 
 de d pis, the footmen, who are also' called! lo» peones, followed by the banderilleros, the 
 espadas, and lastly the chidos-, or capeadores. As soon as the latter appeared the banter 
 changed into noisy applause. They wear a very elegant costume : the head covered with 
 the mantilla of black velvet, ornamented with bows of s-ilk ; falling on the back of the neck 
 they carried the mona, a black silk chignon fastened to the coleta, a little tress of hair, a sort 
 of rudimentary tail cultivated by all ioi^eros. This chignon, which might well be an object of 
 envy to a lady, presents a singular contrast to the thick black whiskers of the chidos. The 
 short jacket and waistcoat are partially hidden by a fringe of silk, and peeping out from a 
 pocket at the side of the jacket we could see the corner of a fine cambric handkerchief, 
 broidered by tlie hand of some dear one. Over the ornamented shirt front falls a cravat 
 knotted " d la Colin." The short breeches, which show the form as well as if the wearer 
 were in swaddling clothes, are made of blue, red, green, or lilac satin, always of the most 
 delicate shades. The waist is bound round by the inevitable faja, a silk band of startling- 
 hues, while flesh-coloured stockings complete the costume. These gladiators of Spain 
 resemble ballet-dancers, and one has the greatest difficulty in realising that these men, so 
 coquettishly dressed, are prepared to risk their lives, and play with blood, recalling to our 
 mind the passage of Moratin, where he says, "The art has become so refined that the toreros 
 appear as if they were rather designed to captivate the gentle fair than to deal death- 
 thrusts to infuriated animals." The costumes of the different classes of toreros are almost 
 the same, only that of the espada is distinguished by richer ornaments. In some instatices 
 the complete dress of an espada costs one thousand francs. 
 
50 SPAIN. 
 
 The toreros advanced with charming grace, proudly wrapped in their mantles of bright 
 colours, used to attract the bull. Behind them came the picadores, firmly seated on 
 their horses, and wearing broad-brimmed felt hats ornamented by tufts of ribbons, short 
 jackets decked with bows and loops of ribbons; white open vests, not less ornamented, 
 left the embroidered shirt front in full view. A broad silk waistband supported yellow 
 leathern trousers, which concealed the iron armour protecting the limbs. Their saddles were 
 well raised before and behind, after the pattern of the Arabs; the rider, often exposed 
 to the danger of being thrown, is thus more securely seated. The stirrups also partake 
 of the same antique form, the foot disappearing in them as in a box, while the long 
 spurs, destined to electrify the nearly exhausted steeds, recall those of the Middle Ages. 
 
 Then came the two tiros, or sets of mules, covered with red horsecloths and decked 
 with tinkling bells; above their heads rose several tiers of bows, and little flags of the 
 national colours fluttered round their collars. These ilnules are attached to an apparatus 
 used to drag the carcases of the bulls and horses from the arena. 
 
 The procession terminated with a troop of attendants in Andalusian costume ; slowly 
 it defiled around the arena, and proceeded to salute the senor alcalde — president of the place 
 — who had just arrived ; they then prepared for the combat. The president gave the key 
 of the toril to one of the alguaciles, who, accompanied by the hooting of the audience, pro- 
 ceeded to open the door of the cell, whence bounded a fierce bull,- a superb animal of great 
 size, black as coal, and with wide-spreading horns. His divisa, or collar, indicated a 
 ganaderia de Colmenar-viego. 
 
 Calderon, the picador, was at his post, that is to say at eight or nine paces from the 
 left of the door, and two from the barrier. He had already shaded the eyes of his steed 
 with a red handkerchief to prevent him seeing the bull, and guarded his thumb with a 
 shield of leather to prevent the lance slipping from his grasp. The ferocious brute, as it 
 emerged from the darkness of its prison, hesitated a few seconds as if dazzled by the sun 
 and crowd, then rushing headlong at Calderon, was received on the lance of the picador, but 
 the steel, protected by a hempen pad, only grazed the broad shoulder of the bull, and the 
 animal, maddened by the wound, plunged one of its horns into the chest of the horse, from 
 which issued a stream of blood. The poor brute, exhausted from loss of blood, commenced 
 to totter, and while yet the picador was driving the spurs into its quivering flanks, the 
 animal fell forward dead. The audience, without taking the slightest notice of this har- 
 rowing incident, clamoured for another horse, which was soon brought in. While Calderon, 
 embarrassed by his armour, slowly mounted his new steed, the bull had sought the other 
 side of the arena, charging Pinto, surnamed el Bravo, the second picador, who received him 
 with a powerful thrust of the lance in his shoulder ; the pole bent with the shock, and the 
 cavalier was hurled to the earth, his horse falling heavily upon him. It is said that the 
 sight of blood excites the bull, and we ourselves have remarked the truth of this, but it is 
 singular to notice that the furious animal, never knowing how to distinguish his real foe, 
 nearly always spends his rage on the poor liorses, in place of attacking the dismounted 
 picadores. While a number of the chulos rescued Pinto, others used their capas to draw off 
 the bull from the dying horse, that was being speedily torn and lacerated by the huge 
 sanguinary horns. At last the bull left his victim, and followed one of the chulos, who, 
 taking a circuitous route, soon found himself hotly pursued, and with a single bound vaulted, 
 over the barrier, while his surprised and disappointed foe stopped for a moment, and then 
 turned his wrath against the friendly barrier, in which he left the marks of his huge 
 horns. 
 
a 
 
 M 
 O 
 Q 
 < 
 
A BULL-FIGHT. 53 
 
 The exploits of Morito produced shouts of applause : in less than a minute he had 
 thrown two picadores and slain two horses, and shouts of "Bravo toro," rang through 
 the plaza. The 'picadores had their share of the plaudits, ,as they had fought bravely. The 
 suertes de pica had not been less brilliant than the cogidas : one understands by suerte every 
 offensive or defensive act of the toreros, and by the cogidas every charge of the bull ; when 
 a torero is reached by a thrust of the horns they say he is enganchado. 
 
 The Morito was a courageous bull, hoyente and duro, that is to say free, and ready to 
 attack handsomely. The morning before the course, during the apartado we had already 
 noted his symmetry, and a number of chulos had singled him out for his wide-spreading 
 horns, and had assured us that he would take his punishment kindly and nobly. This is 
 a small specimen of professional language ! 
 
 Calderon, who had a fall to a,venge, was desirous to show his many admirers that he 
 had no fear of his terrible foe ; digging his spurs into his steed, he galloped to within a few 
 paces of the bull, who stood in the centre of the arena making the sand fly from his feet, 
 and bellowing loudly, as if to challenge anew his enemies. The movement was extremely 
 hazardous : when a picador attacks a bull he arranges if possible to fall so that the body 
 of his horse will serve to shield him on one side and the barrier on the other, whereas in 
 the middle of the arena he would be exposed to danger on every side. The daring of 
 Calderon therefore called forth an ovation from the spectators. Excited by the tumult of 
 popular favour, Calderon proceeded to challenge the bull, provoking it by brandishing his 
 lance. Still the animal stood immovable, while the picador, making his horse advance 
 a step, with a rapid action cast his huge hat before the bull ; still the noble animal, although 
 doubtless astonished at such audacity, did not move. This is termed by sporting characters 
 ohligar d lajiera — compelling the savage brute to attack ; Calderon even went so far as to 
 prick the nose of his foe with his lance. This last affi'ont roused his vengeance, and he 
 charged with such force that the cavalier and his horse were thrown to the ground 
 together. The chulos rushed to the rescue, waving their mantles. The horse now neighed 
 furiously, and Calderon, stunned by his fall, was almost trodden under foot; at last the 
 Tato, by several suertes de capa, succeeded in attracting the animal, but the espada, making 
 a sudden detour, stopped, and gracefully wrapping himself in his cloak, waited the near 
 approach of the bull, when with great agility he repeated his movement, again and again 
 evading pursuit, and with the most tranquil air even allowing the sharp horns to touch his 
 mantle. The spectators, as if moved by an electric shock, rose on seeing the fainting 
 Calderon borne from the arena in the arms of the chulos. When they passed before us in 
 the valla, we noticed a large wound on the forehead of Calderon, who was thus placed hors 
 de combat within five minutes of his entering the arena. 
 
 A fanfare of trumpets announced that the work of the picadores was at an end ; the 
 handerilleros entered the arena, waving their handerillas in the air, to excite the bull and 
 rouse him to combat. 
 
 The handerillas, also called palillos, rehiletes, &c., are little pieces of wood about as 
 thick as one's thumb, and about sixty centimetres in length, ornamented with ribbons of 
 coloured paper ; at one end there is an iron dart resembling a bait-hook. These small 
 instruments of torture are fixed into the shoulders of the bull in order to irritate the 
 already wounded animal ; they are usually inserted in pairs, one in each shoulder. The 
 work of the handerillero is dangerous and difficult, requiring great agility and coolness ; 
 both arms must be raised at once above the bull's horns, so as almost to touch them ; the 
 least hesitation, the faintest doubt, or a single false step might prove fatal. It sometimes 
 
54 SPAIN. 
 
 happens that a handerillero fills at the same time the fimction of the media espada — half- 
 sword, or the espada of a lower order. The handerillas are so frightfully irritating to the 
 bull that they intensify his fury to the last degree, and have given rise to the popular 
 saying, poner handerillas, " Give him the handerillas," addressed to some one who is being 
 worried or chaffed. 
 
 The Gonlito is at the present time one of the most renowned espadas in Spain, 
 his boldness and agility contrasting strangely with his fat heavy-looking figure. The 
 name Gordito, by which he is known, simply means " The fat one." In the same way is 
 Bias Meliz surnamed el Minuto, or the Diminutive, owing to his smallness, which however 
 does not prevent his being one of the most adroit men that ever figured in the arena, 
 notwithstanding his being lame from a wound received in the following manner in the 
 plaza of Segovia. A bull had just received a sword-thrust from the espada, but the weapon, 
 which stuck in the animal's neck, was tossed into the air with great violence, and- fell 
 point downwards into the heel of Minuto. The Gordito was now preparing to lay his 
 fourth pair of handerillas, although the usual number is only three pairs ; but he stopped 
 suddenly. A matar suena el clarin! — the clarion had just sounded the death-note. 
 
 The honour of inflicting the first thrust had fallen to the Tato. It is customary for 
 the espada before killing the bull to address himself to the president, from whom he obtains 
 permission to despatch his foe, and this work he engages to perform eff"ectually. That is 
 what they term echar el hrindis, that is to say, to propose the toast. The" Tato, carrying iu 
 his left hand his sword and muleta, advanced to the president's seat, and uncovered his 
 head in graceful salutation. This over, the Alcalde nodded approvingly, and the Tato, 
 making a pirouette, tossed his mantle into the air. Then, with his sword in his right hand 
 and his mantilla in his left, he made straight for the bull. 
 
 The muleta is, as we have already said, a small red flag which serves to attract the 
 bull. The sword is of the usual length, with a flat and flexible blade, the handle compact, 
 and easily held. But let us follow the Tato, who, passing his muleta repeatedly before the 
 bull, failed to rouse it to charge ; he then, as if to defy his foe, lifted the handerillas with 
 the point of his sword, and took up his position, holding his weapon horizontally, and 
 his muleta draped on the ground. The Tato thus presented a superb picture. " How 
 beautifully he stands ! " said all the women around us. But the moment of attack 
 approached — all eyes were fastened upon the statuesque figure. Suddenly the espada 
 advanced upon his foe, the horns touched the silk of his jacket, and his sword sheathed 
 itself in the shoulder of the bull. This was a most magnificent estocada d volapiS. This 
 blow (introduced by Joaquin Rodriguez, known as Costillares), designed to despatch the 
 animals which refuse to attack, is thus described by Pepe Illo, who was as well known 
 as a torero as a didactic author : " The diestro takes up his position to inflict the death- 
 blow, and as soon as the bull, deceived by the movement of the mantilla, lowers his 
 head and exposes his shoulders, he springs towards him, thrusting his sword while 
 poised on one foot. This," adds Pepe Illo, "is a brilliant pass, not to be attempted unless 
 the bulls have lost spirit and refuse to charo-e." 
 
 The pass which Tato had just made brought down thunders of applause, and from all 
 sides came an avalanche of hats falling into the redondel. This storm of head-gear is the 
 highest compliment that can be paid to the pluck of the arena, and the merit of the pass 
 might be arithmetically reckoned by the number of hats tossed into the air. Cigars were 
 also flying in great profusion, and we even saw the charming aficionadas toss their bouquets 
 into the arena in order to applaud with all the force of their little hands. The object of 
 
A BULL-FIGHT. 57 
 
 this ovation stood in the centre of a fiightful group of torn and mutilated horses, some 
 dead, and others tossing their heads in agony above dark pools of blood which reflected the 
 strange medley of flowers, fans, and satins, and at the same time the forms of the writhing 
 and excited multitude — an ideal picture, indeed, of the ghastly and the gay of a Spanish 
 bull-fight. 
 
 When the excitement had died out the hats were calmly collected by the attendants, 
 and cleverly tossed back to their respective owners to serve for another occasion. Some 
 hats make at least half a dozen such journeys during a course. But the bull was not yet 
 disposed of, although the sword-blade was buried in his breast, and one could only see the 
 hilt. The animal beginning to totter like a drunken man, turned madly upon his own 
 quivering flesh, then his eyes grew dim ; but as if defiant of death itself, he held his head 
 proudly erect, until his pains were ended by the cachetero, a personage dressed in black, who 
 struck one blow with a poniard, and the noble brute dropped his head in death. To 
 celebrate this solemn event the band played an Andalusian air much loved by the Spanish 
 spectators, who kept time with hands and feet. The mules, already noticed, were now 
 brought in to clear the arena of the dead animals. 
 
 Thus we have seen the bull-fights are divided into three acts : first the picadores 
 fill the principal part ; the second is consecrated to the address of the handeriUeros ; 
 and as to the third, it is taken up by the diestro, without doubt the cleverest part of the 
 drama. About fifteen or twenty minutes are allotted to each bull, so that the course of 
 eight bulls takes about two hours and a half. 
 
 To a stranger the first experience of a bull-fight is most trying, but the Spaniards, 
 even women and young children, view the sight of blood and carnage with perfect 
 complacency. It is by no means uncommon to notice a young mother nursing her babe 
 while the most tragic scene is being enacted. 
 
 As soon as the arena was cleared the music was interrupted by the harsh fanfare of the 
 clarions and the rumbling of the tamhoriles, the door of the toril opened noisily, and the 
 second bull, announced by the name Cuquillo, made his entrance into the redondel. At first 
 sight he did not please our neighbours the aficionados ; his heavy demeanour was greatly 
 against him. First he smelt one and then another of the picadores, who each administered 
 a vigorous blow with their pikes, without causing the least show of resentment. With a 
 stupid, abashed air the bull retired to the other side of the arena, where the chulos made a 
 great efi"ort with their mantles to rouse him, but he was decidedly a languid and soft animal. 
 Eoused at last, he succeeded in despatching two horses ; feeling apparently satisfied 
 with this glorious exploit, he seemed determined to rest on his laurels. When the clarions 
 announced the time to introduce the handeriUeros, cries oifuego ! fuego ! — the fire ! the fire ! — 
 rang from all parts. The handerillas were granted by the president. This is the highest 
 pitch of perfection to which they have brought the little arrows already described, where, 
 in place of the ribbons of paper, they are supplied with fireworks, which light tlie moment 
 the iron hook penetrates the skin of the animal. The unhappy Cuquillo received his two 
 first handerillas de fuego from the hands of the Gordito. Hardly were they fixed, when 
 a line of fire spread over the flanks of the bull, and were followed by the explosion of 
 crackers. Two additional handerillas of fire were placed, followed by a third pair. The brute 
 bellowed and turned upon himself, galloping full tilt, furious at being at once scorched by 
 the fire and stunned by the noise. That did not prevent one of the handeriUeros from 
 attempting to place a fourth pair ; only one could be fixed, and the other, falling and 
 
58 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 ploding beneath him, crowBed his rage. At Last his death-note rang out, and the 
 sobresaUente, the second espada, saluted the president, and prepared for his work of slaughter. 
 
 ex 
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF THE ESPADA. 
 
 After several passes of the muleta he pierced his foe, but his sword snapped against a bone, 
 and this gave rise to murmurs of dissatisfaction. Nothing daunted however, he thrust 
 
^ 
 
 o 
 es 
 a 
 ij 
 .J 
 
 Q 
 
A BULL-FIGHT. 6i 
 
 again more successfully, and was speedily followed by the cachetero; who put an end to the 
 sufferings of the bull. 
 
 Without wishing to try the patience of our readers by recounting all the details of a 
 single course, we will simply rest satisfied by singling out another encounter, which was 
 chiefly interesting on account of the unexpected reappearance of the picador Calderon, who, 
 it will be remembered, was carried off fainting at the commencement of the fight. It 
 almost seems that picadores are not made of the same clay as other men ; they are so 
 used to the most formidable blows, thrusts, and falls, a single one of which would put an 
 end to any ordinary mortal. 
 
 Half Calderon's face disappeared beneath a bandage applied to his wound. The 
 bandage, his jaded looks, and the long pike which he brandished in his right hand, 
 recalled the figure of the ingenious "Hidalgo de la Mancha," mounted on Eossinante, 
 Eesolved to avenge his wound, he planted himself close to the to?'il, to receive the first 
 shock of the Brujo (the Sorcerer), the third bull. Here he acquitted himself to perfection, 
 bringing a stream of blood with his first thrust. From this moment Calderon, heated by 
 the bravos of the crowd and fired by the pride of the torero, strove to surpass himself. His 
 terrible pua left no rest to the bull. His conirades had besought him not to reappear that 
 day, but he would not consent. One indeed is at a loss to account for the obstinacy which 
 the toreros show under similar circumst^jices. It is said that Eoque Miranda, surnamed 
 Eigores, having one day received three thrusts of the horns in the plaza of Madrid, determined 
 to reappear in a course which took place at Bilboa, more than one hundred miles off. Al- 
 though hardly cured, he set out on his journey ; but the celebrated Montes would not permit 
 him to bear the sword, and urged him to return to Madrid. Soon after he took part in 
 a corrida in the amphitheatre of that town, but his wounds mortified, and he died after 
 suffering a terrible operation. 
 
 The fourth bull was waited for with great impatience, as the Gordito was announced 
 to fire a pair of handerillas sentado, that is to say, seated on a chair. When at last the bull 
 was released, a chair covered with straw was placed in the middle of the arena. On this 
 the Gordito was seated, awaiting smilingly the charge of his foe. Soon roused by the capes 
 of the chidos, the bull rushed at the Gordito. Thousands of breasts beat with terrible 
 excitement as the furious animal, tossing clouds of dust in the air, charged his enemy, 
 and when within two paces of the chair a terrible shriek rent the air — in an instant we saw 
 the upraised arms of the Gordito as, springing nimbly to one side, he planted his handerillas 
 and escaped. The bull, doubly furious to find himself pricked by the iron and disappointed 
 of his prize, sent the chair spinning in fragments around, and continued his course, each 
 flank decked with a superb handerilla. 
 
 Words cannot describe the intense excitement of the scene. The air was darkened 
 with a storm-cloud of hats, while a steady shower of cigars fell on the arena, and were 
 picked up by the Gordito, who shared them with his comrades. One other scene, which 
 caused an uproar, was occasioned by a handerillero, who at the moment when the 
 death-note sounded was seized with the unhappy ambition to inflict another pair of 
 handerillas on the bull, but making a false step, he fell face downwards. Notwith- 
 standing the efforts of the chidos, he was lifted on the horns of the animal and carried 
 twice round the arena ; fortunately, he fell to the ground, and his captor continued his 
 course, carrying at the points of his horns some rags of satin. He had been caught 
 up by the vest, and, to the astonishment of the spectators, escaped without a single scratch. 
 
62 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 The fifth bull met his death without any striking incident. Then came the Judio 
 (Jew), a j'umping-buU, of those called de muchas piernas — many-legged. He tried several 
 times to jump the barrier, and at length succeeded in clearing it at a single bound, but he 
 was again got into the arena without causing damage. 
 
 The seventh bull was killed, but not without some trouble ; as to the eighth, named 
 Zapatero, the Gordito, with the aid of a long pole, vaulted over his back, and Tato again 
 came to the front, and killing the animal, closed the course. 
 
 
 
 PLAY OF THli CAPE. 
 

 •s. 
 
 = Em 
 
 M 
 
 m 
 OS 
 
 < 
 a 
 
 K 
 
 Eh 
 
 g 
 
 <i 
 
 >J 
 o 
 
 >J 
 
TOREROS IN THE CALLE ZAEAGOZA. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Albiifeia — Shooting and fishing — The Sportsmen — Alciia— Carcagente — The oranges of the kingdom of Valencia — 
 The huerta of Gandia — Aloes and their uses — The papel de hilo — The fgte of St. George — Combat between Moors 
 and Spaniards — Jativa — Almanza — The pyramid — Albacete, the Sheffield of Spain — Navajas, cuchillos, and punales — 
 The poniard in the garter — From Albacete to Alicante — ^Villena — Alicante — Elche and its forest of palms — The dates 
 and palms. 
 
 The corridas of the autumn season were finished at Valencia ; the holiday attire of the 
 people had been put aside ; the inhabitants of the huerta returned to their tillage ; the 
 streets of the town, only yesterday so full of life and gaiety, had relapsed into their 
 accustomed calm. The entrance of the toreros into the cafds created quite a sensation ; the 
 engrossing subjects of conversation were the incidents of the two superb co7^ridas, and the 
 deepest silence reigned when one of the toreros recounted his victories. The local journals 
 were full of the courses, freely discussing the varied merits of the toreros and their 
 victims, just in the same way as we should criticise some celebrated tenor or actor after 
 a great performance. We came across one article of eight columns, a masterpiece of 
 composition, in verse of different measures, presenting a formidable variety of quatrains. 
 Bach bull was passed in review, and, thanks to a lavish use of periphrases and of 
 synonyms, its author, the poetaster of the arena, made a veritable tour de force, noting 
 all the falls of the picadores, not omitting the pairs and half-pairs of handerillas, the 
 most trifling scratch made by the espada, &c. 
 
 As for ourselves, our experience of bull-fighting was amply sufficient, without 
 recurring to the detail set down in cold print and doggerel rhyme. It was now time for us 
 to seek for other scenes. A Valencian friend of ours, an intrepid Nimrod, was planning 
 
66 SPAIN. 
 
 a very different pastime, and liis glowing account of tlie splendid sport to be bad on tlie 
 Albufera tempted us to accompany him. Tbe aquatic birds of this lagoon include nearly 
 sixty different kinds, amongst wbich figures a superb specimen with fiery plumage, called 
 the flamingo, or phenicopteron. The temptation held out of seeing specimens of this bird 
 
 was irresistible to Dore. 
 
 The Albufera is about nine miles south of Valencia, and is more than two miles 
 long from north to south. We had already seen it from the tower of Miquelete spread 
 out along the sea-shore like a robe of blue silk. In virtue of an ancient custom, the public 
 are allowed to fish and shoot in this quarter twice a year, on St. Martin's Day, which falls 
 on November nth, and on St. .Catherine's Pay, 25th of the same month. On such 
 occasions our guide assured us that at least ten thousand sportsmen appeared upon the 
 scene, divided between fishing-parties iji boats and shooting-parties on shore. 
 
 Some days before starting we wisely engaged a tartqma at the posada de Teruel, for 
 vehicles of all sorts would be in great de^iand for the day. Before sunrise, on the morning 
 of the fete, our tartanero waited for us at the fonda. Soon after, we left Valencia, casting 
 a last look at its spires, and passing under the Puerta de Serranos—the gate of the moun- 
 taineers (erected during the fourteenth century)— we crossed the Guadalaviar, and entered 
 the /itierto. The tartanero, wIm), like every second pian one comes across, bore the name of 
 Vicente, conducted us by the most abomipable roads, under the pretence of making short 
 cuts, over which our cart, being destitute of springs, jolted as if to break our necks ; but 
 our journey from Barcelona to Valencia had hardened us. I ought to say, however, that 
 Providence befriended our driver, who, notwithstanding his passing every conveyance on 
 the road, managed to keep his packing-box on its wheels. Crossing quagmires with the 
 most marvellous address, he ably sustained his compatriots' reputation of being the 
 cleverest caleseros in Spain. 
 
 The environs of Valencia are thickly dotted with orchards, extending outward 
 about three miles, and joining the rice-fields, or arrozales. In this part of the country 
 the number of irrigation canals is so considerable that we had to cross them about 
 every hundred yards. As the culture of rice requires abundance of water, the fields are 
 submerged during the greater part of the year, and are banked off to prevent the water 
 from escaping. 
 
 Eice-cultivation is a profitable enterprise, but the malarious exhalations rising from 
 the fields cut off many lives. As might be expected in a climate so hot and humid, many 
 of the natives suffer from intermittent fevers, and we could not but pity the poor labourers, 
 working from morning to night knee-deep in mud, while their heads and bodies were 
 being grilled by the sun. 
 
 It is round the little town of Alberic that one sees the most arrozales. A well-known 
 proverb makes allusion to the profit, and at the same time to the danger of rice-culture : 
 
 " Si vols vivre poc, y fer te ric, 
 Vesten 4 Alberic." 
 
 " If you wish to be rich and short-lived, go to Alberic." 
 
 An extraordinary animation reigned on the borders of the Albufera, the throng was 
 already immense, numerous groups were forming here and there, some seeking shade, 
 others braving the sun, and doing the honours to a picnic party writh the traditional 
 frugality of the Spaniards. Black wine flowed from leathern bottles in streams like silken 
 cords, the guitar and citara accompanied the joyous songs, marking the jolting rhyme of 
 
LAKE ALBUFERA. 
 
 69 
 
 
 the Jota aragonesa, or the Valencian Rondalla. The sportsmen were busily occupied 
 in preparing their arms, and from every side one heard that the sport was about to 
 begin. We couki descry near the middle of the lagoon immense black patches of 
 aquatic birds reposing tranquilly on the surface,' happily ignorant of the impend- 
 ing slaughter. The signal 
 to embark was given, and all 
 getting into the boats in 
 order, pulled for the centre 
 in a wide crescent. As we 
 advanced, the boats at the 
 two extremities of the line 
 gradually drew together, as 
 if to form a circle round the 
 game. One of the flocks rose 
 from the water like a dark 
 cloud against the blue sky. 
 Repeated discharges, resem- 
 bling irregular volleys of in- 
 fantry, were heard gradually 
 increasing as the circle closed 
 in. Tlie birds continued to 
 rise in thousands, and our 
 time to salute them at last 
 arrived, when the sport 
 yielded us a good bag, made 
 up of a variety quite un- 
 known to us. 
 
 We gather from the ac- 
 count given by a German 
 named Fischer, published at 
 Leipsic about the beginning 
 of this century, that larger 
 guns were then used, and 
 discharged as the flock rose 
 to wing. We regretted our 
 being unable to adopt the 
 device indicated by the com- 
 patriot of the Baron Mun- 
 chausen, which would have yielded a splendid dish of the tongues of the phenicoptera so 
 much prized by the Romans. 
 
 The heat on the shores of the lake is intense, and the mosquitos multiply in such 
 myriads that the fishermen are compelled to flee for refuge to the villages, to avoid being 
 literally devoured by these rapacious insects. This reminds us of a passage by an ancient 
 Arab author: "At Valencia flies dance to the sound of the mosquitos' music." We con- 
 cluded our day's work by joining a fishing party for which we had made an appointment 
 with a pescador of Sueca, a little town at the southern point of the lake. The fish of 
 Albufera is not less abundant than the game. AVe caught a great number of eels, as well 
 
 WANDEEING MUSICIAHS. 
 
70 SPAIN. 
 
 as of the fish called Hoharros. During dark nights the fishing is most successful, 
 especially when an east wind prevails. 
 
 It was now time to bid adieu to the pleasures of Valencian sport, I therefore 
 proposed to my companions that we should pass the night at Cullera, a small town near 
 the mouth of the Jucar ; from thence we were to go to Alcira and to Carcagente, to repose 
 beneath the welcome shade of orange-trees. 
 
 The environs of Alcira and of Carcagente supply the Paris market with the greater 
 part of its oranges, which the hawkers announce in the streets as " la belle Valence." It is 
 a mistake to imagine that the culture of oranges in such a salubrious climate requires but 
 little care. The most suitable soil for orange-trees is light and sandy, and they require to 
 be watered regularly every twenty days from February to November ; the soil also ought 
 to be manured at least three times a year. High winds are much dreaded by the gar- 
 deners, who, in order to screen the oranges from the force of the prevailing winds, hedge 
 them round with high walls of cypress closely planted together, or the great reeds, known 
 as canas, so common in Spain. The owners know from experience that their trees only 
 yield fruit in proportion to the care bestowed on their culture. The oranges are of two 
 kinds, those obtained by sowing tLe pips, naranjoS de serhilla, and naranjos enjertados, that is, 
 ingrafted. The latter produce the finest fruit, but the tree does not last so long, and is 
 usually more stunted than the naranjos de semilla, which sometimes attain a height of 
 twenty-five feet, and yield fruit for at least a century. It is said that the trees cultivated 
 in our green-houses reach a much greater age. Take for example the one at Versailles, 
 known as Franpois 1°^, said to have been sown at Pampeluna in 142 1, afterwards bought 
 by the Constable of Bourbon, and transported successfully to Chantilly, Fontainebleau, and 
 Versailles. 
 
 They use as suckers citron- stalks, which take easily. The grafting time is from 
 the mouth of April to June. The trees obtained by this means seldom live more than 
 thirty years, but in return they bear fruit in greater abundance than the others. It is 
 rarely that an orange-tree will yield fruit before it is five years old, and when the tree 
 has reached its full maturity it will yield as many as two thousand oranges during 
 the season ; a Spanish naturalist assured Us that he had counted five thousand oranges 
 on a single tree. Young trees produce the largest and finest fruit ; as they age the fruit 
 becomes smaller, more abundant, thinner in the skin, and sweeter. The oranges change 
 to a yellow hue about November, having previously reached their full size. Those 
 exported are packed wlien yet green, in order that they may ripen on the way. 
 
 Strangely enough, the herds of pigs one usually sees roaming about the orange-grove^ 
 disdain the luscious fruit, although the oranges lie scattered in hundreds over the ground. 
 It would seem that these unclean animals are much daintier in their feeding than one 
 would think. Cattle, on the contrary, take kindly to oranges. 
 
 It is during April and May that one ought to visit the fine orange-groves of Carcagente 
 and of Alcira. Then the trees which still preserve the last of their golden fruits are at 
 the same time covered with rich blossoms ; to these a Florentine poet of the sixteenth 
 century awards the palm over all fruit-trees, Luigi Alamanni, in his poem " Coltivatione," 
 dedicated to Francis I. 
 
 "II fior d'arancio, che d'ogni fiore h il re." 
 
 One can form no idea of the fragrance of the oranges ; above all in the calm evenings 
 when it saturates the air, and tlie sweet smell seems to travel even further than the eye can 
 

THE OEANGE-GROVES OF CARCAGENTE AND ALCIRA. 73 
 
 see. The blossom is so abundant tliat a high wind will cause the flowers to fall in showers 
 that mantle the earth like a covering of snow. These flowers are gathered in great sheets, 
 and represent an important item in the economy of gardening, as each tree supplies more 
 than thirty-four pounds avoirdupois of blossom. 
 
 One of the richest proprietors of Carcagente assured us tbat there are at least six 
 hundred orange gardens, and that the average produce reaches about seven million 
 pounds avoirdupois ; it requires three or four oranges to make a pound. The two towns 
 Carcagente and Alcira alone produce annually about twenty millions of oranges. They 
 are so common that one sees the children using them at play, as in Normandy they use 
 cider-apples. 
 
 The oranges when gathered are assorted according to size, and for this purpose a 
 number of difi"erent- sized rings are employed; after which the fruit is arranged in lots 
 according to the diameter of the rings it has passed through. This classing finished, they 
 are packed in long cases of white wood, care being taken that they should rise slightly 
 above the surface of the box, in order that they may be tightly packed. 
 
 If the interminable orange-groves of Carcagente and Alcira are monotonous, one at 
 any rate may see varied and interesting types among the natives tliemselves. Sometimes 
 it is an old worker in iron, who still wears the pointed cap of the ancient Valencian 
 costume, or travelling musicians with their guitars, or a convoy of peasants on their way 
 to market. 
 
 The coast of the Mediterranean between Valencia and Alicante is beyond the reach 
 of ordinary tourists, and therefore very little known, although indeed its attractions 
 should make it a favourite resort. Its wooded mountains, the valleys, with vegetation 
 almost tropical, in the neighbourhood of Gandia, Denia, and of Javea, rival Castellamare, 
 Amalfi, Sorrento, and other places of note on the Neapolitan coast. 
 
 It was by the hue.rta of Gandia that we approached this Eden of Spanish poets. This 
 terrestrial paradise of the Western Arabs, smaller than that of Valencia, and offering 
 perhaps a vegetation still more luxuriant, with climate more genial, was renowned even 
 at the time of the Arab kings of Valencia for the culture of the sugar-cane. Nowadays 
 one still sees some fields where the canas de azucar are cultivated, and where they reach 
 great perfection. 
 
 The orange, fig, and pomegranate, and a great variety of other fruit-trees afford 
 shade in the valleys, while the carobs cover the hillsides, at times surpassing the 
 largest oaks in their splendid proportions. But a plant one often notices in the 
 environs of Gandia is the aloe, or the agave of America, and which is common to the 
 south of the Peninsula. Here the pita — this is what the Spaniards call it — is not only 
 employed for the fencing of fields, they also make use of the strong fibres of the plant, 
 carefully selecting the full-grown outer leaves, as those nearest the heart are naturally 
 tender. We witnessed this most simple and at the same time interesting industry, of 
 which Dor^ at once made a sketch, to the manifest astonishment of the simple peasants, 
 who could not make out why we were so deeply engrossed with their work. They began 
 by crushing the leaves on a stone, then they made up a bundle, which they tied at one end 
 with a string. The workman had a long board placed in front of him at an angle of 
 about forty-five degrees, furnished at the top with an iron hook, to which he attached 
 the bundle of leaves ; he then with the aid of an iron bar proceeded to scrape the 
 leaves, in order to separate the fleshy pulp from the fibre. This scraping was alternated 
 with washing, to carry off the loose pulp. The fibre was then placed to dry in the 
 
74 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 sun. The thread of the aloe is extremely useful on account of its strength and durability, 
 and is employed chiefly in making cord for horse-harness, and for the alpargatas, a sort of 
 twisted sandal worn by the peasantry. The leaves of the aloe are also used for the food of 
 cattle. They in some plants attain to the length of two yards, while the central stem, 
 with its cone of yellow flowers, is not unfrequently eighteen or twenty feet high. The 
 transversal stems supporting the flowers curve out most gracefully, like the branches 
 of a lustre, and remind one of the famous seven-branch candlestick in tlie Temple at 
 
 Jerusalem, which is seen de- 
 picted on a bas-relief on the 
 triumphal arch of Titus at 
 Eome. 
 
 The little town of Gandia, 
 formerly the capital of a 
 duchy, was given to Borgia 
 in 1485 by Ferdinand the 
 Catholic. It is known that 
 this celebrated family, which 
 boasted among its members 
 two popes and a saint, was of 
 Spanish origin, and owes its 
 name to the town of Borja 
 in Aragon. 
 
 We walked from Gandia to 
 Denia; the Mediterranean on 
 our left, blue and calm as a 
 lake, and on our right a coun- 
 try rich in the relics of an- 
 tiquity. Denia takes its name 
 from a temple consecrated to 
 the great Diana of Ephesus. 
 We noticed on our way a 
 ruined tower, bearing the 
 name of Sertorius. 
 
 From Denia to Alcoy the 
 
 country is extremely fertile, 
 
 appearing indeed to be one 
 
 immense orchard, with palms 
 
 here and there rearing their 
 
 graceful heads high above the 
 
 orange and pomegranate trees. 
 
 The gathering of the carobs was just over, and one saw garlands suspended over the white 
 
 walls of the cottages, which, lighted by an African sun, shone with great brilliancy 
 
 through the rich masses of foliage. 
 
 The harracas, or huts of the peasantry, have only a ground-floor, and are thatched with 
 reeds obtained from the marshy borders of the Albufera. The roofs are for the most part 
 surmounted by the cruz de Caravaca, a wooden cross not unlike that of Lorraine. 
 
 Alcoy is rather a large town, picturesquely situated at the foot of the mountains, and 
 
 PREPARATION OP THE ALOES. 
 
ALCOY. 
 
 11 
 
 in which the manufacture of woollen fabrics ought to be considerable, if one may judge 
 from the number of workmen one meets with their hands and faces smeared over with 
 dye ; but the great industry of Alcoy is the production of the papel de hilo, cigarettes. 
 There are liardly any men in Spain, young or old, rich or poor, who do not carry the 
 papelito. The papel de Alcoy enjoys the greatest reputation. The esteemed lihritos of 
 the amateurs, bear the mark of the cabalUto, pony, represented on the cover. 
 
 On the day of our arrival at Alcoy the streets presented an unaccountably gay ap- 
 pearance. The inhabitants were 
 hastening to and fro, decked 
 in holiday attire. Tartanas, 
 galeras, and carros stopped 
 at the cafes and hotels, where 
 they landed their parties of 
 peasants, who, covered with a 
 thick coating of white dust, led 
 us to suppose that they must 
 have made long and arduous 
 journeys. There were indeed 
 to be seen some of them wear- 
 ing the costume of the husband- 
 men of Alicante, while others, 
 evidently Murcians, wore the 
 montera of black velvet, and, 
 like the Valencians, white linen 
 trousers. All this imparted to 
 the town an air of gaiety and 
 excitement for which we were 
 quite at a loss to account. 
 
 Anxious to solve the mystery, 
 we inquired of a group why 
 there was such a stir ? " What," 
 they replied, " don't you know 
 that it is the f6te of St. George, 
 and that to-morrow the fair of 
 Alcoy begins ? Eead this cartel, 
 and you will see." We then 
 proceeded to read a programme 
 about six feet long, and printed 
 on thin blue paper. The head- 
 ing consisted of these words in 
 huge capitals : "Feria de Alcoy" 
 
 Then followed the details of the funciones. In Spain the word funciones admits of an 
 almost infinite variety of applications — a bull-fight, a capital execution, a grand funeral ; 
 should there be in a church a celebration in honour of a saint, should a theatre give a 
 representation, they all come under the name of funcion. At the head of the list was 
 a corrida de novillos, then followed fireworks — literally a castle of fire, castillo de fuego 
 — and lastly, a mock fight between the Christians and the Moors. We had already 
 
 PEASANT OF ALCOY. 
 
78 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 witnessed similar f§tes at SoUer, in- the Isle of Majorca, which are held every year on 
 May 1 4th, but nowhere have they obtained so much dclat as at Alcoy. It appears that 
 in 1257 the town was attacked by Infidels, and would have fallen into their hands, had 
 it not been for the miraculous intervention of St. George, who fought in person in the 
 
 ranks of the Christians. 
 
 On the eve of the great saint's day each vilhige of the Comarca, or district of Alcoy, 
 sends a deputation of musicians, who, after having assembled before the ayuntamiento, 
 scour the streets of the town to announce the ceremony of the f^te-day. This curious band, 
 armed with the dulmyna, a little hautboy of a harsh sound, drums, trumpets, bandurrias, 
 
 A SKETCH AT THE FETE OF ALCOY. 
 
 dtaras, and the inevitable guitar, march in procession, followed by the cortege of the Chris- 
 tians, and that of the Moors. The fete is commenced by the defile of the clergy, who go in pro- 
 cession to the plazct, mayor, on which a wooden castle has been erected. Into this stronghold, 
 where the Christians and Moors have already found shelter, the clergy are admitted. After 
 traversing the whole town, the troops divide into groups, and engage in national dances 
 before the houses of the alcalde and other persons of distinction. On the third day the 
 mock combat betvveen Christians and Moors was held. Soon after dawn the troops gathered 
 on the plaza mayor. Moors on one side and Christians on the other. The former soon 
 retired, and made for one of the gates of the town which they proposed to besiege. From 
 
FLAMINGO-SHOOTING ON IHE LA.KL 01 ALBUFLKA 
 
 I o face pdgc 78. 
 
FfeXE OF ALCOY. 8i 
 
 their new position they despatched a messenger, bearing, a letter and a flag of truce to the 
 Christian commander, who, seizing the document, tore it into fragments, vowing that he 
 would never consent to treat with Infidels. The messenger hastened back to the Moorish 
 camp with the unwelcome news, which served as a pretext for an official embassy, and all 
 who took part in it were richly dressed. Tlie chief is introduced blindfolded to the 
 Christian general, and urges him to surrender, but he only meets with a still more stern 
 and indignant refusal, and the ambassador retires, followed by his suite. 
 
 They then prepare for battle, and the Moors are warmly received with rounds of 
 musketry — a mode of defence not quite historically correct, as it must be remembered that 
 the action took place in 1257. This anachronism however did not seem to disconcert the 
 Infidels, who enjoyed some advantages to start with. The Christian chief rouses his 
 troops by voice and gesture, and they fall on their enemies, shouting the old war-cry against 
 the Moors, Santiago y d ellos! the England and St. George 1 of the Spaniards. Nevertheless 
 the Infidels seemed rooted to their ground, and the Spanish chief making a fresh appeal to 
 his troops, they rallied round him. This was indeed a noble burlesque — a splendid carnival 
 scene. The costumes of the paladins, although extremely gorgeous, were by no means 
 remarkable for archaeological accuracy, presenting at once the most comical and ludicrous 
 combinations, recalling the troubadours de pendule at the time of the Restoration ; as to 
 the spirited palfreys, they were simply of cardboard, like those one sees in the toy-shops, 
 draped with a horsecloth, which almost hid the feet of the paladins. The Moorish costume 
 was not less successful. They resembled the Mamelukes of Shrove Tuesday, or ideal Turks 
 with immense turbans and short jackets, ornamented on the back with a huge sun, and 
 wide trousers caught in at the ankle, like the Moors pictured by Goya. After a grand 
 charge of the spirited cavalry, the victorious Christians sang songs of triumph, and paraded 
 their trophies and prisoners through the town. 
 
 On the following days the f^tes terminated with a procession of Christians and Moors, 
 when the wounded implored the charity of the lookers-on. In this way a sum of money 
 was collected for the benefit of the hospital. 
 
 Concentayna, through which we made our way after quitting Alcoy, is charmingly 
 situated ; and the same may be said of Jativa, where we arrived in the evening. The 
 town, which has an Arab aspect, rests on the slope of a hill crowned with crenated walls ; 
 at the foot of the hill, the country, of admirable fertility, spreads out an ocean of verdure 
 as far as the eye can see. Jativa is the most important station of the Valencian railway. 
 The line is fenced in by orange, mulberry, and pomegranate trees, whose fruit we could 
 almost reach from the windows of the carriage. 
 
 Passing through the Puerto de Almanza, a narrow defile between two mountains, we 
 left the province of Valencia to enter that of Albacete. Hardly had we emerged from the 
 Puerto than we perceived a change of climate. Aloes, cactuses, and other southern plants 
 disappeared, to make way for the vegetation of the north. We were nearing the station of 
 Almanza, where the Valencian line joins with that from Madrid to Alicante. Some 
 hundreds of yards before arriving at this junction we perceived on our right, in the middle 
 of the plain, a pyramid erected by Philip V. to commemorate the battle of Almanza in 
 1 705. Apart from historic souvenirs the town has no very attractive features ; the old 
 dismantled castle by which it is overlooked was formerly of great importance, for Almanza 
 was one of the keys of the kingdom of Valencia. The desolate region we passed 
 through to reach Albacete made us regret the beautiful kingdom of Valencia, and gave 
 us a foretaste of the plains of La Mancha and of Castille : the climate, of burning heat during 
 
82 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 summer, has an almost Arctic winter; not a tree, not a flower, but gigantic thistles in 
 profusion. Every green weed has its charm to the artist, and the thistle has afforded rich 
 material for the designers of the Middle Ages in Spain as well as in other lauds. Dore 
 made some sketches, and used them to advantage in his "Don Quixote." Field after 
 field of wheat followed in succession, and formed a boundless plain of green. We could 
 descry on the verge of the horizon a little hillock crowned with windmills, which naturally 
 made us think of the hero of La Mancha. Half an hour brought us to Albacete, and 
 the train had hardly stopped before we were surrounded by knife-sellers. 
 
 Albacete is to Spain what Ch4tellerault is to France and what Sheffield is to England ; 
 the navajas, the cuchillos, the punales, are made there by thousands, coarse cutlery like that 
 of the Arabs. The navaja is one of the cosas de JSspana ; its form varies very little, and 
 
 EDINS OF THE CASTLE OF CHINCHILLA. 
 
 the wooden or horn handle is covered with a plate of brass ornamented with rudimentary 
 designs engraved on its surface. The blade is long, pointed like a needle, and raised in 
 the middle, resembling the form of a fish. A number of grooves are cut along the 
 blade parallel to its outer edge, and stained blood-red. 
 
 The blades of Albacete are of the coarsest iron, and have nothing in common with 
 those of Toledo. They are nevertheless cleverly engraved with aquafortis, and carry 
 inscriptions and arabesques in semi-Oriental style. Some of these inscriptions are 
 borrowed from the ancient Castilian arms, and are full of deep significance. 
 
 " No me saques sin razon, 
 No me embaines sin honor." 
 
 "Do not unsheath me without reason, do not sheath me without honour." 
 
THE NAVAJA. 85 
 
 Often enough the inscription contains a menace by no means reassuring to a foe, 
 
 "Si esta vivora te pica, 
 No hay remedio en la botica." 
 
 " Should this viper prick you, pharmacy can supply no remedy." 
 
 It is without doubt this latter inscription, employed in preference to all the others, 
 which has given rise to the funereal pleasantry signifying knife of "extreme unction." 
 Other inscriptions are, like the fol- 
 lowing, purely defensive : — 
 
 " Soy defensora de mi dueno solo, y viva," 
 
 or, 
 
 " Soy defensa del honor de mi dueiio." 
 
 The navaja is usually sheathed 
 in iron, and owing to the notches 
 on the blades of those that have 
 been used, the unsheathing of a 
 . navaja produces a nasty rasping 
 sound. Some are more than a 
 yard in length, but those for active 
 service seldom exceed a media varCi 
 of i7f English inches — a rather 
 imposing length for a knife. The 
 Spaniards facetiously call them cor- 
 taplumas, penknives — or monda- 
 dientes, tooth-pick — or alfiler, which 
 simply means a pin. 
 
 The use of the navaja, like that 
 of the sword, has its set rules, and 
 the Andalusians are its most re- 
 nowned masters. One day we had 
 the curiosity to take lessons from 
 a professor, who disclosed the 
 secrets of his science, aided by an 
 ordinary cane in case of the bare 
 blade. The classical blow consists 
 
 in cutting the face of one's adversary in a manner so artistic as to give rise to the 
 phrase pintar un javeque, an expression which comes from the resemblance which the 
 wound bears to the sail of the Mediterranean boat. When we arrive at Andalusia we 
 shall have occasion to dwell on this subject at greater length. 
 
 The Spanish punal is very much like a Corsican poniard; sometimes the blade is 
 perforated with numerous holes, and carefully notched in a manner calculated to lacerate 
 a wound and render it more dangerous. — Here is now a grave question, " Do the charming 
 Spanish ladies we see still adhere to the ancient national custom of carrying a small 
 poniard in their garter, or do they not ? " I possess one which bears this inscription, 
 " Sirvo a una dama ; " only the words do not explain whether the little weapon was ever 
 worn by a lady. Let us hope it was, just to give colour to the romantic tradition. 
 
 THE NAVAJA. 
 
86 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 The train had just quitted Albacete, and again coming in view of the Castle of 
 Chinchilla and the pyramid of Alinanza, we soon passed the station of the Venta de la 
 Encina (Inn of the Green Oak), where the two lines join. After having passed the 
 station of Caudate, we arrived at that of Villena. Villena was the home of a celebrated 
 Spanish family who played an important part in the fifteenth century, and whose 
 memory is still popular in the country. The first Marquis of Villena left numerous poems, 
 
 but many of his works have 
 been lost. During his life- 
 time he had the reputation 
 of being a sorcerer, aud 
 after his death the King of 
 Castille had his books de- 
 stroyed by fire. The little 
 town of Villena, with its 
 narrow and tortuous streets, 
 has still some old houses, 
 whose aspect is in harmony 
 with the legends of the 
 Middle Ages. Its castle 
 lifts its ruins above the 
 town, like a mendicant 
 clothed in his rags. 
 
 Sax is the name of the 
 next station, and it is the 
 last town of the province of 
 Albacete. The road makes 
 numerous ddtours, and tra- 
 verse's several steep ravines. 
 At the end of a long tunnel 
 we came out on the pretty 
 valley of Elda, which fell 
 away to our left, then 
 we passed Monovar and 
 Novelda, two little towns 
 bathed iu sunlight, and 
 situated in the midst of a 
 very hilly country. An 
 almost tropical vegetation 
 made amends to us for the 
 monotony of the wide plains 
 of Albacete ; figs, palms, and 
 almond-trees attained enormous proportions ; vines, whose leaves were reddened with a sun 
 worthy of Africa, were laden with immense bunches of grapes. At last we reached 
 Alicante. Alicante is a modern and commercial town; in vain we searched for the 
 minarets of which the poet of the Oriejitales sang : 
 
 SKETCH IN ALBACETE. 
 
 " Alicante aux clochers mele les minarets.' 
 
ALICANTE. 
 
 89 
 
 It is impossible with all our love of poetry, and even when taxing our fancy to 
 its utmost limit, to find the faintest trace of either spire or minaret in Alicante. The 
 native costumes were highly characteristic. On the alameda of the port we perceived 
 some mantillas, and Dor6, carefully hidden beneath a palm-tree, managed to sketch two, 
 which foreshadowed those of Andalucia. Farther on, the traders of Alicante were asleep 
 on immense bales of produce, and the robust peasants we encountered were dressed 
 much in the same attire as the Valencians. 
 
 The town-hall, called la Casa Municipal, is a good specimen of architecture, but has 
 nothing Oriental in it in spite of its four large square towers. In the middle of the fagade 
 are sculptured the city arms, un Castillo sobre aguas. The cathedral, of the seventeenth 
 century, is in the style of the Jesuits ; the interior is lavishly decorated, and, like most of 
 the Spanish churches, ornamented with pictures. One of these pictures attracted our 
 
 attention, not so much on account of its execution, which is nothing marvellous, as 
 on account of its subject ; it is the martyrdom of St. Agatha. This saint is no less 
 venerated in Spain than in the southern provinces of Italy. The picture was painted with 
 a realistic fidelity pleasing to the Spanish mind, but infinitely revolting to a stranger. 
 
 Elche, the city of palms, is about five or six hours' drive from Alicante. Having 
 taken our places at the posada of Balseta, we mounted the coach and soon left by the 
 puerta de Elche. After about an hour's hard jolting we were startled by screams from 
 beneath. It turned out that one of the seats, displaced by the jolting, sank under 
 the weight of the unhappy travellers, who, thus deprived of their support, had been 
 shaken about like pills in a box for at least a hundred yards. Eepairs having been 
 efiected we afain set out on our route, and had just time to settle ourselves in our seats, 
 when a severe plunge of the coach released one of its doors, which went flying into 
 
90 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the sand, followed by a passenger, who had been tossed after it, and who fortunately 
 escaped almost uninjured. The mayoral now descended from his perch, and with the aid 
 of sticks and string, and a volley of the most terrific oaths, set to work to repair his 
 rapidly decomposing vehicle. These break-downs were repeated at short intervals, and 
 the delay thus caused enabled us to witness a most splendid sunset as we entered Elche. 
 " No hay mas que un Elche en Espana " (says a well-known proverb), " There is not 
 another Elche in Spain ; " and it might have added, not even in Europe. Although the 
 
 TKABBES of ALICANTE. 
 
 ancient Illici was formerly one of the most important Roman colonies of the Peninsula, 
 yet its crowning glory is the palm. It is true that one often sees in almost all parts of 
 Andalucia, and in the south of Italy and Sicily, these magnificent trees of the desert. They 
 grow to a great height, and are usually found in isolated groups, while Elche is surrounded 
 by them as by an uninterrupted green belt of forest. Gazing on such a scene, it 
 almost seems as if one had been transported by the wand of an enchanter into the 
 heart of Africa, or else into one of those lovely regions where the imagination delights to 
 place the great scenes of the Bible. 
 
PEASANTS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF CARCAGENTE. 
 
 To face page 90. 
 
ELCHE. 
 
 93 
 
 When we approached the town an opening in the palm-trees enabled us to perceive a 
 long line of crenated walls, surmounted by domes gilded with the splendour of the setting 
 sun, their Oriental profile standing out in bold relief against a fiery sky. The interior 
 of Elche had an equally Oriental appearance. The streets are contracted, the houses are flat- 
 roofed, and surrounded by balconies, and only receive daylight through narrow windows 
 shaded by willow mats of diff"erent colours. We had to cross a superb bridge, which spans 
 
 ^ ,.•>, 
 
 I; '■'ll 
 
 '' I,'' " ■ 
 
 
 TWO LADIES. — SKETCH MADE AT ALICANTE. 
 
 a deep ravine, in order to reach the posada, one of the most comfortable of its kind in Spain. 
 Next morning our first visit was to the cathedral (called Santa Maria), where we enjoyed a 
 wide view of the surrounding country. On our left beyond the palms is the plain which 
 separates Elche from Alicante, with a distant horizon of sea. From the green huerta on 
 our right rose the first mountains of the kingdom of Murcia. This view from the tower 
 may be said to foi-m the chief attraction of the cathedral, unless when one is present during 
 
94 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the great fSte of the Assumption, August 1 5th, when it is crowded with people from all 
 quarters, who flock to the celebration. 
 
 The number of fruit-bearing palms in Elche is estimated at 35,000, and the local 
 statistics set down tlieir annual produce at about three hundred and sixty thousand 
 
 francs. 
 
 Besides dates, the palms have still other important produce. Those which are 
 unproductive are sent into all parts of Spain, to be used for the ceremony of Palm 
 Sunday, prepared in a variety of different ways to make volutes and festoons of all 
 sorts to ornament, the balconies of houses. 
 
 The Spaniards show great agility in ascending the palms. When they reach the 
 top they collect the shoots and bind them together with cord, which they gradually tighten 
 as they near the highest leaves ; for this perilous operation light ladders are employed, 
 resting against the stem. Thus the leaves are gathered together and bound up like 
 corn-sheaves, to protect the fruit from the action of the air. 
 
 BINDING UP THE PALM-LEAVES. 
 
A STREET IN ALBACETE. 
 
 To face page 94. 
 
THE gipsy's breakfast. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Orihuela — Extraordinary fertility— The Segura — Mvircia — Popular costumes— The f^te of CorpMS— Cartagena — From Murcia 
 to Granada — The galera atartanada — Totana — The gipsies — Loroa — CuUar de Baza — A population of cave-dwellers — Baza 
 — The Inn of Gor — Guadiz— Arrival at Granada. 
 
 The huerta between Elche and Orihuela presented the appearance of a vast orchard ; the 
 vegetation was perhaps richer and more tropical than that of Valencia. The trees were of 
 colossal dimensions ; the sunflowers, of which the people ate the seed, were bending beneath 
 the burden of their great black and yellow discs. The reeds were like bamboos, and the 
 rose-bushes which edged the streams seemed veritable trees, while the aloes by the road- 
 side spread out their pointed leaves like gigantic Moorish daggers. 
 
 A network of irrigation canals keep up a constant humidity, and the sun does the 
 rest, so that the inhabitants have no need to dread those dry seasons so fatal to other parts 
 of Spain. " Llueva 6 no llueva, hay trigo en Orihuela," " with rain or without rain, there is 
 always corn in Orihuela," such is the popular saying. The peasants of Orihuela are more 
 like negroes than Europeans : their only clothing is made up of a shirt, short cotton 
 trousers, and a handkerchief bound round the head. When we came across them working 
 in the fields beneath a tropical sun, they were more like Kabyles or Fellahs than 
 Spaniards. Such are the peasants and the reapers. The latter do not use the long 
 scythe common to the country round Paris, and which painters have immortalised as 
 an attribute of Time ; but in place of this a small sickle, armed with a row of teeth, 
 is found equal to the task of reaping the rich harvests -of Orihuela. The skin of the 
 segadores reproduces the difierent shades of bronze, from the Florentine patina to the black 
 
98 SPAIN. 
 
 patina. Once we remarked among tbem a veritable negro, whose skin was in no way- 
 different from that of his fellows. 
 
 Orihuela, which has preserved its Arab name, is rather a large town, bisected by the 
 Segura (let us notice, in passing, that the names of rivers are always masculine in Spanish). 
 It is the most important stream in Murcia, and notwithstanding the vastness of the system 
 of irrigation which it feeds, it was never known to run dry even during the greatest heat 
 of summer. The town, with its long streets, its numerous churches, and its whitewashed 
 houses, has an air of richness not commonly found in Spain. The high palms and enor- 
 mous orange-trees, which ornament the alameda and the private gardens, impart to 
 
 Orihuela an Oriental aspect similar to 
 that of Elche. 
 
 Two hours after leaving Orihuela we 
 entered the province of Murcia, which 
 was formerly one of the little Arab 
 kingdoms. The environs of Murcia arc 
 not less fertile than those of Orihuela. 
 The Murcians enjoy the reputation of 
 being skilled in agriculture, and ap- 
 pear to be thoroughly satisfied with the 
 produce of their soil ; as one may gather 
 from a popular picture we bought in the 
 market-place, representing a Murcian 
 labourer armed with his pickaxe or 
 mattock, and below it, 
 
 " Tiene el Murciano en su huerto 
 De su subsistencia el puerto." 
 
 They have also the reputation of being 
 very vindictive, having retained certain 
 features of the Arab character. It was 
 easy for us to perceive that there is 
 perhaps no province in Spain which 
 has preserved so many minute traces of 
 Oriental customs. Thus, the harness, or 
 aparejos, of the mules is very like what 
 PEASANT OF oKiHOELA. may bc sccu at Morocco ; the guadama- 
 
 cileros, or workers in leather, embroider 
 their wares with silk, such as the cananas, 
 or cartridge-pouches, the same kind of workmanship, and sometimes the same designs, as in 
 the large adargas vacaries, or leathern shields, anciently used by the Moors of Granada, and 
 which may still be seen in the Armerm of Madrid. Even the physiognomy of the people 
 presents something of the Oriental type, and this is easily explained. At the beginning of 
 the seventeenth century the Moors were still numerous in the province of Murcia, when 
 Phihp III. ordered their expulsion. Many young girls, unwilling to quit their native 
 soil, were permitted to remain on condition of their marrying the old Spaniards, or 
 Cristianos viejos, as they were called. 
 
a. 
 
 •s. 
 
 
MURCIA. 
 
 lOI 
 
 The costume of the Murcians differs in no important details from that of the 
 Valeneians. As to the women, their dress resembles closely that of the Andalucians, 
 at least that worn on fite-days. The short skirt with many frills, sometimes of embroidered 
 silk, sometimes of blue or garnet-coloured velvet, ornamented with spangles of gold or 
 silver, leaving in view a handsome leg and small arched foot decked M'ith small white 
 slipper. The most fashionable wear flesh-coloured silk stockings, embroidered with zigzag 
 designs; we noticed others who wore the slippers without stockings. The mantilla, 
 much the same as the mantilla de tira of the Andalucians, was of black velvet, the 
 edges pinked out in silk. Thrown over the chignon and crossed over the chest, or else 
 
 REAPERS IN THE FIELDS OP MURCIA. 
 
 simply placed on the shoulders, there is nothing more modest or elegant than this 
 headdress. Two little round plaits composed of very fine hair are brought coquettishly 
 over the temple, and the chignon, composed of equally fine plaits, arranged behind the head, 
 presents a figure of eight, with its lower half larger than the upper. A little comb, 
 jauntily placed on one side, and a crimson flower complete this fascinating coiffure. 
 This, it must be understood, applies only to the people ; the senoras follow as closely as 
 possible the exact fashions of Paris, except in the hat, which the majority replace by the 
 national mantilla. Thus they find ample opportunity of displaying their luxuriant tresses, 
 of which they may justly be proud. 
 
I02 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 In order to see the costumes to the greatest advantage one must be present at the 
 ceremonies of Corpus Domini, as they call it here. It was our good fortune to witness this 
 spectacle the day after our arrival. Early in the morning the cathedral bells rang out 
 their peals to announce the solemnity of the day. The inhabitants of the surrounding 
 country arrived arrayed in their handsomest costumes, the houses were decked with the 
 costliest tapestries and silks. Those who could not find a place at the windows lined the 
 streets ; the balconies were soon thronged with ladies, and distant music announced the 
 
 approach of the cortege. At the head 
 came reliquaries, relics, images of saints, 
 and Madonnas of the different churches, 
 carried by the peasants. The Virgins were 
 carved in wood, life-size, and painted. 
 tV"e counted about eight, each one fol- 
 lotved by the clergy of the parishes, 
 and a long train of peasants bearing 
 huge wax tapers. Then came the civic 
 authorities and bands of music, one en- 
 tirely made up of ecclesiastics wearing 
 their robes and surplices. Mace-bearers 
 in the costume of the sixteenth century 
 completed the procession, cap, doublet, 
 and hose of red velvet, and wearing 
 round their neck the starched golilla. 
 
 As the Host was passing, the crowd 
 knelt down, and the women tossed bou- 
 quets from the balconies. The Spaniards 
 love fetes and processions, more espe- 
 cially if they are of a religious character, 
 and this leads us to believe that Protest- 
 antism has little chance of ever takino- 
 root in the Peninsula. 
 
 After witnessing the ceremony we 
 followed the crowd to the alamedas, 
 where we were enabled to study their 
 infinite varieties of costume in all their 
 details. Here the trees of Africa and 
 America grow side by side with those of 
 Europe. In the Paseo del Cdrmen we 
 remarked splendid orange-trees, ^vhich recalled to us Victor Hugo's line : 
 
 " • ■ • Muxci6 a ses oranges." 
 
 The Murcian oranges are the best in Spain, not excepting those of Valencia ; above all, the 
 naranjas de sangre, or " blood-oranges." 
 
 The railway carried us in two hours from Murcia to Cartagena ; this port, which is 
 called Cartagena de Levant, to distinguish it from that of South America, has lost much of its 
 ancient splendour. It was founded by the Carthaginians, who there established their great 
 arsenal, and when Scipio took it the Eomans obtained rich booty. "The wealth of the 
 
 SKETCH MADE AT MUKCIA. 
 
CARTAGENA. 
 
 103 
 
 plains,'' says a Latin author, " baffles description. Silver was so abundant that the conquerors 
 forged it iuto ships' anchors." For about a hundred years, and under Charles III., Cartagena 
 was a flourishing town of 60,000 inhabitants ; now there are hardly more than half that 
 number. The mines of the environs were in ancient times very productive ; the scoria 
 abandoned by the Romans yields at the present time a large percentage of lead. 
 
 MARKET-GARDENERS, MURCIA. 
 
 There was nothing further to detain us in Murcia ; having visited its monuments, its 
 vast and imposing cathedral, we now determined to proceed to Granada ; the distance was 
 not considerable, but there was no means of regular conveyance. The country is very 
 hilly, and the roads in a bad state. Nevertheless, having resolved to risk the adventure 
 and proceed on horseback, on a mule, in a galera, or if need be on foot, we decided to 
 
 H 
 
I04 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 make Totana our first halting-place, and to spend some time in studying its tribes of 
 
 gipsies. 
 
 We booked places in a galera aiartanada, and prepared for the journey as if about to 
 traverse the Great Desert. First we invested in a number of bright-coloured woollen 
 mantles; we also bought alforjas, or woollen wallets, as necessary for such a journey 
 as they 'are useful for transporting provisions, so as to render the traveller independent 
 of the wretched inns of this part of Spain. 
 
 Totana was reached about sunset, when the 
 
 town. Groups of 
 
 and mystic aspect to the little 
 
 deepening gloom imparted a weird 
 gipsies in front of their half-ruined 
 houses reminded us of the 
 Cour des Miracles, and seemed 
 to carry us back to a scene of 
 the Middle Ages. Totana is 
 the head-quarters of the Mur- 
 cian gipsies, just as Sevilla is 
 the metropolis of those of 
 rj Andalucia. It is without doubt 
 in remembrance of their Anda- 
 lucian brothers that the Bohe- 
 mians have given to two quar- 
 ters of the town the names 
 Sevilla and Triana ; one well 
 knows that Triana is a street 
 of Sevilla almost entirely in- 
 habited by gipsies. As to the 
 peasants, their costume differs 
 very little from that of the 
 Murcians. 
 
 The master of the inn where 
 we put up was a gipsy, like the 
 greater number of the posaderos 
 of the country. Our host in- 
 formed us that in order to eke 
 out a living he had to engage 
 in the transport of snow ; a 
 much more important trade 
 than one would think in so 
 hot a climate. The gipsies are 
 the chief snow-men, and they carry on their trade in Winter's mantle by ascending one 
 of the highest mountains — la Sien-a de Espana — in Murcia ; there they load the snow on 
 donkeys, which make marvellous ascents in places one would imagine only accessible 
 to goats and chamois. It is a curious sight to see these sure-footed animals descending 
 the mountains, bending under their loads, and following each other in Indian file. 
 Once on the plain, the gipsies find a ready market for their perishable ware in the 
 various towns, where it is used in preference to ice in the manufacture of cool drinks. 
 
 Fortunately the day after our arrival there was a market held, which afforded us an 
 excellent opportunity of seeing the gipsies of Totana and its environs, who formed 
 
 PEASANTS Of TOTANA. 
 
TOTAN A— GIPSIES. 105 
 
 picturesque groups in the brilliant sun of the market-place, and presented a combination 
 of colours warm enough to make the most enthusiastic painter gasp with surprise. Tiie 
 gipsy type is so marked that there is nothing easier than recognising them at first sight. 
 These poor outcasts, whom one may well call the pariahs of Spain, have always forra^d a 
 people by themselves— a nation within a nation ; and one could not find a single Spaniard 
 who would recognise in them brothers or compatriots. 
 
 Who are the gipsies ? to what race do they belong ? from what country have they 
 come and spread themselves over Europe ? These questions have not yet been settled. 
 According to the most trustworthy traditions, they were descended from the ancient 
 Tchinganes, originally established on the banks of the Indus, and who were forced to 
 abandon their country at the time of the invasion of Tamerlane. Their physiognomy, much 
 more Asiatic than European, and their language, containing many words derived from 
 Sanskrit, lend probability to this hypothesis. The name Bohemians, which has been given 
 ^to this mysterious race, is probably derived from the fact that the first bands of gipsies 
 settled in Bohemia. It is principally in the Vosges, in some parts of Languedoc, and in 
 Provence, that they are slill found living among us, very much in their primitive nomadic 
 state ; but their numbers seem to have been greatly diminished, more especially in tlie south. 
 They are found under difi"erent names in almost all European countries. In England, 
 where they are ratlicr numerous, many of the men make baskets of reeds and willows, 
 while the women are famed for their fortune-telling. There they are called gipsies, or 
 Egyptians; the Germans give them the name of Zigeuner ; the Swedes and the Danes 
 call them Tartares, and the Italians and Turks Zingari or Zingani. They are also known 
 as the Zincali, and this last is the name which they give themselves. 
 
 It was in the first half of the fifteenth century that the gipsies made their appearance 
 in Spain. The Catholic sovereigns Ferdinand and Isabella, in an edict issued at Medina 
 del Campo in 1499, commanded them to settle in certain towns under pain of being 
 banished from the kingdom after a delay of sixty days. In 1539 another edict declared 
 that if the Egyptians after the expiration of sixty days were still found in a state of 
 vagabondage, they would be sent to the galleys for six years. Philip II. published at 
 Madrid in 1586 still another edict, confirming those of his predecessors, and further 
 intended to suppress tLe theft and knavery which were the too common attributes of 
 the unhappy gipsies. In order to transform these nomads into respectable citizens and 
 traders, the law forbade them to sell their wares in the market-places without a licence,* 
 and without such licence being endorsed with the name and address of the merchant ; 
 otherwise wares exposed for sale without this guarantee of good faith were confiscated. 
 
 Philip III. had just deprived his country of a million of laborious and industrious 
 subjects by the decree, as barbarous as it was impolitic, which expelled the Moors, who 
 had been established in Spain so many centuries. In 16 19 the son of Philip II. rejoiced in 
 following up this persecution by ordering the gipsies to quit Spain within six months from 
 the date of his decree, and forbade them to return under pain of death. Some of them, 
 however, obtained permission to remain on condition that they would settle down 
 permanently in a town of at least a thousand houses ; but in order to blot out all trace of 
 their nationality, they were required to change their costume and their name, and forget 
 their foreign tongue. Notwithstanding all this, the poor gipsies retained their national 
 characteristics in so marked a degree that Philip IV. was constrained to follow up the 
 persecution of this unfortunate race by declaring that, the laws passed in their behalf in 
 1499 being insufiicieiit to suppress their excesses, he found it absolutely necessary to forbid 
 
io6 SPAIN. 
 
 them all commerce, and charged them to live like a plague-stricken community, or like the 
 Jews, in a quarter cut oflf from intercourse with the citizens of Spain, and he further 
 enjoined that the name Gitanos was to be for ever forgotten. The bare mention of this 
 dread name was to be a criminal offence, punishable by two years of banishment and 
 a heavy fine. 
 
 In 1692 Charles II. again attempted to compel the gipsies to dwell iu settled com- 
 munities, and to become peaceful tillers of the soil. They were not permitted to engage in 
 commerce, and they were prohibited from carrying firearms or other deadly weapons. 
 By an edict stiU more severe, published in 1695, containing not less than twenty- 
 nine articles, the same king particularly forbids their engaging in the occupation of 
 blacksmiths, and moreover the possession of horses was denied to them ; one mule and one 
 donkey might be used by each family for field-work. Those of them who abandoned their 
 Village and rural occupation were punished by working for six years as galley-slaves. A 
 document published at Madrid in 1705 shows that the public roads and villages were 
 infested by bands of gipsies, who left the peasants neither repose nor security ; the corregi- 
 dores and others enjoyed the privilege of firing upon them as bandits and robbers. Should 
 the gipsies refuse to disarm, they might be hunted down and slain in front of the very 
 altars of the churches, which even afforded shelter to the Spanish parricide. The churches 
 that served as a refuge were designated by these words Es de 7'efugio placed above the 
 principal door — an inscription still found on many of the churches of Spain ; we remarked 
 it above the doorway of the cathedral of Orihuela. 
 
 Despite these fearful persecutions, these desperate attempts to govern the Bohemians 
 either out of existence altogether, or into a state of utter respectability, happier than either 
 Jews or Moors, they nevertheless have found means not only to exist on Spanish soil, but to 
 retain their own peculiar language and national type. No doubt the greater part of them 
 live in a state of abject misery, scorned as an accursed race by the Spaniards and proudly 
 returning them hatred for hatred. There are no vices and no crimes of which the gipsies 
 have not been accused for many centuries by Spanish writers. One remembers the way in 
 which Cervantes treats them in the first lines of the " Gitanilla de Madrid," one of his 
 Novelas ejemplares. "It seems," says he, "that the gitanos and gitanas are only born to 
 be thieves and robbers ; their fathers are robbers, they are reared as robbers, and they are 
 educated as robbers." An author assures us that in 161 8 a band composed of more than 
 •eight hundred of these malefactors overran the Castilles and Aragon, conimitting the most 
 atrocious crimes. Francisco de Cordova recounts in his " Didascalia " an attempt about the 
 same epoch to pillage the town of Logrono, when almost abandoned by its inhabitants 
 after a pestilence which had desolated the country. The crimes and vices attributed 
 to the gipsies are without end ; their number and their frightful details would alone fill 
 volumes. I have only given a few examples, in order to convey a clearer notion of the 
 present condition of the gipsies as we find them in Spain. 
 
 The gipsies nowadays are far from being so redoubtable as their forefathers. 
 Amongst the numerous faults which w^ere freely attributed to them one only remains— 
 that of theft. This propensity for plunder is common to young and old of both sexes, and 
 helps to confirm the lines of Cervantes quoted above. Apart from that, they are gentle 
 in their manners, and it is rarely one hears of a gipsy being condemned for murder. For 
 all that they are not unused to bloody quarrels, but the cause is more frequently jealousy 
 than theft, for while they freely rob the Christians, upon whom they look with some justice 
 as their oppressors, they yet observe that high honour which is common among thieves. 
 
GIPSIES— THEIR NATIONAL TRAITS. 107 
 
 Sometimes the terrible navaja, with its blade long and pointed like an aloe-leaf, is 
 their weapon ; but the cachas, long scissors which they use to clip their beasts of burden, 
 is a still more formidable weapon, and one they know how to wield with fatal dexterity. 
 There is hardly in Spain a horse, a mule, or a donkey which does not once a year pass 
 under the hands of an esquilador, or gipsy shearer. They have made this industry 
 peculiarly their own ; it is only in some parts of Aragon that one finds these esquiladores 
 among the Spaniards. The gipsies are the only people in Spain who use the cachas for 
 a weapon. It is always at hand, being carried in their belt, so that a duel may be 
 arranged with the greatest facility and speed. Their scissors are sometimes about two 
 leet long, and instead of using them closed like a punal or a navaja, they hold them open, 
 grasping them in their black and callous hands at the point of intersection, like those 
 ancient poniards whose blade opened in two by touching a little spriug. 
 
 Another art monopolised by the gipsies is horse-dealiug, or jockeying. It is well 
 known that they can impart to a thoroughly jaded screw of a horse the appearance of 
 good breeding and soundness. At the market of Totana we had occasion to admire 
 their marvellous skill in this respect. 
 
 As to the women, they only practise dancing and fortune-telling. When they see 
 a stranger they run to him, take his hand, and reading in the lines on his palm, they 
 pronounce with an inspired air a few unintelligible words, for which they exact a fee. 
 
 Mr. George Borrow, the author of the curious book " The Zincali," studied the gipsies 
 most thoroughly. He had even the patience to learn their language, the Calo, and 
 moreover, he lived several years amongst them in the hope of converting them to 
 Protestantism. He tells how one day, having a mule loaded with Bibles, a gipsy took 
 his load for packets- of soap. " Yes," he replied, " it is soap, but soap for the cleansing 
 of souls." This missionary could pass himself off as a gipsy. Those who know anything 
 at all about the characteristics of the race can never believe that he made many converts 
 amongst them. 
 
 Before quitting Totana we noticed in the court of the posada one of those little 
 toilet scenes very common in Andalacia, and which brought to mind certain details of 
 the habits of the lower orders of Naples. A superb gipsy of about twenty yews of age, 
 brown as a Moor, with long eyelashes and wavy black hair, was standing up behind an 
 old woman, a splendid type of a sorceress, holding in her arms a sleeping babe. Another 
 child, almost naked, was lying on the ground close to his grandmother, with a large 
 pandero at his side. With his head resting on his hand, he viewed us with a savage and 
 melancholy air. The young girl, with her hands plunged into the grey matted locks, 
 conscientiously gave herself up to an active hunt — a truly filial duty; while another gipsy, 
 with skin the colour of histre, and a kerchief bound round his head, was gravely standing 
 behind the group, contemplating with a serious yet indifferent air a scene to which he 
 was thoroughly accustomed. 
 
 We had ordered our calesero to be ready at sunrise, so as to arrive at Lorca before 
 the heat of the day. The country we traversed, being absolutely without water, was 
 dried to powder, causing us to leave the galera completely whitened by the dust of the 
 road, although our journey only extended over five or six miles. 
 
 Lorca is a large town with steep and winding streets ; its population is set down at 
 45,000 ; but this seems to us to be an exaggeration. Above the town rises a hill covered 
 with cactus and aloes, the Monte de Oro ; at the foot of it runs, when it has any water, the 
 river el Sangonera, or by its ancient Arab name, el Guadalentin, which empties itself into 
 
io8 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the Segura. On the slopes of the Monte de Oro was built the ancient Arab town, of which 
 some square towers and red brick crenated walls still remain. It is in this part of the town 
 that one finds the poor and the gipsies. The lower portion, situated on the opposite bank 
 of the Guadalentin, is cleaner and better built, while the imposing modern streets near the 
 Plaza Mayor have no distinctive character. Lorca is not rich in monuments, and as for 
 its cathedral, under the patronage of St. Patrick, it is hardly worthy of our notice, it 
 
 AGOADORES OF LORCA. 
 
 is a square, cold, correct Corinthian edifice. The alameda, bordering the river, is an 
 agreeable promenade after the heat of the day, the climate of Lorca being one of the 
 Jiottest m Spam. ^ 
 
 As we were anxious to push on to Granada, after a short rest in the Posada de 
 S^n-ncente, we scoured the town in quest of a vehicle. At one o'clock the heat 
 was truly tropical, and it was impossible to find a shop open; one might have said that 
 
A GIPSY'S TOILET AT DIEZMA. 
 
 To face pnrjc loS. 
 
CULLAR DE BAZA. iii 
 
 the iiiliabitants Lad deserted the town. It was the hour of fire — the hour of fuego, 
 as they say in Andalueia — and the citizens had retired to enjoy a siesta ; business was 
 suspended, and the place was as deserted as if the hour had been midnight. At last we 
 found an inhabitant awake, who informed us that he had a galera which sometimes went 
 to Granada, and that it was a distance of forty miles, and a journey of seven days. 
 We had had enough of the galera, and wished for a vehicle a little less barbarous. 
 Having found the address of a postmaster, we repaired to his house, and had to wait until 
 four o'clock, when he awoke, and arranged to convey us to Granada in a tartana acelerada 
 in five days, and for the modest sum of six duros, about one pound eight shillings a head, 
 reserving the right to himself of picking up an extra traveller by the way. Our 
 tartana was exactly the same as those of Valencia. 
 
 Upon entering the province of Granada we passed through Cullar de Baza. This 
 little town is more interesting than one would think. Its five thousand inhabitants live 
 in grottoes cut in the side of the hill, so that the entire settlement is subterranean, 
 excepting one or two houses built of clay and stone. The existence of these curious 
 habitations is only shown by conical chimneys, which rise out of the ground, and whence 
 issue spirals of smoke. These troglodytes live there like rabbits in their warren, or bears 
 in their dens ; several of them canje out of the ground dressed in sheepskins from head to 
 foot — a costume rendering the illusion still moye complete. As we had to perform 
 the whole journey with the same mules, they walked constantly, and made an eight- 
 mile journey per day. After crossing a highly-tilled plain, we reached Baza. The town, 
 formerly one of the most strongly fortified of the ancient kingdom of Granada, has preserved 
 its Moorish aspect ; one still sees the Alcazaba, a fortress built by the kings of Granada. 
 The thick brick walls and the great crenated towers resemble those of the Alhambra, 
 and bear witness to the past importance of the town. Baza has only belonged to the 
 Spaniards since 1489 ; two years before the conquest of Granada, it fell into their 
 hands after a siege of seven months, directed by Isabella the Catholic. We saw under 
 the shade of the alameda the huge pieces of cannon used to make a breach in the 
 city wall. 
 
 It would appear that the environs of Baza are rich in auriferous sands — at least that 
 is what we heard in questioiiing the carreteros whom we met near the town, and who were 
 conducting long convoys of carros, carts drawn by large oxen magnificently caparisoned. 
 These heavy vehicles were laden with heavy machines made in England, intended to 
 extract the gold from the sand. Let us hope that they will succeed better than the 
 'majority of Spanish mines, which only yield a negative return to shareholders. Whether 
 from cost of transport or of working being higher than the value of the produce of the 
 mines, or from some unknown cause, the fact remains that the mines do not pay, A 
 shareholder of the mines is a type that is often exposed to the ridicule of his neighbours. 
 A Spanish writer, M. Pedro de Madrazo, has sketched one of the most amusing portraits 
 under the name of Do7i Canuto, "who is neither banker nor lawyer, magistrate, artist, 
 nor even a man of science, and who, if he was ever anything approaching to any one of the 
 above professions, has ceased to be so now; mineralogy and metallurgy have turned his 
 brain since he has abandoned himself to boring holes in the mountains of Toledo or in 
 the plain of Cartagena." 
 
 After passing Baza the country becomes gradually more rugged and hilly. It is in 
 this district that we find the little town of Galera, which played such an important part 
 in the protracted struggle which the last Moors of Granada sustained with the Spaniards 
 
I 12 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 after the loss of their capital; the conflict lasted nearly eighty years in the mountains 
 of the Alpujarras, and was only brought to a close by Don Juan of Austria. The 
 fall of Galera was followed by the most savage cruelties ; two thousand eight hundred 
 Moors were there slaughtered. After this butchery the town of Galera was razed to the 
 ground, and salt was sown over its site. 
 
 Ginez Perez de Hita, a soldier and writer, who was one of this expedition, adds, after 
 having recounted in his " Guerras civiles de Granada " the scenes of which he was 
 an eye-witness, "they used so much violence towards helpless women and children, 
 that to my idea they went further than justice permitted them, and that such barbarity 
 was inconsistent with the clemency of Spain ; but it had been so ordered by the Lord 
 Don Juan." 
 
 At the bottom of a desolate valley of terrible memory, recalling the Forest of 
 Bondy, we halted at the Venta de Gor, as badly famed as the inn of Adrets, and whose 
 name often figures in the popular traditions as a favourite resort of the bandoleros. We 
 only found muleteers and shepherds there, savage-looking fellows, but who addressed 
 us politely with the common salutation, " Vayan ustedes con Dios," to which, as a mark 
 of common courtesy, we replied, " Quedan ustedes con Dios," " Eest with God." 
 
 We passed through Guadiz, and on our left could descry the snowy heights of the 
 Sierra Nevada. At last, after many ascents, following a Moorish wall overlooking hills 
 covered with cactus, we entered Granada. 
 
 PEASANT OF THE ENVIEONS OF GRANADA. 
 
THE GATE OF JUSTICE, ALHAMBRA. 
 
 CHAETEE VII. 
 
 Granada — The Casa depupilos — Musicians and their music — Oi-igin of Granada, the ancient Karnattah — Phoenicians, Koinans, 
 Goths, and Arabs — Grandeur and decadence of the Moorish capital — The Calle de los Gomires — The Puerta de las 
 Granadas — The hill of the Alhambra — The Gate of Judgment — The hand and the key — The Plaza de los Algibes — The 
 Puerta del Vino — The palace of Charles V. — The Adarves — The vases of the Alhambra— The foundation of the Alhambra 
 — The governments and their devastations — The Gobernador Manco. 
 
 Entering Granada, we passed uuder the Puerta de Facalauza, one of the ancient gateways 
 of the Moorish town, and through a suburb of the naost miserable appearance, forming 
 a wretched approach to a place so rich in historic wonders as this ancient capital of 
 Boabdil. Our tartana stopped before a casa de pupilos in the Calle de la Duquesa. The 
 casa de pupilos is not an hotel, it is like the private lodging in our cities, or the English 
 boarding-house, but with less restraint. These houses are not much frequented by- 
 travellers, although we chose them in preference to the hotels, in order to see more 
 of the people of the country and school ourselves in their language. The casa de 
 pupilos, which is also called casa de huespedes, only makes itself publicly known by a 
 little square of white paper, about the size of one's hand, exposed at one end of 
 the window or balcony. When this square is placed in the centre it shows that only 
 lodo-ino- for a single traveller can be furuished. Such lodging-houses are usually kept 
 by widows, who thus add to their slender resources ; or by families whom the reverses 
 of fortune have driven to this dire necessity. 
 
 The house, remarkable for its perfect cleanliness, was furnished with chairs and 
 couches of painted wood. The only articles of luxury were a few wax saints, in full 
 saintly costume, protected by a huge glass case, which secured them against the irreverent 
 
SPAIN. 
 114 • 
 
 attentions of the flies. The walls were painted yellow and garnished with one or two 
 coloured lithographs representing the subjects of Nuestra Senora de Paris, with a legend in 
 French and Spanish which explained the principal features of Victor Hugo's romance. 
 This description applies to a great number of Spanish interiors. 
 
 The court {patio) was surrounded by marble columns surmounted by Moorish 
 capitals. One would be very much disappointed with Granada if one expected to find 
 pointed minarets and projecting moucharabys like those with which Gentile Bellini 
 ornamented his huge canvas. Let us however hasten to say that the streets of Granada, 
 if they do not recall those of tlie East, are at the same time far from monotonous. 
 The houses, painted in tender rose-colour, pale green, fresh yellow butter colour, and 
 a variety of striking prismatic hues, are brought out to perfection by the blaze of the 
 sun. " It paints its houses of the richest colours," said Victor Hugo. Each window is 
 ornamented with long mats of Spanish broom, shading a balcony whence hang tufted 
 and luxuriant grass plants with scarlet flowers; sometimes the linen tendidos form a 
 semi-transparent roof over the streets. Add to that the dark eyes sparkling in the 
 shade through the blinds of a mirador, or behind the long curtains of striped stufi" which 
 drape the balconies, and madonnas before which burn lamps lighted by pious hands,— a 
 passing peasant wrapped in his broidered mantle,— and we shall willingly repeat the 
 Avell-known Orientale of our great poet : 
 
 " Soit lointaine, soit voisine, 
 Espagnole ou sarassine, 
 II n'est pas une cite 
 Qui dispute, sans folie, 
 A Grenade la jolie 
 La palme de la beaute, 
 Et qui, graoieuse, ^tale 
 Plus de pompe orientale 
 Sous un ciel plus enchante." 
 
 There are charming hours of leisure to be enjoyed loitering about the streets of Granada. 
 At each step one is struck by some detail of architecture, or by some unexpected display 
 of the peculiar habits or industries of the people. Sometimes it is a caravan of the 
 peasants of the Vega conducting their donkeys, almost entirely hidden under enormous 
 basket-loads of fruit and vegetables ; sometimes it is a family of beggars, and at others 
 a copper-coloured gipsy, who for a few cuartos is telling the fortune of a credulous soldier, 
 who listens attentively to the oracle of the sorceress ; or it may be a band of travelling 
 musicians singing (or rather snuffling) the popular coplillas to an admiring audience. 
 
 One day when walking in the Calle de Ahenamar, . a name which recalls ancient 
 Granada, we were attracted by strange chants, vigorously accompanied by the grinding 
 of a guitar and the dull rumbling of a pandero. The musicians were two dwarfs 
 wearing the Andalucian costume, and most singularly deformed. Their curious figures 
 made us think of the enanos that Velasquez amused himself by painting. They almost 
 appeared as if they had been borrowed from the fantastic stories of Hoffmann. One of 
 them scratched convulsively with his bony fingers on the chords of his guitar, while the 
 other executed all sorts of variations on his pandero, abandoning himself at the same time 
 to the most extraordinary gestures. Three elegant senoras who were passing stopped 
 an instant, their marvellous beauty and rich costume contrasting strangely with the 
 hideous ugliness and tattered dress of the dwarfs. 
 
 There are few towns which have been praised as much as Granada. A quien Dies 
 
LADIES OF GRAS 
 
 KADA LlSTKm^■U TO ITINEKA^T DWAU. MUSICIANS. To face pa.J. II4. 
 
GEANADA— ITS HISTORY. 117 
 
 quis6 lien, en Granada le did de comer, " He is loved of God who lives in Granada," says 
 an old proverb. 
 
 There are also these two lines, following others that compare Seville to something 
 marvellous : 
 
 " Quien no ha visto 4 Granada, 
 No ha visto A nada," 
 
 " He who has not seen Granada has seen nothing." 
 
 An Arab writer who lived about the fourteenth century, Ibn-Batuta, calls 
 Granada the capital of Andalucia — "the queen of cities," and says that nothing can 
 be compared with its environs — delicious gardens extending twenty miles round. " More 
 salubrious than the air of Granada," is a proverb still used in Africa. 
 
 " Granada," says an ancient Andalucian poet, " has not her equal in the whole 
 world. It is in vain that Cairo, Bagdad, or Damascus seek to rival her. One can 
 only compare her marvellous charms to that of a beautiful bride dowered with the rich 
 surrounding lands." 
 
 The majority of Arab writers call Granada the Damascus of Andalucia; some say that 
 it is a fragment of heaven which has fallen to the earth. "That spot," says another writer, 
 in speaking of the Vega (plain), " surpasses in fertility the celebrated Gautah," or field of 
 Damascus ; and he likens the cdrmenes, country houses which adjoin the town, to rows of 
 pearls set in an emerald cup. Spanish writers have not been less lavish in their praises : 
 with them it is illustrious, celebrated, famous, the great, most renowned, &c. The Catholic 
 kings gave it the official epithet of "great and honourable." 
 
 It is extremely diflScult to determine the origin of Granada : one is at a loss to know 
 at what epoch the nomadic tribes were attracted thither by a climate so salubrious and 
 a soil so productive. Founded doubtless by the Phoenicians, Illiberis, a neighbouring 
 town, afterwards became a Eoman colony, but its ruins served to construct Granada. 
 It was indeed the quarry which supplied all the stone for building purposes, until not 
 a trace was left of the ancient Illiberis. The fragments of inscriptions which have been 
 preserved show that Illiberis was a place of some importance during the time of the 
 Romans ; many of these inscriptions bear the names of different emperors. The name 
 of Eliberis, or Illiberis, is found on the gold coins of the Goths, notably on those of 
 Svintila, Some time after the Arab invasion, the governor, who was commanding in Spain 
 in the name of the Caliph of Damascus, received orders to divide the lands of the Goths 
 amongst the new settlers. Granada remained up to the commencement of the eleventh 
 century under the dominion of the governors named by the Caliphs of Cordova. At 
 this time their numerous possessions became the prey of greedy conquerors, who 
 divided amongst themselves the Caliphate of Cordova ; after the ruin of the dynasty 
 of the Ommiades (Umeyyah) one of the chiefs erected important buildings at Granada, 
 and his nephew, who succeeded him, fixed his residence in that city. 
 
 During the thirteenth century Granada and the province were the theatre of almost 
 uninterrupted civil wars, while the capital itself received numerous embellishments. 
 Ibn-al-Hamar, whose name in Arabic signifies "the red man," dethroned the Almoravides 
 in 1232, This prince became so popular that many thousands of Mussulmans hastened from 
 all quarters to establish themselves in his kingdom, after Seville, Valencia, Xeres, and 
 Cadiz had fallen into the hands of the Christians, He distributed lands to the new-comers, 
 and exempted them from taxation; commerce prospered, hospitals and universities were 
 
ii8 SPAIN. 
 
 founded by him, he constructed aqueducts, public baths, markets, and bazaars — and to 
 crown all he founded the Alhambra. 
 
 His SOD, who succeeded him under the name of Mohammed IL, was so much dreaded 
 by the neighbouring Christian princes that they paid him annual tribute. During the 
 reigns of his successors, notwithstanding their triumphs over the Christians, civil strife 
 raged with increased fury. 
 
 Yousouf I., surnamed Abu-1-Hadjadj, was one of the kings of Granada who devoted 
 himself and his treasures to complete the splendours of the Alhambra. Granada reached 
 the height of its prosperity under his rule; at no other time was it so populous. A 
 Spanish writer asserts that during the reign of Abu-1-Hadjadj there were seventy 
 thousand houses in Granada, with a population of four hundred and twenty thousand souls 
 — more than seven times its modern population. 
 
 Mohammed V., Al-ghani-billah, appears to have inherited a talent and taste for art ; 
 one still reads verses in his praise in several of the halls of the Alhambra, which he loved 
 to embellish. One of his successors, Abu Abdallah-el-aysar, the left-handed, el izquierdo, as 
 the Spanish authors call him, was dethroned in 1428 after a series of civil wars. But it 
 was during the reign of Mohammed VIIL, surnamed Az-zaghir (the Young), that the 
 internal discords shook the kingdom of Granada more violently than ever — discords which 
 less than fifty years afterwards transferred Granada to Spain. It was during this reign 
 that the terrible quarrels between the Zegris and the Abencerrages arose, which supply 
 one of the bloodiest pages in the history of the city, and which have served as a theme 
 for so many ancient Moorish and Spanish romances, without taking into account those 
 of modern times. 
 
 Under Mohammed X. the kingdom of Granada had entered upon its final struggles. 
 Henry IV., king of Castillo, ravaged the Vega time after time, and even encamped with his 
 army in sight of the capital — an afiront which Granada submitted to for the first time. In 
 1460 the Christians took possession of Gibraltar and of Archidona, and three years later 
 the king of Granada was forced to sign a treaty of peace by which he was compelled to 
 hold his kingdom as a fief of the crown of Castillo, and subject to an annual tribute of 
 twelve thousand golden ducats. In 1469 Ferdinand of Aragon's marriage to Isabella of 
 Castillo united the two crowns, and thus augmented the power of the enemies of Granada. 
 The town of Alhama, one of the bulwarks of the Moorish kingdom, was taken in 1482, and 
 the following year the generals of the Catholic king took possession of several fortresses. 
 
