,illustration3 image of the book's cover ,,southern ,,spain ,,painted ,,by ,,trevor ,,haddon ,,described ,,by ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert ,,published ,,by ,a4 ,c4 ,,black ,,london ,,mcmviii ,illustration3 colophon ,illustration3 frontispiece ,,preface ,few travellers have leisure enough to traverse the wide realm of tawny ,spain in its every part4 ,those who must confine their attention to a single province naturally select ,andalusia1 where all the ,northerner's preconceptions of the ,south find realization4 ,the wild scenery of ,southern ,spain1 the gay open-air life of the people1 the monuments attesting the splendour of the extinct civilization of the ,moor1 the spell of romance which still holds its cities1 makes this land one of the most interesting and fascinating in ,europe to the artist1 the archologist1 and the dreamer4 ,the present volume1 mainly the embodiment of personal impressions and observations1 is intended partly to supply the place of a guide-book to this part of the ,peninsula1 and with that object ,i have brought together as much of history1 art1 and topography as the traveller is likely to assimilate4 ,into the descriptive matter ,i have introduced a little gossip1 which will1 ,i hope1 be not found altogether irrelevant1 and may serve to beguile the tedium of a bare recital of facts4 ,while ,i have endeavoured to make the book as useful to travellers as within the prescribed limits was possible1 ,i have essayed to give it1 by means of the illustrations1 a more permanent value4 ,it is on the brush rather than on the pen that ,i have relied to convey an idea of the gorgeous panorama of ,southern ,spain1 and to recall to the returned traveller his impressions of the land4 ,as a vade-mecum1 then1 for the tourist1 and as an album and souvenir of the fairest portion of the realm of the ,catholic ,king1 ,i hope that the present volume will be of use to the public1 despite the shortcomings it doubtless contains4 ,for rendering these as few as possible1 ,i have to thank several friends who have looked through the proofs4 ,to one in particular1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,b4 d',auvergne1 ,i am indebted for various scraps of original and entertaining information4 ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,page ,,cadiz #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,,seville--,,the ,,pearl ,,of ,,andalusia #ab ,,chapter ,,iii ,,cordova #hf ,,chapter ,,iv ,,granada #ajg ,,chapter ,v ,,malaga #afc ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,way ,,south #afi ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,murcia #agd ,,chapter ,,viii ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,kingdom ,,of ,,valencia #ahf ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations #a4 ,cordova--,fountain in the ,patio de los ,naranjos ,frontispiece ,,page #b4 ,ayamonte 7,the ,gateway of ,andalusia7 #h #c4 ,seville--,a ,street #ab #d4 ,seville--,the ,aceite ,gate #bj #e4 ,seville--,a ,courtyard #bd #f4 ,seville--,the ,torre del ,oro and the ,cathedral #bh #g4 ,seville--,the ,giralda #cj #h4 ,seville--,gardens of the ,alcazar #cd #i4 ,seville--,gardens of the ,alcazar #dj #aj4 ,seville--,patio de las ,banderas #dd #aa4 ,seville--,gardens of the ,alcazar #ej #ab4 ,seville--,interior of the ,cathedral #ef #ac4 ,seville--,patio de los ,naranjos #fj #ad4 ,seville--,plaza de ,san ,fernando #fd #ae4 ,seville--,casa de ,pilatos #fh #af4 ,seville--,casa de ,pilatos #gb #ag4 ,seville--,garden of the ,casa de ,pilatos #gh #ah4 ,seville--,the ,market ,place #hj #ai4 ,cordova--,a ,courtyard #hd #bj4 ,cordova--,entrance to the ,city #hf #ba4 ,cordova--,calle ,cardinal ,herrera #hh #bb4 ,cordova--,moorish ,mill #ij #bc4 ,cordova--,mezquita #ib #bd4 ,cordova--,patio de los ,naranjos #id #be4 ,cordova--,outer ,wall of the ,mosque #if #bf4 ,cordova--,a ,street ,scene #ih #bg4 ,cordova--,a ,street #ajj #bh4 ,cordova--,the ,bridge #ajb #bi4 ,cordova--,courtyard of an ,inn #ajd #cj4 ,cordova--,old ,houses near the ,river #ajf #ca4 ,granada--,from the ,generalife #ajh #cb4 ,granada--,sierra ,nevada from the ,alhambra ,gardens #aaj #cc4 ,granada--,exterior of the ,alhambra #aab #cd4 ,granada--,a ,street in the ,albaicin #aad #ce4 ,granada--,in the ,market #aaf #cf4 ,granada--,the ,alhambra3 ,the ,aqueduct #aah #cg4 ,granada--,the ,court of the ,cypresses #abj #ch4 ,granada--,villa on the ,darro #abb #ci4 ,granada--,the ,alhambra from ,san ,miguel #abd #dj4 ,granada--,towers of the ,infantas1 ,alhambra #abf #da4 ,granada--,near the ,alhambra #abh #db4 ,granada--,puerta del ,vino1 ,alhambra #acj #dc4 ,granada--,the ,alhambra3 ,tower of ,comares #acb #dd4 ,granada--,the ,court of the ,lions3 ,moonlight #acf #de4 ,granada--,the ,generalife3 ,patio de la ,acequia #ach #df4 ,granada--,the ,generalife3 ,court of the ,cypresses #adj #dg4 ,granada--,tocador de la ,reina #adb #dh4 ,granada--,torre de las ,damas #add #di4 ,granada--,the ,generalife3 ,court of the ,cypresses #adf #ej4 ,granada--,casa del ,carbon #adh #ea4 ,granada--,street in the ,albaicin #aej #eb4 ,granada--,interior of a ,posada #aeb #ec4 ,granada--,old ,houses1 ,cuesta del ,pescado #aed #ed4 ,granada--,old ,ayuntamiento #aef #ee4 ,granada--,street in the ,old ,quarter #aeh #ef4 ,granada--,the ,generalife3 ,patio de la ,acequia #afj #eg4 ,granada--,a ,corner in the ,old ,quarter #afb #eh4 ,malaga--,the ,harbour #afd #ei4 ,malaga--,the ,guadalmedina #aff #fj4 ,malaga--,a ,market #afh #fa4 ,malaga--,packing ,lemons #agj #fb4 ,ronda--,the ,tajo #agb #fc4 ,ronda--,roman ,bridges #agd #fd4 ,ronda--,at the ,fountain #agf #fe4 ,ronda--,a ,moorish ,gateway #ahj #ff4 ,ronda--,a ,street ,scene #ahb #fg4 ,ronda--,the ,market #ahd #fh4 ,orihuela on the ,river ,segura #ahf #fi4 ,elche--,a ,street #ahh #gj4 ,a ,fisher ,girl 7,coast of ,malaga7 #aij #ga4 ,a ,water ,carrier #aib #gb4 ,malaga--,a ,picador #aif #gc4 ,valencia--,santa ,catalina #aih #gd4 ,an ,andalusian ,dance #bjj #ge4 ,courting #bjd ,map at end of ,volume ,the ,illustrations in this ,volume have been engraved and printed in ,england by ,,the ,,menpes ,,press1 ,london and ,watford ,,southern ,,spain ,,chapter ,i ,,cadiz ,cadiz was the prettiest of all the towns of ,spain1 thought ,byron4 ,i would rather say that she was the most beautiful4 ,she rises out of the sea--the boundless salt ocean that stretches from pole to pole--and the crests of the waves which lick her feet are not whiter than her walls4 ,and these by day are bathed in liquid gold1 for the sun seems to linger here ere he says good-night to ,europe4 ,by night the city gleams like washed silver1 and her sheen is more magical than that of the dark yet phosphorescent water4 ,of sun and sea1 light and air1 is ,cadiz compounded4 ,she is the ,gateway of the ,west1 not sultry and southern1 but salt and windy and dazzling white4 ,it is thus she appears to you1 especially when you come to her over the sea--that sea which hereabouts has so often been splashed with ,british blood4 ,how often the pale yellow cliffs of ,spain to the southward1 and those of the lovely shore of ,algarve to the north1 have reverberated with the booming of the cannon2 how often the strand has been littered with dead men1 whose gaping wounds the kindly ocean had washed clean6 ,browning's lines recur to the memory3 ,nobly1 nobly ,cape ,st4 ,vincent to the north-west died away1 ,sunset ran1 one glorious blood-red1 reeking into ,cadiz ,bay4 ,for you can see the lighthouse on ,cape ,trafalgar1 and the ,bay of ,cadiz itself has been the scene of some of ,england's most glorious and desperate feats of arms4 ,there is little stirring now in the wide harbour1 where the ships ride lazily at anchor1 and their crews crowd to the bulwarks and exchange pleasantries with your boatman as he pulls you towards the quay4 ,and so you step on shore1 and enter the fair city4 ,it looks so fresh and fragrant that you would not think it ancient4 ,but ,cadiz is the first-born city of ,spain1 probably the first foothold of civilization on the shores of the ,atlantic ,ocean4 ,it marks a new and tremendously important step forward in the world's progress4 ,after ,heaven knows how many attempts and false starts1 the ,phnicians dared what no people of the ancient world had dared before4 ,the ,pillars of ,hercules were regarded as the western boundary of the world3 beyond was nothingness4 ,and one day1 with the east wind filling his sails and fear in the hearts of his crew1 some forgotten ,columbus of ,sidon or of ,tyre passed through the strait1 and turning northward1 beached his little galley on the peninsula where we stand4 ,civilization--arts and letters1 commerce and social life1 and all that makes life dear to modern men--had burst the narrow limits of the ,middle ,sea1 and first hoisted its flag o'er ,cadiz4 ,the thought is not uninspiring4 ,it is not unreasonable to suppose that the first keel that ever ploughed the ,atlantic grazed this strand4 ,it is likely enough that the fleets of lost ,atlantis1 if that mystical isle possessed a ship1 resorted hither1 for the copper and precious metals of ,tarshish4 ,what voyages have begun from this port1 from the little ,phnician craft setting forth in quest of the ,tin ,islands of the far north1 to brave ,cervera leading out his squadron to its preordained doom6 ,it may be that the gulfs shall wash us down1 ,it may be we shall touch the happy isles4 ,and careless of fate1 all these dauntless sailors have adventured forth into the deep4 ,in after years1 the ,phnicians and ,carthaginians had settlements here1 and built great ugly palaces overlooking the sea and the estuaries4 ,with their curling black beards ,i seem to see them1 robed in the real ,tyrian purple1 reclining on their terraces even as their forefathers are shown in that strange picture in our ,national ,gallery1 ,the ,eve of the ,deluge4 ,their deluge was the ,roman ,invasion1 when1 in a good hour for humanity1 ,latin superseded ,semitic civilization1 and the cruel gods of ,sidon bowed before the young and beautiful gods of ,rome4 ,gades or ,gaddir--,i give it its two oldest names--did not suffer by its change of masters4 ,its mart was crowded1 its merchants known from ,britain to the ,fortunate ,isles1 from ,lusitania to ,arabia4 ,much wealth engendered luxury4 ,life in ,gades was feverish and distempered4 ,the people had not forgotten the worship of ,astarte1 and the ,gaditane dancing-girls proved themselves worthy daughters of the goddess4 ,when the gods were dethroned the sensual city pined2 and under the austere yoke of ,islam it languished and all but faded away4 ,it is interesting to note that its ,moslem inhabitants were drawn from the old race of ,philistines1 some of whose gods had probably been worshipped here in the ,punic days4 ,when ,seville fell1 the port continued subject to the ,almohade ,emir of ,fez4 ,alfonso the ,learned subdued it without difficulty in #abfb1 and filled it with colonists from the north coast of ,spain1 from such places as ,santander and ,laredo4 ,but the ,philistine taint in two senses was never eradicated2 ,cadiz remained ever financial and commercial1 and cared nothing for art4 ,her brightest and blackest days followed the discovery of ,america1 when she soon eclipsed ,seville as the mart for the produce of the ,new ,indies4 ,her wealth1 not once but many times1 wellnigh proved her downfall4 ,threatened again and again by the ,barbary corsairs1 she saw a far more terrible foe before her walls in #aehg1 in the person of ,sir ,francis ,drake1 who inflicted incalculable injury on her shipping4 ,worse was to come nine years later1 when the ,english1 under the command of the ,earl of ,essex1 scaled the walls1 sacked the city from end to end1 slaughtered the inhabitants1 profaned the churches and burnt the public buildings1 and sailed away with enormous booty4 ,yet so quickly did ,cadiz recover from this terrific catastrophe1 that she again tempted the cupidity of our countrymen in #afbe4 ,but this time the ,dons were well prepared and gave our fleet so warm a reception that we were compelled to retire with heavy loss4 ,the city attained its zenith of opulence in the first quarter of the eighteenth century1 when it had become almost the exclusive entrept for the traffic between ,southern ,europe and the ,americas4 ,numerous royal privileges and concessions secured it almost a monopoly of the trade4 ,but no one organ can hope to escape an infection attacking the whole system4 ,spain in the eighteenth century was dying from that commonest of national diseases--dry-rot4 ,yet as late as #aggj ,adam ,smith did not hesitate to say that the merchants of ,london had not yet the wealth to compete with those of ,cadiz1 and a few years later the value of the bullion landed at its quays was estimated at #abe millions sterling4 ,yet it was this bloated1 purse-proud city1 strangely enough1 that proved the ark of refuge for ,spain when the innumerable hosts of ,napoleon swarmed over the land4 ,here were preserved the insignia of national independence1 and here1 amid the thunder of guns and in the lap of the ocean1 was born the ,new and ,free ,spain4 ,cadiz proved a second ,covadonga4 ,the focus of the constitutional movement1 she was savagely assailed by the ,absolutists and their ,french allies4 ,the defence of ,trocadero1 on the other side of the bay1 against the forces of the ,duc d',angoulme popularized the name of the place throughout ,europe4 ,the pages of ,balzac abound in allusions to that mischievous and futile attempt of the ,government of the ,restoration to rivet on ,spaniards fetters that no ,frenchman would wear4 ,then came a ,french invasion of another sort1 of the ,romanticists--of ,de ,musset and ,gautier1 and the long-haired followers of ,byron4 ,it has often seemed to me that every city belongs to one particular age4 ,this being a fancy contrary to fact1 ,i will put it this way--that in every city there is always some one period of human history more readily recoverable than any other4 ,this may not be the period which has left its mark most conspicuously on the physiognomy of the place2 more probably it will be determined by your own preconceptions1 derived from study or chance reading4 ,john ,addington ,symonds observed that an island near ,venice1 the name of which ,i have forgotten1 immediately recalled to him not the great days of the ,republic with which it had an historical connection1 but the later and decadent days of bag-wig and hair powder4 ,at ,cadiz ,i could have wished to think of the ,phnicians1 thus hardily adventuring into the wide ocean2 or of ,drake and his gentlemen adventurers1 bound wrist to bar1 all for red iniquity2 but instead ,i fancied myself back in the 'thirties of last century1 and thought of ,de ,musset and his ,andalouse and his lovely ,spanish girls4 ,is it possible that ,andalusia in those days of our grandfathers was the ,andalusia of the ,romanticists8 ,at ,cadiz1 ,i beguiled myself into believing so--why1 ,i cannot explain4 ,perhaps it was due to the unexpected appearance of a native--a distinctively ,andalusian--costume in the streets4 ,nowhere else in ,spain is the mantilla more conspicuous or more gorgeous4 ,a ,french writer gives a selection of toilettes worn at a ,corrida de toros1 which1 as ,i never assisted at one of these functions in ,cadiz1 ,i repeat3 ,all pink1 coral necklace1 white lace mantilla1 big bunches of carnations in the hair and corsage2 a blond head seen beneath a transparent mantilla1 like a frail spider's web1 red corsage and white gown2 coral ear-rings1 with bunches of roses2 all black1 with a white mantilla2 all white1 with a black mantilla2 pale green gown with a blue bolero and white roses2 shawl draped1 brocaded1 with a wealth of carnations in the hair2 black dress and mantilla1 violets in the hair2 gold coloured shawl1 embroidered with red roses1 comb like a tiara set with bright-hued flowers1 etc41 etc4 ,with confections such as these dazzling the eyes1 it is no wonder that ,i began to see visions of gentlemen in black silk tights1 dark green frock coats1 and snowy white cravats1 stammering ,castilian with a ,parisian accent4 ,it would be hard1 too1 to keep the mind fixed on remoter and more heroic ages1 for ,cadiz is singularly destitute of antiquities4 ,the descendants of the ,philistines could not be expected to respect ancient monuments6 ,but what they spared our freebooter ancestors burned4 ,the old ,cathedral1 built in the thirteenth century1 was almost totally consumed by the flames4 ,when ,i say that the new building dates from #agbj1 ,i fear that your interest in it will expire4 ,but it is at least imposing2 and the choir stalls are very fine4 ,then there is the ,capuchin ,convent1 where ,murillo met his death by falling from a scaffolding while painting the picture of the ,espousals of ,st4 ,catherine4 ,another picture by the same master may be seen in this church--,st4 ,francis receiving the ,stigmata4 ,the little ,academia de ,bellas ,artes contains some admirable specimens of the work of ,zurbaran1 brought from the ,charterhouse of ,jerez4 ,these are the only sights in the tourists' agent's acceptation of the word1 and it is likely enough that you will think three hours devoted to the city amply sufficient4 ,yet its situation at the end of a narrow spit like that at the entrance to the ,suez ,canal--in mid-sea as it were--its associations1 and its brightness and cleanliness1 make it for some the most charming of ,spanish towns4 ,crenellated walls enclose it on all sides1 the space between them and the water's edge being devoted to quays1 promenades1 and gardens4 ,there are forts at the extremity of the peninsula--the ,isla de ,leon1 as it is called4 ,the streets are all very straight1 very narrow1 and very clean4 ,through the rejas across the doorways you obtain glimpses of trim little patios1 bedecked with flowering plants4 ,occasionally you come out into a little square1 prettily laid out with gardens1 like the ,plaza de ,mina1 where the loungers asleep on the seats irresistibly recall dear old busy ,london4 ,illustration3 ,,ayamonte 7,,the ,,gateway ,,of ,,andalusia7 ,the charming ,parque ,genovs1 bordering the sea1 reminds us of the great merchant race of ,italy who had their warehouses here4 ,it is exquisite to walk by night along the sea wall1 which at some points rises sheer upwards from the water1 and to inhale the breezes blown straight across1 one would like to think1 from the ,west ,indies4 ,you will crave for that cool wind afterwards1 in the parched interior of ,andalusia4 ,from ,cadiz you may go to ,seville by steamer up the ,guadalquivir1 but it is far from being an interesting trip4 ,the river is about as picturesque1 and in the same way1 as the ,dutch ,rhine4 ,however1 in these days of distorted sthetics--when all that we thought beautiful we are now told is ugly1 and vice versa--it is quite possible that some rapturous travellers will extol the mystical loveliness of the plains of the ,guadalquivir1 rating their charms far above the vulgar1 blatant scenery of ,switzerland and the ,riviera1 which is at the disadvantage of being at once realized by the mere ordinary person4 ,en passant ,i cannot refrain from expressing my wonder why superior people of this sort go abroad4 ,if ,rhenish and ,italian panoramas are suggestive to them only of oleographs and ,christmas numbers1 have we not our ,abanas and ,pharpars in ,england--the ,essex marshes1 the treeless downs of ,sussex1 the odoriferous banks of the ,mersey1 for instance8 ,but ,i digress--and ,i counsel you against doing so1 but recommend you to proceed to ,seville1 if that be your destination1 by rail direct4 ,the journey occupies eight and a half hours1 and is not among the most agreeable experiences of a lifetime4 ,the railway runs right round the bay of ,cadiz1 touching several towns of importance4 ,that any of them are worth a break of journey ,i doubt4 ,puerto ,santa ,maria is said to be much resorted to by toreros and their admirers4 ,i have never heard what attracts them there1 but indeed my interest in bull-killing was never more than languid4 ,the country round the bay is marshy4 ,it is traversed by the river ,guadalete1 beside which1 it seems1 ,don ,roderic was not slain1 and the battle never took place4 ,you must look for the scene of that epoch-making encounter farther towards the strait near the ,rio ,barbate4 ,between ,cadiz and ,seville you stop at the buffet of ,jerez to drink a glass of sherry in its native place4 ,as most people know1 all the good wine comes to ,england2 but at ,jerez ,i think1 in all reason1 the price of the wine might be a little lower and its quality a good deal higher4 ,the city1 of which ,i only caught a glimpse1 looks like an inland ,cadiz1 very clean1 white1 sunny1 and bright4 ,and so we creep onwards over dreary country--like the ,south ,african veld--to ,lebrija1 an old ,moorish town with a great church on a height1 apparently the only building of note in the place4 ,further on is ,utrera1 renowned for bulls and for possessing one of the thirty deniers for which ,judas sold his ,master4 ,it should be an interesting town1 with its ,moorish castle and walls still extant4 ,but the same individuality is not to be expected of the smaller ,spanish as of the lesser ,italian cities2 for the history of the one country has been a record of steady centralization2 of the other1 obstinate decentralization4 ,in ,utrera1 and ,moron1 and ,lebrija--even in ,cadiz and ,granada--there were no independent princes or ambitious municipalities to foster and to reward native art4 ,the genius and talent of ,spain flocked to great centres like ,seville1 ,toledo1 ,valladolid1 and ,zaragoza1 and became ultimately concentrated in ,madrid4 ,we read the same story in our own country2 and in fact it is impossible to resist the dangerous and obvious conclusion that centralization and unity are good things for nations but bad things for art4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,pearl ,,of ,,andalusia ,illustration3 ,,seville--,a ,,street ,seville1 in the glory of the ,andalusian summer1 is a city of white and gold4 ,her brilliancy dazzles you1 as it dazzled those who wrote of her1 a little wildly1 as the eighth wonder of the world4 ,luis ,guevara1 a poet born within her walls1 declared that she was not the eighth but the first of those wonders4 ,in our own day1 men of genius have felt her spell4 ,seville1 says ,valds1 has ever been for me the symbol of light1 the city of love and joy4 ,so much few northerners would feel justified in saying4 ,to them this must be the city that most closely corresponds to their preconceived ideas of the sunny and romantic ,south4 ,to ,seville belong the sweep of lute-strings1 the click of the castanets1 the serenade1 and above all1 the bull-fight4 ,there is something feminine about the radiant city1 compared with the masculine strength of ,toledo and ,avila1 and the harsh decadence of ,granada4 ,you will agree that no town is prettier1 except perhaps ,cadiz4 ,so ,byron said1 and by him and all the poets of his school--,alfred de ,musset for one--the city by the ,guadalquivir was ardently loved4 ,yet though so conventionally romantic of aspect1 ,seville is busy1 prosperous1 and well peopled1 before all other ,andalusian towns4 ,the blood still courses hotly through her veins--her vitality intoxicates4 ,if you come from ,cordova or ,granada1 you feel as though you were returning to the world4 ,here is life1 here is gaiety2 yet your driver the next instant takes you into a narrow1 winding street1 no broader than an alley1 where absolute silence reigns4 ,the windows are shuttered1 no one seems to stir in the patios4 ,there reigns a ,sabbath-like calm4 ,a minute later you are in a broad plaza1 where electric cars boom and whirr1 where all is animation and bustle4 ,such contrasts are very sharp in this city1 where the streets exist simply for folk to dwell in1 the squares and paseos for them to gather in and do their business4 ,there are notable exceptions1 it is true4 ,there is no want of life in the ,sierpes1 the narrow street which is the ,strand and ,charing ,cross of ,seville4 ,here you return again and again1 feeling it is the focus of the city's life4 ,little better than a lane is the ,sierpes1 where no wheeled traffic can pass4 ,it is amazingly dark in the summer1 when awnings are drawn right across it from roof to roof1 and penetrating into it from the sunny plaza1 it is a little time before you can accustom your eyes to the shadow4 ,here are the best shops1 the banks1 and those elegant and ostentatious casinos1 where the aristocracy and leisured class lounge and smoke1 and survey at their ease the unceasing procession of passers by4 ,there are cafs here of a different sort1 some of which are frequented by the bull-fighters and their admirers4 ,here too may be seen in all his glory that peculiar type of ,andalusian1 the ,majo1 a curious blend of the ,english masher the sporting man and the troubadour6 ,the people sit in the cafs to see the others pass1 and the others walk down the street to see the people in the cafs4 ,this is a form of amusement and exercise common on the ,continent1 and acclimatized already at our ,english seaside towns4 ,selling lottery tickets is a great industry in the ,sierpes1 the sale of tickets for the next ,corrida de toros even more so4 ,the boot-blacking saloons remind the ,american visitor of his native land4 ,for his delectation the ,new ,york ,herald is displayed in the windows of the few booksellers4 ,there is nothing about this gay little thoroughfare to remind us of the past4 ,the history of ,seville is more easily recoverable by the fancy1 when you are seated by the ,guadalquivir1 in sight of the ,torre del ,oro1 on the spot perhaps where ,george ,borrow1 in an unwonted fit of hysteria1 wept over the beauty of the scene before him4 ,phnician1 ,carthaginian1 ,roman1 ,vandal1 ,goth1 and ,moor--the city has known them all and outlived them all4 ,there seems to have been a settlement of the ,turdetani here1 before the first ,phnicians came4 ,the name at all events was bestowed by the ,tyrian traders1 if it is really derived from sephela1 a plain4 ,then came the ,carthaginians1 whom the ,spaniards accuse of having corrupted the pure and simple-minded natives4 ,the city became known to the little world of civilization1 and was spoken of by ,grecian geographers as ,ispola and ,hispalis4 ,the terrible ,hamilcar reduced the greater part of ,spain to the ,punic yoke4 ,he and his successor ,hasdrubal filled ,andalusia with their massive ungainly fortresses4 ,salambo1 the ,semitic ,venus1 was worshipped on the banks of the ,guadalquivir4 ,from time to time1 we doubt not1 human sacrifices stained the altars of ,baal4 ,one wonders if the descendants of the ,carthaginians became identified with the other great ,semitic people1 and passed as ,jews4 ,certainly it is otherwise a little difficult to account for the presence in ,spain of the ,israelites in such numbers at a very early period4 ,the ,carthaginians fought hard for the province of ,btica1 but ,punic force and fraud were alike powerless before the sword of ,scipio4 ,the dominion of the province of ,iberia passed to ,rome4 ,when the conquering hero turned his face homewards to claim his triumph1 he was mindful of his warworn veterans4 ,for them the journey back to ,italy was too long and wearisome2 they were content to die in the land they had conquered4 ,outside ,hispalis a place of rest and refreshment was found for them in the village of ,sancios4 ,scipio laid there the foundation of a colony1 bestowed it on his veterans1 and named it ,italica1 in memory of their fatherland4 ,and thus was founded the first ,latin-speaking settlement outside ,italy4 ,it lies--all that remains of it--on the slopes of the hills that bound the prospect westwards4 ,hispalis1 not overshadowed by its new neighbour1 flourished under the ,roman sway4 ,julius ,csar besieged the city1 which was garrisoned by ,pompey's partisans1 and inscribed the date of its capture in the calendar of the ,republic 7,august #i1 ,b4,c4 #de74 ,his fleet1 they say1 lay in the river between the ,torre del ,oro and the ,palace of ,san ,telmo4 ,the townsfolk were devoted to him1 and he renamed the place ,julia ,romula4 ,as a ,roman colony the town had a senate and consuls1 ediles and censors4 ,the wall ,csar built endured intact until the time of ,juan ,,ii41 so that monarch wrote in his ,chronicle4 ,while its ,punic physiognomy was hard to efface1 ,seville soon became in spirit a ,latin town4 ,all ,andalusia was in course of time thoroughly ,romanized4 ,seneca1 ,lucan1 the lii1 as most of us remember1 were ,spaniards--if ,spaniards could be said1 as yet1 to have existed4 ,then came the era of persecutions1 the establishment of ,christianity and the disappearance of ,astarte and ,baal from the forum and the temple--to be worshipped1 perhaps1 for a little while longer in the recesses of the mountains1 where ,islam lingered in after times4 ,presently came the ,vandals1 and their fury having spent itself1 they made ,seville their capital1 though they did not give their name1 as some have thought1 to ,andalusia4 ,when they passed over--a whole nation--to ,africa1 the barbarous ,suevi took possession of their old camping-ground4 ,the ,suevian king1 ,recchiarus1 became a ,catholic1 at the persuasion of ,sabinus1 ,bishop of ,seville1 in the year #ddh4 ,we next hear of him murdering the ,byzantine ambassador ,censorius1 in this city1 and of being defeated and slain by the ,visigoths in #def4 ,now comes an interregnum of seventy-five years4 ,the ,suevi were expelled from ,seville1 but their conquerors did not occupy the town4 ,it must have been governed by its ,catholic bishops1 who are spoken of as miracles of wisdom and sanctity4 ,under ,theudis the ,gothic king1 ,seville again rose to the rank of a capital--or at any rate shared the dignity with ,toledo4 ,here ,theudis was assassinated1 and his son and successor ,theudisel also1 a few months later4 ,the latter sovereign is described as a detestably wicked person4 ,he was of course an ,aryan1 and gave a shocking example of his hard-hearted incredulity4 ,among the hills where lies ,italica is a village called ,san ,juan de ,aznalfarache4 ,near this in the sixth century was a tank which was miraculously filled once a year1 when the ,catholics resorted to it to baptize their catechumens4 ,theudisel had the tank1 when it was dry1 thoroughly investigated1 and1 satisfied that it was fed by no spring1 had a lid fastened over it and sealed with his own seal4 ,but next ,easter it was full of water6 ,not to be baffled1 the king dug a ditch to the depth of twenty-five feet all round the tank1 but found no trace of a spring4 ,he would perhaps have gone on digging for years had not his nobles rid the world of so sceptical a monarch4 ,we come now to the days of good ,king ,leovgild1 who consolidated the ,visigothic monarchy and warred successfully against the ,greeks and barbarous ,suevi4 ,his son1 ,ermengild1 being sent to govern ,seville1 was converted by ,leander1 the bishop of the city1 to the ,catholic faith4 ,the prince thought he could give no better proof of his zeal for his new creed than by revolting against his father4 ,a bloody war resulted4 ,ermengild was worsted and was shut up in ,seville1 while his father occupied ,italica and pressed him closely4 ,the rebels capitulated and were treated leniently4 ,the prince afterwards headed a second revolt against his father1 was captured and executed4 ,he has been enrolled among the saints of the ,catholic ,church4 ,it is quite conceivable that a man of fanatical temperament should feel himself called upon to effect the conversion of his fellows to what he believes to be the true faith1 even at the cost of his kinsfolk's blood2 but unfortunately for the ,visigothic prince1 his interests so coincided with his principles that worldly people not unnaturally suggest that the desire to wear his father's crown had as much to do with his action as the desire to convert his father's subjects4 ,when ,spain from ,aryan became ,catholic1 ,seville became the ,metropolitan ,see1 and ,leander its ,archbishop4 ,he was succeeded in that office by his brother ,isidore1 a much better man than he1 and renowned as a doctor of the ,church and writer on things generally4 ,but by the end of the seventh century the primacy had passed to ,toledo1 and before the next century was fourteen years old the last of the ,visigoths had reigned over ,spain4 ,after the victory over ,roderic near ,jerez1 ,tarik1 the ,moorish commander1 marched straight upon ,toledo4 ,the reduction of ,seville he left to his superior officer1 ,musa4 ,the citizens offered1 it is said1 a stout resistance1 and then retired to ,beja1 on the other side of the ,guadiana4 ,during the absence of the ,moorish commander they recovered the city1 only to be dispossessed and finally subjugated by his son1 the famous ,abd-el-,aziz1 the ,abdalasis of ,spanish story4 ,thenceforward for #ecf years ,seville was known as ,ishbiliyah1 one of the fairest cities of ,islam4 ,when ,musa was recalled to ,damascus his son remained beside the ,guadalquivir 7as the river ,btis had now come to be called74 ,he espoused1 according to tradition1 ,roderic's widow1 ,exilona1 who1 legend says1 had originally been a ,moorish princess4 ,for a brief period he dwelt in splendour in the old ,acropolis1 near where the ,convent of ,la ,trinidad now stands4 ,but his enemies had been busy far away at the khalifa's court4 ,while he was in the act of prayer in the mosque he had built adjacent to his palace1 the messenger of death appeared4 ,exilona was left a second time a widow1 and to the aged ,musa was shown1 months later1 the lifeless head of his valiant son4 ,under ,abd-el-,aziz's immediate successors the seat of government of the latest province of the ,moslem ,empire was transferred from ,seville to ,cordova4 ,from all parts of the ,east1 but especially from ,syria1 men came flocking to ,andalusia4 ,quarrels arose as to the partition of the conquered land between the ,berbers1 who had composed the hordes of ,tarik and ,musa1 and the new ,saracen settlers4 ,finally it was decreed that each tribe or nationality should be allotted that region which bore the most resemblance to its original place of abode4 ,under this arrangement ,ishbiliyah was assigned to the people of ,homs1 the ancient ,emesa1 a ,syrian town on the ,orontes4 7,we are reminded of the parallel between ,macedon and ,monmouth47 ,but in the course of time the original derivation of the ,spanish ,moslems was half forgotten1 and the classification was rather into pure-blooded ,arabs and ,muwallads or half-breeds4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,the ,,aceite ,,gate ,here at ,seville the young ,abd-er-,rahman arrived1 to restore the empire of his forefathers1 the ,umeyyas1 and under these walls the horde of the ,abbassides was cut to pieces4 ,yet despite the prosperity she enjoyed under the ,western ,khalifate1 the city murmured against ,cordova1 and more than once essayed to throw off the yoke4 ,in ,abdullah's reign 7#hhh-iab7 a chief named ,ibrahim ,ibn ,hajjaj assumed semi-regal state at ,ishbiliyah4 ,when he rode forth he was attended by five hundred cavaliers1 and he ventured to wear the tiraz1 the official insignia of the amirs4 ,he was a liberal patron of the arts and letters4 ,in all the ,west1 exclaimed a delighted bard1 ,i found no noble man but ,ibrahim1 and he was nobility itself6 ,when you have once lived within his shadow1 to live elsewhere is misery4 ,such flattery did not delude ,ibrahim into too great a confidence in his own power4 ,he readily submitted to the great khalifa1 ,abd-ur-,rahman ,,iii41 by whom the city was greatly favoured4 ,the channel of the ,guadalquivir was narrowed and deepened1 the palm-tree introduced from ,africa1 and the city adorned with gardens and fine edifices4 ,the splendour of the court of ,cordova was reflected on ,seville1 which became famous as a seat of learning4 ,in those days flourished ,ahmed ,ben ,abdallah1 surnamed ,el ,beji1 or ,the ,sage1 the author of an ,encyclopdia of ,sciences which was long esteemed a piece of marvellous erudition4 ,some strange and unexpected figures about this time flit across the stage of ,andalusian history4 ,the ,northmen1 or ,majus as they were called by the ,arabs1 appeared in the year #hdd off ,lisbon4 ,after spreading dismay through ,lusitania they sailed their long ships southwards to ,cadiz1 and disembarked4 ,they vanquished the khalifa's troops in three pitched battles1 and penetrating into ,seville sacked the rich city from end to end4 ,luckily they remained but a day and a night1 and after sustaining several desperate attacks from the inhabitants of the country1 with varying results1 they retired overland to ,lisbon1 where they re-embarked4 ,they came again fifteen years later1 and this time sailed up the ,guadalquivir1 burnt the principal mosque1 and threw down the ,roman walls4 ,then they made sail for the eastern coasts of ,spain1 where they were attacked and routed by the ,saracen fleet4 ,an army of demons must these strange uncouth pirates have seemed to the ,andalusians1 who knew not whence they came nor to what race of men they belonged4 ,on the break-up of the ,western ,khalifate in #ajji1 the shrewd and powerful kadi1 ,mohammed ,ben ,abbad1 secured the sovereignty of the city for himself and his descendants4 ,he contrived to give his usurpation the appearance of legality4 ,he espoused the cause of an impostor who personated the deposed khalifa1 ,hisham1 and pretended to govern the city in his name4 ,his power once firmly established1 ,ben ,abbad disposed of his puppet1 and announced that the khalifa was dead and had designated him his lawful successor4 ,for the second time ,seville rose to the rank of an independent ,state4 ,the dynasty of ,abbad1 emulous of the glories of ,cordova1 outshone all the other rulers of ,spain in elegance and culture4 ,the city was adorned with beautiful gardens and buildings4 ,learning was held in honour1 and the amir disputed the palm with a swarm of fellow-poets4 ,walking one day with his courtiers1 on these very banks of the ,guadalquivir1 the ,amir ,mut'adid-billah observed the water lying glassy beneath the waving light4 ,he improvised a line comparing the surface of the stream to a cuirass1 and called on the poet ,aben ,amr to complete the verse4 ,this the laureate found some difficulty in doing1 and to his chagrin he was anticipated by a girl of the people standing by1 who contributed these lines3 ,a strong cuirass1 magnificent in combat1 ,like water frozen over4 ,the amir1 far from resenting this intrusion of a bystander into the royal circle1 bade the girl draw nearer and asked her name4 ,she said that her name was ,romikiwa and that she was the slave of ,romiya4 ,the prince then asked if she were married4 ,the maiden replied that she was not4 ,it is well1 said ,mut'adid-billah1 for ,i propose to buy you and to marry you4 ,it is to be presumed that ,romiya had no objection to offer to this plan4 ,this monarch1 the son of the first ,abbadite amir1 could do other things than make verses4 ,he was a mighty warrior in ,islam1 and kept a kind of garden planted with the skulls of his enemies1 in the contemplation of which he took great delight4 ,with a view to adding to his collection he made extensive conquests in what are now the provinces of ,ciudad ,real1 ,badajoz1 and ,alemtejo1 and undertook successful expeditions against ,cordova and ,ronda4 ,it was the misfortune of his son and successor1 ,mote'mid1 to be the contemporary of those great and vigorous ,castilian kings1 ,fernando el ,magno and ,alfonso ,,vi4 ,conscious of the weakness of his little ,state1 the ,amir of ,ishbiliyah neglected no means of humouring his powerful neighbour4 ,fernando sent an armed mission to his court to demand the body of the holy martyr1 ,justa4 ,but though ,mote'mid eagerly extended all