YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

TRAVELS

I N

S P A I N.

VOLUME IL

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T^R.,y>A f,V\-E Q
I N *7C40rtp>)/u<'-
S P A I " N:
CONTAINING
A NEW, ACCURATE, AND COMPREHENSIVE VIEW
OF THE
PRESENT STATE OF THAT COUNTRY.
BY THE
CHEVALIER DE BOURGOANNE.
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
COPIOUS EXTRACTS
FROM THE
ESSAYS ON SPAIN
O P
M. P E Y R O N.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

VOLUME II.

 D U B L I N : 
PRINTED BY H. FITZPATRICK,
FOR P. BYRNE, Io8, GRAFTON-STREET,
AND W. JONES, 86, DAME-STREET.

THE

PRESENT STATE

O F

S P A IN.

vJN leaving Chiva I found the fame profufiorl
and variety of natural riches as at entering it.
But at the diftance of half a league, an entirely
new fcene began to abate my enthufiafm. To
the fertile plains I had paffed ' over, fucceeded
vaft trades of country, where, within inclofures
of aloe trees, appeared fields of thin corn, and
a few olive and mulberry trees fcattered at
different diftances ; but a part of the ground was
uncleared, or, at leaft, infufceptible of culti
vation. Two leagues farther on I was well recom-
penfed for this momentary difappointment. From
an eminence I difcovered Valencia and the Medi
terranean. The fun, which had juft rifen, calr
his beams upon the gently agitated furface of
that fea. I imagined I faw a vaft mirror placed
at the extremity of the horizon, and, lor the firft
time, I hailed thofe waters which, though con
fined within narrow bounds, have been the thea
tre of / the immortal deeds of the moft famous
Vol II. B ' nations,

2 THE PRESENT STATE
nations of the earth, and of the firft efforts of
lifing commerce, as well as that of numerous
combats and fhipwrecks. This, faid I to myfelf,
is the fea which ancient mythology peopled with
fo many wonderful beings, to which our an
ceftors paid the worfhip only due to the fu-
preme Being, and whofe names their poftenty
cannot pronounce without a kind of refpeft.
Jupiter was born in one of the- iflands, Latona
chofe Delos, in which to bring forth the _ twin
deities fhe bore in her Womb. The Titans,-
crufhed by the thunder of Olympus, heaved up
the mountains of Sicily. Eolus and Vulcan had
their empire there, and the infernal rivers their
mouths. The amorous Arethufa croffed an arm
of this fea to join her waves to thofe of Alpheus.
In lefs fabulous ages Themiftocles there difplayed
the victorious enfigns of the Greeks, and ftained
them with the blood of the Perfians. The
Romans there deftroyed the Carthaginian navy.
Oftavius, triumphant, there defeated Anthony,
who, crowding fail upon the waters which had
been witneffes to his difafter, haftened to confole
himfelf for his difgrace in the arms of the famous
queen of Egypt, In more modern ages our an
ceftors, pioufly infane, traverfed thefe feas to
recover the Holy Land from profanation. Illus
trious knights, inheriting their zeal, but capable
of purifying it from its extravagance, took up
their abode in the ifland of this fea. to which they
have given their name, and from this new bul
wark of Chfiftianity, combat Barbarians more
as enemies to humanity than religion. The
count of Touloufe triumphed off Malaga, the
Ottoman fleet was deftroyed at Chefmai, and
the gallant Howe cruifed here with as much
fafety as in one of the bays of Great Britain, and

OF SPAIN. 3
and braved his enemies equally formidable by
their, number and valour.
The recolledtion of thefe circumftances con
tributed to fhorten the road, which is tolerably
good and even, but which my impatience made
me think rather long. At length we arrived
(for I had a friend with me) at the villa of the
Quarte, a league on this fide Valencia, and en
tered the terreftrial paradife. From this moment
nothing is feen but an uninterrupted fucceillon of
orchards, parterres, and country-houfes ; the
fimplicity of the latter is an agreeable contraft
to the luxury of Nature. Half a league farther
we entered a fecond village, of which the cohti- '
nuation joins the fuburbs of Valencia.
When we entered Quarte, a young man, who
waited our arrival, ftopped us at the paffage, and
begged we would get into his carriage. He was
the fon-in-law of the, merchant with whom we
were to lodge. We were fatigued, and, as may
be fuppofed, wifhed to be at the end of our jour
ney. We therefore thanked the young ftr anger
and galloped on. We foon entered the fuburbs
of Valencia, and found our hafty progrefs pre
vented by an elegant Berlin and fix horfes; a
lady and a gentleman were in the carriage. We
made way for each other, ,and the carriage
ftopped; we were afked; if we were not the
travellers expe&ed from Madrid ; and on our
anfwering in the affirmative, we were invited to
accept the vacant places. We hefitated and
ftammered out an apology. The lady and gen
tleman infifted, and we imagined they were de
tached from the family who expected us ; and
not thinking to contract a new engagement, got
into the Berlin, and the coachman turned about
and drove back. B Z During

4. THE PRESENT STATE
During the fhort time we had to remain in the
carriage we endeavoured to learn, by indirect
queftions., who the lady and her hufhand might
be. We arrived without being able to clear up
the myftery ; and were then ready to think our
felves in fairy-land. We entered an elegant
houfe, croffed feveral apartments, and were ufh-
ered into thofe deftined to our ufe. Rich hang
ings and fine glaffes dazzled our eyes, fo lately
only accuftomed to the eoarfe fimplicity of the
Ventas. We imagined ourfelves under the pro-
te&ioa of fome beneficent genius, which had1
wrought a miracle in our favour. Our apart
ments were on the ground floor, with a fhaded
terrace, decorated and perfumed by groups of
orange trees : large quantities of fruit, in three
different ftages of maturity, weighed down the
branches, fome of which were ftill partly in
flower. Delighted with fo many agreeable ob
jects, we, at length, believed the kingdom of
Valencia to be really another valley of Tempe,
inhabited, not by gods, but what was much
better, by the moft hofpitable men on earth.
Their politenefs was fo refined as to exprefs a
fear, left their eager defire of fhewing every
attention fhould be ^importunate. We were of
fered refrefhments, liberty, repofe and every
thing moft agreeable to travellers thirfty and
fatigued, and whofe external appearance de
manded the immediate affiftance of water and
clean linen. We confeffed that a breakfaft of
fruit would fatisfy the moft preffing of our wants.
The table was covered in an inftant, and the.
wand of our fauy fent in two great bowls of the'
fineft ftrawbemes we had ever feen. Valencia is
the real country, and it was then the feafon, of
this delicious fruit, which in that kingdom unites
< to the large fize of the garden ftrawberry, the
colour

OF SPAIN, ,
colour and tafte of that of the woods. We
highly relifhed our breakfaft, and bufied ourfelves,
to no purpofe, in conjectures concerning our
hofts, we were ftill incapable of folving the
enigma, when the young man, whom we had
met upon our firft arrival, entered our apart
ments. He had juft learned that we had pre
ferred the lodgings in which" we were, to thofe
his mother-in-law had provided for us. -He came
to reproach us, and to tell thofe who had out
manoeuvred him, that their behaviour was more
rude to his relations than flattering to us. The
quarrel became warm, we were the1 innocent
caufe of it, and knew not which fide1 to take.
In a conflict of politenefs, to take any part is to
ran the rifk of being accufed of ingratitude; we
had recourfe therefore to an accommodating
meafure. One of us remained in the enchanted
palace, in which all our fenfes had' been fo amply
gratified, while the other went with the young
gentleman to the apartments which had been pre
pared for us. On the way my friend learned
that the hufband of our beneficent fairy, was M.
V  , a merchant intimately connected with
the houfe of D  , which without our knowing
it, had ftrongly recommended us to him. His
truly pdlite attention was continued- to us during
¦our ftay at Valencia, which was fix days; every
moment was employed to gratify the caprices pf
our curiofity. His offers Of every kind antici
pated our defires and imagination. We obey the
impulfe of gratitude in thus making our public
acknowledgments to the amiable couple which fo
kindly conferred upon us every mark of the moft
refined hofpitality. This family was not the
only one in which we were flatteringly received ;
and I ea'nnot but add, that no people can be more
complaifant

6 THE PRESENT STATE
complaifant . and delicately attentive to ftrangers
than the citizens of Valencia.
After having reiiefhed ourfelves, and bellowed
a little attention upon our perfons, we began to
wander a*bout Valencia. There is nothing very
% emarkable within the city. Fine edifices are not
numerous. The ftreets are narrow and crooked ;
but the whole of this capital, even in the inlide, is
generally pleafing., It appears; to, be very clean
and neat, particularly to thofe who have pafled
through Caftile, ,: Activity and induftry are feen
in every fhape. The ftreets, indeed, are not
paved, but this is becaufe the fweepings, mixed
with the filth with which they are ftrewed for
fome moments in the day, are carried without
the walls to fertilize the' adjacent country, and
the inhabitants are perfuaded, that, were they
paved, the vaft orchard by which Valencia is fur
rounded, WQuld, be deprived of one of its chief
fources of fertjuijty. Indolence and. mifery are
banifhed from the city, or dare not fhew them
felves there. AbouJ: f°Ur thoufand filk looms
and frames of different dimenfions give employ
ment to upwards of twenty thoufand of the in
habitants, without enumerating thofe. who exer
cife profeflions relative to the manufacture, fuch
as perfons who prepare the wood and iron work
of fo great a number of machines; or fpin, wind,
or die the filk.
The filk manufacture, however, is not the only
fource of employment to the Valencians. Their
foil produces hemp, and they export of this ar
ticle, for the king's arfenals," to the amount of a
million of piaftres per annum. Their wines and
brandies are alfo exported, in. great quantities.
Formerly they had no other market than England,
by the ifland of Guernfey, &c. and Holland by
way of Dunkirk, where the greateft part of the
brandies

OF SPAIN. h
brandies of Valencia were adulterated. Within
a few years paft thefe productions have found a
new market in Spanifh America.
Rice is another fource of riches for this fine
country, to which it annually produces upwards
of a million and a half of piaftres*. Barilla is
a production peculiar to the kingdoms of Valen
cia and Murcia ; it is effential in the making of
glafs. About a hundred and fifty thoufand quin
tals a year are gathered of it, moft of which is
fent to France and England, and a fmall quan
tity to Genoa and Venice.
Potafh, in Spanifh called Sofa, is a fpecies of
barilla employed in the foap manufactories of
France and England. The kingdom of Valencia
produces about twenty-five thoufand quintals a
year. The Agua-azul is a third fort of barilla. About
four thoufand quintals of this are annually pro
duced, moft of which is fent to Marfeilles.
Laftly, the Solicor, a fourth kind, is produced
without cultivation, and is employed in the glafs
manufactories of Fiance, England and Italy.
When the plant of thefe four forts of barilla is
well matured, it is left a day or two in heaps to
dry; afterwards it is put into a hole without
much preffure, three or four feet deep, then fet
on

* The cultivation of it is accompanied with an inconve
nience to the falubrity of the country. The waterings,
which are favourable to the crops, cover too long the plains
where it is grown, and occafion exhalations pernicious to
the inhabitants. The new captain-general of the kingdom
of Valencia, the duke de Crillon, who negledts no means
of making his adminiftration ufeful to the country, has
noticed this inconvenience, and is endeavouring to remove
it, by confining the cultivation of rice to lands near the fea,
upon which the waters remain not long, and where peftilen-
tial difeafe are not the confequence of the fertility they
occafion.

g THE PRESENT STATE
on fire and turned over or.ftirred up with long
poles; and in proportion as the firft plants are
confumed others are thrown in. When they are
all furhciendy burned, the hole is covered, and
the barilla leit to cool. It is too often adulterated
by mixing with it baftard herbs produced in the
fame foil. The cinders that remain after this
burning form lumps, which are exported and
ufed in manufadtories.
Potafh differs in fome refpects from barilla,
but is applied to much the fame ufes. It is known
by th'e names of Salfola, Salicornia, and Glajjimw-
The leaf is long, narrow, thick, and lull of
juice like the leffer marine fennel.
Oil is one of the moft abundant productions of
.the kingdom of Valencia, but permiflion is not
given to export it except when the price is very
low; this prohibition difcourages the cultivation
of olive trees which might be confiderably in-
creafed.
- The manner in which the oil of Valencia is
prepared, renders it difagreeable to palates ac
cuftomed to; the oil of Provence. 1 wifhed to
know the caufes of the imperfection; three prin
cipal ones were mentioned to me; firft, the cuftom
of defpoilingthe olive trees of their fruit by bruif-
ing, inftead of gathering it with caution; fecond-
ly, keeping the ftone too long in the fruit; thirdly,
the fcarcity of oil mills, which occafions the
olives to be left feveral months in heaps, in which
they ferment and rot before the juice is expreffed.
But thefe caufes alone would not produce fo cer-.
tain and general an effect, and I am of opinion,
this muft be attributed to the nature of the foil
arid the habit and tafte of the inhabitants.
The manufactories of foap at Verfailles have
confirmed me in this idea; thefe prefer the oils of
Valencia to all others, becaufe they have a natu ral

OFSPAIN. q
ral tartnefs, independent of their preparation,
which gives them a deterlive quality that the
other oils of Europe have not to the fame degree.
There are, however, certain diftridts where the
olive trees, perhaps more favoured by the foil,
produce fweeter oils, the tafte of which nearly
approaches that of thofe of Provence ; this mult
in a great meafure be attributed to the care the
proprietors take in gathering the olives and pafling
them through the mill whilft they are frefh.
The induftry of the people of Valencia derives
advantage from all the productions of their foil.
The province contains a kind of earth of which
they make fquares, or tiles of coloured delph,
called Azulejos, and which are manufactured at
Valencia only. They are ufed to pave apart
ments or cover ceilings; the moft complicated
fubjects are painted upon them; fuch, for inftance,
as a inafked ball, or a bull-fight. Red is tbe only
colour which cannot be fixed on this kind of
delph; it vanifhes entirely in the baking.
ifpart, although one of the commoneft pro
ductions of the kingdomof Valencia, is of great
ufe to the inhabitants; they make with it mats and
cordage. Formerly great quantities of it were
fent to the ports of France and the Mediterranean.
This exportation was prohibited in the year ) 783.
Thofe to whom it was an article of fpeculation
murmured at the meafure, and pretended that all
the efpart produced by the land could not be con-
fumed in the country; and in 1784, feveral peti
tions were prefented to the Spanifh miniftry to ob
tain permifiion to export a confiderable portion of
it. 1 hey endeavoured to prove that this exporta
tion would not be prejudicial to the charitable
eftablilhments, in which poor citizens were em
ployed in fpinning the produdion, feeing that
much more of it was grovrn than their induftry
required'

IO THE PRESENT STATE
required. The court of Spain paid fome atten
tion to tliefe reprefentations, and permitted cer
tain individuals to export confiderable quantities
of raw efpart; the ports of Toulon and Mar
feilles, where it is of great ufe in the dockyards
and arfenals, have reaped advantage from the
permifiion. The Valencians make ufe even of the aloe
plant, which feems, at leaft in the kingdom of
Valencia, to be deftined to decorate and enclofe
landed poffeffions. They draw from its long and
thick leaves a kind of thread of which they make
bridle reins.
I carefully examined all thefe particulars of
manufacture and cultivation. But before I ful
filled this objed of inftrudive curiofity, which
was the chief motive of myjourney, I difcharged
the firft duties of politeneis, by vifiting the mar
quis de Croix, captain- general of the province, a
venerable old man, who, after having difplayed
in the vice-royalty of Mexico, all the honour of
his charader, calmly terminates at Valencia a
laborious and ufeful life, the courfe of which has
not been embittered by chagrin or remorfe.* He
inhabited an ancient edifice without the city,
called, $J Real, this part of Valencia has fome
thing in it majeftic. A long Vacant fpace upon
which five fine bridges over the Guadalaviar are
terminated,
* Since this work was written, the marquis de Croix is
dead, and has been fucceeded by the duke de Crillon, fo
much known by the fieges of Mahon and Gibraltar, and in
whom tlie fecial virtues are united to great military talents.
The government of the kingdom of Valencia had been too
long given to old general officers, who waited in foft indo
lence the clofe of their days. The inhabitants wifhed for
one whofe beneficent activity fhould be direfted to the em-
bel'Jfliment and profperity of the country; and fuch a one
they have at length found in the perfon of the duke dc
Crillon.

OF SPAIN. u
terminated, runs between the walls of the town
and the .fuburb, of which the Real and the church
of the Dominicans nearly form the two extremi
ties. Were the river full, it would be difficult
to imagine a finer point of view; but under the
walls of Valencia it is a good deal exhaufted by
the fluices, in its paffage, for the purpofe of wa
tering and fertililing the plain through which it
runs. Thus its benefadions are deftrudive to it-
felf, and, like the pelican in the fable, itnourifhes
its progeny at the expence of its own fubftance.
The tribute required from this river, feveral
leagues from its mouth, is received in fo uniform
a manner as to prevent difputes. It is previoufly
fettled, that at fuch a time of the year, certain
perfons fhall have a right to turn a part of the
Guadalaviar to the profit of fuch and fuch lands.
Thofe who are interefted prepare for the fcudify-
ing feafon; and at the time agreed on, their
fluices are opened, the ditches round their fields
are rilled, their olive plants and vineyards are co
vered with water, and the inundation« extends to
a confiderable diftance over the adjoining lands.
This great benefit is conferred on all the eftates
fituated in this fine country; and the value of
them depends more or lefs, upon the facility they
have of enjoying it. The general and periodical
watering has undoubtedly great advantages. It
maintains verdure and fertility in the foil of this
favoured country. It multiplies produdions to
fuch a degree as to continually cover the earth
with fruits. The mulberry trees are three times
defpoiled of their leaves; the meadows of trefoil
and luzerne are mown eight and ten times a year;
and the earth not fatisfied with bearing forelts of
olives and mulberry trees, produces beneath their
fhade, ftrawberries, grain and vegetables. But
this watering has alfo a great inconvenience. The

I2 THE PRESENT STATE
The artificial fertility beftows not on the plants
the fubftance they receive from Nature alone,
when her favours are waited for without foliciting
them by extraordinary means; for which rea
fon aliments in this country are much lefs nou-
rifhing than thofe of Caftile. My ftomach felt
the difference. Our dinners were each a kind of
feaft, where there was a profufion of meats as
well as politenefs. I yielded to the excels of the
double temptation, and had no reafon to repent
of my weaknefs. The abundance of water which
changes the nature of the plants,- appeared to me
to have ah efied on the animal kingdom. Malig
nity has gone farther, and produced the follow
ing Spanifh proverb, which I am too grateful and
polite to adopt.
En Valencia la came eshierba, la hierba agua, los
bombres mugeres, y las mugeres nada*
The fineft walks of Valencia, the Alameda,
Monte Oltvite and the road of Grao, a little vil
lage half a league from Valencia, and -by the feat
fide, are upon the banks of the Guadalaviar,
ready to finifh its courfe, and render its waters
to the Mediterranean. Valencia is lefs a harbour,
than a bad road without anchorage or fhelter.
Had nature beftowed on this city a better port, it
would have been the richeft in Spain. Ships fel
dom approach nearer than half a league to the
coaft, and thofe of three malts are feldom feen
there. The cargoes of large veffels which arrive
within fight of Valencia, are , put into barks',
which are rowed almoft to the fhore, and after
wards towed by oxen until they are out of the
water; for not before is the cargo begun to be un
loaded. On account of thefe obitacles, the port of
* In Valencia meat is herbs, herbs are water, men are
women, and women nothino.

OFSPAIN. j«
of Valencia is but little frequented. The firft
time Ivifited it, there were but from twenty to
thirty veffels of every different fize. In genera1,
the coaft of Valencia has not one good harbour.*
From the mouth of the Fbro, to Cartbagena
which belongs to the kingdom of Murcia, the
roads of Alicant and Santa Pola are the only
places where the anchoring is fufficiently fafe.
Even fhips of war may anchor there ; but thefe
never enter either of thefe roads, except in cafes
of neceffity. The whole coaft of the kingdom of
Valencia is befides low, dangerous and expofed
to winds, efpecially thofe from the eaft.
Upon this coaft, a little to the fbuth of Alicant,
is a new eftablifhment, which fhould have done
honour to the a.dminiftration of the count d'Aran-
da, but it appears to have deceived his expeda-
tions. A great number of Spanifh flaves kn-
guifhed in the chains of the Algerines in the little
ifland of Tabarca. The king of Spain, moved
by their complaints, laid before him by the count
d'Aranda, ranfomed thefe unhappy men, and
found them an afylum in a little defart ifland on
the coaft of Alicant, which upon that occafion
was called, Nueva Tabarca, but it is feared this
eftablifhment, fomewhat expenfive, and befides,
on a barren rock, will never prof per. Nature,
by refuting it wood, ftone, earth and water, feems
to have condemned it to remain defert. — But to
return to the Grao of Valencia. It is moftly in
habited
* It has for fome time been in contemplation to improve
the harbour of Culleras, a few leagues to the fouth of Va
lencia. Its communication with the lake of Albufera, and
a canal dug from this lake to the center of the capital, Would
make amends for what nature has refuted it. If thisprojedt,
of which the plans and eflimates are compleated, be adopted
by the Spanifh miniflry, the execution of it will be an ad
ditional favour the city of" Valencia will owe to the duke de
Crillon.

H

THE PRESENT STATE

habited by fea-faring perfons. The road to it is,
like all the environs of Valencia, for three or
four leagues round it, bordered with orchards,
which wear an appearance of the highefl cultiva
tion. The fituation in which the whole of the
capital, and the delightful enclofure is embraced"
in one point of view, is from the top of a tower
called Miquelet, near the cathedral. Valencia,
feen from this elevation, feems not to be more
than a league in circumference. It is, however,
faid to contain from ninety to a hundred thoufand
inhabitants. The ftreets are narrow, the fquares
not fpacious, and men, as, in moft rhanufaduring
cities, are crowded together. The eye is never
fatisfied with viewing the profped from the top of
the tower. From this fituation Valencia feems ,
built in the middle of a great orchard, in which
are difperfed a vaft number of villages, that ap
pear like a continuation of the fuburbs of the
city. From one part of the tower we have an
extenfive profped of the fea, and the humble
ftream of the Guadalaviar, after having paffed
under the five bridges, runs to the right of the
Grao, and is loft in the Mediterranean. Near the
mouth of this river we difcover the Albufera, a
lake which empties itfelf into the fea by a very
narrow channel.* The lake is fo near to the
Mediterranean* that in the map it appears like a
bay of which the channel is the entrance; but
the tafte of its waters, and their courfe towards'
the fea, leave no doubt of its being a lake. The
banks are covered with game and aquatic birds ;
and fiihing and fhooting upon the Albufera are
the
f This is the lake fpoken of in the preceding note, and
which the duke de Crillon wifhes to render ufeful in future
to the navigation and commerce of the city of Valencia
as it has hitherto conduced—t© the pleafures of the inha
bitants.

OF SPAIN. Tij
the moft agreeable recreations of the people of
Valencia. The tower, from the top of which this fine
landfcape is difcovered, is remarkable for nothing
but its loftinefs, and by this it is prejudicial to
the cathedral, which it feems to crufh by its
maffy bulk. This edifice, which has been too
much extolled, has nothing very grand in its
appearance. The infide is more pleafing than
majeftic. ' The body of the building is not fuffi-
ciently elevated, and the walls, ornamented with.
gilt ftucco compartments, feem rather thofe of a
mufeum than a temple. It contains fome valuable
paintings, particularly thofe of Joanes, who
holds a diftinguifhed rank among painters of the
fecond order. Some enthufiaftic admirers of this
artift (Spaniards, as it may naturally be fuppofed)
have extolled him as the equal of Raphael. He
is, in truth, like the prince of painters, judicious
and corred; but how inferior is he to birn in
dignity and gracefulnefs ! The moft remarkable
of his paintings is a. baptifm of Chrift, which.
muft certainly give pleafure to thofe who can
pardon the colouring, which the dampnefs of the
place has, perhaps, conliderably injured.
The doors of the great altar, ornamented with
admired paintings, muft not be forgotten in the
defcription of the cathedral of Valencia. Philip
V. to whom it was remarked that the altar was of
maffy filver, replied, that the doors by which it
is fhut in, appeared to him much more precious.
The paintings are fuppofed to be by Leonardo de
Vinci, or at leaft of his fchool.
I alfo paid a vifit to the other prodndions of
the fine arts in the different "edifices of Valencia,
efpecially thofe in the college del Yatriarca, which
I had heard much praifed. I found there the
famous painting of the Laft Supper by Rivalta, placed

t6 THE PRESENT STATE
placed over the great altar, to fee which the:
painter Carducho undertook a journey to Va-i
lencia. Except this piece, there is_ nothing re
markable in the church of the Patriarch. It is
indeed beautiful in its fimplicity. Enormous
quantities of tapers and incenfe are confume^b
there. The moft fenfible effed of this profufioa
is the dirtinefs, in confequence of fo much fmokej
of the walls and facred ornaments of the church.
It contains a rich fhrine, which is fhewn with
much ceremony to the curious, and even to thofe
who are not fo. It was not poffible to efcape
the enumeration of the much more difgufting thari:
venerable treafures it contains. We were obliged/
to hear, on our knees, from a young clerk, the;
recital of the lift of bones, jaws, fkulls and other,
parts of the human body, which devotion has
removed from the tomb to become ornaments to
the altar. From motives of politenefs, we fub
mitted to undergo this painful ceremony, and
noted it in our travelling journal, to preferve
from it others who, in future, may vifit the col
lege of the Patriarchl
I obferved, in feveral other churches, paint
ings, by Joanes, Rivalta and Orrente, the three
artifts of Valencia who have acquired the greateft
celebrity. I was not much furprifed to find the
beft pieces of Vidoria and Vergara, whom the
Spaniards highly extol, feeble and deftitute of
exprefiion. I was, however, tolerably fatisfied
with the .jpaintings in frefco, with which Palo
mino, the fame who wrote the hiftory of the
painters of Spain, has decorated 'the ceiling of
San Juan del Mercado, and that of Nueflra Senora
de los Defamparados.
Before I conclude what LJbave to fay, relative
to the facred edifices of Valencia, I muft not
omit to mention the Temple, a church entirely
moderifi,

OF SPAIN; , . I7
modern, and built in a fimple and noble tafte. I
faw there, two fmall paintings by Joanes, which
gave me much pleafure; one of thefe is a Laft
Supper in the manner of Vandyk, and the. other
a, .Carrying of the Crofs. The . latter refembles
considerably, the painting by Raphael, known
by the name of Pofmo de Sicilian The refemblance
confirmed what had been told me, that Joanes
had taken that painter for his model.
But what engaged my attention itUl more than
the produdions of the fine arts, were the maniK
fadures of fi].k. which give Valencia its. reputa
tion., and Contribute to render that city flourifh-
ing. I followed the works from the cultivation
of the mulberry tree to the finifhing of the rkheft
filks; and fhall endeavour to give a fuccefiive
defer iption qf them.
Spain, the. kingdom of Valencia in particular,
might have great quantities of filk to export after
fupply ing all. the manufactures, pf the nation.
Government .feems not convinced of, this tiuth,
becaufe it creates frequent obftacles tq the expor
tation of filk, and. when this .is permitted, the
duties are confiderable. They amount to nine
reals a quartillo, about two livres feven fols (two
lhiiiings) the pound of Valencia, which is but
twelve ounces, and at the moft common' price is
worth about fifteen livres, (twelve and iixpence)
raw, (en rama). In bad years, as in 178,4, it
has rifen to eighty reals, or twenty livres (fixteen
fhiUjngs and. eight pence). There was in, that
year fuch a:want; of filk, that the manufadurers
of Valencia afked Government permifiion to im
port to Spain tvyo:hundred thoufand pound weight
of French^ and Italian filk, duty .free.. In com
mon years the pound of raw filk colts eight reals,
the throwing, and; dying green, .blue, and other
common colours ; fo that a pound of filk, in a
Vol. II. C ' ftate

!$ THE PRESENT STATE
ftate to be employed, comes to about feventy*
one reals, or Seventeen or eighteen livres (fifteen
fhillings). - It may naturally be fuppofed the price varies
with circumftances. Orie of thofe which has
the moft influence is the greater or leffer plenty of
mulberry leaves. Thefe precious trees are very
numerous in the plain of Valencia, and are all of
the white kind (moreras). This diftindion, which1
in France would be fuperfluous, is hot fo in Spain,
where, in fome provinces, as the kingdom of
Granada for inftance, the leaves of the blacfc
mulberry tree (rmfales) ferve to feed the filk
worms, and produce almoft as fine filk as that
which comes from the white ones.
Thefe leaves are fold by 'the load (cargo.) of
ten arrobas ; the arroba of Valencia, which is
about twtnty-feven French pounds, coft, in 1783,
about thirty-fix fols tournois (eighteen pence).
The leaves of the mtfl'berry tree axe gathered
©nee, twice, and at moft three times a year ; but
it feldom happens that the two lift gatherings are1
either fo abundant or of fo good a quality as the
firft. The feafon for gathering lafte almoft th^
whole year, and the trees are fucceflively deprived
of their leaves, fn proportion to the confumption
the filk worms make of the latter, and which )
gradually increafes until the moment of their
Beginning to form their ball's. The leaves only
of the mulberry tree are plucked or beat off, the
branches are fpared as much as poffible. Thus
defpoilcd of its verdure, in the middle of the
fine feafon of the year, and during the richeft ;
vegetation, it refembles trees withered upon their
roots. The quantity of naked trunks which feerri '
to be ftruck with fterility, and increafe in num
ber as the feafon advances, disfigures the plains'
which in other refpeds are fo verdant and fertile!
The ¦;

O F S P A I N. j „
The effed is ftill more difagreeable when the
mulberry trees are pruned or lopped, and wholly,
deprived of their branches ; an operation which
muft be performed at leaft every three years. *
Ihe kingdom of Valencia has produced, in ten
years, fix millions of pounds weight of filk,
which makes fix hundred thoufand pounds annu
ally ; and as all Spain produces only a million
of pounds weight per annum, it appears that the
kingdom of Valencia alone furnifhes more than
half of the general produce. The filk of Va
lencia is the fineft in Spain, and in this refped to
be compared to the beft in Europe ; but the fpin
ning is ftill imperfed, becaufe there are not, as
in France and other kingdoms, houfes where the
fpinners are affembled, and fuperintended by an
infpedor, who takes care that all the filks are
Uniformly fpUn. In Valencia the fpinning is di
vided among thoufands of hands ; thefe put fix,
feven, eight and more ends in a thread which
fhould have a determined number; hertce the
inequalities in the tiffues in which thefe filks are
employed; on which account thofe we receive
from Spain are never made ufe of in any fine
work. The filk ufed in our high priced tiffues
Comes from Piedmont and our fouthem provinces4
For a few years' paft there has been lefs demand
in France for the filks of Valencia; the repeated
prohibition of their exportation has increafed
the cultivation of the mulberry trees in Langue
doc. The peafafits, feeing the profits thefe trees
would produce, have preferred them to others,
and multiplied them prodigioufly, fo that in 1783,
the filk in France was lefs dear than that of Va
lencia bought on the fpot, deduding the duties
with which the exportation is charged. A mer
chant of my acquaintance, who at this time had
the privilege of exporting, duty-free, a hundred
C 7, thoufand

20; THE P1ESENT STATE'
thoufand pounds weight a year, for fix years fucv
ceffively, could not difpofe of that quantity m>
France in the courfe of the year 1 7^3- sPain
might, perhaps, fupply the want of this market
by increafing the number 'of her looms, which
fhe does every day, and fending to her American;
colonies greater quantitiesof the produce of her
induftry ; but her fluffs cannot be improved but
in proportion to the fale fhe can obtain for them
in foreign countries, where the ftate of the con-
fum'ers will concur in. forming that of the manu-,
fadurers. -->
The filks pf the kingdom of Valencia are eft>
mated, communibus . annis, at fix or feven millions
of piaftres (from , eight to nine hundred thoufaad
pounds fterling)... At the time. I was in Spain it
employed not half this quantity, although there
were in the capital near four thoufand looms.
The reft are fent out of the kingdom in fpite of
prohibitions, either to- France by- Barcelona, ps
to Portugal by Seville and Eftramadura. , At
prefent more lilk muft remain in. Spain ; ferious
meafures have been taken to<: encourage the in
duftry which is exercifed in the manufadure of
them. Silk looms had been eftablifhed. in Cata-.
Ionia, in the, kingdom of Granada, Cordova,
Seville, &c. in which were made handkerchiefs,
ribbons, and various plain filks in quantities
nearly fufficient to the national confumptioa,*
The French manufadures of Languedoc, how
ever, ftill found a confiderable market among the
Spaniards. The Spanifh government in the regu->
lation of 1778 had excluded filk ftockings ' only
from foreign merchandize fent to the colonies.
But as thefe continue to be fent into Spain, the
law was eafily eluded ; it was only neceffary to
affix to Fiench filk ftockings the mark of one of
the Spanifh manufadories. Intereft invited to
this

O F S P A I N. 2t
this fraud ; it would have required too much vi
gilance, and even a fpecies of inquiiition, to
have prevented it. Government endeavoured to
render it ufelefs by iffuing, in 1785, an abfolute
prohibition of thefe articles from France ; which,
added to the eftablifhment of a great number of
new frames, has produced almoft a total ftagna-
tion in the fales which the manufadures of Lan
guedoc had in Spain. — But to return to the ma
nufadures of Valencia.
There is not in this city any edifice wherein
all the operations through which filk paffes are
performed. Perfons who wifh to fee them fuc-
ceffively muft go from one workfhop to another.
This I did, conduded by a manufadurer, equally
obliging and intelligent, named Don Manuel
Foz, who had travelled a long time to acquire
knowledge in the manufadure of filks, and
amongft other difcoveries, brought from Con-
ftantinople the fecret of watering them. , As a
tecompence for his zeal he wa6 made infpedor of
all the manufadures of Valencia^
There are but few merchants and tradefmen in
Valencia who are not more or lefs interefted in
the filk manufadure; this is a kind of point of hon
our among them. Some have but four or five
looms or frames, others feveral hundreds.
The firft operation to be performed after the
worm has finifhed its ingenious cell, is to deftroy
it before it breaks through its own work to enter
on a new ftate of exiftence. To this effed the
balls are thrown into an oven moderately heated ;
when: the worm is killed they, may be kept un-
fpun as long as may be thought proper-.
To defpoil them of the net-work in which they
are inveloped, they .are thrown into hot water;
women then feled, with aftonifhing' facility and
qtticknefs, the threads of feveral. balls, and join and

