Impressions of Spain in 1866

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(1895-1945)

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MRS. H. C. BERKOWITZ

1945

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Impressions of Spain in 1866.

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Gateway, Burgos.

IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN

m

1866.

BY

LADY HERBERT.

WITH FIFTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS.

LONDON:
EICHAED BENTLEY, NEW BUELINGTON STEEET,

^ttblis^ir in ©rbhtarg to "^n llajjstg.

MDCCCLXVII.

TO

THE LADY GEOEGIMA FULLEETON,

WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED

MOEE THAN ANT ONE IN ENGLAND

TO GIVE A HEALTHY AND RELIGIOUS TONE TO THE

POPULAR LITERATURE OE THE DAT,

AND WHOSE WORKS ARE AN INDEX OF HER HOLY HIDDEN LIFE,

SC^is ^ahmz

IS AEFIiCTIONATELT INSCRIBED.

Oct. 26, 1866.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PiGE

I ST. SEBASTIAN AND BURGOS .... 1

II MADRID 22

III CORDOVA AND MALAGA .... 39

IV GRANADA 65

V GIBRALTAR AND CADIZ 79

VI SEVILLE 95

Vn EXCURSIONS NEAit SEVILLE . . .133

Vni THE CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS AND CONVENTS

OF SEVILLE 152

IX THE ESCURIAL AND TOLEDO . .178

X ZARAGOSSA AND SEGOVIA . . . .207

XI AVILA AND ALVA 227

XII ZAMORA AND VALLADOLID . . . .248

APPENDIX 265

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

GATEWAY, BUBGOS .

MADEID

MOSQUE AT CORDOVA ....

MALAGA

ALAMEDA, CADIZ

GIEAtDA, SEVILLE ....

ALCAZAR, SEVILLE

GARDENS OF THE ALCAZAE

DOORWAY OF CATHEDRAL AT SEVILLE

ITALICA, SEVILLE ....

ST. THERESA STAiTOING FOR HER PICTURE .

CHURCH OF LA CRUZ, TOLEDO

WEST DOOR OF CATHEDRAL OF AVILA

PALACE, GUADALAJARA

APOSTLES' DOOR OF CATHEDRAL, BURGOS

Frontispiece
To face page 22

39

48

88

95

96

99

116

133

166

202

227

238

258

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

GATEWAY, BURGOS ....'.. Frontispiece
atADEID ....... Tofaeepage 22

MOSQUE AT CORDOVA .... „ 39

MALAGA • „ 48

AXAMEDA, CADIZ „ 88

GIBAIDA, SEVILLE „ 95

ALCAZAR, SEVILLE „ 96

GARDENS OE THE ALCAZAE „ 99

DOOEWAY OF CATHEDBAL AT SEVILLE . „ 116

ITALICA, SEVILLE ,,133

ST. THEEESA STANDING FOE HEE PICTUEE . „ 166

CHUECH OF LA CEUZ, TOLEDO . . . „ 202

WEST DOOE OF CATHEDEAL OF AVILA . „ 227

PALACE, GUADALAJAEA .... ,,238

APOSTLES' DOOE OF CATHEDEAL, BUEGOS . „ 258

IMPRESSIONS or SPAIN.

CHAPTER I.

ST. SEBASTIAN AND BUEaOS.

What is it that we seek for, we Englishmen
and Englishwomen, who, year by year, about the
month of November, are seen crowding the Folke-
stone and Dover steam-boats, with that unmis-
takable ' going abroad ' look of travelling— bags,
and wideawakes, and bundles of wraps, and alpaca
gowns ? I think it may be comprised in one
word : — sunshine. This dear old land of ours,
with all its luxuries, and all its comforts, and all
its associations of home and people, still lacks one
thing — and that is climate. For climate means
health to one half of us ; and health means power
of enjoyment ; for, without it, the most perfect of
homes (and nowhere is that word understood
so well as in England) is spoiled and saddened.
So, in pursuit of this great boon, a widow lady

B

ST. SEBASTIAN.

and her children, with a doctor and two other
friends, started off in the winter of 186-, in spite
of ominous warnings of revohitions, and grim
stories of brigands, for that comparatively unvi-
sited country called Spain. As far as St. Sebas-
tian the journey was absolutely without interest
or adventure of any kind. The express train
dashed them past houses and villages, and pic-
turesque old towns with fine church towers, from
Paris to Bordeaux, and from Bordeaux to Bayonne,
and so on past the awful frontier, the scene of so
many passages-at-arms between officials and ladies'
maids, till they found themselves crossing the
picturesque bridge which leads to the little town
of St. Sebastian, with its beach of fine sand,
washed by the long billowy waves of the Atlantic
on the one hand, and its riant, well-cultivated
little Basque farms on the other. As to the town
itself, time and the prefect may eventually mabe
it a second Biarritz, as in every direction lodging-
houses are springing up, till it will become what
one of Dickens' heroes would call ' the most sea-
bathingest place ' that ever was ! But at present
it is a mass of rough stone and lime and scaf-
folding ; and the one straight street leading from
the hotel to the Church of S. Maria, with the
castle above, are almost all that remains of the

ST. SEBASTIAN.

old town which stood so many sieges and was
looked upon as the key of Northern Spain.
The hotel appeared but tolerably comfortable to
our travellers, fresh from the luxuries of Paris.
When they returned, four or five months later,
they thought it a perfect paradise of comfort
and cleanliness. After wandering through the
narrow streets, and walking into one or two un-
interesting churches, it was resolved to climb up
to the citadel which commands the town, and to
which the ascent is by a fair zig-zag road, like
that which leads to Dover Castle. A small gar-
rison remains in the keep, which is also a mili-
tary prison. The officers received our party very
courteously, inviting them to walk on the battle-
ments, and climb up to the flag-staff, and offering
them the use of their large telescope for the view,
which is certainly magnificent, especially towards
the sea. There is a tiny chapel in the fortress, in
which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It was
pleasant to see the sentinel presenting arms to IT
each time his round brought him past the ever
open door. On the hill-side, a few monumental
slabs, let in here and there into the rock, and one
or two square tombs, mark the graves of the
Englishmen killed during the siege, and also in the
Don Carlos revolution. Of the siege itself, and

B 2

ST. SEBASTIAN AND LOYOLA.

of the historical interest attached to St. Sebastian,
we will say nothing : are they not written in the
book of the chronicles of Napier and Napoleon ?
The following morning, after a fine and
crowded service at the Church of S. Maria, where
they first saw the beautiful Spanish custom of
the women being all veiled, and in black, two of
the party started at seven in the morning, in a
light carriage, for Loyola. The road throughout
is beautiful, reminding one of the Tyrol, with
picturesque villages, old Koman bridges, quaint
manor-houses, with coats of arms emblazoned over
their porticoes ; rapid, clear trout-streams and
fine glimpses of snowy mountains on the left, and
of the bright blue sea on the right. The flowers
too were lovely. There was a dwarf blue bugloss
of an intensity of colour which is only equalled
by the large forget-me-not on the mountain-sides
of Lebanon. The peasants are all small proprie-
tors. They were cultivating their fields in the
most primitive way, father, mother, and children
working the ground with a two-pronged fork

like this :

A

, called by them a ' laya ; ' but the

result was certainly satisfactory. They speak a
language as utterly hopeless for a foreigner to

LOYOLA.

understand as Welsh or Gaelic. The saying among
the Andalusians is, that the devil, who is no
fool, spent seven years in Bilboa studying the
Basque dialect, and learnt three words only ; and
of their pronunciation they add, that the Basque
write ' Solomon,' and pronounce it ' Nebuchad-
nezzar ! ' Be this as it may, they are a contented,
happy, prosperous, sober race, rarely leaving their
own country, to which they are passionately
attached, and deserving, by their independence
and self-reliance, their name of ' Bayascogara '
— ' Somos bastantes.'

Passing through the baths of Certosa, the
mineral springs of which are much frequented by
the Spaniards in summer, our travellers came,
after a four hours' drive, to Azpeitia, a walled town,
with a fine church containing the ' pila,' or font,
in which St. Ignatius was baptized. Here the

good-natured cure. Padre G , met them, and

insisted on escorting them to the great college of
Loyola, which is about a mile from the town. It
has a fine Italian fagade, and is built in a fertile
valley round the house of St. Ignatius, the college
for missionary priests being on one side, and a
florid, domed, circular marble church on the other.
The whole is thoroughly Roman in its aspect,
but riot so beautiful as the Gothic buildings of the

LOYOLA.

south. They first went into the church, which is
very rich in jaspers, marbles, and mosaics, the
marbles being brought from the neighbouring
mountains. The cloisters at the back are still
unfurnished ; but the entrance to the monastery is
of fine and good proportions, and the corridors
and staircase are very handsome. Between the
church and the convent is a kind of covered
cloister, leading to the ' Santuario,' the actual
house in which the saint was born and lived. The
outside is in raised brickwork, of curious old geo-
metrical patterns ; and across the door is the
identical wooden bar which in old times served
as protection to the chateau. Entering the low
door, you see on your right a staircase ; and on
your left a long low room on the ground-floor, in
which is a picture of the Blessed Virgin. Here the
saint was born : his mother, having a particular
devotion to the Virgin, insisted on being brought
down here to be confined. Going up the stairs,
to a kind of corridor used as a confessional, you
come first to the Chapel of St. Francis Borgia,
where he said his first mass. Next to it is one
dedicated to Marianne di Jesu, the ' Lily of Quito '
with a beautiful picture of the South American
saint over the high altar. To the left again is
another chapel, and here St. Francois Xavier the

LOYOLA.

Apostle of the Indies, said his mass before starting
on his glorious evangelical mission. Ascending a
few steps higher, their guide led them into a long
low room, richly decorated and gilt, and full of
pictures of the different events of the life of the
saint. A gilt screen divided the ante-chapel from
the altar, raised on the very spot where he lay so
long with his wounded leg, and where he was
inspired by the Blessed Virgin to renounce the
world, and devote himself, body and soul, to
the work of God. There is a representation of
him in white marble under the altar as he lay ;
and opposite, a portrait, in his soldier's dress, said
to be taken from life, and another of him after-
wards, when he had become a priest. It is a
beautifril face, with strong purpose and high
resolve in every line of the features.

In the sacristy is the ' baldachino,' or tester of
his bed, in red silk. It was in this room that he
first fell sick and took to reading the Lives of the
Saints to amuse himself, there being no other book
within reach. Such are the ' common ways' which
we blindly call ' accidents,' in which God leads
those whom He chooses, like Saul, for His special
service. The convent contains 30 fathers and
25 lay brothers. There are about 120 students,
a fine library, refectory, &c. They have a large

LOYOLA.

day-school of poor children, whom they instruct
in Basque and Spanish; and distribute daily a
certain number of dinners, soup, and bread, to
the sick poor of the neighbouring villages, about
twenty of whom were waiting at the buttery door
for their daily supply.

The English strangers, taking leave of the kind
and courteous fathers, had luncheon at a little
' posada ' close by, where the hostess insisted on
their drinking some of the cider of the country,
which the doctor, himself a Devonshire man, was
obliged to confess excelled that of his own coun-
try. The good cure entertained them mean-
while with stories of his people, who appear to be
very like the Highlanders, both in their merits
and their faults. Some of their customs seem to
be derived from pagan times, such as that of
offering bread and wine on the tombs of those
they love on the anniversary of their death ; a
custom in vogue in the early days of Christianity,
and mentioned by St. Augustine in his ' Confes-
sions ' as being first put a stop to by St. Ambrose,
at Milan, on account of the abuses which had
crept into the practice. The drive back was, if
possible, even more beautiful than that of the
morning, and they reached St. Sebastian at eight
o'clock, delighted with their expedition.

BUBGOS.

The next day they started for Burgos, by rail,
only stopping for a few minutes on their way to
the station to see the 'Albergo dei Poveri,' a
hospital and home for incurables, nursed by the
Spanish sisters of charity. They are affihated to
the sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, and follow their
rule, but do not wear the ' white cornette ' of the
French sisters.

The railroad in this part of Spain has been
carried through most magnificent scenery, which
appeared to our travellers like a mixture of Pous-
sin and Salvator Eosa. Fine purple mountains,
still sprinkled with snow, with rugged and jagged
peaks standing out against the clear blue sky,
and with waterfalls and beautiful streams rushing
down their sides ; an underwood of chesnut and
beech-trees ; deep valleys, with little brown vil-
lages and bright white convents perched on rising
knolls, and picturesque bridges spanning the
little streams as they dashed through the gorges ;
and then long tracks of bright rose-coloured
heather, out of which rose big boulder-stones or
the wayside cross ; the whole forming, as it were,
a succession of beautiful pictures such as would
delight the heart of a painter, both as to com-
position and colouring. No one can say much for
the pace at which the Spanish railways travel ; yet

10 BURGOS.

are they all too quick in scenery such as this,
when one longs to stop and sketch at every turn.
Suddenly, however, the train came to a stand-
still : an enormous fragment of rock had fallen
across the line in the night, burying a luggage-
train, but fortunately without injury to its drivers ;
and our party had no alternative but to get out,
with their manifold bags and packages, and walk
across the debris to another train, which, fortu-
nately, was waiting for them on the opposite side
of the chasm, A little experience of Spanish tra-
velling taught them to expect such incidents half-
a-dozen times in the course of the day's journey ;
but at first it seemed startling and strange. They
reached Burgos at six, and found themselves in a
small but very decent ' fonda,' where the daughter
of the landlord spoke a little French, to their
great relief They had had visions of Italian
serving nearly as well as Spanish for making
themselves understood by the people ; but this
idea was rudely dispelled the very first day of
their arrival in Spain. Great as the similarity
may be in reading, the accent of the Spaniard
makes him utterly incomprehensible to the be-
wildered Italian scholar ; and the very likeness
of some words increases the difficulty when he
finds that, according to the pronunciation, a

BURGOS. 1 r

totally different meaning is attached to them.
For instance, one of the English ladies, thinking
to please the mistress of the house, made a little
speech to her about the beauty and cleanliness of
her kitchen, using the right word (cocincb), but
pronouncing it with the Italian accent. She saw
directly she had committed a blunder, though
Spanish civility suppressed the laugh at her
expense. She found afterwards that the word
she had used, with the '■ ci ' soft, meant a female
pig. And this was only a specimen of mistakes
hourly committed by all who adventured them-
selves in this unknown tongue.

A letter of introduction procured for our
travellers an instant admission to the Cardinal
Archbishop, who received them most kindly, and
volunteered to be their escort over the cathedral.
He had been educated at Ushaw, and spoke
English fluently and well. He had a very pretty
little chapel in his palace, with a picture in it of
Sta. Maria della Pace at Rome, from whence he
derives his cardinal's title.

The cathedral at Burgos, with the exception of
Toledo, is the most beautiful Gothic building in
Spain. It was begun by Bishop Maurice, an Eng-
lishman, and a great friend of St. Ferdinand's, in
the year 1220. The spires, with their lacework

12 BUBGOS.

carving ; the doorways, so rich in sculpture; the
rose-windows, with their exquisite tracery; the
beautiful lantern-shaped clerestory; the curious
double staircase of Diego de Siloe ; the wonder-
ful ' retablos ' behind the altars, of the finest
wood-carving ; the magnificent marble and ala-
baster monuments in the side chapels, vying with
one another in beauty and richness of detail; the
wonderful wood-carving of the stalls in the choir ;
the bas-reliefs carved in every portion of the
stone ; in fact, every detail of this glorious build-
ing is equally perfect ; and even in Southern
Spain, that paradise for lovers of cathedrals, can
scarcely be surpassed. The finest of the monu-
ments are those of the Yelasco family, the here-
ditary high-constable of Castile. They are of
Carrara marble, resting upon blocks of jasper :
at the feet of the lady lies a little dog, as the
emblem of ' Fidelity.' Over the doorway of
this chapel, leading to a tiny sacristy, are carved
the arms of Jerusalem, In the large sacristy is
a Magdalen, by Leonardo da Yinci ; and some
exquisite church plate, in gold and enamel, espe-
cially a chalice, a processional cross, a pax, &c.
In the first chapel on the right, as you enter by
the west door, is a very curious figure of Christ,
brought from the Holy Land, with real hair and

BURGOS. 13

skin ; but painful in the extreme, and almost
grotesque from the manner in which it has been
dressed. This remark, however, applies to almost
all the images of Christ and of the Blessed Yirgin
throughout Spain, which are rendered both sad
and ludicrous to English eyes from the petticoats
and finery with which modern devotion has dis-
figured them. This crucifix, however, is greatly
venerated by the people, who call it ' The Christ
of Burgos,' and on Sundays or holidays there is
no possibility of getting near it, on account of the
crowd. In the Chapel of the Yisitation are three
more beautifiil monuments, and a very fine pic-
ture of .the Yirgin and Child, by Sebastian del
Piombo. But it was impossible to take in every
portion of this cathedral at once ; and so our tra-
vellers went on to the cloisters, passing through
a beautiful pointed doorway, richly carved, which
leads to the chapter-house, now a receptacle for
lumber, but containing the chest of the Cid, re-
garding which the old chronicle says: ' He filled it
with sand, and then, telling the Jews it contained
gold, raised money on the security.' In justice to
the hero, however, we are bound to add, that when
the necessities of the war were over, he repaid
both principal and interest. Leaving, at last, the
cloisters and cathedral, and taking leave of the

14 MIRAFL0BE8.

kind archbishop, our party drove to the Town
Hall, where, in a walnut-wood urn, are kept the
bones of the Cid, which were removed twenty
years ago from their original resting-place at
Cardena. The sight of them strengthened their
resolve to make a pilgrimage to his real tomb,
which is in a Benedictine convent about eight
miles from the town. Starting, therefore, in two
primitive little carriages, guiltless of springs,
they crossed the river and wound up a steep hill
till they came in sight of Miraflores, the great
Carthusian convent, which, seen from a distance,
strongly resembles Eton College Chapel. It was
built by John II. for a royal burial-place, and
was finished by Isabella of Castile. Arriving at
the monastery, from whence the monks have been
expelled, and which is now tenanted by only one
or two lay brothers of the Order, they passed
through a long cloister, shaded by fine cjrpresses,
into the church, in the chancel of which is that
which may really be called one of the seven won-
ders of the world. This is the alabaster sepulchre
of John II. and his wife, the father and mother
of Queen Isabella, with their son, the Infante
Alonso, who died young. In richness of detail,
delicacy of carving, and beauty of execution, the
work of these monuments is perfectly unrivalled

MIBAFL0BE8.

'5

the very material seems to be changed into MechHn
lace. The artist was Maestro Gil, the father of
the famous Diego de Siloe, who carved the stair-
case in the cathedral. He finished it in 1493 ; and
one does not wonder at Philip II.'s exclamation
when he saw it : ' We have done nothing at the
Escurial.' ' In the sacristy is a wonderful statue of
St. Bruno, carved in wood, and so beautifal and
life-like in expression, that it was difficult to look
at anything else.

Leaving Miraflores, our travellers broke tenderly
to their coachmen their wish to go on to Cardena.
One of them utterly refased, saying the road was
impassable ; the other, moyennant an extra gra-
tuity, undertook to try it, but stipulated that the
gentleman should walk, and the ladies do the
same, if necessary. Winding round the convent
garden walls, and then across a bleak wild moor,
they started, and soon found themselves involved
in a succession of ruts and Sloughs of Despond
which more than justified the hesitation of their
driver. On the coach-box was an imp of a boy,
whose delight consisted in quickening the fears of
the most timid among the ladies by invariably
making the horses gallop at the most difficult and
precipitous parts of the road, and then turning
round and grinning at the fi-ight he had given

i6 CABDENA.

them. It is needless to say that the carriage was
not his property. At last, the horses came to a
stand-still; they could go no farther, and the
rest of the way had to be done on foot. But our
travellers were not to be pitied ; for the day
was lovely, and the path across the moor was
studded with flowers. At last, on climbing over a
steep hill which had intercepted their view, they
came on a lovely panorama, with a background
of blue mountains tipped with snow ; a wooded
glen, in which the brown convent nestled, and
a wild moor foreground, across which long
strings of mules with gay trappings, driven by
peasants in Spanish costumes, exactly as repre-
sented in Ansdell's paintings, were wending their
way towards the city. Tired as some of our
party were, this glorious view seemed to give
them fresh strength, and they rapidly descended
the hill by the hollow path leading to the con-
vent. Over the great entrance is a statue of the
Oid, mounted on his favourite horse, ' Babicca,'
who bore him to his last resting-place, and was
afterwards buried beside the master he loved
so well. But the grand old building seemed
utterly deserted, and a big mastiff, fastened by an
ominously slight chain to the doorway, appeared
determined to defy their attempts to enter. At
last, one of them, more courageous than the rest.

CABBENA. 17

tempting the Cerberus with the remains of her
luncheon, got past him, and wandered through
the cloister, up a fine staircase to a spacious cor-
ridor, in hopes of finding a guide to show them
the way to the chapel, where lay the object of
their expedition, i.e., the monument of the Cid.
But she was only answered by th€> echo of her
own footsteps. The cells were empty ; the once
beautiful library gutted and destroyed ; the refec-
tory had nothing in it but bare walls — the whole
place was like a city of the dead. At last, she
discovered a staircase leading down to a cloister
on the side opposite the great entrance, and there
a low-arched door, which she found ajar, admitted
her into the deserted church. The tomb of the
Cid has been removed fi:om the high altar to a
side chapel ; and there is interred, likewise, his
faithful and devoted wife Ximena, and their two
daughters. On his shield is emblazoned the
'tizona,' or sparkling brand, which the legends
af&rm he always carried in his hand, and with
which he struck terror into the hearts of the
infidels. This church and convent, built for the
Benedictines by the Princess Sancho, in memory
of her son Theodoric, who was killed out hunting,
was sacked by the Moors in the ninth century,
when 200 of the monks were murdered. A tablet
,/ c

BURGOS.

in the south transept still remains, recording the
massacre ; but the monument of Theodoric has
been mutilated and destroyed. The Christian
spoilers have done their work more effectually
than the Moslem ! Sorrowfully our travellers left
this beautiful spot, thinking bitterly on the so-
called age of progress which had left the abode
of so much learning and piety to the owls and
the bats ; and partly walking, partly driving, re-
turned without accident to the city. One more
memento of the Cid at Burgos deserves mention.
It is the lock on which he compelled the king,
Alonso YI., to swear that be had had no part in
his brother Sancho's assassination at Zamora. All
who wished to confirm their word with a solemn
oath used to touch it, till the practice was abo-
lished by Isabella, and the lock itself hung up in
the old Church of St. Gadea, on the way to the
Castle Hill, where it still rests. This is the origin
of the peasant custom of closing the hand and
raising the thumb, which they kiss in token of
asseveration ; and in like manner we have the old
Highland saying : ' There's my thumb. I'll not
betray you.'

Another charming expedition was made on
the following day to Las Huelgas, the famous
Cistercian nunnery, built in some gardens outside

LAS HUELGA8. 19

the town by Alonso YIII. and his wife Leonora,
daughter of our king Henry II,

When one of the ladies had asked the cardinal
for a note of introduction to the abbess, he had
replied, laughing : ' I am afraid it would not be
of much use to you. She certainly is not under
my jurisdiction, and I am not sure whether she
does not think I am under hers ! ' No lady
abbess certainly ever had more extraordinary
privileges. She is a Princess Palatine — styled ' by
the Grace of God ' — and has feudal power over all
the lands and villages round. She appoints her
own priests and confessors, and has a hospital
about a mile from the convent, nursed by the
sisters, and entirely under her control. After some
little delay at the porter's lodge, owing to their
having come at the inconvenient hour of dinner,
our party were ushered into the parlour, and there,
behind a grille, saw a beautiful old lady, dressed
in wimple and coif, exactly like a picture in the
time of Chaucer. This was the redoubtable lady
abbess. There are twenty-seven choir nuns and
twenty-five lay sisters in the convent, and they
follow the rule of St. Bernard. The abbess
first showed them the Moorish standard, beauti-
fiiUy embroidered, taken at the battle of Las
Navas de Tolosa, in 1180. A curious old fresco

c 2

20 LAS HUELGAS.

representing this battle remains over the arch of
the church. She then took them to the choir,
which is very rich in carving, and contains the
tombs of the founders, Alonso and Leonora, and
also of a number of Infantas, whose royal bodies
are placed in richly carved Gothic sepulchres, rest-
ing on lions, on each side of the choir. In the
church is a curious hammered iron gilt pulpit,
in which St. Yincent de Ferrer preached. Here
St. Ferdinand and Alonso XI. knighted them-
selves, and here our own king, Edward I., received
the honour of knighthood at the hands of Alonso
el Sabio.

The church is a curious jumble of different dates
of architecture ; but there is a beautifal tower and
doorway, some very interesting old monuments,
and a fine double rose-window. The cloisters are
very beautiful, with round-headed arches, grouped
pillars, and Norman capitals. The lady abbess
then ordered one of the priests of the convent
to take her English visitors to see their hospital,
called 'Del Key,' the walk to which from the
convent is through pleasant fields like English
meadows. It is admirably managed and nursed
by the nuns. Each patient has a bed in a recess,
which makes, as it were, a little private room for
each, and this is lined with ' azulejos,' or coloured

LAS BTJELGA8. 21

tiles, up to a certain height, giving that clean
bright look which distinguishes the Spanish hos-
pitals from all others. At the end of each ward
was a little altar, where mass is daily performed
for the sick. There are fifty men and fifty women,
and the surgical department was carefiiUy sup-
phed with all the best and newest instruments,
which the surgeon was eager to show off to the
doctor, the only one of the party worthy of the
privilege. The wards opened into a ' patio,' or
court, with seats and bright flowers, where the
patients who could leave their beds were sitting
out and sunning themselves. Altogether, it is a
noble institution ; and one must hope that the
ruthless hand of government will not destroy it
in common with the other charitable foundations
of Spain.

22 MADRID.

CHAPTER II.

MADEID.

But the cold winds blew sharply, and our tra-
vellers resolved to hurry south, and reserve the
further treasures of Burgos for inspection on their
return. The night train conveyed them safely
to Madrid, where they found a most comfortable
hotel in the ' Yille de Paris,' lately opened by an
enterprising Frenchman, in the ' Puerta del Sol ; '
and received the kindest of welcomes from the
English minister, the Count T. D., and other old
friends. It was Sunday morning, and the first
object was to find a church near at hand. These
are not wanting in Madrid, but all are modern,
and few in, good taste : the nicest and best served
is undoubtedly that of ' St. Louis des FrauQais,'
though the approach to it through the crowded
market is rather disagreeable early in the morn-
ing. The witty writer of ' Les Lettres d'Espagne '
says truly : ' Madrid ne me dit rien : c'est moderne
aligne, propre et civilise.' As for the climate, it

,#"lilllil

MADRID. 23

is detestable : bitterly cold in winter, tbe east wind
searching out every rheumatic joint in one's
frame, and pitilessly driving round the corners of
every street ; burning hot in summer, with a glare
and dust which nearly equal that of Cairo in a
simoom.

The Gallery, however, compensates for all. Our
travellers had spent months at Florence, at Rome,
at Dresden, and fancied that nothing could come
up to the Pitti, the Uf&zi, or the Yatican — that
no picture could equal the ' San Sisto ; ' but they
found they had yet much to learn. No one who
has not been in Spain can so much as imagine
what Murillo is. In England, he is looked upon
as the clever painter of picturesque brown beggar-
boys : there is not one of these subjects to be
found in Spain, from St. Sebastian to Gibraltar !
At Madrid, at Cadiz, but especially at Seville,
one learns to know him as he is — i. e. the great
mystical religious painter of the seventeenth cen-
tmy, embodying in his wonderfiil conceptions all
that is most sublime and ecstatic in devotion, and
in the representation of Divine love. The Enghsh
minister^ speaking of this one day to a lady of the
party, explained it very simply, by saying that the
English generally only carried off those of his
works in which the Catholic feeling was not

24 MADRID.

SO strongly displayed. It would be hopeless
to attempt to describe all his pictures in the
Madrid Gallery. The Saviour and St. John, as
boys, drinking out of a shell, is perhaps the most
delicate and exquisite in colouring and expres-
sion ; but the ' Conception ' surpasses all. No one
should compare it with the Louvre pictures of the
same subject. There is a refinement, a tenderness,
and a beauty in the Madrid ' Conception ' entirely
wanting in the one stolen by the French. Then
there is Velasquez, with his inimitable portraits ;
Ml of droll originality, as the ' iEsop ; ' or of deep
historical interest, as his ' Philip lY.; ' or of sub-
lime piety, as in his ' Crucifixion,' with the hair
falling over one side of the Saviour's face, which
the pierced and fastened hands cannot push aside :
each and all are priceless treasures, and there
must be sixty or seventy in that one long room.
Ford says that 'Velasquez is the Homer of the
Spanish school, of which Murillo is the Virgil.'
Then there are Riberas, and Zurbarans, Divino
Morales, Juan Joanes, Alonso Caho, and half-a-
dozen other artists, whose very names are scarcely
known out of Spain, and all of whose works are
impregnated with that mystic, devotional, self-
sacrificing spirit which is the essence of Catholi-
cism. The Italian school is equally magnificently

MADRID. 25

represented. There are exquisite Eaphaels, one
especially, 'La Perla,' once belonging to our
Charles I., and sold by the Puritans to the Spanish
king ; the ' Spasimo,' the ' Vergin del Pesce,' &c. ;
beautiful Titians, not only portraits, but one, a
' Magdalen,' which is unknown to us by engravings
or photographs in England, where, in a green
robe, she is flying from the assaults of the devil,
represented by a monstrous dragon, and in which
the drawing is as wonderfiil as the colouring ;
beautiful G. Bellinis, and Luinis, and Andrea del
Sartos (especially one of his wife), and Paul
Yeronese, and others of the Yenetian and Mila-
nese schools. In a lower room there are Dutch
and Flemish chefs-d'oeuvre without end : Kubens,
and Yandyke, and Teniers, and Breughel, and
Holbein, and the rest. It is a gallery bewildering
from the number of its pictures, but with the rare
merit of almost all being good ; and they are so
arranged that the visitor can see them with
perfect comfort at any hour of the day. In the
ante-room to the long gallery are some pictures
of the present century, but none are worth looking
at save Groya's pictures of the wholesale massacre
of the Spanish prisoners by the French, which are
not likely to soften the public feehng of bitter-
ness and hostility towards that nation.

26 MADRID.

There is nothing very good in sculpture, only
two of the antiques being worth looking at ; but
there is a fine statue of Charles Y., and a wonder-
fully beautiful St. John of God, carrying a sick
man out of the burning hospital on his back,
which is modern, but in admirable taste. Neg-
lected, in some side cupboards, and several of them
broken and covered with dust and dirt, are some
exquisite tazzas of Benvenuto Cellini, D'Arphes,
and Beceriles, in lapis, jade, agate, and enamel,
finer than any to be seen even in the Griine Ge-
w^olbe of Dresden. There is a gold mermaid,
studded with rubies, and with an emerald tail, and
a cup with an enamelled jewelled border and
stand, which are perfectly unrivalled in beauty of
workmanship. Then, in addition to this match-
less gallery, Madrid has its ' Academia,' contain-
ing three of Murillo's most magnificent concep-
tions. One is ' St. Elizabeth of Hungary,' wash-
ing the wounds of the sick, her fair young face -
and delicate white hands forming a beautifiil
contrast with the shrivelled brown old woman in
the foreground. The expression of the saint's
countenance is that of one absorbed in her work
and yet looking beyond it.* The other is the

* TMs picture was stolen from the Caridad, at Seville, by the
French, and afterwards sent back to Madrid, where it still remains.

MABlllD. 27

' Dream,' in which the Blessed Yirgin appears to
the founder of the Church of S. Maria della Neve
(afterwards called S. Maria Maggiore) and his
wife, and suggests to them the building of a church
on a spot at Rome, which would be indicated to
them by a fall of snow, though it was then in the
month of August. In the third picture the foun-
der and his wife are kneeling at the feet of the
Pope, telling him of their vision, and imploring
his benediction on their work. These two famous
pictures were taken by Soult from Seville, and are
of a lunette shape, being made to fit the original
niche for which they were painted : both are un-
equalled for beauty of colour and design, and have
recently been magnificently engraved, by order of
the government.

But apart from its galleries, Madrid is a disap-
pointment ; there is no antiquity or interest at-
tached to any of its churches or public buildings.
The daily afternoon diversion is the drive on the
Prado ; amusing from the crowd, perhaps, but
where, with the exception of the nurses, all national
costume has disappeared. There are scarcely any
mantillas; but Faubourg St.-Grermain bonnets, in
badly assorted colours, and horrible and exagge-
rated crinolines, replacing the soft, black, flowing
dresses of the south. It is, in fact, a bad rechauffe

28 MADRID.

of the Bois de Boulogne. The queen, in a carriage
drawn by six or eight mules, surrounded by her
escort, and announced by trumpeters, and the in-
fantas, following in similar carriages, form the
only ' event ' of the afternoon. Poor lady ! how
heartily sick she must be of this promenade ! She
is far more pleasing-looking than her pictures give
her credit for, and has a frank kind manner which
is an indication of her good and simple nature.
Her children are most carefully brought up, and
very well educated by the charming English au-
thoress, Madame Calderon de la Barca, well known
by her interesting work on Mexico. On Saturdays,
the queen and the royal family always drive to
Atocha, a church at the extreme end of the Prado,
in vile taste, but containing the famous image
of the Yirgin, the patroness of Spain, to whom all
the royalties are specially devoted. It is a black
image, but almost invisible from the gorgeous
jewels and dresses with which it is adorned.

One of the shows of Madrid is the royal stables,
which are well worth a visit. There are upwards
of 250 horses, and 200 fine mules ; the backs of
the latter are invariably shaved down to a cer-
tain point, which gives them an uncomfortable
appearance to English eyes, but is the custom
throughout Spain. One lady writer asserts that

MADRID. 2g

' it is more modest ! ' There is a charming little
stud belonging to the Prince Imperial, which in-
cludes two tiny mules not bigger than dogs, but
in perfect proportions, about the size required to
drag a perambulator. Some of the horses are
English and thoroughbred, but a good many are of
the heavy-crested Yelasquez type. The carriages
are of every date, and very curious. Among them
is one in which Philip I. (le Bel) was said to have
been poisoned, and in which his wife, Jeanne la
FoUe, still insisted on dragging him out, believing
he was only asleep.

More interesting to some of our party than
horses and stables were the charitable institutions
in Madrid, which are admirable and very nume-
rous. It was on the 12th of November, 1856,
that the Mere Devos, afterwards Mere Generale of
the Order of St. Yincent de Paul, started with
four or five of her sisters of charity to establish
their first house in Madrid. They had many hard-
ships and difficulties to encounter, but loving per-
severance conquered them all. The sisters now
number between forty and fifty, distributed in three
houses in different parts of the city, with more
than 1,000 children in their schools and orphan-
ages, the whole being under the superintendence of
the Soeur Gottofirey, the able and charming French

30 MADRID.

' provincial ' of Spain. The queen takes a lively
interest in their success, and most of the ladies of
her coiu"t are more or less affiliated to them. There
are branch houses of these French sisters at Ma-
laga, Granada, Barcelona, and other towns; and
they are now beginning to undertake district
visiting, as well as the care of the sick and the
education of children — a proceeding which they
were obliged to adopt with caution, owing to the
strong prejudice felt in Spain towards any reli-
gious orders being seen outside their ' clausura,' and
also towards their dress, the white cornette, which,
to eyes unaccustomed to anything but black veils,
appeared outrageous and unsuitable. The Spanish
sisters of charity, though affiliated to them, follow-
ing the rule of St. Yincent, and acknowledging
N.T. H. Pere Etienne as their superior, still refuse
to wear the cornette, and substitute a simple white
cap and black veil. These Spanish sisters have
the charge of. the magnificent Foundling Hospital,
which receives upwards of 1,000 children ; of the
hospital called Las Recogidas, for penitents ; of
the General Hospital, where the sick are admirably
cared for, and to which is attached a wing for pa-
tients of an upper class, who pay a small sum
weekly, and have all the advantages of the clever
surgery and careful nursing of the hospital (an

MADBIl). 31

arrangement sadly needed in our English hospi-
tals) ; of the Hospicio de S. Maria del Carmen,
founded by private charity, for the old and incura-
bles ; of the infant school, or ' salle d'asile,' where
the children are fed as well as taught ; and of the
Albergo dei Poveri, equivalent to what we should
call a workhouse in England, but which we cannot
desecrate by such a name when speaking of an es-
tablishment conducted on the highest and noblest
rules of Christian charity, and where the orphans
find not only loving care and tender watchfulness,
but admirable industrial training, fitting them
to fill worthily any employments to which their
natural inclination may lead them. The Sacre
Coeur have a large establishment for the education
of the upper classes at Chaumartin de la Kosa, a
suburb of Madrid, about four miles fi;om the town.
It was founded by the Marquesa de Yilla Nueva, a
most saint-like person, whose house adjoins, and
in fact forms part of, the convent— her bedroom
leading into a tribune overlooking the chapel and
the Blessed Sacrament. The view firom the large
garden, with the mountains on the one hand, and
the stone pine woods on the other, is very pretty,
and unlike anything else in the neighbourhood of
Madrid. The superior, a charming person, showed
the ladies all over the house, which is large,

32 MADRID.

commodious, and airy, and in which they have al-
ready upwards of eighty pupils. They have a very
pretty chapel, and in the parlour a very beautiful
picture of St. Elizabeth, by a modern artist.

One more ' lion ' was visited before leaving
Madrid, and that was the Armoury, which is in-
deed well worth a long and careful examination.
The objects it contains are all of deep historical
interest. There is a collar-piece belonging to
Philip II., with scenes from the battle of St. Quen-
tin exquisitely carved ; a helmet taken from
the unfortunate Boabdil, the last Moorish king
of Granada ; beautiftil Moorish arms and Turk-
ish banners taken at the battle of Lepanto,
in old Damascus inlaid- work ; the swords of
Boabdil, and of Ferdinand and Isabella ; the ar-
mour of the Cid, of Christopher Columbus, of
Charles Y., of St. Ferdinand, and of Philip II. ;
the carriage of Charles Y., looking like a large
bassinet; exquisite shields, rapiers, swords, and
helmets; some very curious gold ornaments, votive
crowns, and crosses of the seventh century ; and
heaps of other treasures too numerous to be here
detailed. But our travellers were fairly exhausted
by their previous sight-seeing, and gladly reserved
their examination of the rest to a ftiture day. At
all times, a return to a place is more interesting

MADRID. 33

than a first visit ; for in the latter, one is op-
pressed by the feeling of the quantity to be seen
and the short time there is to see it in, and so the
intense anxiety and fatigue destroy half one's en-
joyment of the objects themselves. That evening
they were to leave the biting east winds of Madrid
for the more genial climate of sunny Malaga; and
so, having made sundry very necessary purchases,
including mantillas and chocolate, and having
eaten what turned out to be their last good din-
ner for a very long time, they started off by an
eight o'clock train for Cordova, which was to be
their halting-place midway. On reaching Alcazar,
about one o'clock in the morning, they had to
change trains, as the one in which they were
branched off to Valencia ; and for two hours they
were kept waiting for the Cordova train. Oh ! the
misery of those wayside stations in Spain ! One
long low room filled with smokers and passengers
of every class, struggling for chocolate, served in
dirty cups by uncivil waiters,, with insufficient seats
and scant courtesy : no wonder that the Spaniards
consider our waiting-rooms real palaces. You have
no alternative in the winter season but to endure
this foetid, stifling atmosphere, and be blinded
with smoke, or else to fi-eeze and shiver outside,
where there are no benches at all, and your only

D .

3+ MADRID.

hope is to get a corner of a wall against which
you can lean and be sheltered from the bitter
wind. The arrival of the up train brought, there-
fore, unmixed joy to our party, who managed to
secure a compartment to themselves without any
smokers (a rare privilege in Spain), and thus got
some sleep for a few hours. At six o'clock the
train stopped, the railroad went no farther ; so
the passengers turned out somewhat rueftilly in
the cold, and gazed with dismay at the lumbering
dirty diligences, looking as if they had come out
of the Ark, which were drawn up, all in a row, at
the station door, with ten, twelve, or fourteen
mules harnessed to each, and by which they and
their luggage were to be conveyed for the next
eight hours. The station-master was a French-
man, and with great civility, during the "lading
of the diligences, gave up to the ladies his own
tiny bedroom and some fresh water to wash them-
selves a little and make themselves comfortable
after their long night journey, for there was no
pretence of a waiting-room at this station.'