 Granada was still torn with internal strife, caused by the rivalry of the two sultanas, 
 Ayesha and Zoraya ; this rivalry had split the town into two hostile parties, one of them of 
 Christian origin. This endless schism is set down by the Arab historians as the first cause 
 of the fall of Granada. The Zegris had taken the part of Ayesha, and the Abencerrages 
 that of Zoraya ; Abu Abdallah, son of Ayesha, is the one whom the Spanish writers have 
 named Boabdil, a corruption of Bo-Abdila. They have also called him el rey chico — " the 
 young king " — thus translating the surname, Az-zaghir, which had been given to him, as 
 it had also been to one of his predecessors. Hardly was he crowned, when in hot haste he 
 resolved to take vengeance on the Abencerrages who had forced him into exile at Guadiz. 
 He treacherously entrapped his enemies ; then ensued that well-known sanguinary scene 
 within the walls of the Alhambra which stained the ancient palace of the Moorish kings. 
 When we visit the interior of the Moorish palace we shall have occasion to revert at greater 
 length to this dramatic event, the authenticity of which has been so needlessly contested 
 by many writers. 
 
T#ir*;iiH,,«"'''!;;i.''' 
 
 BALCONIliS AT OKANADA. 
 
 To face pagv iiS 
 
GRANADA— ITS HISTORY. 
 
 121 
 
 This treason brought neither liappiness nor good fortune to Abu Abdallah ; 
 abandoned by the greater part of his subjects, and pursued by the vengeance which he 
 had provoked, he sought shelter alone within the great walls of the Alhambra. At last, 
 when directing an expedition against the Christians, he was vanquished and taken 
 prisoner. 
 
 FAMILY OF TRAVELLING MUSICIANS. 
 
 Abu-1-Hasan, whom he had dethroned, succeeded him, but he soon abdicated in 
 favour of his brother, surnamed Az-zaghal, a name borrowed from one of the African 
 dialects spoken in Granada, and signifying a gay and valiant man. 
 
 Ferdinand, by taking part with his rival Boabdil, rekindled the smouldering fires 
 
122 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 of civil strife in Granada, and thus found a pretext for anotlier invasion. Ronda, 
 Marbella, Velez-Malaga were successively taken by him, and by a system of intrigue he 
 re-established the dethroned king. Soon after, Malaga, the second town of the Moorish 
 kingdom, fell into his hands— indeed he took all the places which still belonged to Az- 
 zaghal, and the latter, left without resources, acknowledged himself his vassal. 
 
 The Moorish kingdom of Granada was now reduced to the capital and the 
 mountainous country called the Alpujdrra, or the Alpujdrras. The Catholic sovereigns 
 were not long in finding an excuse to resume hostilities. The Moorish king, who had 
 agreed to receive a garrison of Spanish soldiers into Granada, refused ultimately to submit 
 to this new proof of his waning power, and the result was a fresh declaration of war. 
 In the month of April 1491, Ferdinand and Isabella appeared at the head of their army 
 before the walls of Granada, and proceeded to lay siege to the town. The gallant 
 defenders, after twelve months' siege,, reluctantly opened the gates to their conquerors. 
 
 We were so impatient to see the Alhambra that we resolved to devote our first 
 visit to the acropolis of the Moorish kings. Passing many objects of interest on the road, 
 we left the Bibrambla, the great cathedral, the Alcayzeria, and the Zacatin, ancient 
 quarters of Granada, which still preserve their name and Moorish aspect, and at last 
 arrived at the Plaza Nueva, beneath which flows the classic Darro. 
 
 After leaving the Plaza Nueva we began to climb the Calle de los Gomeres, and 
 arrived at the Puerta de las Granadas, which the Moors called " Bib-Leuxar." It is a sort 
 of triumphal arch built during the reign of Charles V., and in its style harmonises 
 with the old Moorish walls. The principal arch is flanked by two false doors, having 
 columns and cornices of the Tuscan order,- and two bas-reliefs destroyed by time, but 
 which represented Peace and Plenty, under the form of two sleeping Genii. In the 
 tympan the escutcheon of Charles V. proudly shows itself, while an incised inscription 
 informs us that we are at the threshold of the Alhambra. 
 
 It is impossible to describe one's feelings when entering the Gate of the Pomegranates 
 for the first time. One seems to be suddenly transported into fairy realms, or dreamland. 
 When gazing upon the arches of verdure formed by the elms,- they recall the praises of 
 the Arab poet, who compares them to vaults of emerald. 
 
 Three alleys open before us :• that on the right conducts to the famous Torres Bermejas 
 and joins the Campo de los Mdrtires ; the centre alley leads straight to the Generalife, 
 and that of the left took us through a series of enchanting scenes to the principal entrance 
 in the wall of the Alhambra. The road is steep,- but the charming vegetation rising on 
 each side, and the purity of the air, alppeared to prevent our feeling fatigue, while the 
 songs of birds and rippling of stteams and fountains enhanced the pleasure of the ascent. 
 At length we reached a monumental foiintain in Grseco-Roman style of the Renaissance, 
 rising at the base of the red walls of the Alhambra, and which is called el Pilar de 
 Carlos Quinto, because it was dedicated to that emperor by the Marquis de Mondejar. 
 This monument is ornamented with sculptures representing genii, dolphins, and other 
 mythological subjects ; on one side are the arms of the house of Mondejar — branches 
 of pomegranate, with their fruits. The Spaniards rejoiced so thoroughly in their conquest 
 of Granada, that they embellished all their monuments with this symbol of their victory. 
 
 Ascending still higher, and turning abruptly to the left, we found ourselves in front 
 of the principal gate of the Alhambra, which the Spaniards called Puerta Judiciaria, or 
 del Tribunal. This Gate of Judgment opens into the centre of a square and massive 
 tower built of stone of a warm colour. The arch is of horse-shoe shape— a form for which 
 
A FAMILY OF BEOGAES AT GKANADA. 
 
 To face page 122. 
 
THE ALHAMBRA. 125 
 
 the Moors had a marked predilection; it is supported on pillars of white marble. At 
 the time of the kings of Granada there were four entrances to the Alhambra, the Torre 
 de Armas, the Torre de Siete Suelos, or the seven terraces — another to which the name of 
 the Catholic kings has been siuce given — and lastly the Torre Judiciaria; the tower and 
 the Gate of Judgment were thus called because, according to an ancient Eastern custom, 
 the kings of Granada used to sit under it and administer justice to their subjects, like 
 Saint Louis under the oak of Vincennes. 
 
 Above this gate there is the following Arabic iuscription : " This gateway, called 
 Babu-sh-shari'ah (the Gateway of the Law), — may God make the law of Islam prosper 
 beneath it, as He has made of it an eternal monument of glory ! — was built by the orders 
 of our Lord the Commander of the Faithful, the just and warlike Sultan Abu-1-Hadjadj 
 Yousouf, son of our Lord the pious and warlike Sultan Abu-1-Walid Ibn Nasr. May God 
 reward him for his holy zeal, and accept these noble works for the defence of the faith ! 
 Completed in the glorious month of June 749 (1348 A,D,) May the Most High make of 
 this gateway a protecting bulwark, and record its construction among the imperishable 
 actions of the just ! " 
 
 On the capital of the columns one reads the following inscription, so frequently 
 repeated on the walls of the Alhambra : " Praise be to God ! There is no power or might 
 but in God ! There is only one true God, and Mahomet is His prophet ! " 
 
 In visiting the Alhambra, as we shall have repeated occasion to return to these 
 inscriptions, let us say here that they are of three diflferent kinds : — Aydl, or religious 
 verses from the Kor4n ; Asja, religious or mystic sentences, but which are not found in 
 the Kor^n ; and Asli'ar, verses in praise of the kings of Granada, who successively 
 contributed to the embellishment of the palace. The two first inscriptions are generally 
 in Cufic characters, the ancient Arabic, which they say Mahomet employed in writing 
 the Kor4n. These characters are noble, regular, and extremely graceful where the lines 
 interlace. The African characters, called neskhy, have been employed exclusively to write 
 the long poems which adorn the walls of the Alhambra. Less severe in aspect than the 
 Cufic characters, they are traced with extreme care and precision, although they at first 
 seem to mix and merge with the floral traxsery and arabesques. 
 
 Above the arch of the Gate of Judgment we noticed a slab of white marble, which 
 carried a bas-relief of a hand ; and a little higher up on the frieze a key, also sculptured 
 in relief. These emblems would have appeared to us of Eastern origin, but many 
 conjectures have been made on this symbolic hand and key. According to the popular 
 tradition, " The Moors of Granada believed that not until this hand should take the key 
 and open the gate would the Christians enter this palace." In reality the Moors held 
 that a prophet sent from God would use it to open the gates of Universal Empire. 
 This reminds one of a chapter in the Korin which begins, " God has opened to the faith- 
 ful." The key is a symbolic sign often used by the Sufis, representing wisdom, and 
 is the key by which God opens the hearts of believers to make way for the true faith. 
 However that may be, the key is still found over the principal gateways of many of the 
 Moorish castles of Spain. 
 
 As to the hand, it has many mysterious significations. It is the emblem of a 
 bountiful Providence; it is also the hand of the law, and the five fingers indicate the 
 five fundamental precepts : believe in God and His prophet, pray, give alms, fast during 
 the Ramadan, go as a pilgrim to Mecca and Medina. But the hand was above all a 
 symbol which had the virtue of preserving against the evil eff"ects of witchcraft and 
 
126 SPAIN. 
 
 adverse fate. It was worn as an amulet, and the use of it was so common among the 
 Moors of Granada that the Emperor Charles V"., who never neglected an opportunity 
 of persecuting the Moors, published an edict thirty years after the conquest, forbidding 
 the use of the little hands of gold, silver, or copper, worn as charms by the women and 
 children. Superstitious customs are so difficult to uproot that the amulets in the shape 
 of a hand are still common in Andalucia. The hand is generally made of jet, and is 
 called mano de azabache. It is hung round the waists of cljildren, the necks of liorses 
 and mules, and even -attached to bird-cages ; and to it they attribute the virtue of protecting 
 from el mal de ojo (the evil eye), with which some people are still supposed to be 
 possessed. 
 
 The massive door of w^ood covered with strips of iron is like those of the same epoch 
 which are still seen in different parts of Spain. After having passed this door we came 
 across an inscription of ten lines in handsome Gothic characters, beginning with these 
 words : " Los muy a{tos, caikolicos y muypoderosos senores don Ferdinando y dona Isabel," etc. 
 It is most interesting, as it recalls thje circumstances of the surrender of Granada, and 
 M'e here give the translation : — 
 
 "The highest, most Catholic, and most powerful potentates Don Fernando and Dona 
 
 Isabella, our king and our queen, have conquered by force of arms this kingdom and this 
 
 city of Granada. After having been besieged for a long time by their Highnesses, 
 
 Granada was given to them by the Moorish king Muley Hassen, as well as the Alhambra 
 
 and other fortresses, the second day of January in the year one thousand four hundred 
 
 and ninety-two. That same day their Highnesses named as governor (alcayde) and 
 
 captain of the city Don Ifiigo Lopez de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla, their vassal, who at 
 
 the time of their departure was left in the Alhambra with five hundred cavaliers, and a 
 
 thousand foot-soldiers. Their Highnesses further commanded the Moors to remain in the 
 
 city, and in their villages. The said Count, as commander-in-chief, had this cistern made 
 
 by command of their Highnesses." (The inscription was originally erected over a cistern.) 
 
 After passing the second door we emerged on the Flaza de los Algihes : in the midst 
 
 of this vast space is an immense reservoir built by the kings of Granada. It is entirely 
 
 covered by squares of porcelain, and its capacity, they assured us, is more than eight 
 
 hundred square feet. The water of the algihe of the Alhambra preserves a uniform 
 
 temperature all the year round, and enjoys a well-merited reputation as the best water 
 
 of the city. There is always a continual coming and going between the city and 
 
 the cistern. The aguadores, in their picturesque costume, are always there awaiting their 
 
 turn. Some carry the water on donkeys, loaded on each side of their pack-saddles with 
 
 a jarra, shaded under a thick covering of leaves, which transforms the donkey into 
 
 something like a travelling bush ; others, more modest, carry the water in a barrel, having 
 
 a long tin tube for pouring out the liquid, two or three glasses, and a little bottle of 
 
 aniseed cordial, of which a few drops mixed with the water suffice to make it quite 
 
 white. This constitutes the whole of their stock in trade, which is fastened on the back 
 
 by a shoulder-strap. 
 
 Let us stop an instant before the Puerta del Vino, which rises to the right. It is 
 a httle Moorish monument of the most perfect elegance, built in 1345 by Yousouf I. 
 at the time of Granada's greatest splendour. In the midst there is an arch of marble, 
 of horse-shoe form, contained in a square ornamented with graceful inscriptions, most of 
 them to the praise of God. One remarks among the ornaments a symbolic key, like 
 that of the Puerta Judiciaria. The azidejos, or squares of delf, inserted in the Puerta 
 
Ih4wv 
 
THE VASES OF THE ALHAMBRA. 129 
 
 del Vino are the largest and most beautiful in Granada. This use of delf in arclutectural 
 decoration has an exquisite effect; the azulejos of the Puerta del Vino would without 
 doubt have been carried oflf by the visitors like those of the Alhambra, had they not 
 been placed beyond reach. 
 
 By the side of the Puerta del Vino rises the vast fa9ade of the Palacio de Carlos 
 Quinto, a cold majestic structure in the Grseco-Roman style attributed to Pedro Machuca 
 and to Alonzo Berrugueto. When Charles V. visited Granada one of his first ideas 
 was to destroy all that part of the Alhambra which composed the winter palace, and 
 several of the rooms of the summer palace as well. This act of vandalism was 
 characteristic of an epoch when the complete destruction of all that belonged to the 
 Moors was held as an ambition alike worthy of an enlightened Prince and his people. 
 
 Cardinal Ximenes had already consigned to the flames, in one of the public places 
 of Granada, more than a million of Arabic manuscripts. It seems that his object was 
 to destroy every trace of the Mussulman religion in Granada, and it was probably 
 at this time that the Spanish proverb had its origin, " Buscar d Mahoma en Granada" 
 to search for Mahomet in Granada— a proverb still used in speaking of a thing that 
 it is impossible to find. What adds still more to the cruelty and profanation of the 
 German Kaiser is that he compelled the unfortunate descendants of the Moors of Granada 
 to pay for the ponderous structure which he desired to raise over the ruins of the light 
 and graceful palace of their ancestors. After all, if the palace of Charles V. did not rear 
 its head so insolently within the walls of the Alhambra, one might look upon it with 
 pleasure ; the ftigade, decked with Doric and Ionic columns, with trophies and other 
 classic ornaments, is of perfect symmetry. This was well illustrated by two medallions, 
 representing exactly the same subject, turned so that the same personage held his arms 
 in his left hand and his reins in his right alternately, a most convenient proceeding, 
 which can hardly have cost the sculptor a great effort of imagination. Tbe con- 
 struction of this palace commenced in 1526, and was continued with many interruptions 
 till 1533, when it was finally abandoned, so that the edifice has never been anything 
 but a roofless ruin, filled with brambles, and inhabited only by lizards and night-birds — • 
 a suitable monument to commemorate the vanity of Charles the usurper. 
 
 There formerly existed not far from the palace, the Adarves, a line of Moorish bastions 
 which were also removed by Charles V., and replaced by gardens and fountains, now 
 ruined and abandoned. One encounters on this spot enormous vines, knotted roots, 
 and gigantic cypress, which, it is said, were planted during the reign of the last 
 king of Granada. According to the popular tradition it was under the foundation of the 
 Adarves that the famous vases of the Alhambra were discovered. It is further said that 
 they M^ere buried full of gold, and were unearthed by the Marquis de Monddjar, governor 
 of the Alhambra under Charles V., who ordered them to be placed in the new gardens 
 which had been laid out with the treasure found in the vases. These magnificent vases 
 were three in number, but only one remains; and yet it alone is sufficient to convey an 
 idea of the advanced state of the ceramic art of ancient Granada. 
 
 The vase of the Alhambra is so remarkable for the richness and variety of the designs 
 with which it is covered, that it is without doubt the finest specimen known of Hispano- 
 Moresque delf- ware. One of the handles of the vase has been broken off" and lost, but Dore 
 reinstated it in his design in order to give the vase its primitive form. 
 
 The first author who notices the vases of the Albambra is, I think, Padre Echeverria in 
 his " Paseos por Granada," or " Walks in Grannda " — a sort of guide in the form of dialogues 
 
I30 SPAIN. 
 
 between a Granadian and a stranger. He recounts the history of the famous jarras, as 
 he calls them : — 
 
 " Stranger. — Talking of these vases, which you tell me contained treasure, where are 
 
 they to be found ? 
 
 " Granadian. — In the Adavves in a delicious little garden, made and ornamented by the 
 Marquis de Monddjar with the gold provided by this treasure. Perhaps it was his 
 intention to perpetuate the memory of their discovery by placing the vases in the garden. 
 Let us go there, and you will see them. 
 
 "Stranger. — What a marvellous garden, and enchanting view! But let us see the 
 vases. What a misfortune ! How they are ruined, and, what is more to be regretted is, 
 that left abandoned as they are, they will be gradually but surely destroyed altogether. 
 
 " Granadian. — Yes, they will be ultimately destroyed. Already there are only these 
 two which you see, and these fragments of the third. Each traveller, wishing to carry 
 away some souvenir, appropriates a piece, and thus the unfortunate vases are demolished 
 little by little. 
 
 "Stranger. — Among the ornaments I can trace inscriptions. 
 
 "Granadian. — Yes, but they cannot now be deciphered, owing to the state of ruin in 
 which you see them, and the enamel having been chipped and carried away by heartless 
 strangers. On this one you can hardly distinguish anything but the name of God twice 
 repeated. Neither of the two bear a readable inscription." 
 
 Padre Echeverria has exaggerated the state of decay of the remaining vase, but his 
 prediction has proved only too true. No one seems to know what became of 1:he second 
 vase of the Alhambra. An English traveller tells us that in 1820 Montilla, the governor, 
 used it to put his flowers in, and he adds that one day the governor offered it to a French 
 lady, who at once carried it off. Another version is that it was presented to an English 
 lady. But it is unhappily certain, that only one remains, which has been preserved as if 
 by a miracle, as it is only recently that any care has been taken of it. This master- 
 piece of Hispano-Moresque ceramic art is now placed in a spot more worthy of its 
 fame. 
 
 Before commencing our walk round the Plaza de los Algihes, and visiting the Torre de 
 las Infantas, and the old Arab towers which defended the walls of the Alhambra, we will 
 say a few words as to the history of the palace-stronghold of the ancient kings of Granada. 
 It is supposed to have been founded by Ibn-al-hamar, " the red man," who raised many other 
 monuments. The Arab historian, Ibn-al-Khattib, says that soon after the sultan Ibn-al- 
 hamar had driven away the Almoravides, he built a palace in the citadel of that town 
 and fixed his residence within its walls. 
 
 In the ninth century there M'as a fortress, called Kalat-al-hamra, on the hill which 
 rises to the left of the Darro ; the ruins on this spot are still known as " the red towers "— 
 Torres Bermejas. When Badis Ibn Habous left Elvira to fix his residence in Granada, he 
 built walls round the hill, and raised a citadel, which he named Kassabah-al-hamra. It 
 is in this Kassabah that Ibn-al-hamar built the palace which received the name of Kars-1- 
 hamra, that is to say, the palace of the Alhambra. 
 
 Mohammed 11. , successor to Ibn-al-hamar, repaired the Torres Bermejas, and continued 
 to extend the Alhambra. 
 
 Abu-l-Hadjadj, among others of his notable works, built the elegant Puerta del Vino, 
 as well as the Puerta de Justicia. The cost of these erections was supposed to exceed the 
 entire revenue of this lover of art, and tradition gives him the credit of striving to repair 
 
GATE OF THE TOREE DE LAS INFANTAS. 
 
 To face page 1 30. 
 
THE ALHAMBRA-ITS HISTORY. 1^3 
 
 his fortunes bj labouring to discover the secret of the transmutation of metals. The reign 
 of Abu-1-Hadjadj, towards the middle of the fourteenth century, may be fairly sot down 
 as the greatest epoch of the Moorish Alcazar. 
 
 Let us also say a few words regarding the history of the devastations of the Alhambra. 
 It seems that from the time of the conquest the new rulers set themselves diligently to 
 the work of destruction, so that not many years elapsed before they had utterly ruined 
 some of the finest specimens of art — the result of three centuries of the patient toil and 
 genius of the Moors. 
 
 The Alhambra, in spite of its light and graceful appearance, is of the most solid and 
 enduring construcUon even in its minutest details, and has suffered less from the ravages 
 of time than from the hand of man. Even in the time of Isabella the Catholic, the 
 fanatical zeal of some monks led to the destruction of many of the Arabic inscriptions, which 
 recalled " the abominable Mahometan sect." Charles V., as we have already seen, prosecuted 
 the work of vandalism still further, by throwing down part of the Alhambra, and raising 
 a massive palace over its ruins. Not content with this profanation (as we shall have 
 occasion to notice), he carried on the ruthless work of destruction in other quarters. 
 
 During the seventeenth century the Alhambra seems to have attracted little or no 
 attention ; however, the Andalucian poet Gongora, who visited the antiquities of Granada 
 in 1627, has recorded his impressions in a few emphatic verses: 
 
 " Pues eres Granada ilustre, 
 Granada de personages, 
 Granada de seraphines, 
 Granada de antigiiedades ! " 
 
 At the close of the seventeenth century the Alhambra became an asylum for insolvent debtors, 
 and served at the same time as a refuge for a lounging population — soldiers, vagabonds, 
 thieves, and other people without a profession. Later, when the Moorish palace was 
 confided to the care of governors, the greater part of them appeared to vie with each other 
 in hastening its ruin. 
 
 The history of these ravages would be a very curious one : for example, we should see 
 the governor Savera establishing his kitchen in a Moorish balcony ; we should see another, 
 Don Luis Bucarelli, formerly a Catalonian officer, establishing himself in the apartments 
 of the kings of Granada, and successively lodging his five daughters and his five sons-in- 
 law there. He was the same person, we were assured, who one day sold the most beautiful 
 azuhjos with which the greater part of the rooms were ornamented to meet the expenses of 
 a bull-fio-ht. As to these azulejos, a well-known fact in Granada is that they were sold to 
 the first comer to make cement, a donkey -load costing only a few reals. The time will come 
 when not one of these beautiful squares of del f- ware will be found in the building. One 
 day we observed in an apartment of the Alhambra a stranger with shaggy hair, who 
 amused himself by removing them from the wall, and who continued his task as we 
 passed, just as if he were engaged in the most natural or even praiseworthy occupation in 
 the world. This Vandal was well up in his work, which he executed most ingeniously by 
 means of a chisel and a small pocket hammer, while his companion was on the look-out. 
 Dor^, who was at that moment drawing a Moorish frieze, could not resist the temptation 
 of consigning this scene of vandalism to his album. 
 
 What has become of the beautiful bronze gateway of the Mezquita? Alas ! it is only 
 too well known that it was broken up and sold as old copper. The sculptured doors in 
 
134 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the Hall of the Abencerrages also suffered a sad fate ; it is M. de Gayangos who recounts 
 this iucredible act of destruction. These beautiful doors were still in their places, when, 
 in 1837, they were taken down and cut up by order of the governor to close a breach in 
 another part of the palace : but that was not all ; as they were too large for the opening 
 they were destined to fill up, they were cut down and partly used for firewood. 
 
 The governor Montilla found almost nothing to preserve, save only the palace walls, 
 for the bolts, hinges, locks, and even the glass in the windows had all disappeared under 
 the rule of his predecessors. 
 
 Of the governor Monchot, el Gohernador Manco, Washington Irving has given 
 an amusing portrait. This singular personage, who made, himself known by his huo-e 
 pointed moustache and by his turned-up boots, always carried at his side a long Toledo 
 blade, and in the hilt — oh profanation ! — he used to stow his handkerchief. This eccentric 
 governor was named " the king of rascals," because of the numerous idlers and vagabonds 
 who lived in the palace under his ofiicial protection. 
 
 1/ ::' 
 
 x ■ 7 ^ ''/ 
 
 t^».,™. . 
 
 DESPOILEKS OF THE AZDLEJOS OF THE ALHAMBRA. 
 
THE VASE OF THE ALHAMBRA. 
 
 To face page 134. 
 
THE BALCONY OF LINDARAJA. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The tower de los Siete Suelos— The ghosts of the Alhambra— The headless horse and the hairy phantom— The Alcazaba 
 —The Torre del Homenage and that of the Vela— The, bell and the young spinsters— The fall of Granada— The palace 
 of the Alhambra— The Patiu de los Arrayanes—'Ihe Patio and the Taza de los Leones ; the blood-stains— The Aben- 
 cerrafes and the Zegris — Massacre in the Court of the Lions — The Hall of the Abencerrages — The Sala de las Dos 
 Sermanas— The Hall of Ambassadors— The azulejos— The beautiful Galiana— The Toeador de la Eeina— The garden and 
 balcony of Lindaraja— The Sala de Secretes and that of the nymphs— The baths of the sultana— The paintings of the 
 Sala del Tribunal. 
 
 DdrIxNG the warm summer evenings it was pleasant to loiter among the ruins of tlie 
 Alhambra, which have been the silent witnesses of so. many scenes of love and of bloodshed ; 
 but when the soft moonlight silvered the old tower of La Vela, and the battlements of the 
 Torre de Comares stood out against tbe deep blue of the starry sky— when the high cypress 
 with its fantastic forms threw long shadows like great giants across the path — we almost 
 expected to see the phantoms of the ancient hosts of the Alhambra rise up before us. 
 The brave Moor Gazul and his beloved, the incomparable Lindaraja, of the blood of the 
 Abencerrages, passing beneath the vault of fig-trees whose branches interlaced ; a little 
 farther, the proud Abenamar bending over the beautiful Galina, and alone the ungrateful 
 
138 SPAIN. 
 
 Zayda, tlie ciaiellest of all the Moorish beauties, insensible to the voice which sang in the 
 silence of the night this romance miirisco, 
 
 " Bella Zayda de mis ojos, 
 
 Y del alma Leila Zayda, 
 De las Moras la mas bella, 
 
 Y mas que todas ingrata ! " 
 
 But the Moorish belles and cavaliers are not the only phantoms which are said to haunt 
 the ruins of the Albambra. According to the popular legend, the tower de los Siete Suehs, 
 or seven stories, is the nightly resort of spirits that effectually bar the ascent above 
 the fourth floor. It is reported that courageous adventurers have dared to doubt the 
 power of phantoms, and have attempted to force their way to the upper stories ; but 
 they too only returned terror-stricken, to tell that they had been forced back by a furious 
 blast, which not only extinguished their lights,, but left them powerless and petrified on 
 the spot : at other times incredulous intruders have found themselves brought face to face 
 with a terrible Ethiopian, who threatened to devour them if they did not instantly retire. 
 But above all the terrors of fiendish blasts and Ethiopians, the passage is guarded by a 
 legion of fierce and implacable Moors, who throw themselves on all who seek to penetrate 
 into the haunted chambers. When the night is pitchy dark there may also be seen 
 issuing from the same tower a mysterious monster, to which tradition has given the 
 name of Caballo descahezado, the headless horse ; and yet another, called el Velludo, or the 
 Shaggy One, whose duty it is to guard the treasures buried there by their Moorish masters, 
 and who take their nocturnal beats round the ramparts of the Alhambra ; they have been 
 frequently seen. Padre Echeveriia says that they are still visible. This historian of 
 Granada, who lived for many years in the neighbourhood, took the title of " Beneficiado de 
 la Iglesia mayor de la real fortaleza de la Alhambra." This gentleman assures us solemnly 
 that one eye-witness was a distinguished military officer, a man also renowned for his sense 
 and judgment, while a second was also thoroughly trustworthy. One night the latter met 
 what he took to be the Velludo, a monster covered with long hair or fur ; this brute was 
 followed by a troop of invisible horsemen, whose presence was made known by the sound 
 of their hoofs. Upon drawing his sword both phantom and phantom horsemen vanished ; 
 they did not relish the sight of cold steel. 
 
 " This fact," says the narrator, " was related to me by the witness himself on the very 
 ground where the adventure took place, and the manner in which he related what he had 
 seen assured me that he did not lie." 
 
 The military witness is still more credible, for he not only saw the ghost, but also 
 spoke to it. 
 
 "Where arc you going?" asked the Caballo, who, although quite spiritual, was 
 reasonable and courteous. 
 
 " I am going to my residence, near the wall of the Alhambra." 
 
 " Are you going there to dig for. treasure ? " 
 
 " Not at all, I am homeward bound ; treasure is nothing to me ! " 
 
 "That is well," said the spirit; "and if you promise to leave my treasures alone, 
 you may roam freely where you will." 
 
 After these words, the canalla del otro mundo, as Padre Echeverria naively calls it, 
 disappeared, to continue its nightly rounds ; and he adds that one must attribute all this 
 sorcery to the Moors, seeing that magic was as familiar to them as their couscoussou, 
 or magic potion. 
 
THE TOWEE OF OOMAKES. 
 
 To face page 138. 
 
THE ALHAMBRA— VIEW FROM THE TORRE DE LA VELA. 141 
 
 Let us quit the shadowy domain and pass towards tlie Alcazaba, wliere the burning 
 sun displays to advantage the deep hues of the rugged old walls. Formerly one entered 
 by the Torre del Homenage, " the Tower of Homage," an enormous and massive structure. 
 At one of the corners of this tower we came across a pillar, which was no doubt taken 
 by the Moors from the ruins of the ancient town of lUiberis. The inscription told 
 us that it belonged to a monument erected by P. Valerius Lucanus to his dear wife 
 Cornelia, " CornelicB uxori indulgentissimce." 
 
 One of the small courts of the Alcazaba contains a curious monument of Arabic sculpture, 
 a specimen of the art of the eleventh century. It is a large marble basin, in form something 
 like that of a Roman sarcophagus, but which seems to have been designed to receive the 
 water of a fountain. On one side there are sculptured four repetitions of the same subject — 
 a lion devouring an antelope. The Orientals have often, iu spite of the Prophet's injunction, 
 depicted similar subjects, sucb as a falcon killing a hare or a partridge. The bas-relief 
 in question is very skilfully cut, and resembles some Arabic ivory-work in our possession. 
 
 On the left of the Torre del Homenage rises that of la Armeria, which ^^■as formerly 
 the arsenal, as its name implies. It is said that up to the beginning of this century it 
 contained specimens of old and curious armour and weapons, which belonged to the ancient 
 defenders of Granada. These splendid relics and trophies, precious in more ways than one, 
 were sold by the governor, Don Luis Bucarelli, to pay the cost of a single bull-fight. It 
 is hard to say to what ignoble uses they have not been put. Let us now enter the famous 
 Torre de la Vela, or de la Campana, one of the highest in the Alhambra. It formerly 
 served as a watchtower, vela, and its other name is derived from the irrigation bell 
 (campana de los riegos), which is also called el Reloj de los Labradores, or the labourers' clock, 
 as it serves to regulate the times of irrigation. After passing through a low door we 
 climbed a narrow staircase, by which we reached the platform of the Vela, where one is 
 dazzled by tbe enchantment of the scene : the Gulf of Naples from the top of Vesuvius, 
 Constantinople and the Golden Horn all combined, could hardly convey any notion of the 
 wonderful panorama spread out before us. Granada lay at our feet with its spires and its 
 churches, of which we had a bird's-eye view. Farther off, the white houses, tinted rose- 
 colour by the evening sun, dotted the distant heights that rise above the town. These 
 walls seemed to sparkle and glisten like mother-of-pearl through the bright bushy verdure, 
 recalling the poetic sentiment that compared Granada to an emerald cup set round with 
 Oriental pearls. 
 
 In the far distance before us stretched the fertile Vega, with its twenty leagues 
 of verdure spread out like a carpet, over which the walls of the alquerias shone like 
 silver embroidery in the sunshine. The numerous mountains which bounded the horizon 
 of this unique country have names celebrated in the history of Granada — the Sierra 
 de Elvira, the cradle of the Phoenician town ; on our left the majestic Mulahacen, and 
 the snowy heights of the Alpnjarras, merging by insensible gradations into the clouds of 
 evening. Farther still, the mountains of Alhama and the Sierra Tejeda, with its weird 
 forms, and lastly the rounded summit of Mount Parapanda, well known to the labradores 
 of the Vega, for whom it is a colossal barometer. There is not one of them who, on seeing 
 the mountain capped with cloud, would not be reminded of the popular proverb : 
 
 " Ciiando Parapanda se pone la montera, 
 Llueve aunque Dios no lo quisiera." 
 
 " When Mount Parapanda puts on its cap, there will be rain even against God's will." On 
 
142 SPAIN. 
 
 our right rises the Sierra de Mavtos, at tbe foot of which Jaen is built. Tliere is hardly a 
 country in all the world whose history offers so much material alike for poet and historian. 
 
 It was the Tower of the Vela which so excited the cupidity of Isabella the Catholic, 
 when leaving her entrenched camp to view the coveted city and the towers of the 
 Alhambra. The Queen approached as far as Cubia, about two miles from the town, and 
 there remained for an instant pensive, contemplating the Torres Bermejas, the Torre de la 
 Vela, the heights of Albayzin, and the proud Alcazaba. 
 
 The long siege of Granada was like a tragic poem, which has been compared by the 
 Spanish historians to the siege of Troy ; and it must be conceded that few towns can claim 
 such an important place in history. Peter Martyr says that the Genoese merchanis, who 
 carried their wares all over the world, considered Granada the finest example of a fortified 
 city that existed. 
 
 It was in the month of April 1491, that Ferdinand and Isabella laid siege to this last 
 stronghold of the Moors, resolved to compel a surrender. According to some writers their 
 army was made up of fifty thousand fighting men, according to others of eighty thousand ; 
 the troops are said to have included men of a variety of nationalities, and an entire 
 detachment was composed of mercenary Swiss. There were not wanting Frenchmen, one 
 of whom, whose name is unknown, published during the year of the surrender a very 
 interesting account of the siege, entitled " La trfes-cdifebre, digne de m^moire et victorieuse 
 prise de la ville de Grenade. Escript k Grenade le dixiesme jour de Janvier de mil, CCCCXCII." 
 This rare and curious little volume was printed in Paris in 1492. 
 
 The Catholic sovereigns determined that a town should be built on the site of their 
 camp, three miles from Granada. This town was erected within three years, and named 
 Santa-Fe. Its construction produced an extraordinary efi"ect in Granada, and ultimately 
 led to threatened insurrection ; the horrors of impending famine were also added, as the 
 population was greater than the country could well support, seeing that many Moorish 
 families, driven from the surrounding towns, had pressed on to Granada, and thus 
 augmented the number of inhabitants. 
 
 The defenders of Granada depended entirely for provisions and reinforcements upon 
 the mountaineers of the Alpujarras, the only province which had not yet submitted to the 
 Spanish yoke. The Marquis de Villena was despatched with orders to reduce this 
 province, and acquitted himself so well that in a short time eighty towns and villages 
 were pillaged and put to the sword. At the same time all reinforcements from the Moors 
 of Africa were cut off, and the garrison of Granada was thrown at last upon its own 
 resources. The Moorish king, seeing that every hope of succour had been taken away, 
 sought to make terms with his foes ; but the gallant defenders, in vain hoping for rein- 
 forcements, opposed this measure, which was however carried out in secret. The first 
 conference was held at midnight in the village of Churriana, situated about three miles from 
 the town, where the terms of capitulation were discussed and ratified by the two parties. 
 The principal articles accorded to the people of Granada freedom to retain the Mahometan 
 faith, and the practice of their religious ceremonies, their national customs, their language, 
 and their costume. Property was to be respected, and the Spaniards engaged to find 
 vessels for all those who wished to return to Africa. All arms were to be given up 
 to the conquerors; as to the unfortunate Abdallah, they gave him a town and a few 
 neighbouring places in the Alpujarras, with three thousand vassals and a revenue of 
 six million maravedis. 
 
 Abdallah, or Boabdil, as the Spaniards called him, pledged himself to give up the 
 
GEANADA. 143 
 
 forts and the keys of the town within sixty days after the date of the capituLation. But 
 whispers of the parley were beginning to find their way abroad among the people, and the 
 councillors of Boabdil, fearing a revolt, advised him to hasten the event. It was therefore 
 determined that the Catholic sovereigns should enter Granada on January 2nd, 1492. 
 
 Early on the morning of this memorable day the Spanish camp presented an aspect 
 of the greatest joy. The Cardinal Gonzalez de Mendoza was sent on in advance of 
 a detachment of the troops of his own house and a body of infantry, veterans who had 
 grown grey in the campaigns against the Moors. These troops took possession of the 
 citadel of the Alhambra, while Ferdinand and Isabella remained behind at an Arab 
 mosque, since consecrated to Saint Sebastian. Soon the huge silver cross carried by 
 Saint Ferdinand during his campaigns shone on the top of the Torre de la Vela, and the 
 standards of Castille floated over the towers of the Alhambra. At this glorious spectacle 
 the choir of the chapel royal sang the Te Deum, and all the army threw themselves on 
 their knees. Every year on January 2nd a f6te is held at Granada to celebrate this 
 event. On that day there is always an enormous crowd at the Alhambra, and one may 
 then see the inhabitants of the neighbouring mountains in their most picturesque 
 attire. 
 
 The young girls never miss going up to the tower of the Vela, for there, according 
 to an ancient superstition, those of them who strike the bell will be married in the same 
 year. It is even believed that those who strike the hardest will get the handsomest 
 husbands. One can therefore easily imagine what an uproar there is in the tower 
 on a holiday. On one of the pillars which support the bell we noticed an inscription in 
 Spanish: "The second day of January 1492, of the Christian era, after seven hundred 
 and seventy years of Arab rule, victory having been declared, and this town given up 
 to the Most Catholic sovereigns, there were placed in this tower, as the highest in the 
 fortress, the three standards, the insignia of the Castilian army; and the holy banners 
 having been hoisted by the Cardinal Gonzalez de Mendoza and by Don Gutierre de 
 Cardenas, the Count de Tendilla waved the royal standard, while the soldiers cried 
 with a loud voice ' Granada ganada ' (Granada is won) by the illustrious sovereigns 
 of Castille, Don Ferdinand and Dona Isabella." 
 
 The fall of Granada caused as great a sensation as the taking of Constantinople had 
 done not long before. At Eome the surrender of the town was celebrated by a solemn 
 mass, and by festivals of all sorts. At Naples an allegorical play was represented, in which 
 Faith, Joyfulness, and Mahomet played the principal parts. The Moors in Africa heard 
 with consternation of the sad end of Boabdil's kingdom, and for several years they prayed 
 in the mosques every Friday that God would give back Granada to the Mussulmans ; and 
 even at the present day, if a follower of the Prophet is seen to be sad and melancholy, 
 they say he is thinking of Granada. 
 
 There is not much of interest remaining to be noticed before we enter the 
 palace of the Moorish kings. The church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra, built 
 at the close of the sixteenth century, had nothing to offer worth our stopping to 
 see, and the same might be said of the ancient convent of the Franciscan monks, had 
 not their church received the mortal remains of Isabella the Catholic, which rested 
 there until they were removed to the Cathedral of Granada after the death of her 
 husband. 
 
 These churches, and many other structures, occupy the sites of different Moorish 
 buildings, as the great Mezquita of the harem, whose primitive aspect, alas ! is changed ; and 
 
144 ^PAI^- 
 
 if one of the kings of Granada could reappear in Lis ancient capital, he might ask 
 
 Abeuamar Moro de la Moreria, as he was asked in the famous Moorish romance : 
 
 " Quelles sont ces hautes forteresses 
 Qui brillent devant moi? 
 — C'etait TAlhambra, seigneur, 
 Et cet autre, la mosqufe, 
 Et ici 6taient les Alixares, 
 Travaillfe k merveille; 
 Le More qui les orna 
 Gagnait cent doublous par jour; 
 Cet autre, c'est Generalife, 
 Jardin qui ii'a pas son pareil; 
 Et cet autre, les Tours Vermeilles, 
 Chateau de grande valeur." 
 
 In this antique acropolis of Granada there is not a stone, so to speak, that is without 
 its legend, and which does not recall some event suug iu Moorish romance. 
 
 We were now entering the palace by following a narrow lane. Arriving in front of 
 a little modern door of the commonest sort, we rang and summoned a guardian, who, 
 wearing an Andalucian sombrero, let us iu, when we found ourselves face to face for the 
 first time with the splendours of the Alhambva. 
 
 The first court is called the Fatio de la Alherca, or the Eeservoir. At each side of the 
 basin there is a thick hedge of myrtle, which has also given to this entrance of the 
 Alhambra the name Patio de los Arrayanes. 
 
 It would be difficult to give an idea of the elegance of this patio, the largest, and 
 at the same time one of the most elaborately ornate of all the Alhambra. At each 
 extremity of this reservoir there rises a gallery, with arches supported by light columns 
 of white Macael marble, whose long slender shafts are reflected in the mirror -like 
 surface of the water. Tlie ornamentation of the walls is of wonderful delicacy, and in 
 much better preservation than that in the other courts. Between the windows and at the 
 angles one sees escutcheons of the kings of Granada, or this well-known Arabic phrase, 
 " Wa la ghalib ilia Allah," "And God alone is conqueror;" among other inscriptions 
 which ornament the patio are these lines of a Moorish poet : 
 
 " I am decked like a bride in her robes, with every grace, every perfection : 
 Look on this vase, and you'll understand the truth of my assertion." 
 
 On the left is the hall in which the celebrated vase of the Alhambra was found amongst an 
 indescribable mass of rubbish ; it was to this vase that the poet alluded in the above lines. 
 The basin was formerly surrounded by a rich Moorish balustrade, which still remained 
 intact at the beginning of this century, when the governor Bucarelli, that great devastator 
 of the Alhambra, had it taken up and sold. 
 
 During the time of the Moors the Patio de la Alherca occupied the centre of the 
 palace; on the right rose the splendid gateway which, together with that part of the 
 Alhambra known as the Winter- Palace, was demolished by Charles V., in order to make 
 way for the massive building we have already noticed. Before exploring the interior 
 it may not prove uninteresting if we make some observations on the Moorish mode 
 of ornamenting palace walls. Notwithstanding the liglitness of the ornaments and the 
 infinite delicacy of their details, they are extremely solid and durable, although they 
 are cast in material something akin to the gesso duro used by the Italians of the 
 fifteenth century to mould their madonnas ; marble has only been used in the Alhambra 
 for columns and capitals, fountains, bath-rooms, and paving-stones. The Italian traveller. 
 
PATIO DE LOS AHRAYANES (COUET OF MYETLES). 
 
 To face page 144. 
 
THE ALHAMBEA— THE COURT OF LIONS. 147 
 
 Andrea Navagiero, who visited Granada soon after its Ml, tells us that some of its 
 monuments were inlaid with ivory and gold ; he also says that in his time the fatio was 
 planted with myrtles and orange-trees. 
 
 On the right is the Cuarto de la Sultana, formerly one of the most beautiful halls of 
 the Alhambra. We now entered the Court of Lious, one of the wonders of Moorish 
 architecture ; nevertheless, far from boasting the vast proportions which it has been 
 made to assume in pictures, it is simply a parallelogram of one hundred feet by fifty feet, 
 enclosed by a covered gallery having little pavilions at each end. This gallery is 
 supported by one hundred and twenty-eight columns, surmounted by arches displaying 
 wonderful beauty of workmanship. The basements, in mosaic delf-ware of various colours, 
 have been restored in such a manner as to preserve their primitive aspect. The capitals, 
 all of which oflfer the same contours, appear at first sight to be uniform, but if one examines 
 them with care, they are found to present an infinite variety of designs, arabesques, and 
 inscriptions. These capitals were formerly painted and gilded, and we discover from the 
 best preserved examples that the arabesques were painted in blue and the groundwork in 
 red, while the inscriptions and a number of the ornaments were done in gold. The gold 
 used was brought from Africa, and beaten into thin leaves in Granada. 
 
 One remarks a slight irregularity in the placing of the pillars : some stand in pairs, 
 and others alone ; an irregularity, this, producing a charming effect, and without doubt 
 designed to break the monotony. The columns were at one time entirely covered with 
 gold, but after the fall of Granada, instead of repairing them, it was found much more 
 simple and profitable to denude them of their covering by sedulously scraping the shafts 
 and ornaments. 
 
 Inscriptions dedicated to the praise of God are lavished without stint everywhere 
 around. On the band which sweeps round the tympan of the principal arch we read in 
 characters of great beauty, "May lasting power and glory imperishable be the inheritance 
 of the master of the palace." This inscription reminds one of the ancient Oriental custom 
 of tracing upon common objects good wishes for their owner. 
 
 In the centre of the patio rises the Fountain of the Lions, a large dodecagonal vessel 
 of marble, surmounted by another smaller and round in shape, both being ornamented 
 with arabesques and Arabic inscriptions in bas-relief. The lower vessel is supported by 
 twelve lions in white marble ; at least they are evidently intended for lions, but the Moorish 
 imagination, ever accustomed to perfect liberty, has never descended to a slavish imitation 
 of nature. The head of these lions, if one may call it a head, is nothing more than a 
 mutilated square, supplied with a round hole to represent an open mouth, from which 
 the water falls into the basin. The mane is indicated by a number of parallel lines, 
 while four square supports are supplied for the legs of the animal. In spite of this 
 almost barbarous simplicity, these monsters have a decorative character which charms 
 and surprises, and we have never come across a fountain whose general efiect was 
 happier. 
 
 The inscriptions cut on the fountain are highly poetic and imaginative : — 
 
 " Behold this cloud of pearls, scintillating from all parts, thrown in prismatic globules 
 
 into the air. 
 
 " Which fall in a belt of silver foam and break into a shower of gems surpassing 
 the brightest jewels in lustre, as they outshine the marble in their pearly whiteness 
 and transparency. 
 
148 SPAIN. 
 
 " Lookino- on tins basin, it seems a solid mass of ice off which the water is running, 
 and yet it is impossible to say which of the two is liquid. 
 
 " Do you not perceive how the stream leaps to the surface in defiance of the inferior 
 current which would arrest its progress ? 
 
 "As a lover whose lashes are full of tears, but who restrains them, fearing an 
 
 informer. 
 
 "In truth what is this font but a beneficent cloud, distilling its waters upon 
 
 the lions 1 
 
 " Like the hands of the Caliph, who rises with the dawn to shower reward upon his 
 
 soldiers — the lions of war. 
 
 " Fear not in thy contemplation while gazing upon these rampant lions ; they 
 are without life and without ferocity." 
 
 Nothing can convey a better notion of the voluptuous life of the Moors than this Court 
 of the Lions. One can picture to oneself the king of Granada, surrounded by his 
 favourite wives and courtiers, seated on Persian carpets spread out beneath the shade 
 of the palms and orange-trees, or reclining on cushions of the beautiful silk of Granada 
 or Almeria, while poets recite their verses, or musicians- joyously wake the laud and 
 diilfayna, the zamhras and the Moorish leylas, whose sounds mingle with the murmur 
 of the water as it falls into the marble basins of the fountains. 
 
 When Andrea Navagiero visited the Alhambra in 1524 the Fatio de los Leones made 
 a deep impression on him, accustomed as he was to the wonders of Venice ; after manifesting 
 his admiration he adds : " The lions are made in such a manner, that when there is no 
 water, by whispering down the throat of one, people putting their ears to the mouths of 
 the others will hear them articulate the same sounds distinctly." You must expect when 
 visiting this court to be accosted by the guide, who will certainly point out to you the 
 red stains on the bottom of the basin, and on the large paving-stones. It is the blood 
 of the Abencerrages, which the thirsty marble drank four hundred years ago, and which it 
 has preserved as an accusation against the cowardly assassins. Some sceptics say that the 
 stains are the natural result of age and exposure ; others go still farther, and protest that 
 the two hostile tribes never existed in Granada or anywhere else, except in the imagination 
 of novelists. Let us hasten to assure the incredulous that the Zegris and the Abencerrages 
 have enjoyed a lawful existence, and that ancient and grave Spanish writers make mention 
 of them. Nothing Mall convince us that the marks in question are not blood ; and we may 
 just as well believe in this blood as in that of Saint Januarius. 
 
 The Abencerrages and the Zegris were two noble families of Granada who heartily 
 hated each other. The former takes an important place in Moorish romance, and is 
 distinguished by the Arab name Beni-Serraj. They are descended from a vizier of a king 
 of Cordova. When that town was taken by the Christians in 1235, they sought refuge in 
 Granada, and their family or clan increased so rapidly that towards the fifteenth century 
 it numbered more than five hundred members. As to the Zegris, they were natives of 
 Aragon. T\'hen the Spaniards made themselves masters of that land, they retired to 
 Granada under the patriotic name of Tsegrium, that is men of Tseghr, the name by which 
 Aragon was known to the Moors. 
 
 The hatred of the tribes was intensified by the rivalry of two of Abdallah's wives. 
 One, his cousin, was named Ayesha, and the other, of Spanish birth, was named Zoraya, 
 or evening-star ; siie was daughter of the Governor of Martos. When that town was 
 
GALLERY OF THE PATIO PE LOS AUKAYANKS, 
 
 To face ^xige 148. 
 
MASSACEE OF THE ABENCERRAGES. 151 
 
 taken by the Moors, Zoraya, whose original name was Isabel de Solis, fell into the hands 
 of her enemies, and owing to her marvellous beauty, was brought to grace the harem 
 of the king, and it is reported that the sovereign soon became passionately attached to 
 her. The gentle Ayesha, who thoroughly detested her beautiful rival, feared lest the king 
 might choose as his successor one of Zoraya's sous, in place of one of her own children ; 
 she therefore devised a system of secret intrigue to attain her own ends. Two parties 
 were thus formed : the Abencerrages sided with Zoraya, while the Zegris declared 
 themselves for Ayesha. The result was that both the town and the palace became the 
 scenes of constant conflict, which weakened the kingdom and brought about its speedy fall. 
 
 The Zegris, who had been strengthened by a tribe of Gomeles, determined to ruin 
 Zoraya by accusing her of adultery with one of the Abencerrages. Accordingly oue 
 day a Zegris appeared before the king, and cried out with a loud voice, " Long live 
 Allah ! May death destroy the Abencerrages, and may the queen perish by fire ! " 
 
 One of the Gomeles observed that no one dared to lay hands on the queen, as her 
 defenders were too numerous. " You know," he added, addressing the king, " that 
 Halbinhamad would call together all his followers, including the Alabezes, the Vanegas, 
 and the Gazules, who are the flower of Granada. But this you must do to revenge 
 yourself. Summon the Abencerrages to the Alhambra, taking care to make them enter 
 one by one, and in the greatest secrecy. Let twenty devoted and sure Zegris, armed 
 to the teeth, stand around you, and as each one of the tribe enters let him be seized and 
 strangled. When there is not a single man of them left, should any of their surviving 
 friends wish to revenge this careful measure, you may rely upon the Gomeles, the Zegris, 
 and the Majas, who are powerful and ready to perish for their king." The sovereign 
 at last gave his consent to this scheme of treachery, and Gines Perez, who relates 
 the tragic history, exclaims, " Granada, what misery awaits thee ! Thou wilt 
 never again arise from thy doom, nor recover thy ancient splendour ! " The king, 
 deserted by sleep, tossed on his downy pillow. " Unhappy Abdilli, King of Granada," 
 he cried, "thou art on the point of ruining both thyself and thy kingdom." The day 
 at last arrived, and the sovereign entered a court in the Alhambra, where he was received 
 by the nobles, Zegris, Gomeles, and Magas, who, rising from their seats, saluted him, 
 and wished him success. At this moment an equerry entered with the news that Muga 
 and other Abencerrages had arrived during the night from the Vega, where they had 
 engaged the Christians, and brought back two Spanish flags and more than thirty heads. 
 The king seemed pleased with the news, but, preoccupied with the thoughts of revenge, 
 he called aside one of the Zegris, and directed that he, the executioner, and thirty trusty 
 followers should repair to the Court of the Lions. The Zegris retired, and carefully 
 following the king's orders, waited his commands. Finding them ready for the bloody 
 work, the king ordered his page to call Abencarrax, his alguacil mayo7-, who was doomed 
 to be the first victim. The instant he entered the Court of Lions he was seized and 
 beheaded by the conspirators. Then followed Halbinhamad and thirty-four lords of the 
 Abencerrages, the proudest nobles of Granada, who all of them shared the same silent fate. 
 The remaining members of the tribe owed their lives to the presence of mind of a little 
 page who entered at the moment his master was seized, and, terror-stricken at the bloody 
 scene, he made his escape by a secret door unnoticed, at the time when another 
 unsuspecting victim entered the court. Hardly had he left the walls of the Alhambra, 
 when he noticed near a fountain the lords Malik Alabez and Abenamar. They, like 
 the others, were on their way to the palace by command of the king. " Ah, lords," the 
 
J ^2 SPAIN. 
 
 page cried through his tears, "by Allah do not go farther, unless you wish to be 
 assassinated ! " 
 
 " What do you mean to say 1 " replied Alabez. 
 
 " Know, lord, that in the Court of the Lions they have massacred a great number of the 
 Abencerrages, amongst tliem my poor master. I saw them beheaded-God in His goodness 
 enabled me to escape. By Mahomet, my lords, be warned against this bloody treason ! " 
 
 The three nobles remained petrified, looking at each other, hardly knowing whether to 
 credit the tale ; but as they passed on and entered the street de los Gomeles they fell in with 
 the Captain Muga, accompanied by twenty cavaliers who had encountered the Christians 
 in the Vega, and were proceeding to the palace to recount their successes to the king. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Alabez, as soon as he came up to them, "a great plot has been laid 
 against us ; " and he told the story of the page. They then repaired to the Bibrambla, and 
 Muga, who was captain-general of the soldiers, sounded the trumpets, and called his 
 partisans to take vengeance. Soon the palace was assaulted, and the massive doors, which 
 resisted the assailants' blows, were reduced by fire, and the infuriated Abencerrages, like 
 hungry lions, rushed into the Alhambra, and fell on the traitors. More than five hundred 
 Zegris, Gomeles, and Magas perished beneath their poniards. 
 
 A popular romance, sung for a long time in Granada, recalls the massacre of the 
 
 Abencerrages : 
 
 "In the towers of the Alhamhra 
 
 A rumour dire arose, 
 
 And in the town of Granada 
 
 Great was the desolation. 
 
 Because without reason the king 
 
 To slaughter condemned in a day 
 
 Six and thirty Abencerrages. 
 
 Nobles of greatest renown, were they 
 
 Whom the Zegris and the Gomeles 
 
 Of foulest treason accused." 
 
 We will now quit this wonderful Patio de los Leones, so rich in poetic legends, and 
 passing beneath its porticoes enter some of the most beautiful halls of the Alhambra, 
 notably the Sola de Justicia, the Dos Hermanas (the Two Sisters), and that of the Aben- 
 cerrages. It is into this last hall that Ave will now make our way, and there we shall 
 again find a souvenir of the tragic event just narrated. 
 
 The Hall of the Abencerrages is one of the finest, if not the largest in the palace. 
 The vaulted roof, in the form media naranja, half orange, is a marvellous piece of work. 
 Thousands of pendentives of infinite variety drop from the ceiling, like clusters of stalactites. 
 One can only compare these astonishing Moorish roofs to the cells in a beehive, and 
 nothing is more puzzling than their perfect symmetrical construction, in spite of their 
 apparent irregularity. The pendentives are formed by the combination of seven distinct 
 prisms, surmounted by curves, sometimes segments of circles, sometimes ogive. One is 
 astonished at the extraordinary effect obtained by the Moorish architects with elements of 
 such great simplicity. 
 
 The rusty stains perceivable on the edge of the basin, which forms a centre ornament 
 to the hall, are said to be the blood of the Abencerrages, who were beheaded over the 
 basin while their brothers were suffering death in the court. Padre Echeverria, who 
 relates with so much gravity the history of the headless horse and the hairy phantom, 
 agreeably banters the simple and credulous visitors who, even in his day, lamented the 
 sad fate of the victims. This Canon of Granada says : " Men and women, when they visit 
 
PATIO DE LOS LEONES ICOUBT OF LIONS). 
 
 To face page 152. 
 
TI-IE ALHAMBRA— HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS. 155 
 
 the Alhambra, come to tlie Hall of the Abencerrages, they look on the ground, then gaze 
 upon the basin, and believe they sec the shades of those unfortunate nobles on the walls, 
 or their lifeless bodies on the flagstones. They mark the stains of innocent blood : the men 
 call for vengeance from heaven against such cruelty, and the women shed bitter tears 
 for the sad end of so many brave cavaliers, and curse the impious king ; while others bless 
 the little page who bore the news of the massacre to those who had not yet come to the 
 fatal rendezvous." But, adds Padre Echeverria, that is all mere superstition and falsehood 
 — todo es mentira, /also todo. This does not prevent the worthy canon relating to us, 
 a few pages farther on, that the ghosts of the Abencerrages pay regular nocturnal visits 
 to the scene of slaughter, where their presence is manifested by a doleful murmuring 
 noise of sighing and groaning from the spirits who come to demand justice for their 
 cruel death. A priest, who had just finished mass at the church of San Cecilio, with his 
 hand placed on his heart, assured us that it was all too true. 
 
 The beautiful wooden doors of which we have spoken are in the Hall of the Aben- 
 cerrages. Nothing can be more curious than their elaborate workmanship. They are 
 made up of an infinite number of small pieces of resinous wood, lozenge-shaped, and so 
 perfectly united as to form a very solid whole. V/e have seen some doors exactly like 
 them belonging to an ancient mosque at Cairo. 
 
 Crossing the Court of the LionSy we shall now enter the Sola de las Dos Hermanas — 
 Hall of the Two Sisters. The name is taken from two blocks of pure white marble, so alike 
 in every way that they were called the two sisters. This was formerly one of the private 
 apartments of the kings of Granada. On each side there are alcoves, which must have 
 been intended to receive beds, ornamented with the richest arabesques, and inscriptions 
 in praise of the Sultan Abu-1-Hadjadj- The room also contains a large basin like that 
 of the Hall of the Abencerrages ; indeed the two apartments are very much alike as to 
 their arrangement, only the first carries off the palm on account of the elegance of its 
 decorations. One or two of the inscriptions caught our eye : 
 
 " Look attentively at my elegance, it will furnish you with a commentary on the art of 
 decoration." 
 
 " Look at this wonderful cupola ; at tlie sight of its splendid proportions all other 
 cupolas grow dim and disappear." 
 
 " Look also at this portico, it contains beauties of all sorts." 
 
 " In truth this palace could have no other ornaments than those which surpass the 
 splendour of the highest regions of the firmament," &c. 
 
 The apartment contains many other inscriptions, some hidden by the wooden pillars 
 which the ayuntamiento of Granada set up at the four corners in his barbarous attempt at 
 decoration on the occasion of the visit of the Infante Don Francisco de Paula to the Alhambra 
 in 1832. Before that time a workshop had been established there, and at an earlier date 
 some clumsy restorations were effected, when it was used by Isabella the Catholic, and 
 by Elenork, wife of Charles V. of Portugal. But these apartments, with all their grandeur, 
 are not to be compared with that of the Ambassadors, which may fairly be called the 
 masterpiece of this Moorish palace. 
 
 During our stay in Granada we came across a curious personage, who would never 
 visit but oiTe part of the Alhambra, alleging that it combined in one every possible beauty, 
 and that after seeing this principal part it was only useless waste of time to devote one's 
 
156 SPAIN. 
 
 attention to any other part of the palace. This strange sophist was certainly wrong, 
 but if anything would give a colour of reason to his obstinacy it was the majestic aspect 
 and rare perfection of the piece which was the exclusive object of his admiration. 
 
 The Sola de los Embajadores occupies the whole of the Torre de Comares, the largest 
 and most important of the towers of the Alhambra. Before entering it one traverses 
 a sort of gallery or ante-chamber, longer than it is broad, called the Sola de la Barca. 
 On each side of the entrance in the interior of the arcade two marble niches are filled in 
 with the most delicate sculpture, reminding one of the mosque at Cordova. These niches 
 were, it is said, designed to receive the visitors' sandals, which were placed there as a token 
 of respect before entering, as is still done at the doors of an Eastern mosque. The Hall 
 of Ambassadors measures about forty feet each way, and is about seventy feet in height, 
 from the ground to the media naranja. This roof is made of resinous wood, of the cedar or 
 larch-tree family, called by the Spaniards alerce, a word which, we may say in passing, 
 has been taken by the author of a guide-book of Spain for the name of an artist : the ceiling 
 is thus innocently attributed to Alerce ! The pieces of wood forming the cupola fit into 
 each other in an infinite variety of waj's, which defy description. This extremely com- 
 plicated kind of work is called in Spanish artesonado.- It is painted red, green, and blue, 
 and set ofi" by gilding, to which time has imparted a very warm tint. 
 
 As to the walls, there is always the lavish bestowal of arabesques, executed in low 
 relief and with lace-like fineness. The patterns unfold and mix themselves endlessly. It is 
 said that during the sixteenth century the hall was restored under the direction of the 
 celebrated sculptor and architect, Berruguete ;■ it is even asserted that he used old Moorish 
 moulds to produce the arabesques. At about five or six feet above the ground the 
 arabesques give way to the azulejos, the squares of glazed delf-ware of which we have 
 already spoken. The name signifies blue in Arabic, and was probably adopted because 
 the first specimens made were of that colour. 
 
 The azulejos are of different colours and shapes ; the prevailing colours are blue, green, 
 orange, and violet, forming by their arrangement the most varied combinations, where 
 symmetry does not exclude caprice. Sometimes a design has difi"erent colours, separated by 
 lines in relief. Most of the finest designs have either been destroyed or carried off". We 
 may here add that the azulejos are always made of delf, not of porcelain, as they have more 
 than once been represented ; and the same remark will apply to the beautiful vase of the 
 Alhambra, which has also been called porcelain, although this sort of ware has been for 
 many centuries different from any other produced in Europe. The Hall of Ambassadors 
 was, as one would gather from its name, the place of honour in the palace. It was there 
 that the solemn receptions were held ; it was there too that the kings of Granada gave 
 audience to the African princes, who were at times the bearers of perfidious presents, as for 
 example, the poisoned tunic given by Ahmed, king of Fez, to Yousouf II., who (so they 
 say) expired soon after wearing it. It was there that the sultan, Abu-1-Hassan, at the 
 time of Granada's splendour, gave his haughty reply to the King of Castillo, who demanded 
 a tribute of silver: "Go tell your master that in my mint they only coin lanceheads 
 for him ! " 
 
 On more occasions than one these elegant walls were witnesses of bloody strife. 
 Mohammed-Ibn-Ismael, insulted by his sovereign at a public ceremony, and taunted 
 with cowardice, resolved to revenge the affront, and stabbed the king and his vizier. 
 Nevertheless, if the Hall of Ambassadors was the theatre of these tragic events, it witnessed 
 at the same time many a charming scene ; the beautiful Galiana wove with her delicate 
 
I 
 
 < 
 
 ■< 
 
 M 
 H 
 
 W 
 O 
 
 K 
 
JARDIN DE LINDAEAJA. 159 
 
 fingers a ricli gold and silver embroidery sparlding with pearls, rubies, and emeralds, and 
 destined for the valiant Moor who broke a lance in her honour at the tournament. From 
 the window opposite the entrance of the hall one overlooks a scene of the richest verdure, 
 through which flows the Darro. 
 
 Retracing our steps, we followed a long gallery, constructed after the conquest, and 
 which joins a little pavilion called Tocador de la Reina or Peinador de la Reina, two names 
 signifying queen's toilet-chamber. This chamber, which has nothing Moorish about it, 
 appears to have been built at the time of Charles V. ; its walls are adorned with frescoes in 
 the Italian style of the early part of the sixteenth century. These beautiful frescoes have 
 suffered much at the hands of the vulgar ; proper names and all sorts of absurdities are 
 scratched over the painting by generations of visitors from every clime. The paintings 
 on the roof, beyond reach, are in better preservation ; they represent medallions, busts, 
 rivers, metamorphoses, and other mythological subjects. Between the white marble 
 columns our vision roamed over one of the grandest panoramas in the world. On leaning 
 forward outside, we perceived a ravine of great depth, bordered by poplar, aspen, and 
 other closely tufted trees ; one is apt to feel giddy on looking down on the tops of the 
 trees, which can only be seen foreshortened. On one side rises the imposing tower of 
 Comares, on the other the white walls of the Geueralife, shining through the mass of dark 
 verdure ; beyond, an interminable picture of the Vega spreads out and is lost in a 
 horizon of mountains forming a succession of graduated plains. It would be useless our 
 endeavouring to convey an idea of the scene, even taking for comparison opals, sappliires, 
 and other gems of the softest hues. About two hours before sunset it is simply entrancing, 
 and tempts one to remain rapt in contemplation until it is lost in the shades of 
 evening. 
 
 The Patio or Jardin de Lindaraja, to which we descended, is encumbered with a thick 
 growth of orange, citron, acacias, and other trees which rise in charming disorder. 
 
 The centre of the Patio is adorned by a beautiful fountain, while its two sides are 
 flanked by a gallery supported upon rows of slender marble columns. The Mirador de 
 Lindaraja, overlooking the garden, is formed by two ogive-shaped windows separated by 
 a pillar of white marble. The tympan above the two windows presents a vast decoration, 
 composed of characters forming knots and various other patterns, and may be taken as 
 the finest and most perfect specimen of its kind that exists. The inscriptions again 
 draw attention to the decoration : — 
 
 " These apartments contain many wonders, on which the spectator's eye will always 
 rest, if he be gifted with intelligent appreciation. 
 
 " Here the zephyrs descend to soften the rigour of winter, and breathe a genial air 
 
 around. 
 
 " In truth, so great are the charms we boast that the stars of heaven descend to lend us 
 
 their light." 
 
 We next visited the Sala de Secretos, built by Charles V., and which takes its name 
 from an acoustic efiect produced by the configuration of the roof. The Sala de las Ninfas, 
 which comes next, owes its name to two marble statues of goddesses. 
 
 By the side of the Jardin de Lindaraja there are also ancient Moorish baths, los 
 Banos de la Sultana. They consist of two apartments, also called el Bano del Rey and el 
 Bano del Principe; they were constructed by Mohammed V., Alghani-BiUah (he who 
 delights in God), whose praises may be read in the inscriptions. 
 
,6o SPAIN. 
 
 We passed through the Sala de las Frutas, thus named from the fruits depicted on the 
 ceilino-, thence without stopping to the Patio de la Reja, a little court garnished with an 
 iron railino-, and we ended our visit by retracing our steps to the Sala de Justicia, or hall 
 of judgment. It is more like a long gallery divided into three compartments, each of 
 which is covered by a cupola, or roof, in the form of an oval ; on this dome one sees the 
 famous Moorish pictures of the Alhambra, painted on panels of leather sewn together, and 
 nailed to a concave surface of wood; this leather is coated with plaster. The subject 
 occupying the centre represents ten personages seated in two rows, and each end of the oval 
 displays tlie arms of the kings of Granada supported by two lions. The figures, brown- 
 complexioned, wear double-pointed black beards, are seated on cushions, and arrayed in tlie 
 costume of tlie Spanish Moors. The head is covered with an Oriental turban and the 
 marlota, a sort of hood filing on the shoulders ; the rest of the dress simply consisted of 
 an ample albornoz, or woollen robe, descending to the feet. The ten Moors are armed with 
 their native long sword. Perhaps the group represents kings of Granada, or else a council 
 of state ; the position of the hands indicates discussion and renders the latter supposition 
 probably the right one. Another painting represents hunting subjects ; here we have a 
 Christian cavalier, lance in hand, piercing a lion that has sprung upon his horse, and by 
 Ills side another cavalier attired as a Moor, contending with an animal which seems to be a 
 bear, or a wild boar ; further off, a second Moor, holding his horse by the bridle, is presenting 
 the produce of his hunt to a lady in flowing robes. On each side rise towers and water 
 fountains. The colours are still bright, and consist for the most part of flat tints without 
 the shadows being indicated ; the most striking are bright red, and brick red, light and 
 dark green, and white, the outline being traced by means of a line of thick bistre. 
 
 In the last picture another Christian cavalier is seen, piercing a bear with his sword, 
 and a Moorish cavalier has struck his lance into a stag ; another Moor, carrying the adarga, 
 a large shield of leather like those preserved at the Armeria of Madrid, is striking with his 
 lance a Christian, who appears on the point of falling from his horse. On the opposite 
 side are two persons playing at draughts (the dameh of the Arabs) ; but the most 
 interesting part of the picture rej^resents a female with a lion chained at her feet, while 
 on her right, a bearded and hairy man, like the savages represented in the ancient heraldry 
 of Spain, appears to have been overthrown by a mounted cavalier. 
 
 Many suppositions have been thrown out regarding these two last figures, but without 
 any satisfactory result; we flatter ourselves however that we have found out the meaning of 
 the enigma. In the ancient Moorish romances, the motto of the Z6ms is "a woman holding 
 a chained lion," denoting the triumph of love over strength, and that of the Abencerrages 
 is "a savage man overthrowing a lion." It seems thus incontestable that this picture bears 
 an allusion to these two celebrated tribes. But at what epoch were these curious paintings 
 executed ? It has been said that they were painted after the taking of Granada, but if they 
 date from the Christian dominion, why should the Christians be represented as vanquished 
 in combat ? Besides, the costume of the Christians is that of the beginning of the fifteenth 
 century ; the architecture, the simple landscape, and other details are of the same epoch. As 
 to the artist, he is quite unknown ; but it may be supposed he was some renegade Christian, 
 who had long fixed his residence at Granada. 
 
 Such is this admirable palace of the Alhambra, at once so rich and so sumptuous that, in 
 spite of its many degradations, we may call it, with Peter Martyr, a palace without its equal 
 in the world. In order to explore it thoroughly, it would be necessary to pass whole weeks 
 among its rums, and still at each recurring visit some now and charming feature would be 
 
GATE OF THE SALA DE JUSTICIA. 
 
 To face page i6o. 
 
LEAVING THE ALHAMBEA. 
 
 163 
 
 found. After at last quitting these fairy halls, these elegant and voluptuous patios, a. 
 thousand delicious but confused pictures present themselves to the mind : it will seem like 
 a splendid dream, and one will delight to repeat with Victor Hugo : 
 
 " L'Alhambra ! FAlhambra! palais que les gtoies 
 Ont dor^ comme un reve et rempli d'harmonies ; 
 Forteresse aux crdneaux festonn6 set croulants, 
 Oh. Ton entend la nuit de magiques syllabes, 
 Quand la lune, k travers les mille arceaux arabes, 
 S^me les murs de trefles blancs ! " 
 
A /\i/i|ll',| '- 
 
 SKETCH IN THE SHBOKES OF GRANADA. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Geiieralife ; the cypresses of tlie Sultana— The Silla del More— The Fuente del Avellano— The Darro— The Zacatin 
 —The Cathedral of Granada — The Capilla real; the tombs of the Catholic sovereigns — The Bihrambla ; more 
 about the Abenoerrages and the Zergis ; burning of Arabic books — The Ear arcade and the street of Knives — The 
 Alcaiceria— The Museum — The Cartura — The church and promenade of las Angusticts — The Plaza de Bailen ; 
 Maria Pineda-The Salon— The Genii; Boabdil and the Catholic sovereigns— The Moorish baths— Sacro-Monte 
 —The gipsies of Granada -An improvised Ball ; the PeZ)-a— Excursion to the Sierra Nevada— The neveros— 
 The barrancas and tlie veiitisqueros — The Picacho de Veleta. 
 
 The Genoralife is only about a hundred paces from the Alhambra, but, in order to reach it, 
 Ave must pass under the Puerta Judiciaria and follow one of the shady alleys of the Boaque 
 de la Alhambra, which descends by the wall of the ancient Moorish citadel. Passing a dark 
 ravine, overgrown with briers, and which divides the hill of the Alhambra from the Cerro 
 del Sol, -we climbed a path shaded by luxuriant vegetation and fragrant with tbe 
 perfume of roses, where, beneath the foliage of fig-trees and vines, we caught glimpses of 
 huge pomegranates, whose half-open fruit disclosed their clustering seeds, sparkling like 
 rubies in the sunlight. 
 
 Entering the Generalife, we made our way beneath arched galleries, whose ornaments 
 in bas-relief are unfortunately hidden and obliterated by repeated coatings of stone colour. 
 The centre of the- garden is taken up by a long basin full of crystalline water, in which 
 the charming arcade of rose-laurels and tufted bushes is reflected as in a mirror. 
 
Tnjrflfrp"" fl'rt'Tiii'Ui'i'i'i'^'" in 1 c"^ 1 iriT r r mu r rn~r Tpmi'ii 
 
 THE GENEKALIFE. 
 
 2'o face page 164. 
 
THE GENERALIFE. 167 
 
 The palace of the Geueralife, although most attractive both in its architecture and 
 decorations, presents nothing which can create surprise after visiting the Alhambra. The 
 exterior is extremely simple, and the halls are neither numerous nor attractive. In one of 
 them we came across a number of very indifferent portraits, full of anachronisms in 
 costume, representing historical personages such as Boabdil and Gonzalvo de Cordova. 
 Here a huge volume lies open on the table, intended to receive the names and sentiments 
 of visitors ; this polyglot receptacle, like most others of its kind, contains pages of witless 
 commonplace remarks, courageously signed by their authors. In former days one of the 
 apartments contained an ancient Moorish sword, which has been removed to the palace of 
 the lower town ; it belonged, it is said, to the last king of Granada. The hilt, in the form 
 of two elephants' heads, is adorned with the escutcheon of the Moorish sovereigns. Both 
 hilt and blade are covered with Moorish legends, and the entire weapon presents a splendid 
 specimen of ancient enamel and filigree work ; the sheath, also in good preservation, is 
 made of leather, embroidered with silver wire, an art for which the Moors of Spain and 
 Fez were anciently renowned. The Generalife contains some extremely rare and curious 
 armour. " There are two or three helmets placed at the entrance," says the Padre 
 Echeverria ; " also coats of mail, from which many persons have stolen little pieces, and there 
 are hardly any children who are not supplied with a small fragment of this defensive 
 armour, to neutralise the malign influence of the evil eye." 
 
 In the garden of the Cipreses de la Sultana trees are pointed out, which, according to 
 tradition, were very old even at the time when the Sultana Zoraya sought their gratefid 
 shade ; and we had the pleasure of gazing upon the one that sheltered this Sultana when, 
 engrossed in conversation with a lord of the Abencerrages, she was surprised by a member 
 of the tribe of the Gomeles. 
 
 One great charm of the Generalife is the abundant water-supply seen in its basins, 
 fountains, jets, canals, and bubbling springs. The Moors, to obtain this hydraulic display, 
 cut a canal to the river Darro's source, two leagues distant. 
 
 Above the garden rises a terrace, commanding a splendid view. Turning our back 
 upon the Alhambra, we have before us the hill called the Cerro del Sol, with a Moorish ruin 
 on the top ; it is the Silla del Moro, the Moor's chair, supposed to have been the mosque 
 in which Boabdil sought refuge after the massacre of the Abencerrages. The scene before 
 us includes a vast area ; Ave can trace out the windings of the Darro, and there are the 
 Alhambra, the Generalife, the Albayzin, the Sacro-Moute, and a multitude of villages 
 like white spots scattered over the Vega. 
 
 Descending the steep slopes of the Cerro del Sol, one- enters a finely- wooded district, 
 where tliere are picturesque little country-houses nestling among the foliage, the Cdrmenes 
 del Darro, or villas, which derive their name from the Arabic word karm, signifying a vine ; 
 these residences are built along one of the most beautiful and fashionable promenades in 
 Granada. A little farther on, there is the Fuente del Avellano — fountain of the hazel-tree, 
 known to the Moors as the Ayn-ad-dama — fountain of tears. This fountain, as well as 
 that of Alfacar, is frequently mentioned by Moorish authors, who attribute to it many 
 virtues ; people came from Morocco and all parts of Africa expressly to drink its waters. 
 Andrea Navagiero says that at the time of his visit to Granada, in 1524, the Moors of 
 Albayzin would only drink the water of the fountain Alfacar. 
 
 Here are a great many houses falling into ruin, and the once beautiful gardens, but 
 now abandoned, tell too plainly that the descendants of the Moors, who cultivated the 
 soil so sedulously, are rapidly disappearing. The Spaniards who are replacing them, both 
 
1 68 SPAIN. 
 
 in Granada and througliout the entire province, are not an industrious race ; tliey prefer 
 the recreation of fighting to tilling the soil, and many go to seek fortune in the Indies. 
 Granada, therefore, although not so populous as it was when under the Moors, is never- 
 theless, at the present time, the most populous district in Spain. The Venetian traveller 
 noticed the rapid decline of Granada : what would he say if he could see the ancient 
 capital of the Moors at the present day, with hardly anything to boast save its ancient 
 traditions ? Its population, which was nearly 500,000, is now, at the most, 70,000. Its 
 glorious suburbs are now taken up by a few scattered families and their domesticated 
 pigs, which they fatten with the fruits of the cactus, higos chiimbos. Once we were the 
 witnesses of a serai-comic, semi-tragic scene : a fond mother was defending her offspring 
 from the attack of a matronly porker; the children were attempting to carry a tender 
 young nursling from the parental care. Dord did not miss turning the incident to profitable 
 account. 
 
 We re-entered Granada by following the banks of the Darro. This river, which 
 flows like a torrent, takes its rise in the Sierra Nevada, and, before entering the city, 
 waters the fertile valley called Axarix by the Moors, but which now bears the Spanish 
 name Vol Paraiso, the Valley of Paradise. It is said that its waters have the unromantic 
 virtue of healing the diseases of cattle. As to the gold dust of the Darro sands, Bermudez 
 de Pedraza informs us, that during the visit of Charles V. to Granada in 1526, the 
 municipality made a golden crown which was offered to the Empress Isabella. The same 
 authority speaks of the vases made in his time from the clay of the Darro, and affirms 
 that gold might be seen sparkling in the clay, and that a vase sold for two maravedis 
 contained more than a cuartillo of the precious metal, but that the cost of extracting the 
 gold would exceed the profit to be obtained by the process. After watering the Carrera 
 del Darro, a charming promenade overlooking the hill of the Alhambra, this celebrated 
 stream traverses the Plaza Nueva, and flows beneath a lofty bridge which the Padre 
 Echeverria proudly sets down as the flnest in Europe, and indeed in the whole world. 
 
 The Darro overflows at certain seasons, and more than once it has threatened to 
 destroy the Plaza Nueva and the Zacatin. 
 
 Entering the Zacatin we are now in the heart of the old Moorish town. It was 
 formerly the great business thoroughfare, and even nowadays hundreds of merchants 
 carry on their trade in the narrow shops, which can hardly have changed since the time 
 of Boabdil. Leaving this street and entering the Bibrambla,, we soon find ourselves in 
 front of the Cathedral. The fagade dates from the latter half of the sixteenth century ; 
 though bastard in style, it is not devoid of a certain grandeur. The interior is spacious, 
 and the enormous pillars supporting the majestic roof are not without effect. We 
 remarked a very singulax inscription on several of these pillars, commencing with the 
 words Kadie pasee con mugeres, that is to say, no one may walk about with women ; 
 the remainder menaces with excommunication, and a fine of forty rials (more than eight 
 shillings), those who loiter in groups, and talk during the service. The decree was, 
 without doubt, fulminated by the metropolitan chapter ; if, at any rate, we may credit this 
 passage of Madame d'Aulnoy : "When mass was finished, the gallants ranged themselves 
 around the basin of holy-water ; here also the ladies loved to congregate in order to receive 
 holy-water, and flattering phrases from the lips of their admirers. But the Papal nuncio 
 has forbidden the men, under pain of excommunication, to present holy-water to 
 ladies." 
 
 Some very rich chapels, stained-glass windows, and grand organs, are all that remain 
 
BANKS OF THE DAKEO. 
 
 To face page i68. 
 
THE CATHEDEAL OF GRANADA. 171 
 
 to be noticed, with the exception of a number of works of Alonzo Cano, a nature painter 
 and sculptor. His works are not numerous, neither do they equal those of the Museum 
 of Madnd. Amongst the sculptures we noticed two beautiful Virgins, and some busts 
 lu wood, unfortunately coated with paint, like most of the statues to be seen in the 
 Spanish churches. Alonzo Cano had a rather troubled life, but that did not prevent him 
 from becoming resident canon, and, in spite of the opposition of the Chapter of Granada, 
 he held this post for sixteen years. 
 
 The chief interest in the catljedral lies in the Capilla real, constructed during the 
 reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, and although it has its separate clergy, it is nevertheless 
 connected with the church. The Chapel Eoyal is a rich and tasteful specimen of the 
 Gothic architecture of the fifteenth century; it is full of memorials of the Catholic 
 sovereigns, who are represented kneeling on the right and left of the grand altar. We 
 remarked above the altar four interesting bas-reliefs in wood, contemporary with the 
 reduction of Granada; they are attributed to a Burgundian sculptor, named Vigarny. 
 One of the bas-reliefs represented Ferdinand and Isabella, on horseback, followed by their 
 foot-guards armed with scythes and spears; on the other, King Boabdil was seen, — he 
 had dismounted from his horse and was tendering his submission. Beneath we noticed 
 the Alhambra, with its crenated towers, and the Moorish captives walking two and two 
 with their hands bound over their breasts ; the two other subjects represented were 
 the conversion and baptism of the vanquished. These scenes recalled the words of 
 Cardinal Ximenes : " If we cannot conduct the Moors by gentleness into the right 
 way, it becomes our duty to push tliem." An eye-witness, Andrea Navagiero, tells us what 
 these conversions were. " The Moors," he says, " speak their ancient tongue. They 
 are Christians perforce, and the priests do not care to instruct them in the things of the 
 faith, finding it to their advantage to let them alone ; outwardly they are Christians, but 
 in tlieir hearts they are Moors." Running round the walls of the Cajpilla real there is 
 an inscription in fine Gothic characters, in praise of the Catholic sovereigns, Don 
 Fernando and Dona Ysabel, " who conquered this kingdom of Granada and reduced it 
 to our faith .... Destroying heresy, they drove the Moors and the Jews from their 
 kingdom and reformed the religion." 
 
 The reja, an immense grating of ornamentally wrought iron, partly gilded, is one of 
 the finest in Spain, and bears the signature of Maestre Bartolome and the date 1522. In 
 this chapel we find the tombs of Philip the Fine and Jane the Foolish, reposing by the 
 side of Ferdinand and Isabelle. The beauty of the work of these monuments equals the 
 finest of this kind at Dijon, Bruges, or Burgos, and is executed in the richest and best 
 style of the Renaissance, exquisitely cut into the marble, whose dazzling whiteness has 
 toned and mellowed with age. At the four corners of the royal tomb are seated doctors of 
 the Church, while the twelve Apostles take an inferior place on the sides. On the top 
 of the monument are the statues of the king and queen grasping the sceptre and the 
 sword, united even in death ; the figures wear an air of calm and majestic repose. 
 
 In the year 1506, a French contemporary writer characterises Queen Isabella as the 
 most triumphant and truly glorious woman, who assisted with her own hands in the 
 conquest of the kingdom of Granada. 
 
 Leaving the cathedral, we passed through the place de las Pasiegas, remarkable only 
 for its clumsy edifice, the Falacio del Arzobispo ; the great bell of the cathedral had just 
 runo- out three o'clock in sonorous tones. It was at this hour, January 2nd, 1492, that the 
 Moors surrendered the city into the hands of the Spaniards, when the Catholic sovereigns, 
 
172 SPAIN. 
 
 who were awaiting the signal on the banks of tlie Genii, saw their standard floating over 
 the summit of the Torre de la Vela, and with their whole army fell on their knees to thank 
 God for victory. Since that day, the Flegaria, the greatest bell of the cathedral, has 
 always sounded the eventful hour, and if at that moment one recites three prayers, and an 
 equal number of Aves, this piety gains a plenary indulgence — a reward granted, at the 
 request of Queen Isabella, by Pope Innocent VIII. 
 
 The place of the las Pasiegas adjoins that of the Bibrarabla, and thus forms a huge 
 parallelogram surrounded by houses, painted every colour of the rainbow, and upon which 
 dilapidated balconies depend for their uncertain support ; these residences replace the 
 Moorish palaces, of which there is no trace. At the time of Granada's splendour it was 
 the scene of jousts, tournaments, and of the most brilliant fStes, and from the delicately- 
 sculptured miradores hung draperies of velvet and cloth of gold, in place of the linen 
 rags tliat now dangle and dry in the sun. 
 
 The Moorish romances are full of accounts of these glorious scenes, when the Zegris, 
 fired by the flashing glances of the Sultanas, fought against the courage and skill of the 
 Abencerragcs. "One evening the brave Muga, at the head of thirty valiant cavaliers, 
 arrived on the Vivarrambla. Summoned to a tournament by his king, he wore the blue, 
 white, and yellow dress, and red plumes of the Abencerragcs." The Zegris were attired in 
 green and gold, spangled with crescents of silver. All the town hrid assembled to witness 
 the f^te. In the place of honour sat the Queen, robed in rich brocade, ablaze with gems ; 
 her head was adorned with a red rose of marvellous execution, and in the centre of this 
 rose shone a single carbuncle, which alone might ransom a city. Seated on one side 
 were the dark Galina, the beautiful Fatima, and the divine Zayda; but on the other 
 sat the peerless Liudaraja, dressed in silver tulle and azure damask. 
 
 The Zegris soon appeared, mounted on superb bay horses ; then followed, marching 
 four abreast, the Gomeles, Magas, Gazules, the Alabezes and other noble families of 
 Granada. The f^te was inaugurated by a bull-fight. The Abencerrages and the Zegris 
 displayed their jealous rivalry by their rash courage ; the Alcade Alabez, attracting the bull 
 to the front of the balcony where the beautiful Cohayda was seated, seized the brute by 
 the horns and forced it to bow its head before her. Again, the valiant Albayaldos, not to 
 be outdone, when passing before a mirador, where another lady was seated, compelled his 
 horse to fall on its knees in adoration. 
 
 After the capitulation of Granada, the Bibrambla ceased to be the theatre of these 
 splendid f^tes ; nevertheless it was chosen as the site of the celebrated auto de fe of the 
 Arabic books, ordered by Cardinal Ximenes. This ornament of the Catholic faith, 
 not content with persecuting the Moors on account of their religion, and in defiance of the 
 clause in the deed of capitulation which granted to them the free exercise of their creed, 
 proceeded to collect all the Arabic manuscripts he could seize in the town, had them 
 brought to the Bibrambla, where a Moorish convert had the melancholy honour assigned 
 to him of consuming them by fire. The number of books thus destroyed was about 
 a million ; the number has no doubt been exaggerated by the panegyrists of the Cardinal, 
 who thought to exalt his glory by giving greater importance to this act of vandalism. 
 Only three hundred volumes were saved from the fire ; these were conveyed to the library 
 of AlcaM de Henares. It is said that amongst the works consigned to the flames, many 
 were marvels of painting and caligraphy; others were valuable, if on no other account, 
 simply for their binding, which was adorned with mother-of-pearl, pearls, and exquisite 
 embroideries, or consisted of the leather which the Moors were so skilful in ornamenting. 
 
TOMB OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA IN THE CATHEDEAL OF GEANADA. To face 'page 1 72. 
 
CONVENTS AND CHUECHES OF GEANADA. 175. 
 
 At one of the angles of tlie Pescaderia, or fiali market, we pass beneath the Arco 
 de las Orejas (the Ear Arcade), into the Calle de los Cuchillos (Street of Knives). The 
 popular tradition is that near this place on the 25th of July 1621, on the occasion of cele- 
 brating a royal proclamation, one of the houses overcrowded with the curious suddenly 
 gave way, carrying with it iu its fall more than two hundred persons, amongst whom 
 were many richly bejewelled ladies. A gang of thieves, profiting by the disorder, and 
 finding it occupied time to extract the eardrops, cut off the ears of the owners; hence 
 the names of the arch and of the adjoining street. Another street is called Calle de los 
 Cuchillos, because formerly the alguaciles placed all the poniards there which were taken 
 from assassins. 
 
 To conclude this nomenclature of odd places, we must cite a neighbouring street, 
 which might pair with the preceding one, the Calle de las Cucharas, street of Spoons ; and, 
 lastly, a little place, the Placeta de los Lobos, place of the Wolves, so named because there the 
 heads of all the wolves slain in the environs of Granada were collected, and the successful 
 hunters were paid four ducats for each of them. The Alcaiceria., not far from the Bibrambla, 
 was formerly one of the richest markets in the Peninsula, where the bulk of the far-famed 
 silk of Granada was brought for sale. It is a sort of bazaar, made up of a multitude 
 of small narrow streets, the entrances to which were closed by chains of iron. 
 
 Granada boasts a Museo de pinturas, but apart from one or two works of the early 
 Spanish school, the collection is one of the poorest we have ever seen. There are, however, 
 six exquisite enamels of Limoges, which formerly belonged to the convent of San Geronimo, 
 where the famed Gonzalvo de Cordova was interred ; it is even said that he gave them 
 to the convent. These beautiful enamels, attributed to Jehan Penicault, were stolen about 
 ten years ago ; but happily have reappeared in the Museum. 
 
 Among the ancient convents of Granada, there are one or two deserving of notice. 
 Tlie chapel of the Ave Maria, where the remains of the celebrated Hernan Perez del Pulgar 
 repose, M de las Hazanas, "he of the exploits;" this brings to mind one of his daring 
 feats. Finding himself at Alhama during the siege of Granada, he not only made a vow 
 to the Virgin to enter the town, and fix a flambeau and an Ave Maria, to the walls of the 
 great mosque, but actually succeeded in his rash project. His tomb is between the 
 cathedral and chapel royal, where the Catholic sovereigns are interred ; this has given 
 rise to the well-known proverb, Como Pulgar, ni dentro ni fuera, "Like Pulgar, neither 
 inside nor outside." 
 
 The Charterhouse, or Cartuia, stands on a highly picturesque site not far from the 
 town, and from which one obtains a view of the entire expanse of the Vega. The interior 
 is remarkable for its lavish ornamentation, its doors of ebony set with shells and mother- 
 of-pearl, and marble decorations of the richest order. We were shown some Moorish ruins 
 in the garden, probably the remains of an ancient palace, which, like many others, had 
 been destroyed to make way for the convent. 
 
 The church of San Juan de Dios is only remarkable for its liberal display of the most 
 commonplace decorations so much in vogue in Spain, about the end of the seventeenth 
 century, and known as churrigueresco, from the name of the architect Churrigucra. It is 
 a broad caricature of what we term rococo, or rock-work style. 
 
 The church of Las Angustias, dedicated to Our Lady of Grief, for whom the 
 Granadians have a special veneration, partakes of the same characteristics, and has given 
 its name to one of the fashionable promenades of the town, the Carrera de las Angustias, 
 where on fine evenings one may observe the elite of the society of Granada. 
 
 N 
 
176 SPAIN. 
 
 The greater number of tlie ladies wear the mautilla, fortunately not yet dethroned by 
 the Parisian hat. This graceful mantilla, accompanied by a crimsou flower, forms a 
 natural head-dress, which may defy all the art of all the milliners of the other side of the 
 Pyrenees. Tlie women of Granada display a beauty more severe than that of other 
 natives of Andalucia, such as the Cadiz people and Sevillians, who, while they are 
 less majestic, are more coquettish and vivacious. 
 
 At the side of this promenade are the principal cafes and the theatre, an extremely 
 simple edifice, where dramas, comedies, and zarzuelas or comic operas, are performed 
 without prejudice to the baile nacional. 
 
 On the Plaza Bailen, contiguous to the Campillo, there is a column erected to the 
 Spanish actor Maiquez, and another, the expiatory monument set up to the memory of the 
 unfortunate Mariana Pineda. This lady, of noble birth and rare beautj', was condemned 
 to death in May 1831, and ascended the scaffold to suffer the punishment of the garrote. 
 Her crime was the possession of a constitutional flag, found in her house ; nevertheless, she 
 was believed to be innocent, and it is said that her denouncer — a disappointed suitor — 
 had treacherously concealed the flag, and thus effected her death. 
 
 Nothing of its kind can surpass the scene from the Carrera de las Angustias ; above 
 the high wall of verdure, formed by the trees of the Salon, rise the snowy heights of the 
 Sierra Nevada. Towards evening the summits of the great mountains are clothed in the 
 most delicafe and varied colours. Their icy mantle, lit by the rays of the setting sun, 
 gleams with the tender hues of mother-of-pearl and opal, while the mazy windings in 
 shadow are steeped in a blue softer and purer than the finest sapphire. 
 