22 THE PRESENT STATE
and wind them thus united upon quills or bob,
bins. On the make of thefe quills depends' the
greater or leffer perfedion in the winding pf the
filk. Thofe ftill made ufe of in Spain are very
imperfed, as I fhall hereafter explain.
It muft firft be abferved, that, the threads of
filk ought to be drawn from four balls at leaft,
and even in this cafe it is only fit for flight filks,
-ribbons and taffeties. Indeed, I faw a fkein ,
which I was told was made from but two balls ;
but fo delicate a filk thread cannot be applied ta
any ufe. The threads are commonly taken from
fovea or eight balls, and afterwards doubled to
form one fit for ufe in the loom or frame.
The contexture is, as every one knows, com<
pofed of two diftind parts, the weft and the chain.
The weft is what the fhuttle draws from one fid§
of the loom to the other, and leaves interwoven
between the two plains formed by the chaia,
The weft being more worked than the chain muft
neceffarily have a greater confiftence, To this
effed the two threads of which it is com pofed are
firft twifted feparately and afterwards together;
but for the chain the fecond operation is fufficierit,
From this difference, the thread of the weft,
viewed through a microfcope, appears indented;
or uneven, like a cable; whereas that of the
chain is fmooth and flat, and confequently proper
to be expofed to the light, that is to receive the
brilliant luftre which is fo beautiful in filks.'
But their beauty depends more particularly
upon the manner in which the filk is reeled o?
wound from the ball, This firft winding is per,
formed in three different ways, according to the
quills employed in it. That which is conftantly
pradffed in Spain has this defed ; the little
threads of fix, ieven or eight balls are unwound
at a time, from one Angle thread, and are wound' on

OF SPAIN. 23
on a fmall fbindle, without rubbing againft each*
other, which would lay the little hairs that ren-'
der them rough ; whence it refults that the thread
of filk thus formed eafily frays., In the Pied
mont manner of winding, each thread is joined
to another, and thefe are never feparated. until
they have been twifted round each other four or
five times.
. The third manner, that, of Vaueanfon, is. ftill
an improvement upon the latter. Upon the quill
or bobbin which he invented, the two threads of
filk, after their fifft twifting, join a fetond time,
for the fame riurpofe. This operation is called
the double crojjing. . .
- If thefe threads, thus upon the fpindles, be
detuned to the weft, they are placed perpendicu
larly upon a machine of feveral ffories, where
they are ieparately twifted ;. they,' are carried
hence to another machine, where they are twifted
togetlier, after which they are fit to be ufed in
the loom. Thofe for the . chain, as I have before
obferved, are not twifted until they have "been
joined together, Thefe machines, fb precious to
the arts, which fave the labour of fo many hands,
are known at Valencia, and Talavera de la Reyna.
I had already, feen in Talavera, a fingle wheel
from which a thoufand of thefe little fpindles
upon which the twifted filk threads are wound,
receive their motion ; but thofe I faw at Valencia
were lefs, becaufe this city contains not, like
Talavera, a royal mamifadory confined to one
edifice. Each manufadurer there finds, divided
into different quarters, workmen and machines
neceffary to his operations, and prefers thofe moft
fit for the purpofe. *f '.> ,
Nothing is more fimple than the management
of thefe twifting machines when the wheel has
put theni in motion. Women and children guide the

24: THE PRESENT STATE
the operation of the little perpendicular fpindles*;
the moment they meet any obftacle, a touch with
the finger fets them again at liberty. If one of
the threads break, .the damage is replaced in the
twinkling of an eye; their fingers, .from long
exercife, are aftonifhingly expert in the work,.
feize the two ehds with a quicknefs bordering;
upon prodigy, unite them by an imperceptible
knot, and the fpindle immediately regains its
motion with the reft.
The thread of filk, before it is twifted double,'
undergoes an operation which I muft not omit to
mention. Whilft it is in fkeirisi- it is fpread over a
wide and fhallow caldron, in which feveral vifcid
ingredients are boiling ; and the' fleam from which
prepares the threads to adhere to each other.
This operation : is called, by the French manu-
fadurers, making the threads, pajfer a la breve..
The fkeins' are carried hence to the twifting
machine, The filk, after coming from this opera,
tion, -is called orgdnftn: it is in this ftate only
that it can be brought from Piedmont, where the '
twifting was better -performed than elfewhere,
until it was improved by Vaucanfon*. This able
mechanic has united iall the operations performed
in the manufadure of filk. His method is exclu-
fively followed at Lyons : but his quills for. dou
ble crofting can ferve only for the filk of the
country, becaufe foreign filk, which for the moft
part is ufed in thefe manufadures, to be exported
muft be reduced to organfin.
Spain has in this refped a great advantage over
manufadunrig nations ; fhe has more filk than fhe
canemploy, and might manufadure it in the bell
manner poffible, yet ftill fhe continues her de-
'•',.,' ''', fedive
J X ^ bC rT^eA' £" ^V wound and twifted;
* Vn ,?tST0f VTanf™. forms a texture more e'S
ftd one trurd ikonger than the textures of the ordinary filk,

OF SPAIN.
fedive method. Government has endeavoured
to employ the only means capable of producing
a change of this kind ; means which are flow but
perfuafive. In 1781, a French merchant efta-
blifhed at Madrid, engaged with the count of
Florida Blanca, to furnifh, firft to the manufac
tures of the kingdom of Mercia '(the country of
the Spanifh minifter) afterwards to thofe of Va
lencia, and ' fticceflively toothers as they fhould
require it, a hundred reels or frames to wind the
filk, according to the manner of Vaucanfon"; and
in return the count granted the merchant the pri
vilege of exporting, duty-free, fix hundred thou
fand pound weight of filk in fix years. This
meafure may, however, be inefledual for fome
time from the idlenefs of the Spanifh manufac
turers, who will not willingly make ufe of a
clofer and finer filk, becaufe it would be neceffary
to weave it with greater care, and becaufe the
thread of 'this filk contains three ends inftead of
two, by which means the labour is increafed
without a proportionable increafe of profit; for
which reafon French hands were obliged to be
employed in the firft experiments of this kind.
Their fuccefs cannot be expeded to be great,
if we may judge by a manufadure eftablifhed a
few years fince at La Milanefa, a league from
Valencia, by an intelligent manufadurer of the
name of Payeffa. He introduced there the me
thod of Vaucanfon ; and, when I vifited his mar
nufadory, he had no profped of recovering what
he had advanced to form it. He fcarcely ever
employed two hundred perfons ; theie were con
fined toAvmding and reeling the filk, to bring it
to the ftate in which it is* called organ/in; and,
thus prepared, it was from fifty to fixty reals a
pound dearer than that which was prepared ac
cording

26 THE PRESENT STATE
cording to the Spanifh method, and confequently
found but little fale.
I fhall not enter into a detail of the dying or
manufadiiring of filks. The firft is eafily con
ceived ; the other difficult to comprehend, and
much more fo to explain without tbe affiftance of
plates. I fhall only obferve, with rcfped to the
firft, that all the filks are dyed in the fkein, and
immediately afterwards put upon the loom. It
fometimes happens that they are dyed in the
piece, but this is only when they are ftained, or
when the dying in the fkein has not well fuc-
ceeded. When 1 was at Valencia there were a
hundred and feventeen mafter dyers, but fome of
them wanted bufinefs.
The manufadures in which the people of Va
lencia fucceed Jbeft, are moftly thofe of plain
filks : fine damafks worked with large flowers, to
hang apartments, are n^ade there in great perfeo,
tion ; but, in general, thefe undertakings depend
upon the orders from, the court, the capital and
the provinces. The patterns of France are fol.
lowed as clofely as poffible through all their vari
ations, and thofe invented in Spain, more or lefs,
referable the former. The academy of fine arts
at .Valencia, however, is earneftly endeavouring'
to encourage pattern-drawers ; and for this pur
pofe, there is a fchool which has already produced
feveral of diftinguifhed abilities ; among others a
young man of the name of Ferrers, who died a
little before my arrival at Valencia, fome of
whofe groupes of flowers I faw and could not but
greatly admire.
But what the Valencians excel moft »n is the
art of watering the filks, (dar las agms) ; which
M. Foz has brought to the greateft perfediori.
He very clearly explained to me the whole of
thisoperation, which confifts in rolling a cylinder upon

OF' SPAIN. jj-
ppbn the filk intended to be watered : the cylinder
is preffed by an enormous Weight moved by a
great round ftone, which draws a lever in its cir
cular motion ; the filk is folded in the manner of
an outer lattice window-fhutter when it is fhut,
and thefe folds muft be frequently varied that the
undulations may be. equally divided. M, Foa
pbferved, that the diftribution and form of thefe
were almoft the efted of chance; but he proved
that they might, in fome meafure, be : influenced
by wetting the filk in certain places, and in a
particular manner ; and in this confifts the fecret
of which he alone is the poffeffor in Spain. The
excellence of his method is proved by the beauty
of the waterings which come from his preifes:
he enabled me to judge of it by comparing the
blue ribbons of the order of Charles III. watered
by him, with thofe of the order of the Holy
Ghoft; I was obliged to confefs that the latter
gained nothing by the comparifon^
The Exchange of Valencia is one of the re
markable edifices of that capital. Here the mer
chants,' traders and manufadurers affemble to
learn the daily price of filks, as in other places of
the price of ftocks.
Valencia has alfo had, for a few years paft, a
patriotic fociety, the principal cares of which
are direded to the improvement of the cultivation
of mulberry trees, and the quality of filks: it
has already produced feveral volumes of me
moirs full of ufeful papers. The encouragement
it gives to arts is not confined to the manufadure
of filk. Towards the end of the yea.r 1 786, it
gave a premium to the inventor of a new frame
for the manufadure of filk, cotton, and worried-
ftockings at lefs expence than according to the
common method ; as alfo a fecond premium to a
dyer for the invention of a fimple and ingenious machine.

28 THE PRESENT STATE
machine, which, with great facility, reduced to
powder the wood of Brazil and Campeachy ; and
a third to the inventor of a machine for drefrmg
flax. It is particularly in countries which are
not populous, and where the arts are as yet in
their infancy, that it is efpecially ufeful to fave
labour, by Amplifying the workmanfhip of ma
nufadures. '
At Valencia there is a public library ; that of
the archbifhop's palace ; it appeared to me to be
but little frequented. Manufaduring cities fel
dom abound in lovers of fcience, and the belles
lettres; the cultivation of thefe fuppofes leifure;
ufeful arts require a continued affiduity. Valen
cia, however, is the country of Gregory Mayans,
who died a few years ago, leaving behind him a
reputation of vaft erudition, which extends be
yond the limits of Spain, and to which M. de
Voltaire did not difdain to do juftice on various
occafions. The library of the epifcopal palace
contains a colledion of ftatues and antique bufts,
colleded by the nephew of the late archbifhop.
The fcruples of the prefent prelate have dimi-
uifhed the value of the colledion by mutilating
fome of thefe monuments. The auftere morality
cf the archbifhop has deprived this capital of all
public amufements. The theatre of Saragoffa
having been burned a few years ago, the prelate,
a declared enemy to all profane plcafures, ob
tained a promil'e from the court that the reprefen-
tatjons of the drama fhould never more pollute
his fee. The people of Valencia are difpleafed
with him.; and, according to what I heard of his
charader, he appeared not tome to join, to the
advantage of.edilying by his virtues the more rare
talent ot Tendering them beloved. ¦•;
My Speculations and amufements were not
confined to this capital ; I viflted a part = of its
environs.

O F SPAIN. a
environs. The moft agreeable of my excurfion*
was to the charming retreat of a canon of the
cathedral, Don Pedro Mayoral. This eccleftaftic,
a well.informed man, and fimple in his manners,
has conciliated a philofophical life with the en
joyments of the beauties of Nature that furround
his habitation, which is fituated in the village of
Benimamet, half a league from Valencia, upon
an eminence, in themiddleof a garden, in which
the orange and lemon trees perfume the pureft
air. The verdure of the walks, the variety of
the. profpeds, and the varied fertility on every
fide, make it a moft delicious abode. The re
ception I there met with added to the charms of
the place. Our difpofitions naturally take, a
tindure of the objedsby which we are furrounded.
How is it poffible to perceive a contraded brow
in the midft of a beautiful landfcape, andin the
moft temperate climate? Ihe canon exhibited,
both in bis mind and. perfon, the refledion of
that ferenity which reigned around him. In imi
tation of Nature, which had abundantly beftowed
upon him her gifts, he was profule in his polite
attentions ; he complaifantly accompanied me to
view the treafures of his garden, and would not,
be fatisfied with confining my enjoyment of them
ttxbare contemplation. He had prepared a fump-
,tuous collation, of which the principal riches
were, produced by this land of promife. Among
other foreign trees, the cultivation of which oc
cupied hisleifure, heihewed me that, which pro
duces the1 cbirimoy a,., the American fruit fo much
extolled for its fine flavour, and which, it is faid,
has never fucceeded in Europe. He proved to
me the contrary ; the trees had ftill fome remains
of fruit, with which he gratified my turiofity.
The chirimoya, which was as big as a middling
pear, was divided into eight or ten parts, that-
each •

jO THE PRESENT STATE
each of the gttefts might tafte it. The pulp is
whitifh, and contains five or fix flat black kernels ;
its tafte refembles thofe of an apple, butter and
a nut united ; but with this there is a Certain infi-
pidity which, if the fruit merits its reputation, it
certainly has not in its native foil.
Benimamet is diftant a quarter of a league
from Burjafot, another village which ftands on
higher ground, and in the church of which lies
interred Mademoifelle l'Advenant, a celebrated
adrefs, the le Couvreur of Spain *, but whofe
remains were not fo feverely treated as thofe of
the French Melpomene. At BuijafotI was
fhewn, as fonie of the Curiofities of the country,
the Skhas, or Silhos^ which are large holes, dug
vertically, and lined with hewn ftone. They
are the work of the Moors, who ufed in them to
ftore their grain. The modern inhabitants of
Valencia employ them for the fame purpofe. I
had the curiofity to defcend the deepeft of thefe
Silhos, but had nearly found reafon to repeat of
my courage. Ihe defcent was eafily enough et
feded with my feet in a ftraw bafket, and my
hands fixed to a cord which was gradually let
down. I got to the bottomwithouteffort or dan
ger; but when I was to re-afcend, though my
heart did not fail me, my head was ready to turn.
I had no fooner been railed about thirty feet,
than I had nearly quitted my hold ; happily I
cried out in time to be let eafily down again.
Had not my cries, which announced fear on my
part, and caufed it in thofe whom I had left
above, been immediately complied with, moft
probably I fhould never have written an account
of my journey: but perhaps I ought to afls,
would
* Mademoifelle le Couvreur, a famous tragic aftrrfa w
Jrrarice, who died a lew years ago.

OF SPAIN. Af
'would this have been a lofs to the public ? As
foon as I found myfelf at the bottom, a robuft
and experienced waggoner came down and faf-
tening me to his girdle by the cord which had
nearly been fatal to me, accompanied me in rhy
perpendicular afcent. I made it with as much
confidence as fafety ; and arriving like truth from'
the bottom of my well, I remarked in the faces
of thofe who had affifted me, more fear than I
myfelf had felt.
Another interefting excurfion which I made
from Valencia was to Murviedro. This city is
built upon a part of the ground upon which old
Saguntum formerly flood.
Murviedro is diftant four leagues from Valencia,
upon the road to Barcelona. This road croffes
one of the moft fertile and variegated diftrids in
the kingdom of Valencia. I ftopped twice by
the way; once to fee San Miguel de los "Reyes,
a convent of Francifcans, the cloilters of which
greatly refemble thofe of the Efcurial, and appear
to have had the fame archited ; and afterwards
to vifit'the Carthufian monaftery of Porta Ceeli,
one of the three in the environs of Madrid. The
prediledion of the Carthufian monks, for this
country, would alone be fufficient to give an idea
of its beauty and fertility. Nothing can be more
delightful than the fituation of the Carthufian
monaftery I vifited. Every thing breathes abun
dance, and preferves a calm in the mind. It is
impoffihle to confider as the God of vertgfeance,
whofe anger is to be appeafed by airfterity and
felf-denial, the Supreme Being who pours down
his benefadions in fuch profufion around this ha
bitation. Thofe who refide in it, feem only to
be infpired with peaceful fentiments. I entered
fome of their cells, which are remarkable for
their neatnefsand elegant fimplicity ; it appeared to

g3 THE PRESENT STATE
to' me that a good conference, enjoying, its own
purity, ought rather to refide there than repent
tance drinking hpr own tears. I vifited the.
church-yard of the monks ; modeftly furrounded.
by.palm trees, which fhade their tombs ; while
role bufhes are planted on the outlide.as if, they
were intended to prevent their remains from in-
feding the air which is refpired in this; peaceful,
afylum. I regretted that, as in this place, death
was not every where prefented under lefs hideous,
forms, and deprived of - the images which render
it fo frightful. Why, faid I to myfelf, fhould this
inevitable paffage be itrewed over with funereal,
objeds and furrounded with horrors ? Why fhould'
we not. rather aid mortals to pafs through it, if
not with joy, at leaft with ferenity ? Far then be
removed from, the bed of death every thing which
may terrify furvivors ! Let us enjoy without ex
cels, and confequently without remorfe, the good
things which the earth produces; and when, the
organized duft; which for a few moments is ani
mated by the breath of life, is required of us by
that common mother of mankind, let it ferve to
fertilife her entrails, and, if it be, , poffible, lo
beautify her furface. , ... > • .-;.- .
With thefe reflections I fet off tqrMurviedro^
Two leagues from it, the caftles by which it is
commanded, prefented themfelves to view. Hav
ing Livy in my pocket, I fought for the defcrip-
tion of the famoUs fiege the citizens of Saguntum
fuftained againft Hannibal. I doubted not but
the walk were the remains of the ramparts, from
which thefe courageous people fo long repelled'
the Carthaginian hero. I afterwards learned
that thefe caftles were the work of the Moors.
'.Miey.had built upon the heights on which they
are fituated, feven fortrefles that communicated
with each ether by fubterraneous paffages fome of

OF S P AT n; *r
of which are ftill almoft entire/ It appears that
the ground upon which they ftand was not a part
of old Saguntum, and that this city, built half
way up the eminence, extended on the other fide
into the plain approaching the fea. ;Livy fays, it
was not a thoufand paces from it : if he was ex-
ad in his calculation, the opinion I adopted is
well founded :. for in that cafelSaguntum muft
have extended far beyond the prefent confines of
Murviedro, which is at the diftance, of a league
from the fea. In fupport of this opinion it was.
remarked to me, that at the foot of the eminence
many Carthaginian and Roman* antiquities had
been difcovered. We ftill find, in Murviedro,
ftones with Phoenician or Latin inferiptions, and
the latter are numerous. Some of. them are in-
ferted in the walls, .and there are five qf them,
remarkably well preferved, to; be < feen in the
walls of a church.. Thofe .on the .fide of the
mountain: appear to have: been: unintentionally
carried thither by the Moors, in. common with
other ftones for building. Thus^-in the walls of
their ancient fortreffes, we -find, a ftatue. oft. white-
marble without a heady and fome ftbhes.with in
feriptions placed in an inverted pofition by the
hands of ignorance.. : " . .:
I could not but walk with a kind of reverence
over this ground, trodden in turns by Carthagi
nians, Romans, .Goths; Moors • and Spaniards,
all of whom had here diftinguifhed themfelves
either by their .valour or their induftry. I com
pared the different ftates. through which it had
paffed under thefe different mafters. . It has un
doubtedly been the fcene of greater fplendor and
magnificence, but are, not the riches of Nature
with which it is covered, the olive and mulberry
trees, the vines, ¦ the verdure which, decorates it
from the confines of- Murviedro to the fea, and
Vox.. II. D on

3^ THE PRESENT STATE
on every ©ther fide as far as the eye can reach,
with the induftry of the inhabitants which con
verts all thefe produdions into profit, as valuable
in the eye of the philofepher as the exploits" of
the warlike inhabitants of Saguntum, and the.
magnificence which the Romans formerly dif-
Elayed within its walls? For the city haviug-
feen punifhed for its iwatve defence by a totat
deftmdions was aftei'wards rebuilt by the Ro-
mans, who made it one of their munkifia, and
one of the moft fplendid cities they poffeifed oat
of Italy. At this period was erected the monu
ment of which the mutilated Temams .ftill prove
the power and opulence <of Saguntum during the
laft ages of the Roman republic Among other
temples there was one confecrated to Bacchus,
fome remains of which are feen to the left, when,
returning from Valencia, we arrive at the en
trance of Murviedro. The mofaic pavement was
preferved until die prefent century : but the ne
gligence of thofe to wliom the care of it was
entrufted, had nearly fuffered this precious xelic
©f antiquity to be loft to the world, when what
remained of it was removed to the library of the
anmbiihop, where it is ftill to be feen.
The foundation of the ancient Circus of Sa
guntum is ftill difcoverable, upon wiikh walls,
ferving as sa inclofure to a long continuation of
orchards, have been, built. A part of it yet re
mains above ground, in which ihe mafonry of
the Romans ia deadly difcemible. This, Circus,
as it is eafy to perceive, was adjoining to a imafi
wver, which was the chord of the fegmewt formal
by the Circus. The bed only of the river now
remains. It cannot be doubted but that, wbea
the mock fea fights, called Naumachix, were here
exhibited, this bed was filled by the tributes of
Neighbouring canals which ftill exift. But

Of SPAIN. *-
But of all that remains of old Sagunttm, no-
thing is in fo good prefervation as the theatre.
The examination of this ndble monument cannot
but be extremely pleading to a real lover of anti
quity. My guide was .Che Curate of one «f the
churehes of Murviedro, a man equally polite and
wdl informed on the fubjed in queftion. He
acknowledged, that all he was going to advance
was taken from a differtation by a learned Spa
nifh Dean cf the laft century, named Marti. Mr,
Peyuon has given an extract of this performance
ki his Effais far I'Efpagnfi, and Iasnuft (refer thofe
*Kho wifh to form an accurate idea of am ancient
Roman theatre to the extrad. I fhall confine
myfelf to the following particulars, which ap
peared to me the moft intei:eftiag.«
The theatre is fufficiently well preferved for us
plainly to d&ftinguifb, theananner in which .the
Ipedators were diftributed :at tihefe dramatic te*
prefentations. The different Jieats .which itheiciti-
aens occupied, each clafs according to its rank,
are xliftindly feen. At tbe bottom, in the place
of our ©rcheftra are the feats for the magifti ates ;~
Bext -thofe liar the equeftrian .order, and laft of
all thofe for ihe ibody ©f the pespk. The two
door ways at whiekthe magifkates centered Cto^L
jremaua; alfo two higher atp, exdufively rdexved
•for the equeftrian orders and almoft at the top of
¦the amphitheatre, which .continues without in
terruption from top to bottom, the two galleries
by which the natultitudie wi&drexK, and for that
jreafon, jcalled by the ancients, %wni$o.wi ; laftly,
the four or five higheft .tows of feats twer^e deftined
to lidors and .courtefans, who entered without
.¦either door or fiaarcafe. /As this .theatre is ,'huilt
,on the declivity of a inuuttfcsin, *he ground rifes
in proportion with the benches ; fo that on which
.ever fide the peoplcefltseredihey -found i^rnfelves
D a almoft

*6 THE PRESENT' STATE
almoft oh a level with the place they were to: oc
cupy. Thofe of the lidors and courtefans are
ftill in good prefervation; and the femicircular
¦roof of the whole edifice is entire.,; On, the out-
fide, a part Of the plinth which terminates it yet
remains, as alfo the projeding ftones,' in. which
were inferred the bars to which was faftened' the i
great curtain,- Sufficiently large to cover the
whole aflembly, • and drawn to keep off rain and
the fun ; for except in this cafe the whole audience
was expofed to. the open air^ The eare of the
Romans to avoid tumult, either on enteringi.the
¦theatre or quitting it, and every -kind' of acci
dent, appears ; to have been admirable. It is
•manifeft that in' fuch a theatre, all of ftone, with-
put a foot of timber, accidents from fire were not
to be feared. We have juft feen that the whole
affembly was feated and defended from the' injr&
ries; of the air. Every means was taken to pre
vent diforder. The places of the judges, are
clearly difcernible towards the right fide, of the
amphitheatre. ¦ If any turbulent fpedator.drew
'upon himfelf their animadverfibn, they had
lidors at hand tofeizehim; thefe conduded him
into a private chamber, between which and; the
judges feats there was a communication by a
little ftaircafe ,• he was there interrogated, and,
if found culpable, was confined in;a prifon, mi-
der;the chamber, until the exhibition was cone
eluded. ' •. .,.,..
I did not take the dimenfions of this noblfc
monument ; but my guide fuppofed it, according
to theeftimate of. dean Marti, ' capable of con
taining nine thoufand perfons ; and this appeared
to me credible. ' But "what feemed to me but little
fo Was, that the adprs fhould, in the open air,
have been able to make themfelves heard by fo
numerous an audience. I wifhed to affure myfelf of

OF SPAIN. 2?
of this, and placing a boy where the .ftage for
merly was,, but of which no traces remain, whilft
I was at the top of the amphitheatre, made him
repeat phrafes, of which I loft not a word. I
have faid no traces of the ftage remain ; in fad,
beyond the amphitheatre,, of. which fome of the
benches towards the centre are fenfibly decayed,
fcarcely any Veftiges of the place occupied by
the adois are to be found. The ground. about
the theatre offers nothing but a few trees and de
cayed buildings., The front of the ancient ftage,
which, in our modern theatres, may be compared
to the fpace in which the foot-lights are placed,
has been converted into an alley of mulberry
trees'; and ropes are now made on that ground
where formerly the verfes of Terence were re
cited to a Roman audience." This comparifon
caufed me to refled for; an inftant on the vicifli-
tude of human affairs : man,, faid <I, feems , to
wifh to recompence himfelf for the frailty, and
fhortnefs of his exiftence by -j railing monuments,
which remain; whilft ages and; generations, arife
and pafs. away ; we might fuppofe them capable
of braving the, ravages of years ;_ but Time, jea
lous of his imprefcfiptible rights, beats down,
overturns, and annihilates thefe pretended im
mortal edifices. The ftars in the celeftial canopy,
ever perfed, ever incorruptible,' fhine only on
-their ruins ; and men will fbdn d'ifagree about the
place they have occupied : the itars themfelves,
which -by their immenfity and duration ^we our
imagination, as our eyes are dazzled by their
fplendour, will one day,. be extinguifhed by the
voice of that Eternal Being, who alone will fur-
vive our works and his own creation.
Before I quit the theatre of Saguntum, I muft
obferve, that no care is taken to, preferve this
; valuable monument. A fort of "keeper has his
habitation

,g THE PRESENT STATE
habitation there, which he extends or changes as
is moft convenient to himfelf, by pulling down
whatever incommodes him. A few poor fern*
lies build within it wretched huts, for which tbe
Romans, almoft twenty centuries ago, prepared
walls and ceilings. Never was time better <xi.
filled in its savages. Had count Caylus or Wirt,
kelmann been witneffes to thefe Sacrifices, they
would have watered this barbarous earth with
their tears; but antiquity appears not to have
one enthunaftical admirer within a hundred leagues
round Murviedro. I muft, however, do juftice
to the ingenious idea of the dorregido* of Mu&
viedro, notwithftanding it would appear to us,
who are accuftomed to the cireumfcribed limits
of our modern theatres, too vaft and gigantic,
This magiftrate railing up, if I may fo fpeak, the
lemains of a Roman theatre, laft year reftored it
for fome hours to its ancient ufe, by caufing a
Spanifh piece to be represented within its walls.
From the theatre of Saguntum ^e climb ra?
thef than walk up to the ancient fortreffes of the
Moors, which crown the enclofure; upon the
platform on the fummit, is an humble hermitage,
the inhabitant of which enjoys one of the fineft
ptofpeds in Spain. It commands the rich plai^
which feparates, Murviedro from Valencia. From
the hermitage we fee the fteeples of this capital
rifing through the orchards, by which it is fiifr
rounded. Before Us we view, in perfpedive, a
confiderable part of the Mediterranean, the
fliores of which are covered with vineyards,
olive and mulberry trees from Murviedro to the
edges of its banks : 0n the left a chain of hill*
bounds the horizon and infenfibiy diminifhes to
a level With the fea, leaving no interval but that
formed by the road to Barcelona, Satisfied

OF SPAIN. «,-
Satisfied with admiring, I defcended to Mur
viedro. The fervent of our obliging guide there
waited for us, and had prepared a plentiful din
ner, to which all the produdions. of the neigh
bouring country had contributed. Sufficiency,
though without luxury or elegance, difplaved
itfelf in all bis ruftic apartments. I remarked that
one of the fteps which led to them was a ftone
from among thofe with antique infcriptions in the
ruins of ancient Saguntum; monuments never
intended to be trodden under foot by the ignorant
modern inhabitants of that city. Even they,
however, applauded the happy idea of the cor-
regidor j and their facrileges are expiated.
The wine of the environs of Murviedro is
ftrong and well tailed ; but moft of it is converted
into brandy, which is put into barrels on the
i fpot. , Theie are fent to a fsnall port about a
.league from Murviedro, where they are there
fliipped for the North, or for Spanua America,
which for fome years paft has afforded a confi*
derable market for the brandies of the coaft of
Valencia. In the evening I returned to Valencia, whence
I departed two days after, and I muft confefs
with great regret ; I had there found what might
well engage a curious traveller to remain much
longer: inftrudion and pleafure. My vifit to
8aguntum and the manufadures did not prevent
me from affifting at great dinners, country par
ties, concerts, and balls; and, notwithftanding
the aufterity of the prelate, at a private play re-
prefented by fome of the firft nobility, who in
this capital are fo blind to their own intereft as
to be the flaves of vanity by excluding merchants
fjom their fociety. They are punifhed for this
by the inftpid life they in general lead ; to fhake
off which, in fome meafure, they conceived the
defiga

40-, THE PRESENT STATE
defign of reprefenting a Spanifh tragedy. The
count de Carlet was the only perfon amorxg.this
fomewhat too fupercilious: nobility, to whom.f
bad' recommendation's. The count is a noble
man of " Valencia, has:: travelled much, andin
foreign countries acquired a tafte for the fine arts.^
He procured me the pleafure of :paffing an hour.
at this reprefentation. •. I fawthere the people of,
quality of Valencia, and perceived it was much
to be regretted that feveral of the fair fex were
not more frequently feen, and in < a narrower cir-^
cle. I cannot .omit mentioning,, with the utmoft
refped, the countefs of Lumiarez, . £nd the two
mademoifelles de Mafcarell.
-A In returning from Valencia to Madrid I would
not take the road by which I had come- There
was another, longer by feven leagues,- but much
lefs rugged and difficult. , As it was not -the poft
roadj and as that mode of travelling, had befides
been inconvenient to me, I hired one of the little
cabriolets, called Calezin, fo much in vogue in
that, country, and: which,, even in the. ftreets of
Valencia, perform the fame fervice as our hack?
ney coaches. I took my place in. this humble
carriage, after dining with the. count of Carfeti
Hisiguefts, as well as -himfelf, fhewed me, until
the laft moment, the moft flattering politenefs. I
was 'accompanied to the diftance of. half a league
from the city by five or fix perfons, one of whom
was the king's lieutenant, M. de Cortes, an old
manj equally amiable and refpedable, who ap-r
peared to have honoured me with a diftinguifhed
place in his efteem, and feemed much. affeded
when he took his leave. I continued to take the
road to San-Felipe, ftill enchanted with the beau
ties Nature has fo prodigally beftowed on this fa
voured country, and delighted with the kindnefs
and cordiality of its inhabitants. For

: . ' OF V.SP Air ^
For fix leagues I croffed the richeft country
imaginable, .by * one of the beft roads in Spain.
The three laft leagues to San-Felipe, are lei's
agreeable than the former, but the nurferies-of
mulberry. and olive plants, in terfperfed with fields
of rice, continue to the environs of the city.
I did not arrive at San-Felipe until one o'clock
in the morning, which obliged me to pafs the re
mainder of. the night upon the boards, in the
kitchen, furrounded by dogs and cats, and flung
by infeds. I fhortened this difagreeable night as
much as poffible, and at four o'clock was ready
to purfue my journey; but, before I departed, I
had time fufficient to vifit the city, known in the
war of the Spanifh fucceflion by the name of
Xathia. The city and fuburbs occupy a confider
able fpace; yet the inhabitants amount not to
more than ten thoufand, . It is- built on the decli
vity of a mountain, at the foot of two caftles,
which form an amphitheatre. This fituation
accounts for the long refiftance made byXativa to
the arms of .Philip V. for which it was punifhed
by the lofs of its name and privileges. • Among
the churches of San-Felipe there is one intirely
new, which has a better appearance than many
cathedrals.. , San-Felipe has alfo a great number '
of fountains that would embellifh even the. moft
confiderable cities.
I now took leave of fine roads and rich coun
tries, and foon travelled between uncultivated
and depopulated hills, feeing nothing either to
the right or left but a little hemp and corn. After
three leagues of unequal road, by turns over
ftones and a.greafy foil which the leaft rain dif-
folves, I arrived at the Vetrta del Puerto, a mifera-
ble village, fourteen leagues from Valencia, and
upon the confines of the . kingdom of Murcia,
which I had heard fo much extolled, . From this
point