Reader, did you ever go in a Spanish diligence?
It was the first experience of most of our party
of this means of locomotion, and at first seemed
simply impossible. The excessive lowness of the ■
carriages, the way in which the unhappy passen-

ON THE WAT TO CORDOVA. 35

gers are jammed in, either into the coupe in front,
or into the square box behind, unable to move or
sit upright in either; while the mules plunge
and start off in every direction but the right one,
their drivers every instant jumping down and
running by the side of the poor beasts, which
they flog unmercifully, vociferating in every key ;
and that, not at first starting, but all the way, up
hill and down dale, with an energy which is as
inexhaustible as it is despairing, till either a pole
cracks, or a trace breaks, or some accident hap-
pens to a wheel, and the whole lumbering con-
cern stops with a jerk and a lurch which threaten
to roll everything and everybody into the gorge
below. Each diligence is accompanied by a 'ma-
yoral,' or conductor, who has charge of the whole
equipage, and is a very important personage.
This functionary is generally gorgeously dressed,
with 'embroidered jacket, scarlet sash round the
waist, gaiters with silver buttons and hanging
leather strips, and round his head a gay-coloured
handkerchief and a round black felt hat with
broad brim and feather, or else of the kind deno-
minated ' pork pie ' in England ; he is here, there,
and everywhere during the journey, arranging the
places of the passengers, the stations for halts, and
the like. Beside's this dignitary, there is the 'moto'

36 ON TEE ROAD TO CORDOVA.

or driver, whose business is to be perpetually jump-
ing clown and flogging the far-off mules into a trot,
which he did with such cruelty that our travellers
often hoped he would himself get into trouble in
jumping up again, which, unfortunately, he was
always too expert to do. Every mule has its
name, and answers to it. They are harnessed two
abreast, a small boy riding on the leaders ; and it
is on his presence of mind and skill that the guid-
ance and safety of the whole team depend. On
this occasion, the ' mayoral ' and ' moto ' leant
with their backs against what was left of the win-
dows of the coupe, which they instantly smashed,
the cold wind rushed in, and the passengers were
alternately splashed from head to foot with the
mud cast up in their faces by the mules' heels,
or choked and blinded with dust. For neither
misfortune is there either redress or sympathy.
The lower panels of the floor and doors have
holes cut in them to let out the water and
mud; but the same agreeable arrangement, in
winter, lets in a wind which threatens to freeze
off your feet as you sit. A small boy, who, it
is to be supposed, was learning his trade, held
on by his eyelids to a ledge below, and was
perpetually assisting in screaming and flogging.
A struggle at some kind of vain resistance,

ON TME BOAD TO CORDOVA. 37

and then a sullen despair and a final making
up one's mind that, after all, it can't last for
ever, are the phases through which the unhappy
travellers pass during these agreeable diligence
journeys. It was some little time before our party
could get sufficiently reconciled to their misery to
enjoy the scenery. But when they could look
about them, they found themselves passing through
a beautiful gorge, and up a zig-zag road, like the
lower spurs of an Alpine pass, over the Sierra
Morena. Then began the descent, during which
some of the ladies held their breath, expecting to
be dashed over the parapet at each sharp turn in
the road : the pace of the mules was nev6r relaxed,
and the unwieldy top-heavy mass oscillated over
the precipice below in a decidedly unpleasant
manner. Then they came into a fertile region of.
olives and aloes, and so on by divers villages and
through roads which the late rains had made
almost impassable, and in passing over which
every bone of their bodies seemed dislocated in
their springless vehicle, till, at two o'clock in the
afternoon, they reached the station, where, to
their intense relief, they again came upon a rail-
road. Hastily swallowing some doubtfiil chocolate,
they established themselves once more comfort-
ably in the railway carriage ; but after being in

38 ON THE ROAD TO CORDOVA.

the enjoyment of this kixury for half an hour, the
train came, all of a sudden, to a stand-still ; and
the doors being opened, they were politely told
that they must ivalk, as a landslip had destroyed
the line for some distance. Coming at last to a
picturesque town with a fine bridge over the
Guadalquiver, they were allowed once more to
take their seats in the carriages, and finally
arrived at Cordova at eight o'clock at night, after
twenty-four hours of travelling, alternating fi-om
intense cold to intense heat, very tired indeed,
horribly dusty and dirty, and without having had
any chm^ch all day.

Mosque at Cordoi'a.

COEDOVA. 39

CHAPTER III.

CORDOVA AND MALAGA.

A COMFORTABLE little old-fashioned inn, with a
' patio ' fiill of orange-trees, leading to a public
' sala,' rather like a room at Damascus, with
alcoves and fountains, gladdened the hearts of our
wearied travellers. After a good night's rest (and
one advantage in Spain is, that except mosqui-
toes, your beds are generally free from other in-
habitants), they started down the narrow, badly-
paved streets to visit the cathedral. The exterior
is disappointing, as all you see is a buttressed
wall, with square towers sixty feet high, opposite
which is the gateway and wall of the archiepiscopal
palace. But on passing through alow arched door,
you come into a beautiful Oriental court, in the
centre of which is a picturesque Moorish fountain,
the rest of the space being filled with orange-
trees and palms, and on the north side an ex-
quisite giralda, or tower, from whence there is a

40 CORDOVA.

beautiful view over the whole town and neigh-
boin-hood. All the entrances to the mosque (now
the cathedral) from this court are closed, except
the centre one. Entering by that, a whole forest
of pillars bursts upon you, with horse-shoe arches
interlacing one another, and forming altogether
the most wonderfril building in the world. The
Moors collected these pillars, of which there are
upwards of a thousand, from the temples of
Carthage, of Nismes, and of Eome, and adapted
them to their mosque. Some are of jasper, some
of verde-antique, some of porphyry — no two are
alike. The pillars have no plinths, and divide the
mosque into nineteen longitudinal and twenty-
nine transverse aisles ; hence the immense variety
and beauty of the intersection of the arches. This
mosque was built in the eighth century, and
ranked in sanctity with the ' Alaksa ' of Jerusalem
and the ' Caaba ' of Mecca.

A pilgrimage to it was, indeed, considered
equivalent to that of • Mecca, and hence the
Spanish proverb to express distant wanderings,
' Andar de zeca en Meca.' The roof is of arbor
vitse, and is in perfect preservation. Two of the
moresque chapels are exquisite in carving and
richness of detail, one being that of the Caliphs,
and the other the 'Holy of Holies,' where the

CORDOVA. 41

Koran was kept. The beauty and delicacy of the
moresque work, with its gold enamel and lovely
trefoiled patterns, its qnaint lions and bright-
coloured 'azulejos' (tiles), exceeds anything of
the sort in Europe. The roof is in the form of a
shell, and exquisitely wrought out of one single
piece of marble. The mosaic border was sent to
Cordova by Romanus II., from Constantinople,
When the brother of the king of Morocco came
there a year or two ago, he went round this ' Holy
of Holies ' seven times on his knees, crying bitterly
all the time. The inscriptions in this mosque are
in Cufic, and not in Arabic. The whole carries
one back to Damascus and the East in a way which
makes it difficult to realise that one is still in
Europe. The choir is a horrible modern ' churri-
queresque ' innovation, stuck in the centre of the
beautiM forest of Saracenic columns, many of
which were destroyed to make room for it. Even
Charles Y. protested against the bad taste of the
chapter when he saw it completed in 1526, and
exclaimed : ' You have built a thing which one can
see anywhere ; and to do so, you have destroyed
what was unique in the world.' The carving of the
choir is certainly fine, but the incongruity of the
whole jars on one's taste too keenly for any kind
of admiration. The only beautiful and solemn

42 CORDOVA.

modernised portion of the building is the chapel
of the cardinal, with fine tombs and a deep recess
for the Blessed Sacrament, with a magnificent
silver tabernacle. From the cathedral, some of
the party went to visit the bishop, who received
them very kindly, and sent his secretary to show
them the treasures of the cathedral. The ' cus-
todia,' of the fifteenth century, is in silver-gilt,
with beautiftil emeralds, and exquisitely carved ;
it is the work of Arphe, the Benvenuto Cellini of
Spain. There are also some beautiful processional
crosses, reliquaries, chalices, and pax, secreted at
the time of Dupont's French invasion, and so
saved firom the universal plunder.

Having spent the morning in the cathedral,
our travellers wandered down to the fine Roman
bridge, of sixteen arches, over the Guadalquiver,
looking upon some picturesque Moorish mills and
orange gardens. To the left is a statue of St.
Raphael, the guardian angel of Cordova ; and
close by is the Alcazar, now a ruin, formerly the
palace of Roderick, the last of the Goths, whose
father was Duke of Cordova. Nothing can be
more melancholy than the neglected gardens, the
broken fountains and statues, the empty fish-
ponds, and grass-grown walks, despite the palms
and orange-trees and luxuriant creeping roses.

CORDOVA.

43

which seemed to be striving to conceal the deso-
lation around. The first palm ever planted in
Cordova was by the Moorish king Abdm-rahman,
who brought it fi:om his much-loved and always
regretted Damascus.

After luncheon, having obtained special per-
mission from the archbishop, our party started
off in two carriages for the hermitages in the
Sierra Morena, stopping first at a picturesque
ruined villa, called the 'Arrizafa,' once the
favourite residence of the Moorish king. The
gardens are beautifiil ; passion-flowers and jessa-
mine hung in festoons over all the broken walls,
and the ground was carpeted with violets, nar-
cissus, and other spring flowers. The view from
the terrace is lovely, the town, when seen from
a distance, being very like Yerona. Here the
road became so steep that the party had to leave
their carriages and walk the remainder of the way.
The mountain-path reminded them of Mount
Carmel, with the same underwood of cistus, lilac
and white, and heaps of flowering and aroma-
tic shrubs. Beautiful wild iris grew among the
rocks, and half way up a rushing stream tumbled
over the boulder-stones into a picturesque basin,
covered with maiden-hair fern, which served as
a resting-place for the tired travellers. After a

44 CORDOVA.

fatiguing climb of two hours, they reached the
postern gate of the hermitage, into which, after
some demur as to their sex, the ladies, by special
permission of the archbishop, were admitted.
There are at present seventeen hermits, all gentle-
men, and many of high birth and large fortune,
living each in a little separate cabin, with a patch
of garden round it, and entirely alone. They
never see one another but at mass and in choir,
or speak but once a month. In their chapel they
have a beautiful oil painting of St. Paul, the first
hermit, whose rule they follow in all its primi-
tive severity. One of the cabins was vacant, and
the party entered. It was composed of two tiny
rooms : in the inner one was a bed formed of
three boards, with a sheepskin and a pillow of
straw ; the rest of the furniture consisted of a
crucifix, a jug of water, a terrible discipline with
iron points, and Rodriguez' essay on ' Christian
Perfection,' published in 1606, at Yalladolid, and
evidently much read. This cell was that of

Count , a man of great wealth and high

rank, and of a still wider reputation for ability
and talent. He had lost his wife some years ago,
to whom he was passionately attached ; and
remaining in the world only till he had settled
his children, then took leave of it for ever, and

CORDOVA. ■ 45

resolved to spend the rest of his days in peni-
tence and prayer. Their habit is composed of a
coarse grey stuff, with a leathern girdle, drawers,
and a shirt of serge. No linen is allowed, or
stockings, and they wear sandals on their feet.
They are not permitted to possess anything, or to
keep anything in their cells but a glazed earthen-
ware pot, a wooden plate, a pitcher, a lamp, and
instruments of penance and devotion. They keep
a perpetual fast on beans and lentils, only on
high days and holidays being allowed fish. They
are not allowed to write or receive letters, or to
go into one another's cells, or to go out of the
enclosure, except once a month, when they may
walk in the mountains round, which they gene-
rally do together, reciting litanies. Seven hours
of each day must be given to prayer, and they
take the discipline twice a week.* How strange a

* The Rev. Pere Felix, the famous Paris preacher, in one of his
Notre Dame conferences, speaking of asceticism of this sort, says :
' Les paiens avaient epuise la volupte : les chretiens ont epuise las
souifrances. De ce creuset de la doulenr I'homme noiiveau a sorti, et
c'est un homme plus grand que I'homme ancien. Ah ! je le sais,
la penitence corporelle, le jeune, I'abstinence, la discipline, la flagel-
lation, pretent a rire a des penseurs de ce temps, qui se croient trop
sages pour pratiquer de telles foHes. lis ont plus d'egard pour la
chair, plus de respect surtout^pour le corps, et ils disent en sou-
riant a I'austerite chretienne : " Ascetisme ! Moyen age ! Panatisme !
Demence ! " La verite est, que chatier volontairement son corps pour
venger la dignite de I'homme Outragee par les revoltes, est une

46 CORDOVA.

life for one accustomed to live in the world and
in society ! Yet there is no lack of candidates
for each vacancy ; and the prior told orn- tra-
vellers that the number of vocations of late years
had increased. There is a fine old marble seat
and cross in the garden, erected by the late bishop,
fi-om whence there is a magnificent view over the
whole country. The cold in winter is intense,
and they are not allowed any fires, except what
is absolutely necessary for the cooking of their
miserable meal. Taking leave of the prior in his
little ' parloir,' and receiving a rosary from him
made of the wood of the ' Carouba,' by the her-
mits themselves, the visitors retraced their steps
down the hill, feeling as if they had been spending
the last couple of hours in another world ; and,
rejoining their carriages at the villa, made the
circuit of the city walls, which are partly Moorish,
built of tapia, and described by Julius C^sar.
Then one of the party went to see the Carmelite

sainte et sublime ctose. La verite est que pour aocorder a son
corps le plaisir, il suffit d'etre lache, et que pour iufliger a son corps
la douleur volontaire dans un but de restauration morale, il faut
etre courageux, il faut etre vraiment grand. La verite est enfin que
cette race de mortifies, mieux que tout autre, maintient a sa vraie
hauteur le niveau de I'liumanite, et tient dans sa main intrepide,
aveo le fouet dont elle se frappe elle-meme, le drapeau du pronres.
Le chemin du progres, comme celui du Calvaire, est un cbemin dou-
loureux. Le drapeau de I'austerite chretienne triompbera une fois
de plus dans le monde du sensualisme pa'ien de nos jours.'

CORDOVA. 47

Convent of St. Theresa; not one of the saint's
own foundation, but one built soon after her
death. It contains twenty-four nuns, the cheeriest
and merriest of women, proving how little ex-
ternal circumstances contribute to personal cheer-
fulness.

The German gentleman who had so kindly
served as escort to our travellers during their stay
at Cordova dined with them in the evening, and
gave them several very interesting details of the
place and people. The next morning mass had
been promised them at five, but it was six before
the priest made his appearance in the fine old
Jesuit church, now bereft of its pastors and fre-
quent services ; and it was only thanks to the un-
punctuality of the Spanish railways, that the train
which was to convey our party to Malaga was
reached in time.

Passing through a very fine gorge of the Sierra
Nevada, with magnificent Alpine scenery, the train
suddenly stopped : the guard came to the carriages,
and civilly suggested to the passengers that the
government could not answer for the safety of the
tunnels, and, therefore, had provided carriages and
mules to take them round ; or else, if they pre-
ferred it, that they might walk, as there would be
plenty of time. This sounded ludicrous enough to

48 MALAGA.

English ears, but, after all, they thought it more
prudent to comply than to run any risk, and ac-
cordingly bundled out with their bags and mani-
fold packages. On the recurrence of a similar
warning, however, a little later, they voted that
they would remain and take their chance ; and
nothing disastrous occurred. At the station they
were met by the kind and obliging English
consul, who had ordered rooms for them at the
hotel called the ' Alameda,' pleasantly situated on
the promenade, and who had done everything in
his power to ensure their comfort. The first days
of their ari-ival were spent in settling themselves
in their new quarters, which required a good deal
of preliminary cleaning, and in seeing the so-
called ' lions' of the place. These are soon visited.
In truth, except for climate, Malaga is as dull
and uninteresting a place as can be well ima-
gined. There is a cathedral, originally a mosque,
but now converted into an ugly Corinthian pile
with two towers. Only one fine old Gothic door
remains, with curious ' azulejos.' The rest, both
inside and out, is modern, heavy, and in bad taste.
The high altar, however, is by Alonso Cano ; and
there is some fine wood-carving of the sixteenth
century in the choir and on the screen, com-
memorating different scenes in the life of St.

I

MALAGA. 49

Turibius, Archbishop of Lima, whose apostolic
labours among the Indians were crowned with
such wonderful success. There are one or two
good pictures and monuments, especially the
recumbent figure of a bishop, in bronze, of the
fifteenth century. In the sacristy is a valuable
relic of St. Sebastian, and some fine silver vases
for the holy oils ; but everything else was plun-
dered by the French. Afterwards our travellers
went, with an order from the governor, to see the
castle and Moorish fortress overlooking the town,
built in 1279. Passing under a fine Moorish
horse-shoe arched gateway, they scrambled up to
the keep, from whence there is a magnificent
view over sea and land. It is now used as a
military prison, and about twenty-six men were
confined there. The of&cers were extremely civil,
and showed them everything. The men's bar-
racks seemed clean and comfortable, and their
rations good; their arms and knapsacks were,
however, of the most old-fashioned kind. That
day a detachment of troops were starting for
Morocco, whose embarkation in the steamers
below was eagerly watched by the garrison.

But if Malaga be dull in the way of sights, it is
very pleasant fi-om the kind and sociable charac-
.ter of its inhabitants. Nowhere will the stranger

E

50 MALAGA.

find m:re genuine kindness, hospitality, or cour-
tesy. Their houses, their villas, their horses, their
flowers, their time, all are placed, not figuratively,
but really, ' a vuestra disposicion.' Some of the
villas in the neighbourhood are lovely, especially

those of Madame de H ; the Marquise L — —

&c. Here one finds all kinds of tropical vege-
tation : the date-palm, the banana, the plantain
and Indian-rubber trees, sugar, cotton, and other
Oriental products, all grow luxuriantly ; while the
beds are filled with masses of violets, tulips, roses,
arums, scarlet hybiscus, and geraniums ; and beau-
tiful jessamine, scarlet passion-fiowers, and other
creepers, trail over every wall.

But the chief interest to the winter resident at
Malaga will be derived fi:om its charitable institu-
tions. The French sisters of charity of St. Vincent
de Paul have the care of three large establish-
ments here. One — an industrial school for the
children and orphans connected with a neigh-
bouring factory — is a marvel of beauty, order, and
good management. The girls are taught every
kind of industrial work ; a Belgian has been im-
ported to give them instruction in making Yalen-
ciennes lace, and their needlework is the most
beautiful to be seen out of Paris. Any profit
arising fi-om their work is sold, and kept for their

MALAGA. 51

' dot ' when they marry or leave the establishment.
Attached to this school is also a little home for
widows, incurables, and sick, equally tended by
' ' the sisters. This admirable institution is the off-
spring of individual charity and of a life wrecked
— according to human parlance, — but which has
taken heart again for the sake of the widow and
the orphan, the sorrowful and the suffering.
Her name is a household word in Malaga to the
sad and the miserable ; and in order to carry out
her magnificent charities (for she has also an
industrial school for boys in the country), she has
given up her luxurious home, and lives in a small
lodging up three pair of stairs. She reminded
one of St. Jerome's description of St. Melania,
who, having lost her husband and two children
in one day, casting herself at the foot of the cross,
exclaimed : ' I see, my God ! that Thou requirest
of me my whole heart and love, which was too
much fixed on my husband and children. With
joy I resign all to Thee.' The sight of her won-
derfiil cheerfulness and courage, after sorrows so
unparalleled, must strengthen every one to follow
in her steps, and strive to learn, in self-abnega-
tion, her secret of true happiness. The French
sisters have likewise the charge of the great hos-,
pital of St. Juan de Dios, containing between

E 2

52 MALAGA.

400 and 500 patients, now about to be removed
to a new and more commodious building ; and also
of a large day and infant school near the river,
with a ' salle d'asile,' containing upwards of 500
children, who are daily fed with soup and bread.
They also visit the poor and sick in their homes,
and everywhere their steps are hailed with thank-
fulness and joy.

The ' Little Sisters of the Poor ' have likewise
established themselves in Malaga, and have a
large house, containing seventy old and incurable
people, which is very well supplied by the richer
inhabitants. The nuns of the ' Assumption' have
lately started a ' pension ' for the daughters of
the upper classes, which was immensely wanted
(education being at a very low ebb in Spain),
and which has been most joyfully hailed by the
Malaga ladies for their children. The superior, a
charming person, is an Englishwoman ; and the
frequent benediction services iii their beautiful
little chapel were a great boon to some of our
party. They paid a visit also to the archbishop,
a kind and venerable old man, with the most
benevolent smile and aspect, and who is really
looked upon as the father of his people. At a
grand Te Deum service, given in the Church of
S. Pietro dei Martiri, one of the most interesting

MALAGA.

S3

churches in Malaga, as a thanksgiving for the
preservation of the city from cholera, he officiated
pontifically, which his great age generally pre-
vents, and gave the benediction with mitre and
crozier to the devout and kneeling multitude.

There is a very touching ' Via Crucis ' service
performed every Friday in Malaga, up to a chapel
on the top of a high mountain overlooking the
whole town and bay. The peasants chaunt the
most plaintive and beautifiil hymns, the words
of which they ' improviser ' on the way, both up
and down. It begins at a very beautiful church
and convent called Notre Dame des Victoires,
now converted into a military hospital, nursed by
the Spanish sisters of charity. The family of
the Alcazars is buried in the crypt of this church,
and beautiful palms grow in the convent garden.
In the old refectory are some fine azulejos tiles
and some good specimens of Kaphael ware.

As to diversions, Malaga offers but few resources.
Those who like boating may go out daily along
the beautiful coast ; but the rides are few, th«
ground hard and dusty, and the ' riviere a sec,'
like that at Nice, must be traversed before any
mountain expeditions could be reached. There is
a bull-ring, as in every Spanish town, and occa-
sionally the additional excitement of elephants

54 MALAGA.

being used in the fights : but the bulls will rarely
face them.

After about a month, therefore, spent in this
quiet little place, it was decided to start for
Granada, which promised to afford greater interest
and variety.

GRANADA.

55

CHAPTER ly.

GRANADA.

Taking leave rather sorrowfully of their many kind
friends and of the sisters of charity who had been
their constant companions during their stay in
Malaga, our travellers started one stormy evening,
and found themselves once more cooped up in one
of those terrible diligences, and slowly ascending
the mountains at the back of the town. Their in-
tention had been to go on horseback, riding by
Yelez-Malaga and the baths of Alhama; but the late
heavy rains had converted the mountain streams
into torrents, and some of the party who attempted
it were compelled to return. After ascending for
about three hours, leaving on their left the pictur-
esque cemetery, with its fine cypresses, they came
to a plateau 3,000 feet above the sea, fi-om whence
they had a magnificent view, the whole of Malaga
and its bay being stretched out at their feet, the
lights glistening in the town, and the moon, break-
ing through the clouds, shedding a soft light

56 GRANADA.

over the sea-line, which was covered with tiny fish-
ing-vessels. Beautifiil aloes and cacti starting out
of the bold rocks on either side formed the fore-
ground, while a rapid river rushed and tumbled in
the gorge below. But with this fine panoramic
view the enjoyment of our travellers came to an
end. When night came on, and they had reached
the highest and loneliest part of the bleak sierra,
it began to pour with rain and blow a regular
gale ; the heavy mud was dashed into their faces ;
the icy cold wind whistled through the broken
panes and under the floor of the carriage, and fi-oze
them to the bone. There was some difficulty about
a relay of mules at the next stage, and so our
party were left on an exposed part of the road
without drivers or beasts for more than an hour.
Altogether, it was impossible to conceive a more
disagreeable journey ; and it was therefore with in-
tense joy that they found themselves, after sixteen
hours of imprisonment, at last released, and once
more able to stretch their legs in the Alameda of
Granada. Tired, hungry, dirty, and cold, a fresh
disappointment here awaited them. All the ho-
tels were fall (their letters ordering rooms had
miscarried), and only one tiny bedroom could be
found in which they could take refiige, and scrape
the mud off their clothes and hair. One of the

GRANADA. 57

party found her way to the cathedral ; the rest
held a council of war, and finally determined to
try their fate at the new ' Alhambra ' hotel outside
the town, where an apartment was to be had, the
cold and wet of the season having deterred the
usual visit^s to this purely summer residence.
They had every reason to congratulate themselves
on this decision; for though the cold was certainly
great, the snow hanging still on all the hills around,
and the house being unprovided with any kind of
fire-places or stoves, still the cleanliness and com-
fort of the whole amply compensated for these
drawbacks, to say nothing of the immense advan-
tage of being close to the Alhambra, that great
object of attraction to every traveller who visits
Granada, The way up to it is very picturesque,
but very steep. After leaving the wretched, nar-
row, ill-paved streets, which dislocate almost every
bone in your body when attempted on wheels, and
passing by the Sala de la Audiencia and other fine
public buildings, you arrive at an arched gateway,
which at once brings you into a kind of pubhc
garden, planted with fine Enghsh elms, and
abounding in walks and fountains and seats, and
in which the paths and drives, in spite of their pre-
cipitous character, are carefully and beautifully
kept by convict labour, under the superintendence

58 - GRANADA.

of a body of park-keepers dressed in full Anda-
lusian costume. The hotel is placed on the very
crest of the hill overlooking the magnificent range
of snowy mountains to the right. To the left, the
first thing which strikes the eye is the Torre de
Justicia. Over the outer horse-shoe arch is carved
an open hand, upon the meaning of which the
learned are divided ; some saying it is an emblem
of the power of God, others a talisman against
the Evil Eye. Over the inner arch is sculptured a
key, which typified the power of the Prophet over
the gates of heaven and hell. A double gate pro-
tects this entrance, which no donkey may pass : in
the recess is a very beautifiil little picture, framed
and glazed, of the Yirgin and Child. Passing
through this arch, you come to an open 'plaza,' out
of which rise two towers; one has been bought by
an Englishman, who has converted the lower part of
it into his private residence. (Where shall we not
find our ubiquitous countrymen ?) * The other is

* This unexpected rencontre reminded one of our party of a
similar surprise, some years ago, in the mountains of tlie Tyrol. She
was riding with her husband, when they came on a very picturesque
old ' schloss,' in an out-of-the-way gorge of a mountaia pass.
Stopping to look at it, and pushing open a half-open door in what
appeared to be the only habitable part of the ruin, they came on a
group of chubby-faced Enghsh children, sitting round a table ia
their white pinafores, eating an undeniable Enghsh tea ; and were
told by the nurse, in answer to their enquiries, that the present

THE ALHAMBRA. 50

called the Torre de la Yela, because on this watch-
tower hangs the bell which gives warning to the
irrigators in the vega below. The view from hence
is the most. enchanting thing possible, command-
ing the whole country. Below lies Granada with
its towers and sparkling rivers, the Darro and the
Xenil. Beyond stretches the beautiful rich 'vega'
(or plain), studded with villas and villages, and
encircled by snowy mountains, with the Sierra of
Alhama on one side, and the Gorge of Loja on
the other. Descending the tower, and standing
again in the ' plaza ' below, you see opposite to
you a large ruined Doric palace, a monument of
the bad taste of Charles Y., who pulled down a
large portion of the Moorish building to erect this
hideous edifice, which, like most other things in
Spain, remains unfinished. Passing through a
low door to the right, our travellers were perfectly
dazzled at the beauty which suddenly burst upon
them. It is impossible to conceive anything more
exquisite than the Alhambra, of which no draw-
ings, no Crystal Palace models, not even Wash-
ington Irving's poetical descriptions, give one the
faintest idea. 'J'essaie en vain.de penser : je ne

owner of this Austrian schloss was a London tradesman, who brought
Ms chUdren over every year to spend the summer— a most sensible
arrangement, as the healthy bright looks of his little ones testified.

6o THE ALHAMBRA.

peux que sentir ! ' exclaimed the authoress of ' Les
Lettres d'Espagne ' on entering ; but the predomi-
nant feeling is one of regret for the Moors, whose
dynasty produced such marvels of beauty and of
art. Entering by the fish-pond ' patio,' and visit-
ing first the Whispering Gallery, you pass through
the Hall of the Ambassadors, and the Court of
Lions, out of which lead the Hall of the Aben-
cerrages, and that of Justice, with its two curious
monuments and wonderfiil fretted roof, and then
come to the gem of the whole, the private apart-
ments of the Moorish kings, with the recessed bed-
room of the king and queen, the boudoir and lovely
latticed windows overlooking the beautifiil little
garden of Lindaraja (the violets and orange-
blossoms of which scented the whole air) , and the
exquisite baths below.* It is a thing to dream of,

* Few have described this encliarLting palace as -well as the
Trench lady already quoted. She says, speaking of the feelings it
calls forth : — ' J'aimerais autant etre broyee dans la guenle de ces
joHs monstres qui ont des nez en noeud de cravate, appeles Lions par
la grace de Mahomet, que de te parler de TAlhambra, tant cette
description est difficile. Les muraiUes ne sont que guipures delicates
et compHquees : les plus hardies stalactites ne peuvent donner une
idee des coupoles. Le tout est une merveille, un travail d'abeilles ou
de fees. Les sculptures sont d'une'delicatesse ravissante, d'un gout
parfait, d'une richesse qui vous fait songer a tout ce que les contes
de fees vous decrivaient jadis a I'heureux age ou I'imagination a des
ailes d'or. Helas ! la mienne n'a plus d'aile, elle est de plomb. Les
Arabes n'employaient que quatre couleurs : le bleu, le rouge, le noir

TEE ALEAMBRA. 6i

and exceeds every previous expectation. Again
and again did our travellers return, and always
discovered some fresh beauties. The governor re-
sides in a modernised corner of the building, not
far from the mosque, which has suffered from the
bad taste of the Christian spoilers. He is not a
good specimen of Spanish courtesy, as, in spite of
letters of introduction from the highest quarters,
it was with very great difficulty that our party
were admitted to see anything beyond the por-
tions of the building open to the general public.
At last, however, he condescended to find the keys
of the Tower of the Infantas, once the residence
of the Moorish princesses whose tragical fate is so
touchingly recorded by Washington Irving. It
is a beautiful little cage, overlooking the ravine,
with its fine aqueduct below, and rich in the
delicate moresque carving of both ceilings and
walls. Afterwards, crossing a garden, they came to
the gate by which Boabdil left his palace for the
last time, and which was afterwards, by his special
request, walled up. The tower at this corner
was mined and destroyed by the French. Our
party then descended to a little mosque lately

etl'or. Cette ricliesse, ces teintes vives, sont visibles encore partout.
Enfin, mon ami, ce n'est point im palais ceci : c'est la villa d'lm
enchanteur ! '

62 THE ALHAMBBA.

purchased by Colonel ■ , and beautifully re-
stored. This completed the circuit of the Al-
hambra, which is girdled with walls and towers
of that rich red-brown hue which stands out so
beautifully against the deep blue sky, but the
greater portion of which was ruthlessly destroyed
by Sebastiani, a,t the time of his occupation of
Granada.

The restoration of this matchless palace has
been undertaken by the present queen, who has
put it in the hands of a first-rate artist named
Contreras ; and this confidence has been well be-
stowed, for it is impossible to see work executed in
a more perfect manner, so that it is very difficult
to tell the old portions fi-om the new. If he be
spared to complete it, fiiture generations will see
the Alhambra restored very nearly to its pristine
beauty. This gentleman makes exquisite models
of different parts of the building, done to a scale,
which are the most perfect miniature fac-similes
possible of the different portions of this beautifiil
palace, and a most agreeable memento of a visit
to it. Our travellers purchased several, and only
regretted they had not chosen some of the same
size, as they would make charming panels for a
cabinet or screen.

In the afternoon, the party started to see the

GRANADA. 63

cathedral, escorted by the kind and good-natured
dean, who engaged the venerable mother of the
* Little Sisters of the Poor ' to act as his interpre-
ter, his Andalusian Spanish being utterly unintel-
ligible to most of the party. The first feeling on
entering is of unmixed disappointment. It is a
Pagan Greco-Koman building, very much what
our London churches are which were erected in
the time of the Georges. But it has one redeem-
ing point — the Capilla de los Reyes, containing
the wonderfiil monuments of Ferdinand and
Isabella, and of Philip and Joan. The alabaster
sepulchres of the former, wrought at Genoa by
Peralta, are magnificent, both in design and exe-
cution. Isabella's statue is especially beautiful :

In questa forma

Passa la bella domia, e par clie dorma. •

The faces are both portraits, and have a simple
dignity which arrests the attention of the most un-
observant. A low door and a few steep steps below
the monuments lead to their last resting-place.
The royal coffins are of lead, lapped over, rude and
plain (only the letter F distinguishes that of the
king), but they are genuine, and untouched since
the day when their bodies, so justly revered by the
Spaniards, were deposited in this humble vault.

64 GRANADA.

Among the treasures of this chapel are likewise
shown the identical royal standards used at the
conquest of Granada ; the king's sword ; the
queen's own missal ; their crozier and crown of
silver-gilt ; the picture of the Virgin and Child
by St. Luke, given to Isabella by Pope Innocent
VIII., and before which mass is said every 2nd of
January, the anniversary of the taking of the
city ; and the portrait of the knight who, during
the siege, rode into Granada, and affixed a taper
and an 'Ave Maria' on the very door of the prin-
cipal mosque. In the sacristy is a ' Conception,' ex-
quisitely carved, by Alonso Caho ; an 'Adoration
of the Kings,' by Hemling; of Bruges ; a curious
ring of Sixtus II. ; a chasuble embroidered by
Queen Isabella ; some very valuable relics and
reliquaries, and a letter of St. Charles Borromeo,
which the good-natured dean allowed one of the
party to copy. Besides these treasures, and the
Capilla de los Eeyes, there is really nothing to
look at in the cathedral, but one or two good
painted glass windows, some clustered columns,
and a curious arch in the dome, which was made
to bend downwards.

The following morning, after an early service at
the Capuchin convent of St. Antonio, one of the
party started on an expedition with the sisters of

GRANADA. 65

the town, and winding up a beautiful and steep
ravine, in the holes and caverns of which gipsies
live and congregate, they came to a picturesque
wood planted on the side of the mountain. Here
they left their carriages, and scrambled up a zig-
zag path cut in the hill, with low steps or ' gra-
dini,' till they reached a plateau, on which stands
both convent and church. The view from the ter-
race in front is the most magnificent which can
be conceived. On one side are the snowy moun-
tains of the Sierra Nevada, with a rapid river
tumbling into the gorge below, the valleys being
lined on both sides with stone-pine woods, amid
which little convents and villages are clustered.
On the other is the town of Granada, with its
domes and towers; and sharply standing out on
the rocks above the ruins, against the bright blue
sky, are the coffee-coloured towers of the beautifiil
^Alhambra. There is a Yia Crucis up to this spot,
the very crosses seeming to start up out of the
rocks, which are clothed with aloes and prickly
pear ; while in the centre of the terrace is a beau-
tiftil fountain and cross, shaded by magnificent
cypresses. The church is built over some cata-
combs, where the bodies of St. Ceciha and of
eleven other martyrs were found, who suffered in
the persecution under Nero. The superior of this

66 GRANADA.

convent, now converted into a college, is Don
Jose Martin, a very holy man, though quite
young, and revered by the whole country as a
saint. He is a wonderful preacher, and by his
austere and penitential life works miracles in
bringing souls to God. His manner is singularly
gentle, simple, and humble. He kindly came to
escort the party through the catacombs, and to
show them the relics. The sites of the different
martyrdoms have been converted into small cha-
pels or oratories : in one, where the victim perished
by fire, his ashes still remain. Little leaden tablets
mark the different spots. Here also is the great
wooden cross of St. John of the Cross, fi:om the
foot of which he preached a sermon on the ' Love
of God ' during his visit to Granada, which is said
to have converted upwards of 3,000 people, ' I
always come here to pray for a few minutes before
preaching,' said simply Don Jose Martin, ' so that
a portion of his spirit may rest upon me.' After
spending some time in this sanctuary, the party
reluctantly retraced their steps, and returned to
the town, where they had promised to visit the
great hospital of San Juan de Dios. It is a mag-
nificent establishment, entirely under the care of
the Spanish sisters of charity of St. Vincent de
Paul, with a ' patio ' or quadrangle in the centre,

GRANADA. 67

and double cloisters round, into which the wards
open : all round the cloisters are frescoes describ-
ing different scenes in the life of the saint. The
church is gorgeous in its decorations, and in a
chapel above rests the body of San Juan, in a
magnificent silver shrine, with his clothes, his
hat, the basket in which he used daily to go and
collect food for his sick and dying poor, and other
like personalties.

This saint is immensely revered in Granada.
He was the first founder of the Order of Brothers
of Charity, now spread all over Europe, begin-
ning his great work, as all the saints have done, in
the humblest manner possible, by hiring a small
house (now converted into a wayside oratory), in
which he could place four or five poor people,
nursing them himself night and day, and only
going out to beg, sell, and chop wood, or do any-
thing to obtain the necessary food and medicines
for them. The archbishop, touched with his
burning charity, assisted him to build a larger
hospital. This house soon after took fire, when
San Juan carried out the sick one by one on his
back, without receiving any hurt. It is thus that
he is represented in the Statue Gallery of Madrid.
The people, inflamed by his loving zeal, and in
admiration of his great wisdom, humility, and

f2

68 GRANADA.

prudence, came forward as one man to help him
to build the present hospital, which remains to this
day as a monument of what may be done by one
poor man of humble birth, if really moved by the
love of God. His death was caused by rescuing
a man in danger of drowning from the sudden
rising of the river, and then remaining, wet and
worn out as he was, while caring for the family.
He died on his knees, repeating the ' Miserere,'
amidst the tears of the whole city, to whom, by
the special command of the archbishop, he gave
his dying benediction. His favourite saying was :
' Labour without intermission to do all the good
works in your power while time is allowed you ; '
and this sentence is engraved in Spanish on the
door of the hospital.

The following day happened to be the anni-
versary of his death, or rather of his birthday in
heaven, when a touching and beautiful ceremonial
is observed. The archbishop and his clergy come
to the hospital to give the Holy Communion to
the sick in each ward. A procession is formed
of the ecclesiastics and the sisters of charity, each
bearing lighted tapers, and little altars are
arranged at the end of each ward, beautifully
decorated with real flowers, while everything in
and about the hospital is fresh and clean for the

GRANADA. 69

occasion. A touching incident occurred in the
male ward on that day, where one poor man lay
in the last stage of disease. The eagerness of his
look when the archbishop drew near his bed will
never be forgotten by those who were kneeling
there ; nor the way in which his face lighted up
with joy when he received His Lord. The atten-
dant sister bent forward to give him a cordial
afterwards : he shook his head, and turned his face
away ; he would have nothing after That. Before
the last notes of the ' Pange Lingua ' or the curling
smoke of the incense had died out of the ward,
all was over ; but the smile on the lips and the
peace on the face spoke of the rest he had found.
Afterwards there was a magnificent service in
the church, and a dinner to all the orphans in the
sisters' schools.

Another interesting expedition made by our
travellers was to the Carthusian convent outside
the town. Sebastiani desecrated and pillaged the
wonderfiil treasures it contained ; but the tortoise-
shell and mother-of-pearl doors and presses re-
main, reminding one of those in the Armenian
Church at Jerusalem at the shrine of St. James.
There are also two statues of St. Bruno, by Alonso
Cano ; wonderful for their life-like appearance
and expression, but still not equal to the incom-

70 GRANADA.

parable one at Miraflores. There are some beau-
tiM alabaster and agate pillars still left in the
chapel behind the high altar, which it is to be sup-
posed were too heavy for the spoilers to carry off.
In the cloisters are some curious frescoes of the
martyrdoms of the Carthusians, at the time of the
Protestant Reformation, by Henry YIII. of Eng-
land. The guide who accompanied our travellers
said slyly to the only Catholic of the party : ' We
had better not explain the subject of these. Let
them imagine they are some of the horrors of
the Inquisition, — that always takes with English
people V Another picture was startling both in
subject and colouring ; it was that of a dead doc-
tor, much venerated in life, who, on a fimeral pane-
gyric being pronounced over him, started from his
coffin, exclaiming 'that his life had been a lie,
and that he was among the damned ! ' The friar
who showed our party over the now deserted con-
vent was like Fray Gabriel in Fernan Caballero's
novel of 'La Gaviota.' "When the rest of the
Carthusians were turned out by the government,
he would not go. ' I was brought here as a little
child,' he said, ' and know no one in the world ; '
and so he sat himself down by the cross and
sobbed. They let him stay and keep the garden
and the church, but his life is over. ' The blbod

GRANADA. 71

does not run in his veins — it walks ! ' Like Fray
Gabriel, he will die kneeling before the Christ to
whom he daily prays for those who have so cruelly
wronged and robbed him. The view from the ter-
race in front of the church is beautiful, overlooking
the rich and cultivated plain of Soto de Roma,
the property of the Duke of Wellington, with
the mountain of Parapanda above, the hills of
Elvira, and the pass of Moclin, which forms the
bridle-road to Cordova. The gardens also are
delightful : no wonder the poor monks clung to
their convent home !

In the afternoon our travellers walked up to
the Generalife, "a villa now belonging to the
Pallavicini family, a branch of the great Genoa
house, but formerly the palace of the Sultana.
Passing through vineyards and fig-trees, they
arrived at the gate of the fairy garden, with its
long straight borders, fringed with myrtle, irri-
gated by the Darro, which is carried in a little
canal between the flower-beds, and with a beau-
tiful open colonnade overlooking the Alhambra,
while a less formal garden sent up a shower
of sweet scents from the orange-trees and jessa-
mine trellises below. Through this colonnade
they passed into the living-rooms, exquisite in
their Moorish carvings and decorations. In one of

GRANADA.

them there are a number of curious though some-
what apocryphal portraits, including one of Boab-
clil, and of another Moorish king of Granada, with
his wife and daughter, who turned Christians, and
were baptized at Santa Fe. In the outer room
are portraits of all the ' bluest blood ' of Granada.
But the gardens form the greatest charm. The
ground was covered with Neapolitan violets and
other spring flowers. Roses climbed over every
wall, and magnificent cypresses, and aloes in full
flower, shaded the beds from the burning sun.
The largest of these cypresses, called the Sultana,
is twelve feet in circumference, and to this tree
the fatal legend of the fair Zoraya is attached.
Behind these cypresses is a flight of Italian-looking
steps, leading to another raised garden, fiill of
terraces and fountains. On the steep brow of the
hill is an alcove, or summer-house, Jfrom whence
the views over Granada and the Alhambra are
quite enchanting, every arch being, as it were, the
setting or frame of a new and beautiful picture.
Above this again is a Moorish fortress, and a
knoll called the Moor's Chair, fi:-om whence the
last Moorish king is said to have sadly contem-
plated the defeat of his troops by the better dis-
ciplined armies of Ferdinand and Isabella grouped
in the plains below. Scrambling still higher up.