 Evening after evening we gazed upon this glorious spectacle of ever-changing hues 
 and lights and shadows, until the sun, as if lingering to catch the fading glory, slowly 
 Avithdrew its last long rays, and blotted out the scene. 
 
 Ttie Salon, next to the Carrera, is the longest and the most beautiful promenade of 
 the city; it is indeed one of the finest in Spain. A broad avenue, terminated at each end 
 by a fountain, and shaded by trees, whose great intertwining branches remind one of the 
 vaulted roof of some vast cathedral, where the air perfumed with the breath of myrtle and 
 jasmine, renders it one of the most deliglitful resorts in Granada. 
 
 The Genii, more modest than the Darro, flows calmly by the edge of the Salon over 
 a pebbly bed, and, it is said, is even content to wash the silver dust of its sands. The 
 Genii, descending from its distant source in the Sierra Nevada, at length receives the 
 waters of the Darro, and swelled by other affluents flows across the Vega, where its 
 fertilising influence has been com[)ared to that of the Nile. 
 
 It was on the bridge of the Genii that Boabdil met Ferdinand and Isabella, when, 
 accompanied by an escort of fifty faithful followers, he left' his palace for the last time. 
 According to the accounts of Peter Martyr and of Mendoza, when the fallen King 
 descried the Cliristian sovereigns he would have descended from his horse to kiss the 
 hand of the conquerors, but Ferdinand, hastening to prevent this act of homage, embraced 
 him. Boabdil then delivered up the keys of the Alhambra, saying, " They befong to thee, 
 powerful and exalted Prince ; since it is thus ordained by Allah, use thy victory 
 with clemency and moderation ! " 
 
 A marked difference exists between this and the recital of Arab authors; they assert 
 that Boabdil was compelled to dismount, and kiss the hand of the King of Spain, who 
 addressed him in no soothing terms. It is hard to credit such a lack of generosity 
 towards a noble but fallen foe, yet it is said that Ferdinand in his treatment of the 
 
THE GROTTOES OF THE GIPSIES AT SACRO-MONTE. 
 
 To face page 176. 
 
THE ANTEQUERUELA AND THE ALBAYZIN. 179 
 
 vanquished showed neither clemency nor moderation ; all the clauses of capitulation were 
 violated one after another, and one historian has it, that even some of the terms were 
 broken before the ink was dry. 
 
 After visiting the Alhambra and the fashionable quarter of the town, we must now run 
 over the suburbs, and that portion inhabited by the people who form by no means the 
 least interesting part of the population. Antequeruela derives its name from the fact of its 
 having afforded shelter to the fugitives who were driven out of Antequera. The Alhayzin, 
 a still more populous district, served at one time as a refuge to the Moors of Baeza, when 
 their town fell into the hands of the Christians. This suburb, built on a hill in front of 
 the Alhambra, is the quarter of Granada which still preserves its ancient aspect, as much 
 on account of its population as on account of the few Moorish buildings that escaped the 
 general destruction of the old town. One of the most remarkable of these is the Casa del 
 Chapiz, on the hill of the same name. It is entered through a small court, where we 
 noticed a window divided by a slender column, from which there is a view of the hill 
 of the Alhambra. 'i'his building still preserves traces of ancient Moorish decoration in 
 marble, stucco, and curious carvings in wood. Another Moorish villa, not less remarkable, 
 is the Cuarto real — that is to say, the Eoyal apartment — where we came across some rare 
 specimens of azulejos inlaid with metal; we throw this out for the benefit of the 
 amateur collectors, who roam about everywhere, and whose number is increasing to an 
 alarming extent. 
 
 Eeturuing to the Albayzin we will look in at the ancient Moorish baths, which have 
 been transformed into a wash-house — the Lavadero de Santa Ines. 'J'hese ancient public 
 baths are quite different from those of the Alhambra ; although their ornaments have nearly 
 all gone, still enough remains to give one a tolerable idea of what they were during the 
 time of the Mussulman dominion. Above all, the quaint columns are still left to carry. us 
 back to the tenth or eleventh century. In the centre of the chief apartment there is 
 the great pool or bath of the ancients, where the modern housewives of the Albayza 
 congregate to clean their linen. 
 
 In the walls we observed spaces designed for couches, to which the bathers retired. 
 These places were probably heated by means of hot-water pipes. At the extremity there 
 is a patio, or garden, where the patrons of the baths might breathe the pure air. The 
 plan of the whole building reminds one of the hot baths of the Romans : there is the 
 apodyterium in the first room, and in the next the tepidarium, or drying-place. 
 
 An edict of Philip II. having prohibited the Moors from using their baths, they 
 charged a venerable chief to carry their complaint before the president of the Audiencia 
 of G-ranada. This curious address has been preserved : — " Can any one affirm that the 
 baths are a religious institution ? Certainly not, for most of those who frequent the baths 
 are Christians. These baths are a public convenience, and the receptacles of filth ; there- 
 fore they cannot serve for Mussulman rites, for these require solitude and purity. Do 
 they say that men and women meet there ? It is false ; the men and the women have 
 separate rooms. Baths were invented for the cleansing of the body, and they have been 
 adopted in all countries; and if they were prohibited in Castille, it was because they 
 washed out the courage and strength of the fighting-men. But the men of Granada are not 
 warriors, and our women aspire not to be strong, but clean." Notwithstanding all this, 
 the edict was maintained, and the Moors were deprived of their baths. 
 
 The Albayzin, now so ruinous and miserable, was, at the time of the Moors, one of 
 the most flourishing quarters of Granada ; it was there that the beautiful fabrics, so much 
 
,8o SPAIN. 
 
 prized by travellers, were woven. It was here, too, tbat the first insurrection of tbe 
 Moriscos, or little Moors, as they were contemptuously called by the Spaniards, broke out. 
 The Sacro-Monte, which adjoins the Albayzin, is still well worthy of a visit. The bones 
 of certain martyrs were supposed to have been found there, hence its name. It is now 
 mainly taken up by the gipsies of Granada, gitanos, as they are called, and is, properly 
 speaking, a separate town, having its own particular natives, customs, and language. 
 Although the Sacro-Monte is densely populated, yet there are very few houses, as the 
 gipsies live, many of them, in caves on the hillside. These dens are sometimes protected 
 by a sort of court in front ; but the greater number are quite destitute of any kind of 
 fence, as the wretched inmates own nothing worth defending. 
 
 Upon entering" one of these dwellings we discovered a single apartment with white- 
 washed walls, and having a hole pierced through the roof to serve as a smoke vent. In 
 such places, as many as ten members of a family are stowed pell-mell. The furniture 
 consists of a number of doubtful-looking stools, a white deal table, and in well-furnished 
 caves a pallet ; but the gijDsies for the most part sleep on the ground. 
 
 The children, stark naked, and as black as little negroes, crawl about in the midst of 
 famishing poultry and filthy domestic pigs. Some of the gipsies are blacksmiths, and have 
 their forges built in the side of the hill. Thus, when one sees them working after dark, 
 their bronzed bodies lit by the red flare of their furnaces, one is reminded of the 
 celebrated picture of Velasquez, the Forges of Vulcan. At one time these gipsy workers 
 in iron were put down by law ; but they are an irrepressible race, for the old trade 
 cropped up again and has now been carried on with unabated vigour for generations. 
 The manufacture of cutlery must have been considered as very dangerous in the hands of 
 people who were constantly accused of tlie foulest crimes, stealing children and selling 
 them as slaves to the Moors of Barbary, uniting in bands to attack and plunder towns and 
 villages, highway robbery ; and the black list was not deemed complete until these 
 unfortunate and mysterious fugitives had been set down as anthropophages. Juan de 
 Quinones informs us in his Discurso contra los gitanos, printed at Madrid in 1631, that 
 a certain judge of Zaraicejo, named Martin Fajardo, had arrested in 1629 four suspected 
 gipsies whom he caused to be tortured. They confessed to having killed a woman in the 
 forest of Gamas, and then to their having eaten her ; they further admitted breakfasting 
 off a pilgrim and dining off' a fat Franciscan monk. 
 
 The iron trade is not the only one to which the gipsies have turned their attention ; 
 they, many of them, pursue the chalaneria business,— that word comprehends all that is 
 meant in commerce, exchange and jockeying of horses. 
 
 They are the most astute horsedealers in the world, and have all sorts of secret 
 preparations which they administer to animals to produce extraordinary vivacity in any 
 poor screw they want to sell, or profitable languor in a sound horse they want to purchase. 
 They have a sickening drug called the drao, which they throw slily into a horse's mouth 
 in order that they may be employed to eff"ect its cure. They are also said to have the 
 power of charming animals by means of magic words. Mr. George Borrow, who spent 
 many years among the gipsies, relates a curious adventure he witnessed, and of which he 
 says it would be difficult to offer any explanation. 
 
 It happened at a fair where more than three hundred horses were collected. The 
 gipsies appeared, and soon the animals, seized with a panic fear, set to kicking, neighing, 
 and moaning, striving to escape in all directions ; some more furious than others, seemed as 
 if possessed by devils, convulsively striking their hoofs together, while their manes stood 
 
-''P'^f^ip'^^T^f^^' J 
 
 I" 
 
 a. 
 
 •s. 
 
 (4 
 
 Eh 
 
 O 
 
 6 
 
 o 
 
 <l 
 
 ca 
 
 H 
 
 |14 
 U> 
 H 
 
 !> 
 
 a 
 <! 
 
THE GIPSIES OF GRANADA. 183 
 
 on end like the bristles of a wild boar. Most of the riders were thrown to the ground, 
 others experienced the greatest difficulty in keeping their seats. As soon as the panic 
 ceased — and it terminated as suddenly as it commenced— the gipsies were accused of being 
 the authors of the disorder. They were reproached with bewitching the horses in 
 order to have an opportunity of stealing them in the midst of the confusion and alarm, and 
 they were ruthlessly driven forth from the market-place. 
 
 The gipsies of Granada, not excepting the Napolitans, are the greatest gesticulators in 
 the world ; they possess a mobility of countenance wonderful to behold. They are also 
 
 THE GIPSY EICO. 
 
 said to be trained in the art of stealing from their earliest years, but not the art of violent 
 theft; rather that which requires quick and silent manipulation of the fingers. It is, 
 however, due to their honour, to notice that there are some honest men among them. 
 
 One day when we were in the house of a gipsy named Rico, who had a frank and 
 prepossessing face, one of us happened to drop a few pieces of silver, which the gipsy 
 picked up and faithfully returned. Dord, as a souvenir of this honest act, requested Rico 
 to sit for a moment, and he rewarded his model with a generosity which seemed to 
 touch him greatly. 
 
184 ^^^^^- 
 
 The gipsies are slender cand supple, but they walk with a hip-shot motion peculiar to 
 them. Some of the women are remarkably beautiful; they have great lustrous, piercing 
 eyes, jet-black hair, and teeth white as ivory. They are great fortune-tellers, reading the 
 secrets of the future from the lines of the hand. An author of the sixteenth century, 
 Covarrubias describes them thus : " Gente perdida y vagamunda, wquieta, enganadora y 
 embustidora; dicen la hiena ventura por las rayas de las manos" — "A lost, vagabond, 
 deceitful, lying race ; they tell fortunes by means of the lines on the hands." 
 
 After fortune-telling, dancing is the ai-t in \Yhich they display the greatest skill. 
 No strano-er ought to quit Granada without first having seen the gipsies dance. It is 
 customary for them to go to the hotel under the direction of a captain, or master of the 
 ballet, armar el baile. But their dances, toned down to the taste of strangers, have lost 
 much of their native wildness. As for ourselves we simply set to work, and recruited 
 dancers and guitarreros in Sacro-Monte ; soon the dance was arranged, the improvised 
 dancers, superbly but scantily dressed in thin miserable rags, were ready and cracking 
 their castanets impatiently, while awaiting the guitars and the panderetas that were being 
 brought from the neighbouring dens. At length the music throbbed from beneath the 
 players' fingers, and accompanied the strangest melodies. Au old crone, the perfect picture 
 of a sorceress, was seated beneath a wall on which hung the dried skin of a huge bat, an 
 accessory which gave a weird finish to her satanic mien. Armed with a great ^anc^ero, its 
 brown skin resounded beneath her bony fingers. "Anda vieja ! anda revieja ! ! " — " Go it, old 
 woman I go it again, old woman ! ! " cried the dancers to excite the crone, until the Basque 
 tambourine throbbed its loudest under the thumps of its vigorous assailant. A tall young 
 girl, of admirable figure, called la Pelra, tripped out, and commenced to dance tbe 
 zorongo. With wonderful pliancy and grace indeed, her feet touched the rough, stony 
 ground as lightly as if it had been a silken carpet ; the guitars quickened the movement, 
 and cries of " Juy ! ole ! ole ! aha ! " sounded from all parts, accompanied by enthusiastic 
 applause and palmeados, or clapping of hands. While looking at the graceful dancer, we 
 thought of the Romances hurlescos of Gongora., where the poet depicts a spirited gipsy 
 attracted by the sound of the pandero of the cruzades, " qui sont une bonne monnaie " — 
 
 " Al son de un pandero 
 Que & su gusto suena, 
 Deshace cruzados. 
 Que es buena moneda." 
 
 The dancer, intoxicated by success, redoubled her efforts, and soon her long tresses, 
 straying from their bands, floated in charming disorder over her bronze shoulders. A 
 young gallant stepped before the Pelra, two other couples took the floor, and the excite- 
 ment became general, the couples joining, separating, and reuniting as the dance went on. 
 The dancers, fired by the applause of the gipsies and by our own, kept up with unabated 
 spirit, until the guitarreros, worn out by their efforts, ceased from strumming and singing, 
 and set to tuning the strings of their instruments. Soon, however, two little girls came in 
 turn, and sought to rival the grace of their elder sisters in the dance ; one of them, whose 
 lithe little figure would have been naked but for a few torn rags, described circles with her 
 arms, making her castanets resound as she did so, while her partner, holding her petticoat 
 with one hand, proudly placed herself in the most jaunty positions, with head thrown 
 back, the limbs straight, and her left hand resting on her hip, to which she imparted 
 the horizontal movement called zarandeo, from its resemblance to the shaking of a sieve. 
 The father, a dark-visaged gipsy, plied his tambourine while the mother sat complacently 
 

 '\''m^^mm 
 
 A GIPSY DANCINtt THE ZOKONUO. 
 
 To face jmge 1 84. 
 
A GIPSY DANCE. 187 
 
 M-atchmg the dance. The old gipsy did not remain inactive ; armed with her castanets, and 
 recalling the dim memory of her distant youth, she encouraged the little ones by tone and 
 gesture. The excitement was so catching that we could not resist the temptation to share 
 the honours of the floor. In an instant our coats were hung on the stems of a cactus, and 
 seizing the inevitable castanets, we rushed into the arena, with our limbs stretched, our 
 bodies bent, and our arms gracefully curved, ready to profit by the lesson we had just received. 
 Two of the ladies who had before distinguished themselves advanced as our partners, and 
 the ballet recommenced with redoubled vigour. But a new dancer joined us ; she was a 
 girl of about fifteen years of age, wearing a timid and melancholy expression. Her little 
 head was lost in its luxuriant tresses, her lashes shaded large black eyes that looked restless 
 and wild, while her little naked feet and childlike hands spoke of purity of race, and might 
 have been the envy of the most aristocratic belle in Europe. She was a grave, yet 
 graceful dancer, and her movements, though cautious and languid, were most picturesque. 
 We created quite a sensation among the gii)s-ies ; indeed, our fame had spread so rapidly 
 that the gates had to be closed, to prevent the crowd from entering the patio. A rumour 
 had spread abroad that two caballeros ingleses— they took us for Englishmen — were dancing 
 the zarandeo like native Andalucians, an event unknown in the annals of Sacro-Monte. 
 When the entertainment was over, there followed, of course, a distribution of pesetas, a 
 coin to which the dancers of both sexes were far from being indiff'erent. 
 
 As to the morals of the race, the gipsies nre, as a rule, irreproachable ; the women, 
 above all, merit their reputation for chastity, in spite of a certain provoking air which 
 they affect, more especially in their dances. They are not generally married until they 
 have been betrothed a long time beforehand ; according to their law, or rather their 
 usage, these betrothals should last for two years. Their wedding festivals are most 
 brilliant : the fetes are usually prolonged for three days, during which time they sing, 
 dance, and drink until their resources are exhausted. 
 
 It is difiicult to say what the religion of the gipsies really is, if they have any religion 
 at all. They are supposed neither to believe in God, nor the Virgin, nor the saints ; but, 
 on the other hand, they are said to have faith in metempsychosis, and, like the Buddhists, 
 they are persuaded that the soul only attains absolute purity after it has passed through 
 an infinite number of bodies. 
 
 Such are the principal features of the customs and usages of the gipsies of Granadn, 
 differing in some respects from those of their brothers of, Seville, whom we shall have 
 occasion to notice in another part of the work. 
 
 We have now disposed of Granada, having explored not only the city and palace, but 
 its meanest suburb. But before leaving this region we will make the ascent of the Sierra 
 Nevada, as we had promised ourselves the pleasure of a close inspection of the snows 
 of the Picacho de Veleta, the Mont Blanc of Andalucia. This excursion was no slight 
 affair, for the Sierras of the province of Granada, rarely visited by tourists, have not yet 
 been explored and divided into regular ascents and sections, like the mountains of Switzer- 
 land. Professional guides there are none, they could not exist: there would be no work 
 for them during ten months of the year, as it is only possible to make the ascent during 
 the months of July and August ; at any other time the cold is too intense and the ground 
 treacherous. We thought our best phin would be to accompany some of the neveros, 
 who go to procure supplies of snow to quench the thirst of Gninada, and M'ho are perfectly 
 familiar with the mountain paths. M. de Beaucorps had recommended an old gipsy 
 to us, of whom he had taken a successful photograph, which we here reproduce. We 
 
i88 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 accordingly set out in search for the nevero, who turned out to be a man of about sixty years 
 of ao-e. After exchanging a few words we soon settled about terms ; he undertook to 
 
 conduct us to the Picacho de Veleta, and afterwards, if we so wished, to the Mulahacen, 
 the two highest mountains in the province, and also to procure suitable mules for the 
 
TV <: 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■ r, ', r, , 
 
 f I 
 
 f''i\j\/.r'',i>^\/'Vi' 
 
 DANCE OF GIPSY CHILDREN AT SACRO-MONTE. 
 
 To face page i88. 
 
THE SIEEEA NEVADA. 191 
 
 ascents. Our store of provisions consisted of the red wine of Baza, a sugared ham (jamon 
 en dulce), cold fowls, and a plentiful supply of " chocolat k la cannelle," and fruit in quantity 
 sufficient to ward off for some days the perils of hunger and thirst. 
 
 One hot morning in the month of August, Ramirez, his gun at the saddle bow, came 
 to wake us for the journey, and in a short time our alforjas and our mantles were placed 
 upon the mules, and the caravan joyfully began its march. 
 
 Soon we crossed the Ptierta de los Molinos and were in the Vega ; we next traversed 
 the fertile valley of the Guejar, following the course of the Genii. Granada and its hills 
 appeared as if seen through a gauze veil, and were gradually lost in the morning mist. 
 Passing through the valley of Monachil we spent a short time at the convent of San 
 Ger6uimo, which is now in ruins. Our gradual ascent lay through the harrancos, deep 
 crevices which from the plain below had the appearance of mere scratches on the side of 
 the mountains; as we climbed we noted the gradual change in the vegetation, the pale 
 olive-trees were succeeded by horse-chestnuts, with their darker foliage, and already we 
 could pick some alpine flowers. 
 
 The neveros pointed out to us the harranco de Guarnon, to which popular tradition 
 assigns the guardianship of a great pile of treasure, buried there by the Moors just 
 before the surrender of Granada. This tradition had gained such weight, that in 1799 
 the Government appointed a commissioner, who repaired to the spot with a squad of 
 workmen ; but after much labour had been expended and many excavations made, it was 
 resolved to abandon the search, on the ground that the treasure must have been carried 
 off, or that it existed only in tradition. Although the air was already sharp, our cattle 
 suffered from the heat of the sun. 
 
 After ascending the Camino de los Neveros, we reached the summit of the Ramhla 
 del Dornajo, the first halting-place for the day. It is needless to say that our day's work 
 had prepared us for a hearty meal. Seated by the side of a limpid glassy stream, the 
 Fuente de los Neveros, we did full honour to our substantial fare, and one of our hotas of red 
 wine soon collapsed ; the fortunate donkey, provision bearer for the expedition, must have 
 felt its load considerably lightened. After a delicious siesta, we again started with renewed 
 energy, determined to reach the Panderon by daylight, and there pass the night. The 
 ascent became more difficult, but the splendour of the spectacle prevented our feeling 
 fatigued. From time to time we perceived vultures and eagles floating as if motionless 
 above our heads, their fallow plumage standing out against the snowclad heights or violet- 
 grey rocks. As the sun declined, the vast plain beneath our feet was mantled with a glow 
 of the warmest tints, and a golden vapour shrouded the mountains on all sides ; arrived 
 at last at the platform of the Panderon, we were enabled for a few minutes longer to linger 
 over the sublime spectacle, and to watch the sun disappearing behind the serranias of 
 Eonda. 
 
 Collecting some dead branches, we lighted a fire, which proved to be of great service, 
 as we were almost benumbed by the cold. Seated around the improvised hearth, we 
 made a second breach in our stores, and soon retired to our apartment, which consisted 
 of a cabin, built by the pastores and the neveros, used by them as a shelter, where they are 
 compelled to pass the night in their mountain solitudes. It was a wise precaution to take 
 our Valencian mantles with us, as the cold reminded one of the month of January, and 
 our hut was so badly constructed, that in going to sleep we could study astronomy 
 through the wide spaces in the roof. 
 
 Next morning we started long before the first gleam of daylight had shot across 
 
 
 
192 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the peaks, being anxious to wituess sunrise from tlie Ficacho de Veleta. It was not long 
 before we perceived the first snows in immense sheets, deposited in the hollows of the 
 rocks ; soon they became more abundant. We were in the region of the ventisqueros, 
 the region of squalls. These great masses of snow, which the hottest sun is never able 
 to melt, supply Granada and the principal towns of the province with cool beverages 
 during summer, and the neveros with a revenue regulated by the rise and fall of tempera- 
 ture in the plains. When we arrived at the highest accessible platform, it was quite light, 
 but the sun's disc was still hidden from our sight, behind the snowy cone of the Mulahacen; * 
 at last he rose radiantly above the eternal snows, and lit up the vast landscape spread 
 out beneath our gaze. There is perhaps not in Europe a scene to be compared to the one 
 from the summit of the Sierra Nevada : on the north rise the sierras of Baza and Segura, 
 on the west, those of the Tejeda and Ronda, the Sierra Morena justifying its name, and 
 resting its dark indentations against the horizon. The chain of Gador, and part of 
 the wild Alpujarra, rose at our feet in the south, and on the distant horizon, across 
 the Mediterranean, we could descry, through a semi-opaque veil of mist, the mountains 
 on the coast of Africa. 
 
 * According to Spanish geographj', the height of the Mulahacen is 3652 metres, and that of the Picacho de 
 Veleta 3560 metres, above sea-level. 
 
 NEVERO OF THE SIEKRA NEVADA. 
 
THE PUEBTO DE ARENAS— KOUTE FKOM GKANADA TO JAEN. To face page 192. 
 
VIEW OF LANJARON IN THE ALPUJAKRAS. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 From Granada to Jaen— The Javalcuz and the Pandera— Jaen ; the Santo iJosfro— Excursion to the Alpujana— 
 Alhendin ; el Ultimo Siispiro del Mora— The Valley of Lecrin— Padul— The Venta de los Mosquitos—Biircal— 
 Atrocities of the Moorish War — Fernando del Valor and Ahen-Humeya — Ginez Perez de Hita, soldier and 
 
 historian — Lanjaron — Ujijar— The Barranco de Poqneria — Aben Abu— The Sierra de Gador — The Rio Verde 
 
 Berja — Almeria ; the Sacro Catino— The Moor Tuzani— Adra and Motril ; tropical vegetation— Salobrena and the 
 
 goddess Salambo — Almunecar — The canas dulces and the sugar mills — Velez-Malaga — Garcilaso and the Veia 
 
 Malaga— The malaguenas — The Cathedral — Andalucian fencing ; puiial and navaja — The javeque, the desjarretazo, 
 the plumada, the floretazo, the corrida, etc.— The molinete, etc. ; lanzar la navaja — Types of Malaguenos ; the 
 charran ; the arriero and the ounce of gold — The harateros. 
 
 The' route from Granada to Jaen, one of the most picturesque in Spain, is very hilly. On 
 quitting the town we pass, on the right and left of the road, a number of ancient 
 alquerias, or farmhouses, shaded by fig-trees, and hedged around with cactus and aloes. 
 Soon these scattered habitations are left in the rear, and we enter a dry, desolate region 
 where foliage could only be seen in the valleys, or marking the course of some fertilisino- 
 stream. 
 
 Following the zigzag of the road through hill and dale, night was falling as we 
 traversed the spurs of the high Sierra de Martos, one of the most rugged mountains of 
 Andalucia. It was with the greatest difficulty that our vehicle climbed the seemingly 
 interminable steeps, although most of the passengers had dismounted, and were toiling up 
 the heights on foot. 
 
 An amicable exchange of cigars had won for us the good favour of the mayoral, who 
 pointed out the boundary dividing the province of Granada from that of Jaen, which we 
 had just entered. " In my young days," said the mayoral, " it would not have been 
 
196 SPAIN. 
 
 prudent to cross the Sierra at this late hour; one might have encountered a band of 
 highwaymen, perhaps those imder the chief Ojitos ; but now ! " 
 
 The mayoral meant to say that the police were more vigilant, and probably in his 
 inmost heart sighed for the good old times ! It is impossible to tell, but it seemed to us 
 that he broke off abruptly with something like a sigh of regret ; it is at any rate certain 
 that the ancient bandit is destined to remain one of the popular heroes of Andalucia. The 
 deserted gorges of these mountains are undoubtedly well fitted for the fierce raids of these 
 rufiians ; on one side of the path was a ravine, which in the darkness appeared to be of 
 fathomless depth, while on the other, the rocks rose like gigantic obelisks above our heads. 
 At some parts of the route, immense detached masses seemed as if arrested in their 
 downward course by some giant hand. The flare from the reflection of the diligence lit up 
 the sharp prominences in the rocks, casting forth weird forms of ever-changing shadows, 
 and causing the harness of our long train of mules to sparkle strangely, the nearest in full 
 light, the others gradually passing into shadow, while. the sky, black and stormy, was lit 
 here and there by a few dim stars. 
 
 Arriving at Jaen before daybreak, we found the streets deserted and silent. Not 
 wholly deserted, for groups of sleepers were scattered here and there over the pavement, 
 like large brown stains. Enveloped in their mantles, these followers of Diogenes had 
 passed the night under the starry sky, with the unyielding stones for their beds, and their 
 arms for their pillows. Some of them, awakened by the noise of the diligence, suddenly 
 raised their heads, which as suddenly disappeared again beneath the folds of their mantles. 
 This custom of sleeping in the open air, so common in Andalucia, is easily explained by the 
 genial mildness of the climate, and by the absolute indifference of the natives in matters 
 of comfort. This is what the mayoral jokiugly called sleeping at the moon's inn, al parador 
 de la luna. Nevertheless, one group of slumberers, seeing that the coach was well filled 
 with passengers, had risen and taken up their quarters on the poyo, or stone seat of the 
 parador where the diligence stopped ; they consisted of a family, made up of father, mother, 
 and four children. The father was blind, and his bronzed complexion imparted a strange 
 expression to his white eyes. " Toma, hermano," said we, casting a few cuartos into his hat, 
 for in Spain, this country of true equality, one bestows the title of brothers on the beggars. 
 Jaen stands at the foot of heights, crowned with old walls as red and ruinous as those 
 of the Alhambra, and we have rarely seen ruins so burdened with thick vegetation, 
 resembling indeed the hanging gardens of Babylon. From these ramparts we obtain 
 a commanding view of the town, above which rises the imposing mass of the cathedral, 
 and in the distance, the mountains of Javalcuz and the Pandera, which, when capped with 
 clouds, serve, like Parapanda, as a barometer to herald coming rain, and, like Parapanda, 
 they have given rise to the popular proverb : 
 
 "Cuando Javalcuz 
 Tiene capuz 
 Y la Pandera montera, 
 Llover4 aunque Dios no quiera." 
 
 Spain, above all others, is the land of proverbs ; it has them of all sorts, for places 
 as well as persons ; indeed, there is hardly a town or a province without its proverb. Thus 
 the province of Jaen is named La Galicia de Andalucia (the Galicia of Andalucia) ; in effect 
 the Jaetanos resemble in many respects the Gallegos, who are the Avergnains of Spain. 
 
 Jaen was formerly the key of Andalucia, and excited the envy of the kings of 
 
A RELAY AT JABN. 
 
 To face page 196. 
 
JAEN. 199 
 
 Granada, who tried in vain to become its masters. It is a genuine type of a town of the 
 Middle Ages, with its tranquil deserted streets, some of which, scarcely ever penetrated 
 by the sun's rays, are thickly overgrown with grass. The cathedral, which loses by close 
 inspection, has been erected on the ruins of a mosque, like many other churches in Spain. 
 Its imposing interior is in the frightful style churrigueresque, which at the commencement 
 of last century spread its ravages over Andalucia. But it is not without interest, and 
 contains a relic called the Holy Face, el Santo Rostro, or simply el Santo. 
 
 The Santo Rostro, according to tradition, is the linen with which a holy woman wiped 
 the face of our Saviour when on Calvary, and the towel has retained the impress of his 
 features. Others say that it is that part of the winding-sheet in which our Saviour's face 
 was swathed ; but many churches share the honour of guarding this precious relic. Be that 
 as it may, the relic of Jaen is so venerated that the peasants wear a copy of it round 
 the neck as a scapular. The holy picture is unveiled to the public gaze thrice a year; 
 it is set in gold, ornamented with gems of great price, and preserved in a case, placed 
 on the altar of the Capilla Mayor. Following the tradition, the Santo Rostro was taken 
 to Eome more than five hundred years ago by Saint Eufrasio, patron of the town, 
 who made a journey from the Eternal City to Jaen, mounted on the shoulders of the 
 devil, a choice of coiiveyance spoken of by many writers of the country. The sacristan 
 assured us that Saint Ferdinand took the Santo Rostro with him in all his warlike 
 expeditions, accompanied by a Virgin he showed us, called la Antigua. It is necessary 
 to note, in passing, that in numerous other churches of Andalucia, we were called 
 to gaze upon statues of the Virgin in wood or ivory, carried by the holy warrior during 
 his campaigns, so that he must have always fought accompanied by a perfect ambulatory 
 museum. 
 
 Eeturning to Granada from Jaen, we sought the repose necessary to prepare us for 
 our projected excursion to the Alpujarra. Our old friend the nevei'o introduced us to his 
 comrade, Manuel Eojas, called Jigochumbo, an Andalucian name, derived without doubt 
 from the fact that the colour of his skin resembled cactus fruit. He was recommended to 
 us as a good fellow, and it was agreed that he should conduct us across the wildest part 
 of Spain, from Granada to Alhendin. 
 
 In order to escape the midday heat, we were up early and quitted Granada at day- 
 break,, turning our heads from time to time to bid adieu to the Alhambra, and to the 
 Torres Bermejas, gilded by the first rays of morning. After one or two hours' march, we 
 reached a little town, Alhendin, that rose from the summit of a huge rock, like the advanced 
 guard of the Alpujarra, where the unhappy Boabdil, after relinquishing his kingdom, 
 when on his way to the desolate region which had been assigned to him as a fief by his 
 conquerors, halted to have a last look at Granada. We were conducted to the spot where 
 the Moorish king turned his horse, and gazing on the terrestrial paradise from which he 
 was driven, exclaimed " Allah akhbar ! "■ — " God is great I " But his vizier said, " Eeflect, 
 king ; great misfortunes, when borne with fortitude and courage, render men famous 
 in history." "Alas!" replied Boabdil, "never were adversities equal to mine;" and a 
 torrent of tears flowed from his eyes. Whereupon his mother, Ayesha, turning towards 
 him, said, " Weep like a child for your kingdom, since you knew not how to defend it like 
 a man.' 
 
 We have nothing to prove the authenticity of these cruel words, unworthy of a 
 mother who was no stranger to the misfortunes of her son; however that may be, the rock 
 still bears the name El ultimo Suspiro del Moro (the Moor's last sigh), or la Cuesta de las 
 
20O 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Idgrimas (the Hill of tears). It is said tliat wlien the words of Ayesha were repeated to 
 Charles V., the Emperor replied that she was right, aiid that a tomb in the Alhambra was 
 better than a palace in the Alpujarras. This region is one of the most interesting and 
 least known in the Peninsula ; its green valleys and inaccessible mountains, even until 
 eio-hty-four years after the surrender of Granada, were the theatre of constant strife between 
 the Christians and the last Moors of Spain. 
 
 Under the name Alpujarra, or Alpujarras, is comprehended the vast country which 
 includes part of the provinces of Granada and Almeria, extending over about twenty 
 leagues from east to west, and twelve or fifteen leagues from north to south, from the long 
 chain of the Sierra Nevada to the coast of the Mediterranean. 
 
 Calderon has spoken of this country, " whose mountains proudly tower to the sun." 
 He compares it to " an ocean of rocks and of plains, whose villages seem to float like silver 
 waves." 
 
 Soon after quitting Alhendin we entered the valley of Lecrin, and were astonished to 
 find it so charmingly green and fertile in the midst of such a sterile, rocky region. There 
 the orange, citron, and almond trees survive the greatest summer heat, and are nourished 
 by a network of clear mountain streams. This valley was one of the chief centres of the 
 great Moorish insurrection : the fields at the present day, so fresh with verdure and so 
 tranquil, during the sixteenth century were watered by the blood of many thousand brave 
 men, to subdue whom it required all the energy and force of the Spaniards. The most 
 revolting atrocities were committed on both sides ; they had come to making neither truce 
 nor giving quarter. At Guecija the Moors took the monks of the convent and boiled them 
 in oil ; at Mayrena, the Spanish garrison having left, the inhabitants crammed the priest 
 with gunpowder, and fired him like a bomb. 
 
 The Moors of Canjayar sacrificed children at a butcher's stall, and after beheading 
 two Christians, they devoured the heart of one of them. The priest of this b()rough, who 
 was named Marcos de Soto, was dragged perforce into the church with his sacristan, who 
 had to ring the bell to summon the inhabitants. When they were all assembled, they each 
 passed in turn before their unfortunate teacher ; some pulled his hair, others his nose and 
 eyelashes, others struck him with their fists. Then, after passing all sorts of insults upon 
 him, they literally set upon him like fiends, and tore him limb from limb. 
 
 This terrible insurrection of the Moriscos had been organised with the most perfect 
 secrecy in Granada, in the quarter of the Albayzin ; Philip II. was only informed of the 
 rising when the Alpujarras M'ere in arms. The chief of the rebels was a bold, determined 
 youth of twenty-two years of age, a descendant of the Ommiades califs, and who had 
 embraced Christianity, under the name Fernando del Valor ; this he gave up in favour of 
 the name Muley-Mohammed-Aben-Humeya, borne by his ancestors; he also took the 
 title of King of Granada and Andalucia. He was a courageous chief, but with his first 
 successes he completely lost his head ; imagining himself already powerful and a potentate, 
 he desired to set up a court and play the king. 
 
 Hurtado de Mendoza, the historian of the insurrection, says that the chief had his 
 harem, and this author supplies some rather curious details about one of the favourites, called 
 the beautiful Zahara, a lady of noble birth, celebrated for her skill in dancing the Moorish 
 zambras, in singing the leylas, and in playing the lute, and who, he adds, dressed with 
 more elegance than modesty. The reign of Aben-Humeya was not of long duration : the 
 Spaniards had put a price on his head, and division was soon introduced into the camp. He 
 had a rival, another chief named Farrax-Abencerrage, a bloodthirsty character, who ordered 
 
:'"'', I, e. ^|^^^|i|((|||,ir^-y.^^^|^|^|^,. 
 
 A Fii.MILY OF MENDICANTS. 
 
 To face 2>"fft: 200. 
 
THE ALPUJAEEAS. 203 
 
 three thousand Spaniards to be beheaded in a single day. Abeu-Humeya, on the other 
 hand, who had a kind, humane disposition, and forbade the slaughter of women and children, 
 was one day surprised by the followers of his rival, who prepared to strangle him. " I 
 know how to end my days courageously," said Aben-Humeya ; and placing the noose 
 round his neck, proclaimed himself a Christian. His body, which was tossed into a 
 common sewer, was taken out and buried under his ancient name, Fernando del Valor. 
 
 The bourg of Padul, at which we halted to spend the night, suffered greatly during 
 the time of the Moorish wars — so greatly indeed, one would think from its miserable 
 aspect, that it never recovered from the shock. The posada was hardly provided with 
 a single necessary, and we should have gone without supper, but for our store of provisions 
 laid in for the journey. We left this wretched place as early as possible next morning, and 
 stopped to breakfast at the Venta de los Mosquitos (Inn of the Mosquitos) ; here we could 
 hardly obtain eggs, or fire to cook them. Necessity had rendered us by this time pretty 
 good cooks, and Dor^, who knows Homer by heart, enlivened our operations by citing 
 examples of the ancients who distinguished themselves in the culinary art, assuring us 
 that Eumseus knew how to roast a pig to perfection, and that fiery Achilles, aided by 
 Patrocles, prepared with their heroic hands a feast for Agamemnon. 
 
 The little town of Durcal, where wo halted next, stands at the foot of the Cerro de Sahor, 
 a spur of the Sierra Nevada, and is inhabited by the labourers who cultivate its environs. 
 Marmol recounts the terrible battles that were fought at this spot between the Spaniards 
 and the Moors. Philip II., determined to quell the insurrection by a decisive blow, had 
 given the command of the troops to the Marquis de Los Velez, who commenced a war of 
 extermination ; he was known to the Moors as the Diable a la Ute defer. The soldiers were 
 thirsting for vengeance, as the Marquis de Sesa, who had entered the Alpnj arras with ten 
 thousand men, brought back only fifteen hundred. The Spanish sieges were invariably 
 followed by the talas, a kind of expedition employing about two thousand men, whose 
 work it was to destroy the trees, shrubs, harvests, fields, and houses. " A cloud of locusts, 
 alighting on a field, do not make such ravages," said Marmol, " as are made by our troops 
 in the gardens where they encamp, for at the end of an hour one would hardly find a single 
 green leaf left to mark their site." In less than a month ten thousand Moors were either 
 massacred or became bondsmen. Entire villages were depopulated ; the inhabitants of 
 Alhendin, for example, were transported to Montiel in La Mancha. 
 
 Ginez Perez de Hita, an historian of the time, had fought as a soldier in one of these 
 expeditions. "The Spaniards," he says, "only dreamt of massacre and pillage, they were 
 all robbers to a man ; et moi le premier," he naively adds, " seizing even things not worth 
 lifting in order to keep their hands in. After sacking the castle of Jubilez, a thousand 
 Moorish women and three hundred men were beheaded in cold blood. The Moors defended 
 themselves with desperate courage to the last ; when arms were wanting, and they had 
 used all their poisoned arrows, they rolled huge masses of rock down upon the heads of their 
 enemies, while the women and children threw themselves upon the Spaniards, and strove 
 to blind them with clouds of fine sand ; at last one saw the Moors burying their daughters 
 alive among the snow to save them from the lust of their enemies." " That day," says our 
 author, " I found the lifeless form of a woman covered with wounds, stretched beside six 
 of her murdered children, and she had only succeeded in saving her babe, that had sought 
 her breast when the mother with her dying effort had hid it from her foes. The poor 
 little thing, clasped in its mother's cold stiff arms, was with difficulty released and rescued 
 by the tender-hearted soldier." A little farther on, Ginez Perez relates another tragic 
 
204 SPAIN. 
 
 incident. "Two Spanisli soldiers, after pillaging the house of a rich Moor, dis- 
 covered a young girl of marvellous beauty, vpho had vainly hoped to escape their notice ; 
 they both laid hands on her at the same time, each wishing to secure such a priceless 
 treasure. But falling to blows over the prize, a third warrior entering upon the scenis 
 drew his poniard and slew the object of the contest, thinking it better to dispose of a 
 useless life than to risk the lives of two brave men. The combatants, furious at seeing the 
 poor innocent lying lifeless at their feet, turned their rage upon the intruder. ' Your 
 crime shall not rest unpunished,' said they, 'infernal monster, who have deprived the earth 
 of its most precious gift from heaven ; ' whereupon they pierced him with their swords, and 
 sadly went their way, leaving the body of the assassin side by side with the beautiful girl, 
 whom one might have taken for a sleeping angel." 
 
 Before arriving at Lanjaron, we crossed over the Puente de Tahlate, which spans a 
 deep ravine; in 1569 this bridge was defended by the Moors so effectually that the 
 Spaniards hesitated to make the attack until a Franciscan monk, Cristoval de Molina, to 
 shame the soldiers, advanced with shield, sword, and crucifix, and was soon followed by 
 the troops, and the bridge was taken, 
 
 Lanjaron is a small town, agreeably situated at the foot of the hill of Bordayla, on 
 the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada ; it is there that we find the fertile valley of 
 Lecrin, which has been called el Paraiso de las Alpujarras. It was the first town to raise 
 the standard of revolt ; but it paid the full penalty of its crime, and is said to have been 
 deserted for eighty years after the close of the war, when fifty inhabitants from the 
 interior of Spain were sent to repopulate the place, which has risen to be the first town of 
 the Alpujarras. Its whitewashed two-storied houses, in the Moorish style, wear an aspect 
 of gaiety rarely to be found in this part of the country. We encountered a number of 
 people from Almeria and from Granada, who had come to escape the heat of summer, and 
 to drink the mineral waters. 
 
 In going from Lanjaron to Orgiva, we passed through a wild, hilly country, where 
 the people we noticed on the way, while there was nothing hostile in their intentions, 
 regarded us with an air of bewildered ferocity. 
 
 Orgiva is a large town, situated at the foot of the heights of Picacho de Veleta. 
 Availing ourselves of the time required by our arriero to rest his jaded mules, we 
 made our way on foot to the harranco de Poqueria, one of the most impressive scenes it is 
 possible to imagine. At the extremity of a defile between two perpendicular walls of rock, 
 yawns an immense abyss, where no one subject to giddiness dare stand on the verge and 
 gaze down into its immeasurable depths. Black clouds rose above the abrupt plateaux 
 which crown the harranco, mingled with the dense smoke from the fires lighted by the 
 neveros. The weird aspect of the scene was, if possible, intensified by the darkness of a 
 lowering stormy sky. Nature has indeed clothed this region with a savage grandeur, 
 which culminates at Ujijar, the ancient capital of the Alpujarra. 
 
 Several of the families in the country are said to be the direct descendants of the 
 remnant of the Moors left after the war. It was in Ogixar la Nombrada-the famous- 
 that Don Alonzo fell,^ when planting the royal standard on the heights of the Alpujaxra : 
 
 "Don Alonzo, don Alonzo, 
 Dios perdone tu alma, 
 Que te mataron los Moros, 
 Los Moros de Alpujarra ! " 
 
 It was near this spot that Fernando del Valor was born, he who for some months enjoyed 
 
THE BAEEANCO OF POQUEIEA IN THE ALPUJAEEAS. 
 
 To face page 204. 
 
ALMEEIA. 207 
 
 the title of King of Granada and Audalueia, and who was afterwards betrayed and slain 
 in the manner recorded. Aben Abu, who succeeded him, was a native of Mecina de 
 Bombaron, a village close to which we had passed. He, in turn, was betrayed and slain 
 by one of his trusty followers, who said, when he delivered up the dead body of his chief 
 to the Spaniards, " The shepherd was unable to bring the living sheep, but he brings the 
 fleece." The corpse of Aben Abu was carried to Granada, where it was cut in pieces 
 and the head placed in a cage above the gateway Bib-Racha, with the superscription : 
 " This is the head of the traitor, Aben Abu. Let no one remove it under pain of death." 
 
 The prohibition was long respected, for in 1599 the head was still in the same place. 
 As to the treacherous El Seniz, the betrayer, his villany did not profit him— he was 
 executed soon after as the chief of a gang of highwaymen at Guadalajara. 
 
 Continuing our ascent for several hours, we arrived at Berja,at the base of the Sierra 
 de Gador, near one of the last spurs of the mountain. Berja is a town partly inhabited 
 by miners, who are reputed to be very short-lived, although the country gets the credit 
 of being a healthy one ; and strange to say, in this very place, we encountered a beggar 
 who said he was aged one hundred and three years. This splendid old mendicant, clothed 
 in tattered mantle, walked leaning with one hand on his grandchild, and with the other 
 on a long staff. It was CEdipus and Antigone attired in Andalucian costume. 
 
 Being fatigued by a long journey, our delight was unfeigned when we gazed upon 
 the broad azure expanse of the Mediterranean, and soon after we entered the ancient 
 Arabic gateway of Almeria. 
 
 After our rough experience in crossing the Alpuj arras, we returned to the usages 
 of civilised life, but it seemed strange and almost effeminate to repose on an ordinary 
 couch, or to indulge in the luxury of food cooked in oil. 
 
 Almeria, with its flat-roofed and terraced houses, wears quite an Arabic aspect, while 
 
 its narrow, steep, and winding streets remind one of Algiers. The greater number of the 
 
 ground-floors are open, and one sees there the women seated. Oriental fashion, occupied 
 
 in making those esteras de esparto, or rush-mats, used throughout Audalueia. Although 
 
 there are mines in the suburbs, causing some activity in the town, it has lost much of its 
 
 ancient importance. It is stated to be older than Granada, and there is a popular saying to 
 
 this effect : 
 
 " Cuando Almeria era Almeria 
 Granada era su alqueria." 
 
 " When Almeria was Almeria, Granada was farmland." 
 
 Almeria in the year 766 became the capital of a Moorish kingdom, which flourished 
 up to the middle of the twelfth century, but its port was a haunt of the pirates who 
 infested the Mediterranean. The Spaniards, aided by the Pisans and the Genoese, made 
 themselves masters of the place in 1 147, and, dividing the spoil, it fell to the lot of the 
 latter to appropriate the emerald cup, which according to tradition was used by our 
 Saviour at the Last Supper. This relic, known for many centuries at Genoa as the Sacro 
 Catino (the sacred cup), was looked upon as the most valuable treasure in the town. 
 
 According to another tradition it fell into the hands of the Genoese at Csesarea during 
 the time of the Crusades, and was originally one of the gifts of the Queen of Sheba 
 to Solomon. Yet another account sets it down as the Holy Grail, the mystic vase in search 
 of which Kino- Arthur and the knights of the Eouud Table made so many expeditions. 
 Formerly the Sacro Catino was shown to the public on solemn occasions, protected from the 
 sacrileo-ious touch of the people by the severest penalties. Some travellers of last 
 
2o8 ' SPAIN. 
 
 century, among others the Abb^ Barthelemy, dared to raise doubts on the subject of the 
 genuineness of this relic; these doubts were, however, fully confirmed when, through 
 Napoleon L, the pretended emerald cup was brought to Paris, and turned- out to be nothing 
 more tban a cup of antique glass. In 1815 it was returned to Genoa, but got broken 
 
 during the journey. 
 
 Almeria and its fertile gardens have often been the subject of Moorish romances. 
 At the time of the war of the Alpujarra, tlie rio de Almeria was one of the last rallying- 
 points oi' the Moors. Calderon has drawn the subject of one of his pieces from an episode 
 in this war, Amar despues de la muerte, y el sitio de la Alpuxarra, that is to say, Love after 
 death, and the siege of the Alpujarra. 
 
 There was a young Moor, named Tuzani, expert in the use of his finely tempered 
 Toledo blade and his rich Valencian bow ; he loved the beautiful Malcha, who fell at the 
 siege of Galera. Finding the body of Malcha pierced by two mortal wounds, he resolved 
 to devote his life to avenging her untimely end ; he joined the Spanish ranks, and at last 
 discovered the assassin in a certain Garces, who was, as fate would have it, imprisoned 
 alono- with Lim in the stronghold of Andarax. Garces confessed the crime, and fell 
 beneath the poniard of the Moor, who made his escape, but was afterwards captured and 
 brought before Don Juan of Austria, who upon hearing his narrative set him at liberty. 
 
 Having determined to go from Almeria to Malaga, along the coast on horseback, we 
 accordingly retraced our steps, and leaving the little village of Dallas, passed through Adra., 
 the ancient Abdera of the Phoenicians, which, in common with many of the coast towns, 
 boasts a very high antiquity ; we have observed some medals at Adra struck at the time of 
 Tiberius. 
 
 The climate and vegetation here are worthy of the tropics ; cotton and the sugar-cane 
 are largely cultivated in the environs of Motril. The coast is exposed to the constant 
 rnys of a burning sun ; although it was the autumn season, we found it impossible to travel 
 during the heat of the day. 
 
 Almuhecar is not far from Motril, and here may be distinguished the sharp outlines 
 of the Sierra de Lujar against the deep blue sky. There is hardly any quarter of the globe 
 in which one encounters so many varied productions : the high mountain saxifrage, and 
 the plants which belong to the cold or temperate latitudes, while the rich soil of the 
 valleys and lower plains yields not only sugar and cotton, but indigo, coffee, and other 
 products of the torrid zone. 
 
 During the time of the Moorish dominion, there were many sugar mills at Velez- 
 Malaga, and bordering the coast as far as Marbella. "We gather from the observations of 
 an eye-witness, that in the seventeenth century there were still a limited number of these 
 mills. " There are also salt-pits and sugar mills called ingenios de azucar, which I have 
 observed near Marpella, or Marbella, in Andalucia. I have also noticed the sugar-canes, 
 which resemble our reeds, only their inner pith yields a sweet juice ; I have picked them 
 up on the road." 
 
 Velez-Malaga has some brilliant pages in its history. Not long before the fall of 
 Granada, it was still held by the Moors, and Ferdinand and Isabella came in person to lay 
 siege to this, one of the last strongholds of the infidels. The chronicle of Hernando del 
 Pulgar states that on one occasion when the besieged had made a sortie, the king was 
 surrounded by Moors, who were about to carry him off in person. His sword-belt was 
 entangled in the hnrness of his horse, and being powerless to defend himself, he would 
 have fallen into their hands, had not the intrepid Garcilaso de la Vega, spurring his horse 
 
VELEZ-MALAGA. 
 
 209 
 
 to the cliarge, dispersed the sons of Islam and rescued his sovereign, who had just pierced 
 a Moor with his lance. 
 
 ^ In memory of this event, Ferdinand granted to Velez-Malaga for its armorial bearings 
 a king fully armed, mounted on horseback, piercing a Moor with his Jance. 
 
 AN AGED MENDICANT AND HIS GRANDCHILD. 
 
 Leaving our guide and cattle at Velez, we took our places in the imperial of tlie 
 diligence that left early next morning, and before noon we alighted at Malaga. 
 
 " Malaga la hechicera, 
 La del eternal primavera, 
 La que bana dulce el mar 
 Entre jasmin y azahar ! " 
 
 ," Malaga, the enchantress, city of eternal spring, tranquilly bathing in the sea, shaded 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 by the jasmine and tlie orange." Such is the salutation addressed by a Spanish poet to 
 this ao-reeable and picturesque city of Andalucia. 
 
 The Alameda, the principal promenade, is the favourite resort of the Malaguena, 
 celebrated all over Spain. Less severe in beauty than the Granadian, less coquettish than 
 the SeviUian and the belle of Cadiz, the Malaguena is distinguished from the othci: women 
 of Andalucia by a complexion of deeper amber, more regular, but not less expressive 
 features; thick and well-marked eyebrows, added to long eyelashes, give to the 
 Malague'nas' dark eyes a charm one cannot describe. They have a wonderfid way of 
 leading the eye to their luxuriant raven tresses, by the simple device of a single red or 
 white flower powerfully placed for effect. 
 
 Malaga enjoys a serene and splendid climate. In the streets are sold sugar-canes and 
 sweet potatoes, affording an important resource for the natives, who for a few cuartos can 
 obtain a bunch of the former that will supply them, if not with remuneration, at least with 
 constant occupation for the day. A throng of petty merchants parade the streets and make 
 day hideous with their cries, among them, the c/iarmnes— fish sellers, who dispose of the 
 produce of the Mediterranean fisheries, and of whom we shall have occasion to speak 
 
 further on. ' 
 
 The malaguencis, popular ballads of the province, are composed of verses each with 
 four lines, the first and last being twice repeated. The subject, when not melancholy, is 
 
 sentimental. 
 
 " Echame, nifia bonita, 
 
 L-Agrimas en tu paiiiielo, 
 
 Y las llevare & Granada, 
 
 Que las engarze un platero." 
 
 " Give me, charming little one, — In a kerchief thy tears, — To Granada I'll take them, 
 
 — To a goldsmith to set them." 
 
 " Son tus labios dos cortinas 
 De terciopelo carmesi, 
 Entre cortina y cortina 
 Estoy esperando el Is." 
 
 " Thy lips are two curtains — Of crimson velvet, — Between curtain and curtain, — For the 
 
 Yes I am waiting." 
 
 '• Voy & la fuente y bebo ; 
 No la amenoro, 
 Que anmienta su oorriente 
 Con lo que Uoro." 
 
 " To the fountain I go to drink, — But no water I find, — For its current is swollen — 
 With the tears I shed at the brink." 
 
 The rhythm of the malaguenas has something strange and unexpected about it, but at 
 the same time the sentiment is refined and seldom commonplace ; the same may be said of 
 the canas, the polos, the playeras, the rondenas, and the majority of the Andalucian airs. 
 They are probably the same melodies as were sung by the subjects of Boabdil, and without 
 doubt many of the couplets are taken from the ancient Moorish romances. 
 
 Like most of the towns on the coast, Malaga was an ancient Phceuician colony. It 
 fell into the hands of the Arabs after the famous battle of Guadalete, and only ceased to be 
 a Mussulman town in 1487, five years before the fall of Granada. About fifty years later 
 the cathedral was commenced, an important edifice, which now rises majestically above the 
 port and the sea. A splendid marble staircase conducts to the nave ; where, on each side, 
 and parallel to it, rise two lateral aisles, while the fagade is ornamented by two high 
 
a, 
 
 >S. 
 
 hi 
 
 H 
 OJ 
 O 
 
 ■< 
 
 <! 
 Q 
 
 m 
 X 
 
MALAGA. 213 
 
 towers, one of which still remains unfinished. The best way to see the cathedral is to hire 
 a faUa, and pull out far enough to have a full view of the whole building, which towers 
 high above the houses of the city — a splendid picture, backed by the giant mountains 
 behind which Granada lies hidden. 
 
 We found the quay at Malaga encumbered with cases of 'pasas and casks of all 
 dimensions. The wines and the pasas — that is what the dried grapes are called — are the 
 principal produce of Malaga. We must not, however, omit the coloured terra-cotta ware ; 
 it is in the Pasaje de Heredia that those little statuettes representing Andalucian costume 
 are modelled. Sometimes it is a maja, with a short skirt, dancing the polo or the jaleo ; 
 sometimes a contrahandista, trabuco in hand, or a majo cutting with his navaja the tobacco 
 for his cigarette ; or a priest with his long hat, sombrero de tcja. 
 
 If the use of the navaja, the punal, and the cuchillo, is general in Spain, there are 
 certain towns where the "wholesome traditions" are carefully preserved. Cordova and 
 Seville possess very famous fencing-masters, but nowhere is the art of handling cold 
 steel, the herramienta, cultivated to so great an extent as at Malaga. Few towns show 
 such a leaning towards homicide ; delitos de sangre — crimes of blood — are extremely 
 frequent. Whence comes the crime of murder, so common among the people ? Is it from 
 idleness, the love of play, or the negligence of the police ? " The serenos of Malaga," says 
 a popular song, " would have it understood that they drink no wine, but the wine they 
 do consume would suffice to turn a mill." 
 
 "En Malaga los serenos 
 Dicen que no beben vino ; 
 Y con el vino que beben 
 Puede moler un molino ! " 
 
 Must one attribute some malign influence (in order to account for the fatal results of the 
 quarrels of a certain class) of the solano to the burning wind from Africa — impregnated, 
 like the sirocco of the Napolitans, with the irritating heat of the sands of the Sahara ? 
 Whatever the cause may be, the impunity of assassins is proverbial ; Mata al rey, y vete a 
 Mdlaga — Kill the king, and then go to Malaga — such is the popular saying. 
 
 In speaking of Albacete we referred to this town as famed for the manufacture oi navajas ; 
 Guadix, Seville, Mora, Valencia, Jaen, Santa Cruz de Mudela, and many other towns 
 possess renowned cutlers. In Andalucia the navaja is also known by the pot names of 
 the mojosa, the chaira, the tea, names peculiar to the gipsies ; the barateros, of whom 
 we shall soon speak, call it corte (cutting), herramienta ; or hierro (iron), abanico (ftin), etc. 
 
 During our stay at Malaga, we had the curiosity to take some lessons from one of 
 the professors : Dore speedily became an expert pupil. Taking our positions armed with 
 reeds, the professor commenced to demonstrate the golpes, that is how the blows or thrusts 
 are named ; these blows are given in the parte alta or in the parte baja; the high part extends 
 from the top of the head to the waist, and the lower part from the waist to the feet, so 
 that all the blows are altos or bajos. One of the principal thrusts of the parte alta is the 
 javeque, or chirlo, in which the face is cut ; there is a great variety of other blows we need 
 not enumerate. One, probably the most important of all, requiring great address on the 
 part of the player, is the desjarretazo, a blow held in the highest estimation ; but not by the 
 unfortunate one who receives it, for it is nearly always fatal, as it divides the vertebral 
 column in two. However, as nothing in this world is absolutely perfect, this pretty little 
 blow has the inconvenience of uncovering the guard of the assailant, and exposing 
 him to the risk of a mortal thrust. Altogether the use of the navaja is a science requiring 
 
214 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 not only careful trainiDg, but the greatest coolness, courage, and tact, by any one who 
 would seek to defend himself with the weapon. Sometimes the tiradores roll their rm^ntle 
 or jacket round their left arm, ns the giuoco della spada e cappa represented in the ancient 
 Italian books of fencing, or they hold their sombrero in their hand, which serves as a 
 shield These modes of defence are looked upon by experts as defective, as they prevent 
 the tirador using his left hand or arm. Every accomplished tirador ought to know how 
 to use his weapon with either hand. 
 
 As to the faja or waistband worn by the combatants, the loins are always girt round 
 with it as a means of defence. Should the band come down or slacken, the tirador would 
 be exposed to the greatest danger, as his foe would not lose the opportunity of profiting 
 
 by his plight. 
 
 Each blow naturally has its appropriate parry, but there are many tricks resorted 
 to, which have no place in our rules for fencing, such as tossing one's hat into the face 
 
 A DUEL WITH THE NAVAJA. 
 
 of an adversary, or ducking the head to avert a severe blow and seizing the opportunity 
 to secure a handful of sand to blind an antagonist, that he may all the more easily fall 
 a prey to the navaja. 
 
 Like the navaja, the punal has its OAvn particular rules. This weapon finds patrons 
 among sailors and prisoners, and is distinguished from the former by its being only used 
 for thrusts. The handle is short and thick, and has something of an egg shape ; as to the 
 blade it is sometimes flat and oval, sometimes round, and sometimes four-sided. We have 
 in our possession a punal that belonged to one of the most renowned harateros of Malaga. 
 This weapon, long, and sharp as a needle, is something frightful to behold ; it is four-sided, 
 gradually rounding towards the point, and, more than that, its edges are barbed, and the 
 blade is in many places pierced with holes. These ingenious devices have the advantage 
 of tearing the wound and rendering it doubly dangerous by the introduction of air. 
 One of the principal thrusts of the punal is the moliiiete, of which Dor^ made a drawing. 
 
MALAGA. 
 
 215 
 
 One of the duellists, having approached unawares, turns suddenly on one foot and raises 
 his right arm to wound his foe in the shoulder. This thrust can only be warded off by the 
 left band, while the right is raised to strike ; this is generally followed by a hand-to- 
 hand struggle, which as a rule ends fatally. Throwing the navaja and the punal forms 
 the subject of a curious little Spanish work, called the Manual del Baratero, or Arte de 
 manejar la Navaja. Our readers would hardly credit the wonderful precision with which 
 these weapons are thrown, and sheathed in the bodies of unfortunate combatants ; but 
 not less astonishing is the peculiar address which the Aiidalucians display in averting the 
 thrust of the flying blade. 
 
 We have already spoken of the tijeras, the enormous scissors with which the 
 esquiladores clip their horses and mules. They are used as offensive weapons chiefly by 
 
 i: •■ s 
 
 TDfL-DHt 
 
 THROWING THE NAVAJA. 
 
 the gipsies, but only on rare occasions, as the gipsies are for the most part a peace- 
 loving people. 
 
 After having sketched the outlines of Audalucian fencing, we will now add a 
 few words about two types of pure Malaguenos—tha barateros and the charranes — people 
 possessed of peculiar skill in handling the pimal and the navaja. 
 
 Tourists who sojourn at Malaga for any length of time have an opportunity of 
 studying two of the most curious phases of humanity in the charran and the baratero — 
 that is, if they do not dread the bloodthirsty nature of these people. 
 
 But who is the charran f The Diccionario de la Academia Espanola can afford us no 
 information on this subject, and the word has no place in the other Spanish dictionaries. He 
 is neither the gamin de Paris, the pdle voyou, nor even the Napolitan lazzarono, and yet he 
 is a mixture of all three. Let us saunter on the barrio del Perchel, the quarter where the 
 fishermen spread out their nets to dry in the sun ; it is the rendezvous of the majos, like 
 the Macarena of Seville. At Malaga, when one wishes to speak of a girl of the people, 
 
2i6 SPAIN. 
 
 eleo-ant and full of grace, one says moza Perchelera, just as at Seville the phrase is hembra 
 Macarena. Let us approach this strauded boat, beueath whose shade a group of men are 
 playing cards; these are the charranes, who are born iu Malaga and die there, uuless they end 
 their days in some prison or garrison in Cuba or Manilla. They follow some sort of 
 industry, selling sardines or hoquerones about the streets, or offering their services as porters 
 to housewives who are out marketiug, and who require aid to carry home their store of 
 provisions. But their true occupation, that in which they shine to advantage, consists in 
 doino- nothing liviuo- on their wits in the worst sense, waiting for the sunshine to warm 
 them, aud looking for shade to cool them. 
 
 The charran is generally a youth of from fourteen to twenty years of age, who is named 
 granuja, a local scornful nickuame. These lads are as expert in their way as the pick- 
 pockets of London or Paris ; we discovered this to our cost, but fortunately lost nothing 
 more than our handkerchiefs. They have a profound liking for other people's property, 
 aud manage to relieve them of it in the most ingenious way, as the following story will 
 illustrate. The question was how to rob a worthy arriero from the mountains of an ounce 
 of gold, which he kept carefully slmt up iu his mouth for fear of thieves. 
 
 On Sunday the arriero met a peasant friend of his, on the Puerta de Mar, M'ho 
 pressed him to accompany him to church. The cautious mountaineer refused, saying 
 he had an ounce of gold in his faja, and that he feared to mix in the crowd. His 
 friend insisted that that was no reason for shirking mass, and he added, " Put tbe gold iu 
 your mouth, it will be safer than in your hand." This reasoning appeared conclusive to the 
 arriero, who went with his friend to church. But some good-for-nothing j3z7Zos, granvjas, or 
 charranes, had overheard the conversation, and had also seen the ounce of gold carefully 
 pass from the faja into tbe mouth of its owner. Thfee of them followed their victim into 
 church, but before entering they each of them took hold of the corners of a handkerchief, 
 into which they threw a few pieces of money, and played the part of sailors asking 
 offerings to have masses said to the Virgen del Cdrmen. Thus they made their way to 
 the arriero, who was standing iu the centre of a group with his teeth firmly set over his 
 treasure, and looking with suspicion on every one who came near him. The improvised 
 seamen knelt down and appeared to pray devoutly, keeping an eye all the while on the 
 arriero. At last, after the Ite Missa est, one of them let go his hold of the handkerchief, 
 and the coins rolled on the stone floor. 
 
 " Ca'balleros,\&i no one move," said one of the charranes; "all this coin belongs to 
 the Virgen Santisima. Look for the ounce I it is an ounce of gold ! Where is the 
 ounce of gold ? " Every one bent down to look, and the sailors loudly called out, " Has no 
 one seen the ounce of gold for the masses to Maria Santisima f Who can have taken it ? " 
 
 "It is that villain, who has just picked it up and put it into his mouth," said an 
 accomplice, pointing to the poor arriero, who, confused and startled, artlessly put his hand 
 to his mouth and took out the golden ounce, while auotlier accomplice, with well-feigned 
 indignation, snatched it out of his hand and placed it in the handkerchief of the poor 
 sailors. The public heaped a storm of abuse on the head of the arriero, who, when per- 
 mitted to speak, protesting his innocence, and proclaiming his loss, found that the thieves had 
 slipped through the crowd like snakes through a hedge and were away dividing their booty. 
 
 In spite of their tattered costume, the lazzaroni of Malaga have a certain jauntiness 
 of air, by which they are readily distinguished from the professional beggars ; besides 
 this, they never ask for alms— they prefer helping themselves. The esplanade del Muelle 
 is the common scene of their exploits. There' they levy a certain duty upon the 
 

THE CHARRAN OF MALAGA. 
 
 217 
 
 goods that are shipped and imported; sometimes it is a 6acaZao— cod-fish— which they slip 
 beneath their shirt, an enormous onion, melon, or some batatas. They are also clever at 
 samphng a bag of rice by plunging their navaja into it, and receiving the sample in their 
 sombrero. They then repair to some rendezvous in the dry bed of the Guadalmediua, 
 or other out-of-the-way spot, where, erecting a few stones to support their pots, they 
 kindle a fire and cook their spoil. Tiiese feasts are usually terminated by a game at 
 cards, A rusty mantle, folded and laid on the ground, serves for a card cloth, and the 
 cards are so soiled by use that it is almost impossible to distinguish the points. They 
 are not less passionately devoted to 
 games of chance, into which certainty 
 is so frequently introduced by stealth, 
 as to terminate the festivities with 
 a general scuffle, when blows with 
 fists, sticks, and stones fall like a 
 shower of hail, confining itself in this 
 instance to the unjust. The Guadal- 
 mediua is generally the theatre where 
 disputes are settled by the pedreas, or 
 stone-hurlers, as the bed of this ro- 
 mantic stream supplies an unlimited 
 store of projectiles to suit all tastes. 
 It is there, too, that the quarrels of 
 the barrios, or the rival quarters in 
 Malaga, are settled. 
 
 The charran adds to his numerous 
 other accomplishments that of being 
 an inveterate smoker, and displays a 
 decided genius for finding cigar ends, 
 which he transforms into cigarettes. 
 When chance sends a puro into his 
 liands, he generally divides it with his 
 friends, and this division takes place 
 in the following singular manner. The 
 rascals ranofe themselves, according to 
 age, ill a ring. The veteran of the 
 circle lights the cigar, and, pulling as 
 long a pufi" as he well can, passes the 
 fragrant weed to his next neighbour 
 
 in seniority', who does the same, and the pv,ro thus circulates from mouth to mouth, each 
 inflating his cheeks to their fullest capacity, until it is completely consumed. The charran 
 sleeps in summer in the open air, beneath the shade of the houses, in spite of the blood- 
 thirsty mosquitos, his tough bronzed skin defying their most sanguinary assaults ; while, 
 in winter, he always finds some portico Avhere, pillowing his head upon the stones, he can 
 shelter himself from the north winds. Although mixed up in all the fetes, demonstrations, 
 and riots, he occupies strictly neutral ground in politics. It is related that when the 
 French army, under the command of General S^bastini, presented themselves before 
 Malaga, troops of charranes aided the defenders, shouting, " Viva Ferdinando VII ! " Men 
 
 THE CHARRAN OF MALAGA. 
 
2i8 SPAIN. 
 
 aimed with long knives and poniards could not hold out long against showers of grape, 
 and when the French made their entry into the town they were headed by the same 
 roughs, shouting as loudly as before, " Viva Napoleon ! " 
 
 ° We have just touched upon the haratero, who is a man from the dregs of the people, 
 but who is dangerously expert in handling the navaja and the puncd, and who trades upon 
 the terror he inspires, by exacting blackmail from fortunate gamesters. We have pointed 
 out that the lower orders in Andalucia are inveterate gamblers. Each town has a certain 
 number of men of no profession, called tahures, which corresponds to that of the grecs, 
 
 whose industry is play. 
 
 The edicts of Alphonso the Wise against tafurerias, or gambling-houses, serve 
 to show that during his time the love of play was sufficiently strong to warrant State 
 interference, and if we are to believe the testimony of a Sevillian author, F;ijardo, the 
 vice was still as deeply rooted towards the end of the seventeenth century. This author 
 gives an account of the tricks practised by the swindlers in the pay of tlie grecs of 
 the period. 
 
 Each town in Andalucia has its garitos, or gaming-houses, where all the professional 
 gamesters congregate, and to whom one might apply this old verse : — 
 
 " Ya el jugador de Espana 
 Su esperanza no fia 
 En el inoierto azar, sino en la mafia." 
 
 " To-day the player of Spain — In chance has less faith than in the address of his fingers." 
 The garitos are not the only resorts of gamblers ; they meet everywhere — on the shore, 
 under the shade of a boat, beneath the umbrageous trees, or under an old wall in some 
 obscure corner. The parties are made up of the charranes and other vagrants, to whom 
 are added soldiers or sailoi's. Look by the side of this falucho, aground on the sand, 
 whose sails are drying in the sun. The crew, some of them seated, others stretched flat on 
 the beach, are engrossed in a game of cards. They are playing pecao, or cani ; their faces 
 are agitated and unquiet-looking, afi'ected either by the passion of play, or by fear of seeing 
 an alguacil arrive. Suddenl}?^, without knowing whence he came, a man of pale complexion, 
 wearing a sinister expression of face, and a bold insulting aspect, appears in the midst of 
 the group. He has a robust frame, and carries his jacket over his broad shoulder, while 
 his short trousers are held up hy a wide silk waistband. He is a haratero, who has 
 thus unceremoniously installed himself among the phiyers, and who calmly announces 
 that he has come to deduct his share of the profits — cahrar elharato. The amount of this 
 blackmail is usually small, about ten centimes to the game. 
 
 " AM va eso!" cried the haratero, casting down into the middle of the group something 
 done up in a dirty piece of paper, which had probably served to wrap up fried fish. 
 It was a packet of cards — haraja — that is, " What does it signify if you play with these 
 cards?" " Aqui no se juega sino con mis harajas" ("Here no one dare play, but with 
 my cards"). If the players are inclined to submit, the haratero pockets his cuartos, and the 
 play passes ofi" quietly. But it sometimes happens that in the group there is an awkward 
 character to deal with, a valiente — valiant man, literally — a mozo cruo (an almost untrans- 
 latable Andalucian expression, which denotes a youth endowed with the attributes of pluck, 
 hardihood, and pride), who would fearlessly reply, " Camard, nojotros no necesitamos jeso ! " 
 ("Comrade, we have no need of them! ") as he hands back the cards to the haratero; who 
 replies, " Chiquiyo, venga aqui el harato y sonsoniche ! " (" Boy, make haste and hand me 
 the harato ; not another word ! ") The mozo cruo then draws a long knife from his vest, 
 

 
 
 
 A BARATERO EXACTING THE BAEATO- 
 
 To feme. pag& 2 1 c 
 
THE BAEATEEO. 221 
 
 and opening it with a clang of its spring, drives tlie point close to the stakes, and exclaims, 
 while he glares defiance at the intruder, " Aqui no se cobra el barato sino con la punta de 
 una navaja " (" Here the barato is only reached by the point of the navaja "). The challenge 
 is usucally accepted, and the adversaries pronounce the solemn " Vamonos !" or " Vamos 
 alll ! " (" Let us go ! ") or, " Vamos d echar un viaje ! " (" Let us make a journey ! ") It is 
 their _;acia est alea. Then repairing to some retired spot, the navajas or punals are drawn, 
 gleam for an instant in the light, and one of the combatants is sacrificed. But crimes 
 of this sort do not always remain unpunished : it sometimes happens that two or three 
 months later, one hears in tlie streets of the town the sound of a small bell, and the voice 
 of a man asking alms para decir misas por el alma de un pobre que van d ajusticar ("To 
 say masses for the soul of an unfortunate man who is about to be executed"). 
 
 At other times, two barateros meet on the same ground, and either agree to divide 
 their share of the stakes, or to fight a duel, which is certain to terminate fatally to one 
 of them ; or it may be that the baratero who surprises a group of players is merely a 
 blustering bully, who is only audacious with the timid, and skulks off when he encounters 
 a formidable foe — a type known by the name of maton, the matachin, the valenton, the 
 perdonavidas, &c. When two braves of this sort meet, a most amusing dialogue takes 
 place between them, of which we will try to give some notion, although the Andaluciau 
 language loses greatly by translation into another tongue. 
 
 " Ea ! it is here that the braves are about to perform," cries one of them, as he makes 
 the spring of his navaja ring. 
 
 " Tire oste ! Draw, comrade Juan," cries the other, as he walks round his adversary. 
 
 " Vente d mi, Curriyo ! Not so much skulking around." 
 
 " It is you, zefbo Juan, who leap like a little dog." 
 
 " Ea, Dios mio ! Hold, while you commend your soul to God ! " 
 
 " Have I wounded you ? " 
 
 " No, it is nothing." 
 
 " Ah ! well, I mean to slay you with a blow. You may ask for extreme unction." 
 
 " Escape, por Dios, Curriyo ! You see you are in my power, and I mean to bore a hole 
 in you, larger than the arch of yonder bridge." 
 
 This dialogue would last for more than an hour, if the friends did not interpose ; and 
 the two adversaries, who are ready to be appeased, close their knives and adjourn to 
 some taberna, where their wrath is drowned in a canez dejarez. 
 
 Besides the barateros who practise on the shore, there are those of them who reign 
 in prison, and the baratero soldado, or de tropa, the tyrant of his regiment, who is permitted 
 by the sergeant to shirk his duties, lest he should make him a dangerous enemy. 
 
 The baratero de la carcel is the most odious and most dangerous type of all. Lost 
 in vice from his boyhood, he has passed the greater part of his life in prison — el estarivel 
 or casa de poco trigo — literally, the house where there is little wheat, as the thieves say in 
 their picturesque slang. Whenever a newly condemned preso has passed within the prison 
 gates, the baratero exacts from him the diesmo — the welcome. This request and salutation 
 is always made navaja in hand, and should the new-comer refuse to contribute las moneas, 
 los metales, the question is decided by an exchange of navajazos. When justice interposes 
 to inquire into the murder, the navajas are rarely to be found, as the caraceleros have 
 an endless variety of ways of concealing the weapon, each one more ingenious than 
 the other. 
 
 To complete our picture of this strange type, we cannot do better than quote a few 
 
222 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 vei-ses of an Andalucian song, El baratero, in germania—ov slang of the Spanish 
 thieves : — 
 
 Al que me gmfia le mato, 
 Que yo compr^ la baraja, 
 
 EsU ost6? 
 Ya desnud^ mi navaja : 
 Largue el coscon y el novate 
 
 Su parn^, 
 Porque yo cobro el barato 
 En las chapas y en el cane. 
 
 Eico trujan y buen trago — 
 Tengo una vida de obispo ! 
 
 EsU oste? 
 Mi voluntad satisfago 
 Y & costa ajena machispo, 
 
 Y porque ? 
 Porque yo cobro y no pago 
 En las chapas y en el cane. 
 
 He who murmurs dies by a blow, 
 For I have bought the haraja, 
 
 Don't you know ? 
 I have drawn my bare navaja : 
 On novices and innocents bestow 
 
 Your silver. 
 It is I who touch the barato 
 At the chapas and at the canS. 
 
 With rich tobacco and ripe wine, 
 The life of a bishop is mine ! 
 
 Don't you know? 
 My tastes are indulged every one, 
 At my own expense there are none. 
 
 And wherefore ? 
 Because I receive and never pay 
 At the chapas and at the cane. 
 
 Oue can almost foretell the end of the baratero: it is on the scaffold, erected in some 
 public place to carry out the punishment of the garrote. The executioner fixes the 
 fatal collar of iron, el coibatin de Vizcaya, while asking the traditional pardon of the 
 condemned : Me perdonas ? 
 
 FENCING WITH THE PuSaL. 
 
ARRAKCO IN THE SIERRA DE HONDA. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Environs of Malaga — Loja — The Pena de los Enamorados — Archidona— Tlie Audalucian bandolsros ; the Ninos of 
 Ecija; Jos^ Maria — Antequera — Ronda ; the Rondenas — The contrabandistas and the contraband trade of 
 Andalucia—Gaucin— Gibraltar — San Koque — Aljeciras — Tarifa : the Tarifenas — Vejer and the torrftos— Chiclana 
 
 Cadiz; the "improbte Gaditanse" of Martial — Lord Byron and the bulls — The Puerta Santa Maria — Jarez de ia 
 
 Frontera— The Jarezanos— The Plaza— The toro del aguardiente— The vineyards— The wines of Jarez— Arcos de 
 la Frontera — San Lncar de Barrameda ; the manzanilla — Bonanza— The Guadalquivir— An herradero — The 
 novilladas de lugar — San Juan de Alfarache— Arrival at Seville. 
 
 Before quitting Malaga, we visited the Ho3^a, a beautiful plaiu lying between the 
 mountains and the broad Mediterranean. 
 
 The first branch of railway had just been, opened, which was to unite Malaga to the 
 line from Cordova to Seville. Passing Autequera and Ecija, we arrived at the temporary 
 station, and, leaving the suburbs, crossed one of the most lovely and fertile plains 
 of Andalucia, or indeed of the whole world, where palms wave their plumes over vast 
 fields of sugar-canes. Next clay we returned to Malaga, in order to make a long detour by 
 Alliama, that town of toreros, bandoleros, and contrabandistas. Again quitting Malaga, we 
 
224 SPAIN. 
 
 arrived during the evening at Lojca, by following the banks of the Genii, which flows 
 through a valley planted with vines and olive-trees, its limpid waters hidden between 
 two walls of rock. Loja, on account of the rich verdure by which it is eucompassed, is 
 not only one of the prettiest, but also one of the most agreeable, towns in Andalucia. 
 In passing on from Loja to Antequera, just before reaching the town of Archidona we 
 noticed an immense monolithic rock, known as the Pena de las Enamorados — the " Lovers' 
 Rock"— rising boldly from the plain, and to which the local legends impart a fame as great 
 as that enjoyed by the Lovers' Hill in Normandy. A very old tradition is recorded by 
 Andrea Navagiero in his curious work : " Tra Antaquera e Archidona, a mezzo camino si 
 passa presso un monte molto aspero detto, La Pena de los Enamorados del caso di due 
 innamorati, un cristiano d' Antequera e una Mora d' Archidona, li quali essendo stati molti di 
 nascosti in quel monte, al fine ritrovati, non vedendopotere scampare che non fossero presi 
 . . . ne viver I'un senza Valtro, elessero morireinsieme. . . ." 
 
 It is the dramatic history of a Christian cavalier named Manuel, and a young Moor 
 called Laila. The Christian was made prisoner by a Moorish prince, whose daughter, the 
 beautiful Laila, became enamoured of Manuel, and they had agreed to fly together to the 
 country of her lover. The two fugitives were on the point of setting foot in the land of 
 their choice, when, dreading pursuit, they hid themselves in the recesses of the rock, where 
 they remained concealed for several days. Unfortunately, they were discovered by a 
 troop of Moorish soldiers sent in pursuit, who were ordered to seize and carry back the 
 fugitives. But Manuel and Laila, climbing to the summit of the rock, were followed by the 
 soldiers. Nevertheless, no one daring to lay hands on a lady of the royal blood, Laila 
 clung to the neck of her lover, and vowed rather to die than bear separation. At that 
 moment the prince, her father, appeared, and in vain implored her to come to him. Manuel 
 and Laila then embracing, cast themselves from the rock, at the foot of which they were 
 found lifeless, but still locked in each other's arms. A cross was erected on the spot, and the 
 rock named Pena de los Enamorados. 
 
 We stopped for a short time at the little town of Archidona, which is perched, like an 
 eagle's nest, in the centre of the rocks. Formerly it was the most favourite retreat of the 
 bandits of Andalucia ; its environs, broken up by deep ravines, caverns, and patches of 
 dark forests, are well suited to afi"ord shelter to an armed band. The country was the 
 principal theatre of the exploits of the famous Josd Maria, of whose deeds the people still 
 speak with mingled terror and respect. 
 
 We mounted to the summit of the Torre Mocha, from which we could still see the Pena 
 de los Enamorados, whose profile reminded us of the rock of Gibraltar. We also visited a 
 number of caves near Antequera, which has served as an asylum for many generations 
 and which still serves as a refuge for tribes of nomadic gipsies. 
 
 Antequera, like all the surrounding country, bristles with mountains : those stretch- 
 ing away towards the south, called the Serrania de Ronda, play an important part 
 in the history of brigandage. These sierras sheltered the numerous bands of marauders 
 who defied the authorities, and who were the constant dread of travellers. The capitan de 
 bandoleros was generally an active and robust man, his shaved head covered with a silk 
 handkerchief of bright colours, with the two ends falling on the nape of the neck ; over 
 this was his sombrero calccnes, ornamented with numerous puff's of black silk, while his 
 waistcoat of soft leather was garnished with all sorts of trimmings and embroideries of 
 silk, and innumerable silver filigree buttons. Add to this, short-trimmed trousers, falling 
 a little below the knee and showing the form, and supplemented by elegant gaiters of 
 
THE ANDALUCIAN BANDOLEROS. 225 
 
 embroiJered leather, and you have a fair picture of a brigand chief, to render which 
 complete, we have only to add tiie faja, or waistband, of rich silk, holding a brace of loaded 
 pistols, a slender punal, a cuchillo de monte, a large poniard, provided with a sheath and 
 horn handle, fitted into the barrel of his carbine. 
 
 The geuuine bandolero made his expeditions mounted on a strong Andalucian potro, 
 whose flowing black mane was decked with silk aparejos, and whose tail was surmounted 
 by the sort of ribbon the Audalucians call ata-cola, and a manta of coloured stripes, edged 
 with a fringe of tufts hanging at each side. It is needless to say that the inevitable trabuco 
 malagueno, with its wide mouth, is also suspended (its butt-end in the air, Arab fashiou) to 
 the goncho of a saddle : this completes the equipment, and it is said that Josd Maria, thus 
 armed and mounted, used to address this joke to his comrades, " Who will dare to demand 
 my passport ? " 
 
 The classic expedition of the bandolero was the attack on the coach : as soon as the 
 sentries announced its approach, the road was blocked up by the partida and the horses 
 knocked over or unharnessed; the travellers were ordered to get down, and to place themselves 
 on the ground face downwards, boca abajo ; their hands were then tied behind their backs, 
 after which the captain gave orders to proceed to the visite des bagages. They also searched 
 the passengers, and left them, after having menaced with death he who, before half an 
 hour had elapsed, should dare to make the sliglitest movement. When the partida had 
 regained its haunt, the spoil was divided among the men, whose number rarely exceeded 
 eight or ten persons. It was parted into three lots — one for the chief, one for the baud, 
 and a third for a sort of reserve fund, destined to help unfortunates who fell into the 
 hands of justice ; and to pay for masses for the souls of those who ended their days, 
 according to their picturesque language, by dancing at the gibbet without castanets. 
 
 One of the most celebrated partidas of Andalucia, was that of Ninos de Ecija : this 
 famous band had numerous spies, largely paid, who knew all the routes of the coaches, 
 the gaUfes and convoys of silver. They had informers in the farms, and even in the 
 towns, and whenever any on-e betrayed them, it was not long before his body was found 
 riddled with poniard thrusts, inflicted by some unknown hand. 
 
 The Ninos de Ecija frequently changed their leader. Their most renowned chieftain, 
 whose chivalrous generosity has been so much vaunted, was the Capitan Ojitos, an 
 accomplished cavalier belonging to a good family of Ecija, and who turned more than 
 one girl's head. His second, because of his fierce and cunning air, received the name, 
 Cara de hereje — " heretic face." Capitan Ojitos came to a tragic end : when quarrelling with 
 one of his bandoleros named I'iria, a fight with the punal ensued, which terminated fiitally 
 to both combatants. 
 
 The Ninos de Ecija were long and vainly pursued. Unable to overcome them 
 by force, stratagem was resorted to : a false brother was sent to apprise them of a rich 
 convoy, that was to pass along a certain route, which he was careful to point out. A little 
 before the hour agreed upon, the bandits proceeded in force to await their prize. A bag 
 of silver duros had been set in the middle of the road. One of the band, thinking it had 
 been lost by some traveller, hastened to open it with his poniard, when the sound 
 of the silver falling on the stones attracted the entire baud, and every man of them bent 
 over the treasure. At this moment a volley was fired by the soldiers who were concealed 
 in the bushes, and the bandoleros fell riddled with balls, their pursuers having seized the 
 opportunity of their being gathered in a group, just as would a sportsman when partridges 
 meet round a handful of grain thrown down to attract them. 
 
2 26 SPAIN. 
 
 Jos^ Mcaria, tlie illustrious bandolero, was the true model of a courteous, chivalrous 
 
 bandit. 
 
 " Del pobre protector, ladroii sensible, 
 
 Fue sempre con el rico inexorable." 
 
 " Protector of the poor, brigand most sensitive," says the popular song ; " he always 
 proved inexorable with the rich." Jos6 Maria, a native of Eonda, like most of the 
 Andalucians, had a sobriquet, Apodo ; but his surname was Tempranillo, because he was 
 always afoot early in the morning. He loved to distribute to the poor, it is said, what 
 he had stolen from the rich ; and thus became very popular in Andalucia. This renowned 
 robber ended his days in tranquillity and peace, as would an honest annuitant. Like 
 most of the bandoleros he had his querida — beloved — a brown girl of Serrania de Eouda, who 
 persuaded him to demand his pardon, which the authorities were only too ready to grant. 
 His many and daring exploits are celebrated in the popular romances, one of which 
 reproaches the Government for making terms with him and his band. 
 
 " Al valor espariol baciendo insulto, 
 Pidi6 al bandido contener su saiia, 
 Y di61e en pago miserable indulto 
 Para baldon de la valiente EspaJia ! " 
 
 " Offering insult to the valour of Spain — He conjures the bandit to control his rage,— 
 And bribes him to piece with a pardon, — Insulting the valiant of Spain." 
 
 Most Spanish towns have their popular novels, in which the bandoleros nearly always 
 have the first characters assigned to them. One might also say that the children learn 
 how to read by means of these romantic histories of the brigands. One day we bought in 
 the little town of Carmona a cancion Andalusa, entitled El Bandolero : 
 
 " Soy gefe de bandoleros, 
 
 Y al frente de mi partida 
 Nada mi pecho intimida, 
 Nada me puede arredrar. 
 Que vengan carabineros. 
 Que vengan guardias civilcs. 
 Mis trabucos naranjeros 
 Les barAn escarmentar, 
 
 Y no querrAn mas ensayo ; 
 
 A caballo ! 
 Trabucazo, y a cargar ! " 
 
 "I am chief of the bandoleros, —And at the head of my partida— l^othmg can 
 me intimidate,— Nothing can my progress arrest.— Come along, carabineers,— Come along, 
 civil guards— my carbines the calibre of an orange.— We'll teach them how to live— 
 The/11 never wish to try again.— To horse !— Discharge your carbines and advance ! " 
 
 Thus the histories of the bandits are hawked about the streets, affording noble 
 examples to the rising generation; for instance that of Diego Corrientes, el Bandido 
 generoso, of Orejita, of Palillos, or of Francisco Esteban, el Guapo. Woodcut illustrations, 
 all for two cuartos, represent these freebooters in the gayest Andalucian costume, 
 plundering poor travellers who are on their knees begging for mercy. Then there is also 
 the Siete hermanos Vandoleros, which contains " the life, imprisonment, and death of seven 
 bandit brothers, with the harrowing details of the cruelty, attacks, and assassinations 
 committed by Andres Vasquez and his six brothers, as the curious reader may see for 
 himself" The members of this singularly amiable family, who were all caught in 
 
BANDOLEROS. 
 
 227 
 
 the same net, owned themselves guilty of a liundred and two murders, without counting 
 many other peccadillos of a similar kind. 
 
 Even women have their places in the gallery of brigandage. We have now before us 
 a little yellow paper, headed by a spirited representation of a young girl on horseback, 
 armed with a carbine and wearing a sabre at her side ; it is the Relcwion de las atrocidades 
 de Margarita Cisneros, who was garrotted in 1852. This interesting young womnn 
 
 ROMAN BRIDGE AT ROHDA. 
 
 commenced by killing her husband, and then her querido. She was still in the bloom of 
 youth when arrested ; nevertheless, she owned herself guilty of fourteen assassinations. 
 
 Not many years ago, it was customary to expose the heads of captured bngands m 
 a cage in the public highway. This was the fate of a celebrated bandit, Faco el Zakio 
 
 K 
 
228 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 (Joseph the Gracious), who found his victims not over twenty years ago in the 
 
 environs of Seville. 
 
 Soon after quitting Antequera we perceived on our left the town of Teba, on a height, 
 and in the midst of a magnificent landscape ; this town gave its name to an illustrious 
 personage, of whom the Andalucians always speak with respect. 
 
 THE YOUNG TOREROS : A SCENE IN RONDA. 
 
 Ronda is the town of toreros, of majos, and of contrabandistas. Here the ancient 
 Andalucian costume will hold its own for some time to come against the inroads of railways 
 and civilisation. 
 
 The town is perched on the top of a rock overlooking a deep dark ravine, el Tojo, 
 
RONDA. 229 
 
 through which the Guadalvin makes its tortuous way. From a bridge reported to be 
 Roman, a bold structure thrown across the chasm, we overlooked a number of ancient 
 Moorish mills set up on the borders of the stream, and which in the distance looked like 
 Nuremberg toys. 
 
 Ronda has lost but little of its ancient characteristics ; many of the streets and houses 
 still preserve their original Arabic names. We were shown the home of the Moorish King, 
 la casa del Rey Moro, anciently tenanted, according to tradition, by Al-Mohamed, the Arab 
 prince, who had the skulls of his fallen enemies mounted in gold, and used as drinking-cups. 
 The air of Ronda, sharper and fresher than that of the plains, is famed for its purity, and 
 the inhabitants have the robust bearins: which characterises smugglers and toreros. 
 
 " En Eonda los hombres 
 A ochenta son pollones ! " 
 
 — " In Ronda men of eight}'- are still only children." 
 
 The Plaza de Toros of Ronda is worthy of a town which has always been looked 
 upon as the classic locality of bull-fightiug ; the young Rondenos play at "bull," just 
 as our children play at soldiers. On one occasion we witnessed a scene of this kind, 
 a little family picture which could not have been more skilfully composed. The father on 
 his knees, his head lowered in the position of a bull about to charge ; a boy of eight years, 
 taking the espada's part, held in his left hand his jacket in place of the muleta, and in his 
 right a willow wand, serving him as a sword. Another boy on horseback, mounted on his 
 brother's shoulders, seemed proud of playing the part of picador. The neighbours who 
 surrounded the group were eyeing the combat like consummate lovers of the art, and we 
 ourselves asked permission to be present at the corrida. 
 
 The rondenas, the songs so popular in Audalucia, take their name from the town of 
 Ronda. Like the malaguenas and the rondenas, they are doubtless of Moorish origin. They 
 are the most plaintive and expressive of all the Andalucian airs. The guitar always 
 accompanies the voice, either by simple chords, or arpeggios which serve alike as prelude 
 and accompaniment. 
 
 The virtuos of Ronda are famed all over Spain ; and amid the silence of a hob 
 summer night, when one passes through the little town of the Serrania, one hears the 
 melancholy chords of the rondena. Those melodies, so simple and so primitive, admit of 
 infinite variations, which are only limited by the caprice, or by the imagination of the 
 singer. 
 
 Like the malaguenas, the rondenas are composed of couplets of four lines, the first 
 repeated twice over. There are many charming ideas to be found in these poems of the 
 
 people. 
 
 " El dia que tu naciste, 
 
 Nacieron todas las flores ; 
 Y en la pila del bautisrao 
 Cantaron los ruiseiiores.'' 
 