^2 THE PRESENT STATE
point the view is confined on all fides by fterilo
mountains, croffed by" the road to Almanza.
After having travelled half a league, I difcovered
this place, at the extremity of a vaft plain, fa
mous for the vidory which infured the throne to
Philip V. This plain is well cultivated, and its,
fertility feems to increafe as we approach Al-
man?a. Tt produces corn and hemp. There is
a tradition at Almanza, that the years immedi*
ately fucceeding the battle, which has received
its name from that place, were extremely fertile ;
a fad compenfation for the deftrudion the vidory
had occafioned to the human fpecies. The con
querors and the conquered, heaped upon each
other on tbe field of battle, fattened the foil, the
fcene of their vidory or defeat, and increafed,.
by their death, the fertility of the country they
had ravaged during their lives. About the dif
tance of a cannon fhot, on this fide Almanza, is
a focle, which is afcended by a few fteps, and
bears upon its four fides Latin and Spanifh infcrip.
tions, relative to the vidory gained by the Mar-
fhal Berwick. Above the focle rifes a little py
ramid, upon which was formerly an armed lion.
As the pyramid is placed clofe by the fide of the
great road, the people of Valencia had continue
ally before their eyes an upbraiding token of their
jebellion, and, with ftones, beat down the lion
which ftill feemed to threaten them. The fmall
ftatue the pyramid now bears, Was fubftituted to
the lion. To eterriife a vidory like that of Al
manza, a more magnificent monument would be
to be wifhed for.
Almanza is only a fpacious village with wide
ftreets, and low but handfome houfes. Its in
duftry is confined to the weavers, who indeed are
numerous ; the hemp grown in the neighbourhood
is not lufficient for their employment- To the
north

OF SPAIN. » »
north of the village are the ruins of an old inha
bited <raftje, and to the weft, at about a quarter
of ai league from Almanza, is an irregular moun
tain, of fuch a fhape, that at a diftance the tra
veller is inclined to take it for an enormous in-
trencbrnent. Tbe roads which lead from Almanza are bad,
acrofs a ftony country, wild, and covered with
heath ; this is another not very pleafiftg part of
the kingdom of Murcia. For about a league the
road runs by the fide of a wood of €afcarralesp
large trees, the fruit of which is a, long bufk, full
of a kind of coagulated juice, and given as a
treat to the cattle of the country, A little far^
ther on I crofted a wood of green oaks (Encirns)
which produce the belhtta or acorn, a fruit for
merly precious to our anceftors, and which, in
the prefent age, is not too vulgar for the delicate
tafte of the Spanifh ladies. It is true the acorn
of thefe green oaks ^fenfibly differs from that of
the common oak (Robles). It is leffer, and has a
tafte a good deal like that of a hazel nut. The
Other kind of acorrt, which in Spain has the fame
bitternefs as in other countries, is employed for
the fame purpofe as effewhere,
Two leagues from the little -village Del villar,
is the Venfa del Rrncm, a folitary inn, but tolera
bly good, although fituated in a barren foil, A
league farther on- we perceive Chinehilla, a town
pn a barren eminence, but which commands the
fpacious and fertile plains of la Mancha. As we
approach Albacete the foil gives fufficient indi
cations that they are near. This town, fituated
thirty leagues! from Valencia and Alicant, is a
quarter for cavalry, and has in its environs fields
pf wheat, barley and fome paftures. About
half a league from it is. a tolerably handfbme aquedud,

am THE PRESENT STATE
aquedud, the road leading to which : is the fa7
vourite walk of the inhabitants.
Albacete covers a confiderable fpace of ground;
it is a place much frequented by travellers, and
efpecially by people in bufinefs. Its induftry is
exercifed on the iron and fteel brought thither
from Alicant. The manufadures of Albacete
will not for a long time be prejudicial to the hard
ware of France and England; but they are at
leaft fufficient to banifh from the city idlenefs and
poverty, and to give to the inhabitants an ap
pearance of opulence and adivity, whieh.pleafes
the eye of the traveller, fatigued with .crofling a
barren and wretched country.
From Albacete, after having paffed through two
extenfive villages, LaGineta and La Roa,I arrived
at Minalla, another large village, fo unprovided
that I found nothing I could purchafe to eat, not
even bread ; of which each individual bakes as
much as is fufficient- for his own wants, and has
none to fell. The nine leagues of road from Al
bacete to Minalla, lie acrofs a vaft plain which,
not being well cultivated, prqduces only . a little
corn and fome faffron. The inhabitants, however^
though in all other refpeds without induftry or
adivity, feed numbers of thofe impure animals
profcribed by the law of Mo&s,. and which, poe-
try dares not name without a periphrafis, .
I went in the evening to Al Provenzia, where
I flept. This ig a town rather confiderable ,\ the
cultivation of faffron is the principal employment
of the inhabitants. At Al provenzio I, met with
a French baker, who was delighted at hearing me
fpeak-his. own language, which infpiredhim with
fufficient confidence to induce him to make his
complaints to me of the perfecutions he fuffered,
and to requeft me to lay them before the minifter.
Although he had long been married and eftablifhed in

OF SPAIN. ie
in the country, he never had been able to expiate
the crime of being a Frenchman; he was looked
upon with a jealous eye, and feverely treated :
his great and, unpardonable fault was, making
better bread than the other bakers. Thus, in
every fituation, envy: accompanies and embitters
fuccefs. I adminiftered to the poor baker all the
confolation my humanity could fuggeft: and, for
a few comforting words and vague promifes of
ufing my credit in his favour, I received his bene-
didions and the effufions of his gratitude.
Beyond Al Provenzio the foil becomes better ;
I croffed well cultivated land's, and paffed through .
two villages ; Pedronera, in which there is a
manufadory of falt-petre, and La Mota well fit
uated in no very deep valley. This village is
commanded* (by an eminence upon which are
twelve windmills, which appear as if ranged in
order of battle. According to their pofition, re
lative fo the two villages, Quintanar and El To
bofo, which owe all their renown to the immor
tal Cervantes, I doubted not but thefe windmills
were thofe on which. Don Quixote made his firft
effay in chivalry.- ' I furveyed the extenfive plains
which had: been the i'cene of his adventures. I
was only -a league from El Tobofo, the birth
place of the fair Dulcinea ;. and by .making a lit
tle circuit, might pafs through this village, which
the lively pen of Cervantes-has almoft nearly ren
dered equal in fame to the greateft cities hiftory
has celebrated. I feemed to fee the fhades of this
great man, and of his herd wandering in thefe
fields. To have gone out of the way about half
a league would have completely gratified my cu
riofity; but my condudor, who was but little
verfed in literature, and like la Fontaine's flag,
not aceujlorriedto read, did not partake of my cu-
.riofity: I was. obliged to content myfelf with
diCrovering,

4.6 THE PRESENT STATE
difcovering, from the great road, the fteeple of
El Tobofo, the little wood in which Don Quixote
waited for the tender interview to be prooir-ed
him by his faithful fquire, and the houfe in which:
Dulcinea received his amorous meffage.
Full of the ideas which thefe romantic plains
called to my recoledion, I paffed through
Quentavar, and arrived at Corral, a large village
within nine leagues of Aranjuez.
It was to thi3 place that one of the fine roads
of Spain, for which the Mmgdom is indebted to
the Count de Florida Brlanca, had been brought,
and which has fince been further continued. Mo
road can be more ftraigkt, folid, or better formed.
It begins at Aranjuez, and, crafting Ocana, ad*
vances into la Mancha, within fixteen leagues of '
the capital- Thence to Madrid -t5he road is as
fine as any in Europe; but this barren, naked
and ill peopled country yet remains to be sen*
dered fiourifhing ; the induftry of the inhabitants,
¦crowded together in the great villages, at leaft
three leagues from each other, without fo much
as a hamlet, farm or thicket, in the interval
which feparates them, is yet to be .excited; and
commodious afylums to be built for travellers,
who in crofting the extended and burning plains,
-frequently ftand in need :of fhade, refrefhment,,
artd repofe. Thefe conveniencies are wanting
¦on all the roads in Spain : to furnifh them is a
talk worthy of the intelligent zeal of the Count
;de Florida Blanca, who has for feveral years paft
dedicated the leifure of peace to this beneficent
purpofe. At the time of my return from Valencia, tins
miniitei'' was ferioufly employed in eftablifhing
ftage carriages. Until then, the only manner of
travelling expeditioufly was on poft horfes; and
thofe whofe age, fex or fituation would not
permit

O F S P A I N. ,*
permit them to travel in this dangerous manner,
were obliged to be flowly dragged in the carri
ages of the country, drawn by lix mules, the
only animals ufed here to draw- Thefe carriages,
called jsvlkras, go eight, or at moft, ten leagues a
day, fo that the journey from Cadiz to Bayonne,
a diftance of an jiundred leagues, took up at leaft
three weeks. The Count de Florida Blanca per
ceived that one means of 'giving new life to the
country, was tp render communication more
fpeedy and eafy. He therefore conceived the
projed of making roads, building inns, and ef*
tablifhing poft horfes. The expences and diffi
culties of the late war retarded the execution of
the plan ; and, even fince the re-eftablifhment of
the peace, it has been but flowiy and gradually
executed*. The four principal roads, thofe
feom Madrid to Cadiz, to Barcelona, to the fron
tiers of France, and to Portugal, were firft at
tended to 'by the minifter ; and among thefe that
which eftablifhcd a communication between the
two moft eminent cities in the kingdom required
the preference ; for which reafon, the firft cares
of the Count de Florida Blanca were dedicated
to it; and towards the end of 1784, travelling
in a poft-chaife from Madrid to Cadiz, was al
ready-commodious, at leaft in fine weather ; for
the roads of Andalufia have ftill need of much
repair, not to be impaffable after long rains.
In the year 1785, I was one of the firft who
made ufe of the new convenience to crofs this
famous Province, andto vifit one of the moft ce
lebrated ports in the world. From
* I have been iriformed that, fince my departure from
Spain, there ase diligences eftablifhed on .fome of the prin
cipal roads, among ethers, from Bayonne to Madrid, by
"which means the journey may be performed in fix days.

^3. THE PRESENT STATE
From Aranjuez; I firft went to Oca n a, a little
city upon a riling ground, which infenfibly low
ers as we approach Guardia, diftant from it three
leagues. In 1785 Oc.ana contained nothing-re-.
markable, but a riding fchool, which flourifhed>
under the diredion of lieutenant-general Don,
Antonio Ricardos, and furnifhed the Spanifh
cavalry with able- officers, when the count,, for
reafons of which I will not pretend. to judge,*
thought proper to fupprefs it. •- ¦,.• ,
On leaving Ocana the eye . embraces a vaft
plain perfedly level, which gives fome previous
idea of thofe of la Mancha. As we approach;
this province we meet with frequent groups of
olive trees. All Guardia, except the church,
appears, at a diftance like a large heap of ruins,,
Tembleque, which is two leagues from it, has
not a bad appearance, nor is it deftitute of in
duftry. Silks are woven there from the raw ma
terials brought from Toledo. The neighbouring
country alio produces a little faltpetre : this,
however, does not embellifh the environs. t
The firft ftage. after Tembleque, is a little foli-
tary houfe, called Canada de la Higuera : this is
the moft miferable inn upon the whole road.' I
found nothing there but water, which, for want ,
of a glafs, I was obliged to drink out of the
pitcher. ....
Two leagues farther on is Madridejos, , a. hand-
fome village, on leaving which the traveller is
agreeably furprifed to find, in the midft of plains
entirely without verdure, an alley of white elms,
a few kitchen gardens, and feveral clumps of
trees : — Rari nantes in gurgiie vajlo.
This plain leads to Puertolapiche, a little vil
lage, near to which Dort Quixote, at the begin-"
ning of his adventures, was dubbed knightW
lant. It is fituated at the extremity of two hills, over

OF SPAIU. .„
over which are fcattered a few orange trees. The
hills gradually, lower towards a kind of defile,
where the vait plains of la Mancha become nar
row for a fhort fpace, and afterwards widen and
extend themfelves to the feet of the Sierra Mo-
rena. Villalta is a village twoleagues from the latter,
where eoarfe cloths are made with the wool of
the diftrid. Before I arrived there I paffed a
long and narrow ftone bridge, badly kept in
repair, on each fide of which is a large morafs
covered with ftanding water and weeds. The
traveller is not a little furprifed when he learns
that this fpecies of marfh is the ftream of the river
Guadiana, which, at a little diftance from the
bridge, hides its lazy waters under ground, after-;
wards appears again, croffes Eftramadura, then a
part of Portugal, and forms, where it falls into
the fea, the limit between that kingdom' and
Spain. From Villalta to Manzartares, one of the greateft
towns of la Mancha, are five long leagues; the'
carabineers have there one of their chief quarters,
and in return for the plenty they diffufe through
the diftrid, they fomewhat violate, regardlefs of
moral propriety, the rights of hofpitality. They
form the fineft corps of the Spanifh army, and
their being fixed in la Mancha fecures to that pro
vince the continuation of a fine race of iiibjeds,
Frederick II. in his political artd military fyftem,
would, perhaps, have commended a diforder ufe
ful to his views. Charles III. is certainly unac
quainted with it ; his virtue would never fuffer
him to tolerate an open violation of order and
decency. At a fhort diftance from Manzanares I croffed
the little river of J avalon, the waters of which,
according to tbe plan adopted in 1785, are to be
Vol. II. E employed

5©. THE PRESENT STATE
employed to effed a jundion between theTagtW-
and the Guadiana. The wine of tbe environs of
Manzanares is little inferior to that of Valde-
pennas, another town, four leagues from the
former. All this difirid is the real good wine
country of la M ancha. Santa Cruz, two leagues-
farther on, is the chief place of the eftates of the
grandee of Spain, who, fince the laft year, has
been grand-mafter of his Catholic majefty's houfe-
hold. TwO league's from Santa Cruz, is the little
village of Almoradiel, where, towards the fouth,
the vaft plains of la Mancha terminate. I believe
there is not a country in Europe lefs varied than
that for twenty long and tedious leagues between
Tembleque and Almoradiel. Nothing can be
more undiverfified than the afped of this vait
horizon: we travel three or four leagues without
meeting with an human habitation to give repofe
to the wearied eye; we wander over fields^almoft
countries even, the cultivation of which does not
appear lively, although the foil wants nothing
but lefs aridity to become excellent. A few thitt
plantations of olive trees fometimes interrupt the'
uniformity of the plain; fewer vineyards are
found than we fhould exped there when the great
confumption of the wine of la Mancha in Spain is
confidered. This province is not fo uniform in its-
dimenfions as that we crofs from Madrid to Cadiz;
To the Weft of Tembleque and Madridejos, thei©'
are wide valleys lefs dry thah the plains. Every'
two years the king goes to take the diverfion of
hunting in the environs of Yevenes, a village iri
the Weftern part of la Mancha, twelve leagues
from Aranjuez, that commands a fine and very ex-
tenfive valley, in which is a vaft number of olive
plants, and on the other fide, the old caftle of
Confuegra is feen on a chain of hills. Ihe city
of this name is at the. foot -of the caftle. Hei'e'a
Frenchman,

O F S P A 1 N. ~
frenchman, M. Salvador Dampierre, of whom
f have formerly fpoken, eftablifhed, ten or twelve
years ago, a manufadure of faltpetre, the fuccefs-
of which anfwered not to his endeavours.
After leaving Almoradiel, we approach the
Sierra Morena. A few years ago- this diftrid was
the dread of travellers, who therefore, when they
were to crofs it, went more to the weft, to gain
the chain of mountains of the fame name: pafs-
ing by the town of Vifo, and thence croffirtg the
mountains, almoft at the peril of their lives, in
one of the fteepeft parts, called Puerto del Reyt
M. le Maur, a Frenchman, who for a long time
has been one of the corps of engineers in Spain,
and whofe talents languished in oblivion, was
chofen in 1779, ^7 tDe count de Florida Blanca,
to ' render pradicable a road the moft frequented
of any in the kingdom. He has made it one of
the fineft in Europe ; it Continues for fix leagues*
from Almoradiel to Catolina : at firft it has an
afcent almoft infenfible ; but the lOcks of which
this country is full, rife ftill higher ; and the road
panes through the windings they form. M. le
Maur had no .choice but that of carrying it thro'
the valleys, which lie at their foot, or over their
craggy tops. Tbe band of genius found a medium,
and conduds the afionifhed traveller along the
fide of the roclts. Thofe which oppofed his
paffage were either removed by the explofion of
gunpowder., orieveiled by art and induftry; fome
of them fupport the fame road to which they
feemed to oppofe invincible obftacles, as con-
•qberors overthrow the enemies of their glorious
defigos, arid convert them into inftraments to ex
ecute their will. "By long circuits only, it is that
art has- gained this triumph ; it Called to its aid
bridges, arched fflopes, and walls bweaft high:
feeble ramps rt1?, behind which the traveller pro-
E % ceeds

e2- THE PRESENT STATE
ceeds without danger or fear upon the brink of aa '
abyfs'. In this manner he arrives at the defpepa-
perros, where the rocks approach each other fa
near that they feem to form a vault over his head-
A brook runs through the valley;, and its water
will be of great affiftance to ,the canal of which
M. le Maur has drawn the plan.
About a quarter of a league beyond this mafs>
of rocks, is the poft ftage of Las Correderas, a
group of folitary thatched cabins, in the bofom
of the mountains. There is no difficulty in
, afcending from this place to la Carolina, the chief,
town of the new fettlement of the Sierra Morena.'
I have already obferved, that the flourifhing ftate
of this fettlement is due to Don Pablo Olavide.
The difgrace of this illuftrious man has been the
Caufe of their decline; not that his fuccefibr Dorr
Miguel Ondeano has not the ftrOngeft zeal and
moft excellent intentions: but befides his not '
having the fplendid talents of M. Olavide,' and
efpecially that intelligent adivity which animates
everyplace to which it is direded, he was de
prived, during all the late war, of the hundred
thoufand reals a month which the king affigned
for the fupport of thefe colonies; this fufpends
indifpenfible meafures, the expences of which the
intendant eftimated, in 1785, at near four mil-:
lions and a half of reals. Such were the btuW.
ing of a certain number of houfes,. the repairing
©f feveral others which had been almoft deftroyed
by the injuries of time, the eftablifhment of eight
magazines of corn, the building of two new
churches, of an oil-mill, of barracks, &c.. all
neceffary to the progrefs of cultivation and' popit
lation. Another fource of the decline of this
colony, the eftablifhment of which, notwith-
ftahding its .defeds, does honour to the reign of
Charles III. js the taxes government is too much in

OF SPAIN. ^
in a hurry to draw from it. The poor colonifts,
¦who do not- cultivate a foil by- much fo fertile as
at firft it was thought to be, already pay to the
king contributions for the wine, oil, brandy, fait
and even corn, which they confume. It feems
too much pains has been taken fo prove to the
"court, that this eftablifhment, far frOm being long
an expence to it, might in a few years reimburfe
the advances made in its favour. Thefe different
'chfcouragements have made agriculture languifh,
and driven feveral families from the colony.
However, as I paffed through it, a well-informed
perfon allured me the emigrations- had ceafed,
and that in the little capital of la Carolina and
the hamlets depending upon it, there were ftill
•five .thoufand and forty-four perfons'. A part of
the German families, which at firft Were numerous
in the colony, have retired from it. Thofe which
remain affociate by degrees with the Spaniards;
and at la Carolina they have no. longer a prieft
ambng them who fpeaks their language. ,
Guarroman, the firft ftage from la Carolina, is
one of the principal places of the colonies of the
Sierra Morena. It contains about a hundred and
fourteen families, and continues to profper. Corn
and cattle are the principal refources of the co
lonifts. From Guarroman we defcend towards
Baylen, near the confines of the Sierra Morena.
¦Baylen is an ancient town, in the neighbourhood
of which we find fome of the fineit horfes in
Andalufia. The ftage from Baylen to the Cafa del Rey, is
the worft upon the road. It is by turns fandy
and rocky, fteep and crooked, and the traveller
would fooner go over it on foot than in a pofl-
chaife. At about a league from Baylen I remarked to
the left a large Vetita, M. Olavide had ordered to
be

.^ THE PRESENT STATE
be begun, but which, fince his difgrace, basbeeji
' negleded, as if it had been fubjeded to the farae^
anathema as its, founder., . ¦ -4
I afterwards paffed the Rumblar, which a
league farther on falls into the Guadalquivir, over
¦ a handfome ftone bridge. At laft I arrived at the
Cafa del Rey, a folitary inn in the middle oS the
woods. Here I began to perceive the GuadaJquj.
vir, at which I arrived, at a little diftance frorfl
Anduxar. The whole road from Guarroman to
this city is planted with olive trees; and their
pale and gloomy foliage is the only verdure feen in
fhat interval.
Anduxar has a good appearance; its environs
are agreeable, and fufficiently indicate the neigfy,
bourhood of a river. The Guadalquivir runs at
a little diftance from the walk of the city. It has
long been intended to make it navigable here ;
but the firft thing neceffary to be done is to pull
down three mills, which ^obftrud its courfe, and
extend almoft from one bank to the other.
From this city the road lies over two bridges,
feparated by an old and very maffy gate, and af
terwards nips by the fide of along plantation of
olive trees, It then continues over a fteep hill,
and, after a ftage of three long leagues and a
half, brings you to Aldea del Rio, a village upon
an eminence, on the bank of the Guadalquivir.
Its fituation is delightful, and the inhabitants feem
happy, and not fo poor as thofe of the reft of the
diftrid. They manufadure fome eoarfe cloth with
the wool they gather. I found there excellent wa,
ter melons, for which the Lucullufes of Pans
would, in the heat of the dog-days, have pai
a guinea each, although they were fold to me at
five-pence. The road from this village runs near the Gua
dalquivir to that of Dei Carpio, fituated upon a
fteep

OF SPAIN. --,
fteep hill, and commanded /by an old caftle,
which, as I was- confidently informed, was built
before the time of the famous Bernard del Carpio.
From this place to Cordova is five long leagues.
This ancient city, celebrated for having been the
native place of Seneca and Lucan ; the refidence,
during i'everal centuries, of the- Moorifh kings,
and producing in the neighbouring country the
fineft horfes in Andalufia, has nothing majeftic in
its appearance. Ihe only remarkable edifice it
contains is the cathedral. The ftreets are narrow
and ill-paved. The beft view of it is as you ar
rive from Cadiz. It forms, upon a very gentle
declivity, a kind of femicircular amphitheatre on
the banks of the Guadalquivir.
Coming from Madrid, tbe river is paffed over
a bridge, called Puente d'Alcoleda, It was much
out of order when I was at Cordova, and was
then undergoing a repair.
I torn the bridge to the walls of Cordova, the
ground is even, the foil well cultivated, and
planted with many young olive trees.
During the fhort ftay I made in this city, I did
not fail to 'vifit the famous cathedral, which for
merly ferved as a mofque to the Moors. It forms
a long fquare of a hundred and fifty-eight paces
by a hundred and thirty-eight, and is well lighted,
but too low. The columns are marble, placed
ia quincunx and well preferved. Without count
ing them one by one, it is difficult to know exadly
their number, becaufe moft of the rows are in
terrupted by fome door or chapel ; but as far as I
could judge I fhould eftimate them at about fix
hundred. Thefe columns of blackiih marble
reach not the ceiling; they are fcarcely more
than ten or twelve feet high, and have neither
bafe nor capital; they are joined to each other
by two arches placed one above the other, co-
• vered

wS THE PRESENT STATE
vered with plaifter, and fupported with ftone-,
work whitened over. The refult of the whole is
but little agreeable to the eye. The cathedral
therefore is more remarkable for its oddity than
any real beauties. However, this vaft edifice,
fiupported by a foreft of columns, and ornamented
with chapels, in general well decorated, has
fomething grand in its appearance. The Chrif
tians when they confecrated. the mofque to the
worihip of the true God, added no ' embellifh-
ments. They have, fomewhat leifened its dimen-
fions by the principal chapels ; the ceiling of one,
of which feems to be preferved as it was in the
time of the Moors.
By the fide of the cathedral is a court, the
precious remains of the . refidence of the Moors
at Cordova. It is planted with orange trees, the.
ancient . and tufted foliage of which ferves as an
afylum to great numbers of birds;, and covers,
with its fhade, feveral fountains, which reader
the, air conftantly cool. I fhall not, foon forget
the ill reception I met with in this city. If f
had formed my opinion of the charadertof the
people of Cordova like the Englifhman, who
paffed a night at Blois, and. judged of all the «>
habitants by the woman of the inn where he flept,
I fhould have conceived a very indifferent idea of
their urbanity. I had entered the cathedral with
out difficulty; but whilft I was numbering the'
columns, and eftimating its dimenfions, the few
perfons I had found there retired, and the differ,
rent doors I had obferved were fhut ; none but
that which opens to the fine orangery of the
Moors was left unlocked : I went to it tp go out.
But what was my furprife at being addreffed by
two beadles, who reproached me, without much
•ceremony, for the time I had loft in furveying,- as
they called it, their church,' as if that had been the

OF SPAIN, -7
the proper time to remain there. I reprefented
to them mildly (for this was not the moment to be
relradory) that as I wras a ftranger in Cordova, I
could not know that noon was an improper time
to be in the cathedral. It is well for you, re
plied they harfhly (for mildnefs often encourages
infolence) that thefe two dogs (fhewing me the
animals) which are kept to guard the church, did
not fee you ; for in that cafe you would have
made your efcape much quicker than you came
in, as they would not have given you time to
count the pillars. While going out, by a door
in the court, which they rather unwillingly opened
to me, I expreffed my aftonifhment that the ftrange
office of driving the faithful from the houfe of
God, fhould be conferred upon dogs. But my
travelling drefs had nothing in it which com
manded refped ; and my remonftrance could
have had no effed ; which I cannot but regret on
account of thofe who may go thither in future.
The exterior appearance of this cathedral has
in it nothing extraordinary. , It prefents a maffy
and irregular building with enormous fquare pil
lars. In the city, we perceive no traces of that
adivity which accompanies induftry, although
there are manufadures of ribbons, laces and
hats. From Cordova to Eccija is a diftance of ten
leagues, acrofs a fine well cultivated country,
with feveral plantations of olive trees. On this
road the traveller firft changes horfes at El Corfejo
del Mango Negro, a folitary farm-houfe, which I
found furrounded with cows, where, however, it
would not have been more difficult to find a glafs
of nedar than a bafon of milk. The people of,
the country told me* it was not the cujiom to milk
fhe cows. U

>S THE PRESENT STATE
La Carlotta, a handfome new built village, is
three leagues from this ftage. The foundation of
la Carlotta was nearly at the fame time, and had
a like objed with that of la Carolina. It is the
chief place of the new fettlements of Andalufia.
The intendant who prefides over them, as alfo
over thofe of la -Carolina, was at la Carlotta
when I arrived there. I went to vifit this refped-
able man, whom I, had known at Madrid. I
greatly admired the beauty of his apartments;
but could not but call to mind, what I had fre
quently heard obferved, that it was by fuch be
ginnings, that in Spain, moft fuch projeds failed.
Ta Carlotta is delightfully fituated in the centre
of an open country, where olive trees fucceed
remarkably well. It is not fo large as la Carolina,
but more fo than a third fettlement of the fame
kind, called la Luifiana, three leagues beyond
Eccija. There are at moft but a hundred and
fifty families in this colony, and the cultivation
cf grain is almoft' their only refource.
Between thefe two colonies, and four leagues
from the former, ftands Eccija, a pretty large
town, well built, and one of the handfomeft in
Andalufia, The road toft from la Carlotta is pleafant; it
croffes a well cultivated country, abounding in
plantations of olive trees and villas. Farm houfes1
and oil mills are feen fcattered over the whole
horizon. On the other fide of Eccija the land is lefs cut
tivated. Leaving the town I obferved, at no
great diftance, an obelifk in a bad ftyle. I after
wards paffed the Xenil, over a handfome bridge.
The giound gradually lowers after leaving la
Lmiiana.^ Ihe little farm houfes, which make a
part of this new colony, are continued near the
great road, at fmall diftances from each other, for
half

OF SPAIN. cq
haK a league; fome of them are inhabited by
German families, who, happily for the thii fly-
traveller, are acquainted with the cuftom of
milking cows.
Soon after I had left la Luifiana, I perceived,
at a diftance, fome of the# houfes of Carmona,
which from this fide has no very promifing ap
pearance; it is* however, a coniiderable town.
The fteeple of the principal church is of a fingu
lar ftrudure. . It is a high tower, which gradually
inclines to and terminates in a fteeple, and upon
which are placed the moft whimfical ornaments
of architedure. This modern toy proves that
true tafte has not yet penetrated into that part of
Spain. It certainly has not had the fandion of
the academy of San Fernando.
From Carmona to Seville is fix leagues, during
which you once change horfes. The country is
level and covered with olive trees. I had only
one afternoon to dedicate to the remarkable things
of the fecond city in Spain. A very obliging
Frenchman, to whom I was recommended, gra
tified the wiih.es of my impatient curiofity.
We firft vifited the tobacco manufadory ; a
prodigious eftablifhment, as well for the fize of
the edifice as the number of hands employed in
it. We faw tne tobacco in leaves as it comes
from the Havannah, where but a fmall quantity
is manufadured, the manner of rafping it, that
of preparing the kind of ochre (almazarran) with
which it is mixt to give it a colour and oilinefs ;
the manner of making this mixture, and that of
forming the little rolls of it, called Cigarros, the
confumption of which is fo confiderable in Spain.
We went through the feparate chambers in which
the different kinds of tobacco are kept labelled,
and ready to be fent to the different provinces of
the kingdom. It would be difficult to find in fo
fmall

60 THE PRESENT STATE
fmall a fpace more adivity or a greater variety
of occupations This manufadure is one of the
moft abundant fources of revenue to the fove
reign. The annual produce to the treafury is ef-
timated at twenty millions of livres (above eight
hundred thoufand pounds fterling).
We afterwards went to the foundry of copper
cannon, which, with that of Barcelona, fupplies
all the Spanifh arfenals in Europe. The method
of M. Maritz is ftill followed there, with fome
trifling variations. I obferved, with pleafure,
the ingenious machine with which the cannon
are bored, after having been caft folid.
From what I could learn relative to this foun
dry, I concluded,' that either from negligence or
diiho.nefty in the people employed, there was
room for a confiderable fa ving in the expences.
Six thoufand quintals of copper from Mexico and
Peru are annually refined at Seville, and each
quintal of refined copper cofts the king about
fifty reals (ten fhillings and three-pence). A lit
tle before I arrived at Seville, a Frenchman pro
pofed to the king a method which would have
made a fa ving of twenty-two reals a quintal.
But either from a fervile attachment to old forms,
a prejudice againft the nation of the propofer, 'or
other lefs innocent motives, the propofition was
'rejeded. The Frenchman was not difcouraged;
he refined a quantity of copper, and caft a few
pieces of cannon according to his own method.
The proofs, at which the Spaniards vouchfafedto
be prefent, that they might not too openly betray
their unwillingnefs to adopt the propofal of the
ftranger, fhewed the cannon to be of an excellent
quality: but intrigue, which was not idle on this
occafion, found means to prevent the experiment
from being any further profecuted. Leaving

O.F SPAIN. £j
Leaving this foundry, we vifited the fineft parts
of Seville. We walked along the banks of the
Guadalquivir, .Which the late intendants' of An
dalufia, Meflieurs Olavide, Domefain and Lerena,
were at great pains to embejlifh. I could not
but admire the large open fpace facing the fuburb
Of Triana, a confiderable part of the city, from
which it is feparated by the river. Some princi
pal buildings adorn, to a certain diftance, this
part of the banks. In the interval between the
former and the Guadalquivir, M. Lerena had be
gun to form a walk, which his promotion ptev
vented him from finifhing. M. Olavide was flop
ped by another caufe in his projeds of embellifh-
ments. Seville, however, is indebted to him'for
a part of its quays, fome eftablifhments, feveral
handfome edifices, and a long alley, of trees which
are planted by the fide of the Guadalquivir, be
yond the walls of the city. In fpite of the ana
themas of the inquifition, he will not foon be for
gotten by the inhabitants.
To judge of the whole of Seville, we went up
to the Giralda (the name given to the fteeple of
the cathedral) by a fpiral afcent without fteps.
The cathedral is a vaft edifice, and one of the
fineft' gothic monuments which remain. The
ground, on which Seville Hands, feemed to us
nearly as extenfive as the city of Madrid itfelf.
I did not forget to feek for the tomb of Chrif-
topher Columbus, before the choir of the cathe
dral; it is diftinguifhed by one ftone only which
bears thefe words : A Cajlilla y Arragon otro mundo
dio Colon* : a laconic infcription in the true lapi
dary ftyle, to the full as expreffive as thofe pom
pous ones with wbich high founding rhetoric,
bribed by vanity, loads the maufoleums of fo
many
* To C^ftile and Arragon Columbus gave another world.