GRANADA. 73

our travellers came to the ruins of a chapel, and to
some curious caverns, with a peep into a wild gorge
to the right, leading into the very heart of this '
mountainous and little visited region. Boabdil's
sword, and other relics and pictures of the fifteenth
century belonging to the Pallavicini family, are
carefally preserved by their agent in their house in
the town, and had been coTU-teously shown to our
travellers when they called to obtain permission to
visit the villa. Eeturning towards their hotel, they
thought they would prolong their walk by visiting
the great cemetery, or ' Campo Santo,' which is a
little to the north of the Generalife. Long files
of mourners had been perpetually passing by their
windows, the bier being carried on men's shoulders,
and uncovered, as in the East, so that the face
of the dead was visible. Each bier was followed
by the confraternity to which he or shebelonge d,
chanting hymns and litanies as they wound up
the long steep hill from the town to the burial-
ground. But all appearance of reverence, or even
of decency, disappears at the spot itself, where
the corpse is stripped, taken out of its temporary
cofan, and brutally cast into a pit, which is kept
open till filled, and then, with quicklime thrown
in, closed up, and a fresh one opened to be treated
in a similar manner. It is a disgrace to Catholic

74 GRANADA.

Spain that such scenes should be of daily re-
currence.

Another villa worth visiting in the neighbour-
hood of the Alhambra is that of Madame Calde-
ron, where the obliging French gardener took our
travellers all over the gardens and terraces, the
hot-houses and aviaries, the artificial streams and
bridges, till they came to the great attraction of
the place — a magnificent arbor vitse, or hanging
cypress, falsely called a cedar of Lebanon, which
was planted by St. John of the Cross, this site
being originally occupied by a convent of St.
Theresa's. The house is thoroughly comfortable
inside, with charming views over the ' vega,' and
altogether more like an English home than any-
thing else in Spain. If anyone wished to spend
a delightful summer out of Eng'land, they could
find no more agreeable retreat ; perfect as to
climate, and with the most enjoyable and beau-
tifiil expeditions to be made in every direction.
It is worth remembering, as Madame Calderon,
being now a widow, is anxious to let her resi-
dence, having another house in Madrid. There is
a church close by, and a dairy attached to the
garden, which is a rarity in Spain, and a public
benefit to the visitors at the Alhambra ; and the
clever and notable French wife of the gardener

GRANADA. 75

makes delicious butter, and sells both that and
the cream in her mistress's absence — luxuries
utterly unknown anywhere else in the Peninsula.

Bad weather and heavy snow (for they had
visited Granada too early in the year) prevented
our travellers from accomplishing different ex-
peditions' which they had planned for the as-
cent of the Sierra Nevada, and visiting Alhama
and Adea and other interesting spots in the
neighbourhood. But they drove one day to the
Alameda, where all Granada congregates in the
evening, and from whence the view looking on
the mountains is beautiful.

Returning by the Moorish gateway, called the
Puerta de Monayma, they came to an open
space, in the centre of which is a statue of the
Virgin. Here public executions used to take place,
and here, in 1831, Mariana Pineda, a lady of high
birth and great beauty, was strangled. A simple
cross marks the spot. Her crime was the finding
in her house a flag, maliciously placed there by
a man whose addresses she had rejected.

From this ' plaza ' our travellers drove to the
conflux of the rivers Darro and Xenil, which
together form the Guadalquiver ; and from thence
proceeded to a mosque, where a tablet records
the fact of its having been the place where the

76

GRANADA.

unfortunate king Boabdil gave the keys of the
town to the Christian conquerors, Ferdinand and
Isabella, and then himself rode slowly and sadly
away from his beautiful palace by a mountain
still called the ' Last Sigh of the Moor,' immor-
talise'd both in verse and song. The accompany-
ing ballad, with its plaintive wailing sound, still
echoes in the hearts and on the lips of the people.

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Keturning, they visited the Church of Las
Angustias, where there is a wonderftil but taw-
drily dressed image of the Blessed Virgin, who is
the patroness of the town. The French sisters of
charity have a large orphanage and day-school

GRANADA. 77

here, established originally by Madame Calderon ;
but the situation, in the street called Recogidas,
is low and damp, and their chapel being almost
underground, and into which no sun can ever
enter, seriously affects the health of the sisters.
Here, as everywhere, they are universally beloved
and respected, and the present superior is one
eminently qualified, by her loving gentleness and
evenness of temper, to win the hearts of all around
her. The dress of the people in Granada is sin-
gularly picturesque : the women wear crape shawls
of the brightest colours, yellow, orange, or red,,
with flowers stuck jauntily on one side of the head
just above the ear; the men have short velvet
jackets, waistcoats with beautiful hanging silver
buttons (which have descended from father to son,
and are not to be bought except by chance), hats
with large borders, turned up at the edge, red
sashes round the waist, and gaiters of untanned
leather, daintily embroidered, open at the knee,
with hanging strips of leather and silver buttons.
Over the whole, in cold weather, is thrown the
' capa,' or large cloak, which often conceals the
threadbare garments of a beggar, but which is worn
with the air of the proudest Spanish ' hidalgo.'
This evening, the last which our travellers were
to spend in Granada, they had a visit fi-om the

GRANADA.

king and captain of the gipsies, a very remark-
able man, between thirty and forty years of age,
and a blacksmith by trade. He brought his
guitar, and played in the most marvellous and
beautifdl way possible : first tenderly and softly ;
then bursting into the wildest exultation ; then
again plaintive and wailing, ending with a strain
of triumph and rejoicing and victory which
completely entranced his hearers. It was like a
beautiful poem or a love-tale, told with a pathos
indescribable. It was a fitting last remembrance
of a place so full of poetry and of the past, with
a tinge in it of that sorrowful dark thread which
always seems woven into the tissue of earthly
lives. Sorrowfully, the next morning, our tra-
vellers paid their last visit to the matchless
Alhambra, which had grown upon them at every
turn. Then came the ' good-bye ' to their good
and faithful guide, Bensaken, that name so well
known to all Granada tourists ; and to the kind
sisters of charity, whose white ' cornettes ' jstood
grouped round the fatal diligence which was to
convey them back to Malaga. And so they bade
adieu to this beautiful city, with many a hope of a
return on some future day, and with a whole train
of new thoughts and new pictures in their mind's
eye, called forth by the wonders they had seen.

GIBRALTAR AND CADIZ. 79

CHAPTER V.

GIBRALTAR AND CADIZ.

The journey from Granada was, if possible, more
wearying than before, for the constant heavy
rains had reduced the roads to a perfect Slough
of Despond, in which the wretched mules per-
petually sank and fell, and were flogged up again
in a way which, to a nature fond of animals, is
the most insupportable of physical miseries. Is
there a greater suffering than that of witnessing
cruelty and wrong which you are powerless to
redress ? It was not till nearly eleven o'clock the
following day that our travellers found themselves
once more in their old quarters on the Alameda
of Malaga. By the kindness of the superior of
the hospital, the usual nine o'clock mass had been
postponed till the arrival of the diligence : and
very joyfully did one of the party afterwards take
her old place at the refectory of the community,
whose loving welcome made her forget that she
was still in a strange land. The following three
or four days were spent almost entirely in making

8o GIBRALTAR AND CADIZ.

preparations for their journey to Gibraltar, via
Ronda, that eagle's nest, perched on two separate
rocks, divided by a rapid torrent, but united by a
picturesque bridge, which crowns the range of
mountains forming the limits of the kingdom
of Granada. The accounts of the mountain-
path were not encouraging; but to those who
had ridden for four months through the Holy
Land, no track, however rugged and precipitous,
offered any terrors. But when the time came, to
their intense disappointment, the road was found
to be impassable on the Gibraltar side, owing
to the tremendous torrents, which the heavy
rains had swollen to a most unusual extent.
Two of&cers had attempted to swim their horses
over ; but in so doing one of them was drowned,
so that there seemed no alternative but to give
up their pleasant riding expedition, and, with it,
the sight of that gem of the whole country which
had been one of their main objects in returning
to Malaga. Comforting themselves, however, by
the hope of going there later from Seville, our
travellers took berths in the steamer 'Cadiz,'
bound for Gibraltar ; and after a beautifal parting
benediction at the little convent of the Nuns of
the Assumption, they took leave of their many
kind friends, and, at six o'clock (accompanied by

GIBRALTAR.

Madame de Q and her brother to the water's

edge), stepped on board the boat which was to
convey them to their steamer. Their captain,
however, proved faithless as to time ; and it was
not till morning that the cargo was all on board
and the vessel under weigh for their destination.
After a tedious and rough passage of nineteen
hours, they rounded at last the Europa Point, and
found themselves a few minutes later landing on
the Water Port Quay of the famous rock. Of all
places in Spain, Gibraltar is the least interesting,
except from the British and national point of
view. Its houses, its people, its streets, its lan-
guage, all are of a detestably mongrel character.*

* The able authoress from whoia we have abeady quoted ex-
presses herself on Gibraltar as follows : —

' Gibraltar est bati a I'Anglaise : les " cottages " sont laids et in-
commodes sons ce ciel briilant. Ponr Toitnres, des paniers d'osier.
Les Anglaises ont six pieds, les Anglais sept et demi. Us mettent
de grands fichns de monsseliae blanche sur lenrs chapeaux, quoiqu'il
ne fasse pas encore chaud ; ils font de grands pas avec de grands
pieds. Ah ! ce n'est pins I'Andalousie, ce n'est pins la mantille !
Les chapeaux des dames vieiment de la rue St.-Denis. Plus de grace,
plus de charme, plus de poesie, plus de repos ; mais un terrible
remne-menage. . . . Je suis logee an Clnb-House Hotel, dans
une espece de salle de spectacle, a colonnes corinthiennes, quidonne
BUT la place. La place est laide, les arbres sont rabougris. Je vois
passer les Maures, portant avec noblesse leurs vetements blancs aux
longs plis, d'antres ont des robes eclatantes, quelques-nns ont les
jambes nues. Nous avons ete par dela le Mont des Singes. Je n'en
ai pas vu un— personne n'en a jamais ruV—Lettres d'Bspagne,
pp. 180-181.

G

82 GIBRALTAR.

The weather, too, during our travellers' stay, was
essentially British, incessant pouring rain and fog
alternating with gales so tremendous that twenty
vessels went ashore in one day. Nothing was to be
seen from the windows of the Club-House Hotel
but mist and spray, or heard but the boom of the
distress gun from the wrecking ships, answered
by the more cheering cannon of the port. But
there is a bright side to every picture : and one
of the bright sides of Gibraltar is to be found in
its kind and hospitable governor and his wife, who,
nobly laying aside all indulgence in the life-long
sorrow which family events have caused, devote
themselves morning, noon, and night to the wel-
fare and enjoyment of everyone around them.
Their hospitality is natural to their duties and
position ; but the kind consideration which ever
anticipates the wishes of their guests, whether resi-
dents or, as our travellers were, birds of passage,
here to-day and gone to-morrow, springs from a
rarer and a purer source.

Another object of interest to some of our party
was the charitable institutions of the place. The
white ' cornettes ' of the sisters of charity are not
seen as yet ; but the sisters of the ' Bon Secours '
have supplied their place in nursing the sick
and tending all the serious cases of every class

GIBBALTAB. 83

in the garrison. Their value only became fully
known at the late fearful outbreak of cholera, to
which two of them fell victims : but they seemed
rather encouraged than deterred by this fact.
They live in a house half-way up the hill on the
way to Europa Point, which contains a certain
number of old and incurable people and a few
orphan children. They visit also the sick poor
in their homes, and in the Civil Hospital, which
is divided, droUy enough, not into surgical and
medical wards, but according to the religion of
the patients ! one half being Catholic, the other
Protestant, and small wards being reserved likewise
for Jews and Moors. It is admirably managed, the
patients are supplied with every necessary, and
well cared for by the kind-hearted superinten-
dent. Dr. G . The ' Dames de Lorette ' have

a convent towards the Europa Point, where they
board and educate between twenty and thirty
young ladies. They have also a large day-school
in the town for both rich and poor, the latter
being below and the former above. The children
seem well taught, and the poorer ones were re-
markable for great neatness and cleanhness. The
excellent and charming Cathohc bishop. Dr.
Scandella, Yicar Apostolic of Gibraltar, has built
a college for boys on the ground adjoining his

84 GIBRALTAR.

palace, above the convent, from whence the view
is glorious : the gardens are very extensive. This
college, which was immensely needed in Gibral-
tar, is rapidly filling with students, and is about
to be affiliated to the London University. In the
garden above, a chapel is being built to receive
the Yirgin of ' Europa,' whose image, broken and
despoiled by the English in 1704, was carried
over to Algeciras, and there concealed in the
hermitage ; but has now been given back by Don
Eugenio Komero . to the bishop, to be placed in
this new and beautiful little sanctuary overlook-
ing the Straits, where it will soon be once more
exposed to the veneration of the faithful. The
bishop has lately built another little church below
the convent, dedicated to St. Joseph, but which,
from some defect in the materials, has been a
very expensive undertaking.

It was very pleasant to see the simple, hearty,
manly devotion of the large body of Catholic
soldiers in the garrison, among whom his influ-
ence has had the happiest effect in checking every
kind of dissatisfaction and drunkenness. His
personal influence has doubtless been greatly en-
hanced by his conduct during the cholera, when
he devoted himself, with his clergy, to the sick and
dying, taking regular turns with them in the

GIBRALTAR. 85

administration of the Last Sacraments, and only-
claiming as his privilege that of being the one
always called up in the night, so that the others
might get some rest. He has two little rooms
adjoining the church, where he remains during
the day, and receives anyone who needs his
fatherly care.

The Protestant bishop of Gibraltar, a very kind
and benevolent man, resides at Malta, and has a
cathedral near the governor's house, lately beau-
tified by convict labour, and said to be well at-
tended. It is the only Protestant church in Spain.
Of the sights of Gibraltar it is needless to
'speak. Our travellers, in spite of the weather,
which rarely condescended to smile upon them,
visited almost everything : the North Fort, Spanish
Lines, and Catalan Bay, one day ; Europa Point,
with the cool summer residence of the governor
(sadly in need of government repair), and St.
Michael's Cave, on the next ; and last, not least, the
galleries and heights. From the Signal Tower
the view is unrivalled; and the aloes, prickly
pear, and geranium, springing out of every cleft
in the rock, up which the road is beautifully and
skilfully engineered, add to the enjoyment of the
ride. The gentlemen of the party hunted in the
cork woods when the weather would allow of it ;

86 GIBRALTAR.

and the only ' lion ' unseen by them were the
monkeys, who resolutely kept in their caves or
on the African side of the water during their stay
at Gibraltar. The garden of the governor's pa-
lace is very enjoyable, and contains one of those
wonderful dragon-trees of which the bark is said
to bleed when an incision is made. The white
arums grow like a weed in this country, and form
most beautiful bouquets when mixed with scarlet
geranium and edged by their large bright shining
green leaves.

The time of our travellers was, however, limited,
especially as they wished to spend the Holy Week
in Seville. So, after a ten days' stay, reluctantly
giving up the kind offer of the Port Admiral to
take them across to Africa, and contenting them-
selves with buying a few Tetuan pots from the
Moors at Gibraltar, they took their passages on
board the ' London ' steamer for Cadiz.

By permission of the governor, they were
allowed to pass through the gates after gun-fire,
and got to the mole ; but there, from some mis-
take, no boat could be found to take them off to
their vessel, and they had the pleasure of seeing
it steam away out of the harbour without them,
although their passages had been paid for, and,
as they thought, secured. In despair, shut out of

ON THE VOYAGE TO CADIZ. 87

the town, where a state of siege, for fear of a
surprise, is always rigorously maintained by the
English garrison, they at last bribed a little boat
to take them to a Spanish vessel, the ' Allegri,'
likewise bound for Cadiz, and which was adver-
tised to start an hour later. In getting on board
of her, however, they found she was a wretched tub,
heavily laden with paraffine, among other combus-
tibles, and with no accommodation whatever for
passengers. There was, however, no alternative
but going in her or remaining all night tossing
about the harbour in their cockle-shell of a boat ;
so they made up their minds to the least of the
two evils, and a few minutes later saw them
steaming rapidly out of the harbour towards
Cadiz. The younger portion of the party found
a cabin in which they could lie down : the elder
lay on the cordage of the deck, and prayed for a
cessation of the recent fearfol storms, the captain
having quietly informed them that in the event
of its coming on to blow again he must throw all
their luggage overboard as well as a good deal of
his cargo, as he was already too heavily laden to
be safe. However, the night was calm, though
very cold, and the following morning saw them
safely rounding the forts of Cadiz, and staring at
its long low shores. But then a new alarm seized

88 CADIZ.

them. The quarantine officers came on board
with a horrible yellow flag, and talked big about
the cholera having reappeared at Alexandria, and
the consequent impossibility of their being able to
produce a clean bill of health. The prospect of
spending a week in that miserable vessel, or in the
still more dismal lazaretto on the shore, was any-
thing but agreeable to our travellers. However,
on the assurance of the captain that the only
vessel arrived from Egypt before they left Gibral-
tar had been instantly put into quarantine by
the governor, they were at last allowed to land
in peace, and found very comfortable rooms at
Blanco's Hotel, on the promenade, their windows
and balconies looking on the sea.

In the absence of the bishop, who was gone to

Tetuan, Canon L- kindly offered his services

to show them the curiosities of the town, and took
them first to the Capuchin convent, now converted
into a madhouse, in the church adjoining which are
two very fine Murillos : one, ' St. Francis receiv-
ing the Stigmata,' which, for spirituality of expres-
sion, is really unrivalled ; the other, ' The Marriage
of St. Catherine,' which was his last work, and is
unfinished. The great painter fell from the scaf-
folding, in 1682, and died very soon after, at
Seville,- in consequence of the internal injuries he

c3

-5

CADIZ. 89

had received. From this convent they proceeded
to the cathedral, vv^hich is ugly enough, but where
the organ and singing were admirable. The
stalls in the choir, which are beautifully carved,
were stolen from the Cartucha at Seville. There
is a spacious crypt under the high altar, with a
curious flat roof, unsupported by any arches or
columns, but at present it is bare and empty.
Their guide then took them to see the workhouse,
or ' Albergo dei Poveri,' an enormous building,
which is even more admirably managed than the
one at Madrid. It contains upwards of a thousand
inmates. The boys are all taught different trades,
and the girls every kind of industrial and needle
work. The dormitories and washing arrange-
ments are excellent ; and all the walls being lined,
up to a certain height, with the invariable blue
and white ' azulejos,' or glazed tiles, gives a clean,
bright appearance to the whole. The dress of
the children was also striking to English eyes,
accustomed to the hideous workhouse livery at
home. On Sundays they have a pretty and varied
costume for both boys and girls, and their little
tastes are considered in every way. They have a
large and handsome church, and also a chapel for
the children's daily prayers, which they themselves
keep nice and pretty, and ornament with flowers

90 CADIZ.

from their gardens. The whole thing is like a
' home ' for these poor little orphans, and in pain-
fiil contrast to the views which Protestant Eng-
land takes of charity in her workhouses, where
poverty seems invariably treated as a crime. The
children are in a separate wing of the build-
ing — the girls above, the boys below. On the
other side are the sick wards, and those for the
old and incurable, where the same minute care
for their comfort and pleasure is observed in every
arrangement. Nor is there that horrible prison
atmosphere, and that locking of doors as one
passes through each ward, which jars so painfully
on one's heart in going through an English work-
house. There are very few able-bodied paupers ;
and those are employed in the work of the house
and garden. There is a spacious ' patio,' or court,
with an open colonnade of marble columns, run-
ning round the quadrangle, the centre of which is
filled with orange-trees and flowers. This beautifal
palace was founded and endowed by the private
benevolence of one man, who dedicated it to St.
Helena, in memory of his mother, and placed in
it the sisters of charity of St. Yincent de Paul,
who have the entire care of the whole establish-
ment. There are fifteen sisters, all Spaniards,
but af&liated to the French ones, and with the

CADIZ. 91

portrait of N. T. H. Pere Etienne in the place of
honour in their ' parloir ' and refectory. The
superior is a most remarkable woman, little and
' contrefaite,' but with a soul in her eyes which it
is impossible to forget. The institution is now in
the hands of the government, who have wisely
not attempted to make any alterations in the ad-
ministration. There are up wards, of fifty of these
sisters of charity in Cadiz, they having the sole
charge of the hospitals, schools, workhouses, &c. ;
and the admirable cleanliness, order, and comfort
in each which is the result, must commend them
to the intelligent approval of every visitor, even
should he be unmoved by the evidence of that
unpaid charity which, with its soft finger-touch,
stamps all their works with the very essence of
Divine love.

The next day being Palm Sunday, our travel-
lers went to service in the cathedral. It was
very fine, but extremely fatiguing. There are no
chairs or seats in Spanish churches. Everyone
kneels on the floor the whole time, not even rising
for the Gospel or Creed. On one of the party at-
tempting to stand up at the long Gospel of the
Passion, she was somewhat indignantly pulled
down again by her neighbours. During the ser-
mon, the Spanish women have a peculiar way of

92 CADIZ.

sitting on tlieir heels — a process which they learn
from childhood, but which to strangers is an
almost intolerable penance. Here, as everywhere
in Spain, the hideous fashion of bonnets or hats
was unknown, and the universal black mantilla,
with its graceful folds and modest covering of the
face, and the absence of all colours to distract
attention in the house of God, made our English
ladies sigh more eagerly than ever for a similar
reverent and decent fashion to be adopted at
home. On returning for the vesper service in
the afternoon, a beautiful, and, to them, novel,
custom was observed. At the singing of the
' Yexilla Regis,' the canons, in long black robes,
knelt prostrate in a semicircle before ■ the high
altar, and were covered by a black flag with a
red cross. This they saw repeated daily during
the Passion Week services at Seville. In the
evening there was a magnificent Benediction and
Processional service round the cloisters of the
church called ' Delle Scake.' It was impos-
sible to imagine anything more picturesque
than the multitude kneeling in the open ' patio,'
or court, shaded by orange-trees, and fall of
beautiful flowers, while round the arches swept
the gorgeous procession carrying the Host, the
choir and people singing alternate verses of the

CADIZ. 93

* Lauda Sion,' the curling smoke of the incense
reflectingprismatic colours in the bright sunshine,
and the whole procession finally disappearing in
the sombre dark old church, of which the centre
doors had been thrown wide open to receive it.
One longed only for Roberts's paint-brush to
depict the scene. Returning to their hotel, our
party found the Alameda gay with holiday folk,
and fiill of the ladies whose beauty and charm have
been the pride of Cadiz for so many generations.
Do not let our readers think it invidious if we
venture on the opinion that their beautiful and
becoming dress has a great deal to do with this,
just as, in the East, every turbaned Turk or
burnoused Arab would make a perfect picture.
Dress your Oriental in one of Poole's best fitting
coats and trousers, and give him a chimney-pot
hat, and where would be his beauty ? In the same
way, if — ^which good taste forefend — the Spanish
ladies come to imagine that a bonnet stuck on
the back of the head, and every colour in the
rainbow, is prettier than the flowing black robe
and softly folded lace mantilla, shading modestly
their bright dark eyes and hair, they will find, to
their cost, that their charm has vanished for ever.
Nothing more remained to be seen or done in
Cadiz but to purchase some of the beautifiil mats

94 CADIZ.

which are its great industry, and which are made
of a flat reed or ' junco,' growing in the neigh-
bourhood ; and these the kind and good-natured
English consul undertook to forward to them,
when ready, to England.

Giralda, Seville.

SEVILLE. 95

CHAPTEE VI.

SEVILLE.

Armed with sundry letters of introduction sent
them from Madrid, our travellers started by early

train for Seville, the amiable Canon L having

given them a five o'clock mass before starting, in
his interesting old circular church dedicated to
S. Filippo Neri, he being one of the Oratorians.
They passed by Xeres, famous for its sherry
cellars, called ' bodegas,' supplying more wine
to England than to all the rest of the world put
together, and for its Carthusian convent, once
remarkable for its Zurbaranpictures, the greater
portion of which have now followed the sherry
to the British Isles ; then by Alcala, noted for
its delicious bread, with which it suppKes the
whole of Seville, for its Moorish castle and beau-
tiful river Aira, the waters of which, after flowing
round the walls of the little town, are carried by
an aqueduct to Seville ; and so on and on, through
orange and olive groves, and wheat plains, and

96 SEVILLE.

vineyards, till the train brought them by mid-day
to the wonderful and beautiful city which had
been the main object of their Spanish tour.
The saying is strictly true :

Quien no ha visto Sevilla,
N"o lia visto maravilla.

Scarcely had they set foot in their comfortable
hotel, the ' Fonda de Londres,' when an obliging
aide-de-camp of the Spanish general came to tell
them that if they wanted to see the Alcazar they
must go with him at once, as the infanta, who
had married the sister of the king's consort, ■
^!vas expected with his wife to occupy the palace
that evening, when it would naturally be closed
to visitors. Dusty, dirty, and hot as they were,
therefore, they at once sallied forth with their
kind cicerone and the English consul for this
fairy palace of the Moors. Entering by the Plaza
del Triunfo, under an arched gateway, where
hangs, day and night, a lamp throwing its soft
light on the beautiful little picture of the Vir-
gin and Child, they came into a long court, in
the midst of which are orange-trees and fountains,
and this again led them by a side door into the
inner court or ' patio ' of the palace.

Like the Alhambra, it is an exquisite succes-
sion of delicate columns, with beautifully carved

Alcazar, Seville.

SEVILLE. 97

capitals, walls, and balconies, which look as if
worked in Mechlin lace ; charmingly cool ' patios,'
with marble floors and fountains ; doors whose
geometrical patterns defy the patience of the
painter ; horse-shoe arches, with edges fringed like
guipure ; fretted ceilings, the arabesques of which
are painted in the most harmonious colours, and
tipped with gold ; lattices every one of which
seems to tell of a romance of beauty and of love :
such are these moresque creations, unrivalled in
modern art, and before which our most beautiful
nineteenth century palaces sink into coarse and
commonplace buildings. .They are the realisa-
tion of the descriptions in the ' Arabian Nights,'
and the exquisite delicacy of the work is not its
sole charm. The proportions of every room, of
every staircase, of every door and window, are per-
fect : nothing offends the eye by being too short or
too wide. In point of sound also, they, as well as
the Romans, knew the secret which our modern
builders have lost ; and in harmony of colour, no
' azulejos ' of the present day can approach the
beauty and brilliancy of the Moorish tints. Nor
are historical romances wanting to enhance the
interest of this wonderfiil place. In the bed-
chamber of the king, Pedro the Cruel, are painted
three dead heads, and thereon hangs a tale of

li

98 SEVILLE.

savage justice. The king overheard three of his
judges combining to give a false judgment in a
certain case about which they had been bribed, and
then quarrel about their respective shares of their
ill-gotten spoils. He suddenly appeared before
them, and causing them to be instantly beheaded,
placed their heads in the niches where now the
paintings perpetuate the remembrance of the
punishment. Less excusable was another tragedy
enacted within these walls, in the assassination of
the brother of the king, who had been invited as a
guest, and came unsuspicious of treachery. A deep
red stain of blood in the marble floor still marks
the spot of the murder. "Well may Spain's most
popular modern poet, the Duque de Rivas, in his
beautiful poem, exclaim : —

Ann en las losas se mira

Una tenaz mancha osoura ; . . .

M las edades la limpian ! . . .

Sangre ! sangre ! Oh cielos ! cnantos,

Sin saber que lo es, la pisan ! *

The gardens adjoining the palace are quaintly
beautiful, the borders edged with myrtle and box,
cut low and thick, with terraces and fountains,
and kiosks, and 'surprises' of/ jets d'eau,' and
arched walls festooned with beautiful hanging

* ' One still sees on the pavement a dark spot — the lapse of ages
has not effaced it ! Blood ! blood ! Heaven ! how many tread
it under foot without knowing it ! '

>

^

cS

SEVILLE. 99

creepers, and a ' luxe ' of Oriental vegetation. On
one side are the white marble baths, cool and
sombre, where the beautiful Maria de Padilla
forgot the heat and glare of the Seville sun. It
was the custom of the courtiers in her day to
drink the water in which the ladies had bathed.
Pedro the Cruel reproached one of his knights
for not complying with this custom. ' Sire,' he
replied, ' I should fear lest, having tasted the
sauce, I should covet the bird ! '

The Alcazar formerly extended far beyond its
present limits ; but the ruined towers by the
water-side are all that now remain to mark the
course of the old walls.

Our travellers could not resist one walk through
the matchless cathedral on their way home; but
reserved their real visit to that and to the Giralda
till the following day. The kind Kegentede la
Audiencia and his wife, to whom they had
brought letters of introduction, came to them in
the evening, and arranged various expeditions for
the ensuing week.

Early the next morning the Countess L—

de K- came to fetch one of the party to

the Church of S. Felipe Neri, which, Uke all the
churches of the Oratorians, is beautifully decorated,
and most devoutand reverent in its services. It

100 SEVILLE.

is no easy matter to go on wheels in the streets
of Seville, There are but two or three streets in
which a carriage can go at all, or attempt to turn ;
and so to arrive at any given place, it is generally
necessary to make the circuit of half the town.
In addition to this, the so-called pavement, an-
gular, pointed, and broken, shakes every bone in
one's body. To reach their destination on this
particular morning, our friends had to traverse
the market-place, and make an immense detour
through various squares, passing meanwhile by
several very interesting churches ; but it was all
so much gain to the stranger.

After mass, one of the fathers, who spoke
English, kindly showed them the treasures of his
church, and among other things a beautiful silver-
chased chapel behind the high altar, containing
some exquisite benitieres, crucifixes, and relics.
The wooden crucifixes of Spain, mostly carved by
great men, such as Alonso Caho or Montanes,
are quite wonderfi^il in beauty and force of ex-
pression ; but they are very difficult to obtain.
They have a pretty custom in this church of
offering two turtle doves in a pure white basket
when a child is devoted to the Blessed Virgin,
which are left on the altar, as in the old days of the
Purification, and the white basket is afterwards

SEVILLE. loi

laid up in the chapel. After breakfast the whole
party arrived at the cathedral. How describe
this wonderful building ! To say it is such and
such a height, and such and such a width, that it
has so many columns, and so many chapels, and
so many doors, and so many windows. . . . Why,
Murray has done that far better than anyone
else ! But to understand the cathedral at Seville,
you must know it; you must feel it ; you must
live in it ; you must see it at the moment of the
setting sun, when the light streams in golden
showers through those wonderful painted glass
windows (those chefs-d'oeuvre of Arnold of Flan-
ders), jewelling the curling smoke of the in-
cense still hanging round the choir ; or else go
there in the dim twilight, when the aisles seem to
lengthen out into infinite space, and the only
bright spot is fi*om the ever-burning silver lamps
which hang before the tabernacle.

One of the party, certainly not given to admi-
ration of either churches or CathoHcity, exclaimed
on leaving it : ' It is a place where I could not
help saying my prayers ! ' The good-natured

Canon P showed them all the treasures and

pictures. They are too numerous to describe in
detail ; but some leave an indelible impression.
Among these is Murillo's wonderful ' St. Antony,'

102 SEVILLE.

in the baptistery ; Alonso Cafio's delicious little
' Yirgin and Child ' (called ' Nuestra Seiiora de
Belem ') ; Morales' . ' Dead Christ ; ' a very curious
old Byzantine picture of the Virgin ; and in the
sacristy, the exquisite portraits by Murillo of
St. Leander, Archbishop of Seville, the great
reformer of the Spanish liturgy, whose bones
rest in a silver coffin in the Capilla Keal, and
of St. Isidore, his brother, who succeeded him in
the see, called the ' Excellent Doctor,' and whose
body rests at Leon. Here also is a wonderful
' Descent from the Cross,' by Campana, before
which Murillo used to sit, and say ' he waited till
He was taken down ; ' and here, by his own par-
ticular wish, the great painter is buried. There
is besides a line portrait of S. Teresa ; and
round the handsome chapter-room are a whole
series of beautiful oval portraits by Murillo, and
also one of his best ' Conceptions.' Among the
treasures is the cross made from the gold which
Christopher Columbus brought home from Ame-
rica, and presented to the king ; the keys of
the town given up to Ferdinand by the Moorish
king at the conquest of Seville ; two beautiful
ostensorios of the fifteenth century, covered with
precious stones and magnificent pearls ; beautifiil
Cinquecento reliquaries presented by different

SEVHjLE. ■ 103

Popes ; finely illuminated missals in admirable
preservation ; an exquisitely carved ivory crucifix ;
wonderfiil vestments, heavy with embroidery and
seed-pearls ; the crown of King Ferdinand ; and
last, not least, a magnificent tabernacle altar-fi-ont,
angels and candlesticks, all in solid silver, beau-
tifijl in workmanship and design, used for Corpus
Christi, and other solemn feasts of the Blessed
Sacrament, One asks oneself very often : ' How
came all these treasures to escd,pe the rapacity of
the French spoilers ? '

The Eoyal Chapel contains the body of St.
Ferdinand, the pious conqueror of Seville, which
town, as well as Cordova, he rescued fi:om the
hands of the Moors, after it had been in their
possession 524 years. This pious king, son to
Alphonse, King of Leon, bore witness by his
conduct to the truth of his words on going into
battle : ' Thou, Lord, who searchest the hearts
of men, knowest that I desire but Thy glory, and
not mine.' To his saint-like mother, Berangera,
he owed all the good and holy impressions of his
Ufe. He helped to build the Cathedral of Toledo,
of which he laid the first stone, and, in the midst
of the splendours of the court, led a most ascetic
and penitential life. Seville surrendered to him
in 1249, after a siege of sixteen months, on which

104 SEVILLE.

occasion the Moorish general exclaimed, that
' only a saint, who, by his justice and piety, had
won Heaven over to his interest, could have taken
so strong a city with so small an army.' By the
archbishop's permission, the body of the saint was
exposed for our travellers. It is in a magnifi-
cent silver shrine ; and the features still retain a
remarkable resemblance to his portraits. His
banner, crown, and sword were likewise shown to
them, and the little ivory Yirgin which he always
fastened to the front of his saddle wheji going to
battle. The cedar coffin still remains in which
his body rested previous to its removal to this
more gorgeous shrine. On the three days in the
year when his body is exposed, the troops all
attend the mass, and lower their arms and colours
to the great Christian conqueror. A little stair-
case at the back of the tomb brings you down
into a tiny crypt, where, arranged on shelves, are
the coffins of the beautiful Maria Padilla, of Pedro
the Cruel, and of their two sons : latterly, those of
the children of the Due and Duchesse de Mont-
pensier have been added. Over the altar of the
chapel above hangs a very curious wooden statue
of the Virgin, given to St. Ferdinand by the good
king Louis of France. King Ferdinand adorned
her with a crown of emeralds and a stomacher of

SEVILLE.

105

diamonds, belonging to his mother, on condition
that they should never be removed from the
image.

The organs are among the wonders of this
cathedral, with their thousands of pipes, placed
horizontally, in a fan-like shape. The ' retablo '
at the back of the high altar is a marvel of wood-
carving; and the hundreds of lamps which burn
before the different shrines are all of pure and
massive silver. One is tempted to ask : ' Was it
by men and women like ourselves that cathedrals
such as this were planned and built and fur-
nished ? ' The chapter who undertook it are said
to have deprived themselves even of the necessa-
ries of life to erect a basilica worthy of the name ;
and in this spirit of voluntary poverty and self-
abnegation was it begun and completed. Never
was there a moment when money was so plen-
tiful in England as now, yet where will a cathe-
dral be found built since the fifteenth century ?

At the west end lies Ffernando, son of the great
Christopher Columbus, who himself died at Yal-
ladolid, and is said to rest in the Havana. The
motto on the tomb is simple but touching : —

A. Castilla J a Leon, mundo nuevo dio Colon.

Over this stone, during Holy Week, is placed

io6 SEVILLE.

the ' monumento,' an enormous tabernacle, more
than 100 feet high, which is erected to contain
the Sacred Host on Holy Thursday : when lighted
up, with the magnificent silver custodia, massive
silver candlesticks, and a profusion of flowers and
candles, it forms a ' sepulchre ' unequalled in the
world for beauty and splendour.

Passing at last under the Moorish arch towards
the north-east end of the cathedral, our travellers
found themselves in a beautiful cloistered ' patio,'
full of orange-trees in full blossom, with a magni-
ficent fountain in the centre. In one corner is
the old stone pulpit from which St. Vincent Ferrer,
St. John of Avila, and other saints preached to
the people : an inscription records the fact. Over
the beautiful door which leads into the cathedral
hang various curious emblems : a horn, a croco-
dile, a rod, and a bit, said to represent plenty,
prudence, justice, and temperance. To the left
is the staircase leading to the Columbine Library,
given by Fernando, and containing some very
interesting MSS. of Christopher Columbus. One
book is full of quotations, in his own handwriting,
fi-om the Psalms and the Prophets, proving the
existence of the New World ; another is a plan
of the globe and of the zodiac drawn out by him.
There is also a universal history ,with copious notes.

SEVILLE.

107

in the same bold, clear, fine handwriting ; and a
series of his letters to the king, written in Latin.
Above the book-shelves are a succession of curious
portraits, including those of Christopher Colum-
bus and his son Fernando, which were given by
Louis Philippe to the library ; of Yelasquez ; of
Cardinal Mendoza ; of S. Fernando, by Murillo ;
and of our 'own Cardinal Wiseman, who, a native
of Seville, is held in the greatest love and venera-
tion here. A touching little account of his life
and death has lately been published in Seville by
the talented Spanish author, Don Leon Carbonero
y Sol, with the appropriate heading ' Sicut vita
finis ita.' Our party were also shown the sword
of Fernand Gonsalves, a fine two-edged blade,
which did good service in rescuing Seville fi:om
the Moors.

Eedescending the stairs, our travellers mounted
the beautifiil Moorish tower of the Giralda,
built in the twelfth century by Abu Yusuf Yacub,
who was also the constructor of the bridge of
boats across the Guadalquiver. This tower forms
the great feature in every view of Seville, and is
matchless both fi-om its rich yellow and red-brown
colour, its sunken Moorish decorations, and the
extreme beauty of its proportions. It was ori-
ginally 250 feet high, and built as a minaret,

io8 SEVILLE.

from whence the Muezzin summoned the faithful
to prayers in the mosque hard by ; but Ferdinand
Riaz added another 100 feet, and, fortunately, in
perfect harmony with the original design. He
girdled it with a motto from Proverbs xviii. :
' Nomen Domini fortissima turris.'

The ascent is very easy, being by ramps sloping
gently upwards. The Giralda is under the special
patronage of SS. Justina and Rufina, daughters of
a potter in the town, who suffered martyrdom in
304 for refusing to sell their vessels for the use
of the heathen sacrifices. Sta. Justina expired on
the rack, while Sta. Rufina was strangled. The
figure which crowns the tower is that of Faith,
and is in bronze, and beautifidly carved.

The bells are very fine in tone ; but what re-
pays one for the ascent is the view, not only over
the whole town and neighbourhood, but over
the whole body of the huge cathedral, with its
forest of pinnacles and its wonderfully constructed
roof, which looks massive enough to outlast the
world. The delicate Gothic balustrades are the
home of a multitude of hawks (the Falco tinun-
culoides), who career round and round the beau-
tiful tower, and are looked upon almost as sacred
birds.

The thing which strikes one most in the look

SEVILLE. 109

of the town from hence is the absence of streets.
From their excessive narrowness, they are invisi-
ble at this great height, and the houses seem all
massed together, without any means of egress or
ingress. The view of the setting sun from this
tower is a thing never- to be forgotten ; nor the
effect of it lit up at night, when it seems to hang
like a brilliant chandelier from the dark blue
vault above.

Tired as our travellers were, they could not
resist one short visit that afternoon to the Mu-
seum, and to that wonderftil little room below,
which contains few pictures only, but those few
unrivalled in the world.

Here, indeed, one sees what Murillo could do.
The ' St. Thomas of Yillanueva,' giving alms to
the beggar (called by the painter himself his
own picture) ; the ' St. Francis ' embracing the
crucified Saviour ; the ' St. Antony,' with a lily in
adoration before the infant Jesus ; the 'Nativity ; '
the ' San Felix de Cantalicia,' holding the infant
Saviour in his arms which the Blessed Yirgin is
coming down to receive ; the ' SS. Kufina and Jiis-
tina ; ' and last, not least, the Virgin which earned
him the title of ' El Pintor de las Concepciones.'
Each and all are matchless in taste, in expres-
sion, in feeling; above all, in devotion. It is

no SEVILLE.

impossible to meditate on any one of these mys-
teries in onr Blessed Lord's life without the recol-
lection of one of these pictures rising up instantly
in one's mind, as the purest embodiment of the
love, or the adoration, or the compunction, which
such meditations are meant to call forth : they are
in themselves a prayer.