the assistance in his power1 no trace of the relics could be obtained4 ,the mission would have been obliged to return empty-handed had not ,st4 ,isidore 7the brother of ,st4 ,leander7 appeared in a dream to one of the ,christian envoys and commanded him to convey his remains to ,leon1 instead of ,st4 ,justa's4 ,the venerable prelate's body was discovered at ,italica and carried off to the north1 fragrant with balsamic odours and wrapped in costly silks4 ,mote'mid loudly lamented the loss of the remains4 ,oh6 venerable brother1 he was heard to exclaim1 dost thou then leave me8 ,thou knowest what has passed between me and thee1 and the love ,i bear thee4 ,i pray thee to forget me never4 ,very remarkable words indeed1 to fall from the lips of a ,mohammedan sovereign in reference to a ,catholic saint4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,a ,,courtyard ,in truth the ,spanish ,moslems of that day were sadly wanting in zeal for their religion4 ,in those days1 writes an ,arab chronicler1 men of virtue and principle were rare among the people of ,mohammed4 ,the majority scrupled not to drink wine and to give themselves up to every kind of dissipation4 ,the conquerors of ,andalusia disputed about their slaves and singing girls1 passing their time in debauchery and pleasures1 wasting the treasure of the ,state on amusement1 and oppressing the people with exactions and tributes that they might buy the friendship of the tyrant ,alfonso with costly presents4 ,so things went on among the quarrelsome ,mussulman chiefs1 until1 the conquerors and the conquered alike prostrated and the kings and captains having lost their pristine worth1 the warriors became cowards1 the people vegetated in misery and dejection1 the whole of society became corrupt1 and the lifeless1 soulless body of ,islam was only a decaying carcase4 ,the ,moslems who did not bow beneath the yoke of ,alfonso consented to pay him annual tributes1 constituting themselves in this manner mere tax collectors for the ,christian king on their own territories4 ,meanwhile the affairs of ,islam were directed by ,jews1 who obtained the offices of wizir1 hagib1 and khatib1 reserved in another age to the most illustrious of the citizens4 ,the ,christians devastated the beautiful land of ,andalusia1 and carried off captives and booty1 burning villages and threatening the towns4 ,in pursuance of his policy of conciliation1 ,mote'mid gave his daughter ,zayda in marriage to ,alfonso ,,vi41 her dowry being all the towns ,mut'adid had conquered in ,new ,castile4 ,lucas of ,tuy says the damsel was taken quasi pro uxore ut prmissam est4 ,but this ambiguous union did not avert a serious rupture between the sovereigns a year or two later4 ,when the ,castilian king sent two ambassadors to ,seville to collect his tribute1 one of them1 a ,jew1 conducted himself so haughtily that the exasperated ,moslems stabbed him to death1 letting the ,christians escape without serious injury4 ,this outrage meant war4 ,mote'mid cast about him for an ally4 ,no help was to be found in ,spain1 and with inward misgivings1 no doubt1 the ,abbadite amir called on the ,almoravides of ,africa to uphold the cause of ,islam4 ,warned of the danger of this course1 ,mote'mid is said to have replied1 ,better be a camel driver in the ,african desert than a swineherd in ,castile4 ,the ,almoravides came and routed the ,christians4 ,they returned to ,africa1 and then came again1 this time reducing all the petty ,mussulman ,states beneath their sway4 ,in #ajia ,ishbiliyah became a mere provincial centre1 the seat of a ,berber governor4 ,mote'mid was sent in chains to ,africa1 where he died four years later4 ,the ,almoravide rule was of scant duration4 ,fifty-five years later all ,andalusia was annexed to the empire of the ,almohades4 ,the third sovereign of the new dynasty dealt what seemed a decisive blow to the allied ,christians at ,alarcos in the year #aaie4 ,but the conquerors knew not how to follow up their victory4 ,the ,spaniards rallied1 and in #abab was fought the battle of ,las ,navas de ,tolosa4 ,the ,mussulmans were totally defeated1 and left1 it is said1 six hundred thousand dead upon the field4 ,yet the knell of ,ishbiliyah had not yet sounded4 ,the authority of the ,almohade khalifas was nominally recognized in the city sixteen years longer4 ,in #abbh the last of the race of ,abd-ul-,mumin to rule in ,spain was expelled by the famous ,ben ,hud1 who was himself slain by his rival ,al ,ahmar1 the founder of the ,nasrite dynasty of ,granada1 ten years later4 ,in their despair the people of ,seville turned once more to the ,african ,almohades4 ,but no new army of ,ghazis crossed the strait to do battle with the ,unbeliever4 ,the ,andalusians were left to fight their last fight unassisted4 ,cordova had fallen before ,st4 ,ferdinand1 and the ,sevillians provoked his anger by the murder of one of their chiefs who was devoted to his interests4 ,at the eleventh hour the defence was entrusted--strangely enough for a ,mohammedan community--to a junta composed of six persons4 ,their names are worth being recorded3 ,abu ,faris ,ben ,hafs1 ,sakkaf1 ,ben ,shoayb1 ,yahya ,ben ,khaldun1 ,ben ,khiyar1 and ,abu ,bekr ,ben ,sharih4 ,thus driven to bay1 the ,moors offered a determined resistance4 ,they were attacked not only by the ,castilians1 but by their own co-religionists2 for ,al ,ahmar1 the new ,amir of ,granada1 was serving with his followers under the banner of ,ferdinand4 ,the siege lasted fifteen months4 ,a fleet was brought round from the shores of ,biscay under the command of ,admiral ,ramon ,bonifaz4 ,the ,moorish ships were dispersed and the chain which the defenders had stretched across the river broken4 ,the besieged were thus cut off from their magazines in the suburb of ,triana4 ,meanwhile all the outlying posts had been taken by the ,castilians1 and the ,moors were driven to take refuge within the walls4 ,only when threatened with famine did the garrison ask for terms4 ,they offered to capitulate if they were allowed to destroy their principal mosque to save it from profanation4 ,the ,infante ,alfonso replied that if a single brick was displaced1 the whole population would be put to the sword4 ,the terms finally accorded the besieged were1 for that age1 not ungenerous4 ,a limited number of families were to be allowed to remain in the city1 the lives and property of these and of the rest were to be respected1 and the means of transport to ,africa and other parts of the peninsula were to be provided for those who were to leave4 ,probably only a few thousand ,moors remained in ,seville4 ,abu ,faris1 magnanimously declining an honourable post offered him by the conqueror1 retired to ,barbary4 ,thither he was followed by thousands of his fellow-townsmen1 while others accepted ,al ,ahmar's invitation to settle at ,granada4 ,ferdinand took possession of the city on ,december #bb1 #abdh4 ,he took up his residence at the ,alcazar1 and allotted houses and lands to his officers1 not forgetting even his ,moorish auxiliaries4 ,among his first cares was the purification of the mosque and its conversion into a ,christian church4 ,it is interesting to note that the first of his knights to mount the ,giralda ,tower was a ,scotsman named ,lawrence ,poore4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,the ,,torre ,,del ,,oro ,,and ,,the ,,cathedral ,seville had remained in the power of the ,mussulmans five hundred and thirty-six years4 ,we1 who see all ,spain ,spanish and remember it was so at the beginning1 are apt to look on the ,moorish occupation as a mere episode or interlude in the history of the country4 ,it is difficult to realize that the sway of the ,crescent lasted in ,seville for as long a period as has passed with us since the death of ,king ,edward ,,iii4 ,yet there are few monuments remaining to-day to commemorate a civilization which endured five centuries4 ,the ,moors have left their impress1 it is true1 in a scarcely definable way on the city1 the physiognomy of which is more ,oriental than that of ,granada1 a later seat of ,mohammedan empire4 ,but this is in great part due to the men who lived under the ,christian kings1 who had caught the spirit of the ,moors and perpetuated their traditions of art and culture4 ,here we have no such mighty memorials of the vanished race as the ,mezquita or the ,alhambra4 ,still1 a few memorials of that far-off age there are2 and we will go in search of them4 ,here on the quays of the ,guadalquivir rises a polygonal tower of three storeys1 poetically termed the ,torre del ,oro4 ,but here we find no ,dana awaiting a rescuer1 but only the harbour master and his assistants4 ,when the ,almohades ruled in ,seville a great iron chain was drawn across the river1 and a tower built on either side to support it4 ,the tower on the ,triana side has long since disappeared1 but the ,torre del ,oro remains as it was built in #abbj--;except1 indeed1 for the small turret or superstructure added in the eighteenth century4 ,it is said1 too1 that it was once adorned with beautiful glazed tiles1 from which 7though this seems unlikely7 it derived its name4 ,in the days when it stood the brunt of the attack from the squadron of ,ramon ,bonifaz1 it was connected with the ,alcazar by a wall1 called1 in military language1 a curtain4 ,this was not demolished until the year #ahba4 ,at the same time disappeared the main entrance to the ,alcazar4 ,the ,almohades did much to embellish and to improve the city during their century of sovereignty4 ,the only important ,mohammedan work remaining to us in ,seville belongs to that period1 and illustrates the victory of the ,african or ,berber over the ,byzantine influences traceable in earlier ,moorish architecture4 ,the new conquerors of ,andalusia were a virile1 hardy race1 and there is something vigorous and coarse in their handiwork4 ,they developed an excessive fondness for ornamentation which mars much of their work1 and were too much addicted to the use of painted stucco and gilding4 ,to them we owe the stalactite roofing1 afterwards developed with such success at the ,alhambra4 ,it is certain1 says ,don ,pedro de ,madrazo1 that the innovations characteristic of ,mussulman architecture in ,spain during the eleventh and twelfth centuries cannot be explained as a natural modification of the ,arabic art of the ,khalifate1 or as a prelude to the art of ,granada1 for there is very little similarity between the style called ,secondary or ,mauritanian1 and the ,arab-,byzantine and ,andalusian2 while on the other hand it is evident that the ,saracenic monuments of ,fez and ,morocco1 of the reigns of ,yusuf ,ben ,tashfin1 ,abdul ,ben ,ali1 ,al ,mansr1 and ,nasr1 partake of the character of the ornamentation introduced by the ,almohades into ,spain4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,the ,,giralda ,the most important example of this style is the far-famed ,giralda ,tower1 at the north-eastern corner of the ,cathedral1 the most renowned of minarets and one of the strongest buildings in the world4 ,it was built in the reign of ,yakb al ,mansr by an architect whose name is variously written ,gabir1 ,hever1 and ,yever4 ,quantities of ,roman remains and statuary were used in making the foundations4 ,the wall at the base is nine feet in thickness1 which increases with the height4 ,the lower part is of stone1 the upper part of brick4 ,for the first fifteen metres the four faces of the tower are plain2 at that height begins a series of vertical windows1 mostly of two lights1 some with the horseshoe1 others with the pointed arch2 while on either side the masonry is carved into what seem panels of trellis work4 ,there is much in the details of this decoration to interest the student of ,moorish art1 who will recognize in them the inception of many forms developed 7and not always to advantage7 at ,granada4 ,but the ,giralda as we now see it is a third as high again as it was left by the ,almohades4 ,in their time it was crowned by a pinnacle to which were attached four balls of gilded copper--one of which was so large1 we are told1 that the city gate had to be widened that it might be brought hither4 ,the iron bar supporting the balls weighed about ten hundredweights1 and the whole was cast by a ,sicilian ,arab named ,abu ,leyth at a cost of about fifty thousand pounds of our money4 ,the balls were thrown down by an earthquake in #acie1 when their proportions were carefully ascertained4 ,it was not till #aefh that the upper stage of the fabric1 a graceful ,renaissance superstructure1 was added by ,fernando ,ruiz4 ,in the same year ,morel's great statue of ,faith1 cast in bronze1 was placed on the apex to symbolize the triumph of ,christianity over the creed of ,islam4 ,it is a clever piece of workmanship1 for though it weighs twenty-five hundredweights and measures fourteen feet in height1 it sways and turns with every wind4 ,hence the name applied to the ,tower--,giralda1 from que gira1 which turns4 ,the first thing you will be asked to do by the guides at ,seville is to mount the ,giralda1 which you do by means of thirty-five inclined planes1 up which a horse might be ridden with ease to the very top4 ,each stage of the ascent is named3 ,el ,cuerpo de ,campaas1 after its fine peal of bells1 one of which weighs eighteen tons2 ,el ,cuerpo del ,reloj1 after the clock first set up in #adjj--the earliest tower-clock in ,spain4 ,then there are the prettily-named floors of the ,lilies and the ,stars4 ,some of the rooms are inhabited by the bell-ringers1 who may at times be heard practising not only the chimes but the peculiar guitar-playing of ,andalusia4 ,the view from the summit of the tower ,i think1 on the whole1 disappointing4 ,the principal buildings of the city are too closely grouped below the spectator to give a very fine effect to the panorama1 and the country round is not beautiful4 ,looking across the arid region beyond the river1 it is hard to believe that in ,moorish times it was renowned for its beauty and fertility and compared by ,arabic writers to the ,garden of ,eden4 ,looking down we scan the white city1 a labyrinth of lanes and alleys1 only here and there a plaza opening like a lake among the closely-set roofs4 ,far away to the north the ,sierra ,morena limits the prospect4 ,how often1 when from this tower the muezzin proclaimed the ,islamic profession of faith1 his eyes must have lingered apprehensively on those mountains from whose crests the ,christian seemed to hurl back defiance and repudiation4 ,for the ,giralda was the minaret of the great mosque begun by ,yusuf1 the son of ,abd-ur-,rahman1 in #aaga1 and completed by his son and successor1 ,yakub al ,mansr4 ,the earlier mosque on the same site had been destroyed by the ,normans1 but some portions of it seem to appear in the horseshoe arches of the ,puerta del ,lagarto and the northern wall of the ,patio de los ,naranjos4 ,this latter court1 which shuts in the ,cathedral on the north side1 contains the fountain at which the devout ,moslems performed their ablutions4 ,the picturesque ,puerta del ,perdon1 through which you pass on your way into the town1 is a ,mudejar1 not a ,moorish1 horseshoe arch1 erected by ,alfonso ,,xi4 to commemorate the victory at the ,salado in the year #acdj4 ,the doors with bronze plates1 despite their ,arabic inscriptions1 also date from that time4 ,the gate was restored in the sixteenth century and adorned with sculptures4 ,the terra-cotta statues of ,st4 ,peter and ,st ,paul on the outer side are the work of ,miguel ,florentin1 one of the earliest of the apostles of ,renaissance sculpture to settle in ,spain4 ,the relief over the arch1 representing the expulsion of the money-changers from the ,temple1 is also by him1 and commemorates the substitution of the ,lonja or ,bourse for this gate as a rendezvous for merchants4 ,the belfry storey is modern4 ,at the little shrine just inside1 to the left on entering1 may be seen a ,christ bearing the ,cross1 by ,luis de ,vargas4 ,the money-changers and brokers have gone1 but this gate remains a favourite haunt of the gossips and loungers of ,seville1 and in the cool of the evening is occupied by some pleasant little family groups from the adjoining houses4 ,the southern side of the patio is occupied by the ,cathedral1 the western by the church or chapel of the ,sagrario4 ,the house on the north side inside the old ,moorish wall1 to the right of the ,giralda gate 7on entering71 is occupied by the ,biblioteca ,colombina1 bequeathed by the son of ,columbus4 ,the pulpit from which ,st4 ,vincent ,ferrer1 the ,angel of the ,judgment1 thundered forth his terrific fulminations against sinners1 ,jews1 and heretics1 ,i omitted to notice4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,gardens ,,of ,,the ,,alcazar ,everyone who reaches the ,patio de los ,naranjos for the first time is sure to enter the ,cathedral1 which he should not do until the ,alcazar at least has been visited4 ,not that the two great buildings of ,seville exhibit any transition of style from the one to the other1 but because1 having begun the consideration of ,moorish architectural work1 we ought naturally to pass on immediately to the ,mauresque work of the first century of ,castilian rule4 ,the group of buildings which for greater clearness we will call1 with the ,spaniards themselves1 the ,alcazares lie to the south of the ,cathedral1 and are surrounded by an embattled wall built by the ,arabs4 ,this enclosure1 it should be understood1 includes a great many private houses and open spaces besides the ,alcazar proper4 ,immediately inside the wall are two squares called the ,patio de las ,banderas and ,patio de la ,monteria4 ,at the far end of the former is the office of the governor of the palace1 and to the right of this is an entrance whence a colonnaded passage called the ,apeadero leads straight through to the gardens1 or1 by turning to the right1 to the ,patio del ,leon4 ,on one side this latter square communicates with the ,patio de la ,monteria2 on the other side is the ,palace of the ,alcazar itself4 ,i hope this will make the rather puzzling topography of the place a little more intelligible4 ,whether or not the ,roman ,arx stood on this spot1 as tradition avers1 ,i cannot pretend to say4 ,but there is no room for doubt that a palace stood here in the days of the ,abbadite amirs1 and that this building was restored and remodelled by the ,almohades4 ,to outward seeming the ,alcazar is as ,moorish a monument as the ,alhambra4 ,in reality1 few traces remain of the palace raised by the ,moslem rulers of either dynasty1 and the present building was mainly the work of the ,castilian kings--especially of ,pedro the ,cruel4 ,but though built under and for a ,christian monarch1 it is practically certain that the architects were ,moors and good ,moslems1 and that their instructions and intentions were to build a ,moorish palace4 ,historically1 you may say1 the ,alcazar is a ,christian work2 artistically1 ,mohammedan4 ,the actual palace occupies only a small part of the site of the older structures1 and incorporates but a few fragments of their fabrics4 ,since ,pedro the ,cruel's day1 so many sovereigns have restored1 remodelled1 and added to the building1 that it is far from being homogeneous1 though we can hardly agree with ,contreras that it is far from being a monument of ,oriental art4 ,pedro built more than one palace1 or1 more correctly1 two or three wings of the same palace1 in this enclosure4 ,traces of his ,stucco ,palace 7,palacio del ,yeso7 remain4 ,pedro looms very large in the history of ,seville4 ,he plays as prominent a part here as ,harn-al-,rashid in the story of ,bagdad4 ,he was fond of the ,moors1 and affected their costumes and customs4 ,he also favoured the ,jews1 and was alleged by his enemies to be the changeling child of a ,jewess4 ,his treasurer and trusted adviser was an ,israelite named ,simuel ,ben ,levi4 ,he served the king long and faithfully1 till one day it was whispered that half the wealth that should fill the royal coffers had been diverted into his own4 ,ben ,levi was seized without warning and placed on the rack1 whereupon he expired1 not of pain1 but of sheer indignation4 ,under his house--so the story goes--was found a cavern in which were three piles of gold and silver1 twice as high as a man4 ,pedro on beholding these was much affected4 ,had ,simuel surrendered a third of the least of these piles1 he exclaimed1 he should have gone free4 ,why would he rather die than speak8 ,stories innumerable are told of this king1 a good many1 no doubt1 being pure inventions4 ,there is no reason to question the account of his treatment of ,abu ,sad1 the ,moorish ,sultan of ,granada4 ,this prince had usurped the throne1 and being solicitous of ,pedro's alliance1 came to visit him at the ,alcazar with a magnificent retinue4 ,the costliest presents were offered to the ,castilian king1 whose heart1 however1 was bent on possessing the superb ruby in the regalia of his guest4 ,before many hours had passed1 the ,moors were seized in their apartments and stripped of their raiment and valuables4 ,abu ,sad1 ridiculously tricked out1 was mounted on a donkey1 and with thirty-six of his courtiers1 hurried to a field outside the town1 where they were bound to posts4 ,a train of horsemen appeared1 ,don ,pedro at their head1 and transfixed the helpless men with darts1 the king shouting1 as he hurled his missiles at his luckless guest3 ,this for the treaty you made me conclude with ,aragon6 ,this for the castle you took from me6 ,the ruby which had been the cause of the ,moor's death was presented by his murderer to the ,black ,prince1 and now adorns the crown of ,england4 ,nor did ,pedro confine his fury to the sterner sex4 ,doa ,urraca ,osorio1 because her son was concerned in ,don ,enrique's uprising1 was burned at the stake on the ,alameda4 ,her faithful servant1 ,leonor ,dvalos1 seeing that the flames had consumed her mistress's clothing1 threw herself into the pyre to cover her nakedness1 and was likewise burnt to ashes4 ,having conceived a passion for ,doa ,maria ,coronel1 the king caused her husband to be executed in the ,torre del ,oro4 ,the widow1 far from yielding to his entreaties and threats1 took the veil and destroyed her beauty by means of vitriol4 ,pedro at once transferred his attentions to her sister1 ,doa ,aldonza1 and met with more success4 ,if a chronicler is to be believed1 he threw his brother ,enrique's young daughter naked to the lions1 like some ,christian virgin martyr4 ,the generous 7or possibly overfed7 brutes refused the proffered prey1 and the whimsical tyrant ever afterwards treated the maiden kindly4 ,in memory of her experience1 she was known as ,leonor de los ,leones4 ,the misdeeds and eccentricities of this extraordinary monarch have been chronicled by ,ayala 7who was a partisan of ,don ,enrique71 and given a wider circulation by the pen of ,prosper ,mrime4 ,i cannot very well omit the oft-told tale that gives its name to the curious little street1 near the ,casa de los ,abades1 called ,calle ,cabeza de ,don ,pedro4 ,there the king's head may be seen in effigy high up on the wall at the corner of the street4 ,pedro1 prowling about the town after dark1 had a quarrel with a passer-by to whom1 of course1 he was unknown1 and whom he incontinently ran through the body4 ,thinking there had been no witness to his crime1 he stalked back to his palace4 ,next day he summoned the ,alcalde of ,seville to his presence and asked for news of the town4 ,the magistrate told him that the body of a man had been found1 murdered by whom no one knew4 ,the king would suffer no laxity on the part of his officers4 ,if the assassin were not discovered the alcalde must pay the penalty of the crime with his own life4 ,luckily for the magistrate1 an old dame had beheld the encounter of the previous night1 and now hastened to him with the surprising news that the man he sought after was no other than his majesty4 ,she had recognized him beyond all possibility of doubt1 not only by his features1 but by the peculiar clicking of the royal knees4 ,the alcalde hanged the king in effigy and invited him to the spectacle4 ,it is well1 said the prince1 after an ominous pause1 ,i am satisfied4 ,justice has been done4 ,i have told the tale rather hurriedly1 as it is far from being well authenticated1 and because it will doubtless be familiar in some form or another to most readers4 ,that ,pedro had a sense of humour is shown by yet another incident4 ,a priest for murdering a shoemaker was condemned by the ecclesiastical tribune to be suspended from his sacerdotal functions for the space of twelve months4 ,on hearing this ,pedro decreed that any tradesman who murdered a priest should be punished by being restrained from the exercise of his trade for the like period4 ,but now let us return to the palace of which the sinister king seems the presiding genius4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,gardens ,,of ,,the ,,alcazar ,crossing the ,plaza del ,triunfo1 which lies between the ,cathedral and the old ,moorish walls1 we enter the ,patio de las ,banderas1 so called either because a flag was hoisted here when the royal family was in residence1 or on account of the trophy1 composed of the arms of ,spain with crossed flags1 displayed over one of the arches4 ,pedro was accustomed to administer justice1 tempered with ferocity1 after the ,oriental fashion1 seated on a stone bench in a corner of this square4 ,the surrounding private houses occupy the site of the old ,palace of the ,almohades1 and one of the halls--the ,sala de ,justicia--is still visible4 ,it is entered from the ,patio de la ,monteria4 ,contreras assigns a date to this room even earlier than the advent of the ,almohades4 ,it is square1 and measures nine metres across4 ,the stucco ceiling is adorned with stars and wreaths1 and bordered by a painted frieze4 ,the decorations consist chiefly of inscriptions in ,cufic characters4 ,the right-angled apertures in the walls were closed either by screens of translucent stucco or by tapestries1 which must1 says ,gestoso y ,perez1 have made the hall appear a miracle of wealth and splendour4 ,it was in this hall1 often overlooked by visitors1 that ,don ,pedro overheard four judges discussing the division of a bribe they had received4 ,the question was abruptly solved by the division of the disputants' heads and bodies4 ,thanks to its isolation1 the ,sala de ,justicia escaped the dreadful restoration effected in the middle of the nineteenth century by the ,duc de ,montpensier4 ,the house ,no4 #c1 ,patio de las ,banderas1 formed part1 in the opinion of ,gestoso y ,perez1 of the ,palacio del ,yeso1 or ,stucco ,palace1 of ,don ,pedro4 ,passing through the colonnaded ,apeadero1 built by ,philip ,,iii4 in #afjg1 and once used as an armoury1 we reach the ,patio del ,leon1 where tournaments used to be held1 and stand in front of the ,palace of the ,alcazar4 ,the faade is gorgeous yet elegant1 of a gaudiness that in this brilliant city of golden sunshine and white walls is not obtrusive4 ,yet1 despite the ,moorish character of the decoration1 the ,arabic capitals and pilasters1 and the square entrance in the ,persian style1 the front is not that of an eastern palace2 and it is without surprise that we read over the portal1 in quaint ,gothic characters1 the legend3 ,the most high1 the most noble1 the most powerful1 and the most victorious ,don ,pedro1 commanded these ,palaces1 these ,alcazares1 and these entrances to be made in the year 7of ,csar7 #adjb 7#acfd74 ,elsewhere on the faade are the oft-repeated ,cufic inscriptions3 ,there is no conqueror but ,allah1 ,glory to our lord the ,sultan 7,don ,pedro71 ,eternal glory to ,allah1 etc41 etc4 ,this is a very different entrance from that of the ,alhambra1 the building on the model of which the ,alcazar was undoubtedly planned4 ,from the entrance a passage leads from your left to one extremity of the ,patio de las ,doncellas1 the central and principal court of the palace4 ,how this patio came to be so named ,i have never been able to ascertain4 ,there is an absurd story to the effect that here were collected the girls fabled to have been sent by way of annual tribute by ,mauregato to the khalifa4 ,had such a transaction taken place1 the tribute would have been payable1 of course1 at ,cordova1 not at ,seville4 ,moreover this court was among the works executed in the fourteenth century4 ,the ,alcazar strikes us 7if we have come from ,granada7 as being on a much smaller scale than the ,alhambra4 ,it is very much better preserved1 as it should be1 seeing that it is a century younger2 and if it vaguely strikes one as being fitter for the abode of a court favourite than of a monarch1 it impresses one as being fresher1 more elegant--in a word1 more artistic--than the older building4 ,the ,patio de las ,doncellas is an oblong1 and surrounded by an arcade of pointed and dentated arches which spring from the capitals of white marble columns placed in pairs4 ,the middle arch on each side is higher than the others1 and springs from oblong imposts resting on the twin columns and flanked by the miniature pillars characteristic of the ,granadine architecture4 ,the spandrils are beautifully adorned with stucco work of the trellis pattern4 ,on the frieze above runs a flowing scroll with ,arabic inscriptions1 among them being ,glory to our lord1 the ,sultan ,don ,pedro1 and this very remarkable text3 ,there is but one ,god2 ,he is eternal2 ,he was not begotten and has never begotten1 and ,he has no equal4 ,this inscription1 opposed to the tenets of ,christianity1 was evidently designed by a ,moslem artificer1 who relied 7and safely relied7 on the ignorance of his employers4 ,the frieze is decorated also1 at intervals1 by the escutcheons of ,don ,pedro and of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and by the well-known devices of ,charles ,v41 the ,pillars of ,hercules with the motto ,plus ,oultre4 ,the inside of the arcade is ornamented with a high dado of glazed tile mosaic 7azulejo71 brilliantly coloured and with the highly-prized metallic glint4 ,the combinations and variations of the designs are very ingenious and interesting4 ,this decoration probably dates from ,don ,pedro's time4 ,behind each central arch is a round-arched doorway1 flanked by twin windows4 ,these are framed in rich conventional ornamental work4 ,through little oblong windows above the doors light falls and illumines the ceilings of the apartments opening into the court4 ,the ceiling of the arcade dates from the reign of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 but was restored in #ahef4 ,a deep cornice marks the division of the lower part of the court from the upper storey1 the front of which1 with its white marble arches1 columns and balustrades1 was the work of ,don ,luis de ,vega1 a sixteenth-century architect4 ,three recesses in the wall to the left of the entrance are pointed out as the audience closets of ,king ,pedro2 but they are much more likely to be walled-up entrances to formerly existing corridors and chambers behind4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,patio ,,de ,,las ,,banderas ,the door facing this wall gives access to the ,hall of the ,ambassadors 7,salon de los ,embajadores71 the finest apartment in this fairy palace4 ,the doors are magnificent examples of inlay work1 and were1 according to the inscription on them1 made by ,moorish carpenters from ,toledo in the year #acfd4 ,the hall is about thirty-three feet square1 and exhibits a splendid combination of the various styles with the ,gothic and ,renaissance4 ,the ornamentation is rich and elaborate almost beyond the possibility of description4 ,the magnificent half-orange ceiling of carved wood rests on a frieze decorated with the ,tower and ,lion4 ,then come ,cufic inscriptions on a blue ground and ugly female heads of the sixteenth century4 ,then1 below another band of decoration1 is a row of fifty-six busts of the ,kings of ,spain1 from ,receswinto the ,goth to ,philip ,,iii4 ,these date1 at earliest1 from the sixteenth century4 ,the wrought-iron balconies were made by ,francisco ,lopez in #aeib4 ,the decoration of this splendid chamber is completed by a high dado of blue1 white1 and green azulejos4 ,it was in this hall that ,abu ,sad is said to have been received by his treacherous host4 ,the ,hall of the ,ambassadors communicated on each side with the patio and adjoining halls by entrances composed of three horseshoe arches1 supported by graceful pillars and enclosed in a circular arch4 ,through the arch facing the entrance from the patio we pass into a long narrow apartment1 known as the ,comedor1 where the late ,comtesse de ,paris was born in #ahdh4 ,to the north of the salon is a small square chamber1 called the ,cuarto del ,techo de ,felipe ,segundo1 with a coffered ceiling dating from the time of that king4 ,north of this room is the exquisite little ,patio de las ,muecas 7,court of the ,dolls71 purely ,granadine in treatment4 ,the rounded arches are separated by cylindrical pillars--,i call them so for want of a better word--which rest on slender columns of different colours1 reminding one of the early or ,cordovan style4 ,the capitals are rich1 the pillars they uphold decorated with vertical lines of ,cufic inscriptions1 many of which1 says ,contreras1 are placed upside down4 ,the walls and spandrils are tastefully adorned with stucco work of the trellis pattern1 tiling and mosaic4 ,this court1 though still harmonious and beautiful1 suffered rather than benefited by its restoration in #ahdc2 but the architecture has been not unsuccessfully reproduced in the upper storey4 ,this charming spot is by no means suggestive of deeds of blood and violence2 yet1 just as they point out the ,salon de los ,embajadores as the scene of the arrest of the ,red ,sultan by ,don ,pedro1 so here do the guides place the scene of the murder of ,don ,fadrique by the truculent monarch--a fratricide to be avenged by another fratricide at ,montiel4 ,the ,master of ,santiago1 to give the ,don his usual title1 after a successful campaign in ,murcia1 had been graciously received by his brother the king1 and presently went to pay his respects in another part of the palace to the royal favourite1 ,maria de ,padilla4 ,it is said that she warned him of his impending fate2 perhaps by her manner1 if not by words1 she tried to arouse in him a sense of danger1 but the soldier prince returned to the king's presence4 ,with a shout1 ,pedro gave the fatal signal4 ,kill the ,master of ,santiago1 he cried4 ,guards fell upon the prince4 ,his sword was entangled in his scarf1 and he was butchered without mercy4 ,his retainers fled in all directions1 pursued by ,pedro's guards4 ,one took refuge in ,maria de ,padilla's own apartment1 and tried to screen himself by holding her little daughter1 ,doa ,beatriz1 before him4 ,pedro tore the child away1 and despatched the unfortunate man with his own hand4 ,the murder took place on ,may #ai1 #aceh4 ,to the west of the court is a little room1 elegantly decorated1 and named after the ,catholic ,sovereigns1 by whom it was restored4 ,their well-known devices appear1 together with the ,towers and ,lions1 among the decorations1 which reveal the influence of the plateresque style4 ,the north side of the patio is occupied by the ,cuarto de los ,principes1 not to be confounded with a similarly named apartment on the floor above4 ,at either end of this room is an arch1 adorned with stucco work1 admitting to a cabinet or alcove4 ,that to the right has a fine artesonado ceiling1 and that to the left is decorated in a species of ,moorish plateresque style4 ,an inscription states that the frieze was made in the year #aedc by ,juan de ,simancas1 master carpenter4 ,east of the ,patio de las ,muecas1 and occupying the north side of the ,patio de las ,doncellas1 is the long room called the ,dormitorio de los ,reyes ,moros4 ,all the apartments in the ,alcazar are fancifully named1 but the designation of none is quite so stupid and misleading as this4 ,the columns of the twin windows on either side of the door appear to date from the time of the ,khalifate4 ,the doors themselves are richly inlaid and painted with geometrical patterns4 ,the three horseshoe arches leading to the al hami1 or alcove1 also seem to belong to the early period of ,spanish-,arabic art4 ,the room is so richly decorated that scarce a handbreadth of the surface is free from ornament4 ,on the opposite side of the central court is the sumptuous ,salon de ,carlos ,v41 the ceiling of which was constructed by order of the emperor1 and is adorned with classical heads4 ,the tile and stucco work is the finest in the palace4 ,there is a legend to the effect that ,st4 ,ferdinand died in this room--on his knees1 with a cord round his neck and a taper in his hand--but it is unlikely that this part of the palace existed in his time4 ,the guide pointed out the room to the west of this salon as the chamber of ,maria de ,padilla1 but this again is1 to put it mildly1 doubtful4 ,the upper chambers of the ,alcazar1 which are not accessible to the general public1 are very handsome4 ,the floor overlooking the ,patio del ,leon is occupied by the ,sala del ,principe1 with its beautiful spring windows1 polychrome tiling1 and columns brought from the old ,moorish ,palace at ,valencia4 ,adjacent is the ,oratory1 built by order of ,ferdinand and ,isabella in #aejd4 ,the tile work is of extraordinary beauty1 and shows that the ,moors had not a monopoly of talent in this kind of decoration4 ,the fine ,visitation over the altar is signed by ,francesco ,nicoloso1 the ,italian4 ,on the same floor is the reputed bed-chamber of ,don ,pedro4 ,over the door may be seen four death's-heads1 and over another entrance the curious figure of a man who looks back over his shoulder at a grinning skull4 ,these gruesome designs commemorate the summary execution by the king of four judges whom he overheard discussing the division of a bribe4 ,the royal apartments on this floor contain some precious works of art2 but ,i abstain from mentioning the most remarkable of these1 as pictures are so often transferred in ,spain from one royal residence to another that such indications are often out of date before they are printed4 ,the ,alcazar1 ,i think1 disappoints most foreigners4 ,the architectural and decorative work of the ,spanish ,moors and their descendants pleases people quite inexperienced in the arts by its mere prettiness1 its brilliance1 its originality1 and its colour2 and it delights still more those who are able to appreciate its marvellous combinations of geometrical forms1 its exquisite epigraphy1 and all its subtle details4 ,but the average traveller stands between these two classes of observers4 ,he looks for grandeur where he should expect only beauty1 and his eye is wearied by the wealth of conventional ornamentation4 ,what ,i think is conspicuously lacking in the ,alcazar1 and to almost the same extent in the ,alhambra1 is atmosphere4 ,memories do not haunt you in these gilded halls4 ,there is nothing about them to suggest that anything ever happened here4 ,the legends tell us the contrary2 but assuredly no one was ever less successful in impressing his personality on his abode than were the founders and inhabitants of the ,alcazar4 ,the gardens are really the most pleasing spot within the enclosure4 ,they form a delicious pleasaunce1 where the orange and citron diffuse their fragrance1 and magic fountains spring up suddenly beneath the passenger's feet1 sprinkling him with a cooling dew4 ,i noticed some flower beds shaped like curiously formed crosses1 which the gardener told me were the crosses of the orders of ,calatrava1 ,santiago1 ,alcantara1 and ,montesa4 ,you are also shown the ,baths of ,maria de ,padilla1 which are approached through a gloomy arched entrance4 ,in the favourite's time they had no other roof than the sky1 and no further protection from prying eyes than that afforded by a screen