6«J' THE PRESENT STATE
many ufelefs perfonages, without being able to).
preferve them from oblivion.
I knew that Seville was the native place of the
famous painter Murillo, and that his principal
works were preferved there. I found them in the
capuchin convent and the hofpital of charity.
In the convent I was particularly delighted
with a Gh-rift who loofens himfelf from the crofs,
with an expreffion of the moft affeding fweetnefs,
to embrace Saint Francis.
In the hofpital are ten paintings by Murillo,
all of which equally claim attention. That of
Mofes bringing water out of the rock excited my
admiration ; as did alfo thofe of the return of the
prodigal fon, and Saint Elizabeth curing feveral
young perfons about her of a loathfome difeafe.
I viiited the Alcazar of Seville, formerly the
palace of the Moorifh kings, and the mint, two
neighbouring edifices, each remarkable in its
kind. The Alcazar is very fpacious, but irregu
lar : the mint is the moft ancient in Spain.
The environs of Seville appeared like thofe of
the other cities of Andalufia, tolerably well cul
tivated. I remarked in them, what is very rare
in Spain, orchards and feveral villas.
In the fpace of fixteen leagues, which fepar-'
ftes Seville from Port Saint Mary, nothing en
gaged my attention except the handfome town of
Xerez^ the environs -of which produce the excel
lent wine of that name, and contain the richefl!
Carthufian monaftery in Spain. This fouthem
part of Andalufia is covered with vineyards, corn
fields, and olive trees, but the cultivation was
what did not particularly ftrike me. I croffed
fome barren parts of this diftrid which did not
bring to my recolledion the boafied beauties of
tlie ancient Bajtica. The

Of SPAIN. £*
The road from Xerez to Port Saint Mary be
gins on an uneven ground, and terminates in the
middle of fands. Thefe continue until we arrive at
Saint Mary, a handfome town, almoft wholly
new built, with wide ftreets in ftraight lines. It
is properly the refidence of the captain-general of
Andalufia; but count O'Reilly, who then held
this government with that of Cadiz, refided in
the latter. He obtained leave-, a few* years fince,
to remove the military fchool, which he founded,
when governor of Madrid, to Port Saint Mary.
Thus having it under his eye, he began to revive
it from that ftate of languor to which his abfence
and the war had reduced it, when he was dif-
. miffed from the two important employments he
held in that country.
The bay of Cadiz is firft feen from the top of a
hill, half way from Xerez to Port Saint Mary.
The profoed is beautiful, eipecially to thofe who
have previoufly feen plans of that fpacious bay.'
From the, eminence tbe eye furveys the whole, as
in a large map ; the two points which form the
entrance of the bay are diftindly feen, the fort of
Saint Sebaftian on one fide, and the town of
¦Rota on the other. In front is the city of Cadiz,
and we difcover the narrow tongue of low land
which feparates it from the ifland of Leon, and
the almoft femici-rcular bending of the bay to the
Garraque, Port-Real and Saint Mary. Thus, no
doubt, do provinces, chains of mountains, and
the windings of coafts and rivers appear to the
eyes of birds when they approach, the clouds and
efcape our fight. Thus do grand and extenfive
objeds appear in their aftonifhing whole, and th»
fucceffion of their minuter parts to the bold rivals
of the inhabitants of the air, the aerial travellers,
whofe intrepidity firft awakened our rapturous
applatife, but whom we afterwards flighted, in the
fame

$± THE PRESENT STATE
fame degree we had magnified. _ Pofterity will,
perhaps, revenge them for our difdainful levityy,
by immortalizing their -names and improving their';
difcoveries. From Port Saint Mary, I had the choice of
two roads ; that which goes ftraight to Cadiz in
crofting the Bay, and the other leading to it by
land, paffing by Port-Real and the Ifle of Leon.
I preferred the former, and having hired, for fixty
reals, one of the large barks which the owners
are fo ready to offer to the fervice of paffengers^
in lefs than an hour was tranfported by a favour-'
able wind to the quay of Cadiz. Port Saint
Mary lies near the mouth of the Guadalete which,*
by driving its fands into the' Bay, forms a bar ,noti
to be paffed over without fome danger, particu
larly in winter. The boatmen, whofe intereft ii
is to keep the paffengers in fear, to which they
render them tributary, never fail to exaggerate
the danger ; and in the moment when iPis moft
imminent, recite a prayer, the price of which
they afterwards demand by colleding contribute.
ons ; but the moft timid paffengers, and even the .
greateft devotees, have more confidence in the
fkiil of their condudors than in the interceflion of,
the faint they invoke.
I arrived at Cadiz at the time when that city,
under the beneficent government of the count
O'Reilly, experienced feveral kinds of changes/
As his power was uncontrouled, he found no ob-
ftacle too great for his adivity to furmount. Cadiz
owes to him its embellifhment, augmentation and
cleanlinei's ; why cannot I add its fecurity ? But
the vigilance of the count had not, in the year
1785, extended to this effential part of the po
lice ; and, at that time, murders were frequent in
the city. • If

OF SPAIN. £ »
If any thing can fupply the want of that which
infures the peaceably exiftence of the citizens,
this omiflion has been fully compenfated for. By
order of the count the old houfes were pulled
down, to give place to new ones regularly built;
the ftreets were paved, made ftraighter, and con
ftantly kept clean, and the wafte. ground was co
vered with new houfes. The governor may be
reproached even with excefs of ceconomy, with
refped to this ground. In feveral triangular fpaces
houfes were built which, without convenience for
thofe who inhabited, them, feemed to have no ob-
jed but that of incommoding their neighbours.
The count endeavoured to extend the confines of
the city by gaining fpace from the fea. The
ground upon which the cuftom-houfe ftands, and
that adjacent, was formerly covered by the wa
tery element, but this was anterior to the admi-
niftration of M. O'Reilly. He meditated another
projed of the fame kind.. He wifhed to take pof-
feffion of the ground of the Alameda, a walk by
the fea fide near the bay, the trees of which bear
the vifible marks of that neighbourhood. His
intention was to build there, and to lengthen the
fpace, by railing to a level with it that part of the
fhore which runs towards the inner part of the
city; and, on the outer bank of the new enclo-
fure, he intended to plant a new alley of trees.
But to effed this kind of miracle, funds were ne
ceffary, and ftones and rubbifh fufficient to fill
". up the extenfive fpace the count projeded to gain
upon the fea. I know not what has become of
his projed fince his retiring from office. Waiting
for a time favourable for its execution, he re
paired a kind of rampart, called la Muralla,
which commands the harbour, and formed a new
bafon on that fide of the quay, where merchan
dize from the Indies is landed.
Vox. II. F He

66 THE PRESENT STATE
He bellowed much attention on the embellifll-
ment of the gate on the land fide, which was
formerly covered with briars, and ferved as an
afylum for robbers. Under the adminiftratiort of
one of his predeceffors, gardens were laid out*
and feveral houfes built there. At the time of the
difpute relative to Falkland Iflands, the pufilla>
nimous governor imagining the place in danger,
and the enemy near his gates, entrenched behind
the feeble efforts of his induftry, artd deftroyed.
the houfes, without obferving that the ground ofi
which they flood was wholly commanded by the
battery from the land gate.
Under the adminiftration of the count de
Xerena, predeceffor to count O'Reilly, it was in
tended .to rebuild them ; but they did not acquire;
an agreeable form till the latter became governor. •
He extended the cultivation of the Ifthmus to the
fide of the great road which leads from Cadiz to
the ifland of Leon, and opened the garden he
made there by a railing. The example was imi
tated by the neighbours ; fo that for a quarter of
a league from the land gate the road is bordered
with fimilar fences, which, by their uniformity,
feem to belong to the fame proprietor. The
neighbourhood of the fea, the heat of the cli
mate, and the nature of the foil, the fand of which
it is not poffible to cover with good earth above
a certain height, are vifible in this cultivation ;?
but it is not the lefs agreeable to fee verdure, and
gather flowers and fruits in a foil which fo many
circumftances feem to condemn to fterility.
While walking in the garden of the affeffor Mora,
and that of the governor, which joins it, and
viewing all the rich produdions of Andalufia,
the vines, mulberry and olive trees that floUriih
. there, we forget the nature of the ground on
which we tread,, and the element by which it is
almoft

OF SPAIN. 67
almoft furrounded. In time, thefe environs of
the land gate will form a kind of fuburb ; a church
is already built a quarter of a league from the
city, for thofe who refide in that neighbourhood.
But nothing does more honour to the zeal, un-
derftanding, and humanity of count O'Reilly
than the Hofpitium, which owes to him, if not
its firft eftablifhment, at leaft the admirable form
given it in the courfe of the year 1785. No
foundation of the kind can be better direded ; it
provides, within the fame edifice, fuccour to
every clafs of fubjeds who claim either the cares
or infpedion of government ; to the aged of both
fexes, to incurables, vagabonds, proftitutes, the
infane, and children of both fexes whom their
parents are incapable of maintaining. Each
Clafs is placed in fpacious and well aired apart
ments. Every perfon is furnifhed with food and
employment according to his age and fituation:
Poor families find there an afylum, and the num
ber of individuals does not alarm the beneficence
of government. Whilft I was at Cadiz a poor
widow came to the Hofpitium to procure her five
children to be received. However, to prevent
abufes, each Alcalde de Barrio (commiffary of the
quarter) was obliged to prefent, weekly, to the
governor of the province, an account of all the
perfons, of both fexes, who in his quarter were
in need of the fuccours of charity, and intitled
to receive them. The governor examined the
ftatement, and wrote his diredions in the margin.
He has often boafted, with an air of fatisfadion,
in which benevolence was as ftrongly depided as
felf-approbatjon, that in the feventeen divifions of
which Cadiz was compofed, there were already
fourteen, in which not one perfon who had a dif
ficulty in gaining a livelihood, or was deprived of
the fuccours which might render life fupportable,
F 2 was

.6g THE P.RESENT STATE
was theh to be . found ;' and that in a little time
he flattered himfelf with the hopes of entirely
banifhing idlenefs and mifery from the city. The:
good order conftantly maintained in this inftitu-,
tion was the fruit of his continued infpedion.
He paffed there the greateft part of his afternoons;.
he was well feconded by feveral citizens of dif-
tindion, who, fome from fentiments of humanity,
and others to make their court to him, diftributed
among themfelves the diredion of the different
apartments j Their prefence feemed to infpire
refped and confidence. Theferenity that reigned
in every countenance diftinguifhed this charitable
inftitution from moft of the fame kind, which, in
general, prefent the image of confinement and,
wretchednefs. Proftitutes and the infane are the
only perfons deprived of liberty. Individuals o£
every other clafs go out in companies at certain
hours. None but the aged and infirm are exempt
from labour. Such as are capable of working
are moftly employed in carding, fpinning, and
weaving the cotton imported from the colonies of
America. In the month of September, 1785,
there were more looms, &c. than hands, to em
ploy them. I faw a warehoufe full of fluffs ma
nufactured within the eftablifhment ; thefe were
fufficient to the confumption of its inhabitants,
and the governor had hopes that in a little time
there would be afurplus, which would be ano
ther fource of revenue to, the inftitution. When
the count O'Reilly became governor, he faw the
hopes of his predeceffor realized, and added to
this new revenue by the fale of certain pieces of
ground belonging to the city. The charity of
the citizens alfo produces confiderable contri
butions. .
I left the Hofpitium, which in fo many refpea«|
deferves our higheft commendation, full of the]
greateft

OF SPAIN. £g
freateft admiration, which it would be impoffible
to exprefs with too much warmth, might we be
llow fo much praife on a man in difgrace. I
doubt not but the poft of the count O'Reilly has
been. worthily filled in every refped ; but will his
fucceffors be generous enough fo carry to the
greateft degree of improvement, an inftitution of
which they have neither had the pleafure nor the
merit to have been the founders ?
The inhabitants of Cadiz are almoft exclufively
employed in commerce; this will eafily be be
lieved on obferving the number of veffels in the
port, which commonly amount to fix or feven
hundred : though when I was in that city the
number did not exceed three hundred., The bay
is fo fpacious that there are moorings for the dif
ferent veffels according to their various deftina-
tions. The merchant fhips, from the. different
ports of Europe, are anchored oppofite the city.
The whole fpace which feparates them from the
bank of the river is covered with numerous barks,
boats, &c. continually employed. The veffels for
the Indian trade are anchored more to the eaft,
in the canal of I'rocadero, formed by an iflands
feen ' at low water ; the entrance of the Troca-
dero is defended by two forts ; the fire from which
croffes thofe of the Puntal ;" one is the fort Mata-
gordo, the other that of Saint Louis, built by
. Duguay-Trouin. The handfome town of Saint Real is built at
the further end of the canal ; and the magazines,
arfenals. and dock-yards for merchant fhips are
on the banks. A merchant dug a bafon there, and
had fo calculated the dimenfions as rendered it
incapable of receiving any veffels but merchant
men. However, when I was at Cadiz, it had
been purchafed of him for the king, and
. preparations

mQ THE PRESfNT STATE
preparations were making to form another not
far from the fame place.
The fhips of the royal navy are anchored to-
wards the eaft fide of the Bay, near the arfenals
and magazines. The great fpace thefe occupy,
and which land and fea difpute with each other,
is known by the name of the Carraque. The
court of Spain, from a precaution often eluded,
always ufelefs, and which only ferves to create
fufpicions unfavourable to the navy of Spain, ri-
goroufly excludes all ftrangers from the Carraque.
I endeavoured to obtain an exception in my fa
vour, but the governor fent me for anfwer, that
he could not grant my requeft without a formal
order from the king. I found means to do with
out it ; I went to the ifle of Leon, a confider^
ble city, long, open, and well built, on the eaft
fide of the Bay, and the feat of the marine de
partment. From this city, acrofs an arm of the
fea, to the Carraque is about a quarter of a
league. I went in company with one of thofe
curious perfons, before whom all impediments
vanifh, and we vifited, at our leifure, all the ar-
fenals, and remarked what they contained in
fails, cordage, cables, anchors, arms, flip-tim
ber, mails and rigging. I was particularly pleafed
with the rope-yard and the lodgings of the galley*:
flaves; the building is fix hundred yards long,
and has as good an appearance as that of Breft.
Although this work was only begun in 1777,
great progrefs has already been made in it : in
telligent perfons, who had compared the cordage
and cables of the principal dock-yards and ma
gazines in Europe, affured me, that in this refpeft
the navy of Spain was not in the leaft inferior to
any ; that the cordage was better made and more
durable, becaufe, in combing the hemp, all the
towy part we leave in it was taken out, and made ufe

OF S P A I N. -r
ufe of in caulking, whence refults the double
advantage of more folid cordage and the better
caulking of veffels. Another cuftomin our rope-
yards, which the Spaniards have avoided adopt
ing, is the tarring the cordage and keeping it a
long time piled up. In this ftate the tar ferments
and eats the hemp, and the cordage is extremely
apt to break after being ufed but a fhort fpace of
time. The Spaniards formerly obtained their hemp
from the north, at prefent they are able to do
without the affiftance, in this article, of any other
nation. The kingdom of Granada already furr
nifties them with the greateft part of the hemp
they ufe ; and, in cafe of need, they may hav§
recourfe to Arragon and Navarre. All the fail-
cloth and eordage T few in the magazines at Ca
diz were made with Spanifh hemp ; and the tex
ture of the former appeared to me even, clofe,
and folid.
I found alfo iri the arfenals of the Carraque, a
great quantity of fheets of copper; but it was
all brought from Sweden or Triefte. The Spa..
niards do not yet know how to refine copper well
enough to ufe that from Mexico in bottoming
' their fhips. Their firft experiments of this kind
were made at the beginning of the late war.
When I left Spain, moft of the Spanifh frigates
were copper bottomed; and preparations were
making to fheathe all the fhips of the line,
We were fhewn fome caronades brought from
England; but more inconvenience than advan
tage was found in this fpeeies of cannon.
. The magazines of the Carraque appeared to
me but moderately provided, particularly with
mails, rigging and timber. Until the prefent ad-
miniftration fhips of war could neither be built
nor refitted in the department of Cadiz ; and,
before

hz s THE PRESENT STATE
before . they could be careened, it ' was neceffary
to lay them on a hulk. M. de Valdez, at that
time fub-infpedor of the Carraque, adopted the
plan of forming there a bafon ; and, fince he be
came minifter of the naval department, he has
been very attentive to its execution. The nature
of the ground feemed to render the thing impof
fible ; it is a kind' of clay which eafily finks in,
and feems to partake of the inftability of the ele
ment with which it is furrounded and faturated..
It was in the moft elevated part that a bafon was
begun to be dug in Auguft, 1785. I faw the
piles driven, upon which a bed of ftone was to
be laid, and the minifter hoped by this means to
give the bafon a folidity againft which every im
pediment feemed to confpire. The engineers
who direded the works fcarcely dared to exped,
fuccefs; their purpofe feemed to meet new ob-
ftacles daily : at each moment the want of con-
fiftencein the ground deceived their efforts, and
betrayed its inability to fupport the heavy bur- ,
then intended to be laid upon it. Art and per-
feverance, at length, triumphed over every diffi
culty, and in the year 1787, inftead of one bafon
at the Carraque, there were two for the building
of veffels of fixty-four guns.
I went on board fome of thofe lying at anchor,
and greatly admired their beauty and folidity.
It is impoffible to reprefs a figh on feeing thefe
fuperb works of human induftry, when we reneS
Jhat- their principal deftination is to become the
inftruments and vidims of a rapid and violent
deftmdion, as if to annihilate them the ravages
of time and the rage of winds and waves were
not fufficient. Thus man, the fublimeft creation;!
of Nature, and whofe faculties expand fo flowly,
Mm having caufed fq. much folicitude to the au-
tfeojs; of his exift ence, ; is frequently fnatched from ;
their;

O F S P A I N. -»
their tendernefs by fome of the accidents to
which he is perpetually expofed, and which his
paffions have multiplied an hundred fold.
From the Carraque we returned by a road
which engaged our attention. As we leave Cadiz,
it is a quarter of a league- wide, but afterwards
becomes fo narrow that at the diftance of a
league the tide wafhes the two fides of the caufe-
way, which feems to be boldly elevated above
the abyfs of the ocean. The prefent caufeway
is another advantage for which Cadiz is indebted
to Count O'Reilly. He had confided this under
taking to M. du Bournial, an engineer well verfed
in the art of conftruding bridges and caufeways,
whom he had fent for from France to employ him
in his military fchool of Poit Saint Mary. M.
du Bournial has raifed this road, and rendered it
more folid ; his fuccefs gained him the acknow
ledgments of the city of Cadiz, and new marks
¦of confidence in his talents.
M. Bournial was the perfon whom, in 1785,
O'Reilly wifhed to charge with the execution of
a projed, which could not but feduce the ima
gination of this governor, who, it is faid, is
fonder of the wonderful * than of the public
good. His objed was to bring frefh water to
Cadiz from the diftance of eleven leagues. He
and the engineer had calculated that for two
millions of piaftres this apparent miracle might
be performed; and in Auguft, 1785, the count
had received fubfcriptions to the amount of one
million two hundred thoufand piaftres. I heard
the pompous projed difcuffed with great impar
tiality. Thofe who approved of it reafoned in
this
*.I had added fome other reftriftions to the eulogium of
this officer; I learned the particulars of them in Luifiana,
on the coaft of Barbary and elfewhere. I afterwards heard
of his diigtace, and fupprefTed them entirely.

«+ THE PRESENT STATE
this manner: a fpring of frefh water is an article
of the firft neceffity, efpecially to a rich and po-
jaulous city, which, like Cadiz, daily increafes
"in both thefe refpeds. The water brought with
fo much labour from the fountains of Port Saint
Mary, but imperfedljAfupplies the want of it in
the city: in dry feafons it has fometimes been
found infufficient for the neceffities of the inha
bitants. Why fhould this important city be'
longer expofed to a fcarcity fo diftrefsful, when it
might be fecured from it at a trifling increafe of
expence ? 1 he city annually pays ninety-fix
thoufand piaftres for the precarious fupply from
the fountains of Saint Mary. No imore than a
fum not exceeding two millions of piaftres, that
is, a capital, the intereft of which, at five per
cent, is a hundred thoufand piaftres, was re
quired to procure it, an uninterrupted plenty.
The moft fordid ceconomy could make no objec
tion to an expence of four thoufand piaftres for
a purpofe of fuch' effential utility. Such is the
queftion confidered with refped to the expence ;
let us now, faid the favoureis of the plan, exa
mine it in a political point of view.
According to the prefent fyftem of Europe,
and the clofe connexion between Fiance and
Spain, Cadiz is of the greateft importance in the
naval wars of thofe powers : their fleets intended
to ad in concert in any foreign expedition muft
rendezvous at that port. Muft it not therefore be
abfolutely neceffary to render the vidualling, wa
tering, &c. of fuch fleets as eafy and expeditious
as poffible ? The canal would be highly fervice-
able for the latter purpofe : inftead of which,
fhips ready to fail have often, during the war,
been delayed twenty-four hours, waiting to tkke
in their water from Port Saint Mary. the

Of SPAIN. „,
The projed befides would not be difficult to
carry into execution. M. Bournial had furveyed
and taken the levels of the eleven leagues which
the canal was to pafs; his plans were ail finifhed*
he had calculated the extent within a fathom, and
the expence to a piaftre. Fie had difcoveied the
traces of an old canal, dug by the Romans for
the fame purpofe,- and the bed of this might in
a great meafure be rendered of ufe to the new pro
jed, the completion of which would not be ex-
penfive for above two leagues. Ought not the
Romans, fo fuperior in many refpeds to modern
nations, fometimes to ferve them as a model, and,
among the latter, were any people more worthy
than the Spaniards of being immortalized by
their great andufefiil undertakings?
The opponents confidered the projed of the
governor as one of thofe fplendid but chimerical
conceptions feducing ardent imaginations, but in
adopting which prudent perfons are ever ex
tremely cautious. Cadiz, laid they, had, until
then, received the frefh water neceffary to the
wants of the inhabitants from fhe fountains in the
neighbourhood; why therefore fhould it now be
procured at a greater expence, when the fupply,
although brought thither with more art and labour,
would not be more certain? It was well known
what reliance ought to be placed on an eflimate
of an undertaking fo vaft and complicated. Wbo
would anfwer that the author of the projed would
be well fupported ? That he would not be dif-
gufted with the obftacles of every kind which he
muft meet? or that death might not furprife him
before the completion of his work? Suppoung
even that he finifhed the undertaking, who could
fay the ftream from the fpring, reprefented as in-
exhauftible, might not be obitruded inks courfe
by fome one of a thoufand accidents to which the
ground

y6 THE PRESENT STATE
ground it was to be carried through, and the ftone
aquedud by which it was to be conveyed muft be
expofed ? We allow thefe accidents may be pro-
*vided againft or repaired; but befides that this
confiant, vigilance is, as all will allow, an equi
vocal bafis, upon which the fupply of a great
city, with an article fo neceffary, ought never to
reft, the inhabitants would experience fhort in
terruptions in the running of the water ; and
from that moment the benefit would become ftill
more precarious than that with which they had
before been contented.
I was certainly an impartial hearer; but I faw,
with concern, that the queftion was in turns de
cided By partiality and prejudice, by adulation
and jealoufly, by a blind v fondnefs of novelty,
and a ftill blinder hatred to innovation. Thus it
happens that projeds are never weighed in any
country by unbiaffed reafon, the paffions of men
conftantly enfeeble their judgment, and he who
prides himfelf in the eftimation of the public, is
frequently influenced without knowing it by fome
difgraceful motive. Genius undertakes, conftancy
only executes, overcomes obftacles, and deprives
fortune of her- caprice, and envy of its forked
tongue. I know not what is become of the noble
projed of count O'Reilly fince his retirement
from office, or whether it will be numbered among
the few which furvive their authors ? May we
hope that fome generous citizen will be found,
who, adopting the bantling deferred in the cradle,
will generoufly bellow on it the cares of a father.
An account of the commerce of Cadiz would
alone furniffi fufficient matter for a confiderable
work, and confequently exceed the bounds I muft
prefenbe to mine. I fhall therefore ndd but lit-"
tie, to what 1 have already faid,' of the trade of
Spain in general.
An

OF SPAIN, ' Mm
An idea may be formed of that of Cadiz, by
knowing the number of veffels which annually
enter and fail from that port. This knowledge
may eafily be acquired by the lift printed every
week, as in all the great fea-ports of Europe.
In 1776, nine hundred and forty-nine fhips from
different ports entered that of Cadiz, of which.
two hundred and lixty-five were French. In 1 77 7,
there entered nine hundred and thirty-five veffelsv
two hundred and eighty of which were belonging,
to France.
The war which happened foon after flackened
this adivity, but the number of French fhips en
tering Cadiz appeared in 1785, father to have
increafed than diminifhed. Formerly no French
veffel from any port more to the north than that of
Calais arrived at Cadiz. Lately feveral have
been difpatched to Hamburgh and Amflerdam,
and refreighted for Cadiz. To the advantages
which already gave us fome- right to preference,
we began to add that of navigating at almoft as
little expence as the Dutch ; but it feems we fhall
not long enjoy thefe favourable circumftances.
The ports of France which have commercial
connexions with Cadiz, are thofe of Marfeilles,
Havre, Rouen, Morlaix, Saint Malo, Bayonne,
Bourdeaux, Nantes and Saint Valery. I have
named them in fucceflion according to the degrees
of intercourfe which they maintain w ith Cadiz ;
merchandize is annually fent thither from Mar ¦
feilles to the amount of twelve millions of French
money (five hundred thoufand pounds fterling) of
which filks and gold, laces are the principal arti
cles. The greateft part of the cargoes fent thither
from Havre and Rouen confift of woollens; and
thofe from Morlaix and Saint Malo, in linens ;
the fales of which will hereafter be diminifhed by
the competition of thofe from Silefia, fince, not-
v. iihfianding

7g TtfE PRESENT STATE
withftanding our remonftrances, we have for fome
time been deprived of the advantages we in this re- ~
fped enjoyed. LinenS are alfo a principal article
in the few importations from Nantzes. Flour and
bacon are the principal commodities fent from
Bordeaux and Bayonne, and the woollens of
Amiens the chief contributions of Saint Vajeryv
The people who moft abound at Cadiz are,
firft the Irifh, and next the Flemings, Genoefe
and Germans. The Englifh and Dutch are not
numerous. There are many Frenchmen, but
more among the workmen of every kind, and re
tail dealers, than among the merchants. There
are, however, ¦ feveral commercial houfes equally
refpedable for their unimpeached reputation,
great capitals, and extenfive credit. In proof of
this affeilion, it will only be neceffary to men
tion the names of Le Couteulx, De Magon, and
feveral other diftinguifhed houfes which divide
their property and {peculations between Cadiz
and their Own country, and of which the- indi
viduals, after having advantageoufly paffed fevesat
years at Cadiz, return to enjoy, in the bofom of
their families, an affluence they have fo well
earned. This fpecies of colonifts is truly valua
ble, and cannot be attached by too many ties to
the mother country, which they doubly enrich by
favouring the fale of her prddudions, and re
turning to her loaded with the fruits of their ufe>
ful induftry. They form at Cadiz a fociety which
has its funds, affemblies and privileges, but to
which the Spanifh government-has lately, from a
jealoufy pethaps excufable, created many diffi
culties. The French are not the only- objeds of this
fufpicious condud, nor is it confined to Cadiz.
All foreigners who are efiabliffied at Cadiz 'and
in ether commercial places of -Spain, ought to
enjoy

OF SPAIN. ' **
enjoy particular privileges, which date from the
period when the paflive ftate of Spain relative to
commerce, made it neceffary to purchafe by facri-
ficesthe aid of their capitals and induftry; but fince
the kingdom is awakened from its ftupor, and that
each citizen knowing his perfonal refources, fays
to himfelf with a fatisfadion which fuccefs already
juftifies ed io anche fon pittore* he feels the yoke
Spain impofed on herfelf in lefs happy times; and
the agents of government, fureof a tacit approba
tion, employ, to fhake it off, fuch means as the
rights of perfons do not quite approve of, and
againft which foreign merchants make complaints,
fometimes exaggerated; thefe means will in the
end be fandified by continued infradions on one
-fide, and forced condefcenfion on the other, b,y
which treaties will fall into difufe without ever
being formally abolifhed. For it is upon treaties
that the privileges of foreign merchants efiabliffied
in Spain are founded. The moft ancient treaty
is that concluded with the Hans Towns, and
which ferved as a model to thofe with the Englifh,
Dutch and French. The French, in general,
more reftlefs and exading than other nations,
whofe adivity and fuccefs fooner awaken jealoufy,
in whom the power of ufing is fo near to abufe,
who know not how to flatter the weaknefs of
thofe with whom they are conneded, are more
expofed to that kind of fecret perfecution which
foreign commerce experiences from the Spanifh
government. Their griefs become accumulated ;
. their reprefentations are eluded by excufe or to
tally difregarded, and reparation is very rare or
, unfatisfadory. As in fociety men preferve their
ill-humour and rigorous proceedings for their beft
friends, whilft their attention is bellowed upon
indifferent
* The exclamation of Corregio— " And I £oo am a
jfcrnter.

So THE PRESENT STATE
indifferent perfons, becaufe from the former they
have nothing more to gain, and they may lofe by
the latter; fo the Spaniards ufe, with refped to
their allies, a feverity which they know how to
foften to thofe with whom they are not fo nearly
conneded. The national charader may alfo ac^
count for this flifference. The moft intimate con
nexions between courts are not fufficient to ce
ment national friendihip ; and thofe which policy
would unite are frequently feparated by Nature.
There are people' whofe manners are lefs con-
trafted to thofe of tbe Spaniards than ours; and
thefe in fpite of treaties, and regulations, will
will ever have the preference.
This is the text I. frequently heard commented
upon whilft I was in Spain, and efpecially at Ca
diz. I only relate the fad, without ornamenting,
or rather disfiguring it, by the colours of refenf-
ment. I am almoft arrived at the end of my
work, and am determined to finiffi with that
fpirit of conciliation which induced me to take
up my pen. Let us hope that lalting connexions,
a reciprocity of generous communication, and
particularly the confideration of intereft, the firft
fpring in politics as well as fociety,, will conci
liate and unite the charaders of two nations
which are fo intimately conneded with each
other, and moderate the reciprocal grievances
of which I have juft given a flight fketch.
It appears, however, that the commerce; of
the French, as well as that of other foreigners at
Cadiz, approaches its decline., As a proof of
this, I might mention feveral bankruptcies from
misfortune, the withdrawing of feveral merchants,
the difcouragement of moft of them, and the
recent diminution of the number of French veffels
trading to Cadiz , This revolution was not wholly
produced by the caufes I have juft indicated; it'»
alfo

OF SPAIN. , gj
alfo the confequence of the extenfion of the com
merce of the Spanifh Indies to feveral other ports
of the kingdom of Spain, of the adivity of the
Spanifh merchants, excited by the wife meafures
of government, and of the recent part which
fome of the colonies have taken in a commerce
in which they had for a long time been but paffive
inftruments. Such is the fate of nations. The
profperity of one almoft conftantly enfeebles ano
ther. The beft of all worlds would be that in
which national fucceffes were fo balanced that
war, the human paffions and revolutions in em
pires, could not derange the equilibrium. The
world which we inhabit feems in this refped ef
fentially different.
The occupations which commerce offers to
thofe who inhabit Cadiz leave but few hands to
induftry. There are, however, about twenty
ribbon looms and machines for knotting filk,
none of which are much employed, and yet ap
pear to have a confiderable fale for their produce.
There are feveral manufadurers at Cadiz, whofe
chief employment is to apply their marks to the
embroidered ftockings they receive from Nimes,
and which, having undergone this ceremony, are
flipped for the American colonies, where all fo
reign ftockings are prohibited. Induftry makes
fome efforts in the cities near Cadiz. There are
at Port Saint Mary, the Ifle of Leon, and at
Xeres linen manufadures which are in a flouT
rifhing ftate. No linens but thefe and thofe of
Catalonia can be flipped for the Indies ; but to
judge how far the law is eluded it will be fuffi
cient to compare the quantity exported with that
the manufadurers can furnifh. Cadiz is the real
feat of. fraud ; and this will continually be the
cafe wherever prohibitions are numerous, temp
tations to elude them frequent, and the profits
Vol. II. G confiderable

82 THE PRESENT STATE
confiderable enough to be divided with thofe who,
having but a. moderate falary to prevent fmug-
gling, find their account in favouring it. This is
chiefly exercifed upon piaftres, to elude the duty
of four per cent, to which their exportation is
fubjed ; and the fmugglers find the officers much
more difpofed to convey them on board than
to confiscate them. This abufe was carried to
the higheft degree when I was at Cadiz. The
zeal of the new minifter of finances became
warm ; a commiffion of magistrates was fuddenly
fent to Madrid to examine into it, and proceed
againft the authors. The examination was con-
dudedwith all the impartiality of juftice. Ihe
fraud and peculation of the officers of the revenue1
were proved and puniffied. The cuftom-houfe of
Cadiz underwent a total reformation; totreachetMit
undca'rrapt agents were fubftituted hit os of integrity:
Every thing was to be reftored to order; fmugi
gling was to expire under "the ftroke of authority
and the eyes of vigilance ; but thefe flattering ex
pectations proved deceitful. Smuggling is a plant
faft rooted in the foil wherein it is naturalized ; ift
vain is it plucked from the ground; roots which
have efcaped the vindidive hand of juftice fbon
fhOot. forth new fuckers. Thofe who follow
fmuggling, like the rabbits of M. de la Rochefoui
cault, retire and conceal themfelves in the criti
cal moment. As foon as that is paft prefumptuoas
audacity returns to its old habits, and intereft re
news its claims. Wherever this is as powerful as
at Cadiz, confcienceis filent; and the heros-qf
integrity, encouraged by the hope of impunity,,
and excufed by example, foon become as relaxed
in their principles as their predeceffors. Author
rity fuppofes it has formed virtuous men, when it
has only facrificed vidims, which are firft pitied
and afterwards imitated. But

OF SPAIN. gg.
But to return to the induftry of Cadiz and the
environs. At Port Saint Mary there is a wax re
finery, through which all the wax fent to America
muft pafs ; it is, however, fo badly purified and
whitened there, that the merchants, preffed to
fhip that which they receive from the north,
cheerfully pay to the officers of the refinery the
two ducats at which each quintal whitened in it
is taxed, and fend it in the fame ftate in which it
was received there.
I muft remark upon this occafion, that the
Spaniards of the Havannah were, a few years
ago, Upon the point of gathering wax enough for
the whole confumption of Spanifh America.
They owed this new produdion to a fingular cir-
cumftance, and have lately loft it by another not
lefs extraordinary. When Florida was ceded to
the Englifh, in 1763, fome Spanifh colonifts flying
before the conquerors, and carrying with them'
their treafures and their induftry, had retired to
the ifland of Cuba, and taken with them bee-hives,
the bees of which had confidcrably increafed and
gave excellent wax ; they were accuftomed to the
climate and feemed to be fettled in the ifland ; but
they found in Cuba other perfecutors. The colo
nifts of the Havannah, alarmed by the injuries
they did fo their fugar plantations, lighted up fires
to drive them off. This remedy fucceeded fo well
that the ifland of Cuba, forfaken by the bees, has
difappointed the hopes all Spanifh America had
from it, and the colonies are again obliged to de
pend on Poland and Barbary for their fupply of
wax. The rage of conqueft Would certainly not
long continue could the riches of the foil always
thus efcape through the air from the avarice of
the, conquerors?
The manufadure of fatt is the moft interefting
branch of induftry in the environs of Cadiz.
G 2 The