 — " The day of thy birth — All the flowers were born ; — O'er thy font baptismal — The 
 nightingales sung." 
 
 " Tus ojos son ladrones 
 Que roban y burtan ; 
 Tus pestanas el monte 
 Donde se ocultan." 
 
 '= Thine eyes are brigands — Who rob and ravish. — Thy lashes, the forest — In which 
 
 they find ambush." 
 
230 SPAIN. 
 
 "El amor y la naranja 
 Se parecen infinito : 
 Por muy dulces que sean 
 De agrio tienen su poquito.'' 
 
 " Love and the orarge — Are strangely alike : — For sweet as they may seem — TLey are 
 
 not witLout bitterness." 
 
 The route which joins Gaucin, San Eoque, and Aljeciras, about thirty years ago M'as 
 very much frequented by brigands, and is still the resort of the contrabandista of the 
 present day. The country is very mountainous and the roads are only traversed by mules, 
 as they are quite unsuitable for the wheels of the diligence. The mountains are also furrowed 
 with patbs, many of them accessible only to the agile and hardy serranos, who take in 
 their supplies at Gibraltar, the great entrepdt which England ceaselessly furnishes with 
 cheap wares destined for the Spanish interior. Such articles as are heavily burdened 
 with duty are operated upon by the smugglers, who, many of them, are thus enabled to 
 realise rapid fortunes. 
 
 We fell in with a contrabandista in a venta not far from Gaucin, who, like ourselves, 
 was bound for San Eoque and Aljeciras — the two grand centres, after Gibraltar, for 
 contraband operations. 
 
 Our travelling companion rode a splendid black mare. As for himself, he was a 
 powerfully-built, jolly fellow about thirty years of age, wearing a costume not unlike that 
 of an Andalucian Tnajo, while his querida was mounted behind him. 
 
 It was not long before we became friends with this bold trader, who when assured 
 that we were neither government servants nor carahineros (custom-house officers), but 
 simi>ly franchutes — such is the nickname given by the peasantry to the French — soon made 
 us acquainted with some of the mysteries of his daring craft. 
 
 The first operation of the contrabandista consists in his proceeding to Gibraltar to lay 
 in his stock of wares. It is generally the Jews who supply him with the articles in 
 demand — muslin, silk handkerchiefs, cigars, tobacco, &c. 
 
 So far nothing is safer or simpler in trade, but the difficulty is how to introduce them 
 into Spanish territory; but there is the corredor, wLo is able to solve the problem. This 
 agent is a person who has found it necessary, on account of his peculiar peccadillos, to 
 take up his abode in Gibraltar. The industry of this middle-man consists in removing the 
 obstacles which conscientiously-disposed customs' officers might set up. A few pesetas here 
 and a few pesetas there, silently dropped into the hands of certain ornaments of justice 
 and guardians of revenue, renders them unable to discover the contents of the alforjas, or 
 the nature of the articles concealed beneath the aparejo of the mules. It sometimes happens 
 that the corredor undertakes operations on a much larger scale, on account of important 
 mercantile firms. 
 
 Our more modest contrabandista contents himself by taking a few loads of silk 
 handkerchiefs, or tobacco, and as soon as he has crossed the frontier he joins his comrades, 
 and the caravan sets off on the march, taking care to travel only at night, halting during 
 daylight in the cortijadas, or isolated farms, or in villages where they have trusty friends. 
 
 These hardy smugglers know all the most difficult passes of the sierras, which they, 
 some of them, cross with burdens on their backs and carbines slung over their shoulders, 
 clinging with their hands to the projecting ledges on the perpendicular rocks. 
 
 Strange to relate, these traders are often on the best of terms with the authorities of 
 the villages through which they pass, never neglecting to offer a packet of fragrant cigars to 
 the alcalde, tobacco to his scribe, and an attractive silk handkerchief to la senora alcaldesa. 
 
SMUGGLEKS OF THE SEKEA^'IA DE KONDA. 
 
 To face parje 230. 
 
SAN EOQUE. 233 
 
 They almost always reacli tlieir destination without let or hindrance. Nevertheless, 
 they are at times surprised by a band of carabineros, when they wake the echoes of the 
 sierras with the reports of their retacos. This, however, is a very rare occurrence, as it 
 pays better to settle amicably with their easily pacified foes, who are always open to the 
 magic influence of a few duros. 
 
 Arrived at the termination of his journey, the trader delivers up his wares to his 
 constituents, who sell them on joint account; but it sometimes happens that the tobacco 
 and cigars are sold for the trader's sole benefit. 
 
 This daring adventurer, when not engaged in commerce, devotes his hours of leisure 
 to spending, with reckless prodigality, the money he has gained at the peril of his life. 
 He passes his time at the taherna, either playing at monte (a game at cards of which he is 
 passionately foud), or in relating his adventures, taking care to moisten his narrative with 
 frequent bumpers of sherry, remojar la palabra, to soften his words, according to the common 
 Andalucian phrase. 
 
 As might naturally be expected, and notwithstanding his brilliant opportunities, the 
 contrabandist who does the work rarely accumulates a fortune, while wealth and honour 
 seem to wait upon the hacienta with whom he shares his gains. He frequently ends his 
 days either in prison or in the presidio. 
 
 We were assured that many of the smugglers, when trade was languid, took to the 
 road and to lightening travellers of their baggage and money, an operation always conducted 
 with the utmost courtesy. It is just possible that this report only does them simple justice, as 
 the profession of smuggler is a sort of apprenticeship to that of highway robber. 
 
 Gaucin is about half-way between Ronda and Gibraltar ; its old Moorish battlements 
 afi'ord one of the finest views to be met with in this quarter. In the foreground the 
 spurs of the Sierra de Ronda slope down gently to the sea, their sombre tints presenting 
 a striking contrast to the bright hues of the sunny plain. Beyond this plain the 
 Mediteri-anean stretches out like a long belt of azure, above which rises a little dark 
 speck — it is the rock of Gibraltar. Further still may be dimly descried, like clouds 
 resting on the horizon, the mountains on the African coast between Tangier and Ceuta. 
 After Gaucin, the road skirts the most frightful precipices, where rocks are piled 
 up one above another in chaotic masses, bearing testimony to some ancient upheaval 
 which had convulsed and overturned the land. 
 
 We arrived in the evening at San Roque, just in time to obtain a sunset view of 
 Gibraltar rock. 
 
 San Roque is quite a modern town ; indeed, it does not date further back than the 
 beginning of last century, the time when Gibraltar was taken by the English. It is 
 the nearest Spanish town to the celebrated rock, from which it is separated by about two 
 leagues. A number of English families instal themselves in the town during the summer 
 months. San Roque has been affected by its vicinity to Gibraltar ; the cottages, with 
 bastard doors and guillotine windows, might for a moment lead to the illusion that 
 one was in some English town beneath an azure sky, did not an African sun dissipate 
 the dream. Making our way from the town, in a southerly direction, we came upon a 
 lono- and narrow belt of sand just above sea-level, called the neutral ground, and which 
 divides the British from the Spanish territory. We soon crossed the English lines, and 
 an instant after had entered Gibraltar, where we determined to rest for two or three days. 
 
 Leaving on one side the formidable rock, which, to the great grief of every good 
 Spaniard, has been held by England for more than a century and a half, we embarked 
 
2 34 SPAIN. 
 
 for Aljeciras in a falucho with long lateen sails, wliich rapidly clove its way through the 
 blue waves of the ba}^ 
 
 Aljeciras was called by the Arabs " Jezirah-al-Kbadr4 "— the green isle— a name 
 inappropriate at the present day, as verdure abounds neither in the town uoT in its 
 suburbs. It nevertheless is not without attractive features, and, unlike San Eoque, 
 still retains its Spanish characteristics, although Gibraltar is only two leagues distant. 
 On a clear day one can see the houses of the town at the foot of the enormous rock, and 
 during the evening we heard the report of the gun which announced the closing of the 
 port. 
 
 Crossing the hills to Tarifa, the European town nearest to the coast of Africa, we 
 descried the sharp peaks of the mountains in Morocco. 
 
 The town takes its name from the Moor, Tarif. During the Middle Ages it was 
 the scene of the exploits of the famous Guzman, who held it against the Infidels, and 
 thus obtained the name el Bueno, the Brave. The Tarifenas are celebrated for their beauty, 
 and, as far as we could judge, merit their fame ; this is, however, difficult to determine, 
 as they still adhere to the Arab usage of walking abroad veiled ; their mantilla conceals 
 part of the face, leaving exposed indeed only one soft, dark, lustrous eye, shaded by a long 
 fringe of silken lashes. 
 
 After quitting Tarifa, we crossed over a bleak and desolate country to the town 
 of Vejer, whose inhabitants are called Tardios, or "slow-coaches," as they are reported to be 
 anything but quick-witted. The use of this sobriquet is said to make them furious, and 
 its origin is thus explained. There is a rock at Vejer stained with yellow; this rock was 
 so much in the way of the inhabitants that they determined if possible to have it removed, 
 but from some failure in their projectiles they were reduced to employ eggs. All the eggs 
 in the country becoming exhausted, half the labourers repaired to a neighbouring village 
 to procure a fresh supply ; as they tarried on the way, they were received with cries of 
 " Llegad tardios!" ("Come on, sluggnrds.") Their labour was fruitless, but the tardios 
 at any rate left their mark on the rock. 
 
 The majority of the towns of Andalucia have their legends of this sort, accompanied 
 by some epithet more or less grotesque. The environs of Cadiz are particularly rich 
 in this way ; thus the inhabitants of Medina Sidonia are called zorros (foxes) ; and those 
 of Conil, desechados, which signifies something like deserted, or abandoned. Fenian 
 Caballero has given a charming sketch in his popular writings of this peculiar 
 characteristic of the Andalucians. 
 
 Chiclana, our next halting-place, is a small town situated on a height near the sea. 
 Graceful casas de recreo, with white walls and green shutters, indicated the vicinage of a 
 large town; it is to this place, indeed, that the people of Cadiz repair to enjoy the 
 sea breezes during summer. The Chidaneros, like their neighbours, have also their 
 nickname of Ataja-Frimos. The legend runs, that two cousins were one evening 
 strolling by the side of the river, when they beheld the moon reflected like a golden disc 
 on Its surface ; seized with a fit of temporary insanity, they strove to possess themselves 
 of this marvellous treasure, but their hot pursuit along the bank never brought them 
 nearer to the golden disc. Suddenly one said, " Dd vuelta adelante, y atdjala, prima"— 
 " Go, cousin, quickly round and bar the way." This idea of stealing a march upon the 
 moon gave rise to the name, like that of the " Wiltshire moon-rakers." 
 
 _ Hiippily they may console themselves with the reflection that the great Months, d 
 Chiclanero, the Csesar and the Napoleon of bull-fighting, was a native of their town. 
 

 "S. 
 
CADIZ. 237 
 
 Only a few hours separated us from Cadiz, and we soon quitted terra Jirma to cross to 
 the Isla de Leon, celebrated for its salt-pans, where crowds of half-naked salineros may 
 be seen, bronzed by the hot sun until they almost resemble Africans. We visited the 
 little town of San Fernando, noted for its splendid observatory, and an hour after landed 
 in Cadiz. 
 
 Cadiz is the most ancient city in Spain : it is even more ancient tlian Eonie. The 
 Phoenician Gaddir, which flourished more than a thousand years before the Christian era, 
 became later the Gades of the Eomans, and was for a long time the most prosperous town 
 of the Peninsula, a town built of white marble, and the centre of pleasure par excellence. 
 Of the once splendid marble palace, not one stone remains ; nevertheless Cadiz is, at the 
 present time, as renowned for its gaiety as (according to the description of Martial) it was 
 eighteen hundred years ago. It is necessary to read this poet in order to form some con- 
 ception of Cadiz as it existed during the Eoman epoch. " The great wealth," says an 
 ancient author, " had introduced corresponding luxury ; hence it was that the ladies of 
 Cadiz Avere in great demand, not only on account of their skill in playing upon diverse 
 instruments at public rejoicings, but also on account of their wit and humour, which were 
 extremely entertaining." 
 
 The improbce GaditancB, as Martial calls them, were celebrated throughout the whole 
 world for their dances, and for their skill in playing the hcBtica crusmata, which were 
 nothing more than the modern castanets. Lord Byron says :^ 
 
 " Fair is proud Seville ; let her country boast 
 
 Her strength, her wealth, her site of ancient days : 
 But Cadiz, rising on the distant coast, 
 
 Calls forth a sweeter, though ignoble praise. 
 
 " "When Paphos fell by time — accursed time. 
 
 The Queen who conquers all must yield to thee — 
 The pleasures fled, but sought as warm a clime ; 
 
 And Venus, constant to her native sea. 
 
 To nought else constant, hither deigned to flee, 
 And fixed her shrine within these walls of white." 
 
 " Her mj'steries are celebrated in a thousand temples, and on a thousand altars con- 
 secrated to her service the divine fire is kept up without ceasing." Fortunately for the 
 ladies of Cadiz, we are inclined to believe that this picture of the English poet is not more 
 accurate than his description of a corrida. Assuredly Lord Byron was no consummate 
 aficionado. In the same poem, " Childe Harold," the name " king of the forest " is given 
 to the unhappy bull that has never pastured but on treeless plains. 
 
 Viewed from a distance, Cadiz is likened by the Spaniards to a silver cup afloat on the 
 sea ; certainly the houses, whitewashed or tinted with subdued colours, inapart a singular 
 aspect to the town. When lit by the marvellous Andalucian sun, and softened by the blue 
 haze of distance, the city suggests to our mind a silver crown beneath the azure sky. 
 
 The houses of Cadiz, closely packed within its walls, rise to the height of six or seven 
 stories, thus making up in elevation for the contracted area within the fortifications. The 
 ladies of Cadiz repair to the Alameda, rather to be seen and admired than to see. Never- 
 theless, we may say with the poet that they are skilled in the art of ogling, although 
 we dare not repeat with him that they are always disposed to heal the wounds inflicted by 
 their glances. Among the women of Cadiz one must not omit to notice the cigarreras, the 
 girls, most of them young, who are employed at the Fdbrica de tabacos. The Andalucian 
 cigarrera is a separate type, which we will study more particularly at Seville. 
 
238 SPAIN. 
 
 We left Cadiz one morning early, in a faUa, garnished in front with two great red 
 eyes, like the Sicilian speronaro. A fresh breeze filled the white lateen sails, and our little 
 craft sped over the blue waters of the bay. The Puerto, where we were to disembark, 
 was only about three leagues from Cadiz, and we could already distinguish its houses like 
 a white line dividing sea and sky, and farther along the coast. Rota, celebrated for its 
 wines. Passing on our left the Puntilla and the fort of Santa Catalina, we soon landed 
 
 on the quay. 
 
 The Puerto, or Puerto Santa Maria as it is called, stands at the embouchure of the 
 Guadalete, which discharges itself into the bay of Cadiz. It is the entrepot and port 
 of embarkation for the wines of Jerez ; the town white, cheerful, and clean, resembles 
 Cadiz in miniature. We visited its vast cellars, which afforded a foretaste of those of Jerez, 
 as well as its Plaza de toros, one of the finest in Spain. 
 
 Los toros del Puerto is the title of an Andalucian song, popular all over Spain, 
 and which pictures the passion of the people of Cadiz for their national fetes. 
 
 " j Qiiien se embarca para el Puerto ? 
 Que se larga mi faliia ! " 
 
 " Who embarks for the Puerto 1 — My faliia holds the most ! " cried the boatman. Then 
 addressing himself to a young Andalucian, who was stepping into his barque-: 
 
 " Soiiorita, 
 Levantustd esa patita, 
 Y sartutd k este barquiyo ! 
 No se le ponga k uste tuerto 
 El molde de ese moniyo ! " 
 
 " Senorita, raise that little foot, and leap into the barque ! But be careful, lest you 
 spoil the model of that pretty bodice." 
 
 Jerez de la Frontera is thus named to distinguish it from Jerez de los CabaUeros, 
 a little town of Estremadura ; it received this name because of its nearness to Portugal. 
 The first thing that struck us on entering Jerez was its air of superior wealth, comfort, 
 and cleanliness, characteristics which, as a rule, do not belong to small Spanish towns. 
 The people of Jerez share, with other Andalucians, an established reputation as great 
 braggarts ; our calesero was such a master of the art of boasting, that he might have 
 served as the model for that Eelaclon Andaluza, popular in the country in which the 
 exploits and deeds of daring of the Pepillo el Jerezano are celebrated in verse. 
 
 The Jerezanos are not less famed as majos, toreros, and contraband istas. Their dances, 
 among others the classic Jaleo de Jerez, take the foremost place in the Andalucian 
 choreography. The majos of Jerez, who excel in wearing with grace the elegant 
 Andalucian costume, are said to be expert in the use of the navaja. 
 
 The Plaza of Jerez is perhaps, after that of Valencia, the most beautiful and largest 
 in Spain ; here we were present at a splendid course, where eight bulls were slaughtered ; 
 this number did not include the Toro del aguardiente, literally, the "brandy-bull." 
 This expression, which has no meaning to those unfamiliar with Andalucian customs, 
 applies to the extra bull usually given to the common people. This Toro del 
 aguardiente is combated by aficionados who often display more courage than experience, 
 and it not unfrequently leaves more than one victim on the plaza, while the exceptionally 
 fortunate toreros are those who retire with a simple wound. 
 
 The vineyards of tbis town occupy an area of about twelve thousand aranzadas of land, 
 something like fifteen thousand acres, yielding on an average, an annual supply, taking 
 
I 
 
 •2. 
 
THE WINE STORES OF JEREZ. 241 
 
 good and bad years together, of about fifteen thousand harricas of wine, nearly two million 
 five hundred thousand litres. The majority of the vineyards belong to wine merchants, 
 who cultivate the grapes, and also make the wine and the casks in which it is stored 
 for exportation. Some of these wine-farmers have vineyards that afford constant employ- 
 ment to a thousand labourers. For example, we will take the houses of Domecq and 
 of Gordon; M. Domecq owns the famous vineyard of Macharnudo, the one most celebrated 
 in the environs of Jerez, and which covers about five hundred acres. Close to the 
 vineyards are the great buildings provided for the accommodation of the labourers, and 
 for the machinery used in the manufacture of tlie wines. These buildings also contain 
 a large hall, used as a refectory and dormitory, and where, beneath the mantle of a large 
 chimney, the long winter evenings are spent by tlie labourers. We were present at one 
 of the popular tertulias, and it would be difficult to picture anything pleasanter, or more 
 picturesque. On the great hearth crackled a huge fire of vine branches, while an 
 enormous trunk of green oak, partly accommodated in the chimney, was seen through the 
 flames, with the big ants driven out by the heat from its bark. A group of a score of 
 Audalucians, in their picturesque attire, sat around smoking and listening to a stalwart 
 youth as he sang the couplets of the Tango Americano. 
 
 The house we visited also contained the quarters of the proprietor, a small chapel 
 for the use of the labourers, and a vast kitchen, by no means the least curious part of the 
 establishment. There we found four great copper caldrons on the fire, containing a mixture 
 of beef, bacon, garhanzos (chick-pgas), and tomatoes, filling the place with a steaming 
 fragrance that would have proved enticing, had it not been mingled with an overpowering 
 odour of rancid oil. Immense earthen pans of the coarse green painted pottery, made 
 in Seville, contained stores of provisions, gazpacho, that cold and refreshing soup so much 
 esteemed by the Audalucians, and the white alcarrazas of Andujar, laid out in long rows, 
 while a limpid stream of water filtered through the jiorous earth on to an inclined plane 
 of boards to keep all cool. 
 
 The vines of Jerez require to be tended with the most sedulous care. The labourers 
 are divided into squads of twelve, and sent out to the vineyards under the direction of 
 foremen, when the vintage begins. 
 
 As the grapes are gathered, they are spread out on large rush mats, esteras de esparto, 
 and exposed to the sun for several days, care being taken to cover them at night, to protect 
 them from the dew, and also to turn the grapes from time to time, so that the heat may 
 evaporate the moisture and prepare them for the press, to which they are then taken when 
 externally dry. The wine mosto, as, it comes from the press, is stored in casks and left to 
 ferment. The process of fermentation is generally completed in the month of January, 
 Avhen the wine is prepared for storing. 
 
 Before exportation, the wines of Jerez are clarified with a mixture of the white 
 of e^g and chalk, or a sort of white clay found in the environs of the town. 
 Afterwards a certain proportion of vino madre, or mother wine (old wine), is added to the 
 new to give tone to it. 
 
 Not a hota of wine leaves Jerez that is not, more or less, mixed with aguardiente — 
 brandy — as a preservative during the voyage to foreign countries, and also to satisfy the 
 palates of our neighbours across the sea. 
 
 The wines are also divided into secos and dulces. Among the former are classed the 
 Jerez seco, properly speaking the jerez amontillado. Both are made from the same grape, 
 from the same mosto, and even come from the same press ; nevertheless, they have neither 
 
242 SPAIN. 
 
 the same colour, taste, nor smell. Those important diflferenees, we were informed, are 
 effected simply by the particular manipulation to which the wine is subjected. 
 
 The jercz seco is distinguished by a bouquet peculiar to itself, more pronounced than 
 that of the amontiUado. There are the varieties called paja, oro, and oscuro, straw, gold, and 
 brown. The jerez oscuro or dark brown is prepared almost solely for the English market. 
 After receiving a strong dose of brandy it is the sort of wine sold in London as brown 
 
 sherry — -jercz brun. 
 
 The jcrez amontiUado, of a straw colour, more or less dark, having a flavour in which 
 connoisseurs recognise a cei'tain nut taste, much richer and higher priced than the other, 
 is eagerly sought after by " gourmets," gifted with a refined and delicate palate. The name 
 amontiUado is derived from the similarity of the wine to that of Montilla, in the province 
 of Cordova. 
 
 The sweet wines of Jerez are the pajarete, called pacaret in France, and equally well 
 known under the names pedro Jimenez, and the moscatel, or muscadine. The former is 
 produced from a grape also called pajarete, but it is first left exposed to the sun for twelve 
 days, becoming partly dry during that time, and developing a large percentage of sugar. 
 The moscatel is made from the muscadine grape, and produces a sweeter wine than the 
 pajarete. 
 
 The jercz is one of the wines which keep longest. We sampled some more than 
 eighty years old. The proprietors of Jerez receive strangers who may be introduced to 
 them with the greatest possible courtesy, throwing open their wine stores and vineyards 
 for thfir inspection. 
 
 The bodegas, or wine cellars, are long, unsightly buildings destitute of windows, but 
 the rich aroma which escapes from the doorways makes amends for their unpicturesque 
 exteriors. A well-stocked cellar presents the accumulated produce of four or five crops, 
 as the wine is hardly ripe for exportation until it is five years old. It also contains an 
 assortment of wines left to age for the purpose of mixing with the new, the vi7ios madres, and 
 lastly a variety of choice wines of different vintages. The average contents of a bodega is 
 about five thousand betas, each holding thirty arrobas (fifteen or sixteen litres). The cellars 
 belonging to M. Domecq, it is said, contain as many as fifty thousand casks. 
 
 Arcos de la Frontera, notwithstanding its close proximity to the railway from Cadiz 
 to Seville, is one of the places which has retained, in a marked degree, the primitive 
 customs and usages of the Andalucians. The town rising above the Gruadulete is divided 
 into two halves by a long, steep, and wretchedly paved street, having, Moorish fashion, 
 a gutter running down the centre. This street has, however, au antique and attractive 
 appearance. The highest part of the town is crowned by old Moorish battlements, where 
 we obtained an extensive view. At our feet lay a hill planted with olive-trees ; lower 
 down the Guadalete flowing through a fertile plain. The bridge of Arcos, which spans 
 the Guadalete, has given rise to all sorts of popular sayings ; when any one enters upon 
 an enterprise and fails to carry it through, it is compared to the Puente de Arcos, which 
 was never finished, although stones and lime had both been supplied. 
 
 San Liicar stands on the left bank of the Guadalquivir, not far from the mouth of the 
 stream, which increases greatly in breadth just before falling into the sea. Built upon a 
 shore close to the water's edge, the town is in no way remarkable; a few palms rising 
 above the sandy soil bear witness to the genial influence of a climate not unlike that of 
 Malaga. The trade of San Liicnr de Barrameda mainly consists in exporting the wines of 
 Manzanilla. 
 
11 ^« ' \mm 
 
GUADALQUIVIE. 245 
 
 According to a popular quatrain, " Ifc is to Rome one goes for indulgences, to 
 Gibraltar for tobacco, to San Lilcar for the mamanilla, and to Cadiz for grace :" 
 
 " A Eoma se va por bulas 
 Por tabaco d Gibraltar 
 Por manzanilla d San Liicar 
 Y k G&Aiz se vd por sal." 
 
 Tlie manzanilla is an excellent wine, a trifle paler than jerez, and more uniform. It 
 is a wine for the most part consumed by the Spaniards themselves. 
 
 As we wished to ascend the Guadalquivir from its embouchure to Seville, we 
 proceeded from San Liicar to Bonanza, a short way from the town. Ifc is, indeed, the port 
 of San Liicar, where the boats stop that run between Cadiz and Seville. 
 
 We embarked at Bonanza for Seville at seven in the morning in the Teodosio, one of 
 the little steamers that carry passengers up and down the river, and, as the weather 
 was superb, succeeded in crossing the bar without accident. This passage is not always 
 free from danger, and it was formerly much dreaded by sailors, if we are to credit the 
 account of an ancient English mariner, Eichard Twiss, who, it may be said in passing, 
 took an entire day to descend the river in a boat with four rowers. 
 
 " There is a sand-bank most dangerous in stormy weather. When the Spaniards cross 
 it they take off their hats and repeat a solemn Pater and an Ave Maria for the souls of those 
 who have been wrecked on the bank, while the captain of the barque makes a collection of 
 small coins from the passengers to pay for masses for the deliverance of the souls of those 
 who have perished." 
 
 Having crossed the bar, we entered the Tablazo, the name given to the widest pj^rfc of 
 the river. Here the eye ranges over a broad expanse of nearly level land. We could just 
 descry, lit up by the morning sun, on the distant horizon, the hill known as the Goto de 
 dona Ana. The stream speedily narrows down until its width does not exceed that of the 
 Seine at Paris. On the flat banks near the water we saw from time to time rows of 
 herons, the habitual hosts of the river, standing motionless and grave, not deigning to take 
 the slightest notice of the noise and the eddies caused by the steamer. Soon we passed 
 tlie spot where the river is parted in two and sweeps round a little island, called Ida 
 Mayor, to distinguish it from a smaller one still higher up, bearing the name Ida Menor. 
 About three leagues from San Liicar we passed the town of Trebujena, renowned for tbe 
 richness of its harvests, as one may gather from a well-known Andalucian verse, wherein 
 the alcarrazas of Chiclana and the wheat of Trebujena are alike praised : 
 
 " Para alcarrazas Chiclana, 
 Para trigo Trebujena, 
 Y para uinas bonitas 
 San Liicar de Barrameda.'' 
 
 The Isla Mayor is not very populous ; nevertheless, it contains a fine hacienda, or farm, 
 surrounded by trees and gardens, and on which the art of farming is carried to a high 
 state of perfection. It even possesses a steam pump for raising water from the river. At 
 a little distance from the Ida Mayor stands the borough, or rather, we should say, city, 
 of Cabezas de San Juan. It obtained the title of Ciudad in 1820, after a pronunciamento 
 which it made in favour of the liberty of the constitution, the signal of the constitutional 
 revolution, at the head of which Riego was placed. One knows the unhappy end of the 
 general who gave his name to the hymn so popular in Spain : condemned to death, he was 
 executed at Madrid in 1823, after being ignominiously dragged to the foot of the scaffold 
 on a hurdle. 
 
246 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Ill the immense fields bordering the river, the troops of horses and bulls destined for 
 the corrida roam about at liberty. In these fields, which are called dehesas, we only 
 perceived one or two chozos, or reed cabins, and not a single tree to break the outline of 
 the horizon, again putting us in miud of that pleasing passage in " Cbilde Harold," where 
 Lord Byron calls the bull " the king of the forest." Some of the bulls came close to the 
 water's edge, where they stood with their legs half concealed among the reeds, watching, 
 with a savage look, the motion of the boat. It is in these fields that the herradero, branding 
 of the fighting-bulls, takes place. This herradero in Andalucia, and more especially in the 
 environs of Seville, is a truly national f6te, to which both the aficionados of town and 
 country flock with passionate eagerness. It would indeed be impossible to choose a time 
 better fitted for studying the manners of the people, in all their most picturesque 
 details. 
 
 We set off early one morning in a calesct for a hacienda (farm), situated just above the 
 town of Coria, not far* from the Guadalquivir. Along the road we encountered many 
 sporting characters, who, like ourselves, were bound for the herradero; some mounted on 
 splendid black Andalucian horses, with long flowing manes, others in their calesa; but by 
 far the greatest number were piled up in carros on huge wheels, drawn by a pair of oxen, 
 and decked with festoons and green leaves. This long procession of conveyances, of every 
 form and colour, reminded us of the popular fStes in the environs of Naples, while the 
 characteristics of the people themselves seemed to offer a close analogy to those of the 
 Napolitans : there was the same animation, the same passion for music, for noise, and for 
 dancing. We might say the same gaiety, only that of the Andalucians have always 
 appeared to us more boisterous, more copious, and more frolicsome. If Leopold Eobert had 
 painted a popular scene in Andalucia, he must have failed to introduce that background of 
 sadness which one remarks in most of his compositions. 
 
 When we arrived on the ground, many of the aficionados had already taken their places 
 around the enclosure. Casks turned up on end, boards with rope attached to them, carros, 
 carritas, and other vehicles comprised the cheaply-extemporised barrier and the stands for 
 the spectators, while strips of linen suspended from poles afforded partial shade from the 
 ardour of the hot sun. We, in our turn, took our places, as soon as a young bull, a novillo, 
 was introduced into the improvised arena, there to undergo the double test of the tentadero 
 and of the herradero. The former embodies all that is implied in the trial of a young bull, 
 to ascertain his fitness for the corrida. After this all the novillos are branded with a red- 
 hot iron ; only, as we have already explained, those judged worthy of the combat are 
 carefully separated from those doomed to a life of peaceful industry, or to be fed for market. 
 The greatest importance is attached to this examination by all true patrons of the corrida. 
 First, the experts scrutinise the colour of the bull, then the general appearance of the 
 animal. The novillos selected for combat are at once named, and this interesting ceremony 
 is performed by some of the ladies invited to the f^te. 
 
 In order to determine the age of a bull his horns and teeth are carefully examined. 
 His teeth are completed at the end of the third year, and remain white up to the sixth, 
 when they begin to show signs of age by taking on a yellow tint. As to the horns, which 
 common people call las astas— the pricks— they aff"ord a safer clue to the age of the bull. 
 When he lias completed his third year, a little envelope, not thicker than a piece of paper, 
 shows itself and forms the lower part of each horn, a sort of ring, or pad, which is repeated 
 each year, so that the toreros, in order to determine the age of an animal, have only to 
 examine and count the number of these rings, or envelopes, allowing three years for the 
 first, and one year for each of the others. 
 
A 
 
 / ^-VV |ii|7/l. 
 
 
 /^' < 
 
 a. 
 
 >§. 
 
 & 
 
 o 
 
 w 
 
 M 
 ?! 
 
 « 
 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 fi 
 
 a 
 
 » 
 
 M 
 a 
 K 
 
 SJ 
 W 
 
 &^ 
 
NOVILLADA DE LUGAR. 
 
 249 
 
 In treating of the novillos we must not omit the novilladas de lugar ; that is the name 
 given to the courses of young bulls held in the villages. These popular f^tes are nearly as 
 well attended as the herraderos we have just described ; only the novillada de lugar is quite 
 a local gathering, in which the inhabitants of the towns rarely take part. The passion for 
 sport is by no njeans confined, therefore, to citizens : it is quite as strong among tlie 
 peo[)le in the rural districts ; who, having no Plaza, extemporise one by enclosing a 
 space in the heart of the village. Fortunate witnesses of one of these rustic corridas in a 
 village in the environs of Seville, we were amazed at the skill and agility of the Anda- 
 lucian peasants, who always succeeded in escaping the bull, either by hanging on to a 
 balcony, or by suddenly disappearing behind the wheels of some vehicle in tlie improvised 
 enclosure. 
 
 Leaving on our left the town of Gelves and a village surrounded with pomegranates 
 and ornnge-trees, San Juan 'de Alfarache— we were now about a league from the capit;d 
 of Audalucia, and could see its numerous spires, the Giralda, and its great bronze statue, 
 gilded by the rays of the setting sun. A little later, having passed the palace of San 
 Selmo, and disembarked near a Moorish tower, we found ourselves in Seville. 
 
 MAJO AND PEASANTS IN THE ENVIRONS OF JEULZ. 
 
CIQAEEERAS AT WORK IN THE FABRICA DE TABACOS OF SEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The origin of Seville— The calle de las Sierpes— The Sevillians— The Mantilla de <iVa— The Co?-reo— Christian names 
 —The Aj/untainieiito^The arms of Seville— Streets in Seville ; the calle de Genoa ; the calle de Mar— The calle de 
 Candidejo and Peter the Cruel — The Feria— The plaza de la Magdalena ; the puestos de agua — The Alameda de 
 Hercules— The Oiralda— The Cathedral— Tlie Alcdzar ; the banos de Padilla— The Capilla de Azulejos— The Casa 
 de Pilatos— The University — The Miiaeuni ; Murillo — The Fdbrica de Tabacos ; the cigarreras. 
 
 Spanish historians agree in representing Seville as one of the most ancient towns, not 
 only in Spain, but in Europe. Accordingly, it is reported that Hercules, in person, 
 founded this city exactly two thousand and twenty-eight years after the creation of the 
 world ; again, that it M'as built by the Chaldseans, or by a king called Hispan or Hispal, 
 who gave to Seville its early nanae, Hispalas, which, at a later period, became Sbilia, and 
 finally Sevilla. "Whatever may be the origin of the town, whether it was founded by 
 Phoenicians, Iberians, or Scythians, its antiquity is undoubted, and was recognised even 
 during the Roman epoch, and celebrated by the Latin poets. 
 
 The Sevillians are so proud of their early origin, that their monuments are, many 
 of them, inscribed with records, which, with singular impartiality, mingle the mythical 
 and authentic events ; in the history of the town, for example, one reads in the following 
 distich above the puerta de la Carne : 
 
 " Condidit Alcides, renovavit Julius urbem, 
 Eestituit Cliristo Fernandus tertius Heros." 
 

 ■s. 
 
 o 
 
 Eh 
 
 < 
 
 & 
 >< 
 ■>! 
 
 >J 
 IS 
 
 n 
 
 
SEVILLE. 253 
 
 " Aleide (Hercules) founded the town, Julius Cjesar built it, and the Hero Ferdinand IH. 
 gave it up to Christ." 
 
 The puerta de Jerez, reconstructed in 1561, carries the following incised inscription 
 with nearly the same meaning : 
 
 " Hercules me edific6 
 Julio Cesar me cerc6 
 De muros, y torres altas ; 
 El Santo Key me gan6 
 Con Garci Perez de Vargas." 
 
 " Hercules built me, Julius Caesar encompassed me with high walls, and the Holy King 
 (Ferdinand) conquered me with the aid of Garci Perez de Vargas." 
 
 Hercules plays a very important part in the fabulous history of the origin of the 
 Spanish nation : the hero, indeed, is so popular in Seville, that his name has been given 
 to one of the principal promenades of the town, the Alameda de Hercules. 
 
 When taken by the Roman legions under the command of Julias Caesar, Hispalas 
 received the name of Julia Romula — Little Rome — a name not preserved under the 
 dominion of the Vandals, who wrested it from the Romans in 411, and were themselves, 
 soon after, driven out by the Visigoths. When the Arabs invaded the Peninsula, Seville 
 became a dependency of the Califate of Cordova. After the dismemberment of the 
 Culifate, in the eleventh century, Seville was governed by certain princes, in whose 
 possession it remained for more than a hundred years. It then became part of the 
 Almoravide and Almohade empires. After the fall of the Almohades, Motawakkel-ben 
 Houd possessed it for some time, and in 1236 it became the capital of a Moorish state. 
 Twelve years later, 23rd of November 1248, after a siege of fifteen months, Seville opened 
 its gates to Ferdinand III., King of Castille, after having remained five hundred and 
 thirty-six years under the Mussulman dominion. 
 
 This important event, one of the most important in the annals of Spain, has been 
 celebrated, in every possible way, by national poets and chroniclers. 
 
 After the discovery of America, Seville increased in importance, under Ferdinand and 
 Isabella, and later, during the reign of Philip II. ; and Seville at the present day still 
 retains much of its ancient splendour. 
 
 We had landed at the fonda de Europa in the calle de las Sierpes. Our rooms on the 
 ground-floor opened into a large patio, surrounded by balconies with white marble columns. 
 In the centre of the court rose a jet of water which descended like a sheaf into a vase, 
 flowing over to irrigate a garden planted with trees and shrubs, bananas with their broad 
 waving leaves, orange and citron trees, and a pretty little plant having a profusion 
 of yellow blossom called the Andalucian dama de noche — lady of the night — because its 
 flowers remain closed during daylight, and unfold at dark, breathing when open the most 
 delicious odour. 
 
 The calle de las Sierpes, situated in the heart of Seville, is the true centre of the bustle 
 and activity of the city. Carrajes, rare in other parts of the town, are here entirely 
 excluded, leaving foot-passengers perfect freedom to saunter safely along at their ease. 
 During the evening it is,- above all, a constant coming and going of picturesque pedestrians, 
 recalling our own boulevard des Italiens. The ladies have, all of them, the mantilla of black 
 lace, which they know well how to wear with fascinating grace. One cannot help seeing 
 that they are proud of being Sevillians, and that they prefer their own mantilla to those 
 
254 SP^^^- 
 
 ^ 
 
 tawdry toilets known in other lands. " The Sevillian," says a popular verse, " has in her 
 mantilla two words, which may be translated : Long live Seville !" 
 
 "Tiene la Sevillana 
 En su mantilla 
 Un letrero que dice : 
 Viva SeviUa!" 
 
 The Mantilla de tira, so often snng in popular ballads, differs from the other by the middle, 
 sometimes of silk or wool, being bordered with a band of velvet tira, cnt out in a sort 
 of teeth or zigzag. This mantilla is reserved for the majas and cigarreras, who know how 
 to wear it with their own particular grace and jauntiness. 
 
 The finest shops in Seville are to be found in the calle de las Sierpes, where the 
 nmbuh.tino- traders also resort to seek their fortune. Here a florero, his long basket in 
 hand, vaunts in shrill falsetto his dahlias, carnations, or roses. 
 
 There a blind man led by a boy is selling lottery tickets, and promising the witching 
 smiles of fortune to every new customer : " El primo gordo ! QuiSn se lo lleva ? " 
 
 At one of the angles of the calle. de las Sierpes we come upon the Correo— that is, the 
 Post. Not long ago there used, to be a list of letters stuck up on the walls of the porch 
 addressed to be left till called for. Here we were enabled to make a series of studies of the 
 names of Spanish women, most of which are borrowed from mystic notions of religion :— 
 Carmen (Mount Carmel), Dolords (of Our Lady of the seven sorrows), Trinidad— 
 Concepcion— Encarnacion— Eosario (Rosary), Pilar (literally Pillar, from tlie celebrated 
 Notre-Dame del Pilar, of Saragosa), Belen (Bethlehem), etc. 
 
 Other female names are simply taken from martyrology :— Pepa, Pepita, or Pepiya 
 (Josephine), Ines (Agues), Eafaela, Eomoua (Eaymonde), Paca, or Paquita (Frances), 
 Manuela, Angehi, Hermenigilda, Eita (Margaret), Leona Petra, Nicolasa, Melitoua, 
 Cayetana, Vicenta, Olalla (Eulalia), etc. 
 
 The mimes of men are as a rule less original, Juan and Pedro are the commonest: 
 hence the rhyming proverb : — 
 
 "Dos Juanes y un Pedro 
 HaceB un asno entero." 
 
 — " Two Johns and one Peter make a complete ass ! " 
 
 As Christian names, the gipsies of Andalucia are fond of Cristobal (Christopher), 
 Ldzaro, Juan de Dios (God's John), Angel, Ignacio, Alouzo, and Ferdinando ; this does not 
 prove, however, that they are always perfect Christians, There are other names of the 
 gipsies. Christian names (for they are almost always baptized), most singular : such as Eocio 
 (from the Virgin del Rocio, a well-known pilgrimage in the environs of Seville), Soledad 
 (solitude), which is sometimes pronounced Soldda, sometimes Sol^a, Salud (pronounced Salou, 
 from Nuestra Senora de la Salud), Candelaria (from the Candelario, or paschal taper), etc. 
 
 The other extremity of the calle de las Sierpes opens into the plaza de la Constitucion, 
 one side of which is taken up by the Ayuntamiento — Town Hall — built during the first 
 half of the sixteenth century, one of the finest specimens of the plateresque architecture 
 of Spain. Tlie word plateresco, employed by the Spaniards to designate the style of the 
 Eenaissance, is borrowed from the craft of the goldsmith. The rich details of ornamentation, 
 lavished on monuments by the artists of that time, might almost be compared to the 
 delicate and elaborate chasing of gold and silver plate. Unfortunately this edifice has not 
 been finished; amongst its ornaments, which have been recently repaired with skill and 
 
1^ • r 
 
 THE GIRALDA, SEVILLE. 
 
 To face page 254. 
 
EL NODO. 
 
 257 
 
 intelligence, figure the armorial bearings of the town. One beholds Saint Ferdinand seated 
 on his throne, bearing a large sword in his right hand, accompanied by Isidore and 
 Saint L^andre, the patron saints of Seville, who stand at each side of the monarch. The 
 device bears the following inscription : 
 
 " Sello de la miiy noble ciudad de Se villa." 
 " Seal of the very noble city of Seville.'' 
 " NO 8 DO " 
 
 This " NO 8 DO," which the Spaniards call empresa, is the equivalent of the Italian 
 
 INHABITANTS OF THE SUBURB MACARBNA, SKVILLB. 
 
 impresso, and is constantly met with on all the monuments of Seville : it is a sort of rebus 
 far from intelligible at first sight, and demanding explanation. 
 
 Towards the close of the thirteenth century, King Alfonso el Sabio— the Wise— when 
 dethroned by his son, most of the Spanish towns rose in rebelUon against his authority. 
 Seville alone remained faithful to him, and as a reward for its loyalty, the King bestowed 
 this empresa, which is called el nodo. The 8 between the two syllables is a sign 
 representing a knot or skein— in ancient Spanish, madexa : thus this sign, intercalated 
 between the two syllables, forms the no madexa do, or no m'ha dexado, which signifies 
 
258 SPAIN. 
 
 literally, " It did not abandon me." This nodo alone serves as an emblem of the tie 
 of fidelity which united Seville to its king. 
 
 Let lis also say one or two words about the device of- the Catholic sovereigns, 
 Ferdinand and Isabella, found on so many Spanish monuments, and nowhere more 
 frequently than in Seville. This empresa, or emblem, is for the most part contained 
 in two escutcheons, one representing a quiver of arxows—Jlechas — the other a yoke, yugo ; 
 beneath the arrows is a gothic F, which forms, at the same time, the first letter of the word 
 jlechas, and the initial of the name, Ferdinand. In the other shield the Y serves as the 
 first letter of yugo and of Ysabel. 
 
 Besides this yoke the design carries the words Tanto monta, interpreted in diflferent 
 ways, but the most trustworthy rendering is : " Tanto monta Fernando coma Ysabel," — that 
 is to say, that the two sovereigns enjoy equal rank and power. 
 
 The species of rebus just noticed were anciently much in vogue in Spain : the 
 Spaniards even used to brand their slaves on the shoulder with a red-hot iron in the form 
 of the letter S, and a sign which signified slave. 
 
 The greatest thoroughfares in Seville, after the calle de las Sierpes, are those of Dados, 
 and Francos, which may be likened to the Eue Saint-Denis. They are occupied by clothiers, 
 hatters, and milliners. As in most ancient towns, each street is reserved for its own 
 peculiar trade. In Seville the calle de Genoa is taken up by booksellers, while the calle de 
 los Chicarreros and calle de Mar are almost entirely occupied by manufacturers of hotines, or 
 Andalucian gaiters, open at the side and embroidered with bright-coloured silk. Many of 
 the streets have their historic memories, their legends, and their popular sayings ; one of 
 the latter enables the visitor to find out, in a very curious way, several quarters of the 
 town under the threefold relations of wealth, ease, and misery. From the cathedral (says 
 the song in question), as far as Magdalena, one breakfasts, dines, and sups. 
 
 " From the Magdalena to San Vinceute one dines only." 
 
 " From San Vicente to Macarena one neither breakfasts, dines, nor sups." 
 
 " Desde la catedral hasta la Magdalena 
 Se almuerza, se come, y se cena. 
 Desde la Magdalena hasta San Vicente, 
 
 Se come solamente ; 
 Desde San Vicente hasta la Macarena, 
 Ni se almnerza, ni se come, ni se cena.'' 
 
 There is a cnrious saying in reference to the calle de los Abades—thc street of the 
 Abb&— situated close to the cathedral, where, "Every one has an uncle, but no one 
 has a father." 
 
 " En la calle de los Abades 
 Todos han tics, ningunos padres. 
 Los canonigos no tienen hijos : 
 Los que tienen en casa, son sobrinicos." 
 
 The calle de Candilejo is celebrated for its bust of the king Don Pedro (Peter the 
 Cruel), which may be seen in a niche in the wall of a house, protected by an iron grating. 
 It was in this street that Justicier {el Justiciero) poniarded the husband of a lady he had 
 followed ; but after committing this crime, he condemned himself to be executed— only, 
 however, in effigy. 
 
 It was in the calle de San Leandro that the famous Don Juan resided, whose family 
 name was Tenorio, and who served as a model to Tirso de Molina for his work entitled el 
 
iiifflfi^IlfiiU^, 
 
 ^jgdq. J JAn i ill 
 
 fr 
 
 PUERTA DEL PEEDON, SEVILLE CATHEDRAL. 
 
 To face page 25S. 
 
THE GIRA.LDA. 261 
 
 Burladar de Sevilla 6 el Convidado de piedra, from which Thomas Corneille borrowed the 
 subject of his Festin de Pierre. 
 
 I'he family of Tenorio had its chapel in the convent of the Franciscans at Seville, 
 A^'here, according to tradition, the body of the commander [el comendador), killed by Don 
 Juan, was buried. 
 
 The street in which the great painter of Seville lived has received the name of calle de 
 Murillo. We were shown the house he occupied. 
 
 It was a building of the calle de los Taveras that contained the court of the Inquisition, 
 —el Santo Tribunal, as it was called. The historians of Seville claim for their country the 
 glory of being the cradle of that institution : " Esta Santa Inquisicion oho su comienzo en 
 Sevilla." 
 
 The calle de Feria takes its name from a very picturesque market held in there from 
 time immemorial. It was in this street that the first productions of the great painter, 
 Bartolomd Esteban Murillo, were publicly sold. This place even gave its name to its first 
 fabrics, designed, for the most part, for commerce with America, and which, as we all know, 
 Avere called Ferias, as they were sold in the market-place. 
 
 The Plaza de la Magdalena, with its puestos de agua, is one of the most attractive and 
 animated quarters in Seville. The puestos de agua are little shops, much in the style of 
 the Napolitan acquaiuoli, where all sorts of refreshments are sold very cheaply. The 
 beverages which may be had at these establishments are chilled with snow, and figure in 
 great variety : the agraz, for example, is made up of a mixture of water, sugar, verjuice, 
 and syrup — almihar, zarzaparilla — an infusion of sarsaparilla ; cidra and naranja are 
 made with the juice of tlie lemon and of the orange ; the orchata de almendra is nothing 
 more than orgeat; malvahisco, made from mallow, and a variety of other innocent mixtures, 
 make up the list of drinks, which are, in a warm chmate, infinitely preferable to absinthe 
 and other liquors of the same sort. 
 
 The quarter de la Macarena, of which we have already spoken, is almost solely taken 
 up by the poorer orders of the community, who live quite apart from their rich fellow- 
 townsmen, having little to do with the caprice of fashion, preserving with care the 
 Audalucian manners, costumes, and usages. Thus, when one desires to speak of a young 
 drl who has lost nothing of the characteristics of the lower order of Sevillians, one says, 
 una moza, or wia jembra Macarena. 
 
 The Alameda de Hercules, one of the most ancient walks in Seville, but little frequented 
 at the present day, takes its name from a statue of Hercules placed on the top of a high 
 column. 
 
 AVe must not omit to notice the Mercado where we took our morning walks. Nothing 
 gives a better notion of the fertility of Andalucia, than an early visit to the market 
 of Seville, where one beholds the huge green melons, piled up symmetrically like shells 
 iti an arsenal, beneath wide-spreading, blue and white striped tendidos, which shade buyers 
 and sellers from the heat of the sun, and where oranges, lemons, and pomegranates, with 
 their brilliant colours, lie in heaps side by side, with gigantic onions, tomatoes, and 
 chillies red as vermilion ; where, too, enormous bunches of amber-coloured grapes make one 
 dream of the Promised Land. Thus the popular refrain of Granada has been applied to 
 Andalucia, " When God has set his heart on a man, he is permitted to live in Seville." 
 
 The Giralda— that marvel, the sight of which makes the hearts of Sevillian children 
 beat— merits in many ways its high reputation. One might almost say that this lofty and 
 magnificent tower stands alone in Europe ; the beautiful campanilo of Saint Marc, at Venice, 
 
262 SPAIN. 
 
 is perhaps tlie only other to which it nicay be compared. The Sevilliaus in their euthusiasm 
 even go so far as to phice their tower on a parallel with the pyramids of Egypt : they call 
 it the eighth wonder of the world, placing it above all the other seven. 
 
 "Tii, maravilla octava, maravillas 
 A las pasadas siete maravillas." 
 
 The finest country in Spain, said an old Sevilliau author, is that bordering the Betis 
 (Guadalquivir), and amongst the couutries through which it flows, the richest is overlooked 
 
 by the Giralda. 
 
 "La mejor tierra de Espaiia 
 
 Aqiiella que el Betis baiia; 
 
 De la que el Betis rodea, 
 
 La que la Giralda ojea.'' 
 
 The Sevilliaus delight to recount the repartee of one of their compatriots on the subject 
 of the Giralda. A stranger, French or English, who had just seen it for the first time, was 
 at a loss for terms expressive enough to translate his admiration. 
 
 " Puez, zeno," said the Andalucian in his dialect, with as strong an accent as that of 
 the Marseillais — 
 
 " No crea uzte que la han traido de Pariz ni de Londrez, que ted cual uzte la ve, la 
 hemoz hecho acd en Zeviya!" ("Well, sir, do not imagine it was brought either from Paris, 
 or London ; such as you see it, it was made by ourselves here, at Seville.") 
 
 Tradition assigns to an Arab of Seville, named Geber or Guiber, the honour of 
 erecting this great tower, the same who was erroneously supposed to be the inventor of 
 algebra. According to another version, it was set up by an architect, named Ahou Yousouf 
 Yacouh, towards the close of the twelfth century. The interior is designed so as to leave 
 a space lighted by windows, having double horse-shoe arches divided by their columns. 
 
 It is in this space that w.e find not a staircase, but a gentle inclined plane protected 
 by a rail, and broad enough to admit, it is said, of the ascent of two mounted horsemen, 
 riding abreast; half-way up the tower of the other half of the ascent, singly. The Arab 
 architect had crowned the apex of the tower with four enormous metal balls, so highly 
 gilded, that the Cronica general de San Ferdinando says they could be descried, when lit 
 up by the sun, at a distance of twenty-four miles ; and the same chronicler adds, that 
 one of the gates of the city had to be enlarged to make way for their entrance. These 
 globes were thrown to the ground by an earthquake in 1395. In 1568 Herman Ruez, 
 of Burgos, raised the tower one hundred feet, by adding a spire in the style of that epoch. 
 This addition has a very fine effect, and around it we read in enormous characters this 
 line from the Book of Proverbs : — 
 
 NOMEN DOMINI FORTISSIMA TUREIS. 
 
 — " The name of the Lord is the strongest tower." 
 
 The spire is surmounted by a bronze statue, representing Faith, cast by Bartolome 
 Morel, about the year 1570. Although this statue is of colossal proportions, it is poised 
 on a pivot so nicely as to turn with the slightest breath of wind ; hence the name Giralda, 
 from the verb girar — to turn. Later this name was transferred to the tower, while the 
 statue was designated by the diminutive Giraldilla, or Giraldillo, which literally means 
 girouette — weathercock — a singular name for a statue representing Faith, in its essence 
 fixed and immovable. While we were at the top of the spire, admiring the splendid 
 
INTEEIOK OF SEVILLE CATHEDRAL. 
 
 To face page 262. 
 
THE CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE. 265 
 
 panorama along the banks of the Guadalquivir, the surrounding country, and the distant 
 Sierras, a terrific noise broke upon our ears : they Lad commenced to ring a number 
 of the twenty-four bells suspended in the tower. The largest are called Santa Maria 
 and San Miquel, while the others bear the names of saints of both sexes. The art of 
 bell-ringing appears to be more cultivated in Spain than in France. The campaneros 
 of Seville gave themselves up, in our presence, to the most prodigious gymuastic exercises 
 to set their bells in motion ; sometimes they clung to the rope, allowing themselves to be 
 lifted to a frightful height, sometimes they rang with badajados, or golpe de badajados, 
 that is, moving the tongue by means of a cord, quickly or slowly, to suit the chimes. 
 
 At the base of the tower is an extensive court planted with oranges, surrounding 
 an Arabic fountain, erected at the same time as the mosque, on the site of which the 
 cathedral now stands. 
 
 Not far from the tower is the Longa (Bank), a hardly less imposing building, 
 formerly frequented by the merchants of Seville, and which Andrea Navagiero calls il 
 piu bel ridotto di Siviglia. 
 
 The cathedral of Seville is a splendid edifice, so imposing indeed, that it probably 
 gave rise to the popular saying : 
 
 " Quieii no ha visto k Sevilla, 
 No ha visto &, mara villa." 
 
 ■ — " He who has not seen Seville has seen nothing wonderful." 
 
 The cathedral is entered by a number of doorways, notably the puerta del Perdon — 
 gate of Pardon — which has preserved its chapas, or bronze plates, since the time of the 
 Arabs ; the puerta del Lagarto — the Lizard — named from a crocodile of wood suspended 
 above the entrance, to replace the one sent to Alonzo el Sabio by the Sultan of Egypt 
 when he asked for his daughter's hand. The impressions one feels when standing for the 
 first time beneath the immense nave baffle description. There is certainly no church 
 we have seen so vast and imposing. Tlie annalist Zuniga informs us that in 1401, when 
 the construction of the edifice was stopped, they determined to raise a monument, so 
 imposing that it should have no equal ; whereupon one of the canons called out in the 
 chapter-house : — 
 
 " Fagamos una Iglesia tan grande, que los que la vieren acabada nos tengan por locos!" 
 ■ — " Build a church so vast, that those who see it when finished will account us fools ! " 
 You were no fools, worthy canons of Seville, but sages ; for you have gifted your country 
 with one of the most superb monuments it is possible for human hands to raise. 
 
 The interior is divided into five naves, whose altitude makes one giddy. The pillars 
 supporting the roof, though in reality of enormous diameter, are so high that at first sight 
 they appear to be extremely slender columns. The choir, placed in the centre of the 
 principal nave, has the proportions of an ordinary church, while the decorations and 
 accessories throughout are equally large and imposing. 
 
 In one of the partitions there is a colossal picture of Saint Christopher, painted by 
 an Italian artist of the sixteenth century, Mateo Perez de Alesio. The Saint, whose 
 heio'ht is thirty-tw^o feet, holds as a slender stafi" a goodly tree, while the child Jesus, 
 whom he bears oh his shoulders, is a perfect giant. Although this picture, finished in 
 1584, is not devoid of merit, it would appear that the artist made light of his work: 
 a Spaniard painted a cartoon representing Adam and Eve, also for the interior of the 
 Cathedral. Perez on seeing this picture was so enraptured with Adam's leg, that he 
 exclaimed : — 
 
266 SPAIN. 
 
 " Vale piu la tua gamha die tutto il mio Cristoforo ! "—" Thy leg is worth more thau 
 all my Saint Christopher ! " 
 
 The cathedral also possesses the famous Saint Anthony of Padua, by Murillo, one 
 of the largest and best works of the Sevillian painter. 
 
 Let us now bid adieu to the wonders of the great Catholic temple, not fur from 
 which we find the Alcazar— after the Alhambra, one of the finest palaces bequeathed to 
 Spain. The origin of the Alcazar is only imperfectly known. According to general 
 belief it w^as commenced during the eleventh century by an Arab architect from Toledo, 
 who imported the workmen engaged on the decorations of the Alhambra. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, no trace of the primitive structure remains. Above the 
 principal fagade we read this Gothic inscription, in the form of letters peculiar to Spain, 
 and which at first sight one would take, from the archaic and majestic ajjpearance, to be 
 Cufic characters of the most ancient type : " El muy alto, y muy nolle, y muy poderoso 
 y conquistador don Pedro, por la gracia de Deos rey de Cast ilia y deLeon, mando facer estos 
 Alcdzares y estasfapadas quefue hecho en la era mil cuatrocientos y dos." 
 
 "The most exalted, most noble, and most powerful conqueror, Don Pedro, by the 
 grace of God, King of Castille and Leon, commands these fagades and Alcazares to be 
 built." This curious inscription, with others of the same kind, proves that many important 
 works were carried out during the reign of Don Pedro the Cruel ; it was precisely at 
 this epoch, that the most important works of the Alhambra were executed, and the King 
 of Castille, who sometimes held amicable relations with the Moors of Granada, had engaged 
 workmen from that town, who were charged with the decoration of his palace. 
 
 Charles V., on the occasion of his marriage with Dona Isabella, the infanta of Portugal, 
 made some additions to the Alcazar in the Greco-Eoman siyle, which still exist, and 
 whose heavy aspect contrasts strangely with the capricious lightness of the Moorish 
 architecture. Later, further and most unsightly additions were made, when the delicate 
 arabesques almost entirely disappeared beneath repeated coatings of stone-colour. The 
 Spanish authors of the last century lightly esteemed Moorish architecture, accounting 
 it no better, if as good, as Gothic. 
 
 The Patio de las Doncellas, a great inner court with its many lobed arches supported 
 on graceful pillars of white marble, surmounted by small columns enclosing rich panels 
 of interlacing flowers and foliage of the most elaborate and beautiful wrorkmanship, presents 
 a scene not readily forgotten. This Patio de las Doncellas, " or court of the young girls," 
 according to an ancient tradition, received its name from the fact that in this very court 
 the kings of Seville received annually one hundred virgins, who were sent to them by 
 the chiefs of tributary states. 
 
 If the courts and chambers of the Alliambra have thus their legends, taken from the 
 massacre of the Abeucerrages, those of the Alcazar have also theirs, for which they are 
 almost solely indebted to the treachery and tyranny of Pedro the Cruel. Our guide pointed 
 out to us some red stains on the marble floor of the Hall of Ambassadors. These red 
 blotches are to the minds of superstitious persons undoubted stains of blood. It is the 
 spot (so says the legend) where Don Pedro caused his guards to assassinate his brother, 
 Don Fadrique, with all his followers, who were suspected of treason. This event happened 
 on the 29th of May 1358. It seemed to be the fate of this unhappy monarch to slay his 
 relatives : three brothers, his wife, and his aunt were murdered by him, and he himself 
 was assassinated (in his thirty-fouith year) by his brother, Henri de Transtamare. 
 
 Every step one takes in the Alcazar recalls some memory of this terrible king. It 
 
MOORISH ARCHES OF THE ALCAZAR, SEVILLE. 
 
 To face page 266. 
 
THE ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE. 269 
 
 was in the Alcazar tliat he received a ruler of Granada, Abu-Said, surnamed el rey Bermejo. 
 After having him conducted in safety to his palace, he got up the most brilliant f6tes in his 
 honour. According to Oriental custom, the Moorish kiug was accompanied by a numerous 
 retinue, and displayed an extraordinary wealth of cloth of gold and of silver raiment, 
 covered with pearls and precious stones. A contemporary manuscript, which gives an account 
 of the event, mentions three enormous rubies of extraordinary beauty, and as large as 
 pigeons' eggs.* The king of Castille could not resist the temptation presented by the 
 sight of these treasures. He therefore, with his own hand, murdered their confiding 
 owner, Abu, in one of the rooms of the palace. 
 
 After having traversed the different rooms in the Alcazar, we next visited the ancient 
 baths, called los Banos de Padilla. These were the Moorish baths that Pedro the Cruel 
 had prepared for the celebrated Maria de Padilla, a young lady of noble family, renowned 
 for her great beauty. Padrie Mariana, in his " History of Spain," paints her charms in the 
 most glowing colours. She had the reputation of having bewitched the king. Her tomb 
 is placed by the side of that of Saint Ferdinand, in the Capilla Reed, the principal chapel in 
 the Cathedral. 
 
 The garden of the Alcazar is still a charming retreat, crowded with rare tropical 
 plants, among which one sees bananas in full fruit. The paths are paved with brick 
 pierced with innumerable small holes, communicating with a network of copper water- 
 pipes. The water when turned on issues from the perforated bricks as if a shower of fine 
 rain were rising from the ground in place of falling from the clouds. This sort of 
 hydraulic device, so harmless under a burning sun, was much in vogue among the Arabs 
 and Moors of Spain. 
 
 After the Alcazar, one of the principal objects of attraction in Seville is the Casa de 
 Pilatos, a palace built about the commencement of the sixteenth century, and at the 
 present day the property of the Duke of Medina-Celi, who does not, however, reside there. 
 The patio is one of the finest of the kind we have seen, while its ornaments and those of 
 the apartments of the palace are so purely Moorish in style, as to lead to the belief that Don 
 Fadrique Henriquez de Rivera, who had the place built, must have employed workmen 
 from Granada to carry out the decorations, probably Moorish fugitives, who had fled from 
 the town after it fell into the hands of the Spaniards. The Casa de Pilatos was thus 
 named, it is said, because it was built after the plan of the house of Pontius Pilate, at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 The university of Seville was formerly as celebrated as those of Alcala and of Salamanca ; 
 it now occupies the site of an ancient convent. AVhen we entered the chapel of the 
 universidad we were struck with the beauty of two great mausolea of white marble, the 
 work of Italian sculptors of the sixteenth century. The extraordinary richness and exquisite 
 finish of these masterpieces render them worthy of a wider fame. 
 
 Another monument, comparatively unknown, and which ought to be visited by lovers 
 of art, is the church of the convent of Santa Paula, called las monjas de Santa Paula. 
 The doorway is surmounted by azulejos of great beauty, the chef-d'oeuvre of Niculoso 
 Francisco, the Italian ceramic painter established at Seville. 
 
 The Museum of Seville in the ancient convent of the Merced is the only one amongst 
 provincial museums at all worthy of the name. 
 
 * Kin'' Pedro, after the battle of Navarrete, presented one of the rubies to the Black Prince. After passing 
 through many different hands, it came into the possession of Queen Elizabeth, and at the present day adorns 
 the royal crown of England, preserved in the Tower of London. 
 
2 70 SPAIN. 
 
 The school of Seville is the most important in Spain, and it is singular to notice that of 
 its two great masters, Velazquez and Murillo, the works of the latter may be said to form 
 the Museum of the Merced, which does not possess a single example of the works of the 
 former. This absence of the paintings of Velazquez, the greatest artistic genius that Spain 
 ever produced, would seem as strange as it is unaccountable, did we not remember that 
 the painter spent the greater part of his time at the court of Philip IV, 
 
 It is well known that Murillo had three different stales, which the Spaniards have 
 named frio, 6dlido, and vaporoso : " cold, warm, and vaporous." The cartoon representing 
 Saint Justine and Saint Eufine is painted in the warm style : the two patronesses of 
 Seville are pictured with vases similar to those still manufactured in the suburbs of the town. 
 
 Another work, the Virgin and Child, is said to have been painted by Murillo on a 
 napkin, hence its name — la servilleta. The majority of the other works of Murillo, 
 though less valuable, are equally remarkable in style. The other pictures in the collection 
 include Saint Thomas d'Aquin, a masterpiece by Zurbaran, Saint Hermenegilde of Herrera 
 el viejo, and a canvas by Fr. Pacheco, father-in-law of Velazquez. 
 
 The Museum boasts but an insignificant collection of sculpture. One of its best 
 examples is a Virgin iu terra-cotta by Torrigiano, the Florentine sculptor who was exiled 
 after he had broken the nose of Michael Angelo. It is well known that Torrigiano 
 perished miserably in a Sevillian dungeon, a victim of the Inquisition, which charged him 
 with heresy. 
 
 At the Caridad, an asylum for the poor in charge of the sisters of the order of Saint 
 Vincent de Paul, we were shown two of the masterpieces of Murillo which adorn the 
 chapel. One, Moses striking the rock, called by the Spaniards la Sed — the Thirst — and 
 the Miracle of the loaves and fishes. We also found, under the same roof, a frightful 
 picture by Juan Valdes Leal, of a half-open coffin, containing the remains of a prelate in 
 splendid robes, his corpse partly consumed by worms. If we credit tradition, Murillo used 
 to say that he could not look at this picture without covering his nose. 
 
 On leaving the Caridad we made our way to the Fdhrica de Tabacos, an immense 
 block of building, one hundred and seventy metres wide, and nearly two hundred long, 
 built in 1757. The deep trenches by which it is surrounded lead one to fancy it is a 
 fortress or barrack in place of a factory. 
 
 As early as tlie year 1620 the manufacture of tobacco was commenced at Seville under 
 the direction of an Armenian, named Jean Baptiste Carrafa. Spanish tobacco was formerly 
 famed over the whole world, while Spanish snuff was no less celebrated. During the last 
 century the Spaniards themselves rarely smoked, at least we gather from Saint Simon's 
 Memoires that a smoker was there a great curiosity. 
 
 We were able to obtain permission to witness the manufacture of tobacco as it is 
 carried on in this factory. A capataz, or foreman, was told off to conduct us over the 
 various departments on the gound-floor, where the tabaco de polvo is chopped up to form 
 el rape and tabaco picado used for cigarettes. The capataz assured us that the factory 
 contained eighty-four courts, as many fountains and wells, and more than two hundred 
 mills driven by horses. 
 
 Passing through the rooms where the leaf is crushed and triturated, we were half 
 choked by the poignancy of the air, to which, however, the workers are so thoroughly 
 accustomed as to suffer no inconvenience whatever. Our guide, taking compassion on our 
 tender nostrils, led us up to the first-floor, and handed us over to a maesiJm— inspector 
 — who introduced us to the rooms where the clgarreras are employed. 
 
&1 
 
 s 
 
 < 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 < 
 ■< 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 
 ■< 
 o 
 
 K 
 n 
 ■< 
 
 ■< 
 
THE TOBACCO FACTORY. 273 
 
 Entering a long gallery our ears were assailed by a murmur like the sound of ten 
 thousand swarms of bees. Here we found numerous workers, whose Lands were employed 
 in rolling cigars with an activity only surpassed by tlie ceaseless clamour of their 
 voices. As we passed from place to place the busy tongues were arrested for an instant, 
 but the whisperings soon commenced again with redoubled vigour. The Maestra informed 
 us that if the workers were compelled to perform their tasks in silence, they every one of 
 tliem would leave the factory rather than submit to such tyranny. Another strange sound 
 mingled with the whisperings was caused by hundreds of- scissors, tijeras, all in motion at 
 the same time, cutting the points of the cigars : these are so indispensable to the cigarreras 
 as to be called their bread-winners. 
 
 " Dijo Dios : Hombre, el pan que comer^s, 
 Con el sudor del rostro grauar^s ; 
 Cigarrera, anadio, tu vivirds 
 Con la tijera haciendo : tris, tris, tras." 
 
 " God said to man, The bread thou eatest, shalt thou gain by the sweat of thy brow ; 
 Cigarrera, he added, thou shalt live by the tijera by making tris, tris, tras." 
 
 We stopped before one or two of the best workers, who are able to turn out as many 
 as ten packets or atados a day, each one containing fifty cigars, which makes a total 
 of five hundred, an exceptional number, as few of the cigarreras make above three hundred 
 cigars per day, and the majority not so many. The price paid per hundred is one franc 
 twenty-eight centimes, and the earning for an average day's toil is a little over two 
 francs. 
 
 The people em23lo3'ed in making cigars are the aristocracy of the trade, known under 
 the established name of pureras, that is to say, makers of puros, the name generally given 
 to cigars to distinguish them from cigarettes, or cigarros de papel. Spanish cigars, 
 as a rule, are of very large dimensions, and the largest are sometimes named purones; 
 the inside is made up of Virginia tobacco, while the outer cover, or the capa, consists 
 of a leaf of Havannah tobacco. An enormous number of cigars and of cigarettes are 
 smoked in Spain, but the pipe is rarely seen unless on some parts of the coast in Catalonia, 
 ami in the Balearic Isles. Although tobacco may be bought cheaply at the estancos or sales, 
 yet it is asserted that large quantities are smuggled into the country, chiefly by way 
 of Gibraltar, that great entrepot for contraband goods. 
 
 Before reaching the exalted position of cigarrera, the worker, who usually enters the 
 factory at the age of thirteen, has to serve as an apprentice, or aprendiza, and has to pass 
 through the different degrees of the hierarchy ; first she is occupied in selecting the finest 
 sides of the palillos, or leaves of the tobacco. Later she is advanced to making the cigar, 
 to hacer el nino — to make the chubby-cheeked boy — according to their own peculiar 
 language. She gains but little for some years, and from her slender earnings has to 
 sacrifice a portion to pay for the espurta, the basket designed to receive the tobacco leaves, 
 the scissors, and the tarugo, an instrument used to round the puros. 
 
 It seems that the cigarreras, notwithstanding the smallness of their pay, are strongly 
 attached to their occupation : they are jokingly represented as wearing a band on their 
 shoes, when they have any, inscribed with these words, " Long live tobacco I " 
 
 " Tienen las cigarreras 
 En el zapato 
 Un letrero que dice : 
 Viva el tabaco ! " 
 
274 SPAIN. 
 
 The workrooms are divided into sections, containing about a hundred women in each, 
 presided over by one of the Maestras, of whom we have just spoken, and who are selected 
 from the best workers ; then there are a class of subordinate overseers, who are themselves 
 workers, and who are seated at the tables with the others. 
 
 The making of cigarettes gives employment to a large number of hands ; it is not, 
 however, so lucrative as the making of cigars. It was singular to observe that the 
 majority of the cigarros de papel were gipsies. 
 
 The cigarreras take their meals with them to the factory, the rooms being twice 
 a day transformed into huge refectories, redolent with the mingled odours of garlic, fish, 
 sardines, red-herrings — black as ink — and slices of broiled tunny — the materials which 
 make up the cigarreras simple bill of fare. 
 
 The Fdhrica de Tdbacos gives employment to about four thousand women and five 
 hundred men. Besides the gitanas and the pureras, a great number are engaged in tying 
 the cigars and cigarettes, and in making them up into bundles, work which they execute 
 with marvellous rapidity. These latter, who are called empapeladoras, work in shops where 
 men are in majority. It is in these magasins that the employers deliver a certain weight 
 of tobacco. to each worker, to be used for the task of the day : this is called la data. The 
 cigarreras, when the day's toil is over, ought to bring back a number of cigars, or cigarettes, 
 proportioned to the weight they received ; but the mozos, with more cunning than honesty, 
 sometimes have their favourites, so it is said — their paniaguadas — in whose behalf they 
 make a compromise with the scales. 
 
 Nothing is more droll than the aspect of these immense rooms, where so many women 
 are at work, only dressed in a chemise and a skirt, such is the simplicity of their costume. 
 Many of them ignore the use of stockings, while there are few whose hair is not 
 decked with some brilliant flower, a rose, pink, or dahlia. Not many years ago the 
 cigar?^eras, joining in the march of civilisation, wore crinolines, or cages— polisones, y 
 mirinaques, as they are called in Spain. Before setting to work, however, they took them 
 off and hung them up around the pillars of the rooms, with their shawls, their mantillas de 
 tira, and the baskets which contained their repasts. 
 
 A really curious spectacle is the moment when the cigarreras are leaving the factory, 
 when one is startled by something like a steeplechase of three or four thousand women 
 impatient to breathe the pure air outside, and to regain their liberty. 
 
 No sooner have they quitted their tables than they rush pell-mell to the staircases, 
 which they descend in the wildest confusion, singing and laughing like lunatics. But 
 as soon as the first outbreak has subsided, and they arrive at the porteria, the noise 
 suddenly ceases, for there they must stop and be examined by the registradas—maestras— 
 whose keen eyes are quick to detect the tobacco which might be otherwise smuggled 
 away by the cigarreras. 
 
 " Lie van las cigarreras 
 En el rodete 
 Un cigarrito habano 
 Para six Pepe." 
 
 — " The cigarreras carry off in their chignons a Havannah cigar for their Pepe." 
 
 The cigaivercts are frequently the subjects of popular songs, in which it is much to be 
 regretted they are not represented as models of virtue, although at the same time there are 
 noted exceptions. Tliat many of them seem to live a bohemian sort of life may be 
 gathered from the Rdacion de las cigarreras, donde se declaran sus dichos, hechos, costumbres 
 
•a. 
 
 < 
 
 N 
 
 ■< 
 D 
 
 O 
 O 
 
 •-3 
 
 n 
 n 
 
CIGAREEEAS. 
 
 2/7 
 
 y lo que pasa entre ellas, that is an account wherein their sayings and usages are related. 
 The author begins by remarking that he lodged in a house where two pureras lived. 
 " They made such an uproar," he adds, " that I was afflicted with constant headaches, and 
 was nearly driven mad. I would rather make my bed in the streets than under the roof 
 which shelters cigarreras." 
 
 ^ 'ihh 
 
 
 '''-mm 
 
 \ \ \ /< i 
 
 CIGARRERAS OF THE TOBACCO FACTORY, SEVILLE. 
 
MAJOS AND MAJAS AT THE PAIR OF BOCIO, ENVIRONS OF SEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The fena de Seville— The clialanes and the cJialanerias—The Noche huena—ihe bunoleras—The Majos and Majas— 
 The Andalucian dialect— The /ena de Torrijos, popular scenes— A gipsy in licLuor— The iJoTOmas— The Virgen del 
 Bocio—Sunte Ponce, the ancient Italica— The religious fetes of Seville ; the Pasos—The Crista del Gran Poder 
 —The Cirio Pasciial—The Passion-week processions— The brotherhoods— The theatres of Se\i\le—Zarzuelas and 
 sainetes—The Barateros of Seville: Barbers of Seville— Tiiana and its inhabitants— The potteries of Triana— 
 Gipsies of Triana, their funeral ceremonies and their language. 
 
 The grand fSte of Seville, tlic f^te par excellence, is the Feria, held outside the walls, 
 between the suburb San Bernardo and the Cadiz railway. From this site one obtains 
 a splendid view of Seville; on the left rises the imposing mass of the Fdbrica de Tahacos ; in 
 front the gigantic silhouette of the cathedral overtopped by the bronze statue which crowns 
 the Giralda. The feria de Seville is as important as any of the large fairs held in the 
 country, such as those of Santa Ponce, and of Mairena, and attracts a great number of 
 persons from all parts of Andalucia. 
 
 The trade in horses and cattle is carried on with the greatest activity at the fair in 
 Seville, where we had an opportunity of studying the type of the chalan, or gipsy horse- 
 dealer, whose cunning and dexterity are proverbial, and after whom the shrewdest and 
 most dexterous horsedealers of other lands are innocence and simplicity in person. The 
 chalanerias, or dodges, employed by the clialanes, are numerous and are so highly prized in 
 Spain that the word has become synonymous with roguery. 
 
 Nothing can present a more animated scene than the feria. There is a gipsy who is 
 opening the mouth of the horse he is about to sell, or praising the points of some mule he 
 
THE ANDALUCIAN MAJA. 
 
 2«I 
 
 has an interest in. Further off a majo, spreading his mauta in place of a carpet before 
 a maja, who advances mounted on an Andalucian horse, her head shaded by a sombrero 
 calanes; a youth smoking his cigarette, or a gipsy telling fortunes ; there oxen, sheep, and 
 calisas daubed over with paint. The cattle are lodged in the vast enclosure within 
 barriers formed of coarse netting, like those used for the same purpose by the peasants in 
 the country around Rome. Booths with pointed roofs made out of boards and canvas are 
 ranged in long rows from one end to the other of the field of the feria, and are stored with 
 merchandise diverse and attractive. Perhaps the botillerias, in which liquors and iced drinks 
 are sold, are most numerous. Many of the stalls are held by gipsies, as may be gathered 
 from the sign-boards in pure calo. The same may be said of the tabernas, called ermitas — 
 hermitages. During the evening merry bands gather around these botillerias and ermitas 
 before joining the gay throng on its way back to Seville. 
 
 The night was advancing as we ourselves followed the crowd of joyous citizens 
 homewards, and let us add that we only do the Spaniards simple justice when we say that 
 they enjoy their pleasures with a heartiness and good-nature which are apt to put us 
 to shame. 
 
 The Noche buena — the good-night — or the Noche e Navid—t\ie night of the Nativity — 
 as the Andaluciaus call Christmas Eve, also ranks among the times of rejoicings in Seville ; 
 but the velada de San Juan — the Eve of Saint John — is one of the greatest popular f^tes 
 of the Andalucian capital. On the evening of the 23rd of June, the evening of the fete 
 of the Precursor, all Seville appears to flock to the rendezvous on the great Alameda de 
 Hercules. On such an occasion one has no need of a better guide than that afforded by the 
 flowing tide of the population. Thus it was that we arrived in the promenade, which 
 presented a curious and brilliant aspect. The Alameda was seemingly surrounded by 
 festoons of lights, a vast and costly illumination wliich turned out to be nothing more than 
 the simple lamps which lighted the innumerable stalls around the promenade. A strong 
 and searching odour of hot oil rose from the many tables where fritters were sold. These 
 occupied the best places, and were presided over by brown gipsies frying their bohemiau 
 viands in the open air. Others held the puestos de flares, where pinks, dahlias, and a variety 
 of flowers were tastefully spread out to attract the Andalucians in want of bouquets or 
 flowers to deck their hair. Bunoleras and ramilleteras invite customers both by voice 
 and gesture. Should a well-dressed gentleman be imprudent enough to stop and examine 
 their merchandise, he is at once surrounded, and compelled to ransom himself by buying 
 some of their wares for a few cuartos. The gipsies attack him first with flattering phrases, 
 such as " ojyos e mi arma "—" eyes of my soul," etc. Should he refuse to buy, woe betide 
 him ! Placing their fists on their hips, they stand up and ply him with a thousand 
 grotesque epithets and insults. When the unfortunate at last escapes, it is under a shower 
 of those imprecations which the calo supplies, and the gipsies delight to lavish. 
 
 The Andalucian maja, whose fame is so often sung in the popular sonnets and ballads, 
 is often, by profession, a cigarrera. Sometimes also — sacrificing romance to truth — 
 she is -only a vendor of fried fish, or a castanera who roasts chestnuts at the door of an 
 inn. It often happens, however, that, like the children of Auvergne in France, the maja 
 is a person of no occupation, a type which, thanks to the inroads of railways, will gradually 
 become extinct. It is only on the days of grand f^tes that the majas present themselves 
 to the public gaze. On those occasions they are mugeres de chispa, the jembras de rumbo 
 y de trueno, expressions which defy translation, but which in Spanish render with marvellous 
 force the passion these women have for pleasure and riot. The 7naja delights in bull- 
 
282 SPAIN. 
 
 fightiug, and is supremely happy when she can repair to a corrida in an open calesa ; but 
 her joy knows no bounds should she encounter some of her less fortunate friends on foot. 
 The corrida has hardly commenced before she boldly criticises the thrusts, loudly hissing 
 or applauding the espadas, banderilleros, and picadores, and never quitting her place until 
 the last bull has been slain. She frequently leaves with a torero; for tbe maja shows a 
 marked predilection for la gente de cuerno, as the toreros are jokingly styled by the lower 
 orders, since their days and their labour are spent amongst horned beasts. From the 
 plaza they repair to the hotilleria, where the triumphs and failures of the corrida are freely 
 discussed. The evening is ended by a jaleo or a zapateado in one of those popular reunions 
 called bailes de candil. 
 
 The maja sometimes frequents the theatre ; still she manifests but little interest in the 
 mock drama, preferring the corrida, where tragedy is played de veras — " in earnest." At 
 times she will interrupt the play with peals of laughter, at the most amusing parts. The 
 players seem to her all excellent, provided they are powerful of limb and loud of voice. 
 The best pieces are those wherein bold brigands figure, guns are fired, and poniards glance 
 in the air. The majas who adhere to the old Andalucian customs speak the native patois 
 in all its purity. There are a great many expressions common in Andalucia, which 
 cannot bear a literal translation : for example, saZ— salt — signifies grace ; and it is one 
 of the prettiest compliments that can be paid to a woman to call her salero — salt-cellar — 
 or to say to her that she is salted, salada. The canela (cinnamon) is a word also applied 
 to a handsome woman, but la sal de la canela, or la Jlor de la ca7iela, serves to express the 
 highest degree of perfection. Many words of the same kind which are not to be found 
 in dictionaries, are constantly employed by the common people, majos, majas, toreros, 
 caleseros, and others. 
 
 The accent of the Andalucians is extremely marked : it is thus as easy to distinguish 
 them by their speech, as it is for us to distinguish the Provincials or the Gascons. We 
 may add that the Andalucians are in the habit of speaking with great volubility ; they, 
 as it is vulgarly said, eat half their words. Thus strangers, even those who are per- 
 fectly familiar with Castillian, find it difiicult to understand them, and the inhabitants 
 of other Spanish provinces do not understand them perfectly. Be that as it may, their 
 quick, impulsive language, so full of imagery, is always charming when it flows from 
 the lips of a native beauty. It is like an imnge of the bright sun and blue sky of 
 Andalucia. 
 
 La Feria de Torrijos is one of those fetes or romerias — pilgrimages — for which the 
 environs of Seville are so celebrated. It takes its name from a small village near the town, 
 in which there is a hermitage containing an image of Christ, highly venerated by the 
 people, el Santo Crista de Torrijos. It is not, however, at Torrijos that one witnesses 
 the attractions of the f^te : it is when the procession is returning through the calle de 
 Costilla, the principal street of the suburb of Triana. About an hour before sunset the 
 inhabitants of the town throng both sides of this roadway, some on forms, some on chairs, 
 while the balconies above are filled with women in elegant attire, who, as they fan them- 
 selves, are awaiting the passing of the cortege. One of our Sevillian friends kindly provided 
 a balcony for our use, enabling us to command every detail of this curious picture of 
 popular customs. 
 
 A number of majos, mounted on Andalucian horses, headed the procession, their 
 majas seated on the croup resting against them with their right arms round the waist. 
 The majos were dressed in the well-known Andalucian costume ; as to the majas, we have 
 
THE FERIA DE TORRIJOS. 283 
 
 never seen anything so grotesque as the fashionable Parisian attire in which tliey indulge 
 on these occasions only. In one word, in order to secure their full share of admiration, 
 they disguise themselves as Senoras at the fdte of Torrijos. The majas achieve this 
 triumph of toilet by borrowing nameless cast-off odds, and ends of faded finery — canary 
 or apple-green bonnets of marvellous device, the relics of a bygone generation. It is 
 difficult to believe that these ladies are proud of wearing all this borrowed frippery ; never- 
 theless, the majas, many of them, cannot help looking pretty, even in such trumpery apparel. 
 The crowd was rapidly increasing. We could hear joyous cries, and the sounds of 
 female voices, accompanied by musical instruments ; the sounds came nearer, and soon 
 we could descry a long file of carros drawn by oxen, with gigantic horns and heads, half 
 buried beneath pyramids of tufted silken bows and fringes of the gayest colours. The 
 carros contained troops of young girls in gala dress, chanting couplets of seguidillas, 
 or other national songs. Some were followed by their admirers strumming on the guitars, 
 rattling the castanets, or the tambourine, with a vigour only equalled by their- devotion. 
 
 A very long train of carros passed beneath our gaze, each containing from fifteen 
 to twenty women, while by the roadsides were two constant streams of those on foot, who 
 consoled themselves for the lack of more dignified locomotion by grinding guitars, joking 
 with the people in the balconies, or raising to their lips enormous leathern bottles, which 
 yielded up their fragrant streams of dark red wine, and yet though these libations were 
 of the most frequent occurrence, we did not notice a single example of intoxication. At 
 least, we were speculating on the want of potency in the wine, or the marvellous sobriety 
 of the people, when a strange sound greeted our ears, and soon we beheld stretched, as if 
 lifeless, on the back of a donkey, a man, at full length, gloriously drunk. He was a gitano 
 being led to his home. 
 
 This unfortunate reveller, wrapped in an old manta, was bound to his ass like a sack 
 of corn ; but the fastening was badly managed, and he fell from time to time from off the 
 back of his humble companion, when it became necessary to readjust and rebind the load, 
 greatly to the amusement of the crowd. One young woman facetiously applied the proverb, 
 Debajo de una mala capa hay un huen hehedor — " Beneath a bad cloak there is a good 
 drinker." 
 
 The romerias, or pilgrimages, of the present day, it may be fairly said, scarcely 
 resemble religious fdtes. The dancing, wine, and jollity with which they are invariably 
 associated, cause the relics and saints to be quite forgotten ; thus another proverb cautions 
 young men against choosing their wives at a romeria : — 
 
 " Si fueres 4 buscar novia 
 Que no sea en romeria." 
 
 Some sayings, well known in Spain, convey a very fair notion of these fetes : — 
 
 " Komeria de cerca 
 Much vino y pooa cera." 
 
 — " At the neighbouring romeria more wine than wax is consumed." 
 
 " A las romerfas y & las bodas 
 Van locas todas." 
 
 — "At weddings and at pilgrimages giddy-headed women are never wanting." 
 
 These Spanish f^tes, or romerajes, take their name from Rome, as that renowned city 
 
 used to be the end of all great pilgrimages of the Peninsula. 
 
 One of the most curious I'ltes to be seen in the province is the Rocio. The Madona 
 
284 SPAIN. 
 
 wliicli is venerated there bears the poetic name, Virgen del Rocio—" Virgin of the Dew." 
 The f^te of the Eocio takes place in a little village of that name, about thirty miles from 
 Seville, and attracts great crowds, not only from the Andalucian capital, but from Jerez, 
 Cadiz, Huelva, and even from the frontier of Portugal. On our arrival at Eocio, the 
 environs of the village were taken up by an assemblage of pilgrims, and by horse and 
 cattle dealers encamped in the adjacent fields. These simple encampments were hedged 
 around by a motley collection of carros, galeras, and other vehicles. The enclosure thus 
 obtained was for the accommodation of the traders, or pilgrims, who cook there, and there 
 spread their beds on the bare sods. The mode of cooking is extremely simple ; it is all 
 done in an iron pot, slung from each vehicle, and this pot is also used for feeding and 
 watering the oxen or horses. As to their beds, each one, wrapped in his manta, sleeps 
 soundly, with the ground for a mattress and his arm for a pillow. 
 
 In the morning we witnessed the defile of the procession, where the picture of the 
 Virgen del Rocio is solemnly carried. This ancient painting, begrimed with the smoke 
 of incense, is dimly seen in a recess, formed by a sort of miniature chapel, placed on a carro 
 with enormous wheels and drawn by meek-looking oxen, their heads and horns laden with 
 bows, fringes, and diverse garlands. The little temple was draped with lace, adorned with 
 knots of ribbons and bouquets of flowers. Many lanterns accompanied the picture, while 
 silk ribbons were hung from the corners of this ambulating chapel, and attached to the 
 heads of the oxen. The procession was led by an Andalucian in the national costume, 
 who held in his right hand a fife, from which he produced ear-piercing notes ; his left 
 hand was performing on a tambour slung with a cord round the neck. The music was 
 simple, if not impressive, and recalled the tambourine and the galoubefc of the provincial 
 romerajes. Next came the majos and majas, decked out in the most gorgeous array of 
 finery, singing and sounding a medley of castanets, guitars, and tambourines. Then came 
 the car of the Madona. The open-air merchants drove a fiourishing trade that day, more 
 especially the vendors of alfajores, a sort of sweet cake of Arabic origin, sold by serranas 
 (mountain maids) of remarkable beauty, 
 
 Before commencing our experiences in Seville, we made one or two excursions to 
 Italica, the village which has replaced the ancient Eoman town. Italica was also named, 
 during the Eoman epoch, Divi Trajani civitas, the town of Trajan, because it gave birth 
 to the celebrated emperor. Italica was founded by Scipio Africanus, who gave it for its 
 first inhabitants the veterans of the Eoman legions. Later, the Emperor Adrian, who 
 was also born at Italica, ornamented the town with splendid edifices. Italica was also 
 the country of Theodosius. Under the Visigoth kings, the place was not less flourishing. 
 Ldovigilde rebuilt the walls about the end of the sixth century, when he laid siege to 
 Hispalis, where his son Hermenigilde had raised the standard of revolt. When Spain 
 became Mussulman, Italica, abandoned for Seville, rapidly sank into obscurity, and it was 
 not long before even its Arab name, Talikah or Talkah, was completely forgotten. There 
 is nothing now remaining to mark the site of the ancient city which gave birth to these 
 emperors, save portions of its amphitheatre, fragments of entablature, and broken pillars. 
 The amphitheatre, whose dimensions are given by Florez and Montfaucon, difiered in no 
 respect from other Eoman edifices of the same epoch. 
 
 The most popular religious f6tes of Seville are held during Holy Week, aud may be 
 compared to those in Eome. Apropos of these funciones, as they are called, we may 
 mention the Pasos, a word signifying in its strictest sense a figure of our Lord during 
 His Passion, but which is applied without distinction to the groups of life-sized wooden 
 
THE PASOS OF SEVILLE. 
 
 285 
 
 iniagGs bclono-iug to the various churclies, and whicU arc carried in procession tln-ongh 
 the streets of the town during Passion Week. Formerly the most renowned sculptors 
 did not disdain to carve these images, which they afterwards painted with their 
 own hands. The pasos are still made of wood and painted by a class of artists whose 
 occupation consists in colouring and repairing the images in the churches. All the 
 churches in Seville have their ^asos ; one of the most curious is known as Jesus Nazareno 
 del Gran Poder, that is to say, "Jesus Nazareeu, of great power." It belongs to the 
 church of San Lorenzo and is considered one of the best works of the sculptor Montanes. 
 This figure of Christ is clothed in a long black velvet robe elaborately- embroidered with 
 silver and gold, and carries a cross which is inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl. On 
 each side of the image stands an angel with outstretched wings and bearing a lamp, 
 
 BUINS OP ITALICA, NEAR SEVILLE. 
 
 while four large lamps are placed at the corners of the platform of the paso. On one 
 occasion we saw this gorgeous image carried in procession past our window. The bearers 
 were hidden by ample drapery, which gave the appearance of voluntary motion to the 
 strange device. AVe descended, and not without trouble made our way into the heart of 
 the compact crowd, and were carried onward to the cathedral. The fetes commence on 
 Palm Sunday, when the benediction of the palms is celebrated beneath the majestic naves 
 of the cathedral. An enormous quantity of palm branches are consumed m Spam and, 
 according to ancient custom, the canon of Seville Cathedral sends an annual supply to the 
 canons of Toledo, who, in return for this generosity, forward a quantity of the wax used 
 to make the Cirio Pascual. This famous paschal taper, standing thirty feethigh may be 
 compared to the mast of a ship, or a huge marble column, and it never weighs less than 
 
286 SPAIN. 
 
 n,bou'^ two tliousand two hundred pounds. This Ccaiidlc is kept burning during Holy Week, 
 when a choir-boy is constantly employed in gathering the wax that swelters down its 
 sides. The afternoon of Palm Sunday is devoted to the procession of the pasos. A 
 Sevillian friend offered us a balcony at the angle of the Calle de Genova and the Flaza de 
 la Constitucion : this we gladly accepted, as it was. in one of the best positions for wituessing 
 the public ceremony. 
 