In the evening one of the party went with the
Regent to call on the venerable Cardinal Arch-
bishop, whose fine palace is exactly opposite the
east front of the cathedral. It was very sad to
wind up that fine staircase, and see him in that
noble room, groping his way, holding on by the
wall, for he is quite blind. It is hoped, however,
that an operation for cataract, which is contem-
plated, may be successfdl. He was most kind, and
gave the English stranger a place in the choir of
the cathedral for the Processional services of the
Holy Week and Easter — a great favour, generally
only accorded to royalty, and of which the lady
did not fail to take advantage. M. Leon Carbo-
nero y Sol, the author and clever editor of the
' Crux,' paid them a visit that evening. By his
energy and perseverance this monthly periodical
has been started at Seville, which is an event in
this non-literary country; and he has written
several works, both biographical and devotional,

SEVILLE.

II I

which deserve a wider reputation than they have
yet obtained.

The following day, being Wednesday in Holy
Week, the whole party returned to the cathedral,
to see the impressive and beautiful ceremony of
the Rending of the White Veil, and the ' Rocks
being rent,' at the moment when that passage is
chanted in the Gospel of the Passion. The effect
was very fine ; and all the more, fi:-om the sombre
light of the cathedral, every window in which
was shaded by black curtains, and every picture
and image shrouded in black.* At vespers, the
canons, as at Cadiz, knelt prostrate before the
altar, and were covered with the black red-cross
flag. At four o'clock our travellers went to the
Audiencia, where the Regent and his kind wife
had given them all seats to see the processions.
How are these to be described? They are certainly
appreciated by the people themselves ; but they
are not suited to English taste, especially in the
glare of a Seville sun : and unless representations
of the terrible and awfiil events connected with
our Lord's Passion be depicted with the skill of a
great artist, they become simply intensely painful.
The thing which was touching and beautiful was

* Faber says very beautifully : ' Passion-tide veils tbe face of the
crucifix, only that it may be more vivid in our hearts.'

112 SEVILLE.

the orderly arrangement of the processions them-
selves, and the way in which men of the highest
rank, of royal blood, and of the noblest orders, did
not hesitate to walk for hours through the dusty,
crowded, burning streets for three successive
days, with the sole motive of doing honour to
their Lord, whose badge they wore. To show
the importance attached by the good people
of Seville to this portion of the Holy Week
services, the programme is inserted verbatim in
the Appendix.

The processions invariably ended by pass-
ing through the cathedral and stopping for
some minutes in the open space between the
high altar and the choir. The effect of the
brilliant mass of light thrown by thousands of
wax tapers, as the great unwieldy catafalque
was borne through the profound darkness of the
long aisles, was beautiful in the extreme ; and
representations which looked gaudy in the sun-
shine were mellowed and softened by the contrast
with the night. The best were ' The Sacred
Infancy,' the ' Bearing of the Cross,' and the
' Descent from the Cross.' In all, the figures were
the size of life, and these three were beautifrilly
and naturally designed. Less pleasing to English
eyes, in spite of their wonderful splendour, were

SEVILLE. 113

those of the Blessed Yirgin, decked out in gorgeous
velvet robes, embroidered in gold, and covered
with jewels, with lace pocket-handkerchiefs in the
hand, and all the paraphernalia of a fine lady
of the nineteenth century ! It is contrary to our
purer taste, which thinks of her as represented in
one of Raphael's chaste and modest pictures, with
the simple robe and headdress of her land and
people ; or else in the glistening white marble,
chosen by our late beloved Cardinal as the fittest
material for a representation of her in his ' Ex
Yoto,' and which speaks of the spotless purity of
her holy life. Leaving the house of the Regent,
the party made their way with difficulty through
the dense crowd to the cathedral, where the
Tenebree began, followed by the Miserere, beau-
tifiilly and touchingly sung, without any organ
accompaniments, at the high altar. It was as if
the priests were pleading for their people's sins
before the throne of Grod. The next day was
spent altogether in these solemn Holy Thurs-
day services. After early communion at the fine
Church of S. Maria Magdalena, thronged, like all
the rest, with devout worshippers, our party went
to high mass at the cathedral, after which the
Blessed Sacrament, according to custom, was car-
ried to the gigantic ' monumento,' or sepulchre,

114 SEVILLE.

before mentioned, erected at the west door of
the cathedral, and dazzling with light. Then
came the 'Cena'in the archbishop's palace, at
which his blindness prevented his officiating;
and then our travellers went round the town to
visit the ' sepulchres ' in the different churches,
one more beautiful than the other, and thronged
with such kneeling crowds, that going from one
to the other was a matter of no small difficulty.
The heat also increased the fatigue ; and here, as
at Palermo, no carriages are allowed from Holy
Thursday till Easter Day : everyone must per-
form these pious pilgrimages on foot. At half-
past two, they went back to the cathedral for
the Washing of the Feet. An eloquent sermon
followed, and then began the Tenebrse and the
Miserere as before, with the entry of the proces-
sions between : the whole lasted till half-past
eleven at night.

Good Friday was as solemn as the same day is
at Kome or at Jerusalem. The Adoration of the
Cross in the cathedral was very fine : but women
were not allowed to kiss it as in the Holy City.
After that was over, some of the party, by the
kind invitation of the Due and Duchesse de
Montpensier, went to their private chapel, at St.
Elmo, for the ' Tre Ore d' Agonie,' being from

SEVILLE. lis

twelve to three o'clock, or the hours when our
Saviour hung upon the cross. It was a most
striking and impressive service. The beautifal
chapel was entirely hung with black, and pitch
dark. On entering, it was impossible to see one's
way among the kneeling figures on the floor, all,
of course, in deep mourning. The sole light was
very powerfully thrown on a most beautiful pic-
ture of the Crucifixion, in which the figures were
the size of life. The sermon, or rather meditation
on the seven words of our Lord on the cross, was
preached by the superior of the oratory of S.
Felipe Neri, a man of great eloquence and per-
sonal holiness. It would be impossible to exag-
gerate the beauty and pathos of two of these
meditations ; the one on the charity of our
Blessed Lord, the other on His desolation. A
long low sob burst firom the hearts of his hearers
at the conclusion of the latter. The waiHng
minor music between was equally beautifid and
appropriate ; it was as the lament of the angels
over the lost, in spite of the tremendous sacrifice !
At half-past three, the party returned to the
cathedral, where the services lasted till nine in
the evening, and then came home in the state of
mind and feeling so wonderfiiUy represented by
De la Koche, in the last portion of his ' Good

I 2

ii6 SEVILLE.

Friday ' picture. Beautifully does Faber exclaim :
' The hearts of the saints, like sea-shells, murmur •
of the Passion evermore.'

The Holy Saturday functions began soon after
five the next morning, and were as admirably
conducted as all the rest. Immense praise was
due to the ' maestro de ceremonias,' who had
arranged services so varied and so complicated
with such perfect order and precision : and the
conduct of the black-veiled kneeling multitude
throughout was equally admirable ; one and all
seemed absorbed by the devotions of the time
and season.

That evening, the Yigil of Easter, was spent in
the cathedral by some of our party in much the
same manner as they had done on a preceding one
in the Holy City two years before. The night
was lovely. The moon was streaming through
the cloisters on the orange-trees of the beautiful
' patio,' across which the Giralda threw a deep
sharp shadow, the silver light catching the tips of
the arches, and shining with almost startling
brightness on the ' Pieta ' in the little wayside
chapel at the south entrance of the court. All
spoke of beauty, and of peace, and of rest, and of
stillness, and of the majesty of God. Inside the
church were groups of black or veiled figures,

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Doorway of Cathedral at Seville.

SEVILLE. 117

mostly women (were not women the first at the
sepulchre ?), kneeling before the tabernacle, or by\
the little lamps burning here and there in the
side chapels. Each heart was pouring forth its
secret burden of sorrow or of sin into the Sacred
Heart which had been so lately pierced to receive
it. At two in the morning matins began, ' Haec
dies quam fecit Dominus ;' and after matins a mag-
nificent Te Deum, pealed forth by those gigantic
organs, and sung by the whole strength of the choir
and by the whole body of voices of the crowd,
which by that time had filled every available kneel-
ing space in the vast cathedral. Then came a
procession ; all the choristers in red cassocks, with
Avhite cottas and little gold diadems. High mass
followed, and then low masses at all the side
altars, with hundreds of communicants, and the
Eussian salutation of 'Christ is risen!' on every
tongue. It was ' a night to be remembered,' as
indeed was all this Holy Week : and now people
seemed too happy to speak ; joy says short words
and few ones. Many have asked : ' Is it equal to
Jerusalem or Kome ? ' In point of services, 'Yes;'
in point of interest, ' No : ' for the presence of the
Holy Father in the one place, and the vividness
of recollection which the actual scenes of our
Blessed Lord's Passion inspires in the other, must

ii8 SEVILLE.

ever make the Holy and Eternal Cities things
apart and sacred from all besides. But nowhere
else can ' fonctions ' be seen in such perfection
or with such solemnity as at Seville. Everything
is reverently and well done, and nothing has
changed in the ceremonial for the last 300 years.
A domestic sorrow had closed the palace of the
Due and Duchesse de Montpensier as far as their
receptions were concerned ; but they kindly gave .
our party permission to see both house and
gardens, which well deserve a visit. The palace it-
self reminded them a little of the Due d'Aumale's
at Twickenham : not in point of architecture,
but in its beautiful and interesting contents ; in
its choice collections of pictures, and books, and
works of art, and in the general tone which per-
vaded the whole. There are two exquisite Mu-
rillos ; a ' St. Joseph ' and a ' Holy Family ; ' a
Divino Morales ; a ' Pieta ; ' some beautiful Zur-
barans ; and sonie very clever and characteristic
sketches by Goya. They have some curious his-
torical portraits also, and some very pretty modern
pictures. The rooms and passages abound in
beautiftil cabinets, rare china, sets of armour,
African trappings, and Oriental costumes. In
the snug low rooms looking on the garden, and
reminding one of Sion or of Chiswick, there are

SEVILLE. 119

little fountains in the centre of each, combining
Oriental luxury and freshness with European
comfort. The gardens are delicious. They con-
tain a magnificent specimen of the ' palma regis,'
and quantities of rare and beautiful shrubs ; also
an aviary of curious and scarce birds. You
wander for ever through groves of orange, and
palms, and aloes, and under trellises covered with
luxuriant creepers and clustering roses, with a
feeling of something like envy at the climate,
which seems to produce everything with com-
paratively little trouble or culture. To be sure
there is 'le revers de la medaille,' when the
scorching July sun has burnt up all this lovely
vegetation. But the spring in the garden of St.
Elmo is a thing to dream about.

From this enjoyable palace our party went
on to visit 'Pilate's House,' so called because
built by Don Enrique de Eibera, of the exact
proportions of the original, in commemoration
of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519. It is
now the property of the Duque de Medina
Sidonia. Passing into a cool ' patio,' you see
a black cross, marking the first of the stations
of a very famous Yia Crucis, which begins here
and ends at the Cruz del Campo outside the
town. There is a pretty little chapel opening out

120 SEVILLE.

of the ' patio,' ornamented with Alhambra work,
as is all the rest of this lovely little moresque
palace. It is a thorough bit of Damascus, with
its wonderful arabesqued ceilings, and lace-like
carvings on the walls and staircases, and clois-
tered ' patios,' and marble floors and fountains.
Behind is a little garden full of palms, orange-
trees, and roses in fall flower, and, at the time
our travellers saw it, carpeted with Neapolitan
violets; quaint low hedges, as in the Alcazar
gardens, divided the beds, and broken sculpture
lay here and there.

One of the great treasures of Seville had
yet been unvisited by our party, and that was
the Lonja, formerly the Exchange, a noble
work of Herrera's. It stands between the cathe-
dral and the Alcazar, and is built in the shape
of a great quadrangle, each side being about
200 feet wide. Ascending the fine marble stair-
case, they came to the long ' sala ' containing
the famous 'Indian Archives,' that is, all the
letters and papers concerning the discovery of
South America. There are thousands of MS.
letters, beautifully arranged and docketed; and
among them the autographs of Fernando Cortes,
Pizarro, Magellan, Americo Yespuzio (who could
not write his own name, and signed with a mark),

SEVILLE. J 21

Fra Bartolomeo de las Cazas, and many others.
There is also the original Bull of the Pope,
granting the new South American discoveries
to the Spaniards ; and another, defining the
rights between the Spaniards, and the Portuguese
in the matter of the conquered lands. The
librarian, a very intelligent and good-natured
personage, also showed them a curious list, sent
home and signed by Fernando Cortes, of the
silks, painted calabashes, feathers, and costumes
presented by him to the king ; and a quantity of
autograph letters of Charles Y., Ferdinand and
Isabella, and of Philip FV^. Fernando Cortes died
at Castilleja, on December 3, 1547, and the fol-
lowing day his body was transported to the family
vault of the Duque de Medina Sidonia, in the
monastery of San Isidoro del Campo. The Due
de Montpensier has purchased the house, and
made a collection of everything belonging to the
great discoverer, including his books, his letters,
various objects of natural history, and some very
curious portraits, not only of Cortes himself, but
of Christopher Columbus, Pizarro, Magellan, the
Marques del Yalle (of the SiciKan family of
Monteleone), Bernal Diaz, Velasquez, of the his-
torian of the conquest of Mexico, Don Antonio
Solis, and many others.

122 SEVILLE.

In the afternoon, the Marques de P called

for our travellers to take them to the University,
and to introduce them to the rector and to the
librarian, whose name was the well-deserved one
of Don Jose Bueno, a most clever and agree-
able man, whose pure Castilian accent made his
Spanish perfectly intelligible to his English visi-
tors. He very good-naturedly undertook to show
them all the most interesting MSS. himself,
together with some beautiful missals, rare first
editions of various classical works, and some
very clever etchings of Goya's of bull fights and
ladies — the latter of doubtfiil propriety. In the
church belonging to the University are some fine
pictures by Eoelas and Alonso Caho, some beau-
tifiil carvings by Montanes, and several very fine
monuments. In the rector's own room is a mag-
nificent ' St. Jerome,' by Lucas Kranach, the
finest work of that artist that exists. There are
1,200 students in this University, which rivals
that of Salamanca in importance.

Taking leave of the kind librarian, the Marques
de P went on to show them a private collec-
tion of pictures belonging to the Marques Cessera,
Amidst a quantity of rubbish were a magnificent
' Crucifixion,' by Alonso Cano ; a Crucifix, painted
on wood, by Murillo, for an infirmary, and con-

SEVILLE. 123

cealed by a Franciscan during the French oc-
cupation in 1812 ; a Zurbaran, with his own
signature in the corner ; and, above all, a ' Christ
bound with the Crown of Thorns,' by Murillo,
which is the gem of the whole collection, and
perfectly beautiful both in colouring and expres-
sion.

Coming home, they went to see the house to
which Murillo was taken after his accident at
Cadiz, and where he finally died ; also the site of
his original burial, before his body was removed
to the cathedral where it now rests.

But one of the principal charms of our tra-
vellers' residence in Seville has not yet been
mentioned ; and that was their acquaintance,
through the kind Bishop of Antinoe, with Fer-
nan Caballero. She may be called the Lady
Georgiana FuUerton of Spain, in the sense of
refinement of taste and catholicity of feeling.
But her works are less what are commonly called
novels than pictures of home life in Spain, like
Hans Andersen's ' Improvisatore,' or Tourgeneff's
' Scenes de la Yie en Kussie.'

This charming lady, by birth a German on the
father's side, and by marriage connected with all
the ' bluest blood ' in Spain, lives in apartments
given her by the queen in the palace of the

1 24 SEVILLE.

Alcazar. Great trials and sorrows have not
dimmed the fire of her genius or extinguished
one spark of the loving charity which extends
itself to all that suffer. Her tenderness towards
animals, unfortunately a rare virtue in Spain, is
one of her marked characteristics. She has
lately been striving to establish a society in
Seville for the prevention of cruelty to animals,
after the model of the London one, and often
told one of our party that she never left her
home without praying that she might not see
or hear any ill-usage to God's creatures. She is
no longer young, but still preserves traces of a
beauty which in former years made her the ad-
miration of the court. Her playfulness and wit,
always tempered by a kind thoughtfulness for
the feelings of others, and her agTceableness in
conversation, seem only to have increased with
lengthened experience of people and things.
Nothing was pleasanter than to sit in the corner
of her little drawing-room, or, still better, in her
tiny study, and hear her pour out anecdote after
anecdote of Spanish life and Spanish peculiarities,
especially among the poor. But if one wished
to excite her, one had but to touch on questions
regarding her faith and the so-called ' progress '
of her country. Then all her Andalusian blood

SEVILLE. 125

would be roused, aud she would declaim for
hours in no measured terms against the spolia-
tion of the monasteries, those centres of education
and civilisation in the villages and outlying
districts ; against the introduction of schools
without religion, and colleges without faith ; and
the propagation of infidel opinions through the
current literature of the day.

Previous acquaintance with the people had al-
ready made some of our travellers aware of the
justice of many of her remarks. Catholicism in
Spain is not merely the religion of the people ;
it is their life. It is so mixed up with their
common expressions and daily habits, that, at
first, there seems to a stranger almost an irre-
verence in their ways. It is not till you get
thoroughly at home, both with them and their
language, that you begin to perceive that holy
familiarity, if one may so speak, with our Divine
Lord and His Mother which impregnates their
lives and colours all their actions. Theirs is a
world of traditions, which familiarity firom the
cradle have turned into faith, and for that faith
they are ready to die. Ask a Spanish peasant
why she plants rosemary in her garden? She
will directly tell you that it was on a rosemary-
bush that the Blessed Virgin hung our Saviour's

126 SEVILLE.

clothes out to dry as a baby. Why will a
Spaniard never shoot a swallow? Because it
was a swallow that tried to pluck the thorns out
of the crown of Christ as He hung on the cross.
Why does the owl no longer sing ? Because he
was by when our Saviour expired, and since then
his only cry is ' Crux ! crux ! ' Why are dogs
so often called Melampo in Spain? Because it
was the name of the dog of the shepherds who
worshipped at the manger at Bethlehem. What
is the origin of the red rose ? A drop of the
Saviour's blood fell on the white roses growing
at the foot of the cross — and so on, for ever !
Call it folly, superstition — what you will. You
will never eradicate it from the heart of the
people, for it is as their flesh and blood, and
their whole habits of thought, manners and cus-
toms, run in the same groove. They have, like
the Italians, a wonderful talent for ' improvis-
ing ' both stories and songs ; but the same beau-
tiful thread of tender piety runs through the
whole.

One day, Fernan Caballero told them, an old
beggar was sitting on the steps of the Alcazar :
two or' three children, tired of play, came and sat
by him, and asked him, child-like, for ' a story.'
He answered as follows : — ' There was once a

SEVILLE. Ill

hermit, who lived in a cave near the sea. He
was a very good and charitable man, and he
heard that in a village on the mountain above
there was a very bad fever, and that no one
would go and nurse the people for fear of infec-
tion. So up he toiled, day after day, to tend the
sick, and look after their wants. At last he
began to get tired, and to think it would be far
better if he were to move his hermitage up the
hill, and save himself the daily toil. As he walked
up one day, turning this idea, over in his mind,
he heard some one behind him saying : " One,
two, three." He looked round, and saw no one.
He walked on, and again heard : " Four, five, six,
seven." Turning short round this time, he be-
held one in white and glistening * raiment, who
gently spoke as follows : " I am your guardian
angel, and am counting the steps which you take
for Christ's poorP '

The children understood the drift of it as well
as you or I, reader ! and this is a sample of their
daily talk. Then- reverence for age is also a
striking and touching characteristic. The poorest
beggar is addressed by them as ' tio ' or ' tia,'
answering to our ' daddy ' or ' granny ;' and should
one pass their cottage as they are sitting down
to their daily meal, they always rise and offer him

128 SEVILLE.

a place, and ask him to say grace for them,
'echar la benedicion.' They are indeed a most
loveable race, and their very pride increases one's
respect for them. Often in their travels did one
of the party lose her way, either in going to some
distant church in the early morning, or in visiting
the sick ; and often was she obliged to have
recourse to her bad 'Spanish to be put in the
right road. An invariable courtesy, and gene-
rally an insistence on accompanying her home,
was the result. But if any money or fee were
offered for the service, the indignant refusal, or,
still worse, the hurt look which the veriest child
would put on at what it considered the height
of insult and unkindness, very soon cured her of
renewing the attempt.

Another touching trait in their character is
their intense reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.
In the great ceremonies of the church, or when
It is passing down the street to a sick person, the
same veneration is shown. One day, one of the
English ladies was buying some photographs in
a shop, and the tradesman was explaining to her
the different prices and sizes of each, when, all of
a sudden, he stopped short, exclaiming : ' Sua
Maesta viene ! ' and leaving the astonished lady
at the counter, rushed out of his shop-door. She,

SEVILLE. 1 29

thinking it was the royalties, who were then at
the Alcazar, went out too to look, when, to her
pleasure and surprise, she saw the shopman and
all the rest of the world, gentle and simple,
kneeling reverently in the mud before the mes-
senger of the Great King, who was bearing the
Host to a dying man. On the day when It is
carried processionally to the hospitals (one of
which is the first Sunday after Easter), every
window and balcony is ' parata,' or hung with red,
as in Italy at the passage of the Holy Father ;
everyone throws flowers and bouquets on the
baldachino, and that to such an extent that the
choir-boys are forced to carry great clothes-bas-
kets to receive them : the people declare that the
very horses kneel ! The Feast of Corpus Christi
was unfortunately not witnessed by our travellers.
Calderon, in his ' Autos Sacramentales,' speaking
of it, says : —

Que en el gran dia de Dios,
Quien no esta loco, no es cuerdo !

Here is indeed ' a voice from the land of Faith.'
The choir on the occasion dance before the Host
a dance so solemn, so suggestive, and so peculiar,
that no one who has witnessed it can speak of it
without emotion. Fernan Caballero talked much
also of the great purity of morals among the

K

^30 SEVILLE.

peasantry. Infanticide, that curse of England, is
absolutely unknown in Spain ; whether from the
number of foundling hospitals, or from what other
reasons, we leave it to the political economists to
discover. A well-known Spanish writer describes
the women as having 'Corazones delectos, minas
de amores,' and being ' puros y santos modelos de
esposas y de madres.' (Exceptional hearts, mines
of love, and being pure and holy models of wives
and mothers.) They are also wonderfully cleanly,
both in their houses and their persons. There
are never any bad smells in the streets or lodg-
ings. Fleas abound from the great heat ; but no
other vermin is to be met with either in the inns,
or beds, or in visiting among the sick poor, in
all of which they form a marked contrast to the
Italian peasantry, and, I fear we must add, to the
English !

Their courtesy towards one another is also
widely different from the ordinary gruff, boorish
intercourse of our own poor people ; and the very
refusal to a beggar, ' Perdone, Usted, por Dios,
hermano !'* speaks of the same gentle considera-
tion for the feelings of their neighbours which
characterises the race and emanates from that
divine charity which dwells not only on their

* ' Forgive me, for the love of God, brother ! '

SEVILLE. 131

lips but in their hearts. One peculiarity in their
conversation has not yet been alluded to, and that
is their passion for proverbs. They cannot frame
a sentence without one, and they are mostly such
as illustrate the kindly, trustful, pious nature of
the people. 'Haz lo bien, y no mira a quien! (Do
good, and don't look to whom.) ' Quien no es
agradecido, no es hien nacido! (He who is not
courteous is not well born.) ' Oosa cumplida solo
en la otra vida.^ (The end of all things is only
seen in the future life.) And so on ad infinitum.

No description of Seville would be complete
without mention of the 'patio,' so important a
feature in every Andalusian house ; and no
words can be so good for the purpose as those
of Fernan Caballero, which we translate almost
literally from her ' Familia de Alvareda.'

' The house was spacious and scrupulously
clean ; on each side of the door was a bench of
stone. In the porch hung a little lamp before
the image of our Lord, in a niche over the
entrance, according to the Catholic custom of
placing all things under holy protection. In
the middle was the " patio," a necessity to the
Andalusian ; and in the centre of this spacious
court, an enormous orange-tree raised its leafy
head from its robust and clean trunk. For an

k2

132 SEVILLE.

infinity of generations had this beautiful tree
been a source of delight to the family. The
women made tonic concoctions of its leaves, the
daughters adorned themselves with its flowers,
the boys cooled their blood with its fi-uits, the
birds made their home in its boughs. The rooms
opened out of the " patio," and borrowed their
light fi-om thence. This " patio " was the centre
of all — the " home," the place of gathering when
the day's work was over. The orange-tree loaded
the air with its heavy perfame, and the waters of
the fountain fell in soft showers on the marble
basin, fringed with the delicate maiden-hair fern ;
and the father, leaning against the tree, smoked
his " cigarro de papel ; " and the mother sat at her
work ; while the little ones played at her feet, the
eldest resting his head on a big dog, which lay
stretched at fall length on the cool marble slabs.
All was still, and peaceftil, and beautiful.'

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ITALIGA.

133

CHAPTER YII. '

EXCURSIONS NEAR SEVILLE.

The excursions in the neighbourhood of Seville
are full of beauty and interest of various kinds.
One of the first undertaken by our travellers was
to the ruins of Italica, the ancient Seville, for-
merly an important Roman city, and the birth-
place of Trajan and of Adrian. In the church,
half convent and half fortress, are two very fine
statues of St. Isidore and St. Jerome, by Monta-
nes. Here St. Isidore began his studies. He was
hopelessly dull and slow, and was tempted to
give up the whole thing in despair, when one day,
being in a brown study, his eye fell on an old
well, the marble sides of which were worn into
grooves by the continual fi*iction of the cord
which let down the bucket. 'If a cord can thus
indent marble,' he said to himself, ' why should
not constant study and perseverance make an

134 ITALIGA.

impression on my mind ? ' His resolution was
taken, and he became the light of his age and
country. The well which gave him this useful
lesson is still shown near the south door of the
church. Here also is the monument of Dona
Uraca Osorio, a lady who was burnt to death
by order of King Pedro the Cruel, for having
resisted his addresses. The flames having con-
sumed the lower part of her dress, her faithful
maid rushed into the fire, and died in endea-
vouring to conceal her mistress. In the sa-
cristy is a very curious Byzantine picture of the
Virgin. Leaving the church, our party went on
to the amphitheatre, which has recently been ex-
cavated, and must have contained ten or twelve
thousand people. A fine mosaic has lately been
discovered, which evidently formed part of the
ancient pavement. The custode was a charac-
ter, and lived in a primitive little cabin at the
entrance of the circus : a moss bed and a big cat
seemed the only fiirniture. He was very proud of
his tiny garden, poor old man ! and of his wall-
flowers, of which he gave the ladies a large bunch,
together with a few silver coins which had been
dug up in the excavations.

On their way home they passed by a cemetery
in which was a very beautiful, though simple.

ITALICA. 135

marble cross. On it were engraved these three
lines : —

Creo en Dios.

Espero en Dios.

Amo a Dios.

It was the grave of a poor boy, the only son of a
widow. He was not exactly an idiot, but what
people call a 'natural.' Good, simple, humble,
everyone loved him; but no one could teach
him anything. His intelligence was in some way
at fault. He could remember nothing. In vain
the poor mother put him first to school, and then
to a trade ; he could not learn. At last, in despair,
she took him to a neighbouring monastery, and
implored the abbot, who was a most charitable
holy man, to take him in and keep him as a lay
brother. Touched by her grief, the abbot con-
sented, and the boy entered the convent. There,
all possible pains were taken with him by the
good monks to give him at least some ideas of
rehgion ; but he could remember nothing but
these three sentences. Still, he was so patient,
so laborious, and so good, that the community
decided to keep him. When he had finished his
hard out-of-door work, instead of coming in to
rest, he would go straight to the church, and there
remain on his knees for hours. ' But what does he

136 THE CABTUGHA.

do ? ' exclaimed one of the novices. ' He does
not know how to pray. He neither understands
the office, nor the sacraments, nor the ceremonies
of the Church.' They therefore hid themselves
in a side chapel, close to where he always knelt,
and watched him when he came in. Devoutly
kneeling, with his hands clasped, his eyes fastened
on the tabernacle, he did nothing but repeat over
and over again : ' Creo en Dios ; espero en Dios ;
amo a Dios.' One day he was missing : they went
to his cell, and found him dead on the straw, with
his hands joined and an expression of the same
ineffable peace and joy they had remarked on his
face when in church. They buried him in this
quiet cemetery, and the abbot caused these words
to be graven on his cross. Soon, a lily was seen
flowering by the grave, where no one had sown
it ; the grave was opened, and the root of the
flower was found in the heart of the orphan boy.*
Another morning our party visited the Car-
tucha, the once magnificent Carthusian convent,
with its glorious ruined church and beautiful and
extensive orange-gardens. Now all is deserted.
The only thing remaining of the church is a fine
west wall and rose-window, with a chapel which
the proprietor has preserved for the use of his
workpeople, and in the choir of which are some

* This anecdote is from tlie lips of Fernan Caballero.

THE GABTUCHA. 137

finely carved wooden stalls : the rest have been
removed to Cadiz, where they form the great
ornament of the cathedral. Here and there are
some fine ' azulejos,' and a magnificently carved
doorway, speaking of glories long since departed.
This convent, once the very centre of all that was
most cultivated and literary in Spain, a museum
of painting, architecture, and sculpture, is now
converted into a porcelain manufactory, where
a good-natured Englishman has run up a tall
chimney, and makes ugly cheap pots and pans to
suit the taste and pockets of the Sevillians. Oh
for this age of ' progress ' ! It is fair to say that
the proprietor, who kindly accompanied the party
over the building, and into the beautiful gar-
dens, and to the ruined pagoda or summer-house,
lamented that no encouragement was given by
the Spanish nobles of the present day to any
species of taste or beauty in design, and that his
attempts to introduce a higher class of china, in
imitation of Minton's, had met with decided
failure; no one would buy anything so dear.
They had imported English workmen and mo-
dellers in the first instance ; but he said that the
Spaniards were apt scholars, and had quickly
learned the trade, so that his workmen are now
almost exclusively fi:om the country itself The
only pretty thing our travellers could find, and

138 ALJABAFA.

which was kindly presented to one of the party,
was one of the cool picturesque-shaped bottles
made, like the ' goolehs ' of Egypt, of porous clay,
which maintains the coldness and freshness of any
liquid poured into it.

Among the many charming expeditions from
Seville, is one to Castilleja (the village before
alluded to as the scene of the death of Fernan
Cortes), through the fertile plains and vineyards
of Aljarafa. Here begins the region which the
Komans called the Gardens of Hercules. It pro-
duces one of the best and rarest wines in Spain :
the plants having been originally brought from
Flanders by a poor soldier named Pedro Ximenes,
who discovered that the Rhine vines, when trans-
planted to the sunny climate of Andalusia, lose
their acidity, and yield the luscious fruit which
still bears his name. In the centre of this fer-
tile plain stands a small house and garden, to
which is attached one of those tales of crime,
divine vengeance, and godlike forgiveness, which
are so characteristic of the people and country.
About twenty years ago it was inhabited by a
family consisting of a man named Juan Pedro
Alfaro, with his wife, and a son of nineteen or
twenty. Their quiet and peaceable lives were
spent in cultivating their vineyard and selling its

ALJABAFA.

^39

produce in the neighbouring town. They were
good and respectable people, living in peace with
their neighbours, and perfectly contented with
their occupation and position. One thing only
was felt as a grievance. A lawyer, of the cha-
racter of the ' Attorney Case ' in our childhood's
story, had lately started an obnoxious new tax on
every cargo of wine brought into the city ; and
this tax, being both unjust and illegal, they re-
solved to dispute. One day, therefore, when the
good man and his son were driving their mules
to market with their fruity burden, they were
stopped by the attorney, who demanded the usual
payment. The younger man firmly, but respect-
fully, refused, stating his reasons. The attorney
tried first fair words, and then foul, without
effect, upon which he vowed to be revenged.
The son, pointing to his Albacetan poniard, on
which was the inscription, ' I know how to de-
fend my master,' defied his vengeance; and so
they parted.

But never again was the poor wife and mother's
heart gladdened by the sight of their returning
faces. In vain she waited, hour after hour, that
first terrible evening. The mules returned, but
masterless. Then, beside herself with fear, the
poor woman rushed off to the town to make

140 ALJARAFA.

enquiries as to their fate. No one knew any-
thing further than that they had been at Seville
the day before, had sold their wine for a good
price, and been seen, as usual, returning cheer-
fully home. She then went to the Audiencia, or
legal supreme court of the city, where the ma-
gistrates, touched by her tale, and alarmed also
at the disappearance of the men, who were known
throughout the country for their high character
and respectability, caused a rigorous search to
be made in the whole neighbourhood ; but in
vain. No trace of them could be discovered.
By degrees, the excitement in the town on the
subject passed away, and the poor muleteers
were forgotten ; but in the heart of the widowed
mother there could be no rest and no peace.
The mystery in which their fate was involved
was so inexplicable that the hope of their re-
turn, however faint, would not die out ; and for
twenty years she spent her life and her sub-
stance in seeking for her lost loved ones. At
last, reduced to utter misery, and worn out both
in mind and body, she was forced to beg her
daily bread of the charity of the peasants : the
' bolsa de Dios,' as the people poetically call it,
a ' bolsa ' which, to do the Spaniards justice, is
never empty. The little children would bring

ALJABAFA. 141

her eggs and pennies ; the fathers and husbands
would give her a corner by the ' brasero ' in
winter, or under the vine-covered treUis in sum-
mer; the wives and mothers knew what had
brought her to such misery, and had ever an
extra loaf or a dish of ' garbanzos ' set aside for
the 'Madre Ana,' as she was called by the
villagers. She, humble, prayerful, hopeM, ever
grateful for the least kindness, and willing in any
way to oblige others, at last fell dangerously ill.
The cure, who had been striving to calm and
soothe that sorely tried soul, was one day leaving
her cottage, when his attention was attracted by
a crowd of people, with the mayor at their head,
who were hurrying towards an olive wood near
the village. He followed, and, to his horror,
found that the cause of the sensation was the
discovery of two human skeletons under an olive-
tree, the finger of one of which was pointing
through the earth to heaven, as if for vengeance.
The mayor ordered the earth to be removed :
the surgeon examined the bodies, and gave it as
his opinion that they must have been dead many
years. But on examining the clothes, a paper
was found which a waterproof pocket had pre-
served fi-om decay. The attorney, who was like-
wise present, seized it; but no sooner had his

142 ALJABAFA.

eyes lighted on the words, than he fell backwards
in a swoon. ' What is the matter ? what has he
read ? ' exclaimed the bystanders as with one
voice. 'It is a certificate such as used to be
carried by our muleteers/ exclaimed the mayor,
taking the paper fi:'om the lawyer's hand; and
opening it, he read out loud the following words :
' Pass for Juan Pedro Alfaro.'

Here, then, was the unravelling of the terrible
mystery : the men had evidently been murdered
on their way home. The attorney recovered
from his fainting fit, but fever followed, and in his
delirium he did nothing but exclaim : ' It is not
I ! — my hands are fi-ee fi:om blood. It is Juan
Cano and Joseph Salas.' These words, repeated
by the people, caused the arrest of the two men
named, who no sooner found themselves in the
hands of justice than they confessed their crime,
and described how, having been excited to do so
by the attorney, they had shot both Juan Alfaro
and his son, fi:om behind some olive-trees, on
their way home firom market, had robbed, and
afterwards buried them in the place where the
bodies had been found. Sentence of death was
passed upon the murderers, while the attorney
was condemned to hard labour for life, and to
witness, with a rope round his neck, the execu-

ALJABAFA. 143

tion of his accomplices in the fatal deed. The
poor ' Madre Ana ' had hardly recovered from
her severe illness when these terrible events
transpired. The indignation of the peasantry,
and their compassion for her, knew no bounds :
they would have torn the attorney in pieces if
they could. The widow herself, overwhelmed
with grief at this confirmation of her worst fears,
remained silent as the grave. At last, when
those around her were breathing nothing but
maledictions on the heads of the murderers, and
counting the days to the one fixed for the execu-
tion of their sentence, she suddenly spoke, and
asked that the cure should be sent for. He at
once obeyed the summons. She raised herself in
the bed with some effort, and then said : ' My
father, is it not true that, if pardon be implored
for a crime by the one most nearly related to the
victims, the judges generally mitigate the severity
of the punishment ? ' He repHed in the affirma-
tive. ' Then to-morrow,' she replied, ' I will go
to Seville.' ' God bless you! my daughter,' re-
plied the old priest, much moved ; ' the pardon
you have so freely given in your heart will be
more acceptable to God than the deaths of these
men.' A murmur of surprise and admiration,
and yet of hearty approval, passed through the

144 ALJARAFA.

lips of the bystanders. The next day, mounted
carefully by the peasants on their best mule,
the poor widow arrived at the Audiencia. Her
entrance caused a stir and an emotion in the
whole court. Bent with age, and worn with
sickness and misery, she advanced in front of the
judges, who, seeing her extreme weakness, in-
stantly ordered a comfortable chair to be brought
for her. But the effort had been too much ; she
could not speak. The judge then addressing her,
said : ' Seiiora, is it true that you are come to
plead for the pardon of Juan Caho and Joseph
Salas, convicted of the assassination of your
husband and son? and also for the pardon of
the lawyer, who, by his instigation, led them
to commit the crime ? ' She bowed her head in
token of assent. A murmur of admiration and
pity spread through the court ; and a relation of
the lawyer's, who saw his family thus rescued
from the last stage of degradation, eagerly bent
forward, exclaiming : ' Senora, do not fear for
your friture. I swear that every want of yours
shall henceforth be provided for.'

The momentary feebleness of the woman now
passed away. She rose to her full height, and
casting on the speaker a look of mingled indig-
nation and scorn, exclaimed : ' you offer me

BULL-FIGHT. 145

payment for my pardon ? I do not sell the
blood of my son ! '

No account of ' life in Seville ' would be com-
plete without a bull-fight, ' corrida de toros ; ' and
so one afternoon saw our travellers in a tolerably
spacious loggia on the shady side of the circus,
preparing, though with some qualms of con-
science, to see, for the first time, this, the great
national sport of Spain. The roof of the cathe-
dral towered above the arena, and the sound of
the bells just ringing for vespers made at least
one of the party regret the decision which had
led her to so uncongenial a place. But it was
too late to recede. No one could escape from
the mass of human beings tightly wedged on
every side, all eager for the fight. Partly, per-
haps, owing to the mourning and consequent
absence of the court, there were very few ladies ;
which it is to be hoped is also a sign that the
' corrida ' has no longer such attractions for them.
Presently the trumpets sounded. One of the
barriers which enclosed the arena was thrown
open, and in came a procession of 'toreros,'
' banderilleros,' and ' chulos,' all attired in gay
and glittering costumes, chiefly blue and silver,
the hair of each tied in a net, with a great bow
behind, and with tight pink silk stockings and

14^ BULL-FIGHT.

buckled shoes. With them came the ' picadores,'
dressed in yellow, with large broad-brimmed hats
and iron-cased legs, riding the most miserable
horses that could be seen, but which, being
generally thoroughbred, arched their necks and
endeavoured, poor beasts ! to show what once
they had been. They were blindfolded, without
which they could not have been induced to face
the bull. The procession stopped opposite the
president's box, when the principal ' torero ' knelt
and received in his hat the key of the bull's
den, which was forthwith opened ; and now the
sport began. A magnificent brownish-red animal
dashed out into the centre of the arena, shaking
his crest and looking round him as if to defy
his adversaries, pawing the ground the while.
The men were all watching him with intense
eagerness. Suddenly the bull singled out one
as his adversary, and ■ made a dash at a ' bande-
rillero ' who was agitating a scarlet cloak to the
left. The man vaulted over the wooden fence
into the pit. The bull, foiled, and knocking his
horns against the wooden palings with a force
which seemed as if it would bring the whole
thing down, now rushed at a ' picador' to the right,
fi:"om whose lance he received a wound in the
shoulder. But the bull, lowering his head, drove

BULL-FIGHT. 147

his horns right into the wretched horse's entrails,
and, with almost miraculous strength, galloped
with both horse and rider on his neck round the
whole arena, finally dropping both, when tlie
' picador ' was saved by the ' chulos,' but the horse
was left to be still further gored by the bull, and
then to die in agony on the sand. This kind of
thing was repeated with one after the other, till
the bull, exhausted and covered with lance-
wounds, paused as if to take breath. The ' ban-
derilleros ' chose this moment, and with gxeat skill
and address advanced in front of him, with their
hands and arms raised, and threw forward ar-
rows, ornamented with fringed paper, which they
fixed into his neck. This again made him fu-
rious, and, in eager pursuit of one of his enemies,
the poor beast leapt out of the arena over the
six-feet high barrier into the very middle of the
crowded pit. The ' sauve qui pent ' may be ima-
gined ; but no one was hurt, and the din raised
by the multitude seemed to have alarmed the bull,
who trotted back quietly into the circus by a
side-door which had been opened for the pur-
pose. Now came the exciting moment. The judge
gave the signal, and one of the most famous
' matadores,' Cuchares by name, beautifiiUy dressed
in blue and silver, and armed with a short sharp

L 2

^48 BULL-FIGHT.

sword, advanced to give the coup de grace. This
requires both immense skill and great agility;
and at this very moment, when our party were
wound up to the highest pitch of interest and
excitement, a similar scene had ended fatally for
the 'matador' at Cadiz. But Cuchares seemed
to play with his danger; and though the bull,
mad with rage, pursued him with the greatest
fury, tearing his scarlet scarf into ribands, and
nearly throwing down the wooden screens placed
at the sides of the arena as places of refuge for
the men when too closely pressed to escape in
other ways, he chose a favourable moment, and
leaping forward, dug his short sword right into
the fatal spot above the shoulder. With scarcely
a struggle, the noble beast fell, first on his knees,
and then rolled over dead. The people cheered
vociferously, the trumpets sounded. Four mules,
gaily caparisoned, were driven furiously into the
arena ; the huge carcase, fastened to them by ropes,
was dragged out, together with those of such
of the horses as death had mercifully released,
and then the whole thing began over again.
Twenty horses and six bulls were killed in two
hours and a half, and the more horrible the dis-
embowelled state of the animals, the greater
seemed the delight of the spectators. It is im-

BULL-FIGHT.