84 THE PRESENT STATE
The falt-pits encompafs a great part of the Bay
from the Puntal to Port Saint Mary. I acquired
fome accurate information relative to the manner.
of working them; which may be compared to
the mode adopted in our fait marfhes.
In the firft place, fea water is introduced, by
means of a little fiuice, into a, large kind of ba
fon, cut into wide canals of equal deptft. The.
water remains there a certain time, during which,
its lighteft parts evaporate by the heat of the fun.
From this firft refervoir it runs into other canals
not quite fo deep, where the fame caufe produces"
the fame effed, volatilizing the lighter parts. The
corrofive quality of the water which remains af
ter, this fecond operation is fo increafed, that the
workmen can no longer remain with their feet un
covered without burning them as with aquafortis.
The water, thus changed," is let into a long and
narrow canal, which runs by the fide of a fquare,
fpace, divided into quadrangular compartments,
the inner of which is lower than thofe at the edges.,
From this canal, where the water, pafling through
a third operation, becomes ftill more corrofive,
it is thrown with fcoops into the. fmall bafons
where it receives the laft heating, while the work
men continually ftir it with long rakes. The fe-
diment it depofes becomes as hard as ftone, and
the workmen are conftantly employed in detach
ing, taking it out, and pounding it. • This con
tinual agitation produces upon the furface a white
fcum, that is carefully taken off, and which pro
duces a much whiter, but a weaker, fait than
the fediment. The reft is laid in great heaps in'
the open air. The neceffary quantity for the
kings fait magazines is taken from thefe heaps,
and paid for at the rate of two piaftres the laft of
two hogfheads; but it is fold again at a hundred
and twenty piaftres to individuals, excepting fifh-

ermen

OF SPAIN. o-
ermen who have it cheaper. The fait manufac
turers fell what remains to them, after fumifhing
the king's magazines, more or lefs dear according
to circumftances; and as the rains of the autumn
threaten them with confiderable wafte, they lofe
no time in felling; and far from giving the law to
purchafers, they folick orders from perfons who
buy for exportation. The nations which carry it
are Sweden, Denmark, Holland, England, and
particularly Portugal, until lately, when the fear
of the Algerine eorfairs difcredited their flag.
The cargoes Hupped by the Portuguefe are moftly
fent to the coafts of Galicia and Afturia, where
this commodity is wanted, and which they have
long had the exclufive privilege of fumifhing with
their own fait. The fifhermen from Saint Malo,
Dieppe and Granville fometimes go to the Bay of
Cadiz to take in cargoes of felt for Newfoundland ;
and, when the falt-pits of France fail, the Fiench
take large quantities of it for home confump-
-tion. Every individual who wifhes to eflablifh one of
thefe artificial falt-pits upon ground of his own is
at liberty to do it. He may fell the produce to
foreigners, but not to his countrymen, fait being
in Spain, as in France, exelufively fold for the
king's account. Guards are placed round the
heaps of fait, which at a diftance appear like fo
many white houfes about the Bay ; but the guards
do not always fecure them from thieves and
fmugglers. Cadiz contains but few remarkable edifices or
monuments of the arts, The cultivation of thefe
fuppofes two claffes of indolent people, which
are never numerous in commercial and manufac
turing cities ; the clafs of profeffors and that of
amateurs, Arts profper in proportion to the num
ber of connoifieurs who encourage and fupport them,

86 THE PRESENT STATE
them. The cathedral of Cadiz was begun in
1720. Whenever it is finifhed it will be but a
heavy mafs, defedive in many refpeds. The
grotefque mouldings of the Gothic archite&ure
are joined to the fimple tafte of the ancient or^
ders ; however, fome of the interior parts are
beautiful. The eight columns of the choir are of
Tortofian marble of the firft quality; thofeof the
nave, although a little heavy, are beautiful in
their proportions. Their capitals, vafes, and
the cieling of the cupolas, are excellently fculp-
tured. Until the new cathedral is finifhed, divine
fervice is performed in the old one, in which I
remarked feveral little paintings in the Flemifh
ftyle, and in a good tafte. There are a few much
more valuable in the church of the capuchins.
They are the mafter-pieces of Murillo ; among-
them is an Ecce homo, in which the foft touch of
that artift feemed to me to be united with the
noble fublimity which Guido knew fo well how
to give to his figures.
Among other edifices deferving attention are
the cuftom-houfe, a new, and fpacious building,
and the theatre, which is finifhed with tafte and
on an excellent plan.
Cadiz is furrounded with walls, which contri
bute more to its embellifhment than to its defence.
The fortifications on the fide of the land gate are
in a tolerable good condition. It is the only
place where the city can be attacked by land.
Fort Saint Catharine, to the nOrth-eaft, would
not obftrud the entrance into the great Bay ; nor
would Fort Saint Sebaftian, which is rather more
to the weft, be of greater fervice in its defence.
It communicates with the city by an uneven fandy
fhore covered at high water; the light-houfe, which

OF SFAIN. g-
which direds mariners when they enter the port,
is placed upon the tower of this fort.
The paffage from the great Bay to the road of
the Puntal, is much better defended by two forts,
one that of the Puntal, the other that of Mata-
gordo, placed oppofite each other, where the
Bay becomes narrower,
I croffed this kind of ftreight, and, quitting
Cadiz with the regret every perfon who has paffed
fome time in that city muft feel on the fame occa
fion, I embarked for Chiclana with fome meiv
•chants who had treated me with the greateft ci
vility. I there experienced, for the fecond time
in Spain, that it is from this clafs of men, ali
things equal in other refpeds, that the beft recep
tion is to be expeded. Eafy circumftances, mul
tiplicity of connexions, and perhaps the neceffity
felt at every moment of cultivating or augment
ing them (for what virtue is it that intereft does
not adulterate by its impure alloy ?) feem to have
bellowed on this clafs of men more than any
other thofe precious focial qualities, affability
and obliging manners. Thefe I met with, to tbe
greateft degree, from the foreign and Spanifh
merchants, but more particularly from the
Fiench. The French conful, M. de Mongelas, was not
then at Cadiz : I was forry for it; and ftill more
fo to obferve, that he was heavily cenfured. I
had found an opportunity to become acquainted
with his excellent qualities, and fhould have
imagined that thefe, added to the amiablenefs of
his lady, would have mitigated the rigour of the
perfons who feemed to think moft harfhly of him.
In his abfence I was received by M. Poirel, the
vice-conful ; and I can never fufficiently acknow--
ledge the attention I received from him, and all
with whom he was conneded, In general, there are

88 THE PRESENT .STATE
are few cities- fo agreeable as Cadiz, even to
thofe frivolous and contemptuous perfons of the
French nation, who believe that once out of
their country they can only vegetate. The agree
able and amiable qualities of the fair fex render
a refidence at Cadiz delightful ; the ladies poffefs,
to a very uncommon degree, the pleafing exterior
of the Andalufians, modified by the fociety of
ftrangers, who are there found in great numbers,
and by that general defire "to pleafe, which the
refinements of fociety and a concourfe of admirers
maintain in continual adivity. They,- however,
feldom are betrayed into thofe immoralities which
their charms, the perpetual adulation to which
they are expofed, and the influence of climate
might perhaps excufe more here than in other
countries. I remarked feveral young and hand
fome women entirely occupied in houfehold cares
and the education of their children.
Pleafures are not much varied at Cadiz. Dur
ing fome years there was a French comedy, which
a reprehenfible adminiftration fuppreffed in 1778.
The only theatre at prefent is the national one,
which rivals thofe of the capital, and fometimes
is enriched by their lofles. The fituation of the
city, which is but of a middling extent for* a po
pulation of eighty thoufand inhabitants, and
which the fea almOft furrounds, renders the plea
fures of public walks but very few. At a quar
ter of a league from the land gate fterility again
appears, and continues for feveral leagues round,
if a few kitchen gardens and fome orchards in
the neighbourhood of the ifle of Leon, where
waterings fupply. the want of moifture in the
fandy drynefs of the foil, be excepted. The
bull-fights are exhibited in the hotteft months of
the year. Cadiz is one of the few cities in Spain
whence they have not been banifhed, and it is
not

O F S P A I N. 80
not that in which the people are leaft delighted
with them.
The diftance from Cadiz to Chiclana is four
leagues : a favourable wind with the tide carried
us over in two hours. Leaving the ifle of Leon
to the right, and the Carraque to the left, we
paffed the bridge of Suaco, an ancient monu
ment of the Romans, that joins the ifland on
which Cadiz Hands on the north fide, and the ifle
of Leon on the fouth-eaft, to the Continent.
Under the arches of this bridge the Bay becomes
fo narrow that, after paffing them, it is nothing
more than a wide canal, which foon afterwards
feparates into different branches. One of thefe
leads to Chiclana, which is built on the right
bank, commanded by feveral eminences, and
particularly by the ruins of an old Moorifh
caftle. This branch pf the canal is affeded by
the tide, fo that fometimes there is fufficient water
to carry large barks, and at others it is fordable.
Chiclana is a handfome village, where feveral
merchants of Cadiz have country- houfes. They
have embelliffied and furrounded them with that
verdure of which they are deprived in their chief
refidences. They frequently retire to, them for
relaxation from bufinefs; but Chiclana is parti
cularly agreeable in the fpring and autumn. The
citizens of Cadiz carry thither, and enjoy for a
time, all the luxuries of Cadiz ; dinners, fuppers,
balls, concerts, all the difplay of opulenGe, and
every ornament of, the toilette ; it is, if I may fo
fay, a theatre opened by luxury and tafte", in
which the polite and amiable difplay their charms,
fmooth the brows of the calculators who accom
pany them, and generoufly beftowing unnumT
bered pleafures oblige them to confefs that there
aie things more precious than gold. I went

OO THE PRESENT STATE
I went to the eminences which command this
little valley of Tempe, whence we furvey the
moft extenfive and varied horizon. We fee in
one view the ifle of Leon, Cadiz, the Bay, all
the places by which it is furrounded, and the
fea beyond it. The eye follows the courfe of
the river Santi Petri till it falls into the fea. Turn,.
ing to the eaft we perceive Medina Sidonia,
whence comes the wind fo dreaded by the inha
bitants of Cadiz, becaufe it feems, by its, perni-
cious influence upon many of the pebple, to blow
into that city both crimes and diforders. From
the fame point of view we embrace the vaft plains
of the fouth part of Andalufia, which I had to
pafs in my way to Algefiras and Gibraltar.
Algefiras is fourteen leagues from Chiclana. . I
performed the journey on the fame horfe in one
hot day of fummer, crofting the moft defert
Country that can be found amongft thofe which
are not, quite uncultivated. Indeed I croffed
plains, to avoid circuits, which would have led
me through fome villages. But will it be cre
dited that in all this road, except Vejer on the
right at a confiderable diftance, and Medina
Sidonia on the left ftill farther off, I faw no other
human habitations than four or five groupes of
miferable cabins, called Cor-tijos, in which labour
ers lodge a part of the year. This is the incon
venience of great poffefiions, of which the anci
ents, if we believe Plutarch and Pliny, were
well aware, and on the fubjed of which modern
politicians have endeavoured to rniflead us by
prefenting us the exception for the rule. A more
modern author fays that, " Conquerors always
" have found very feeble refiftance in countries
« divided into great pofieffions." It appears that
the fouth part of Andalufia will not be long a
prey to them ; but in the mean while, two fcourges, idlenefs

OF SPAIN. gt
idlenefs and famine, pollute, by their prefence,
a trad. of country which nature had produced in
a moment of beneficence. It will fcarcely be
believed that 1 was nearly wanting bread in crof-
fing this province. I had negleded to provide
myfelf with it at Chiclana. • But I fortunately
met in the fields fome civil reapers, who permitted
me to take half their provifions.
For ten leagues I croffed the duchy of Medina-
Sidonia which, in this diftrid, confifts of corn
fields and paftures. In no part of them was a
veftige of an human habitation. Not an orch
ard, kitchen garden, ditch nor tile. The great
proprietor feems to reign there like the lion in the
forefts, by driving away by his roarings thofe by
whom he might otherwife be approached; and
both therefore alike reign over deferts. Inftead
of men and women, I met with feven or eight
great herds of horned cattle and fome troops of
mares. On feeing them free from the yoke and
bridle, wandering over an immenfe region un
bounded to the eye by enclofure or barrier, we
are ready to imagine ourfelves in the firft ages of
the world, when animals in a ftate of indepen^
dence, divided with man the dominion of the
earth, found every where their own property, and
were, not that of any perfon.
All Andalufia, however, muft not be judged.
of by this diftrid ; it' appears not fo much a de
fert except in parts wholly fet apart to corn and
pafturage. It has been divided into great poffef-
fions as far back as the conqueft of it by the
Moors. Ihe principal Caftilian noblemen, who
then accompanied the conquering kings, obtained
enormous inheritances in perpetuity, according
to the fatal cuftom introduced into almoft the
whole of the monarchy. The extindion of males
in the great families has encreafed the inconve nience,

n0 THE PRE S»E NT STATE
nience. Rich heireffes carry with them their
opulent portions into families not lefs opulent, fo
that this abfurd law of fucceffion is, if I may
ufe the expreflion^ a vaft tontine which fooner or
later will make the greateft part of Spain the in
heritance of the few families which fhall furvive
the reft. How can one individual manage fuch
eftates? Thefe proprietors, therefore, farm Them
out to different perfons, but this for three years
only, or five at moft ; too fhort a term .to permit
tbe former to undertake the clearing of landV'o^
any confiderable improvement. Another circum-
ftance concurs with thefe deftrudive cuftoms to
prevent agriculture flourifhing in Andalufia. The
land is divided into three portions ; one is culti
vated, another remains fallow, and the third is
fet apart to feed the cattle belonging to the farmer,
and which he augments as much as poffible, to
reap what advantage he can- from his fhort leafe.
This is what gives an appearance of depopulation
to vaft diftridts fufceptible of rich cultivation.
The firft improvement to be made in the agricul
ture of Andalufia, would therefore be to grant
longer leafes. The example of Catalonia, Na
varre, Galicia, and the Afturias fhould ferve as a
leilon. There the leafes are for a confiderable'
number of years, and cannot be broken by the
caprice of the proprietors : every kind of culti
vation is in a flourifhing ftate ; each farmer creates
himfelf a little eftablifnment, keeps cattle, and
has round his habitation an orchard and kitchen
garden; and while he procures himfelf conve
niences, improves and fertilifes the land which he
is fure to hold for a long time, as well as to be
fucceeded in his farm 'by his children. What a
contra-ft between this ftate of things, and that I
had before my eyes for ten leagues after leaving
Chiclana !

OF SPAIN- 93
At the end of thefe ten leagues the read lay
through a wood, and afterwards acrofs an enor
mous chain of high mountains, which become
not lower before they reach the weftern part of1
the bay of Gibraltar. The four laft leagues are
exceflively fatiguing, and even dangerous in fome
places. However, the traveller is well rewarded
for his pains when, from the fummit of the
mountains, a league and a half from the bay, he
perceives the famous rock of Gibraltar riling
from the bofom of the waves like the genius of
the ftormy Cape, which furnifhed to Camoens
one of the fineft epifodes in his Lufiad, From
this point, the eye commands the fortrefs, the
outlines of which appeared to me perfcdly well
defined in the ferene horizon. The rock prefents
the form of an immenfe Catafalco feen on one
fide; at one view the eye embraces the town of
Algefiras, the whole circuit of the Bay, two lit
tle rivers which fall into it, the town of Saint
Roche, placed upon an eminence, the Hope which
from this town leads to the lines, and the tongue
of flat and narrow land, thatfeparates them from
Gibraltar ; and at a diftance to the right, at the
extremity of the horizon, we imagine, rather
than difcover, the coaft of Africa.
Algefiras, the boundary of my long day's
journey, is a town agreeably fituated on a gentle
flope clofe by the fea fide. A very little river
(the Miel) which rifes in the neighbouring moun
tains, wafhes the right fide of Algefiras, and
gently runs on in to' the fea; upon its right bank
is a little dock yard, the dimenfions of which,
although proportioned to the bed of the river,
are fufficient for the building of barks. It was
made ufe of for the conftrudion of ibme of the
gun-boats which made fo poor a figure at the
liege of Gibraltar. At the time of the freffies, this

94 THE PRESENT STATE
this river, or rather rivulet, has water enough to
float the little veffels to the fea, which ia diftant
but a few paces. Near this place are the ruins of
the old citadel of Algefiras, whence the Moors
ftill defended themfelves for fome time after their
City Was taken. This filled the fame ground as
the modern town of the fame name. Algefiras,
as well as Saint Roche, was peopled at the be
ginning of the prefent century with Spaniards
from Gibraltar, who would not live under the
dominion of the Englifh. In order to draw thither
the refugees, the privileges Algefiras now enjoys
were granted. The Spaniards are feparated from
their old country by two leagues of fea, in which,.
during the late war, feveral of them found their
tombs, while endeavouring the conqueft of the
native place of their forefathers.
The little ifland of Palomas, called alfo the
Green Ifland, is within a mufket fhot of Alge
firas : it has a fort in which a company detached
from the garrifon'of Algefiras does duty. This
Ifland is ib fine and regular, that it feems to have
been traced by art, and placed there until fome
perfon of tafte can find a fituation for it in a
garden. Algefiras is watered in a manner which feems
to be referved for important places. Water is
brought to it from the diftance of a quarter of a
league by a new aquedud built with hewn ftone.
A packet boat fails twice a week from this
town to Ceuta, a Spanifh fea port, at five leagues'
diftance, on the coaft of Africa. This voyage is
often made in three or four hours, but it fome
times takes up nine or ten: the paffage is five
reals ; no great fum to be traniported from one
quarter of the world to another; a travelleris
eafily tempted to make the trip. Particular cir
cumftances,

OF SPAIN. n-
cumftanccs, however, prevented me from fo far
gratifying my inclination.
The little port of Algefiras is very confined in
fpeculations of commerce ; it receives fome car
goes of corn and brandy by Catalonian barks ;
and its exportations chiefly conffit in coal from
the neighbouring mountains which is fent to
Cadiz. A great part of the two leagues from Algefiras
to Saint Roche, is by the fide of the Bay. There
are two little rivers which fall into it to be croffed
in boats, El Rio de los Pulmones and the Guaraipe,
which might be taken for an arm of the fea.
After palling the latter, you leave the Bay and
gain the back part of the hill upon which the ill
paved town of Saint Roche is fituated. The late
war, which in part had its feat in the neighbour
hood, and the prefence of a numerous garrifon
feem not to have enriched it : the environs are
agreeable, and the adjoining hills are carefully
cultivated. At Saint Roche I wras addreffed to an aid-
major of the place, an Iriihman (Mr. James
Lyons) a man of underftanding and confiderable
knowledge, whofe name my gratitude has obliged
me to mention. He obtained from the commander
of the Ikies, peraiiffion for me to approach Gi
braltar as near as the recent and rigorous order
which prevented all communication between that
place and the Spanifh continent would permit.
We fet off from Saint Roche, on horfeback,
about four o'clock; and lelt Buenavifta to the
right. This is a large houfe upon an eminence,
in which the duke de Crillon, his aides-de-camp,
and all their retinue were lodged, and whence
they had a view of Gibraltar, the two feas and
the coaft of Africa. At length we arrived on the
ground of the two famous camps of iaint Roche.
Deftroyed

Q$ THE PRESENT STATE
Deftroyed by peace, as other things are by war,
it prefented nothing but a, heap of ruins and fome
broken walls, but neither a roof nor window.
This theatre, of the moft profound filence and
folitude, after having, during four years, been
that of the tumult accompanying armies, and of
death which follows their motions,- prefented me
a fufficient fubjed for refledion on the viciffitudes
of all human affairs. We croffed this ground
diagonally to go ftraight to the Mediterranean,
and follow the coaft to Fort Saint Barbe which
forms the right of the lines : we afcended them as
far as the principal guard, where we prefented
the order of the commander, and the great gate,
which leads to the lines before Gibraltar, was
opened to us : a petty officer was fent to watch
rather than dired our motions. Immediately on
going out we found the long trench planned by
M. d'Arcon, and opened in the night of the J^th
of July 1782; it proceeded from the center of
the line, paffed under the fire of the places and
terminated at the Mediterranean. We were af
terwards fhewn the trenches and- epaulement
thrown up by general Alvarez, and which were
fo much fpoken of in the gazettes of Madrid;
the fight of them infufed a fmall portion of far-
cafm into my philanthropical refledions, and
made n;e recoiled the verfes fome elegant idler
of Paris wrote at the time, to cheer the languor
of the befiegers and that of the reader of their
tardy and unvaried exploits. Perhaps my reader
may not be difpleafed at finding them here : thofe
who are the fubjeds of them had at the time the
generality to laugh at the fatire, and probably
will not be offended at it five years afterwards. Meffieurs

97!

OF SPAIN.
Meffieurs de Saint Roch, entre nous,
Cecl paffe la raillerie.
En avez-vous la pour la vie ?:
Ou quelque jour finirez-vous ?
. Ne pouvez-vous a la vaillance
Joindre le talent d'abreger?
•Voire eternelle patience
Ne fe laffe point d'afiieger.
Mais vous mettez a bout la notre.
Soyez done battants on battus,
Meffieurs, dc camp & du blocus.
Terminez de fafon ou d'autre ;
Terminez, car on ne tient plus.
Frequentes font vos canonnades :
Mais helas ! qu'ont-elles produit ?
Le tranquille Anglois dort au bruit
De vos nofturnes petarades ;
Ou s'il repend de terns en terns
A votre pTudente furie,
C'ety par egard, je le parie,
Et pour dire je vous emends.
Quatre ans ont du vous rendre iages.
Laiffez done la vos vieux retranchemens:
Retirez-vous, vieux affiegeans.
Un jour ce memorable fiege
Sera fini par vos enfans,
Si toutefois Dieu les protege.
Mes amis, vcus le voyez bien,
Vos bombes ne bombardent rien ;
Vos p&arades, vos corvettes,
Et vos travaux & vos mineurs,
N'epouvantent que les le&eurs
De vos redoubtables gazettes*
Voi. II. H Votre

THE PRESENT S/TATB
Votre blocus- ne bloque point;
Et grace a votre heureufe adreffcV
Ceux que vous affamezfans eeffe
Ne periront qued?emb©npainfc':
Illuftrious warriors..of Saint Roche,
Believe me, this exceeds a joke :
Say, will you here remain for life, .
Or one day <yjd the gallant fir^fe ?
Or can you not contrive tp join, -
Difpatch to valour fo divine? .
Your patience ftjll may laft, no doubt,
But ours is fairly, wearied out. -•
Then, heroes of the long blookade, . .
Conclude at length your vain parade.
Th' inceffiaintfoar your batteries keep
But lulls the carelefs foe to fleep;
Or if he anfvsfcfyoa by chance,." ¦ . ; ¦,
'Tis but in common eomplaifaHee.- .
Your laboured wctfis-grow old, '¦ and yew, ;
Heroic Sirs, are- grown old t6a. '---:;' '•''
^is time' to quit thefe martial cares,- '
And leave the bulinefs to yduT heirs ;
Your fons, or your.Tons -fons, perchance*, : ' '
With Spain's whole-force, and aW of France,
If fortune on their labours ffinile,' t
Shall terminate -the glorious toiL
Your elofe circumvallation lines, .
And all your mortafs and; your-mines,
Which your gazettes with pride di-%kyi
The coffee houfe alone difmay :- ~*
In vain you block, in vain you batter, •
Thofe you would ftarvj; grow daily fatter;
And, at the worft, vy;ill only die
Of coipulence and lethargy.

OF SPAIN. ~
' .-But to return to profe, and conclude wha,t I
have to fay of the camp of Saint Roche. We
found traces of all the works ; but the fand and
earth of which they were conftrudted had crum
bled down in many places; the fafcines that
bound them lay heaped together and ferved to
make fires in the few chimneys which fmoke in
this part of the country, or were , abandoned to
the flower deftrudtion of time. We were fhewn a
large ftone tower, called the tower of the mill,
which placed between the befiegers and the be-
fieged, was the only thing that had efcaped their
combined ravages. We difcovered the place
where the Englifh had made fome little gardens
before their fortrefs, and beyond the limits fixe^
by the peace of Utrecht ; the inclofure was ftill
marked with reeds ; but the ground they incir-
cled, by being reftored to its real proprietors, or
rather becoming neuter, had refumed its former
fterility. Kings, like individuals, are never good
near neighbours; and the feparation of deferts is
neceffary to preferve them on terms of friendfhip
with each other ; were that the cafe, the earth.
would indeed be lefs inhabited; but would that
on the whole be a rhisfortune to mankind? I hear
the friends of population exclaim againft the idea,
and wave the enquiry to return to the works con
ftrudted by general Alvarez.
After having for fome time followed thefe
works on the fide of the Bay, and in front of the
old mole, we took a diagonal direction towards
the Mediterranean, to furvey nearer at hand, and
under different afpedls, the rock which for five
years had been the objedl of fo many military
and political fpeculations. We approached a
fmall tower, fituated near to a prodigious fortrefs,
clofe by the Mediterranean, wThen our ftern con
ductor laid to us in Spanifh, which at that moment
H2 did

100 THE PRESENT STATE
did not appear to us to be the language of the
gods, « You can go no farther, the firft Enghfli
" guard is clofe to the tower you fee before you."
I afked him, whether war or a pefblence obliged
us to keep at a diftance; but he feemed not to
take this fally of wit in good part. He was do-
ing his duty; and although not very ufeful to
our-purpofe, might have rendered us the viaims
of his ill humour. Ihe fafeft method was not
to provoke his refentment, but turn to the right;
which refolution we immediately took. But in
paffing fo near the fortrefs, whence the Englifh
foldiers, placed upon the edges of fome of the
batteries on the land fide, feemed to threaten our
heads with a perpendicular fhot, our condudlor
pointed out to us the mouth of a mine the duke
de Crillon had hollowed within the rock, and
by which he intended to revenge the fate of" the
floating batteries, when the peace obliged him to
delift, and gave fafety to the foundation of the
fortrefs. During the fiege, fome daring workmen
climbed up in the night to this opening, by favour
of a heap of crumbled earth which adhered to
the rock. The excavation bad already advanced
feveral fathoms, when hoftilities were fufpended;
but had it been ftill deeper, it is difficult to con
ceive how powder could have raifed up and
broken the enormous mafs which would ftill have
borne upon the mine even when compleated, or
how the explofion could have been prevented
from re-adling K> wards the . fide of the orifice
where it would have found lefs refiftance. This
was not the only point of the rock the duke de
Crillon threatened: on the Mediterranean fide,
the declivity, though fo deep as to be almoft
perpendicular, does not continue fo to the fur:
face of the earth. Between the foot of the moun
tain and the fea, there is a kind of path which leads

OF SPAIN. IOI
leads to Europa point. At the entrance of this
path, and near the Englifh guard of which I
have fpoken,, M. de Crillon had made a fecond
opening in the rock. But it may be afked, what
this general could have gained by fcaling this
fide in the moft elevated part, and at the greateft
diftance from the main body of the place,
Notwithftanding thefe queftions, which I have
heard put by profeffional men, and the farcafms
thrown out againft both thefe attempts, I have
been allured by perfons who were prefent, that
when general EUott, after hoftilities had ceafed,
walked with the duke de Crillon round the place
he had fo valiantly defended, he appeared fur-
Erifed at feeing the progrefs made in a mine he
ad fcarcely fufpedted, and that he faid to the
French general, had he known the ftate it was
in he fhould not have been fo eafy. Was this
expreffion from the Englifh hero, an effort he
made to imitate French complaifance ; or did he
mean fincerely to praife the bold enterprife of the
duke de Crillon ? On this I fhall not undertake to
decide. Be this as it may, the rock of Gibraltar
which is fteepeft on the fide toward the .Mediter
ranean has gradually lefs declivity towards th^
Bay of Algefiras. It is on this kind pf talus
that the art of fortification has employed numer
ous means of defence. Some fojdjers having
perceived us from the top of the formidable am,
phitheatre, addreffed us in Spanifh, ^nd gave
notice to their officers.
Let it be here obferved, that Nature, as if tp
render Gibraltar inacceffible on all fides, has
placed between the foot of this fortrefs, to the
fouth, and on the fide of the Bay of Algefiras, a
deep marfh which leaves between it and the place,
as far as the land gate only, the breadth of a
narrow caufeway, commanded by an hundred cannoa

102 THE PRESENT STATE
cannon at a very trifling diftance. A fmall. dyke
between the ma'rfh and the Bay runs by the fea
fide to confine the water, and terminates at the
lartd gate; and the marfh is contained in the en-
clpfure of the place by a palifade, which begins
at the foot of the mountain and terminates at the
fea ,¦ the purpofe of the palifade is to prevent
defertion. It was the firft vidtim facrificed at the
fiege of Gibraltar-, and its' ruins, blackened by
the fire, carried off from under the cannon of the
place, ferved as trophies to fome Spanifh greria-,
diers, who prefented thejn to the count d'Eflaing;
a general equally able to appreciate valour and
difpofed to reward it.
As long as the war lafted it remained in ruins,
but it has been Carefully repaired fince the peace;
the old mole is diftindtly feen from it ; it advances
into the Bay, almoft perpendicularly to the botty
of the place ; it is a kind of narrow bank or
caufeway, with cannon planted on both, fides,
and entirely mafks the new mole, which is half a
league behmd.it, and nearly in the.fame dirediion.
The Englifh officers, informed by their foldiers,
faw us on the other fide of the palifade, and fa-
luted us in their language. The Irifh officer who
accompanied me having anfwered; them in En
glifh, they drew near, and a "converfation was,
begun. The officers, who "were three in number,
were young and very polite ; they invited us to
enter with them into the fortrefs, and particularly
infifted upon it when I told them I had a letter for
general Eliott. We objected ; to this oh account
of the formal prohibition of the court of Madrid,
which we as little permitted ourfelves to interpret
as to mfringe, our fear of expofing the Irifh, b£
cer, who was the principal interlocutor, and the
impoffibility of efcaping the vigilance of our
condu&pr. He had, however, abated fomewhat of

©F SPAIN, Ib$x
of Ms feverity ; he eonfentedj with a good grace,
to* our interview, and fat himfelf quietly down
upon a ftone whilft the converfation tailed, which
Would not have been very interefting to him had
he underftood it : its having a little the appear-!.
ance of a forbidden gratification was fufficient to
make it agreeable to us. Five perfons of diffe
rent nations, fpeaking to each other over a pali
fade, which, by the ftridl prohibition of the court
of Spain, oppofed an infurmountable obftacle to
their uniting, reminded me of a converfation ol>
tained in a convent through an iron grate, in
which both parties endeavour to deceive the eyes
of the female Argus, who increafes the pleafure
of the meeting by adding to the conftraint. The
eyes of our Argus had no need of being deceived,
Shut; by heedfefsnefs and Jangupr, they opened
with regret, when it was; neceffary we mould again
mount Our horfes. The Englifh" officers, unable
to overcome our fcrupfes, offered us refrefhmeht ;
we accepted fome beer, and had the fatisfadtiorr
of drinking with them, under the cannon of Gi
braltar, a few glaffes of porter, to the health of
king George III, and general Eliott- In fuch
circumftances, the diftinciiOns/ by which nations
are claffed, and the fpirit of rivalry that divides
them are annihilated, We were neither French
men, Spaniards, nor Englifhmen ; but merely fo
many members of the immenfe family of man
kind. If the uniting pf men into nations confti,
tutes their ftrength, and a great part pf their
virtues, it is alfo the fource of moft of their vices
and' misfortunes; without this fewer mifchiefs
would defolafe the earth: revolts againft autho
rity, the oppreffion of crowned defpots, that
.ftill more feyere of Tubal tcrn: tyrants, the filent
intrigues of policy, and the npify ravages of war
would be unknown ; men would no longer deftroy each

*04 THE PRESENT STATE
each other iri purfuit of that phantom called
Glory ; they would no more facrifice their repofe,
and that of their wives and children, to interefis
foreign to their own ; and, in defedl of magiftrates?
and laws, each man would take upon him to re-'
verige his own wrongs. The greater contraft
thefe reflections formed to fo many recent events,
the remembrance of which was awakened by the
fight of Gibraltar, the more affedting and pro
found was the irapremon they made, and the
more fenfible the charm they added to our little
eongrefs. It foon became neceffary to baniifr
them, and return from the illufion of the golden
age to the fad realities of that of iron. The fun
was letting, and the calm of the evening made
the eries -of the failors, on board the veflels an
chored before us at the foot of the old mole,
more diftindtly heard. The famous rock alieady
began to fade from our fight. We took leave ©f
the Englifh officers, and agairi returned by the
lines. Iri retiring I turned twenty times towards
Gibraltar ; I wifhed, by frequently looking at it,
to carry in my memory the exadt image of an ob-
jedt which had been fo fertile a fource of military,
political, and philofophical refledtions. That,
faid I to myfelf, is the rock which, during five
years, engaged the attention of ali nations. It
is in every refpedt ufelefs to the Englifh, but they
imagine their honour interefted \n preferving that
little portionsof land, in fpite of Nature, which
feems to have allotted it to the monarch who
reigns over the Peninfula of which |t makes a
part 5 they faeiifice millions to foitify, preferve
and defend it. On the other hand, the vanity
only of Spain is interefted in recovering it ; and
to this chimera, under a monarch fparing of the
blood and treafure of his fubjedts, fhe facrificed,
during five years, the moft enormous fums, the
moft;