 The leading j9aso, the Conversion del Buen Ladron — the conversion of the good thief — 
 was made up of a group representing Christ between the two thieves, accompanied by 
 angels bearing the instruments of the Passion, and the inevitable lanterns which figure at 
 these f^tes. At the head of the cortdge marched a troop of soldiers headed by a mounted 
 officer in full dress, then folloM'ed the standard of the confradia, borne by a member of the 
 brotherhood ; on one side it carried the arms of Spain, and on the other the Pontifical arms 
 with this inscription : " Archicofradia pontificia." This banner was followed by a body of 
 los Nazarenos — the Nazarenes — persons who take an important part in these religious 
 processions. The Nazarenes are adorned with a huge taper-hood, at least half a yard 
 high, resembling a candle extinguisher, or horn ; this is supplemented by a long veil hiding 
 the face and neck, and furnished with two eyeholes. A tunic held in at the waist by a 
 broad band falls to the ground, spreading out in a long train. This tunic, allowed to 
 sweep with its full length the floor of the cathedral, is carefully tucked up in the streets, 
 so as to display the wearer's well-turned limbs, clothed in tight stockings and the dainty 
 slippers, willi silver buckles, which cover the feet. In the centre of tlie procession 
 came the hermanos mayores, a sort of grand master of the brotherhood, rich in the 
 ornaments and emblems of his order. The munidores, or masters of ceremonies, followed, 
 bearing long silver trumpets, like those of the heralds of old, garnished with rich silk 
 hangings, a reckless waste of embroideries, fringes, and tassels. Then came porters 
 bearing basket-loads of wax tapers, and a paso, representing the entra,nce of Christ into 
 Jerusalem. The figures of our Saviour mounted on an ass and followed by the disciples, 
 life-size, are clothed in vestments of silk and velvet. As we have already said, these 
 groups of images are mounted on platforms and carried by men concealed by simple 
 draperies. The bearers being thus deprived of seeing their way are led by members of the 
 brotherhood, who have established a code of telegraphy by knocking on the platform when 
 they are wanted either to stop, or to proceed. Dnriug Monday and Tuesday in Holy 
 Week there is no outdoor ceremony. On Wednesday we dropped in at the cathedral, 
 where they were chanting the Passion. When they came to the words, " et velum templi 
 scissum est "-" and the veil of the temple was rent "—we heard the sound of a veil being torn ; 
 then, by the same mechanism as that used in theatres, they imitated thunder and hghtning 
 at the moment when Christ expired. After this performance the pasos are again paraded 
 through the town, one representing our Saviour with a cord round his neck being dragged 
 along by a band of Jews, bearing in nheir hands a number of very curious weapons. 
 Besides this, a variety of other scenes from the Passion were carried about until darkness 
 set in, when we again repaired to the cathedral to hear the Miserere, the rendering of 
 which had been so much vaunted bv the SeviUians. The crowd was so great that we 
 found difficulty in finding seats beneath the nave. The Miserere, which lasted over an 
 hour, was sung with great power and pathos, while the instrumental accompaniment was 
 quite equal to the vocal rendering of the composition. The music, indeed, of the cathedral 
 enjoys a well merited reputation all over Spain. The ceremonials of Maundy-Thursday 
 are of a still more pompous and imposing character; in the morning, the Cardinal- 
 
A PASO AT SEVILLE. 
 
 To face page 286. 
 
THEATRES OF SEVILLE. 289 
 
 Archbishop of Seville cousecrates the holy oils, when the marvellous richness of the 
 sacerdotal vestments of the numerous clergy renders the scene in the cathedral extremely 
 brilliant and attractive. It is also on this day that the monumento is lit up. This 
 monumento — Holy Sacrament of the San tisimo— executed by an Italian artist towards the 
 close of the sixteenth century, is a sort of vast wooden temple, which takes to pieces, but 
 requires a long time (about three weeks) and great labour to put together. It is in the 
 trascoro, that is behind the choir, on the site of the tomb of Christopher Columbus, that 
 the monument is erected. When lighted up the effect is truly marvellous, the tapers 
 numbering nearly eight hundred. 
 
 Good Friday is the day on which the 2^c(,sos are displayed in great number, and when 
 the most interesting is that called Santo E^itierro. The figures of this group, unlike thj 
 others, are living. One man, scythe in hand, seated on the World, represents Death. A 
 number of children are dressed as angels. One, Saint Michael, in warrior costume ; 
 another, el Santo Angel de Guarda, conducting man by the hand : man is a baby of about 
 three years, who shivers in his swaddling bands as he gazes with dismay on the crowd 
 of allegorical personages around him. Two other babes are the angels Gabriel and 
 Eaphael. Christ, in a glass case, surrounded by Roman soldiers, is followed by the 
 Virgin, Saint John, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and other personages. This great 
 show reminded us of tableaux vivants, and the simple mysteries of the Middle Ages. 
 
 Easter Eve was not without its own peculiar allegorical procession, meant to symbolise 
 the founding of the Church. 
 
 The processions of Seville, with their masked and hooded penitents, remind one of 
 a band of victims of the ancient Inquisition being led to their doom. 
 
 Nevertheless, there are stranger spectacles to be encountered in the streets of Seville, 
 scenes of the serio-comic order. We have beheld more than once a wretched coffin laid 
 upon a cart drawn by a miserable horse, made to trot at full speed, and followed by a troop 
 of indigents making all haste to be rid of a troublesome task. It was a. pauper's funeral. 
 
 Easter Sunday was taken up with a great variety of amusements, amongst which the 
 corrida was perhaps the most popular, at which we saw a young espada slay two bulls with 
 her pretty hand ; then followed courses a la Portugaise, less bloody, although not less 
 interesting than the ordinary courses; and the carnage ended by a brave torero, mounted 
 on higb stilts, killing several bulls. 
 
 Seville has two theatres — Teatro principal and that of San Fernando — where comedies, 
 dramas, tragedies, and operas are indiscriminately played without offence to the national 
 taste, and to which the people repair to terminate the f^tes of Easter Sunday. 
 
 The first time we visited the Teatro principal there was a crowded house, but the 
 ladies were in majority, mantillas and flowers forming a great variety of simple yet 
 attractive head-dresses. There was a constant buzzing caused by the noise of whispering, 
 mingled with the motion of fans. Close to where we sat were two young Sevillians with 
 luxuriant black tresses decked with a white dahlia placed behind the ear. Behind them 
 sat their mother, who might possibly have been once as charming as her daughters, 
 but now, alas ! with her dark mantilla shading her wrinkled face, she looked like some old 
 duenna in a comedy. 
 
 At last the curtain rose upon a zarzuela, entitled Buenas noches, senor don Simon, a 
 translation of our comic opera, Bon Soir, Monsieur Pantalon, slightly modified, and set to new 
 music. The same may be said of many other Spanish pieces. They are simply adaptations. 
 If, therefore, Rotrou, Calprenede, Montfleury, Pierre and Thomas Corneille, Moliere, and 
 
2 go SPAIN. 
 
 others, have borroweLl from Spanish authors, one perceives that at the present day our 
 neiohbours are returning the compliment. Immediately after the zarzuela, followed El Pcu;o 
 
 y paca "Francis and Frances" — no other tliau Le Caporal et la Payse. So far nothing 
 
 national, nothing original. Fortunately, however, we were agreeably surprised when the 
 curtain rose on the sainete. 
 
 The pieces comprehended under the name sainete are peculiar to the Peninsula. The 
 word now used in theatrical parlance signified originally a delicious morsel, agreeable to 
 the palate, or a sauce only used to give the most dainty savour to meats : it was then 
 applied to short pieces, burlesquing popular vices and follies, or presenting amusing pictures 
 of native customs and usages. 
 
 The sainetes, presenting only two or three scenes, and never exceeding a single act, 
 are sometimes written in prose ; they are, however, more commonly interspersed with 
 couplets and choruses. In Catalonia and Majorca, where ancient customs prevail, they are 
 still called entremeses, or tonadillas, as in the time of Cervantes. 
 
 Since the word has now passed into our language, it may be observed that its true 
 orthography is nearly always altered. Sometimes we have seen it written saynete, sainette, 
 saynette, and even saignette, and in France is ordinarily used in the feminine, while the 
 Spaniards, who pronounce it sainete, only employ it in the masculine. 
 
 The sainete before us is called El valor de una Giiana. The personages, all 
 gipsies, are four in number — Pepiya, a young attractive gipsy ; Gavlrro, her father ; 
 Perico, the betrothed ; and Asaura, a rejected admirer. The scene represents a grove 
 with Pepiya seated on the ground, placing some flowers in her jet black hair. She takes a 
 mirror from her pocket, and while gazing on her own loveliness, sings a couplet to its 
 praise. Gavirro, an old, tawny, dry and stooping gipsy, -the accomplished type of a mule 
 shearer, seeing his daughter so prettily decked, suspects that she has lost her heart, 
 but she won't own it. " Take care," said he ; " Love is a — " here the old man characterises 
 love in such strong terms that we won't venture to put them in print. "Do not," he 
 continued, " expose thyself to be covered with shame like thy mother, and remember that the 
 poor woman perished by the hands of the executioners." This joke was a great success, 
 calling forth rounds of applause from a certain portion of the house. The aged parent 
 no sooner retires than we hear a song from the side scenes. The voice approaches, and 
 its owner, Perico, appears. " Ole salero ! " he cries, as soon as he perceives Pepiya ; 
 " thy beauty has killed me, but if I only behold the curve of thy dainty foot I shall 
 return to life." 
 
 "Dost thou really love me as much as thou sayest, Perico?" 
 
 " Love thee I I would pluck out an eye to see thee queen of Castille ! Fight for thee as 
 a she-bear fights to defend her young. Wilt thou be queen ? Say one word and I will 
 rout all nations, from the Russians to the French ! Should you desire scarfs and silk 
 mantillas, open thy pretty lips : I need nothing more to bring thee fifteen frigates, laden 
 with them to the water's edge. When I behold thy pretty mouth, it is like a gleam of 
 heaven, and I tremble even to the tips of my pattes ! " 
 
 "I begin to think, Perico, that thou lovest me a little." 
 " I love you as my own donkey, aye, and more ! " 
 
 Perico retires, and is replaced by Asaura, his rival, who bursts into tears, and not 
 without renson, as one of the heaviest calamities that can visit one of his race has 
 befallen him : his donkey has been stolen. " Child of my heart, what has become of thee ? 
 Donkey of a noble stock, as fair as an Englishman, stronger than the horn of Saint James 1 
 
PENITENTS ACCOMPANYING A PASO. 
 
 To face page 290. 
 
SAINETE: EL VALOR DE UNA GITANA. 293 
 
 May thy tliief be chaBgecl to a lizard, and may a scorpioa devour him by little and 
 little." 
 
 Asaura ends by seeking consolation from his beloved Pepiya, whom he approaches 
 to kiss. This familiarity is resented by a vigorous blow on the ear, followed by " Mosito ! 
 I am too beautiful for thee. Dost thou know, only the other day, my garter having fallen, 
 a wreath of roses, as if by magic, took its place. It is not for thee that I deck myself 
 No ! it is for Perico." 
 
 " Perico ! I vow to tear out his heart with the blade of my navaja." 
 
 " Well, I will replace him, thou mayst say thy last prayer." Rolling her manta 
 around her arm, she draws her navaja. Perico enters. 
 
 "Between us," says the lover to his rival, "I will make an arroha (twenty-five 
 pounds) of pudding with thy liver." 
 
 " Let him live, Perico," says the tender-hearted girl, " do not stain thyself with the 
 blood of this hideous ape." 
 
 " Pepiya, beloved, leave us alone ; permit me to divide this ostrich in twain." 
 
 " Come," cried Asaura, " she is gone ; make thy confession, for thou art about to dance 
 zapateado." 
 
 "Draw the iron, sparrow ; thou shalt receive more thrusts than there are saints in the 
 calendar." 
 
 " Do not jump so. Defend thyself." 
 
 " To-day the world ends for one of us." 
 
 The rivals apostrophise each other thus for some time in the style of Homer's heroes. 
 No sooner has the combat commenced than Perico says aside, " It would be unhealthy to 
 receive a thrust of the navaja; it will be more comfortable to throw myself down, as if dead." 
 " Asaura," cried he, " thou hast cut me in half : I die ! " Pepiya enters, and seeing her lover 
 stretched on the ground, she picks up his navaja and charges Asaura, who also falls as 
 if mortally wounded. 
 
 " My Perico, my Perequiyo, thou art avenged ! " she cries, on seeing the unfortunate 
 swain falling at her feet. Then, throwing down the navaja, she kneels to bid her lover a 
 last farewell, and falls fainting between the rivals. Gavirro arrives at that instant, driving 
 a donkey before him, at once recognised as the stolen donkey of Asaura. On seeing three 
 bodies on the ground the old gipsy cries out, but soon subdues his excess of emotion, and 
 hastens to rifle the pockets of the dead combatants. This good Samaritan utters a fearful 
 oath on finding the pockets empty, and as he bids adieu to his lifeless daughter, promises 
 himself consolation with the donkey he had just stolen. Suddenly the animal, recognising 
 his master, brays loudly, whereupon Asaura rises as he hears the musical voice of his 
 beloved but lost helpmate. Perico and Pepiya, resuscitated in turn, join hands and receive 
 the old man's blessing. 
 
 These popular scenes lose force in being recounted in a different language. The actors 
 are so natural that one would almost think them real gipsies. Their acting, full of ardour, 
 recalled Pasquale Altavilla, the author and Napolitan actor, and Antonio Petito, the 
 celebrated Pulcinella of the little theatre of San Carlino, two renowned popular 
 artists. 
 
 It will be seen in the sainete we have just glanced over that the gipsies are rather 
 badly treated ; sometimes, however, it falls to the lot of the Andalucians, with their boasting 
 quackery and exaggerations, to be made the subjects of the farce. Paco Mandria y 
 Sacabuches, which we witnessed some days later, afi'ords a good illustration of the national 
 
294 SPAI^- 
 
 eo-otism of tlie Andalucians. Paco Mandria, as he himself is careful to inform us, is a 
 
 mixture of courage and tenderness : 
 
 " Yo lie nacio pa quer^ 
 Y i. luego pa pele4 ! " 
 
 — "I am born to love and then to fight." 
 
 Naturally Sacabuches is his rival, and he engages him in a contest of lying and 
 
 boasting. 
 
 "Soy un mozo muy cruo!" — "I am a brave boy!" cries the first. In Andalucian, 
 a gars cru is one full of energy and pluck ; while onozo cocido, is a simple poltroou-^a 
 drenched fowl. 
 
 "Be silent, by simply sneezing I can send a score of men to hospital." 
 " Refuse of the gipsies, depart hence, or with a single blow I will knock thy 
 teotli out." 
 
 " Mozo cocido ! When my wrath is kindled the gods tremble, and a thrust of my 
 little finger will upset a cathedral." 
 
 " Mentiroso Fanfarron ! If I but undo my taja — -knife — I will adorn thee with more 
 scars than there are grey hairs on the head of thy grandmother." 
 
 " Chiqidyo — boy — dost thou not know how all France and Spain have resounded with 
 the fame of my deeds ? " 
 
 " And I, have I not struck down thirty-two carahineros with a single blow ? " 
 " Hold, idiot. Thou wilt see that I am a tiger, lion, and serpent, all in one ! " 
 " Face of a heretic ! Tell thy beads, for I am about to tear out thy heart." 
 This interesting dialogue is continued until drawing their navajas the rivals seem 
 about to close in mortal combat, when suddenly changing their minds they retire 
 tranquilly from the scene. 
 
 In another sainete, in which the boastful natives play a prominent part, the hero 
 is a majo, who, standing with his bare navaja in his right hand and his jacket rolled 
 round his arm, is amusing himself by challenging the men who are coming from a bull- 
 fight. " Aqul hay un mozo jiara otro mozo ! " — " Here is a lad who waits for another." A 
 big, brawny fellow advances, and one expects he is about to accept the challenge. He 
 however is not so foolish ; he calmly takes hold of the arm of the majo, and calls out, 
 " Aqui hay dos mozos," etc. — " Here are two boys awaiting two others." A third appears, 
 and they are joined by others, until they form a band of doughty majos without finding 
 a single adversary. 
 
 The Andalucians own to their faults and follies good-naturedly, as we may gather 
 from the farces we have passed in review. At the same time a number of their sainetes 
 are devoted to ridiculing the follies of strangers. Spain is certainly not an inhospitable 
 country ; nevertheless, there is a sort of vague spirit of distrust in the people which is 
 perhaps the outcome of their naturally independent spirit. The strangers are, as might 
 be expected, the French and English; the former are frequently designated Franchutes 
 or Gavachos. In the Sainete Oeroma la Castanera, the hero is a Frenchman, who is in love 
 with a young chestnut vendor. Our compatriot throughout the play speaks the language 
 bon negre, using the infinitive, as in the sabir mamamoucUs of Molifere. Geroma and her 
 majo, named Manolo, abuse the Franchute to their hearts' content, calling him canario— 
 canary— perro— dog— etc., to the great delight of the audience. All foreign languages are 
 iijlin-flan, that is a jargon, to the lower orders among the people. "When will God," said 
 
THE BARBERS OF SEVILLE. 295 
 
 one of tbem, "permit these demons of Gabachos to sj^eak like Christians?" It often 
 happens thnt in sainetes of this sort, couplets are introduced, where the national vanity is 
 fluttered to the detriment of foreigners — for example : 
 
 " Cuentan en Paris que somos 
 Atrosados zascandiles, 
 Porque esoasos de carriles 
 Miran er pais aun ; 
 Mas entiendan los muy perros 
 Que p4 andai por esta tierra 
 Basta el fuego que se encierra 
 En el peoho 6 un Andalu ! 
 
 " In Paris they say we are presumptuous — that we are behind the times — because as 
 yet we have only a few railroads. But let them understand, the triple dogs, that for 
 traversing the earth, the fire in the heart of an Andalucian suffices." 
 
 We may also cite another verse which is probably intended to reply to the famous 
 .sentence of Alexandre Dumas, " Africa begins on the other side of the Pyrenees : " 
 
 " Desde allende el Pirineo 
 Los estranjis muy ufanos 
 Nos apondan de Africanos 
 Porque vamos al toril ; 
 Y si alguna vez ocupan 
 El tendido de la plaza, 
 Con un palmo de bocaza 
 Van graznando : oh, que plaisir ! " 
 
 " On the other side of the Pyrenees, the strangers, inflated with pride, call us 
 Africans, because we fight with bulls ; but if they by chance sit on the steps of the circus, 
 they open wide their mouths and begin to bray. Oh, what pleasure ! " 
 
 For some time past, however, foreigners have been better treated on the stage. Even 
 the press has turned in our favour, and these are the words of a journalist who protested 
 against one of the sainetes to which we have alluded. " We have very little to say on the 
 subject of Geroma Castanera ; this well-known sainete has for its attraction savage phillipies 
 against strangers. If such pieces have found theatres for their representation, that is no 
 reason wliy certain persons should expose the bad taste of the nation by taking part in 
 tliera. It is not flattering to us to see Spaniards represented like Cafres, following up 
 with the navaja all who don't speak the calo. If we continue to rejoice in these repugnant 
 and false pictures of manners, what right have we to find fault with foreign writers when 
 it pleases them to treat us unfairly in their writings ? " 
 
 Quitting the theatre for the street, we there find some curious types : to begin with 
 the harateros, whom we have already had occasion to notice at Malaga. 
 
 The harateros of Seville are, next to those of Malaga., the most dangerous in Andalucia, 
 carrying on their hideous craft in an out-of-the-way suburb in the same manner as the 
 Macarena. Here too, armed with his navaja, he exacts tribute from the unfortunate 
 vagrant players, who fain would shelter themselves from his gaze beneath some high wall 
 or under the friendly shade of a group of trees. But let us turn to a more cheerful type 
 of character — the barbero. 
 
 Beaumarchais could not have chosen a happier scene for his immortal Barbier than 
 Seville. The original of his Figaro, there can be no doubt, existed in his time in the capital 
 of Andalucia, and it is probable that one may still find him even at the present daj^, 
 without much searching. These handicraftsmen of Seville are very numerous, and their 
 
296 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 shops may be readily distinguished by the light green or blue paint on the doorway, 
 o-enerally striped with yellow ; another characteristic sign is a little green Venetian blind, 
 at the most two or three feet high, commonly fixed before the harberia ; then there is the 
 invariable barber's dial of tin or brass, swinging above the doorway, and reminding one of 
 the famous helmet of Mambrin, illustrated by Cervantes, one of those wigged heads which 
 we no longer see in our little country towns; glass jars spotted with flics are what we 
 generally behold in the window of a barberia. We may also add bottles containing leeches 
 from Estremadura, for the Spanish barber almost monopolises that trade. 
 
 Those who prefer to be bled by leeches may thus address themselves to the barber ; 
 for he is a sort of surgeon, who not uufrequently styles himself Profesor aprobado de 
 cirugia — " diplomated professor of surgery." Yet his functions by no means end there : he 
 is also an accoucheur and a dentist. The shop of the barber is nevertheless an apartment 
 most simple, containing six or eight chairs, a table and couch, while the walls are 
 garnished with some white professional plates, with blue ornaments from Valencia or 
 Triaua, and with one or two chromo-lithographs, scenes from the Judio Errante, by Eugene 
 Sue, or else with a series of pictures of Corridas de Toros, bearing the legend in French 
 and Spanish Dihujadas por Gustavo Dor^. We must not omit to notice the guitar suspended 
 on the wall, for the barber of Seville is almost always a distinguished guitarrero, who 
 wears simply an ordinary coat, waistcoat and trousers, instead of Figaro's brilliant 
 costume. 
 
 The barber of Seville, like the men of his profession in all classes, is well posted up in 
 the tittle-tattle of his quarter of the town, and if gifted with a flow of language he 
 becomes a popular favourite, and is apt to neglect family interests in the pursuit of fame. 
 It is a popular saying, " Never marry a barber who goes to bed supperless and lises without 
 silver." The barherillos, or small suburban barbers, carry on their craft in the open air, 
 and are much more picturesque, as they still retain the Andalucian costume. Like tlie 
 barbieri of Rome, their patrons sit beneath the blue sky. Their furniture is made up of a 
 simple straw chair, on which the aguadores, or mozos de cordel are posed for shaving. As 
 for their tools, they are equally inexpensive, a tin vacia, an escalfador Med at a neighbouring 
 fountain placed on an earthen furnace, a piece of soap, and a selection of nuts of different 
 sizes. It IS at first difficult to make out the use of the nuts. When a customer places his 
 chin in the hands of the professor, one of the nuts is selected and inserted in his mouth so 
 that the client, by shifting it from one hollow cheek to the other, smooths out the wrinkles 
 and allows the barber to operate successfully on a plain surface of skin. This is an amusing 
 custom, and let no one imagine that we are colouring our truthful narrative by exaggera- 
 tion. It is an important fact which may prove of service to the baritones, who play the 
 part of Figaro in the opera, and who are thus at liberty to improve the scene of the 
 lathering of the cheeks of Bartolo. 
 
 The barrio of Triana, which stands on the right bank of the Guadalquivir, is an 
 important part of the town, and is reached by an iron bridge, which has replaced the 
 old pueMe de barcas. This suburb, formerly called Triana, owes its name to a Eoman 
 emperor. Triana, to Seville almost what Trastevera is to Rome, has been celebrated 
 by the author of Don Quixote in his novel, Rlnconete y Cortadillo. At the present day. 
 Its inhabitants are made up of contrabandists, gipsies, rateros, barateros, and majos. It 
 IS a miserable quarter, in whose principal street there is little worthy of notice, unless 
 It be the church of Santa Ana, built in the days of Alonzo el Sabio, and which boasts, with 
 the exception of the cathedral, the finest collection of pictures in all the Sevillian churches. 
 
- 
 
 ^=^ 
 
 - / - 
 
 = 
 
 
 
 
 ~x 
 
 ~1 
 
 -, 
 
 
 y 
 
 ^_ 
 
 "^ 
 
 — " 
 
 1- 
 
 - 
 
 
THE SUBURB OF TRIANA. 299 
 
 Santa Aua contains a curious tomb in painted faience, dated 1503, and bearing the 
 signature Niculoso Francisco, the artist whose works are to be seen in the chapel of the 
 Catholic sovereigns at Alcazar. The potteries of Triana were famed during the Roman 
 epoch, and it is said that the two patronesses of Seville, Santa Justina and Santa Rufina, 
 virgins and martyrs, who died at the close of the third century, were the daughters of 
 a potter of Triana. According to popular legend, they saved the Giralda from being over- 
 thrown by a storm in 1 504. 
 
 The potteries of Triana nowadays are the mere ghost of what they were during the 
 time of the Arabs, when the beautiful azulejos were manufactured, some of which may still 
 be seen encrusted on the walls of the churches of Seville. During the sixteenth century 
 this suburb contained nearly fifty factories, where the most beautiful delfware was made, 
 of which we noticed some fine samples in the Casa de Pilatos, and on the front of the 
 church of Santa Paula. 
 
 The gipsies of Triana form a population by themselves ; their condition for the most 
 part is very miserable, as they only carry on mean crafts, doing for instance a doubtful 
 trade in the brokerage of horses ; others are mule shearers, and some toreros. Unlike those 
 of Murcia, they rarely work or traffic in iron. As to the women, they are cigar makers, 
 dancers, fortune tellers ; but they also toil at fairs, and at the corners of the streets, making 
 black puddings and fritters fried in oil, selling cheap merchandise, such as haberdashery 
 and common stufis : these they carry from house to house in search of customers, taking 
 rags and bones in exchange for them. It requires great skill to effect a happy exchange, 
 or even to obtain an introduction to a likely customer ; some of them wander patiently from 
 door to door, and are harshly treated unless their native blandishments secure for them 
 a hearing. 
 
 The gipsies are not only held up to scorn in the sainetes, but they meet with no better 
 treatment in the popular songs, sold at the corners of the streets : one of these, the Pasillo 
 divertido entre Mazapan y Chicharon — " The amusing dialogue between Mazapan (a sort 
 of pastry) and Chicharon (huge grasshopper)" — on the occasion of a gipsy funeral. It must 
 be owned that when one of their number dies, they have strange customs to observe. The 
 corpse is exposed on a straw mattress on the floor between two lighted candles ; the women 
 prostrate themselves, faces downwards, weeping and moaning, and tearing their dark 
 tresses ; as to the men, they many of them are careful to drown their grief in the wine cup, 
 drinking to the memory of the defunct. They have the reputation among the Spaniards 
 of being lovers of wine, and there is a popular song which relates that a thirsty gitano, 
 Avhen breathing his last request, said, " Let me be buried beneath a vine, that I may suck 
 the wine from its roots." They also get the credit of being very cuuniug and adroit 
 thieves. A well-known Andalucian story serves to illustrate this characteristic of the 
 race. A gipsy, when confessing his manifold sins, said to a padre cura, " My father, I am 
 guilty of stealing a cord." 
 
 " Valgame Dies ! How did you not resist the sin ? Thou knowest that theft is a great 
 crime ; fortunately, however, it might have been more serious." 
 
 " But, my father, I must tell you that at the end of the cord there was the harness." 
 
 " Ah ! is that all ? " 
 
 " After the harness was the pack-saddle." 
 
 '= "What ! the saddle also 1 " 
 
 " Yes, my father, the saddle also ; and under the saddle was a mule." 
 
 " Esa es mas negra ! This is very black ! " said the confessor. 
 
300 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 "No, my father," replied the gipsy, who thought he alluded to the colour of the mule, 
 " it was not nearly so black as the other mules that followed." 
 
 Another story relates how a gipsy, when passing his sins in review before a confessor, 
 pilfered a silver snuff-box from the wide sleeve of the father. He then added, " I accuse 
 myself of stealing a silver snuff-box." 
 
 " Well, my son, it must be returned." 
 
 " My father, if youwould like to have it 1 " 
 
 " I ! What would you have me do with it ?" replied the priest. 
 
 " Well," said the gipsy, " I have already offered it to its owner, and he refused it." 
 
 " That alters the case. You may then keep it : it is yours." 
 
 One of the streets of Seville, the calle de la Cava or simply la. Cava, is almost entirely 
 occupied by gipsies. In treating of the suburbs of Granada, we have noticed one or two 
 words in calo, or the gipsy tongue. The cal6 of Seville differs in no important particulars 
 from that of Granada ; never tlieless, it is a language quite distinct from the Spanish : _the 
 only analogy it presents is in the termination of the verbs, the greater number of which 
 end with ar. The construction of the phrases is generally the same as in Spanish, but the 
 M'ords, with a few rare exceptions, bear no resemblance to those of any European tongue. 
 
 The calo is not without its legends, and its popular poetry, some written, some passed 
 down orally from generation to generation. We have read, in cal6 verse, a most tragic 
 account of the plague which devastated Seville, in the summer of 1800. Wailing and 
 lamentation were almost the only sounds to be heard in the streets, save the heavy rolling 
 of the cars which bore the dead to the overstocked graveyards. It is truly a fearful picture 
 whose deepest shadows were found in Triana, the quarter of the gipsies. 
 
 Tiie calo has its dictionaries from which we have jotted down the following words : 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 CALrf. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 CALO. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 CAL(5. 
 
 One, 
 
 Yesque. 
 
 Eight, 
 
 Ostor. 
 
 Sixty, 
 
 Joventa. 
 
 Two, 
 
 Duis. 
 
 Nine, 
 
 Nevel. 
 
 Seventy, 
 
 Esterdi. 
 
 Three, 
 
 Trin. 
 
 Ten, 
 
 Esden. 
 
 Eighty, 
 
 Ostorde. 
 
 Four, 
 
 Ostar. 
 
 Twenty, 
 
 Vin. 
 
 Ninety, 
 
 Esuete. 
 
 Five, 
 
 Panche. 
 
 Thirty, 
 
 Trianda. 
 
 One hundred, 
 
 Greste. 
 
 Six, 
 
 Jobe. 
 
 Forty, 
 
 Ostardi. 
 
 One thousand. 
 
 Jazare. 
 
 Seven, 
 
 Ester. 
 
 Fifty, 
 
 Panchardi. 
 
 One million, 
 
 Tarquino. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 oal6. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 CALd. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 CALd. 
 
 Monday, 
 
 Limitren. 
 
 January, 
 
 Inerin. 
 
 July, 
 
 Nuntive. 
 
 Tuesday, 
 
 Guerquer6. 
 
 February, 
 
 Ibrain. 
 
 August, 
 
 Querosto. 
 
 "Wednesday. 
 
 Sisoundo. 
 
 March, 
 
 Quirdare. 
 
 September, 
 
 Jentivar. 
 
 Thursday, 
 
 Cascail^. 
 
 April, 
 
 f Alpandi, or 
 \ Quigle. 
 
 October, 
 
 Octarva. 
 
 Friday, 
 
 Ajoro. 
 
 November, 
 
 Nundicoy. 
 
 Saturday, 
 
 Conche. 
 
 May, 
 
 Quindal(5. 
 
 Decem'ber, 
 
 Quendebre 
 
 Sunday, 
 
 Curco. 
 
 June, 
 
 Nutiv^. 
 
 
 
 The women do not confine themselves to peddling and fortune telling: there arc 
 sorceresses among them who profess to understand horoscopy, and who have their set 
 forms of blessing and of cursing. Here we give a caU specimen of the latter, translated 
 phrase for phrase : — 
 
 Panipen gresitS terele tucue drupe ./—"That thy life may come to an untimely end ! " 
 CamUe OstebS sos te diqiieles on asbaes dorbuchil,y arjuUpS as julistrabas!—" God grant tl\&t 
 you may fall into the hands of the executioner, and be dragged as an adder to death." 
 Sos te mercies de bacata, y sos ler galafres tejaillippeen .'— " Mayest thou famish of hunger, 
 and may dogs devour thee ! " etc. etc. 
 
THE CALO. 301 
 
 There are a variety of most elaborate forms of malediction like tlie above, from which 
 the old gipsy crones may select appropriate doses of cursing to suit their different customers. 
 The young women are, some of them, skilled in singing and playing the guitar, as well ns 
 in dancing in a way peculiar to themselves, which we shall notice when passing the 
 Spanish dances under review, as nothing is more interesting or curious than a haile de 
 Gitanos. 
 
 A BOX IN THE PRINCIPAL THEATRE OF SEVILLE. 
 
THE BOLERO. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Antiquity of Spanish dances— Martial and the puelltB gaditance—The crotalia and the castanuelas—h. treatise on 
 the castanets- The tamhouvine— The pavana of Spain— The paspU, the pasacalU, and the /oZias— Die 
 zarabanda; opinion of Padre Mariana— The zarabanda at the courts of Spain and of France- Ancient 
 Arahian dances-The /ararfanj^o— A Dancing Academy-The boleras robadas, and i\\e jaleo de J"c«2— An improvised 
 musician— A baile ds candil in the suburb of Triana— The cantadores—'ih.e ^o?o— Supper in a gipsy tavern 
 —The calescras de Carfia-The cato-The zapatcado at the fair of Seville— An old gipsy— The bolero— Hw 
 national dancers and the ancient Spanish engravings— The seguidillas -The seguidillas mandiegas—The Jota 
 ^j-a(7o»esa-Eeligious copras— The Valencian >to— Dancing at a funeral— The jota of Navarre and Catalonia— 
 The danza prima— The Carmago, 
 
 Many Latin authors have celebrated the marvellous skill and grace of Spanish dancers. 
 Martial, who was himself a Spaniard, in his epigrams, eulogises those of Cadiz who had 
 gained a world-wide celebrity, and who were so popular iu Rome. It was the delight ot 
 the beaus of the metropolis to hum the airs of the foldtre Cadiz — merry Cadiz — a very 
 corrupt town, if we are to credit the poet of Bilbilis, w^ho praises the grace of Telethusa, 
 a dancer quite in the style of his time ; further on Martial supplies two descriptive verses, 
 which, out of respect for our readers, we must decline to translate. Pliny the Younger, 
 in a letter to Septicius Clarus, tells us that in his time a fete was never complete without 
 the gipsy dancers. Silius Italicus, Appius, Strabo, and many others, have lauded the 
 tcrpsichoreau ability of the Gaditanes. These dances of the ancient Gades, called by 
 a German author " die Poesie der Wollust " — the poetry of voluptuousness— are perhaps 
 
SPANISH DANCES. 303 
 
 those we have seen represented on certain monuments of the Roman epoch. It has been 
 even hinted that the famous Venus Callipyge was an exact reproduction of a Gaditane 
 dancer celebrated at Eome, probably the likeness of Tclethusa, the ballet-girl sung by 
 Martial, The canon Salazar, who wrote in the seventeenth century, informs us, in his 
 Grandezas de Cadiz, that the Andalucian dances were no other than those anciently 
 celebrated. Padre Marti, the dean of Alicante, was thoroughly acquainted with all the 
 popular dances of his time, the delices gaditanes, as he calls them ; he also testifies to their 
 high antiquity and affirms that they have been mellowed and refined. Many other 
 savants have studied with great gravity the various dances in vogue at different epochs, 
 in order to trace out their affinity, or the opposite, to those of which the ancient Romans 
 were so passionately fond ; tlms it was discovered that the crissatura was no other than 
 the famous meneo, and the lactisma the zapateado, whose name indicates that the dancer 
 strikes the ground with her foot, or else the taconeo, where the heel, touching, marks the 
 measure, and so on ; for we should never have done were we to dive into the technical 
 details on which grave theologiaiis have not failed to grow dull. 
 
 There is, however, one important particular in which the modern Spanish dances 
 resemble those of ancient Gades, and that is in the use of castanets. These instruments, 
 for marking the time, have undergone but little change for a period extending over nearly 
 two thousand years. The castanets still form an essential accessory to the dance, and 
 their dexterous manipulation may be set down as a purely Spanish attribute. Hence one 
 of our ballad writers caused one of his characters to address this question to an hidalgo 
 whose nationality was doubtful, " You a Spaniard ? Show me your castanets ! " This 
 is by no means the first time that the noisy and unharmonious instrument has been turned 
 into ridicule. A Dutch traveller of the seventeenth century tells us that the Spaniards 
 had a marked predilection for the castanets. " They are extremely fond of playing an 
 instrument which they call castanetas, and which resembles the clappers of the beggars in 
 our country. They have no soul for sweeter harmony." The crotalia of the ancients, with 
 a slight difference, was the same as the castanets ; only it was more frequently made in 
 bronze in place of wood or ivory. It would appear that the Roman ladies during the time 
 of Trajan used to make castanets of huge pearls to deck their ears or fingers, and delight 
 their lords with the sound they emitted as they moved about. What would the holeras 
 of Seville, Cadiz, or Malaga, say to such refinement of luxury, when they themselves think 
 that nothing could be finer than their modest castanets, when garnished with a silken 
 cord, into which a few silver or golden threads have been twisted to heighten the eff"ect 
 of the ivory or wood of the passion-flower which form these dainty instruments. 
 
 A Spanish author of the last century deplores the fertility of his compatriots who 
 write on any and every subject, " even the castanets I " And he was right ; for we ourselves 
 have before us a huge volume printed en la imprenta real in 1792. Its title alone fills a 
 page. The author of this didactic work, named Licenciado Francisco Agustin Florencio, 
 roused the indignation of a certain Juanitor Lopez Polinario, who attacked Licenciado in a 
 pamphlet entitled Impugnacion literaria, etc. But the author who seems to us to merit the 
 palm is Don Alejandro Moya. This writer, seeing the castanets unjustly attacked, avenged 
 them nobly in a work which bears the title El triunfo de las castanuelas," etc. 
 
 The licentiate Florencio, in the preface to his satirical work, begins by speaking, 
 apropos of the castanets, of Christopher Columbus and of Galileo ; then plunging at last 
 into his subject, he regrets that no one has soiled more than four pages of paper with this 
 particular topic. The author proceeds to point out the rules to be followed in using his 
 
304 SPAIN. 
 
 favourite instrument witli the guitar. He then brings to light an entirely new castanet, 
 formed to sound thirds, fourths, fifths, etc., and counsels the player to observe what he 
 terms the three unities, namely, unity of action, time, aud place. A good castanet player 
 ought to follow precisely every movement of the body, arms, and legs. This 
 he proceeds to prove, relying on the counsel of Aristotle. Lastly, persuaded as to the 
 certainty of success of this important work, he concludes by politely requesting his readers 
 to dance four seguidillas boleras. It is to be regretted that the learned author did not 
 exercise his pen in shedding light on the history of the tambourine, the modern representa- 
 tive of the ancient tympanum, as one sees it depicted, in the hands of performers, on the 
 well-known mosaic in the museum of Naples. 
 
 Like the tamburello, dear to the Minenti of Eome, the Spanish pandereta is ornamented 
 with painting of great simplicity, representing, usually — a maja and a majo dancing, while 
 knots of ribbons and discs of bright metal add to the general splendour of the instrument. 
 The pandereta is everywhere at public f^tes, and even its roll and jiugle may be heard 
 at religious celebrations, on Christmas Eve, or the Eve of St. John. The pandero is, 
 like the castanets, one of the national musical instruments of Spain. Thus the language is 
 peculiarly rich in its store of names by which these instruments are known : for example, 
 the word castanuelas has many synonyms : castanetas, and palillos ; sometimes one simply 
 says Una, wood. Next come the words castanetada, castaneteo, castanetazo, castaneteado, and 
 castaneton, which may be each employed to express the play, or the instrument. There is 
 still the verb castanetear, which expresses the action of playing, or it may be applied to one 
 whose teeth chatter with the cold. When a man is bow-legged and his knees knock 
 together, they say he plays the castanets ! also when one wishes to describe a quick, lively 
 person, one compares him to a castanet, como una castanuela. 
 
 The word pandereta has also its synonyms, while the sound of the instrument itself has 
 given rise to a number of proverbs and popular sayings. It has been compared to the fool 
 who talks a great deal and says nothing. 
 
 But we must now leave our reader to follow up for himself the study of the Spanish 
 musical instruments, while we proceed to say a few words on the national dances during 
 the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and as we find them in our own time. What were the 
 Spanish dances during the epoch of the Middle Ages ? Very little indeed is known upon 
 the subject. " It may be presumed," said the erudite Jovellauos in his Memoire sur les 
 dlvertissemc7Us publics, "that the popular exercises par excellence found refuge in Asturia at the 
 time of the Arab invasion." It is certain that the Juglares and the Spanish Trovadores of 
 the Middle Ages produced both ballads and dances, and amono- the latter one bore the name 
 ofRey don Alonzo el Bueno, and was probably in vogue during the lifetime of the prince 
 — in the twelfth century. 
 
 Then there was the Turdion, famed for its contortions, and the Gihadina, a name which 
 almost signifies the hunchback's dance ; and the Alemanda, without doubt of German 
 origin. Lope de Vega complains in his comedy, "La Dorotea," of these exercises falling 
 gradually into disuse. 
 
 The Pavana was a grave and noble step which spread its charms over France and 
 Italy, where it enjoyed a long-continued popularity. " The Pavana;' says a Spanish author, 
 " mimics the charming attitudes of the royal peacock, who sways about as if he were on 
 wheels." It is said to be of Italian origin, and a dance in which Catherine de Mddicis 
 excelled, and which she at the same time brought to greater perfection. The lords of the 
 period danced the Pavana d'Espagne, wearing short cloaks hanging from the shoulder, and 
 
THE FANDANGO AT THE THEATEE SAN FERNANDO, SEVILLE. 
 
 To face page 304. 
 
THE ZAEABANDA. 307 
 
 rapiers by tlieir sides, in order to add grace to their movements; while the ladies were 
 arrayed in long trailing dresses, bedecked with rich embroidery and glittering with jewels. 
 
 Margaret of Navarre, queen of Henri IV., also danced the pavcma. The slow measure 
 of the air and extreme gravity of the step have rendered this dance useful as a means of 
 ridiculing eccentricities. The phrase. Son entradas de pavana, is still used iu Spain when 
 speaking of any one who carries on some ridiculous discourse with ponderousness and 
 gravity ; son pasos de pavana, apropos of a person who affects a slow, dignified gait. It 
 is evident that the French expression, se pavaner, has the same origin. 
 
 The PaspiS, so well known in France during the seventeenth century under the name 
 oi passe-pied, was nothing more than a variety of the pavana. The Pasacalle (literally, to 
 walk in the streets) obtained its name from its being originally danced by the young people 
 in the streets. It was afterwards transferred to the theatres. The Pasacalle enjoyed for a 
 time unbounded popularity in Spain, Italy, and France. 
 
 A dance called the Folias, supposed by some writers to have originated in Portugal, 
 was nevertheless anciently known in Spain. Its movement was sometimes slow and grave, 
 sometimes animated and rapid. It is related of Peter I., King of Portugal, that he was so 
 passionately fond of the Folias as to spend entire nights dancing it with his children and 
 the persons whom he deigned to honour with his sullen friendship. Both iu France and 
 Italy many variations were introduced into the Folias d'Fspagne, which were produced in 
 the theatres so thoroughly marred and mutilated that a purist of the time accounted them 
 unworthy of the name. 
 
 During the seventeenth century a distinction was made between Danzas and Bayles, 
 so we are informed by the learned Gonzales de Salas. The Danzas were designed for the 
 slow and measured exercise of the legs, while the Bayles admitted freer gestures of 
 the arms and legs, and the greater abandonment of the body. A number of the Bayles — 
 light dances — are, it would seem, rather indecent, and have accordingly been named 
 picarescos, from the word picaro — good for nothing. The most noticeable of these dances 
 was the famous saraband, called by Cervantes " the infernal dance," and the Padre Mariana, 
 de la Zarabanda el pestifero hayle. 
 
 The celebrated historian, in order to justify his condemnation, says that that dance 
 alone caused more evil than a plague. This is how he characterises it in his work De 
 spectaculis: "Amongst the bayles which have lately appeared, there is one accompanied 
 
 by singing, extremely licentious both in words and gestures it is commonly called 
 
 the Zarabanda, and in spite of several opinions which have been advanced, we are at a loss 
 to account for its origin. Nevertheless, it is certain that this dance was invented in 
 Spain." It is said to have been first brought out in Seville, by an Andalucian dancer, 
 set down by one author as a demon of a woman— wn demonio de miijer. 
 
 A contemporary of the Padre Mariana, the author of a curious book preserved in the 
 national library of Madrid, deplores the evident weakening of the virtue of a Christian 
 community, who take pleasure in a spectacle so pernicious and pestilential, when one sees 
 young children, as soon as they are able to use their legs, learning some of the steps of the 
 saraband. "Hence it is," he adds, "that this dance ought to be suppressed in the theatres 
 and places of public resort." With rare exceptions, and unlike the chacona, the saraband 
 is danced by women alone. 
 
 The majority of the Andalucian dances are accomj^anied by the guitar, an instrument 
 widely spread over Spain during the sixteenth century. "Now," says Covarrubias, 
 " it is easily played, above all when it is necessary to execute the raspado ; there is hardly 
 
3o8 SPAIN. 
 
 a stable-boy who is not a virtuoso on the guitar." The music of other instruments, such as 
 the flute and harp, were often mingled with the guitar, and accompanied the song at the 
 
 same time as the dance. 
 
 The Zarabanda, which was for the most part accompanied by the guitar, notwith- 
 standing the torrents of abuse heaped upon it, and the systematic efi"orts made to suppress 
 it, the objectionable dance seems to have been endowed with marvellous vitality, as it not 
 only survived, but flourished for more than a century. It seems that dancing was much 
 in vogue at the Spanish court. Madame d'Aulnoy describes a dance which she witnessed 
 not wanting in originality. " They brought an Indian giantess before the queen. The 
 ladies wished to make this colossal dance, while she held on each hand a dwarf who played 
 the castanets and the tambour de basque." 
 
 The saraband inaugurated a number of other dances, which were favoured with 
 success more or less fluctuating. We have already noticed the Escarraman and the 
 Chacona. Let us also cite among the picai^esque dances, the las Gambetes, el Polio, la 
 Japona, el Rastrojo, la Gorrona, la Pipironda, el Hermano nario, la Gira, la Dama prima, 
 el Bizarro, la Paisana, la Gallarda, la Palmadica, la GuaracJia, el Zapateado, etc. In the 
 latter dances the movements of the feet, which were extremely rapid, form the chief 
 attraction. The Canario, as its name implies, doubtless originated in the Canary Isles; 
 Thoinot Arbeau (Jehan Tabourot) describes this dance in his curious Orchesographie. 
 The Gira, one of the most ancient dances of Spain, implies a degree of skill which appears 
 startling to those who are unfamiliar with such arts. The dancer enters a circle traced 
 upon the ground, round which he has to dance quickly without passing the mark or 
 spilling a drop of water from a glass which he carries brimful, poised upon his forehead. 
 The dance is performed on one foot, with the other raised above the ground. 
 
 The Dama prima has also a respectable antiquity. It was danced by joining hands 
 in a ring to the accompaniment of the Voice, and is still preserved among the Asturians 
 and Galicians. El Bizarro originated in the kingdom of Granada, and was the prototype 
 of a dance, which afterwards obtained extraordinary success — the famous Fandango. 
 The Villano, or villains' dance, was executed by striking the hands one against the other, 
 and also on the soles of the feet. A rather curious dance, fashionable in Castille at the 
 time of Cervantes, was the Danza de Espadas — sword dance. Covarrubias gives a descrip- 
 tion of this war-step : the dancers wear shirts and wide trousers of fine >vhite linen, and 
 haudkerchiefs of difi'erent colours bound round their heads. Each one holds in his hand 
 a sharp sword. After coming and goiug in a variety of ways, and passing through all 
 sorts of evolutions, they perform a mudanza, or figure called degollada — beheading — 
 when each dancer directs his sword to the neck of the leader, who at the instant when 
 about to lose his head, ducks down and escapes. This sword dance only survives 
 in memory, and nowadays when one speaks of a family quarrel it is called a danza de 
 espada. 
 
 The Arabs and Moors of Spain had also their national dances, the Zambras and the 
 Leylas; the Canas are also said to be Moorish: these are the popular ditties which 
 accompany the dancers. 
 
 It is astonishing to find how thoroughly these airs have been preserved and handed 
 down from generation to generation, through times of the direst persecution, to our own 
 day. There is hardly a sequestered spot, or mountain glen, in Andalucia, where, on a 
 summer's evening, one may not hear the peasants or serranos singing these old Moorish 
 melodies. 
 
THE BOLERO. 
 
 309 
 
 During our stay at Malaga we had several opportuuities of seeing tlie Mcdagiiena del 
 Torero executed with great skill. Dor^ seized the opportunity to make a sketch, which 
 gives a happy rendering of the grace and vivacity of the boleras. It was during tiie reign 
 of Philip IV. that danzas habladas, mythological dances, were brought to a high degree of 
 perfection. They were produced at court with the most costly costumes an d° accessories, 
 and more than once persons of royal blood deigned to take an active part in them. Little 
 
 ANDALUCIAN DANCERS. 
 
 by little the national dances have disappeared from the theatre. At the commencement of 
 
 last century the Saraband and the Chacona, as well as other dances of the same sort, were 
 
 completely abandoned, and replaced by the dance steps still in vogue in Spain, tLe 
 
 seguidillas, {he fandango, and the holero. The first of these differs mainly from the bolero in 
 
 the rapidity of its time. The bolero is also distinguished by the lightness of its step, causing 
 
 the dancer to appear almost as if he were flying. The names bolero and bolera are also 
 
 given to male and female dancers in Spain. 
 
 z 
 
J 
 
 lo SPAIN. 
 
 The fandango is set down as one of the most fascinating of all dances. The poet 
 Tomas de Yriarte exclaims, " Show me a people so barbarous that they do not grow 
 animated when they hear the sound of their national dance music! The most popular 
 Spanish air accompanies a dance whose fantastic movements are as graceful as they are 
 enchanting. Astounding alike to the most renowned masters, to natives and to foreigners ! 
 The graceful fandango, the delight of joyous youth and severe old age ! " 
 
 Another author esteems the same dance worthy of the temple of Venus. " The air of 
 the fandango, like an electric current, strikes and animates every heart, quickening the 
 pulse of ever}^ true Spaniard. The dancers when in full career perform the most wonder- 
 ful gestures, the women, by the softness, lightness, and flexibility of their movements, 
 disport themselves voluptuously, marking the time by touching the stage with their heels. 
 In short, the guitars, violins, castanets, and stamping of the time, mingled with the 
 voluptuous movements of the dancers, fill an ordinary assembly with a frenzy of joy and 
 pleasure ! " Formerly this dance was known all over Spain, but nowhere so thoroughly as in 
 La Manclia and in the Andalucian districts. One morning we read a long programme, partly 
 in doubtful French and partly in Spanish, of a ball to be given at the Academia de hdile, 
 holding out so many attractions that we determined to be present. Accordingly, at the 
 hour named, we entered the calle de Tarifa, and made for the first house on our right, the 
 dancing academy. After climbing a steep and narrow staircase, dimly lighted by a candle 
 in an iron holder stuck into the wall, we reached the second floor, where we found the 
 famous salon del recreo. This drawing-room, to which the proprietor liad pompously given 
 the name of academy, was a large apartment, whose simple furniture and decorations 
 might have been worthy of the Middle Ages. The former was made up of four coue-hes 
 covered with straw matting ranged round the walls, and a number of chairs, some of 
 which were reserved for the boleras, while the windows were shaded by modest calico 
 blinds bordered with red. The whitewashed walls were hung with a number of 
 pictures relating, all of them, to the terpsichorean art. Before the arrival of the boleras we 
 had leisure to admire these very vivid lithographs, representing a variety of famous steps 
 — pictorial masterpieces manufactured by the house of Mitjana of Malaga, for ornamenting 
 boxes of dried grapes. This collection also comprised portraits of celebrated dancers, such 
 as la Perla, Aurora la Cujini, la Nena, and others. But the chief work was a portrait of the 
 master of the academy, by some indigenous artist, in the garb of a holero and triumphant 
 attitude of tiie Jaleo de Jerez. 
 
 Nearly all the spectators were artisans, as few persons of the higher orders care to 
 frequent these Miles de palillos. Next came strangers, English, French, and Russian, 
 accompanied by ladies whom curiosity had driven to the saloon. The orchestra was made 
 up of a blind man, who was led to his seat by a boy of about twelve years, carrying his 
 violin. 
 
 Don Luis Botella, seeing that his saloon was beginning to fill, proceeded to inspect the 
 contents of the till. The money-taker manages his part of the business on a very unequal 
 basis, varying his price from four to twenty reaux, to suit the appearance of the visitors. 
 Don Luis next devoted himself to receiving the visitors, and improving his light, which 
 came from some argand lamps. Soon we heard a strange medley of noises, made up of female 
 voices and laughter, the rustling of silk and gauze, and clink of castanets, which heralded 
 the approach of six dancing girls, accompanied by aged women as guardians. The dancers, 
 booted with satin, were dressed in the well-known classic costume of their race. These 
 were followed by a new couple, who seemed to shun their compatriots, a young holera, 
 
A DANCIHG ACADEMY, SEVILLE. 
 
 To face ^)o^e 310. 
 
A DANCING ACADEMY, SEVILLE. 
 
 313 
 
 whose shoulders and starched petticoat were covered with tarlatan, accompanied by a very 
 dark, stout woman, with a face red, hairy, and adorned with wens and vegetation of all 
 sorts ; doubtless it was her mother. We remarked to Dor^, " Here is the most beautiful 
 duegne you will ever have the opportunity of sketching," and an instant after the holera 
 and her mother were added to his album. " Make way for the dancers," cried the maestro 
 
 
 ■[ 
 
 i< .i 
 
 
 
 AN ANDALUCIAN BOLBRA AND HER MOTHER. 
 
 del hdile, in a tone of authority. The ballet corps majestically broke through the crowd, 
 and traversing the entire length of the saloon, took up their position at the end. 
 
 The director was coming and going with great activity, arranging his audience, being 
 careful the while to reserve the best seats for those who had paid their duro, or who 
 appeared to him to be persons of distinction. A number of Russians and of Englishmen 
 secured, by their particularly foreign appearance, marked respect ; they were planted in the 
 front row, and seemed impatient for the opening of the ball. As for the Andalucians, they 
 stood or stowed themselves as best they could, looking with the modesty of men who had 
 
, , , SPAIN. 
 
 only paid half-price or nothing at all. The first notes of the orchestra then grated 
 upon the ear, to the tune Boleras robadas ; two of the dancers tripped into position vis-a- 
 vis, each with her right foot advanced, and resting on the left with the figure jauntily 
 tlirown back, then by a dexterous movement well known to the profession, they fixed 
 their ivory castanets, and as if fired by an electric current they bounded with airy grace 
 to the time of tlie dance, the click of the castanets and applause of the audience. "Aha 
 Morenita ! " said the maestro, addressing the youngest bolera, whose jet hair and amber com- 
 plexion justified the name. "Jui, Jerezana! Anda salero!" continued the group of aficionados, 
 encouraging by voice and gesture the companion of Morenita, a splendid type of a young 
 and spirited girl from Jerez de la Frontera. The two lailarinas, fired by the enthusiastic 
 applause, redoubled their speed and soon gave place to another couple, who in their turn 
 were followed by a third. After the first dance was ended, the spectators advanced to 
 compliment the dancers on their skill. We accompanied them into an adjoining room, 
 where a table was spread with sweetmeats of all sorts, and which we, together with the 
 English and Russians, offered them, and they in turn accepted without any ceremony. 
 There is no knowing how long this feast might have lasted, had not a great uproar 
 announced the arrival of another performer. 
 
 The Campanera, a tall, slender, dark girl, made her entrance with careless yet charming 
 ease ; her perfect self-possession recalled the Spanish dancer, " armed with castanets and 
 effrontery," spoken of by Gramont in his MSmoires. It was just twelve years since w^e had 
 first seen the Campanera dance ; she, alas, was no longer a debutante, but art had replaced 
 her fadiTig youth. Tlie dancer took up her position in the centre of a circle to perform the 
 Jaleo de Jerez, the leading steps of which she executed with great agility, accompanied 
 both indifierently and well by the blind ciego, who now and again neglected to keep time, 
 when murmurs and cries of " Fuera el violin ! Venga la guitarra ! " were heard. Tlie 
 audience would have the violin no longer, but clamoured for the guitar. What was to be 
 done ? The official guitarrero had not yet arrived, and the poor ciego, discouraged by his 
 want of success, had ceased playing, while the Campanera stood motionless on the floor. 
 We at last requested the ciego to permit an a4cionado to replace him for a moment, and, 
 handing the violin to Dord, he played the jaleo with marvellous skill. It is well known that 
 our great artist is a violinist of the first order ; Eossini, who knew him, gave him a brevet 
 Avith his own hand. The Campanera, electrified by Dord's fiddling, even surpassed herself, 
 and finished the Jaleo de Jerez amidst a furore of applause, of which the impromptu player 
 had his full share. Notwithstanding all this, the bolera did not bow her head ; in the midst 
 of her triumphs she looked tenderly upon an Englishman, a tall personage with long red 
 whiskers — the traditional attributes of his race — and after performing a few steps before 
 him, accompanied by most winning smiles, she cast a little embroidered handkerchief at the 
 object of her attention, who, at a loss wdiat to make of it, applied to us, and we explained 
 that the Andalucian dancers select a stranger. When they have made their choice, they 
 throw the handkerchief at him, and, in return for this high mark of favour, he is expected 
 to hand it back with a durillo tied into the corner. The Englishman acquitted himself 
 with very good grace, and the Campanera, after taking out the little coin, thanked 
 him gracefully. 
 
 At last the guitarrero arrived, escorted by several cantadores. He was a handsome 
 young Sevillian, wearing the Andalucian costume, and named Enrique Prado, although he 
 was better known as el Peinero ; he was endowed with a rich voice, and rendered a number 
 of popular ditties pleasantly, after which, and to his accompaniment, the dances were 
 continued. 
 
GIPSY DANCING THE VITO SEVILLANO. 
 
 To face par/e 314. 
 
BAILES DE CANDIL. 317 
 
 At tlie Academia de bdile we had seeu just enough of the Aiidalucian dances to make 
 us all the more anxious to prosecute our researches in other quarters of Seville, such as the 
 suburbs of Triana and Macarena, where we would have an opportunity of attending the 
 bdiles de candil, or gatherings at which dancing forms the element of attraction. Our 
 acquaintance had extended to a worthy citizen named Coliron, who during his hours of 
 leisure carried on the profession of guitarrero, and who promised to introduce us some 
 evening to a gipsy friend, the tio Minarro, who owned a taberna in Triana. It was the 
 custom of certain majos and majas to meet at this tavern, and there give themselves up to 
 dancing. Bdiles de candil are confined to. the lower orders, and are generally held in 
 some liquor shop, or in some dimly-lighted unpretentious house. About an hour after 
 sunset we entered the suburb of Triana, and guided by Coliron passed through a number 
 of dark streets, for the lighting and cleansing of this quarter of the town are equally neglected 
 by the gipsies. At length we reached the tavern of father Minarro, before whose door a 
 number of Andalucians were chatting and smoking their cigarettes. Amongst them we 
 recognised one or two of tlie aficionados whom we met at the Academia de bdile. After 
 passing through a room where several jolly fellows, or rather wild adventurous-looking 
 characters, were peacefully drinking, we entered a court surrounded by white marble 
 columns ; this court, like many more in Seville, was a relic of ancient Moorish architecture. 
 Lime-trees shaded the worn and cracked walls, while climbing plants twined in fantastic 
 disorder around the now yellow pillars. At the corners of the court rose the broad leaves 
 of the banana, lit up by four flickering, lamps that shed a faint lustre on this strange, half- 
 tropical vegetation. A number of rude chairs and pine benches awaited the spectators. 
 Half-a-dozen young men with chop-cut whiskers were conversing with a number of majas 
 in the centre of the court, whom we thought we had seen at the Fabrica de Tabacos; the 
 conversation was unharinoniously accompanied by the tuning of guitars. The court soon 
 filled with singers, dancers, and guitarreros ; chords were being struck, when a murmur of 
 approbation greeted the arrival of the Barbero, a famous cantadore. " Sentarse ! Sentarse ! " 
 " Sit down ! sit down ! " cried several of the spectators ; " El Polo ! el Polo ! va d caiitarse," 
 " They are going to sing the Polo." " M Polo ! el Polo ! " shouted the spectators in chorus. 
 
 The Barbero, nothing loth, took his place by the side of Coliron, who, after an elaborate 
 prelude on his guitar, awaited the song. The singer's voice, after sounding a few modula- 
 tions, became gradually more powerful, until, with all the force of his lungs, he burst forth 
 in this well-known polo of Seville : 
 
 " La que quiera que la quieran 
 Con faitiga y caliA, 
 Busque un mozo macareno, 
 Y lo gueno provard ! " 
 
 — "The lass who desires to be loved with passionate ardour, has only to look for a lad 
 
 in the suburbs of Macarena, where the best are aye to be found." 
 
 The barber had no sooner finished this verse than it was greeted with great applause. 
 
 "Otra copla! otra copla! " — " Another couplet ! " — sounded on all sides, the majas signifying 
 
 their intense appreciation by clapping their hands. The singer, permitting his eyes to 
 
 wander over the charms of the ladies, and at last casting a smiling glance at one of the 
 
 prettiest majas, continued : 
 
 "Van ac4, chiquiya, 
 Que vamos & bailar un polo 
 Que se junde medio Seviya ! " 
 
 " Come here, my little one, we will dance a polo together which will make half Seville fall." 
 
g SPAIN. 
 
 318 
 
 The maja whom the barber called to dance was an active, plump, good-looking girl, about 
 twenty years of age, named the Candelaria. Advancing lightly to the centre of the court, 
 she there proudly awaited her partner. The barber, anxious to economise his breath, gave 
 UP his place to a tall fellow, when Coliron striking up the air of the polo, set the dancers 
 tripping joyously to the time of castanets, aided by the feet and hands of the spectators, 
 the majos tapping with their swordsticks which they constantly carry with them. The 
 Candelaria, who had no need of these exciting tokens, now bent as if to escape her partner 
 now raised her dress lightly on one side, now on the other, disclosing a pretty foot and 
 ankle in a stocking of matchless purity. The dance, though it became faster, was yet full 
 of a grace and sprightliness that affected the spectators nearly as much as the dancers, who, 
 fain to continue the exercise, at length gave in for want of breath. There was only one m 
 the audience who complained of lack of spirit in the Candelaria, whereupon the malicious 
 cigarrera made a sign to the old gipsy, enjoining him to sing a tonada as a punishment. 
 
 " Come, old man ! The tonada ! " cried all present. The veteran, taking a guitar, sat 
 down, crossed his legs, coughed, and ultimately sang a song in caU. " Otra ! otra ! tic ! " 
 cried the Candelaria, making at the same time all sorts of endearing gestures to the gipsy, 
 whose rusty organ had caused considerable amusement. 
 
 " Viva la Macarena ! " shouted the old bohemian, and, after swallowing a co2nta de 
 aguardiente at a single draught, he continued : 
 
 " Si argo qiiieres, prenda mia, 
 No tienes mas que jablA, 
 Que las mozas en amores 
 Siempre aciertan la jug4a. 
 
 Juy selero ! 
 Vivan las mozas e mi tierra ! " 
 
 " If there is anything you want, my treasure ! you have only to speak. For in love 
 the young maidens always win. Long live the girls of my country ! " 
 
 The gipsy was here interrupted by the arrival of a party of majas who were late. It is 
 customary for the Andalucian lions to pride themselves upon never appearing until the 
 ball has commenced. A number of famous gipsy dancers kept coming in as the evening 
 wore on. Among them was the daughter of the old bohemian vocalist, who was reported 
 to have no rival in dancing the zarandeo. 
 
 When the Andalucians wish to flatter a fair dancer they say, Tiene mucho miel en las 
 caderas — " She has a deal of honey in the hips." 
 
 A few moments' interval was allowed for refreshments, but this supper had nothing in 
 common with those of our ball-rooms ; slices of cod-fish fried in oil, small sardines, and bread 
 white as snow, made up the substantial part of the feast. A number of Andalucian wines 
 in long narrow glasses, canas, were passed round freely ; nevertheless, the sobriety of the 
 Spaniard is too well known to call for any comment. Tiie simple supper was followed by a 
 number of songs and ballads, full of spirit and originality. These were succeeded by a 
 dance, the Tango Americano, performed by a copper-coloured gipsy girl with jet eyes and 
 frizzly hair. The Tango is a negro dance set to a very jerky and accented air. The 
 favourite polo, doubtless of Arabian origin, was again sung, and the cana, whose character is 
 essentially melancholy, a sort of dirge 'beginning with a prolonged half-stifled moan. The 
 voice, after being exercised in the chromatic scale, becomes gradually more sonorous as the 
 measure quickens. One might say that the cana is, so to speak, the touchstone of 
 Andalucian singers, requiring great strength of lungs, when the success of the vocalist is 
 tested by the duration as much as by the quality of the high notes. 
 

 
 r 
 
 ■N h ^ " / I 
 
 ■4 vjC/ll :,'.ii:!.r. .^ ^^^^ 
 
 
SEGUIDILLAS. 321 
 
 The rodena was delightfully danced by a Macarena dandy, who had for his partner 
 a very pretty girl of that quarter. This dance was kept up as long as the music lasted, 
 and the two partners threw so much harmony into their steps that one of the audience 
 extemporised the following stanza : 
 
 "Estos que estto bailando 
 Que parejitos son ! 
 Si yo fuese padre cura, 
 Les daba la bendioion." 
 
 — " The youthful pair who dance are so prettily matched I Were I a padre cura, they 
 should receive my blessing." 
 
 The rhyme, which left a good deal to be desired, did not prevent the poet being 
 applauded. The dancing over, a jingling of friendly glasses closed the evening, and the 
 party broke up. Turning our steps homeward, we felt thoroughly satisfied with the 
 entertainment at the tavern of Minarro. 
 
 We have already said that there are no fdtes in Andalucia without their appropriate 
 dances ; at all the fairs and pilgrimages open-air dancing may be seen to perfection. In 
 Spain an open-air dance may be improvised anywhere, under any circumstances, and 
 without any trouble. If an instrumental musician cannot be procured, they manage 
 without one, as the human voice supplies his place. Nevertheless, there is not a village 
 or an inn, however poor, that has not its guitar and guitarrero. The instrument may have 
 ]ost part of its strings, but still it is there, and would be bad indeed if one of the many 
 blind players could not get music out of it. 
 
 Having noticed some of the most popular Andalucian dances, we will now say a few 
 words about the favourite dances of other provinces, dances equally graceful and interesting. 
 First, there is the most famous of them all — the Seguidillas Manchegas. It was in the 
 province rendered famous by the illustrious Ingenieux Hidalgo that these popular airs 
 were introduced about three hundred years ago, and they were not long in becoming 
 popular in the other provinces. Cervantes tells us that compositions of this kind were 
 known in his time, and ridicules certain poets " who lowered themselves by composing 
 a kind of verse called seguidillas." "It was," he adds, "the ruin of souls, transport of 
 mirth, the agitation of the body, and lastly the ravishing of all the senses." 
 
 The word seguidilla served anciently, as it does still, to designate a certain kind of 
 popular poem and a national dance. Let us hear what Mateo Aleman says, who wrote in 
 the sixteenth century his famous picaresque romance, Vida y hechos del picaro Guzman 
 de Alfarache. "The edifices, machinery of war, change every day; chairs, cupboards, 
 candlesticks, lamps, tables, also change ; and indeed the same may be said of the games, 
 dances, music, and songs, for the seguidillas have replaced the saraband, and in their turn 
 they will make room for other dances." 
 
 Those who have travelled in Spain cannot have failed to remark that the seguidillas 
 
 are common to almost every province of the country. The Andalucians are passionately 
 
 fond of the seguidillas boleros. The figures are used to ornament the fans sold for two 
 
 cuartos at all popular f^tes, the canary-coloured sides of the calesa, and the edges of 
 
 tambourines. This common medley of colours recalls to us this verse of a Spanish poet, 
 
 who complains of the popular paintings of Andalucia : 
 
 " No ba de faltar zandunguera 
 Puesta en jarras una dama, 
 De las que la liga ensenan ; 
 un torero echando suertes, 
 
322 SPAIN. 
 
 un gache con su vihuela, 
 Y una pareja bailando 
 Las seguidillas boleras." 
 
 —" One is sure to see a woman in airy costume, the hands resting on her hips, one of 
 those who do not care to conceal their garters; or a torero fighting with his foe, or else an 
 Andalucian with his guitar, by the side of a couple dancing the seguidillas boleras." 
 
 At the fair of Albacete we had an opportunity of seeing the dance Seguidillas Manchegas. 
 While the guitarrero was playing a minor prelude, each dancer was choosing his partner. 
 The couples then placed themselves vis-h-vis at three or four paces' distance ; some chords 
 were sounded, announcing to the singers that their turn had come, and they sang some verses 
 
 THE ARAGONESE JOTA. 
 
 of the copla. While the dancers only waited the signal, the singers paused, and the guitarrero 
 struck in with the ancient air of the seguidilla. At the fourth bar the cantadores continued 
 the song, the clacking of the castanets M'as heard, and instantly all the couples commenced 
 with agility and spirit, turning and returning, joining their partners and flying from them. 
 At the ninth measure which marks the termination of the first part, the dancers remained 
 perfectly motionless, permitting us to enjoy the grinding of the guitar ; then with renewed 
 energy they changed the step, and introduced the most graceful part of the dance, called 
 el hien parado. One great point in this dance is made at the moment the measure changes. 
 The dancers on hearing the last note of the guitar must remain motionless, as if suddenly 
 
THE JOT A. 323 
 
 arrested and petrified iu the positions they happened to be in at the instant. Thus those 
 who remain in difficult and graceful positions are loudly applauded. 
 
 Such are the classic rules of the Seguidillas ; but it is nevertheless difficult to say to 
 what point this exercise transports the dancers. The thrilling melody, expressing at 
 the same time both pleasure and melancholy, the stirring sound of the castanets, the 
 languishing enthusiasm of the dancers, the supplicating looks and gestures of their 
 partners, the grace and elegance which temper the passionate expression of their movements, 
 all contribute to give to the dance an irresistible attraction which strangers cannot fail to 
 appreciate as fully as the Spaniards do themselves. 
 
 The Jota is the chief dance of Aragon. Of ancient origin, it is said to be derived 
 from the Pasacalle of the sixteenth century. The Jota aragonesa is a dance most lively 
 and discreet, according to popular report : — 
 
 " La Jota en el Aragon 
 Con garbosa discrecion." 
 
 Of purely Spanish origin, it is distinguished by a rare modesty which neither excludes 
 grace nor ability. At fdtes and fairs one will constantly come across couples dancing the 
 Jota as long as they have legs to stand on, and not unfrequently the dance forms the 
 obligatory termination of religious ceremonies. Thus we had on Christmas Eve a Jota 
 entitled the Natividad del Senor, sung and danced. 
 
 The first verse of this Jota reminds one more of a chant than a piece of dance music : 
 
 " De Jesus el Nacimiento 
 Se celebra por dd-quier : 
 for d6-quier reina el contento, 
 Per d6-quier reina el placer." 
 
 — " Of Jesus the Nativity is celebrated everywhere. Everywhere reigns contentment, 
 everywhere reigns pleasure." 
 
 The refrain, sung in chorus by the assembled audience, passes suddenly from the sacred 
 
 to the profane : 
 
 " Viva pues la broma ! 
 Que el dia convida ; 
 Y endulce la vida 
 Del gozo la aroma ! " 
 
 — " Long live merry-making, for this is a day of rejoicing, and may the perfume of pleasure 
 sweeten our existence." 
 
 It is above all others the grand Aragonese f^te, that of Our Lady del Pilar, in which 
 the Jotas play an important part. 
 
 These Jota songs, loved by the people, and scattered abroad in profusion by the 
 press, are garnished with most attractive titles, such as "the song of the lilies," or love 
 poems dedicated to the fair sex. They also embrace couplets for ardent lovers who wish to 
 breathe their passion beneath the balcony of their betrothed. 
 
 Sometimes the Jotas belong to the grotesque order. 
 
 "Son tus brazos tan bermosos, 
 Que parecen dos morcillas, 
 De aquellas que estdn colgadas 
 El invierno en las cocinas." 
 
 — " Thy arms are so beautiful, that they resemble two sausages, sausages hung in the 
 
 kitchen in winter." 
 
 2 A 
 
 i'l i'J > 
 
324 SPAIN. 
 
 The Jota valenciana differs from that of the Aragonese so little indeed as not to call 
 for any special description. 
 
 At Jijona, to our intense surprise, we encountered a funeral at which the bereaved 
 were busily dancing the Jota. It happened, as we were passing along a deserted street, 
 our attention was drawn to a half-open doorway, whence issued sounds of mirth and music, 
 suggestive of at least a wedding. Judge our astonishment when we discovered it was a 
 burial ceremony. At the far end of the room, stretched upon a table, lay the body of 
 a girl from five to six years old, decked out as if for a f^te day ; her little head, 
 ornamented with a wreath of flowers, rested on a cushion. We thought she was asleep ; 
 her face wore a smile of peaceful repose ; but alas ! on seeing a vase of holy water by her 
 side, and four lighted tapers, we discovered that the poor little one was dead. Her mother 
 sat weeping by her side ; the rest of the picture contrasted strongly with the sadness 
 of this scene. A young man and woman, wearing the holiday attire of the labradores, were 
 dancing a Jota, accompanying themselves with their castanets, while the musicians and 
 those invited to the wake encouraged them by clapping their hands. This rejoicing in 
 Spain has a very pleasing and beautiful significance. Children under a certain age are 
 supposed, immediately after death, to join the glorious company of angels around the 
 throne of God : hence the Spaniards esteem the event one to call forth rejoicing rather than 
 mourning. After the dance a merry peal of bells rang out and woke the echoes of the 
 old street. 
 
 Navarre and Catalonia also have their Jotas, but the most popular and curious dance 
 is that known under the name los Gigantones y las Enanos — the giants and dwarfs. The 
 poet Quevedo wrote against it in his Espana defendida. This dance is still in vogue in 
 Barcelona, and is always received with the greatest tokens of appreciation. The 
 metropolis of Spain has no distinctive dance of its own ; yet the people have appropriated 
 and brought to a high degree of perfection some of the most characteristic steps, chiefly 
 those in use in the southern provinces. Madrid boasts its public ball-rooms like those 
 of Paris, but they are hardly worthy of notice ; the most fashionable is that of the Salon 
 de Capellanes, where only waltzes, polkas, and other foreign steps are danced. For some 
 years the Can-can, a sad importation from the other side of the Pyrenees, obtained a 
 scandalous success, heightened by immense illustrated placards which' soiled the walls 
 of the capital. 
 
 The da7iza prima, still practised in the Asturias, is, as its name implies, extremely 
 ancient. According to an Asturian author, it dates from the time of the Gothic kings. 
 
 The Basque provinces have always been celebrated for their dances. The dances such 
 as those we saw at Vitoria, at Azpeitia and Balmaseda, and in other quarters, are of the 
 most perfect innocency when compared with those of Andalucia. It was therefore with 
 astonishment that we read a book published by the Eev. Father Palacios, " Contra bdiles,"— 
 against the dances. This book was destined to completely exterminate the national 
 pastime. " The dance," says the author, " is a circle whose centre is the devil ; it is the 
 domain of the devil, school of vice, the perdition of women, the grief of angels, the 
 enchantment of hell, the corruption of manners, the loss of chastity;" and, quoting 
 Petrarch, he says, " the danger does not exist in the pleasure of the moment, so much 
 as in the hope of wliat is to come. It is the prelude to dishonesty." Father Palacios also 
 condemns the dances held in public, and the bdiles de Saraos, or the private reunions of 
 persons of the upper classes. It was in vain to propose the abolition of the custom of 
 holding by the hand, and to isolate the dancers of the two sexes by means of a hand- 
 
THE BASQUE DANCES. 
 
 327 
 
 kerchief, which each person was to hold by one end ; it was in vain to propose to transform 
 
 the night wake into a watchman, to see that nothing went wrong; the severe enemy 
 
 of the danza vizcaina replied that they would never find watchmen sufficient, nor 
 
 prisons large enough to hold the culprits. The Basque dance has been taught in didactic 
 
 works : D. Juan Ignacio de Iztueta has written a work entitled Guipuscoao dantza, 
 
 wherein the ancient dances are not only described, but the music and the words are also 
 
 given : 
 
 " Elle danse bien, la gaillarde, 
 Les menuets, les passepiez ; 
 Mais il faut toujours prendre garde 
 A ses mains, plus tost qu'k ses piedz." 
 
 
 tf'f's ': '-f ,a. 
 
 '•ilii ■'■■ -.« "' ■ ''- 
 
 mm 
 
 GUIIABBEKO AND POOR DANCING GIBL. 
 

 :?^- 
 
 1 ^'j\^, ^- \. 
 
 
 
 MISUEL LOPEZ GOKRITO, MODKTED ON STILTS, KILLING A BULL IN THE PLAZA OF SEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A bull-fight d la Portuguesa — Don Joaquin de los Santos ; el Caballero en Plaza — Josd B6, el Tigre — The rejon- 
 cillos — The Pegadores — The Indians, or Negroes — Maria Rosa Carmona— The Gorrito and his stilts — Repartee of a 
 picador to the actor Maiquez — A torera : Teresa Bolsi — Olive plantations in the environs of Seville — Spanish olive 
 oil — From Seville to Cordova ; Carmona — Excursion to Ecija — Palma : the Genii — Arrival at Cordova — Antiquity of 
 the to-wn — Cordova during the Roman epoch— Abdul-Rahman and the Califat of the "West — Entering Cordova in olden 
 times by diligence — The Mezquita : the court of the orange-trees — Interior of the Mosque : the Mihr^b ; el zancarron 
 — Riches of the Mosque during the Arab epoch — The choir— Marble pillar sculptured by a Christian captive — Curious 
 tombs — The Puerta del Perrfore— Decadence of Cordova. 
 
 We heave already noticed the corrida a la Portuguesa, given at Seville during Easter. This 
 blending of the sacred and profane is nothing new in the Peninsula ; it is therefore quite 
 a natural transition to pass from the religious dances and the seises to the courses in 
 question. For some time the streets of Seville had been enlivened by bills, six feet high 
 and broad in proportion, announcing, in huge letters, an extraordinary bull-fight in the 
 following terms : 
 
 " GEAN COEEIDA DE TOEOS EMBOLADOS LIDIADOS A LA POETUGUESA." 
 
 The advertisement promised additional attraction in the exercises of the caballero en 
 filaza, a relic of the courses of the time of Charles V., the Indios, the Caporales, and 
 
A POETUGUESE COREIDA. 329 
 
 the famous Portuguese Pegadores, including a Pegadora, who could arrest the most furious 
 bull when in full career. This was not all : the Spanish cuadrilla was to fight the toros de 
 muerte, those destined to die by the sword. 
 
 The programme of the Spanish corrida was not less curious. First, a fair young 
 torera, Teresa Bolsi, was to slay a bull with her own white hand ; then Miguel Lopez 
 Gorrito, of Madrid, whose speciality was to fight the bulls suhido en los zcmcos,— that is 
 to say, on stilts, — was also set down in the bills. 
 
 Attracted by these enticing promises we hastened to secure front seats, the places 
 usually chosen by epicurean aficionados. 
 
 The vendors of cold water, oranges, and cakes busily off'ered their wares with the 
 oddest cries. These traders are always very numerous at bull-fights— the aguadores 
 especially, who can start business on their own account with a modest capital. Two reals 
 for a jar of porous earth, which they fill at the nearest fountain, a real for a drinking-glass — 
 total, sixpence halfpenny for the entire stock-in-trade. Amongst the open-air merchants 
 we must mention those who sell rosquetes and harquillos, whose chief ingredient is oil, 
 which can be smelt from afar ; avellanas (huts), and certain light cakes known under the 
 picturesque name of suspiros defraile, monks' sighs ; lastly, those who bawl out altramuces, 
 or grilled lupins, the modest vegetable sung by Horace. 
 
 The corrida was announced for three o'clock, and the toreros are always remarkably 
 punctual. The first proceeding was the despejo, an operation which consists in clearing 
 the arena ; then the traditional defile took place. The defile ended, the senor presidente 
 waved his handkerchief to signify that they might commence. The arena was occupied 
 by a single member of the Portuguese troop, Josd B6, surnamed the Tiger, from his 
 prodigious activity. He stood erect and without arms at some paces from the door of the 
 chiquero, the narrow cell in which the bulls are shut up. At the first notes of a fanfare of 
 trumpets, the door opened and the animal rushed out furiously ; but seeing his adversary 
 waiting motionless for him, he stopped short in a cloud of dust, bent his head, and charged 
 Jos^ B6. According to the programme, he ought to wait for the bull, and pass por entre 
 sus manos y patas. The fore-feet are called manos, or hands, and the hind-feet patas. We 
 cannot exactly tell how it was done, — the movements of the Tiger were too rapid to see 
 more than that he shot like an arrow between the legs of the bull, who bellowed lustily, 
 without doubt greatly surprised at having cleft the empty air with his eager horns. At 
 the other extremity of the arena Don Joaquin de los Santos was gravely seated in his 
 saddle, armed with a rejoncillo, a sort of wooden lance, not unlike those used in ancient 
 tourneys, but slighter, only five feet long and pointed with iron. In the ancient bull-fights 
 the cahalleros had alone the right of breaking the lance. Goya has represented this 
 exercise in several of his etchings. Don Joaquin was mounted on a superb Andalucian 
 ginete, black and glossy, with a thick mane and long tail sweeping the ground. He spurred 
 his horse towards the bull, and struck him on the muzzle with his lance, which flew into 
 splinters, because these lances, made of a very light wood, break with the least touch, and 
 only excite theanimal without injuring him. The infuriated bull tried to avenge the blow ; 
 but the cahallero, whose horse was admirably trained, avoided him by a clever volte-face, 
 and galloped away to secure a fresh lance, which was handed to him by a mozo. In this 
 way he broke several lances, but managed his horse so deftly that the bafiled bull did not 
 succeed in inflicting a single scratch on horse or rider. He then tranquUly retired 
 backwards amid the applause of the spectators. The cahallero no sooner retired than he 
 was followed by eight Portuguese pegadores, who are thus named from the word pegar. 
 
,5n SPAIN. 
 
 which literally means, to stick, as their particular part is to seize the bull, and, so to speak, 
 stick to him, in order to arrest his course by sheer strength of muscle. The costume of the 
 pegadores consisted of short breeches, a large coloured waistband, and flowered undervest, 
 which, from its pattern, seemed to have been cut out of an old curtain, and a long woollen 
 gorro, something like the cap worn by Catalonian fishermen. 
 
 They commenced to rouse the bull by gesticulating and shouting, and the animal did 
 not hesitate to reply to their challenge ; but just as he was about to charge them, they raised 
 their right arms in the air, and brought them down rapidly on the bull's back. At the same 
 time apegador seized the animal by the tail, while another sat quickly on his back. This 
 had barely lasted a few seconds when the bull stopped as if galvanised. The pegadmxs 
 held him motionless for about a minute, and suddenly released him on a sign given by the 
 president. We then saw Gorrito, followed by a number of chulos. He was a short mau, 
 dressed in the traditional costume of the espadas, mounted on stilts which raised his feet 
 more than half a yard from the ground. The stilts were firmly bound to his legs, so that 
 in the event of his falling he would experience the greatest difficulty in getting up again ; 
 but we soon saw him run with marvellous agility, and our fears were set at rest on his 
 account. He first proceeded, according to custom, to the seat of the senor presidente, to 
 ofrecer el brindis, or propose the usual toast. His speech finished, Gorrito resolutely 
 advanced to meet his foe. After some pases de muleta, or, after having tested the bull 
 and waved a small red flag before his eyes, he killed the beast with a very fine thrust. 
 
 After an interval of some minutes the trumpets recommenced their fanfare, and the 
 cuadrilla of the Indians entered in the midst of the noise of the people, for these mock 
 Indians are simply negroes, for whom the Andalucians have a special disdain. It was in 
 vain that the placards announced them as subjects of the King of Congo, King Fulani, and 
 other fictitious princes : the public would not consider them in a serious light. They had 
 arrayed them in the most grotesque costumes, their crowns of feathers recalling sundry 
 signboards, and the sham savages exhibited in tents at fairs. The negroes, five in number, 
 sat down without the slightest compunction, upon some straw chairs placed a few paces 
 from the door which would admit the second bull, and holding in tlieir hands their lances ; 
 behind them were ranged the caporales, standing upright, dressed like common theatrical 
 lackeys, wearing three-cornered generals' hats, from the top of which waved long plumes. 
 
 They commanded the Indians, and were ready to aid them if necessary ; each one was 
 armed with a lance, and carried in his left hand a fan of rose-coloured paper. At last the 
 door opened, and the bull fell upon the negroes who barred his advance. They held their 
 ground, and the unhappy wretches did not quit their post till they had employed their 
 lances. Then came a farce which excited the hilarity of the people to the highest degree. 
 The negroes, lifted like feathers by the infuriated animal, flew in the air pell-mell, 
 accompanied by the chairs; but directly they fell to the ground, they hastened to roll 
 themselves up in balls, and they remained thus coiled, without making the slightest 
 movement, as they well knew that bulls prefer to attack objects in motion ; nevertheless, 
 some of them received terrible scars, much to the delight of the spectators. They allowed 
 themselves to be rolled about like hedgehogs stirred by one's foot. This lasted until the 
 bull, tired of exercising his fury on inert objects, left one negro to go to another. Happily 
 for the so-called Indians, the pegadores reappeared and ended their sufi'erings by bringing 
 down their vigorous arms on the bull, which they arrested like the preceding one, only to 
 be slain some seconds later by an espada named Ricardo Osed, from Madrid. This torero 
 was hissed because he was a Madrileno, there being an intense spirit of rivalry between the 
 
•s. 
 
 E4 
 O 
 
 a 
 w 
 
 H 
 1-3 
 
MAEIA ROSA CARMONA. 333 
 
 Andalucians and the Madrideans. During the interval the negroes reappeared; we bad 
 thought them crushed by the blows they received, but it seems that they become used to it, 
 for they entered dancing the Sopimpa, a negro step, the orchestra marking its jerky 
 movements. They then executed other dances of their country, such as the cuculU and 
 the tango americano. They say that these poor negroes are only paid one duro a day to 
 receive so many injuries ; and their task was not finished, for we saw them take position 
 again to wait for the bull, only there was a variation ; instead of sitting on chairs, they 
 knelt before the toril ; but the result was exactly the same so far as they were concerned. 
 
 As they were about to let loose the third bull, some boys came in rolling a barrel, of 
 which one end was open. Having placed it upright in the same spot as where the 
 negroes had awaited the bull, they fled precipitately, and we saw a young girl enter, Maria 
 Rosa Carmona, surnamed la intrepida Portuguem. The intrepid Portuguese girl, who held a 
 handerilla in each hand, was dressed in a little vest in the style of those called zouaves, a short 
 skirt very much puffed, large Turkish drawers tied at the ankles, and a very coquettish 
 little turban with plumes covered her flowing hair. Having bowed to the assembly, she 
 leaped lightly into the barrel and concealed herself, showing only her head and her 
 hands armed with handerillas. The bull was no sooner released than he sprang towards 
 the barrel ; but directly he lowered his head to upset it, Maria Rosa fixed a handerilla on 
 each shoulder. Nevertheless, the barrel was overturned, and the bull pushing it with his 
 horns rolled it without the least effort, like a kitten playing with a ball of cotton. He then 
 attacked the pegadores, who stopped him without flinching. Whilst they held him motion- 
 less under their vigorous grasp, Maria Rosa got out of her barrel, and seizing the animal 
 by the horns, she lifted herself rapidly up by her wrists, and remained thus suspended 
 during some little time. The pegadores held firm, and one of them placing his head upon 
 that of the bull, kept his equilibrium with his legs in the air, and without making the 
 least movement. As soon as the pegador had left his dangerous position, the mozos brought 
 a saddle and bridle, and commenced to harness the bull, exactly like a horse, an operation 
 which was not accomplished without violent protestation on tTie part of the patient. One 
 of the pegadores bestrode this novel charger, and armed with a rejoncillo decorated with 
 ribbons, he ran to meet a second bull which had just been introduced into the circus. 
 After a few runs the two bulls ended by meeting, and the pegador, in spite of the shock 
 which took place, buried his rejoncillo in his adversary's neck. The programme condemned 
 the other bull to die by the hands of Gorrito, who reappeared still on his stilts, and had, in 
 spite of his marvellous skill, to endure the criticisms and andaluzadas of the Sevillian 
 amateurs, who thought it unworthy of a professional espada to attack a bull that was 
 embolado. Gorrito, without being in the least disconcerted, proposed to lend some of the 
 critics his stilts, if they would take his place in the arena ; but no one thought fit to accept 
 his offer. 
 
 This reminded us of a well-known Spanish anecdote. One day, Maiquez, an actor who 
 was formerly celebrated, complained of a picador, who was too prudent according to his 
 ideas, and whom, remaining too near the barrier, he commenced to insult grossly, as 
 patrons of bull-fights frequently do : " Saiga usted mas ! al toro, cobarde ! " — " Go forward ! 
 at the bull, you coward ! " cried Maiquez, who wished the picador, against all rules of 
 prudence, to urge his rocinante d los medios, that is to say, into the middle of the arena. 
 " Senor Maiquez," cried the angry picador, turning towards the actor, " I am not like you : 
 JEso es de veras, — my acting is in earnest ! " The negritos — also called los Mongoles, 
 the Mono-ols — waited for the last bull to rush out; having placed themselves again 
 
334 SPAIN. 
 
 on their knees, they calmly allowed themselves to be turned over and over, and to 
 be thrown in the air. Happily for them, two picadores interposed, and made a diversion ; 
 then came the handerilleros, who placed the regulation number of three pairs of handerillas. 
 The clarin at last sounded the death-note of the bull : the torera, after having, with perfect 
 confidence, drunk the hrindis before the president's box, went resolutely to meet her 
 adversary. Teresa Bolsi — the torera — was a young woman between twenty and thirty 
 years of age, dark, well proportioned, and full of energy ; her costume, somewhat like that 
 of the hailarina at the theatre, consisted of a low corset, and a short petticoat, which 
 revealed her robust limbs clad in flesh-coloured stockings ; an abundance of black hair, kept 
 in by a net, was surmounted by a montera, similar to those of the toreros. Teresa com- 
 menced by some suertes de capa, acquitting herself very creditably, and after having worried 
 the bull with her silk cloak and her red muleta, she called him to receive death, as the pro- 
 fessionals term it; a minute after, the ferocious beast, stuck by a superb thrust, d la 
 veronica, that is to say in front, fell at the feet of the torera, who saluted the public with 
 her montera, by Avay of acknowledgment of the profuse applause showered on her by the 
 crowd. 
 
 The grand corrida d la Portuguesa had been such a complete success, that the empresario 
 was not long in announcing a second. The programme promised new marvels ; but 
 impatient to visit Cordova and its mosque, we resisted these bovine temptations, and 
 bade adieu to Giralda, and to Seville the enchantress, la encantadora Sevilla, noble and rich 
 among the cities of Europe, la sal de Andalucia — the gem of Andalucia — which Calderon 
 has also called gala de las ciudades. A still more illustrious Spaniard, the author of 
 Quijote, has sung of this " Triumphant Rome, full of learning and wealth : " 
 
 " Eoma triunfante en Animo y riqiieza." 
 
 Nevertheless, we did not wish to quit Seville without having visited the fine haciendas 
 of the neighbourhood, enormous buildings, where the oils produced from the olivares of 
 the great plains between Carmona and Alcald, are prepared. From a picturesque point 
 of view, the olive-tree is grey and sad-coloured, and does not improve the tone of the 
 landscape. What contributes still more to render its aspect cold and monotonous, is that 
 the olivares are always planted in perfect symmetry; this custom is so absolute, that 
 the verb olivar means to plant trees in a straight line. The aceitunas sevillanas, which 
 are much appreciated throughout the whole of Spain, were celebrated among the ancients ; 
 the Roman epicures greatly prized the olives bceticce for their feasts. Pliny the Younger 
 promised one of his friends to give him Audalucian olives to decide him to accept his 
 dinner. The best known are those called aceitunas de la reina ; they are sometimes larger 
 than a pigeon's egg. 
 
 The zorzalenas, thus named from a species of blackbird which is extremely fond 
 of them, are, on the contrary, round, and of the size of a cherry. The Spaniards, 
 always very moderate, are particularly so in the matter of olives. " Aceitunas," says a well- 
 known proverb, " una es oro, dosplata, y la tercera mata "—one is gold, two is silver, and the 
 third kills you. According to another proverb, you may go as far as a dozen if the olives 
 are very gooA—aceituna, una, y si es buena, una docena. The olive harvest, aceitunada, falls 
 in autumn ; the peasants, aided by their families, gather the fruit in cojines, made of canes, 
 and they load their fine and vigorous Andalucian donkeys with them. These animals can 
 easily carry their fourteen arrohas (more than 450 lbs.) They put the olives, before they 
 are pressed, in a vast chamber, called la truja, and the oil is placed in large earthenware 
 
TERESA BOLSI, ANDALUCIAN TORERA. 
 