of orange and lemon trees4 ,in ,mohammedan times the baths were probably used by the ladies of the harem4 ,but if the ,alcazar is a disappointment to the majority of visitors1 ,i cannot conceive the ,cathedral being so1 despite the unfavourable criticism to which it has been subjected4 ,the exterior1 it is true1 is unimpressive1 and the vastness of the pile is largely responsible for the powerful effect proclaimed by the interior4 ,but when the worst has been urged1 this1 the third largest church in ,christendom1 remains a grand1 a solemn1 and a magnificent temple1 thoroughly ,christian in atmosphere and details4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,gardens ,,of ,,the ,,alcazar ,i like the story of its foundation better than the silly tales about ,don ,pedro1 or about crucifixes helping jilted damsels4 ,it has1 moreover1 the very unusual merit of being true4 ,after the conquest by ,st4 ,ferdinand the old mosque of the ,almohades was purified1 and served as the cathedral till1 towards the end of the fourteenth century1 it became practically ruined by earthquakes4 ,the dean and chapter took counsel together1 and at a conclave held in the ,court of the ,elms1 on the south side of the mosque1 it was resolved to build a new church forthwith4 ,then uprose a zealous prebendary and cried3 ,let us build a church so great that those who come after us will think us mad to have attempted it6 ,the proposal was adopted with acclamation2 and the great-hearted priests bound themselves to contribute from their own stipends as much money as might be necessary1 should the revenue of the ,see prove unequal to the cost of the undertaking4 ,they could never hope to see the fruit of their labours4 ,i do not think the name of any one of them has been preserved4 ,the architect alike has been forgotten4 ,all concerned sought only the greater glorification of their faith4 ,such greatness of spirit deserved a noble monument499 ,note 993 ,instances of this lofty spirit are frequent in the history of the ,spanish peoples4 ,when1 after their first uprising against the mother country1 the people of ,honduras 7,central ,america7 met in ,congress to frame a ,constitution1 a priest rose and proposed that before anything else was done1 every slave in the country should be set free4 ,and the measure was carried unanimously and enthusiastically by the ,congress1 which must have included many slaveholders4 ,it took the ,united ,states forty years to follow this example4 ,the ,cathedral took one hundred and seventeen years to build1 the first stone having been laid in #adjb and the lantern having been finished by ,juan ,gil de ,hontaon in #aeai4 ,of the mosque certain portions were left3 the ,giralda1 the ,patio de los ,naranjos1 and the portal called the ,puerta del ,lagarto4 ,the latter is named after the wooden model of an alligator which hangs from the roof4 ,three or four centuries ago the mummified form of a real alligator hung there4 ,it was one of the gifts of an ,egyptian khalifa to the daughter of a ,castilian king1 whom he sought in marriage4 ,the saurian was accompanied from the banks of the ,nile by various animals peculiar to that fertile region1 but these interesting offerings failed to make any impression on the heart of the ,infanta4 ,thus the forlorn-looking effigy of the reptile is in reality an affecting memorial of unrequited love4 ,churches1 it has been remarked1 were considered in the ,middle ,ages very proper repositories for curiosities of all sorts4 ,the cloister of the ,lagarto contains also an elephant's tusk1 weighing seventy pounds1 and a horse's bit1 said to be that of ,babieca1 the ,cid's charger4 ,very grateful is the sudden cool of the great church when you enter it from the sun-scorched plaza4 ,then there comes over you a feeling of profound reverence1 followed very soon by an infinite restfulness4 ,there is no place in ,seville where you more willingly linger4 ,a holy calm pervades the whole building1 and you wonder that it should have suggested to ,thophile ,gautier such fantastic comparisons4 ,if it were not the temple of ,christ1 ,i could believe it to be the temple of ,silence4 ,the ,puerta del ,lagarto is the favourite entrance1 but when the day comes for a painstaking examination1 you would do well to begin at one of the entrances in the west front4 ,of these there are three3 the ,puerta ,mayor1 the ,puerta del ,bautismo1 and the ,puerta ,san ,miguel4 ,all are enriched with good statuary1 the graceful and vigorous statues of the side doors being the work of ,pedro ,milln1 a fifteenth-century sculptor of renown4 ,entering1 we set foot on the fine marble floor and make out the stupendous church to be composed of a nave and of two aisles on either side4 ,the nave1 you are told1 is one hundred feet high and fifty feet wide4 ,the noble columns1 almost free of adornment1 which uphold the spacious vaults recede in the far distance like trees in an overarching avenue4 ,the effect1 fine as it is1 might have been much finer if the centre of the nave had not been blocked up by the choir4 ,the ,trascoro1 or screen1 facing the west entrance1 is richly adorned with red columns4 ,over the altar is a fourteenth-century picture of the ,madonna1 and a painting by ,pacheco1 the ,inquisitor1 representing ,st4 ,ferdinand receiving the keys of ,seville4 ,over one of the beautiful little side altars of the choir is one of the rare examples of good ,spanish sculpture--a ,virgin1 by ,juan ,martinez ,montaez4 ,on the altar side the choir is shut off by a sixteenth-century railing1 attributed to ,sancho ,muoz4 ,this protects from intrusion their reverences the canons1 who sit in stalls1 exquisitely carved between the years #adge and #aech4 ,the patterns and coloured inlaid work of the backs reveal ,moorish influence4 ,the lectern was the work of ,bartolom ,morel4 ,when the lantern collapsed in #ahhh1 the choir was severely damaged4 ,the architect who restored the fabric proposed to move it considerably nearer the high altar1 but the proposal was stupidly rejected4 ,a good opportunity for improving the appearance of the ,cathedral was thus lost4 ,the retablo of the high altar is the quintessence of late ,gothic sculpture4 ,it is a marvellous work of extraordinary delicacy and elaboration4 ,each of the forty-five compartments into which it is divided contains a subject from the ,bible or from the lives of the saints1 carved1 painted1 or gilded with the rarest skill4 ,begun by the ,fleming ,dancart1 in #adgi1 this wonderful triumph of the carver's art was completed by ,spanish artists in #aebf4 ,the earlier work is in the middle4 ,crowning it is a gilt crucifix and the statues of ,our ,lady and ,st4 ,john4 ,there are some very interesting objects in the ,sacristy1 as it is called1 between the reredos and the hind wall of the chancel4 ,the sacristan will show you the reliquary1 shaped like a triptych1 which came from ,constantinople and was presented to the old cathedral by ,alfonso the ,learned4 ,the double folding door is also said to have come from the ,moorish temple4 ,with a glance at the fine terra-cotta statues by ,miguel ,florentin1 ,juan ,marin1 and others1 we pass behind the chancel wall1 and see before us the plateresque ,royal ,chapel1 built by ,charles ,v4 over the remains of certain of his ancestors4 ,beneath the altar lies the body of ,st4 ,ferdinand in crown and royal robes4 ,he lies here in the heart of his fairest conquest1 even as his descendants1 ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 sleep in the heart of ,granada4 ,you may see his sword1 the handle of which was denuded of gems by ,pedro the ,cruel1 lest they should excite the cupidity of others4 ,that royal humorist also lies here1 near his saintly ancestor and the one woman whom he ever loved1 the gentle ,maria de ,padilla4 ,then there is to be seen the ,vrgen de los ,reyes1 an image presented by ,st4 ,louis of ,france to ,st4 ,ferdinand of ,castile4 7,strange that when saints filled the thrones of ,europe1 things went on no better than they do now67 ,another relic highly prized is the ,vrgen de las ,batallas1 an ivory statuette which ,st4 ,ferdinand used to carry at his saddle-bow4 ,these memorials of the heroic past give you little time or inclination for an examination of the chapel itself1 which has a lofty dome1 and is flanked at the entrance by twelve good statues by ,peter ,kempener--whom ,spaniards call ,campaa4 ,at least 7so ,i read7 he drew them on the wall with charcoal for a ducat each1 and they were executed by ,lorenzo del ,vao and ,campos in #aeec4 ,this chapel and the reredos of the chancel must be called1 ,i suppose1 the great sights of the ,cathedral1 though to some its chief treasures will be the numerous works of ,murillo enshrined in its chapels and dependencies4 ,for myself1 ,i like the building for its own sake1 or1 to use a very hard-worked word1 for its atmosphere4 ,as you cross the nave1 looking upwards1 where the light streams through the tall clerestory windows1 you will be tempted to neglect the dark chapels in the aisles1 and to revel for a while in these exquisite symphonies in coloured glass4 ,few of them are of ,spanish workmanship4 ,master ,christopher the ,german 7,micer ,cristobal ,aleman7 began the first--the first stained-glass window in ,seville--in #aejd1 the work being afterwards carried on by the ,german ,heinrich1 the ,flemings ,beernaert of ,zeeland and ,jan ,beernaert1 ,carel of ,bruges1 and ,arnulf of ,flanders4 ,the best windows are those adorned with the ,ascension1 ,st4 ,mary ,magdalen1 ,lazarus1 and the ,entry into ,jerusalem1 by ,arnulf and his brother1 and the ,resurrection1 by ,carel of ,bruges4 ,in the south transept is a monument1 striking in itself and of very recent erection1 which will in the course of time attract more pilgrims than the soldier saint's shrine4 ,for here are contained the remains of a man who added not a ,moorish city but a continent to the realm of ,leon and ,castile4 ,the ashes of ,christopher ,columbus repose in a coffin which is borne on the shoulders of four figures of bronze1 representing the kingdoms of ,castile1 ,leon1 ,aragon1 and ,navarre4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,interior ,,of ,,the ,,cathedral ,these figures are not wanting in majesty and expression4 ,all are crowned and wear semi-sacerdotal garb4 ,castile holds an oar1 ,leon a cross4 ,behind them come ,aragon and ,navarre1 sombre of countenance1 wearing shirts of mail4 ,on the bosom of each is displayed the national escutcheon3 the ,towers of ,castile1 the ,lions of ,leon1 the ,bats of ,aragon1 and the ,chains of ,navarre4 ,the pall bears words traced by ,isabella herself3 ,a ,castilla y ,leon1 ,nuevo mundo di ,colon1 and round the pedestal is an inscription which relates how the body of the immortal ,admiral of the ,indies was brought here when the ungrateful ,america revolted from the ,spanish yoke4 ,but however much the ,spain of to-day may honour ,columbus dead1 it is hardly for her to reproach any land with ingratitude towards him4 ,half-way between the main entrance and the choir1 the ,great ,navigator's son is buried4 ,an inscription on a slab invites the reader to pray for the soul of ,don ,fernando ,colon1 who1 as ,ford very truly says1 would have been considered a great man if he had been the son of a less great father4 ,he rendered important services to literature1 and left behind him a library of #ae1jjj volumes1 including some manuscripts of extreme rarity4 ,it was ultimately acquired by the ,crown1 and constitutes the basis of the ,biblioteca ,columbina1 housed in the ,patio de los ,naranjos4 ,the ,royal ,chapel is flanked by two little chapels1 one of which1 dedicated to ,st4 ,peter1 contains some ,zurbarans1 impossible to distinguish in the dim light2 while in the other 7,capilla de la ,concepcion grande7 is a fine monument of ,cardinal ,cienfuegos and a crucifix attributed to ,alonso ,cano4 ,opening on to the north side are the chapels del ,pilar1 de las ,evangelistas1 de las ,doncellas1 de ,san ,francisco1 de ,santiago1 de las ,escales1 and del ,bautisterio4 ,in the latter is one of ,murillo's most famous works1 ,the ,vision of ,st4 ,anthony of ,padua4 ,of ,cano's works there is a specimen1 the ,virgin and ,child1 over the altar of ,belen1 adjacent to the ,puerta de los ,naranjos4 ,valds ,leal and ,juan de las ,roelas are represented in the chapel of ,santiago1 and ,herrera the younger by an ambitious ,apotheosis of ,st4 ,francis in the chapel of that saint4 ,in the ,capilla de las ,escalas are two works of ,luca ,giordano1 strong in drawing1 colour1 and character4 ,the same chapel contains the fine tomb of ,bishop ,baltasar del ,rio1 dating from about #aejj4 ,in the south aisle are the chapels of the ,mariscal1 ,san ,andres1 las ,dolores1 la ,antigua1 ,san ,hermenegildo1 ,san ,jos1 ,santa ,ana1 and ,santa ,laureana4 ,these chapels are richer in sculpture than in painting4 ,kempener designed the beautiful altar-piece in the ,capilla del ,mariscal1 and ,montaez the grand statue of ,st4 ,hermenegildo in his chapel4 ,on the west side of the ,puerta de ,san ,cristobal1 over a small altar1 is the ,generacion of ,luis de ,vargas--the much praised leg picture which has given its name to the chapel4 ,the fresco of ,st4 ,christopher that faces it is remarkable only for its size4 ,you find such pictures of the saint at the entrances to many ,spanish churches1 the old belief having been that those who gazed upon it would not die unpreparedly that day4 ,a much more ancient and interesting mural painting in the ,byzantine style is to be seen in the large chapel of the ,antigua1 where it was placed in #aegh4 ,the retablo of ,st4 ,anne's ,chapel is also very old1 and comes from the former cathedral4 ,the next chapel1 ,san ,jos1 is adorned by ,valds ,leal's ,espousals of the ,virgin4 ,the ,cathedral does not contain any fine ancient tombs4 ,one of the best is that of ,archbishop ,mendoza1 by ,miguel ,florentin1 in the ,antigua ,chapel4 ,as every visitor to ,seville professes a special devotion to ,murillo1 he will probably overlook the fine ,nativity by ,luis de ,vargas to the right1 on entering1 of the ,puerta del ,nacimiento1 and hurry at once to the more famous master's ,guardian ,angel1 between ,puerta ,mayor and ,puerta del ,bautismo4 ,his ,st4 ,leander and ,st4 ,isidore are to be seen in the great ,sacristy1 where they are eclipsed by ,kempener's beautiful ,descent from the ,cross1 before which ,murillo himself used to stand for hours in rapt contemplation4 ,the ,french cut this priceless work into five pieces1 intending to remove it1 and although their design was frustrated1 the subsequent restoration was badly effected4 ,the ,sacristia de los ,calices is a storehouse of art treasures4 ,here you may see ,goya's ,saint ,justa and ,saint ,rufina1 a ,trinity by ,el ,greco1 the ,angel de la ,guarda and ,st4 ,dorothy of ,murillo1 the ,death of a ,saint by ,zurbaran1 and the superb crucifix of ,montaez4 ,a ,conception by ,murillo is in the ,chapter ,house1 a splendid hall in the ,renaissance style4 ,in the great ,sacristy is preserved the treasury of the ,cathedral4 ,it includes a wonderful monstrance by that prince of goldsmiths1 ,juan de ,arfe2 and something more interesting in the shape of keys presented to ,st4 ,ferdinand on the surrender of the city4 ,the key presented by the ,jews is iron-gilt and bears the inscription in ,hebrew3 ,the ,king of ,kings will open1 the ,king of all earth will enter4 ,the key offered by the ,moors is silver-gilt1 and the ,arabic inscription reads3 ,may ,allah render eternal the dominion of ,islam in this city4 ,attached to many 7if not to all7 ,spanish cathedrals1 one finds large chapels which are the official parish churches of the cities--the parochial clergy being distinct from the diocesan chapter4 ,at ,seville1 as at ,granada1 this chapel is called the ,sagrario1 and is built at the west end of the ,patio de los ,naranjos and entered from a door in the north aisle of the ,cathedral1 near the ,capilla del ,bautisterio4 ,built between #afah and #affb by ,miguel ,zumarraga and ,fernando de ,iglesias1 the church is in the ,baroque style1 and roofed with a single and very daring arch4 ,the rich statues that adorn the interior are by ,dayne and ,jose de ,arce4 ,there is a notable retablo by ,pedro ,roldn that came from a ,franciscan convent now suppressed4 ,in one of the side chapels is a fine ,virgin by ,montaez4 ,beneath this church the ,archbishops of ,seville are now buried4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,patio ,,de ,,los ,,naranjos ,as we emerge from this vast temple1 we remain for a few seconds dazzled by the sunlight4 ,then as we turn to the left we notice a rectangular1 classic-looking building1 standing between the ,cathedral and the walls of the ,alcazar4 ,this is one of the numerous deserted ,lonjas or ,exchanges of ,spain4 ,the ,patio de los ,naranjos was formerly infested by the merchants and brokers of the city1 to the great scandal of the devout4 ,archbishop de ,rojas prevailed upon ,philip ,,ii4 to erect an ,exchange or ,casa de ,contratacion1 as ,sir ,thomas ,gresham had just done in ,london4 ,the building was begun in #aeih1 at precisely the moment when the commerce of ,seville began to decline4 ,it reflects the spirit of ,philip ,,ii4 and of his architect1 ,herrera--stern1 sober1 simple4 ,there is a fine inner court1 with ,doric and ,ionic columns4 ,here the ,south ,american archives are deposited1 a rich mine for some future historian who shall have the patience to examine them4 ,as an exchange1 the ,lonja soon proved a failure4 ,it was early deserted by business men1 and is best remembered as the seat of ,murillo's ,academy of ,painters4 ,the spacious days of ,charles ,v4 and ,philip ,,ii4 were productive of innumerable public buildings1 mostly in a quasi-,roman style and all very pompous and oppressive4 ,the ,town-hall or ,ayuntamiento of ,seville is an extremely ornate structure1 in what is called the plateresque or ,spanish ,renaissance style4 ,it stands in the ,plaza de la ,constitucion1 where the electric cars perform intricate evolutions4 ,its effect is lost through its being placed on the ground level1 without terrace1 steps1 or approach1 or even railings to prevent inquisitive urchins staring in at the windows4 ,the building is long and remarkably narrow1 and of two storeys4 ,i have seldom seen a public building more elaborately adorned or more badly placed4 ,the interior is more satisfactory4 ,the lower council chamber is a magnificent hall1 worthy1 as a ,spanish writer remarks1 of the ,senate of a great republic4 ,a noble staircase1 with a fine ceiling1 leads to the upper council chamber1 which has some splendid artesonado work4 ,opposite--that is1 on the east side of--this building is the ,audiencia or ,court-house1 where ,i whiled away a hot afternoon by assisting at a ,spanish trial4 ,the case was of no particular interest1 but the differences in the procedure and constitution of the court from our own were worth noting4 ,there were three judges1 who wore black silk gowns1 without wigs or bands4 ,over their heads was the arms of ,spain1 and on the desk1 facing the president1 a large crucifix4 ,the jury sat on chairs on each side of the judges4 ,a desk was reserved for the public prosecutor1 another for the prisoner's advocate4 ,the judges took far less part in the proceedings than they do in ,france4 ,the case seemed to be left entirely to the public prosecutor1 who1 it is just to say1 allowed the accused to make long rambling statements1 without the least attempt to interrupt or confuse him4 ,the public at the rear of the court appeared to take far more interest in the proceedings than any immediately concerned in them4 ,the ,plaza de la ,constitucion1 outside the court1 is the place of execution4 ,but the death penalty is very rarely inflicted in ,spain4 ,two or three years ago the ,crown could find no pretext for pardoning two particularly atrocious murderers1 who were accordingly put to death by the garrote in this square4 ,the people of ,seville1 not being accustomed like the more enlightened ,britons to some two dozen executions a year1 showed their sense of the awful occurrence and of the disgrace to their city by donning the deepest mourning4 ,but the stranger does not come to ,seville to visit courts or to hear about public executions--unless these happened two or three centuries ago1 when as ,sir ,w4 ,s4 ,gilbert somewhere observes1 they are looked at through the glamour of romance4 ,the searcher for the beautiful is usually rewarded here by finding it in unexpected corners of the monotonous labyrinth of lanes and alleys4 ,plunging into the maze of white-walled dwellings in the north-eastern quarter of the city1 a minaret only less beautiful than the ,giralda seems to beckon us from afar4 ,it appears and reappears1 and we lose our way a dozen times before we stand at its foot4 ,it is a beautiful tower in the purest ,almohade or ,mauritanian style1 without any features borrowed from ,christian architecture4 ,the highest edifice1 this1 in ,seville1 except the ,giralda4 ,from its summit ,cervantes used to scan the streets below1 at certain hours of the day1 for the form of a local beauty of whom he was enamoured4 ,here1 of course1 stood a mosque in ,mussulman days1 on the site of the adjacent church of ,san ,marcos4 ,the portal is very fine1 but the ,moorish features are the work of ,mudejar and not ,almohade artisans4 ,we wander on1 and are presently surprised by the superb frontal of the convent church of ,santa ,paula4 ,it is faced with white and blue azulejos1 the work of ,francesco of ,pisa and ,pedro ,milln4 ,over the arch are disposed seven medallions illustrating the birth of ,christ and the life of ,st4 ,paul1 the figures white on a blue ground4 ,on the tympanum of the arch is displayed the ,spanish coat of arms in white marble1 flanked by the escutcheons of the inevitable and ubiquitous ,ferdinand and ,isabella4 ,having seen this1 it is hardly worth our while to enter the church1 which contains the tombs of the founders1 ,dom ,joao de ,henriquez1 ,constable of ,portugal1 and his wife ,donha ,isabel4 ,in the same quarter of the city1 though some distance away1 is a monument of some interest--the church of ,omnium ,sanctorum1 built in #acef on the site of a ,roman temple4 ,here again there is a tower graceful enough1 in its lower storey recalling the ,giralda4 ,the church exhibits a rather happy combination of the ,moorish and ,gothic styles4 ,on one of the doors is the coat of arms of ,portugal1 commemorating the pious generosity of ,diniz1 king of that country4 ,this must have belonged to the earlier structure4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,plaza ,,de ,,san ,,fernando ,finding your way back to the ,sierpes1 you may inspect the interesting ,church of the ,university4 ,here repose the members of the illustrious ,ribera family1 which looms very large in the history of ,seville4 ,their remains were brought hither on the suppression of the ,cartuja1 outside the town4 ,the oldest tomb is that of the eldest ,ribera1 who died in #adbc1 aged #aje4 ,he thus lived through the reigns of ,alfonso ,,xi41 ,pedro the ,cruel1 ,enrique ,,ii41 ,juan ,i41 ,enrique ,,iii41 and ,juan ,,ii41 yet1 as is usually the case with centenarians1 he failed to engrave his name as deeply on history as did some of his shorter lived descendants4 ,the famous ,duke of ,alcal1 the owner of the ,casa de ,pilatos1 is commemorated by a fine bronze effigy--one of the few sepulchral monuments of this kind in ,spain4 ,at the feet of ,don ,lorenzo ,figueroa a dog is sculptured1 most probably the symbol of fidelity1 but some say1 his favourite4 ,over the altar are three good pictures by ,roelas1 one of the ablest interpreters of the ,andalusian spirit4 ,here1 too1 are a couple of works by ,alonso ,cano1 ,st4 ,john the ,baptist and ,st4 ,john the ,divine4 ,the statue of ,st4 ,ignatius ,loyola by ,montaez is said to be a faithful likeness of the saint4 ,it was coloured by ,pacheco the ,inquisitor4 ,the adjacent ,university was originally a ,jesuit college1 and was built in the middle of the sixteenth century1 after designs by ,herrera4 ,it is not very well attended to-day1 and from the outside would be taken for an inconsiderable college4 ,it seems to have been much more flourishing a hundred years ago1 when our countryman ,blanco ,white attended its courses4 ,the original university was founded by ,canon ,rodrigo de ,santuella in #adgb1 in the ,colegio ,maese ,rodrigo1 near the ,cathedral4 ,from the last resting-place of the ,riberas in the centre of the town it is not far to their old home1 the ,casa de ,pilatos1 though ,ddalus himself might easily get lost in this labyrinth of streets resembling each other as closely as those of an ,american city4 ,the names of some of these thoroughfares--,francos1 ,gallegos1 ,genovs--remind us of the days of ,st4 ,ferdinand1 when the room of the banished ,moors was filled by settlers1 not only from all parts of ,spain1 but from the rest of ,europe4 ,it was the same with all the towns resumed by the ,spaniards4 ,these foreign colonies had their own laws and customs1 and yet they were entirely absorbed by the natives and left no trace or influence behind them4 ,the ,spaniards possessed1 in those days at any rate1 the same wonderful capacity for the absorption of other races displayed by the ,anglo-,saxons in ,america4 ,there was nothing new in this2 for they had absorbed the ,visigoths1 just as they had absorbed the ,romans before them4 ,the ,castilian tongue is indeed ,latin1 but ,i fancy that the people of ,spain are as much the children of the soil--autochthones--as the ,athenians themselves4 ,reflections like these--which ,i do not expect will profoundly influence ethnologists--occupied me as ,i pursued my tortuous course to the ,casa de ,pilatos4 ,when ,i at last found it1 ,i was struck by the plain and dignified exterior4 ,to the left of the door ,i observed a plain cross of jasper4 ,the story goes that in ,october1 #aeba1 the ,marquis de ,tarifa1 on his return from a pilgrimage to ,jerusalem1 placed this cross against the wall and counted thence the fourteen stations of the ,cross1 according to their order in the ,holy ,city4 ,the last fortuitously coincided with the ,cruz del ,campo1 raised near the ,caos de ,carmona in #adhb4 ,i doubt if the marquis had any such thought when he raised this jasper cross1 for the distance from the ,prtorium at ,jerusalem to the chapel in the ,church of the ,holy ,sepulchre that marks the site of ,calvary is greatly less than the distance between the two points mentioned here in ,seville4 ,but why the house was called after ,pilate is not easy to determine4 ,it was begun in #aejj and finished thirty-three years after by ,don ,per ,afan de ,ribera1 first ,duke of ,alcal1 and sometime ,viceroy of ,naples4 ,this great nobleman was the ,mcenas of his generation4 ,not only did he enrich his house with priceless works of art and a fine library--since removed to ,madrid--but he made it the rendezvous of all the art and talent of ,andalusia4 ,hither came ,gongora1 the poet1 to converse1 it is said1 with ,cervantes4 ,here ,pacheco1 the artist-inquisitor1 discussed the mission of art with ,herrera4 ,here came ,rioja1 ,cespedes1 ,jauregui1 and others of less note4 ,the example set by the ,medici was followed by many of the great grandees of ,spain at this time4 ,the ,velascos presided over a coterie of literati at ,burgos2 the ,duke of ,villahermosa1 at ,zaragoza1 affected to delight in the company of the brilliant and learned4 ,even so small a place as ,plasencia had its own patron of the arts in ,don ,luis de ,avila1 and in ,madrid there was the feast of reason and the flow of soul at the mansion of ,don ,antonio ,perez4 ,but for all its associations1 like the ,alcazar1 the ,casa de ,pilatos remains very much like a museum4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,casa ,,de ,,pilatos ,the building illustrates the fashion of the ,mudejar and ,renaissance styles1 almost to the effacement of the former4 ,in the architecture of this epoch we usually find an ,arabic groundwork nearly concealed by ornament of the newer style4 ,the geometrical designs remain1 but the flowing inscriptions1 so important a feature of ,moorish decoration1 have gone4 ,a thousand details would show the veriest tyro that this was not the work of ,moors1 yet the central court bears a general resemblance to the ,alcazar4 ,pedro de ,madrazo directs attention to the harmonious variety of the arches and windows1 and compares it to the admired disorder of the forest and plantation4 ,i imagine the architect had the ,court of the ,lions1 at ,granada1 in his mind4 ,here dolphins uphold the upper basin of the fountain1 and noble statues of the deities of ,greece and ,rome--the gift of ,pope ,pius ,v4--stand in the angles of the court4 ,hence you pass into the so-called ,prtorium1 with its splendid coffered ceiling and beautiful tiling1 where you may distinguish the ,spanish azulejos of the best moulds by the designs stamped on them of fanciful monsters1 grotesques1 and escutcheons4 ,then there is the superb staircase with its half-orange ceiling1 and the chapel with its mixed ,gothic and ,mudejar features4 ,what grandee in ,europe has a finer home than this8 ,and yet1 ,i am told the owner1 ,his ,grace of ,medinaceli1 comes here but seldom4 ,there are many old mansions in ,seville worth a walk on a cool day--and a glimpse4 ,they are not great sights1 such as those we have already seen in the city1 or such as are more numerous in ,paris and ,rome1 ,brussels and ,venice4 ,but those visitors who are really interested in ,seville1 and are capable of appreciating ,moorish and plateresque art in their various imitations and combinations1 will enjoy these little excursions4 ,there is an interesting old house at ,no4 #f1 ,abades4 ,it is now a boarding-house1 and you may live there in princely fashion for six francs a day4 ,no one knows how old it is4 ,it belonged at the beginning of the fifteenth century to a family of ,genoese merchants called ,pinelo4 ,in #adjg the ,infante ,fadrique1 uncle of ,juan ,,ii41 lodged there4 ,what was the occasion of his visit to ,seville ,i forget4 ,afterwards it became the property of the abbs or abades of the ,cathedral4 ,many of these reverend gentlemen still patronize the establishment1 and may be seen puffing their ,puros in the court1 which is said to be a fine example of the ,sevillian ,renaissance style4 ,that style ,i conceive to have been compounded of all pre-existing styles4 ,digby ,wyatt1 however1 considered the house to be much more ,italian than ,spanish4 ,it is a vast place1 where dark corridors seem to lead indefinitely into space4 ,there is rather less to reward your curiosity at the ,palacio de las ,dueas1 a vast mansion belonging to the ,duke of ,alba4 ,once it boasted eleven patios1 with nine fountains and one hundred columns of marble4 ,a fine court1 surrounded by a graceful arcade1 remains4 ,the staircase recalls that of the ,casa de ,pilatos4 ,our countryman ,lord ,holland stayed here a hundred years ago4 ,he was a great admirer of ,spanish literature at a time when it was hardly as much a matter of interest to foreigners as it is at present4 ,then there is the ,casa de ,bustos ,tavera1 where1 according to ,lope de ,vega1 ,sancho the ,brave used to visit the ,star of ,seville2 and the ,casa ,olea1 in the ,calle ,guzman el ,bueno1 with a hall of ,mudejar workmanship dating from the days of ,don ,pedro4 ,it is the romantic aspect of ,seville that has impressed some visitors much more than its historical or archological side4 ,over the poets and dramatists of the ,romantic school the city exercised a strange fascination4 ,byron and ,alfred de ,musset found the atmosphere of the place most congenial4 ,through their rose-coloured spectacles every girl they met in these narrow white streets seemed preternaturally pretty4 ,the principal business of the inhabitants in the 'twenties and 'thirties of last century1 to judge by the ,french poet's descriptions1 was love-making1 strumming the guitar1 and duelling4 ,that ,spain was ever a romantic country in the vulgarly accepted sense of the term1 ,i doubt4 ,roman ,catholic customs and institutions forbid that free intermingling of the sexes from which result the thousand and one emotions1 complications1 situations1 and catastrophes that are the ingredients of romance4 ,in countries like ,spain1 where the canon law obtained1 there could be1 for instance1 no runaway matches1 no desperate flights in a post-chaise to a church 7say7 over the ,portuguese border1 with an irate father in pursuit4 ,there could not have been1 and cannot be at the present time1 any walks with the beloved down the moonlit grove1 any trysts by the stile or the ruined keep1 any rendezvous among the rose-bushes4 ,if a ,spanish girl did any of these things1 she would indeed1 in ,french parlance1 have thrown her cap over the mill4 ,the affair would no longer have the complexion of a romance but of a sordid intrigue4 ,this being so1 ,i was delighted to hear that occasionally clandestine marriages are resorted to in ,spain1 and that fond lovers find a means of uniting in defiance of stern parents1 even in ,andalusia4 ,the couple1 accompanied by a few friends1 contrive to sit next to each other in church1 as far out of sight of the rest of the worshippers as possible4 ,their troths are plighted in an undertone just loud enough for the witnesses to hear1 the ring slipped on under cover of the mantilla1 and the hands joined at the precise moment the all-unconscious celebrant turns towards the congregation at the end of the mass and pronounces the benediction4 ,in the eyes of the ,church the two are married as irrevocably as if the ,cardinal ,lord ,archbishop of ,toledo had performed the ceremony4 ,the vows have been exchanged before witnesses in a sacred edifice1 and an anointed priest has simultaneously blessed the contracting parties from the altar4 ,what can parents do8 ,the ,don may rage1 the ,doa may upbraid1 but when the ,church makes itself an accomplice of lovers1 even in ,spain the law must acquiesce4 ,and there is no divorce6 ,that genuine romance tinges the lives of ,spanish men and women1 few who know them can doubt4 ,but the ,andalusia of musical comedy1 the creation of which is largely due to the poets of the ,romantic school1 does not exist4 ,seville never was a glorified ,cremorne2 and persons of a ,byronic turn would find adventures suitable to their mood more readily by the banks of the ,thames and the ,hudson than by those of the ,guadalquivir4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,casa ,,de ,,pilatos ,for all that1 some romantic stories are told about old ,seville1 and one of these has some foundation of truth4 ,about the middle of the seventeenth century1 the city re-echoed with reports of the wild and desperate doings of a certain wealthy gallant1 ,don ,miguel de ,marana by name4 ,by some he is called ,de ,maara4 ,marriage with the heiress of the ,mendoza family did not sober him1 though an alliance with so solemn a thing as money generally brings the most hot-headed ,latin youth to his senses4 ,like many other wicked persons1 our gallant had a nice taste in art1 and is said to have encouraged ,murillo4 ,now comes the remarkable and the improving part of the story4 ,it is not safe to vouch for the accuracy of the details of any part of it4 ,one morning ,seville woke up to find--no doubt to her unspeakable consolation--the wicked ,de ,marana a changed man4 ,he became a saint--an ascetic in the seventeenth-century acceptation of the word4 ,the wine-bibber forswore even chocolate as too strong a beverage4 ,what had happened to produce so edifying a change8 ,accounts vary4 ,the most picturesque explanation is that the ,don1 prowling about the streets one night1 perceived a funeral procession approaching4 ,curiosity impelled him to look at the face of the corpse1 which was uncovered1 and lo6 it was his own4 ,if you doubt the sincerity of ,don ,miguel's conversion1 you have only to visit the ,church of ,la ,caridad1 which1 together with the adjoining hospital1 he founded and wherein he was buried4 ,i do not think you will share the opinion of ,sir ,w4 ,stirling-,maxwell that this is the most elegant church in ,seville1 but you will be rewarded for the visit by seeing some very remarkable works of art4 ,near the entrance are the two extraordinary pictures which proclaim the artist1 ,valds ,leal1 to have been a master of realism4 ,one of these exhibits a corpse at which1 ,murillo declared1 you must look with your nostrils shut4 ,the church contains six canvases by ,murillo himself--,moses ,striking the ,rock1 ,the ,miracle of the ,loaves and ,fishes1 ,the ,charity of ,st4 ,juan de ,dios1 ,the ,annunciation1 ,the ,infant ,jesus1 and ,st4 ,john4 ,the third is really the finest of these pictures1 though the first1 commonly called ,la ,sed 7,thirst71 is the most generally preferred4 ,the figures are1 as usual in this master's compositions1 ordinary ,seville types4 ,over the altar is another great work1 ,the ,descent from the ,cross1 by ,pedro ,roldn4 ,the ,caridad has indeed the most important collection of pictures in southern ,spain1 next to the ,museo1 as the old ,convent of ,la ,merced is now called4 ,there1 of course1 some of the greatest works of art by ,spanish masters are to be seen4 ,there you may see the ,st4 ,thomas of ,villanueva giving alms1 ,murillo's favourite picture2 his beautiful ,st4 ,felix of ,cantalicio1 and ,st4 ,leander and ,st4 ,buenaventura1 and his famous ,vrgen de la ,servilleta which was not painted on a serviette4 ,on the south wall hangs his ,saints ,justa and ,rufina 7holding the ,giralda71 exquisitely coloured1 and on the north wall the admirable ,st4 ,anthony de ,padua4 ,but one grows a little weary of ,murillo in ,seville4 ,zurbaran1 the great painter of monks1 is well represented by the wonderful ,st4 ,hugh in the ,refectory1 and ,apotheosis of ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas4 ,this last picture1 ,i am told1 was carried off by ,soult1 and recovered by ,wellington at ,waterloo4 ,the older ,herrera's ,st4 ,hermenegild is good1 but by no means ,andalusian4 ,the native temper finds more truthful expression in the works of ,roelas1 ,valds ,leal1 ,cespedes and ,frutet1 which may be studied to the best advantage here4 ,curiously enough1 the gallery contains not a single work by ,velazquez1 who was born in ,seville2 nor any paintings by ,alonso ,cano or ,luis de ,vargas4 ,spanish sculpture1 of which one sees so little1 is not unworthily represented by a beautiful ,st4 ,bruno by ,montaez1 and by some busts and crucifixes of less importance4 ,the students of ,andalusian art must also visit the ,hospital de la ,sangre1 near the ,macarena ,gate1 for some splendid works by ,zurbaran and by his less-known forerunner ,roelas4 ,the three pictures ascribed to the last named are1 however1 very awkwardly placed and difficult to see4 ,murillo's house is still standing in the ,plaza de ,alfaro in the old ,ghetto4 ,here he died on ,april #c1 #afhb1 after his fall from the scaffolding at ,cadiz4 ,his studio is shown filled with several undoubted works of his brush4 ,the house belongs to the executors of the late ,dean ,cepero4 ,the ,duke de ,montpensier has a fine collection of pictures at his ugly ,palace of ,st4 ,telmo1 near the ,torre del ,oro4 ,among them is included a sketch by our late ,queen1 when she was still a princess4 ,the palace looks on a parade which is much resorted to by the ,sevillanos in the summer months4 ,here you see the boys playing at the inevitable bull-fight4 ,one who takes the part of toro has a real bull's horns with which he gores his comrades with great ferocity4 ,the insistence on this brutal sport among the ,andalusians has taken the form of acute monomania4 ,exasperated strangers have been heard to declare that in southern ,spain you hear of but two things--,toros y ,moros4 ,in another corner of the promenade1 you will come upon a party of little girls going through the peculiar and stately dances1 or rather measures1 of their country1 to the accompaniment of a low chant and a clapping of hands1 in which the boys1 looking on from a distance1 will join4 ,boys and girls1 unless they are quite babies1 are seldom seen together4 ,you pass on and find a group of citizens seated at the little tables round a kiosk1 refreshing themselves with lemonade and being entertained by a conjuror--a fine-looking man--who sends round the hat after every two or three tricks4 ,in the ordinary way you are asked for alms more often than in ,granada1 but not1 of course1 to anything like the same extent as in ,london4 ,english travellers are given to commenting on the mendicity in foreign cities1 but ,i must confess that nowhere have ,i met with so many beggars as in our own capital4 ,in ,spain the fraternity chiefly haunt the steps of churches1 the one spot in our happy country that they seem to avoid4 ,we reach the beginning of the ,delicias ,gardens1 which extend two or three miles southward along the river bank4 ,all the rank and fashion of ,seville--and a great deal besides--turns out in summer evenings to drive in the ,delicias4 ,the concourse of vehicles is immense1 but reminded me rather of the return from the ,derby than of ,rotten ,row4 ,the great ambition of the ,spaniard is to possess a conveyance1 and he seems to care little how dilapidated or ancient it may be1 so long as it goes on wheels4 ,side by side with the handsome equipages of the ,sevillian aristocracy1 you will see a wretched ,rosinante painfully dragging what ,i took to be the original one-hoss shay1 or the carriage in which ,lord ,ferrers was driven to the scaffold4 ,it is impossible to restrain a smile1 but after all a conveyance is a real necessity in a climate like this1 and if a man cannot afford a good carriage1 he must needs put up with a bad one4 ,the traffic is well regulated by mounted police4 ,the foot-paths are also crowded1 and when night falls1 everyone adjourns to the numerous open-air cafs and kiosks to drink light beer and lemonade4 ,sober1 steady ,spain6 ,how certain of our reformers at home would love you1 if they but knew you6 ,where in the world 7except in the ,east7 are men more abstemious or women more staid and demure8 ,if you wish 7as of course1 being a modern traveller1 you are sure to do7 to study the life of the people1 you had better betake yourself to the other end of the city--to the ,alameda de ,hercules1 so called after two columns which the natives believe were presented by that muscular demigod4 ,here a perpetual fair seems in progress4 ,there are the usual booths1 with fat ladies1 boneless wonders1 and dwarfs1 and more questionable exhibitions4 ,on a platform sat three depressed and underfed wretches1 who1 ,i thought1 were to be immediately garrotted4 ,suddenly one sprang up and gave a very clever rendering of the arrival and departure of a train at a country station4 ,he was vociferously applauded1 and1 thus encouraged1 danced a sort of cellar-flap with great animation to the indispensable accompaniment of hand-clapping4 ,in a popular assembly of ,andalusian town and country folk1 the modern observer ought1 ,i am well aware1 to find many extraordinary and significant phases of humanity1 exhibiting the striking individuality of the people1 their race-consciousness1 their psychological import1 their evolutional significance1 and so forth4 ,i blush to confess that in the crowds applauding the ventriloquist or gaping at the fat lady1 ,i saw only a collection of good-humoured ordinary people1 enjoying themselves much after the fashion of ordinary people in ,england4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,garden ,,of ,,the ,,casa ,,de ,,pilatos ,perhaps the ,sevillano is more his real self on these occasions than when disporting himself at the world-famous fair1 which begins on the ,monday after ,easter and attracts strangers from all parts of ,europe4 ,though a somewhat overrated festival1 ,i think it more distinctive and original in certain of its aspects than the gorgeous religious ceremonies by which it is preceded4 ,the wealthier families of ,seville rig up for themselves on the fair-ground casetas1 or temporary residences of wood or canvas1 with two or more apartments4 ,a great deal of expense is lavished on the upholstering and decoration of these pavilions1 and those of the four principal clubs are fitted up in the most luxurious fashion4 ,in the evening the jeunesse dore of the city drive out to the fair in smart traps drawn by dashing little horses with jangling little bells1 and visits are exchanged at the casetas1 where as the evening becomes cooler1 dancing takes place1 to the sound of the piano1 the guitar1 and the castanet4 ,the pretty seoritas of ,seville have no objection to going through the graceful measures of the ,south in full view of an uninvited audience who crowd round the opening of the tent and from time to time give vent to admiring ,ols6 and bursts of hand-clapping4 ,dancing will be interrupted at #h4cj1 when everyone comes out to look at the firework display4 ,then of course there are the usual popular amusements--the inevitable bioscope1 the gramophone1 and all sorts of shows4 ,peasantry and aristocracy alike dress their very best on this occasion4 ,the smartest toilettes and the most picturesque of native costumes are seen side by side1 the latest confections of ,worth and ,paquin and costly heirlooms handed down from the days of ,boabdil and ,gonsalvo de ,cordova4 ,whether such an intermingling of all classes1 of the richest and the poorest1 could take place with mutual enjoyment and comfort in any country but ,spain1 is a matter open to doubt4 ,the object of the fair is1 ,i believe1 the sale of cattle1 and about eighty thousand beasts are to be seen on the ,prado de ,san ,sebastian4 ,to say that the most sanguinary bull-fights complete the festivities is perhaps superfluous4 ,the most skilful and renowned toreros are engaged on this occasion1 and the arenas literally smoke with the blood of bulls and disembowelled horses4 ,smithfield and ,deptford can show nothing in comparison4 ,illustration3 ,,seville--,,the ,,market ,,place ,the religious ceremonies1 of which travellers talk so much1 are not for the most part peculiar to ,seville1 as it ought to be unnecessary to remind them4 ,the tableaux in the processions struck me as theatrical1 but as being on the whole as well represented as similar show-pieces in our pageants4 ,the famous ,dance of the ,seises is reserved for the octaves of the ,immaculate ,conception and ,corpus ,christi4 ,it has been described over and over again4 ,there is nothing irreverent about the performance1 which is in itself graceful and quaint2 only carried out before the high altar it strikes one as rather meaningless4 ,so1 ,i suppose1 most such functions impress those who are unprepared for them by temperament and education4 ,there cannot be much doubt that the ceremony originated in an attempt to attract the ungodly to church--an early and respectable precedent for the methods of the ,salvation ,army4 ,others have it that the dance is a survival of some pagan ceremony--which will remind us that we have so far neglected the monuments of the ,romans which were bequeathed to ,seville4 ,these are not very numerous or interesting4 ,only a fragment remains1 at the north-east angle of the city1 of the massive wall which ,csar built1 and which completely girdled ,seville as late as the reign of ,juan ,,ii4 ,it was strengthened1 tradition tells us1 by #aff towers1 which were freely used as prisons by later rulers4 ,the ,cordoba ,gate marks the site of the dungeon of the canonized ,hermenegild4 ,close to it is the ,capuchin ,convent1 built upon the foundations of the palace of the ,roman governor1 ,diogenianus1 and afterwards associated with ,murillo4 ,a noble aqueduct built by the ,romans1 and known to-day as the ,caos de ,carmona1 still brings water from ,alcala de ,guadaira to ,seville4 ,everyone who visits ,seville is expected to make an excursion to the ruins of ,italica1 a few miles on the other side of the ,guadalquivir4 ,there is remarkably little to see when you get there1 and not much is known about the place4 ,there were few1 if any1 private dwellings here1 and it existed rather as the place of meeting and distributing centre for the colonists scattered over the district4 ,it was indeed raised to the dignity of a municipality by ,augustus1 but petitioned to be restored to its old rank of a ,roman colony4 ,it did not prove unworthy of its connection with the great capital4 ,hence sprang the illustrious line of the lii1 and many of the eminent ,roman ,spaniards who conferred such lustre on the early empire are believed to have been natives4 ,the town was embellished in those palmy days with temples1 palaces1 amphitheatres1 and baths1 quite out of proportion to its population4 ,its downfall1 like its earlier history1 is mysterious4 ,here ,leovigild placed his headquarters when besieging ,seville4 ,then came the ,arabs1 who dismantled it and carried off columns and blocks of masonry on which are founded the ,giralda and other important buildings in the neighbouring city4 ,italica disappeared from history2 and all you can see of it to-day is a few remains of walls and earthbanks outlining the amphitheatre4 ,it might not be worth the journey were it not that it can be included in an excursion to the villages of ,santi ,ponce1 ,castilleja la ,cuesta1 and the ,cartuja4 ,the parish church of the first named wretched village is remarkable as the last resting-place of the illustrious ,guzman el ,bueno1 that ,spaniard of the ,roman mould who refused to save the life of his son at the cost of the fortress of ,tarifa1 which he held for his king4 ,the hero's kneeling effigy dates1 as the inscription beneath informs us1 from the year #afji1 the three hundredth anniversary of his death4 ,the modern traveller1 whose sympathies are usually more with the sthetic than the heroic1 will be more interested in the lifelike ,st4 ,jerome1 one of the finest works of ,montaez1 to be seen over the high altar4 ,the saint1 regarding a crucifix devoutly1 beats his breast with a stone4 ,on either side are beautiful bas-reliefs of the ,nativity and the ,adoration of the ,magi4 ,the convent was inhabited first by the ,cistercians1 next by the ,hermits of ,st4 ,jerome4 ,it presents rather the appearance of a fortified abbey of the middle ages4 ,the church is divided into two naves1 each of which was a distinct church--one1 ,i suspect1 belonging to the monastery1 the other to the parish2 a not uncommon medieval arrangement4 ,i almost forgot to add that it contains the ashes 7literally7 of ,doa ,urraca ,osorio1 a lady burnt to death1 as ,i have said1 by ,pedro the ,cruel4 ,at ,castilleja la ,cuesta--a village on the height--is the house where ,hernando ,cortes died in #aedg4 ,the house has been converted by the ,duc de ,montpensier into a sort of museum4 ,the ,conquistador's bones repose in the land which1 with so much intrepidity and ruthlessness1 he won for ,spain4 ,the old ,charterhouse or ,cartuja is now occupied by the porcelain factory of ,pickman ,co4 ,it lies on the west bank of the ,guadalquivir1 a few minutes' walk from the railway bridge4 ,it was founded in the first decade of the fifteenth century by ,archbishop de ,mena1 and was the burial-place of the ,riberas1 till their remains were transferred to the ,university ,church4 ,there is little to see except some stalls carved1 if ,i remember aright1 by ,duque ,cornejo1 in the little chapel4 ,you may return to the city through the transpontine quarter of ,triana1 a collection of whitewashed houses inhabited chiefly by gipsies4 ,to distinguish these no longer nomadic ,bohemians from the lower-class ,andalusians around them is not an easy task4 ,as at ,granada1 gipsy dances are got up by the guides and hotel people1 and here1 ,i am told1 they possess the merit which a ,frenchman denies to those of the other city--impropriety4 ,the patron saints of ,seville1 ,saints ,justa and ,rufina1 were potters in this quarter4 ,in their time the ,carthaginian goddess1 ,astarte or ,salambo1 was much venerated in the ,roman city4 ,the commemoration of the death of ,adonis took place in the month of ,july1 when the image of the goddess was borne in triumph through the streets1 while the people following with cries and lamentations deplored the untimely end of her beloved4 ,a strange survival1 this1 on soil so far to the west1 of the hideous ,punic rites6 ,the two maidens1 newly converted to the religion of the ,crucified1 refused to do reverence to the image as it was carried past1 and were haled before the governor1 ,diogenianus1 in his palace by the ,cordova ,gate4 ,they were put to death in due course1 and have received more honour since from architects1 sculptors1 and painters1 than ,venus-,astarte in all her glory received from her devotees4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,a ,,courtyard ,before leaving ,triana1 visit the ,church of ,santa ,ana1 to see the exquisite ,madonna of ,alejo ,fernandez1 whom ,lord ,leighton considered the most conspicuous among the ,gothic painters4 ,there is a regard for beauty in the figures1 not by any means obtrusive in most of the paintings of the period1 though the awkward pose of some of the angels shows that the artist had not quite emancipated himself from ,byzantine influence4 ,and the thought occurred to me as ,i made my way back to the ,delicias ,gardens1 where the people were driving out to take the air1 and knots were collecting round musicians and mountebanks--when the whole city was yielding itself up to the sensuous charm of the summer night--that the art of ,fernandez was expressive of ,seville3 of a people in whom the sense of beauty and the joy of living cannot be extinguished1 though at the call of religion they reluctantly keep their faces half turned towards sad facts and yet more sombre unrealities4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,cordova ,they say the ,lion and the ,lizard keep ,the ,courts where ,jamshyd gloried and drank deep4 ,the sands of ,asia are strewn with the ruins of cities once the gorgeous capitals of mighty empires4 ,here in ,spain the followers of the ,prophet raised a metropolis as splendid as any of the new ,babylons of the ,east2 and its fall has been wellnigh as great as theirs4 ,we need not credit all the assertions of the ,arabian writers 7for the scribes of that nation1 as ,cervantes remarks1 are not a little addicted to fiction74 ,we can hardly believe that ,cordova in its prime contained #cjj1jjj inhabitants1 #fjj mosques1 #ej hospitals1 #hjj public schools1 #ijj baths1 #fjj inns1 and a library of #fjj1jjj volumes2 but there is evidence enough to satisfy us that this was in the tenth century the most magnificent and populous city in ,europe1 ,byzantium alone excepted4 ,now it is a small provincial capital1 bright1 white1 and coquettish1 utterly without the solemnity and majesty which should invest the seats of vanished empires4 ,here greatness has been swallowed up in insignificance1 not in desolation4 ,the ,court of the ,khalifas1 the ,western ,mecca1 does not lie in lordly ruin like a fallen ,colossus1 but has sunk into mere pettiness4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,city ,victor ,hugo draws1 as only he knew how1 in a couple of lines1 a picturesque sketch of ,cordova1 but this hardly corresponds to the impressions of the modern traveller4 ,the houses may be old 7some of them certainly are71 but in their coats of dazzling whitewash they look brand-new4 ,gautier very sensibly remarks that1 thanks to whitewash1 the wall which was erected a century ago cannot be distinguished from that which was erected yesterday4 ,its general application imparts a uniform tint to all buildings1 fills up the architectural lines1 effaces all their delicate ornamentation1 and does not allow you to read their age4 ,cordova1 which was formerly a centre of ,arabian civilization1 is now nothing more than a confused mass of small white houses1 above which rise a few mangrove trees1 with their metallic green foliage1 or some palm trees with their branches spread out like the claws of a crab2 while the whole town is divided by narrow passages into a number of separate blocks1 where it would be difficult for two mules to pass abreast4 ,such is ,cordova to-day1 and ,i doubt very much if its external aspect was a whit more splendid or by any means as pleasing in the days of its glory4 ,some authors write as if they imagined the ,mohammedans built their capitals on the lines of ,paris and ,washington4 ,a visit to ,constantinople or to ,cairo would remove that impression4 ,imagine ,cordova covering three or four times its present area1 its windows obscured with lattices1 its walls less white1 its streets filled with a noisy mob of beshawled and beturbaned men--black1 brown1 and white--with noble mosques and elegant minarets here and there1 and you will have a fair picture of the capital of the ,western ,khalifate4 ,of its outward seeming only4 ,its culture and refined social life merited for ,cordova the title of the ,athens of the ,west4 ,when all ,europe was sunk in barbarism1 medicine and chemistry1 the natural sciences1 the arts and philosophy1 all found a refuge here4 ,culture was diffused through all classes of the population1 if only very superficially1 to an extent never perhaps equalled elsewhere4 ,and though there was little initiative or originality about the scholars at ,cordova1 their labours contributed to keep alive a taste for the humanities which otherwise would never have revived in ,europe4 ,the comforts and amenities of life were carefully studied in the ,western ,khalifate4 ,all the products which minister to luxury were at that time the almost exclusive property of the ,moslem world1 and to the bazaars of ,cordova were brought the choicest spoils of ,egypt1 ,persia1 ,arabia1 and ,hindostan4 ,and at the head of this urbane and flourishing commonwealth sat the great ,umeyyad khalifa1 emulous of the glories of ,bagdad and ,cairo1 and eager to surpass them in elegance and splendour4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,calle ,,cardinal ,,herrera ,of those great days all that remains is the ,mezquita--and that is much4 ,next to ,st4 ,peter's it is the largest of ,christian temples1 and certainly among the most ancient4 ,as a ,mohammedan place of worship1 it ranked in sanctity with the ,mosque of ,omar at ,jerusalem1 immediately after ,mecca1 which it was indeed designed to eclipse4 ,it was ,abd-ur-,rahman's ambition to focus all the interests of ,islam at this point within his own dominions4 ,spanish ,moslems were taught that a pilgrimage to the ,zeka of ,cordova was in all respects equivalent to a pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,hence ,sancho ,panza's saying1 ,andar de ,zeca en ,mecca4 ,that the ,umeyyad khalifa succeeded in diverting the ,faithful from the old shrine to the new is doubtful1 but he and his successors spared no pains to render their mosque one of the wonders of the world4 ,in the year #ghf1 seized1 it is said1 by a sudden inspiration1 ,abd-ur-,rahman convoked his council and declared his intention of raising a temple to ,allah on the site of a ,christian church4 ,the ,moslems had already appropriated half of the ,basilica of ,san ,vicente to their use1 suffering the ,christians to perform their rites in the adjoining portion4 ,the khattib was commanded to approach the unbelievers to negotiate the purchase of the whole edifice4 ,the ,christians stood out for a high price1 and got it4 ,they received a sum equal to #djj1jjj of our money1 and permission1 moreover1 to rebuild all their churches in the city that had existed at the time of the ,conquest4 ,when we remember the violent seizure and purification of the ,church of ,st4 ,sophia by the ,turks1 seven hundred years later1 we can see how little ,islam had learnt of toleration in the meantime4 ,the old basilica was accordingly demolished and the mosque begun4 ,the khalifa set apart a portion of his revenues for the work1 and laboured himself upon it for an hour each day4 ,thus encouraged1 his subjects of all ranks made it a point of honour to contribute either their personal labour or their money to the great work4 ,though most of the columns came from the marble quarries of the neighbouring town of ,cabra1 as many as possible were brought from the most distant parts of the ,mohammedan empire1 from the works of civilizations which ,islam had subdued4 ,the mosque was to be a monument to the triumph of the ,crescent4 ,its dimensions as projected by the founder were four times less than those of the existing building4 ,the successors of ,abd-ur-,rahman obtained the assistance of ,byzantine craftsmen1 and embellished the mosque with rich mosaics4 ,almost a quarter of the actual building was added by ,al ,hakem ,,ii41 and the eastern half by ,al ,mansr4 ,to effect this last expansion1 a cottage beneath a palm tree had to be acquired4 ,the old lady to whom it belonged refused to budge till an exactly similar abode was found for her4 ,this was done at last1 after a diligent search1 and a liberal donation made to her to boot4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,moorish ,,mill ,thus was reared this mighty temple of ,islam on ,european soil1 at a time when the state of the ,christian world went far to justify the exultant words of the khalifa3 ,let us build the ,kaaba of the ,west upon the site of a ,christian temple1 which we will destroy1 so that we may set forth how the ,cross shall fall and become abased before the ,true ,prophet4 ,allah will never place the world beneath the feet of those who make themselves the slaves of drink and sensuality1 while they preach penitence and the joys of chastity1 and while extolling poverty1 enrich themselves to the loss of their neighbours4 ,for these1 the sad and silent cloister2 for us1 the crystalline fountain and the shady grove2 for them1 the rude and unsocial life of dungeon-like strongholds2 for us1 the charm of social life and culture2 for them1 intolerance and tyranny2 for us1 a ruler who is our father2 for them1 the darkness of ignorance2 for us1 letters and instruction widespread as our creed2 for them1 the wilderness1 celibacy1 and the doom of the false martyr2 for us1 plenty1 love1 brotherhood and eternal joy4 ,the face of the world has changed somewhat in ten centuries4 ,it must1 ,i think1 be admitted that the ,mezquita1 to ,european eyes1 is fantastic and interesting rather than beautiful4 ,it may be compared to a forest of columns or to a seemingly endless series of parallel aisles spanned by low horseshoe arches4 ,it does in truth remind one1 as one writer observes1 of a gigantic crypt4 ,the additions of ,al ,mansr1 may be distinguished by the pointed arches4 ,otherwise there is little of the variety insured in ,christian churches by the distribution of the parts4 ,it is only in the columns themselves that we find any relief from the prevailing uniformity4 ,there are interesting differences in their capitals1 and in their bases also1 which are1 however1 buried underground4 ,in the ruder carving is seen an attempt on the part of the ,moorish masons to copy the work of the more skilled craftsmen of ,rome and ,byzantium4 ,the mean vaulting overhead is modern4 ,it is gradually being taken down and replaced by the beautiful carved ceiling of white larchwood which ,murphy described a hundred years ago4 ,he says3 ,above the first arch is placed a second1 considerably narrower and connecting it with the square pillars that support the timber work of the roof1 which is not less curious in its execution than are the other parts of the building4 ,it was put together in the time of ,abd-ur-,rahman ,i41 and subsists to this day unimpaired1 though partially concealed by the plaster-work of the modern arches4 ,the beams contain many thousands of cubic feet2 the bottoms and side of the cross beams have been carved and painted with different figures2 the rafters also are painted red4 ,such parts as retain the paint are untouched by worms3 the other parts1 where the paint no longer remains1 are so little affected that the decay of a thousand years is scarcely perceptible2 and1 what is rarely to be seen in an edifice of such antiquity1 no cobwebs whatever are to be traced here4 ,the timber work of the roof is further covered with lead2 and the whole has been executed with such precision and taste1 that it may justly be pronounced a chef-d'uvre of art1 both with respect to the arrangement of the different parts1 as well as to the extent and solidity of the whole4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,mezquita ,but what must have lent so much of beauty to the building originally was that1 instead of being enclosed with walls as it is at present1 its long arcades opened into the groves of orange trees without1 which were simply their natural continuation--a graceful and symmetrical plan which one would like to see attempted in modern times4 ,though1 too1 every ,mohammedan temple is necessarily simple in plan and can never approach the ,christian churches in elaboration and gorgeousness1 here ,moslem art exhausted its ingenuity on the embellishment of those more sacred parts of the building such as the ,sanctuary and the ,maksurrah4 ,the ,sanctuary or ,zeka has been spared to us4 ,it is a little heptagonal recess1 paved with white marble and roofed with a shell-like cupola of marble of a single block4 ,the sides are formed by dentated horseshoe arches which interlace and enclose each other in a beautiful complication4 ,here in the southern wall is the recess which indicated the direction of ,mecca1 and towards which the worshippers turned2 it is adorned with exquisite mosaic work and with inscriptions from the ,koran and the names of the architects4 ,in the ,sanctuary was preserved for several centuries after the ,reconquest the superb mimbar or pulpit of ,al ,hakem ,,ii4 ,it was of marble1 says ,seor de ,madrazo1 and of the most precious woods1 such as ebony1 red sandal-wood1 bakam1 ,julian aloe1 etc42 it cost #ce1jjj dineros and #c adirames4 ,it had nine steps4 ,we are told that it was composed of #cf1jjj pieces of wood1 joined with pins of silver and gold1 and encrusted with precious stones4 ,its construction lasted seven years1 eight artificers being employed upon it daily4 ,this tribune was reserved for the khalifa1 and in it was deposited the principal object of the veneration of the ,moslems of ,andalusia and ,al ,moghreb--a copy of the ,koran supposed to have been written by ,othman and stained with his precious blood4 ,this treasure was preserved in a binding of cloth-of-gold sewn with pearls and rubies1 covered with the richest red silk1 and placed on a lectern of aloe-wood with nails of gold4 ,its weight was extraordinary1 and two men could carry it only with difficulty4 ,it was placed in the mimbar1 when the imam read from it the prayer of the ,azulah1 and was then placed in the treasury with the gold and silver vessels used in the ceremonies of the ,ramadan4 ,the ,maksurrah is now transformed into the chapel of ,villa ,viciosa4 ,here sat the khalifa when not officiating as imam4 ,little is visible of the original decoration1 except the cupola1 similar to that of the ,sanctuary4 ,adjacent to this chapel another has been discovered which it is thought will prove to be the treasury to which ,madrazo refers4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,patio ,,de ,,los ,,naranjos ,when ,cordova was taken by ,st4 ,ferdinand in #abcf1 the mosque was reconsecrated as a ,christian cathedral1 but little alteration was made in the original structure4 ,it was in #aebc that the unfortunate idea possessed the bishop1 ,don ,alfonso ,manrique1 to build a new church in the middle of the ,mohammedan temple4 ,so proud were the ,cordovans of their great monument1 that the municipality threatened the innovators with death if they ventured to carry the project into execution4 ,however1 this decree was overridden by an order from ,charles ,v41 who knew so little what he was about that on visiting ,cordova a few years later1 he bitterly expressed his regret at having allowed the mosque to be interfered with4 ,two hundred columns had been swept away to make room for the existing chancel1 choir1 and lateral chapels4 ,though we resent their appearance here1 these parts of the church are not wanting in taste and richness4 ,the reredos of jasper and bronze is painted by ,antonio ,palomino1 and flanks a sumptuous and beautifully moulded tabernacle4 ,not so much praise can be bestowed on the choir1 where1 however1 the stalls by ,pedro ,duque ,cornejo reveal skilful workmanship4 ,lope de ,rueda1 the ,spanish ,molire1 is entombed here4 ,in the ,cathedral is also buried the poet ,gongora1 whose style is aptly compared by ,mme4 ,dieulafoy to that of ,churriguera in architecture4 ,a more interesting grave is that of ,doa ,maria de ,guzman de ,paredes1 a lady celebrated for her wit and wisdom in the days of ,philip ,,ii41 and who won every degree it was in the power of the ,university of ,alcal to confer4 ,duque ,cornejo is also buried here4 ,in the ,sacristy is a fine monstrance by ,juan de ,arfe4 ,the chapels do not call for particular examination4 ,if the ,mezquita is strange within1 it is eminently picturesque without4 ,the massive walls are crenellated and supported by stout square buttresses4 ,between these are horseshoe arches1 richly decorated1 and forming originally sixteen entrances1 most of which are now blocked up4 ,the ,puerta del ,perdon has been adorned with the arms of ,castile and ,leon1 and is secured by bronze doors of an interesting type4 ,an inscription upon it runs3--,on the #bnd day of the month of ,march of the era of ,csar #adae 7#aegg ,a4,d471 in the reign of the ,most ,high and ,mighty ,don ,enrique1 ,king of ,castile4 ,of the minaret1 once equal to the ,giralda and1 like it1 once surmounted by great metal globes1 only the lowest storey remains1 an earthquake having thrown down the superstructure in the sixteenth century4 ,and the famous ,court of the ,orange ,trees1 on to which the aisles at one time opened1 has lost much of its charm4 ,the trees are stunted and withered1 and the soil covered with coarse grass and weeds4 ,on three sides the court is surrounded by a gallery1 on the fourth by the buildings of the chapter4 ,the basin was placed here in #ide by ,abd-ur-,rahman1 and might with advantage be used for its original purpose by some of the habitus of the patio4 ,two ,roman columns at the entrance to the ,cathedral announce the distance to ,gades 7#aad miles7 from the ,temple of ,janus1 which stood on this site4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,outer ,,wall ,,of ,,the ,,mosque ,on the whole the far-famed ,mezquita may be pronounced disappointing4 ,it must always be so with the simply planned temples of ,islam1 when they are stripped of the innumerable lamps1 the rich carpets and handsome furniture1 still to be seen in them at ,cairo1 ,constantinople1 and ,smyrna4 ,of the magnificent ,palace of the ,khalifas1 the wonderful domain of ,az ,zahara1 no trace remains4 ,it was built by a ,byzantine architect on the flanks of a hill1 three miles north-east of ,cordova1 which the khalifa at one time thought of levelling4 ,arab writers declare this to have been the largest palace1 as of course it was the most magnificent1 ever raised by the hand of man4 ,the harem 7credat ,judus7 could accommodate #f1jjj women1 #c1gij eunuchs1 and #a1ejj guards4 ,marble appears to have been freely used in the construction1 from which it would seem that the building bore little resemblance to the ,alcazar of a later day4 ,there were1 of course1 thousands--tens of thousands--of columns brought from ,rome and ,tunis1 and probably from ,carthage1 and fine fragments of terra-cotta are still unearthed on the site4 ,aqueducts conducted sweet waters to every chamber in the palace1 and fountains cooled the air in the luxuriantly planted gardens4 ,we are told of the ,hall of ,ceremonial1 with its brilliant mosaics and its ceiling of scented wood1 in the centre of which was set an immense pearl1 the gift of the ,emperor ,constantinos ,porphyrogenitos4 ,and we hear in addition of basins filled with quicksilver for the amusement of the odalisques4 ,this gorgeous pile owes its existence to a favourite of the ,khalifa ,an ,nasir1 who at her death directed that her immense wealth should be employed in ransoming ,moslem prisoners in the clutch of the ,christian4 ,the bereaved potentate sent east1 west1 north and south in order to execute this pious request1 only to find to his joy that no such thing as a ,moslem captive was anywhere to be found4 ,the happy thought then came to him to expend the money on the erection of a palace to be named after a new favourite1 ,zahara1 whose name it should perpetuate1 and in whose society he might hope to forget the deceased4 ,this seems to us a somewhat queer application of the legacy4 ,the work occupied ten thousand men daily for many years1 and cost during ,an ,nasir's reign alone seven and a half millions of dineros or pieces of gold4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,a ,,street ,,scene ,the palace seems to have excited1 as well it might1 the cupidity of neighbouring monarchs4 ,alfonso ,,vi41 the conqueror of ,toledo1 demanded it of the ,amir ,al ,mutamed1 as a residence for his queen1 ,doa ,constancia1 whose accouchement he suggested might take place in the mosque4 ,it was the ,moor's rejection of this original proposal that led to hostilities1 and threw the ,spanish ,moslems into the arms of the terrible ,almorvides4 ,those fierce sectaries seem to have entirely neglected ,az ,zahara1 and under the puritanical ,almohades we can easily imagine it would be suffered to decay4 ,how little was left of it when ,ferdinand took the place is shown by his referring to it merely as ,cordova la ,vieja 7,old ,cordova74 ,men who lived in such comfort and luxury might be supposed to have regarded their less fortunate fellows with easy good nature and tolerance1 and according to most historians the khalifas of ,cordova were benevolent despots1 even towards their ,christian subjects4 ,some ,spanish writers1 however1 paint the lot of these last in gloomy colours1 though1 if we accept their accounts in toto1 without the least reservation1 there can be no question that the lot of the ,christian under the ,moor was very much better than the lot of the ,moor under the ,christian4 ,but that standpoint would not be that of the historians in question4 ,they are frankly partisans4 ,the ,mohammedans1 they would argue1 deserved what they got1 because they worshipped the false ,prophet2 the ,christians were in the right4 ,it is more difficult to understand their vehement condemnation of the ,bishop ,recafred1 because he forbade his flock to seek voluntary martyrdom by publicly cursing ,mohammed4 ,to curse the ,arabian ,prophet or anyone else is nowhere laid down as a ,christian's duty1 and on merely prudential grounds the prelate was surely justified in dissuading his people from pursuing a course which must finally have resulted in their complete extermination4 ,probably in disgust at the ingratitude and imbecility of his flock1 ,recafred embraced the creed of ,islam1 and died cursed and abominated by the people whose utter extinction he had averted4 ,the history of the martyrs of ,cordova is a curious chapter in the annals of religion4 ,it was recently remarked of ,italy that there was not enough faith to generate a heresy1 and by a parity of reasoning the lamp of faith must have burnt very brightly in the ,christian community of ,cordova4 ,the ,saracen authorities were bewildered by the multitude of sects and factions which claimed to represent the ,church of ,christ1 and to administer its temporalities4 ,councils of the ,christian prelates were frequently convoked by the khalifas1 but by the defeated side their decisions were always branded as schismatical or heretical4 ,religious debate is the favourite occupation of a decaying ,state1 and the ,mohammedans themselves had their divisions4 ,the doctors of the law1 who congregated in a special quarter of the capital1 constituted themselves the critics of their rulers and of public morals4 ,they considered culture and luxury incompatible with morality1 and preached the creed of the ,uncomfortable and the ,unlovely with the zest of an ,english ,puritan4 ,one day there arose a sovereign 7,hakem7 more sensitive of censure than his predecessors4 ,he burnt out the ,puritan quarter and forced the zealots to take refuge in distant parts where their peculiar talents were more in demand4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,a ,,street ,the more human side of ,islam found an embodiment in the illustrious ,ziryab1 the favourite of ,abd-ur-,rahman ,,ii4 ,in his case1 ,i suppose1 as in all else1 it is necessary to discount by fifty per cent4 all the appreciations of ,arabic writers2 yet through all the cobwebs of exaggeration and tradition1 we can discern the outlines of a very remarkable personality4 ,ziryab was the ,admirable ,crichton of his age4 ,he combined the attributes of ,leonardo da ,vinci and ,beau ,nash4 ,he alone could decide on the proper method of eating asparagus and on the planning of a city4 ,he could pronounce with finality on the wisdom of a move at chess and a far-reaching treaty of state4 ,he had views on the organization of armies and aviaries2 he was listened to with equal respect by statesmen and scullery-maids4 ,and 7wonderful to relate7 this authority on everybody's business was loved by everyone6 ,the history of ,cordova1 like that of most capitals1 belongs to the nation at large1 and cannot be more than touched upon here4 ,memorials of ancient days are the picturesque ,moorish walls with their flanking towers and the grand old bridge of sixteen arches1 built by the khalifas4 ,it marked the limit of navigation in ,roman days1 whereas now no boat can ascend the ,guadalquivir above ,seville4 ,the bridge is defended on the south side by a very picturesque tte du pont called ,calahorra1 a fine specimen of the medieval barbican4 ,here a strange scene was witnessed in the year #acid1 when the prototype of ,don ,quixote1 ,don ,martin de la ,barbuda1 ,grand ,master of ,calatrava1 appeared at the head of a few knights and a fanatical rabble on his way to fight the ,moors of ,granada4 ,his enterprise was directly counter to the king's orders2 the two countries were at peace4 ,the royal officers assembled on the bridge expostulated and threatened the crusaders in vain4 ,the ,grand ,master was accompanied by a hermit1 who exhorted him to proceed and promised him that his victory should be purchased without the loss of a single ,christian life4 ,the officials were swept aside1 and the wild cavalcade went on its way to destruction4 ,none of the knights ever returned alive across the bridge of ,cordova4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,the ,,bridge ,during the four centuries following the ,reconquest1 the city boasted that it was the home of the finest flower of the ,european aristocracy4 ,their old mansions have for the most part disappeared1 but the name of the most distinguished member of the order is treasured in ,cordova and honoured far beyond the limits of ,spain4 ,gonzalo ,hernandez de ,aguilar y de ,cordova1 the ,great ,captain1 is the hero of the city4 ,the principal street is named after him1 as indeed one might suppose the town to have been1 from the reverence in which he is held4 ,on the whole1 he was the greatest soldier this country has produced4 ,with forces hardly superior to those with which ,cortes and ,pizarro conquered a savage foe1 he vanquished the best equipped troops in ,christendom and matched his strength successfully against the most brilliant warriors of his day4 ,his reward1 it is hardly necessary to say of the servant of a fifteenth-century king1 was ingratitude and neglect4 ,when the odious ,ferdinand ,v4 demanded from him a statement of his military expenditure1 he responded with the famous ,cuentas del ,gran ,capitan1 which silenced even the venal monarch4 ,the statement ran3 #bjj1gcf ducats and #i reals paid to the clergy and the poor who prayed for the victory of the arms of ,spain4 #ajj millions in pikes1 bullets1 and entrenching tools2 #ajj1jjj in powder and cannon-balls1 #aj1jjj ducats in scented gloves to preserve the troops from the odour of the enemies' dead left on the battlefield2 #ajj1jjj ducats spent in the repair of the bells completely worn out by every day announcing fresh victories gained over our enemies2 #ej1jjj ducats in 'aguardiente' for the troops1 on the eve of battle4 ,a million and a half for the safeguarding prisoners and wounded4 ,one million for ,masses of ,thanksgiving1 #gjj1did ducats for secret service1 etc4 ,and one hundred millions for the patience with which ,i have listened to the ,king1 who demands an account from the man who has presented him with a kingdom6 ,this singular balance-sheet sufficiently shows the temper of the grandees of ,spain even in the days of the ,new ,monarchy4 ,cordova has reason to be proud of her eponymous hero4 ,she has not been very fruitful in great men4 ,she has produced no painters of eminence1 unless ,pablo de ,cespedes may be classed among such2 but ,mme4 ,dieulafoy reminds us that to ,juan de ,mena1 a native of the place and a courtier of ,juan ,,ii41 ,spanish poetry is deeply indebted3 ,his great work1 ',the ,labyrinth1' may in a measure be compared with that part of the ',divina ,commedia' where the ,florentine places himself under the protection of ,beatrice4 ,accompanied by a beautiful young woman personifying ,providence1 the poet witnesses the apparition of the worthies of ,history and ,legend1 and amuses himself in sketching their portraits4 ,at times the style becomes heavy and pedantic1 at others the touches of the pencil have a vigour and simplicity altogether ,dantesque4 ,before ,juan de ,mena1 the ,castilian muse had never taken so daring a flight2 and in spite of the defects of the general scheme1 the untasteful phraseology1 and the measure1 ',the ,labyrinth' abounds in conceptions and episodes where energy blended with beauty reveals a genius of the first order4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,courtyard ,,of ,,an ,,inn ,from poetry to leather the transition may seem abrupt1 but it is to be feared that our city has derived more renown from the latter than the former4 ,the stamped and gilded leather of ,cordova was highly esteemed all over the civilized world from the fifteenth century to the eighteenth4 ,whether the industry was introduced by the ,moors it is idle to inquire2 long after their departure it formed the principal business and source of revenue of the ,spaniards of the city4 ,a powerful guild laid down strict rules as to apprenticeship1 and regulated the quality and quantity of the manufacture4 ,terrible penalties were enforced against the tanner who made use of the hides of animals that had died of disease4 ,the kings of ,spain considered trunks or other objects bound in ,cordova leather gifts very suitable for their fellow-princes4 ,the ,catholic kings1 absurdly enough1 forbade its exportation to the ,new ,world1 not wishing to deprive the mother-country of goods of such price4 ,with protection on this scale1 we are not surprised to learn that the industry began to decline4 ,cordova was at length surpassed in its own line by ,venice and other cities4 ,the rich specimens of its work which adorned the mansions of its old noblesse were sold and dispersed all over the world1 upon the general impoverishment of the kingdom in the eighteenth century4 ,then came the sack of the city1 a hundred years ago1 by the army of ,dupont4 ,time has spared the famous race of ,cordovan horses1 and many a poor hidalgo rides into the town on a steed which if sold in ,london might redeem his shattered fortunes4 ,i have said a great deal about ,cordova and its titles to remembrance2 but it must be confessed that there is little enough to see in it4 ,the churches present no features of interest1 except the ,colegiata de ,san ,hipolito1 modernized in #agbi1 which contains the tombs of ,ferdinand ,,iv4 and ,alfonso ,,xi4 ,nor is walking through the city an exercise altogether pleasing1 as the streets which were the first paved in ,europe1 in #hej1 might also claim to be the worst paved in the world4 ,the stones are so sharp and pointed that in parts you have to skip from one to the other1 like a bear dancing on hot iron--an original but ungraceful method of locomotion4 ,a drive in the surrounding country is productive of more pleasure4 ,the neighbourhood is a ,paradise of fertility1 and sets one wondering what becomes of all the money that this must bring in and represent4 ,spain and ,greece are very poor countries1 but ,i do not think that ,spaniards and ,greeks are1 for the most part1 very poor4 ,illustration3 ,,cordova--,,old ,,houses ,,near ,,the ,,river ,,chapter ,,iv ,,granada ,over two thousand feet above the sea stands the ancient city of ,granada1 once the teeming centre of the kingdom of the ,moors and now a town of memories eloquent of the grandeur of older days4 ,the province bearing its name is bounded on the north by sterile ranges1 while close to the southern seaboard stretch the huge shoulders and serrated peaks of the noble ,sierra ,nevada1 rivalling in height the chief summits of the ,pyrenees4 ,between these ranges spread fertile vegas1 or plains1 rising here and there to over a thousand feet1 a district of vineyards and olive groves1 and semi-tropical plants find a favourable habitat4 ,granada1 though on the verge of an arid territory1 is in a strip of great fertility1 watered by the ,genil and the ,darro1 the latter--the ,hadarro of the ,moors--a stream that is heavily taxed by the farmers for purposes of irrigation4 ,thophile ,gautier praised the river of ,granada for its beauty1 but since his day the stream has shrunk1 and nowadays the volume of water is insignificant1 especially during a dry summer4 ,the waters of the ,darro have a reputation for their healing qualities1 and cattle that drink from it are said to recover quickly from diseases4 ,hence1 in the ancient speech1 the river had the title of ,the ,salutary ,bath of ,sheep4 ,under the ,moors the environs of ,granada were in the highest state of cultivation1 and they are still very productive4 ,the land yields plenteous wine and oil4 ,the chief crops are grains of various sorts4 ,hemp and flax flourish1 and oranges1 lemons1 and figs are a source of income to the agriculturists4 ,granada is also famed for its mulberry trees1 whose leaves provide food for the silk caterpillar1 though the silk trade is in a state of sad decay4 ,the soil around the city never rests4 ,there is no waste of land4 ,oranges and pomegranates grow profusely4 ,the cactus is cultivated for the production of the cochineal insect4 ,clovers yield several cuttings each year in this fecund territory4 ,in the neighbouring mountains there are rich veins of marble1 and jasper and amethyst are found4 ,yet the mining industry in the ,sierra ,nevada remains to be developed4 ,the ,granadines are hardly a commercial population1 though numerous crafts are practised in their city4 ,factories for the production of sugar from beetroot have been erected in recent years1 and it is hoped that this industry will increase4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,from ,,the ,,generalife ,the life of ,granada in its lighter aspects can be well studied on the promenade of the ,saln1 one of the most beautiful parades in ,europe4 ,here1 under the shade of luxuriant trees1 amid handsome fountains1 and by parterres decked richly with many flowers1 the people of the city stroll upon summer evenings after the great heat of the day4 ,from the ,saln you gain a superb view of the purple ,sierra ,nevada1 which at sunset wears a wealth of changing hues4 ,a walk along the promenade precedes the evening gathering in the patios of the houses of the upper and middle classes1 when to the sound of guitar and the rattle of castanets1 young and old dance together4 ,at these tertulia1 or evening parties1 singing alternates with dancing the bolero and the jota4 ,and later1 when the lights are dim1 and the watchman tramps slowly through the streets1 you see the lovers1 the novios waiting beneath the windows of the adored fair ones1 or lightly strumming serenades on their guitars4 ,at festival times the city is all animation4 ,the anniversary of the taking of ,granada is celebrated on ,january #b1 when a procession is formed and proceeds to the ,cathedral4 ,corpus ,christi is another feast day1 and there are two fairs during the year1 one in ,june and the other in ,september4 ,but it is ,granada of the past rather than of the present that holds us during a sojourn in the city of hills and vistas4 ,it is the scene of dreams1 a city of meditation4 ,you court serenity rather than hilarity amid these haunted streets and silent ruins4 ,the ,arabs had a saying1 referring to one who was sad1 ,he is thinking of ,granada4 ,it is this spirit1 perhaps1 which prevails in the patios of the ,alhambra and amid the orange trees of the ,generalife ,gardens4 ,and yet it is not true depression4 ,it is a sense of the glory that has been1 a meditativeness which is induced by the somnolence of the scene1 and fostered by the languorous atmosphere of the ,south4 ,an ancient legend1 often rehearsed by chroniclers1 ascribed the founding of the city to certain descendants of ,noah4 ,it stated that ,tubal settled in ,spain and populated the country4 ,there is some evidence that the province of ,granada was the first district in ,spain peopled by aliens4 ,the founder of a town on the site of modern ,granada is alleged to have been the mythical ,iberus1 who built ,illiberis1 which has been referred to as the original city4 ,at any rate ,illiberis existed in the ,roman days1 for it was a municipium under the rule of ,augustus4 ,the town was also the scene of an ecclesiastical council in the fourth century4 ,plundered by the ,vandals1 and won by the ,visigoths1 ,illiberis was in decay at the time of the coming of the ,moors to the ,iberian ,peninsula4 ,with the conquest of ,andalusia1 the town of ,granada first came into existence4 ,at this period the ,berbers overran the territory1 though the ,moorish authors relate that settlers from ,damascus were the first ,eastern colonizers of ,granada4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,sierra ,,nevada ,,from ,,the ,,alhambra ,,gardens ,the greatest obscurity shrouds the history of the city4 ,it is strange that the writers of medieval times so rarely allude to ,granada4 ,about the year #hfj1 a war raged over ,andalusia between the native ,moslems and their foreign rulers1 the chief leader of the former being ,omar ,ben ,hafsn4 ,under his lieutenant1 ,nabil1 an attack was made on ,granada1 and we read that some exultant verses written by the belligerents were attached to an arrow and propelled over the city wall4 ,in these verses the words ,kalat-al-hamra 7the ,red ,castle7 appear4 ,this first reference to ,al-,hamra suggests that an edifice for defence stood on the hill now occupied by the ,alhambra4 ,in #hhf ,omar ,ben ,hafsn appears to have wrested ,granada from the ,khalifa of ,cordova4 ,a few years later ,omar was conquered1 and retiring to the ,castle of ,bobastro1 he embraced the ,christian faith1 in which he died4 ,zawi ,ben ,ziri1 a ,berber1 first established ,granada as a kingdom in #ajac4 ,gayangos1 the ,spanish historian1 states that ,illiberis--or ,elvira1 as it was called at this time--was a dwindling city and that ,habus ,ibn ,makesen1 nephew to ,zawi ,ben ,ziri1 founded a new town and capital4 ,habus was a builder as well as a warrior4 ,he is the putative founder of the old ,kasba1 or citadel1 in the ,albaicin quarter1 which was added to by his heir1 ,badis1 who succeeded him in rule4 ,the king is also said to have built the ,casa del ,gallo de ,viento1 in the same quarter1 where he probably resided4 ,badis proved an ambitious and warlike monarch1 for he enlarged his dominions widely1 and even subdued the resolute hillfolk of the ,alpujarras4 ,he conquered ,malaga1 and made plans to besiege ,seville4 ,but his force was routed at ,cabra by the famous ,cid ,campeador1 ,ruy ,diaz de ,bivar1 the ally of the sultan of that city4 ,to ,badis is attributed a persecution of the ,jews1 who numbered several thousands in ,elvira1 and a terrible slaughter decimated their ranks4 ,at the advent of the ,almoravides1 a fierce sect of ,northern ,africa1 ,granada was captured 7#ajij7 by ,abd-ul-,aziz4 ,the city now rose in importance4 ,soon after the ,almoravide settlement1 the followers of ,islam in ,granada attacked the ,christians of the city and destroyed their church by fire4 ,the unfortunate ,christians appealed for help to ,alfonso of ,aragon1 and the king came to their relief at the head of a strong army4 ,in the combat at ,anzul the ,almoravides were worsted4 ,alfonso before retiring laid waste the fertile plain1 and left the ,christians to make the best of their position4 ,his action had little effect upon the ,almoravides1 for in #aabf numbers of ,christians were banished to ,barbary and the rest bitterly oppressed4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,exterior ,,of ,,the ,,alhambra ,the doom of the ,almoravides came in #aadh4 ,a mightier host1 the rapacious and fanatical ,almohades1 surged over the city4 ,the ,moorish inhabitants1 strengthening their forces with the aid of ,christians and ,jews1 invited ,ibrahim ,ibn ,humushk to lead them to the expulsion of the new sectaries4 ,the invaders took refuge in the ,kasba1 and sought relief from ,africa1 whence an army was despatched4 ,this force was beaten by ,humushk1 and the ,granadines secured the assistance of the ,sultan of ,murcia and ,valencia1 whose troops attacked the ,kasba1 which was held by the ,almohades4 ,on the arrival of a second army1 they made a sally and inflicted severe losses upon the soldiers of the sultan and his ,christian allies4 ,after this success1 the ,almohades endeavoured to pacify the unruly among their neighbours4 ,their governor1 ,sidi ,abu ,abrahim ,ishak1 was a tactful and benevolent leader4 ,he improved the city1 built a palace for himself1 and made the ,kasba a stronger fortress4 ,the power of the ,almohades was1 however1 insecure4 ,ben ,hud1 a potent chieftain1 who had gained a strip of territory on the coast1 now discerned that the hour was ripe for an assault upon ,cordova1 ,jaen1 and ,granada4 ,his domination was not permanent4 ,mohammed al ,ahmar1 uniting with the foes of ,ben ,hud1 held ,seville for a brief space1 and then drove his rival to ,almeria1 where he was murdered in #abcg4 ,granada now came under the sway of ,al ,ahmar1 and in the hour of his triumph he was proclaimed monarch of a large part of southern ,spain4 ,for two hundred and fifty years the ,state founded by him resisted the ,christian hosts4 ,granada rose to the zenith of power and prosperity4 ,its first sultan was a man of high character1 courteous1 dignified1 and astute4 ,he reigned long1 and spent himself in affairs of government and in military enterprises1 though he used every means to maintain peace4 ,al ,ahmar's last expedition was undertaken against the ,spanish forces and the governors of ,guadix and ,malaga 7their allies7 when he was eighty years of age1 and failing in strength through illness4 ,a fall from his horse brought him to his end4 ,he expired in the arms of his ally1 the ,infante ,don ,felipe1 and under cover of darkness his body was borne to ,granada1 where it was entombed in the burial ground of ,assabica4 ,the sovereignty now descended to ,al ,ahmar's son1 named ,mohammed ,,ii41 who ascended the throne in #abgc4 ,he was renowned for his wisdom in the law1 and during his reign of twenty-nine years he proved a worthy son of a great father4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,a ,,street ,,in ,,the ,,albaicin ,during his negotiations with ,alfonso ,x4 at ,seville1 ,mohammed was the victim of an artifice of ,queen ,violante4 ,upon being asked by the queen a favour1 he yielded in accordance with the chivalric notions of the time1 but his chagrin was deep when he learned that he had agreed to a year's truce to the rebels within his dominion4 ,smarting under this device1 he made plans for the annihilation of his foes4 ,now the friend of the ,spaniards against the ,african1 now the ally of his own co-religionists1 ,mohammed's career was one of strife4 ,he died in #acjb1 able to boast that he had not lost a particle of the soil bequeathed to him by his father4 ,mohammed ,,iii4 was1 like his father1 a forceful sovereign4 ,he applied himself rigorously to the government of his territory1 often spending the whole twenty-four hours in affairs of ,state4 ,in #acjf he seized ,ceuta1 and brought a number of the conquered to ,granada4 ,but reverses came when the governor of ,almeria rebelled and joined hands with the ,king of ,aragon4 ,meanwhile the ,castilians attacked ,algeciras1 and ,mohammed1 between two foes1 was brought to bay4 ,he extricated himself from danger by yielding four fortresses and paying a heavy sum4 ,but his troubles were not at an end4 ,returning to ,granada1 he was surrounded by conspirators in his palace1 and forced to yield the throne to his brother1 ,abu-l-,juyyush ,muley ,nasr4 ,humiliated and defeated1 ,mohammed retired to ,almuecar1 where he lived in seclusion4 ,nasr's first coup after seizing the throne was a successful attack upon ,don ,jaime at ,almeria4 ,unfortunately a conspiracy was fomented by his nephew ,abu-l-,walid4 ,nasr1 who seems to have had a fit of apoplexy1 was thought to be dead when ,mohammed ,,iii4 was brought back to ,granada4 ,he was1 however1 alive upon the return of the lawful sovereign2 and on the authority of some historians he ordered that his rival should be put to death1 while other writers assert that ,mohammed was again banished to ,almuecar4 ,soon after1 ,nasr was assailed by the followers of ,abu-l-,walid1 and forced to yield4 ,as a solatium he was allowed to rule over the town of ,guadix1 whither he retired4 ,al ,khattib relates that ,nasr was a philosopher1 and versed in the sciences of astronomy and mathematics4 ,abu-l-,walid was an implacable foe of the ,christians4 ,his assault on ,gibraltar was frustrated2 but he gained a signal victory over the ,castilians in #acai1 when the princes ,pedro and ,juan were killed4 ,following up this success1 he marched upon the towns of ,martos and ,baza1 and ravaged the country4 ,it was at the latter town that artillery was first used in ,spain4 ,hailed with joy1 the victorious ,abu-l-,walid returned to ,granada bearing the spoils of war4 ,among the captives was a maiden of unusual beauty1 whom he had wrested from an inferior officer4 ,this act so incensed the chieftain that three days after he stabbed his ruler outside the ,alhambra4 ,dying from the wound1 ,abu-l-,walid exacted an oath of fealty from the eminent and powerful to his eldest son1 ,mulai ,mohammed ,ben ,ismal4 ,this command was fulfilled before the sultan's minister disclosed the death of his royal master4 ,the boy king1 ,mohammed ,,iv41 was soon busy quelling factions in his ,state1 and repelling the ,african army1 which took in turn ,marbella1 ,algeciras1 and ,ronda4 ,he also defeated the ,castilians in several desperate encounters1 but lost the day at ,gibraltar4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,in ,,the ,,market ,mohammed ,,iv41 who was assassinated at ,gibraltar by his allies the ,moroccans1 was succeeded in #accc by his brother ,yusuf ,i4 ,this king was a hater of warfare2 he sought the peaceful reform of the community rather than the expansion of his kingdom4 ,under his rule ,granada prospered and the condition of the people was bettered4 ,yusuf ,i4 was disturbed in the tranquillity of his noble palace at ,malaga by the appeals of the ,african potentates for his aid in reconquering ,spain4 ,compelled to join the invaders1 he sustained a severe disaster at the ,salado1 and was forced to acquire peace at the cost of yielding ,algeciras4 ,he was murdered by a madman in #aceh4 ,mohammed ,v4 was the next sovereign4 ,he was a worthy son of his high-principled father1 ,yusuf2 but fate decreed that his reign should not prove peaceful1 for soon after his accession1 his younger brother ,ismal conspired with certain officers of state and made an attempt to gain the throne4 ,upon a night in ,august1 #acfj1 about one hundred conspirators climbed the walls of the ,kasba and after killing the wizir1 proclaimed ,ismal as sultan4 ,mohammed1 who was without the palace at the time1 essayed to enter2 but he was received with a flight of arrows1 and mounting a horse he galloped away to ,guadix4 ,here he was welcomed1 and from this town he sped to ,marbella1 thence to ,africa1 where he received the aid of ,abu-l-,hasan4 ,with troops lent to him he returned to ,spain1 hoping to crush the usurper4 ,but ,abu-l-,hasan capriciously ordered the return of his soldiers1 and ,mohammed retreated to ,ronda with a few adherents4 ,dissension had arisen meanwhile between ,ismal and ,abu ,sad1 one of the chief conspirators1 who was burning to take the reins of government in his own hands4 ,ismal was besieged by ,abu ,sad1 and upon venturing out of his palace was slain4 ,fresh trouble arose in ,granada1 for ,pedro of ,castile came to the assistance of the lawful ruler4 ,but ,mohammed1 witnessing the ravage of the district by the ,christian army1 was far from receiving the invader with open arms4 ,for no empire in the world would ,i sacrifice my country1 cried the sultan4 ,thereupon the ,king of ,castile retired1 and ,abu ,sad1 mistaking the reason of his return to ,seville1 went thither to beg his alliance4 ,the story of the sultan's murder1 at the instigation of ,pedro the ,cruel1 has often been told4 ,abu ,sad was done to death at ,seville1 and the resplendent ruby which was taken from him was presented to the ,black ,prince of ,england1 and is still preserved among the regalia of ,england4 ,mohammed then returned to his capital4 ,with the exception of a rebellion under ,ali ,ben ,nasr1 he passed twenty years of peace4 ,granada became a more thriving city1 and under the sultan's clement administration1 it was the resort of traders of all nations and the centre of culture in the south4 ,according to ,mendoza1 the inhabitants of ,granada numbered about #dbj1jjj in the reign of ,mohammed ,v41 but it is probable that the number was wildly over-estimated4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,alhambra3 ,,the ,,aqueduct ,yusuf ,,ii4 followed ,mohammed ,v4 ,he was suspected of favouring the ,christians4 ,he certainly released all the captives of that faith1 and restored them to their own country4 ,this act appears to have incited his son ,mohammed to rise against the throne4 ,yusuf was at first disposed to relinquish his sovereignty1 for he was a lover of peace2 but on the advice of an ambassador from ,morocco he raised an army and advanced on ,murcia4 ,at this period the ,king of ,castile was ,enrique ,,iii41 an incapable monarch in defiance of whose orders ,don ,martin de la ,barbuda1 the ,master of ,calatrava1 headed an advance into the kingdom of ,yusuf4 ,the force was1 however1 entirely routed by the ,moors4 ,soon after 7#acie7 ,yusuf1 the pacific sovereign1 was dead--the victim1 it is said1 of a poisoned potion1 in the form of a tonic sent him by the ,sultan of ,fez4 ,the first exploit of ,yusuf's son ,mohammed was a visit to ,toledo1 with twenty-five mounted attendants1 where he appeared before ,enrique ,,iii4 and besought a renewal of the truce4 ,the armistice was disregarded by the governor of ,andalusia1 who invaded the ,moorish dominions1 till ,mohammed1 in reprisal1 seized the citadel of ,ayamonte4 ,at ,jijena he was defeated1 and was forced to plead for peace4 ,he was at the point of death1 when the idea seized him to secure the government of ,granada for his son by the assassination of his brother4 ,the governor of ,salobrea was commanded to put to death the prince whom he had in his keeping4 ,the doomed man asked leave to finish the game of chess in which he was engaged1 and before either player could cry ,checkmate1 the news came that the prince's brother was dead and that he had been declared sultan4 ,yusuf ,,iii4 was faced with difficulties immediately upon his accession4 ,antequera fell into the hands of the ,castilians1 led by the ,infante ,fernando4 ,the defenders were slain1 and only about two thousand of the townsmen outlived the rigours of the siege4 ,the survivors were allowed to settle in ,granada1 and they gave the name of ,antequeruela to the suburb4 ,when the natives of ,gibraltar revolted1 and declared allegiance to ,fez1 the sultan of that ,state sent his brother ,abu ,sad to secure the town4 ,abu ,sad1 being left to the mercy of the enemy1 was seized and brought to ,granada1 where he was shown a letter from the ruler of ,fez desiring that he might be despatched4 ,with this request the generous ,yusuf refused to comply4 ,he released his captive and furnished him with money and troops with which he left for ,africa4 ,the brother who had planned his death was hurled from the throne1 and till ,abu ,sad's death ,granada did not want an ally4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,court ,,of ,,the ,,cypresses ,in rapid succession sultans now flit across the lurid page of ,granada's history4 ,it is a gloomy tale of incessant civil strife and of unsuccessful warfare with the ,christians4 ,rulers are expelled from their thrones by pretenders who themselves fall victims to the poignards of their partisans4 ,sovereigns purchase their disputed crowns by selling the honour and independence of their country to the foreigner4 ,to trace the miserable vicissitudes of the careers--we cannot call them reigns--of ,mohammed ,,vii41 ,mohammed ,,viii41 ,yusuf ,,iv41 and ,sad ,ben ,ismal1 would be to weary and disgust you with a nation whose stubborn fight against overwhelming odds should command our respect4 ,the last act in the protracted drama began with the accession of ,mulai ,hasan in the year #adfe4 ,with his famous reply to the ,castilian ambassadors who demanded tribute1 ,here we manufacture only iron spear-heads for our enemies1 the final campaign began4 ,every incident of that war has been made familiar to us ,anglo-,saxons by the pen of ,prescott4 ,in his pages long ago most of us read of the taking of ,zahara by the ,moors and of the brilliant surprise of the fortress of ,alhama by the gallant ,marquis of ,cadiz4 ,we have not forgotten the wailing of the ,moors1 ,ay de mi1 ,alhama6 nor the domestic revolution that followed when the old sultan was hurled from his throne by his son ,boabdil4 ,poor ,boabdil1 on whom the blame of all his country's disasters has been laid by historians1 ,christian and ,arab6 ,weak or foolhardy1 the ,little ,king fought like a ,trojan against ,ferdinand and ,isabella for his country1 and against his father and his uncle for his crown1 at one and the same time4 ,he was taken prisoner by ,ferdinand and is said to have signed a treaty surrendering his dominions to the ,catholic ,sovereigns4 ,this is rendered improbable by his comparatively generous treatment at the end of the war1 when he had resisted the ,spaniards to the uttermost1 and fought them many times after his release from captivity4 ,desperate deeds of valour were done on both sides1 though the strategy of the ,spanish commanders does not appear to have been of a very high order1 since1 with the whole of ,spain at their back1 it took them eleven years to conquer a small kingdom distracted by three rival rulers4 ,the old sultan retired from the contest1 as finally did his brother1 the brave ,zaghal4 ,when the ,christians were preparing a final assault on the doomed city1 ,boabdil rode out from the ,alhambra1 for the last time1 on the morning of the memorable #bnd of ,january1 #adib4 ,ferdinand with a brilliant cavalcade awaited him on the banks of the ,genil4 ,the keys were handed over1 a hurried exchange of formal courtesies1 and the last ruler of the ,spanish ,moors passed away into exile and obscurity4 ,the rays of the wintry sun glinted on the great silver cross which was hoisted on the ,torre de la ,vela in token that the reign of ,mohammed was for ever at an end in ,spain4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,villa ,,on ,,the ,,darro ,yes1 at an end4 ,on that morning1 ,ferdinand and ,isabella accomplished the task begun by ,pelayo at ,covadonga1 seven hundred and seventy-four years before4 ,the ,moorish dominion in ,spain had endured little short of eight centuries4 ,it was as if the descendants of ,harold ,godwin were to arise and overthrow the existing ,english monarchy4 ,but what is most remarkable is that the petty ,state of ,granada had survived the break-up of the great ,moorish empire in the west by two hundred and fifty years4 ,such a race deserved a manlier if not a more beautiful monument than the ,alhambra4 ,what followed the extinction of the ,nasrid monarchy is not pleasant reading4 ,the rights and privileges guaranteed the conquered were soon swept aside4 ,the mild ,archbishop de ,talavera1 the humane ,tendilla1 were superseded in the government of the city by fanatics more after ,isabella's heart4 ,systematic persecution of the luckless ,moslems ensued4 ,they revolted1 and their revolt was quenched with their own blood4 ,they were intimidated1 browbeaten1 imprisoned1 condemned1 and burned4 ,their language1 costume1 and creed were banned4 ,they were ordered to embrace ,christianity under pain of death1 and forbidden to quit the country4 ,they appealed to ,egypt1 but it is a long way from the banks of the ,genil to those of the ,nile4 ,finally 7and one hears of it with relief7 they were all expelled from the country4 ,as a race they perished utterly4 ,the art1 the civilization1 which they had learnt on ,spanish soil1 they left buried in ,spanish ground1 and it was a long time before it was disinterred4 ,the price ,spain paid for national unity was a heavy one1 but it was worth it4 ,when we turn to ,turkey1 can anyone say that a united ,spain would have been possible1 with the fairest of her provinces and cities and the whole of her southern seaboard in possession of a people alien in race1 tongue and creed8 ,with ,oriental people1 the history of the palace is the history of the ,state4 ,at ,granada every traveller turns instinctively towards the ,alhambra as the point of supreme interest4 ,the famous pile is to the city what the ,mezquita is to ,cordova--not quite1 perhaps1 since ,granada contains more than one building of intrinsic interest4 ,the ,alhambra has been so often described 7by the present writer among others7 that it is not easy to say anything new in regard to it1 or even to avoid identity of language with other writers in the description of certain of its parts4 ,yet it would be impossible to give any account of ,granada without some notice of this famous building4 ,to begin with1 ,i must impress on those about to visit it for the first time that the ,alhambra is not a single palace1 but properly speaking is the name given to a fortified eminence lying to the south-east of the city1 and including two palaces1 a citadel1 and a multitude of private residences4 ,in its nature it may be compared with the ,acropolis of ,athens and the far-distant ,castle of ,bamborough4 ,the name1 as most people are aware1 is derived from ,kalat al hamra--the ,red ,castle1 to adopt a translation which ,i have never seen disputed4 7,while not pretending to rank as an ,arabist1 ,i have not failed to notice that an infinite number of words put forward as ,arabic by writers on the ,spanish ,moors are unintelligible to ,syrian and ,egyptian ,arabs1 and1 which is more to the point1 to many ,hindu students of ,arabic47 ,in shape the hill has been cleverly compared by ,ford to a grand piano4 ,rearward it abuts on the ,cerro del ,sol 7the ,mountain of the ,sun71 to which ,washington ,irving alludes so often4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,alhambra ,,from ,,san ,,miguel ,to the south of the ,alhambra hill lies another and a narrower spur1 which is crowned near the town end by the ,vermilion ,towers1 or ,torres ,bermejas2 on the north-east rises the hill of the ,generalife1 laid out in gardens4 ,the townward extremity of the ,alhambra is washed at the foot by the river ,darro1 and is crowned by the ,torre de la ,vela1 of which more anon4 ,to reach the ,alhambra you ascend from the ,plaza ,nueva in the heart of the town by the steep and narrow ,calle ,gomeres4 ,this street is laid out to attract and cater for tourists1 who are greeted here with a civility and cordiality not always conspicuous in the rest of the town4 ,half-way up the toilsome ascent you will probably be waylaid by a theatrically-attired personage who will accost you in bad ,french with the information that he is the chief of the gipsies4 ,the costume he wears was given to his father or grandfather by ,fortuny--one of the rare examples of artists condescending to manufacture the picturesque4 ,the chief will endeavour to engage you in conversation1 and will offer you his photograph at fifty centimes a copy4 ,if you have a camera he will allow you to take his portrait for a consideration4 ,it seems incredible that a human being could be so much of a nuisance and yet remain in good health and spirits4 ,the dragon having been successfully circumvented1 you enter the ,hesperides1 or in other words1 the charming ,alamedas of the ,alhambra4 ,these groves occupy the deep depression between the famous hill and the ,vermilion ,towers4 ,they are planted with magnificent elms1 sent hither1 ,i believe1 from ,england by the ,duke of ,wellington4 ,they have thriven well in ,spanish soil1 and harbour a colony of nightingales and other singing-birds1 unusually numerous for this land of passion1 where wines are rich and birds are rare4 ,the bulbul1 as certain writers love to call it1 sings very sweetly in these leafy retreats1 a statement some travellers who persist in coming at the wrong season will not hesitate to contradict4 ,i must admit that the bird is as elusive as the alpengluh1 or as the hunter's moon at ,tintern4 ,it is always cool here on the slope of the ,alhambra4 ,even the fierce rays of the ,andalusian sun cannot penetrate the thick leafage4 ,rills bubbling forth from the red sides of the hill1 or tumbling over its edge1 keep the roots of the trees perennially moist and feed a dense under-growth4 ,on summer afternoons this is the only spot in ,granada where you may sit in comfort4 ,meanwhile1 up and down in quick succession pass the sandalled water-carriers hurrying to fill their skins with the precious fluid and to dispense it in the scorched1 thirsty town below4 ,agua-a-ah6 ,their prolonged nasal drawling cry comes back to me as ,i write1 and ,i seem to hear the rapid patter of their feet and to see the light cutting chequers on the shadow of the trees4 ,a great man is the water-carrier1 loved and respected by all the people of southern ,spain4 ,we who live in the humid sea-girt ,north can little understand the longing for clear1 cool water1 the reverence for its dispensers1 that must ever be felt in the ,south4 ,how constantly wells are referred to in the ,bible3 ,as the hart panteth after the water brooks1 ,with joy shall ye draw waters from the wells of salvation4 ,how significant are these beautiful passages for those that have journeyed to the ,south6 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,towers ,,of ,,the ,,infantas1 ,,alhambra ,reluctantly withdrawing from this delightful spot1 you must climb the hill to the right of the entrance--there is a winding path to the summit4 ,here you find the ,torres ,bermejas--a group of exceedingly ancient and not very dilapidated towers1 used as a military prison4 ,they date1 it is believed1 from the days before the ,zirite dynasty1 but you will not be tempted to examine them attentively1 for the purlieus are of the most uninviting description4 ,the adjoining cottages are peopled by rascally-looking men and slatternly women1 who would be better1 one would think1 inside than just outside a gaol4 ,in ancient days an embattled wall connected these towers with the opposite point of the ,alhambra1 closing the mouth of the valley1 which was not then the pleasaunce it is now1 but an arid ravine used as the burial ground of the fortress4 ,the entrance to the valley is now through the ,puerta de las ,granadas1 built by order of ,charles ,v4 ,taking the path to the left1 we soon reach the fountain in the ,renaissance style1 erected in #aede by ,pedro ,machuca1 by order of the ,conde de ,tendilla4 ,it is ornamented with the imperial shield and the heads of the three river-gods1 ,genil1 ,darro1 and ,beiro4 ,the medallions represent ,alexander the ,great1 ,hercules slaying the hydra1 ,phryxus and ,helle1 and ,daphne pursued by ,apollo4 ,the laurels growing out of the distressed damsel's head give her the appearance of a ,sioux brave4 ,a few steps beyond we reach the famous ,puerta de la ,justicia1 so called because within it the ,moorish sultans or their kadis administered justice--or it may have been merely law4 ,this entrance is formed by two towers of reddish brick1 placed back to back1 and united by an upper storey4 ,we look at once for the hand and key so often referred to by ,irving1 and distinguish them with difficulty--the first over the outermost horseshoe arch1 the latter over the middle arch4 ,opinion is divided as to the meaning of these symbols4 ,the key is supposed by some to signify the power of ,god to unlock the gate of ,heaven to the true believer1 while the hand appears to have been regarded as a talisman against the evil eye4 ,a winding corridor leads through the gate into the citadel1 past an inscription celebrating the ,conquest in #adib1 and an altar now enclosed within a sort of cupboard4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,near ,,the ,,alhambra ,this gate is placed at right angles to the wall which girdles the hill and runs along its edge1 following all its inequalities of level4 ,it is in fairly good preservation1 but the rampart walk has disappeared here and there4 ,of the square mural towers a great many remain--some hopelessly ruinous1 others inhabited by the guardians of the domain or their widows and relations4 ,the towers on the south-west side1 as far as ,i could judge1 were better adapted for defence than those on the north-east1 where the width of the windows would have greatly embarrassed the defence4 ,the area enclosed by the outer wall was divided1 it seems1 by two cross walls into what1 in the medieval parlance1 we would call the outer1 middle and inner wards4 ,to the last corresponded the citadel proper or ,kasba 7,alcazaba1 the ,spaniards call it71 whose massive walls rise to your left on emerging from the ,puerta de la ,justicia4 ,this is the oldest part of the fortress4 ,it occupies the extremity of the plateau1 which is marked by the tall1 square ,torre de la ,vela1 or watch tower1 whereon a silver cross was planted by the ,tercer ,rey1 ,cardinal ,mendoza1 to announce the occupation of the ,alhambra by the ,spaniards4 ,here also is a bell which can be heard as far off as ,loja1 and which1 if struck with sufficient force by a maiden1 is said to have the faculty of procuring her a husband4 ,the view from the platform is noble4 ,the dazzling white city is spread out beneath1 in front stretches the ,vega1 to the south the eyes rest lovingly on the white streaks of the ,sierra ,nevada4 ,upon this tower ,i met a ,french entomologist1 who announced that he should not trouble to visit any other part of the ,alhambra1 and was1 in fact1 surprised to learn that there was anything more to see4 ,his horizon was bounded by the ,lepidoptera1 on one side1 and the ,coleoptera 7,i think that is the word7 on the other4 ,after all1 archologists take no more interest in black beetles than entomologists do in buildings4 ,incidentally1 ,i should think ,granada an admirable place for the intimate study of insects4 ,from the ,torre de las ,armas1 a road led from the citadel down the declivity to the town1 crossing the ,darro by the ruined ,puente del ,cadi4 ,on the inner side the citadel is strengthened by the picturesque ,torre del ,homenage--a name often given to towers in ,spain4 ,the open space before it1 where the water-carriers gather round the well1 was a comparatively deep ravine in ,moorish times1 and was not levelled up till after the fall of ,boabdil4 ,on the opposite side--facing the ,torre del ,homenage--it was bounded by what ,i will call the wall of the middle ward1 which ran across from the ,torre de las ,gallinas to near the ,puerta de la ,justicia1 and of which only the gatehouse1 the beautiful ,puerta del ,vino1 remains4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,puerta ,,del ,,vino1 ,,alhambra ,this admitted to the area which contained the palaces and also the little town of the ,alhambra--inhabited by persons attached to the court1 the ulema1 chiefs of such powerful tribes as the ,beni ,serraj and the ,beni ,theghri1 discarded sultanas1 ex-favourites1 soldiers of fortune1 plenipotentiaries and envoys1 and a crowd of parasites and hangers-on4 ,to-day the population is limited chiefly to one little street1 composed of pensions1 photographers' shops and estancos4 ,the plan of the whole fortress no doubt varied from age to age1 but in the main agreed with that according to which most ,european strongholds were constructed4 ,there was the outer wall with its mural towers and gatehouses2 a strong inner ward1 in place of a keep shut off by a ditch or ravine2 and two or more other enclosures1 each defended by a wall with a fortified entrance4 ,it does not seem that the portcullis and drawbridge were used by the ,moorish engineers4 ,while the ,kasba is generally attributed to an earlier dynasty1 the outer wall and the other ,moorish buildings are almost unanimously ascribed to ,al ,ahmar and his successors of the ,nasrid dynasty4 ,to reach the ,alhambra ,palace1 called pre-eminently by foreigners the ,alhambra and by the ,spaniards the ,alcazar1 or ,palacio ,arabe1 you pass across the plaza1 leaving the unfinished ,palace of ,charles ,v4 to your right4 ,behind it you find not an imposing and gorgeous structure1 but what appears to be a collection of tile-roofed sheds4 ,a mean1 characterless entrance admits you to the far-famed palace4 ,the building belongs to the last stage of ,spanish-,arabic art1 when the seed of ,mohammedan ideas and culture had long since taken root in the soil and produced a style purely local in many of its features4 ,some authorities trace the first principles of ,arabic architecture back to the ,copts2 the ,spaniards argue that their style is derived from ,byzantine works they found before them in ,andalusia4 ,the germs of ,arabic art are certainly not1 if travellers' tales be true1 to be found in ,arabia4 ,the ,saracen conquerors were warriors1 not artists1 and their ideas of form and ornament were undoubtedly borrowed--like their vaunted culture--from the more civilized nations with which they came in contact4 ,with ,morocco just across the strait1 it is not safe to claim too much of native genius and refinement for the ,moor4 ,whatever may have been the primitive models of ,andalusian architecture1 as time went by it lost much of the dignity and simplicity of its earliest examples--such as the ,giralda and the ,mezquita4 ,the ,moors of ,granada had wearied of the fanaticism and austerity of ,islam4 ,if not precisely decadent1 they had lost the fire and enthusiasm of youth1 and wanted to enjoy a comfortable old age4 ,if the palace we are about to enter seems in parts more like the bower of an odalisque than the seat of royalty1 we must remember that the sultans wanted to enjoy life here1 and had no fancy for the stern1 military-looking palaces of their ,christian rivals4 ,your ,oriental1 like the cat1 values luxury very highly1 and yet1 from our point of view1 does not seem to secure it4 ,a ,european would have found himself hopelessly uncomfortable at the court of ,al ,ahmar and ,mohammed ,v4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,alhambra3 ,,tower ,,of ,,comares ,architecturally the ,alhambra ,palace has little merit4 ,it is impossible to trace any order in the distribution of its parts1 which ought not of course to be expected in a building repeatedly added to in the course of two and a half centuries4 ,moreover1 a portion was demolished to make room for the ,palace of ,charles ,v4 ,the ,moorish builders were fond of conceits which our taste condemns4 ,they liked to conceal the supports of a heavy tower1 and to leave it seemingly suspended in the air4 ,there is nothing imposing about the edifice1 nothing stately4 ,its great charm consists in its decoration1 which is wonderful and1 in its own line1 beyond all praise4 ,it is based on the strictest geometrical plan1 and every design and pattern may be resolved into a symmetrical arrangement of lines and curves at regular distances4 ,the intersection of lines at various angles is the secret of the system4 ,all these lines flow from a parent stem1 and nothing accidental or extraneous is permitted4 ,the same adhesion to sharply-defined principles is conspicuous in the colour-scheme4 ,on the stucco only the primary colours are used2 the secondary tints being reserved for the dados of mosaic or tile work4 ,the green seen on the groundwork was originally blue4 ,to-day1 when the white parts have assumed the tint of old ivory and time has subdued the vivid colouring1 the effect is more harmonious than it could have been originally4 ,epigraphy1 or long flowing inscriptions1 proclaiming the merits of the sultans or of the chambers themselves1 enters largely into the decoration4 ,those who can read these at a glance must find the halls less monotonous than most people are likely to do4 ,the beauty of the ornamentation consists in its exquisite symmetry1 and this is not apparent to every comer1 who may fail to realize with ,mr4 ,lomas that the exact relation between the irregular widths of cloistering on the long and short sides of the court of the ,lions is that of the squares upon the sides of a right-angled triangle6 ,the inscription that most frequently recurs in the decoration is the famous ,there is no conqueror but ,god--the words used by ,al ,ahmar on his return from the siege of ,seville1 in deprecation of the acclamations of his subjects4 ,the newer parts are readily recognizable by the yoke and sheaf of arrows1 the favourite devices of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 whose initials1 ,f and ,y1 are also seen2 and by the ,pillars of ,hercules and the motto ,plus ,oultre1 denoting work executed by order of ,charles ,v4 ,the oldest part of the building--by which ,i mean that which appears to have been the least altered--is round about the ,patio de la ,mezquita1 more properly named del ,mexuar1 after the divan or meshwr that held its sittings here4 ,the southern faade of this small court reminds one very much of the front of the ,alcazar at ,seville4 ,from this you enter the disused chapel1 an uninteresting apartment consecrated in #afbi4 ,the ,moorish decoration has almost completely disappeared1 but much of the work in the little apartment adjacent1 called the ,sultan's ,oratory1 seems to be original4 ,there never was a mosque here1 but there may have been a private praying-place4 ,yusuf ,i4 is supposed to have been stabbed here4 ,the tragic deed was more probably done at the great mosque outside the palace where the ,alhambra parish church now stands4 ,from the ,patio del ,mexuar a tunnel called the ,viaducto leads to the ,patio de la ,reja1 the ,baths1 and the ,garden of ,daraxa4 ,the ,court of the ,myrtles 7,patio de las ,arrayanes1 or de la ,alberca7 is the first entered by the visitor4 ,it is an oblong space1 the middle of which is occupied by a tank of bright green water4 ,this is bordered by trimly kept hedges of myrtle4 ,the side walls are modern1 and do not deserve attention4 ,the front to the right on entering is very beautiful4 ,it is composed of two arcaded galleries1 one above the other1 with a smaller closed gallery--a sort of triforium--interposed4 ,the arches spring from marble columns1 with variously decorated capitals4 ,the central arch of the lowest gallery rises nearly to the cornice1 and is decorated in a style which ,contreras thought suggestive of ,indian architecture4 ,fine lattice work closes the seven windows of the triforium4 ,the upper gallery is equally graceful1 but looks in imminent danger of collapse4 ,above a similar but single arcade at the opposite end of the court rises the square massive upper storey of the ,tower of ,comares1 with its crenellated summit4 ,to reach its interior we cross the gallery beneath a little dome painted with stars on a blue ground1 and a long parallel apartment 7,sala de la ,barca7 gutted by fire in #ahij1 and enter the spacious ,hall of the ,ambassadors 7,sala de los ,embajadores71 the largest hall in the ,alhambra4 ,here was held the final council which decided the fate of ,islam in ,spain4 ,looking upwards we behold the glorious airy dome of larch-wood with painted stars4 ,the decoration is magnificent--mostly in red and black--and may be divided into four zones3 7#a7 a dado of mosaic tiles or azulejos2 7#b7 stucco work in eight horizontal bands1 each of a different design2 7#c7 a row of five windows once filled with stained glass on each side2 7#d7 a carved wooden cornice1 supporting the roof4 ,on three sides of the hall are alcoves1 each with a window1 the one opposite the entrance having been near the ,sultan's throne4 ,the ,hall of the ,ambassadors probably never looked very different from what it is now4 ,it was never a private apartment4 ,we can imagine it occupied1 when no function was proceeding1 by a few slaves dozing on mats or reclining dog-like on the richly carpeted floor1 ready1 however1 to spring up and make the lowest of salaams as some bearded dignity entered4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,court ,,of ,,the ,,lions3 ,,moonlight ,this splendid hall and the other apartments adjacent to the ,court of the ,myrtles are supposed 7,i know not on what authority7 to have constituted the official or public part of the royal residence1 together with the apartments demolished to make room for the ,palace of ,charles ,v4 ,the rest of the building1 on this supposition1 was the private or harem quarter4 ,a narrow passage leads from the ,court of the ,myrtles to the ,court of the ,lions4 ,there is no part of the edifice that gives us a more complete idea of its original beauty and magnificence than this1 says ,washington ,irving1 for none has suffered so little from the ravages of time4 ,in the centre stands the fountain famous in song and story4 ,the alabaster basins still shed their diamond drops2 and the twelve lions which support them cast forth their crystal streams as in the days of ,boabdil4 ,the fountain nowadays plays only once a year4 ,the architecture1 like that of all other parts of the palace1 is characterized by elegance rather than grandeur2 bespeaking a delicate and a graceful taste1 and a disposition to indolent enjoyment4 ,when one looks upon the fairy tracery of the peristyles1 and the apparently fragile fretwork of the walls1 it is difficult to believe that so much has survived the wear and tear of centuries1 the shocks of earthquakes1 the violence of war1 and the quiet though no less baneful pilferings of the tasteful traveller2 it is almost sufficient to excuse the popular tradition that the whole is protected by a magic charm4 ,i fancy that the gifted ,american was himself responsible for that tradition1 for the ,spaniards1 as ,lady ,louisa ,tenison observed sixty odd years ago1 are not an imaginative race1 and whatever legends or traditions are current relate almost exclusively to the ,virgin and saints4 ,spanish folk-lore knows nothing of fairies and goblins4 ,the palace which ,irving tells us the people regarded as enchanted had been used by them for years as a factory1 as store-rooms1 as a laundry1 as a caravanserai4 ,this hardly suggests that it was looked upon with superstitious awe4 ,the truth is that the palace had enchanted ,washington ,irving1 as it has done many others--not natives--since4 ,the ,court of the ,lions is an oblong1 surrounded by a gallery formed by #abd marble columns1 eleven feet in height and placed irregularly1 some in pairs1 some single4 ,the arches exhibit a similar variety of curve1 and the capitals are of various designs4 ,the tile roofing of the galleries rather mars the effect1 but the stucco work within them is of the richest and finest description4 ,in the centre of the short sides are two charming little pavilions1 with half-orange domes and basins in their marble flooring4 ,the court is gravelled1 and derives its name from the twelve marble animals that support the basin of the central fountain4 ,these creatures are called lions1 but why ,i am at a loss to understand4 ,they look more like poodles than any other living quadrupeds4 ,ford humorously remarks3 ,their faces are barbecued1 and their manes cut like the scales of a griffin1 and their legs like bedposts1 while water-pipes stuck in their mouths do not add to their dignity4 ,an ,arabic inscription reminds us that nothing need be feared from them1 as life is wanting to enable them to show their fury4 ,that fury would no doubt have been directed in the first instance at the sculptor who had made of the unfortunate creatures such grotesque caricatures4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,generalife3 ,,patio ,,de ,,la ,,acequia ,the court is surrounded by four splendid rooms--the halls of the ,mocarabes1 the ,abencerrages1 the ,two ,sisters1 and of ,justice4 ,the second and third resemble each other1 and are covered with the most marvellous specimens of the artesonado or carved wood ceiling4 ,the stalactites or pendants1 though in reality following a strict geometrical plan1 exhibit complications and varieties that it is impossible for the eye to follow4 ,the style may well have been suggested by the honey-comb4 ,it is confusing1 beautiful1 glorious--certainly the most remarkable achievement of the art of the ,spanish ,moor4 ,the walls are covered with lace-work in stucco of the most exquisite pattern1 with mosaic dados1 and friezes decorated with inscriptions in praise of ,mohammed ,v4 ,at the sides of the rooms are the alcoves characteristic of ,oriental domestic architecture4 ,the ,hall of the ,two ,sisters is so called from a couple of slabs of marble let into the flooring4 ,the other chamber derives its name from the thirty-six chiefs of the ,beni ,serraj tribe1 fabled to have been decapitated within it by order of ,boabdil4 ,the story was a pure invention of a ,gins ,perez de ,hita1 a writer who lived in the sixteenth century4 ,it has now spread through all lands1 thanks to the version of ,chateaubriand4 ,the tribe is supposed in this story to have espoused the ,little ,king's cause against his father1 ,mulai ,hasan4 ,later on their chief1 ,hamet1 was suspected of intriguing with the ,castilians2 and1 what was still more criminal in the eyes of a ,moslem1 of carrying on a love affair with one of the sultanas4 ,a cypress in the gardens of the ,generalife is pointed out as the lovers' trysting-place4 ,the sultan resolved to make an end of this pestilent brood1 but ,hamet himself1 warned at the eleventh hour1 escaped the fate of his kinsmen4 ,the frail sultana would have shared their fate1 had not four champions presented themselves and vindicated her reputation against all comers in the lists4 ,thus the affair ended happily--except for the thirty-six chiefs4 ,thus the story4 ,i hope it will stimulate your imagination4 ,for myself1 there is an utter absence of the personal and human note about these gorgeous ,moorish halls4 ,it is certainly easier to believe that they sprang into existence at the bidding of an enchanter than that they were ever the scenes of men's loves and hates1 hopes and fears4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,generalife3 ,,court ,,of ,,the ,,cypresses ,the ,hall of ,justice 7,sala de la ,justicia71 at the far side of the ,court of ,lions1 is a long apartment1 divided into alcoves specially remarkable for the paintings on its ceiling4 ,these have been the subject of endless controversy4 ,to begin with1 it was doubted if a ,mohammedan could have painted them1 since the representation of living objects is contrary to the injunctions of the ,koran4 ,i have it on the authority of a very learned ,moslem friend1 a recognized authority on ,mohammedan law1 that the plastic arts are not forbidden by the ,prophet1 but merely pointed out as a possible snare and stumbling-block in the way of the believer4 ,painting has been a recognized art in ,persia for centuries1 and ,i have seen some pictures from that country which reveal no mean degree of skill4 ,there is therefore no good reason to doubt that these curious works were executed by ,moorish artists at the end of the fourteenth century4 ,they are done on leather prepared with gypsum and nailed to the wooden ceiling4 ,the colours 7red1 green1 gold1 etc47 are still vivid1 but mildew is covering them in parts1 and in places the gypsum is peeling off4 ,these valuable specimens of ,moorish art ought to have been taken down and placed under glass long ago4 ,the first of the three represents ten bearded1 robed1 and turbaned personages1 who may with some degree of probability be identified with the first sultans of the ,nasrid dynasty4 ,according to ,oliver1 the ,moor in the green costume occupying the middle of one side is ,al ,ahmar1 the founder of the race4 ,then1 counting from his right1 come ,mohammed ,,ii41 ,nasr ,abu-l-,juyyush1 ,mohammed ,,iv41 ,sad ,ismal1 ,mohammed ,v4 7in the red robe71 ,yusuf ,,ii41 ,yusuf ,i41 ,abu-l-,walid1 and ,mohammed ,,iii4 ,the family likeness between these potentates is striking1 and the red beards suggest a liberal use of the dye still largely used by the ,oriental man of middle age4 ,the other pictures are more interesting4 ,the first represents hunting scenes4 ,moors are seen chasing the wild boar1 while ,spanish knights are in pursuit of the lion and the bear4 ,in another part of the composition the huntsmen are seen returning and offering the spoils of the chase to their ladies4 ,the ,moor greets his sultana with a benign and condescending air1 the ,christian on his knees offers his prize to his lady4 ,in the next picture is another hunting scene1 with a page1 with sword and shield1 leaning against a tree1 awaiting his master's return4 ,in another quarter of the picture his master 7presumably7 is rescuing a distressed damsel from a wild-looking creature who is quite undismayed by the tame lion accompanying his captive4 ,further on1 the same knight is unhorsed and overthrown by a ,moorish huntsman1 two ladies from a castle in the background most ungratefully applauding the ,christian's discomfiture4 ,the pictures evidently were intended to record the incidents of a border warfare not dissimilar to those commemorated in our ballad of ,chevy ,chase4 ,in this hall a temporary chapel was set up1 and mass was celebrated1 on the taking of the city by the ,spaniards4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,tocador ,,de ,,la ,,reina ,crossing the ,hall of the ,two ,sisters1 we enter the beautiful ,mirador de ,lindaraja1 the most charming and elegant of all the apartments in the palace4 ,through three tall windows1 once filled with coloured crystals1 we look down into the pretty ,patio de ,daraxa1 which1 like the chamber1 does not derive its name from an imaginary sultana1 but from a word meaning vestibule4 ,it is a delightful garden1 where shade is always to be obtained between the closely planted cypresses1 orange1 and peach trees1 rising between twin hedges of box and bushes of rose and myrtle4 ,in the centre is a seventeenth-century fountain4 ,here you will always find some artist committing to canvas his impressions of one of the fairest gardens men have fashioned for themselves4 ,the rooms on the other side of the patio were built by ,charles ,v41 and include the ,tocador de la ,reina1 or ,queen's ,boudoir1 a prettily decorated belvedere affording an entrancing view4 ,it was in this room that ,washington ,irving took up his quarters4 ,thophile ,gautier slept sometimes in the hall of the ,abencerrages1 sometimes in that of the ,two ,sisters1 and was impressed by the eerieness of the palace at night4 ,yet there is not a manor-house in ,england or a chteau in ,france that is not more suggestive of the spectral and uncanny than these gilded halls and open courts4 ,however1 everyone has his own preconceptions of the weird and the picturesque4 ,from the ,patio de ,daraxa we enter the very interesting ,baths1 ably restored by the late ,don ,rafael ,contreras4 ,the ,sala de las ,camas1 or chamber of repose1 is among the most brilliantly decorated rooms in the palace1 yet1 as elsewhere in this neglected pile1 the gilding is being suffered to fade and the tiling in the niches1 ,i noticed1 is loosening and breaking up4 ,from a gallery running round the chamber1 the music of the odalisques was wafted down to the sultan reclining in one of the divans below4 ,he must have been in no hurry to leave this spot1 where he dreamily puffed at his hubble-bubble and watched the play of the fountain4 ,the light came from apertures in the superb artesonado ceiling4 ,without1 on a stone seat1 the eunuchs mounted guard and preserved their lord's repose from interruption4 ,the actual baths are contained in two adjacent chambers4 ,a staircase ascended to the ,hall of the ,two ,sisters above1 for the use1 not improbably1 of the ladies of the harem4 ,on leaving the baths you may follow the tunnel across the uninteresting ,patio de la ,reja and beneath the ,tower of ,comares1 to the ,patio del ,mexuar4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,torre ,,de ,,las ,,damas ,no visitor to the ,alhambra must omit to walk round the outer wall or enceinte1 and to inspect the towers4 ,the ,torre de las ,damas1 a fortified tower dating from the time of ,yusuf ,i41 was inhabited by ,ismal1 the brother of ,mohammed ,v41 and marked the palace limits on this side4 ,it contains a tastefully decorated hall4 ,adjacent to it is a beautiful if gaudy little ,mohammedan mihrab or oratory1 approached through a private garden4 ,here was the house of ,anastasio de ,bracamonte1 the esquire of the ,conde de ,tendilla1 to whom was assigned the custody of the ,alhambra at the ,reconquest4 ,the ,puerta de ,hierro1 a little further on1 was restored at the same time1 and faces the gate and path leading to the ,generalife4 ,passing the ,torre de los ,picos1 we reach the ,torre de la ,cautiva1 which contains a beautiful chamber1 over which a lovely rosy tint is diffused by the tiles and stucco4 ,the ,torre de las ,infantas1 built by ,mohammed ,,vii41 is a perfect example of an ,oriental dwelling-house4 ,through the usual zigzag vestibule you reach a hall with a fountain in the centre and alcoves in three of the sides4 ,the decoration is perhaps over elaborate4 ,the towers on the other side of the enceinte were1 as ,i have said1 intended mainly for defence4 ,near the ruinous ,torre del ,agua1 at the south-east extremity1 a viaduct crosses the ravine from the ,generalife1 and some of the water precipitates itself over the brow of the hill in a mass of vivid living greenery4 ,further on1 towards the ,gate of ,justice1 is the ,torre de los ,siete ,suelos1 through which ,boabdil is said to have made his last exit4 ,it is supposed to extend far underground1 and to contain much buried treasure4 ,so at least ,irving was told by the inhabitants1 or possibly told them6 ,hence issues the ,belludo1 the spectral pack1 which traverses the streets of ,granada by night--also according to legend4 ,this story of the ,wild ,huntsman crops up1 in one form or another1 in every part of ,europe4 ,there are the ,dandy ,dogs in ,cornwall1 the ,wild ,huntsman in ,germany1 ,thibaut le ,tricheur in the valley of the ,loire1 the ,chasseur ,noir of ,fontainebleau1 and so on4 ,folk-lore of this sort is easily fabricated4 ,foreigners in search of the picturesque ask the natives of such a place as this if ghosts do not haunt the ruins4 ,the guide1 anxious to please1 says ,doubtless6 ,the foreigner goes on to tell him of spectres that affect this particular class of building at home2 and the guide readily devises a local version of the yarn for the benefit of the next stranger4 ,i have found that the peasantry in most ,european countries hear of their local traditions and folk-lore first through the medium of books4 ,and these remarks apply with especial force to the people of ,latin countries1 whom1 contrary to the received opinion1 ,i know to be less imaginative and less superstitious than northerners4 ,it is natural that the gloomy forests of ,germany and ,sweden1 rather than the sunlit plains of ,andalusia1 should generate dark fancies4 ,strictly speaking the ,generalife1 the ,trianon of the ,moorish kings1 is a more beautiful place than the ,alhambra1 though it has no architectural merit4 ,it became the property at the ,reconquest of a ,christianized ,moor1 ,don ,pedro de ,granada1 who claimed to be descended from the famous ,ben ,hud1 and from whose family it passed into the possession of the ,marquises of ,campotejar4 ,the approach lies along a magnificent avenue of cypresses and tall shrubs4 ,arrived at the entrance you are admitted by a very comely damsel1 and allowed to wander about the lovely gardens by yourself and to stay there all day if you like4 ,at the far end of the first court is a poor collection of portraits1 among which is one--,no4 #aa--;absurdly supposed to be a portrait of ,ben ,hud 7died about #abcg71 though the person is dressed in the costume of the fifteenth century4 ,this is the portrait which ,english travellers1 and even the usually correct ,baedeker1 persist in mistaking for ,boabdil's4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,generalife3 ,,court ,,of ,,the ,,cypresses ,the gardens of the ,generalife are beyond all praise4 ,water bubbles up everywhere1 and moistens the roots of gorgeous oleanders1 myrtles1 orange trees1 cedars1 and cypresses--the tallest trees in ,spain4 ,beneath one of these--that to the right as you reach the head of the first flight of steps--the sultana is alleged to have kept her tryst with ,hamet1 the ,abencerrage4 ,not a bad place1 this1 for a lovers' meeting4 ,you rise from one flower-laden terrace to another till you reach the ugly belvedere--scribbled all over with idiots' names--whence you obtain a ravishing view of the ,alhambra1 the city1 the ,vega1 and the mountains4 ,the hours spent in the ,generalife ,gardens will be remembered as among the pleasantest of one's lifetime4 ,it may be1 as a ,french writer states1 impossible to tickle the surface of ,granada without discovering ,moorish remains1 but certainly1 outside the ,alhambra1 very few are to be seen above ground4 ,the most conspicuous of them in the lower town is1 on the whole1 the ,casa del ,carbon1 a dilapidated structure with a bold horseshoe archway which confronts you as you cross the ,reyes ,catolicos near the ,post ,office4 ,the house is now used as a coal depot1 but beneath the thick coating of grime you may discern the traces of graceful decorative work4 ,the building is said to have been a corn exchange in ,moorish days4 ,more interesting are the vestiges of the ancient walls that girdled the oldest quarter1 el viejo ,albaicin4 ,they were built in great part by ,christian captives--perhaps by those whose chains are hung up on the walls of ,san ,juan de los ,reyes at ,toledo4 ,the ,moors of ,granada grew embittered by their reverses1 and treated their ,christian subjects harshly4 ,the martyrs whom the monument on the ,alhambra hill commemorates are not merely the creatures of pious imagination4 ,there is an ugly story1 too1 of an unfortunate monk accused of heretical doctrines1 who took refuge at ,granada and was burnt at the stake by the ,moslems4 ,two of the old gatehouses on this side of the city are still standing4 ,they are massive crenellated towers1 pierced with round-headed archways4 ,i do not consider them entrancingly picturesque2 they form the northern entrances to the ,albaicin quarter1 which is now a perplexing congeries of squalid houses1 formless convents1 and churches tottering to their fall4 ,whatever interest its antiquity may excite is lost in disgust at its wretchedness4 ,on the outskirts dwell the gipsies--mostly in semi-underground burrows1 and left very much to themselves by the local authority4 ,these are the poor creatures who are dragged out to bore visitors with their wearisome dances1 the fee charged for which goes almost entirely into the pockets of the guides4 ,the gipsies of ,spain are not nomadic4 ,there are people in ,granada who wish they were4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,casa ,,del ,,carbon ,in the ,albaicin the ,zirite sultans had their palaces1 one of which was called the ,house of the ,weathercock1 from the bronze figure of a horseman that surmounted it and served as a vane4 ,washington ,irving has written a story about it4 ,fragments of all these ancient buildings are incorporated with modern houses1 and may be identified by those who care to take the trouble4 ,romantic legends 7of the precise nature of which ,i am ignorant7 cluster round the ,casa de las ,tres ,estrellas1 possibly because it affords ingress to a subterranean passage leading no man knows whither4 ,but ,i do not think you will be tempted to linger long in this odoriferous1 wormeaten quarter4 ,you may be said to have escaped from it when you reach the picturesque ,carrera de ,darro1 the embankment of that narrow stream facing the ,alhambra4 ,here may be seen a ,moorish bath at one of the private houses1 and--much more delightful to the artist--a broken ,moorish bridge1 the ,puente del ,cadi1 to which a path led down from the ,torre de las ,armas4 ,against the little church near this point you will notice a white corner house with a handsome doorway in the ,renaissance style4 ,at the angle of the house is a balcony1 bearing the odd inscription1 ,esperandola del ,cielo 7,waiting for it from ,heaven74 ,the words are accounted for by the following story3 ,the house was built by ,hernando de ,zafra1 the astute secretary of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and the negotiator of the capitulation of ,granada4 ,he suspected his daughter of a love affair with an unknown cavalier4 ,to satisfy his doubts he surprised her one day1 and found his page assisting the lover to escape by the window4 ,baulked of his prey the enraged father turned upon the lad4 ,mercy1 implored the page4 ,look for it in ,heaven6 answered the ,don1 as he hurled his daughter's accomplice after her lover into the street below4 ,there are those who say that ,de ,zafra had no daughter1 and that he has been libelled in this matter4 ,but the episode is more probable than the foreign-made yarns about the ,alhambra4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,street ,,in ,,the ,,albaicin ,the rivers of ,granada are more spoken of than seen4 ,at the foot of the ,alhambra the ,darro disappears1 its channel through the town having been roofed over at different epochs4 ,till the middle of the last century the houses of the ,zacatin looked at the back upon the stream1 as may be seen from a picture by ,roberts in the ,south ,kensington ,galleries4 ,there was a local proverb which said ,ugly as the back of the ,zacatin1 an evidence of the persistent confusion of the ugly and the picturesque4 ,this part of the stream is now covered by the ,reyes ,catolicos ,street4 ,the famous ,zacatin--a lane-like thoroughfare1 like those we have seen in ,seville--was once the principal street in ,granada1 and seems to have been full of animation in ,gautier's time4 ,that brilliant ,frenchman speaks of meeting there parties of students from ,salamanca1 playing as they went on the guitar1 triangles1 and castanets--truly a singular mode of taking one's walks abroad1 such as even the ,spaniards of the 'thirties and 'forties must have marvelled at exceedingly4 ,are we to understand by this remarkable passage that the alumni of ,salamanca formed processions like those of the ,salvation ,army1 whenever they met by chance in the public street1 or that1 like the fine lady of ,banbury ,cross1 they were determined to move nowhere without a musical accompaniment8 ,at all events1 the ,zacatin is quiet enough nowadays4 ,it still contains some of the best shops in the town and is one of the few comparatively shady walks outside the precincts of the ,alhambra4 ,it leads you to the far-famed ,plaza de ,bibarrambla1 with the name of which we have been familiarized by ,byron's rendering of the ,spanish ballad1 ,ay de mi1 ,alhama6 ,the square1 like so much else in ,granada1 has been so completely modernized that nothing remains to recall the days when the sultans here assisted at pageants and tournaments1 wherein ,christians often took part4 ,it is edifying to learn that ,spanish knights1 forbidden in their own country to cut each other's throats1 often resorted hither to do so1 by gracious permission of his ,moorish ,majesty4 ,we are now in the neighbourhood of the second great sight of ,granada--the ,cathedral with its adjoining buildings4 ,the church called the ,sagrario is an eighteenth-century structure immediately adjoining the west front of the ,cathedral1 on the south side1 which served for a time as the metropolitan church of ,granada4 ,the interior is sombre1 heavy1 and ,churrigueresque--a style which1 it always strikes me1 might have been devised by an undertaker accustomed to a high-class business4 ,one of the chapels1 however1 is interesting4 ,it contains the bones of the magnificent cavalier1 ,fernando del ,pulgar1 ,lord of ,el ,salar1 as the inscription records4 ,this gallant knight1 during the last siege of ,granada1 penetrated into the city with fifteen horsemen1 and nailed a paper bearing the ,ave ,maria on the door of the mosque4 ,this brave exploit earned for him and his descendants the right of remaining covered in the ,cathedral and before the king4 ,in ,philip ,,ii4's time the ,marqus del ,salar1 the representative of the family1 was fined for appearing covered before the ,high ,court of ,granada4 ,he appealed to the king1 invoking the privilege conferred on his ancestor4 ,not so1 replied ,philip2 you may wear your bonnet in the presence of the king1 but not in the sacred presence of ,justice4 ,with the fine was built the staircase in the ,audiencia in the ,plaza ,nueva4 ,behind the ,sagrario is the mausoleum of ,ferdinand and ,isabella--the ,capilla ,real--a temple peculiarly sacred in the eyes of all good ,spaniards4 ,the two great sovereigns lie here in the heart of the city which they recovered for ,christendom1 even as many great soldiers have caused their remains to be buried on the sites of their greatest victories4 ,the chapel1 founded in #aejd and completed in #aeag1 is a noble example of late ,gothic4 ,the exterior is very simple1 the decoration consisting mainly of two highly ornate balustrades1 surmounting each of the two stages4 ,the well-known devices and monograms of the founders are interwoven with the decoration4 ,through a portal flanked by the figures of heralds we enter the chapel--plain1 bright1 and airy4 ,the chancel is railed off by a magnificent grille of gilt ironwork1 wrought by ,maestre ,bartolom of ,jaen1 in #aebb4 ,between this and the altar are the superb tombs of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and of their daughter ,joanna and her husband1 ,philip ,i4 ,the former is ascribed to a ,florentine sculptor1 ,domenico ,fancelli4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,interior ,,of ,a ,,posada ,the recumbent effigies of the ,reyes ,catolicos are full of expression and majesty4 ,both wear their crowns1 and ,ferdinand is in full armour4 ,at the angles of the tomb are seated figures1 and the sides are sculptured with medallions and escutcheons and the figures of angels and saints4 ,the figures of the unhappy ,joanna and her ,flemish consort are less lifelike1 and the decoration is much more florid4 ,it must be admitted that the ,renaissance character of these sepulchral monuments contrasts rather oddly with the ,gothic surroundings4 ,the kneeling statues of the founders at the sides of the altar are believed to be actual likenesses4 ,the reliefs on the retablo1 by ,vigarni1 represent the surrender of ,granada and the subsequent baptism of the ,moors4 ,in the former1 both the sovereigns are shown1 in the company of ,cardinal ,mendoza1 receiving the keys from ,boabdil2 in the latter1 we note that the candidates for baptism are so many that the rite is being administered by means of a syringe4 ,beneath the tombs is the vault containing all that was mortal of the makers of ,modern ,spain4 ,the sacristan thrusts a lighted taper forward into the gloomy abode of death1 and you are able to distinguish five coffins--those of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 ,philip1 ,joanna1 and the ,infante ,miguel4 ,philip's coffin1 it will be remembered1 was carried about by his lovesick widow till she had to be parted from it by force4 ,the coffins are rude1 bulging1 and almost shapeless4 ,one only1 that of ,ferdinand1 can be identified1 and this only by the simple letter ,f upon it4 ,might not this stand as well for ,felipe8 ,the sacristan next shows you the treasury of the chapel4 ,among the relics are the crown1 sceptre1 and mirror of ,isabella1 her missal beautifully illuminated1 and the standard embroidered by her that floated over the city4 ,a casket is shown which was filled with jewels which she pawned to procure funds for ,columbus's first voyage of discovery4 ,few investments have proved more profitable1 as far as material wealth is concerned4 ,you may also see ,ferdinand's sword1 rather interesting to those curious in ancient weapons4 ,the ,royal ,chapel is quite independent of the immediately adjacent ,cathedral4 ,the chaplains have a right of way across the ,cathedral transept to the ,puerta del ,perdon1 a privilege deeply resented by the chapter4 ,once when the ,archbishop wished to visit the chapel1 his attendant canons were refused admission4 ,the irate prelate caused the chaplains to be arrested for this affront1 and a long lawsuit followed4 ,but all this happened a long time ago1 and it is to be hoped that the two bodies of clergy now live upon good terms with each other4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,old ,,houses1 ,,cuesta ,,del ,,pescado ,a very beautiful arch1 richly and tastefully adorned with statues1 admits to the ,cathedral4 ,this church1 described by ,fergusson as one of the finest in ,europe1 was begun by ,diego de ,siloe1 about #aebe1 and not completed till #agjc4 ,the exterior is far from corresponding to the majesty of the interior1 though the ,puerto del ,perdon1 already referred to1 on the north side1 is a beautiful piece of work4 ,the impression produced on entering the ,cathedral is rather similar to that experienced on entering ,st4 ,peter's4 ,there is an atmosphere of loftiness1 luxury1 and cold purity--like that clinging to the finest classical works4 ,this is certainly the triumph of ,spanish ,renaissance