OF SPAIN. I0-
moft advantageous plans of more diftant expedi
tions, and, if I may dare to ufe the expreilion,
the glory of the kingdom, were that glory rightly
underftood ; while the houfe of Bourbon chained
the greateft -part of its naval forces to the foot of
this rock, more contemptible in itfelf than for-,
jtnidable by the art of war.
In the midft of thefe reveries, I arrived at Fort
Saint Philip, which is at the other extremity of
the lines on the fide of the Bay. We rode with
in them until we came to the principal guard ;-
we there left our ftoicai conductor, who had felt
nothing but languor and fatigue, where I had
found fo much pleafure and interefting objects
which had given birth to fo many refledtions. We
took the road to Saint kbche, keeping by the ,
fea-fide, and pafling over the little wooden mole,
where the embarkations were made, and the
wounded received on fhore, during the fatal night
of the floating batteries, We afterwards croffed
the bridge of Mayorga, oppofite to which thefe
batteries took their departure when they failed to
the attack. ~ I imagined that I heard the groans
of the manes of the valiant befiegers who found
death in the midft of waves aud. flames ; I feemed
to hear the roar of that formidable artillery,
which on both fides made fo much noife and fuch
few ravages. We arrived at S^inf Roche at eight
o'clock in the evening,
My firft intention was to go from Saint Roche
to Malaga; and to return to Madrid by croffing
the kingdom of Granada. This is, perhaps, tbe
part of Spain which moft excites the curiofity of
the traveller. He there finds all the majefty as
well as all the beauties of nature: high moun.-
tains whofe funimits are conftantly covered with
fnow; fertile valleys, of which the agreeable
coolnefs is not diminifhed even by the heat of
the

I06 THE PRESENT STATE
fhe dog-days; torrents of limpid water, which
ruftv from the rocks, and fertilife the country
without overflowing it, and the moft beautiful
points of view. In the capital he finds monu
ments for which he would fearch in vain in the
reft of i Europe; well preferved palaces of the,
ancient Moorifh kings,, to whom the kingdom of
Granada was, the laft afylum; baths, gardens,
mofques, and other remains of, the magnificence
,and tafte of the Arabs, which have'furvived the,
ravages of conquerors for the pleafure and, inform
mation.of pofterity. M. Peyron, in his Effays
on Spain, has already given a defcription, equally
accurate and interefting, of thefe wonders of art
and nature, which greatly increafedvthe defire I
had to fee them. .- His defcription diminifhes my
regret on the reader's account, to whom I cari
offer nothing better ; but it can never confole me
for having been prevented by circumftances from
gratifying my ciiriofity. I was obliged to put off
this agreeable journey. on account of bufinefs,
wliich called me to 'Madrid ; and from Saint
Roche I took the diredt road to. that capital,
making one little circuit only to fee the eftablifh-
ments of Ximena.
This place is four leagues, from Saint Roche, ,
The two firft of which lie moftly over fand, but
through a wood, in which tufts of fhrubs fill up
the intervals between the great trees, and which,
befides, contains wild pliye and fig-trees, green
oak, and the alcornoque or cork tree. The road
for the two laft leagues winds through a vaft plain,
pr rather a garden, abounding in melons', cucum
bers and. Indian corn..
Ximena is built upon the declivity of a fteep
rock commanded by the ruins of an old caftle. I
had letters of recommendation to Don Manuel
Behic, defcended from a French family, and who had

OF SPAIN. I0m
had for fome years been comptroller of a foun-
dery pf iron cannon, and balls, exclufively in
tended for Spanifh America. The manufacture
was eftablifhed by the minifter of the Indies, M.
de Galvez, under the direction of a captain of a
ftiip of war.. His management of the undertaking
was not fatisfadtory to government, and I found
at Ximena a colonel of engineers who was
charged to fcrutiniie the proceedings, and exa
mine whether or not the eftablifhment could be
continued. The refult of his observation was,
that the river which fet in motion the forges was
dry eight months in the year, and that, during-
the other four, it was not fufficient to drive a fingle
hammer. Notwithftanding thefe deficiencies,
which ought to have made the . intendant more
fparing in his advances, he had already made
foch as feemed to be calculated for the moft flou
rifhing manufacture; an error or a treachery too
common among the Spaniards, who often make
the moft expenfive efforts in the beginning of efta-
blifhments, which experience foon after caufes to
be abandoned. The minifter of the Indies has
chofen another fituation , for the manufadtory of
Ximena, three leagues from the old ope, pn the
river Guadiaro, in which there is always water
fufficient to drive, two forges. After I had left
Ximena, I paffed by the place where fome work
men were already employed. The eftablifhment
cannot there fail of fuccefs; the . fituation is very
favorable, fince it is. near a rich mine which pro
duces twenty-five pounds of iron. for every. hun
dred weight of ore. From Ximena I( proceeded
three leagues farther to Gaufin, a handfome town
in the middle of very high mountains, whence
the rock of Gibraltar may be diftindtly feen.
From the fummits of thefe mountains, the peace
able inhabitants of Gaufin, faw the fire.iffue from that

IOS THE PRESENT STATE
that fortrefs without being in the leaft alarmed at
its thunders, as the Gods of Epicurus from their
celeftial abodes looked down with unconcerned ¦•.
tranquillity on all the painful ftruggles and cruel'
fufferings of wretched mortals.
I, took the advantage of what light remained to
admire the fituation of Gaufin. At the foot of it
is a deep valley, which receives the tribute of the,
rivulets that run from the fides of neighbouring
mountains; the inhabitants have fo far profited-;
by this advantage, as to have furrounded them
felves with vegetables and verdure. The neigh
bouring hills are covered with vineyards, and
what ferves to decorate the landfcape is a great"
enclofure, belonging to the 1 rancifcans, which
runs by the fide of the great road, following its
rapid defcent. Though the monks are generally
exclaimed againft, it muft be allowed that their
poffeffiops are every where, and particularly on
the outfide of cities, cultivated in the beft man-
ner; that their habitations form agreeable points*
of view; aud their refidence enlivens the adjacent
country. Is it that the pious complaifance of the
faithful has permitted them to chufe the moft
agreeable fituations; or do \h§ leifures pf their
folitary life furnifh them with more means of em-
bellifhing their places of retirernertt ?
In my walk of obfervatjon I met the COrregi-
dor, who gave me a defcription of Gaufin worthy
of a good patriot ; he extolled the pofiripn of
the old caftle which commanded the town, and
whence the inhabitants judged of the attack and'
defence of the beueger^ and befieged of Gibral
tar. I fed the Converfation to the national bank ;
he feemed to regret that the capital had been in-
creafed by the fubfidies from cities and communi
ties. In his opinion they might have been better
employed. Gaufin, tor inftance, had been obliged tp

Of SPAIN. j —
to part with forty thoufand reals, which Would
have anfwered a more ufeful purpofe, had they
been applied to paving the town, or repairing the
roads about it. Thus it every where happens,
that the folitary citizen, confining himfelf within
his own narrow fphere, and not in a fituation to
comprehend the great views of adminiftration,
would wifh, in his felf .importance, every thing
to be facrificed to his particular convenience. ,
Beyond Gaufin, the road for two or three
leagues lies over the fide of the mountains, acrofs
the vineyards, which from within a fmall diftance
of their tops defcend to the bottom of the valleys.
The little habitations of the vine dreffers on the
declivity of the mountains, prove the adtivity
which reigns in this happy diftridt. The count iy
afterwards becomes ftill more mountainous; and
the reft of the road lies acrofs the moft Enormous
mountains entirely deprived of covering. From
time to time we meet with fome wretched villages,
hung, as it were, upon the fides of naked rocks,
and which are the retreats of thieves and fmug-
glers. ,- Their names and fituation fufiiciently in
dicate they were built by the Moors, who, no
doubt, fought, in the bofom of the moft inacceflible
mountains, afylums where they might be fecure
from the' attacks of the Chriftians. The. princi
pal. of thefe villages are Guatazin, Banali, and
Ajajate : the laft is three leagues from Gaufin,
almoft at the foot of the rocks ; the road from it
afcends again and continues to the fummit of the
high mountains, whence we fee, for the laft time,
the rock of Gibraltar. ,
We. foon afterwards difcover Ronda,, which,
feert at that diftance, appears fituated in the mid
dle of a bafon formed by the neighbouring hills,
and in the bofom of the moft barren and itoney
country imaginable.. We are, however, unde
ceived

tj0 THE PRESENT STATE
ceived as foon as we arrive in the city, which,
from the ftrength of its natural fortifications, was
not taken from the Moors until the end of the
fifteenth century. It is furrounded with a dohble
enclofure of rocks, between which runs a little
river. In the time of the Moors, the only en
trance was by a low gate, flanked with great
towers ; afterwards a fhort but very high bridge
was to be paffed, at the foot of which was a great
fpring, that has never difappeared. The city of
Ronda covers a confiderable but uneven fpace of
ground. The double natural rampart which fur-
rounds it is incommodious to the inhabitants,
fince it is no longer neceffary to their fafety. A
projedt has been formed to conftrudt a fecond
bridge, at'the place of the neareft approach'' of
the rocks to each other. This idea animated the
patriotic* zeal of M. Giron, a general officer of
diftinguifhed birth and talents, and one of the
principal citizens of Ronda. He preffed the exe
cution of the projedt, and towards the end of the
year 1785, enormous piles had already been
driven at the bottom of the natural ditch, and
promifed the inhabitants a new means of efcap-
ing from their fpacious prifon.
To the North Eaft, the environs, which are not
feen as we approach from Gaufin, are covered
with orchards that furnifh abundance of peaches,
plumbs, different kinds of pears, and apples of
an excellent quality; thefe fruits are not often
met with good in Spain ; for- whether the garde
ners want fkill, or the nature of the foil be im
proper, the country, of oranges, figs and olives,
•is not that of the exquifite fruits which conftitute
the moft ornamental and delicious part of our
autumnal deferts. We ihall indeed be inclined
to fufpedl this arifes from want of fkill in the art
of gardening, if we confider the king's table is
covered

O F S P A I N. Iii
Coveted with excellent fruits of this kind from the
gardens of Aranjuez and Saint Ildefonfo, whilft
it would be in vain to fearch for them in the reft
of Caftile.
Paxarete, famous for its wine, is four or
five leagues from Ronda, and belongs to M.
Giron. Grazalema, fituated like Ronda, in the bofem
©f rocks, is only three leagues from the latter
town. The inhabitants having abundance pf wa
ter, and but few refources, employ themfelves in
the . preparation of wool. The refult has been one
of the principal manufactures of Spanifh cloths
for home confumption.
The firft league and a half from Ronda is agree
able from the great number of orchards by the
fide of the road ; the ground afterwards becomes
uneven, itoney, and-but little cultivated. I reached
Canhete the fame day, a large unhandfpme town,
commanded by the ruins of an old fort. The
country beyond it, as far as Offuna, is barren
and uneven, and prefents nothing but a few olive
plantations ; /their pale verdure, which fcarcely
fliades a grey foil, faddens rather than embellilhes
the landfcape
. Five leagues farther we arrive at Offuna, the ca
pital of the duchy of that name. The city is
confiderable, but nothing- in, it announces af
fluence,- although many of the nobility refide
there. I remarked an alameda, or public wralk,
.decorated with a fountain : two pillars in a bad
-taXte are alfo intended to contribute to its embel-
lifhment ; they bear a pompous infcription, in
which are 'named the pope, the king of Spain,
.the duke of Offuna, who was then alive, and the
two corregidors, founders of the pillars, which
have been honoured with the appellation of fa-
mofa

II2 THE PRESENT STATE
thofa obra : the infcription concludes by declaring,
that it had been engraved as an eternal monument*
I obferved that this monument, this famous work,
confifted in two fountains of but very middling
appearance, and in two rows of heavy ftone
benches clumfily covered with plafter. In 1785,
they difappointed the modeft intention that had
dedicated them to eternity; their ruins, with
which the ground is covered, though it is only
eight years fince fhe eredtion of the pillars, fuffi-
ciently evince the fragility of the works of man.
It would be difficult to find a monument in a
worfe ftate, and efpeciaily a more ftriking gafco-
nade ; with reafon, therefore, are the Andalufians.
called the gafcons of Spain.
Eccija is fix leagues from Offuna, acrofs a flat
and well cultivated country. At about the dif
tance of a league from Offuna, I remarked a great
marfh almoft covered with white birds, bigger
and longer bodied than ducks, and called in Spa
nifh, alablancos. At the leaft noifethey rife in
flocks and difplay their wings, in which a bright
red is, in a fingular manner, mixed with the white.
I cannot better compare the appearance they
make, than to that of a pack of cards thrown
into the air and falling in diforder. The water
upon which thefe birds live is brackifh ; fportfmeh
fhoot them, butthfy are not good to, eat.
At Eccija, which I had already feen as I went ^
to Cadiz, I took poft horfes and, following for
feventy five leagues the road I had travelled
atthe beginning of my journey, arrived at Ma
drid. After my return to the capital, I took the
advantage of the leifure my affairs permitted'
me, to make excurfions to feveral places tittle '
known, and which excited my curiofity. I began

OF SPAIN. j I *
I began with San Fernando, a village three
leagues from Madrid, which for fome time was
remarkable on account of a manufadtureof cloths
eftablifhed there. This has been removed to Gua-
dalaxara, but the cloths ftill preferve the name of
the place where they were firft made ; and as the
fign brings cuftomers, the change of the place
has neither diminifhed the vogue or reputation.
San Fernando, formerly animated by induftry, is
now the abode of filence and melancholy. The
vaft edifice that refounded with the noife of ma
chines and the cheerful fongs of workmen, is now
filled with the impure voices of wretched profti-
tutes, which the police of Madrid delivers from
vice to condemn to penitence; they, there expiate
the pleafures they have beftowed upon their nu
merous lovers, of the court and capital, and fome
times the refufals their capriee has given to per
fons who are not to be denied with impunity. San
Fernando is to Madrid, what the Salpeinere is to
Paris, the fcarecrow of vice, but fometimes a re
treat that opens to the voice of vengeance con
cealed under the appearance of juftice. Befides,
united as it were in one body, the wretches leave
the hofpital more corrupted or rather lefs capable
of amendment. -,.
At nearly the fame diftance from Madrid is a
-little village, fcarcely known by name, which ap
peared to me to merit attention ; it is called Loe-
ches. I had become defirous of feeing it, from
having read a little Englifh pamphlet which ap
peared during my refidence at Madrid, entituled,
Anecdotes of eminent Painters in Spain. Mr. Cum
berland, more known by his dramatic pieces,
than his fuccefs as a negociator, refided almoft a
year at Madrid. He had in charge, it is faid, to
induce Spain to detach herfelf from her alliance
with France. He was accompanied by his daugh-
Vot. II. I ters.

Wj£ THE PRESENT STATE
ters. Thefe two young ladies were, notwith*
ftanding the wars which divided the two countries;
perfedlly well received in the circles of Caftile.
Infaft, there wasno great merit in laying at their
feeball national prejudices. In them wit was uni
ted with elegance of figure, and the graces with
talents. tGallantry rendered the homage which
was their due, but ftate-policy in vaimendeavourei
to make them ufeful to its views. In treating
with Mr. Cumberland, the minifter of the court
of Madrid forgot he was their father, .and Spa
nifh loyalty thus acquired another triumph.
Thofe who know thefe aocomplifhed ladies,
whom I have fince had the pleafure of feeing in
England, will excufe this digreffion; of every
body elfe I afk pardon The dtiehefs of Vau-
guyon, who has lived fome years at Madrid, can,
befides, ^ atteft that it is not for amiable Englifh
ladies only that the Spaniards referve their pplite
attention ; but that people Of all nations are fure
of pfeafing them when they have the defire and
the means of doing it.
Mr. ^Cumberland after Jiis return to London,
communicated to the public, in a pamphlet, the
ieEb'fervationshe had made on the arts at Madrid.
This production waa nothing more than a defultop^1;
jcompilation, wherein the author had colledted*
anecdotes concerning the painters who had pof-
feffed thejgreateft reputation in Spain. Rubens,
who had made two journies into that kingdom
•was not . forgotten. I knew that, -well received
,at the court of Philip the Fourth, he had en-
-riched with the productions pf his pencil the pa
lace of that monarch; butlhadnot learned thatl
he had.buried feveral of them in a little convent
: of nuns four leagues from Madrid. This I ga
thered from the pamphlet of Mr. Cumberland,
and was determined to be convinced of the truth with.

OF S P A I N. x ,Ijf.
¦.wittrrny .own eyes. I found at Loeches, a little
church founded by rjbe.duke de Olivarez, the de
corations of which might be envied hy the me
tropolitan of the Chriftian world. Six capital
•paintings by Rubens, of the Iargeft fize and moft
magnificent effedt;, • adorn the altars, .or enrich ,the
walls. The principal .of thefe is an allegorical
painting of the triumph of religion; it is over
the great altar., and unites all the beauties, and
-even defedts, which charadlerife its1 author; rich-
nefS'Of compofition, ibrilliant colouring, ftrength
of expreffion, and negligence of defign. After
this painting, I was molt {(truck with that in
which Elias is reprefented ftanding in the defert,
at the moment when an angel appears to comfort
•him ; there is fomething divine in the attitude of
the prophet, and in the expreffion of his counte
nance. I remarked, with pleafure, .that Rubens
had given to his features a ftriking refemblance to
thofe of Henry IV. whether it were that thefe fca-
itures, which he has more than once traced upon
canvafs, were 'U-nconfciouily produced by his
pencil, or whether he availed himfelf of his art
to perpetuate in Spain, under the form of a pro
phet, the portrait of a monarch fo odious to that
country, both with refpedt to his religion and his
political fyftem .?
There is in the fame church an excellent copy
of a holy family, by Andrea del Sarto, the ori
ginal of which is at the Efcurial, as alfo a copy
of another painting in the fame convent, repre-
fenting a dead Chrift on the knees <of his mother :
this painting is alfo by Rubens.
There are fome pidtures in the veftry which
.have their merit ; among others, .two by Baffan
and one by Titian. I fpent fome hours in con
templating thefe mafterly productions, which are
ialmoft unknown in the hiftory of painting. Sa-
I 2 tisfied

,ri6 THE FKESENT STATE
frsfied, but not cloyed, I quitted the church of
Loeches to return- to Madrid. '
Another objeft .of curiofity, perhaps ftill more
unknown to the Spaniards themfelves, is found
in the bofom of the mountains of Caftile, four or
five leagues from the Efcurial ; this is a monu
ment which has caufed much perplexity to fome
antiquarians, and which they know by the name
of loros de- Guifundo. Guifando is a convert of
Hieronymites, placed upon the fide of a chain of
iteep rocks where, according to tradition, the
fons of Pompey were defeated by the party of
Cafar, and where the conquerors, to celebrate
their triumph, facrificed to the gods an hundred
"bulls, and left the figures pf four in ftone on. the
place where they obtained their vidtory. Ano
ther tradition afferts thefe fuppofed bulls are ele
phants, and fays, that inftead of the triumph of
the Romans, they were intended to preferve the
memory of the paffage of the Carthaginians into
the country, who, indeed, have left in feveral
fcparts of Spain fome rude figures of thefe animals.
It certainly requires not much knowledge, of na
tural hiftory to .diftinguifh a bull from an ele
phant, and the doubt of the Spanifh antiquari
ans upon this queftion might well become the
fubjedt of much pleafantry. I was determined to
examine attentively the matter in difpute, and
formed the bold refolution of deciding on the
queftion. I found, in an enclofure of vines, over
looked by the convent of Guifando, four enor-
.mous blocks- of hard ftone, refembling granite,''
they appeared to me fo unfhapen, that I was
inclined to take them for the fportive produdlions
of nature, rather than the regular -works of art.
On examining them nearer, I difcovered, or ra
ther gueffed, the intention of the fculptor, but
the efforts of his chifel have almoft difappeared beneath

OF SPAIN.' II?
beneath the ravages of time: I found, no figns.
either of the horns, of a bull or the trunk. of an
elephant. The form of the ears rather, indicate
the latter than the former animal; the contours
of the rump and flanks are fo much worn out of
fhape, that it is difficult to decide between the
two. In fhort, after ah hour's obfervatipn, I left
the difficulty as I found it. One of the blocks
feemed to have been difplaeed by the hands of
fome curious perfons. The experiment was fatal.
to the block; it was broken into two pieces,
which lie at the diftance of a few paces from each
other, and the hind part, fume into the earth,
feems rather the rude produdtion of its" entrails,
than to have, been defigned to ornament its fur**
face. ';;¦¦-*. : ^
I was almoft afhamed of my fruitlefs journey,.
I painfully climbed up to the monaftery, whence
T. looked down uport this hieroglyphical monu
ment; I had there no doubt » of the manner in
which it ought to be interpreted. The tradition
of which I have fpoken, is preferved .upon a kind
of fcroll, conftantly put into the hands of ftran-
gers, who may there read diftindtly the Latin in-
fcriptions cut in the fides of the blocks, but which
are now almoft effaced. The. principal, of thefe
infcriptions is as follows : Bellum, Ccefaris et Patrice
ex magna parte confeclum fat; ? S. ' et Cn. Pompeii
fliis.bk in agro Bajietano profligath, And another,
Exercitus viclor hojtibu& effufis. They fulficiently
indicate that the monuments were defigned to
Celebrate a vidtory over the fons of Pompey. It
remains to be determined whether the ground
upon which they are placed be the Agrum Bafie-
ianum : and to reconcile the hypothecs with hit
tory, which places the defeat of Pompey's party
in Andalufia. The worthy monks, jealous of
;tbe renown pf their djftridt, found an anfwer to
all

Irg THE PRESENT STATE
all my obj'edtions; and that nothing might ,b»
wanting to my belief, they fhewed me the caverns'
in; which the, fons of Pompey found their: death*
in feeking an afylum after-their defeat. I eouhi;
fcarcely perfuade myfelf but that I heard the
groans of their illuftrioxis manes; and my.imaH
gination going back eighteen centuries, made me
forget that I was furrounded by Hieronymites;
This they recalled to my recolledtion, by re
marking to me, that thefe afyliimsr of the mar
tyrs to liberty had fourteen hundred years later
been thofe of the martyrs of penitence ,v and. I
was obliged' to hear the recital of the retreat* of
the founders of their order to the caverns, the'
detail of their aufterities, and to diftinguifh the
traces of their fteps, and thofe even of their tears;
Fatigued with)' this folemn narrative ; but perfedtly
fatisfied wjth the. cordial reception I had met with1
from the Monks, I defcended to the plain; where!
j took a laft view of the nroftia/pen hierOgQyphksi
to which the: good father had given me a key, and
purfued the road to the Efcurial.
The Toros die Guifando, which many people at
Madrid think imaginary, are frequently intrp^
duced into familiar converfation, to exprefst,, in a
burlefque manner, the courage of a man capable
of facing the greateft dangers ; and in this fenfe
they are ufed by one of the heros of Cervantes*
When after iny return I faid I had feen and touek
ed thefe famous- bulls, I waa looked upon as an
extraordinary perfon. The wonder, however-
ceafed whehi I had defcribed the enemy whom f
had fo refolutely braved. -.¦';¦
Another diftridt, farther from Madrid,- makes
a ftill greater figure than the Tom de Guifanchzm
the fabulous hiftory of Spain ; I. mean the diftri6t
of Battuecas, to which Montefquieu alludes in
his Perfian Letters, when he fays, the Spaniards have

OF SPAIN; tl~
have in their own kingdom. diftridte unknown t-o
themfelves. According to ancient tradition, the
religion, language, and manners of Spain were
eaknown in the Battuecss. Extraordinary voices
had been heard there from the neighbouring vil
lages ; the fhepherds were afraid to approach it
With their flocks. Fewer alarms would have
made it the retreat of daemons or favages j and
each related in his own manner, the origin and
particularities of the place. The Battueca» have
alfo furnifhed a futnedt for the wits of Spain;
they are Introduced into comedies and novefoj
and Moreri did not difdain to give to thefe ridi
culous ftod.es a place in his d&dtionary.
Father Feijoo, an extremely weM informed and
intelligent Monk, lately deceafed, was one of the
firft who fuceefsfiilly combated thefe abfurddties.
The refult of my refearches, and the little tour J
made to theBattuecas a fhort time before my de
parture from Spain is, that they are two unculti
vated valleys,, fcarcely a league in length, and
fo narrow and clofely fhut in, that it is difficult
for the fun to enter them in winter. This- little
diftridt is remarkable for groupes of rocks oddly
formed, for variety of trees, the meandering pf
the little river which waters the valleys, the ex
cavations of the mountains by which they are
formed, and the great, numbers of all kinds of
animals to which it ferves as a retreat. The
only human habitation, which merits attention,
is the convent of the bare-footed Carmelites,
whofe cells are buried, as it were, under the
fteep rocks by which they are threatened, and
the trees that give them fhade. A traveller might
make the tour of Europe and not find a place
more fit to become the afylum of filence and
peace. The diftridt, which is almoft inaeqeffible,
and not upon the road to any city, is fcarcely ever

r20 THE PRESENT STATE
ever frequented. The curious few who go'
thither, are looked upon as perfons impelled by
an extravagant curiofity, by the peaceful' inha
bitants, who cannot imagine what they have
come to feek among them. Their little diftridt,
which they feldom. or never leave, is in the die-,
cefe of Coria, between old Caftile and Eftrama,
dura, eight leagues from Cividad Rodrigo, and
fourteen from Salamanca. :u
I had a ftrong defire to fee, before. I left Spain,
this city fo famous in romance, and the hiftory of
Spanifh literature. For want of a guide who
knew the road from the Battuecas to Salamanca^
I determined to return to Madrid and take my
departure from that city.
The court was then at Saint Ildefonfo, I paffed
by that royal manfion, which brought roe twelve
leagues nearer the end of my journey; from
Salamanca the diftance is twenty feven leagues? of
that country, which make about forty of ours,
All the diftridt through which we paffed (for I had
ftill a travelling epmpanion) although barren in
appearance, is fertile and well cultivated: this;
in a great meafure, proceeds from the extent of
the poffeffions, which is there much more con-?
fined than in feveral other provinces, of Spain;
the people themfelves having lands, or farming
to advantage thofe of great proprietors. The
hulbandmen refide near their farms ; this has
pncreafed the number of the towns and villages.
Although complaint has been made of the depo
pulation of this part of Spain, I counted twelve
towns, hamlets, and villages which might be
difcovered from one fpot pf ground in the envi
rons of Arevalo.
The firft remarkable place at which we arrived
after paffing by Segovia, was Santa Mark de
yieva. This town contains fix hundred houfes-
The

OF SPAIN. I2I
The inhabitants, more happy than thofe of the
greateft part of Spain, have full permifiion to fell
all kind of eatables. .They reckon among other
advantages, the poffeffionof a miraculous image
of the virgin, and the innocent privilege of hav
ing an annual bull fight, at which all the lovers
of .that diverfion in the neighbourhood affemble, >
and where the moft famous Matadores of Spain
difdain not to gather .bloody laurels.
From the eminence on which Santa Maria de
Nieva is placed, we difcover a fine country, if a
large extent of land, in which there is neither
running water, trees, verdure nor country houfes,
and which offers nothing but the dull uniform
afpedt of immenfe fields of wheat, can be fo
called. We foon after came to a wood of firs, which
bears a faint refemblance to the heaths of Bour
deaux, but the induftry -of the inhabitants has not
taken advantage of the refource which thefe trees
prefent. r.
On the outfide of the wood the ground becomes
bare and uniform. Notwithftanding its drynefs,
it is well cultivated to the very gates of Arevalo,
a town which muft formerly have been a confi
derable city. It is, almoft fuiirounded by a. little
river, the deep bed of which feems to have been
dug for the defence of a fortrefs. The gate of
Arevalo is A matfive building without Ornament ;
it leads to abridge which is. not more- indebted
to art, but its folidity may brave, the ravages of
inundations and almoft thofe of time. However,
it has, not- been thought unworthy of a pompous
infcription, which informs the traveller that the
town and villages for thirty leagues round contri
buted to its conftrudtion The interior of Are
valo, notwithftanding the,; impoverished ftate of
the modern inhabitants, ftill bears the marks of
having formerly been an important city. There are

J32 THE PRESENT STATE
are fome remains of antique columns upon which
are placed miferable barracks and half-rbtteri bal-
conies. The fight of thefe called to my recol.
Tedtion thofe bankrupts who, formerly opulent,
wear out in their dif trefs the tattered remains of
their once fumptuous Wardrobe. The clergy
qnly preferve their riches in the midft of tie
poverty with which they are furrounded. There
;are ftill in Arevalo eight parifhes, and as; many
Convents. . The only cultivation for the fpace of "fix leagues,
the diftance from Santa Maria de Nieva to Are
valo, is that of corn : a few vineyards produce
wines, the bitter and eaithy tafte of which no
thing but habit can render fupportable.
From Arevalo to Penaranda, nothing is feen
but a fertile and well cultivated country. Yet
notwithftanding the riches of the earth the inha
bitants feem poor. Reduced to articles' of pure
neceffity, they defpife thofe of convenience; and
deprived of all exterior communication and ob-
jedlsof comparifon, they feem not to have either
the defire or knowledge of thefe enjoyments.
They never have a thought of embellifhing their
inheritances; a pleafure or kitchen garden is to
them an objedtof luxury, which their paffimony
refutes. Idlenefs impofes on them deprivations,
and, in turn, the ha-bif of thefe incr-eafes indo
lence: they will- move round this circle until
roads, canals, and eafy means cf conveyance
fhall have taught them the advantages of com
merce. We paffed the night at Flores de Avila, a mi
ferable village where we fuffered every inconve
nience. Ihe frugal fupper fet before us was
twenty times interrupted by the barking of dogs,
the thefts of cats, the importunities of beggars',
and the cavils of a toothlefs old woman who did
the honours of the inn. We paffed the night upon

OF SPAIN. m
upon beds as hard as it is poffible to conceive beds
to be, devoured by the infers, which in Spain fo
frequently difturb the repofe of the traveller.
Accommodated in this manner, we rofe early
without much effort, and immediately fet out for
Penaranda, a handfome little town, which con
tains about a thoufand houfes. Like Arevalo, it
has fome ruins of arehitedture, which prove' it
was formerly more confiderable; it belongs to
the counts of the fame name, One of whom was
the Count de Penaranda fo well known in poli
tical hiftory by his arrogance, which twenty
times was near breaking up the congrefs of Weft-
phalia. After the extindtion of the male line of
the counts, Penaranda- paffed over to the houfe
of Uceda, by the marriage of the prefent duchefs
pf that name.
The inhabitants of the city have the greateft
confidence in an image of the Holy Virgin ; with
out the aid of which, fay they, they fhould re
peatedly have funk under their wretchednefs.
Such are the mild illufions which modern philo-
fophers have had the cruelty, to ridicule, and
which,, perhaps, fhould be fupported for the con-
fokltion of fhe poor, when vigilant and enlight
ened authority has otherwife the means of reme
dying the abufes of fuperftition. Illufions like
thefe are furely innocent, and even precious when
their only effea is to hoiirrifh hope artd patience
in the bofom of the unfortunatef. The inhabi
tants" of Penaranda, like thofe of moft of the
Spariifh provinces, appeared to me to ftand in
heed of thefe two refources- ; they arc overbur-
fchened with taxes ; they painfully earn what they
ppffefs; and dif trefs Kdeftroys their induftry. Tiieir
f But what become! of truth, I fhall he afked ? I would
not have it offehded, but let Us at leaft be convinced it is
preferable to the illufion- we would reject.

J24

THE PRESENT STATE

Their lords, who are fometimes ignorant: to the
degree of being unacquainted with the geogrkr
phical fituation of their eftates, confide the ma
nagement of them to ftewards, treafurers, or al
caldes* who bring curfes upon their names by the
abufe of their authority. Who in fuch a cafe
would dare to fpeak in favour of the opprelfed ?
And who amongft the' latter would venture to lay
his complaints at the foot of the throne? In 'van*-
do the laws, offer him a refuge; their interpreters.
are too much afraid of perfons who know how.'
to elude them, and againft whom they are never
invoked with impunity. - I know that in the pre
fent age there have been magiftrates virtuous and
intrepid* enough to brave the refentment of the
great, by rigoroufly difcaiffing the nature of their
rights, and defpoiling them of their ufurpations.
The honour of reftbring to the crow"n the poffef
lion of its privileges was attached to this bold re
folution, and fuch a projedt has fomething in it
brilliant, which is a fupport to courage. But
where are they to be found, who. without other
motives than equity and Jhumanity, undertake
the obfcure and hazardous defence of certain
citizens, who, as the price of fuch fervices,. fre*
quently have, nothing more to offer than their gra
titude, admiration and efteem ? Thefe are not
more numerous-in Spain than in other countries*'.*
I didnOt expedt I fhould have had fo much to
fay relative to the little town of Penaranda; nor
can I take my leave of it without rendering a
tribute of juftice to the inn in which I, tookthe
neceffary refrefhment. It is-certainly the cleaneft
and moft convenient of any I met with- in Spain,
Contrary to the cuftom. of. the country, the inn)-
keeper
* I would name them, were not I afraid of awakening
againft them the hatred tiieir courage has excited ; but my
bpaifli readers will add what, from delicacy, I here omit.