149

possible, without disgusting our readers, to give
a truthful description of the horrible state of the
horses. One, especially, caused a sensation even
among the ' habitues ' of the ring. He belonged
to one of the richest gentlemen in Seville, had
been his favourite hack, and was as well known
in the Prado as his master. Yet this gentle-
man had the brutality, when the poor beast's work
was ended, to condemn him to this terrible fate !
The gallant horse, disembowelled as he was,
would not die : he survived one bull after the
other, though his entrails were hanging in festoons
on their horns, and finally, when the gates were
opened to drag out the carcases of the rest, he
managed to crawl away also — -and to drag himself
where ? To the very door of his master's house,
which he reached, and where he finally laid down
and died. His instinct, xmhappily wrong in this
case, had evidently made him fancy that there,
at any rate, he would have pity and relief from his
agony : for the wounds inflicted by the horns of
the bull are, it is said, horrible in their burning,
smarting pain. Fernan Caballero was with the
wife of a famous ' matador,' whose chest was trans-
fixed by the bull at. the moment when, thinking
the beast's strength was spent, he had leant forward
to deal the fatal stroke. He lingered for some

150 BULL-FIGHT.

liours, but in an agony which she said must have
been seen to be believed. Generally speaking,
however, such accidents to the men are very rare.
Carlo Puerto, one of the ' picadores,' was killed last
year by a very wary bull, who turned suddenly,
and catching him on his horns .in the stomach,
ran with him in that way three times round the
arena ! — but that was the fault of the president,
who had insisted on his attacking the bull in the
centre of the ring, the ' picadores ' always remain-
ing close to the screen, so that their escape may be
more easily managed. If the sport could be con-
ducted, as it is said to be in Salamanca and in
Portugal, without injury to the horses, the intense
interest caused by a combat where the skill, in-
telligence, and agility of the man is pitted against
the instinct, quickness, and force of the bull,
would make it perhaps a legitimate as well as a
most exciting amusement ; but as it is at pre-
sent conducted, it is simply horrible, and inex-
cusably cruel and revolting. It is difficult to un-
derstand how any woman can go to it a second
time. The effect on the people must be brutal-
isino- to a frightM extent, and accounts in a
pxeat measure for their utter absence of feeling
for animals, especially horses and mules, which
they ill-use in a manner perfectly shocking to an

BULL-FIGHT. 151

Englishman, and apparently without the slightest
sense of shame. But there is no indication of this
sport becoming less popular in Spain. Combats
with ' novillos,' or young bulls, whose horns are
tipped to avoid accidents, are a common amuse-
ment among the young aristocracy, who are said
to bet frightfally on their respective favourites ;
and thus the taste is fostered from their cradles.

The programme, or play-bill, is given literally in
the Appendix, together with an amusing version
of the fight in the Spanish ' vernacular ' of the
' King.'

X52 HOSPITAL DEL 8ANGRE.

CHAPTER YIII.

THE CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS AND CONVENTS OP
SEVILLE.

A FEW days after the Holy Week, our travellers
decided on visiting some of the far-famed chari-
table institutions of Seville.; and taking the kind

and benevolent Padre B as their interpreter,

they went first to the Hospital del Sangre, or of
the ' five Wounds,' a magnificent building of the
sixteenth century, with a Doric fa9ade 600 feet
long, a beautiful portal, and a ' patio,' in the
centre of which is the church, a fine building,
built in the shape of a Latin cross, and containing
one or two good Zurbarans. There are between
300 and 400 patients ; and in addition to the
large wards, there are — what is so much needed
in our great London hospitals, and which . we
have before alluded to at Madrid — a number of
nicely-fiirnished little separate rooms for a higher
class of patients, who pay about two shillings a
day, and have both the skill of the doctors and

HOSPITAL DEL SANGBE. 153

the tender care of the sisters of charity, instead
of being neglected in their own homes. There
was a poor priest in one of these apartments,
in another a painter, and in a third a naval
captain, a Swede, and so on. The hospital is
abundantly supplied with everything ordered by
the doctors, including wine, brandy, chickens, or
the like ; and in this respect is a great contrast
to that at Malaga, where the patients literally die
for want of the necessary extra diets and stimu-
lants which the parsimony of the administration
denies them. In each quadrangle is a nice gar-
den, with seats and fountains, and fall of sweet
flowers, where the patients, when well enough,
can sit out and enjoy the sunshine. There is not
the slightest hospital smell in any one of the
wards. The whole is under the administration
of the Spanish sisters of charity of St. Vincent de
Paul ; and knowing that, no surprise was felt at
the perfection of the ' lingerie,' or the admirable
arrangement and order of the hospital. They
have a touching custom when one of the pa-
tients is dying, and has received the viaticum, to
place above his head a special cross, so that he
may be left undisturbed by casual visitors. The
sisters have a little oratory upstairs, near the
women's ward, beautifully fitted up. An air of

154 TOWER OF ST. HERMENGILDK

refinement, of comfort, and of home, pervades the
whole establishment.

Close to this hospital is the old tower where
St. Hermengilde was put to death, on Easter eve,
by order of his unnatural father, because he would
not join the Arian heresy, or receive his paschal
communion from the hands of an Arian bishop.
This was in the sixth century : and is not the
same persecution, and for the same cause, going
on in Poland in the nineteenth?* The old
Gothic tower still remains, and in it his close
dungeon, A church has been built adjoining,
but the actual prison remains intact. There are
some good pictures in the church, especially
a Madonna, by Murillo ; and a clever picture
of St. Ignatius in his room, meditating on
his conversion. There is also a fine statue of

* The manner in whioh, during this very last Easter, the poor
Polisli Catholics have been treated and forced to receive schismatical
communions through a system of treachery iinparalleled iu the
annals of the Church, is unfortunately not sufficiently known in
England, where alone public opinion could be brought to bear on the
instigators of such tyranny. The strife between Russia and Poland
has ceased to be anything but a religious struggle : Russia is deter-
mined to quench Catholicism out of the land. But the cry of hun-
dreds of exiled pastors of the flock is risiug to heaven from the
forests and mines of Siberia : in the Holy Sacrifice (offered in earth-
enware cups on common stones) they still plead for their people
before the Throne of the Great Intercessor. Aad that cry and those
prayers will be answered in God's own time and way.

ORPHANAGE AND HOSPITAL. 155

St. Hermengilde himself, by Montanes, over the
high altar. The good old priest who had the
care of this church lived in a little room adjoin-
ing, like a hermit in his cell, entirely devoted to
painting and to the ' culte ' of his patron saint.
St. Gregory the Great attributes to the merits of
this martyr the conversion of his brother, after-
wards King Kecared, the penitence of .his father,
and the Christianising of the whole kingdom of
the Yisigoths in Spain.

From thence our travellers went on to the or-
phanage managed by the ' Trinitarian sisters.'
The house was built in the last century, by a
charitable lady, who richly endowed it, and placed
200 children there ; now, the government, with-
out a shadow of right, has taken the whole of the
funds of the institution, and allows them barely
enough to purchase bread. The superior is in
despair, and has scarcely the heart to go on with
the work. She has diminished the number of the
children, and has been obliged to curtail their
food, giving them neither milk nor meat except
on great festivals. But for the intervention of
the Due de Montpensier, and other charitable per-
sons, the whole establishment must long since
have been given up. There are twenty-four
sisters. The children work and embroider beauti-

156 THE CABIDAD.

fully, and are trained to every kind of industrial
occupation. From this orphanage our party
went to the Hos23ital for Women, managed by
the sisters of the third order of St. Francis. It is
one of the best hospitals in Seville. There are
about 100 women, admirably kept and cared for,
and a ward of old and incurable patients besides.
The superior, a most motherly, loving soul, to
whom everyone seemed much attached, took them
over every part of the building. She has a pas-
sion for cats, and beautiful ' Angoras ' were seen
basking in the sun in every window-sill.

This hospital, like the orphanage, is a private
foundation ; but the government has given no-
tice that they mean to appropriate its funds,
and the poor sisters are in terror lest their sup-
plies should cease for their sick. It is a positive
satisfaction to think that the government which
has dealt in this wholesale robbery of the widow
and orphan is not a bit the better for it. One
feels inclined to exclaim twenty times a day :
' Thy money perish with thee ! '

But of all the charitable institutions of Seville,
the finest is the Caridad, a magnificent hospital,
or rather ' asilo,' for poor and incurable patients,
nursed and tended by the Spanish sisters of St.
Vincent de Paul. It was founded in the seven-

DON MIGUEL BE MANARA. 157

teenth century, by Don Miguel de Manara, a man
eminent for his high birth and large fortune, and
one of the knights of Calatrava, an order only
given to people whose quarterings showed no-
bility for several generations. He was in his
youth the Don Juan of Seville, abandoning him-
self to every kind of luxury and excess, although
many strange warnings were sent to him, from
time to time, to arrest him in his headlong, down-
ward course. On one occasion especially, he
had followed a young and apparently beautiful
figure through the streets and into the cathe-
dral, where, regardless of the sanctity of the
place, he insisted on her listening to his addresses.
What was his horror, on her turning round, in
answer to his repeated solicitations, when the
face behind the mask proved to be that of a
skeleton ! So strongly was this circumstance
impressed on his mind, that he caused it after-
wards to be painted by Yaldes, and hung in the
council-room of the hospital. Another time,
when returning from one of his nocturnal orgies,
he lost his way, and, passing by the Church of
Santiago, saw, to his surprise, that the doors
were open, the church lit, and a number of priests
were kneeling with Hghted tapers round a bier
in perfect silence. He went in and asked 'whose

158 BON MIGUEL BE MANARA.

was the funeral ? ' The answer of one after the
other was : ' Don Miguel de Manara.' Think-
ing this a bad joke, he approached the cofHn, and
hastily lifted up the black pall which covered the
features of the dead. To his horror, he recognised
himself This event produced a complete change
in his life. He resolved to abandon his vicious
courses, and marry, choosing the only daughter of
a noble house, as much noted for her piety as for
her beauty. But God had higher designs in store
for him, and after a few years spent in the enjoy-
ment of the purest happiness, his young wife died
suddenly. In the first violence of his grief, Don
Miguel thought but of escaping from the world
altogether, and burying himself in a monastery.
But Grod willed it otherwise. There was at that
time, on the right bank of the Guadalquiver, a
little hermitage dedicated to St. George, which
was the resort of a confraternity of young men
who had formed themselves' into brothers of
charity, and devoted themselves to the care of
the sick and dying poor. Don Diego Mirafuentes
was their ' hermano mayor,' or chief brother, and
being an old fi^iend of Don Miguel's, invited him
to stay with him, and, by degrees, enlisted all his
sympathies in their labours of love. He desired
to be enrolled in their confraternity, but his repu-

THE GABIDAD.

159

tation was so bad, that the brotherhood hesitated
to admit him ; and when at last they yielded,
determined to put his sincerity and humility to
the test by ordering him to go at once from door
to door throughout Seville (where he was so well
known) with the bodies of certain paupers, and
to crave alms for their interment. Grace tri-
umphed over all natural repugnance to such a
task ; and with his penitence had come that na-
tural thirst for penance which made all things
appear easy and light to bear, so that very soon
he became the leader in all noble and charitable
works.

Finding that an asylum or home was sadly
needed in winter for the reception of the houseless
poor, he purchased a large warehouse, which he
converted into rooms for this purpose ; and by
dint of begging, got together a few beds and
necessaries, so that by the Christmas following
more than 200 sick or destitute persons were here
boarded and lodged. From this humble begin-
ning arose one of the most magnificent chari-
table institutions in Spain. The example of Don
Miguel, his burning charity, his austere self-
denial, his simple faith, won all hearts. Money
poured in on every side ; every day fresh candi-
dates fi-om the highest classes pleaded for admis-

i6o THE G ARID AD.

sion into the confraternity. It was necessary to
draw up certain rules for their guidance, and this
work was entrusted to Don Miguel, who had
been unanimously elected as their superior. No-
where did his wisdom, prudence, and zeal appear
more strongly than in these regulations, which
still form the constitutions of this noble founda-
tion. Defining, first, the nature of their work —
the seeking out and succouring the miserable,
nursing the sick, burying the dead, and attend-
ing criminals to their execution — he goes on to
insist on the value of personal service, both pri-
vate and public ; on the humility and self-abne-
gation required of each brother ; that each, on
entering the hospital, should forget his rank, and
style himself simply ' servant of the poor,' kissing
the hand of the oldest among the sufferers, and
serving them as seeing Jesus Christ in the per-
sons of each. The notices of certain monthly
meetings and church services which formed part
of the rule of the community were couched in the
following terms : — ' This notice is sent you lest
you should neglect these holy exercises, which
may be the last at which Grod will allow you to
assist.' Sermons and meditations on the Passion
of our Lord, and on the nearness of death and of
eternity, formed the principal religious exercises

THE CABIDAD. i6i

of the confraternity ; in fact, the Passion is the
abiding devotion of the order.

His hospital built, and his poor comfortably
housed and cared for, Don Miguel turned his
attention to the church, which was in ruins. A
letter of his, still extant, will show the difficulties
which he had to overcome in this undertaking.
' We had hoped,' he writes, ' that one of our
brothers, who was rich and childless, would have
given us something to begin the restoration ; but
he died without thinking of the church, and so
vanished our golden hopes, as they always will
when we put our trust in human means to ac-
complish God's ends. I was inclined to despond
about it; when, the next morning, at eight
o'clock, a poor beggar named Luis asked to
speak to me. " My wife is just dead," he said.
"She sold chestnuts on the Plaza, and realised
a little sum of eighty ducats. To bury her I
have spent thirty : fifty remain ; they are all I
have ; but I bring them to you that you may
lay the first stone of the new church. I want
nothing for myself but a bit of bread, which I
can always beg from door to door." ' Don Miguel
refiised; the beggar insisted, and so the church
was begun : and the story spread, and half a
million of ducats were poured into the laps of

M

i62 THE C ARID AD.

the brothers ; but, as Manara added, ' the first
stone was laid by Grod Himself in the " little all "
of the poor beggar.' * This church was filled in
1680 with the chefs-d'oeuvre of Murillo and of
Yaldes Leal : an autograph letter fi:om the great
religious painter is still shown in the Sala Capi-
tular of the hospital, asking to be admitted as a
member of the confiraternity. ' Our Saviour as a
Child ; ' ' St. John and the Lamb ; ' ' San Juan de
Dios with an Angel ; ' the ' Miracle of the Loaves
and Fishes ; ' but, above all, ' Moses striking the
Rock,' called ' La Sed ' (so admirably is thirst re-
presented in the multitudes crowding round the
prophet in the wilderness), were the magnificent
offerings of the new ' brother ' towards the deco-
ration of God's house and the cause of charity.
Equally striking, but more painfiil in their choice
of subjects, are the productions of Yaldes, espe-
cially a ' Dead Bishop,' awfiil in its contrast of
gorgeous robes with the visible work of the
worms beneath, and of which Murillo said ' that
he could not look at it without holding his
nose.' Other pictures by Murillo formerly deco-
rated these walls ; but they were stolen by the

* How often, when buying chestnuts of one of the old women in
the Plaza of the Caridad, did the recollection of this story come
into the mind of our traveller !

THE CABIDAD. 163

French, and afterwards sold to English collectors,
the Duke of Sutherland and Mr. Tomline being
among the purchasers. After the church, the
most remarkable thing in the Caridad is the ' pa-
tio,' divided into two by a double marble colon-
nade. Here the poor patients sit out half the
day, enjoying the sunshine and the flowers. On
the wall is the following inscription, from the pen
of Mahara himself, but which loses in the trans-
lation : — ' This house will last as long as God
shall be feared in it, and Jesus Christ be served
in the persons of His poor. Whoever enters here
must leave at the door both avarice and pride.'

The cloisters and passages are full of texts and
pious thoughts, but all associated with the two
ideas ever prominent in the founder's mind —
charity and death. Over what was his own cell
is the following, in Spanish : — ' What is it that we
mean when we speak of Death ? It is being free
from the body of sin, and from the yoke of our
passions : therefore, to live is a bitter death, and
to die is a sweet life.'

The wards are charmingly large and airy, and
lined with gay ' azulejos.' The kitchen is large
and spacious, with a curious roof, supported by a
single pillar in the middle. Over the president's
chair, in the Sala Capitular, is the original

i64 CONVENTS IN SEVILLE.

portrait of Don Miguel Manara, by his friend
Yaldes Leal, and, at the side, a cast taken of his
face after death, presented to the confraternity
by Vicentelo de Leca. Both have the same ex-
pression of dignity and austerity, mingled with
tenderness, especially about the mouth ; and the
features have a strong resemblance to those of
the great Conde. He died on May 19, 1679,
amidst the tears of the whole city, being only
fifty-three years of age : but a nature such as his
could not last long. A very interesting collec-
tion of his letters is still shown in the hospital,
and his life has been lately admirably translated
into French by M. Antoine de Latour.

The ' Sacre Coeur ' have established themselves
lately in Seville, through the kindness of the
Marquesa de Y , and are about to open a la-
dies' school — which is very much needed — on the
site of a disused Franciscan convent. The arch-
bishop has given them the large church adjoining
the convent ; and it was almost comical to see the
three or four charming sisters, who are begin-
ning this most usefiil and charitable work, singing
their benediction alone in the vast chancel, until
the building can be got ready for the reception of
their pupils.

Another convent visited by the ladies of the

CONVENTS IN SEVILLE. 165

party was that of Sta. Ines, which stands in a
narrow street near the Church of S. Felipe Neri,
The great treasure of this convent is the body of
Sta. Maria Coronel, which remains as fresh and
as life-like as if she had died but yesterday. , Her
history is a tragical one. Pedro the Cruel, falling
madly in love with her great beauty, condemned
- her husband, who was governor of the Balearic
Islands, to an ignominious death ; but then, with
a refinement of cruelty, promised his pardon to
his wife on condition that she would yield to his
passion. Maria Coronel, preferring death to dis-
honour, permitted the execution of her husband,
and fled for refuge to this convent, where the
king, violating all rights, human and divine, pur-
sued her. One night he penetrated into her cell.
Maria, seeing no other mode of escape, seized the
lamp which burnt on the table before her, and
poured the boiling oil over her face, thus destroy-
ing her beauty for ever. The king, enraged and
disappointed, relinquished his suit ; and the poor
lady lived and died in the convent. In the li-
brary of the University is an ancient MS. describ-
ing Pedro the Cruel as ' tall, fair, good-looking,
and full of spirit, valour, and talent ! ' but his exe-
crable deeds speak for themselves. The curious
thing is, that the marks of the boiling oil are as

1 66 CARMELITE CONVENT.

clearly seen on Maria Coronel's face now as on the
day when the heroic deed was committed. The
sisters of this convent are dressed in blue, with a
long black veil, and their cloisters contain some
very curious pictures and relics.

The most interesting visit, however, paid by
one of the party in Seville, was to the strictly
enclosed convent of Sta. Teresa, to enter which
the English lady had obtained special Papal per-
mission. Of the sorrows and perils which St.
Theresa experienced in founding this house, she
herself speaks in writing to her niece, Mary of
Ocampo : — ' I assure you that of all the persecu-
tions we have had to endure, none can bear the
least comparison with what we have suffered at
Seville.'* Suffering from violent fever, calum-
niated by one of her own postulants, denounced
to the Inquisition, persecuted incessantly by the
fathers of the mitigated rule, with no prospect of
buying a house, and no money for the purchase,

* For both this and other quotations regarding St. Theresa's
foundations, the writer is indebted to the charming hfe of the saint
pubHshed by Hiirst & Blackett in 1865,' and which, from its won-
derful truth and accuracy, is a perfect handbook to anyone visiting
the Carmelite convents of Spain. She trusts that its author will
forgive her for having, often unintentionally, used her actual ex-
pressions in speaking of places and of things, from the impos-
sibility of their being described by an eye-witness in any other

-S

^

CARMELITE CONVENT. 167

the saint could yet find courage to add : ' Not-
withstanding all these evils, my heart is filled
with joy. What blessed things are peace of con-
science and liberty of soul ! ' It reminds one of
another occasion, when it was necessary t,o begin
a foundation which was to cost a great deal of
money, and the saint had but twopence-halfpenny.
' Never mind,' she replied, courageously, ' Two-
pence-hah^enny and Theresa are nothing ; but
twopence-halfpenny and God are everything ! '
and the work was accomplished. In the case of
the Seville house her patience and faith met with
a like reward. On the Feast of the Ascension,
1576, the Blessed Sacrament was placed in the
chapel of the new convent by the archbishop
himself, accompanied by all his clergy, who wished
to make public amends to St. Theresa and her
nuns for the persecutions they had endured ; and
when Theresa knelt to ask for his pastoral bene-
diction, the archbishop, in the presence of all
the people, knelt to ask for hers in return, thus
testifying to the high estimation in which he held '
both her and her work.

It was this convent, untouched since those days
of trial, which our visitors now entered. There
are twenty-two sisters, of whom three are novices,
and their rule is maintained in all its primitive

1 68 CARMELITE CONVENT.

severity. They keep a perpetual fast, living
chiefly on the dried ' cabala, ' or stockfish, of the
country, and only on festivals and at Easter-tide
allowing themselves eggs and milk.

They, have no beds, only a hard mattress,
stuffed with straw ; this, with an iron lamp, a
pitcher of water, a crucifix, and a discipline, con-
stitutes the only fiirniture of each cell, all of
which are alike. One or two common prints
were pasted on the walls, and over the doors hung
various little ejaculations : ' Jesu, superabundo
gaudio ; ' ' crux ! ave, spes unica ! ' ' Domine,
quid me vis facere?' or else a little card in
Spanish, like the following, which the English
lady carried off with her as a memorial : —

Aplaca, mi Dios, Tu ira,
Tu justicia y Tu rigor.
Por los ruegos de Maria,
Misericordia, Senor !
Santo Dios, Santo fiierte, Santo inmortal,
Liberanos, Senor, de todo mal.

At the refectory, each sister has an earthenware
plate and jug, with a wooden cover, an earthen-
ware salt-cellar, and a wooden spoon. Opposite
the place of the superior is a skull, the only dis-
tinction. They are allowed no linen except in
sickness, and wear only a brown mantle and white

CARMELITE CONVENT. 169

serge scapular, with a black veil, which covers
them from head to foot. They are rarely allowed
to walk in the garden, or to go out in the corridor
in the sun to warm themselves. Their house is
like a cellar, cold and damp ; and they have no
fires. Even at recreation they are not allowed
to sit, except on the floor ; and silence is rigidly
observed, except for two hours during the day.
They, have only five hours' sleep, not going to
bed till half-past eleven, on account of the ofiice.
At eleven, one of the novices seizes the wooden
clapper (or crecella), which she strikes three
times, pronouncing the words : ' Praise be to our
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, His Mother ; my sisters, let us go to ma-
tins to glorify our Lord.' Then they go to the
choir, singing the Miserere. They are called
again in the same manner at half-past four by
a sister who chaunts a verse in the Psalms. At
night, a sentence is pronounced aloud, to serve
as meditation. It is generally this : —

My sisters, tlink of this : a little suffering, and then an eternal
recompense.

They see absolutely no one, receiving the Holy
Communion through a slit in the wall. The
English lady was the first person they had seen
face to face, or with lifted veils, for twelve years

170 CARMELITE CONVENT.

They play the organ of the chapel, which is a
public one, though they themselves are entirely
invisible ; and they are not even allowed to see
the altar, which is concealed by a heavy black
curtain drawn across the grating looking into the
church. They have an image of their great foun-
dress, the size of life, dressed in the habit of the
order, and to her they go night and morning and
salute her, as to a mother. Their convent is rich
in relics, beautiful pictures, and crucifixes, brought
in by different religious, especially the Duchesse
de Bega, who became a Carmelite about fifty years
ago. But their chief treasure is an original pic-
ture of St. Theresa, for which she sat by com-
mand of the archbishop, and which has lately
been photographed for the Due de Montpensier.
It is a very striking and beautifiil face, but quite
different fi:-om the conventional representations of
the saint. When it was finished, she looked at
it, and exclaimed naively : ' I did not know I was
grown so old or so ugly ! ' There is also in this
sacristy a very beautiful Morales of the ' Virgin
and a Dead Christ,' and a curious portrait of
Padre Garcia, the saint's confessor. Upstairs, in
her own cell, they have her cloak and shoes, and
the glass out of which she drank in her last
illness, and which is in this shape : R. The

CARMELITE CONVENT,

stranger was courteously made to drink out of it
also, and then to put on the saint's cloak, in
which she was told ' to kneel and pray for her
heart's desire, and it would be granted to her.'

But the most interesting thing in the convent
is the collection of MSS. They have the whole of
the ' Interior Mansion,' written in her own firm
and beautiful handwriting, with scarcely an era-
sure ; besides quantities of her letters and answers
fi-om St. John of the Cross, from St. John of
Avila, firom Padre Garcia, and a multitude of
others. The superior is elected every three years,
and the same one cannot be re-elected till three
years have elapsed. They require a ' dot ' of
8,000 reals, or about a hundred pounds ; but their
number is full, and several candidates are now
waiting their turn for admission. The govern-
ment has taken what little property they once
had, and gives them at the rate of a peseta (two
reals) a day, so that, poor as their food is, they
are often on the verge of starvation.

It was with a feeling almost of relief that the
English lady found herself once more in the
sunshine outside these gloomy walls ; yet those
who lived within them seemed cheerful and happy,
and able to realise in the fullest degree, without
any external aid, those mysteries of Divine love

172 UNCLOSED CONVENTS.

and that beauty of holiness which, to our weaker
faith, would seem impossible when deprived of
all sight of our Lord in His tabernacle or in
His glorious creations. We are tempted to ask,
why it is that convents of this nature are so
repugnant to English taste ? Everyone is ready
to appreciate those of the sisters of charity.
People talk of their good deeds, of the blessing
they are in the hospitals, of the advantages
of united work, &c., &c. ; but as for the enclosed
orders, ' They wish they were all abolished.'
'What is the good of a set of women shutting
themselves up and doing nothing ? ' Reader, do
they ' do nothing ' ? We will not speak of the
schools ; of the evening classes . for working
women ; of the preparations for first commu-
nions and confirmations ; of the retreats within
their sheltering walls for those of us who, wearied
with this world's toil and bustle, wish to pause
now and then and gain breath for the daily fight,
and take stock, as it were, of our state before
God. These, and other works like these, form
almost invariably a very important portion of
the daily occupation of the cloistered orders. But
we will dismiss the thoughts of any external work,
and come to the highest and noblest part of their
vocation. What is it that is to ' move moun-

ENCLOSED CONVENTS. 173

tains ? ' What is it that, over and over again
in Holy Scripture, has saved individuals, and
cities, and nations ? Is it not united interces-
sory prayer? Is it nothing to us, in the whirl
and turmoil of this work-a-day life, that holy
hands should ever be lifted up for us to the Great
Intercessor ? Is there no reparation needed for
the sins, and the follies, and the insults to the
Majesty of God, and to His Sacraments, and to
His Mother, which are ever going on in this
our native country ? Does it not touch the most
indifferent among us to think of our self-indul-
gence being, as it were, atoned for by their
self-denial ? — our pampered appetites by their
fasts and vigils ? It is true that our present
habits of life and thought lead to an obvious
want of sympathy with such an existence. It
has no public results on which we can look com-
placently, or which can be paraded boastfully.
Everything seems waste which is not visible ;
and all is disappointment which is not obvious
success. It is supernatural principles especially
which are at a discount in modern days ! Surely
the time will come when we shall judge these
things very differently; when our eyes will be
opened like the eyes of the prophet's servant;
and we shall see from what miseries, from what

174 CTGAB MANUFACTORY.

sorrows, we and our country have been preserved
by lives like these, which save our Sodom, and
avert God's righteous anger from His people.*

One more curious establishment was visited by
our party at Seville before their departure, and
that was the cigar manufactory, an enormous
Government establishment, occupying an immense
yellow building, which looks like a palace, and
employing 1,000 men and 5,000 women. The
rapidity with which the cigars are turned out by
those women's fingers is not the least astonishing
part. The workers are almost all young, and
some very beautiful. They take off their gowns
and their crinolines as soon as they come in,
hanging them up in a long gallery, and take

* In a simple but toiicliing French biography of a young English
lady who lately died in the convent of the ' Poor Clares ' at Amiens,
the writer's idea is far more beautifully expressed : — ' A cette heure
de la nuit, peut-etre qu'une jeune fille du monde, martyre (sans
couronne) de ses lois et de ses exigences, rentre chez elle, epuisee
d'emotions et de fatigues. En longeant le mur du monastere et en
entendant le son de la cloche qui appelle les recluses volontaires a la
priere, elle se sera adressee cette question : " A quoi servent done les
religieuses ? " Je vais vous le dire : a expier. Apres cette ainit de
plaisir que vous venez de passer au theatre ou au bal, viendra une
autre nuit — nuit d'angoisses et de supreme douleur. Yous etes la
etendue sur votre couohe de mort en face de I'eternite on vous allez
entrer seule, et sans appui. Peut-etre vous n'osez, ou vous ne pouvez
prier ; mais quelqu'un a prie pour vous, et faisant violence au ciel, a
obtenu ce que vous n'etiez pas digne d'esperer. Voila a quoi servent
les religieuses.^

SEVILLE. 175

the flowers out of their hair and put them in
water, so that they may be fresh when they come
out ; and then work away in their petticoats
with wonderful zeal and good humour the whole
day long. The Government makes 90,000,000
reals a year from the profits of this establishment,
though the dearest cigar made costs but two-
pence !

And now the sad time came for our travellers
to leave Seville. In fact, the exorbitant prices
of everything at the hotel made a longer stay im-
possible, though it was difficult to say what it
was that they paid for : certainly not food ; for ex- .
cepting the chocolate and bread, which are in-
variably good throughout Spain, the dinners were
uneatable, the oil rancid, the eggs stale ; even ' el
cocido,' the popular dish, was composed of inde-
scribable articles, and of kids which seemed to
have died a natural death. One of the party, a
Belgian, exclaimed when her first dish of this
so-called meat was given her at Easter : ' Yraiment,
je crois que nous autres nous n'avons pas tant
perdu pendant le Careme ! ' An establishment has
lately been started by an enterprising peasant to
sell milk fresh from the cow, a great luxury in
Spain, where goat's milk is the universal substitute;
and four very pretty Alderneys are kept, stall-fed.

I7& SEVILLE.

in a nice little dairy, ' a I'Anglaise,' at one corner
of the principal square, which is both clean and
tempting to strangers. At every corner of the
streets, water, in cool porous jars, is offered to
the passers-by, mixed with a sugary substance
looking like what is used by confectioners for
'meringues,' but which melts in the water and
leaves no trace. This is the universal beverage
of every class in Spain,

There is little to tempt foreigners in the shops
of Seville, and with the exception of photographs
and fans, there is nothing to buy which has any
particular character or ' chique ' about it. The
fans are beautiful, and form, in fact, one of the
staple trades of the place ; there is also a sweet
kind of incense manufactured of flowers, mixed
with resinous gums, which resembles that made
at Damascus. But the ordinary contents of the
shops look like the sweepings-out of all the
' quincaillerie ' of the Faubourg St.-Denis.

It was on a more lovely evening than usual
that our travellers went, for the last time, to that
glorious cathedral. The sorrow was even greater
than what they had felt the year before in leaving
St. Peter's : for Kome one lives in hopes of seeing
again ; Seville, in all human probability, never !
The services were over, but the usual proportion

DEPARTURE FROM SEVILLE. 177

of veiled figures knelt on the marble pavement,
on which the light firom those beautiful painted
windows threw gorgeous colours. Never had
that magnificent temple appeared more solemn
or more worthy of its purpose ; one realised as one
had never done before one's own littleness and
God's ineffable greatness, mercy, and love. Still
they lingered, when the inexorable courier came
to remind them that the train was on the point of
starting, and with a last prayer, which was more
like a sob, our travellers left the sacred building.
At the station all their kind Seville friends had
assembled to bid them once more good-bye, and
to re-echo kind hopes of a speedy return ; and
then the train started, and the last gleam of sun-
shine Hied out on the tower of the Giralda.

N

THU E8GUBIAL.

CHAPTER IX.

THE ESCURIAL AND TOLEDO.

The journey to Madrid was uneventful. One
more day was spent in Cordova ; once more they
visited that glorious mosque ; one more day and
night was spent in wearisome diligences and
stifling wayside stations, and then they found
themselves again established in their old com-
fortable quarters in the ' Puerta del Sol.'

It was a relief to think that the ' lions ' of the
place had been more or less visited, and that all
they had to do was to return to the places of
previous interest, and thoroughly enjoy them.
The cold during their former visit had precluded
their making any expeditions in the neighbour-
hood, which omission they now prepared to rec-
tify. Spending the first few days in seeing their
old friends, and obtaining letters of introduction
from them, our travellers resolved that their first
excursion should be to the Escurial.

A railroad is now open from Madrid which

THE ESCUBIAL. 179

passes by the palace; so at half-past six one morn-
ing they took their places in the train, which soon
carried them away from the cultivated environs
of the city to a country which, for desolation,
wildness, and grandeur, resembles the scenery at
Nicolosi in the ascent of Etna. ' In the midst of
this rugged mass of rocks and scrubby oak-trees,
the large gloomy Escurial rises up, under the
shadow, as it were, of the snowy jagged peaks
of the Sierra Guadarama, which forms its back-
ground. There is a picture of it, by Rubens, in
the gallery at Longford Castle, near Salisbury,
which gives the best possible idea of the complete
isolation of the great building itself, and of the
savage character of the whole of the surrounding
country.

Leaving the train, our party went to present

their letters to the principal. Padre G , who

very kindly showed them everything most worth
seeing in the place. It is a gigantic pile of
masonry, built by Philip II. as a thanksgiving
for the success of the battle of St. Quentin, and
in- the shape of a gridiron, being dedicated to
St. Laurence, on the day of whose martyrdom the
vow was made. ' Celui qui faisait un si grand
voeu doit avoir eu grande peur ! ' was the saying
of the Duke of Braganza ; and the gloomy,

N 2

j8o tee ESCURIAL.

cold, grey character of the whole place is but
the reflex of the king's temperament. He em-
ployed the famous architect Herrera, whose ge-
nius was, however, much cramped by the king's
insistence on the shape being maintained. It
was finished in 1584.

The Jeronimite monks have been scattered to
the winds, and the convent has been turned into
a college ; they have about 250 students. The
church is large and solemn, but bare and unin-
viting, dismal and sombre, like all the rest. The
choir is upstairs, with fine carved stalls, among
which is that of Philip II., who always said of&ce
with the monks. The painted ceiling is by Luca
Giordano. The choir-books are more than 200
in number, in virgin calf, and of gigantic size ;
some of them are beautifiiUy illuminated. At the
back, in a small gallery, with a window looking
on the great piazza below, is the famous white
marble Christ, the size of life, by Benvenuto
Cellini, given to Philip II. by the Grand Duke
of Florence. On certain days it is exposed to
the people fi-om the window; but wonderfiil as
may be its anatomy, the expression is both pain-
fiil and commonplace. Beneath the church is
the famous crypt containing the bodies of all
the kings and queens of Spain since Charles V.,

THE E8GJJBIAL.

I8I

arranged in niches round the octagonal chapel.
Each niche contains a black marble sarcopha-
gus ; the kings on the right, and the queens on
the left. Here mass is always said on All Souls'
Day, and on the anniversaries of their deaths.
The present queen came once, and looked at the
empty urn waiting for her, but did not repeat
the experiment. ' I have come once of my own
freewill,' she is supposed to have said, ' but the
next time I shall be brought here without it.'
It is a dismal resting-place ; the damp, cold,
slippery stairs by which you descend into it
from the church seem to chill one's very blood,
and the profound darkness, only lit up here and
there by the flicker of the guide's torch, with
the reverberation caused by the closing of the
heavy iron door, fill the thoughts with visions
of death, uncheered by hope, and of a prison
rather than a grave. Ascending with a feeling of

positive relief to the church above, Padre G

took them into the sacristy, which is a beauti-
ful long low room, with arabesque ceilings, and
at the fiirther end of which is a very fine picture
by Coello, representing the apotheosis of the
' Forma,' or miraculous wafer : the heads are all
portraits, and admirably executed. At the back is
the little chapel or sanctuary where the ' Forma '

1 82 TE£] ESCURIAL.

is kept and exhibited twice a year. Charles II.
erected the gorgeous altar with the following
inscription : —

En magni operis miraculum intra miraculnm mnndi, coeK mira-
cnlum consecratiim.

The legend states that at the battle of Gorcum,
in 1525, the Zuinglian heretics scattered and
trampled on the Sacred Host, which bled; and
being gathered up and carefully preserved by
the faithful, was afterwards given by Kudolph II.
to Philip II., which event is represented in a
bas-relief In this sacristy are also some vest-
ments of which the embroidery is the most ex-
quisite thing possible ; the faces of the figures are
like beautifiil miniatures, so that it is difficult to
believe they are done in needlework.*

But the great treasures of this church are its
relics, of which the quantity is enormous. They
are arranged in gigantic cupboards or ' etageres,'
stretching from the floor to the ceiling, the doors
of which are carefully concealed by the -pictures
which hang over them, above both the high
altar and the two side altars at the east end.
There are more than 7,000 relics, of which the

* In the Dominican convent of Stone, in Staffordstire, the same
exquisite work is now being reproduced ; which proves that the
art is not, as is generally supposed, extinct.

THE E8GVBIAL. 183

most interesting are those of St. Laurence him-
self (his skull, his winding-sheet, the iron bars of
his gridiron, &c.), the head of St. Hermengilde,
sent to the king from Seville, and the arm and
head of St. Agatha. The reliquaries are also very
beautiful, some of them of very fine cinquecento
work. These are downstairs. Upstairs is a kind
of secret chapel, where there are some things
which were still more interesting to our travellers.
Here are four MS. books of St. Theresa's, all
written by her own hand ; her ' Life,' written by
command of her confessor, Padre Banez, with a
voucher of its authenticity from him at the end ;
her 'Path of Perfection;' her 'Constitutions'
and ' Foundations ; ' also her inkstand and pen.
Her handwriting is more like a man's than a
woman's, and is beautifully clear and firm. There
is also a veil worked in a kind of crotchet by St.
Elizabeth of Hungary, and sent by her to St.
Margaret ; a beautifully illuminated Greek mis-
sal, once belonging to St. Chrysostom ; a pot
fi-om Cana in Galilee ; a beautifiiUy carved ivory
diptych ; the body of one of the Holy Innocents,
sent firom Bethlehem ; some exquisite ivory and
coral reliquaries, &c. From the church, our party
went up by a magnificent staircase to the li-
brary, which, though despoiled, like everything else

1 84 THE E8GURIAL.

during the French invasion, still contains some
invaluable books and MSS. There is an illu-
minated Apocalypse of the fourteenth century,
most exquisitely painted on both sides ; a very
fine copy of the Koran ; many other beautiful
missals ; and in a room downstairs, not generally
shown to travellers, are some thousands of manu-
scripts, among which are a wonderful illumi-
nated copy of the Miracles of the Virgin, in
Portuguese and Gallego, of the eleventh century,
most quaint and fiinny in design and execution ;
also a very curious illuminated book of chess
problems, and other games, written by order of
the king Alonso el Sabio. It is a library where
one might spend days and days with ever-in-
creasing pleasure, if it were not for the cold,
which, to our travellers, fresh from the burning sun
of Seville, seemed almost unendurable. The clois-
ters, refectory, and kitchens are all on the most
magnificent scale. In the wing set aside for the
private apartments of the royal family, but which
they now rarely occupy, the thing most worth
looking at is the tapestry, made in Madrid, at
the Barbara factory (now closed), from draw-
ings by Teniers and Goya. They are quite
like beautiful paintings, both in expression and
colour, though some of the subjects and scenes

THE ESCUBIAL. 185

are of questionable propriety. There is a suite
of small rooms with beautiful inlaid doors and
furniture ; a few good pictures (among a good
deal of rubbish), especially one of Bosch, known
as that of ' The Dog and the Fly ; ' and a
very interesting gallery or corridor, covered with
frescoes, representing the taking of Granada on
the one side and the battle of St. Quentin on
the other, the victory of Lepanto occupying the
spaces at the two ends. These frescoes are very
valuable, both as portraits and as representing
the costumes and arms of the period. They were
said to be fac-simile copies of original drawings,
done on cloths on - the actual spots. That of
St. Quentin was specially interesting to one of
the party, whose ancestor fought there, and in
whose house in England (Wilton Abbey) is still
shown the armour of Ann Conetable de Mont-
morency, of the Due de Montpensier, of Admiral
Coligni, and of other French prisoners taken
by him in that memorable battle. Beyond this
gallery is the little business-room or study of
Philip II., with his chair, his gouty stool, his
writing-table, his well-worn letter-book, and two
old pictures, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the
other an etching (of 1572) of the Virgin and
Saints. Out of this tiny den is a kind of recess,

i86 THE E8CURIAL.

with a window looking on the high altar in
which he caused his couch to be laid when he
was dying. The death-struggle was prolonged
for fifty-three days of almost continuous agony,
during which time he went on holding in his
hand the crucifix which Charles Y. had when he
expired, and which is still religiously preserved.
The gardens in front of this magnificent palace
are very quaint and pretty, the beds being cut
in a succession of terraces overlooking the plains
below, and bordered with low box hedges cut in
prim shapes, with straight gravel walks, beautiful
fountains, and marble seats. But it is not diffi-
cult to understand why the poor queen prefers
the sunny slopes of La Granja, or even the dull-
ness of the green avenues of Aranjuez, to this
gloomy pile, where the snow hardly ever melts
in the cold shade of those inner courts, and
where all the associations are of death in its
most repulsive form. Above the Escurial, half-
way up the mountain, is a rude seat of boulder
stones, fi:om whence it is said Philip II. used to
watch the progress of the huge building.