 To face page 334. 
 
FROM SEVILLE TO CORDOVA. 337 
 
 tinajas, something like tlie Roman amphora, and which are made at Coria del rio. The 
 Spanish oil has not a good reputation amongst us — it generally inspires a certain repug- 
 nance in foreigners ; the Spaniards, on the contrary, prefer it to the French and Italian oils, 
 which to them appear insipid. Let us leave the question undecided, it is a matter of 
 taste. Having finished our visits to the haciendas and olivares — obliged to bid adieu 
 to Seville — we bent our steps, not without regret, in the direction of the railway station, 
 situated between the Puerta de Triana and the Puerta Real. For a considerable time we 
 could see Giralda and its bronze statue stand in relief against the sky, gilded by the rays 
 of the morning sun. When we could no longer perceive the old Arabian tower, the train 
 was running along the banks of the Guadalquivir ; the banks of the river were occupied by 
 a number of idle urchins, with tanned skins, who plunged in the water like a swarm 
 of frogs, just as we were passing them. We did not see, it is true, any Nym'phs of Betis 
 on the golden sands of the river, which bathes the walls of the imperial city. The poet 
 
 sings : 
 
 " Mnfas del Betis, que en arenas de oro 
 Undoso bana la Imperial Sevilla." 
 
 On the other hand, the banks of the Guadalquivir, covered with the most luxuriant 
 vegetation, are still what the author of Guzman d'Alfarache describes them to be ; we 
 admired " these fertile gardens filled with flowers, which may be called a paradise, if any 
 place on earth deserves the name ; the trees laden with the most delicious fruits, the odorous 
 plants, the flowering shrubs, and flowing water, all tend to maintain a delightful freshness 
 beneath the shades into which the sun's rays seldom penetrate." 
 
 The railroad from Seville to Cordova runs nearly parallel to the Guadalquivir, the 
 river which meanders peacefully over the vast plain, from time to time disappearing among 
 the rich foliage. La Rinconada, Brenes, and Tocina are unimportant stations where a few 
 square towers rise above the olive-trees and pines of the vast plain, which stretches away 
 as far as Cordova, a city, like Toledo, built on the summit of a high hill, and whose houses 
 may be descried from a great distance, standing out in bold relief against the blue sky. 
 It is said to have been founded by the Phoenicians, like Carteia, Cartama, and other 
 Andalucian towns, built on a height; the word car is supposed to signify an elevation. 
 During the Roman epoch Carmo was much more important than it is now. Csesar 
 accounted it the strongest town of Bsetica ; its soil was then, as it is now, marvellously 
 fertile. We have seen Roman medals with the word Carmo between two ears of corn. 
 We noticed on the fagade of the Aynntamiento the arms of the town, which represent 
 a star surrounded by lions and castles, with this modest inscription : 
 
 " Sicut lucifer Incet in aurora 
 Sic in Vandalia Carmona." 
 
 Before leaving Carmona we visited the ancient Arabian Alcazar, situated near the 
 Puerta de Marchena, a building of the time of the Moslem domination ; the wooden roof 
 still retains some traces of its old gilding. The alcazar commands one of the finest views 
 in the world ; a fertile valley dotted with numerous villages lay before us, and we could 
 distinguish several towns : Marchena, Moron, and Osuna, as M^ell as the Sierra de Ronda 
 and other Andalucian mountains which faded away in the horizon. 
 
 Some hours suflSced to go from Carmona to Ecija. When we entered this town it was 
 
 one o'clock and the temperature was so high that it would have been thought excessive 
 
 even in Senegal. * It was one of those broiling days which make the grasshoppers sing — 
 
 2 B 
 
338 SPAIN. 
 
 cantur la chicharra — as they say in Andalucia ; the few passers-by whom we met rubbed 
 against the walls to profit by the narrow band of shade thrown by the houses here and 
 there ; some lean-flanked dogs panted and hung their tongues out of their mouths ; the 
 shops were carefully shut, as if on Sunday or the day of a riot, for the shopkeepers who 
 had finished their repast would not have missed their siesta for an empire. Ecija is justly 
 accounted the hottest town in Andalucia. It is stated, says the Guia de Sevilla, that in the 
 month of July 1859, the centigrade thermometer went up to fifty degrees in the shade. 
 It is not, then, without some reason that this town has received the nick-name of sartenilla 
 de Andalucia — the frying-pan of Andalucia. 
 
 We must believe, however, that the people of Ecija glory in their temperature, since 
 the arms of the town consist of a shining sun, with this proud legend taken from the 
 Scriptures : Una sola serd llamada la ciudad del sol, " One town only shall be called the city 
 of the sun." After a siesta of some hours, we ventured to take a walk in the town : the 
 principal street, calle de los Caballeros, seemed to us like a furnace which had hardly cooled ; 
 it is an aristocratic street, bordered with palaces belonging to the Benameji, the Penaflor, 
 and other old families. These palaces, adorned in the churrigueresque style, reminded us of 
 the mansion belonging to the marquis Dos Aguas, at Valencia, which was a model of the 
 style. Neither in Holland, Germany, nor elsewhere is ' it possible to find a style of 
 architecture so purely rococo. In order to rest our eyes, we went to visit some gardens on 
 the banks of the Genii, for the poetic river which flows at the foot of the Alhambra also 
 washes the walls of Ecija ; our guide boasted greatly of its waters : we hoped at first 
 that he would recite to us some Arabian romances, but, alas ! the waters of the Genii in his 
 eyes were only remarkable for cleansing wool, which is the staple produce of the country. 
 Shortly after leaving Ecija, as we had got down from our carriage to climb a bank on 
 foot, we were accosted at a turn of the road by a big vagabond of singular aspect, and 
 tolerably ragged costume ; his head, enveloped in a kind of hood, was sheltered by an old 
 black felt hat, a cloak of gray cloth covered his shoulders, which were laden M'ith one of 
 these Avallets called alforjas. He held a long stick in his left hand, and a little picture in 
 his right, representing a very coarsely painted Madonna, fixed to a little square box open at 
 the top like a money-box. This individual approached wdth many bows, and presented his 
 picture, murmuring volubly some unintelligible words ; nevertheless, it was easy for us to 
 perceive by the sound of his voice that he recited prayers, and begged at the same time for 
 alms. " It is a Santero," said the mayoral laughing, as he walked up to us. The Santero, 
 who is called also Demanda or Demandador, because he spends his life in demanding, is only 
 a weakly disguised beggar, who abuses the credulity of simple people, by making them 
 believe it is not for himself that he begs, but for the saint represented on his Demanda-it 
 IS thus that they call the alms-box to which he consigns what money he receives. Each 
 Santero places himself under the protection of some particular saint : thus he who begs for 
 San Bias sells little silken ribbons which have been attached to the neck of the saint's statue ; 
 these ribbons are said to prove infallible charms against the aff-ection of tlie throat, because 
 It IS Samt Blaise who is invoked for maladies of this kind. The Santero of San Antonio Ahad 
 distributes little bells to the country people, which have the virtue of preserving cattle 
 from plague; he of Samt Lazarus possesses an infallible recipe for putting demons to flight. 
 Another keeps off robbers, another thunder, another hailstorms. Thus the demanda is, 
 little by little, filled with cnartos, that never take the road to a chapel or hermitage; it 
 .s for himself, and himself only, that the Santero begs. " Do you wish to know," says an 
 Andalucian writer, "how the Santeros spend their time when they do 'not beg? Their 
 
ANDALUCIAN SANTERO. 
 
 339 
 
 principal occupation consists in going- to tlie taberna : that is the hermitage where they 
 worship the god Bacchus, for whom they cultivate a real veneration. They always ask 
 for the best and oldest wines, and they are right, for the god of the wine gives them 
 the necessary strength to overrun the towns and the country as well as the eloquence 
 needful to convince those who listen to them." 
 
 Before the convents were suppressed, these Santeros were much more numerous in 
 Andalucia ; and they did not hesitate to disguise themselves as monks, with the assistance 
 of a false beard, a robe, and a 
 cowl ; they passed through the 
 villages, preachii)g repentance 
 and mortification, taking good 
 care, however, to confine them- 
 selves to the precept. Never- 
 theless, there are some who, 
 not content with asking charity, 
 attempt to compel the passers- 
 by to kiss their saints and 
 madonnas. A Protestant En- 
 glishman, travelling through 
 Spain in the last century, was 
 greatly annoyed with their con- 
 duct. "If you refuse to kiss 
 the images they present," says 
 he, " you are sure to experience 
 considerable annoyance, however 
 large the sum may be which you 
 give them." We took the train 
 at Palma for Cordova. The little 
 town of Palma, with its houses 
 hidden in clusters of orange- trees, 
 occupies a charming position in 
 the angle formed by the Guadal- 
 quivir and the Genii; for the 
 poetic river which flows through 
 Alameda of Granada mingles its 
 waters near Palma with those of 
 the great river of the Arabs. The 
 railroad continues to follow very 
 closely the right bank of the 
 Guadalquivir; the vast plains, 
 
 which extend as far as the horizon, are covered with palmitos, or dwarf palms, 
 growino- wild; the roots of this plant are so difficult to destroy, that cultivators experience 
 the gre°atest trouble in opening up the country infested by them. Before the completion 
 of the railroad, the diligences which ran between Seville and Cordova traversed these 
 solitudes; frequently the sand was so deep that the wheels sunk up to the axletrees, and 
 we remember more than once that ten or a dozen mules could hardly drag the vehicle out 
 of this ocean of sand, in spite of cries, zagal stones, and blows with sticks. 
 
 ANDALUCIAN SANTERO. 
 
340 SPAIN. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Palma, we noticed on our left a pointed rock crowned with a 
 square tower overlooking a fortress of the Middle Ages. It was the old Arabian castle of 
 Almodovar del rio, an advanced post of Cordova, whose sonorous name accords well with 
 its picturesque ruins. According to popular tradition it was in the castle of Almodovar 
 that. Peter the Cruel planned his campaigns. Half an hour afterwards the train stopped at 
 a station like every conceivable station, and the porters called out; Cordoba! Cordoba/ 
 Veinte minutos ! Thus we entered the ancient city of the Western Califs. 
 
 There are few towns which can boast so glorious a past as Cordova. Its history 
 recedes so far back that even the etymology of its name is unknown ; certain it is, however, 
 that it existed long before Christ. Silicus Italicus mentions it in his poem on the second 
 Punic War, as being of the number of towns which aided Hannibal : — ■ 
 
 '' Nee decus auriferae cessavit Corduba terras." 
 
 Martial also speaks of the oil presses of Cordova. It is said that in its environs alone, 
 as much oil was produced as in all Audalucia. This town notably increased from the year 
 of Rome 585, and was the first to which the Eomans gave the title and privileges of a 
 colony. Moreover, the name of Patricia was bestowed upon it, because a large number of 
 poor patrician families had settled there. Even to this day the cepa de Cordoba— the 
 Cordovan branch — is cited as belonging to the sangre azul, or blue blood, as the Spaniards 
 say, speaking of the oldest nobility. Doubtless it is from this circumstance that the 
 following saying is attributed to Ganzalvo of Cordova : " Perhaps there are other towns 
 in which I would prefer to live, but none in which I would prefer to have been born." The 
 town soon had temples, theatres, and amphitheatres, and it speedily became famous on 
 account of its schools. Among the illustrious personages of " eloquent Cordova "—facunda 
 Corduba — we will only cite the best known : Lucien and the Senecas. Several kings chose 
 it for their residence, and built sumptuous palaces, notably one used by the Arab kings, of 
 which we were shown some remains in the edifice called el Alcazar viejo. This residence 
 was decorated with such splendour that an Arabian author describes it as dazzling the 
 eyes. After the invasion of Spain by Tarik in 711, Cordova sustained a siege of three 
 months' duration. Forced to yield to numbers, it became, under Abdul-Rahman, surnamed 
 the Just, the capital of the Western Califate. Abdul-Rahman, who reigned under the 
 suzerainty of the Califs of Damascus, declared himself independent in 756, and took the 
 title of Emir al mumenin, or prince of the believers. It was under this prince's reign that 
 the mosque was commenced ; it was he also who invited from Asia the most remarkable 
 men of all kinds, and who founded the schools which produced so many learned men 
 when the rest of Europe was plunged in ignorance. Under the successors of Abdul- 
 Rahman Cordova attained to the height of its splendour and prosperity : it then merited 
 to be called the Athens of the West, and became, according to the expression of the 
 celebrated physician Razis, "the nurse of sciences, the cradle of warriors." Other Arabian 
 authors call it " the mother of cities, the throne of sultans, the minaret of piety and 
 devotion, the refuge of tradition, the dwelling of magnificence and elegance," etc. One poet 
 says that Cordova is to Andalucia what the head is to the body ; another compares this 
 province to a lion whose heart was the capital of the Califs of the West. The Califs 
 became so powerful that several princes sent ambassadors to solicit their alliance; 
 contemporary histories are filled with details of the reception of the envoys from 
 Constantinople. Mariana, speaking of one of the Califs, said that he held peace and war 
 
CORDOVA. 341 
 
 in his hands, and that he could make and unmake kings. The Arabian princes were very- 
 tolerant with regard to the Christians : they enjoyed free exercise of their worship in the 
 conquered towns. The victors did still better, they shared the churches with them. 
 Thus when it was intended to build the mosque, as the chosen foundation was occupied 
 by a church of which the Christians possessed half, the Mahometans bought their part from 
 them. The Jews were equally free to practise their worship : they had their synagogue in 
 a street which is still called calle de los Judios. Rivalling Damascus and Bagdad, the 
 population of Cordova rose to nearly a million inhabitants ; it is declared to have contained 
 two hundred thousand houses, three hundred mosques, fifty hospitals, eighty schools, and 
 nine hundred public baths. The details given by the Arab historians of the splendour 
 and luxury of the court of the Califs are so marvellous, that their accounts almost 
 seem exaggerated. 
 
 Gold, silver, ivory, pearls, precious stones, the finest marbles and the rarest woods, 
 were lavished with inconceivable profusion in constructing and furnishing the palaces of 
 sovereigns and homes of private individuals. Revolutions, civil wars, and invasions destroyed 
 these splendours little by little, and Cordova having fallen into the hands of Ferdinand III., 
 the 29th of June 1236, its decadence was rapidly brought about under the Christian domina- 
 tion. At the end of the seventeenth century it did not possess more than fourteen thousand 
 houses, and a hundred years later this number fell to eight thousand. It only contains at 
 present ten thousand houses, or barely fifty thousand souls. Our entry into Cordova by 
 rail almost made us regret the good old times of the coaches. It is true one arrived shaken, 
 harassed by fatigue, white with dust, after having been jolted on a bad road during 
 forty or sixty hours in a narrow and badly hung carriage. But, on the other hand, 
 the entrance was superb : leaving behind the Carrahola, a majestic crenated tower of the 
 fourteenth century, you crossed the Guadalquivir on a fine bridge with fourteen arches. On 
 the right and left stood the old ramparts of the town, surmounted by Arabian towers, above 
 which grew the slender and elegant palms, reflected on the calm waters of the river. At 
 the other end of the bridge you passed under a triumphal arch constructed by Herera, 
 under Charles V., then the Puerta del puente, with its bas-relief attributed to the Florentine 
 sculptor, Torrigiano, The imposing mass of the Arabian mosque, surmounted by a heavy 
 dome in the Christian style, stood out conspicuously from the terraces and flat roofs of the 
 houses. Once in the town, you went through a network of narrow, tortuous, and deserted 
 roads. Such is still, however, the general aspect of most of the quarters of Cordova ; one 
 would sometimes think, especially during the great heats, that the inhabitants had deserted 
 their town. One rarely meets a passer-by in these streets, where grass grows which is 
 seldom trodden under foot. 
 
 We had thought of Cordova as an old town of the Middle Ages in the style of Toledo, 
 or Avila ; we also hoped to find some Arab monuments in the ancient capital of the 
 "Western Califs. We found nothing, or next to nothing. The houses, uniformly whitened 
 with lime, have a modern aspect ; the iron railings, cleverly wrought like those of Seville, 
 generally exposed to view a patio planted with flowers, in the midst of which springs up a 
 thin jet of water; the windows, furnished with rejas— solid iron bars— are filled with 
 ornamental plants, which grow by the side of long blue and white striped curtains. The 
 place has, nevertheless, an air of prettiness which is attractive to the eye, and they say 
 that if the inhabitants show themselves so little in the streets it is because they prefer the 
 comfort of home to life in public. 
 
 We have said that ancient monuments are rare at Cordova ; but it possesses the famous 
 
342 SPAIN. 
 
 mosque of the Mezquka, as it is still called. It may be considered a unique edifice of its 
 kind : there is nothing like it anywhere else. The Alhambra and the Alcazar are marvels 
 of Moorish architecture, but these palaces can convey no idea of the Cordovan monument, 
 which is five or six centuries older. It was in 770 that Abdul-Kahman undertook to raise a 
 mosque which would surpass in grandeur and magnificence those of Damascus, Bagdad, and 
 other Oriental towns. They pushed forward the works with extraordinary activity. Abdul- 
 Eahman, who had designed the plan himself, took such a great interest in its construction, 
 that he worked at it with his own hands an hour each day. Nevertheless, he was not 
 permitted to see the completion of his toil ; it was left to his son, who, after his death, 
 continued the works, which were finished towards the end of the eighth century. It 
 is often asked how the Arabs could have constructed such a gigantic monument in so short 
 a time ? First, we must consider that they were very far advanced in the arts and sciences. 
 Besides, instead of cutting and polishing the numerous marble columns employed in the 
 construction, they took those of temples and other antique edifices of Spain and Africa. 
 France too contributed its share, for they brought some from Narbonne ; and it is even 
 said, though it seems barely credible, that they brought earth from this town, which the 
 Christian prisoners carried on their backs. Before entering the mosque, we pass through 
 the " Patio de los Naravjos," a vast enclosure planted with orange-trees and enormous 
 lemon-trees, with palms and cypresses, formiug a thick vault of verdure, under which 
 sparkling fountains keep the air continually cool. The Fatio de los Naranjos of Cordova 
 and that of the Cathedral of Seville have always aroused the hearts of the Andalucians. 
 Ponz relates, on this subject, an incident which happened to himself. " I was passing 
 through Aragon, and arrived early in the morning at a village about four or five leagues 
 from Teruel. It was very hot, and I intended to leave two or three hours before daybreak, 
 in order to arrive at this town before the heat of the day. As I was looking out of the 
 window of my room in the inn, I noticed six or seven horsemen arrive towards evening ; 
 they were armed with long swords, wore white hats, and were dressed in the best style of 
 the majos. On entering the inn they shouted altogether : 'Alahado sea el Patio de los 
 Naranjos ! ' — ' Blessed be the patio of the orange-trees ! ' Neither the people of the inn, nor 
 the travellers who were there, could understand the strange exclamation, and I knew no 
 more than they. It was in vain I inquired what manner of men they were." Ponz then 
 tells how he and his arriero persuaded themselves that they w^ere bandits, and consequently 
 desired to hasten their departure. Notwithstanding all this, they arrived at Teruel greatly 
 pleased at what they considered a very narrow escape. Some time afterwards they met 
 the same horsemen, and learned that they were toreros from Cordova, going to a corrida 
 in Pampeluna. " It is thus," said the traveller, " that I became aware of the existence of a 
 Patio de los Naranjos at Cordova." 
 
 The patio is, it is said, one of the additions made to the mosque by the Calif Al-Mansur. 
 An Arab historian relates how this sovereign proceeded with regard to the proprietors 
 whom he wished to dispossess ; this anecdote does not lack interest in the times of ex- 
 propriation in which we live. " The Calif called before him the proprietors of the houses 
 which were to be destroyed, and addressed each one separately thus : ' Friend, I require 
 thy house ; I must buy it to augment the great mosque, for this edifice is useful and even 
 necessary to the people. Ask thy price and the royal treasury shall pay it." Every one of 
 the proprietors consented willingly to sell his house, not without asking the highest possible 
 price for it, and Al-Mansur immediately gave the order to pay them, and, still further, he 
 enjoined that good houses should be built for them in another part of the town. The last 
 
THE MOSQUE OF COEDOVA. 345 
 
 person to present lierself was an old woman who owned a house which had a palm- 
 tree in its court. This woman obstinately refused to give it up, unless they gave her 
 another house Avith a similar palm-tree growing in the court. Upon which the Calif gave 
 orders that the wishes of the old woman should be gratified, even if it should cost a million 
 duros. And accordingly another house with a palm-tree was purchased at an enormous 
 price." The mosque is entered by seven doors of a medium height ; the sculptures are in 
 very low relief and in pure and simple taste. 
 
 The exterior walls, crowned with battlements, are of the clear, yellow stone-colour 
 which is only too often seen on ancient edifices. There is no monumental fagade, or grand 
 portal, as in the churches of the Middle Ages; one M'ould say that the architect has 
 exaggerated the simplicity of the exterior in order to still more heighten the striking effect 
 of the magnificence of the interior. Theophile Gautier, a great admirer of the Mezquita, 
 aptly says, that to give an idea of this strange edifice, you must compare it to a great 
 esplanade closed in with walls, and planted with columns in quincunx order (that is, a 
 square, consisting of five columns, one at each corner, and a fifth in the centre). 
 
 It is impossible to describe the impression one feels on entering the mosque of Cordova 
 for the first time ; the numerous columns which support the vault cross each other like 
 forest trees and form long perspectives, which continually change as one penetrates farther 
 into the interior. A half-obscurity, reigning here, as indeed in all Spanish churches, adds 
 another charm to the poetry of these alleys of marble. The columns now number eight 
 hundred and sixty, but were much more numerous formerly : it is said that there were as 
 many as twelve hundred. According to the tradition, they came in great part from the 
 temple of Janus, which occupied the site of the mosque ; sixty were carried from Tarragona 
 and Seville, one hundred and fifteen belonged to the monuments of Nimes and Narbonne, 
 and one hundred and forty were a present from the emperor Leon (1), who reigned at 
 Byzantium. A large number were also taken from the temple of Carthage, and several 
 other towns on the African coast. Most of these columns are surmounted with Corinthian 
 capitals ; others are of the Doric order, and a good many belong to the Arabian style. All 
 these capitals were formerly gilded, and there are still traces on some of them of the old 
 gilding. The son of the Calif Hisham had them gilded, it is said, as well as the columns 
 and part of the walls. The arcades supported by the columns are of various forms ; some 
 are semi-circular ; the greater number are of a horseshoe shape and are carved with several 
 crescent-formed lobes, always uneven in number : thus we remarked some with three, 
 five, seven, nine, and even eleven lobes. These arcades are superposed one above 
 the other in two rows, imparting a marvellous air of lightness to the whole aspect of 
 the edifice. The naves formed by the intercrossing of the columns are nineteen in number, 
 taken latitudinally, and twenty-nine longitudinally. The Spaniards designate these naves 
 by the names of calles, or streets : thus there is the calle San Nicolas, the calle San Pedro, 
 etc., thus named from the chapels situated in each nave. At the extremity of one of these 
 naves is the Mihrdh, the holy part of the mosque ; it is in this sanctum sanctorum, a very 
 small retreat built in the thickness of the wall, the Alcoran was formerly kept, and 
 where the Califs prayed publicly. The Mihrdh, the richest part of the mosque, has by 
 unheard-of good fortune escaped from the successive profanations which have degraded 
 many other parts of the edifice. It is entered by a horseshoe arch supported by elegant 
 marble columns, and above which exists the most splendid mosaic. St. Mark's of Venice 
 and the ancient churches of Rome and Eavenna ofi"er nothing richer. This mosaic is 
 composed of little glass cubes, with fine inscriptions as well as ornaments of the purest 
 
346 SPAIN. 
 
 taste on a ground of gold and azure blue. Although of Arabian style, it was made in 
 Constantinople, doubtless after the design of a Cordovan architect. A celebrated Arabian 
 geographer of the eleventh century, Edrisi, informs us that it was sent as a present to a 
 Calif of Cordova, by the Emperor Eomain 11. The interior of the Mihrab, which is octagonal 
 in shape, is little more than fourteen I'eet in diameter and twenty-seven in height up to the 
 vault. The walls are covered with white marble veined with red, above which is a cornice 
 with a frieze of inscriptions. A tablet of mosaic described by Ambrosio de Morales, and 
 which still existed at the end of the sixteenth century, has unhappily disappeared ; on the 
 other hand, the twelve small columns of white African marble, with gilded bases and 
 capitals, ranged round the sanctuary, are in perfect preservation. The crowd of 
 worshippers was so considerable in this sacred place, that the marble is worn and looks as 
 if it had been hollowed out circularly ; tradition says that the faithful and the pilgrims 
 went round it seven times. The execution of the vault is not less marvellous : it is formed 
 of a single block of white marble, fifteen feet in diameter, grooved in the form of a shell 
 and sculptured with the greatest delicacy. The riches of the Mihrab are far from what 
 they used to be, if the descriptions of the Arab writers are to be trusted. Thus, this 
 sanctuary, enriched with marbles of inestimable value and two columns of lapis, was 
 covered besides with ornaments of iron and ebony ; other incrustations of still rarer species 
 of wood, composed of thirty-six thousand pieces, were fixed by nails of pure gold and 
 studded with precious stones. A copy of the sacred book, from the hand of Othman, was 
 kept there in a golden box lined with silk, garnished with pearls and rubies, and placed 
 upon a stand of aloe wood, with golden nails. The ancient sanctuary is commonly called 
 el zancarron, in derision — literally, an old bone, a fleshpot bone. It appears, from the popular 
 tradition, that Mahomet's jawbone was supposed to be preserved in the Mihrdh : hence the 
 ridicule implied in the word zancarron, now used to designate a place held sacred for so 
 many generations. 
 
 Another spot venerated by the Arabs, the Mahssurah, preceded the Mihrdh, and 
 contained at one time a sort of throne for the Califs. The flooring of the apartment was 
 formerly made of silver, and the adjacent doors were inlaid with mosaics and golden 
 ornaments : one of these doors was even cast in pure gold. The greater number of the 
 columns were ranged in groups of four, each group crowned by a single capital ; the other 
 parts of the mosque, though less profusely decorated, were nevertheless very grand. 
 
 There also existed a sort of pulpit, mounted by seven steps, which was said to be the 
 most costly and elaborate piece of workmanship in the whole world. All sorts of figures 
 were represented upon it, for the Mussulmans of Cordova, like those of Granada and other 
 western towns, were far from strictly observing the law which forbids representations of 
 animated objects. This pulpit was named the silla — seat — or carro (car) del rey Almanzar, 
 because it was mounted on four wheels, which still existed at the end of the sixteenth 
 century. It is deeply to be regretted that a relic so interesting should have disappeared. 
 It is reported to have been destroyed by masons who were working at the Mosque. " For 
 what reason I cannot tell," says a contemporaneous author, who adds, " y asi perecio aquella 
 antigualla," — " thus ended that relic of antiquity." 
 
 Arabian writers give the most extraordinary accounts of the manner in which the 
 mosque was lighted : some set down the number of lamps, which burned day and night, at 
 seven thousand, others at ten thousand. A rather singular fact is, that suspended among 
 the lamps were bells from the cathedral of St. James of Compostella, carried from Galicia 
 on the shoulders of Christian slaves, by command of the Calif Al-Mausur. These bells 
 
CHAPJiL OF THE ZANCAEKON, MOSQUE OF CORDOVA. 
 
 To face page 346. 
 
MOSQUE OF CORDOVA. 349 
 
 had been inverted, and suspended by chains of silver from the vaulted roof Marmol 
 Carbajal assures us, in his curious " Description of Africa," that he noticed similar bells in 
 a mosque at Fez. Besides this astonishing array of lamps, the mosque possessed a great 
 number of candlesticks. It is reported that when St. Ferdinand took Cordova, he had 
 the new-fashioned lamps removed, and ordered the Mahometan prisoners to carry them 
 on their shoulders back to their original site. 
 
 The ceilings were sculptured, gilded, and painted with a skill and an appreciation of 
 the beautiful, of which one may form some faint notion from what little remains of the 
 work. The roof has given way in several places, where the beams were pulled out either to 
 build with, or to make musical instruments. These acts of spoliation date from an early 
 period, for Ambrosio de Morales, who wrote in the sixteenth century, states that the value 
 of the wood thus abstracted was several thousand ducats. The members of the ayuntamiento, 
 in 1523, endeavoured to put a stop to these acts of vandalism : tliey even menaced with 
 death any one who dared to touch the sacred building. They appealed to the emperor, who, 
 as he had never seen or heard of the mosque, made no reply. Three years later, when 
 Charles V. came to Cordova, he flew in a rage when he beheld the damage done to the 
 mosque. " I did not know its value," he cried, " else I would never have permitted it to 
 be touched. You have done what may be done anywhere, but you have destroyed what 
 you cannot restore." The great fault of the choir is its being erected in the centre of 
 a Mahometan mosque, otherwise we would accord to it its meed of praise as a fine example 
 of the work of the Renaissance. The mahogany stalls were carved about the middle of the 
 eighteenth century by a sculptor of Cordova, named Pedro Duque Cornejo, who toiled at 
 this part of the decoration for ten years, as we gather from the inscription on his tomb. 
 Nothing need be said of the altar-pieces, gates, and chapels, richly gilded, and ridiculously 
 out of keeping with the noble simplicity of the Arabian architecture. 
 
 Amongst the curiosities always shown by the guides to visitors is a column from 
 which a grossly sculptured Christ stands out in relief A lamp is kept constantly burning 
 by its side, and the carving is reported to have been the work of a Christian captive — 
 chained by the Arabs to that column — who executed it with his nail without the aid of any 
 other tool. But we ventured to remark to our guide that this black marble veined with 
 white is of the hardest description, and we doubted the possibihty of a human nail 
 replacing a steel tool. This seemed to shock our man so thoroughly, that it was necessary 
 to explain we had only thrown out the remark to indicate the splendid condition of the 
 captive's nails. A little softened, our guide showed us the inscription : Lo hizo el cautibo con 
 la una — " Cut by the captive with his nail." Not far from this column is a bas-relief 
 representing the captive at prayer, a cord round his neck and chains on his ankles ; this 
 subject is accompanied by a Latin inscription, showing how, while the Mahometans 
 celebrated their orgies in the temple, the poor sujfferer invoked the true divinity of Christ, 
 and how he transferred the image from his heart to the hard stone. 
 
 A tomb in the wall of the mosque, unlike anything we had ever seen before, was 
 in the form of a trunk with three padlocks. Th^ophile Gautier inquires thoughtfully, 
 " How will the body at the last day, amid the general confusion, be able to find the key to 
 open the trunk in which it is carefully enclosed ? " There was another tomb, on which we 
 read this singular epitaph cut on a slab of black marble : Here lies the corpse of Her 
 Excellency Dona Maria Isidra Quintina of Guzman y Cerda, of Guadalcazar 6 Hinojares, 
 Grande de Espana, etc., Doctora en filosqfia y letras humanas, Catedrdtica y consiliaria 
 perpetual de la Universidad de Alcald, Academica honoraria, etc. This grandee of Spain 
 
 2 
 
350 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 died in 1803 at the a,ge of thirty-five. Let us also mention the tomb of Gongora, the 
 celebrated poet who penned some lines against Cervantes, and in turn was held up to ridicule 
 by Le Sage. Gongora was chaplain to Philip III. and canon of the cathedral of Cordova., 
 where he was buried in 1623. 
 
 Ijcaviug the mosque we again made our way along the Patio de los Naranjos, at the 
 end of which there is the lofty tower surmounted by a golden statue of St. Piaphael, 
 archangel, hovering over the town. This tower was built by Herman Ruiz, the unhappy 
 architect of the choir in the mosque ; it was overthrown by an earthquake at the close of 
 the sixteenth century, and rebuilt on the foundation of the ancient Al Minar, an Arabian 
 minaret. At the time of the Califs, this minaret was esteemed one of the wonders of the 
 world ; its apex was topped by two huge globes of pure gold, and between them was a 
 silver globe, and above an enormous golden pomegranate. 
 
 CATTLE MERCHANT OF CORDOVA, 
 
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF CORDOVA. 
 
 To face page 350. 
 
SKETCH AT VALDEPENAS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The environs of Cordova ; the mills of the Guadalquivir — The palace of Az-Zarah — Luxury of the Califs of Cordova — 
 Serenading in Andalucia ; the Mom'a and the «0V80 — Pelar la pava, "Plucking the turkey" — Mascar hierro, "Chewing 
 iron " — Some couplets — Andalucian devotion to the Virgin — Andujar and its alcarrazas — The Sierra Morena and its 
 ermitanos — More about Jos^ Maria — The Venta de Cdrdenas — Spanish beggars — La Mancha and its inhabitants — 
 Causes of the misery of the population — Santa Cruz de Mudela and its cutlery— The wine of La Mancha — Ciudad-Real 
 and Valdepefias— Manzanares. 
 
 At the time of tlie Mussulman dominion, the suburbs of Cordova were as flourishing as the 
 town itself. Situated in the midst of a fertile plain watered by the Guadalquivir, it became 
 the chosen residence of the Califs of the West, where the Ommides exhausted their 
 treasures in rearing sumptuous palaces and useful edifices. On the banks of the Guadal- 
 quivir there are no less than five thousand mills between Seville and Cordova ; those dating 
 from the time of the Arabs may be generally known by their square towers, but few, if 
 any of them, are at work nowadays. On one of the hills, which rise like an oasis in the 
 direction of the Sierra Morena, there stood the celebrated residence of Az-Zarah, perhaps 
 the finest building of the sort erected by the Arabs. 
 
 One of the wives of a Calif died, leaving immense riches to be employed in ransom- 
 ing Mahometan prisoners. As there were no prisoners to be ransomed, it was used by 
 the Sultana Az-Zarah to raise the palace to which she gave her name. The Arab 
 historians give wonderful accounts of the luxury and magnificence of this establishment. 
 The pavement of its courts was of semi-transparent marble, inlaid with plates of gold. 
 Eight of the doors were made out of carved ivory and ebony, set with jewels, while the 
 building itself was roofed over with gold and silver tiles. 
 
 In the centre of one of the apartments stood a huge basin filled with mercury. When 
 
o.. SPAIN. 
 
 the sun's rays fell upon its briglit surface, the eyes of the spectators were dazzled with 
 refulgent light. Another object, which attracted greater attention, was an enormous bronze- 
 gilded fountain, which had been brought from Constantinople, a masterpiece of art, 
 supported by twelve red-golden figures, arrayed with lines of pearls and precious stones 
 in the form of animals, such as crocodiles, antelopes, dragons, etc. 
 
 The city of Cordova itself was no less wonderful. One writer assures us that the 
 distance between the city and Az-Zarah was ten miles, and that one might travel at dead 
 of night over the entire route by the light of an immense number of lamps. Cordova 
 is reported to have excelled all other cities in four things — the promotion of the sciences, 
 its great mosque, its bridge over the Guadalquivir, and its settlement of Az-Zarah. 
 
 Az-Zarah stood on the site now known as ancient Cordova, but it was levelled 
 to the ground at the beginning of the eleventh century, together with Eizd,fah, the present 
 San Francisco de la Arrizafa. We desired to visit these enchanting scenes, but could 
 find no trace of them ; indeed, we may say with the Latin poet that even their scattered 
 ruins have disappeared. 
 
 If Cordova is silent and dreary during the daytime, it seems to awake partially from 
 its repose to listen to the serenades at night. This serenading appeared to us nothing 
 more than a sort of amusing pleasantry fitted only for the Opera Comique. Not so with 
 the Andalucians ; to them the guitar is a noble instrument, and its jerking notes are 
 listened to with melodramatic seriousness. A Spanish poet touchingly inquires, " What 
 would an Englishman, Dane, or Swede do to convince a lady of his adoration ? Would he 
 willingly deprive himself of a night's rest ? " He adds, " Let us see : he would twirl his 
 moustache, arrange his locks so as to fall languishingly over his forehead, sigh, look 
 suicidal, and retire calmly to rest. But with us behold the difference ! A majo, guitar in 
 hand, his mantle tossed negligently over his shoulder, sings and sighs his love patiently 
 beneath a balcony, regardless of weather ; he waits until daybreak, dreading the frown of 
 his lady-love should he quit his post a moment too soon." 
 
 In return, it is hard for the majo should all this willing toil be thrown away on a lady 
 whom the first notes send to repose for the night. In vain would he breathe his song : 
 
 " Si esta noche no sales 
 A la ventana, 
 Cu^ntame entre los muertos 
 Desde manana." 
 
 — " If to-night thou dost not appear at thy window, of my death, alas ! thou wilt hear on 
 the morrow." 
 
 The Spanish nights are so mild and genial that we can hardly wonder the serenaders 
 have not died out. The novio still spends a part of his nights singing and talking to his 
 novia, betrothed, who is seated behind the iron grating which invariably protects the lower 
 windows of the houses. Whenever we witnessed a nocturnal tete-d-Ute of this sort, we heard 
 the couple whispering together, and the novio could be seen clinging with trembling hand 
 to the iron railing as described by Cervantes in his novel, the Celoso estremeno : 
 
 "A los hierros de una reja 
 La turbada mano asida." 
 
 This favourite exercise of lovers is called pelar la pava—lltcvaWy, peladores depava—tmkey 
 pluckers ; it may be because the attitude ofiers some analogy to a person plucking a turkey 
 
A SEEENATA AT CORDOVA. 
 
 To face page 354. 
 
ANDALUCIAN SEEENADING. 357 
 
 with the right hand, while holding it with the left. The Andulucians have another 
 expression for characterising an ardent lover whose head is bent towards the bars ; comer 
 hierro, mascar Merro— to eat or to chew iron. Sometimes the pelador de pava tries to 
 deceive the mother's vigilance, when he is careful not to sound an instrument, and with the 
 consent of the young girl he is even able to deceive the house-dog, or bribe him to 
 silence. "Throw some bread to the dog when you come to see me," says the novia, "for 
 my mother sleeps as lightly as a hare." 
 
 Amongst the popular songs sold in the streets, those called serenatas, or coplas de 
 ventana (window couplets) occupy a most important position. Here are some of these 
 coplas, which are, so to speak, classic among the Andalucians : 
 
 " Cuerpo giieno ! . . . . Alma divina ! 
 Que de fatigas me cuestas ! 
 Despierta, si esUs dormida, 
 
 Y alivia, por Dios, mi pena ! " 
 
 — "Eare beauty! divine one! What trouble ismine! Wake, if thou sleepest, and for 
 Grod's sake my sorrows allay ! " 
 
 " La paloma esU en la cama 
 Arropadita y caliente, 
 
 Y el polomo estd en la esquina 
 Dandose diente con diente." 
 
 — " The dove is in bed, snugly wrapped up, while the pigeon waits in the street, cold and 
 gnashing his teeth." 
 
 Sometimes it happens that a rival appears upon the scene, when, if the first will not 
 abandon his claims, the question is settled with the knife ; the adversaries cast their mantles 
 on the ground, tighten their fajas and fall on each other ; but the combat has not always 
 a tragical end, as it sometimes happens that the foes are merely fanfarrones—hnUics—who 
 at once pass from tragedy into comedy, and after they have exhausted their vocabularies 
 of invective, retire tranquilly to a tavern to drown their rivalry in a bowl of wine. 
 
 Satirical couplets are not wanting to enliven tbis phase of Spanish life. One tells 
 how a gallant sang all night long to the lady of his heart, whom he perceived from time 
 to time moving the curtain on the balcony ; but, after all, the object of his rapture turned 
 out to be a black cat which had the curiosity to watch his movements. 
 
 When a pelador de pava has a circle of musical friends, he appoints a rendezvous under 
 the balcony of his novia, who thus enjoys the music, while she listens to the fond words 
 of her lover. One evening we witnessed a serenata of this sort in a street in Cordova. 
 While the musicians exercised their skill, the novio appeared to be hanging from the iron 
 bars ; as to the young lady, a gleam of moonlight revealed her charming face through 
 the reja, showing that she took much more interest in her lover's words than the touching 
 strains of the serenaders. It sometimes happens when the novio is engrossed with his 
 novia, some friends who have concealed themselves surprise him, and compel him to pay 
 a ransom. 
 
 Andalucia is renowned for its devotion to the Virgin, the Santisima. The number 
 of books printed in honour of the Virgin is extraordinary. The bibliographer Antonio, 
 who lived in the seventeenth century, quotes eighty-four works on the subject of different 
 Virgins, venerated in certain localities, and over four hundred on the Virgin Mary. It is 
 probable that the number has doubled since that time. The Gothic kings consecrated 
 those beautiful golden crowns set with pearls and sapphires to Santa Maria in the churches 
 
358 SPAIN. 
 
 dedicated to her. A number of these crowns were discovered not far from Toledo, two 
 or three years ago. Jaime el Conquistador, king of Aragon, erected a thousand churches, 
 all of them dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Soon after leaving Cordova, we passed the bridge of Alcolea, where the battle was 
 fouo-ht in 1868 which cost Isabella II. the throne of Spain. This bridge was built by 
 Charles III. at the close of last century; the black marble used for its construction was 
 brought from the Sierra Morena. We stopped a day at Andujar, a little town famed for its 
 vases of porous earth, used to keep water cool and which find a ready market all over 
 Spain, and in many foreign countries. Their forms are most elegant, although they have 
 never changed the ancient designs of Arabian origin ; indeed vases of the same sort are 
 still manufactured in Morocco, and in various other places along the African coast. They 
 have generally two handles, and the orifice, opening like the calyx of a flower, is orna- 
 mented with pastillages of extreme delicacy. 
 
 Carolina, founded by Charles III, is a large market town of symmetrical construction, 
 many of whose streets are ranged in long parallel rows, with others cutting them at right 
 angles. Nothing can be more dreary than this metropolis of the Nuevas pohlaciones : 
 this is the name given to certain villages laid out on the same plan, by a celebrity of the 
 state, Ollavide, to people the country bordering the Sierra Morena. After erecting these 
 villages, it was found difficult to procure inhabitants for them. Germans and Swiss were 
 placed there, but they were not easily accustomed to tlie climate ; as we approached 
 the mountains, we noticed some wooden crosses placed to mark the spots where unfortunates 
 had met. their death. A traveller of the last century, the Marquis of Langle, struck with 
 the frequent recurrence of these crosses, thought it would have been a decided improve- 
 ment to set up a scaffold on the sites of these assassinations : — " It is rather more interesting 
 to travellers to fiud something to commemorate the punishment of crime, in place of the 
 crime itself." The railway runs through frightful gorges and along the verge of high 
 precipices. A celebrated spot, where these gorges are contracted so as to darken the route, 
 is called the Despenaperros. 
 
 "Andalucia," says Voiture, "reconciled me to the other provinces of Spain." This 
 famous author, when he penned these words, had just passed through La Mancha, and was 
 charmed with the contrast between the arid plains, the dark vegetation of the Sierra 
 Morena, and the smiling country of the orange and palm trees. 
 
 " Three days ago," he adds, " I saw in the Sierra Morena the place where Cardenio 
 and Don Quixote met, and the same evening I supped at the venta where the adventures of 
 Dorothea ended." These lines, written seventeen years after the death of Cervantes, show 
 that his immortal fiction was already accounted a genuine history. 
 
 The Sierra Morena was for many years one of the most dangerous haunts of banditti 
 in the whole of Spain, These outlaws have been called the hermits of the Sierra Morena. 
 But it is said that nowadays there is not a single band of highway robbers in Spain. Jose 
 Maria, of whom we have already spoken, must have been a bandit of the romantic and 
 chivalrous order. It is recorded of him that on one occasion he determined to attack a 
 carriage, when the following scene took place : 
 
 " Silence ! " cried one of the band ; " hark, a noise of bells— a carriage— it comes this 
 way." 
 
 " Alto ! " cried Jos^ Maria, seizing the coachman ; " let every one get down. Come, 
 masters, get down. How many are there 1 " 
 
 "Four. A tall gentleman, two children, and a young lady." 
 
DEFILE OF THE DESPENAPEEROS, IN THE SIERRA MOEENA. 
 
 To face page 35S. 
 
THE SIEERA MORENA. 361 
 
 " Let them come out. You, Reinoso, guard the door. Another of you hold the horses, 
 and let two others watch." 
 
 The senor don Cosine— thut was the title of the traveller— begged the bandit to 
 spare his daughter. 
 
 " Fear nothing. No one here lacks politeness— the beautiful creature !— God preserve 
 you, Senorita ! " 
 
 "Captain," said one of the band, "that is a dainty piece." 
 
 '"Are you not going to place that jewel in a lottery?" said another. 
 
 Jos^ Maria imposed silence on his men, and ordered them to search the carriage 
 without injuring any one. A purse was brought out, and the traveller was requested to 
 name its contents. 
 
 " Four thousand duros," he replied, " my daughter's dowry— all my fortune." 
 
 "Do not grieve so, venerable sir," said Jos6 Maria; "and you, Senorita, weep no 
 more. You were very pleased, then, to be married, and your father did not prevent you ? " 
 
 "Oh, no, Senor!" 
 
 " Then God bless you, you are free. If the King receives me some day and pardons 
 me, I will pay you a visit. Your hand. Adieu ! Come, mayoral, to your box." And while 
 the horses galloped away : " Come, you others," said the chief to his men. " I will divide 
 amongst you four thousand du7^os which I have in reserve, so don't grumble. To horse, 
 and away, ruffians." 
 
 A quarter of an hour after we had left the Despenaperros we passed the Venta de 
 Cardenas. In spite of its sonorous name, the place only consists of two common buildings, 
 used as granary, inn, and stable. After interrogating the people as to any traditions 
 belonging to it, all we could discover was that the venta was also known as the Melocotones 
 — Melons — a name given to the proprietor of the estate. As to Cardeuio and Luscinda, Cer- 
 vantes' heroes, they said they knew nothing about such people ; they had not been there lately. 
 
 Crossing the Sierra Morena, we entered La Mancha. No transition could be more 
 rapid or more complete. The climate changes at once from the south to that of the north, 
 and with it the aspect of nature. The eye wanders over bare arid plains, in vain searching 
 for a single object on which to rest. Towns and villages can be dimly descried in the 
 distance, but the landscape is dreary and desolate, and clothed with an air of poverty 
 reigning supreme, to the verge of the horizon. When the old stage-coaches traversed these 
 plains, travellers were constantly assailed by troops of beggars, whose numbers sometimes 
 reached alarming proportions. One day, when in the diligence, we perceived more than 
 twenty of these vagrants making for the vehicle as fast as their infirmities would allow 
 them. This mendicity has been attributed to the sloth and idleness of the people, as well 
 as to the lack of resources in the country itself. A curious work by D. J. Ortiz, called 
 " The Scourge of Beggars, Idlers, and Vagabonds," gives an interesting account of the 
 different classes of beggars, begging pilgrims, priests, monks, and hermits, professional 
 weepers, idiots, deaf, dumb, and blind, and those whose skill lies in mimicking diseases ; 
 then come those who pass as Jewish converts, and obtain money to enable them to 
 receive baptism, and a host of others too numerous to mention here. The author thus 
 concludes his singular nomenclature ; — 
 
 " Con arte y con engano 
 Se vive medio afio ; 
 Con ingenio y con arte 
 Se vive la otra parte." 
 
o 
 
 62 SPAIN. 
 
 — " By artifice and fraud, we live one lialf the year. By fraud and artifice, we live the 
 other half." 
 
 It is only necessary to read the accounts given by travellers in different countries to 
 learn that mendicity has always in every land been taken up as a profession by a certain 
 class of men. A traveller of last century, Joseph Baretti, Secretary of the Royal Academy 
 of London, relates a story of a Spanish beggar, M'ho asked alms from a Frenchman ; but the 
 latter, seeing him robust and strong, inquired how it was that he did not strive to live in a 
 moie honest and independent manner. " It is money I want and not advice," replied the 
 idler, turning his back. Another writer aifirms that many artisans, even, only work when 
 hunger compels them. " Go to a Spanish shoemaker and order a pair of boots : he will first 
 look if there is a loaf of bread on the shelf, and, if there happens to be one, he will 
 politely inform you, you may go elsewhere." 
 
 Let us hear what an Italian traveller has to say, who passed through Spain in 1755. 
 " I walked by chance into a bookseller's, when a beggar came and asked alms of me ; but 
 with so much arrogance that he appeared to be demanding payment of a just debt rather 
 than charity. At first I pretended not to hear him, and continued reading my book. 
 Emboldened by my silence, he told me I had plenty of time to read books, and that I ought 
 to attend to what he said. As I continued to take no notice of him, he approached me in 
 an insolent manner and said, ' Answer me, or else give me alms.' " Judging from what we 
 ourselves have seen and heard of the Manchaens, they appeared to be a sober and 
 industrious race. At first sight the traveller who is assailed by mendicants might 
 naturally think that their misery was caused by idleness, but this is not always the case. 
 When the harvest is abundant the rich farmers employ many hands on their vast estates ; 
 should the harvest prove scanty, thousands of labourers are thrown out of work, who, many 
 of them, are obliged to quit their homes and travel through the other provinces begging. 
 
 Santa Cruz de Mudela is a small town, or rather large village, most dreary and 
 miserable to behold. 
 
 As soon as the train arrived at the station, we were surrounded by sellers of navajas, 
 punales, cuchillos, and similar wares : some of them we bought to encourage a trade which 
 has still some progress to make before it equals that of Shefiield. The knives are like those 
 of Albacete, and it is doubtless this primitive Spanish cutlery which gave rise to the 
 saying, " One cuts one's finger without being able to cut a stick." Next we fell into the 
 hands of the sellers of garters, another local industry. The garters of Santa Cruz are 
 simply ribands of silk or cotton, about the breadth of a finger, and ornamented at the ends 
 with inscriptions in silk or silver thread. The words are usually appropriate : 
 
 " Te digan estas ligas 
 Mis penas y fatigas." 
 
 — " May these garters tell thee my pains and sufi'erings." 
 
 Some of these ligas are like the mottoes in which confectioners wrap their bonbons : 
 
 ".Eres dulce como miel 
 Hermosa como Eaquel." 
 
 — " Thou art as sweet as honey, and as beautiful as Rachel." 
 
 The fame of the wine of La Mancha is extremely ancient; the finest, that of 
 Valdepenas, is not unlike the wines of the south of France, or of some grown on 
 
ARRIVAL OP THE DILIGENCE AT 
 
 THE INN, SANTA CKUZ DE UVDELA. To fc 
 
 ace page 362 
 
MANZANAEES. 
 
 365 
 
 the banks of the Elione. It is of a beautiful deep red colour, of a strougly-marked flavour, 
 and very insidious qualities, which it doubtless owes to the stony country. Valdepenas, 
 indeed, signifies " Vale of Stones." 
 
 Arriving at the town of Manzanares at a late hour, we determined to remain for a 
 short time, and explore the environs of a spot rendered famous by the masterpiece of 
 Cervantes. 
 
 Fifteen or twenty years ago there used to be an extraordinary blind girl in Manzanares, 
 Maria Catarina Diaz, who stood at the parador de las diligencias, and who used to 
 improvise verses and speak Latin. She was well known to all the travellers of the time ; 
 when we last saw her standing singing, she was pouring forth her words with such 
 volubility that we could distinguish neither rhyme nor reason in them. A priest came 
 up, and saluting the blind girl with a vale ! to which she replied in Latin, he continued 
 in the same tongue ; nevertheless, we could not discover the faintest analogy between 
 the words of the dialogue and the language of Tacitus or Cicero : the priest spoke 
 Latin like a sacristan, while that of the girl could hardly even be called cook's Latin. 
 They half understood each other, soon became confused, and the conversation dropped. 
 
 Early next morning we left Manzanares for Alba. 
 
 pnuuiiRF. 
 
 A YOUTHFUL MENDICANT. — SKETCH MADE AT THE VENTA DB CABDINAS. 
 
 2 D 
 
AKCIENT AQUEDUCT AT MERIDA. 
 
 CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 The Campo de Montiel— Peter the Cruel and Henry of Trastaraare— The Venta of Quesada— The windmills of La 
 Mancha— Souvenirs of Don Quixote and of Sancho— Toboso— Tembleque— Estremadura and its inhabitants— Deserts 
 and pasturages— The convent of Guadalupe— Trujillo—Merida and its ancient monuments— Badajoz— Spanish inns : 
 fonda, parador, posada, meson, venta, etc. — Picturesque names — Accounts of ancient travellers — Why the inns are 
 BO miserable— Montanchez— Flocks of sheep and the Mesta — The wiermoi— Organisation of nomadic flocks— Shep- 
 herds and dogs — Cdceres — The bucaros of Estremadura — Bridge of Alconetar — Bridge of Alcantara — Plasencia 
 —The retreat of Charles V. : why named Yuste and not Saint Just— Talavera de la Eeina, anciently famed for 
 its faiences. 
 
 The heat Wcas tropical as we crossed the vast level plain called el Campo de Montiel. The 
 town of Montiel is said to have been built on the ruins of the ancient Munda, capital 
 of the Celtiberians, where Scipio Africanus remained for some time, after driving the 
 Carthaginians from Spain. There, also, in 1369, one of the most dramatic events in 
 Spanish history took place. Peter the Cruel, besieged by Guesclin in the Castle of 
 Montreal, made him the most brilliant offers, if he would conduct him to a place of safety. 
 Peter, led to believe that his offers were accepted, proceeded to the French camp, where he 
 was surrounded and forced into a tent. Soon after, his brother Henri de Trastamare 
 appeared, clothed in complete armour, and casting his eyes round the group, said, "Where is 
 the bastard who pretends to be King of Castille ? " " There is your enemy," said a French 
 squire, pointing to Don Pedro. Don Henri, still uncertain, looked fixedly at him. "Yes, 
 I am Don Pedro ! I am the King of Castille. Every one knows that I am the lawful son 
 of the good king Don Alfonso. Thou art the bastard ! " Don Henri, roused by the insult, 
 drew his dagger and struck him lightly in the face. The brothers, too close to each other 
 to draw their swords, struggled violently for some time without any one attempting to 
 interfere. In a fatal embrace they fell upon a camp bed in a corner of the tent. Don 
 
THE MILLS OF LA MANCHA. 
 
 To face page 366. 
 
THE WINDMILLS OF LA MANCHA. 369 
 
 Pedro, the stronger, lield his brother under him ; but while he felt for his dagger, an 
 Aragonese cavalier, the Viscount de Eocaberti, seizing Don Pedro by the foot, wheeled him 
 over, so that Don Henri, now uppermost, picking up a poniard and raising the king's 
 armour, thrust it into his side. Don Pedro's arms relaxed their hold, and Don Henri 
 disengaged himself, while his followers fell upon the dying king. 
 
 We stopped for a relay at the inn of Quesada, an old building resembling a diminutive 
 fortress. Our next halting-place was the small town of Villarta de San Juan, where the 
 Guadiana is said to flow beneath the route not far from the houses. The subterranean 
 source of this river is called el Puente— the bridge. It is related of a Spaniard who, 
 boasting to a foreigner of the wonders of his country, said: "We have a bridge more 
 than twenty-one miles wide, on which numerous herds find pasturage." Windmills abound 
 on the plains of La Mancha, where one may easily, like the faithful valet of Don Quixote, 
 count as many as thirty or forty within range. These mills are never very large, and 
 this fact may in a measure explain the mistake of the hero of Cervantes, while their number 
 is easily accounted for by the enormous quantities of wheat produced in the country. 
 
 Toboso, which we passed at a considerable distance to our right, derives its name from 
 toha, the porous earth of volcanic origin common to the country, and used to manufacture 
 the tinajas ovjarras already mentioned. In spite of the sonorous name, Toboso, the place 
 is nothing more than a poor village of about three or four hundred inhabitants. There is 
 one thing which must strike every traveller who visits the plains of La Mancha, " Don 
 Quixote " in hand, and that is the accuracy witli which Cervantes describes all the scenes in 
 which his hero figures. His portraits, too, are almost photographic in their faithfulness and 
 minuteness of detail. Swinburn, an English traveller of the last century, makes a curious 
 observation on this subject. " At the villa de Santa Cruz the only thing we noticed as 
 peculiar was a cow's tail in which our hostess had stuck her combs. As this was the first 
 time we had come across this custom, in vogue at the time of Sancho, and which proved 
 so useful to the barber, enabling him to make a false beard, we were struck with the 
 accuracy of Cervantes." 
 
 In no other province of Spain had we the misfortune to meet with so many tattered 
 mendicants, who frequently had not rags enough to hide their nakedness. Dor^ made a 
 sketch of a blind beggar and his granddaughter : the man carried a placard in front of him 
 explaining the cause of the prevalence of blindness in the neighbourhood of Madrid ej 03. 
 It is attributed to the strong reflection of the sun's rays from the surface of the white sandy 
 plains. At Tembleque we left our slow, ponderous vehicle for the railway carriage. There 
 were a great number of trucks at the station laden with enormous earthen jars full of 
 oil from La Mancha, for that province not only produces grain in abundance, but great 
 quantities of oil are brought from its vast olive plantations. These earthen jars are nearly 
 all of one uniform shape, while their uses are diverse ; they may contain either oil, wine, or 
 vinegar. Those holding oil are not unfrequently preserved, buried in the ground, like the 
 Eoman amphorae. Some of the largest of them are used as reservoirs for rain-water, and 
 also for washing purposes. Sometimes they figure as huge flower-pots, and at others as 
 bathing-jars, as we had many opportunities of discovering in Andalucia. Those used for 
 oil are first filled with water, which forms an oil-tight coating inside and prevents 
 leakage. The porous nature of these jars has doubtless given rise to this proverb : 
 
 " El jarro rnievo 
 Primero beve que su dueiio." 
 
 — " The new jar drinks before its master." 
 
370 SPAIN. 
 
 The ceramic museum at Sevres contains a jar measuring about four yards in height, 
 and an equal number in circumference. 
 
 Tembleque, famed for its melons, is a little obscure town standing in a valley and 
 encircled with a range of dreary-looking hills. Railway trains in Spain are neither 
 numerous nor frequent ; thus we had to wait seveo-al hours at the Tembleque station before 
 we could start for Aranjuez, where we halted for repose, intending to revisit the place 
 after our excursion into Estremadura. The routes leading to this province are so few, that 
 we were forced to go on to Talavera and wait for the coach from Madrid. We enjoyed a 
 glimpse of Toledo from the station, and determined to devote some time on our return 
 journey to this ancient and interesting town. The shades of evening were falling as we 
 entered Talavera de la Reina, and the coach did not make its appearance till seven o'clock. 
 Fortunately we had taken the precaution of engaging the front seats from Madrid, 
 otherwise we might have had to wait several days. Before . dawn we had passed the 
 borders of Estremadura. This province is thus named because its boundary skirts the left 
 bank or extrhne du Duero — extrema Durii. 
 
 Estremadura is the least populous of all the Spanish provinces, and although the 
 inhabitants are naturally of a lively temperament, they disdain anything in the form of 
 innovation or improvement of any sort : their idleness, indeed, has obtained for them the 
 nickname of the Indians of the nation. 
 
 Oar first halting-place was the village of Almaraz, on the banks of the Tagus, which 
 we crossed on a bridge spanning the stream between two rocks. It is a bold construction 
 of considerable length, with only two arches, and dates from the sixteenth century. 
 
 As we ueared Trujillo we were in a position to note the truth of the local saying, 
 " From whatever side you approach Trujillo, jon must travel three miles through 
 rocks." We were detained two hours, far too long a time to devote to an insignificant 
 town (boasting only four or five thousand inhabitants), wliich, with the exception of two 
 churches, presented little of interest to the traveller's gaze, save its ruins. Amongst the 
 dilapidated houses we remarked that of the famous conqueror of Peru, Francisco Pizarro, 
 -who was born at Trujillo. After the discovery of America many adventurers left Spain to 
 seek their fortunes in the New World. Estremadura, a province with but scanty resources, 
 supplied a great number of these hardy emigrants. We visited the church of Santa Maria 
 Mayor, which contains the tomb of Garcia, another local hero surnamed el Sanson de 
 Estremadura, and el Abides de Espana, companion-in-arms of Gonzalo, who passed his life 
 in making war against the Portuguese, the Turks, and the French. 
 
 The country between Trujillo and Merida consists of broad meadows, where immense 
 herds of black pigs and flocks of sheep find pasturage. Merida, a very ancient town, was 
 built indeed twenty-three years B.C. The circumference of its walls measured about 
 twenty miles, while its garrison in times of peace numbered eight thousand foot soldiers 
 and ten thousand horsemen. The town still maintained its importance under the Gothic 
 kings, and when Muza-Ben-Nasser arrived with his besieging army after carrying his 
 conquests into the south of Spain, he exclaimed when he first descried Merida, " The whole 
 world must have lent its aid to raise such a stupendous city ! " Merida, after five centuries of 
 Mussulman rule, fell into the hands of the Christians in 1229. Since that time it has 
 pdually dwindled down until, at the present day, it contains not over five thousand 
 inhabitants. The town, hardly so dirty and desolate as Trujillo, wants vitality, and may 
 with Pisa be called " la morte." It nevertheless contains more Roman monuments than any 
 other town in Spain, and in tliis respect may be classed with some of the towns in the south 
 
MERIDA. 373 
 
 of France, such as Nlmes, Aries, and Orange. The Eoman bridge over the Guadia-iia— the 
 Anas of the ancients— filled us with admiration. This granite bridge was built by order of 
 the Emperor Trajan. It has no less than eighty arches to a length of two thousand five 
 hundred feet, and is still in marvellous preservation. 
 
 Another remarkable monument is the triumphal arch called Arco de Santiago. 
 Unfortunately the rich sculpture which at one time ornamented this archway has all 
 disappeared. A few scattered fragments mark the site of an ancient Forum, whence the 
 via lata started, which united Merida to Salamanca. 
 
 One of the finest relics in the town is its ancient aqueduct, rivalling those of 
 Segovia and Tarragona. It is supported on ten arches, composed of brick and blocks 
 of granite, and rises to a height of eighty feet ; nothing can convey a better notion of the 
 boldness of the Roman works than these colossal arches. The inhabitants, without doubt 
 astonished by their grandeur, have called them the Miracles. The amphitheatre is now 
 known as las Siete Sillas, because of its seven steps which have defied the ravages of time, 
 while the ancient Naumachy is named Bano de los Romanos. 
 
 Badajoz, the ancient Pax Augusta, is about forty-five miles from Merida. Here we found 
 shelter in the fonda de las Tres Naciones, whose white-washed interior was as remarkable 
 for the simplicity of its furniture as for its cleanliness. This town was the birthplace 
 of the famous painter, Luis de Morales, surnamed el Divino, as he confined himself strictly 
 to paintnig religious subjects. One of the streets of Badajoz bears the name of calle de 
 Morales. Philip II., on his return from Portugal in 1581, spent some time in the town, 
 desiring to see the painter, who was then more than eighty years of age. 
 
 After passing through Badajoz and Merida for the second time, we profited by 
 a galore on its way to Cdceres : there was indeed no choice as to our mode of conveyance, 
 as the diligence is quite unknown along tliis desolate, deserted route, where one seldom 
 encounters either a village or an inn. The venta at which we halted on our way was 
 of a more wretched type than any of the many caravanserais of the sort we fell in with 
 in Spain. The front of this resting-place for weary travellers consisted of a dingy apart- 
 ment which served as kitchen, dining-room, and hall, or portico, where a group of 
 individuals \A'as seated around a fire, and who appeared to us to be arrieros. The hostess, 
 an old wrinkled crone, whose- nose and chin were cultivating a growing attachment to each 
 other, was a famous type of those haggard beldames, whose great age it is impossible 
 to determine, and who are called hrujas, or sorceresses, by the Spaniards. She was stooping 
 over half-a-dozen mysterious earthen pots that were simmering on the fire, and emitting 
 a foul odour of rancid oil. As to the ventero, he was poised on a rickety bench, snorting 
 a native air to the accompaniment of a crazy guitar. This scene was presented to our 
 gaze through a dense veil of smoke, which seemed reluctant to avail itself of the egress 
 afforded by a hole in the roof, or by the open doorway. 
 
 The ventero, on seeing us, interrupted his song, while the company made way. 
 Happily our alforjas contained an ample store of provisions, as we should have found 
 nothing in the venta but sour bread and bad wine. Had we inquired of the ventero for 
 his bill of fare, he would have replied, in true traditional style, " There is everything . . . 
 you have brought with you." 
 
 If the hotels and inns in Spain off'er few resources, in return the Spanish language 
 is very rich in its nomenclature of these establishments. Thus we could name seven 
 designations after the hierarchical oiA&v, fonda, par ador, posada, meson, venta, vendeja, and 
 ventorillo. The fonda, which derives its name from the Arabic, like the fondaco of the 
 
374 SPAIN. 
 
 Italians, holds the 6rst rank, and is only to be found in large towns ; it is indeed our hotel, 
 with the difference that the traveller, in place of paying for what he receives from day 
 to day, is obliged to pay in certain fixed sums for his weekly board and lodging. The 
 parador, the posada, and the meson are very much alike : the first is frequently made 
 the halting-place for the diligence. In these three establishments, which take the place 
 of our country inns, we find that not only men, but horses, mules, and cattle of all sorts are 
 put up, and it often happens that one has to make one's way through stables, or cattle- 
 sheds, in order to reach the sleeping-apartments. Some of the posadas are nevertheless 
 cleaner and better kept than the pretentious fondas of the towns. 
 
 The venta or ventorillo might be translated tavern, or public-house, and like these 
 establishments, the venta is known by a variety of fanciful names, such as the de los Ajos— 
 of garlic, del Judio—oi the Jew, etc. There are also names which are hardly re- 
 assuring, " the venta of poniards," " of the robbers," etc. 
 
 After resting for a short time at the venta, we set out on the road to Cdceres, and it 
 was not long before we descried, at the top of a mountain, the little town of Montanchez, 
 which we reached after climbing a hill three miles in height. This town is famed for its 
 hams, which are said to be the finest in Estremadura. 
 
 The country traversed between Montanchez and Cdceres is most fertile, consisting of 
 rich green fields and meadows, shaded by trees and covered with immense flocks of 
 travelling sheep ; the merinos of the Mesta are celebrated for their migrations, and for the 
 quality of their wool. 
 
 The name Mesta has been given to a very ancient gathering in Spain, whose 
 members were farmers owning flocks and herds, which were transported during winter to 
 the more genial provinces to escape the cold. As far back as 1501 the consejo honrado de 
 la mesta was established, and at that time represented the four provinces of Cuenca, Soria, 
 Segovia, and Leon. This honourable council enjoyed numerous privileges. 
 
 At the time of the Mesta, the organisation of the journey is very curious. Every 
 cabana, that is a flock of ten thousand sheep, is directed by a master shepherd, or a mayoral, 
 an active man who is acquainted with the best pastures, and who is in every way thoroughly 
 qualified for his post. He has under his orders fifty shepherds, accompanied by an equal 
 number of dogs. Each man is allowed two pounds of bread a day, and the dogs an equal 
 Aveight of food of inferior quality. The shepherds have only nominal pay, but they are 
 permitted to own a certain number of sheep : the wool belongs to the proprietor of the 
 flock, but the shepherd may dispose of the meat, the lambs, and the milk. At the present 
 time the flocks are thus always under the direction of a mayoral, who is general-in- chief 
 of these armies of peace. 
 
 Cdceres, the first town we encountered after Merida, stands in a commanding situation 
 on the top of a hill : its climate is famed as one of the mildest and most salubrious in Spain. 
 The town, which dates from the Roman epoch, was founded by Quintus Csecilius Metellius, 
 and its modern name is said to be a corruption of Castra Csecilia. In sorne parts of the 
 town we noticed a number of Roman remains, but nothing of any importance save, perhaps, 
 a Roman mosaic encrusted in the wall of a house called the casa de los Golfines. 
 
 In our posada there was a number of those red earthen vases, bucaros, used, like the 
 alcarrazas, for cooling water. 'They are manufactured in different parts of Spain and 
 Portugal, but chiefly in the province of Estremadura. They were probably introduced by 
 the Arabs : at any rate they have been known in Spain for many centuries. 
 
 The bUcaros of Mexico are also famed as well as those of Spain and Portugal. As to 
 
iff' i^\h 
 
 ' 'A ' 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 ^ 
 
THE CONVENT OF YUSTE. 7,11 
 
 those of Estremadura, tLe finest come from a town near Badajoz. to wliicli this industry 
 has given the name of Salvatierra de los harros. These vases were formerly much sought 
 after. We ourselves have seen a very curious collection of them at the Conde d'Onate at 
 Madrid, which seemed to us to go back to the end of the sixteenth century. It included 
 several hundred examples, amongst which we remarked one or two more than a metre iu 
 heiglit, and of the most chaste and elegant form. 
 
 Canaveral, the town in which we slept, is not far from the famous bridge of Alconetar, 
 spanning the Eoman road from Salamanca to Merida. 
 
 Plasencia, where we arrived next day, is one of the prettiest towns in Spain. Its 
 position on a prominent hill commands a view of the snowy heights of the Sierra de Bejar ; 
 its gardens, planted with fruit-trees and watered by the clear stream of the Gerte, render 
 this town a most fascinating abode for those who love the beauty and tranquillity of 
 nature. 
 
 The Vera de Plasencia, Avhich stretches eastwards from the town, is fully entitled to 
 its renown as one of the most favoured quarters of the Peninsula.. We made our way over 
 the fertile country to the convent of Yuste, celebrated as the retreat of Charles V., in which 
 the monarch ended his days. 
 
 We may remark, in passing, that the retreat of Charles V. never bore the name of 
 Saint Just, which has been, and is still, wrongly given to it. It is true that many places iu 
 Spain are named San Justo ; nevertheless, they have nothing in common with the celebrated 
 convent of Estremadura. 
 
 This last resting-place of the monarch has served as a pretext for more than one 
 inaccurate and ridiculous story. Amongst the most ludicrous of those we will single out 
 a professedly precis historique, published last century, followed by a play in which both 
 history and geography are alike outraged. " The scene," says the author, " is the monastery 
 of Saint Just in Andalucia. ... In the valley we may descry the church and convent as 
 well as the rich hills bordering the Guadalquivir." Unfortunately for the author, the convent 
 of Yuste stands more than one hundred and fifty miles from the Guadalquivir, and 
 obtains its name from a small stream or Arroyo, which takes its rise in the neighbouring 
 mountain. 
 
 Charles V. was conducted to the monastery on February 3rd, 1557, and expired 
 within its walls on the nth of September of the year following. The Emperor did not, as 
 has been often asserted, live with the monks : he had his own spacious, separate suite of 
 apartments which were specially built for him. The room in which he died was so close to 
 the church that, when unable to leave his couch, he could yet hear and join in the service. 
 The interior of this dwelling, although it lacked the sumptuousness of an imperial palace, 
 was nevertheless furnished with a certain degree of refinement. It contained works by 
 Titian and other great masters, costly tapestries, and a multitude of objects of art and 
 luxury adorned the various saloons. But now, alas ! nothing is left to the once famous 
 convent of Yuste, but the dim memory of its former greatness. 
 
 Eesuming our journey at daybreak, in order to reach the route to Talavera de la Eeina 
 at Miravete, we had to pass through a wild part of the country, where we were again 
 reminded of Charles V., who, when emerging from a defile in the mountains we were just 
 entering, exclaimed, " No pasarS ya otro en mi vida, sino el de la muerte " — " Henceforth I 
 shall cross no other passage than that of death." 
 
 Talavera de la Keina, in the province of Toledo, is a small town of some ancient 
 historic note, which owes its name to its having been given as a fief to a certain queen of 
 
378 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Castille. It is the birthplace of the learned Jesuit, Mariana, author of tlie Historia general 
 de Espana, a work which the parliament of Paris consigned to the flames because it held 
 regicide to be a lawful and patriotic act. If we except a number of ruins and one or two 
 Arabian towers, the town has nothing to remind one of its former importance. 
 
 It has a small hermitage, Nuestra Senora del Prado, a favourite holiday resort during 
 Easter week, where f6tes, held about the beginning of the century, curiously enough 
 preserved intact certain pagan rites and ceremonies, which it was found impossible to 
 abolish. "Happily," says a Spanish author, "they are moulded to suit the worship of 
 the Virgin, and the Church has done many other important services with similar pagan 
 customs difficult to uproot." 
 
 The faiences of Talavera used to rival those of Valencia and Seville, and were praised 
 at the beginning of the sixteenth century in the Cosas memorables de Espana by Marineo 
 Siculo. "At Talavera they make beautiful glazed earthenware of great fragility, and of 
 very careful workmanship ; the vases fabricated there are very choice and varied in form." 
 
 We left Talavera at an early hour, in order to enter Toledo by daylight. The 
 distance is not great, although on account of the state of the roads it is a full day's journey, 
 Thoroughly fatigued, we at last entered the imperial capital of the Gothic kings and of 
 Charles V. 
 
 AN UNFORTUNATE DAT : DESPAIR OF A GDITARRERO. 
 
A SHEPHERD OF ESTBEMADUEA. 
 
 To face 2Mge 37S. 
 
IDLERS ON THE BRIDGE OP ALICANTE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 Antiquity of Toledo ; the city under the Komans, the Visigoths, and the Arabs — The Cathedral— Wealth of the ancient 
 clergy — The Zocodover — The Alcdzar — Ancient synagogues : Santa Maria la Blanca — The ancient Jews of Spain — 
 Ancient convents of Toledo — Monks — Some proverbs — Saint-Simon and the monks of Toledo — The crowns of Guarrazar 
 — The Fdbrica de Armas — Ancient fame of the blades of Toledo — Their temper — The iron of Spain — Decadence of the 
 arms of Toledo. 
 
 Few towns can boast an origin so ancient as that of Toledo, whose history has been the 
 subject of such ridiculous fables. Some authors have affirmed that the Jews established 
 themselves in this town after the Bab3'^lonian captivity ; others attribute its foundation to 
 Hercules, or to Tubal-cain, who settled there exactly forty-three years after the Deluge. 
 All that is known with certainty of the antiquity of Toledo is that it existed more than 
 two huudred years before Christ. Marcus Fulvius besieged the town in the year 192 e.g., 
 took possession of it, and placed it under the Eoman dominion. The monuments, of which 
 one still sees the remains, together with its ancient fame for the quality of its swords, 
 prove that Toledo even at that time had acquired a certain renown, though it is spoken of 
 simply as a small strongly fortified town, Urhs parva, sed locomunita. When the barbarians 
 from the north invaded the Peninsula, Toledo fell to the Alani. At the beginning of the fifth 
 century it passed into the hands of the Visigoths, and became the residence of their kings. 
 The royal town, as it was then called, was enlarged and embellished by the Gothic kings, 
 notably by Wamba, whose name is still popular in Spain. During the dominion of the Arabs, 
 Toledo was celebrated for its great wealth and prosperity. Amongst the treasures which 
 they found there, were the famous table of Solomon, and twenty massive crowns of gold 
 left by the Gothic kings. 
 
 Under the Mussulman sovereigns, Toledo, exposed to constant sieges and assaults, 
 
 2 E 
 
:.82 SPAIN. 
 
 was at length taken by Amrou, alcayde of Talavera. The town was ravaged, and the 
 inhabitants put to the sword ; four hundred nobles, who had been gathered together under 
 pretext of a feast during the night, were massacred, their bodies tossed into a ditch, while 
 their heads Avere exposed upon the walls. Ten ceuturies have not effaced the memory 
 of this nocturnal deed, and when one wishes to speak of a bad action the popular expression 
 is still Una noche toledana — a Toledian night. 
 
 The Arabs had shown themselves tolerant to their fallen foes, permitting alike Jews 
 . and Christians to practise their religion with absolute freedom. 
 
 Toledo had been for nearly four hundred years under Mussulman dominion, when 
 AlphoDso VI., king of Castile, conquered it after a prolonged siege extending over many 
 years. This prince awarded numerous privileges to the town, but failed to imitate the 
 Moorish clemency. The natives were subjected to grinding persecution, and finally driven 
 away. 
 
 Under the kings of Castile the people were constantly rising in revolt, but the most 
 disastrous insurrection took place in 1449. The chief rebel was an odrero, or manufacturer 
 of leathern bottles. This gave rise to a popular saying, Soplard el odrero, y alborotarse ha 
 Toledo : " The maker of leathern bottles need only whisper, and Toledo will rise to arms." At 
 the time of the famous insurrection of the comunidades in 1520, Toledo was the capital 
 of the comuneros, who chose as a chief the bold, but unfortunate, Juan de Padilla ; it had 
 then reached the zenith of its fame. It was a learned and polished town like Seville and 
 Salamanca. Even during the thirteenth century Toledo was held as the Spanish town where 
 Castilian was spoken with the greatest purity, a reputation which it still preserves. 
 
 In the year 1560 Philip II. fixed his residence in the modern Madrid, after having 
 abandoned the ancient capital of the Gothic kings ; since that time it has declined, and the 
 town, which in the time of its greatest prosperity numbered more than two hundred 
 thousand inhabitants, can hardly boast fifteen thousand at the present day. 
 
 The Cathedral of Toledo is one of the finest, and without doubt the richest in Spain. 
 It was commenced in the tliirteenth century and finished at the end of the fifteenth ■ during 
 a period of nearly two hundred years the building was carried on without intermission. 
 
 Although the Cathedral of Toledo is not so vast as that of Seville, yet its interior is 
 grand and pleasing ; it is divided into five naves, the central nave rising to an imposing 
 height, the inferior altitude of the side naves adding to the apparent elevation of the great 
 central one. 
 
 The choir, according to the prevalent custom in Spain, is placed in the centre of the 
 principal nave, and thus occupies the middle of the church. The lower stalls, which date 
 from the end of the fifteenth ceuturj^, of carved walnut-wood, off"er so many difi"erent subjects 
 that several hours proved insufficient for a thorough examination of them. For the most part 
 they represent jousts, tournaments, battles, and sieges, rudely executed, it is true, but at the 
 same time full of the most interesting details of costume and weapons in use at the time. 
 
 The retables of the Spanish churches are of a proportion and richness of which one 
 can hardly convey any notion by a simple description. That of Toledo rises nearly as high 
 as the roof, and is garnished with innumerable carved figures. The reja, or iron gate of 
 the choir, plated with silver, is also of colossal dimensions. Among the many chapels of 
 the cathedral, we first visited the capilla muzdrabe, thus named because the offices according 
 to the Mozarab rites are daily celebrated there ; it is also called the apostolic or Gothic 
 rite. The name of Muzdrabes was given to the Christians who after the conquest remained 
 under the Mussulman dominion. 
 
I]!JTERIOE OF TOLEDO CATHEDRAL. 
 
 To face page 382. 
 
THE CAPILLA MA.YOE. 
 
 385 
 
 The capilla mayor was formerly known under the name of Reyes Viejos, as it contained 
 the tombs of the ancient kings. The remains of the celebrated Cardinal Mendoza, 
 Archbishop of Toledo, also rest in this chapel. It was quite natui'al to place by the side 
 of the kings the remains of the distinguished prelate who shared the power of Ferduiand 
 and Isabella. 
 
 BRIDGE OP SAINT MARTIN, TOLEDO. 
 
 By the side of the capilla mayor stands the famous altar, called el Trasp>arent, a 
 masterpiece of the bad Churrigueresque style ; its mad extravagances form the most 
 miserable contrast to the marvels of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance. 
 
 We rode from Zocodover to the Alc4zar, built on the highest of the seven hills of Toledo, 
 overlooking the Tagus, This palace was commenced in 1534 by Alonso de Covarrubias, 
 one of the greatest Spanish architects of the Eenaissance. The j)rincipal fagade, which 
 
386 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 occupies one of the sides of a vast quadrangle, is richly ornamented^ On each of the 
 oher f eX one still traces the remains of the ancient sculpture, affording some fam 
 .otl 01 the former splendour of this edifice. Unhappily the Alcta rs m a state of 
 1 idall painful toUold. The grand stairea.es of marhle are «^-f t° ^■sjo.nted 
 p ars supporting nothing, and floors whose treacherous rotting beams wjll hardly bear to 
 b rod upon Inch is the lamentable spectacle which the aucrent imperial palace presented 
 
 to us. 
 
 AN ARABIAN WELL, TOLEDO. _ 
 
 After Santa Maria la Blanca, the oldest Arabian monument in Toledo is the little 
 cljurch known as Ermita del Crista de la Luz, used as a mosque before Toledo was 
 taken by the Christians. "The Church of Christ of the Light" appeared to us to date 
 from the tenth century. Its double arches, of horse-shoe shape, are supported by 
 heavy square pillars similar to those in the Mosque of Cordova, and its cupolas, or medias 
 naraiijas, are of remarkable elegance. This church is the first where Alphonso VI., when 
 he took possession of Toledo, entered to hear mass. The sacristan showed us, beneath one 
 
ALOAZAE OF TOLEDO. 
 
 To face page 386. 
 
SPANISH MONKS. 389 
 
 of the arches, a wooden shield ornamented with a white cross on a red ground, said to be 
 the one which that prince left in the church as a souvenir of his visit. 
 
 Toledo formerly possessed numerous convents ; those of the nuns numbered about 
 twenty, while the monasteries were not less numerous. The power of the frailes was so 
 great that they monopolised the best of everything. An ancient traveller complaics of his 
 inability to procure proper food in a village, because he had been forestalled by the jolly 
 friars, " who preceding us had seized all the best and most useful commodities ; for in Spain 
 these holy men are the masters who make free with the property of the people." 
 
 The Spaniards, whose proverbs apply to people in all ranks and conditions of life, have 
 not neglected to devote a share of them to the frailes : " Neither a good monk for a friend, 
 nor a bad one for an enemy." " One must be careful of the bull in front, the mule 
 behind, and of the monk on all sides." 
 
 Let us also quote this curious quatrain from the " Philosophia Vulgar : " 
 
 " De los vivos muoho diezmo, 
 De los muertos mucha oblada ; 
 En buen aiio buena renta, 
 Y en mal ano doblada." 
 
 — " From the living, good tithes, — For the dead, good offerings, — In a good year, good rent, 
 — In a bad year, double." 
 
 Saint-Simon does not spare them. "I have never seen," said he, "monks so fat, so 
 big, so coarse, and such great knaves. Pride distils from their eyes and every pore of 
 their skins. The presence of their majesties was not even softened by speech. WLat 
 startled me, so that I could hardly believe my eyes, was the audacity, arrogance, boldness, 
 and even brutality with which they elbowed their way through among the ladies, and 
 passed the Camarera Mayor, who, like the others, made them a profound reverence, 
 humbly kissed their sleeves, after which they redoubled their salutations, without receiving 
 the faintest token of recognition from the stolid monks. If, as it rarely happened, they 
 tossed them a word, the ladies replied with the sincerest respect both in tone and 
 countenance." 
 
 The Spanish fraile, which Zurbaran, Murillo, and Goya loved to paint, is a type which 
 has become extinct since the suppression of the convents. This measure left many men, 
 accustomed to the tranquil life of tlie cloister, without food or shelter. 
 
 These unfortunates, sent adrift again to mingle with the society they had abandoned, 
 found themselves without either friends or relations. Nearly every career was closed to 
 them, and they united to form a new body under the name of exclaustrado — the uncloistered. 
 At the present day the oldest members are dead, and the youngest have disappeared by 
 mixing with other classes, so that nothing now remains but their memory. 
 
 The most remarkable of the ancient convents of Toledo is that of San Juan de los Reyes, 
 built in 1476 by the Catholic sovereigns as a thank-offering to God for victory. San Juan 
 of the Kings, which belonged to the Franciscan monks, is at the present day a simple 
 parish church. 
 
 The Fuente de Guarrazar is famed as the spot where a number of golden crowns, 
 which belonged to the Visigoth kings of Spain were unearthed. This treasure, one of the 
 most important which has ever been discovered, was found by a Frenchman, M. Hdrouard, 
 professor of the French language at the military college of Toledo, during the time of 
 Charles X. Hunting one day on the hills of the Guarrazar, he perceived a fragment of a gold 
 chain shining in the sun, and making excavations soon brought to light the splendid 
 crowns preserved in the museum of Cluny, and which, on account of historic interest. 
 
390 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 are rendered a Imndred times more valuable than the mere gold and jewels. Ne. 
 excavations, carried on in the same spot nnder the direction of M. Amador de los Rios, have 
 since yielded several other treasures which were sent to the ^.m.na of Madrid _ 
 
 Not far from the Fuente de Guarrazar rise the Mantes de Toledo .0 famous m th 
 history of brigandage. As we were walking one day to the Fahriea de Arr^as we bought 
 from Long vtndor on the place of the Zocodover, a popular ballad entitled Lo.Band^do 
 de Toledo: " A curious and new romance, in which is related the history of the bandits 
 
 INTERIOR OP SAN JUAN DE LOS REYES, TOLEDO. 
 
 who inhabited the mountains of Toledo, where they committed the most dreadful atrocities, 
 M'ith all the details, which the curious reader may see." 
 
 The swords and poniards of Spain were anciently famed, for their temper and quality, 
 as may be gathered from the writings of Polybius, Diodorus of Sicily, etc. The blades of 
 Toledo were held in high favour in England, as several passages in Jonson, Butler, and 
 Shakespeare show. It is the arm which Othello guarded like a treasure in his chamber, and 
 the faithful friend of the soldier. " Toledo's trusty," said Mercutio, " of which a soldier 
 
THE PUEETA DEL SOL (GATE OF THE SUN), TOLEDO. 
 
 To face page 390. 
 
TOLEDO. 
 
 393 
 
 dreams." It is uunecessary to say that the espadas toledanas were not less valued in Spain. 
 The author of the Vlda de Lazarillo de Tormes, who wrote in 1525, makes the servant of 
 Toledo who waited upon his hero speak thus : " Oh ! if you knew, sir, what a treasure 
 1 possess in this blade ! The world does not hold gold enough to buy it. In all the 
 blades of Antonio there never was a steel like this." The steel employed in the manu- 
 facture of the blades of Toledo is brought from a mine situated at about a league from 
 Mondragon, in the Basque provinces. 
 
 The Fdhrica de Armas stands on the right bank of the Tagus, at ahout two kilometres' 
 distance from Toledo. It is a large rectangular building, erected in 1780, as we were 
 informed by an inscription placed above the gateway. Charles III, M'ho made so many 
 efforts to encourage Spanish industry, resolved to revive the ancient manufacture of 
 espaderos, and accordingly he Lad this factory built. The old fame of the espaderos of 
 Toledo had sadly fallen away, and the king was obliged to import a skilful sword-cutler 
 from Valencia to ac-t as manager of the new works. 
 
 A DOOR OF THE MIDDLE AGES, TOLEDO. 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 A RELAY BETWEEN TOLEDO AND MADRID. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 From Toledo to Madrid — Aranjuez : the palace and gardens — Bull and tiger fighting — Arrival at Madrid; historical 
 notes — The ancient houses ; interior decorations — Some strophes of Madrid ridicule — The climate — The Puerta del Sol 
 —Cost of building materials— The shops and shopkeepers — Notes on the Spanish press — The newspapers — The petty 
 journals — Satirical papers— Theatrical and sporting sheets — Journals of Barcelona and the provinces— The Republican 
 press. 
 
 Formerly tlie journey to Madrid occupied an entire day, although the distance by road 
 was only twelve leagues ; but the road was of the roughest sort, and the leagues of the 
 longest Spanish measure. There used to be no alternative but to make this journey in a 
 narrow diligence, or in an antique calesa crammed until topheavy, in spite of its high 
 wheels, and producing a motion which has been likened by a traveller to a storm on land. 
 They stopped half-way at lUescas, to partake of a very necessary repast. The dinner 
 of the posada was a caution to the traveller, more especially if he happened at the 
 moment to recall the passage in " G-il Bias," where the trusting wayfarer is supplied with 
 a cat disguised as a hare. 
 
 The journey is now made by rail, and takes about three hours. Crossing the bridge 
 of Alcantara, situated at the foot of a hill, we soon reached Algodor; then Castillejo, where 
 the rail branches off to Madrid ; and half an hour afterwards we were at Aranjuez. The 
 gardens of the ancient royal residence at this place are like an oasis in the centre of the 
 
a. 
 
 iz; 
 m 
 m 
 
 & 
 
 m 
 X 
 
 H 
 
TIGER AND BULL FIGHT AT AEANJUEZ. 397 
 
 surrounding desert country. We will just pass through the gardens, beginning with the 
 Calle de k Eeina, "the Queen's Avenue." It is at least three miles in length, reaching 
 down to the Tagus. The gardener showed us the fountain which Velazquez painted 
 during one of his visits to the palace. This picture, now in the museum of Madrid, proves 
 that the Spanish painter knew as well how to paint landscapes as figure subjects. The 
 attempt has been here made to cultivate plants from South America ° other experiments 
 have been made, not always in good taste— an artificial mound, for example, supposed to 
 resemble the Alps, a hermitage, a Greek temple, and many other models equally curious. 
 Most of these date from the reign of Charles III., who had a great liking for this royal 
 residence. After the gardens we visited the town, which is modern, and therefore 
 uninteresting, except to its four thousand inhabitants. But in May and June, the mouths 
 when the court used to repair to Aranjuez, the population increased to about twenty 
 tliousand. 
 
 COMBAT BETWEEN A BULL AND A TIGEB. 
 
 A bull-fight was announced for the day after our arrival, at which we made sure to be 
 present, not so much to witness the ordinary corrida as a fight between a bull and a tiger ; 
 combats between brutes were very much in vogue two centuries ago. The course did 
 not last long ; the tiger, in spite of the exciting cries of the crowd, remained perfectly still, 
 displaying nothing in his attitude to denote the ferocity of his race. The bull on the 
 contrary, though small in size, was bent on war ; tbfas he advanced on his foe and tossed 
 him into the air. Tlie tiger, without attempting to resent the insult, calmly crawled off to 
 his cage, leaving his adversary master of the field. 
 
 As we were anxious to reach Madrid, we soon re-entered the train and were carried 
 off to the metropolis. This city above all others has had hosts of rival chroniclers, who 
 have striven to bestow upon it the greatest possible or impossible antiquity. One affirms 
 
 2 F 
 
398 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 that it was founded immediately after the Deluge ; another, more modest, sets it down at 
 ten centuries before Eome ; and, according to a third, Madrid was flourishiug during the 
 Grecian epoch. Juan Lopez de Hoyos, who called Cervantes his well-beloved disciple, would 
 have us believe that the Arco de Santa Maria was built by Nebuchaduezzar, king of 
 Babylon, at the time of his visit to Madrid. But we cannot enter upon the discussion of 
 the fables and facts that figure in the history of this renowned city, as we have not a separate 
 volume to devote to a subject so interesting. The truth is that Madrid is not without the 
 respectability which antiquity confers. It is mentioned for the first time in authentic 
 histoiy in the year 933, when Eamiro II., king of Leon, wrested the city from the Arabs, who 
 named to Majerit ; it was then an advanced outpost destined to protect Toledo. It again 
 fell into the hands of the Arabs. Alphonso VI., another king of Leon, took possession of 
 it towards the end of the eleventh century, when a Christian population established them- 
 selves at Madrid ; after which its history became less obscure. Its concejo — or city councillors 
 — figure in 1 2 1 1 in the victorious expedition against Murcia, then under the Arabs. It 
 was at Madrid that Ferdinand and Isabella received their daughter and her husband. It 
 was also there that Cardinal Cisneros governed Spain after the death of Ferdinand. Charles 
 V. loved the palace of Madrid. Philip II., after having abandoned Toledo, made it the 
 capital of Spain. It was at this epoch that the old walls were thrown down to enlarge the 
 city, when many of its most important streets were built. The environs of Madrid 
 were covered with considerable forests, the delight of huntsmen. Argote de Molina, 
 iu his Lihro de Monteria — hunting-book — printed in 1582, S2:)eaks of the environs of 
 Madrid as good cover for the bear and wild boar; this accounts for the bear figuring in 
 the city arms. During the seventeenth century tlie new capital extended rapidly, but 
 without order or design — tumultariamente, according to the extraordinary expression of 
 Ponz ; " and a thing wortljy of remark," adds the traveller, " while in America we were 
 building towns of the most perfect symmetry, the streets of our own capital were made 
 devoid of regular design. Most of them were built at hazard, care was not even taken to 
 construct them a certain distance apart, for those existing merited only the name of 
 corners, or crossways." 
 
 Philip III., who was born at Madrid, embellished the capital by building the Plaza 
 Mayor, which still prfescrves its ancient aspect. During the long reign of Philip IV., which 
 lasted no less than forty-five years, numerous monuments and churches were built; the 
 Buen Retiro also dates from his reign. 
 
 The houses of Madrid leave very much to be desired, for earth and badly assorted 
 stones were all that was used in their construction. 
 