OF SPAIN. i2c
keeper and his wife are cPmplaifant, attentive,
and always have provifions to offer to their guefts.
Half a league from this city we entered a wood
of* green oaks, which we were almoft an hour
and an half incroffing. It belongs to the counts
of Penaranda. We met in the road a mafter
mafon, whom we accofted, and with whofe good
fenfe we were rather ftruck ; I fhould have been
much more furprifed at it in the former part of
my refidence in the country ; but for feveral
years paft I had been accuftomed to find wit,
clear ideas, and remarkable precifion of language
in claffes, which in other countries wietchednefs
and profound mifery reduce almoft to the level
of brutes. The corregidor of Penaranda would
not perhaps have given us fuch clear accounts of
the cultivation of the country, the means of fuc-
ceeding in it, &c. as thofe we received from our
travelling companion; who difcovered us in a
moment, upon our addreffing him, in a language
with which we were not familiar. He feafoned
his difcourfe with ftrokes of pleafantry, which.
our moft fafhionable wits need not have been
afhamed to own. From him we learned that moft
of the lands of the diftridt were farmed out to
labourers, who did riot pay more than a quarter
of their produce to the proprietors, taking upon
themfelves all expences, and who, with a little
good fortune, became rich in a few years. How
ever, I thought he took advantage of our being
ftrangers, to give us as an undoubted fadt, that
which then appeared to us, and ftill feems to me
to be a ridiculous ftory. He affuredus, that in
fome of the neighbouring parifhes there were
droves of cows, the male calves of which never
had horns ; but this defect prevented not their
having all the propejties of a bull or an ox. I do

1%§ .THE PRESENT STATE
I do not advife naturalifts to affert upon the
authority of the mafon of Penaranda, that in
certain countries, there are breeds of homed caMk,
which have no horns ; but if this oddity of nature
fiiould not 'be new to them, they are here far-
¦nifhed with another authority.
Whether the accounts of our travelling com
panion were true, or mere pleafantries, his chear-
fulnefs and inftrudtive converfation fhortened the
two long leagues which feparate Penaranda from
Ventofa, a miferable village upon an eminence
whence Salamanca begins to be feen. After paf-
fing Ventofa we arrived at the town of Huerta ;
and in the inn there, I for the firft time obferved
a Angularity which in fome refpedts well deferves
to be imitated in other places. At the entrance
we found a placart, in which the alcalde mayor
prefcribed to the innkeeper the manner in which
-he ought to treat travellers, the price he was to
-receive for their beds, food, horfes, &c. So far
there was^ nothing amifs ; but the forelight of the
alcaldejextended to forbidding the innkeeper from
keeping pigs and hens, from fuffering certain pro
hibited games to be played in his houfe, and from
receiving into it armed men, or women of ill
fame. Such fhackles produce inconvenience,
without being of any real benefit to morals, and
by thefe means Spain will long be without good
inns, and the dread of travellers. Thofe. who
travel over that kingdom, without refledtionj lay
the blame on the indolence and careleffnefs of the
Spaniards. But obfervatfon fhews, that the de-
fedt rather proceeds from the municipal conftitu
tion of cities and communities, the tyranny °f
the great, and from old cuftoms which cannot be
a'bolifhed without new modelling a confiderable
part of the legiflation. Time only and perfeve-
lance can produce luch a revolution : the prefent
minifter

OP SPA11. I2«
minifter has it in contemplation, and is preparing
for the change, but does not mean it fhall be vio-
leut-or hidden.
On leaving the Huerta we diftindtly faw the
fteeples of Salamanca, and did -not again lofe fight
of them. The road lies along the banks of the
Tormes, near to which the city is fituated. At
aceitain djftance its fituation is beautiful; and
were the-country a little lefs naked it would confi-
derably refemble that of Tours on the banks of
the Loire. The appearance of Salamanca is very
like that of Tours, as we arrive at it from Blois.
To the right are fome little barren and ftoney
hills, on which are feen a few habitations, with.
fome, tufts of trees, and to the left feveral copfes
which feparate the great road from the rirer. At
about half way we croffed one of, the vaft paftures
or commons, called Valdios, which are but too
frequent in Spain, but they. are not cloathed with
that brilliant verdure, which is the fineft orna
ment of the country. A great drove of bulls
paffed us upon the road. The theatres of the
bull-fights at Madrid and Valladolid are fupplied
from this diftridt. After .having frequently been
witneffes to their bloody conflicts, it was not
without fome emotion that we found ourfelves fur
rounded by thefe formidable animals; but they
.were at liberty and unprovoked; they had loft
their ferocity, and we were foon as much at our
.eafe as we could have been in the midft of a
flock of Iheep. Nature has formed but few rr.il-
jcbievous beings, neceffity only forces fome to
become fo, and this happens when it impofes the
law. of felf-defence or feeking food for nouriib.-
ment. Iri fuch cafes, and alfo in fome others,
are men more mild or lefs dangerous than bulls
•or lions 1

I28 THE PRESENT STATE
On entering Salamanca we paffed through dirty
ftreets, narrow and thinly peopled, which do -not
appear to belong to a great city : but we were
agreeably furprifed on arriving at the fquare,
which is equally remarkable for cleannefs and
regularity of architecture ; it appeared to us much
fuperior to the Plaza Mayor, of which the inha
bitants of Madrid are fo vain. It is built with
hewn ftone, and ornamented with three iows of
balconies that run all round without interruption.;
Ihe firft ftory is formed by arcades, and their
freeze is ornamented with medallions of the moft
illuftrious perfonages Spain has produced. On
one fide are thofe of all the kings -of Caftile to
Charles III. exclulively ; on the other thofe of the
moft celebrated heroes, fuch as Bernard del
Caipib, Gonfalves de Cordova, and Hernando
Coitez. Thofe to the eaft are not yet filled up.
May Spain foon have great men to fill thefe va
cant places! . • '
The edifices which form the fquare of Sala
manca are not tbe only ones worthy of attention ;
the cathedral, although cotemporaiy with LeoX.
and built by a number of architects, has paid
more than one tribute to bad tafte. It muft,
however, be confeffed, that the boldnefs of th'e
nave and the fmifhing of the Gothic ornaments
make it one of the moft remarkable churches in
Spain. When the traveller is informed that, be
fides the Cathedral, there are in Salamanca, twen
ty-five parifn churches, twenty-five convents of
monks, and fourteen of women, without enume
rating a confiderable number of pious foundations,
he is neither aftonifhed at its poverty nor want of
population. Its univerfity, formerly fo famous,
to which, ftndcnts were fent from all parts of
l.urope, has confiderably fallen from its ancient
ipkr.dor, although it \-, yet far from meriting the
ignominious

OF SPAIN. fjjj
ignominious epithets beftowedupon it by modern
travellers. According to the laft form given it by
the council of Caftile, it has fixty-one profeffor-
fhips, without reckoning an anatomical theatre;
and the college of the three languages (Hebrew,
Greek artd Latin). At prefent it contains feveral
able profeffors, employed in purfuing and forcing
from its laft retreat the pretended philofophy of
Ariftotle, the objedt of the invedtives of all Eu
rope, after having been that of ftupid veneration;
in France and Italy no lefs than in Spain.
The edifices of this Univerfity are compofed Of
two parts, feparated from each other by a ftreet:
The little fchools, (Efcuelas minor es) are on ond
fide ; and on the other the gates of the univerfity
properly fo called; One of thefe gates imme
diately ftrikes the eye. Befides its being deco
rated with flowers extremely well fculptured, it
bears ' an infcription which "informs the reader
that he is already at the door of the fandtuary of
the fciences ; the infcription is in Hebrew. This
gate opens to a court that leads to the different
fchools. Bad paintings, with which the wall is
daubed, indicate thefcience taught near at hand;
and Latin verfes written beneath, fcarcely more
tolerable than the paintings, record either the ge-
nerofity of the principal patrons of the univerfity,
as Alfonfo X. furnamed the Aftronomer, arid
Ferdinarid III. or the advantages of the fcience
in queftion. The library is above ; it is public,
and if the librarians may be judged of by the re
ception I met with, thofe who may have occafion
to vifit them hereafter will be perfectly fatisfied
with their politenefs. This library contains a
good collection. We remarked there many fo
reign books, efpecially Erigliih and French ; but
there feemed to be but few modem works. The
Vol. IL K whole

I*a THE PRESENT STATE
whole confifts of upwards of twenty thoufand
volumes. ¦
Another foundation, more modern than the
univerfity of Salamanca, and more celebrated in
the prefent age, is that of the great colleges, or
cplegios mayores. There are in Spain feven houfes.
of education which bear this name. The moft
diftinguifhed youth of the kingdom are brought up
in them : and thence it was, formerly, that all thefe
who held places in the adminiftration were taken,
as I have obferved in another part of this. work.
Such a diftinction excited emulation amongft' the
ftudents of the colleges (Colegiales) and the pider
of advocates, whofe moderate fortunes were un
equal to fo illuftrious an education. The latter
have lately been fully revenged; fmce it was
among them the ftate has found thofe who do it
moft honour ; and their triumph has thrown a ri
dicule upon their difdainful rivals. Befides, they
¦who fupplanted them, produced the reform of the;
abufes to which thefe colleges were fubjedt. In
1776, the council of Caftile gave a new form to
the whole, which in making them more regular,
will probably render them more ufeful. ,»
The city of Salamanca alone contains four of
thefe colleges, thofe of St. Bartholomew, Cuenca,
Qviedo, and del Arzobifpo. The firft and the
moft ancient, has been recently rebuilt, and me
rits the attention of connoiffeurs ; the architect
was a Bifcayner, who had formed his tafte in
Italy; but his genius feems to, have exhaiifted it-
felf in the facade and the court; the interior oi
the building bears not the leaft marks of it. How
ever, it contains a library rich in manufcripts.
This college has produced feveral learned men ;
fuch as Alphonfo Toftadp, whofe immenfe erudir
tion and prodigious fertility of invention areftiU
proverbial among the modern Spaniards.. The

O F S P A I N. rAj
The college of Cuenca, refpedtable in its ap
pearance by its mafs and fymmetry, is over
charged with paltry ornaments. The fame ob-
fervation holds with refpedt to that of el Arzobifpo ;
they are both monuments of the indefatigable
patience which charadterifed the artifts of former
ages ; though it muft be allowed they might better
have employed their time and pains.
Little can be faid of the Colegio Mayor of Oviedo.
I had indeed heard much of the church of the
Dominicans, the front of the convent of the Au-
guftin nuns, and the church of San Marcos, here
tofore belonging, to the Jefuits.
In the midft of this profulion of facred edifices
at Salamanca, it was neceffary to make a choice;
we therefore confined our obfervations to thefe
three churches.
The front of that- of the Dominicans is an ela
borate performance, in the gothic tafte ; the nave
is fpacious, and the light judicioufly ' admitted ;
the chapels are richly decorated, and in all thefe
refpedts it appeared to us to refemble many other
churches in Spain. But we fought in vain for the
fine paintings of which we had heard fo many en
comiums. The ceiling'of the choir is painted in
frefco, by the fame Palomino of whom I have fe
veral times fpoken, and who, in writing the lives
of the Spanifh painters, has given excellent in-
ftrUdtions relative to the fine arts. However, it
feemed to us, that at Salamanca he had not added
example to precept.
A very officious monk prefented himfelf to
fhew us the curiofities of his church. We pre-
fumed he would be our Cicerone for the paintings ;
but he led us directly to the fhrine. Our difap
pointed curiofity wasafecond time obliged to put
on the mafic of devotion, and immediately we
found ourfelves in the midft of a dozen foldiers
K 2 and

I32 THE PRESENT STATE
and perfons of the loweft raflk, liftening to a re
cital of the lift of all the relics contained in the
cabinet. My travelling companion, to whom his
religion rendered thefe details lefs interefting than
to the implicit believers, withdrew his attention,
and employed himfelf in endeavouring to explain
the ex votos with which he was furrounded. The
demonftratOr, aftonifhed his fervices fhould be
refufed, recalled the wanderer, rnade him fome
exhortations which, according to the intention of
the worthy monk, would have penetrated a mind
prepared for grace ; but the ftrayed fheep remained
deaf to the voice of the fhepherd. He vainly of
fered him fometimes the nail, and at others one
of the double teeth of fome faint to kifs, but the
wandering brother fuffered not himfelf to be pre
vailed upon. At length the monk came to a little
box full of relics. Pope fuch a one had made a
prefent of it to the community. " We have no-
" thing," faid he, " more precious, bring ali
" your chaplets and rub them againft this col-
" lection of fpiritual riches." Every body pre
fent, except my companion and myfelf, eagerly
obeyed the exhortation. We appeared a little
confufed at being furprifed without that emblem.
of a good Chriftian, and the fpectators began to
look on us with an evil eye. We were quite un
known in the city; arid prefently recollecting the
holy office, with a flight imprelfion of fear, fought
for an opportunity to remove the fufpicions which
we perceived were entertained of us. . This we
foon found; the monk fhewed to his audience
a relic which,, he told them, was nothing'' lefs
than fome of our Saviour's hair. Each bent his
knee, whilft the Dominican exclaimed : Come near,
this indeed merits adoration. I approached with the
reft, and devoutly kiffed the holy relic. The,
fituation of my companion became a little embaiv ,
raffing- ;

OF SPAIN. j*.
raffing. Was he, by his inaction, to declare him
felf an heretic ; or might he, from refpedt to the
company, confent to do what to him appeared an
act of idolatry? His choice was foon made; he
was neither fuperftitious nor fanatical, and he
took the refolution to imitate us. I know feveral
perfons of his perfuafion, who would impute this
to him as a crime; but I think him very excufable
in permitting himfelf an act which to him muft
feem indifferent. This apparent veneration for
an object we think unworthy it, is not certainly
any thing more than bowing to a man in place
whom we do not efteem. A nd who amongft us ha s
not rendered fuch homage ? Befides, this was a
mere matter of courfe, I will add, almoft of ge
neral polity. And what purpofe would it have
anfwered, to have offended fo many people by a
tacit condemnation of their pradtice ? In the eyes
of an indifferent perfon the exterior acts of reli
gion make a part of their manners. The times
of fanaticifm, when^it was thought a merit to in-
fult tbe objects of a religion which was looked
upon as idolatrous, and in which my maxims of
toleration would have been conftrued into fo ma
ny crimes, are happily paft. I however wifh,
for the honour of the Spanifh nation, that as a
religion different from that of the eftablilhed one,
is fuffered in the fea-port towns of that kingdom,
a traveller may be able to go over the whole
country without being expofed to the danger
which my travelling companion, had he been lefs
prudent, might have incurred in the church of the
Dominicans at Salamanca.
I fhall omit the enumeration of all the facred
treafures there fhewn to us, except the bible of
the famous anti-pope Benedict XIII. who was born
in Spain, and depofed by the council of Con-
ftance. " Take care," faid our conductor, " not
« to

T,34 THE PRESENT STATE
" to confound' him with a pope of the fame name
" who was of the Dominican order; the latter
" was a real pope." We recollected the, words
of Moliere : Ton are a goldfmith, Mr. JoJe>
The front of the church of the Auguftin nuns
is maflive and loaded with a profulion of orna
ments, but the edifice in general is in a bad ftate.
It faces a caftle of the duke of Alba, which in
Spain is called a palace, as the pofiefhons of the
grandees of Spain are all called Jates* A part of
thofe of the houfe of Alba are in the environs of
Salamanca; and, at the diftance of _ four leagues
fromit, there is a city called after their name (Mia
de Tormes) in which they have alfo a palace. But
thefe Jatet and palates "fuffer not a little by the
continual abfence of their proprietors, proofs of
which very frequently occur in. making the tour
of Spain. So long as the opulent landholders
fhall neglect to animate by their prefence their vaft'
poffeflions, the patriotic focieties, eftablifhrnerits
of manufactures, encouragements for clearing of
lands, and prohibitions of foreign merchandize,
will all prove ineffectual to redrefs the evils*which
for two centuries have been undermining the Spa«-
nifh monarchy. They are the moft proper perfons
to fecond the efforts of adminiftration and infure
their fuccefs. How can they, who are conftantly
at fuch a diftance from their eftates, redrefs. the
grievances committed in their names, projedt and
execute plans of improvement, or encourage and
facilitate the fale of the productions of their lands ?
So long as the obfcure and ruinous luxury which
they difplay at court and in the capital fhall ab-
forb their riches, they muft be deprived of the
means of rendering them ufeful to their fellow"
citizens. The ancient college of the Jefuits, among the
facred edifices at Salamanca, is that moft deferr ing

O F S P A I N. I3£
*
ing our attention ; it has been given to a commu
nity of regular canons, under the name of the
church of San Marcos, or Saint Mark. In front
is a magnificent portail of the Corinthian order.
[The ancient femmary of the Jefuits, which, at
tlie requeft of the laft bifhop of Salamanca, was
dedicated to the education of thirty yOung eccle-
fiaftics, eftablifhed there in 1778, is upon the
fame line. The ceremony of their admiffion by
the prelate is reprefented in a fine painting by
Bayeux, a pupil of the famous Mengs, and orte
of the beft painters now in Spain. The paintings
upon the walls of the great cibifter have for their
fubjedt the principal actions of the life of Saint
Ignatius ; the Jefuits had them painted at Rome.
The back part of the edifice is occupied by a
community of Irifh priefts ; which caufes the
church of Saint Mark to be improperly called the
Irifh chutch.
Befoie we left Salamanca, we went to vifit the
ancient Roman bridge of tw-enty-feven arches,
over which, on leaving the city, we paffed. the
little river of Tormes, and afterwards took the
road to Madrid. This journey, ' including our
return,- was of about fifty Spanifh, or feven ty-five
French leagues.
There is a-eity nearer to Madrid, and more ce
lebrated than that of Salamanca, to which I
made feveral joUrnies ; I mean the city of Toledo,
the ancient refidence of the Moorifh kings, and
thefeat of theprimate of all Spain, Toledo is
fituated upon the right bank of the Tagus, which
furrounds it on all fides, except to the north ; it is
twelve leagues from Madrid, and feven frofn
Aranjuez, the royal manfion from which I took
my departure for Toledo; The road is uneven
and badly paved, and feveral times recedes from
and approaches the Tagus, Not far from Aran^ juez;,

I36 THE PRESENT SJATE
juez, towards the weft, the Valley^ of that name
becomes m°te open and fpacious, and the banks
of the Tagus, which is here wider, alfo are lefs
decorated with trees and verdure. However,
upon the road to Tofedp they prefent fome very
agreeable profpedts ; the river is hidden behind
clumps of ttees, and the eye withes tp difcover it
again, when inftantly it appears watering the end
of a meadow, or reflecting the image of fome
hamlet, till after a number of thefe pleafin'g mean
ders, it arrives at the walls of Toledo. But during
its courfe the banks become higher, and a little
Craggy, and this river, which runs fo fmoothly
near Aranjuez that it is with difficulty the, eye
diftinguifhes its courfe, or the ear can fufpedt its
yicinity, as it approaches Toledo, and, under the
walls of that great city, is heard from afar rolling
with great noife over an uneven' bed..
Tlie ground, however, rifes infenfibly ; fp that
fL fter having paffed the bridge of the Tagus,
which is of a frightful height, we find, ourfelves
on a level with Toledo, although a part; of this
city is fituated upon a fteep rock. Solitary ftreets,
houfes in ruins, and the almoft total |abferice? of
induftry and affluence, but ill agree with the idea
formed of a city,* the firft in rank in the Cortes
pf the kingdom of Caftile,f which for a long time
paffed for its capital, and of which all the monu
ments prove the ancient fplendour. Madrid,
which m the latter'centuries increafed its popu
lation at the expence of the' neighbouring cities,
laid Toledo in particular under a heavy ' contri
bution. The afped of the ruins and the barrerj-
nefs of the environs concur in giving it an appear ance
r-Vi.1?01'6 the PomP°us "tie of Imperial Gity. The king
pf Caftile, Alphonfo VI. took it from the Moors, and with
it the title of Emperor.
f Buigos difputes with it the pre-eminence.

OF SPAIN. I3-
ance of wretchednefs, which, however, is in
fome refpedts contradicted when we enter their
houfes, which are clean and neat to the extreme,
a good quality rarely found where poverty re-
fides. The inhabitants df Toledo are not much
inferior in this refpedt to the Dutch themfelves,
and the great pains which the latter take to wafh.
their walls and windows, and to make all their
furniture fhine like glafs, the former employ in
defending the entrance of their habitations from
the rays of the fun, and in procuring coolnefs
even in the middle of the dog-days. ; I vifited fe
veral of thefe little manfions after dinner; I
thought myfelf tranfported into the palace of
fleep : nothing difturbed the calm of their peace
ful inhabitants. At three o'clock in the afternoon
the fun feemed fet to them. The windows and
lattices clofe fhut, the floors moiftened by fre
quent fprinklings, arid large fheets, fpread over
their courts, ali concurred to make us forget the
heat of the climate and the hour of the day.
The induftry of the inhabitants of Toledo was
not long fince confined to thefe effeminate inven
tions. Within a few years they have fhaken off
that ftupor to which they feemed condemned.
Their prelate declared, with a charitable zeal,
open war againft indolence and wretchednefs.
His immenie alms, which annually amounted to
from fifty to fixty thoufand livres (above two
thoufand pounds fteriing) were unequal to the
beneficence of his intentions. The Alcazar, the
ancient habitation of the Gothic kings, has been
almoft entirely rebuilt under Charles V. but fince
the conflagration at the beginning of the prefent
century, it has been in a ftate of ruin : the only
remains of this fine edifice werethe fronts, and
the principal court, furrounded with arcades,
which leads to a magnificent ftaircafe. The pre-
\ fent

I3§ THE PRESENT STATE
fent archbifhop has had fome part of the building
repaired, all the rooms upon the ground-floor
have been properly arranged for the reception of
filk looms, &c. which give employment to a great
number of perfons, who, before this eftablifh
ment, were idle, and the productions of whofe
induftry are already circulated at confiderable
diftances from Toledo. The prelate has likewife
founded an hofpital for poor women and old men;
he has alfo taken under his protection- twohun-
dred poor children, who are brought up at his ex.
pence, and ate taught every thing neceffary to fit
them for arts artd manufactures.
Such is .the laudable manner in which the arch*
bifhop employs his leifure and the furplus of his
fortune. Thofe who approach him; as I have
feveral times had occafion to do, perceive he is
rich in knowledge and virtue; but nobody would
fufpedt the revenues of his fee were very confider^
able. His manners have a truly apoftolical ' fim-
plicity, arid he feems quite unacquainted with the
luxury of the table. Notwithftanding his- punc
tuality iri the fulfilment of his fpiritual fundtions^,
he ftill finds leifure for literary amufements.- Be
fore he was translated to the fee of Toledo he held
that of Mexico ; he there difcovered the collec
tion of the letters of Hernando Cortez; .and at
his return to Europe, publifhed them with obfer
vations.' He has alfo given to the world fome
works of erudition, and, among others,1 a new
edition of the Mofarabic Miffal.* The
* A colleftion of forms of prayer, &c. according to the
ancient Mofarabic ritual, obferved by the Chriftians in Aia--
feiaa countries. It differs from the Roman ritual in a few
prayers, audthe ti-anfpofition of the ordinary ceremonie of
the mafs; trifling differences which, perhaps, would efcape
hearers that were not very attentive.' Having fallen into dif-
ufe, it was revived by cardinal Ximenes, who had it re
printed,;

OF SPAIN. j^n
The archiepifcopal palace proves his averfiori
to magnificence, but the cathedral is one of the
moil: .noble facred edifices in Europe. Its founda
tion is dated as far back as the end of the fixth
centuiy. During four hundred years it was in
poffeffion of the Moors, and profaned by the
Mahometan worfhip. Although recovered by
Alphonfo VI. it preferved the form of a mofque
until the reign of St. Ferdinand, who gave it that
under which it now appears* It difplays all the
• fumptuoufnefs of Gothic edifices, and in the
reigns fueceeding that of St. Ferdinand was en
riched with every kind of decoration. The glafs
of the windows is covered with paintings in the
moft brilliant colours. Two of the fronts are re
markable for the number, finifhing, and variety
of the fculptures with which they are adorned.
The flails of the canons merit a clofe examina
tion on account of the fine tafte and elegance of
their bafs reliefs. Several of the chapels are
equally worthy of attention for the paintings, artd
more particularly the tombs they contain. In the
choir there are four of the latter, which are thofe
Of the kings of Caftile, who are commonly called
Reyes viejos, old kings, and that of the cardinal
Mendoza, one of the moft illuftrious prelates who
have held the fee of Toledo.
The Chapel of the Virgin is magnificently de
corated. Cardinal Portocarrero, who was arch
bifhop of the fee, was interred in front of it.
His epitaph bears no refemblance to that of
Piron, asvMr. Peyron has carelefsly afferted in
his
printed, and afterwards founded, at Toledo a chapel, in
*hich the fervice has ever fince been performed according to
this ritual. In 1783, I heard there a Mofarabic mafs which
the archbifhop had fung to gratify the curiofity of the Nun
cio. This mafs is ftill ufed in one of the churches of Sala
manca.

14.O THE PRESENT STATE
his effays on Spain. Ihe latter was compofed in
a moment of epigrammatical fpleen ; but that of
the cardinal breathes chriftian humility and has
nothing of the epigram. Hie jacet puhis, cinis,
et nihil; " Here lies duft, afhes, _ nothing." This
is very different from the peevifh pleafantry of
the author of the. Metromanie ;
Ci-git Piron, qui ne fut rien ;
Pas mime Academicieri* .
In the chapel of St. James our admiration and
meditation are excited by the tomb of Don Alvar
de Luna, the illultrious and unfortunate favourite
of John II. and that of Donna Juana Pimentel
his wife. We may there reflect on the inftability
of the favour of kings, and the vanity of monu
ments, fomewhat more durable it may be, but
whofe majeftic ornaments cannot difguife the in-
fignificance of human greatnefs. In vain are inr
fcriptions pompous, like thofe of thefe two tombs;*
they ferve merely to tell us the heroes they immor
talize have once exiited, but are now no more.
The fame chapel contains the tombs of feveral
relations of the favourite : among others, that of
the archbifhop of Toledo, one of the fineft in the"
cathedral. I recommend to the curious traveller to vifit the
monument of another archbifhop, Don Juan de
Cpntreras, and that of a bifhop of Avila, in the
chapel of St. Ildefonfo. But the moft remarka
ble chapel of all in this refpedt is, that of the
new kings (delos reyes nuevosj which, befides be
ing richly decorated, contains the tombs of fix
kings or queens of Caftiie, each bearing an in
fcription
* Here lies Piron, who was nothing,
Not even an Academician.

. O F S P A I N. j +I
fcription and a ftatue recumbent on a fepulchral '
urn. The fight of thefe recalled to my memory'
the following elegant lines :
Pour mieux reprefenter leurs grandeurs abattues,
Uartijle fur le marbre a couche leul s fiatues^ .
The capitulary hall contains the portraits in
fucceffion of all the archbifhops of Toledo; a
valuable collection, not only becaufe many of
thefe prelates, as Mendoza, Cifneros, Tavera,
Albornos and Tenorio eftablifhed themfelves a
fame independant of their dignity, and that fome
of them who held this fee were of the blood
royal, as Don Louis, brother to the prefent mo
narch, but becaufe feveral of their portraits take
date from the revival of the art of painting in
Spain, and that by comparing them the different
gradations through which it has paffed may be
clearly difcovered ; and laftly, becahfe fince the
time of cardinal Ximenes (known in Spain only
by the name of cardinal Cifneros) they have all
had the merit of refemblance.
In the cathedral are feveral other paintings
worthy of attention ; efpecially thofe in the veftry.
An Affumption 'by Carlo Maratti ; one of the
mafter-pieces of Dominico Greco, a pupil of
Titian ; a painting not much inferior' to the beft
of that great mafter; and one of the capital
worlcs of de Orrente, a Valencian painter, of
whom I have already fpoken.' The ceiling of the
veftry is painted in frefco; by Luca Giordano,
and is not the leaft excellent of his productions,
efpecially in this kind of compofitibn. He had
alfo a particular talent in imitating the manner of
other
* Theartift, the better to reprefent their fallen grcatnefs,
has extended their flatues on the marble.

T42 THE PRESENT STATE
ether painters, a proof of which is feen in one
of his paintings in an apartment adjoining to the
veftry. This is a'baptifm of Chrift, which thofe
who are not real connoiffeurs would certainly take
for one of the beft productions of Raphael. The
fame apartment, called El Vejlitar'w, contains fe
veral other valuable paintings ,* among others,
the birth and circiimcifion of Chrift, both! by
Baffan ; a Samaritan woman, by Rubens ; a Saint
Agnes, and a Pope feated, in which is difplayed
all the wondrous powers of the pencil of Vandyk.
I might mention feveral other remarkable
paintings with which the cathedral of Toledo is
enriched, were not I apprehenfive of fatiguing
the reader by too minute an exadtnefs; but I
cannot refrain from fpeaking of a produdtion by
a Spanifh painter, little known in his own coun
try, although very deferving to be fo. The name
of this artift is Bias de Prado, a native of Toledo,
one of whofe pidtures is feen in the cloifier of the
Cathedral. The moft indifferent connoiffeur can
not but be ftruck by the corredtnefs of the draw
ing, the excellence of the colouring, and efpe
cially by the foftnefs of expreffion in the figures.
It reprefents the Holy Virgin furrounded with
feveral faints, and crowned by angels, in pre
fence of a knight in compleat armour. I c®nfefs?
that notwithftanding the refpedtable names of the
painters, whofe works I have above mentioned,'
this ^ave me a pleafure which, on viewing them
I had not experienced, and that when I heard
the name of the artift, I had the weaknefs to re*
preach myfelf for my admiration- I am of opi
nion, that feveral virtuofi have frequently found
themfelves in the fame fituation ; in fuch cafes
they endeavour to juftify themfelves in their own
eyes, and redouble their attention to difcover
the perfections of the great mafter, and the 'de-!
fedU

OF SPAIN. J4*
fedts of the obfcure painter, as if men of fuperior
talents did not frequently fink to mediocrity, or
mediocrity did not fometimes foar above itfelf.
Befides, does not accident in every purfuit often
beftow greater reputation than real merit ? Flow
many men have paffed their lives in obfeurity
who, had they met with patrons and praife,
would have ranked with thofe of fuperior talents. I
The cloifter of the cathedral in which .the ex
cellence of the paintings pf Bias de Prado was
pointed out to me, though I think I fhould of
myfelf have difcovered it, is remarkable in feve
ral other refpedts ; it is very fpacious, and the
arcfiitedtural proportions extremely fine; the, walls
were once adorned with tolerable good paintings
in frefco, which were beginning to yield to the
ravages of time and humidity, when the prefent
archbifhop confided the care of repairing them to
the belt painters Spain at prefent can boaft.
Meffieurs Bayeux and Maella began the under
taking in 1777, and when I left the kingdom,
they had nearly compleated their work. The
paintings represent the principal adtions of the
life of Saint Eugenia and Saint Leocadia, pa--
trons of the cathedral, and thofe of fome other
faints famous at Toledo by their zeal for the
Chriftian religion. The fubjedts appeared to me
interefting, and fome of them had a great effect.
I was particularly ftruck with the foft and affect
ing expreffion of a Santa Cafilda, a young prin-
cefs, who from the top of the palace of her fa
ther, ftill a Pagan, ftretehes out a hand of fuc-
cour to the Chriftians languifhing in the prilons of
the perfecuting monarch.
I might give a long enumeration of the orna
ments, furniture and vafes confecrated to divine
fervice in the cathedral ; a fufficient idea may be
formed of them by confidering that Toledo is one of

144. THE pk£SENT STATE
of the richefl fees in Chriftendom, that it has fre>
quently been held by pious prelates, who would
have thought it' a reproach on themfelves had
they made a profane ufe of their opulence, and
that it has always had many opportunities, to be*
nefit by the munificence of the fovereigns of Spain*
I fhall only remark farther, that the curious are
fhewn a throne of mafiive filver, weighing twelve
hundred and fifty pounds, on which is placed an
image of the Virgin. Behind the choir is a piece
of fculpture, in the very worft tafte, and for what
Teafon I know not, called the Tranfparent. It is
a modern work, which disfigures inftead of em-
bellilhing the edifice. Piety, or rather credulity,
will find there a much more curious monument.
This is a ftone which bears the impreffion of the
feet of the Holy Virgin ; fhe placed them upon
it when fhe defcended from heaven to bring to ,
Saint Ildefonfo the firft chazuble or prieft's cap ;
a miracle which a modern fculpto/has perpetuated
in one of the chapels of tbe cathedral. This1
piece was juft finifhed when I faw it for the firft
time, and it feemed to me to do more honour to
the chifel of the artift than to religion. The
rough ftone which bears the proof of the miracle^
more precious than the hiftorical marble, is ex^
pofed to public view behind an iron railing. I
dare not fay of what country the feet are of
which it preferves the form; but I fhould riot
fcruple to affert, they did not belong to a Chinefe.
After the cathedral there are feveral other edi-'
fees which merit the attention of the traveller*
Such is the hofpital of Saint John the Baptift, of
which the porticos, courts, and the church in
particular, fufficiently prove, by the elegance and
exadtnefs with which they are executed, the pe*
riod of its foundation to have been about the
middle'of the fixteenth century, at the fame time that

OF SPAIN. ,.-
that they do honour to the good tafte of the
founder, cardinal Tavera, who has there a mag
nificent tpmb. The latter was the laft work of
Alfonfo Berruguete, an able fculptor, formed in
the fchool of Michael Angelo, and honoured with
the favour of Charles V.
Another fine foundation of the fame kind
which Toledo owes alfo to one of its prelates,
(Cardinal Mendoza) is the foundling hofpital, or
the hofpital of Santa Cruz, an edifice fomewhat
in the Gothic ftyle, but of which nothing can be
particularly admired except the finifhing of the
ornaments and the principal ftaircafe. In the
church there are fix great paintings of the fchool
of Rubens, and which for a long time were
thought to be by the hand of that mafter.
Another afylum open at Toledo to fuffering
humanity, alfo claimed my attention. This is an
hofpital for the infane. There are two principal
ones in Spain; one at Saragoffa, the other at
Toledo. I went feveral times to the latter, and
was always furprifed at the cleannefs and regu
larity which I conftantly found there ; and com
paring my obfervations with-thofe I had made in
the hofpitals of Valencia, BurgV>s, Cadiz, the ge
neral hofpital of Madrid, and feveral other infti-
tutionsof the fame kind, I could not but admire
how different devotion and chriftian charity ren
der men from themfelves, in what a manner they
triumph over their defects, and create in them
virtues to which they feem ftrangers. The Spa
niards are as magnificent in the decorations of
their temples, as fimple in thofe of their private
houfes. On examining their pious foundations,
their indolence and dirtinefs, two accufations
from which they cannot be intirely abfolved, are
forgotten. Had religion conferred but this one
Vol. Ii. L benefit