Returning to the railway station, our travellers
walked down the hill and through a pleasantly-
wooded avenue to a little ' maisonnette ' of the
Infanta, built for Charles IV. when heir apparent.

THE SPANI8H RAILWAYS. 187

and containing some beautiful ivories and Wedg-
woods. The gardens are pretty and bright, but
the whole thing is too small to be anything but a
child's toy. An accident on the line, somewhere
near Avila, detained our party for six mortal hours
at a wretched little wayside station, of which the
authorities flatly refused to put on a short spe-
cial train, although there were a large number of
passengers, in addition to our travellers, waiting,
like them, to return to Madrid. But the Spanish
mind cannot take in the idea of anyone being in a
hurry. ' Ora !' ' Mahana ! ' (By and by ! To-mor-
row !) are the despairing words which meet one at
every turn in this country. In this instance, neither
horses nor carriages being procurable by which the
journey to Madrid (only twenty miles) could have
been accomplished with perfect facility by road,
our travellers had nothing left for it but to wait.
Patience, and such sleep as could be got on a hard
bench, were their only resource until one in the
morning, when the night express fortunately came
up, and, after some demur, agreed to take them
back to Madrid.

Too tired the following day to start early again
for Toledo, as they had intended, our party took
advantage of the kindness of the English minister
to see the queen's private library, which is in one

THE QUEEN'S LIBRARY.

of the wings of the large but uninteresting mo-
dern palace. The librarian good-naturedly showed
them some of the rarest of his treasures : among
them is a beautiful missal, bound in shagreen, with
lovely enamel clasps and exquisite illuminations,
which had belonged to Queen Isabella of Castile ;
her arms, Arragon on one side and Castile on the
other, were worked into the illuminations on the
cover. There was a still older missah illuminated
in 1315, in which is found the first mention of
St. Louis in the Kalendar. Here also are some
of the first books printed in type, and a very fine
MS. Greek copy of Aristotle.

Afterwards, they came to a distant room, where

Dr. found what he had long sought for in

vain — a quantity of the MS. letters of Grondomar,
minister from Spain to our King James I., giving
an amusing and gossiping account of people and
things in England at that time. In this library
is also a very curious and interesting MS. life of
Cardinal Wolsey.

In the evening, one of the party paid a visit to

the Papal Nunzio, Monsignor B -, a very kind,

clever, and agreeable man, living in a quaint old
house, with a snug library, in which hangs a pretty
oil painting of Tyana, a picturesque country near
Barcelona, of which he is archbishop. From him,

TOLEDO. 189

and from the venerable Monsignor S , Bishop

of Daulia, she obtained certain letters of intro-
duction to prelates and convents, which were
invaluable in her ftiture tour, and procured for her
a kind and courteous welcome wherever she went.

The following morning, after a five o'clock mass
in the beautiftil little chapel of the sisters of
charity, our travellers started for Toledo by rail,
passing by the Aranjuez, the ' Sans-Souci ' of the
Spanish queen, where all the trees in Castile seem
to be collected for her special benefit, and where
the sight of the green avenues and fountains is a
real refreshment after the barren and arid features
of the rest of the country.

Toledo is a most curious and beautiful old town,
built on seven hills, like Rome. The approach to
it is by a picturesque bridge over the Tagus, which
rushes through a rent in the granite mountains
like a vigorous Scotch salmon-river, and encircles
the walls of the ancient city as with a girdle.
Passing under a fine old Moorish horse-shoe arched
gateway, a modern zigzag road leads up the steep
incline to the ' plaza,' out of which diverge a mul-
titude of narrow tortuous streets, like what in
Edinburgh are called ' wynds,' as painfiil to walk
upon as the streets of Jerusalem. However, after
a vain attempt to continue in the Noah's Ark of

190 TOLEDO.

an omnibus which had brought them up the steep
hill from the station, and which grazed the walls
of the houses on each side from its width, our
travellers were compelled to brave the slippery
stones and proceed on foot. The little inn is as
primitive as all else in this quaint old town, where
everything seems to have stood still for the last
five centuries. Leaving their cloaks in the only
available place dignified by the name of ' Sala,'
and swallowing with difficulty some very nasty
coffee, they started off at once for the cathedral,
which stands in the heart of the city, surrounded
by convents and colleges, and with the archiepis-
copal palace on the right. It is a marvel of Gothic
beauty and perfection. Originally a mosque, it
was rebuilt by Ferdinand, and converted by him
into a Christian church, being finished in 1490.
In no part of the world can anything be seen more
unique, more beautiful, or more effective than the
white marble screen, with its row of white angels
with half-folded wings, guarding the sanctuary of
the high altar, and standing out sharp and clear
against the magnificent dark background formed
by the arched naves and matchless painted glass,
which, in depth and brilliancy of colour and
beauty of design, exceeds even that of Seville.
' Shall you ever forget the blue eyes of those rose-

TOLEDO. igi

windows at Toledo? ' exclaimed, months after, Dr.

to one of the party, who was dwelling with

him on the wonderful beauties of this matchless
temple.* The choir is exquisitely carved, both
above and below; the stalls divided by red marble
columns. Of the seventy stalls, half are carved
by Yigarny and half by Berruguete : each figure
of each saint is a study in itself The high altar
is a perfect marvel of workmanship, the ' reredos '
or ' retablo ' representing the whole life and passion
of our Lord. At the back is the wonderful marble
'trasparente,' which Ford calls an 'abomination of
the seventeenth century,' but which, when the sun
shines through it, is a marvel for effect of colour
and delicacy of workmanship. The Moorish altar
still remains at which Ferdinand and Isabella
heard mass after their conquest of the Saracens ;
and close to this altar is the spot pointed out by
tradition as the one where the Yirgin appeared
to St. Ildefonso and placed the chasuble on his
shoulders. It is veiled off, with this inscription
on the pillar above : —

Adorabimus in loco ubi steterunt pedes ejus.

The fine bas-relief representing the miracle
was executed by Yigarny. Fragments of Sara-

* Incredible as it may seem, tbe gnide-books state that there are
no less than 750 stained glass windows in this cathedral.

192 TOLEDO.

cenic art peep out everywhere, especially in the
'Sala Capitular, or chapter room, of which the
doorway is an exquisite specimen of the finest
Moorish work, and the ceiling likewise. In this
chapter room are two admirable portraits of
Cardinal Ximenes and Cardinal Mendoza, said to
have been taken from life. The monuments in
the side chapels are very fine, especially one of
St. Ildefonso, whose body had been carried by the
Moors to Zamora, and was there discovered by a
shepherd, and brought back again ; of Cardinal
Mendoza ; of the Constable Alvaro de Luna ; and
of several Spanish kings. Here also rests the
body of St. Leocadia, martyred in the persecution
under Diocletian, and to whom three churches
in Toledo are dedicated. During the wars with
the Moors, her body was removed to Italy, and
thence to Mons ; but was brought back by
Philip II. to her native city, and is now in an
urn in the sacristy. At the west end of the
cathedral is a very curious chapel, where the
Muzarabic ritual is still used. This appears to
be to the Spaniards what the Ambrosian is to
the Milanese, and was established by Cardinal
Ximenes, The sacristy is a real treasure-house,
containing an exquisite tabernacle of gold brought
by Christopher Columbus, incensories, chalices.

TOLEDO. 193

crosses and reliquaries, in gold and enamel, and
* cristal de roche ' (some given by Louis of France) ,
and the missal of St. Louis, of which the illumi-
nations are as fine as any in the Vatican. The
robes, mantles, and ornaments of the Virgin are
encrusted with pearls and jewels. Cardinal Men-
doza removed one side of the marble screen of
the high altar to make room for his own monu-
ment. In contrast to this, is another archbishop's
tomb, near the altar of the miraculous Virgin.
They wanted to give him a fine carved sepulchre,
and were discussing it in his presence a short
time before his death, He insisted on a simple
slab, with the following words : —

Hie jacet pulvis, cinis, nuUus.

Close to the benitiere at the south entrance, is
a little marble slab attached to the pillar, and
on it a little soft leather cushion, which had
excited the curiosity of one of our party on enter-
ing. On returning for vespers, she found laid on
it a fine little baby, beautifully dressed, with a
medal round its neck, but quite dead ! One of
the canons explained to her that when the
parents were too poor to pay the expenses of
their children's fiinerals, they brought the little
bodies in this way for interment by the chapter.

194 TOLEDO.

The cloisters to the north of the cathedral are
very lofty and fine, and decorated with fi'escoes ;
and the doors with their magnificent l)ronze bas-
reliefs, in the style of the Florence baptistery,
and gloriously carved portals, are on a par with
all the rest. The ' Puerta del Perdon,' and the
' Puerta de los Leones,' especially, are unique in
their gorgeous details, and in the great beauty and
lifelike expression of the figures.

The chapter library is in good order, and con-
tains some very fine editions of Greek and Latin
works : a bible belonging to St. Isidore ; the
works of St. Gregory ; a fine illuminated bible
given by St. Louis ; a missal of Charles Y. ; a fine
Talmud and Koran ; and some very interesting
MSS. In the ante-room are some good pictures.

The palace of the archbishop is exactly opposite
the west fi:ont of the cathedral. No one has played
a more important part in the history of his coun-
try of late years than the present Archbishop of
Toledo. High in the favour and counsels of the
queen, he at one time determined, for political
reasons, to leave Spain and settle himself in Italy,
but was recalled by the voice of both queen and
people, and remains, beloved and honoured by
all; and although upwards of eighty years of age,
and rather deaf, is still a perfect lion of intellec-

TOLEDO. 195

tual and physical strength. He received our
travellers most kindly, and in a fatherly manner
invited them to breakfast, and afterwards to be
present at a private confirmation in the little
chapel of his palace, at which ceremony they
gladly assisted. He afterwards sent his secretary,
a most clever and agreeable person, who spoke
Italian with fluency, to show the ladies the convent
of Sta. Teresa, situated in the lower part of the
town. This convent was started, like all the rest
of the saint's foundations, amidst discouragements
and difficulties of all kixids. The house which had
been promised her before her arrival was refiised
through the intrigues of a relative of the donor ;
then the vicar-general withdrew his license ; and
St. Theresa began to fear that she would have to
leave Toledo without accomplishing her object.
Through the intervention of a poor man, however,
she at last heard of a tiny lodging where she and
her sisters could be received. It was a very humble
place, and there was but one room in it which
could be turned into a chapel ; but that was duly
prepared for mass, and dedicated to St. Joseph.
Poor and meagre as the sanctuary was, it struck
a little child who was passing by, by its bright
and cared-for appearance, and she exclaimed :
' Blessed be God ! how beautiful and clean it

o 2

196 TOLEDO.

looks ! ' St. Theresa said directly to her sisters :
' I account myself well repaid for all the troubles
which hav^ attended this foundation by that little
angel's one ' Glory to God.'

Afterwards, all difficulties were smoothed ; a
larger house was built ; and the poor Carmelites,
from being despised and rejected by all, and in
want of the commonest necessaries of life, were
overwhelmed with supplies of all kinds, so that
one of them, in sorrow, exclaimed to St. Theresa :
' What are we to do. Mother ? for now it seems
that we are no longer poor ! '

It was this very house which our travellers now
visited, and a far cheerier and brighter one it is
than that of Seville. It contains twenty-four
sisters : among their treasures are the MS. copy of
St. Theresa's ' Way of Perfection,' corrected by the
saint herself, and with a short preface written in
her own hand ; a quantity of her autograph letters ;
a long letter from sister Ann of St. Bartholomew ;
St. Theresa's seal, of which the ladies were given an
impression ; the habit she had worn in the house,
&c., &c. But the most curious thing was the
picture, painted by desire of the saint, of the death
of one of the community. We will tell the story
in lier own words : ' One of our sisters fell dan-
gerously ill, and I went to pray for her before the

TOLEDO. 197

Blessed Sacrament, beseeching our Lord to give
her a happy death. I then came back to her cell
to stay with her, and on my entrance distinctly
saw a figure like the representations of our Lord,
at the bed's head, with His arms outspread as if
protecting her, and He said to me : " Be assured
that in like manner I will protect all the nuns
who shall die in these monasteries, so that they
shall not fear any temptation at the hour of
death." A short time after, I spoke to her, when
she said to me : " Mother, what great things I am
about to see ! " and with these words she expired,
like an angel.' St. Theresa had this subject repre-
sented in a fresco, which is still on the wall of
the cell. Here also she completed the narrative
of her life, now in the Escurial, by command of
Padre Ibaiiez, and here is her breviary, with the
words (which we will give in English) written
by herself on the fly-leaf : —

Let nothing disturb thee ;
Let notHng afEright thee ;
All passeth away ;

God only shall stay.
Patience wins all.
Who hath God needeth nothing,

Tor God is his All.

Leaving this interesting convent, our travellers
proceeded to San Juan de los Keyes, so called

198 TOLEDO.

because built by Ferdiuand and Isabella, and de-
dicated to St. John. It was a magnificent Gothic
building ; but the only thing in the church spared
by the French are two exquisite ' palcos ' or bal-
conies overlooking the high altar, in the finest Go-
thic carving, fi:om whence Ferdinand and Isabella
used to hear mass : their cyphers are beautifiilly
wrought in stone underneath. Outside this church
hang the chains which were taken off the Chris-
tian prisoners when they were released firom the
Moors. Adjoining is the convent, now deserted,
and the palace of Cardinal Ximenes, of which the
staircase and one long low room alone remain.
But the gem of the whole are the cloisters. Never
was anything half so beautifiil or so delicate as
the Moorish tracery and exquisite patterns of
grape-vine, thistle, and acanthus, carved round
each quaint-shaped arch and window and door-
way. Festoons of real passion flowers, in full
bloom, hung over the arches from the ' patio ' in
the centre, in which a few fine cypresses and pome-
granates were also growing, the dark foliage
standing out against the bright blue sky overhead,
and beautifully contrasting with the delicate white
marble tracery of this exquisite double cloister.
It is a place where an artist might revel for a
month.

TOLEDO. 199

Their guide then took them to see the syna-
gogues, now converted into Christian churches^
but originally mosques. Exquisite Saracenic carv-
ings remain on the walls and roofs, with fine old
Moorish capitals to the pillars, of their favourite
pine-applepattern, and beautiful coloured 'azulejos'
(tiles) on the floors and seats. Several of the pri-
vate houses which they afterwards visited at Toledo
might literally have been taken up at Damascus
and set down in this quaint old Spanish town, so
identical are they in design, in decorations, and in
general character. The nails on the doors are
specially quaint, mostly of the shape of big mush-
rooms, and the knockers are also wonderfiil. Could
the fashion once in vogue among ' fast ' men in
England, of wrenching such articles fi:om the
doors, be introduced into Spain, what art treasures
one could get ! — but scarcely anything of the sort
is to be bought in Toledo. After trying in vain
to swallow some of the food prepared for them at
the ' fonda,' in which it was hard to say whether
garlic or rancid oil most predominated, our tra-
vellers toiled again in the burning sun up the
steep hill leading to the Alcazar, the ancient pa-
lace, now a ruin, but still retaining its fine old
staircase and court-yard with very ancient Koman
pillars. From hence there is a beautiful view of

200 TOLEDO.

the town, of the Tagus flowing round it, and
of the picturesque one-arched bridge which spans
the river in the approach from Madrid, with the
ruins of the older Koman bridge and forts below.
The Tagus here rushes down a rapid with a fine
fall, looking like a salmon-leap, where there ought
to be first-rate pools and beautiful fishing ; and
then flows swiftly and silently along through
a grand gorge of rocks to the left. By the river-
side was the Turkish water-wheel, or ' sakeel,'
worked by mules. The whole thing was tho-
roughly Eastern ; and the red, barren, arid look of
the rocks and of the whole surrounding country
reminded one more of Syria than of anything
European. Our travellers were leaning over the
parapet of the little terrace-garden, looking on this
glorious view, when a group of women who were
sitting in the sun near the palace gates called to
their guide, and asked if the lady of the party were
an Englishwoman, 'as she walked so fast.' The
guide replied in the afiirmative. One of them an-
swered, '0! que peccado ! (what a pity !) I liked
her face, and yet she is an infidel.' The guide in-
dignantly pointed to a little crucifix which hung
on a rosary by the lady's side, at which the speaker,
springing from her seat, impulsively kissed both
the cross and the lady. This is only a speci-

TOLEDO. 201

men of the faith of these people, who cannot
understand anything Christian that is not Catho-
lic, and confound all Protestants with Jews or
Moors.*

Going down the hill, stopping only for a few
moments at a curiosity shop — where, however,
nothing really old could be obtained — -they came
to the Church of La Cruz, built on the site of
the martyrdom of St. Leocadia. It is now turned

* In. one of Ternan Caballero's novels tMs feeling jg amusingly
described. An Andalusian is telliag the story of a countryman of
his who had travelled in the North — ' " where the earth is covered
Avith so thick a mantle of snow that sometimes people were buried
under it." " Maria Santisima ! " said Maria, trembling. " But they
are quiet people, and do not use the stiletto." " God bless them !" ex-
claimed Maria. " In that land there are no olives, and they eat black
bread." " A bad land for me," observed Ana, " for I must have the
best bread, if I can't have anything else." "What gazpachos could
they make without olive-oil, and with black bread? " cried Maria, hor-
rified. " They don't eat ' gazpachos.' " " What do they eat then ? "
"Potatoes and milk." "Bien provecho y salud para el pecho ! "
(Much good may it do them !) " But the worst is this, Maria, that
in aU that land there are no monks or nuns." " What do you say,
son ? " said she. " What you hear. There are few churches, and
these look like unfurnished hospitals, without chapels, altars, or
santissimo." " Jesu Maria ! " exclaimed all but Maria, who, with
terror, had become like a statue. Then, after a while, she crossed,
her hands with joyful fervour, and exclaimed : " Ah ! my son ! Ah !
my white bread ! My church, my most Blessed Virgin, my land,
my faith, my 'Bios Saeramentado ! ' A thousand times happier I,
who was bom here, and by grace Divine will die here. Thanks be
to God, you did not stay in that land, my son ! A land of heretics !
how horrible ! ! " '

202 TOLEDO.

into a military college ; but the magnificent
Gothic portal and facade remain. The streets are
as narrow and dirty in this part of the town as in
the filthiest Eastern city ; but at every turn there
is a beautifiil doorway, as at Cairo, through which
you peep into a cool ' patio,' with its usual foun-
tain and orange-trees ; while a double cloister
runs round the quadrangle, and generally a pic-
turesque side staircase, with a beautifully carved
balustrade, leading up to the cloisters above, with
their deiicate tracery and varied arches. The
beauty of the towers and ' campanile ' is also very
striking. They are generally thoroughly Roman
in their character, being built of that narrow
brick (or rather tile) so common for the purpose
in Italy, but with the horse-shoe arch : that of
S. Romano is the most perfect. There is also
a lovely little mosque, with a well in the court-
yard near the entrance, which has now been con-
verted into a church under the title of ' Sta. Cruz
de la Luz,' with a wonderful intersection of horse-
shoe arches, like a miniature of the cathedral
at Cordova. Toledo certainly does not lack
churches or convents ; but those who served and
prayed in them, where are they? The terrible
want of instruction for the people, caused by the
closing of all the male religious houses, which

Church of La Cruz, Toledo.

TOLEDO.

203

were the centre of all missionary work, is felt
throughout Spain ; but nowhere more than in this
grand old town, which is absolutely dead. The
children are neglected, the poor without a friend,
the widow and orphan are desolate, and all seek
in vain for a helper or a guide.

On the opposite side of the Tagus, and not far
from the railway station, are the ruins of a curious
old chateau, to which a legend is attached, so cha-
racteristic of the tone of thought of the people
that it is given verbatim here.* ' The owner had
been a bad and tyrannical man, hard and unjust
to his people, selfish in his vices as in his plea-
sures ; the only redeeming point about him was
his great love for his wife, a pious, gentle, loving
woman, who spent her days and nights in deplor-
ing the orgies of her husband, and praying for
God's mercy on his crimes. One winter's night,
in the midst of a terrible tempest, a knocking
was heard at the castle door, and presently a ser-
vant came in and told his mistress that two monks,
half dead with cold and hunger, and drenched by
the pitiless storm, had lost their way, and were
begging for a night's lodging in the castle. The
poor lady did not know what to do, for her hus-

* Tliis legend has been translated by Ternan Caballero, in her
' Fleurs des Champs.'

204 TOLEDO.

band hated the . monks, and swore that none
should ever cross his threshold. " The count will
know nothing about it, my lady," said the old
servant, who guessed the reason of her hesitation;
"I will conceal them somewhere in the stable,
and they will depart at break of day." The lady
gave a joyful assent to the servant's proposal, and
the monks were admitted. Scarcely, however, had
they entered, when the sound of a huntsman's
horn, the tramping of horses, and the barking of
dogs, announced the return of the master. The
sport had been good ; and when he had changed
his soiled and dripping clothes, and found himself,
with his pretty wife seated opposite him, by a
blazing fire, and with a well-covered table, his good
humour made him almost tender towards her.
" What is the matter ? " he exclaimed, when he
saw her sad and downcast face. " Were you
frightened at the storm ? — yet you see I am come
home safe and sound." She did not answer.
" Tell me what vexes you ; I insist upon it," he
continued ; " and it shall not be my fault if I
do not brighten that little face I love so well !"
Thus encouraged, the lady replied : " I am sad^
because, while we are enjoying every luxury and
comfort here, others whom I know, evenunder this
very roof, are perishing with cold and hunger."

TOLEDO. 205

" But who are they ? " exclaimed the count, with
some impatience. " Two poor monks," answered
the lady bravely, " who came herd for shelter, and
have been put in the stable without food or firing."
The count firowned. " Monks ! Have I not told
you fifty times I would never have those idle
pestilent fellows in my house? " He rang the bell.
" For God's sake do not turn them out such a
night as this ! " exclaimed the countess. " Don't
be afi:aid, I will keep my word," replied her
husband ; and so saying, he desired the servant
to bring them directly into the dining-room.
They appeared ; and the venerable, saint-like ap-
pearance of the elder of the two priests checked
the raillery on the lips of the count. He made
them sit down at his table ; but the religious,
faithftil to his mission, would not eat till he had
spoken some of God's words to his host. After
supper, to his wife's joy and surprise, the count
conducted the monks himself to the rooms he
had prepared for them, which were the best in
the house ; but they refused to sleep on anything
but straw. The count then himself went and
fetched a truss of hay, and laid it on the floor.
Then suddenly breaking silence, he exclaimed:
" Father, I would return as a prodigal son to my
Father's house ; but I feel as if it were impossible

2o6 TOLEDO.

that He should forgive sins like mine." " Were
your sins as numberless as the grains of sand on
the sea-shore," replied the missionary, " faithful
repentance, through the blood of Christ, would
wash them out. Therefore it is that the hard-
ened sinner will have no excuse in the last day."
Seized with sudden compunction, the count fell
on his knees, and made a full confession of his
whole life, his tears falling on the straw he had
brought. A few hours later the missionary, in a
dream, saw himself, as it were, carried before the
tribunal of the Great Judge. In the scales of
eternal justice a soul was to be weighed : it was
that of the count. Satan, triumphant, placed in
the scales the countless sins of his past life : the
good angels veiled their faces in sorrow, and pity,
and shame. Then came up his guardian angel,
that spirit so patient and so watchful, so beauti-
ful and so good, who brings tears to our eyes
and repentance to our hearts, alms to our hands
and prayers to our lips. He brought but a few
bits ^of straw, wet with tears, and placed them in
the opposite scale. Strange ! thei/ weighed down
all the rest. The soul was saved. The next
morning, the monk, on waking, found the castle
in con&sion and sorrow. He enquired the reason :
its master had died in the night.'

ZABAGOZA AND SEGOVIA. 207

CHAPTEK X.

ZARAGOZA AND SEGOVIA.

The following morning found our travellers again
in Madrid, and one of them accompanied the sis-
ters of charity to a beautiful fete at San Juan de
Alargon, a convent of nuns. The rest of the day
was spent in the museum ; and at half-past eight
in the evening they started again by train for
Zaragoza, which they reached at six in the morn-
ing. One of the great annoyances of Spanish
travelling is, that the only good and quick trains
go at night ; and it is the same with the diligences.
In very hot weather it may be pleasant ; but in
winter and in rain it is a very wretched proceed-
ing to spend half your night in an uncomfortable
carriage, and the other half waiting, perhaps for
hours, at some miserable wayside station. After
breakfasting in an hotel where nothing was either
eatable or drinkable, our party started for the
two cathedrals. The one called the ' Sen ' is a
fine gloomy old Gothic building, with a magnifi-

2o8 ZAEAGOZA.

cent ' retablo,' in very fine carving, over the high
altar, and what the people call a ' media naranja '
(or half-orange) dome, which is rather like the
clerestory lantern of Burgos. In the sacristy was
a beautiful ostensorium, with an emerald and pearl
cross, a magnificent silver tabernacle of cinque-
cento work, another ostensorium encrusted with
diamonds, a nacre ' nef,' and some fine heads
of saints, in silver, with enamel collars. But at
the sister cathedral, where is the famous Virgen
del Pilar, the treasury is quite priceless. The
most exquisite reliquaries in pearls, precious
stones, and enamel ; magnificent necklaces ; ear-
rings with gigantic pearls ; coronets of diamonds ;
lockets ; pictures set in precious stones ; everything
which is most valuable and beautifiil, has been
lavished on this shrine. In the outside sacristy is
also an exquisite chalice, in gold and enamel, of
the fifteenth century ; and a very fine picture, said
to be by Correggio, of the ' Ecce Homo.' The
shrine of the Miraculous Yirgin is thronged with
worshippers, day and night ; but no woman is
allowed to penetrate beyond the railing, so that
she is very imperfectly seen. It is a black figure,
which is always the favourite way of representing
the Blessed Yirgin in Spain : the pillar is of the
purest alabaster. There is some fine ' azulejo '

ZABAGOZA. 209

work in the sacristy ; but the cathedral itself is
ugly, and is being restored in a bad style. Our
party left it rather with relief, and wandered
down to the fine old bridge over the Ebro, which
is here a broad and rapid stream, and amused
themselves by watching the boats shooting
through the piers — an operation of some danger,
owing to the rapidity of the current. There is a
beautiful leaning tower of old Moorish and
Roman brickwork, in a side street, but which
you are not allowed to ascend without a special
order from the prefect. The Lonja, or Exchange,
is also well worth seeing, from its beautiftil deep
overhanging roof. This is, in fact, the character-
istic of all the old houses in Zaragoza, which is a
quaint old town formed of a succession of narrow,
tortuous streets, with curious old roofs, 'patios,'
columns, and staircases. After having some lun-
cheon, which was more eatable than the breakfast,
our travellers took a drive outside the town, and
had a beautifal view of the lower spur of the Py-
renees on the one hand, and of the towers, bridges,
and minarets of the city on the other. Then they
went to the public gardens, laid out by Pignatelli,
the maker of the canal, which are the resort of all
the people on fete-days : they were very gay, and
Ml of beautiful flowers. From thence they drove

2IO ZABAQOZA.

to the castle, or ' Aljaferia,' where there is a very
curious moresque chapel still existing, though
sadly in ruins. Above are the rooms occupied by
Ferdinand and Isabella, and the apartment where
St. Elizabeth of Portugal was born, with the font
where she was baptized. The Hall of the Ambas-
sadors is very handsome, with a glorious mo-
resque roof, and a gallery round. The castle is
now turned into a barrack ; but the officers, who,
with true Spanish courtesy, had accompanied the
priest who was showing the rooms to our tra-
vellers, had never seen them before themselves.
How long they had been quartered there none of
our party had the courage to ask ! But this is a
specimen of the very little, interest which appears
to be taken by the Spaniards in the antiquities or
art treasures of their country. Not one of them
was ever to be seen in the matchless gallery of
Madrid. Coming home, they visited San Pablo,
a curious and beautiful subterranean church, into
which you descend by a flight of steps. A service
was going on, and an eloquent sermon, so that
it was impossible to see the pictures well ; but
they appeared to be above the average. This
church has a glorious tower in old Koman brick-
work. The palace of the Infanta has been con-
verted into a school. It is the most perfect spe-

ZABAGOZA.

21 I

cimen of the Kenaissance style of Gothic archi-
tecture, with beautiful arches, columns, staircase,
and fretted roof. Exhausted with their sight-
seeing, our travellers went back to their inn ;
agreeably surprised, however, at the vestiges of
ancient beauty still left in Zaragoza, after the
frightfol sieges and sacking to which the city has
twice been subjected.

In the evening, the Canon de Y , who

had been their kind cicerone at the cathedral in
the absence of the bishop, came to pay them a
visit, and gave them a very interesting account
of the people, and a great deal of information
about the convents and religious houses in the
place, especially that of the Ursulines, who have
a very large educational establishment in the
town. He has lately written a very interesting
account of the foundress of this order.

The return to Madrid was necessarily accom-
plished again by night ; and jaded and tired as
they were the following day, our party had not the
courage for any fresh expedition. One only visit
was paid, which will ever remain in the memory of
the lady who had the privilege. It was to Mon-
signor Claret, the confessor of the queen and Arch-
bishop of Cuba, a man as remarkable for his great
personal holiness and ascetic life as for the un-

p 2

212 MADRID.

just accusations of which he is continually the
object. On one occasion, these unfavourable re-
ports having reached his ears, and being only
anxious to retire into the obscurity which his
humility makes him love so well, he went to
Rome to implore for a release from his present
post ; but it was refused him. Returning through
France, he happened to travel with certain gen-
tlemen, residents in Madrid, but unknown to
him, as he was to them, who began to speak
of all the evils, real or imaginary, which reigned
in the Spanish Court, the whole of which they
unhesitatingly attributed to Monsignor Claret,
very much in the spirit of the old ballad against
Sir Robert Peel : —

Wlio filled tlie butcters' shops 'witli big blue flies ?

He listened without a word, never attempting
either excuse or justification, or betraying his
identity. Struck with his saint-like manner and
appearance, and likewise very much charmed
with his conversation during their couple of
days' journey together, the strangers begged, at
parting, to know his name, expressing an ear-
nest hope of an increased acquaintance at Madrid.
He gave them his card with a smile ! Let us
hope they will be less hasty and more charitable

MADRID. 213

in their judgments for the future. Monsignor
Claret's room in Madrid is a fair type of himself.
Simple even to severity in its fittings, with no
furniture but his books, and some photographs
of the queen and her children, it contains one
only priceless object, and that is a wooden cru-
cifix, of the very finest Spanish workmanship,
which attracted at once the attention of his
visitor. 'Yes, it is very beautiful,' he replied,
in answer to her words of admiration ; ' and I
like it because it expresses so wonderfully vic-
tory over suffering. Crucifixes generally represent
only the painfiil and human, not the triumphant
and Divine view of the Redemption. Here, He
is truly Victor over death and hell.'

Contrary to the generally received idea, he
never meddles in politics, and occupies himself
entirely in devotional and literary works. One
of his books, ' Camino recto y seguro para Uegar
al Cielo,' would rank with Thomas a Kempis's
' Imitation ' in suggestive and practical devotion.
He keeps a perpetual fast ; and when compelled
by his position to dine at the palace, still keeps
to his meagre fare of ' garbanzos,' or the like.
He has a great gift of preaching; and when he
accompanies the queen in any of her royal pro-
gresses, is generally met at each town when they

214 SEGOVIA.

arrive by earnest petitions to preach, which he
does instantly, without rest or apparent prepara-
tion, sometimes dehvering four Or five sermons
in one day. In truth, he is always ' prepared,' by
a hidden life of perpetual prayer and realisation
of the Unseen.

After taking leave of him and the Nunzio, and
of the many other kind friends who had made
their stay at Madrid so pleasant, our travellers
started at eight o'clock in the evening for Yilla
Alba, where they were to take the diligence for
Segovia. The night was clear and beautiful, and
the scenery through which they passed was finer
than any they had seen in Spain. At dawn they
came almost suddenly on this most quaint and
picturesque of cities, standing on a rocky knoll
more than 3,000 feet above the sea, encircled
by a rapid river, and with the most magnifi-
cent aqueduct, built by Trajan to convey the
pure water of the river Frio fi-om the neigh-
bouring sierra to the town. This aqueduct com-
mences with single arches, which rise higher as
the dip of the ground deepens, until they be-
come double. The centre ones are 102 feet high,
and the whole is built of massive blocks of
granite, without cement or mortar. A succes-
sion of picturesque towers and ancient walls

SEGOVIA. 215

remain tb mark the boundaries of the old Roman
city.

The diligence unceremoniously turned our tra-
vellers out into the street at the bottom of the
town, and left them to find their way as best they
could to the little 'fonda' in the square above.
It was very clean and tidy, with the box-beds
opening out of the sitting-rooms, which are uni-
versal in the old-fashioned inns of Spain, and
always remind one of a Highland bothie. The
daughter of the house showed off her white linen
with great pride, and was rather affronted because
two of the party preferred going to church to try-
ing her sheets, stoutly declaring that ' no one was
yet awake, and no mass could yet be obtained.'
However, on leaving her, and gently pushing open
one of the low side-doors of the cathedral close
by, the ladies found that the five o'clock services
had begun at most of the altars, with a very
fair sprinkling of peasants at each. The circular
triple apse at the east end of this cathedral, fi:om
the warm colour of the stone, and the beauty of
its flying buttresses and Gothic pinnacles, is de-
servedly reckoned one of the finest in Spain. The
tower also is beautifiil ; and the view fi:om the
cupola over the city, the fertile valleys beneath,
and the snow-tipped mountains beyond, is quite

621 SEGOVIA.

unrivalled. The interior has been a good deal
spoiled by modern innovations, but still con-
tains some glorious painted glass, a very fine
' retablo ' by Juni of the ' Deposition fi:'om the
Cross,' and some curious monuments, especially
one of the Infanta Don Pedro, son of Henry II.,
who was killed by being let fall firom the win-
dow of the Alcazar by his nurse. The Gothic
cloisters are also worth seeing. After service,
as it was still very early, the two ladies wandered
about this beautiful quaint old town, in which
every house is a study for a painter, and found
themselves at last at the Alameda, a public pro-
menade on the ramparts, shaded by fine acacias,
and the approach to which, on the cathedral side,
is through a beautifal Moorish horse-shoe arched
gateway. From thence some stone steps led them
up to a most curious old Norman church, with an
open cloister running round it, with beautifiil cir-
cular arches and dog-toothed mouldings ; opposite
is a kind of Hotel de Yille, with a fine gateway,
cloistered ' patio,' and staircase carved ' a jour.'
In a narrow street, a little lower down, is the ex-
quisite Gothic facade of the Casa de Segovia, and
turning to the left is another curious and beautiful
church, La Yera Cruz, built by the Templars, and
with a little chapel in it on the exact model of

8EG0Y1A. 217

that of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. The
zigzag and billet dog-tooth mouldings round the
windows and doorways are very fine. A little
higher up is the Parral, a deserted convent, with
a Jaeautiful church, richly carved portal and choir,
fine monuments, cloisters, and gardens : the latter
had such a reputation that they gave rise to the
saying, ' Las huertas del Parral, paraiso terrenal.'
Fairly tired out with sight-seeing before break-
fast, the ladies climbed up again to the Plaza de
la Constitucion, which was like the square of an
old German town, having endlessly varied and co-
loured houses with high roofs ; and were glad to
find the rest of the party awake at last, and sitting
round a table with the invariably good chocolate
and white bread of the country. The meal over,
one of the ladies started off, with a little boy as
her guide, to present her letters of introduction to
the bishop, who lived in a picturesque old palace
in the Plaza of San Esteban, the fine church oppo-
site, with its beautifiil tower, Saxon arches, and
open cloister, being dedicated to that saint. He re-
ceived his visitor with great good-nature, and in-
stantly countersigned the Nunzio's order for her to
visit the Carmelite convent of Sta. Teresa, sending
his vicar-general to accompany her. This house is
the original one purchased for the saint, in 1574,

2i8 SEGOVIA.

by Dona Ana de Ximenes, who was the first lady
to receive the habit in Segovia, It is dedicated
to St. Joseph, and the first mass was said in it by
St. John of the Cross. The nuns maintain the
reformed rule in all its austerity. They showed
their visitor the saint's cell, now converted into
an oratory, and also the room of St. John of the
Cross, whose convent is in the valley below, just
outside the walls of the town. There his body
rests — that body still uncorrupted, of one of whom
it has been truly said, that he was a ' cherub in
wisdom and a seraph in love,' On the door of his
cell is his favourite sentence : —

Pati et conteitmi pro Te !

This convent is rich both in his letters and in
those of St. Theresa, Here it was that the saint
received the news of the death of her favourite
brother, Laurence de Cepeda. She was quietly at
work during recreation when he appeared to her ;
the saint, without uttering a word, put down her
work and hastened to the choir to commend the
departing spirit to our Lord. She had no sooner
knelt before the Blessed Sacrament than an ex-
pression of intense peace and joy came over her
face. Her sisters asked her the reason, and she
told them that our Lord had then revealed to her

SEGOVIA. 219

the assurance that her brother was in heaven. His
sudden death occurred at the very moment when
he had appeared to her in the recreation room.
Over the door of her oratory are the words :
' Seek the cross ; ' ' Desire the cross ; ' and a Httle
farther on, ' Let us teach more by works than by
words.' After spending two or three hours with
the sisters, the Enghsh lady was compelled reluc-
tantly to leave them and return to her party, '
who were waiting for her to go with them to the
Alcazar.

This palace, originally Moorish, was rebuilt by
Henry lY. in the fifteenth century. It was the
favourite residence of Isabella of Castile, and from
thence, on the occasion of a revolution, she rode
out alone, and ' by her sweetness of countenance
more than by her majesty,' as the old chronicle
says, ' won over the people to return to their alle-
giance.' Our King Charles I. lodged here also, and
is recorded to have supped on certain ' troutes of
extraordinary greatness,' doubtless from the beau-
tiful stream below. At the time of the French
invasion the Alcazar was turned into a military
college, and these wretched students, in a freak of
boyish folly, set fire to a portion of one of the
rooms two years ago. The fire spread ; and all
that is now left of this matchless palace is a ruined

220 SEGOVIA.

shell, the facade, the beautiful Moorish towers and
battlements, one or two sculptured arabesque ceil-
ings, and the portculUsed gateway, each and all
testifying to its former greatness and splendour.
Its position, perched on a steep plateau forming
the western extremity of the town, is quite magnifi-
cent, and the views firom the windows are glorious.
Our travellers stayed a long time sitting under
the shade of the orange-trees in the battlemented
court below, enjoying the glorious panorama at
their feet, and watching the setting sun as it lit up
the tips of the snowy sierra which forms the back-
ground of this grand landscape; while the beautiful
river Eresma flowed swiftly round the old walls,
its banks occupied at that moment by groups of
washerwomen in their bright picturesque dresses,
singing in parts the national songs of their coun-
try. In the valley below were scattered home-
steads and convents, and a group of cypresses
marking the spot where, according to the legend,
Maria del Salto aHghted. This girl was a Jewess
by birth, but secretly a Christian; and having
thereby excited the anger and suspicions of her
family, was accused by them of adultery, and
condemned, according to the barbarous practice
of those times, to be thrown from the top of the
Alcazar rock. By her faith she was miraculously

SEGOVIA. 221

preserved from injury, and reached the ground in
safety ; a church was built on the spot, of which
the ' retablo ' tells the. tale.

Segovia is famous for its flocks, and for the
beauty of its wool ; the water of the Eresma is sup-
posed to be admirable for washing and shearing.