architecture4 ,the effect is1 of course1 utterly different from that of the grand old ,gothic fane of ,seville4 ,like all ,renaissance churches1 as it seems to me1 it lacks the devotional atmosphere4 ,the nave1 as usual1 is obstructed by the choir--where1 by the way1 ,alonso ,cano was buried4 ,the dome above the chancel is sublime1 the daring of the arches wonderful4 ,the altar is completely insulated by the ambulatory4 ,before it are the grand sculptured heads of ,adam and ,eve by ,cano4 ,his also are seven of the frescoes decorating the upper part of the dome4 ,the others are by his pupils4 ,the ,cathedral contains much of this irascible and wayward artist's best work4 ,in the chapel of ,san ,miguel is a ,virgen de la ,soledad1 in whose human beauty and pathos his genius finds its highest expression4 ,in the chapel of ,jesus ,nazareno1 ,cano's ,via ,crucis does not suffer by comparison with three works of ,ribera and a ,st4 ,francis by ,el ,greco4 ,the artist's studio may be seen in one of the towers flanking the west front of the ,cathedral4 ,he was a native of ,granada1 and a lay canon of the chapter4 ,he died in poverty at his house in the ,albaicin quarter1 aged #ff years1 on ,october #e1 #affg4 ,he was a man of hasty but not ungenerous temper1 and in some of his phases of character recalls ,fuseli4 ,justice has hardly been done to his great talent1 of which he himself seems to have entertained an exaggerated estimate4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,old ,,ayuntamiento ,the minor churches of ,granada are not of very great interest4 ,the church of ,san ,geronimo was built by the ,great ,captain as a mausoleum for himself and his wife1 but such of his remains as escaped the ghoulish spoliation of the ,french have been transported to ,madrid4 ,the church is no longer used as a place of worship4 ,the retablo is remarkable1 and in it may be traced the dawning of ,siloe's ambition to create a true ,spanish ,renaissance style4 ,the church of ,san ,juan de ,dios1 not far off1 is filled with tawdry rubbish1 petticoated crucifixes1 etc4 ,here is buried the titular saint1 a ,portuguese1 ,joao de ,robles1 who in the seventeenth century devoted himself with so much energy to the sick and suffering that his contemporaries esteemed him mad4 ,you may see the cage in which he was confined at the hospital founded by ,isabella the ,catholic on the arid1 ugly ,plaza de ,triunfo1 near the ,bull ,ring4 ,a column in the middle of the square marks the spot where ,doa ,mariana ,pineda was publicly garrotted in #ahca4 ,this lady is the great heroine of ,granada4 ,she perished a victim to the reactionary tendencies then prevalent in ,spain4 ,spaniards were then crying ,hurrah for our chains6 and ,doa ,mariana's house was known to be a rendezvous of the ,liberals of ,granada4 ,on raiding her house the police discovered a tricolour flag4 ,this was evidence enough1 and in the thirty-first year of her age this beautiful and accomplished woman suffered a shameful death4 ,a few years later1 when the nation had recovered its sanity1 the magistrate who had condemned her was shot1 and her remains were transported with great pomp to the ,cathedral1 where they have been interred close to ,alonso ,cano's4 ,a monument has also been raised to her memory in the ,campillo ,square4 ,there is another story connected with the ,triunfo worth telling1 though it is not very well authenticated4 ,the remains of royal personages on their way to the ,capilla ,real were here identified by the officers of the court4 ,the ,duke of ,gandia was present on such an occasion1 and was so impressed by the evidences of mortality when the coffin was opened that he vowed he would never again serve an earthly master4 ,he entered the ,society of ,jesus1 and after his death was canonized under the name of ,st4 ,francis ,borgia4 ,the story is a curious and suggestive one1 as also is that of the duke praying that his wife might die if it were for his soul's good4 ,st4 ,francis ,borgia has always seemed to me an extreme example of other-worldliness4 ,a dusty road through most uninviting surroundings leads to the ,cartuja1 or ,charterhouse1 founded in #aeaf by the ,great ,captain4 ,the cloisters are painted with scenes of the martyrdom of the ,carthusian monks in ,london by the minions of ,henry ,,viii4 ,the church is an extraordinary edifice4 ,its style is damnable1 but it is gorgeous and dazzling to a degree which compels admiration4 ,the doors of the choir are exquisitely inlaid with ebony1 cedar1 mother-of-pearl1 and tortoiseshell4 ,the statue of ,bruno is by ,cano4 ,in the sanctuary behind the altar coloured marbles1 twisted and fluted1 are combined in extravagant magnificence4 ,some of the slabs are richly veined with agate1 and the hand of nature has traced some semblances of human and animal forms4 ,in the adjoining sacristy are some wonderful inlaid doors and presses4 ,they must surely be the finest works of their kind in the world4 ,it is strange that so much genius for detail and so much costly material should have been combined to produce so tasteless a building4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,street ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,quarter ,outside this church there are not many places in the vicinity of ,granada worth a visit4 ,the church of ,sacramonte looms rather prominently in the landscape1 and you are to some extent rewarded for the trouble of a pilgrimage thither by the fine view of the city4 ,the hill contains some caves in which1 in the year #aeid1 one ,hernandez professed to have discovered certain books written in ,arabic characters on sheets of lead4 ,the find was reported to the archbishop1 ,don ,pedro ,vaca de ,castro1 who examined the books and declared them to contain the acts of the martyrs1 ,mesito and ,hiscius1 ,tesiphus and ,cecilius1 put to death by the ,romans and buried in the caves4 ,his grace's pronouncement was not considered final1 and theological opinion was sharply divided on the subject for many years4 ,at last the continuance of the controversy was forbidden by ,papal decree4 ,it seems that doubt is now thrown even on the existence of the martyrs4 ,the church built over the place of their supposed sepulchre was for a time famous as a shrine of pilgrims4 ,the usual rock worn away by the kisses of the devout is shown4 ,there is a superstition that a person kissing the stone for the first time will be married within the year1 if single1 and released from the conjugal tie if already married4 ,as divorce does not exist in ,spain it is to be hoped that few discontented ,benedicts have recourse to this stone4 ,st4 ,cecilius1 at all events1 was known to fame before the alleged discovery of his grave2 for in the ,antequeruela quarter an oratory dedicated to him existed throughout the ,moorish domination1 and was the only ,christian place of worship within the city4 ,i do not think that any trace of it is to be detected now4 ,in that part of the city is the ,casa de los ,tiros1 where you must apply for tickets for the ,generalife2 it is worth seeing on its own account1 and it is the repository of the sword of ,boabdil1 which seems to have more claims to authenticity than most of the relics of the ,little ,king4 ,descending towards the ,puerta ,real we pass the ,cuarto de ,santo ,domingo1 a private villa in which is incorporated all that remains of an ,almohade palace4 ,near by1 against the church of ,santo ,domingo1 is an exceedingly picturesque little archway where one can fancy a bravo waiting1 stiletto in hand4 ,the ,campillo1 in the centre of which rises the statue of ,mariana ,pineda1 is a quiet little square enough1 referred to 7as the ,rondilla7 by ,cervantes as a resort of adventurers and desperadoes4 ,these gentry are now more likely to be found in the immediately adjacent ,alameda1 outside the hotel of the same name1 where the cafs and tables spread in front of them seem exceedingly well patronized4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,,the ,,generalife3 ,,patio ,,de ,,la ,,acequia ,following the ,genil1 and leaving the unimpressive monument of ,columbus and ,isabella to the left1 you reach1 after a walk overpoweringly fatiguing in summer1 the little ,ermita de ,san ,sebastian4 ,this was a ,moorish oratory in old days1 and outside it took place the surrender of the keys by ,boabdil on the memorable #bnd of ,january1 #adib4 ,if you go farther on--and ,i doubt if you will be tempted to--you will come to a very old ,moorish palace called the ,alcazar ,genil1 now the property of the ,duke of ,gor4 ,here1 says ,simonet1 were lodged the ,christian princes and knights who so often found an asylum at the court of ,granada4 ,in the gardens are tanks once used1 it is believed1 for mimic naval fights4 ,in the same direction1 ,i understand1 is ,zubia4 ,here ,isabella the ,catholic1 reconnoitring the city during the siege1 narrowly escaped capture by a ,moorish patrol4 ,she concealed herself behind a laurel bush1 which is still pointed out4 ,another instance of the small chances that determine the fate of kingdoms6 ,to commemorate her escape the queen built near by a convent1 which has long since disappeared4 ,you may return to the city by the ,puerta ,verde1 near the ,bab-en-,neshti or ,puerta de los ,molinos1 through which the ,spaniards entered after ,boabdil's submission4 ,apart from the ,alhambra and the ,cathedral buildings1 it will have been seen that ,granada has not many claims on the stranger's interest4 ,considering the expectations formed of it after reading ,prescott and ,irving1 most ,english people will pronounce it to be a disappointment4 ,from certain points of view it remains the pleasantest place for a protracted stay in ,andalusia during the summer4 ,it is only when you come to it from ,seville or ,cordova or ,cadiz1 that you realize how cool1 in comparison1 is this city on the plateau between the snow-clad mountains4 ,even before the sun has gone down1 you can dine very pleasantly in the open1 hearkening to the splash of the fountains1 and inhaling the fragrance of the rose4 ,there is no need here1 as at ,seville1 to shut yourself1 till nightfall1 within walls three feet thick4 ,by night we stroll across the ,plaza of the ,alhambra1 and see the white city gleaming with a shimmer reflected in the luminous sky above4 ,granada resumes her aspect of an ,oriental city beneath the crescent moon riding triumphant over ,andalusia4 ,illustration3 ,,granada--,a ,,corner ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,quarter ,,chapter ,v ,,malaga ,second in size among ,andalusian cities1 ,malaga is the least interesting4 ,were it not for the sea1 its position would be one of singular remoteness4 ,on the extreme verge of ,europe1 the mighty ,sierra ,nevada rises behind it1 and cuts it off from the rest of ,spain4 ,yet as a flourishing port it is one of the towns in the ,peninsula best known among ,englishmen4 ,it is beloved by our sailors4 ,from the odd phases of life to be seen in and around the harbour1 they derive their notions of the people and the country4 ,with that utter absence of curiosity noticeable in their kind1 they never penetrate inland1 or even into the outskirts of the town4 ,but nothing can dispel ,jack's conviction that his knowledge of ,spain and the ,spaniards is intimate and profound4 ,malaga is not1 as its appearance suggests1 a city of purely modern growth4 ,it was known to the ,phnicians and the ,romans1 and before it became subject to the ,almoravides was an independent principality under the ,hammudiya dynasty4 ,later it shared the fortunes of the ,sultanate of ,granada1 and its siege and capture by ,ferdinand and ,isabella contributed to bring about the fall of the capital4 ,this part of its history is dealt with in great detail by ,prescott4 ,among the numerous incidents of the siege was a determined attempt on the part of a ,moor named ,ibrahim al ,gherbi to assassinate the ,spanish sovereign4 ,the defence was conducted by the indomitable ,hemet el ,zegri1 who yielded to famine rather than to the arms of the besiegers4 ,the treatment of the fallen city leaves an indelible blot on the fame of the conquerors4 ,the population1 with the exception of a few hundreds1 were sold into slavery1 presents of the fairest maidens being made to the various courts of ,europe4 ,a worse fate was reserved for the ,jews and renegades1 who were committed to the flames4 ,the old ,moorish fortress of ,gibralfaro still frowns down on the lively city to remind us of those days4 ,some of the walls and towers are believed to be of ,phnician origin4 ,the stronghold has undergone repeated restorations and adaptations to military requirements1 but a great deal of ,moorish work may still be detected4 ,a horseshoe arch behind the ,paseo de la ,alameda serves to identify the ,moslems' dockyard or ,atarazanas1 and to indicate how far the sea has receded in the wake of the banished race southwards towards ,africa4 ,illustration3 ,,malaga--,,the ,,harbour ,the ,cathedral towers high above all the other buildings of the city4 ,it is in the ,classical style1 and though designed by ,diego de ,siloe in #aebh1 was built for the most part in the early eighteenth century4 ,it must be confessed that it looks better at a distance than near4 ,the interior is solemn and cold4 ,it is worth visiting for some specimens of ,cano's art which it contains1 and for ,mena's magnificent carving in the choir4 ,as at ,granada1 the edifice is adjoined by a smaller church called the ,sagrario1 founded by the ,catholic ,sovereigns in #adhh as the cathedral of the conquered city4 ,but it is not for its monuments or historical associations that ,malaga is to be visited4 ,its interest is of to-day4 ,and in truth it needed not the hand of man to embellish a spot where ,nature has been so lavish of her choicest gifts4 ,the gardens round ,malaga abound in the finest specimens of tropical flora4 ,tall india-rubber plants1 gigantic eucalyptus1 great bamboos1 the rarest exotics1 such as the ,pritchardia folifera1 the araucaria1 and the ,scaforthia elegans1 flourish on this favoured shore4 ,the villas of the wealthier classes stand each in a veritable ,paradise4 ,and everywhere the white flower of the orange1 the oleander1 the vine1 and tree-high ferns6 ,this luxuriant vegetation is the less to be expected since want of water is the great drawback to the prosperity of the district4 ,through the middle of the town runs the ,guadalmedina--a broad channel1 without a drain of water6 ,the new and magnificent promenade1 planted with palms1 sweeps round the sea-front1 as fine as anything on the ,riviera4 ,to drive along it in the sensuous southern night is to drink a deep draught of the joy of life4 ,at one point the drive descends into the bed of the river1 along which you may proceed for a mile or more4 ,and yet at times the ,guadalmedina becomes a roaring torrent1 bursting its banks and sweeping away farmsteads and stock4 ,it is difficult to say whether flood or drought has done most damage to the province4 ,as at ,seville1 you find life here focussing in lane-like streets1 closed to vehicles1 and lined with cafs and casinos1 among the finest ,i have seen in ,spain4 ,here to an early hour of the morning the men of the city gossip in garrulous1 intimate groups of nine and ten1 all1 as it seemed to me1 talking together4 ,the number of cigarettes smoked during the progress of these tremendous conversations must be stupendous4 ,as you will see the same group meeting night after night1 you wonder what there can be in the outwardly uneventful round of life of ,malaga to supply topics for conversation4 ,to an ,englishman there is a mystery about this ability to talk for five or six hours about nothing at all4 ,you will see the same thing in the dullest provincial towns in ,france and ,italy--the same groups of stout1 bald-headed citizens talking with frantic animation every evening4 ,their newspapers afford the slenderest mental pabulum--their contents could be dismissed in ten minutes--and the respectable gentlemen in question are never seen to read books4 ,how then do they recruit their stock of ideas and find an inexhaustible stock of topics for conversation8 ,illustration3 ,,malaga--,,the ,,guadalmedina ,women are1 of course1 conspicuous by their absence4 ,here we have another illustration of the utterly false ideas ,englishmen usually entertain concerning ,latins4 ,to judge from novels written fifty or even thirty years ago1 ,john ,bull appears to have regarded the foreigner with pitying contempt as a mere philanderer1 always running after a petticoat2 yet no one can be in ,spain a fortnight without noticing the ,spaniard's disinclination for female society1 or at any rate how perfectly content he is without it4 ,i do not fancy the ladies of ,malaga care very much for society either1 in our acceptation of the word4 ,looking out of the window appears to be their favourite recreation4 ,they do not inherit the habit from the ,moors1 for that people1 as ,i have said1 were nearly all expelled at the ,reconquest1 and the town was resettled4 ,all the ,andalusian towns were wholly or in part emptied of their ,mohammedan population when taken by the ,christians1 and repeopled with ,castilians and others from ,northern ,spain4 ,this fact is forgotten by those who recognize in every trait of the ,andalusian a heritage from the ,moor4 ,we might as well think we derive our chief national characteristics from the ,britons or the ,normans4 ,east of ,malaga lie several coast towns of importance1 within whose gates the traveller rarely sets foot4 ,motril1 ,adra1 ,almeria--what is there in them to reward the fatigue of a journey in a diligence along the parched shore1 or in some crazy coasting craft1 with timbers straining and creaking before the lightest breeze8 ,almeria is now connected directly by rail with ,madrid and ,granada4 ,the prosperity of the whole district is bound to be greatly increased by the construction of the line so long promised from ,guadix to ,baza4 ,this short link in the railway system would save the traveller from ,malaga to ,valencia nearly #ahj miles1 or its alternative--a long and exhausting diligence journey4 ,it would also bring the southern parts of ,andalusia into direct communication with the great commercial centres of eastern ,spain and with ,marseilles4 ,it would supply us with a new route to ,gibraltar1 moreover4 ,this1 with a line from ,jaca across the ,pyrenees into ,france1 and another from ,huelva to connect with the ,portuguese system ,villa ,real de ,so ,antonio1 are links of which ,spain stands vitally in need4 ,illustration3 ,,malaga--,a ,,market ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,way ,,south ,at ,bobadilla--the ,clapham ,junction of ,andalusia--the ,spanish railway system is joined by the line of that purely ,british undertaking1 the ,algeciras ,railway ,company4 ,a ,spaniard told me that this line would never have been built by one of his countrymen1 as no one in ,spain had any desire to facilitate ,gibraltar's communication with ,england1 and the country it traversed had been sufficiently opened up4 ,i do not think it would be difficult to demonstrate that the line may prove of very substantial benefit to ,spain1 but ,i will confine myself to thanking the promoters for having rendered accessible certainly the most beautiful part of ,andalusia1 and in my opinion one of the most wildly picturesque regions of ,europe4 ,the country between ,ronda and ,algeciras is the ,andalusia dreamt of by the romancers4 ,it is a savage1 silent country1 of warmer browns and greens than the rest of ,spain4 ,here the train takes you no longer across the scorched sky-rimmed plains1 but along the very edge of dizzy ravines1 at the foot of which1 hundreds of feet below1 angry white torrents foam and froth4 ,now you are climbing with obvious effort the steep shoulder of a mountain1 now you are racing headlong down into a valley which seems to lie almost vertically beneath you4 ,now you plunge into the bowels of the ,sierra and emerge with a shriek of triumph in a cauldron-shaped valley1 from which ,nature has provided no egress4 ,there is no want of verdure2 the cork-woods1 vineyards1 and olives dot the lower slopes of the tawny hills4 ,and far up against the sky-line loom shattered towers and crumbling castles1 whence you seem to see trains of steel-clad knights issuing forth to do battle with the ,moor4 ,the country is reminiscent essentially of the days of chivalry4 ,perhaps the ruined strongholds and the dark gorges are still haunted by the knights1 who have driven away all other ghosts and will not let us think of anyone but them4 ,the ,romans were once here1 and at ,munda1 as every schoolboy knows1 ,csar defeated with great slaughter the army led by the sons of ,pompey4 ,that town has now been identified with ,ronda1 the romantic capital of this most romantic region4 ,here the people have not forgotten ,rome4 ,they will show you a cave where in the semi-darkness you descry awful forms in stone1 seeming like a ghostly and gigantic choir of monks4 ,these are the ,roman priests turned to stone upon the downfall of their gods1 those of the people who cherish tradition will tell you4 ,illustration3 ,,malaga--,,packing ,,lemons ,the town itself you will not find very interesting1 though the escutcheons displayed over every second or third house in one quarter will evoke some reflections on departed glory and the fall of the mighty4 ,in some such solar our novelists ,seton ,merriman and ,mr4 ,mason have laid the scenes of leading episodes in their two charming romances4 ,ronda has had a stirring past4 ,she shared in all the vicissitudes of ,granada1 and towards the end of the long agony of the ,reconquest was the scene of constant and ferocious border warfare4 ,it was here that ,mohammed ,v4 received the head of his rival ,abu ,sad1 who had been put to death at ,seville by ,pedro the ,cruel4 ,the town was taken by the army of ,ferdinand and ,isabella on ,may #bb1 #adhe4 ,the people of the surrounding mountains were deeply attached to the creed of ,islam1 and rose in revolt in #aeja against their ,christian oppressors4 ,before they were crushed they inflicted a severe blow on their adversaries1 completely wiping out a force under ,don ,alonso de ,aguilar4 ,westward1 on the other side of the high mountains1 lies ,zahara1 the capture of which one ,december night by ,mulai ,hasan was the signal for the last crusade against the ,spanish ,moors of ,granada4 ,but it is to its striking situation that ,ronda owes its interest4 ,fitted rather to be the eyrie of eagles than the abode of men1 it looks down from the verge of precipitous cliffs nearly three thousand feet above sea level4 ,midway1 town and rocky hill are cleft asunder by the ,tajo1 an awful gorge1 two hundred feet across1 and twice as much in depth4 ,gazing down into the abyss1 you realize with something of a shudder that a pebble dropped over the edge of the precipice would fall sheer and plumb1 without rebound or ricochet1 into the river ,guadalevin1 which rushes below1 filling the chasm with foam and spray4 ,the ravine is spanned by a bridge built in the eighteenth century1 a wonderful construction1 from which when it was near completion its architect fell headlong4 ,access to the river may be obtained by a flight of #cfe steps called the ,mina1 hewn through the rock4 ,this singular work was executed by the ,moors1 who thus ensured themselves a supply of water against the dangers of a siege4 ,numerous subterranean chambers are also ascribed to them1 or rather to their ,christian captives4 ,but the most delightful spot in ,ronda is the little ,alameda laid out on the edge of a perpendicular cliff4 ,leaning on the railing you may drink in the beauty and grandeur of a prospect hardly surpassed in ,europe4 ,the fair fertile country below is shut in by an amphitheatre of mountains which soar upwards to heights of five and six thousand feet4 ,the eye seeks in vain for an outlet from the valley1 till it discerns the white1 dusty high-road winding1 doubling1 and finally disappearing over a dip between the ranges4 ,the river1 a thousand feet below1 swirls and gurgles among the rocks1 glad to have escaped from the dark gorge to which it has so long been confined4 ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,,the ,,tajo ,in the evenings the air is keen at ,ronda1 and in summer you may often hear ,english spoken by officers of the garrison of ,gibraltar and their families1 who come here to escape the torrid heat of the ,rock4 ,with a little capital and energy the place might be developed into a flourishing health resort4 ,but now the way lies south and seaward4 ,ever downwards slowly travels the train4 ,the night gathers over the castled crags and the mysterious forests4 ,we detect by their gleam the rivers over which we pass4 ,but now a bright starlike light is seen to the southward4 ,it flashes and is gone1 to reappear the next instant4 ,we are nearing the strait1 and the searchlight tells us that ,britannia watches here with unsleeping eyes over the fortunes of her children in two seas and two continents4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,murcia ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,,roman ,,bridges ,the province of ,murcia resembles the home of the ,arab race more closely than does any other part of ,europe4 ,it is a wild1 fierce region1 hot and tawny like a lion's hide1 furrowed by deep winding ravines1 intersected by serrated mountains1 on whose flanks1 for the heat of the sun1 no green thing can grow4 ,much of the land is occupied by plateaux1 bare and rocky like great altars on which all that lives is offered to and consumed by the sun4 ,from these uplands you survey vast expanses of sheer desert--fulvid1 rocky1 and scorching4 ,your gaze may travel far before you descry any fitting resting-place for man4 ,the mountains afford no shade1 even in the deepest caons the streams are often traceable only by a narrow path of sand and pebbles1 yet here and there has man successfully wrested from harsh ,nature a secure foothold1 an oasis kept ever green by some more constant rivulet4 ,the waters of the ,segura and the ,sangonera are the life-blood of the province4 ,wayward and ,arethusa-like1 the rivers have with infinite pains been coaxed into conformity with the needs of man4 ,to the science of irrigation the province owes its existence4 ,water here is above all things prized and sold like treasure to the highest bidder4 ,mr4 ,jean ,brunhs in a lately published work gives some most curious and interesting particulars relating to the system of irrigation in force in ,murcia and the adjoining province of ,alicante4 ,the volume of the ,monegre is divided into old water and new water1 the former belonging of right to the ancient riparian proprietors1 the latter to the owners of the locks and reservoirs4 ,a very vicious system prevails at ,lorca4 ,there a private company is the owner of all the water of the ,guadalentin1 subject to the condition of supplying the old proprietors of the adjoining lands with #ejj litres per second every day4 ,in consequence1 in times of drought the company is mistress of the situation and can force up prices to a figure absolutely ruinous to the cultivators4 ,only in this way can it make good the losses incurred in rainy seasons4 ,the precious fluid being sold1 too1 by public auction1 the rich farmer is in a position to deprive his poorer rivals of their means of subsistence4 ,to palliate this evil to some extent1 the rule now obtains that the bidder who has bought the first lot can buy as many of the lots following as he may desire at the same figure4 ,the price therefore is not forced up too rapidly4 ,moreover1 if the company's barrage at a certain point is swept away or broken through by the current1 the water which thus escapes becomes public property4 ,this accident occurs five or six times a year1 and the company is not allowed to make the barrage any stronger when it is rebuilt4 ,notwithstanding these concessions1 it seems that the principle of private enterprise has been pushed too far in this part of the world4 ,mr4 ,brunhs described the sale of water at ,lorca in the following words3 ,the sale takes place in a badly-lit hall with naked walls1 on a level with the street1 with which it communicates by an immense door almost its own breadth4 ,this door remains open during the sale and the crowd of bidders stand partly in the street4 ,the hall has no floor--you stand on the bare ground4 ,opposite the door at the end of the hall is a railed-off dais entered by a side door1 and without any direct communication with the public side4 ,on the dais the secretaries are seated at a large table covered by a threadbare green cloth4 ,behind the table are five arm-chairs4 ,in one is seated the presiding officer 7a civil engineer who must own no land in the ',vega'74 ,on a stool is stationed the crier4 ,at eight o'clock in the morning1 at a sign from the presiding officer1 the crier pronounces these words in a singing monotonous voice and without any pause between the two phrases3 ',in honour of the ,holy ,sacrament of the altar1 who buys the first lot of ,sotellana8' ,immediately shouts go up ',eight1 nine1 ten reals6' ,one voice overpowers the other1 wide-open mouths vociferate loudly1 necks are strained1 muscles grow tense with excitement4 ,the bidders press and crush each other against the iron railing1 for the one nearest has the best chance of being heard4 ,the presiding officer listens1 and follows the frantic shouting with sovereign calm4 ,suddenly1 with a quick gesture1 he designates the highest bidder4 ,at once the clamour ceases4 ,amid absolute silence the man indicated calls out his name1 which the clerks write down4 ,the men are hatless4 ,some wear black or dark-coloured handkerchiefs bound round their heads1 but all hold their broad-brimmed hats in their hands4 ,no one smokes or talks till the bidding recommences1 and even those in the street are silent and bare-headed4 ,it is easy to see that all are peasants4 ,heads are closely cropped2 here are no beards or moustaches1 no one wears a collar1 and most carry a cloak other than the aristocratic ',capa' on the shoulders or arm4 ,it is a curious and impressive sight enough1 these bronzed physiognomies animated by one desire to obtain possession as cheaply as may be of the supreme good1 water4 ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,,at ,,the ,,fountain ,before the industry of man had harnessed the wayward streams this hot land must have been little better than an arid wilderness1 yet it has been inhabited from the remotest times1 and its possession was keenly contested between the great powers of antiquity4 ,the natives were known to the ancients as the ,mastiani1 and are credited with the virtues which were so long supposed to have been characteristic of primitive man4 ,this simple1 blameless race fell an easy victim to the wily ,phnicians1 who scented the precious metals within these barren hills4 ,elche1 ,guadix1 and ,jijona betray in their etymology a ,semitic origin4 ,next came the ,greek ,vikings from ,samos and ,rhodes and ,phokaia1 establishing themselves at many points along the eastern shore of the ,iberian land4 ,the rivalry between the ,phnician and ,hellenic colonies precipitated a contest between their respective allies1 the ,carthaginians and the ,romans4 ,hasdrubal founded the port of ,new ,carthage1 the name of which is still preserved in ,cartagena1 whence1 with a host of #ij1jjj foot and #ab1jjj horse1 ,hannibal started on his famous march to ,rome4 ,the fall of the city1 which was bravely defended by ,mago against ,scipio1 entailed the destruction of the ,punic power in ,spain4 ,under the ,roman yoke ,carthago ,nova became the capital of the vast province of ,tarraconensis1 and the adjoining district in consequence felt the full force of all the attacks made by rebels and barbarians on the tottering empire4 ,under the ,visigoths it was erected into a duchy by the name of ,aurariola4 ,the ,duke ,theodomir1 unlike most of his peers1 offered a strenuous resistance to the ,moslem arms1 and when defeated in battle and besieged in ,orihuela1 succeeded by a stratagem in preserving his territory4 ,by disguising all the women as warriors and parading them on the walls1 he so deceived the ,moors as to the strength of the garrison as to obtain from them a recognition of the independence of the duchy1 subject to the suzerainty of the khalifa4 ,the province became known after its chief by the name of ,todmir4 ,it endured as an autonomous state for some sixty-eight years1 its final absorption in the ,moslem empire being brought about by the last dukes espousing the cause of ,charlemagne or his ,moorish allies4 ,arabic colonists poured in and soon out-numbered the ,christian inhabitants4 ,the last province of ,spain to bow before the ,crescent became rapidly the most ,moorish of any4 ,cartagena and ,orihuela1 the old ,visigothic centres1 declined1 and ,murcia1 practically a ,mohammedan foundation1 took their place4 ,the city rivalled ,toledo and ,cordova as a manufactory of arms and munitions of war4 ,it underwent the usual vicissitudes of ,moorish states1 forming now part of one kingdom1 now of another1 at times independent1 more often subject to ,valencia1 ,granada1 or ,cordova4 ,finally1 in #abdc1 ,abu ,bekr1 the titular amir of ,murcia1 acknowledged the suzerainty of ,castile1 only to repudiate it in #abeb4 ,the war lasted some time1 but the desertion of ,al ,ahmar of ,granada left ,abu ,bekr at the mercy of the ,christians4 ,murcia was taken in #abff by ,don ,jaime of ,aragon1 who immediately handed over his conquest to his son-in-law1 ,alfonso of ,castile4 ,the step1 though probably not dictated by motives of policy1 was a wise one1 for it left a sort of buffer state between ,aragon and ,granada1 and preserved the frontiers of the former kingdom from molestation by the ,moors for the next two centuries4 ,the town of ,murcia has completely rid itself of all outward evidences of its erstwhile subjection to ,islam4 ,gone is the ,alcazar1 where the amirs mimicked the state of ,cordova and ,toledo1 gone is the wall which kept the ,christian out1 gone is the mosque wherein thousands of turbaned heads were bowed daily towards ,mecca4 ,yet in the narrow dark streets like the ,sierpes of ,seville1 across which awnings are stretched1 we might recognize something of the ,east1 were not such thoroughfares equally characteristic of the ,christian ,south4 ,the ,calles de la ,traperia and de la ,plateria1 however1 irresistibly recall ,smyrna4 ,they lead into one of those dazzling white1 dusty squares which every ,southern and ,eastern city boasts1 and which is always named in ,spain after the ,constitution1 in ,italy after ,victor ,emmanuel1 and in ,france after the ,republic4 ,murcia is hotter than ,seville1 and the passage of this plaza between eleven in the forenoon and five in the afternoon requires the courage of a ,mutius ,scvola4 ,in the evening you may join the citizens in their promenade upon the ,malecon1 which affords a charming view of the rich huerta or vale of the ,segura4 ,this is described by ,mr4 ,brunhs as an admirable zone of model agricultural establishments4 ,the soil is levelled and prepared for irrigation with geometrical precision4 ,to each particular crop corresponds a design with little shelving beds of special forms4 ,not an inch of ground is wasted2 on the summit of the slopes1 for instance1 sweet potatoes are planted at regular intervals4 ,the cereals and vegetables are tended with special care1 almost individually4 ,the melons are protected by coverings4 ,no one can visit the environs of ,murcia without being impressed by the extraordinary industry and thriftiness of its people4 ,and field labour in this climate must be arduous in the extreme4 ,but no doubt the mythical dolce far niente ,spaniard will continue for many years to haunt the back streets of literature in company with the big-toothed ,english girl1 her red-whiskered parent1 and other creations of ignorance and prejudice4 ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,a ,,moorish ,,gateway ,murcia cannot be called an interesting town4 ,it has only one sight--and that not of first-class interest--the ,cathedral4 ,this occupies1 as usual1 the site of the mosque1 and dates in its oldest part from #acfh4 ,the west front was restored in the seventeenth century1 fortunately before the decay of ,spanish art had become too conspicuous4 ,the interior produces a good effect1 though robbed of much of its interest by a fire some sixty years ago4 ,the choir stalls are good1 as they generally are in this country of clever wood-carvers1 and came from a suppressed monastery in the neighbourhood4 ,the reredos is modern and poor4 ,with a glance at the urn containing the internal organs of ,alfonso the ,learned1 we pass on to the beautiful and interesting ,junteron ,chapel4 ,this was founded in #aeae by the ,archdeacon of ,lorca1 ,don ,gil ,junteron1 and is in the most exuberant ,renaissance style4 ,it is astonishing that where the figures and designs are so numerous1 so intermingled1 and so complicated1 each should be sculptured with such exquisite skill and correctness4 ,the ,velez ,chapel is a little earlier1 and was evidently modelled on the ,constable's ,chapel at ,burgos4 ,the style1 as might be expected1 reminds one also of the ,chapel ,royal at ,granada4 ,parts of it1 says ,don ,rodrigo ,amador de los ,rios1 evidence the painful caprices and aberrations which announce the death agony of a powerful art in its decline4 ,it would be dangerous to express such an opinion in ,murcia1 where the chapel is accounted the eighth and greatest wonder of the world4 ,in somewhat more restrained terms the sacristan will call your attention to the panelling and lockers in the ,sacristy1 which occupies the centre of the graceful steeple1 and certainly deserves the epithet of sumptuous1 so liberally bestowed in ,spain4 ,much older than ,murcia1 ,cartagena has preserved even fewer monuments of antiquity1 though it has not lost the military character first impressed upon it by its founder ,hasdrubal4 ,for this is the first arsenal of ,spain1 and perhaps its strongest fortress4 ,its splendid sheltered harbour is defended by powerful forts and formidable batteries4 ,their fire has not always been directed upon the enemies of ,spain4 ,for many months in the year #ahgc over them waved the red flag of the ,intransigentes1 the extreme communistic republicans1 who1 simultaneously with the ,carlists of the north1 threatened ruin to ,castelar's government at ,madrid4 ,the acquisition of the great national arsenal without firing a shot was1 of course1 of the utmost advantage to these determined revolutionaries4 ,they disposed of #ehc pieces of ordnance1 including twenty-eight ,krupp guns1 with #ahj1jjj shells and #d1ccb quintals of powder4 ,in addition they were supported by the ironclad frigates ,numancia1 ,vittoria1 ,tetuan1 and ,mendez ,nuez4 ,the garrison1 in addition to the enthusiastic population1 included several revolted battalions of regular troops under the command of ,general ,contreras4 ,the communist ,junta was presided over by ,don ,antonio ,glvez4 ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,a ,,street ,,scene ,against this terrible stronghold of the revolution1 ,general ,martinez ,campos advanced with an army from ,madrid with orders to reduce the place with the utmost despatch4 ,this was easier said than done4 ,supplies were lacking2 the advantage in artillery lay entirely with the besieged4 ,the ,carlists effected diversions in favour of the ,intransigentes--an odd coalition4 ,meantime1 three of the revolutionary vessels were seized by the ,prussian squadron as pirates--an utterly unjustifiable interference with the domestic affairs of another ,state4 ,we might as reasonably have seized the vessels of the ,confederate ,states in #ahfd4 ,the ,prussians and ,italians exacted1 moreover1 a war indemnity of #ej1jjj pesetas from the ,cantonal ,junta1 which body became a prey to internal dissensions4 ,one of its members was assassinated4 ,taking advantage of these embarrassments of the besieged1 the republican troops redoubled their efforts4 ,seor ,castelar came down from ,madrid to assume the supreme command1 and ,martinez ,campos was superseded by ,general ,lopz ,dominguez4 ,an incessant bombardment was kept up1 the besieged responding shell by shell4 ,in ,january the frigate ,tetuan was burnt to the water's edge1 and a day or two later the explosion of the gun park destroyed hundreds of the garrison4 ,the end was near4 ,the city had for half a year defied almost the whole kingdom1 and withstood the covert attacks of foreign ,powers4 ,among the revolutionaries were men who burned to emulate the ,numantians1 and to make of themselves1 the whole population1 and the city1 one vast blazing hecatomb4 ,before this desperate resolution could be executed1 the ,government troops forced their way into wretched1 blood-drenched ,cartagena4 ,glvez1 ,contreras1 and the leaders of the cantonal movement escaped by sea in the ironclad ,numancia1 which far exceeded the ,government vessels in speed1 and took refuge in ,algeria4 ,thus collapsed a movement which was1 after the ,commune of ,paris1 the most determined organized attempt ever made to subvert the existing constitution of ,european society4 ,i have given at some length this chapter in the history of ,cartagena1 partly because the town has little interest in itself1 and partly because these events1 though so recent and so significant1 are never so much as alluded to by most writers of travel books4 ,out of so much evil good came at last1 for these wellnigh fatal disorders opened the eyes of the ,spaniards to the instability of the ,madrid ,government1 and formed the prelude to the reign of peace inaugurated by the accession to the throne of ,king ,alfonso ,,xii4 ,illustration3 ,,ronda--,,the ,,market ,apart from its historical associations1 ,murcia repays the attention of the traveller less than any other province of ,spain4 ,fortunately1 almost the only places of interest it contains--the ones ,i have mentioned--lie on or close to the direct route from ,granada into the old kingdom of ,valencia4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,kingdom ,,of ,,valencia ,the southernmost position of the ancient kingdom of ,valencia belongs geographically and historically to ,murcia4 ,the huerta in which ,orihuela stands is a continuation of the huerta of ,murcia1 and in the town itself we recognize the ,aurariola which was the capital of the latter kingdom4 ,i did not stop at ,orihuela1 but ,i understand that it remains distinct from all other towns in ,valencia1 in that its people speak pure ,castilian4 ,for that variety of the ,romance tongue which ,i may denominate ,catalan is spoken with local modifications all along the eastern coast of ,spain1 from the mouth of the ,segura to the frontier of ,rousillon4 ,it is not1 of course1 a mere dialect of ,castilian4 ,it is a distinct language1 believed by most authorities to have been the language of those ,romanized ,spaniards who were driven north of the ,pyrenees by the ,arabic invasion1 and who reintroduced it on their reconquest of this portion of their old territory4 ,before ,valencia was recovered by ,james ,i4 of ,aragon--,jaime lo ,conqueridor--the ,christians of the province probably spoke ,castilian or a tongue akin to it4 ,catalan was simply the language of the new rulers1 which the people soon acquired4 ,in the province of ,aragon itself ,catalan1 or ,limousin as some call it1 was never spoken4 ,this circumstance no doubt powerfully contributed to the adoption of ,castilian1 in preference to the sister tongue1 upon the unification of the two kingdoms4 ,but for some reason unknown to us--unless it was merely the proximity of ,murcia--,orihuela resisted the ,catalanizing influence of its conqueror4 ,illustration3 ,,orihuela--,,on ,,the ,,river ,,segura ,elche1 our first stopping-place1 famous in its way1 is very often described and compared to half-a-dozen localities in ,asia and ,africa4 ,i also will venture on a comparison1 and say that from certain points of view it reminded me of ,ismailia4 ,it is completely surrounded by magnificent date-palms1 the number of which a ,french author estimates at #hj1jjj4 ,in the shade of the avenues formed by these majestic trees flourish the laurel1 the rose1 and the geranium2 beyond extend crops of lucerne and wheat1 watered by the carefully regulated ,vinalap4 ,for all the shade dispersed by the palms1 ,elche merits its sobriquet1 the frying-pan6 ,the temperature completes the resemblance with ,africa4 ,from the summit of the hill on which it is built1 the town is seen to be situated in a real oasis4 ,beyond the outer ring of cultivation extends a desert as white and as saline as that which borders the ,suez ,canal4 ,the eye rests lovingly on the not far distant sea4 ,elche makes an agreeable impression on most travellers4 ,gustave ,dor has left us his impressions of it--over-imaginative as usual4 ,mr4 ,frank ,barrett1 that entertaining novelist1 introduces the town into ,english fiction4 ,in ,spain it is not more celebrated for its palms 7which are exported for religious uses7 than for its ,passion or ,mystery ,play1 the only one of the kind in the kingdom4 ,this institution is explained by the following legend4 ,on the night of ,december #bi1 #acgj1 a mounted coastguard named ,francisco ,cant1 while patrolling the shore1 encountered a man seated on a huge coffer4 ,this stranger entreated the guard to carry his burden to ,elche1 and to deposit it at the first house where he saw a light1 and having obtained his reluctant consent1 abruptly disappeared4 ,cant1 in accordance with the mysterious man's instructions1 left the chest at the ,hermitage of ,san ,sebastian4 ,on opening it1 it was found to contain an image of the ,virgin and the words and music of the play as now performed4 ,the image was regarded as miraculous1 and resisted all attempts to remove it from the hermitage4 ,it was not my good fortune to see the play1 which takes place every year in the ,iglesia ,mayor1 transformed for the purpose into a theatre4 ,the representation lasts two days1 the subject being the ,assumption of the ,virgin4 ,the words1 in the old ,valencian dialect1 are wedded to old ,gregorian music4 ,i understand that with a navet characteristic of medieval institutions1 the ,supreme ,being ,himself is personified on the stage4 ,illustration3 ,,elche--,a ,,street ,a spectacle equally curious but not so picturesque is the daily sale of water1 which takes place here as at ,lorca1 but with official calm and with none of the excitement to be remarked at the latter place4 ,from this sweltering climate we hasten to the sea-shore1 where at rare intervals a refreshing breeze may be felt4 ,alicante1 the second town in the kingdom of ,valencia1 is modern1 commercial1 and thriving4 ,the land-locked harbour is bordered by broad white quays1 glistering in the sun's rays1 with heaps of tarry cordage1 and canvas distilling characteristically marine odours4 ,trains of mules pass by dragging enormous loads of oranges4 ,in the harbour women are busy loading an ,english craft which flies the ,blue ,peter2 they swarm up and down the side like ants1 or rather like the colliers so familiar to passengers through the ,suez ,canal4 ,the background to this scene of light and animation is formed by the enormous rock1 comparable to ,gibraltar1 which is crowned by the ancient castle of ,santa ,barbara--so called after the saint on whose festival1 in the year #abdh1 it was taken by the ,castilians4 ,four years later it was stormed by the ,aragonese1 ,king ,alfonso the ,battler being the third to enter the fortress4 ,the ,castilian governor1 with his sword in one hand and his keys in the other1 fell pierced with wounds at the conqueror's feet4 ,the possession of the town1 as of ,orihuela1 was afterwards confirmed to ,aragon by treaty4 ,alicante is resorted to for sea-bathing during the summer4 ,the water1 ,i am told1 is then lukewarm--hot enough1 according to one account1 to shave with6 ,the thought of the place in ,august makes the ,northerner reach for a cooling drink4 ,but ,i am assured that the heat is tempered by refreshing breezes from the sea1 and that in the long shadow of the castle rock delicious evenings may be enjoyed4 ,so we journey northward4 ,the country reveals the results of the most systematic and intensive culture4 ,we are told that the ,valencians are lazy1 but if so it must be because the most cleverly devised schemes of irrigation and cultivation have set them free of labour4 ,the province of ,alicante--the southernmost of the three into which the ancient kingdom is divided--contains several important towns4 ,there is the beautifully-named ,villajoyosa1 ,benidorm--so ,provenal in sound--and ,alcoy1 a busy1 industrial centre1 situated in a blooming orchard country4 ,here is celebrated every ,april the festival of ,st4 ,george1 when a sort of sham fight takes place between peasants arrayed respectively as ,moors and ,christians4 ,from ,alcoy a short line runs to ,ganda on the coast1 the cradle of the famous house of ,borgia4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,fisher ,,girl 7,,coast ,,of ,,malaga7 ,every town and village in this thickly peopled region has its historical memories4 ,villena recalls the famous family to which it gave the title of marquis2 ,jativa1 a desperate struggle during the ,war of the ,spanish ,succession1 in which much ,english blood was spilled4 ,this latter town was the birthplace of ,ribera1 and1 as some say1 of ,alexander ,borgia4 ,it is situated in a country which might be described as a veritable ,mahomet's paradise4 ,the cottages in the neighbourhood are almost suffocated by the palm and orange trees4 ,beneath the golden fruit we find our way to the castle1 or rather castles--the new and the old--built side by side upon a hill4 ,part of the fabric dates from the time of the ,moors4 ,later1 the stronghold served as a state prison4 ,within its walls languished and died the unhappy ,count of ,urgel1 a pretender to the throne of ,aragon1 and here passed a ten years' captivity 7#aeab-bb7 the ,duke of ,calabria1 the rightful heir to the throne of ,naples1 to leave his prison on his appointment to the viceroyalty of the fair province he surveyed from its windows6 ,the custodian of the castle shows the usual underground chambers1 which may have been1 as he alleges1 dungeons1 but were quite as likely 7as they generally were with us7 store-rooms and wine cellars4 ,at ,alcira we cross the ,jucr1 after the ,ebro the most important ,spanish river running into the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,it rises within a few miles of the source of the ,tagus1 in the ,montes ,universales1 on the borders of ,aragon and ,new ,castile1 and flows south through the plains of ,la ,mancha till it enters the province of ,albacete1 when it takes an easterly course4 ,in the same province of ,valencia it has excavated some magnificent gorges4 ,it is indeed a strong1 impetuous stream1 bursting its banks again and again and levying a heavy tribute on the surrounding country4 ,each time it makes for itself a new channel1 sweeping away whole villages4 ,the village of ,alcocer stood on its banks1 near its confluence with the ,albaida4 ,after countless harvests had been devastated and inestimable damage to some extent repaired1 the two streams swelled with fury and in one day reduced a vast extent of country to a flat stretch of mud4 ,then1 by another shifting of its bed1 the terrible ,jucr laid bare the foundations of the homes it had ruined4 ,there is no security of tenure within its valley6 ,where your house stands to-day1 ships may ride to-morrow4 ,yet here as everywhere else along the prolific shore1 the waters form the great source of wealth1 fertilizing vast rice-fields and heavy-laden orchards4 ,the marshy and unhealthy lagoon of the ,albufera1 from which one of ,napoleon's marshals took his title1 is being gradually filled up by the dbris brought down from the mountains by the rivers1 and will ultimately form a huerta of untold fertility4 ,meanwhile every effort is made to encourage the afforesting of the rugged hill-sides1 in order to check the violence of the floods and the denuding of the arid1 desiccated soil4 ,as a result of these wise measures1 the kingdom of ,valencia will within a short period become one of the two or three richest agricultural districts in all ,europe4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,water ,,carrier ,the history of the land is that of its capital4 ,valencia is first mentioned as having been granted by the consul ,junius ,brutus to the warriors of ,viriathus upon the death of their chief1 and their consequent surrender4 ,the history of few ,roman colonies1 as it has reached us1 is of interest4 ,the province had the usual martyrs under the persecutions of ,diocletian and ,decius1 and was the place of banishment of the zealot ,ermengild4 ,it remained under the ,moorish yoke for over five hundred years1 at one time forming part of the khalifate1 at other times constituting one or more petty kingdoms4 ,don ,todoro ,llorente speaks of ,the slave kings of ,valencia1 and thus describes the rulers of uncertain and various origin who1 like the ,janissaries of ,turkey1 had begun as slaves in the palace of the khalifa and won power for themselves with their swords4 ,one of these princes added the ,balearic ,isles to his realms1 and unsuccessfully attempted the conquest of ,sardinia4 ,the kingdom thus founded by military adventurers was overthrown by the most famous of that warlike brood4 ,the history of the events which brought about the conquest of ,valencia by the ,cid is extremely complex4 ,the king or amir1 ,kadir1 was the puppet of the rival powers which aspired to the possession of his dominions1 and was alternately upheld on his tottering throne by one and the other4 ,weary of this dishonourable tutelage1 the people arose under the leadership of ,ibn ,jahhaf4 ,kadir fled disguised as a woman1 but was detected and beheaded4 ,that strange anomaly1 a ,mohammedan republic1 was formed4 ,in other words1 ,valencia was governed by an assembly of notables called the ,al ,jama1 of which ,ibn ,jahhaf was the president4 ,the people which arrogates the right to choose its ruler has ever been considered a sort of pirate among the nations1 and fair game for more powerful states4 ,kadir at the moment of his deposition had been nominally under the protection of the ,cid4 ,that redoubtable warrior1 under the pretext of avenging his protg's death1 advanced on ,valencia4 ,the ,almoravides came to his assistance1 but precipitately retired4 ,distrusting these allies almost as much as the ,christians1 ,ibn ,jahhaf amused the ,cid with negotiations1 but meanwhile made preparations for defence4 ,he became the special object of the famous warrior's hatred1 and when the city fell1 was burnt to death at the stake before the eyes of his horrified countrymen4 ,the ,cid now ruled ,valencia as absolute lord and despot till his death1 five years later1 in #ajig4 ,the legend need not be related here1 how his wife defended the city for two years after his death1 and finally1 setting his corpse fully armed upon his warhorse1 won a victory over the terrified ,moors and thus took him to his last resting-place at ,cardea4 ,valencia was not finally wrested from the yoke of ,islam till the memorable #bhth of ,september1 #abch1 when the standard of the victorious ,jaime ,i4 of ,aragon was hoisted over the tower of ,ali ,bufat4 ,in the history of ,aragon the conquest ranks with the taking of ,seville in the history of ,castile4 ,granada was the joint conquest of both kingdoms4 ,it is curious to compare the ready submission of the ,moors1 and their surrender of whole kingdoms to the ,christians1 sometimes as the result of a single battle1 with the tenacious resistance offered by their descendants in ,algeria in modern times4 ,enervated by the climate of ,spain1 the ,mussulmans of that country were absolutely incapable of maintaining a prolonged guerrilla warfare4 ,if a fortified capital was taken they at once handed over the whole kingdom to the conqueror4 ,they were not1 of course1 peculiar in this respect4 ,the sentiment of nationality and physical courage are characteristic far more of the modern than of the ancient world4 ,we have only to compare the resistance of the ,anglo-,saxons to the ,normans with that of the ,boers to the ,british1 of the ,french in the ,hundred ,years' ,war with that of their descendants in #ahga1 to realize how much more of manliness and endurance we possess than did our ancestors4 ,we must go back to the days of ,leonidas and ,regulus to find parallels for the exploits of our own ,indian army2 to ,numantia and ,saguntum for parallels to ,saragossa and ,gerona4 ,national and individual self-respect withered under feudalism1 and revived only on the introduction of free institutions4 ,valencia to-day1 as befits the capital of a rich1 prosperous province1 is a handsome1 modern progressive city4 ,there is little or nothing about to remind one of its erstwhile masters1 the ,moors1 and it has not retained more monuments of its past than most other cities4 ,interesting it is not from the sightseer's point of view1 nor convenient from a stranger's1 since indications of the names of the streets are few and far between4 ,new avenues are being formed1 and in these magnificent houses are arising1 all happily in different styles1 original and individual1 forming a contrast to the dull uniformity of most ,continental town perspectives4 ,at two points the town is entered by massive gates of the castellated type--the ,torres de ,serranos and de ,cuarte4 ,the former date from the fourteenth century1 and have two octagonal towers with heavy machicolations at two-thirds of their height2 the machicolation is continued across the connecting storey1 which is richly panelled above the narrow archway4 ,the ,torres de ,cuarte are drum towers1 similarly flanking a gateway2 in this case the parapet is itself borne on corbels and machicolated4 ,the work dates from the fifteenth century4 ,these towers add much to the picturesqueness of their respective quarters4 ,the ,citadel1 in another part of the town1 replaces the old temple built in #abch by the ,knights ,templars on the spot where the ,aragonese planted their cross on entering ,valencia4 ,it contains the chapel where ,st4 ,vicente ,ferrer1 the ,angel of the ,judgment1 took the habit of ,st4 ,dominic4 ,illustration3 ,,malaga--,a ,,picador ,a glance at the ,cathedral and the ,lonja1 and we shall have done ,valencia in the tourist's sense4 ,the former building was founded in the year #abfb on the site of the principal mosque4 ,in it the ,kings of ,aragon took the oath as ,kings of ,valencia4 ,repeatedly restored1 and modernized in #agej1 it presents a dreadful jumble of styles1 and is far behind the cathedrals of ,andalusia in beauty and interest4 ,the ,micalet ,tower1 however1 rising at the end of the ,calle de ,zaragoza1 presents a striking appearance4 ,it is the great landmark of the district1 and the ,valencians refer to exile as losing sight of the ,micalet4 ,the view from the summit is very fine4 ,the main entrance to the ,cathedral is poor1 but the north door1 called the ,puerta de los ,apostoles1 richly sculptured and delicately moulded1 exhibits the skill and imagery of the fourteenth century at its best4 ,above the interesting semicircular ,puerta del ,palau are seen on medallions the heads of seven men and seven women--these representing the seven knights of the ,conquest and the seven ladies 7some say of ,valencia1 and others of ,lerida7 whom they married4 ,from these alliances sprang the nobility of the province4 ,this doorway was evidently constructed by the architect who designed the ,puerta dels ,infants at ,lerida4 ,the interior has also suffered by restoration4 ,the pointed arches have been rounded1 the ,gothic columns almost concealed by ,corinthian pilasters1 the walls covered with marbles4 ,the effect is rich 7,la ,rica is the surname which particularly distinguishes this ,cathedral71 but much of the religious antique air of the place has gone for ever4 ,the plan is1 as usual with ,spanish churches1 cruciform4 ,the chancel was reconstructed in #afhb1 but the altar was melted down by the ,french in #ahji4 ,fortunately the fine panel-shutters made for its protection in the sixteenth century have been preserved4 ,they were carved by a carpenter named ,carles1 and are painted with scenes from the lives of ,christ and the ,virgin4 ,these works are ascribed by some to ,francisco ,pagano and ,pablo de ,san ,leocadio1 by others to ,leonardo da ,vinci himself4 ,hanging to one of the pillars on the ,gospel side may be seen the spurs and bridle of ,jaime lo ,conqueridor1 presented by him1 on the day he took the city1 to his master of the horse1 ,juan de ,perthusa4 ,over the crossing rises the fine octagonal lantern1 built in #adjd and restored in #agca4 ,the trophies which once adorned it have long since been carried off1 among them the flags taken from the ,genoese by ,ramon ,corveran1 a famous sea-dog of ,valencia4 ,the pulpit1 over which is displayed a picture of ,st4 ,vicente ,ferrer1 was the one from which that zealous missionary actually preached4 ,it can1 however1 hardly be regarded as a curiosity1 as the saint must have preached in nearly every church in the ,peninsula1 ,france1 and ,flanders4 ,illustration3 ,,valencia--,,santa ,,catalina ,the choir is modern1 except the rear portion or trascoro1 which dates from the end of the fifteenth century2 and the chapels contain little that is of interest4 ,toms de ,villanueva1 the holy ,archbishop of ,valencia1 is entombed in the chapel dedicated to him4 ,the chapel of another ,valencian saint1 ,st4 ,francis ,borgia1 is remarkable for a curious picture representing his conversion of a dying man4 ,the penitent is depicted almost nude1 and attended by comically fantastic monsters4 ,another painting shows the saint1 as ,duke of ,ganda1 taking leave of his relatives when about to embrace the religious state4 ,leaving the ,cathedral1 we visit the noble ,gothic ,lonja1 or ,silk ,exchange1 built between the years #adhb and #adih by ,pedro ,compte4 ,though not in the purest style1 the result is imposing and dignified4 ,a ,french writer 7,m4 ,paul ,jousset71 not addicted to laudatory language1 admits that this building is worth a visit to ,valencia to see4 ,its square tower1 its crenellated chimneys1 open galleries1 and high windows1 recall the palace-like chteaux of the ,loire4 ,within is a noble hall divided into three by rows of spirally-fluted columns4 ,the roof is studded with stars1 and round the frieze runs the inscription3 ,he only that shall not have deceived nor done usury1 shall be worthy of eternal life4 ,for the commercial integrity of ,valencia it is to be hoped that the business men frequenting this exchange keep their eyes fixed on the text4 ,another public building worthy of attention is the ,audiencia1 in good ,renaissance style1 with grand halls adorned by portraits of eminent natives of the province4 ,in the ,salon de ,cortes1 the old provincial ,states assembled till the middle of the eighteenth century4 ,the minor churches of ,valencia are hardly worth a visit--the less so that in this climate the stranger is generally well content to laze his time away4 ,he may do this very pleasantly on the ,paseo de la ,glorieta or ,plaza ,principe ,alfonso1 two charming shady spots1 where numerous trees are reflected in the waters of the cool basins4 ,further off1 across the parched ,turia1 you reach the ,alameda1 a leafy avenue where fountains diffuse a refreshing dew4 ,and if you should chance to doze on one of the benches1 you need not fear interruption4 ,this charming promenade1 for some occult reason1 is neglected by the citizens4 ,the picture gallery of ,valencia is important4 ,it contains fine specimens of contemporary ,spanish art1 including works by ,sorolla and ,benlliure4 ,ribalta may be studied here1 and also the less-known masters of the ,valencian school1 such as ,orrente1 ,march1 ,espinosa1 and ,juanes4 ,there used to be several fine private collections in ,valencia1 but these have all been dispersed4 ,the country round ,valencia is far more interesting than the city4 ,in no other part of ,spain1 says ,mr4 ,brunhs1 has man more successfully combated and reduced natural aridity by irrigation and cultivation2 so successfully indeed1 that from ,ganda to ,valencia1 for instance1 a stretch of #ajj kilometres1 the gardens succeed each other so closely that it is easy to forget--in spite of the naked slopes on the horizon--that these oases occupy a naturally arid soil4 ,this is1 in short1 the best cultivated province in the kingdom4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,andalusian ,,dance ,the numberless canals and watercourses which intersect the land in all directions are fed for the most part by the ,jucr and ,turia--the latter the local stream of ,valencia--but every possible source is turned to account4 ,here the water supply1 comprised in the ,canal of ,moncada and the ,seven ,canals1 belongs to the community1 by whom is indirectly elected the famous tribunal which meets every ,thursday morning at the ,apostles' ,gate of the ,cathedral4 ,the sittings of this singular court are the most interesting sight in ,valencia4 ,in the plaza a crowd of countryfolk are collected1 furiously discussing their affairs and pleading their cases in advance1 after the manner of litigants all the world over4 ,meanwhile the alguazil of the tribunal has disposed an ancient sofa in the shadow of the great ,gothic portal and marked off a space before it with a railing4 ,presently the seven judges arrive--one for each canal4 ,they have the air of well-to-do peasants1 and such they are--grave1 stoutly-built men1 with tanned faces and close-cropped hair4 ,they wear black1 the colour beloved by the comfortably-situated working man all the world over2 but they have not discarded the native handkerchief round their polished brows or the espadrilla1 or ,valencian shoe4 ,each is known by the name of the canal which he represents--,mislata1 ,cuarte1 and so forth4 ,these peasant-magistrates having taken their seats1 the oldest pronounces the words ,se obri el tribunal 7,the tribunal is open74 ,for a moment absolute silence reigns4 ,then those who have the right to be heard first are introduced within the railing and plead their cause bare-headed before the court4 ,woe to the insolent wight that dare stand covered in its presence6 ,the alguazil will tear the handkerchief off his head1 and he will be mulcted1 moreover1 in a fine4 ,anyone who speaks before his turn is fined4 ,the discipline is severe4 ,each must wait till the president indicates with his foot that it is his turn to be heard4 ,notwithstanding1 the fiery ,valencians find it hard to restrain their feelings4 ,at every moment there is an explosion of wrath or indignation1 a heated expostulation from one or the other of the parties4 ,the fines thus accumulated must represent a considerable sum4 ,the procedure is entirely verbal2 even the judgments are not recorded4 ,but no court exercises more absolute power than the ,tribunal de las ,aguas of ,valencia4 ,life in the fertile huerta of ,valencia is beautifully described by the great novelist1 ,blasco ,ibaez1 a native of the city4 ,the following roughly translated passages1 though they convey little idea of the forceful and elegant style of the original1 will at least enable the reader to picture a summer in the ,south3 ,when the vast plain awakes in the bluish light of dawn1 the last of the nightingales that have sang through the night breaks off abruptly in his final trill1 as though he had been stricken by the steely shaft of day4 ,sparrows in whole coveys burst forth from the thatched roofs1 and beneath this aerial rabble preening their wings1 the trees shake and nod4 ,one by one the murmurs of the night subside--the trickling of watercourses1 the sighing of the reeds1 the barking of the watchful dogs4 ,other sounds belonging to the day grow louder and fill the huerta4 ,the crow of the cock is heard from every farm2 the village bells re-echo the call to prayer borne across from the towers of ,valencia1 which are yet misty in the distance2 from the farmyards arises a discordant animal concert--the neighing of horses1 the bellowing of oxen1 the clucking of hens1 the bleating of lambs1 the grunting of swine--the sounds produced by beasts that scent the keen odour of vegetation in the morning breeze and are hungry for the fields4 ,the sky is suffused with light1 and with light1 life inundates the plain and penetrates to the interior of human and animal abodes4 ,doors open creaking4 ,in the porches white figures appear1 their hands clasped behind their necks1 scanning the horizon4 ,from the stables issue towards the city1 milch cows1 flocks of goats1 manure carts4 ,bells tinkle between the dwarf trees bordering the high road1 and every now and again is heard the sharp ',arre1 ,aca6' of the drivers4 ,on the thresholds of the cottages those bound for the town exchange greetings with those that stay in the fields3 ',bon dia nos done ,deu6' 7,may ,god give us a good day67 ',bon dia4' ,immense is the energy1 the explosion of life1 at midsummer1 the best season of the year1 the time of harvest and abundance4 ,space throbs with light and heat4 ,the ,african sun rains torrents of fire on the land already cracked and wrinkled by its burning caresses1 and its golden beams pierce the dense foliage1 beneath which are hidden the canals and trenches to save them from the all-powerful vivifying heat4 ,the branches of the trees are heavy with fruit4 ,they bend beneath the weight of yellow grapes covered with glazed leaves4 ,like the pink cheeks of a child glow the apricots amid the verdure4 ,children greedily eye the luscious burden of the fig trees4 ,from the gardens is wafted the scent of the jasmin1 and the magnolias dispense their incense in the burning air laden with the perfume of the cereals4 ,the gleaming scythe has already sheared the land1 levelling the golden fields of wheat and the tall corn stalks1 which bowed beneath their heavy load of life4 ,the hay forms yellow hills which reflect the colour of the sun4 ,the wheat is winnowed in a whirlwind of dust2 in the naked fields among the stubble1 sparrows hop from spot to spot in search of stray gleanings4 ,everywhere are happiness and joyous labour4 ,waggons go groaning down the road2 children frolic in the fields and among the sheaves1 thinking of the wheaten cakes in prospect and of the lazy1 pleasant life which begins for the farmer when his barn is filled4 ,even the old horses stride along more gaily1 cheered by the smell of the golden grain which will flow steadily into their mangers as the year rolls on4 ,illustration3 ,,courting ,when the harvest has levelled the panorama and cleared the great stretches of wheat sprinkled with poppies1 the plain seems vast1 almost illimitable4 ,farther than the eye can reach stretch its great squares of red soil marked off by paths and trenches4 ,the ,sunday's rest is rigorously observed over the whole countryside4 ,not a man is seen toiling in the fields1 not a beast at work on the road4 ,down the paths pass old women with their mantillas drawn over their eyes and their little chairs hanging to their arms4 ,in the distance resound1 like the tearing of linen1 the shots fired at the swallows1 which fly hither and thither in circles4 ,a noise seems to be produced by their wings ruffling the crystal firmament4 ,from the canals rises the murmur of clouds of almost invisible flies4 ,in a farm all painted blue under an ancient arbour there is a whirlwind of gaily coloured shawls and petticoats1 while the guitars with their drowsy rhythm and the strident cornets accompany the measures of the ,valencian ,jota4 ,in the village the little plaza is thronged with the field folk4 ,the men are in their shirt sleeves1 with black sashes and gorgeous handkerchiefs arranged mitre-like on their heads4 ,the old men lean on their big ,liria sticks4 ,the young men1 with sleeves turned up1 display their red nervous arms and carry mere sprigs of ash between their huge knotted fingers4 ,in the afternoon1 towards the fountain1 along the road bordered with poplars which shake their silvered foliage1 go groups of girls with their pitchers on their heads4 ,their rhythmical movements and their grace recall the ,athenian canephor4 ,this procession to the well lends to the huerta of ,valencia something of a biblical character4 ,the ,fontana de la ,reina is the pride of the huerta1 condemned to drink the water of wells and the red and dirty liquid of the canals4 ,it is esteemed as an ancient and valuable work4 ,it has a square basin with walls of reddish stone4 ,the water is below the soil4 ,you reach the bottom by means of six green and slippery steps4 ,opposite the steps is a defaced bas-relief1 probably a ,virgin attended by angels--no doubt an ex-voto of the time of the ,conquest4 ,laughter and chatter are not wanting round the well4 ,the girls cluster round1 eager to fill their pitchers but in no hurry to depart4 ,they jostle each other on the steps1 their petticoats gathered in between their legs1 the better to lean forward and to plunge their vessels into the basin4 ,the surface of the water is unceasingly troubled by the bubbles rising from the sandy bed1 which is covered with weeds waving in the current4 ,,index ,abades1 ,no4 #f1 #gj ,abbad1 ,mohammed ,ben1 #bb ,abdallah1 ,ahmed ,ben1 #ba ,abd-el-,aziz1 #ai ,abd-ur-,rahman1 #hi ,abd-ur-,rahman ,,iii41 #ba ,abu-l-,walid1 #aae ,adra1 #afh lii1 #af ,ahmar1 ,mohammed al1 #bg1 #aac ,alarcos1 #bf ,albaicin1 #adh ,alcazaba1 #abi ,alcazares1 #ce ,alcazar ,genil1 #afa ,alcoy1 #aij ,alfonso ,,vi41 #bd1 #be1 #ih ,alfonso ,x41 #aad ,alfonso the ,battler1 ,king1 #ahi ,alfonso the ,learned1 #d1 #aha ,al ,hakem ,,ii41 #ij ,alhama1 #aba ,alhambra1 ,the1 #abd ,alicante1 #ahi ,al ,mansr1 #ij ,almeria1 #afh ,almohades1 #bf1 #cj1 #aab ,almoravides1 #bf1 #aab1 #aid ,aragon1 ,don ,jaime of1 #agi ,arfe1 ,juan de1 #fj1 #if ,aurariola1 #agh ,az ,zahara1 #ig ,barbuda1 ,don ,martin de la1 #ajb1 #aai ,baths1 #adc ,bekr1 ,abu1 #agi ,belludo1 #ade ,ben ,hud1 #bg1 #aac ,biblioteca ,colombina1 #ce ,boabdil1 #aba ,cadiz1 #a ,cadiz1 ,marquis of1 #aba ,csar1 ,julius1 #af ,campaa--,see ,kempener ,campillo1 #afj ,cano1 ,alonso1 #ff1 #ge1 #aee1 #afe ,caos de ,carmona1 #ha ,capilla ,real1 #aeb ,cartagena1 #ahb ,carthaginians1 #c1 #ad1 #ae ,cartuja1 #hd1 #aeh ,casa de ,bustos ,tavera1 #gj ,casa del ,carbon1 #adg ,casa de los ,tiros1 #afj ,casa de ,pilatos1 #ff ,cathedral1 #ej1 #aea1 #aee1 #afe1 #aif ,cespedes1 ,pablo de1 #ge1 #ajc ,charles ,v41 #ie ,cid ,campeador1 ,ruy ,diaz de ,bivar1 #aab1 #aic ,colon1 ,fernando1 #eg ,columbus1 ,christopher1 #ef1 #afj ,cordova1 #hf ,cornejo1 ,duque1 #ie1 #if ,coronel1 ,doa ,maria1 #ch ,cortes1 ,hernando1 #hc ,court of the ,lions1 #acg ,cuarto de ,santo ,domingo1 #afj ,dance of the ,seises1 #ha ,dvalos1 ,leonor1 #ch ,delicias ,gardens1 #gg ,dios1 ,san ,juan de1 #aef ,drake1 ,sir ,francis1 #d ,elche1 #ahg ,el ,greco1 #fj ,enrique ,,iii41 #aai ,ermengild1 #ah1 #aic ,ermita de ,san ,sebastian1 #afj ,esperandola del ,cielo1 #adi ,essex1 ,earl of1 #e ,exilona1 #ai ,fadrique1 ,don1 #df ,fair of ,seville1 #gi ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 #aba ,fernandez1 ,alejo1 #he ,fernando el ,magno1 #bd ,ferrer1 ,st4 ,vincent1 #ce ,frutet1 #ge ,ganda1 #aij ,gandia1 ,duke of1 #aeg ,generalife1 ,the1 #adf ,gibralfaro1 #afd ,gibraltar1 #agc ,giordano1 ,luca1 #eh ,gipsies1 #hd ,giralda ,tower1 #ca ,gongora1 #ie ,goya1 #fj ,granada1 #ajg ,great ,captain1 #ajb1 #aef ,guadalquivir1 ,the1 #i ,guzman el ,bueno1 #hc ,hajjaj1 ,ibrahim ,ibn1 #bj ,hall of the ,two ,sisters1 #aci ,halls of the ,abencerrages1 #aci ,hasan1 ,mulai1 #aba ,hernandez 7,gonzalo71 de ,aguilar y de ,cordova1 the ,great ,captain1 #ajb1 #aef ,herrera1 #eh1 #fa1 #ff ,herrera1 ,the ,older1 #ge ,illiberis1 #aaa ,intransigentes1 #ahb ,irrigation1 #age1 #bjj ,isidore1 ,st41 #ai ,ismal1 ,sad ,ben1 #aba ,italica1 #ae1 #ag1 #ah1 #hb ,jaime lo ,conqueridor1 #ahf1 #aid1 #aih ,jativa1 #aij ,jerez1 #aj ,juan ,,ii41 #af ,jucr1 #aia ,junteron1 ,don ,gil1 #aha ,kadir1 #aic ,kempener1 ,peter1 #ee1 #eh1 #ei ,la ,caridad1 #gd ,las ,navas de ,tolosa1 #bf ,la ,trinidad1 #ai ,leal1 ,valds1 #eh1 #ei1 #gd1 #ge ,leander1 #ah ,lebrija1 #aa ,leovgild1 #ah ,levi1 ,simuel ,ben1 #cg ,lonja1 #aif1 #aii ,lorca1 #age ,lucan1 #af ,majus1 #ba ,malaga1 #afc ,malecon1 #ahj ,marana1 ,miguel de1 #gc ,mena1 ,juan de1 #ajd ,mezquita1 #hh ,mihrab1 #add ,mirador de ,lindaraja1 #adb ,mohammed ,,ii41 #aad ,mohammed ,,iii41 #aad ,mohammed ,,iv41 #aaf ,mohammed ,v41 #aag1 #aga ,mohammed ,,vi41 #aai ,mohammed ,,vii41 #aba ,mohammed ,,viii41 #aba ,mohammedan ,paintings1 #adj ,montaez1 #eh1 #fj1 #ff1 #ge1 #hc ,mote'mid1 #bc ,motril1 #afh ,munda1 #agj ,murcia1 #agd1 #agi1 #ahj ,murillo1 #h1 #ef1 #eh1 #ei1 #fj1 #fa1 #gc1 #gd1 #ge1 #gf ,musa1 #ai ,museo of ,seville1 #gd ,musset1 ,alfred de1 #g1 #ab1 #ga ,mut'adid-billah1 ,amir1 #bb ,muwallads1 #bj ,nasr1 ,abu-l-,juyyush ,muley1 #aae ,northmen1 #ba ,omnium ,sanctorum1 #fe ,oratory1 #add ,orihuela1 #agh1 #ahf ,osorio1 ,doa ,urraca1 #ch ,padilla1 ,maria de1 #df ,palace of ,charles ,v41 #aca ,palace of ,st4 ,telmo1 #gf ,palacio de las ,dueas1 #gj ,palomino1 #ie ,paredes1 ,doa ,maria de ,guzman1 #ie ,patio de ,daraxa1 #adb ,patio de la ,alberca1 #ace ,patio de las ,arrayanes1 #ace ,patio de las ,muecas1 #de ,patio de los ,naranjos1 #cd ,patio del ,mexuar1 #acd ,pedro the ,cruel1 #cf ,phnicians1 ,the1 #b1 #ad ,pineda1 ,doa ,mariana1 #aeg ,plaza de ,bibarrambla1 #aea ,poore1 ,lawrence1 #bh ,puerta de ,hierro1 #add ,puerta de la ,justicia1 #abh ,puerta del ,lagarto1 #ec ,puerta del ,perdon1 #cd ,puerta del ,vino1 #acj ,puerto ,santa ,maria1 #aj ,pulgar1 ,fernando del1 ,lord of ,el ,salar1 #aeb ,ramon ,bonifaz1 #bg ,recchiarus1 #ag ,ribera1 #aij ,robles1 ,joao de1 #aef ,roelas1 ,juan de las1 #eh1 #fe1 #ge ,roldn1 ,pedro1 #fa ,romanticists1 #f1 #g ,ronda1 #agj ,rueda1 ,lope de1 #ie ,sacromonte1 #aeh ,sad1 ,abu1 #cg1 #aah1 #aga ,st4 ,ferdinand1 #bg1 #ee1 #ie ,st4 ,isidore1 #bd ,st4 ,justa1 #hd ,st4 ,rufina1 #hd ,st4 ,vicente ,ferrer1 #aif1 #aih ,sala de la ,justicia1 #adj ,sala de los ,embajadores1 #acf ,salambo1 #ae1 #hd ,salon de los ,embajadores1 #dd ,san ,geronimo1 #aef ,santa ,ana1 #he ,santa ,paula1 #fd ,santo ,domingo1 #afj ,scipio1 #ae ,seneca1 #af ,seville1 #ab ,siloe1 ,diego de1 #aef1 #afe ,suevi1 #ag ,talavera1 ,archbishop de1 #abc ,tarik1 #ai ,tarshish1 #c ,tendilla1 ,count of1 #abc ,theodomir1 #agh ,theudis1 #ag ,theudisel1 #ag ,tocador de la ,reina1 #adc ,todmir1 #agi ,torre de ,cuarte1 #aif ,torre de ,serranos1 #aif ,torre del ,agua1 #ade ,torre del ,homenage1 #acj ,torre del ,oro1 #bi ,torre de la ,cautiva1 #ade ,torre de la ,vela1 #abi ,torre de las ,damas1 #add ,torre de las ,infantas1 #ade ,torre de los ,picos1 #add ,torre de los ,siete ,suelos1 #ade ,torres ,bermejas1 #abg ,tower of ,comares1 #acf ,triana1 #hd ,tribunal de las ,aguas1 #bja ,turdetani1 #ad ,university ,church1 ,seville1 #fe ,utrera1 #aa ,valdes1 #ge ,valencia1 #aib1 #aie ,vandals1 #af ,vargas1 ,luis de1 #cd1 #eh1 #ei1 #ge ,velazquez1 #ge ,velez ,chapel1 #ahb ,vermilion ,towers1 #abe ,vigarni1 #aec ,visigoths1 #ag ,yusuf ,i41 #aag ,yusuf ,,ii41 #aai ,yusuf ,,iii41 #abj ,yusuf ,,iv41 #aba ,zacatin1 #aej ,zaghal1 #abb ,zahara1 #aba1 #aga ,zayda1 #be ,zegri1 ,hamet el1 #afd ,ziryab1 #aja ,zurbaran1 #eh1 #fj1 #ge ,illustration3 ,,map ,,accompanying ,,southern ,,spain ,,by ,,trevor ,,hadden ,,and ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert4 7,a4 ,c4 ,,black7