 It is this style of building which tempts a traveller of the seventeenth century, when 
 speaking of the people of Madrid, to say, "They have taken their style of architecture from 
 that of the moles ; their houses are simply built of earth and, like mole-hills, only one story 
 high. They make their houses like their pistoles, in which the material is worth more 
 than the work." Another traveller says, carriage entrances are very rare, but where they 
 do exist they are accompanied by an inner court ; the houses which have them are very 
 fine, spacious, and commodious, and certainly they are quite as costly as those in Paris. 
 
 The houses in Madrid have for the most part only a ground floor. This peculiarity 
 was caused by the heavy tax levied on buildings above one story high. This restriction 
 on the right of building has given rise to a singular expression ; in speaking of low houses, 
 built to evade the tax, they are termed construidas de malicia, that is to say, " constructed 
 with malice." The king, we gather from a proclamation dated 1666, has a right over all 
 
|J,1|lil'llHll7'Il|||||lllill| 
 
 Q 
 
 
MADRID. 401 
 
 the houses built in Madrid, which yields him a considerable revenue. It is the first floor 011 
 which the tax is imposed ; but it is customary for either the builder or the tenant to 
 purchase exemption, or, if they have not the meaus, they are careful to build their houses 
 just high enough to escape taxation. This accounts for the multitude of low houses one 
 sees at Madrid, houses having nothing but a ground floor. 
 
 It was also forbidden to build houses, haviug a first floor, in the neighbourhood of 
 convents or monasteries. Nevertheless, the houses make up for want of upper stories by 
 spreading over a great area. There are at times as mauy as twenty or even a greater 
 number of apartments iu each dwelling, apartments suited to the exigencies of the four 
 seasons of the year. While the exteriors of the houses of Madrid are simple and 
 unattractive, the interior apartments make up for this deficiency by their elegance and 
 sumptuousness of decoration. One may form some notion of an interior from the follow- 
 ing description of a mansion occupied by ladies of rank. "It would be difficult to 
 discover anything more sumptuous than their house ; they occupied great apartments, 
 draped with tapestries, sparkling with gold. First there was the room of the Duchess of 
 Terranova, adorned with grey tapestry, with bed and furniture to match ; then that of her 
 daughter, the Duchess of Mouteleon, decorated in the same style. In the apartment of the 
 Princess of Monteleon the bed was draped with green and gold damask, lined with silver 
 brocade, and trimmed with Spanish point lace. The sheets were edged with lace fully 
 half a yard wide. Iu front of these apartments was the suite of rooms occupied by the 
 Queen, entirely upholstered with white damask. That of tlie duchess was tapestried with 
 cr.mson velvet and gold, a rich stuff called in Italy velluto a giardino, or parterre velvet. 
 These rooms were divided, one from the other, by partitions of perfumed wood. The ladies 
 met in a large gallery richly carpeted," and surrounded by cushions of crimson velvet, 
 embroidered with gold, and cabinets of rare wood set with rows of j)i'ecious stones, 
 furniture imported from foreign countridte. One also noticed tables of silver, and mirrors 
 set in gorgeous frames, the commonest being silver." Other costly ornaments excited the 
 admiration of Madame d'Aulnoy, such as escaparates, or urnas, a sort of small glass cabinet 
 containing an array of articles of extreme rarity and great intrinsic value, grey amber, 
 rock crystals, porcelains, branches of coral, mother of pearl, gold filigree, and a thousand 
 costly gems. " There were more," she adds, " than sixty ladies in this gallery seated cross- 
 legged on the ground, an ancient habit obtained from the Moors. Tiiey were in 
 groups of five or six together, around a little silver furnace full of olive-nuts, to prevent 
 them getting headaches. The furniture was extremely gorgeous but badly kept ; it 
 consisted of tapestries, cabinets, pictures, mirrors, and silver ware." 
 
 According to the authors of the seventeenth century, the streets of Madrid were in a 
 truly miserable condition. Madame d'Aulnoy relates her experiences of its thoroughfares 
 with the most charming candour. Provided with no proper sanitary system, the citizens 
 were accustomed to discharge their slops and garbage from the windows above one's head. 
 It was not only necessary to be careful in picking one's steps along the badly paved way, 
 but it was also expedient to keep a sharp look-out above, as many a gallant, sallying forth 
 perfumed for the evening, and not hearing the customary warning, Agua va — " Mind the 
 water " — had to beat a hasty retreat back to his chambers, drenched by the foul contents of 
 some utensil shot from a window above his path. 
 
 An Italian traveller who visited the metropolis of Spain at the same epoch, says that 
 the revolting odour which prevailed caused him to repent of having come. " I had already 
 heard its filth much spoken of, but had always imagined the picture to be overdrawn. My 
 
402 SPAIN. 
 
 own senses now convinced me to the contrary. I wish to quit the town and never dream 
 of returniug, unless the king undertakes the Herculean task of cleansing his capital." 
 
 The wishes of this traveller were realised under the reign of Charles III. In 1760 
 Madrid was so thoroughly transformed that no one would have recognised the wretched 
 old filthy town in the well-kept streets, bordered by magnificent edifices, in vast promenades, 
 fountains, and gardens. It is from that epoch that the transformation of the town dates. 
 
 The climate of Madrid, is it salubrious ? This is a question which has given rise to 
 
 much controversy. Some say that the sharp cold air is healthy, and it is said for this 
 
 reason Philip II. determined to make it the capital of his kingdom. On the other hand, 
 
 many popular proverbs are opposed to this view ; in one we find the air of Madrid 
 
 accounted so subtle and so fatal as to be capable of killing a man without extinguishing a 
 
 candle : 
 
 " El aire de Madrid es tan sutil 
 Que mata 4 un hombre, 
 Y no apaga 4 un candil." 
 
 It is from the mountains of Guadarrama, covered with snow during spring, that this 
 perfidious wind comes. Thus most of the inhabitants take the precaution of protectino- 
 themselves, during its prevalence, with the ample folds of their mantles, by which even 
 their mouths are carefully covered. It is certain that the changes of temperature are not 
 only sudden and frequent, but extremely trying to the health, more especially towards the 
 close of winter. This gives rise to a variety of diseases, the most dangerous of which is 
 pnlmonia. It is without doubt the prevalence of these illnesses that suggested this 
 rhyming proverb : 
 
 " Aun las petsonas mas sanas, 
 Si en Madrid son nacidas, 
 Tienen que hacer sus coniidas 
 De pildoras y tisanas." 
 
 — " The healthiest persons, if born at Madrid, should feast without ceasing on pills and 
 ptisans." 
 
 At Madrid it is just as intensely hot during summer as it is cold during the winter 
 months. This accounts for the saying, that there are three months of winter and nine 
 months of inferno. 
 
 The Puerta del Sol is here what the Agora was to Athens, and the. Forum to the Eternal 
 city. It is the heart of the town, where all the arteries join, the centre of life and move- 
 ment ; the rendezvous of the loungers, idlers, and gossips, so that we naturally introduced 
 ourselves to the Spanish metropolis by seeking this desirable spot. Puerta del Sol, in spite 
 of its name, is not a gate, but a certain open space ; as it is a celebrated place, it has its 
 ancient and noble titles. During the fifteenth century there was a gateway on which a 
 sun was painted, but it was destroyed by Charles V., who erected the church of Buen 
 Suceso on the spot. This church enjoyed the privilege of celebrating mass up to two 
 o'clock m the afternoon, thus causing it to become a fashionable resort. Not many years 
 ago the fagade of the Buen Suceso occupied one side of the square ; it is always present 
 m one's mmd with its enormous dial, which was lighted up at night. In the centre of 
 the square stood a fountain of Venus, in rather bad taste, bearing the popular name of 
 Manhlanca. The place, badly paved and devoid of footpaths, was bordered on one side 
 by a variety of hideous structures quite unworthy of a capital. 
 
 But within the past few years, the appearance of the Puerta del Sol has completely 
 
THE STREETS OF MADRID. 
 
 403 
 
 clianofed ; on the side of the Buen Suceso au inimeuse edifice has been raised, containing 
 llie largest hotel and caf^ in the town. The miserable and irregular buildings of former 
 days have been pulled down, and the narrow, ill-constructed streets straightened and 
 rebuilt. The old fountain is replaced by a large basin, whence a jet of water rises to 
 a great height. The Gohernacion, an ancient edifice of the last century, wliich occupies 
 one side of the place, imparts a monumental aspect to the whole. 
 
 '#!«• 1(1 !'>'. ,tH'i'>»i 
 
 I'll IIP 
 
 VENDOR OP WAX MATCHES. 
 
 Both land and building materials are very high priced in Madrid. The ground, 
 sold by the Castilian foot, is sometimes valued at fifteen himdred francs the superficial 
 metre. Stone is obtained from the quarries of Angers and of AngoulSme, whence it is sent 
 by railway. Besides this, the great expense of living in Madrid appears to be nothing 
 new : a Dutch traveller said, more than two hundred years ago, that tlie houses were 
 "excessively dear, as well as everything else. ... A house which would be thought 
 dear at eight thousand crowns, is here sold for twenty and twenty-five thousand crowns : 
 when a man builds he is reported to be extremely rich." 
 
404 SPAIN. 
 
 The shops of the Tuerta del Sol and neighbouring streets are let at exorbitant rents, 
 and are tenanted by tailors, drapers, milliners, hotel-keepers, and jewellers. One also comes 
 across the tiendas de quincalla, where a heterogeneous collection of all sorts of things 
 is exposed for sale, chiefly made up, however, of what are known as articles de Paris. 
 
 By the side of these imposing shops, many open-air industries are carried on ; 
 the most noisy of all are the vendors of newspapers, women and children, who make 
 themselves hoarse with screaming towards evening ; when they are working ofi" the last 
 edition, their harsh voices become perfectly hideous : " Que acaba de salir ahora ! " 
 
 The cries of the newsvendors mingle in dreadful chorus with those of the cerillas— 
 jmrveyors of wax matches — the only sort used in Spain. Scantily clothed, having wretched 
 alpargatas, hempen sandals, or simply bare feet, their establishment consists of a little 
 box, supported by a cord round the neck, with which they parade the streets striving 
 to outdo their noisy neighbours with their A dos y d tres, cerillas. Next comes the 
 aguador, with his well-known cry : Agua ! Qiiien quiere aguaf or El aguador ! Agua y 
 azucarillos. In one hand he carries a porron, with a huge orifice and narrow spout, and 
 in the other a small table of tin or polished brass, on which are disposed azucarillos 
 and a number of glasses of formidable dimensions, for the people are great water-drinkers. 
 Here are again a variety of wandering merchants, one selling paste for polishing silver, 
 another an alkali for extracting stains of grease, a boy crying papel de hilo, papel de 
 Ahoy, etc. 
 
 Let us approach this group of men conversing in front of the Caf^ Imperial : we shall 
 only overhear a few words, such as volapit, muleta, puyazo, and vara ; these are hombres 
 de capa y calanes, gente torera, as they say here. Besides, by their tight-fitting breeches, 
 supported by a silk band, by their short jackets and Andalucian hats, and the little plait 
 of hair which hangs from the nape of their neck, we already recognise them as toreros. 
 Indifferent to the surrounding crowd, they are engrossed with professional topics, 
 their puros, or cigarettes, and only turn their heads when they hear the rustling of 
 a silk dress. 
 
 Before quitting tlie Puerta del Sol, the great news exchange of Madrid, let us glance 
 at the Spanish press. The large papers differ so immaterially from our own, that we 
 might almost pass them over without comment ; they are generally divided into sections : 
 Seccion oficial, Seccion judicial, Seccion religiosa, etc.; at the end is the Seccion de anuncios, 
 where one reads in big letters Atencion ! Interesante I Buena ocasion ! Grande rehaja ! 
 and other traps for the credulous public. Next, the Perdidas y Hallazgos — objects lost and 
 found; the public theatres and Academias de baile; the Casas de hu^spedes, always 
 numerous and at fabulously low prices ; then the Sirvientes and the Nodrizas, etc. 
 
 But let us look for a moment to the periodical literature comprised in the numerous 
 smaller journals of Madrid : many of them are only ephemeral. We will therefore 
 confine our observations to the best known and most interesting papers. 
 
 Amongst the satirical journals of Madrid, published before the revolution of 1868, 
 we will first cite the Padre Cobos, one of the best known and most flourishing during the 
 years 1855 and 1856. Father Cobos, a great good-humoured monk, is pictured at the 
 head of the journal, laughingly taking his pinch of snufi". 
 
 Next on the list is the Sopa-boba, whose title, absolutely untranslatable, is taken 
 from a popular saying, Estar a la sopa-boba, which means to eat and to drink— to regale 
 oneself at the expense of another. 
 
 Then there is el Cascabel, the Bell, adorned with a vignette representing a fool, 
 
THE PRESS OF MADRID. 
 
 405 
 
 pen in Land, holding a roll on which these words are written, Viva la Pepa ! (long live 
 Filine !) The reader adds, y el pan d dos cuartos — and a twopenny loaf — to complete a jocular 
 popular exclamation, almost synonymous to " Long live happiness and potatoes ! " 
 
 There may also be enumerated the Luneta, the Heraldo de los espectdculos — journals of 
 the theatre ; the 2w Patazas, Puntillion Semanal, literally the " Father Great-foot, and 
 the Weekly Kick." The title adds that kicks are to be impartially bestowed on whoever 
 merits them. There are also el Gil Bias, el Don Quijote, el Mosquito, las Animas — that is 
 to say, souls in trouble, who are no other than cesantes, pretendientes, and others wbo are 
 out of employment or who solicit occupation, a very numerous band in Spain ; el Garhanzo ; 
 then la Gorda, the gross, an epithet applied to an enormous calabash pictured on the first 
 page — this paper was hostile to the Government after the revolution of 1868. It must 
 also be remembered that the noble art of bull-fighting boasts its own literature : the Tio 
 Caniyitas borrows its title from that of a popular zarzuela ; the Tio Macan is supposed 
 to appear half an hour after each corrida ; " el Lidiador," the combatant ; el Clarin — this 
 title is taken from the clarion which announces the difi"erent phases of the course ; el 
 Tdbano, the gad-fly ; and lastly a sporting journal, la Caza. 
 
 After Madrid, Barcelona has the greatest number of journals, which partake of 
 characteristics similar to those already noticed. 
 
 The small towns, and even villages, have their journals ; but in conclusion we will 
 notice one or two papers which flourished a few years ago : el gj, the ninety-three ; la 
 Bruja, the sorceress, periodico de laxanalla; el Petroleo — titles which require no comments 
 of ours. The republican journals are numerous : el Pdpajaro verde and el Pdjaro pinto (the 
 wise bird) ; el Trueno gordo, the bouquet of fireworks ; el Monaguillo (t];ie sacristan) de las 
 Salesas (an ancient convent of Madrid) ; el Jaquemate. The Loca Gamus is a reactionary 
 journal. There are several Carlist journals : la Pitita (the name of the royal march) ; el 
 Papelito ; la Reconquista ; la Eegeneracion ; la JEsperanza, and many other still-born papers, 
 whose ephemeral pages can boast but one or two issues — papers which are far too numerous 
 to admit of notice at our hands. 
 
 PEASANT IN THE ENVIRONS OF MADRID. 
 
f^AN.r:-^iii;,^f'i'ii- 
 
 A BARBEK AND HIS CUSTOMEES. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Calh cle ^ZcB?d— Academy of San Fernando and tlie Gabinete de Ilistoria Nahiral—The Calle Jlfaj/or— Silverware of 
 the ancient palace of Madrid— Theatres of Madrid— Theatrical success— The Plaza Mayor and its fgtes ; the Festas 
 reales; the Autos de F4; the great Aete de Foi of 1680— The hull-fights— Politicians of the Plaza Mayor— The Maragatos 
 —The Escribanos of the Calle Mayor— The prison of Francis I.— The Calle de Toledo—Street merchants— The cries of 
 Madrid— The Rastro— The Fdhrica de Tabacos—'ih.e Cigarrera and the Manola-lhe Prado and the Fucnte Castellana 
 ^The JBueii Betiro. 
 
 Leaving beliind the Puerta del Sol, let us enter the Calle de Alcald, the finest street in 
 Madrid. On our left rises the fagade of the ancient Aduana, now occupied by the 
 Hacienda (minister of finance), the Gabinete de Historia Natural, and the Academy of 
 San Fernando. There are only about twenty paintings in this academy, all more or 
 less celebrated. The finest work is perhaps Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, by Murillo, 
 and known as Tinoso — the scurfy — as the saint is represented ministering to poor 
 mendicants and lepers; this marvellous canvas is most fascinating, in spite of the 
 revolting nature of its details. The collection also includes two other works by Murillo, 
 a llubens, and several examples of the Spanish school, notably five Goya, one of which is a 
 superb portrait, full of life and beauty — a maja reclining, supposed to be the charming 
 Princess of Albe, who, it is said, enjoyed the society of majos and toreros. The maja 
 is most fascinating, and as a portrait reminds one of the description of the Marquis of 
 Langle: "The Duchess of Albe, each hair of her luxuriant tresses inspires devotion. 
 
THEATEES OF MADRID. 409 
 
 There is nothiag in the world so beautiful ; it is impossible to add to her charms. When 
 she passes, the people neglect their duties to gaze on her loveliness, and the chiklren leave 
 their play to follow her." 
 
 ITie museum of natural history contains the famous Megatherium found towards the 
 end of last century near Buenos Ayres, the largest antediluvian skeleton in the world ; 
 also an extrtimely interesting mineralogical collection gathered from all parts of the 
 Peninsula. 
 
 Turning to the right, we arrived at the Palacio del Congreso, which stands on the 
 Plaza de las Cortes. We stood on this spot with the lamented H. Eegnault, when General 
 Prim, on the day of his triumphant entry, stopped in the heart of an immense crowd 
 cbeeriug him, full of joyous hope for the future of Spain. Following the carrera de 
 San Gerdaimo, one of the most elegant and most frequented streets in Madrid, and after 
 again crossing the Puerta del Sol, let us enter the Calle Mayor. The casa de Onate, wliich 
 occupies the angle of the place, is a great building of the seventeenth century, a fair example 
 of the houses of that period. We have already noticed the costly manner in which the 
 Spaniards furnished their houses. " The viceroys of Naples and the governors of Milan," 
 says Madame d'Aulnoy, "brought excellent pictures from Italy; the governors of the 
 Low Countries added beautiful tapestries ; the viceroys of Sicily and Sardinia collected 
 embroideries and statues ; those of India, jewels, vessels of gold and silver. Thus from time 
 to time they all returned loaded with the riches of a kingdom, which were stored in the 
 capital. We are not nearly so well supplied in France with costly wares as persons of rank 
 are in Sp;du. The vessels used are all made either of silver or porcelain." In some 
 private houses of Madrid one sees " silver vases filled with oranges and jasmines, as at 
 Versailles, but nowhere is the wealth and profusion so remarkable as at the Duke of 
 Albuquerque's." " There were," says Saint-Simon, " many articles of furniture which in 
 place of being made of wood were cast in solid silver." This magnificently furnished house 
 was one of the finest in Madrid. It is said that after his death it took six weeks to make 
 an inventory of the gold and silver plate. 
 
 Among the number of larger houses in the city we may cite the palaces of Osuna and 
 of Medina Celi, which possessed armerias and libraries ; also those of the Dukes of Frias, 
 Liria, Vista Hermosa, Abrantes, and the Marquis of Alcanices, and others, all of them 
 containing sumptuous furniture, ornaments, tapestries, and pictures. 
 
 According to recent statistics, Spain is, after France and Italy, the richest country in 
 theatres. The Italian Opera House of Madrid takes the foremost rank; it is even 
 comfortable, which we can hardly say of our Parisian theatres. Next comes the Teatro 
 del Principe, consecrated to the Spanish drama, followed by those of the Zarzuela, Variedades, 
 Circo, Novedades, and the Teatro de Lope de Vega, where a variety of plays including sainetes 
 are produced. 
 
 The theatres, whatever may have been said to the contrary, differ little from those in 
 France, and have this advantage— that the claque is unknown, although it probably 
 originated at Madrid. 
 
 It is, indeed, asserted in an account of the seventeenth century that the artisans and 
 
 tradesmen of the town repaired to the theatre with the cape, the sword, and the poniard, 
 
 and that " it was they who determined the success or failure of the piece by their uproar." 
 
 These gentlemen obtained the name of mosqueteros. It is said that " an author visited the 
 
 2 G 
 
4IO SPAIN. 
 
 leader of one of these bcands, and attempted, with an offer of a hundred doUars, to bribe him to 
 applaud his play, but the mosquetero proudly replied he would first form his estimate of 
 the merit of the play, which was ultimately hissed off the stage." 
 
 We have already noticed the sainetes, but the zarzuela must not escape being 
 mentioned. All sorts of plays interspersed with music are designated under this name, 
 which was itself derived from a royal residence where representations of the kind were 
 given at the time of Philip IV. 
 
 There are certain of the mrzuelas imitations of the French comic operas, such as the 
 Domino Azul and the Vol de Andorra. As an example of a purely Spanish zarzuela, we 
 may take the Tio Caniyitas, which was played for the first time in Seville in 1849, and 
 whose hero is an Englishman in love with a gipsy, who disguises himself as a majo. 
 Tliis opera had a most unparalleled success; in less than two years it made the tour 
 of the Peninsula, and there was not a single town which did not desire to have it 
 put upon its stage. The enthusiasm reached its climax at Cadiz, where it was running 
 night after night without interruption, at three different theatres, during the entire 
 season. Soon after its appearance it became popular all over Spain, and in America the 
 Tio Caniyitas became so much the fashion that its incidents were reproduced in a 
 liundred different ways in lithographs, engravings, or cigarette papers, cigar-holders, 
 and even on the dbanicos de calana — fans mounted in willow, and sold at two cuartos on 
 f^te days. 
 
 The Plaza Mayor is one of the largest and most important places in Madrid. It was 
 also the scene of great royal f^tes such as the actes de foi of the Inquisition, bull-fights, 
 tournaments and festivals in honour of the crowning of sovereigns, their mnjority, and 
 their marriage. It was here on the 30th June 1680, that the procession formed which 
 carried twenty-three heretics to the funeral pyre outside the town, near the gate of the 
 Fuencarral. Besides these victims there were thirty-six effigies of other unfortunates, who 
 had ended their days in the prison of the Inquisition before they could be brought to the 
 stake. 
 
 The great fire was lighted at four o'clock in the afternoon, and burned throughout the 
 night ; nevertheless, the bodies were many of them not wholly destroyed. On this 
 celebrated occasion, while the victims were being slowly consumed by fire, their pious 
 tormentors were regaling themselves with iced drinks and choice viands, disposed in 
 refectories set up for the event. The king, Charles II., it is reported, remained the whole 
 time seated in his balcony, not incommoded by the heat, fumes, or noise of the crowd ; his 
 devotion to the faith was indeed so remarkable, that it not only supported him while 
 witnessing the harrowing details of the spectacle, but it enabled him to inquire calmly 
 when the last heretic had been burned, if that was all ? 
 
 In the centre of the Plaza Mayor there is a bronze statue of Philip III. mounted on 
 horseback. The arcades which surround the place are occupied by shops, where articles of 
 local industry are sold, such as the monteras, or fur caps, embroidered garters, knives, and all 
 sorts of miscellaneous wares. A number of citizens may be encountered, seated beneath 
 the arches, absorbed in reading the papers in front of the booksellers' or newsvendors' 
 shops. 
 
 The Spaniards have always been addicted to politics ; with the Madrilenos the passion 
 for politics has become chronic. More than two centuries ago, some one wrote, that even 
 
THE PLAZA MAYOR. 411 
 
 then, in Madrid, there was uot a cobbler or waterman who did not pride himself on his 
 political profundity. 
 
 An author of the same period shows us how the Madrid cobbler— 
 
 "Forgetful of his humble craft, 
 Burdened with mighty consequence, 
 He cobbles the aifairs of state. 
 And sticks up with, wax and prudence 
 For minister and potentate." 
 
 ^-—^-J-euix'^i'^K 
 
 PEASANTS IN THE NEIGHBODEHOOD OP MADRID. 
 
 In passing from the Plaza Mayor and entering the Calle Mayor, let us pause for an 
 instant before the shops of the Maragatos. The Maragato is a most interesting type of the 
 Spaniard who leaves his own country to seek his fortune elsewhere. At Madrid he carries 
 
412 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 on a trade of the fishmonger, or else he traverses the Peninsula as an arriero. We shall 
 have occasion to notice him as he appears at home. The Calle Mayor is one of the leading 
 business quarters of Madrid. Not far from the French embassy, situated on the ground 
 floors, are several offices of the escrihanos, above which one reads the name Escrihania. 
 Spanish notaries must do a good business, one would think, from the following proverb. 
 "The wives of escrihanos have nothing to do but cross their hands : " 
 
 " Mano sobre mano, 
 Como mujer de escribano." 
 
 VALENCIAN WAITRESS. 
 
 " Birds with many feathers," says another quatrain, « find it difficult to pick up a living, 
 while the escribano needs but one to keep both wife and daughter : ' 
 
 'Pdjaros con muohas plumas 
 No se pueden mantener; 
 Los escribanos, con una, 
 Mantienen moza y mujer." 
 
THE CALLB MAYOR. 413 
 
 Other popular sayings are rather severe on the escribano. According to one, sooner 
 than the soul of au escribano shall mount to heaven, one will see his ink-stand, his 
 paper, and pens dancing the fandango .• 
 
 " Primero que suba al cielo 
 El alma de un escribano, 
 Tintero, papel y plum a, 
 Han de bailar el fandango."' 
 
 JAR MERCHANT, MADRID. 
 
 Returning to the Calle Mayor, there is the Casa de los Liija?ies, an ancient palace 
 belonging to the family of Lujan, in which Francis I. was imprisoned in 1525. The 
 captivity of this king of France was long a popular theme for ballads, as the Spaniards 
 seemed disinclined to allow so important an event to pass into oblivion. 
 
 The Calle de Toledo, one of the noisiest streets in Madrid, contains shops, where 
 the mantles of Valencia, of Palencia, and of Burgos hang side by side with the bright- 
 
414 SPAIN. 
 
 coloured aparejos of mules, presenting a chromatic spectacle more easily imagined than 
 
 described. 
 
 Not far from this spot in the Calle de Segovia are the Mesones, where the arrieros and 
 country labourers lodge. These inns have not changed since the days of Don Quixote, 
 and their aspect is most attractive. But still more attractive resorts are the Valencian 
 chuferias, where all sorts of cheap refreshing drinks may be obtained. During the autumn 
 months, these shops change their aspect ; then pomegranates, grapes, and immense melons 
 are sold. In winter esteras, or reed-mats, made in Andalucia, replace the fruit; while in 
 spring these places are stored with oranges and lemons. 
 
 The refreshments are served by young Vtdencians, who wear the graceful national 
 costume. While we were sipping our horchata de chufas, 1)0x6 made a sketch of one of 
 these handsome waitresses. 
 
 The most picturesque scenes abound in the lower quarters of Madrid. First 
 come the harberillos, who shave their patrons in the open air. Then a jarrero 
 passes, laden with a number of earthen jars, beneath which he almost disappears. 
 Further, the carhoneros weigh sacks of coke on a sort of steelyard, using them as a 
 counterpoise by leaning on a long pole which raises the weighing apparatus clear of 
 the ground. There are a great variety of petty traders in the streets of Madrid whose 
 cries are quite unintelligible to strangers, and whose diverse appliances of trade are a 
 nuisance in the thoroughfares. 
 
 The Eastro recalls the Temple, the Place Maubert, and the ancient Cit^ ; it is the resort 
 of vice and misery, tLe abode of rag, iron, and refuse merchants ; the prestamistas, who 
 lend money on security at five per cent, a week, are more numerous in this neighbourhood 
 than in the other quarters of the town. At every step we encountered a despacho de vino, 
 where wine is sold in leathern bottles and earthen cdntaros, or a taberna, where the 
 uninviting cooking recalled the arlequins of certain Parisian hovels. These ermitas de Baco, 
 as Cervantes calls them, are frequented by a sickly and scantily-dressed population, part of 
 which belongs to the corporation of thieves, who are as numerous and as redoubtable here 
 as in most large towns, and whose slang name is cherinola ; each department, however, has 
 its own subname. Thus the one who plans the exploits is called piloto ; those who toil 
 in crowds, buzo ; those who carry on their profession by entering windows, ventoso; the 
 petty thief who operates on his own account, ratero, raton, or raterillo ; the receiver of 
 stolen goods is named aliviador, etc. The thieves' slang, or germania, is not less striking 
 than that of their French brothers. 
 
 It is in this quarter that the Fahrica de Tabacos is situated ; it is a vast edifice, whose 
 principal entrance is in the Calle de Embajadores. This factory gives employment to 
 three thousand workpeople. An ancient writer assures us that even in the seventeenth 
 century tobacco was worth a clear million annually to Spain, a considerable sum for that 
 epoch. A popular saying at the present day is that this passion for smoking, card-playing, 
 and bull-fighting leads to San Bernardino — that is, to the hospital. 
 
 The cigarrera of Madrid is one of the most characteristic types of the capital, and the 
 only one which recalls the manolas of former times — las defuntas manolas, who disappeared 
 about twenty years ago, like the Parisian grisettes. This word, with its masculine manolo, 
 is nothing more than an abbreviation of a very common prdnom, Manuel. The Manola, 
 painted by Gautier in his Melitona, M\as a popular lioness, passionately addicted to 
 
THE PRADO. 
 
 415 
 
 buU-figliting. She repaired to the arena in a calesin, a vehicle wliich has disappeared with its 
 gay ocenpant, whose memory, rapidly growing dim, only exists in popular ditties. 
 
 We will now visit the fashionable promenade, the Prado, formerly (as its name 
 implies) a field, which Charles III. transformed into the breathing-place of the beauty and 
 fashion of Madrid. It is on that part known as the Salon del Prado and Fuente Castellana 
 one encounters on summer evenings all that is elegant in the population of the capital. 
 One must not expect to find a blaze of colour in the costume there ; the Parisian fashions 
 have long dethroned the mantilla, and were it not for the difi'erent cries of the street 
 merchants we might readily imagine ourselves in a Parisian promenade. 
 
 The alley of the Fuente Castellana, recently made, is ornamented with the pretty 
 fountains del Cisne and del Obelisco ; it is the haunt of cavaliers and equipages. 
 
 
 /otR^'^IV 
 
 ROASTING CHESTNUTS. 
 
 That part of Madrid where there are fine hotels promises to become a fashionable 
 quarter like the Champs-Elys^es, or the West End of London. 
 
 The Paseo de Atoca serves as a site for the feria in the month of September. The 
 fair of Madrid was formerly held on la Plazuela de la Cebada. After leaving the Jardin 
 Botdnico and the Museum, and following a long walk leading to the gardens of Buen Eetiro, 
 we stood before the magnificent palace built during the reign of Philip IV. for the Duke of 
 Olivares, and which bears a great resemblance to the Luxembourg afc Paris. This palace 
 was burned down in 1734, when a large number of the works of Titian and Velazquez 
 were entirely destroyed. The gardens, with their numerous shady avenues and pavilions, 
 
4i6 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 form a most atti'active summer resort, altbough the latter are nothing but gewgaws in very 
 bad taste. The same might be said of many of the statues scattered along the alleys : they 
 ai'e in the most exaggerated I'-ococo style. The ancient kings, many of them, are posed in 
 such attitudes that they appear to be ready for a waltz or minuet. 
 
 The celebrated porcelain factory, founded by Charles III., was situated in the Buen 
 Retiro. Its productions, like those of Sevres, were destined for the most part to be offered 
 as presents to sovereigns. 
 
 WEIGHING CHARCOAL. 
 
FOUNTAIN OP THE TOUR SEASONS, MADRID. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXI. 
 
 The Museum of Madrid-The foreign schools-The Spanish school-Velazquez : his portraits; abuse of paint at the court 
 ot FhUip IV.— Murillo-The churches-The processions of Madrid : penitents, scourgers, and others-The Brotherhood 
 of Paz y Candad; a capital execution— The Palacio Real and ancient Alcdzar of Madrid— The prison of Francis I —The 
 Armeria: historical arms; the casque of Charles V., and that of Francis I. -The Manzanares; public baths-The 
 environs of Madrid— Sportsmen— The Casa del Campo and the Prado. 
 
 When the Real Museo was opened in 1819, it had only three rooms, containing three 
 
 hundred and eleven pictures. The area occupied by the building, however, and the 
 
 importance of the collection have been so greatly increased, as to render the museum of 
 
 Madrid the richest in the world. It does not contain, it is true, a chronological series of 
 
 examples of the different schools of painting, nor does it illustrate the history of painting 
 
 from its origin. It is simply a gathering together of masterpieces, arranged without any 
 
 preconceived plan, and the works which form this unrivalled collection have been brought 
 
 from palaces, convents, and from the Escurial. The Spanish school, notwithstanding the 
 
 absence of a number of important examples of the primitive masters, is well represented. 
 
 The genius of Velazquez is illustrated by sixty-four of his works, a number greater than 
 
 that contained by all the museums of Europe. There are forty -six of the works of Murillo, 
 
 while those of Eibera are still more numerous. Then follow Juanes, el Greco, Alonzo Cano, 
 
 Zurbaran, Juan Bautista del Mazo, Pantoja de la Cruz, who are each represented by a 
 
 respectable number of pictures. Of the Italian school, there are ten Eaphael, forty-three 
 
 Titian, twenty-five Veronese, thirty-four Tintoret, sixteen Guido Eeni, and twenty-eight 
 
 Bassano, not to mention fifty-five Luca Giordano, an insignificant number for a painter 
 
 who merited the name of Fa Presto and who executed such a prodigious quantity of 
 
 2 H 
 
4i8 SPAIN. 
 
 paintings in Spain. The Flemish and Dutch schools are very fully represented, while that 
 of Germany is confined to ten of the works of Albert Dlirer. Of the French school, there 
 are ten works by Claude Lorraine, and nineteen by Le Poussin, together with a number of 
 portraits by Miguard and Nattier, two charming Watteau, two or three sea pieces by 
 Joseph Vernet, and a Greuze of little importance. 
 
 As we might devote an entire volume to a description of the numerous chefs-d' ceuvre 
 of Madrid, we must confine ourselves to glancing rapidly over the Spanish school, of which 
 it is impossible for any one to form a correct idea without visiting the Museum. It is here 
 that Velazquez occupies tlie first place, both by number and quality ; one might almost say 
 that the entire produce of his genius is contained within these walls, as the few canvases 
 scattered over Europe can scarcely add to his fame. It appears strange that the works of 
 Velazquez were not more widely distributed; the reason was tliat he spent (as we have 
 already noticed) the greater part of his life near Philip IV., whose favourite he was, and 
 who conferred on him several functions which attached him to his court. 
 
 The painter of Philip IV., Avho excelled in every branch of art, surpassed himself in 
 portraits ; those of the king are as numerous as they are varied, sometimes he is represented 
 in bust, sometimes on foot. Young or old his features are always recognisable, chiefly by 
 the thickness and prominence of his upper lip. The painter also represented himself in 
 the picture of the Meninas, palette in h;ind, painting the portrait of the king. It was 
 customary at the Spanish court and with the leading nobles to have dwarfs and jesters, as 
 formerly at Eome ; the more deformed, and the more hideous they were, the better they were 
 liked. The deformed enanos seen in the pictures of Velazquez are quite tliose described by 
 travellers of his time. " There are male and female dwarfs, who are most repulsive, more 
 especially the female dwarfs. They are frightfully ugly ; their heads, larger than their 
 bodies, are clothed with their hair falling to the ground. At first it is impossible to 
 tell what they are. They wear superb dresses : being the confidantes of their mistresses, 
 they obtain everything they desire." The entire court of Philip IV. appears to have 
 been preserved on the canvas of Velazquez with such lifelike reality as to bring before 
 our eyes with marvellous power the scenes and characters so familiar to the painter. 
 Among other things these paintings show us that the ladies of the period rejoiced in the 
 use of rouge ; not content with imparting the hue of rosy health to their faces, such was 
 their dread of appearing delicate and sickly, that they applied it to the neck and shoulders. 
 Madame d'Aulnoy relates that a lady in her presence took a cupful of rouge, and, armed 
 with a huge paintbrush, proceeded to bestow most bewitching tints to her cheeks, to her 
 chin, above her eyebrows, and to the tips of her ears, and that she also applied the colour to 
 the inside of her hands and her shoulders. One would say that they have a sort of enamel 
 over the face, and that the skin is so drawn as to render it unhealthy. This fashion was 
 carried so fiir that rouge was applied to the marble statues, more especially to the cheeks 
 and shoulders of female figures. Velazquez has been careful to avoid exaggeration in his 
 paintings of the painted court of Philip IV. 
 
 What shall we say of the famous picture of las Lanzas, representing the Marquis of 
 Spinola receiving from the governor of Breda the keys of that place ? Such a masterpiece 
 must be seen ; it cannot be described. The same might be said of the Borrachos, the 
 bacchanalian scene where two comrades are crowning their fellows with vine and ivy leaves. 
 Who is not familiar with the story of the English painter, Wilkie, who went to Madrid 
 expressly to see this picture, and who confined himself to its study ? Coming each day and 
 admiring with profound silence his much-loved picture, he is reported to have daily retired 
 
THE CHURCHES OF MADRID. 419 
 
 sighing audibly. In the Meninas, called by Luca Giordano Theologie de la peinture, the 
 qualities of Velazquez shine in the highest degree : he shows himself a naturalist in the best 
 sense of the word ; his personages, painted with a sure and simple touch, live and breathe, 
 and, as Moratin said, he knew how to peindre I'air. 
 
 Velazquez depicted workmen at their toil with the same power and fidelity which 
 imparted to his religious and mythological subjects a realistic significance, not commonly 
 found in the works of other masters. 
 
 Although the principal masterpieces of Murillo are not to be found in the museum of 
 Madrid, yet the painter of Seville is well represented by a number of very attractive 
 pictures. 
 
 By the side of Velazquez and Murillo certain other less celebrated masters of the 
 Spanish school hold a distinguished place. 
 
 There is another gallery in Madrid rarely visited, the Museo nacional, originally 
 designed to receive the pictures from the suppressed convents, where there are nine 
 hundred and ten canvases, nine-tenths of which are hardly worthy to be exposed. From 
 this circumstance one may fairly conclude that the convents were not so rich as they were 
 represented. This view will be further sustained by visiting the different provincial 
 museums, that of Seville excepted. 
 
 Regarding the churches of Madrid, they are very numerous, more or less imposing, 
 and rich in decoration, although, at the same time, there is not one worthy of the Spanish 
 metropolis. The church of Santa Maria de la Almudena takes the place of a cathedral, and 
 enjoys all the privileges accorded to a city church. San Andres, which formerly contained 
 the body of San Isidro, is one of the most ancient churches in Madrid. Although 
 constructed in the style of the seventeenth century, we saw in the Capilla del Obispo some 
 sculptures in good preservation, and dating back to the fifteenth century ; also the tomb of 
 the Bishop of Plasencia, the most famous work of the Reuaissance existing in the capital. 
 By far the most interesting specimen of Gothic architecture in Madrid is the 
 gateway of the Latina. This name was given to an ancient convent founded by Beatriz 
 Galiudo, surnamed La Latina, from her having taught Isabella the Catholic the Latin 
 tongue. 
 
 Nuestra Senora de Atocha — Our Lady of Gen^t — has her sanctuary at the extremity 
 of the Paseo of that name, which adjoins the Prado. It is the Royal Chapel to which the 
 kings and queens make their pilgrimage, repairing to the shrine in great pomp in a 
 carriage drawn by eight horses, while regiments of guards line the streets from the palace. 
 Saint-Simon, who witnessed one of these ceremonies, gave a detailed description of it in his 
 Memoires, where he says " it presented an admirable spectacle." " Devotees come from all 
 quarters," says Madame d'Aulnoy, "and when some good fortune falls to the lot of the 
 kings of Spain, it is there that they go to chant the Te Deum." She then gives an account, 
 still correct at the present time, of " the Virgin holding the Child Jesus, an image said to 
 be endowed with the power of working miracles. The Virgin is often dressed as a widow, 
 but on the occasion of great ffites she is so bejewelled and berobed in splendid attire that 
 the effect is marvellous to behold. Her head is surrounded by a glory radiating outwards 
 with wonderful effect. She is also supplied with a long rosary either in her hand or 
 suspended from her waistband." It is to Our Lady of Atocha that the queens of Spain 
 offer their bridal attire. Queen Isabella II. conformed to this custom, and also gave to the 
 patroness of Madrid the dress she wore the day she was wounded by Merino; it had 
 been rent by the knife of the assassin. 
 
420 SPAIN. 
 
 The processions of Madrid are esteemed among the most brilliant in Spain, and have 
 enjoyed a period of long and uninterrupted fame, not even marred by the revolutions which 
 have wrought a change in many other Spanish institutions. The processions in which the 
 dances, the wri things, and contortions of certain penitents are publicly displayed have rendered 
 these penitential ceremonies unworthy of religion. There is something hideously revolting 
 about them and the masked hypocrites who scourge themselves in public: The accounts of 
 the seventeenth century are full of details of these scourgings. " What most Frenchmen find 
 strange and ridiculous, and even what Spaniards themselves, many of them, are ashamed 
 of, is the sight of certain penitents, robed in white with a long taper hood of linen covering 
 their faces, with their back bared to the waist, and armed with cords, having at the ends 
 knobs of wax carrying small points of glass with which they scourge themselves until they 
 scratch their shoulders. Those who lacerate themselves the most are accounted the 
 bravest." In another account we read that " these penitents reminded us of brutes with 
 their backs scraped and scarred, marching one after the other on their hind-legs. What 
 is still more frightful is from time to time to see these hypocrites taking a long breath and 
 then stopping up their nose and mouth, thus straining the skin of their backs so that the 
 blood may flow freely. A man following behind wipes off the blood with a towel so that 
 it may not harden over the wounds and thus deprive the citizens of a revolting spectacle. 
 This display has for its object, so it is said, three motives— penitence and austerity, 
 purification, and lastly, to win the favour of the belles ; for the false penitents are masked, 
 and it is always arranged that they shall pass beneath the balconies, or the gateway of 
 the church at a certain hour, wearing each of them a ribbon, the colour of his favourite. 
 He who is most thoroughly besmeared with gore is accounted the strongest and most 
 devoted swain, as he has shed his blood freely on behalf of his mistress. One of these I 
 myself saw died ; I do not know if he Avas of the third kind : God forbid ! " These 
 processions of penitents were suppressed at the end of last century. Charles III. forbade 
 the use of penitential masks and put down dancing and scourging in public. 
 
 Among the brotherhoods of Madrid there is one, that of the Paz y Caridad, whose 
 chief duties consist in aiding criminals condemned to death, accompanying them to the 
 place of execution, and burying them. We had occasion, not many years ago, to witness 
 the members of this order accomplishing their pious tasks. A young girl, hardly twenty- 
 five years old, who had assassinated her mistress, the Vicenta— that was the servant's 
 name— went one evening into her mistress's room, and there with a knife inflicted two 
 mortal wounds, after which she coolly bound them up with handkerchiefs, and remained 
 two hours the heartless witness of her victim's agony. The Vicenta was condemned to 
 be executed by the garrote, the sentence to be carried out in the women's prison. 
 
 The female prison is in one of the longest streets of Madrid, the Calle del Barquillo. 
 When we arrived there the crowd was so dense that we could hardly pass. The condemned 
 was brought out seated on an ass— according to custom— and robed, with the exception of 
 a white veil, entirely in black. Her features wore an expression of serenity ; she seemed 
 prepared to meet her doom with firmness, so that the brothers had no need to support her 
 to the scaffold. She only complained of thirst, which was quenched by a glass of wine. It 
 was past twelve when the mournful cortege arrived at a wooden scaffold, raised in the 
 middle of the plain of Chamberi. The plain is vast and perfectly level, so that we were 
 enabled to see her mount the steps, and seat herself at the foot of the beam ; while a priest 
 addressed his last exhortations, the executioner approached and fixed the fatal iron collar 
 destined to strangle her. Deep silence reigned during these dread preparations, then a 
 
■2. 
 
 <! 
 
 » 
 Eh 
 
THE PALACIO REAL. 42, 
 
 shudder ran through the crowd, announcing that all was ended. The body of the criminal 
 remained exposed for several hours ; at niglit— it was in the month of January— 
 the members of the brotherhood came and carried the body to the cemetery, where it was 
 interred. 
 
 The Palacio Real of Madrid stands on the site of the ancient Alcdzar, the palace of 
 the kings of Castile, which was rebuilt in 1537 by Charles V. We have before us an old 
 engraving representing the palace as a building of severe simplicity, and at the same 
 time of irregular form. The author of Madrid Ridicule gave a by no means flatteriug 
 picture of this edifice : 
 
 " Palais ou deux cents Scaramouches 
 Voiit faire au Eoi le pied de veau^ 
 Quiconque peut vous trbuver beau 
 Se sert de besides bien louches. 
 Ah ! quels parfums d'aulx et d'oignons 
 Exhalent tous ces beaux mignons ! " 
 
 The interior " contains excellent pictures, beautiful tapestries, rare statues, magnificent 
 furniture, and, in a word, everything that pertains to a royal palace." Many of the rooms 
 were dark ; a certain number of them had windows, but no glass. Francis I. spent the 
 greater part of his captivity within the walls of this palace, to which he was transferred 
 by Charles V. on the 24th of February 1526. "The cell in which Francis I. was 
 imprisoned was not large, but appeared larger, owing to a small recess in the wall; 
 in front of the window, constructed so as to admit daylight, and glazed to exclude air, 
 there was a strong double grating of iron fixed into the wall. This window overlooked 
 the Manzanarcs and the surrounding country. The apartment was only large enough 
 to hold one or two chairs, boxes, a table, and bed. The height of the window from the 
 foot of the tower, which rises above the banks of the Manzanares, was upwards of one 
 hundred feet ; yet while the French king was shut up within his cell, two battalions were 
 kept day and night under arms at the base of the tower." 
 
 The ancient Alcdzar was destroyed by fire in 1734. The present building, commenced 
 in 1737, during the reign of Philip V. — after the plans by J. B. Sacchetti — was finished 
 twenty-seven years later, in the time of Cliarles III. 
 
 The armoury connected with the palace contains one of the finest collections of 
 ancient armour in the world. The building is unworthy of its rare and valuable contents, 
 and it has been more than once threatened with demolition. Yet the saloon, where more 
 than two thousand five hundred objects are brought together, is large and well-lighted. 
 The first sight of this gallery, filled with ancient weapons, flags, and suits of armour, carries 
 one back to the days of ancient Spanish chivalry. Here one sees armour said to have been 
 worn by Boabdil, although it cannot be proved that it was ever borne by the famous Rey 
 Chico. Two suits belonging to Charles V., one engraved and richly gilded ; tlie other, 
 with its casque in the form of a human skull, and carrying the signature of Mihinais Negroli, 
 Avas discovered in the monastery of Yuste after the emperor's death. 
 
 There is also the equestrian armour worn by him on his entrance to Tunis. Amongst 
 the armours of difi"erent countries, let us note that of Alonzo Cespedes el Bravo, surnamed el 
 Alcides Castillano, whose strength was as great as that of the hero in the fable. One day, 
 in the presence of Philip H., he arrested the motion of a mill-wbeel on the Tagus, and 
 M'hen asked by Prince Don Carlos if he would encounter a tiger, he replied in the affirma- 
 tive, and succeeded in poniarding the animal. With a single blow of his sword he 
 decapitated a bull, and one night returning home late to Toledo, he lifted one of the 
 
424 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 city gates off its hinges as the keepers refused to open to him. It is also said that he was 
 famed for his gallantry. Standing one day in a crowded church, he noticed a lady making 
 vain efforts to reach the marble font in the wall, whereupon he brought the font to the 
 lady by wrenching it from the solid stone socket, and then calmly replaced it after the fair 
 stranger had made use of the holy water. Besides all these there are a great variety of 
 curious arms which we cannot pretend even to notice. Among them are still other suits 
 of Charles V., Philip II. and his unfortunate son Don Carlos, the arras of Christopher 
 Columbus, and of Gonzalvo of Cordova, and that worn by Juan of Austria at Lepanto. 
 There are also ancient helmets of exquisite workmanship and great value, shields, and, 
 above all, the swords which are the pride of Spain. Yet the sword of Francis I., one of 
 the greatest trophies of the Armeria, is now no longer at Madrid. The original, pre- 
 sented by Ferdinand VII. at Murat, is in the museum of artillery, at Paris. 
 
 INTERIOR OP THE AEMERIA, MADRID. 
 
 The Manzanares, the river of Madrid, although nearly dry during summer, gives 
 employment to troops of lavanderas, robust girls of Galicia, who may be frequently seen 
 making their way to the Cuesta de la Vega, carrying an enormous bundle of linen on 
 their heads and another under each arm. These washerwomen dig holes in the sand, 
 called lavaderos, in which they retain their miserly supply of water. Thus, says M. Breton 
 de los Herreros, the unfortunate stream is hardly less drained than the public treasure, and 
 even if the sun's rays have not consumed the water, it is compelled to submit to vulgar 
 draiuings to supply the banos, so that the lavaderos are reduced to the direst straits; yet it 
 is astounding how they overcome these difficulties, and wash their linen. The bed of the 
 river is, in many places, taken up by the huts of these poor washerwomen, who watch with 
 the deepest interest the rise and fall of the stream. The baths, which we have just noticed. 
 
LA FUENTE DEL CISNE (FOUNTAIN OF THE SWAN), MADKID. 
 
 To face page 424. 
 
THE MANZANARES. 
 
 427 
 
 consist of holes dug in the sand covered over by a linen tent. They were in vogue during 
 the time of Madame d'Aulnoy, who says, when describing the pleasures of the people of 
 Madrid, " where more than a thousand carriages are driven duriug the night, and where 
 one sups to the sound of instruments. There were also persons who bathed there," but, 
 she adds, " in a very disagreeable manner. The ambassadress of Denmark has done so for 
 some days : her servants precede her and dig a hole in the gravel, which fills with water, 
 aud then the lady gets into it. Here is a very pleasant bath, as you may imagine, and yet 
 it is the only sort in use on the 
 river." 
 
 The caricatures do not 
 spare the bathers of Madrid. 
 We purchased a couple of en- 
 gravings for two cuartos, repre- 
 senting men, women, and 
 children with towels in their 
 hauds going in procession to 
 the river, into which they 
 hoped to plunge : the other re- 
 presents the interior of a bath : 
 one is vainly attempting to 
 cover his head, another his 
 body, while a third, less am- 
 bitious, is simply washing hi-s 
 feet. Above the engraving 
 there is the following quatrain : 
 
 "Todos estos que aqui ves, 
 T mas que bajan. & .pares, 
 No vienen al Man5aiiares 
 Mas que & lavarse los pies." 
 
 - — "All the bathers you see 
 here, and those descending by 
 couples, come to the Manzanares 
 to have a foot-bath." 
 
 The Manzanares takes its 
 rise in the Puerto of Navacer- 
 rada, near the borders of the 
 province of Madrid and that of 
 Segovia ; a number of affluents 
 join the main stream, but their 
 
 influence is hardly perceptible, as much of the water descends through the sandy bed 
 of the river. After following a course of about thirty-six miles, the Manzanares is lost in 
 the Jarama. According to a Spanish poet, the poor river receives the embraces of the 
 Jarama, which is to it a minotaur crystalline : 
 
 " Los abrazos de Jarama, 
 Minotauro cristalino.'' 
 
 It is difficult to imagine anything more dreary and desolate-looking than the environs 
 
 PEASANT OF THE ENVIEONS OF MADRID. 
 
428 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 of Madrid. Instead of the picturesque residences and flower gardens of the suburbs 
 of London or Paris, one traverses, in the outskirts of the Spanish capital, nothing but 
 a desert bestrewn with stones. These stones, of a dark colour, only heighten the miserable 
 aspect of this metropolitan wilderness, of which it may be said, in common with the little 
 town of Trujillo, in Estremadura, " that it is surrounded by fire," in allusion to the sparks 
 produced by the flint that lies scattered over the plain. 
 
 The citizens of Madrid take their Sunday rambles in the immediate environs of the 
 town, over the plain of Chamberi, or along the banks of the Manzanares, or the canal where 
 sportsmen also delight to meet. 
 
 The cazador del canal is a type which recalls the sporting character of the St. Denis 
 plain, or the simple cassaird of the suburbs of Marseilles. He is a personage who has been 
 made the subject of frequent caricatures, in which he is pictured, gaitered, buckled, and 
 armed to the teeth, groaning under the burden of warlike munitions and provisions for the 
 campaign. When the sport is successful beyond his utmost expectations, he returns laden 
 with a single lark or sparrow, which he carries as a trophy to the city. 
 
 In the Casa del campo, one of the favourite hunting-grounds of Charles III., the game 
 is more abundant, as well as in the Prado, where the rich foliage and cool woodland shades 
 contrast ha|)pily with the sterility and heat of the greater part of the country. 
 
 SHEPHERDESS, ENVIROJJS OF MADRID. 
 

 ^ 
 
 < 
 5 
 
 X 
 
 ■< 
 
 a 
 
 M 
 
 m 
 
SinDBNTS DB LA TUNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Escurial— The vow of Philip II.— The patio de los Eeyes—The BeUcario—Tiie Panteon— The Library— Alcald de 
 H^narfes— The University— The Students— From Madrid to Cuenga- The pine forests— The cathedral of Guenfa- 
 Segovia : the Aqueduct ; the Alcazar and the Cathedral. 
 
 The distance from Madrid to the Escurial, says an ancient traveller, is about the same as 
 that from Paris to Fontainebleau ; indeed, it was only eight Spanish leagues between the 
 capital and the real Monasterio. Nevertheless, the journey seemed long and fatiguing. 
 We ourselves have frequently gone over the route, either in a diligence, or in an 
 antique carriage, ornamented with fantastic pictures, and drawn by plumed mules. It 
 occupied at least eight hours to traverse this road, while the jolting was as incessant 
 as the dust was suffocating. We have read somewhere that when the king of Spain went 
 to the Escurial, the road was carefully watered, a very wise precaution as the royal mules 
 were kept galloping at full speed until they reached their destination. The well-known 
 popular ti-adition ascribes the founding of the Escurial to the victory of Saint Quentin. 
 
 " The Spaniards," says one of the combatants who survived the battle, " could neither 
 exterminate their French foes, nor deprive them of their resources and the hope of again 
 rising into power." .' . . 
 
 Philip II. el Prudente justified his surname by not marching on to Paris ; yet if 
 he vowed to raise a magnificent temple in honour of Saint Lawrence, it is impossible to 
 believe, as some would have us do, that his vow was inspired by panic-fear. 
 
 The real Monasterio de San Lorenzo was founded in 1563, five years after the battle 
 
 of Saint Quentin. The designs of the edifice have been attributed to different Italian 
 
 and French architects : thus Vincenzo Danti and A. Ch. d'Aviler assert that those of the 
 
 2 I 
 
432 SPAIN. 
 
 church are clue to Viguole. Palladio has also been spoken of, and Voltaire says positively, 
 that " the Escurial was built from the design of a Frenchman," I.ouis de Foix, architect 
 of the tower of Cordouan, who resided in Spain at the time of Philip II., and played a part 
 in the history of Don Carlos. The truth is that the plans of the Escurial were made by 
 a Spanish artist, Juan Bautista de Toledo, who constructed one of the best-known streets 
 in Naples, the Strada di Toledo. The plans were approved by Philip II., and Juan 
 Bautista himself laid the foundation-stone of the edifice, on the 23rd of April 1563, in the 
 presence of the king and the monks who were to inhabit the convent. 
 
 Juan Bautista died in 1567, when the foundations were almost finished; Juan de 
 Herrera and the Italian Pacciotto were entrusted with the task of completing the work. 
 The edifice -was finished in 1583, the same year in which Philip II. died. 
 
 The Escurial has been the subject of an infinite variety of criticisms ; indeed, every 
 independent traveller takes his own peculiar view of the building ; but, for all that, the 
 dominant feeling in our minds, at first sight of this ponderous mass of granite, was one of 
 profound sadness. It was very grand and most imposing, yet after all it only reminded 
 us of some huge funereal monument. 
 
 Penetrating within the building, we remarked by the side of the colossal statue of 
 Saiut Lawrence the jaws of a whale which was taken in 1574 in the waters of Valencia. 
 The first court is called patio de los Reyes, because of the statues of six kings of Judah, in 
 the ordinary stone of the country with the exception of the heads, the hands, and the feet, 
 which are in white marble ; the crowns, sceptres, and other attributes are in gilded bronze. 
 A cold and sombre corridor conducted us from the royal court to the church ; the aspect of 
 the interior, although severely plain, is nevertheless majestic. Above the centre shrine 
 rises a gigantic altar-piece, perhaps the largest in Spain ; on the right is the relicario filled 
 with a prodigious number of relics collected by Philip II., of which the P. Ximenez, a 
 monk of the Escurial, has made a curious enumeration. It was made up of eleven bodies, 
 three hundred heads, and six hundred arms of defunct saints, etc., amounting in his time, 
 1764, to upwards of thirteen thousand relics. The reliquaries were ornamented with gold, 
 silver, and precious stones ; few churches possessed such a rich treasure. 
 
 The royal vault, el Panteon, is placed beneath the chief altar, and its richness in marbles 
 and bronzes defies description. The form of the Panteon is octagonal, and the niches 
 designed to receive the bodies are thirty-six in number. 
 
 Notwithstanding the lavish ornamentation to be seen in this temple of the dead, the 
 impression one receives upon entering is most lugubrious, and the icy coldness of the place 
 makes it none the less depressing. The Panteon was reserved for the kings and queens of 
 Spain, and for their mothers; while the bodies of the princes repose in another vault. 
 The Panteon de los Infa7ites, also called el Podridero—t\iQ fermenting trough. Among the 
 remains there are those of the Duke of Vend6me, a natural son of Louis XIV., who was 
 placed in this royal company like Turenne in Saiut Denis ; also the remains of the unfortunate 
 Don Carlos. This sickly and savage child, who bit and kicked his nurses, developed, as 
 might have been expected, into an equally savage and uncontrollable man. " He loved," 
 says Brant6me, "to roam about at dead of night, fomenting quarrels and fighting duels 
 whenever he had an opportunity." Some say he destroyed himself, others that he was 
 assassinated at the instigation of his father. Saint-Simon, influenced by this belief, amused 
 himself by tormenting one of the monks of the Escurial. "Passing to the end of the 
 vault we descried the coffin of Don Carlos. ' As to him,' I said, ' it is well known how he met 
 his death!' At these words the fat monk became excited, declared that he died a natural 
 
LIBRARY OF THE ESCUKIAL. 
 
 To face page 432. 
 
THE ESCURIAL. 435 
 
 death, and began to declaim against the idle tales winch had been spread abroad. I 
 laughed, saying I agreed with him it was not true ; his veins had been tapped. This 
 roused the worthy father, who fumed and raged most unreasonably. At first I listened in 
 silence, then I told him in confidence that the king, soon after his arrival in Spain, had 
 tbe curiosity to have the coffin of Don Carlos opened, and I myself knowing an eye-witness 
 of the scene — Liouville — he informed me that the head was found between the legs ; that 
 Philip II., his father, had it cut off before him in his prison. 'Ah well,' cried the monk 
 furiously, 'it probably served him right, as Philip II. had the Pope's permission.' 
 Although my reputation protected me, yet I had no desire to quarrel with this bloated 
 monk, but contented myself with laughing and making signs to those who were there to 
 keep silence. He then sullenly conducted us round the vault." 
 
 The library is one of the finest apartments in the Escurial ; magnificent tables of 
 marble and porphyry, cabinets of ebony, mahogany, and a variety of precious woods 
 make up a most attractive assortment of furniture. 
 
 The pictures on the walls are so arranged as to illustrate the subject of the books 
 above which they are hung. Unlike most libraries, the edges of the books are presented to 
 the view of the spectator, with the titles inscribed on each. It is said that this mode of 
 placing the volumes dates from the sixteenth century. The erudite Arias Montanus, whose 
 library served as a model for that of the Escurial, was in the habit of placing his books 
 with their edges exposed. This practice was adopted as much to secure uniformity as to 
 supply a larger surface for the names of the volumes. 
 
 Before leaving the Escurial, let us pass through the royal apartments, which represent 
 the handle of a gridiron in the plan of the building. 
 
 It was formerly the autumn residence of the kings of Spain, where they passed six 
 weeks every year. We remarked a number of tapestries from the cartoons by Goya, 
 representing landscapes, towns, etc. The Escurial is no longer what it was. The monks, 
 formerly so powerful in Spain, have long since ceased to inhabit their numerous cells. 
 The long, cold, and dreary corridors are almost deserted, while the slightest sound awakens 
 the deep echoes of the courts, whose damp mouldering stones are mantled with green. 
 
 Alcald, de Henar^s, the learned city, the ancient rival of Salamanca, is now an obscure 
 town with only ten thousand inhabitants, a station of little importance on the Saragossa 
 railway. Our first visit was to its University, built by order of Cardinal Ximenez, the 
 benefactor of the town. The fagade, which has fallen into decay, is ornamented with 
 sculptures in the Spanish style of the Eenaissance, so remarkable for its ingenuity and 
 beauty. The chapel still preserves traces of its ancient wealth, and its decprations in the 
 Moorish taste present one of the finest examples of the mudejar style of the sixteenth century. 
 The University at AlcaM was even more famous than that of Salamanca. The students, 
 who are said to have numbered about ten thousand, gave Francis I. a splendid reception. 
 
 Navagiero, who visited the town in 1523, furnishes some curious details of this 
 institution, " where all the courses are in Latin, and not, as in the other Universities of 
 Spain, in Spanish." One of the most illustrious students of AlcaM was the Infant Don 
 Carlos, who had more taste for arms than for books; it was in one- of the staircases of the 
 University he received the fall which he felt all his life. Philip II., who was at Madrid, 
 came to Alcald in great haste bringing with him the body of the blessed Diego of the Order 
 of Saint Francis, reputed to efi'ect miraculous cures of the sick. The body of the ■ 
 monk was laid upon that of Don Carlos, who happily escaped death. Several towns in 
 Spain have claimed the honour of being the birthplace of Cervantes, who was born at 
 
436 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Alcald, 9th October 1547, and baptized at the parish church of Santa Maria la Mayor. 
 We were shown the house in which he was born, bearing an inscription recording the 
 great event. 
 
 "^Sfer^ 
 
 STUDENTS TRAVELLING WITH MULETEERS. 
 
 As we are in a university town we must not overlook one of the most curious types 
 of ancient Spain, the students called tunantes, or de la tuna — idle vagabonds, more the 
 friends, says Cervantes, of the file and buckler, than of Bartole and of Baldus. Cervantes, 
 who knew them well, describes them in his Ooloquio de los Perros — the Dogs' Dialogue — 
 
STUDENTS SERENADING. 
 
 To face page 436. 
 
SPANISH STUDENTS. 439 
 
 where he gives a curious picture of student life, making the dog Berganza speak, " I led 
 the life of a student, and barring hunger and itch, it was a most joyous existence ; for if 
 hunger and itch were not so inseparable from students, the life would leave nothing 
 to be desired." 
 
 The ancient romances are full of descriptions of the characteristics of the students, 
 who, if not beating some alguacil, prosecuted their studies by tossing all the neighbouring 
 dogs in a blanket. We have read in an old proverb, that with Latin, a florin, and a pony, 
 one may travel over the world. Who knows that this proverb was not made for the sole 
 benefit of the nomadic students 1 The exploits of the students have been made the subjects 
 of popular ballads, where they are held up to praise or to ridicule. They have also beeu, 
 times without numbei?, caricatured in the local prints, and set down as the authors of all 
 the practical jokes, pleasantries, and scandals which could be traced to no certain source. 
 The misery of their lives was proverbial. One of them says, " Since I became a student, 
 since I have worn the cloak, I have eaten nothing but soups made out of old boots. For 
 three months I have not tasted food. I am brought low by hunger, having to ballast my 
 boots with lead to prevent the passing wind blowing me away." 
 
 " Cuando un estudiante sale 
 Al mercado en dia cubierto, 
 Los jamones y embuchados 
 Se ponen en movimiento." 
 
 — " When a student presents himself in the market-place on a stormy day, the hams and 
 sausages begin to tremble." 
 
 More students than one have become distinguished toreros, like the muy diestro estu- 
 diante of Falces, illustrated by Goya. There are several points of resemblance between the 
 student's life and that of the ancient knights-errant and the trobadores of the Middle Ages : 
 poor and nomadic like the first, poets and musicians like the second, singing under 
 balconies, and holding out their hats to beg for a cuarto or a peseta in exchange for their 
 jotas or their seguidillas. It is thus that they are represented in popular song. Here we 
 give a rendering of the sort of verse devoted to the glories and sorrows of student life. 
 
 The students scour the world in search of some one to succour them : — " Young lady 
 on the balcony above, toss us a coin of silver, or better, a single Napoleon ; silver let thine 
 ofiering be, not copper, a coin that savours of poverty. Our stomach is like our guitar, 
 brilliant outside, but empty within. In hope we have quite lost faith, but we have placed 
 our trust in charity ; should it prove faithless what will become of us ? Toss me some silver, 
 little bud of the rose ; when I am raised to a cabinet minister, I swear I will wed thee. All 
 you present carefully pass in review the depth of your pockets, and those who are unable 
 to yield up a coin may they go to the d ." 
 
 But let us warn tourists not to waste time in searching for this curious type of 
 humanity. They are now as rare as the fossils of antediluvian animals, and the last 
 specimen of this race has passed away to join the manola, the fraile, and other remains of 
 ancient picturesque Spain. 
 
 The modern students are more orderly and less turbulent than their early prototypes; yet 
 they are still noted for their love of practical joking and trickery. In the provincial theatres 
 they make the fair and foul weather of the stage. Alas for the actor M'ho ofi"ends them : 
 besides shrill whistling and interruptions of all sorts, he has to submit to sundry marks of 
 attention in the shape of potatoes or turnips, and if anything goes wrong in the orchestra, it 
 is caused by some perfidious hand that has silently dropped a ball of lead into the trombone 
 
440 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 or greased the strings of the counter-bass. But it is in the playing of the pandero that the 
 student finds full scope for the exercise of his genius ; not content with playing it simply with 
 his fingers, he plays it with his head, neck, nose, knees, and feet. 
 
 There is a town in Spain seldom visited by strangers, nevertheless it equals in beauty 
 many old cities such as Eonda, Toledo, or Avila. The journey to Cuenga, although the 
 town is only ninety miles from Madrid, is so arduous, that it prevents the place becoming a 
 popular resort. Our desire to see this unfrequented spot tempted us to face twenty hours 
 jolting in a diligence, not to mention the risk of sufi"ocation by dust and heat. We soon 
 arrived at the little town of Arganda, whose red wine with a rich bouquet rivals the 
 Valdepenas and the Carihena in the taverns of Madrid. Passing Tarancon, we crossed a 
 hilly and finely wooded country. The pines of Cuenga have long been famed in Spain, 
 It was from these forests that part of the wood used in the construction of the Escurial 
 was taken. 
 
 CUENgA. 
 
 Cuenga, not rich in monuments, has nevertheless a cathedral which contains finely 
 sculptured marbles, with a number of chapels and curious altarpieces, also fine wood- 
 carvings and elaborate rejas of iron. The town, almost devoid of commerce and industry, 
 has been long cut off from the other busy quarters of Spain, and it seems improbable that 
 a branch line of railway should join it either to Madrid or Valencia, although it is about an 
 equal distance from both these towns ; for all that, it was formerly a centre of a certain 
 importance. Besides the Mendoza and the Albornoz, it gave birth to a number of celebrated 
 persons, notably of a family of goldsmiths named Becerril, artists who produced very 
 fine works which have unfortunately been destroyed. We had determined to proceed on to 
 Minglanilla, in the direction of Valencia, whose mines of gem salt are most curious ; but, 
 compelled to abandon the journey owing to bad weather, as it could only be made on 
 horseback, we returned to Madrid in the diligence. 
 
SEGOVIA 
 
 THE ALCAZAB AND CATHEDRAL. 
 
 To face page 440, 
 
SEGOVIA. 
 
 443 
 
 After visiting San Ildefonso we set out for Segovia, and reached that town in the 
 evening at an early hour, yet it appeared to us to be already plunged into a profound sleep. 
 Fortunately the times have changed, otherwise were we to rely upon the good faith of ancient 
 authors and travellers, we might have expected to run the risk of perishing from hunger or 
 exposure during the night in a town where inns and hostelries were unknown. 
 
 The town of Segovia possesses three remarkable monuments — the Aqueduct, the 
 Alcazar, and the Cathedral. 
 
 The Aqueduct is one of the most extraordinary works of its kind in the world. It is 
 composed of two ranges of superposed arches made of enormous blocks of granite that have 
 withstood the ravages of time for eighteen centuries. 
 
 The Alcazar of Segovia, as well as a part of the town, has been built on an elevated rock ; 
 it is of an elongated form and has been compared to a ship. It is well known that Le Sage 
 has made this castle the prison of Gil Bias. State prisoners were formerly shut up in the 
 highest cell. Among those who were there imprisoned was the celebrated adventurer, Eiperda. 
 After fifteen months' captivity, he made his escape, in 1728, thanks to the governor's servant, 
 who lent him her clothes. 
 
 The Cathedral of Segovia is one of the finest of its kind in Spain, and was built at a 
 time when the Gothic style was blended with that of the Eenaissance, an epoch so fertUe in 
 charming masterpieces. We were shown, in one of the chapels, the splendid altarpiece by 
 Juan de Juni, a Castilian painter of the sixteenth century. This painting, known as 
 Piedad de Juni, presents some wonderful points of attraction. 
 
 We have now entered Old Castile. 
 
 
 
 p^^^ r-i^^^&^a t»^:C -^^ 
 
 
 PINE FOREST OF GUENQA. 
 
SALAMANCA. ; THE TOWN AND BOMAN BRIDGE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 Avila— The Cathedral— An Inn- Salamanca : its University— Alba de Tonnes— The Charros and CActn-as— From Sala- 
 manca to Zamora—Toro— Medina del Campo— Charles V. at Medina— The jBraseros— Valladolid ; the Plaza Mayor— 
 The Museum ; Pompeo Leoni — Berruguete and Gregorio Hernandez — Houses of historic fame. 
 
 AviLA, one of the most ancient towns of Castile, ought to be visited by every tourist, 
 even after Fontarabia, Toledo, and Cuen9a. The town viewed from a distance presents a 
 striking picture, it is surrounded by high walls, surmounted by numerous round towers, 
 and appears to have undergone no change since the chronicler, Marineo Siculo, described it 
 in the fifteenth century, Avila cercada de muchas torras con sus almenas, "Avila, protected by 
 walls and surmounted by numerous watch-towers." The cathedral, a structure of the twelfth 
 century, resembles a fortress more than a church ; the stalls and the choir are masterpieces 
 of their kind in the style of the Renaissance. One is at a loss which to admire most, the per- 
 fection of the workmanship or imagination of the artist, who has crowded into so small a space 
 a thousand ingenious and charming devices. A tomb ornamented with exquisite sculpture, 
 also in the style of the Renaissance, contains the remains of Alfonso de Madrigal, surnamed 
 
SALAMANCA. 445 
 
 el Tostado—the Burnt— (because of his dark complexion), wlio was Bishop of Avila in the 
 fifteenth century. 
 
 "We were shown some gigantic monsters cut out of granite, like those known in Spain 
 under the name of toros de Guisando, and to which Cervantes makes allusion in his history 
 of the Forest Cavalier. These toros are at Guisando, at a short distance from Avila. 
 The sculpture of these imaginary bulls is shapeless. Such monsters were formerly very 
 numerous in the country ; several opinions have been advanced as to their origin, which is 
 still unknown. They go back to a very remote epoch, and are without doubt contemporaries 
 of the first inhabitants of Spain. The glory of Avila is to have given birth to Saint Theresa, 
 Santa Teresa de Jesus, as the celebrated reformer of the Carmelite Order is here called. 
 Visitors are shown the convent in which she lived, some articles of the furniture of her cell, 
 and a number of manuscripts penned by the saint. After spending two days at Avila, we 
 took our places in the diligence for Salamanca. The country is dreary, and the inns justify 
 the reputation of the ancient Spanish posadas. In one of these where we halted we found 
 a splendid type of the posadero of former times, a tall powerful man of about sixty years, 
 wearing a short vest and trousers, and his head covered with an immense goQ^ra of wool. 
 While talking to him we noticed a great coloured picture most interesting to behold : it 
 represented a posadero seated, one hand in the air, a bag of crowns in the other ; he appeared 
 to be winking at us. Above was this inscription, Abre el ojo — he opens his eye ; and 
 beneath these lines, which summarise the philosophy of the innkeeper : — 
 
 " Hoy no fian aqui, 
 Manana asl ; 
 Si fio, no cobro. 
 Si cobro, no todo ; 
 Pues, para no cobrar, 
 Mas vale no fiar." 
 
 — " Here no credit is given to-day, nor to-morrow either ; if I give credit I don't recover ; if 
 I recover, it is only in part; hence, so as not to lose, I never give credit." 
 
 Besides these sage maxims, which remind us of the famous Credit est mm-t, the 
 print was also adorned with several proverbs especially suited to the profession of posadero, 
 such as the following : Dame y darte he, " Give to me, and I will give to thee." — Miel en 
 hoca, y guarda la holsa, " Honey in your mouth, and a guard upon your purse." — El hombre 
 que en hombre Jia, queda cual ciego sin guia, " A man who trusts in another is like a blind 
 man without a guide ; " and other sentences equally worthy of Sancho. 
 
 Salamanca is a town which fails to come up to the expectation of the traveller. It is 
 no longer the place described by Marineo Siculo, en la qual ay asaz de todas las cosas que son 
 necesarias a la humana vida en grande abundancia, in which one finds abundance of everything 
 necessary to human life. The sixteenth century was the most brilliant epoch of Salamanca, 
 when it included among its inhabitants the most illustrious noble families. Its prelates 
 were rich and numerous, and Benvenuto Cellini cut a splendid vase at Rome for one of its 
 archbishops. The University with that of Alcald. were at that time the most brilliant in 
 Spain. 
 
 The ancient Salmantica of the Romans is one of the oldest towns in Spain, yet the 
 
 only antique monument which it possesses is the bridge of seventeen arches over the 
 
 Tormes, dating from the time of Trajan. From the banks of the river one has a very fine 
 
 view of the town, whose spires, overtopped by the cathedral, stand out in bold relief against 
 
 the horizon. The cathedral is the most imposing building in Salamanca, dating from the 
 
 2 K 
 
446 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 sixteenth ceiitnr}^ its Gotliic architecture presenting almost no trace of the influence of the 
 Renaissance. 
 
 The Chateau d'Alba de Tormes is about fifteen miles from Salamanca. Fernnndo 
 Alvarez de Toledo, Due d'Alba, was lord of the castle, which we descried at the summit of 
 a hill. The castle and palace are in a deplorable state : the high towers are in ruins, and 
 the walls and arches, supported by elegant columns, witnesses in the sixteenth century of 
 
 OHAHEO OF SALAMANCA. 
 
 splendid f^tes, seem bending to their fall, and serve at the present day as an asylum for 
 owls, crows, and lizards innumerable. From the battlements we commanded the view of 
 a vast plain, still owned by the f^imily of Alba, where the Tormes wends its way through 
 fertile fields to join the Duero. 
 
 Our journeys through the environs of Salamanca enabled us to study the costumes of the 
 Charros, that is the name given to the peasants of the country, an honest and robust popula- 
 tion, with simple and patriarchal manners, who still preserve the traditional Castilian honour. 
 
ZAMORA. 447 
 
 The honesty and simplicity of the Charros is well known in Spain, where their homeliness 
 has given rise to a great number of anecdotes ; for example we heard of this exclamation 
 from a Charro who was for the first time in his life at the theatre del Liceo at Salamanca, 
 As the traitor was abusiug the confidence of the king : " Senor," cried the peasant, loudly, 
 " no crea V. d ese, que es un picaro," " Sire, do not believe him, he is a rogue." Also the story 
 of a Charro who was present at the solemn reception of a divine of Salamanca, when asked 
 what he thought of it replied : " My faith ! I think these gentlemen must have little to do 
 at home, to fritter away their time in such childish folly." Most of the peasants live 
 in isolated miniature farms, which they call Montaracias, where they show a warm hospitality 
 only equalled by what is met with in the Highlands of Scotland. If we ourselves had no 
 opportunity of visiting them in their rustic abodes, nevertheless the celebration of the 
 F^te-Dieu enabled us to study their costumes. The men wear a large round black felt hat, 
 adorned with a silk tassel ; the square cut waistcoat is garnished with numerous buttons, 
 and is partly hidden by the cinto, a large band of leather tastefully embroidered. This 
 cinto, like the faja of the Andalucians, is a sort of store into which everything is put, 
 and replaces the pockets, which could neither be put in a short vest or tight breeches. 
 Notwithstanding the intense heat of the month of June, this dress was covered by an ample 
 Castilian cape of brown cloth, following the Oriental maxim, " that which protects from 
 cold defies the heat." The Charras are famed for their beauty, and not without reason, 
 more especially when they are decked out for a f^te. The hair caught up by a large 
 ribbon behind the head, linen sleeves with black embroidery ; a rebozillo of embroidered 
 fichu covers the shoulders and chest, over which several coils of gold chain are attractively 
 displayed, and carry a cross set with emeralds ; large earrings, zarcillos, jewellery of 
 coarse workmanship, but picturesque design. We must not neglect to note the petticoat 
 and apron of scarlet or garnet coloured velvet, embroidered with birds, flowers, and 
 other objects. It is without doubt from this profusion of embellishments that the word 
 Charro is derived, an adjective in the Spanish language signifying anything laden with 
 ornaments. 
 
 The road from Salamanca to Zamora, which we traversed in six hours by diligence, 
 ofi"ers no points of special interest. Nevertheless Dor^ made good use of his time in 
 sketching first a pareja (couple) of civiles — the police of Spain, who parade the roads by 
 moonlight ; next a rustic funeral, a simple yet touching scene, the body of a peasant laid 
 out on a cart, the face uncovered, drawn by two oxen, and followed by his mourning 
 friends and relations ; a group of beggars ; and, in a little hamlet at which he stopped, a 
 pretty pavera — turkey-keeper — who stood for her portrait with much complacency. 
 
 Zamora is a little town which still seems to belong to a bygone age, although the 
 railway has put it in communication with Medina del Campo. It is proposed to continue 
 the line to the frontier of Portugal, about forty miles distant. The cathedral and ruins of 
 the palace of Dona Urraca are almost the only objects of interest in the town. Dona 
 Urraca, a princess who lived in the twelfth century, played an important part in the 
 romancero of the Cid. During the Middle Ages Zamora was called la lien circada— the, well 
 fortified ; a Zamora no se gano en una hora, " Zamora was not taken in an hour," says the 
 proverb. The town became famous during the comuneros war in Castile, when the Bishop 
 of Zamora commanded in person a battalion of fighting priests which he himself had 
 formed. 
 
 On the following day we left for Toro, another unimportant, antique, sluggish-looking 
 town, which boasts no special industry. The surrounding country is, however, fertile and 
 
448 SPAIN. 
 
 produces excellent wheat. The Duero, running parallel to the highway, and passing 
 through the town, must be a rather remarkable stream, as well as an invaluable resource 
 of the indolent natives, who liken its nourishing waters to chicken broth. 
 
 The next train conveyed us to Medina del Campo, a town boasting little of its ancient 
 splendour, but containing at the same time a number of monuments of historic interest. 
 The Castillo de la Mota, a brick edifice of the sixteenth century, towers proudly over the 
 town. Caesar Borgia was imprisoned in this stronghold for two years. Isabella the Catholic 
 died in one of the apartments of this castle in 1 504. Medina del Campo — the town of the 
 plain — was formerly a great commercial centre. "A rich town with great traific," says 
 a French traveller, "because of its long fairs held during both summer and winter." 
 Navagiero says : " It is a fine country full of costly residences, and extremely rich, owing 
 to the numerous fairs held there every year, which bring buyers and sellers from all parts 
 of Spain. There are very fine streets, and as a great portion of the town was burnt 
 
 in the time of the communitd, the major part of Medina has been recently rebuilt 
 
 Merchandise of all sorts abounds at the fair, but spices brought from Portugal take an 
 important place. The greater part of the business is efi'ected by exchange." 
 
 These spices and exchanges call to mind a curious incident relating to the journey 
 of Charles V., when the emperor halted at Medina del Campo on his way to Yuste. The 
 erudite canon, Tomds Gonzalez, relates in his curious account of the last days of the 
 emperor, that the latter stopped at a celebrated money-changer's, Eodrigo de Duenas. 
 The banker, either to please his guest, or to display his wealth, placed a hrasero of massive 
 gold in his chamber ; but instead of olive-nuts he burned in it the finest cinnamon of 
 Ceylon. Spices were sold weight and weight for gold, and cinnamon was held in high 
 esteem in Spain. It would appear that Charles V. was nearly suffocated by the odour, 
 and, in order to punish the banker for his ostentation, would not permit him to kiss his 
 hand, and moreover caused him to be paid for his apartments, as if he had been a common 
 iuukeeper. 
 
 We passed through the town in November, and our host likewise honoured us by 
 placing a hrasero in our room, only of copper ; yet an ordinary fire and common chimney 
 would have pleased us better in such a climate as Castile. These chafing-dishes are only 
 useful in warming one's feet or hands, and lighting a cigarette. Be that as it may, they 
 were very anciently in vogue in the Peninsula ; we have seen them in Spain covered with 
 silver, and dating from the sixteenth century. An author of that epoch relates that 
 a pretty comedian complained to the Duke of Alba that she had no money, that her room 
 was so cold she was nearly frozen in it. The duke sent her a hrasero filled with piastres. 
 The use of the brazier was not always without danger ; it might cause headaches, and even 
 asphyxia, as one may find confirmed in the death of Philip III. 
 
 Medina del Campo, although it has no longer its fairs and its rich bankers, yet 
 carries on a considerable trade in the cereals of Castile. The grain is of the finest 
 quality, and is largely bought by Parisian merchants, who send their representatives to 
 Medina and its environs. 
 
 The arrival at Valladolid produces on the traveller an impression to which he is quite 
 unused in Spain. The black smoke from a forest of chimneys darkens the clear blue sky, 
 reminding him that he is in the midst of a busy manufacturing town. Valladolid was 
 the capital of Spain until the middle of the sixteenth century. It was then called 
 Valladolid la Noble, rica de toda grandeza, and according to an old sayin^*- it had no rival 
 in Castile. 
 
s 
 
 ■~1 
 
 
VALLADOLID. 
 
 451 
 
 Valladolid possesses a museum, in the building of the ancient colejio of Santa Crvz. 
 It would be difficult to enumerate the paintings which encumber the ten or twelve rooms, 
 corridors, and staircases ; with the exception of a picture of the Assumption, and two 
 canvases by Eubens, there are hardly any others worthy of notice. 
 
 Sculpture is more favourably represented : first there are two statues of gilded bronze 
 by Pompeo Leoni, the Duke and Duchess of Lerma, both kneeling. The celebrated 
 minister of Philip III. wears his armour, while the Duchess is richly attired. In the same 
 rooms we found statues carved in walnut, by Alonzo Berruguete, which belonged to the 
 convent of San Benito, the finest specimens of this sort of work to be seen in Spain. 
 Berruguete, one of the greatest sculptors of the sixteenth century, had fixed his residence 
 at Valladolid. Another sculptor, Gregorio Hernandez, who spent his days in the same 
 town, is worthy of special mention. Nothing is more curious than the sixty or eighty 
 large wooden figures executed by the artist for one of those pasos of which we have already 
 spoken. All the personages of the Passion are there represented, from Christ and the 
 two thieves, to the carpenter who pierces the cross with his auger. 
 
 MENDICANTS. 
 
BANKS OP THE CARRION, PALBNCIA. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 Palencia: the cathedral— The Cathedral of Leon — Astorga— Some -words about Spanish cookery — The temperance of 
 Spaniards— The ollapodrida and the joacAer-o— The chocolate of Astorga ; antiquity of chocolate in Spain— Curious traits 
 —Philip V. and Saint-Simon- Galicia— ViUafranca del Fierao- Lugo— The segadores gaUegos—Po^M\!s,x songs and sayings 
 ahout the Galicians— Santiago— Saint James of Compostelle— The Cathedral— Oviedo— The Asturias— Covadonga— The 
 inscription of the King Silo— The pass of Pajares. 
 
 Palencia, the ancient Palantia of the Eomans, is one of the most agreeable towns of Old 
 Castile. It is here that the romancero celebrates the marriage of the Cid with Dona Ximena. 
 The river Carrion, along whose banks we enjoyed many pleasant walks, has also its place 
 in the immortal work. The university of Palencia is the oldest in Spain : it existed two 
 hundred years before that of Salamanca. 
 
 The position of the town, with its hill of the Ermita del Otero, its river, its caual, and 
 its railways, is one of the best in Spain ; but the glory of Palencia is the cathedral. The 
 exterior is simple and imposing, while the interior contains an array of splendid works of 
 the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The pulpit, entirely of carved walnut-wood, is a 
 charming example of the art of the Renaissance. A magnificent reja of iron carries the date 
 1522. The sacerdotal vestments, carefully preserved in the sacristy, are masterpieces of 
 needlework. The beautiful custodia by Juan de Benavente is the best work of a Castilian 
 silversmith who was worthy of a wider fame. We noted several fleurs-de-lis, and were at 
 some loss to account for the presence of the French arms in a Castilian church. We gathered, 
 however, from the following legend, that " under the reign of Don Sancho, an anchorite, 
 San Antolin, lived in a forest. One day the king followed a stag which took refuge in the 
 grotto of the hermit ; the latter arrested the arm of the king, as he was about to sla^y the 
 

 «, 
 
 ^ 
 
 >5 
 O 
 
 a 
 u 
 
 > 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 ■< 
 » 
 -11 
 
LEON. 455 
 
 animal. The forest was presented to San Antolin, and the cathedral erected on the 
 site occupied by his grotto, which is still preserved in a crypt situated in the middle of the 
 church. San Antolin was a Frenchman, and it was to do honour to the saint revered at 
 Palencia that the Jleurs-de-lis were thus scattered over the cathedral." 
 
 The route from Palencia to Leon is only remarkable for its dreary monotony, suggestive 
 of a great desert enlivened at long intervals by trains of mules crossing the barren waste. 
 Even the lark, winging its flight across Castile, must carry its store of grain, and yet these 
 plains when cultivated amply repay the toil of tillage. 
 
 After crossing the Carrion and the canal of Castile several times, we arrived at 
 Paredes de Nava, the birthplace of the great Castilian sculptor Berruguete. A slight 
 accident occurring at the station of Grajal, a forced delay of two or three hours enabled 
 us to visit the church, whose construction is not devoid of elegance. Dord had time to 
 make a sketch of the town with its belt of old walls. Sahagun, the next station, is of 
 greater importance ; the spire of its church has a rather curious appearance ; the tiers, which 
 are numerous, gradually diminish in size upward, giving it the form of a truncated 
 P3'ramid. At last we arrived at Leon. Leon — how many memories are there not in the 
 name ! it alone proves the antiquity of the town, for it is none other than that of the 
 seventh legion of Augustus, who made it his headquarters, " Legio septima gemma." 
 After the Eomans came the Goths, then the Arabs, who, defeated and driven away, at 
 length returned under the command of the celebrated Almanzor, and reduced the town by 
 fire and sword ; but they did not hold it long. In the tenth century Leon had already 
 many kings before Castile made any laws. 
 
 In spite of all these souvenirs, Leon has nothing of the aspect of a capital, and were it 
 not for one or two monuments which bear testimony to its ancient splendour, it would 
 be little more than a large uninteresting village. Amongst these monuments, the 
 cathedral must take the first place, as it is famed throughout Spain for its light and 
 elegant construction, although it is rapidly losing its former graceful proportions by 
 the repairs and restorations which have been going on for four years. The M'indows, 
 dating from the thirteenth century, are of great beauty. Leon had formerly a school of 
 most skilful carvers, who carried their art to a degree of marvellous perfection, as may be 
 gathered from a pretty Gothic door of the cloister adjoining the cathedral, and one of those 
 of the fagade ; nevertheless, it is in the ancient convent of San Marcos where one encounters 
 marvellous specimens of the wood-carver's art. 
 
 The most ancient church of Leon is that of Sa7i Isidro el Real. The saint is pictured 
 above the entrance mounted on a horse and dressed in the attire of a bishop, brandishing 
 a sword, like the cavaliers seen on the seals of the Middle Ages, The most interesting part 
 of the church is a low chapel called the Panteon, dedicated to St. Catherine, and containing 
 the remains of several kings, queens, and princesses of Castile and of Leon. The sacristan 
 showed us a curious pennon or standard, of the close of the thirteenth century, ornamented 
 with gold and silver embroidery, representing the patron saint of the church on his palfrey. 
 
 Leaving Leon at seven o'clock in the morning, we reached the station of Astorga at 
 nine o'clock. During the Eoman epoch this town might have been, as Pliny says, a 
 magnificent place, yet at the present day Astorga is one of the most miserable towns in 
 Spain. Its cathedral, However, is in good preservation, and worthy of a passing visit. 
 
 Mr. George Borrow, when in Spain endeavouring to distribute the Bible, made some 
 attempts in Maragateria, but it proved to be time thrown away on men so wedded to their 
 ancient customs. He says: "I found their hearts coarse; their ears refused to listen, 
 and their eyes were shut. There was one to whom I showed the New Testament who 
 
456 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 listened, or pretended to listen, with patience, while every now and then he took copious 
 draughts from an enormous jug of white wine he held between his knees. ' As to what you 
 have just told me,' said he, ' I understand very little, and I don't believe a word ; yet I will 
 take three or four Bibles. I shall not read them, it is true, but I have no doubt I shall be 
 able to sell them at a higher price than the one you ask.' " 
 
 We shall long remember the dinner we had at the posada of Astorga : the table was 
 itself suggestive. The cloth was stained with red wine, stray sausages, and yolk of eggs, 
 heightened in effect by pieces of vermilion pickle, and the whole glazed with a coating of 
 oil. The dinner-napkins were worthy of the tablecloth, and reminded us of a consoling 
 passage in the memoirs of the Marquis of Louville, where he says that they made dinner- 
 
 GHAJAL, NEAR LEON. 
 
 napkins for Philip V., in the palace of La Granja, with the shirts of his scullions. The 
 
 waiter, a robust Asturian, first brought a tureen full of a preparation fuming with strong 
 
 oil. Next appeared a partridge floating in a pool of oil. Wine-vinegar, with all sorts of 
 
 strong herbs, followed by a stew of sheeps' trotters ; and the other dishes were no less 
 
 curious and strong. 
 
 The sobriety of the Spaniards has been much, and reasonably, vaunted in ancient and 
 
 modern times. It is an old Spanish saying that " one may find perfect contentment in a 
 
 cruHt of bread and bit of garlic : " 
 
 " Con pan y ajo crudo 
 Se anda seguro." 
 
 — " Dinner," says another proverb, " has killed more men than Avicenna ever cured : " 
 
 " Mas mat6 la oena 
 Que sano Avicena." 
 
>s. 
 
 o 
 
 » 
 
 Q 
 
 O 
 P4 
 
 !h 
 P4 
 H 
 !z; 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 » 
 H 
 
 b, 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 Pi 
 
 » 
 
SPANISH COOKEEY. 459 
 
 " They are very temperate, and are not fastidious as to what they eat," said a Dutch 
 traveller in 1669. " The greatest lords have their soup made of a fowl, witli a little beef 
 
 and mutton They drink very little wine, and the table of a worthy citizen of Paris 
 
 is better than that of a Spanish grandee." 
 
 They were even anciently said to be equally noted for their temperate use of wine 
 and their utter abhorrence of drunkenness. The name drunkard ever applied to any one 
 was not unfrequently avenged by murder. Nevertheless, if the Spaniards are renowned 
 for their temperate living, they at the same time cannot be set down as niggardly in their 
 hospitality. 
 
 At the feast given by the Constable of Castile at Valladolid, in honour of the English 
 ambassador in 1603, the account of which, attributed to Cervantes, fired the malicious 
 spirit of the poet Gongora, there were twelve hundred dishes of fish and meat 
 served, without counting dessert and other courses. Saint-Simon himself speaks with 
 enthusiasm of a dinner which was placed before him by a great Castilian lord. It 
 is true that Spanish cookery, looked at from the point of view of the Grimod de la 
 Eeynifere, the Brillat-Savarin, etc., may seem primitive and even barbarous, yet it is 
 not without its merits, and ought to be re-established in the favour of epicures free from 
 prejudice. 
 