Our travellers now began to think of pursuing
their journey to Avila ; but that was not so easy.
The diligence which had brought them, flatly
refused to convey them back till the folio wing-
night, except at a price so exorbitant that it was
impossible to give it. And here, as everywhere
else in Spain, you have no redress. There are no
carriages whatever for hire, except in the twa
or three large capitals, like Madrid and Seville ;
and even should carriages be found, there are no
horses or mules to draw them — or, at any rate,
none that they choose to let out for the purpose.
Such as they are, they are always reserved for the
diligence ; and if the latter should happen to be
ftiU, the unhappy passengers may wait for days
at a wayside ' posada ' until their turn comes.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary in Spain to
write and make the contract for places before-
hand : and to be hard-hearted when the time
comes ,as it almost invariably happens that you
leave behind certain luckless travellers who have

222 SEGOVIA.

not adopted a similar precaution ; and the strug-
gle for seats, and consequent overcrowding of the
carriages, are renewed at every station. Making
a virtue of necessity, our travellers at last made
up their minds to another miserable diligence
night out of bed — the fatigue of which must be
felt to be thoroughly sympathised with — and
spent the intervening hours of the evening in
dining, and then going to a religious play, which
they had seen advertised in the morning, and
which was a very curious exhibition of popu-
lar taste and religious feeling. The little theatre
was really very clean and tidy, and there was
nothing approaching to irreverence in the repre-
sentations given. A similar scene in a very
different place recurred to the memory of one of
the party, as having been witnessed by her in
Paris, some years ago, when on a certain occa-
sion she accompanied a somewhat stiff, puritanical
old lady to the opera. A ballet was given as an
entr'acte, in which the scenery was taken from
the Book of Genesis, and Noah and his sons
appeared just coming out of the Ark. This was
too much for the good lady : ' If Noah either
dances or sings,' she exclaimed, ' I'll leave the
house ! ' The poor Segovians, trained in a diffe-
rent school, saw nothing incongruous in the repre-

JOURNEY TO AVILA. 223

sentation of the shepherds, and the wise men, and
the cave of Bethlehem : and only one comical
incident occurred, when, on a child in the pit
setting up a squeal, there was a universal cry of
Where's Herod ? At ten o'clock they left their
play, with its quiet and respectable little au-
dience, and once more found themselves tightly
stowed in their diligence prison for the night. The
moon, however, was bright and beautiful, and
enabled them to see the royal hunting-box and
woods, and the rest of the fine scenery through
which they passed, so that the journey was far
less intolerable than usual, as is often the case
when a thing has been much dreaded beforehand.
At four o'clock in the morning they were turned
out, shivering with, cold, at a wayside station,
where they were to take the train to Avila ; but
were then told, to their dismay, by a sleepy porter
that the six o'clock train had been taken off, and
that there would be none till ten the next morn-
ing, so that all hopes of arriving at Avila in
time for church (and this was Sunday) were at
an end. The station had no waiting-room, only
a kind of corridor with two hard benches. Esta-
blishing the children on these for the moment
with plaids and shawls, one of the party went off
to some cottages at a little distance off, and asked

224 JOURNEY TO AVILA.

in one of them if there were no means of getting
a bedroom and some chocolate ? A very civil
woman got up and volunteered both ; so the
tired ones of the party were able to lie down for
a few hours' rest in two wonderfully clean little
rooms, while their breakfast was preparing. The
question now arose for the others : ' Was there no
church anywhere near ? ' It was answered by the
people of the place in the negative. ' The station
was new; the cottages had been run up for the ac-
commoda,tion of the porters and people engaged on
the line ; there was no village within a league or
two.' Determined, however, not to be baffled, one
of the party enquired of another man," who was
sleepily driving his bullocks into a neighbouring
field, and he replied 'that over the mountains
to the left there was a village and a cure ;
but that it was a long way off, and that he only
went on great " festas." ' It was now quite light ;
the lady was strong and well ; and so she deter-
mined to make the attempt to find the church.
Following the track pointed out to her by her
informant, she came to a wild and beautiful
mountain path, intersected by bright rushing
streams, crossed by stepping-stones, the ground
perfectly carpeted with wild narcissus and other
spring flowers. Here and there she met a peasant

JOURNEY TO AVILA. 225

tending his flock of goats, and always the cour-
teous greeting of ' Yaya Usted con Dios !' or ' Dios
guarde a Usted ! ' as heartily given as returned.
At last, on rounding a corner of the mountain,
she came on a beautiful view, with the Escurial in
the distance to the left ; and to the right, embo-
somed, as it were, in a little nest among the hills,
a picturesque village, with its church-tower and
rushing stream and flowering fruit-trees, towards
which the path evidently led. This sight gave
her fresh courage ; for the night journey and long
walk, undertaken fasting, had nearly speilt her
strength. Descending the hill rapidly, she reached
the village green just as the clock was striking
six, and found a group of peasants, both men and
women, sitting on the steps of the picturesque
stone cross in' the centre, opposite the church,
waiting for the cure to come out of his neat little
house close by to say the first mass. The arrival
of the lady caused some astonishment ; but, with
the inborn courtesy of the people, one after the
other rose and came forward, not only to greet
her, but to offer her chocolate and bread. She
explained that she had come for communion, and
would go into the church. The old white-haired
clerk ran into the house to hasten the cure, and
soon a kind and venerable old man made his

2 26 JOURNEY TO AVILA.

appearance, and asked her if she wished to see him
first in the confessional. He could scarcely believe
she had been in Segovia only the night before!
Finding that she was hurried to return and catch
the train, he instantly gave her both mass and com-
munion, and then sent his housekeeper to invite
her to breakfast, as did one after the other of the
villagers. Escaping from their hospitality with
some difficulty, on the plea of the shortness of the
time and the length of the way back, the English
lady accepted a little loaf, for which no sort of pay-
ment would be heard of, and walked with a light
heart back to the station, feeling how close is the
religious tie which binds Catholics together as one
family, and how beautiful is the hearty, simple hos-
pitality of the Spanish people when untainted by
contact with modern innovations and so-called pro-
gress. There was no occasion when this natuial,
high-bred courtesy was not shown during the four
months that our travellers spent in this country ;
and those who, like the author of ' Over the Pyre-
nees into Spain,' find fault on every occasion with
the manners of the people, must either have been
ignorant of their language and customs, or, having
no sympathy with their faith, have wounded their
susceptibilities, and to a certain degree justified the
rudeness of which they pretend to have been the
victims.

JVesf Door of Cathedral of Avila.

AVILA. ■ zi-j

CHAPTER XI.

AVILA AND ALVA,

After a clean and plentiful breakfast in the
cottage, our party started by train for Avila,
where they arrived at one o'clock ; and having
washed and dressed, found themselves at vespers
at the cathedral, which is a beautiful Gothic build-
ing, begun in 1107, with a glorious western facade,
a very fine circular apse at the east end, grand
monuments, and magnificent painted glass. The
' retablo ' over the high altar is in bettter taste than
almost any in Spain, and contains some beauti-
fully carved subjects, especially one of the 'An-
nunciation.' Both this cathedral and the clois-
ters are built of a peculiar shaded red and white
granite, unlike any other, but which gives rather
the effect of the cathedral of Sienna. After
vespers, some of the party went to the arch-
bishop's, who was absent on a confirmation tour,
but had left orders that they should be received,
boarded, and lodged at his palace, and had desired

Q 2

228 • AVILA.

his vicar-general to do the honours in his absence.
This hospitahty our party considered themselves
too numerous to accept, and they had already
found very tolerable accommodation in a little
' fonda ' opposite the cathedral ; but they gladly
accepted the offer of his kind and courteous
secretary to act as their escort, especially for the
inspection of St. Theresa's house and convent on
the following day.

Avila is a noble specimen of an old Castilian
fortified city, teeming with curious Gothic monu-
ments and inscriptions of the thirteenth century,
which, unfortunately, no one seems to care for or
to be able to explain. Fragments of these are
worked into every house : at every turn are
quaint old basilicas with circular apses, beautiftil
doorways and dog-tooth mouldings. Of these,
the finest is that of S, Yincente, in a ' plaza ' on
the way leading to the railway station. It con-
tains the body of St. Yincent, who suffered in the
Decian persecution. His monument, on raised
twisted pillars, is in the centre of the church.
There is a subterranean crypt, which also contains
the bodies of martyrs and several fine monuments.
The tower, cloisters, and portico, with clustered
columns, are beautiful ; and from the cloister
there is a magnificent view over the rich 'vega'

AVILA. 229

beneath, and of the unique east end of the cathe-
dral built into the city wall.

This is almost the only place our travellers
had yet seen in Spain where the women wore the
old national costume. In Granada, Cordova, and
Seville, the men retain their picturesque dresses ;
but their wives rarely do so. Here the women
are all dressed in bright yellow canary-coloured
stuff petticoats, with red cloth ' appliqueed ' in
patterns, on the skirt, green or red bodices,
strings of pearls, and hair in circular rolls on the
side of the head, with pins across each. From
the bridge^ the view of the river, of the towers,
(of which there are eighty-eight), and of the
grand old crenellated walls which encircle the
town, is very fine. The following morning, after
high mass at the cathedral, one of -the party
started with the vicar-general to see the house in
which St. Theresa was born. On their way they
passed by the beautiful palace of the Medina
Coeli, which has the arms of the family (thirteen
balls) over the door, and four of those curious
granite rhinoceros, or ' toros,' as the people call
them, found here and there in Spain, the origin
of which is so disputed by the learned. There is
also a curious inscription on a bas-relief over the
principal entrance, in old and quaint Spanish,

230 AVILA.

the meaning of which in English would be :
' When one door shuts, another opens,' probably-
alluding to some family legend now forgotten.

St. Theresa was the daughter of Alonso de
Cepeda and Beatrix de Ahumada, both of noble
and even royal blood, and it was in their house
that our party now found themselves. It is a
beautiful palace, which has passed through many
phases, having become, after St. Theresa's death,
a Carmelite monastery ; and now, since the de-
struction of the religious houses in Spain, a college
for boys. There is a very fine church attached
to it, foil of beautifol marbles and frescoes ; and
leading out of this church is the room of Ma-
dame de Cepeda, in which Theresa was born.
It has been converted into a chapel. Here are
kept her bedstead, part of which was made into
a cross ; her rosary ; her walking-stick, with a
crook for the thumb; her shoes, &c., &c. Every-
thing belonging to her, however remotely, is
preserved with a veneration which it would be
almost impossible to imagine out of Spain.

From thence, they went on to the convent of
St. Joseph, called ' de las Madres,' being her first
reformed foundation. A statue of the saint is
placed over the portal. Here, on St. Bartholo-
mew's-day, 1562, St. Theresa saw at last the

AVTLA. 231

accomplishment of her prayers : here, the habit
of rough serge and the veil of coarse unbleached
linen were first given to the four sisters of the
new reform, which was afterwards to embrace so
many thousand devout and holy souls. In the
church are the tombs of her favourite brother
Lorenzo, and of the good Bishop of Avila, Alva-
rez de Mendoza, through whose powerful protec-
tion this first house was started, and who chose
to be buried in this humble little chapel sooner
than in his own beautifiil cathedral, in the hope,
which was not destined to be realised, of resting
near the saint, St. Peter of Alacantara's letter
to this bishop, when pleading for permission for
the foundation, is among the treasures contained
in this convent. The superior and the sisters
received their English visitor most kindly, and
showed her everything. The saint's cell, now
converted into an oratory ; her bed ; her chair ;
her clothes; the coffin in which her body was
placed before it was removed to Alva ; her jug
and cup ; her musical instruments ; her leathern
girdle ; her discipline ; some of her blood ; a
bone of her neck ; her books and letters. Among
the books is a folio in two volumes of St. Gre-
gory's ' Morales,' belonging to St. Theresa, with
her notes and marks ; a book written by St.

2 32 AVILA.

John of the Cross, with annotations on a kind
of ' Canzone ' of Ann of St. Bartholomew ; and
a MS. copy of the saint's ' Foundations.' In
the hermitages which she founded in the garden
are some very curious pictures belonging to the
saint, and some old engravings. One picture
was painted by her desire, in consequence of a
vision in which she saw our Lord bound to the
pillar after the scourging. These hermitages
were constructed so that the nuns might have
less interruption in the quiet and fervency of
their prayers. The well still remains in the
garden, of which the water was at first so bad
that they could not use it ; and then, by the simple
prayer of faith of these poor nuns, it pleased God
so to sweeten it that it has been ever since good
and sufficient for the wants of the community.
Here, after all the storms and difficulties she had
had to encounter, St. Theresa spent five years
in comparative peace and happiness. She had
thirteen sisters in this house, all of whom were
endowed with such rare spiritual gifts, that the
saint declared ' she was ashamed to live amongst
them herself Yet, even here, she had much to
suffer. One day, as she was ascending the steps
which led to the choir, before compline, she was
suddenly thrown down, falling with such violence

AVTLA. 233

that her nuns thought she was killed. They
found, however, that only her arm was broken.
According to the rough surgery of those days,
the female practitioner, who had been sent for,
went to work so violently to set the broken
limb that the bones were dislocated. Theresa
did not utter a cry, but contemplated all the
time the violence with which our Lord was
stretched on the cross, telling her sisters that she
should have been sorry to have missed this op-
portunity of suffering something with patience.
These steps are still shown, as also a picture
representing the occurrence.

From St. Joseph's the English lady went on to
the convent of the Incarnation, the house where
St. Theresa made her first profession of religion,
and in which more than twenty years of her life
were passed. A prophecy preceded her arrival. A
stranger had come to the convent a short time
before, and said, ' A saint will shortly come to dwell
in this house, whose name will be Theresa.' When
told of this prophecy, St, Theresa, then a young
and merry novice, laughingly said to a com-
panion, who also bore the name : ' Which of us
two shall be the saint ? ' This convent is in a
beautiful situation, in a fertile valley, at a little
distance from the town, with a fine church.

234 AVILA.

magnificent cloisters, and a spacious garden and
orchard, watered by a clear quick-flowing stream.
Among the treasures in this house are the veil
and dress in which she made her first religious
profession ; the wooden crucifix and the infant
JTesus which she always carried about with her
in her travels, and used for her mass in her
first foundations ; her room, chair, and pictures ;
and quantities of letters, both of St. Theresa's
and of St. John of the Cross, who was prior and
confessor of the convent. One of the saint's
letters is countersigned by the four nuns of the
first foundation : Antonia of the Holy Ghost
Mary of the Cross, Ursula of the Saints, and Mary
of St. Joseph. Here also is a very curious pic-
ture, painted by the saint's desire, of St. Peter
of Alacantara as he appeared to her in a vision
after his death, saying : ' My present glory,
through the mercy of Christ, is the fi-uit of my
penitence.' A few years after St. Theresa had
left this house for those of her reform, that is, in
1571, she was appointed, by the provincial,
superior of this convent of the Incarnation, in
order to remedy the evils which existed in the,
house. This caused a fiirious storm, which was
only quelled by Theresa's wonderful prudence,
humility, and gentleness. The day the first

AVILA. 235

chapter was held, the nuns came in a body pre-
pared to rebel. But in the place of the prioress,
they found only a beautiful statue of the Virgin,
holding the keys of the convent, and St. Theresa,
addressing them as the most unworthy member
of the house, only craved permission to aid them
in every way in her power. As is admirably
said by the clever authoress of her ' Life,' before
alluded to : ' Those who had been accustomed
to look upon the saint as a visionary enthusiast,
were both astonished and touched by the ready
presence of mind and the minute solicitude with
which she regulated all the complicated worldly
affairs of the community, and supplied the most
trifling wants of each of its members.' The little
parlour is still shown where the saint and St.
John of the Cross were found raised from the
ground in an ecstacy while discoursing on the
love of God ; which can only be explained
by the saint's own words : 'It is certain that
when for the love of God we empty our souls
of all affection for creatures, that great God im-
mediately fills them with Himself

There are seventeen nuns in this house, and
their veneration for the saint seems as great as
that of her sisters of the reform.

Returning to the ' fonda,' and taking leave of

2 75 SALAMANCA.

the kind vicar-general and this most interesting
old town, our travellers started at two o'clock
in the morning by diligence for Salamanca.
Of course, the diligence authorities would not
condescend to come up to the ' fonda ' to fetch
the ladies, who had no alternative but to grope
their way through the streets in pitchy darkness,
amidst torrents of rain, and under cut-throat-
looking archways, until they reached the grimy,
undesirable vehicle.

The country, after leaving Avila, is hideously
flat and ugly, more like an old post-road through
parts of France or Hanover than anything they
had hitherto seen in Spain. Salamanca itself
stands on a height, the river Tormes encircling
the town, over which is thrown a very fine
Eoman bridge of twenty-seven arches. The
diligence dragged them painfully up the steep
streets and over the horribly disjointed pave-
ment to the Plaza Mayor, the largest square in
Spain, of which the faQade is adorned with busts
of kings, and with a colonnaded arcade all round,
looking like Bologna. Here the bull-fights are
held ; and with more humanity than at Seville,
the horses being almost invariably saved firom in-
jury. The ' posada ' in the Plaza was so uninviting
that our party betook themselves to a private lodg-

8ALAMANGA. 237

ing in a side street, which had been recommended
to them at Avila. Here they found some very nice
clean rooms and the best food they had had since
leaving Madrid. After changing their crumpled
and dusty clothes (for one of the many miseries of
diligence travelling is the dust), they started off
for the cathedrals, for there are two, one above the
other. The one below is simple, massive, and what
we call Norman in character ; the one above is
the most florid and elaborate Gothic. The carv-
ing of the portal and of the whole fagade of the
west front is the most gorgeous and beautiful
thing which it is possible to conceive. One's
breath is fairly taken away by the number and
variety of the figures. Inside, its principal fea-
tures are the height of the arches and the beau-
tiful open pierced work of the galleries which
run round the cathedral. The rest has a new,
white, cold look, which did not please eyes ac-
customed to the solemn sober aisles of Seville.
In the sacristy are some curious pictures and
relics ; among others, ' El Crucifijo de las Batallas,'
a small Byzantine bronze crucifix which the Cid
always carried before him in battle, and some
very interesting letters of St. Theresa's.

Nearly opposite the cathedral is the far-famed
Universi-ty, of which the magnificent fagade is

238 SALAMANCA.

alone worth a journey to Salamanca to see. It is
in the richest period of Ferdinand and Isabella,
whose badges are worked into the arabesque
lace-like scrolls, together with the inscription in
Greek : ' The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom.' Equally elaborate is the carving
of the fagade of San Esteban, in a ' plaza ' a little
below the cathedral. The beautiful creamy colour
of the stone adds immensely to the effect of all
this work. But the French destroyed and dese-
crated every religious building in Salamanca :
only ruined cloisters, bare refectories, and muti-
lated doorways remain to testify to past beau-
ties.

From the cathedral our travellers went up the
steep hill to the Irish College, having a letter
from the English minister at Madrid to the
principal ; but he was ill and unable to see them.
His students, however, received them with hearty
expressions of welcome, and offered to be their
cicerones during their stay in Salamanca, It
was so curious to hear a very decided Irish brogue
in the ' patio ' of a Spanish convent. But their
numbers are few ; and the University itself has
dwindled down to 400 or 500 students instead
of the 17,000 talked of in the sixteenth cen-
tury. Cardinal Ximenes was once tutor in a

Palace, Guadalajara.

SALAMANCA. • 239

college here ; and Cervantes lived for a long
time in a house still pointed out as his in the
Calle de los Moros. The palaces in Salamanca
are very beautiful, especially the Casa de las
Conchas, so called from the pecten shells pro-
jecting out of each stone ; the Casa de las
Salinas, with its overhanging roof and gallery
and richly ornamented windows ; and the Palacio
del Conde de Monterey, with its turrets and an
upper gallery of arcaded windows, which look
like the rich lace fringe of the solid building
below. After lionising the whole morning, one
of the party went to call on the bishop, a man
universally esteemed and beloved in Salamanca,
who received his visitor with fatherly kindness,
and at once volunteered to walk with her and
show her the different conventual establishments,
which she had obtained Papal permission to see.
The lady soon found, however, that walking with
the bishop, though a great honour, was a mat-
ter of some difficulty. No sooner did his broad
green-tasselled hat and emerald cross appear at
the corner of any street, than every human
being, old and young, rich and poor, gentle
and simple, rushed out of their houses, or across
the road, to kneel and kiss his hand and re-
ceive his apostolical benediction, their faces all

2+0 SALAMANCA.

the while beaming with a pleasure which it did
one's heart good to see. He first took her to the
great Jesuit college, opposite the Casa de las
Conchas, which contains upwards of 800 students.
It is a magnificent building, with a cloistered
gallery running round the roof, from whence the
view over the whole country is beautiful. The
church is a fine specimen of churrigueresque
work, with some pretty side chapels, and several
valuable pictures and relics. From thence they
went to the convent and church of the Augus-
tinians. The latter contains some very fine
pictures by Eibera — that great artist so little
known out of Spain — especially a ' Conception '
over the high altar. This church is exceedingly
rich in marbles and monument-s, and in the Flo
rentine ' pietra dura ' pulpit, St. Yincent of Ferrer
preached. Traversing the public gardens, now full
of flowers, fi'om every corner of which the little
children ran forward to obtain the smile and
loving word of the good bishop, they came to
the discalced Carmelite convent, which is a little
outside the town, and where great joy at his
visit was shown by the nuns. This house, like
all the rest, was founded by the saint in great
poverty and difficulties. In her ' Life ' there is
an amusing description of her arrival on the

SALAMANCA. 241

Yigil of All Saints, 1570, and finding the house
full of students, who were with difficulty ejected ;
the alarm of one of the nuns lest any stray ones
should be concealed in the garrets ; and their
sleeping on straw, having found no sort of fur-
niture or beds. Even later, when a chapel had
been built and dedicated to St. Joseph, St.
Theresa found that the rain came in on every
side, and threatened to put a stop to the con-
secration ; but the storm passed away at the
prayers of the saint. She wrote at that time, ' In
none of the convents which our Lord allowed
us to found, have the nuns undergone greater
hardships than in this one.' But their faith
and patience triumphed over all. ' Ann of the
Incarnation ' was the first prioress of this house,
and ' Anne of Jesus,' first mistress of novices.
These two ladies were cousins of St. Theresa, and
among the first to adopt her reform. Their por-
traits are in the parlour of this convent, and
' Anne of Jesus ' has the sweetest and most saint-
like face that can be imagined. The rest of the
house, in its arrangements, discipline, and her-
mitages, is the same as all the others, and the
nuns have equally preserved her letters, and those
of St. John of the Cross, and of several of the
religious of the first foundation. ^

E

2451 SALAMANCA.

The English visitor confided to the bisliop her
great wish to visit Alva, the ' cloture ' of the whole
to one interested in the life of St. Theresa, as
there she died, and there the body of the saint
rests. But Alva is twelve miles from Salamanca,
and neither carriage nor horses could be procured
for the expedition. The bishop directly solved
the difficulty by offering her his episcopal coach
and mules, which, after some hesitation and reluc-
tance, she ventured at last to accept. The next
morning, therefore, after early mass at the beauti-
ful Jesuit church, the two ladies started in solemn
state for Alva, the only sad thing being the dis-
appointment which their presence created in the
villages, where the people, when they saw the
episcopal equipage, rushed out of their houses to
get the bishop's blessing, and saw instead nothing
but two stupid women ! The vicar-general kindly
accompanied them, the bishop being detained in
Salamanca by the procession on St. Mark's-day.-
They passed by Arapiles, the scene of Welling-
ton's gTeat battle (called of Salamanca) , in which
he utterly defeated Marmont, and by which Ma-
drid and Andahisia were saved. Nothing but two
low hills, one flat, the other conical, marks the
spot immortalised by this great victory. Alva is
on the Tormes, and is approached through a fine

ALVA. 243

natural ilex wood, and over a picturesque Roman
bridge. Above the town towers the palace fortress
of the dukes of Alva, now in ruins. But the
episcopal mules, whose slow and stately pace had
been the despair of our travellers ever since they
left Salamanca, went straight to the Carmelite
convent, which was evidently their usual destina-
tion. Here the cure, a kind and benevolent old
man, met them, and, together with the vicar-gene-
ral, desired to speak with the superior. This lady,
evidently wearied with the number of pilgrims to
the shrine of the saint, demurred greatly at the
notion of admitting the strangers, and it required
all the eloquence of the two priests, backed by the
authority of the bishop and nunzio, and above all
by the papal rescript, to obtain permission to enter
the ' clausura.'

About two months after the foundation of Sa-
lamanca, St. Theresa was invited by Francis Ve-
lasquez, treasurer to the Duke of Alva and Teresa.
de Layz his wife, to found a house at Alva. These
two people, had long been praying in vain for
children, when one night, in a dream, they saw a
house, in the courtyard of which was a well and a
corridor, and near it a green meadow full of beau-
tiful flowers. Bythe well. stood a saint-like man,
who, pointing to the .flowers, seemed to say, to

R 2

244 ALVA.

them, ' These are far holier children than those
for whom you are longing.' A short time after-
wards they removed to Alva, and when they came
to take possession of the house which had been
prepared for them, their astonishment was great at
recognising the very place they had seen in their
dream. There was the court, the well, the corri-
dor, everything, except the saint ! Perceiving the
hand of God in this matter, both Velasquez and
his wife determined to convert the house into a
convent, and asked St. Theresa to accept the
foundation. In accordance with their wish, St.
Theresa opened the house on the Feast of the
Conversion of St. Paul, under the title of the
' Incarnation.'

The visitors were taken first into her original
cell, and thence to the room in which she died :
the stones on which she sat, the bed on which she
was laid, all remain untouched. It was on the 3rd
of October, 1653, that, feeling her strength almost
entirely spent, she took leave of her religious, and
asked to receive the Holy Yiaticum, When It
came, though previously unable to move, she
sprang up, and the love of her full heart burst
forth irt the words : ' Lord ! the hour is come
which I have looked for these long, long years. It
is time, my Lord, that I should depart hence. Let

ALVA. 245

Thy most holy will be done. The end of my
weary exile is come at last, and my soul rejoices in
Thee, whom it has desired so ardently and so long.'
She repeated- over and over again, 'After all,
Lord, I am a child of the Church,' a thought which
seemed to fill her with unspeakable joy. Then she
said the Miserere, especially the verse, ' Cor con-
tritum et humiliatum Deus non despiciet,' which
she continued repeating as long, as she had the
power of speech. She was asked where she would
wish to be buried. She answered quickly, ' Ought
I to have a will of my own ? ' and then added with
touching humility,' ' Will they not give me a little
corner of earth here ? ' Mother Ann of St. Bar-
tholomew never left her during the last days of
her life, and the saint died with her head resting
on her arm. A picture representing her death
hangs in this room, as also one of the vision in
which our Lord and His angels appeared at the
moment of her death at the foot of her bed to
.escort the pure spirit up to heaven. There is also
a picture of her body as it appeared after death, in
her religious habit, over which had been thrown a
cloth of gold, exactly as she had seen in a dream
forty-eight years before ! The face had recovered
the youth and beauty of girlhood, and the com-
plexion had become white as alabaster. The body

246 ALVA.

was placed in a very deep grave, by desire of the
foundress, who feared that it might one day be re-
moved. Nine months after, it was taken up, and
found as perfect and beautiful as the day of the
burial. It was then conveyed to St. Joseph's con-
vent at Avila, where, having been judicially exa-
mined, it was, by order of Pope SixtusY., brought
back to Alva, where it rests now over the high altar
in a magnificent silver shrine. To this sanctuary
our visitors were now led, through the choir, which
contains likewise her heart in a crystal case, and
a multitude of relics, pictures, and crucifixes, in-
cluding the heads of St. Felix and St. Justus,
brought from Kome, a quantity of the saint's let-
ters and of Padre Garcia's, and a picture of St.
John of the Cross, with the question of our Lord
and his answer inscribed on the base : —

Jolm, wliat recompense dost tlioii ask for thy labour ?

No other than to snifer and be condemned for Thy love, Lord !

There are twenty-five religious in this house,
which is one of the most interesting that can be
seen in Spain. In the church are the bodies of
Yelasquez and his wife, the founders of the house,
and of John de Ovalla and Dona Juana de Alhu-
mada, the saint's favourite sister, whose monu-
ments, with their child at their feet, are placed in
a side transept. After spending the whole morn-

8ALAMANGA. 247

ing in this holy house, the two ladies went on to the
cure's, who had kindly prepared an excellent din-
ner for them, and received them in his little pres-
bytery with the frank and gentle courtesy which
is so characteristic of the Spaniards : only his hospi-
tality was almost overwhelming ; his guests found
it impossible to eat and drink all the good things
which his generous heart had collected together in
their honour ! The evening saw them once more
at Salamanca, in the palace of the kind bishop to
whom they owed their deeply interesting Alva
visit. He took leave of them with fatherly ten-
derness, and at parting gave one of the ladies a
large and very admirable photograph of himself,
which she had much desired, but scarcely dared
ask for.

The peasants at Salamanca adhere to their old
national costume— the men with enormous hats,
the women, in addition to the bright yellow petti-
coats, with a kind of scarf or striped blanket, red,
white and black, which they throw over their
shoulders, or, if wet and cold, over the head:
this scarf seemed universal in the district. The
men had scarlet burnous, with heavy tasselled
fringes thrown picturesquely over one shoulder,
as at Yalencia.

248 ZAMOBA.

CHAPTER XII.

ZAMORA AND VALLADOLID.

At seven the next morning our travellers bade
adieu to Salamanca, and went on by diligence to
Zamora. The road is flat and uninteresting till
you come to Corrales, where, to the left, in a shel-
tered valley, is Valparaiso, the once fine convent
in which St. Ferdinand, that best of Spanish
kings, was born. From the hermitage, called El
Cristo de Morales, Zamora appears with its bat-
tlemented walls, fine cathedral, and picturesque
old bridge with circular towers, which spans the
Douro. The water of this river is said to be as
nutritious as chicken-broth, ' Agua de Duero, caldo
de polios;' so runs the proverb. The peasants
here use those dreadfiil carts (as in Portugal) with
solid wheels — mere circles of wood without spokes
or axles, which make the most abominable creak-
ing noise that can be imagined ; but their drivers
never seem to find it out.

Our travellers were taken to a little ' posada '
in the principal square, opposite a kind of H6tel

Z AMOR A. 249

de Yille, with a beautiful Venetian facade, exqui-
site windows, and carved portals. The mistress
of the house showed them into a room out of which
was the universal box-bedstead recess ; but they
found it evidently occupied. Its owner, the colonel
of the detachment of troops quartered there, came
in a few minutes afterwards, and the ladies apolo-
gised for their unintentional, intrusion, but were
assured that he was delighted to place his apart-
ment at their service, and in fact that there was
no other. Presently a meal of some sort was an-
nounced to them, and our travellers no longer
wondered at the colonel's choice of quarters. The
uninviting dish of 'garbanzos' was brought up by a
girl whose beauty will ever remain as an ideal in
their minds. A perfectly oval face, the most tender
lustrous eyes, a beautiful mouth, hair rolled above
the delicately formed ear, behind which was stuck
a bright pomegranate blossom— she would have
made her fortune in six months as a model to a
painter ! and her shy, retiring, modest manner
added to the wonderful charm of her appearance.
At Cadiz, at Seville, and still more, in the outlying
villages, beauty of this type had been met with by
our party, but never in such perfection.

The train for Medina del Campo not starting
for four or five hours, they resolved to employ their

250 ZAMOBA.

time in exploring the curiosities of the town, and
first went to the cathedral, which has a curious
tower, fine Saxon arches and cloisters. The inside
has been modernised, but contains some beautiful
wood-carving in the choir and on the bishop's
throne, and some very fine monuments. But the
glory of Zamora is the Templar Church of Sta.
Magdalena. The deeply-recessed entrance, with its
remarkable circular arches enriched with Norman
and Moorish patterns, the rose-windows, and the
high altar, with its round arch and billet mould-
ings, are really unique in their beauty. The
' Alameda,' or public walk, begins opposite this
church, the space in the centre being filled with
roses, at that time in fiill blossom. From thence
there is a picturesque view of the old walls and of
the prison of the Cid, with the open cloister and
gallery of the bishop's palace, and the rich and
cultivated valley below. The hour for the de-
parture of the train having now arrived, our tra-
vellers went down the hill to the station, their bags
being carried for them by the beautifiil girl who
had so charmed them before, and who, refusing all
remuneration, shyly kissed the elder lady's hand
ai^d vanished. Here was enacted one of those
scenes fi-om real life which are often so much more
touching than the most exciting romance^ A

ON THE WAY TO VALLADOLID. 251

young bride was starting with her husband, and
grouped round the railway carriage were all her
friends and old servants, to wish her good-bye.
One of the latter was her nurse, and the despair of
the poor woman was piteous to see. Dressed in
her beautiful peasant's holiday costume, with
strings of pearls on her white bodice, but her face
swollen and disfigured by weeping, she clung to
her young mistress with a tenacity which was both
painful and touching. The tie between masters
and servants in Spain is very close and very
sacred. No one dreams, of ordering their man or
maid to do anything ; whatever is wanted must
be asked for with a deference and courtesy which
they consider their due, and which is invariably
accorded. The servants consider themselves en-
tirely as part of the family into which they enter,
and identify their interests, their sorrows, and
their joys, with those of their employers.

Our travellers arrived at Medina del Campo too
late to stop and visit the Carmelite convent there ;
but. were obliged to push on to Yalladolid, which
they reached at eleven o'clock at night, very tired,
but charmed with their expedition.

Yalladolid, once the capital of Spain, the birth-
place of Philip II., and which witnessed likewise
the death of Columbus, has been entirely ruined by

252 VALLADOLID.

the French, who sacked or destroyed everything
in it which was most interesting either in rehgion
or art. It is now being rebuilt in a stiff, common-
place way, and boulevards planted, as in a third-
rate French town. There is a great museum of
pictures, to which some of the party went, and
reported them, with very few exceptions, as exe-
crable. The cathedral was built by Herrera, the
architect of the Escurial, but was never finished.
It is cold and uninteresting to the last degree,
the only beautiful thing remaining in it being
the silver custodia.

The church of the Dominicans, called San
Pablo, was once a marvel of beauty and art ;
but nothing now remains save the exquisite
facade. The fiat went forth from the Emperor
Bonaparte : ' Sa Majeste a ordonne la suppres-
sion du convent des Dominicains, dans lequel
un Frangais a ete tue.' The same fate awaited
the neighbouring college of San Gregorio, con-
taining the wonderfdl ' retablo ' of Juan de Juni :
the beautiful double cloisters alone remain. - One
of the most interesting things in Yalladolid, rarely
visited by travellers, is the house of the two
famous sculptors Juni and Hernandez, at the
corner of the Calle de San Luis. Juni was an
Italian, of the school of Michael Angelo, and
equally daring and grand in his conceptions.

VALLADOLID. 253

Hernandez, who succeeded him both in his fame
and in his studio, was the Murillo of Castilian
sculpture. Like Angelico da Fiesole, he never
began any work without prayer, and his whole
creations breathe that same spirit of love and
holiness which made an Englishman exclaim, on
leaving Overbeck's studio one day in Kome : ' I
feel as if I had been all the time in church.'

His private life was that of a brother of charity,
and his name was a household word for all that
was 'lovely and of good report.' Yet few care
to go and see the little room which witnessed
for twenty-three years that hidden life of piety
and genius. The people in the house at present
seemed utterly ignorant of the whole matter :
the window of his studio is blocked up; and
his works are every day disappearing through the
bad taste and indifference of his degenerate coun-
trymen. Another interesting private house in
Yalladolid is the ' Casa del Sol,' now a barrack,
once the residence of Gondomar, ambassador of
Philip lY. to our James I., whose library was
one of the most valuable in Spain. It contained
a very- curious collection of English literature
of the time of Shakspeare, The whole was
.sold to Charles lY. ; but as his Majesty did not
pay, some 1,600 volumes were kept back and left
to the tender mercies of the carpenter or brick-

254 VALLADOLID.

layer who had charge of the house ; and so these
priceless treasures were finally sold for waste-
paper and disappeared. Those seen by our tra-
vellers in the Queen's Library at Madrid formed
only a small portion of his secret correspondence
during his embassy in England. There are ten
volumes there, and some others in the hands of
the great antiquary, Senor Gayangos ; but as yet
no authentic translation or account of their con-
tents has reached this country, which is very much
to be regretted.

The next visit of our travellers was to the
bishop, whose palace contains a handsome stair-
case, cloistered ' patio,' and beautifal garden. He
showed his guests, among other things, a very
fine Murillo of the Crucifixion, and a beautiful
' retablo ' by Pinturicchio, which he is having
restored for his private chapel. His secretary
volunteered to accompany one of the ladies to
the Carmelite convent, while the rest continued
their wanderings over the town. Entering into
the parlour, while the superior was examining
the permission to enter her 'clausura,' the lady's
eyes fell on this quatrain over the door : —

Hermano, una de dos :

no entrar, 6 hablar de Dios.
Que en la casa de Teresa

Esta ciencia se profesa.

VALLABOLID. 255

The original convent given by Bernardin of
Mendoza, brother of the Bishop of Avila, was
in an unhealthy situation near a river ; so that
St. Theresa removed her nuns to the house where
they now are, and which was purchased for them
by his sister. It bears the title of ' Our Lady
of Mount Carmel.' Mary of Ocampo (in religion
called Maria de S. Juan Bautista) was the first
prioress here, and trained her sisters to such per-
fection that St. Theresa spoke of the house as
* the most admirable of all her foundations.' It
became the home of a perfect galaxy of saints,
ladies of the highest rank and fortune de^^oting
their lives to God in spite of all human diffi-
culties and oppositions. The secret of their per-
fection is disclosed in the reply of one of them,
to a person who was marvelling at her undis-
turbed tranquillity in the midst of severe trials
and sufferings : ' The value of whatever we do
and bear, however small it may be, for the love
of God, is inestimable. We should. not so much
as turn our eyes, except to please Him.' This
sanctity, and singleness of purpose, have de-
scended like a precious heritage to the sisters
now in the house. It was impossible not to
be struck with the expression of their counte-
nances. They have the usual mementoes of the

256 VALLADOLIB.

saint : her letters, her clothes, her hair shirt,
&c., and the MS. of her ' Camin de Perfeccion.'
In the garden are hermitages, as at Avila :
over the door of one is the inscription : ' At
Carmel and at the Judgment Day, God only
and I.' Philip II. decorated one of these little
oratories, and placed in it an altar of ' azulejo '
work. They have also some very interesting
pictures, portraits, crucifixes and relics.

The great trade of Yalladolid is in silver-
smith's work. With the discovery of a new world
a vast quantity of silver and gold poured into
Spain ; and this was wrought into beautiful forms
and patterns by Antonio and Juan d'Arphe,
Germans by origin and birth, but who settled
at Yalladolid, and executed almost all the beau-
tiful cinquecento work which our travellers had
seen in the different ecclesiastical treasuries of
Spain. Juan became Master of the Mint at Sego-
via, and published his designs for church plate,
which have been generally adopted. Now, great
artists and a taste for art seem to be equally
extinct. But there is still a large manufacture of
crosses, reliquaries, and the like in Yalladolid,
which are much sought after in other parts of
Spain, like the silver buttons of Cordova and
Granada.

BURGOS. 257

It must be confessed, however, that Yalladolid
was a disappointment to our travellers; partly,
perhaps, because they had been spoiled by the
gorgeous beauty and antiquity of the south, but
also because the hand of the spoiler has really
left nothing but shells of buildings to testify to
the bygone glories of the ancient capital.

Without much regret, therefore, our travellers
went on the next day to Burgos, where many
things were yet unvisited by them. They arrived
late at night, and the next morning found one of
the party very early in the streets, enquiring the
way to the 'Iglesia Mayor.' She was directed to
a church a long way off in the heart of the town,
which turned out to be the very beauti&l old
Benedictine Church of San Juan, instead of the
cathedral of which she was in search. It was,
however, well worth a visit, and contains some
very fine tombs of the Torquemada family. Ser-
vice over, the lady wished to retrace her steps,
but then suddenly recollected that they had come
to a new hotel the night before, of which she
knew neither the name nor the address. The dif-
ferent turns she had taken in going to the church
had completely bewildered her small notions of
geography, and she could not ask her way, being
in the absurd position of not knowing what place

258 BUBGOS.

to ask for ! In despair at last, after having wan-
dered half over the town, she addressed herself to
a peasant woman sitting in a corner of one of
the streets, whose son was holding in his arms
one of those black and white lambs which always
bring to one's mind Murillo's picture of St. John
the Baptist. With the most ready and gentle
courtesy, the woman left her basket with a
neighbour, and undertook to guide the stranger
to the two or three principal hotels in the place
till they should find the right one— and this was
only a firesh proof, if one had been needed, of the
universal kindness which characterises the people.
Later in the day, om- travellers returned to the
glorious cathedral, for which even their Toledo
and Seville experiences had not spoilt them ;
and then went up the steps to the Church of
San Nicolas, which is on a steep ledge above, and
contains the most wonderfully carved ' retablo '
of every event in the life of the saint. It was
the finest and i most delicate work of the sort
which they had seen in Spain. There were also
some interesting alabaster monuments in a side
chapel. From thence, ascending still higher,
they came to San Esteban, the oldest church in
Burgos, but which had been terribly knocked
about during the siege. A beautifiil doorway and

Apostles' Door of Cathedral, Burgos.

BUBG08. 259

rose-window, an internal gallery and pulpit, and
a fine old picture of the Last Supper in the
sacristy, are all that remain of its ancient splen-
dour. The priest, seeing strangers in the church,
good-naturedly came forward and invited them to
come into the cloisters, firom whence the view
over Burgos is very beautiful.