 Each province has its favourite dish, but the national dish is the puchero — almost a 
 synonym of dinner. To invite a friend one says, " Vente d comer el puchero conmigo." Puchero, 
 in the first place, signifies an earthen pot, that is, the modern synonym of olla, pronounced 
 oya. This name signifies a mixture of a variety of ingredients — a Spanish hodge-podge 
 composed of beef, mutton, chickens, capon, bacon, lard, pigs' feet, garlic, onions, and all 
 sorts of vegetables. The bacon was indispensable. " There is never an olla without bacon, 
 or a wedding without tambourine," says an old proverb : 
 
 " No hay olla sin tocino, 
 Ni boda sin tamborino." 
 
 There is also a curious variation in which cookery and the church are blended — " There 
 is never an olla without bacon, or a sermon without Saint Augustine : " 
 
 " No hay olla sin tocino, 
 M sermon sin sau Agostino." 
 
 To the name of olla was added that of podrida, or mess, because it becomes too soft by 
 overcooking. According to this refrain, when it boils too long it loses its flavour : 
 
 " Olla que mncho hierve 
 Sabor pierde." 
 
 There are also a dozen other popular sayings of this kind, as the olla played as important 
 a part in the cooking as does the puchero at the present day. 
 
 Let us say a few words on the altramuz, which is no other than the lupine of Horace. 
 It appears to have been the favourite food of the Greek philosophers, more especially of 
 the Cynics ; the Koman conquerors gave it largely to the people, and it figured- on the 
 most refined tables. At the present day in Spain, as indeed in Italy, it occupies the most 
 humble position among vegetables. It is eaten boiled, and in Andalucia the altramuceros 
 sell it grilled. The altramuz, it is said, is very wholesome, and, above all others, the 
 vegetable of the poor. 
 
 There is an animal which figures largely in Spanish gastronomy : we wish to speak of 
 the more useful than ornamental quadruped which Grimod calls an encyclopedian animal 
 
46o SPAIN. 
 
 — the pig — since it • must be called by its name. It is used in a great variety of ways. 
 There is, indeed, no country in which this unclean animal plays so important a part, or is 
 more worthy of the epithet which the celebrated gastronomer, Grimod de la Reyniere, 
 has given it. It has a great variety of pet names, too numerous to mentiou. In Spain 
 excellent hams are made ; sweet hams of Cadiar in the Alpujarras are renowned in 
 Andalucia. This name is given to them because of the coating of sugar with which they 
 are covered. 
 
 The finest hams are those of Montanchez, in Estremadura, where the pigs are said to 
 be fed on vipers. The hams were considered equal to those of Bayonne and Mayence, and 
 so the jamon gallegg. The morcillas — black puddings — and the chorizos — sausages — are 
 also highly esteemed, and include a number of choice varieties. The bacon, too, is not 
 without its share of the fame, and is said by epicureans to improve by keeping, like 
 old wine. 
 
 Astorga, although a place of almost no commercial importance, is at the same time 
 famed for its chocolate. This important article of trade was first discovered by the 
 Spaniards in Mexico, about the year 1520, where it was known as calahuatl, or chocolatl. It 
 was at once introduced into Spain, and soon afterwards to France and the other countries of 
 Europe, when it became a very grave question among the Eoman Catholics, whether the 
 prepared chocolate broke the fasts ; but the point was at length decided in favour of 
 the much-loved beverage by Pope Paul V., who, ordering some to be prepared in his 
 presence, pronounced it lawful to be drunk during the fasts of the Church. Philip V. had 
 perhaps read the curious volume of Padre Tomas Hurtado ; at any rate, he always took his 
 chocolate with a tranquil conscience, if we are to credit Saint-Simon. 
 
 " One day, seeing the Queen taking snufi", I said it seemed strange to me that the King 
 himself neither indulged in snufi" nor chocolate. The King replied it was true he did not 
 take snuff", upon which the Queen strove to excuse herself by saying that she had tried 
 times without number to give up the pernicious habit, out of respect to her royal husband, 
 but that she was quite unequal to the task of self-denial. The King added, as to chocolate 
 ' I take it with the Queen on fast days.' ' What, how, sire,' I replied, ' chocolate on fast 
 days ? ' ' Yes,' said the King gravely, ' chocolate does not break the fast.' ' But sire ' I 
 continued, ' it is something which nourishes and sustains the body.' ' J assure you ' replied 
 the King, reddening a little, ' it does not break the fast ; the Jesuits, who told me, take it 
 regularly themselves. On fast days, it is true, they use it without bread.' I stopped 
 short, not having come to instruct the King as to the manner of observing fasts • but I 
 must say I admired the morality of the pious fathers, and the instruction which they 
 imparted. Truly kings repose in dense and tranquil clouds who trust to the guidance 
 of these holy men ! " 
 
 The railway which unites Galicia to Old Castile and the other provinces of Spain stops 
 at the present day at the station of Branuelas, a poor village several miles from Astorga, 
 whereas we continued our journey in the coche-correo through a very dreary country that 
 brought us at last to the picturesque Vierzo, a circular valley about thirty miles across, 
 green with woods of chestnut and walnut trees, or vast fields of flax, watered by limpid 
 streams recalling scenes in Switzerland or Dauphind. 
 
 Climbing a hill on foot, we fell in with a maragato bound for Leon with a cartload of 
 huge chestnuts from Vierzo. Off"ering him a cigar, which he received without ceremony, 
 insisting at the same time on our accepting some of his nuts, we entered into conversation'. 
 This simple incident is characteristic of the independent pride and generosity of the 
 
.NATIV 
 
 E CART AxN'D CHESTNUT MERCHANT. 
 
 To face page 460. 
 
GALICIA AND ITS PEOPLE. 463 
 
 peasantry. Passing through Pouferrada, we soon arrived at Villafranca del Vierzo, a 
 pretty little town whose ancient name, Villa Francorum, is derived from the bands of 
 French pilgrims who halted here on their way to Saint James of Compostelle. 
 
 The country becomes gradually more wild and hilly, and at the picturesque villages 
 through which we made our way, the girls offered us glasses of water, fruits, and milk. 
 At last we reached Lugo, an ancient Eoman city with walls like those of Astorga. Here we 
 were in Galicia, where we might study at our leisure the natives whom we had already 
 met at Madrid as wx)zos de cordel, and whom we had frequently encountered along the 
 highways, setting out as reapers for the harvest. There is an annual exodus of the 
 hardy and robust children of Galicia, who make their way into the different provinces of 
 Spain to work as farm labourers during autumn. For all that, these rude tillers of the 
 soil are passionately attached to their country. On our way through La Mancha in the 
 coachicg days, we came across a dozen of these reapers, seated beneath an olive-tree, 
 devouring their simple meal with a hearty appetite. When we spoke to them of Lugo, 
 Santiago, and of the mountains, their bronzed faces lightened up, they grasped our hands 
 and compelled us to drink some black wine in honour of Galicia. In spite of their honesty 
 and many other admirable qualities, they are made the butt of the people of other quarters 
 of Spain. The name Gallego now signifies coarse, or ignorant. Many popular verses have 
 been devoted to the poor Gallegos : 
 
 " Los Gallegos en Galicia 
 Guando van en procesion, 
 Llevan un gate por santo 
 Y una vieja por pendon." 
 
 — " The Galicians in Galicia, when they march in procession, carry a cat in place of a 
 saint, and an old woman for a banner." 
 
 "Los Gallegos en Galicia 
 Cuando se van k casar, 
 Llevan la tripilla llena 
 De mendruguillos de pan." 
 
 — " The Galicians in Galicia, when they celebrate a wedding, feast on bread crusts." 
 
 The couplets of this sort beginning with the same line are almost without number. 
 
 During the sixteenth century they were badly treated in the popular proverbs ; it was 
 even said, " It is better to be a Moor than a Galician." 
 
 Santiago, better known in France under the name of " Saint Jacques de Compostelle," 
 is the most ancient and famous pilgrimage in Spain. Saint James was the patron saint of 
 the country, and Santiago was the war-cry of the Spaniards during the Middle Ages. 
 According to the legend, the apostle who was going to Spain disembarked at Padron, at 
 some distance from Santiago, A miraculous star, at a later time, shone over the spot where 
 his body lay. His remains were brought to the town, which received the name of Campus 
 stellcB — Field of the star. 
 
 Santiago is surrounded by mountains, and rendered unhealthy by the prevalence of 
 a damp atmosphere. 
 
 The cathedral is most ancient, and in its general plan reminds one of that of Saint 
 Sernin of Toulouse, which it is said served as a model for it. The part we admired most is 
 the portico de la gloria, a magnificent gateway ornamented with numerous figures in relief. 
 This masterpiece of the maestro Mateo has been remodelled for the South Kensington Museum 
 in London. We were present when it was put in position about two years ago. The 
 tomb of Saint James still occupies its ancient place, and Madame d'Aulnoy informs us 
 
464 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 that the boues of the saint rattle audibly in the grave when any great calamity is 
 about to overtake Spain. 
 
 Oviedo is the capital of the province of that name, and the principal town of the 
 Asturias, one of the most rugged and wild countries of the Peninsula. It is from the 
 mountains of the ancient Principado de Asturias that these mozos de cordel and the 
 aguadores descend every year, dressed in their conical hats and short trousers, as we 
 have seen them at Madrid. 
 
 Pelage, first king of the Asturias, who was called Don Pelayo, defended this country 
 
 successfully against the Arabs. 
 
 In the passes of Covadonga, 
 about thirty-six miles from Oviedo, 
 he arrested their progress with 
 only a thousand men against an 
 army of twenty thousand. Some 
 historians say that there were three 
 hundred thousand. Covadonga is 
 thus looked upon as the cradle of 
 Spanish independence. 
 
 Asturias, the only province 
 which was never under Mussulman 
 rule, is still little known on account 
 of the great difficulty of access. 
 It is in this province one finds 
 the finest specimen of ancient 
 Gothic architecture, and most 
 curious inscriptions. Here is a 
 most interesting example bearing 
 the name of one of the successors 
 of Pelage, King Silo, who reigned 
 in the Asturias towards the close 
 of the ninth century. We obtained 
 it from a friend at Oviedo ; it was 
 copied from Santiyanes de Pravia, 
 about thirty miles from the town, 
 and is composed of the words 
 Silo princeps fecit, which may be 
 
 FPi'V^/Kr., ,Sc , 
 
 GALICIAN, HOLIDAY COSTUME. 
 
 read in many difiercnt ways, always starting from the middle. 
 
 TIOEFSPECNCEPSPECIT 
 
 I CEFSPECNINCEPSFEOI 
 
 CEFSPECNIElJSrOEPSFEC 
 
 EFSPECNIEPKINCEP8FE 
 
 FS PECNIEPOPE INCEPSF 
 
 SPECNIEPOLOPEINCEPS 
 
 PECNIRPOLILOPEINCEP 
 
 ECNIEPOLISILOPEINCE 
 
 PECNIEPOLILOPEINCEP 
 
 SPECNIEPOLOPE INCEPS 
 
 FSPECNIEPOPEINCEPSF 
 
 EF SPECNIEPEINCEPSFE 
 
 CEFSPECNIEINCEPSFEC 
 
 ICEFSPECNINCEPSFECI 
 
 TICEFSPECNCEPSFECIT 
 
THE PUERTO DE PAJARES. 
 
 465 
 
 Asfcurias, one of tbe wildest provinces in Spain, is approached by a single coach-road 
 from the province of Leon, along which we made our return journey to Leon We 
 fortunately passed without a(jcident the Puerto de Pajares, a narrow defile which separates 
 the two provinces. It not unfrequently happens during winter that this pass is blocked 
 up with snow, when travellers are compelled to rest at the posada. Passing Pola de 
 Gordon we soon arrived at Leon, and the following day, throwing a parting "salutation 
 to the cathedral of Palencia, entered the capital of Old Castile. 
 
 INTERIOR OF A COUNTRY INN. 
 
THE CID'S coffer, BUBGOS CATHEDEAL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Burgos — Costumes of the peasants ; the Montera — The Marvado de la Llendre — The Casa del Cordon, and the Ano 
 de Santa Maria — The Ayuntamiento ; the bones of the Cid— The Cathedral — A statue of Christ covered with 
 human skin ; el Cofre del Cid — The monastery of Las Huelgas and the Cartuja de Miraflores ; the nuns — San 
 
 Pedro de Cordova -. the tomb of the Cid — The Cid, did he really exist ?- 
 Calahorra — Tudela. 
 
 Miranda de Ebro— The Ebro— The 
 
 Although beneath a blue sky and brilliant sun, the cold of Burgos was excessive. Yet it 
 was only the month of October ; nevertheless, the town, standing in the centre of an elevated 
 plateau, is one of the coldest places in Spain : we even remembered seeing two feet of snow 
 there during the month of November. 
 
 The Arlanzon, a small stream nearly dry in summer, is frequently frozen during 
 winter. Navagiero, who visited this spot in 1524, thought the place as sad as its sky, 
 which is frequently clouded over. It is said that Burgos wears mourning for all Castile. 
 It is on the Plaza de la Lihertad, surrounded by covered porticoes, that one sees the real 
 Castilian wrapped in his mantle warming himself in the sun, and seeking shelter from the 
 wind. As long as he has — says a popular verse — wine, garlic, corn, and barley, he neither 
 quits the place in July nor his mantle in January. 
 
 It is here that the markets are held, where one may see the peasant women with bright 
 yellow petticoats, and the men decked with their monteras of skin. This ancient head- 
 dress, something of the form of a helmet, imparts a savage look to its wearer. Ponz 
 remarked during last century : " The people are the best repository of ancient customs and 
 usages. The variety of the monteras in the different provinces of Spain represents, so. far 
 as I can judge, the shape of the ancient morions, sallets, and other helmets used at different 
 
THE POOR DE SOLEMNIDAD, BURGOS. 
 
 To face imge 466. 
 
BURGOS. 469 
 
 epochs. This people, ahnost entirely military, have not only preserved the form of the 
 helmet in their monteras, but also that of the ancient armour in their coletos, doublets, 
 polaynas, and the abarcas, gaiters, and even in the alpargatas. When one outers an ancient 
 Armena, if familiar with the Sevillian, Granadiau, Valencian, CasLilian, and Galician 
 monteras, one will at once detect a strong resemblance in them to the helmets of olden 
 times." 
 
 " Burgos at the present day presents a picture of poverty, idleness, and depopulation," 
 said a traveller of the last century, and this may be held to describe the place truly even 
 now. We fell in with a number of beggars, wearing above their forehead, attached to the 
 bat, a tin plate on which, stamped in relief, are found these words, Pohres d solemiiidad. 
 These were poor beggars regularly licensed by the ayuntamiento of Burgos : the word 
 solemnidad signifies notoriety. At the entrance of an old portico we one day remarked a 
 number of men coming and goiug, most of them covered with rags. Asking a young 
 charcoal-seller what it all meant, she blushingly replied, after a moment's hesitation, that it 
 was the Mercado de la Llendre, which we render honestly, but not literally, by market of 
 rags, for the rags are the recipients of the llendre, a name given to the eggs of a certain 
 insect much attached to human hair, an insect which a Spanish poet, Cepeda Guzman, causes 
 to figure even on the head of a sonnet, and which he affirms is at times born in golden 
 tresses. 
 
 " Piojos cria el -cahello mas dorado." This highly picturesque, but withal lively, 
 
 market reminded us of Houndsditch, which we had visited in London with Dord. But to 
 
 return to the mendicants of Burgos, most of them bear their lot with an air of resignation 
 
 mingled with pride. As good Castilians, they doubtless think that some drops of noble 
 
 blood flow through their veins ; some of them take a purely philosophic view of their 
 
 condition : thus we heard a blind beggar sing the following strain : 
 
 " Los pobres mas hambrientos 
 Son los mas ricos, 
 Porque todo lo comen 
 Con apitito : 
 No asi los grandes, 
 Que aunque todo les sobra, ' 
 
 Les falta el liambre." 
 
 — " The famished poor are the richest, because they devour what falls to their lot with a 
 good appetite ; it is not so with the rich— although they have everything in abundance, 
 they still lack hunger." 
 
 Amongst the ancient houses of Burgos the Casa del Cordon is one of the most 
 interestino-. It takes its name from a cord cut in relief round the entrance door, an 
 original decoration obtained from the arms of the Condestable de Castilla, by whom it was 
 built. The Area de Santa Maria, constructed under Charles V., pointing to the Espolon, a 
 fashionable promenade, is ornamented with statues of ancient armed warriors. The Ayun- 
 tamiento is a very common edifice, where we were shown, in one of the halls, the bones of the 
 Cid and of Dona Ximena, preserved— profanation I— in a bottle in a vulgar glass-case. 
 
 The cathedral of Burgos is remarkable for its elegance and lightness of construction. 
 One of the chapels contains a rather curious image of Christ, said to have been picked up 
 by a trader in the Bay of Biscay, and fomed for its power of working miracles. This 
 wonderful idol is covered with human skin in a manner ingenious, although at the same 
 time revolting to contemplate. 
 
 After beholding this remarkable relic, we noticed at one of the doorways, fixed up 
 
470 SPAIN. 
 
 agaiust a wall, an old coffer of worm-eaten wood, kept together with clamps of iron, 
 supported by two brackets beneath and chain above. It originally belonged to the Cid 
 Campeador, the coffer which has been rendered famous by chroniclers and by legends. 
 According to some it formerly contained the veritable altar which followed the hero 
 throughout his campaigns ; others say that it held the sheath of his sword. Lastly, this 
 model of cavaliers used it to play a trick on two Jews, which in our days would be a 
 subject for the consideration of the police magistrate. " One day, when Campeador 
 required money, he sent for two Jewish usurers named Rachel and Bidas, from whom he 
 borrowed a very heavy sum, giving them as a pledge the coffer in question, full of sand, 
 assuring them that it contained valuable jewels." It must be recorded, however, that the 
 Cid paid back at the stated time both principal and interest. 
 
 The monastery of Las Huelgas stands so near to the town that we had time to visit 
 it one morning before breakfast, and to make some sketches of the church and cloister, 
 which dates from the second half of the thirteenth century. The architecture struck us as 
 being at once simple and noble. Madame d'Aulnoy knew a beautiful and fascinating 
 widow who retired to this convent. " It is," she said, " a celebrated abbey, where there 
 are a hundred and fifty nuns, most of them the daughters of princes, dukes, or people of 
 rank. These poor children enter at the age of six or seven years, sometimes earlier, 
 when the vows are generally taken by the parents, or some near relative, while the little 
 victim finds attraction in jams and sweets, caring little how she is dressed, and knowing 
 less of the miserable life before her." The convent of Huelgas is still occupied by nuns, so 
 that we had to content ourselves by viewing the church through an iron gateway. "We 
 have often seen these iron gateways in Spain, more especially in a convent of Granada, 
 Avhere the visitors' room is separated from that of the nuns by a triple network of iron ; the 
 bars are so close together that the hand cannot pass through, and, to increase the security, 
 long points of iron are placed at each intersection, menacing the profane like so many 
 poniards. These numerous precautions, we are informed, were sometimes useless, and 
 witliout doubt it was so in the time of the Countess d'Aulnoy, who describes a room 
 with three frightful gratings bristling with points of iron. 
 
 " What," said one of her interlocutors ; " we always thought the nuns were sociable 
 and attractive, but they need hardly fear a lover so powerful as to break down these iron 
 barriers." 
 
 From Las Huelgas to Cartuja de Mirajlores is only a short distance. This was formerly 
 one of the richest convents in Spain. A walk of two hours brought us next to San Pedro 
 de Cardena, an ancient convent containing the body of the Cid, which was taken there on 
 his famous horse Babieca, and not Babiega, as it is sometimes written, and which it is said 
 was buried with him, according to his wish, together with his three favourite swords, the 
 Colada, Joyosa, and Tizon, or Tizona. 
 
 It may at first appear surprising, after having noticed the hero's horse and swords, to 
 put this question : The Cid, did he ever exist ? The question may seem impertinent 
 in a land where the legendary hero has become a sort of demi-god ; nevertheless, a well- 
 known Spanish historian of the last century — Masdeu — dared to doubt his existence. It is 
 now known, let us assure our readers, that the Cid was, after all, no fabulous hero, but 
 that he really existed. At the close of last century, Ponz mentions, in his Viage de Espana, 
 a curious manuscript of the twelfth century, which he saw at Leon, wherein the Cid was 
 named Campi doctus. Since that time another interesting document has been brought to 
 light, extracted from the edicts of a council held in i i6o, sixty years after the hero's death. 
 
"'-/■>:^:^>.-i4i 
 
 A, 
 
 • ' ^« < ijt- i - c'^^"*»C^ , 
 
 
 
 
THE cm. 473 
 
 at Hormedes, in the diocese of Palencia. In this document the Cid is called Magnus Royz 
 Didaz, cognomento Citte Campeator. The existence of the Cid has been also proved by the 
 notices of several contemporary Arabian historians which have been translated and sifted 
 by M. Dozy, Professor of the University of Leyde. Conde and Gayangos have also given 
 extracts from these authors, who, in place of representing the Cid as a model of chivalrous 
 loyalty, paint him as a fierce, perfidious, and ungenerous enemy, faults common to 
 more than one hero of the Middle Ages. A modern Spanish writer, M. Alcala Galiano, 
 believes that a personage existed called the Cid, who rendered himself famous during the 
 wars against the infidels. Better still, he feels assured that there were several Cids. M, 
 Antoine de Latour says, speaking of this author, "in the year of grace, 1862, M. Alcala 
 Galiano was summoned to appear before a judge, who in Spain has the attributes of our 
 justice of the peace, for having affirmed the existence of a plurality of Cids. Ilis accuser, 
 Don Casimiro Orense y Eavazo, appeared as a direct descendant of the Cid, and modestly 
 disclosed his ancestry to the judge. M. Alcala Galiano, on his side, might have challenged 
 Don Casimiro to establish his descent. Unfortunately the latter died, and this curious case 
 was never brought to an issue." 
 
 It is well known that between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, an innumerable 
 collection of books appeared, celebrating the fabulous adventures of the Cid — this Hercules 
 of Spain. Let us confine ourselves to stating that the biographers place the birth of the Cid 
 between the years 1026 and 1040, in a little village, six miles from Burgos — Bivar, or 
 Vivar — which had the extraordinary fame of introducing into the world the hero whom 
 the romances and the histories call el ynvencible, el esforgado cavallero el Cid Ruy Dias de 
 Bivar, el buen Campeador, mio Cid el de Bihar, mio Cid lidiador, etc. 
 
 Let us say good-bye to the Cid, and proceed to the north of Old Castile. After 
 passing Briviesca we arrived at the Gargantas de Pancorho, one of the wildest and most 
 grotesquely picturesque passes ; huge perpendicular rocks tower to a great height, and 
 in some parts nearly meet together. A traveller of the seventeenth century calls it "This 
 frightful passage, which seems rather the road to the lower regions than to Pancorbo." 
 
 When a meeting was arranged between Louis XIV. and Philip IV., on the occasion 
 of the marriage of the King of France with the Princess Maria Theresa, the King 
 of Spain conducting the royal betrothed,- and accompanied by a numerous retinue, passed 
 through the gorges in the month of April, It was a series of f^tes like a triumphal 
 march : the nobles and the ayuntamientos prepared bull-fights and fireworks ; they even lit 
 bonfires on the summits of the rocks of Pancorbo. 
 
 After emerging from the passes the country still preserves its wild, hilly aspect. 
 On our right is the ancient monastery of Bujedo, built at the base of enormous rocks, and 
 which in the good old days of the monks must have sheltered numerous guests. Ivy 
 has invaded its ruined walls, and the roofs that have fallen in disclose great halls, 
 deserted save by crows and owls. 
 
 At length the train stopped at a station for twenty minutes, which time the passengers 
 
 spent at the buffet. We were in the last town of Old Castile, by the side of the Ebro, 
 
 the ancient Iberus, that gave its name to the "ha,rd ground of Iberia." The waters 
 
 of the Ebro, clear like those of the Tagus and the Tiber, are not navigable ; many fruitless 
 
 attempts had been made to deepen its channel. It waters a part of Old Castile, and flows 
 
 through the entire length of Aragon ; a popular saying compares it to a traitor, Ebro 
 
 traidor naces en Castilla y riegas d Aragon — " Ebro, thou art a traitor : born in Castile, thou 
 
 waterest Aragon." This saying is, however, not quite accurate, seeing that the watershed 
 
 2 M 
 
474 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 of the Ebro is in Fontibre (Foiis Iberis), in the mountains of Eeinosa, province of 
 Santiinder. 
 
 We passed through the little village of Haro, which has given its name to a celebrated 
 family including among its members the famous Luis de Haro, successor to the distinguished 
 Bake of Olivares. The country is fertile and charming ; hills planted with vines and 
 green prairies make one forget the sadness of the landscapes of Old Castile. We were 
 now in the province of Logrono, whose capital we soon reached, Logrono is an old town, 
 with narrow, winding streets, and its stream spanned by a bridge of the Middle Ages. 
 
 GORGES OF PANCOUBO : THE TUNNEL. 
 
 It was the birthplace of the celebrated painter Navarrete, towards 1520, a master colourist 
 who merits the name of the Spanish Titian. 
 
 Calahorra, one of the next stations, is the ancient Eoman Calagurris, which suffered 
 a still more terrible siege than that of Numance. The inhabitants, rather than yield up 
 the town, endured the most terrible famine. Historians supply details which make one 
 shudder. Husbands ate their wives, and mothers killed and salted their own children. 
 
 An hour after passing Calahorra, we halted at Tudela, a very ancient little town, 
 the Roman Tutela, which a Dutch traveller calls " a town inhabited by thieves and 
 
GOEGES OF TANCORBO. 
 
 To fare page 474- 
 
THE NAVARRESE. 
 
 477 
 
 banditti." " Eatlier a pretty towu," lie adds, "but being on the borders of Aragon, 
 Castile, and Biscay, it is tbe retreat and nest of numerous malefactors, wlio bave fled from 
 their country to escape the punishment due to their crimes. According to currejit report, 
 it is doubtless a resort of vagabonds ; yet I came across several thoroughly respectable- 
 looking personages, forming au exception to tbe general run of the community." 
 
 The Navarrese are active and laborious, like their neighbours the Basques, and are 
 much attached to their country. Their popular songs celebrate the beauty of their 
 
 cloudless sky : 
 
 " El cielo de la Navarra 
 EsU vestido de azul, 
 Por eso las Navarritas 
 Tienen la sal de Jesiis." 
 
 — " The sky of Navarre is clothed with azure. That has given to the Navarrese the grace 
 of Jesus." 
 
 THE MONASTERY OF LAS HDBLGAS, NEAR BUEQOS. 
 
OLIVE PLANTATIONS NEAR SARAGOSSA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Aiagonese and their costume ; the cinta morada ; the alpargatas — Ricla — Carinefta — Teruel : legend of los Amantes de 
 rerweZ— Calatayud : the Moreria—Th.e Castillo del iJeZq;'— Medina-Celi— Sigueuza — The popular physicians of Spain : 
 Barberos, sangradores, sacamuelas, curanderos ; and other charlatans — Bleeding the arm and the foot ; satirical couplets 
 on the doctors ; Guadalajara ; the palace of the dukes of the Infantado — Saragossa ; the Torre Nueva (leaning tower) — ■ 
 Our Lady del Pilar— The popular saints ; San Anton and the loaves and ladies ; a saint in a well ; some coplas — Sail 
 Juan de Dios, San Boque, etc. 
 
 We are now in the heart of Aragon, one of the most interesting provinces of the 
 
 Peninsula. The Aragonese, beneath a rough exterior, conceals a loyal and generous nature. 
 
 His stubbornness is proverbial, and according to an ancient refrain his head is so hard 
 
 that he would find no difficulty in using it to drive a nail into a stone wall. The malicious 
 
 even affirm that he would succeed in driving the nail home into the wall with the pointed 
 
 end next his skull. "When an Aragonese is born, his mother knocks him on the head 
 
 with a plate — according to the legend : should the plate break, he is a choice hard-headed 
 
 child ; but, on the contrary, should it remain whole he is soft-headed and will cause sorrow. 
 
 The costume is highly picturesque, more especially when worn by one of the robust, 
 
 well-made peasants, with a broad violet band round his waist. Violet is the favourite 
 
 colour for the fajas moradas all over Aragon. It is also the colour of the ribbon to which 
 
 the image of the patron saint is suspended round the neck of every good Aragonese. The 
 
 head-dress is extremely simple, consisting of a coloured handkerchief twisted round the 
 
CALATAYUD. 
 
 481 
 
 head, and tied over the right temple. The band, of which we have just spoken, supports 
 tight-fitting breeches of green or black velvet, or fawn-coloured leather, falling to the 
 knees and supplemented by blue stockings, fitting closely to the well-formed leg, and 
 reaching to the ankles, so as to leave the bare foot to support the hempen sandals. 
 
 Continuing our route towards the south of the province, we soon arrived at Eicla, 
 a small obscure town rising like an amphitljeatre on a hill to the right. During the 
 sixteenth century Eicla was famed for its firearms, of the most elegant workmanship. 
 The country, watered by the Jalon, is extremely fertile ; so fertile, indeed, that the vine- 
 yards of Carinena, which we passed on our way from Saragossa to Teruel, are celebrated 
 all over Spain, Viewed from a distance, the old walls and battlements of Teruel reminded 
 us of Toledo and Avila. This town is the centre of a vast district into which railways 
 have not yet penetrated, and are not likely to penetrate for some time to come. The 
 cathedral is in no way remarkable, if we except the altarpiece carved in wood, by a French 
 artist named Gabriel Yoli, who lived during the early part of the sixteenth century. A 
 French architect of the same epoch constructed a magnificent aqueduct still in good 
 preservation — Los Arcos de Teruel ; but the town enjoys more of legendary than of real 
 fame. The Amantes de Teruel are as celebrated here as Abelard and Hdloise, or Eomeo 
 and Juliet. These two lovers have furnished materials for many Spanish and foreign 
 romances. Pursued by fatality, they were only, at last, united in the tomb. In 1555, 
 during the progress of some restorations, their tomb was found, and their remains were 
 exhumed. In 1708 they were transferred to the cloister, and placed standing in a 
 closed niche, where we saw them in good preservation, surmounted hy the following 
 
 inscription : 
 
 Aqui yacen los celebres Amantes de Teruel 
 D. Juan Diego Martinez de Mardlla, y Dona Isabel de Segura. 
 Murieron en 12 17, y en 1708 se trasladaron d este panteon. 
 
 Making our way back to the railway, we proceeded to Calatayud, the ancient Calatayut, 
 whose name appears more times than one in the romancero of the Cid. It is Bilbilis of 
 the Eomans, the country of Martial, who describes the town just as we found it, cold and 
 dismal looking. The poet represents it as celebrated for its waters and its arms. The 
 waters of the Salo — the Jalon of the present day — are reported to have possessed the 
 virtue of imparting an excellent temper to the steel. 
 
 The town is divided into two parts, the lower town, and the Moreria or elevated 
 suburbs. The latter is the ancient quarter of the Moors, covering several hillocks, 
 excavated with grottoes like those of the environs of Granada. We have never seen 
 anything so utterly wretched as this suburb, made up of a multitude of holes scooped out 
 of the hill-sides, and tenanted in common by human beings and filthy animals, whose only 
 means of ingress is by the doorway, which supplies, at the same time, an opening for the 
 ventilation of the dank interior, and the only vent for the smoke. A number of the 
 miserable inhabitants of this quarter follow the trade of weavers, which renders the close 
 damp dwelling all the more unhealthy. The women and children prepare the hemp, 
 while the skilled labour falls to the lot of the men. There are, without doubt, in this 
 unhappy community, a number of the descendants of the ancient Moors, who remained in 
 the country like pariahs, after the edict of expulsion by Philip III. 
 
 The Castillo del Eeloj— Castle of the Clock— whose picturesque ruins overlook the 
 suburb, evidently dates from the time of the Arabs. So, indeed, does the name Calatayud 
 — the Castle of Job. Aragon is one of the provinces in which we find the richest relics of 
 the Mussulman dominion. The Moors were formerly very numerous there, more especially 
 
482 SPAIN. 
 
 in tlie southern part Navngiero, speaking of the little town of Aranda near Calatayud, 
 which he visited in 1523, says that the castle was occupied by Moors. Several of the 
 Moors of Calatayud employed themselves in the manufacture of the hispano-moresque ware, 
 so highly prized by modern collectors. 
 
 Touching en route at Medina-Celi, we pushed on to Sigueiiza.. where, one of us being 
 taken suddenly ill, we thought it prudent to apply to a local doctor, Don Narciso Pastor, 
 who, after a mosb reassuring conversation, sent us to the chemist Don Jos^ Molinero, with a 
 formal prescription. The doctor was probably a graduate of the famous university of 
 Siguenza ; at any rate, he was a skilful physician, and sickness gave way to his treatment 
 as if by magic. Doctors and their medicines in Spanish towns differ only in unimportant 
 details from the doctors and medicines of other civilised communities. In country districts 
 it is, however, quite different, where barbers and quacks, with their copious bleedings, 
 blistering, specifics, and simples, flourish as the recognised physicians of the people. Never- 
 theless, the Spaniards formerly, like the Orientals, had an intense hatred for surgery. It 
 Avas even considered profanation to mutilate the bodies of the dead : the Inquisition are 
 reported to have begged of Philip II. to sanction the burning of Andr^ V^sale for his 
 having dissected a corpse. 
 
 The Spanish barber is not unfrequently accoucheur, dentist, and even professor of 
 surgery ; when he modestly claims this latter title, he sets up above his doorway the sign 
 of a bleeding leg. 
 
 Bleeding has been practised in Spain for many centuries. The patient when he has to 
 be bled may submit to the operation while following his daily occupation : first he is bled 
 on the right arm, and two days after on the left, to equalise the blood — so they say. It is 
 only when thoroughly prostrated by loss of blood, that the sufferer is permitted to keep his 
 bed. The feet were, however, more frequently punctured than the arms, and if we may 
 judge by this verse the practice is still in vogue : — 
 
 " Me hau dicho que estds malita, 
 
 Y que te sangran mafiana ; 
 A ti te sangran del pi6, 
 
 Y d mi me sangran del alma." 
 
 — "They tell me you are ill, and that to-morrow you will be bled. The blood will flow 
 from your foot, while tlie lance will pierce my heart." 
 
 The pleasantries of Moli^re on the doctors are not to be compared with those we come 
 across in the Spanish proverbs : 
 
 " Dios es 61 que sana, 
 
 Y el medico se Ueva la plata." 
 
 — " It is God who cures us, and the doctor pockets the money." 
 
 It not unfrequently happens in the country that the doctor is only called at the last 
 moment. The peasants have a superstitious dread of having their pulse felt : they say it 
 is a prognostic of the tomb. These barbers and quack doctors seldom consult any text- 
 books, other tlian those containing popular receipts, such as Medico de si mismo — " Every one 
 his own Physician," — in which each prescription of four lines is accompanied by a simple 
 woodcut ; the Medico en casa — -The Household Physician ; or the Medico de los Pobres — 
 The Poor Man's Physician. These works contain remedies' for every sort of disease and 
 accident ; many of them are very curious, although quite harmless. For instance, grilled 
 garlic for toothache, onion and pitch for stings ; but the sovereign remedy is oil, which 
 cures burns, corns, chilblains, insect bites, etc. 
 
 Continuing our itinerary, and visiting the ancient town of Guadalajara,— literally in 
 
THE LEANING TOWEB OF SAKAGOSSA. 
 
 To face page 4S2. 
 
SARAGOSSA. 
 
 485 
 
 Arabic the river of stones, — we found difficulty in obtaining a decent lodging, although 
 it was a provincial capital. Its resources are extremely limited ; nevertheless, during the 
 sixteenth century it was a place of great importance. " Guadalajara," said Navagiero, 
 " occupies a fine site and contains splendid edifices, notably that belonging to the Cardinal 
 Mendoza, Archbishop of Toledo, and that of the Duke of Infantazgo, which is hardly 
 equalled in Spain. It is a great resort of cavaliers and persons of rank, where the duke, in 
 his lavish hospitality, spends more than his revenue, which amounts to fifty thousand 
 ducats. He has a guard of two hundred foot soldiers, numerous mounted retainers, a 
 band of excellent musicians, and in every conceivable way he displays his liberality." 
 
 Where, alas I are the armed retainers of this proud noble and his little court, almost as 
 brilliant as that of the kings 1 Ancient authors have left curious accounts of the fgtes held 
 there. Francis I, was entertained with a splendour that eclipsed his reception at Alcald de 
 H^nares. 
 
 The court of this palace of the dukes of Infantazgo is still in good preservation, and 
 displays a richness of ornament and architectural beauty well worthy of the study of the 
 traveller. 
 
 Let us bid adieu to souvenirs of the past, and take the train to Saragossa. 
 
 Saragossa boasts a high antiquity. It remained an Arab town for upwards of four 
 centuries, and during the twelfth century, after a siege of five years, fell into the hands of 
 Alfonso I., King of Aragon and Navarre. The town, indeed, appeared to have enjoyed a 
 memorable fame for sieges, and it is well known with what heroism it sustained those of 
 1808 and 1809. A curious coincidence occurs on this subject, suggesting the notion 
 that Madame d'Aulnoy, in 1679, foresaw the famous sieges when she penned these lines : 
 " The town of Saragossa is not strong, but the inhabitants are so brave that they alone are 
 sufficient to defend it." Navagiero found the town very flourishing in 1524. It had 
 beautiful houses and rich churches ; it was the residence of many nobles, and abundance 
 reigned in Saragossa. 
 
 The capital of Aragon has many interesting monuments. The oldest, the Aljaferia, of 
 which Cervantes speaks in " Don Quixote," was the stronghold of the Arab kings ; it later 
 became the palace of the Inquisition, and at the present day it is a barrack. Although 
 the Aljaferia has sufiered numerous degradations, there are certain parts still remaining 
 from which one may gather some idea of its primitive appearance. A number of the 
 apartments contain remains of graceful Arabian ornamentation, others not less elegant 
 belong to the sixteenth century. The grand staircase, built under the Catholic sovereign, 
 is one of the finest in Spain. 
 
 The leaning tower, the Torre Nueva, is not less curious than those of Bologna and Pisa : 
 the angle of inclination is more than ten feet from the perpendicular. This monument, 
 with its reliefs in brick, in the Moorish style, is of very elegant architecture ; unfortunately 
 its effect is spoiled by a bell tower. 
 
 Saragossa has two principal churches, the Seo and the Nuestra Senora del Pilar. The 
 Seo is an immense and very ancient edifice, which has been ruthlessly modernised. Its 
 beautiful Gothic altarpiece, the finest in Spain, is in alabaster, painted and gilded, of most 
 exquisite workmanship. It was in the Seo that the Prince Don Baltazar, son of Philip IV. 
 (whose portrait was so often painted by Valasquez), was buried. Nuestra Senora del 
 Pilar stands, like the Seo, on the borders of the Ebro • its name is derived from the pillar 
 which supports the venerated image on which the Virgin descended from heaven. 
 
 As to the saints revered in Spain, we will just say a few words, beginning with Saint 
 Anthony, vulgarly called San Anton, whose aid is most frequently besought as the patron 
 
486 SPAIN. 
 
 of quadrupeds. On the Saint's fete-day, mules, donkeys, horses, decked with ribbons, are 
 ranged before the church of San Antonio Abad, at Madrid, where small loaves made of 
 barley blessed by an officiating priest are given to the animals, which are thus protected 
 from all evil. These loaves are also sold in the calle Horteleza. This street is crowded by 
 ambulating traders, who cry aloud " Genuine loaves of the Saint, flavoured with lemon and 
 cinnamon." This good Saiut also extends his beneficent influence over the unhappy porkers 
 slaughtered and transformed in savoury hams and sausages. 
 
 Saint Anthony, with praiseworthy impartiality, not only protects the pigs but procures 
 husbands for young ladies if they will only confide in him. It is necessary for the spinster 
 who sighs for a partner, to take an image of the Saint, and treat it with the utmost 
 contempt by casting it to the bottom of a well, saying, " You must stop there until you have 
 secured a husband for me." 
 
 Let no one imagine we are jesting, here is a popular verse which speaks for itself • 
 
 " ^ Fuiste tii la que metiste 
 A san Antonio en un pozo, 
 
 Y lo hartaste de agua 
 
 Por que saliera un novio ? " 
 
 — " Is it not you who put Saint Anthony in a well, and compel him to drink the water 
 till he finds you a husband?" 
 
 The saint must enjoy the greatest popularity amongst the ladies. He is consulted on 
 a variety of occasions : it is even said he has been asked to interfere in the unfair dis- 
 tribution of beauty : 
 
 " Todas las feas del Mundo 
 Se juntaron una tarde 
 A pedirle k san Antonio 
 Que las bonitas se acaben." 
 
 — " All the ugly women in the world met together one evening to beg Saint Anthony that 
 beauty might be totally suppressed." 
 
 This strange custom of submerging Saiut Anthony reminds us of the practice in certain 
 villages on Saint John's Day. This time it is not the image of the saint that is put in the 
 water, although the object is the same, a young girl in search of a husband. The muchacha 
 must, as the hour of midnight strikes, plunge her head into a fountain in order to secure a 
 partner within the year. It is supposed to be done out of pure frolic ; nevertheless it cannot 
 be denied that many of the girls have a profound and secret belief in its efficacy. 
 
 As to Saint John, he is treated quite as irreverently, if we may judge from the 
 following rhyme, in which the saint is pictured on a fig-tree aiming at a fig with his 
 
 blunderbuss : 
 
 " Estaba San Juan de Dios 
 Subido en una higuera. 
 Con un retaco en la mano, 
 Apundanto d una breva." 
 
 There is a variation of it in which the fig-tree is replaced by a cork-tree, and San Eoque 
 
 takes the place of the fig in order probably to help out the rhyme. It seems almost 
 
 incredible that there should be such an extraordinary collection of these songs circulating 
 
 amongst the people of a country so religious and Catholic as Spain. It is now the turn of 
 
 Saint Peter : 
 
 " San Pedro, como estaba calvo, 
 Le picaban los mpsquitos, 
 
 Y su madre le compr6 
 
 Un sombrero de tres picos.'' 
 
CHUECH OF OUK LADY DEL PILAR, SAKAGOSSA. 
 
 To face page 486. 
 
SPANISH SAINTS. 
 
 489 
 
 — " Saint Peter, who was bald, was stung by mosquitoes, and his mother bought him 
 a three-cornered hat." 
 
 " Glorious Saint Sebastian — riddled with arrows," exclaims a married man, who piously 
 adds, " Would that I could represent thy soul, and my mother-in-law thy body." 
 
 " Glorioso san Sebastian, 
 Todo lleno de saetas ; 
 Mi alma como la tuya, 
 Como tu cuerpo, mi suegra ! " 
 
 But as these verses are innumerable, we must summarise by saying that all the saints in 
 the calendar come in for their share, and by adding the oft-repeated assurance that we 
 must not for an instant consider them profane, or irreverent, as they have not only obtained 
 the sanction of the priests and monks, but some of them have emanated from the seclusion 
 of the holy cloisters. 
 
 AN AKAGONBSE PKDLAR. 
 
 2 K 
 
BUCKLER, WITH THE HEAD OF MEDUSA, IN THE ARMOURY OF MADRID. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 SPANISH CURIOSITIES AND ART-MANUFACTURES. 
 
 Sale of the Jewels of our Lady del Pilar.— 1h.e Catalogue ; duration of sale ; the adjudication ; principal objects sold. 
 
 The Goldsmith's Art.— The crowns of gold of Guarrazar— The jewels of the sixteenth century— The art of enamelling in 
 Spain, etc. 
 
 Arms and Iron- work. 
 
 Spanish Ceramic and Glass Ware.— ^zMZe;os— Hispano-Moresque ware— Arab potteries— Spanish porcelains of Buen 
 Retiro, Alcora, and Madrid, 
 
 Wood-carving.- The wood-carving of the sixteenth century— The Arabian ivories— Carvings of the Middle Ages— Deca- 
 dence of the art. 
 
 Furniture. 
 
 Fabrics.— Richness of the stuffs made by the Arabs of Spain— The silks of Toledo, Valencia, Talavera, etc.— The tapestries 
 of Alcaraz — Rich embroideries of the Cathedrals. 
 
 Illuminadores. — Illuminated chronicles, romances, and other writings— Collectors of objects of antiquity — Portrait of a 
 collector — The trade in curiosities in the Peninsula — Counterfeits. 
 
 During our stay in Saragossa, in the spring of 1870, a very interesting sale took place, 
 which created a great stir in Spain. The articles sold were the jewels of Our Lady del Pilar 
 which the chapter had decided to part with in order to raise funds to finish the works of the 
 temple discontinued during last century. A double catalogue, in good Spanish and doubtful 
 French, had been sent to the chief towns of Europe. Thus the 31st May the Sola Capitular 
 in which the sale was held was filled with merchants and collectors from the four quarters 
 of the globe, who came to contest for the jewels and offerings made to the Virgin del Pilar 
 centuries ago. 
 
 The South Kensington Museum in London had sent its representative, who bought 
 largely. The catalogue included five hundred and twenty-three jewels, fifty of whicli, 
 such as pendants, reliquaries, medallions, crosses, etc., dated from the sixteentli century. 
 The remainder was composed of rings, bracelets, collars, chains, watches, rosaries, earrings, 
 pins, etc. There were even fans, caskets, candlesticks, gold and silver combs, as well as 
 all sorts of ex-voto : heads, legs, arms, hands, eyes, busts, fingers, hearts, etc., not to 
 mention twenty images of the Virgin del Pilar. Two curious lots consisted of silver bulls 
 offered by the most celebrated espadas that Spain ever possessed, Pepe Hillo, whose tragic 
 end we have related, and Cuchares, the father-in-law of Tato. 
 
SALE OF JEWELS. 491 
 
 The sale, which would have occupied two days in London and about double that time 
 in Paris, lasted nearly fifteen days in Saragossa, thanks to the leisurely manner in which 
 the members of the chapter carried on their operations. The president, acting as auctioneer, 
 commenced by asking if they would give the price estimated, Dan la tasa; when the limit 
 was reached he exclaimed. La tasa dan! — The price is given. Then when the bidding 
 became languid, A la una ! (once), A las dos (twice), Que se va d rematar (it is about 
 to be sold). Then A las tres (thrice); as he uttered these words, the president rang a bell 
 and the lot fell to the last bidder. Among the most important lots were a French decora- 
 tion of the Holy Spirit set with brilliants, which sold for 312,500 reaux. A collar 
 and a diadem, each worth 100,000 reaux. A golden pomegranate enamelled, of exquisite 
 workmanship, of the middle of the sixteenth century, attributed to Benvenuto Cellini, was 
 bought by a citizen of Saragossa. A very beautiful watch, with a gold enamelled chatelaine 
 of Paris workmanship, was sold to a Parisian collector. The total of the sale, as far as 
 we can remember, reached the respectable sum of two millions of reaux. 
 
 Apropos of the treasure of the Filar, we will now say a few words as to the artistic 
 workmanship of ancient Spanish handicraftmen. The trade of the goldsmiths, which forms 
 one of the most interesting branches, produced its earliest examples of art during the fifth 
 century. The crowns of gold of Guarrazar which we find in the museums of Cluny and 
 Madrid, convey some notion of the advanced state of this art ; the most beautiful date from 
 621 to 672. During the three centuries which followed the invasion of the Arabs, Asturias 
 and Galicia, the only provinces which held their independence, possessed goldsmiths, who 
 introduced the Latino-hisantino style of work. The finest specimens of this kind are to 
 be found in the cathedrals of Oviedo and Santiago, presenting some analogy to similar 
 treasures in the cathedral of Monza. In the eleventh century the style was gradually 
 changed by Arabian influence ; examples of this epoch are, however, extremely rare. During 
 the fourteenth century the name of Plateros was scarcely known, while in the century 
 following their works' became very numerous, and differed in no important points from the 
 works of the goldsmiths of other countries. 
 
 It was not, however, until the sixteenth century that the Spanish goldsmiths obtained 
 a world-wide fame for their skill and the extraordinary beauty of their workmanship. The 
 Spanish churches are still rich in their masterpieces, notwithstanding the numerous 
 meltings and sales which have taken place from time to time, and the deeply to be regretted 
 Ipsses caused by the French invasion. Let us say in passing, that crimes have frequently 
 been imputed to our compatriots of which they are not guilty. When you go to Toledo you 
 will be certain to be shown the Alcazar, and informed that it was totally ruined by the 
 French, although we ourselves have proved that at least one hundred years before the 
 French army set foot in Spain this monument lay in ruins. 
 
 The art of enamelling was very early practised in Spain, as may be gathered from the 
 ancient French inventories of the fourteenth century, the esmaulx de la fa^on d' Espaigne, 
 ^nd of the esmaulx d'Arragon. The Spanish goldsmiths of the seventeenth century 
 applied semi-opaque enamel to silver, as may be seen on the crosses of Caravaca which are 
 not unfrequently met with. The enamel was also applied to copper, chiefly to those little 
 reliquaries still common in Spain, The art of inlaying silver was practised by the early 
 Arabs, and later by the Plateros of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, who gave it 
 the name of niel. There is a beautiful specimen of this art to be seen in the custodia of 
 the Cathedral of Palencia, by Juan de Benavente. The Spanish' jewels of the seventeenth 
 century followed the bad taste of the architecture of the period. Madame d'Aulnoy says. 
 
492 SPAIN. 
 
 "The precious stones are admirable, but the settings are so bad that the finest diamonds 
 appear inferior to those sold in Paris for thirty louis." 
 
 The use of filigree is very ancient in Spain, and is still in vogue in many parts of the 
 country. The best modern work of this sort comes from Cordova and Mahiga; the art 
 was undoubtedly borrowed from the Arabs, who used it to ornament their swords and 
 helmets, as we may see for ourselves in the armoury of Madrid. The Museum of South 
 Kensington, whose collection of ancient and modern Spanish relics amounts to about four 
 hundred objects, possesses a number of specimens of antique filigree work. 
 
 The Spanish ceramic ware occupies a distinguished place in the cabinets of collectors. 
 The azulejos, used by the Arabs during the twelfth century for the exterior as well as. 
 the interior decoration of their dwellings, Lad arrived at a high degree of perfection, at 
 a time when the delft- ware produced in other European countries was extremely coarse. 
 The use of these squares was adopted by the Spaniards, who represented a variety of 
 different subjects on them : Cean Bermudez cites a maestro de pintar azulejos, who lived 
 in the sixteenth century. The beautiful Hispano-Moresqtie faiences with brilliant metallic 
 reflectors were among the first produced ; from the fourteenth century they were made 
 the ornaments of princely dressers. Twelve years ago, we visited the most renowned 
 centres of this trade : Malaga, Valencia, Manises, Majorca, Barcelona, Murcia, Teruel, etc. 
 
 The Arabs of Toledo manufactured large earthen vases of the most elegant forms, but 
 not glazed. The surroundings of their wells, also of the same material, were ornamented 
 with coufique characters ; we have also seen fonts carrying Gothic inscriptions. During 
 the sixteenth century, the manufacture of faience formed perhaps the most important 
 industry of Seville, Talavera, and Toledo. The factory of Alcora, founded in 1729, 
 occupies the first rank ; its potteries, of a Very decided French style, rival those of Moustiers 
 which supplied the models, and which they often surpassed in beauty. This factory, 
 employing more than three hundred workm'en, belonged to the Count of Aranda ; this 
 Spanish minister, who was almost Parisian, was a friend of Voltaire, to whom he sent 
 a gift of a set of ware, and who remarked it was the most beautiful he had seen for the 
 table, after that of Saxony and Sevres. 
 
 Spain also boasted many porcelain factories. The porcelains of the manufactory 
 of Buen Eetiro, founded in 1759 by Charles III., have the same merits as those of the 
 Capo di Monte, established in Naples by this prince as early as 1736. When he took 
 possession of the throne of Spain, he brought with him the entire staff" of that establishment, 
 which included two hundred and twenty-five artists, workmen, etc. It required no less 
 than four transport vessels to convey the materials. 
 
 The porcelains of Alcora and Madrid,, comparatively unknown to collectors, are well 
 worthy of attention. The porcelains produced in Alcora were hard and elastic, and are. 
 rarely to be met with nowadays. The Count of Aranda sent several of his workmen to 
 study at Sfevres. 
 
 Spanish glassware, as well as the French glassware, is little known to the antiquary, 
 and yet the two countries had very important factories, whose productions have been, 
 generally confounded with those of Venice ; as early as the Eoman epoch, glass was made 
 in Spain : we have in our possession an antique cup found in Palencia. A passage in Saint 
 Isidore of Seville shows that in his time glass was known in Spain. Later, several 
 Arabian authors speak of the manufacture of glass, notably the glass factories of Almeria in 
 the thirteenth century, where all sorts of vases and utensils were made ; Malaga and Murcia 
 had also renowned glass factories. In the latter town large glass vases, of most exquisite. 
 
ANCIENT AET MANUFACTURES. 493 
 
 form were made ; they must have resembled those beautiful " Voirres de Damas," so 
 highly prized during the Middle Ages, and, in our own days, so eagerly sought after 
 by collectors. The Arabs of Spain were also skilled in the production of mosaics of glass, 
 which they called al foseyfasd. 
 
 In 1455 the vidrieros of Barcelona formed a corporation ; an author of the fifteenth 
 century likens the productions of this town to those of Venice. Cadalso de los Vidrios, 
 a town in the province of Madrid, also Caspe in Aragon, were famed for their glassware 
 during the fifteenth century. At a later period, other places in Spain, such as Mataro, 
 Cervell6, Cebreros, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Valdemaqueda, Eecuenco, and Granja, 
 had also their glass works. 
 
 The wood-carvers of Spain have enjoyed an exceptional and well-merited, fame ; 
 nevertheless, their works ought to be more widely known and studied. There is no other 
 country in the world where carved-wood altarpieces may be seen that are at all com- 
 parable to those of Spain. 
 
 The art of weaving was very anciently known in Spain. The Arabs brought it to a 
 high degree of perfection during the fiinth century. Many of the ancient Arab writers 
 mention the rich brilliantly-coloured silk stufis, which gave employment to thousands of 
 workmen at Valencia, Malaga, Murcia, and Almeria. This latter town surpassed all others 
 in the beauty of its fabrics, more especially its tiraz, into which the names of sultans, 
 princes, and nobles were woven. A beautiful Arabian ivory casket, of which our friend is 
 the fortunate owner, is lined with this stuff. They also produced a fabric called Atabi, 
 which has left its name to the tahis, so well known to the students of ancient bindings. 
 The carpets of Murcia were also renowned and exported to foreign countries. In the 
 inventory of the furniture of Charles V., made at Yuste after his death, we find the 
 tapices de Alcaraz mentioned, while an author of Majorca speaks of the carpets made 
 in his country during the sixteenth century, which Charles V. thought good enough to 
 place in the finest apartments of one of his palaces. Carpets were made at Madrid in the 
 time of Philip II. ; the factory of Santa-Isabel was established there in the beginning of 
 the seventeenth century, the place represented by Velasquez in his celebrated picture of 
 Las Hilanderas. The carpets of the factory of Santa Barbara at Madrid, founded in 1720 
 by Philip V., are not without merit. About a hundred persons were employed, and the 
 designs followed were by difierent foreign artists, such as Luca Giordano, Teniers, 
 Amiconi, and others, not to mention the Spanish painters, amongst whom were Maella, the 
 two brothers Bayeu, Goya, etc. 
 
 The Spanish embroiderers of figures of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries have left 
 behind them many marvellous specimens of their skill, which may still be seen in the 
 churches and cathedrals. Seville, Burgos, Palencia, Granada, Segovia, and Barcelona 
 possess sacerdotal vestments of the greatest beauty, but no town is so rich in embroideries 
 as Toledo, whose cathedral has a complete series of chasubles, chapes, dalmaticas, etc., for 
 each fSte in the year. 
 
 These artists, like the plateros and the vidrieros, formed a powerful corporation. 
 
 We can only notice in passing the works of the Illuminadores to be found in Bibles, 
 missals, lilros de coro, etc., some of them dating from the tenth century. Even chronicles, 
 romances, works of chivalry and executorias, or titles of nobility on parchment, are found 
 embellished with masterpieces of illumination. 
 
 In conclusion we need hardly remark that a passion for the fine arts was widely 
 difi"used over Spain during the sixteenth century. Apart from the sovereigns whose 
 inventories prove their wealth in objects of art, there were many private individuals like 
 
494 SPAIN. 
 
 Hurtado de Meudoza, the reputed author of " Lazarillo de Tormes," and Felipe de Guevara, 
 who formed valuable collections. Twenty years ago the anticuario, or recolector de 
 antiguallas, was represented in the Espanoles pintados por si mismos, a collection of national 
 types, as an idiot, or at least an untidy and slovenly imbecile, a ridiculous fool, living 
 several centuries behind his time. "All antiquarians are as thoroughly alike as acorns; 
 it is only necessary, therefore, in order to obtain a complete knowledge of this class of animal, 
 to examine a single type. The collector of ancient pictures possesses an array of dreadful 
 daubs, on the corners of which he piously inscribes the names of Titian or Correggio. The 
 collector of arms has one of the Cid's swords, and by the side of the horse of Santiago he 
 places the stirrups of a village priest which he takes for those worn by Scipio at the siege 
 of Troy. The collector of medals falls in with an old coin, and worships it as one of the oboli 
 which the ancients placed in the mouths of the dead. Another possesses the keys of Noah's 
 Ark, the spectacles of Tobias, the harp of King David, and the palette of Saint Luke, etc." 
 As to the amateur in ancient books and manuscripts, his greatest treasure is a book produced 
 by a waiter at an inn, which he displays to his friends as the original manuscript copy of 
 the adventures of the " Grand Capitaine." These pictures of antiquarians have been 
 decidedly overdrawn, so much so indeed that we failed to trace their likeness to the modern 
 collectors we came across in Spain. ' 
 
 The trade in ancient pictures, relics, and curiosities is not nearly so important in Spain 
 as it is in either France or Italy. It is nevertheless a branch of commerce which is 
 steadily expanding, and although there are old curiosity shops in most of the Spanish 
 towns, yet the dealers in such wares are for the most part men who have some other 
 means of making a living. There is a curious industry connected with the sale of 
 antiquities, and that, strange as it may appear, is the making of them. 
 
 We were not long ago offered some Hispano-Moresque dishes which had just come 
 out of the furnace. 
 
 Perhaps the most successful impostors are the manufacturers of ancient weapons, who 
 get up shields and deposit them in private houses, to which the willing collector is 
 conducted with an air of mystery, and there led to purchase the prize with great secrecy, 
 as from an ancient noble family in distress, after which the reduced nobles and their 
 accomplices calmly divide the spoil. 
 
 HISPANO-MORESQUE VASE. 
 
MIRANDA DE EBRO. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVIII. 
 
 The promncias Vascongadas : Alava, Guipiizcoa, and Vizcaya — The/iteros— Ancient nobility— The Basque language — Vitoria: 
 the Plaza nueva ; the market — A proverb touching iigs— False money and counterfeit coiners — Zumarraga — Mondragon 
 —Gipsies — Vergara — The Carlists ; popular pictures ; la Hisloria de Cabrera ; Mozen Anton — Tolosa ; church of Santa- 
 Maria — Ancient devotion to souls in Purgatory — Some anecdotes : Philip IV. and his hundred thousand masses ; the 
 Count of Villa Mediana and the priest— The mountains— Basque carts ; singular noise produced by their wheels ; some 
 details on the subject — Saint Sebastian — Bilbao — Iran. 
 
 Aftee leaving the station of Miranda de Ebro, we followed the course of the Zadorra, 
 a deep and rapid stream, one of the affluents of the Ebro ; at certain bends of the road we 
 caught glimpses of the Sierra de Oca, which stood out against the sky in a multitude of 
 fantastic shapes : soon we arrived at Vitoria, after passing through a fertile and smiling 
 country. We had just left Old Castile and entered the Basque provinces, which bear the 
 name oi Provincias Vascongadas, and sometimes simply that of Provincias, which include 
 the three provinces, Alava, Guipiizcoa, and Vizcaya, or nearly the territory of the ancient 
 Cantahria. There is hardly a town in Europe which has retained its ancient charac- 
 teristics in so marked a degree. These intrepid mountaineers, who resisted successively the 
 Eomans, the Goths, and the Arabs, have always been jealous of their independence and 
 their liberty, and for many centuries they have enjoyed certain rights and prerogatives — 
 fueros — which obtained for their country the name provincias exentas — " exempted 
 provinces." 
 
 A striking peculiarity of the Basques is, that they are every one of them Hidalgos 
 who count themselves the purest and most ancient caballeros of Spain. " They think 
 themselves all cavaliers, even to the water-carriers." A Basque author modestly desig- 
 
496 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 nates his country, " Tlie great stream of nobility — the quintessence of nobility — the 
 most ancient nursery of the aristocracy of Spain." It was therefore in no way surprising 
 to fall in with so many ancient noble houses in the smallest villages, having escutcheons 
 sculptured in stone above the doorways. The Basques, we need hardly say, speak a 
 language peculiar to themselves, and intelligible only to each other. Scaliger tells us, 
 "that these people understand each other ; as for me, I don't believe it." 
 
 The word vascuence, which is used to designate the Basque idiom, is also employed 
 
 to denote anything so obscure 
 as to be thoroughly incom- 
 prehensible. Cervantes, when 
 he makes use of the Biscayan, 
 causes him to speak bad 
 Spanish an«l still worse Bis- 
 cayan. It is just probable that 
 the proverb, " To speak Spanish 
 like a cow," is derived from the 
 more ancient one, " To speak 
 Spanish like a Basque." The 
 Basques call themselves Euscal- 
 dunac, their language Euscara, 
 and their country Euscaleria. 
 There are hardly any absurdities 
 which have not been thrown 
 at the unfortunate Vasctience. 
 According to one author, it 
 was the language which Adam 
 used in Paradise ; it was also the 
 language of the angels brought 
 in all its purity by Tubal, long 
 after the confusion of tongues 
 of the tower of Babel, and that 
 it was once spoken all through 
 the Peninsula, etc., etc. But the 
 most singular assertion is that 
 the devil, after having studied at 
 Bilbao for seven years, was only 
 able to learn three words of the 
 Basque language. 
 
 It has been repeatedly 
 tried to discover some analogy 
 between this and other living languages, more especially the Celtic and Irish. An English 
 author, Mr. Borrow, considers the Basque of Tartar origin, because of its affinity to the 
 Manchu and the Mongol, in which he perceives a predominating element of Sanscrit. 
 More recently the Basques are said to have descended from the great tribe of the Chaouias, 
 established in the province of Constantino. According to a letter from a French officer, who 
 lived among the tribe, the Chaouias talked with the Basque woodmen working in the forest 
 of Batna. All these allegations are more or less speculative ; perhaps the most reasonable 
 
 CASTILIAN SHEPHERD. 
 
VO 
 
 1- 
 
 a, 
 
 'g. 
 
 1^ 
 o 
 o 
 
^.^if 
 
THE BASQUE LANGUAGE. 
 
 499 
 
 is that of Humboldt, ■who thinks that the Basque language is indigenous to Spain, and that 
 at one time it was spoken all over the country : certain it is that many Spanish words 
 are derived from Basque. Padre Larramendi says that they amount to two thousand ; 
 but this number seems to us to be too great. The language can hardly be said to have a 
 literature of its own, although there are certain popular poems and songs which have been 
 set up in type and printed. The sounds of the Basque tongue, in spite of their being 
 
 THE SIBERA DE OCA, NEAR MIRANDA DE EBRO. 
 
 frequently praised as soft and harmonious, have always seemed to us to be harsh and 
 difficult of pronunciation. Be this as it may, the characteristic just mentioned has called 
 forth the saying that the Basques write Solomon and pronounce it Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 It was almost night when we arrived at Vitoria, the capital of Alava. The streets 
 were silent and feebly lighted, provincial streets, calm and tranquil, if ever there were any. 
 On reaching the principal part of the town, we saw on the fagade of the church a statue 
 of the Virgin, surrounded by a glory composed of numerous lights, and concluded that 
 
500 SPAIN. 
 
 the illumination was on the occasion of some Me, but were informed that the statue 
 was always lit up at night. Strolling through a narrow street, we noticed a balcony of 
 peculiar form, and so large that it was like a little drawing-room in the open air. The 
 ladies were out enjoying the cool evening breeze and mild moonlight. In the ancient 
 quarter of Vitoria there are many similar balconies. 
 
 Next day we visited the Flaza Nueva, a vast parallelogram surrounded with porticos. 
 It was market day and the peasants of the environs had assembled to sell their wares ; they 
 are the pure descendants of the ancient Cantabrians, that vigorous and unconquerable race. 
 Frait was abundant, for the surrounding country is highly tilled, and extremely productive ; 
 magnificent hrevas — the name bestowed on the early figs — tliey looked so inviting, that the 
 temptation to regale ourselves on them was quite irresistible. "Don't drink water after 
 them," said the seller. It is thought dangerous to drink water after eating figs, or the 
 fruit of the cactus, and snails. Proceeding to the only theatre in the place to spend our 
 evening, we tendered a gold coin, value a hundred reaux. The clerk at the bureau returned 
 it as false. After having examined it, made it ring, and weighed it, he said it was the 
 proper weight, but the moment he saw it he knew it was a false coin. We were in the land 
 of counterfeit coin ; perhaps in no other country has the art of producing false coin been so 
 widely practised ; every piece of gold, indeed, has to be subjected to a variety of tests to 
 prove its genuineness. There are also men who have not the capital to invest in the 
 necessary plant for counterfeit coining, and who content themselves by sweating the pieces 
 of gold, chiefly the onzas, worth rather more than three guineas apiece ; thus, the onzas which 
 are short of weight are always refused. But this industry of fabricating spurious coin is 
 not new in Spain, if we may credit what has been said of a celebrated painter, Herrera le 
 Vieux, who was imprisoned, being accused of having made base coin. Gold and silver 
 were formerly much rarer than they are at the present day ; copper was the chief metal 
 used for the currency. "Silver does not roll about and is not used in commerce. As for 
 myself, I have never seen silver coins. My mother receives rather large sums all in 
 quartos; they are w^eighed, as no one would spend the time in counting such trash. Men 
 carry the cash about in huge wicker baskets, and when the payments arrive it occupies all 
 hands in the house at least a full week in counting the quartos. In ten thousand francs 
 there are not a hundred dollars in gold or silver." Copper money, or calderilla, is sold 
 in some streets by money-changers, whose shops are on the ground floor, as in the streets 
 of Naples. 
 
 As we sped onward towards the Pyrenees, the country became more hilly : after each 
 tunnel, and they were numerous, many of the hills of considerable height were planted 
 with walnuts, oaks, chestnuts, box-trees, or covered with gorse, heath ; the valleys were, many 
 of them, planted with apple-trees, recalling scenes in Normandy. Cider, Zagardua, is made 
 in the Basque provinces in large quantities, chiefly in the environs of Saint Sebastian. 
 As to wine, the country produces very little, and that of such poor quality as to be hardly 
 worthy of the name. 
 
 We had just passed the stations of Salvatierra and Alsdsua, where the line branches 
 ofi" to Pamplona and Saragossa. After following the course of the river Urola for some 
 time we at last arrived at Zumdrraga, a town in the neighbourhood of Azpeitia, the country 
 of Ignacius Loyola, in the province of Guipuzcoa, one of the most renowned in the 
 Peninsula for its learning and industry. It is here that we find the celebrated iron mines 
 of Mondragon, about which we said a few words in speaking of the swords of Toledo. Not 
 far from Zumdrraga we came across a family of nomadic gipsies who are rarely to be met 
 
MARKET AT VITOKIA. 
 
 To face page 500. 
 
CABRERA. 
 
 503 
 
 with in this quarter, while they are numerous in Navarre, where they speak the Basque 
 language as well as their cal6 tongue. 
 
 Not far from Zumdrraga, half-way between Vitoria and Tolosa, is the little town of 
 Vergara, celebrated for the convention signed there in 1839 between Espartero and 
 Marota. The Convenio de Vergara put an end, for a time • at least, to the civil war 
 called the Seven Years' War. Yet several risings proved that the Carlist party was 
 not wholly suppressed. Insur- 
 rections broke out from time 
 to time, but those of 1848, 
 
 1855, and 1869 were the most 
 important. Cabrera, born at 
 Tortosa in 1809, was the hero 
 
 of the Carlist campaign in 
 
 1 848 ; though still alive, he is 
 
 quite a legendary personage in 
 
 Spain, His biography is sold in 
 
 the streets, illustrated with rude 
 
 pictures representing his ex- 
 ploits. We have one of these 
 
 works, containing no less than 
 
 forty-eight pictures. In read- 
 ing this Historia de Cabrera, 
 
 one might readily imagine that 
 
 his risings had desolated the 
 
 whole of Spain. It abounds in 
 
 cruel assassinations, and whole- 
 sale slaughter. The mother of 
 
 the fire-eating hero is shot at 
 
 Tortosa ; soon after the Christian 
 
 Colonel Fontivero shares the 
 
 same fate ; ninety-six sergeants 
 
 of the Queen's troops are bayo- 
 neted; Carlist prisoners are 
 
 poniarded at Saragossa ; then 
 
 came the turn of their foes. 
 
 Many of the priests have 
 
 themselves headed bands of 
 
 Carlist rebels. We have a 
 
 representation of one, Mosen 
 
 Anton, Mr. Anthony, at the 
 
 head of his partida, composed 
 
 of peasants armed with carbines 
 
 FOWL MERCHANT, VITOBIA, 
 
 Mosen Anton is a fat country priest, wearing a huge 
 sombrero de teja on his head ; his cassock tucked up, so as to leave the limbs free, a long 
 cavalry sabre is fixed in his belt, which also supports two enormous pistols. Perched on 
 the summit of a rock, this warlike theologian surveys his enemies' position through his 
 
 fiGlo.-P'lflSS 
 
 The Carlist movement in 1855 was directed by the generals Marco and Estartus ; 
 
504 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 the first commanded in Aragon, tlie second in Catalonia, but this insurrection was of little 
 importance. That of 1 860, at the head of which was the Captain-General of the Balearic 
 Isles, Don Jaime Ortega, was at once suppressed : disembarking at San Carlos de Rapifca, 
 near the mouth of the Ebro, Ortega was arrested and shot at Tortosa. 
 
 During the concluding- years of the reign of Isabella II., the Carlist risings were 
 insignificant. Soon after the revolution which dethroned the (jueen, the party of Don Carlos 
 came to the front: in 1869 and 1870, insurrections broke out in several provinces of Spain, 
 gradually spreading Math varied success until the rebels attained to the position they 
 occupy at the present time. We will add nothing more, as we can only bestow a brief 
 retrospective glance on the political position of Spain. 
 
 GIPSY CAMP, NEAR ZUMAERAGA. 
 
 Tolosa is a pretty little town famed for its industry. The church of Santa Maria is 
 the only interesting edifice in the place. On one of the towers there is a colossal statue of 
 John the Baptist, and a curious inscription at the entrance not uncommon in other churches : 
 " To-day souls are relieved out of purgatory." This is always a powerful appeal to those 
 who are cliaritably inclined. " It is sometimes carried too far," says Madame d'Aulnoy. 
 " I knew a gentleman of distinguished family who lived in the greatest poverty in order 
 to purchase six thousand masses for his soul after death. This has given rise to the saying : 
 Such a one has made his soul his heir. Philip IV. ordered that one hundred thousand 
 masses should be offered for him after death ; if he ceased to require them, they were to be 
 applied to release the souls of his parents, and if they had ascended to heaven, they 
 should be given for those who were slain in the wars of Spain." 
 
BASQUE SHEPHERD, PROVINCE OF ALAVA. 
 
 To face page 504. 
 
TOLOSA. 
 
 507 
 
 This remiuds us of tlie joke attributed to the Count of Villa Medina. Being one day 
 in the church of Our Lady of Atocha, and seeing a monk who was begging alms for souls 
 in purgatory, ho gave him a piece of four dollars. " Ah, my lord," said the good father, 
 " you have delivered a soul." The count drawing forth another piece, placed it in his cap. 
 " Now," continued the monk, " another soul is saved." In this manner sixteen dollars were 
 given in succession, and as each coin was dropped into the eager hand, the pious father ex- 
 claimed: "A soul has left purgatory." "Are you quite certain?" said the count. "Yes, my lord, 
 they are safe in heaven every one." 
 " Well, then, good father, give mo 
 back my dollars," said the donor, 
 " for if the souls are in heaven they 
 can never return to purgatory." 
 
 The money was however left 
 as a gift to the church. 
 
 In quitting Tolosa one enjoys, 
 as far as Saint Sebastian, a charm- 
 ing panorama. There are, indeed, 
 moments when we would almost 
 imagine ourselves in Switzerland, 
 were it not for the small white- 
 washed houses which replace the 
 chalets. The aspect of the moun- 
 tains is constantly changing : some- 
 times they are piled one above the 
 other, the vapoury outlines of the 
 highest disappearing from our gaze. 
 The vegetation is always vigorous, 
 unless in those parts where the bold 
 limestone rocks stand out in relief 
 against the masses of green foliage. 
 These great tunnelled mountains 
 and deep valleys, through which we 
 passed in a few minutes, recalled 
 the good old times of the dili- 
 gences, when one travelled with the 
 tutelar escort of the escopeteros, 
 Stopping every evening at sun- 
 set. Nowadays, indeed, it occu- 
 pies about the same time to traverse 
 the Basque provinces of Irun and 
 
 Vitoria as it did then to climb the single hill of las Salinas. This hill, the dread of travellers, 
 was only crossed by the aid of half-a-dozen oxen, added to the ten or twelve mules of the 
 coach, urged upwards by showers of blows and missiles, and a perfect Babel of sounds, m 
 which curses were freely mingled. Speaking of noise we must not overlook the clumsy 
 Basque carts. These heavy vehicles, with massive wheels, cannot have undergone any 
 serious change since the days of Don Pelayo, who reigned in Asturias. They differ little 
 from those we encountered in that province, and in Leon ; Dor^ had already made some 
 
 BASQUE PEASANT. 
 
5o8 SPAIN. 
 
 sketches of them at Palencia and Leon. Theophile Gautier has given a picturesque 
 description of the singular noises produced by the Basque carros. " A strange, inexplicable 
 rusty noise has assailed my ears ■ one would have said that it was a mixture of a multitude 
 of peacocks being plucked alive, children whipped, cats making love, and innumerable 
 vvs applied to hard stone, a rattling of iron pots, and the rusty hinges of a prison door 
 forced to relieve the prisoners. I thought it was at least an unmusical princess attacked 
 by some howling ruffian ; but it was, after all, nothing more than a cart making its way up 
 the street, its wheels screaming lustily for the grease that had been greedily transferred to 
 the conductor's soup. This cart had assuredly nothing of the modern conveyance in it. 
 The wheels were cut out of solid wood, and fixed on to the axle like the little carts which 
 children make with the rind of a pumpkin. The noise can be heard miles oflf, and is far 
 from displeasing to the native ear, thus supplied with an instrument of music, ■which plays 
 as long as the cart goes. A peasant would on no account invest in a silent unharmonious 
 cart. This vehicle must date from the Deluge." 
 
 If the carts of the Basque provinces do not date from the Deluge, they at least belong 
 to a very remote epoch. Cervantes, in one of the Novelas ejemplares, says, in speaking of 
 the ministers of justice : " If they are not well greased, they make more hideous noises 
 than the carts drawn by oxen." We gather from an ancient traveller that the carters have 
 a superstitious reverence for the noise of their vehicles. They rely upon the dreadful 
 sounds to scare away malignant spirits. 
 
 After passing the stations of Andoain and Hernani we arrived at Saint Sebastian, a 
 pretty, modern, and attractive town. The streets, almost entirely rebuilt, are perfectly 
 straight, and intersect each other at right angles. It is the Brighton of Spain. Notwith- 
 standing its nearness to the frontier. Saint Sebastian is thoroughly Spanish, having its 
 plaza, in which bull-fights are given, and its houses with balconies and miradores. The route 
 from this town to Bilbao traverses a highly tilled and densely populated country, whose 
 fields afi'ord ample proof of the steady industry of the natives. Passing through Zaranz, 
 a charming sea-bathing place, also a fashionable resort, then Guetaria, and the pretty little 
 town of Deva, we were approaching the village of Guernica, celebrated for its noble oak, 
 beneath which the juntas of the province meet to discuss national afi'airs. The little town 
 of Bermeo was the birthplace of the author of the Araucana, Alonzo de Ercilla, the soldier 
 poet, who wrote his verses on the pommel of his saddle. 
 
 Bilbao is agreeably situated. Its narrow ancient streets, with their massive houses and 
 projecting roofs, have a picturesque and primitive appearance. Here the women bear the 
 burdens and manage the boats. These boatwomen seemed to have attracted the notice of 
 Madame d'Aulnoy, when they rowed her across the Bidassoa. These girls — " the pretty 
 pirates," as she calls them, — " won't hear raillery and compel respect, as will appear from 
 the following incident, which happened during the passage. The courteous cook desired 
 to make a favourable impression on a young Biscayan, but the lady marked her appre- 
 ciation of his attentions by breaking his head with a boat-hook. He was so thoroughly 
 thrashed that he was bleeding from many wounds, and my banker informed me that these 
 boatwomen, when roused, were more to be dreaded than a roaring lion." 
 
 Irun is the last station on the northern railway. The town stands close to the frontier ; 
 in a few minutes we had reached the Bidassoa, and descried on our right a little island covered 
 with reeds. It is the Isla de los Faisanes, where Henry IV., king of Castile, held an interview 
 with Louis XL, whose mantle of thick cloth shocked the Spanish lords. It was there, too, 
 that Francis L, after quitting his prison at Madrid, embraced his sons, who were going to take 
 
BASQUE DAIRYMAID, SAN SEBASTIAN. 
 
 To face page 508. 
 
THE ISLE OF FAISANS. 511 
 
 his place. Cardinal Mazarin also met Don Louis de Haro, to sign the Peace of the Pyrenees 
 The Isle of Faisans is chiefly celebrated on account of the interview which took place between 
 Philip IV. and Louis XIV. in the summer of 1660, on the occasion of the marria<.e of the 
 King of France with the Infanta Marie-Therfese. The island was then five hundred feet 
 long and seventy wide. The frontier on each side was reached by a bridge, made up 
 of nine boats on the Spanish side, and fourteen on the French. The f^tes were magni- 
 ficent ; the suite of the King of Spain consisted of four thousand horses and mules, 
 seventy carriages, and as many baggage-waggons. Twelve trunks decked with velvet and 
 silver, and twenty trunks of morocco, contained the marriage trousseau. TJie cort^cre 
 covered a space of six leagues. The edifices raised on the island were three hundred feet 
 in length ; the conference hall alone was fifty-six feet long, and every apartment was 
 adorned with costly tapestries. The celebration of this great event was kept up for two 
 entire months, during which time cavalcades, tournaments, promenades, races in gilded 
 barques on the Bidassoa, succeeded each other ; the great painter Velazquez, whose position 
 as aposentador called him to take a share in the organisation of these f^tes, played a most 
 important part. Unfortunately, shortly after his return to Madrid, he was seized with 
 the illness which carried him off' in two or three days. 
 
 The Bidassoa crossed, we were at Hendaye, on French soil, and bade adieu, not 
 without regret, to this dura tellus Iberice, the last refuge of the picturesque in Europe. 
 
 VILLAGE ON THE ROAD TO SAN SEBASTIAN. 
 
"VllfiW IN MAJOKCA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 The Balearic Islands— Their ancient civilisation ; the Gymnisis of the Greeks— Wealth of Majorca during the Middle Ao-es— 
 The MajoUca—Ynntmg introduced in Majorca— Palma ; the cathedral— The Llotja—Ihe convent of San Francisco de 
 Asis and Raymond Lulle— Ancient reputation for beauty of the women of Majorca— Cardinal de Retz at Palma— Ancient 
 dwellings of Palma— The palace of Montenegro ; Mrae. Sand— The ancient Jews of Majorca ; la C/metena--Excmsioii 
 round the island— Valldemosa ; souvenirs of the author of Indiana— The peasants and their costume— Deya— Seller and 
 its oranges— The island of Minorca— Arta and its grottoes. 
 
 In the Mediterranean, not fur from the eastera coast of Spain, and equidistant from 
 Marseilles and Algiers, there is a little group called the Balearic Isles, rarely visited by 
 tourists and only known by name. These islands, occupying so small a space, present 
 attractions most varied, vestiges of an unknown epoch, Arabian and Christian monuments 
 
THE BALEARIC ISLES. 513 
 
 of the Middle Ages, vegetation almost tropical, wild scenery, and an houest and hospitable 
 population. 
 
 The history of the Balearic Isles carries one far back into the dim obscurity of the 
 past. The Greeks, we read in Diodorus of Sicily, called them Gymnesis, owing to the 
 inhabitants going quite naked during summer. The Romans named them Balearic, a name 
 derived from the native address in using the sling. The mothers used to exercise their 
 children by placing a loaf at the top of a pole, and allowing them to fast until they Lad 
 reached it. Silver and gold were banished from them, as they were accounted the cause 
 of strife and misfortune. 
 
 It is said that the islanders sent to implore the aid of the Roman soldiers to extirpate 
 the rabbits which were laying waste the country— a new sort of foe for the Roman legions. 
 Later, these islands were successively occupied by the Vandals, tlie Goths, and the Arabs 
 of Cordova; the latter were expelled by Charlemagne, and the French twice established 
 themselves there. Afterwards the Normans ravaged the Balearic Isles, then they 
 belonged to the Pisans, Genoese, and Aragonese, when they again fell into tbe hands 
 of the Arabs, who in turn were driven out in 1228 by Jayme I, king of Aragon, who 
 received tlie name of Conquistador. Majorca was formerly famed for its fertility and for 
 its wealth. Among the spoils carried oflf by the Pisans were gold and silver treasures, 
 vases, arms, silk, and gold stuffs, and many precious wares. During the fifteenth century, 
 the commerce of Majorca was very considerable ; the beautiful pottery with metallic 
 reflectors was exported to Italy and the East. The Italian name of pottery — Majolica, which 
 Ave have transformed into majolique, is only a corruption of Majorica. Palma was one 
 of the first towns in Spain into which printing was imported. We have seen a work, 
 Tractatus magistri Johannis de Gersono, cancellarii parisiensis, printed there in 1485. 
 
 We set ofi" from Barcelona one calm summer evening in the Don Jayme primero. 
 
 The sea was perfectly calm ; at daybreak we could descry the faint outlines of the mountains 
 
 of Majorca, gradually becoming more distinct as we neared the shores of the island. The 
 
 vessel hugged the land so closely as to almost scrape the high perpendicular rocks, whose 
 
 crevices afforded shelter to flocks of birds. At the foot of the rocks, grebes with their 
 
 silvery plumage were gambolling in the sun ; we had just doubled the point of Cala 
 
 Figuera, when we came in full view of the bay of Palma, which presented a splendid 
 
 picture, with the town rising like an amphitheatre beyond. On our left was the To7-re 
 
 del Serial with its fortresses ; a little farther off, on the summit of a hill, the Castillo de 
 
 Belver, a stronghold of the Middle Ages. The shore was covered with windmills, whose 
 
 great white wins, six in number, were held together by cords, disposed circularly, 
 
 giving them the appearance of immense spiders' webs. The houses of the town were 
 
 enlivened by the luxuriant foliage of gardens, and nestled beneath the shades of graceful 
 
 palm-trees; but, to the stranger, the most striking feature about Palma is the perfect 
 
 calm which reigns there, so different to the activity of Barcelona. Seated in an apartment 
 
 of the Fonda de las Tres Palomas, a place which, although not destitute of comfort, has 
 
 still something to learn in providing for the modern traveller. It had an air of primitive- 
 
 ness characteristic of the town : " In most of the country houses, glass windows are not 
 
 used," said Madame Georges Sand, thirty-five years ago. This absence of glass in 
 
 windows was common to other parts of Spain; as we may gather from a passage in 
 
 " Don Quixote," several apartments in the palace of Madrid were without glass windows. 
 
 The bank of Palma is a masterpiece of the first half of the fifteenth century, and 
 
 is only equalled by the Llotja of Valencia. The building, which is in perfect preservation, 
 
 2 p 
 
514 SPAIN. 
 
 is ornamented at each of its four corners with octagonal towers set off with statues ; 
 turrets of the same form, but much more slender, serve as counterforts to the sides, and 
 rise above the roof. In the interior, the ceiling is supported by six spiral columns, 
 supplemented by mouldings ; the stones were brought from the quarry of Santany, at the 
 southern extremity of the island. Palma possesses several interesting churches : we need 
 only cite that of Santa Eulalia, where we admired some beautiful iron-work of the fifteenth 
 century, and San Miguel, which stands on the site of an Arabian mosque. The cloister of 
 the ancient convent of San Francisco de Asis is one of the finest examples of the work of 
 the fourteentli century. It is there we find the tomb of Eaymond Lulle, whose name and 
 works filled Europe during the Middle Ages, and who has been regarded by some as a saint 
 or prophet, and by others as a madman or an heretic. Towards the year 1265, Brant6me 
 relates, he fell passionately in love with a lady of the island of Majorca, famed for her 
 
 wit and beauty. "He served her long and patiently She one day uncovered 
 
 her breast, which was protected by a dozen plasters, and tearing them off one after the 
 other, disclosed a frightful cancer, and with tears in her ej'es told him of her sufferings, 
 and asked him why his love had been bestowed on such a loathsome object ; moved with 
 compassion, he commended her to the care of God, and throwing up his profession became 
 a hermit. . . . After returning from the Holy Wars he studied at Paris under Arnaldus, 
 a distinguished philosopher." The end of Eaymond Lulle is well known. Setting out for 
 Tunis, in spite of his eighty years, on a mission to the Moors, he was stoned and left 
 for dead ; found by some Genoese merchants, he was brought to Palma, where he expired 
 after a few days, and was buried in the church of Santa Eulalia, whence his remains were 
 brought to the convent of San Francisco de Asis. 
 
 The Boi^ne and the Rambla, the promenades of the town, divide Palma into two. It 
 is on the Borne every Sunday before sunset that the Palmesan society can be seen between 
 the two grand sphinxes of white marble that ornament the promenade. As far as wc 
 were able to judge, the ladies of Maj'orca merit their ancient fame for beauty. The 
 Cardinal Retz, who visited Palma on his way from Barcelona to Rome, speaks with much 
 enthusiasm of the ladies of that time. " The viceroy, who was an Aragonese Count, waited 
 on me with over a hundred carriages of the nobility, and carried me to mass at the Seo 
 (cathedral), where I beheld twenty or thirty ladies of quality, each more beautiful than the 
 other, and it is quite exceptional to fall in with a woman who is plain-looking. They are 
 for the most part delicate beauties, wearing the blended hues of the rose and lily. Even 
 the common people partake of the same characteristics. They have a peculiar head-dress, 
 which is very pretty. The viceroy then accompanied me to a convent to hear some music 
 by young girls, who were in no way inferior in beauty to their sisters in the town." 
 
 Most of the ancient houses of Palma remind one of those of Valencia and Barcelona. 
 They have a patio or square court, like the Roman atrium; in the centre a well recalls the 
 impluvium; a stone staircase, often ornamented with sculptures, conducts to the first floor. 
 These houses are very numerous in the tow^n, and are covered with projecting roofs sup- 
 ported by carved hardwood beams. Beneath the roof, which advances two or three 
 metres, are rows of small windows lighting a loft, called porcho. The lower windows merit 
 special description. They are generally very high, and supported by columns of black or 
 grey marble, so slight that one would think they were cast in bronze or iron. We have 
 noticed some of them two or three metres long, which, we could easily hold in our hands. 
 At first sight they seem to be of Moorish origin, but the capitals, wdth their double row 
 of volutes, belong to the Ogival style. 
 
MAJORCA. 
 
 515 
 
 One of the most curious quarters of the town is the calle de la Plateria, where the 
 goldsmiths work in the open air in front of their shops, as they do in the East and in some 
 quarters of Naples. The Majorcans of the Middle Ages had given the Jews the absurd 
 surname of chmtas-o^l^. Most of them were goldsmiths, bankers, or money-lenders 
 They thus found means of enriching themselves, of which the natives were jealous and 
 made it a pretext for heaping all sorts of indignities upon them. In 139 1 the quarter of 
 the chueteria was pillaged ; later, all those who refused to be converted were expelled 
 
 BNVIKONS OF VALLDEMOSA, MAJORCA. 
 
 The chuetas of Palma are all supposed to be Christians, although we know some of 
 them who have held steadfast to their ancient faith, and who are cut off from the 
 community, living in little colonies by themselves. 
 
 It was by the Castillo de Belver that we began our excursions into the island of 
 Majorca. Thanks to the kindness of the captain-general of the Balearic Isles, who has since 
 been arrested as a Carlist, and, alas ! shot at Tortosa, we thoroughly explored this fortress. 
 From the torre del Homenaje we perceived a bare rock rising on the horizon above the sea : 
 
5i6 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 it was tlie Isle of Cabrera on which so many of the French miserably perished. The dread 
 inspired by the simple name of this island has caused it to be used as a threat by the women 
 when correcting their children. 
 
 We hired a vehicle called birlocho, which reminded us of the Napolitan corricolo, to go 
 
 PEASANT WOMAN, MAJORCA. 
 
 to Valldemosa. The plain over which we passed was extremely fertile : already, in the 
 middle of May, the rye had been cut. From time to time we noticed posesions. These 
 country houses are generally sheltered by carobs, and hedged round by the cactus. The 
 valley of Valldemosa, with its palm, lemon, and orange trees covered with flowers and fruit, 
 made us think of the gardens of Armide. The vegetation is so vigorous tbat the ground is 
 completely mantled by foliage. At the foot of the mountains which we were approaching 
 shone the white walls of cartuja of Valldemosa, where Madame Georges Sand passed 
 the winter of 1838. "From the picturesque convent the sea maybe seen on both sides. 
 
VALLDEMOSA. 
 
 519 
 
 ^\ 
 
 ^^■hlle one hears the murmur of its waves. It appears like a gleam of light at the foot of 
 the mountains; and the immense plain spreads out to the south-a sublime picture, 
 framed on the one hand by black pine-clad rocks, and on the other by finely wooded 
 mountains. It is one of those views whose splendour leaves nothing to the imagination. 
 The elements of the fondest 
 dreams alike of poet and 
 painter seem to have been 
 gathered into this one spot. 
 A superb whole, an infinity 
 of details, inexhaustible va- 
 riety of confused forms, gro- 
 tesque outlines, mysterious 
 depths, are the elements 
 which here leave uothinff to 
 the imagination of the artist." 
 Tliis celebrated writer is 
 still remembered at Vallde- 
 mosa : we were shown the 
 places she describes in her 
 "Winter at Majorca," the 
 cells she inhabited, but we 
 found no souvenirs of her 
 visit. Discharging our hir- 
 locho we set out from Vall- 
 demosa one fine May morning 
 to walk round the island. 
 Each pages whom we met 
 — the name given to the pea- 
 sants — saluted us with a bo7i 
 dia tingui — good - morning 
 — which takes the place of 
 the vaya V. con Dios of the 
 Spaniards. We always found 
 the natives very talkative, 
 and ready to impart a store 
 of information about the 
 island. 
 
 Passing one or two small 
 villages surrounded by belts 
 
 of foliage, we climbed to the top of a hill, and gazed upon the valley of SoUer and its 
 rich orange groves, which spread out beneath our feet like an immense green tapestry 
 embroidered with gold. The little town of SoUer has recently risen into notice, 
 thanks to the cultivation of the orange-tree, which has added greatly to its resources. 
 The population is nearly ten thousand. 
 
 Between Soller and Palma we made our way through a defile called Col de SoUer, 
 
 where we noticed an elegant stone cross supported by a lofty column, whose capital 
 
 was ornamented with finely sculptured figures representing the twelve Apostles. Many 
 
 2 Q 
 
 PEASANTS, MAJORCA. 
 
520 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 similar crosses are to be found in good preservation on the island, as the people are 
 careful to protect these relics of the Middle Ages. 
 
 We embarked at Alcudia for Mahon, which has a curious approach. " There is nothing 
 more agreeable in the rustic picture of the opera than the scene of Port Mahon," said the 
 Cardinal Retz in his Memoirs. 
 
 Minorca is not to be compared to the island we have just quitted. The valley of 
 Alhayor, on the road to Ciudadela, the second town in the island, is rather picturesque. 
 Many of the villages have preserved their ancient Arabian names, such as Beni Gaful, 
 Beni Said, etc. 
 
 Some days after we bid adieu to Majorca, the enchanted island that Georges Sand 
 calls the Eldorado of painting, one of the most beautiful and least known spots on earth. 
 
 PEASANT, MAJOECA. 
 
 PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO., EDINBURGH AND LONDON.