Descending the hill, they went to see several of
the old houses in Burgos : among others La Casa
del Cordon, the house of the constable, so called
from the rope over the portal, and the Casa de
Miranda, with its beautiM fluted pillars and
' patio.' But one thing was still unvisited, and that
was the Carmelite convent, the last of St. Theresa's
foundations, and one accomplished in spite of
contradictions and difficulties of all kinds. It was
on the 26th January, and therefore in the depth
of winter, with deep snow on the ground, and the
floods out in every direction, that the saint, though
abeady in failing health and strength, undertook
this work. She and her eight nuns were nearly
drowned in passing what is called ' The Bridges,'
near Burgos, the water having covered all the
tracks, so that the waggons were perpetually sink-
ing in the mire. In order to comfort her com-
panions, St. Theresa showed no fear, but cheer-
fully exclaimed : ' Courage, my sisters ! What

s 2

26o BURGOS.

greater happiness can you wish than, if need be,
here to become martyrs for the love of oiir Lord ?
Suffering, through obedience, is a great and beau-
tiful thing.' They arrived safely at the house of
a devout widow lady, Catherine de Tolosa, who
had purchased a building for their convent, and
had already given up two of her daughters to be
nuns under the saint's direction.. Before their
arrival they had obtained the consent both of
the city and of the archbishop ; but, to their dis-
may, found that the primate had changed his
mind, and was now very much opposed to the
new foundation, positively refusing permission
for mass to be said in the house where they were.
After weeks of vexatious delays, on the Yigil of
St. Joseph, the archbishop granted the license.
But now a fresh peril awaited them. The river
rose and raged with such violence against the
convent, that it threatened its total destruction.
It flooded the lower storeys, so that they were
obliged to remove everything up to the garrets ;
and they nearly died of hunger, no one being
able to approach the house, and their stores being
all buried beneath the waters. St. Theresa was
very ill at the time, and said to Ann of St. Bar-
tholomew : ' My child, I am fainting ; see if you
can find me a mouthful of bread.' One of the

BURGOS. 261

novices waded waist-deep into the water, and got
her a loaf. At last two men swam to the house,
and, diving under the water, broke open the doors
to let it out of the rooms. The quantity of stones
and rubbish left behind filled eight carts.

Such were the obstacles thrown in the way of
this Burgos foundation ; but our saint's courage
did not fail her, and the house remains to this
day a monument of her loving faith in our Lord's
promises. Speaking of the privations they had
endured, she could still exclaim: 'Oh, my God!
how little do fine buildings and exterior delights
contribute to interior joy!'

The nuns received their unexpected visitor with
immense kindness, and showed her everything in
their house, inviting her to dine with them, and
making a special 'tortilla' (omelette) in her
honour. They have some of the saint's letters,
written in 1582, only one month before her death,
and showed the stranger both these and the
saint's cell, chair, dress, and writing materials, all
of which have been preserved by them with the
most filial veneration. Afterwards they took her
into the choir, and sang while she played the
harmonium for them, and a beautiftil Benediction
service concluded this her last visit to the Car-
melite convents of Spain. If it be objected by

262 BUBG08.

some of our readers that too much stress has been
laid upon the life of St. Theresa in a simple book
of travels, the writer must give as the reason not
only that one of the objects of her Spanish tour
was an inspection of these convents, but that
without understanding something of the history
and inner life of one who has had so great an
influence over the minds of her countrymen, it is
almost impossible rightly to enter into the spirit
of the people. She is the type of a character
peculiar to Spain, and which could scarcely have
existed in any other country ; but its wonderful
combination of spirituality and common sense
makes her example the more invaluable to the
age in which we live.

And now the sad day had come when our tra-
vellers' holiday was over, and they were compelled
to leave Spain. Sorrowfully, for the last time,
they drove under the massive old gateway of
Burgos, with its turrets and statues, which has
witnessed so many changes ; and over the rapid
river Arlanzon which skirts its walls. A couple
of days' travel found them once more at the clean
little inn of Bayonne, striving to reconcile them-
selves to the uniform French houses, French
tongue, French climate, and French toilette, con-
trasting so painfully with their experiences of the

BAYONNE AND BIARRITZ. 263

last four months. They rested there a day,
revisiting the cathedral, which, poor though it
looked to their Spanish eyes, has been very pret-
tily restored in the last few years ; and then went
for a short time to see the French sisters of cha-
rity at the great hospital established by the Mere
Devos. Some of her old sister-companions are
still labouring there, and they saw her room, her
bed, her place in the chapel, and the good Soeur
Madeleine mentioned in her life, who had worked
with her so indefatigably for ten years, and will
labour on till God calls her to share the rest of
her much-loved superior. Taking a little carriage
in the afternoon, they drove over to Biarritz, that
bright little watering-place, with its picturesque
rocks jutting out into the sea, which roars under
its tiny caverns, its nice smooth sands, and its
white image of the ' Star of the Sea ' standing on
the extreme point of the little pier. Though it
was not a regular show-day, the presentation of
their cards obtained admission for our travellers
to the emperor's palace, which is like an ordinary
private gentleman's house, very simple and very
comfortable. The empress's bed-room, fitted up
with a gay linen chintz, contains but two little
pictures, one of the Blessed Yirgin, the other of
St. Yincent de Paul, which hangs over her bed.

264 BIARRITZ.

The gardens slope down to the sea, and she has
just built in the grounds a beautiful little chapel,
thoroughly Spanish in its decorations, with Moor-
ish coloured roof and ' azulejo' walls, and the choir
or tiny apse beautifully painted, the subject being
the Blessed Virgin, surrounded by angels, with a
background of ' white lilies and vermilion roses.'
This was our travellers' last reminiscence of Spain
— a country which they left with the greatest re-
gret, and with the earnest hope of revisiting it
before the so-called march of civilisation has
utterly destroyed all that is beautiful, simple, and
characteristic of this noble people.

APPENDIX.

. SEMANA SANTA EN SEVILLA.

Entee las ciudades que m£s se han distinguido en el 'orbe
cristiano por la grandeza de sus cultos, figura la Capital de
Andalucia ; contribuyendo 6, este exito la veneranda antl-
giiedad de su devocion d, representar los augustos misterios de
la redencion humana con procesiones y ostentosas ritualidades,
el brillo que comunlcaron £ estas ceremordas la esplendidez de
su ilustre aristocracia, lo pingue de su comercio, y el fervor de
sus cuerpos gremiales, al par del incentivo poderoso que
anadio d, tan celebres festividades el concurso de tantos artistas
esclarecidos como enriquecieron con admirables obras de escul-
tura las lujosas andas presentadas por las Hermandades £ la
adoracion de un vecindario eminentemente cat61ico.

El origen de las cofradias se remonta i, los fastos honrosos
de los gremios, los cuales, obedeciendo i. la inspiracion reli-
giosa para consagrar debidamente sus asociaciones, erigieron
magnificos santuarlos, bospitales y casas de misericordia, rivali-
zando en publicas muestras de piedad con las hermandades
instituidas por los caballeros y ricos tratantes en el comercio
de las Indias Occidentales. El espiritu de las epocas y el
caracter particular de un pueblo de tan ardiente fantasia espli-
can las escenas mistlcas que mostraron un tiempo las proce-
siones de penitencia y su acertada supresion por incompatibles
con el lustre y severidad del culto.

En nuestros dias la Semana Santa conserva sus sagrados
recuerdos y representa al vivo esa armonia maravillosa de la

266 APPENDIX.

religion cristiana con el estado civil ; refluyendo el rito en pr6
de las artes, industrias, ciencias y tr^fico, d ' quienes paga con
creces el auxilio que prestan a sus solemnidades.

DIVINOS OPICIOS EN LA SANTA IGLESIA METRO-
POLITANA.

Nuestra insigne y famosa basilica, correspondiendo £ sus
tradiciones, d la religiosidad nunca desmentida de su Cabildo
y d, su celo del esplendor de la Metropoli, no ha perdonado
sacrificio por contiuuar en este aiio el ritual solemnisimo que
atrae S los fieles i. su sagrado recinto. El Emmo. Prelado de
esta Diocesis, coadyuvando soMcito i tan augustos fines, es-
fuerza £ pesar de su quebrantada salud la magnificencia de las
ceremonias con que recuerda la Iglesia los misterios de la
pasion de Jesucristo.

Los oficios del Domingo de Ramos principiaran d las seis
de la manana. Despues de tercia bendice el Sr. Dean las
palmas y olivas y sale el Ilmo. Cabildo Eclesiastico en pro-
cesion por Gradas. Al regresar al Templo, el subdiacono da
con el asta de la cruz un golpe en la puerta contigua d, la
Giralda, para significar que el Eedentor con la suya nos abrio
las del cielo. Concluida esta ceremonia predica el Sr. Ca-
nonigo Magistral; cantdndose luego la misa y la pasion con
acompanamiento de musica. Por la tarde se hace la misteriosa
ostension de la sagrada bandera.

En los del Mdrtes y Miercoles Santos se canta tambien la
pasion con la misma solemnidad; rompiendose en la del se-
gundo el velo bianco con estrepitosos truenos. En las visperas
se hace la tiltima ostension de la sagrada bandera. Terminan
las tinieblas con un solemne Miserere de nueve d diez de la
noche y acto continue se conduce en procesion el Santisimo
Sacramento d la capilla del Sagrario.

El Jueves Santo empieza d las nueve el augusto sacrificio de
la misa. El clero comulga en ella y luego deposita la sagrada

APPENDIX. 267

forma en el magnifico monumento que se erige en la setima
boveda del trascoro sobre la sepultura de D. Fernando Colon,
hijo del descubridor del nuevo mundo. Trazo tan maravilloso
proyecto Antonio Florentin en el ano 1545 ; concluyendose en
1554 y sua reformas posteriores en 1689. El monumento
tiene la altura de 40 varas, es enteramente aislado y consta de
cuatro cuerpos, presentando cuatro freintes iguales con la planta
de una cruz griega. Sobre 16 pedestales de 9 pies se elevan
otras tantas columnas de 22 de alto y tres de didmetro y en
grupos de cuatro sostienen su arquitrave, friso y cornisa.
Dentro de este primer cuerpo aparece otro pequeno, que lo
forman otras cuatro columnas y bajo una cupula con ricos
adornos ostenta su gallardia la famosa custodia de Juan de
Arfe con una urna de oro, donde se coloca el Santisimo Sacra-
mento. Imita la blancura del alabastro, esmaltado de oro en
labores, filetes, perfiles e inscripciones. Ciento cuarenta l£m-
paras de plata, diez; y seis blandones gigantescos del propio
metal y 581 luces de cera iluminan tan suntuosa obra.

Diez y seis columnas del Templo se visten con una riquisima
colgadura de terciopelo carmesi y ancbos galones de oro, apare-
ciendo igual adorno en todo el espacio de la puerta grande.

Su Eminencia sirve a las doce una esplendida comida d
trece pobr'es, vestidos a su costa. Las mesas est^n de mani-
fiesto al publico en el palaclo Arzobispal desde por la manana
hasta que acaban los oficios.

A las tres de la tarde lava el Sr. Dean los pies i los referidos
pobres en la crujia del coro al presbiterio ; continuan las com-
pletas y las tinieblas que concluyen a las diez de la noche y
entonces se repiten las pateticas entonaciones del Miserere, que
como el que se canta en la anterior, puso en miisica el maestro
Eslaba y cuyas notas, admiracion de propios y estranos, Uenan
de melodias delicadas y armonias sorprendentes las mages-
tuosas bovedas del Templo.

El Viernes Santo a las seis predica un Misionero junto al
Monumento. Acto continuo empiezan las boras canonicas.

268 APPENDIX.

cdntase la pasion y el celebrante pide misericordia para todos
los hombres y ostenta solemnemente la Cruz a la adoracion del
pueblo. Despues se forma la procesion al Monumento y
Yuelve con la Divina Magestad d. la capilla mayor donde ter-
mina el rito de la manana ; principidndose las tinieblas por la
tarde d, las tres y media.

Los oficios del Sdbado Santo comienzan d. las siete por la
bendicion del fuego nuevo y la del cirio Pascual, que en todos
tiempos se ha reconocido como simbolo de la resurreccion del
Salvador. Acto seguido se cantan doce profecias para instruc-
cion de los catecumenos ; se bendice la pila bautismal ; ento-
nanse las letanias de los santos ; continua la misa y se descubre
el retablo al Gloria in excelsis Deo enmedio de truenos y
con un repique general de campanas, que interrumpe el piadoso
silencio de tan solemnes dias.

Aumentard el esplendor de la Semana Santa la estacion a la
Iglesia Catedral de las siguientes Cofradias.

DOMINGO DE RAMOS.

Santo Crista del Silencio, desprecio de Herodes y Ntra. Senora de la
Amargura. — Parroquia de S. Juan Bautista. '

El Tribunal de Herodes en el acto de mandar que Jesus fuese con-
ducido con la vestidura blanca k la presencia de Pilatos, representa el
primer paso de esta Cofradia. La escultura del Seiior es obra de Pedro
Eoldan ; dos de los soldados romanos son de Pedro Duque Cornejo,
constructor de la c^lebre siHeria del coro de la Catedral de C6rdoba •
otros dos y Herodes se deben k D. Benito Hita del Castillo. Las andas
son modernas, de orden corintio, con los Evangelistas en los angulos,
cuatro medallones de medio relieve en los centre?, recordando pasages
del antiguo y nuevo Testamento, diez y seis profetas y varias alegorias.
En el segundo paso aparece la Santisima Virgen bajo p^lio y con pro-
ftision de luces, acompanada de S. Juan, cuya famosa efigie esculpieron
con raucba fortuna los cinceles del susodicho Hita del Castillo. Las
tunicas de los nazarenos que preceden al primero son blancas, y negras
las de los que van ante el segundo.

APPENDIX. 269

Sagrada Entrada en Jeinisalen, Santo Crista del Amor y Ntra.
Senora del Socorro. — Parroquia de S. Miguel.

Lleva esta Cofradia tres pasos. Eepresenta el primero la entrada
triunfante del Salvador en la ciudad Santa ; acompanado 4 su sagrada
efigie los apostoles S. Pedro, S. Juan y Santiago. Delante aparecen
arrodillados seis hebreos, tendiendo sus capas, para que las pise el Sefior
y al lado una palraa. El segundo conduce al Crucificado exhalando el
ultimo suspiro. Los miisculos Tiolentamente contraidos, la livid^z del
semblante y la expresion de los ojos, ddn una idea admirable de la
agonia del Eedentor y prueban el acierto del insigne Juan Martinez
Montaiies en sus obras. El tercer paso, sobre peana dorada y bajo p41io
de terciopelo bordado de oro, sostenido por doce varas de plata, ostenta
a la imagen dolorosa de nuestra Senora del Socorro, con multitud de
alhajas y candelabros.

MIERCOLES SANTO.

Santo Crista de la Columna y Azotes y Madre de Bios de la Victoria.
Iglesia de los Terceros.

Desde 1846 dejo de hacer estacion esta Hermandad ; pero & impulses
de una ardiente devocion y venciendo multitud de obstaculos lian
logrado sus individuos, pertenecientes k una clase honrada de artesanos,
ofrecer en el presente ano a la adoracion de los fieles las imagenes de su
instituto. El primer paso conduce, sobre peana antigua delicadamente
tallada y con ricos adornos dorados, & Ntro. Sr. Jesucristo amarrado a
una columna y dos judios azot&ndolo. En el segundo aparece bajo
palio la Santisima Virgen con piedras preciosas y saya y manto bordados
de oro ; atribuyendose, tanto esta distinguida escultura, como las otras
de la misma Cofradia, & los discipulos del celebre Eoldan. La tristeza
del primer asunto y la dulzura y resignacion espresadas con feliz verdad
en el rostro de la amorosa Madre de Dios, conmueven tiernamente
el animo y lo inducen A contemplar con recojimiento sus acerbos
dolores.

Santo Crista de las Siete Palabras y Maria Santisima de los Bemedios.
Iglesia de Ntra. Senora del Carmen.

El Calvario con el Eedentor crucificado y en actitud de pronunciar
sus liltimas palabras, la Santisima Virgen, S. Juan y la Magdalena al

270 APPENDIX.

pie de la Cruz, representa el unico paso de esta Cofradi'a. Las imAgenes
son de aventajados escultores, entre los cuales figura el joven D. Manuel
Gutierrez, y merced a los esfiierzos piadosos de los nuevos hermanos
estrenan trajes de terciopelo. Ser^n conducidas sobre una peana dorada
con tableros diestramente tallados j primorosos adomos ; coronando sus
angulos dngeles mancebos con grupos de luces.

JUEVES SANTO.

Sagrada Oracion del Huerto y Maria Santisima del Bosario, en sus
Misterios Dolorosos. — Iglesia de Monte-Sion.

Apareoe en el primer paso Nuestro Padre Jesus orando de rodillas
delante del Angel, que con el Cdliz y la Cruz se eleva sobre un trono
de nubes, junto k una paknera. Al frente se v^ la puerta del huerto
de Getbsemani, detras de la cual duermen los ap6stoles S. Juan,
S. Pedro y Santiago. El zocalo, restaurado con muclio gusto en este ano,
es de bastante m^rito. Todas las efigies son del cflebre escultor sevi-
llano Pedro Eoldan, excepto el Angel y los medallones de la peana, que
la tradicion atribuye 4 su bija Luisa, conocida con el nombre de la
Eoldana. Figura este misterio, con una propiedad interesantisima, una
de las mas dolorosas escenas de la pasion del Hombre-Dios. El pensa-
miento se transporta 4 aquella memorable noche, vispera de la redencion
del mundo, y al batir de los penacbos de la gentil palmera, se imagina
al Salvador retrocediendo un instante ante la sombra espantosa de la
muerte, segun una po^tioa frase, y exclamando : que pase lejos de mi
este cdliz.

En otras andas sale bajo pdlio la Santisima Virgen, con un rico manto
de terciopelo cubierto de estrellas de oro de alto relieve, ostentando
alhajas de gran valor y considerable numero de candelas. Los naza-
renos visten tunicas blancas y mantos negros de lana, y entre otras
insignias estrena esta Cofradia un Senatus enteramente igual al que
usaban las legiones romanas.

Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Sagrado Descendimiento de Ntro. Senor

Jesucristo, y Quinta Angustia de Maria Santisima. — Parroquia de

Santa Maria Magdalena.

Dos pasos suntuosos lleva esta Cofradia. El primero representa la
aceptacion del cruento sacrificio, para redimir al hombre del pecado.

APPENDIX. 271

Ostentase magestuosamente sobre una elevada colina la efigie del divino
Nazareno en su infancia, obra maravillosa del celebre escultor Geronimo
de Hernandez,' bendiciendo los atributos principales de la Pasion, reve-
rentemente ofrecidoB por un grupo de angeles. Al pi^ se distingue el
Santo Precursor, anunciando 4 las generaciones, figuradas per graciosos
pdrvulos, entretenidos en juegos infantiles, la mision augusta que el
verbo humanado vino d desempenar lleno de generoso interes por la
salvacion de las almas. Preciosos corderos, simbolo del rebano de
Cristo, acuden d beber las cristalinas aguas de la Salud etema, que
descienden de la cumbre; divisdndose en segundo t^rmino un drbol
alegorico al del fruto prohibido, con una serpiente ya exanime por la
aparicion de Jesus. La montaiia, apesar de sus grandes dimensiones,
ofrece mucha ligereza por sus acertadas quiebras embellecidas por los
arbustos, flores j plantas aromdticas, que embalsaman el aire con su
fragancia. La inspiracion de esta obra y las nuevas esculturas son
Lijas de la acreditada inteligencia de dos artistas contempordneos, cuyos
nombres recordara la posteridad con aplauso.

Los santos varones Jos^ y Nicodemus en los extremos superiores de
las escaleras y apoyadoa en los brazos de la Cruz, que presenta a la
Teneracion piiblica el segundo paso, suspenden con fajas de lienzo el
cuerpo de Jesus difunto, en el acto del descendimiento. Junto al drbol
sagrado aparecen Nuestra Senora de la Quinta Angustia, asi titulada por
la que padecio en este trance ; S. Juan Evangelista, la Magdalena y las
Santas Mugeres con adbanas de riquisima tela para recibir el caddver
del Redentor, cuyo descenso parece que se presencia realmente, por el
efecto admirable que causa en los que lo contemplan el movimiento de
la dolorosa efigie, balancedndose en el aire, pendiente de las ligaduras
que sujetan las manos de los varones. Las esculturas dan honra por
su relevante m^rito al ingenio del fecundo Pedro Eoldan. Las imdgenes
lucen magnificos trajes de terciopelo con espl&didos bordados de oro,
formando dibujos elegantes, que se extienden por toda la tela, y las
peanas de las andas son de mucho gusto con altos relieves. Los naza-
renos usan tunicas moradas con mantos blancos y todas las insignias de
esta Hermandad corresponden al brillo de sus cultos.

Nuestro Padre Jesus de la Pasion y Maria Santisima de la Merced.
Parroquia de S. Miguel.

Sobre una peana dibujada por el inteligente adornista D*. Juan Rossi,
construida y dorada con singular esmero en sus talleres, aparece, vis-
tiendo tunica de terciopelo con bordados de oro, la bellisima efigie del

272 APPENDIX.

Nazareno, obra maravillosa del famoso esoultor Juan Martinez Mon-
tafids, quien, segun lefiere Arana de Varflora en sus ' Hijos de Sevilla,'
salia a encontrarla por las calles cuando la sacaban en procesion,
diciendo que era imposible hubiese el ejecutado cosa tan admirable. Lleva
el Sefior la Cruz al hombro con la ayuda del Cirineo, que se atribuye
al mismo autor, siendo, por su expresiva naturalidad, de las mejores
esculturas de su clase. Cuatro ingeles estofados sobresalen en los dngu-
los del zocalo y en su centre escudos esmaltados de ordenes religiosas.

En otras andas salen con lujosisimos trajes, recamados de ore, la
devota efigie de Nuestra Sefiora y la de S. Juan Evangelista bajo pdlio,
con varas y cornisa de plata, siendo del propio metal su moderna peana.
Profusion de aliajas y de luces, en vistosos candelabros, ddn mayor
realce 4 este paso. Los nazarenos visten tunicas blancas con antifaz
morado.

VIERNES DE MADRUGADA.

Jesus Nazareno, Santa Cruz en Jerusalen y Maria SanU'sima de la
Concepcion. — Iglesia de S. Antonio Abad.

Esta Cofradia, primera que jur6 defender la Pureza de la Virgen, se
distingue por la rigida observancia de su institute y por el piadoso
recogimiento de sus nazarenos al hacer estacion a la Sta. Iglesia. Lleva
dos pasos : en el primero, ultimamente restaurado, sale el Sefior con
una cruz de carey al hombro, oirenda del comercio de las Indias,
Uevando una riquisima tunica bordada de oro. A los lados se encuentran
dos angeles mancebos muy bellbs, con faroles de plata y candelabros en
los Angulos.

En el segundo aparecen sobre una peana de plata la Virgen San-
tisima y S. Juan Evangelista bajo pAHo de terciopelo salpicado de
estrellas y sostenldo por varas del propio metal ; luciendo midtitud de
reliquias, macetas y ramos tambien de plata, con profusion de bujias en
candeleros. La im^en del Nazareno es antiquisima y las otras dos se
ejecutaron por Cristobal Bamos, reconociendose en todas eUas no escaso
mMto.

Nuestra Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y Maria Santisima del Mayor
Dolor y Traspaso. — Parroquia de S. Lorenzo.

Su primer paso, ostenta la sagrada efigie del Redentor, Uevando sobre
sus hombros el grave peso de la Cruz en actitud de caminar hdcia el

APPENDIX. ■ 273

Golgota, donde debia consumarse el divino sacrificio. Escultura del emi-
nente artista Juan Martinez Monfanes. La expresion del rostro recuerda
la escuela de MuriUo en la verdad pasmosa, con que traduce el alma de
los Santos. La peana figura un elegante canasto calado de riquisiraa
taUa, y su perfil es de tanto gusto que, & pesar de su excesivo tamano,
hace ligera y graciosa la inimitable combinacion de sus contornos. Los
angeles y relieves, que adornan el referido zocalo, son tambien de im-
ponderable merito.

Ooupan el segundo las imagenes de la Virgen Santisima y del disci-
pulo querido, obra del mismo autor, viendo con hondisima pena el
tr4nsito de Jesus al Calvario. Todas tres efigies visten tunicas y mantos
de terciopelo, esplendidamente bordados de oro ; brillando en las ulti-
mas andas alhajas de inmenso valor y profusion de luces. Distinguese
tambien esta Cofradia por el orden y devocion de sus hermanos.

Sentencia de Gristo y Maria Santisima de la Esperanza.^Parroquia de

S. Gil.

El Tribunal de Pilatos, en el acto de pronunciar su sentencia, es el
asunto del primer paso. Pilatos aparece sentado en el testero, bajo xm
dosel de madera tallada y delante los ministros en sus respectivos
asientos. Enmedio se v6 al Eedentor con las manos ligadas y dos
judios armados, que lo tienen preso. A los lados del trono de Pilatos
se encuentran dos criados, uno con palangana y otro con el jarro y la
toalla para lavarse las manos. La riqueza de la peana, hdbilmente con-
stiTiida por el tallista D. Jos6 Vicente Hernandez, honra al arte y
muestra el fervoroso celo de los cofrades. Bajo pAlio de plata sale en
otras andas la Santisima Virgen, engalanada con un magnifico manto y
saya de terciopelo, luciendo profusos y lujosisimos bordados de oro.
Las efigies principales son de Eoldan. Los nazarenos' Uevan tiinicas
blancas con antifaz verde y acompanard 4 una numerosa escolta de
milicia romafea, ricamente vestida, su correspondiente musica con trajes
andlogos. Conserva esta Cofradia la ceremonia de la humiUacion, que
se verifioa en el campo de la Macarena al regresar a su iglesia.

POK LA TARDE.

Santisima Crui en el Monte Calvario y Ntra. Senora de la Soledad.
Iglesia de S. Buenaventura.
Presenta el unico paso de esta ilustre hermandad a la Santisima
Virgen al pi6 de la Cruz, sintiendo en su soledad amarga la muerte de

274 APPENDIX.

STi querido Hijo. El arbol sagrado ostenta las escaleras y el sudario
con que lo descendieron los Santos Varones. La efigie luce un pre-
cioso manto de terciopelo bordado de oro, j se debe & los cinceles del
distinguido artista D. Gabriel Astorga; siendo la peana de mucho
gusto, con bajos relieves j atributos de la pasion en medaUones.

Santisimo Crista de la Exaltacion y Ntra. Sra. de las Ldgrimas.
Parroguia de Sta. Catalina.
Aparece en el primer paso el Salvador dB nuestras almas, ya encla-
vado en la Cruz, cuya elevacion procuran cuatro verdugos, para erigirla
en el hueoo de una pefia. Es devotisima la actitud del Sefior y aflic-
tiva la de los ladrones, los cuales manifiestan en sus semblantes el dolor
que les causa el tormento y la idea de su pr6xima muerte. Dos
ministros de justicia k caballo presencian tan angustiosa escena ; atribu-
yendose las esculturas &, la acreditada inteligencia de Pedro Eoldan
La peana es nueva, embelleci^ndola delicados adornos de talla dorada
Bobre fondo bianco y escudos de 6rdenes religiosas, pintados con la pro-
piedad herdldica que distingue 4 las obras del profesor D. Jos6 Diaz.
El segundo Ueva k la Santisima Virgen, estrenando una saya y un
manto ricamente bordados de oro, sobre peana de plata y bajo pdlio,
que soatienen diez varas del mismo metal, adornindolo candelabros y
otros objetos preciosos, con crecido numero de bujias. Los nazarenos
visten tunicas blancas con antifdz morado.

Santo Cristo de la Conversion del Buen Ladron y Maria Santisima de
Monserrate. — Parroquia de Santa Maria Magdalena.

Esta Cofradia, notable por su ostentosa restauracion, decora con
inmensa esplendidez sus pasos. El primero conduce k S. Isaias Profeta,
sentado bajo una esbelta palmera de plata, en el acto de escribir la venida
pasion y muerte de Cristo. El segundo representa al SenSr crucificado,
en el instante de ofrecer el paraiso al buen ladron en premio de su
reconocimiento. Esta escultura es una de las obras mas insignes del
c^lebre MontaS^s. Al pi6 de la Cruz figura la Magdalena en actitud de
abrazarla. Las peanas forradas de terciopelo, lucen ricos ardomos
dorados ; coronando los dngulos dngeles y candelabros de mucbo m^rito.
El tercero ostenta bajo palio de plata k la Santisima Virgen con saya de
terciopelo bianco profusamente bordada de oro y suntuoso manto azul
de la misma tela, guarnecido de dos anchas franjas y recamado de oro
en el fondo, brillando el escudo de la Corporacion en la cola qxie recogen
sacerdotes. Dos magnificos candelabros de plata iluminan la parte

APPENDIX. 275

posterior del paso, cuyas andas van cubiertas con caidas de terciopelo
aztd tambien bordadas de oro y plata. Estotra efigie es igualmente de
Montafies, y entre la pedreria con que la adornan se y6 el aderezo
regalado por la Eeina Dona Maria Amelia, apareciendo & sus pies
multitud de reliquias, albajas y candeleros. Una magnifica banda de
miisica con lujosos vestidos & la romana precederd & la centuria que
custodia el segundo paso, represent&ndose la F^ y la Muger Veronica
por jovenes con preciosos txajes andlogos. Los nazarenos visten tunicas
blancas con antifdz azul.

Sagrada Mortaja de Nuestro Senor Jesucristo y Maria Santisima de la
Piedad. — Parroquia de Sta. Marina.

•Nuestro Padre Jesus descendido de la Cruz, la Santisima Virgen, S.
Juan, las tres Marias y loa Santos Varones reunidos en el Calvario al
pi^ de la Cruz en actitud de subir el cuerpo del Senor con el sudario,
primorosamente sembrado de flores para colocarlo en el sepulcro, forman
el linico paso de esta Cofradia. Su z6calo figura im canasto con relieves
y medaUones dorados que recuerdan asuntos de la pasion y Ueva seis
magnificos candelabros. Las efigies son de Pedro Eoldan y la de Ntra.
Sra. estrena un rico manto bordado de oro. Los nazarenos irdn con
nuevas tunicas moradas y mantos negros de merino, rodeando las andas
sacerdotes con estolas. El doloroso aspecto de aqueUas sagradas
imagenes en el G61gota, produce en el animo una profunda melancolia
y agolpa k los pdrpados el Uanto.

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. — Parroquia de S. Miguel.

Esta Cofradia, cuyos cultos tuvieron una ostentacion estraordinaria,
redobla sus afanes para mantener su antiguo lustre. Lleva dos pasos :
uno con la Cruz, separado ya el cuerpo sacrosanto del Eedentor, y otro
con la Santisima Virgen, Uorando en su amargo aislamiento la intensidad
de su pena. Bajo palio, sostenido por varas de plata, aparece esta
sagrada efigie, vestida de terciopelo con relieves bordados de oro. Los
hermanos usan tunicas blancas con antifdz negro.

El orden seguido en la presente descripcion, no limita las
facultades de las jurisdicciones eclesiastica y civil para fijar
definitivamente el que deban guardar las Cofradias en su esta-
cion d la Basilica Metropolitana. Todavia es posible que
tenga aumento su numero, porque las hermandades no com-

t2

276 APPENDIX.

prendidas en este manifiesto pueden resolver su salida antes
del ]\Iartes Santo.

Exctisase inculcar al pueblo de Sevilla el espiritu de
piadoso recogimiento propio de tan solemne epoca, porque la
cultura del vecindario es uno de los timbres que justamente lo
enorgullecen, mereciendo la entera confianza de sus auto-
ridades.

Sevilla, 20 de Marzo de 1866.

El Presidente del Excmo. Ayuntamiento,

Joaquin de Peralta. Jose Elias Feenandez,

Secretario.

PLAZA DE TOROS DE SEVILLA.

CON PEKMISO DEL EXCMO. SE. 60BEENAD0R DE ESTA PEOVINCIA.

DOS GEANDES COEEIDAS DE TOEOS

en las tardes de los dias 18 y 19 del presente mes de Abril de
1866 (si el tiempo no las impide). — 2\ y 3\ de abono.

La plaza sera presidida por la Autoridad competente.

Los Dock Toeos que tan de lidiarse pertenecen a las ganaderias

siguientes : —

DiA 18. Seis de la del Sb. D. Jose Arias de Saavedea de Utrera,
hoy de la propiedad del Excmo. Sr. D. Ildefonso Nunez de Prado de
Arcos de la Frontera.

DiA 19. Seis de la de la Senora Dona Josefa Fernandez Viuda de
Miura, de Sevilla.

espadas.

Feancisco Aejona G-tjillen (CUCHARES), de Madrid ; Antonio
Sanchez (EL TATO) y Manuel Cakmona, ambos de Sevilla ;
los que matarin alternando.

APPENDIX. . 277

Sobresaliente de espada. — Feancisco Aejona Eetes, de Sevilla.

PiCADORES. — Manuel Ledesma (el Coriano) ; Francisco Calderon, de
Alcala de Guadaira ; Antonio Pinto, de Utrera ; Miguel Alanis, de
Dos-Hermanas, Eamon Fernandez (el Esterero), de Madrid ; Francisco
Eodas y Juan Trigo, de SeviUa ; trabajando este ultimo en la tarde del
18 J Miguel Alanis en la del 19. Si los picadores anunciados se
inutilizan no exigira el publico ctros aunque queden toros por lidiar.

Bandeeilleros. — Matias Muniz, Pablo Herraiz, Juan Sanchez (no
Teveas) y Mariano Anton, todos de Madrid; Francisco Ortega (el
Cuco), de CkAvz, ; Jos6 Gomez (el Gallito), y Jos^ Martin, ambos de
Sevilla.

Cacheteros. — Manuel Bustamante (Pulga) y Manuel Gallango, de
SeviUa.

Peevenciones de la Adtoridad. — Siguen las establecidas para el
orden y gobiemo de la plaza. Se usard de banderillas de fuego para
los toros que no tomen varas y para los que disponga la Presidencia,
habiendo preparadoS perros de presa para los cases que la misma juzgue
oportunos. No se permitira la entrada por las puertas de las cuadras
mas que ha lidiadores y operarios. Bajo ningun pretesto se tomard
dinero en las puertas. Todo biUete que no se encuentre signado con el
sello de la Empresa, serd considerado como ilegitimo. Por disposicion
de la Autoridad superior queda espresamente prohibido qUe persona
alguna solicite permiso para la ejecucion de ninguna clase de suertes
durante las corridas.

NoTAS. Los vendedores de frutas, dulces, gaseosas y demas, entraran

esclusivamente por la puerta del Principe con bUlete de sombra. A los
aguadores se les espenderan biUetes al precio de 4 reales, k las 7 de la
manana de los dias de las corridas en la sala de Diputacion de la plaza
de Toros, siendo la puerta de entrada para aquellos la del Principe y
hora de la una de la tarde. Los despachos de biUetes se situardn en la
calle de G6nova, Campana, Dados, Imogen y Plaza de Toros, abri^ndose
k las seis de la manana de los dias de las funciones, retirandose de dichos
puntos k las dos de la tarde para ocupar los de los akededores de la
plaza. Una banda de miisica compuesta de los mejores profesores y
baio la direccion de D. Antonio Palatin, tocard piezas escogidas media
hora antes de empezarse las corridas y en los intermedios. Los toros
se encontraran en Tablada las tardes vispera de las funciones.

Las localidades de preferencia para ambas corridas se espen-
deran en contaduria con el anmento de dos reales, desde las

278 APPENDIX.

diez de la manana de los dias 16 y 17 hasta las tres de la tarde
de cada uno de ellos, en la calle Tetuan num. 27 y en los dias
de las corridas en los despachos de calle Genova y Campana al
precio de tarifa.

La plaza se abrird A la Una y Media, empezando las corridas !i las
CuATEO en punto.

Tarifa. — Delanteros de palcos altos y bajos, Evn. 34. — Segundas de
id., 20. — Barandillas de piedra, 24. — Barandillas de Diputacion y

asientos de Toril, 20 Id. de cajon, 30. — Id. de vallas, 15. — Centres

de piedra, 12. — Id. de Diputacion, 10. — Sombra, 9. — Sol, 6.

LA MULETA.

EEVISTA TAUEINA MADEILENA.

Tehceea media corrida de tores, verificada hoy 15 de
Abril, en la que se corrieron tres de Don Justo Hernandez,
vecino de Madrid, y otros tres del Excmo. Sr, Marques del
Saltillo que lo es de Carmona.

Sali6 el primero de Hernandez, Eamado Pandereto, retinto, oscuro,
ojinegro, bien armado, boyante y de libras, dure al liierro y rematando.
Tomo cuatro varas y "un marronazo de Pinto, sufriendo dos caidas &
hiriendole el penco, y seis de Onofre, dandoles dos caidas de padre y
muy seiior mio.

El inteligente Muniz le clav6 dos pares cuarteando, y otro el Cuquito
k topa-carnero con grandes aplausos; sentido el vicho al castigo, se
huyi a las tablas ; el Tato armado con los trastos lo pas6 con gran
trabajo por haberse iiecho receloso y tapiarle la salida al diestro ; y
despues de ocho naturales y cuatro con la dereclia, le di6 muerte de
una magnifica k volapi^ en los tres Oohavos.

De Lesaca fu6 el segundo, llamado Capucha, negro, meano, algo
corni pas6 y de cabeza, sintiendose al liierro y haci6ndose tardo. Tres
voces le clav6 la pica Onoire, ddndole un marronazo y sufriendo dos
caidas, con perdida de un caballo, y dos de Pinto, con otro marronazo
con su correspondiente costalazo y perdida del pitillo que montaba.

Los Banderilleros Yust y Cheain le clavaron tres pares de palos al
cuarteo.

Tocaron a muerte, y el Gordito que a manera de bacerle cuadra y

APPENDIX. 279

partir derecho, despues de diez pases naturales y un cambio, por puro
Injo, le mando a mejor vida de una buena, cuarteando en el em-
bronque.

Brinco el tercero en el circo, de nombre Gomisario, de la ganaderia
de Hernandez, retinto, siicio, ojo de perdiz, bien armado. Sali6 avanto,
parindose y creci^ndose slpalo.

Cuatro veces le pincho Pinto (el cerviguillo), matdndole un jamelgo,
otras tantas por la de Onofre, y dos del reserva (francos) muy bien
puestas, agi-adando al publico que justaniente le aplaudio.

Este picador nos parece que promete, no obstante lo poco que le
hemos viato trabajar.

Tocaron banderillas, y Jaqueta le colgo en lo bueno doa pares de
frente y uno Villaviciosa, cuarteando.

El vicho 'ae huyo al castigo, escupiendose al trapo y haci^ndoae de
sentido, y lo mato Lagartijo despues de varies pases, sin concluir de un
golletazo, ddndole las tablaa.

— Sor Lagartijo para matar toros hay que parar los piea y arrancar
corto y derecho.

Lesaquefio fue el cuarto, Uamado Ligero, correspondiendo a su
nombre, salio arrancao, era de pelo negro, meano, cornicorto, brabucon
y blando sin rematar la Kdia. El brazo ferreo del picador Pinto, le
hizo huir al castigo 4 la segunda vara, despues de otra de Onofre.

Tomaron los rehiletes Mariano Anton y Muniz, clavandole dos pares
por mitad, uno al cuarteo de Mariano y otro Barvian de Muniz, me-
tiendose en la cuna.

Aun cuando este vicho se habia hecho receloso, tomo los avios el
Tato y empajandole en el trapo le compuso algo la cabeza; pero
arrancdndole con bastante asco, le di6 un pinchazo saliendo el vicho
detras. Volvi6 4 pasarlo otraa mil veces y sin tener en cuenta que el
vicho le tenia ganado el terreno por no estar igualado lo pincho de
nuevo, saliendo arroUado y vi&dose obligado a abandonar otra vez al
trapo. Continu6 la faena pinchandolo cuatro veces m4s, callendo
descabellado del ultimo (silva descomunal y toques Chironescos).

De nombre Pinturero fue el quinto, de pelo retinto, oscuro, negro
y bien armado. Salio oomo el aire, tomando dos varas a la carrera de
los dos picadores de tanda, y tres mas de Pinto, dos de Onofre y otras
dos del Frances, 4 las cuales correspondi6 el vicho con gran fiierza.

Sono el clarin y 4 peticion del publico Lagartijo le clavo un par cuar-
teando en el embronque, no pudiendo hacer el vicho enfcrar al quiebro y
otros dos mas dando el quiebro en uno de ellos con unanimes aplausos
de el publico que premia siempre todo lo que es bueno y vale.

28o APPENDIX.

Lo mat6 el Gordito despues de muchos pases innecesarios la mayor
parte y por puro lujo, concluyendolo de dos pincliazos, una corta en
direccion contraria, descabellandole al primer intento.

Salio el ultimo de Lasaca, Uamado Merino, negro azabache cornicorto,
J huido.

Lo coji6 Lagartijo con seis lances al natural.

Tomo cinco va^as matando un caballo y lo banderillo el Gordito,
poniendole dos pares al quiebro uno bajo, otro delantero y medio por
la izquierda en el brazuelo.

Se aomo Lagartijo de trastos y le liizo morder el polvo despues de
varies pases de una buena hasta los deos.

En resumen : los toros medianos, del propio modo los
picadores : bien los banderilleros, senaldndose el Cuco y Muniz
en inteligencia y bravura : los espadas . . . silencio. La pre-
sidencia acertada : la entrada un Ueno : murieron unos diez
ciez caballos.

BAnEABAS Y Caldeeilla.

LONDON

PKINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND , CO.

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