I4& THE PRESENT" ScT ATE
benefit upon; mankind,; it would;, ftuT.be HgUftl
worthy of our love and admiration. But I'ffiftlft
be told that, on the other hand;, it has awakened^
in them deftru&ive paffions which- flept in their
bofoms. Religion, is the mother of asdjentffangfe
ticifm and barbarous intolerance, as well as eornjj
paffionate charity. But without examining whe
ther religion may not difown fuch children, Ifcfr
us congratulate ourfelves that we are born in am
age when, even in Spain, it : is greatly "purifie.&
from the We. alloy by which it was too long di£;
honoured. - It is time, however, to return tp the
hofpital for the infane at Toledo. ^^ , „f..
The fight. of fuch a place ha* always fomething,
in. it afflicting; to humanity, even when viewed.
with the curiofity of philofophy ; but I confefs I
have never felt the fentiment of thofe who fay
they are humbled at the fight of this degrada
tion of human reafon. I never feel humiliation
except when I can make comparifons to my own
disadvantage. What clafs in the creation is bet
ter treated than the human fpecies ? If any other
be fo, is our fituation fuch as to make us blufh
before it? Shame fuppofes a reciprocal confer-
oufnefs between the being which feels, and that
by which it is caufed. We know not angels ;
beafts are unacquainted with us ; and infanity
being art involuntary defect from- which no per
fon is fecure, I fee not in what manner any indi
vidual of the human fpecies can feel humiliation;
at the fight of a madman ; he himfelf would not
feel it were he, capable of a reafonable fentiment.
The drunkard and paffionate man are thofe who
ought to blufh ; they rebel againft the reafon
which would reftrain them. The madman,, no
longer under jts empire, is the, flave of a power
which has fubjugated it without his confent,; he

is

6 F S;P A 1 N: j.m
is not to be pitied unlefs when lucid intervals give
him a knowledge of his fittiation. Except in
thefe cafes, a wretch rafcked with the gout feems
to have a greater claim to compaffion. With
thefe preliminary reflexions;, the afylums of hu
manity defpoiled of its moft exalted endowment,
may be entered with a greater degree of compo-
fure. I found but' one mart raving mad; in the
hofpital at Toledo; he was a prieft, whp, from
the wretched bed to which he was chained, ut
tered uninterrupted execrations againft the princi
pal perfonages of the kingdom of Spain. I be
held in him only a ferocious beaft in an human
form, whofe roarings were expreffed by words.
Without blaming or pitying him, Ifled from his
approach. His companions were much lefs fright
ful. I particularly remarked a Francifcan Monk1
'"/no had preferved his habit, and had wrapped
up his head in a wig made of paper ; his only
mania was that of mounting on a Hone, and'
thence, as from a pulpit, delivering feraps of fer-
mons, which he mingled with facetious jokes,
and ended' with making capers. In 1*783, I had
paffed a quarter e£ ail hour amongft his audience ;
two years afterwards I again appeared before
him, and was not a little aftonif-hed at his recol-
ledting me. I admired this inexplicable oddity
of Nature, which in fo feverely treating his in
tellectual faculties had ftill preferved to him a
happy memory. Is not this another problem for
rnetaphyfies to refolve ?
Before I finiih my obfervations on Toledo, I
muft not omit to take notice of an invention
which is an honour to that city. I mean the fa
mous machine now gone to ruin, invented by a
Cremonian of the name of Juanelo, to raife the
water of the Tagus into Toledo. According to
L 2 the

1+8 THE PRESENT STATE
the defcription we have received of it by tradi
tion, it muft have been extremely complicated,
and for that reafon could not but make the fupply
of water more dear to the inhabitants than it has ,
been fince the labour of mules has been fubfti-
tuted to carry water from the river to every houfe
in the city. Several attempts have been made to
fupply the want of the machine of Juanelo by
fimilar inventions. The mules, however, have
triumphed over every conspiracy againft them,
and lemain in poffeffion of their painful func-.
tions. Near the ruins of this machine there are others
more ancient, which muft have been a part of an
aqueduct erected to convey, on a level with the
Alcazar, the water from a fpring feven or eight
leagues from Toledo. This is one of thofe works,
equally ufeful and magnificent, by which the Ro
mans have marked their refidence in feveral places
in Spain; nor is this the only Roman monument
of which the remains are found in the environs of
Toledo. Near a convent of Minimes, on the
outfide of the city, , I difcovered the ruins of a
circus, and not far from the caftle of St. Servant
the traces of an old Roman road.
Thus the Romans, the Arabians, the Goths,
and the Spaniards of the time of Charles V. hy
turns improved and embellifhed Toledo. I can
not fay as much for the modern Spaniards. Hoii-
fes out of repair, fine edifices going to ruin, few
or no manufactures, a population reduced from
two hundred thoufand to twenty-five thoufand
perfons, and the moft barren environs are all
that now offer themfelves to the fight of the tra
veller drawn thither by the reputation of that fa
mous city. Under the prefent reign fome fuccefsful
efforts have been made to recover it from the uni
versal

OF SPAIN. I49
verfal decay into which it is fallen. We have
feen that the archbifhop has rebuilt a part of the
Alcazar? and eftablifhed there fome manufactures
of filk. The blades of Toledo were formerly
famous for their temper and folidity. Charles III.
has erected a very fpacious edifice for making
them ; and the experiments already made feem to
promife that the modern citizens of Toledo will
not in this refpedt be long inferior to their prede-
ceffors. The inhabitants of this city would fcarcely
pardon me were I to pafs over in filence their
Cigarrales, Thefe are little country houfes, which
I can compare to nothing that they more refemble
than to the Bajiides which furround the city of
Marfeilles, except that they are lefs ornamented
and not fo numerous. Upon the banks of the
Saone, the Loire, or thl|Thames, thefe cigarrales
would difhonour the country. In the barren part
of Caftile they are delightful retreats, and in the
heat of the dog-days offer coolnefs and repofe
amid the fhade of orchards. It is neverthelefs
impoffible to arrive at them exeept by the fweat
of the brow, in crofting fome burned and unfhaded
meadow, or climbing over rugged hills. They
are however, the garden of Eden to the inhabi
tants of Toledo, why therefore fhould I attempt
to deftroy the pleating illufion ?
I fhall here conclude the account pf my tra->
yels ii Spain, pr rather the defcription I promifed
of that kingdom. I do not pretend that my
journies from Bayonne to Madrid, from Madrid
to Valencia, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Salamanca, To
ledo, &c. have furnifhed me with fufficient know-i
ledge to enable me to give intire Satisfaction with
refpedt to the curiofities of all kinds to be found in

jg9 THE PRESENT STATE
in Spain*, or the productions, _ manners .and go.
vernment of the different provinces. The ge pe?
raLaccount I have endeavoured to give of. thefe
prefent (at leaft I fo would hope) what may ia
this refpedt gratify the curiofity of thofe whfc
wifh. to be acquainted with a foreign country
without refiding in . it for ^ confidet»We time*
and free from the prejudices hitherto as prevalent
as ill-founded, My object was not to write ^
book merely for amufement If this be intereft.
ing, it is, perhaps, fo from the variety it contains.
A work which fhould have been thought profound
would have been above my capacity, and one en
tirely frivolous appeared -to me unworthy of the
time I had dedicated to writing my journal and
obfervations, and of the clafs of readers whofe
fuffrageslam anxious to obtain. In all I have
faid I have endeavoured to preferve a juft medium
between {he ert&ufiafrm which extols every things and
* In- matters of curiofity, it would have been -neoeffary
for me to have vifited and defcribed the Moorifh antiquities,
of which Granada contains almoft the only remains to be
found in Europe; the Roman antiquities pf Tarragona,
Alcantara, Merida, &c. the facred treafures in Saragoffa,
Saint Jago de Compoft*lla, and other monuments oi the
pious magnificence of the Spaniards, fonae whole provinces
and moft of the ports ;pf the Peninfula. My principal in
tention was to make known modern Spain under -prefent
circumftalices, which remain not lite chains of mountains,
and the com fc of rivers to be obferved during fucceffive ages,
and to render to the inhabitants, •that juftioe which, at prefent
is their due. What may be wanting i n my work will -be found
in the Bjfaisfur I'E/pagne, "by M. Peyron, (fubjoined to this
work) who, by a premature death, was prevented from tora-
pleating 'them; but chiefly in the Viage de Efpama by the
Abbe Pons, who has particularly defcribed the monuments
pf .every kind, good, indifferent and bad, ancient and mo
dern, facred and profane, wliich are to be'foun i in Spain.
This work is not yet finilhed; but it already proves, to the
moft difficult readers, the author's indefatigable patience and
love of his country.

OF SPAIN, I5j
and the fpirit of defamation which fpares nothing.
May I hope it will be allowed that I have fulfilled
my intention ? Will the Spaniards be of opinion
that I have treated them as well as they did me?
I fhould be very forry were they to accufe me of
want of gratitude, but my other readers would
have juft caufe of complaint had I fuffered that
fentiment to influence my judgment.

The following Sheets are tranflated from the
EfaisfurFEfpagije of M- Peyron: as they
contain nearly the fvhole of that work, it
has been thought proper to prefix; the Au
thor's Introdu&iqn,

INTRODUCTION.

IVJ O S T jmen fee things in a manner peculiar
to themfelves ; the fame object prefents itfelf un
der different appearances to the eye of the ob-
ferver; and until he has remarked them all, he
cannot fay he is really acquainted with it. If this
principle be true in any refpedt, it is undoubtedly
vjp when applied to travels, "the fluctuation of
commerce, the encouragement or neglect of letters
and arts, or a minifter. more or lefs able, are fo
many caufes of a vifible, change in public affairs.
Manners become corrupted ; vice and foreign lux
ury encreafe with knpwiedge, and in the fpace pf
afew years the face and character pf a nation are
changed. Monuments even, by which only tra
vellers

jca THE PRESENT STATE
vellers are but too frequently attradted, fall into
ruin ; thefe are fucceeded by others, and infatia
ble curiofity never wants for food.
We have already feveral accounts of Travels
in Spain. Father Labat, Colmenar, Madame
Dunois, M. de Silhouette,' a monk frojoi Lom
bardy, and Mr. Barrettj, have paffed through and
defcribed feveral of the provinces of -that vaft
monarchy, and given fome idea of the manners
and character of the Spanifh nation.
. A Spaniard sow living, and having feen riolfting
but the paintings, churches and antiquities of
fome of the principal cities, lias already Written,
feveral volumes upon thofe fubjects. The reverend
author, the Abbe Pons, poffeffes a confiderable
knowledge of the fine arts, and judges of them
like an amateur and an able critic' His book was
my only guide in the cities of which it gives a de
fcription ; but the author makes no obfervation
upon manners, cuftoms and laws, Were it ne
ceffary to apologize for his worfc, it rf%lft be
urged that he wrote for his countrymen ; and that
his chief aim w-as to give them a knowledge of
the different kinds of national monuments |hey
poffefs, He wifhed by this means to roufe the
"Spaniards from that indofence with which they
are reproached, and the more fo, as it is not na
tural to them to improve the national tafte and
revive the love of the arts, His withes and efforts,
therefore, deferve the highe'ft eulogium.
How was it poffible for him to fpeak of abufes?
In this cafe he muft have gone to the fourcfe, and
founded the depth' of art abyfs enveloped in a fa
cred obfcurity and dangerous to defcerid. He
contemplated it from afar, and was. forry, perhaps,
in his heart, not to be able to remove every ob-
ftacle to his progrefs. How often miifthe hav'e
lighted in defcribing ; for many churches in which the

OF SPAIN, xx*
*
the richeft and moft abundant treafures are buried!
He has, however, ventured to put into the mouth
pf an old man, one of his friends,, a few words
to the following effect :
" Would not the exceffive donations to con-
" .vents, thofe whims of devotion, gratified at
f fuch an enormous expence, be better employed
*' in conftructing rpads and bridges ? This would
f be doubly confecrating them to public utility,
" as the people who live in a vicious poverty
f would then find employment for their time.
-w Works of real piety are ufeful to mankind, and
f not confined to pampering a few feififti and ig-
" norant hermits.'" The obfervation is juft, full
pf fentiment, and difcovers the zeal with which
<the author was animated.
Father Labat, with much wit and judgment, is
not always to be depended upon.; he generalizes
too much certain particular cuftoms 'obfervable in
a family, and applies them to the whole nation.
He fays the Spaniards, men, women and children,
go without hats, and have their heads fhaved to
facilitate perfpiration. The monk deceives us,
or cuftoms are greatly changed. A Spaniard ne
ver goes out without a broad hat. His hair,
which he does not cut off, is contained in a piece
pf filk network, called Redezilla. The women
wear a veil over the fame envelop for the hair.
The Spaniards are known to be much attached to
their hats, which are heavier, broader and more
warm than ours; they w~ere the occafion of an
infurrection in Madrid, and thecapkal is theonly
place where the King has been able to prohibit
them. The French are indifputably the people
who make the leaft ufe of hats.
¦Golmenar, diffufe and dull, and fatiguing to
read, is not always exact. He makes no fcruple
to repeat paffages and reflections frpm his own
work,

rc6 THE PRESENT STATE
work, wherever be thinks, them neceffary, with
out even changing a word. After reading his
Delices, and having made the tour pf Spam, it
requires no great penetration to difcover that a
great part of his travels were performed in the
clofet. Notwithftanding this he is ftill one of the
beft Spanifh guides.
The public arc alfo acquainted with the letters
of -an Englifh Lady to a female friend in Paris,
written about a century ago, upon Spain, and in
which the fair authorefs aims much more to excite
and gratify the emotions of the heart than to exer
cife her wit and judgment^ She, however, does
not want difcernment, , nor that kind of erudition
proper to her fex; but as a woman of feeling;
and taking the title of an Englifh Lady, fhe feems
moltly attached to adventures of love and fenti
ment, which, for her, are undoubtedly more in
character than decyphering ancient infcriptions,
or fatiguing her eyes, formed to infpire the tender*
eft paflions, upon ftones and marble almoft de
ftroyed. by time. Her work is anrufing and in,
ftrudtive, and contains many charadterifties of the
Spaniards of the prefent age ; but fince the letters
Were written, the nation has changed, and is,
perhaps, become lefs interefting than Madame
JXinois defcribed it to be in ber tjme.
When the book of the Lombard Monk appear^
ed, the Spaniards complained of his fatire and
want of fmcerity. Government endeavoured to
get the work prohibited in Italy, but failed in the
attempt. I thiqk this was unmerited,, and am
far from being pf opinion that Spain had reafon
to be offended. The work of Father Caymo is
full of information relative to the fine aits : he
was really a connoiffeur, but his travels were con
fined to a very fmall portion of Spain. He has
juftly blamed certain cuftoms and fuperftitions ;
«md

OF SPAIN. j.*
and the Abbe Pons has not anfwered him by fay
ing the Italians are as much to be eenfured on the
fame account. The whole world is, the country
of a traveller; and the reverend Lombard would
have eenfured in Italy what he blamed in Spain.
If Father Gaymo be alive* I am of opinion he
is not well fatisfied with his tranflator. Befides
his having injudicioufly curtailed feveral parts of
the work, he has frequently rendered in bad
French the pure and elegant Italian of the origi
nal. The monk is indeed to be accufed of rather
too much partiality for his own nation; but he
has certainly both tafte and judgment joined to
great erudition. He has wiitten upon England
and Portugal alfo, but the tranflator has not
thought proper to make thefe works known.
M. de Silhouette was very ypung when • he tra
velled poft through Spain; he fcarcely mentions
the cities through which he paffed, and when he
does he names them inaccurately. He made his
tour in three months in the year 1729.*$ I do not
believe he had any great opinion of his work, or
that he ever thought it would convey much infor
mation to his reader.
Mr. Baretti, whofe letters to his brothers have
lately been tranflated, in which he defcribes his
journey from England to Italy, paffing through
Portugal and Spain, is advantageoufly known in
the literary world by works in which he has given
proofs of wit and judgment as well as philofophy.
The man of information as well as the obferver of
acute difcernment appears in his letters ; but as
he wrote them by way of relaxation from the fa
tigues of travelling, moft objects were alike to
him; he fought after fuch as might enliven his mind
and his pen. The voluptuous dances at which
he Was prefent, in an' inn at Badajoz, and the
portrait of his amiable J'ao/ita, are defcription s
lull

r$8 THE PRESENT STAT&
full oflivelinefs and fentiment; but he feems fre
quently to enter into too minute details, which
could not be interefting except to his own family,
However eftimable and inftf udtive all thefe tra
vels may be, and two or three others I have not
mentioned becaufe they are lefs confiderable,
Spain is not yet well known, nor do I flatter my*
felf with the idea of being able to give a complete
defcription of it. 1 propofe the obfervations I:
have made in travelling through that kingdom as
fimple effays, and fhall endeavour to prefent the'
objedtsin the manner they appeared to me.
I am aware of the difficulty of my undertaking,
and it, perhaps, behoves me to follow the advice
of Fontenelle, andfhut my hand if I have really
found the truth. Men like not to fee it in front ;
and' various means are neceffary to gain it admif-
fion. Great delicacy is required in the choice of
expreffion, that felf-love may not be mortified.
If the biftorianbe impeded in his progrefs by hu
mane confiderations, for a long time, and even
ages after the events he relates, what muft be the
fituation of the traveller, whofe pen is confined
to prefent objects, and who dares to judge of na
tions and men in power as well as of received and
deeply rooted abufes? He proceeds tremblingly,
becaufe every- ftep he takes furrounds him with
enemies. He cannot always flatter; and it would
not be wortli while to quit his native country for
the purpofeN of bafely applauding, in a foreign
clime, that which is repugnant to reafon and not
unfrequently to humanity.
It would undoubtedly be much better not to
write, and that a traveller fhould go in purfuit of
knowledge for his own fatisfadtion ; but in fuch a
cafe the powerful incentive of being ufeful would
be wanting. His obfervations would be fo negli
gently made,, as but feldom to difcover the truth ;
and

Of: SPAIN. j>g
and hiving found much amufement for his eyes,
and but little for his mind, he would return home
with his head full of phantoms, like that of a
child who has paffed feveral hours before a magic
lantern. ••' • • •"" -'.j- •->!¦;.<.*
Be not offended, brave and generous Spaniards,
from whom I have received io many open marks
oESriendfhip, donothlame me if, fametimes, car
ried away by myfubjedt, blinded by my national
prejudices, or tempted by a liberty of thinking
yet unknown amongft you, I have feen, ; with an
evil eye, certain of your received manners, cuf
toms and inftitutions, and the laws which tyran-
nife over you. Let my excufe be found in the
love of truth, and the franknefs of my chaiac-
ter. I fhall fpeak of monuments alfo, and with my
own thoughts upon them give thofe of others.
My intention is to relate and defcribe, and but
very feldom to judge. I fhall coradudl my reader
to the feveral cities through which I have paffed^
and there point out to him what appeared to me
moft worthy of attention, admiration, or.cenfure.
In order to give him fome relaxation from the fa
tigue of travelling, I fhall communicate to. hint
my ideas on legiflation, commerce, manners and
Cuftoms, as they may arife from thefubjedt, with
out aiming at any other order or plan throughout
the whole woik. I do not mean to go provided
with a fquare and compafs to take the height of
fteepies, and give the exact dimenfions of churches,
but I fhall not fo far fubjedt myfelf to this prohi
bition as not .to meafure any: my intention is to
introdtice fome variety into the too great unifor
mity of a travelling journal.

If}0 THE PRESENT STATE
GENERAL VIEW of ANCIENT and
MODERN SPAIN.
WERE not a refearch after etymologies equally
fruitlefs, difgufting and fatiguing, I would wil
lingly dedicate fome time and paper to a long
diflertation on the different names given to Spain,
repeating what the ancients, before me, have
faid of them, and call to the recollection of my
reader the appellations of Iberus, Hifpalis, Hef-
perus, Tubal, and the Rabbits, the Phoenician
name for which, Sepana, was, we have been told,
the loot of that of Spain. But the proofs of this
illuftrious origin would not at prefent be welkre-
ceived, and but little regard would be paid to my
extenfive erudition, fince fadts are generally al
lowed to be much preferable to words. ¦ '
Spain is placed by nature in the moft happy
fituation : furrounded by feas and mountains, the
enjoys a temperature of climate the moft condu-*
cive to health, and the moft favourable to plea
fure. The kingdom contains immenfe riches;
gold, precious ftones, and iron, ftill more ufeful,
wait but for the hand of the workman to recom-
pencc his labours. The foil, without requiring
a fatiguing cultivation, is naturally fertile, and
produces every neceffary of life : the men who
inhabited it were, according to hittorians, robuft
and warlike. By what means, then, has this
vaft monarchy, which could never be fubjugated
by want, fo often become the prey of its neigh
bours ? The folution of this curious problem
mu ft be fought in the inteftine wars of the cok>
nifts and the native inhabitants. This country,.
unfoitunate by' the beneficence of nature, was
long a iccneof bloodfhed, and ever difputedand
envied. Thefe feem to have been the unhappy
confequences

OF SPAIN.

161

confequences of its mild and fertile climate, which
became the rturfery of rival and inimical nations.
Spain is bounded on the north by the Pyrenees,
which feparate it from France ; on the eaft by
the Mediterranean, on the fouth by the Streights
'of Gibraltar, and on the Weft by Portugal and
the Atlantic Ocean: it is upwards of two hun
dred and fixty leagues in length, from the fouth-
weft to the north-eaft, and a hundred and feventy
leagues in breadth.
The higheft mountains of Spain are the Py
renees, which extend from the Ocean to the Me
diterranean. The mountains of Oca, thofe of
Guadarrama, which feparate the two Gaftifes,
and the Sierra Morena which borders upon An
dalufia, and feems to render it inacceffiblg to the
reft of the kingdom.
This peninfula is watered by many very, confi
derable rivers : thefe are upwards of an hundred
and fifty in number; but the moft diftinguifhed
by their extent, breadth and depth, in a word,
thofe which in their courfe fwallow up the others,
and afterwards empty their waters into the fea,
are the Ebro, the -Guadalquivir, the Tagus, the
Guadiana, the Douro, the Guadalaviar, and the
Segura. In giving a defcription of each province,
I fhall have occafion to fpeak of the rivers by
Which they are watered, and to fix the place of
their -fource, and that where they are received
into the ocean.
Spain, from its pofitiort, climate and fertility,
has been the victim of hoftile nations. The
Phoenicians are the firft of which we find traces
in hiftory. This people, to whom commerce
taught pfefilofophy, landed upon the coafts of
Spain, and their firft fettlement was, it is faid,
'at Cadiz- The native favages did not think them
felves fufficiently: powerful/ to repel the new
Voi. II. M comers^

jfa THE. PRESENT STATE
comers,, or thefe, at firft, treated them with
mildnefs, and thereby gained their efteem and
admiration, and were even aided by them in fome1
of their firft entei prizes. The Phoenicians founded
a colony upon that coaft which nature had marked
out to become the center of commerce. The
neighbouring favages foon received laws, which
were prefently followed by their natural confe-
quences, manners, habits and morals. Thus
commerce poffeffes the means of ennobling itfeif,
and covers, with a refpedtable veil, the intereft by
which it is animated. The Phoenicians, at firft,
made feveral voyages with the confent of the na
tives : they acquired, in exchange for their mer
chandize, certain portions of land which they
were defirous to occupy, and the firft years; of
this alliance were for them equally peaceful and
lucrative,- but becoming more avaricious, and
the old inhabitants better understanding their
true interefts, they foon ftained with blood a
country inhabited by people whom they were
come to civilife. However, if it be true that men
are rendered more, happy by being enlightened,
the Phoenicians became the firft benefactors and
legiflators of Spain. Their fettlements extended
to the fouthern coafts,. and into the, country as
far as Cordova.
. , Much about the fame time, the. Greeks or Phoe
nicians, after having founded Marfeilles, went tp
Spain and planted there feveral colonies; they
poffeffed a part of the kingdoms of Valencia and
Catalonia ; their fettlements were afterwards ex
tended to Arragon ; and, according to Strabp, as
far as Galicia.
, The Carthaginians, not lefs defirous of profit
and of plunder, and being merchants and navi
gators as well as their rivals, thought proper tp
difpute with them a foil lefs- fcorched and more
fertile

of Spain. rg*
fertile than that of Africa ; they alfo founded co
lonies, but not without firft having fhed much
blood. The ancient inhabitants having but few other
wants than thofe of nature, and not difcovering
their future tyrants in the new colonifts, who
came from all quarters into their country, amufed
themfelves with hunting, fifhing, and peacefully
drinking the milk of their flocks. Poffeffing but
little knowledge of commerce and navigation,
they left the care and profits of thefe, and with
them all difputes, to the Greeks and the Cartha
ginians. But the wars between thefe people were not of
long duration, becaufe commerce loves tran
quillity, and endeavours to repel violence with
out aiming at military fame. All their quarrels
would have been terminated by a folid peace;
Greeks, Carthaginians and Phoenicians would
tranquilly have exchanged their commodities and
dug into the earth in fearch of its valuable metals,
had Rome feen without envy the aggrandifement
and fuccefs of her rival. In the prefent age,
England, Holland and France, work, from Ca
diz, the mines of Peru, and thefe nations, al
though jealous of each other, go, in this refpedt,
hand-in-hand, and think of nothing but the pro
fits arifing from their enterprize.
The Romans took the firft opportunity of driving
the Carthaginians from Spain. This kingdom be
came thejtheatre of two of the moft famous wars of
antiquity. By the firft, which lafted twenty-four
years, Rome obliged Carthage to cede to her a
part of her conquefts ; and by the fecond, which
continued but for feven teen years, Carthage was
entirely ftripped of her poffeffions and her power.
The Spaniards, "wholly civilifed, if a part of
Afturia and the mountains of Bifcay, into w7hich
M z the

t64r

THE PRESENT STATE

the Roman arms penetrated with difficulty, be
excepted, then breathed only peace and a love of
arts and letters ; the country became as famous
by its arfiftsj and the magnificent cities with
Which it was decorated, as by its immenfe riches,
and the diffentions of thofe by whom it was go
verned : it was the theatre on which the moft il-
luftrious generals of the republic exercifed their
valour and obtained more than One triumph.
It became ftill more celebrated after Julius;
Csefar had fought there, the laft battle which in-
fured him the greateft empire in the world. _
The, Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians
had, as I may fay, only gone to Spain. They
poffeffed but fome parts of it, and the Jongeft
continuation of their authority, that of the Car*
thaginians. did not exceed two centuries. The
Romans eftablifhed themfelves there, and became,
abfolute mafters of the kingdom, which they
divided as they thought proper, gave names to
cities, rivers and provinces, and formed fome of
the inhabitants into excellent foldiers, who were
fuccefsfully employed againft the enemies of
Rome. The emperors, fatisfied with the fidelity
of their new fubjedts, ehofe their guards from
amongft them.
Under the Romans, Spain was divided into
Bsetica, Lufitania and Tarraconenfis. Bsetica,
fo called from the Bastis, now the Guadalquivir,
comprehended all the country between Granada
and the mouth of the Guadiana, properly fpeak-
ing, upper and lower Andalufia, and a part of
new Caftile ; Lufitania extended from the Guadi
ana to the Douro ; and Tarraconenfis, as exten-
five as the other two divifions, comprehended the
reft of the kingdom.
The ancients have left behind them very ani
mated accounts of. this monarchy. Strabo is
the

OF SPAIN, T6-
the author who defcribes it with the greateft
truth : he fays, it is a mountainous and difficult
country; and that the mountains by which it
is divided are for the moft part barren. The
fertility of the foil is precarious, and depends
upon the greater or lefs abundance of water : the
jaorthern part is naturally cold and poor, but he
does juftice to the fertility of Andalufia. All
his third book is equally interefting and inftruc-
tive for fuch' perfons as defire to acquire a know
ledge of that part of Europe.
The Romans poifeffed this rich and extenfive
jjpninfula about fix hundred years : we have feen
that towards the fifth century, a fwarm o£ bar
barians fell upon the fine provinces of the empire ;
The Vandals, Alans, and Suevi invaded Spain
after having paffed through Gaul, conquered a
part of it, and divided their conqueft amongft
them. The Vandals inhabited Andalufia and
gave it their name. The Alans had Portugal,
.and fhe Suevi Galicia. Thefe barbarians thus
eftablifhed, and war becoming one of the num
ber of, their wants, turned their arms againft
themfelves. The Suevi having fubjugated the
Alans, would have ftriven to conquer the reft of
Spain, had not the Vifigoths, who had eftablifhed
their throne in Narbonne, and held the fovereign-
ty of Rouffillon, Catalonia and Arragon, oppofed
their attempt, and driven them back to Galicia.
Thefe Goths emboldened by fuccefs, and the
empire having none but weak and effeminate
generals and troops to oppofe to them, found no
difficulty in driving the Romans almoft entirely
out of Spain : they ruined the little kingdom of
the Suevi alfo, and remained undifturbed poffef-
fors of the monarchy. They reigned there an
hundred and thirty years. Roderk was the laft
pf their kings; the famous battle of Xeres, in
712,

j66 THE PRESENT STATE
712, put '-the Moors in poffeffipn of the greateft
and fineft part of Spain. The hiftory of Roderie
is enveloped in an infinity of fables. He is faid
to have entered a grotto at Toledo, where he
found a fheet upon which was painted a man of
gigantic ftature, ip an African habit, and holdr
ing an infcription, fignifying that Spain fhould
one day be fubjugated by fuch a race of men. A
fable repeated by feveral hiitorians, as is alfo that
of the daughter of Count Julian, undoubtedly
more natural and probable, but which, accord*
ing to the moft judicious critics, is equally void
of truth. ^ We know that Roderie having ill
treated Car'a, a young and beautiful lady of his
court, and treated with indignity Count Julian
her father, who demanded fatisfadtion for her
injured honor ; the latter, then governor for the
Goths of that part pf Africa which terminates at
the Streights, invited the Moors into Spain to be
revenged on his fovereign.
However this may be, other Moors, Arabs,
Saracens or Africans, fucceeded to the firft, and
conquered without difficulty all the fine provinces
of Spain, except thofe of the north, where fteep
and barren mountains were always an afylum of
liberty for the inhabitants, and ferved as a nurfef y
to that race of kings who were one day to be
the avengers of Spain and religion for the inva
sion and oppreflion of the Moors.
Thefe, however, becoming quiet poffeffors of
their brilliant and rapid conquefts, the dawn of
the re'fplendent reigns of the fovereigns of Cor
dova, Seville, and Granada, began to appear.
The court of Abdalrahman was the center of arts,
fciences, pleafures and gallantry. Touinaments,
the image of war, in which love and addrefs were
fubftituted for valour and courage, continued for
feveral centuries the amufements of a rich and
fortunate

O F S P A I N. j67
fortunate people. The women were conftantly
prefent at games the only end of which was to
pleafe them, and excited a tender emulation.
They diftributed to the conquerors fcarfs and rib
bons which their own hands had embroidered.
The voluptuous Arabs aimed at fplendid atchieve-
ments to render, themfelves more worthy of their
miftreffes. To them are we indebted for plain
tive romance, in which fedudtive love affumes the
air of melancholy, the better to intereft our affec
tions : poetry and mufic were favorite arts with
the Moors. The poet, in this climate, in which
pleafure and imagination jointly reigned, fhared
in the veneration which the public had for o his
works; the number of academies, and univerfi-
ties increafed in Cordova and Granada; even
women gave public ledtures on poetry and philo
sophy; and literary refources abounded in pro
portion to the progEefs of fcience. I recolledt to
have read, that at that time there were feventy
public libraries in Spain. Toledo, Seville, Gra
nada and Cordova, which now prefent nothing
but ruins and depopulation, certainly contained
from three to four hundred thoufand inhabitants ;
and the country, peopled wilh labourers, abun
dantly furnifhed them with every neceffary and
convenience of life.
Granada is the only place in which veftiges of
the Iplendid reign of the Moors are to be found.
The Alhambra and Generatif would alone be
fufficient to authenticate the brilliant defcriptions
preferved to us in a great number of Arabian
Tales; and there is no exaggeration in faying
that poets took for models the monuments erected
by architects, or that the latter built edifices ac
cording to the imagination of poets.
Nothing can be more confuted than the dynaf-
ties of the Moors or Arabs who rekned in Spain. That

t68 THE PRESENT STATE
That of the Chriftian monarchs "who difputed
With them the kingdom, and, taking advantage.
of their divifions, drove them out of it, is not
lefs fo. Doctor Caffiri has given a lift pf. the
former in his famous library of Arabian many-
icripts in the Efcurial, a work which does equal
honor to the reigning monarch and the author :
it is tranflated from cotemporary Arabian au
thors ; . but however exadt it may be, it has too
much preciiion, and leaves much to be defired.
The work is not lefs worthy of the greateft eulo-
gium ; it is neceffary to read it to conceive a juft
idea of the talents of every kind which rendered
the Arabs illuftrious.
Their glory was at its greateft height, when
civil wars, treafbn, and frequent aifaffinations,
difturbed the peace of thefe powerful kingdoms,
jealous of each other. The Chriftian monarch?,
long accuftomed to conquer the Moors thus di,
vided, had within little more than a century
taken from them Toiedo, Cordova, Seville, and
Murcia. Granada ftill fiburifhed, and was become
their only ftrong hold, when Caftile and Arragon,
united in the perfons of Ferdinand and Ifabella,
formed too great a power to be refitted by a king
dom enfeebled by inteftine commotions. Gra
nada was reduced, in 1492, after a fiege of two
years. The Moors had reigned in Spain about
.eight centuries, and were totally ruined by this
defeat; perfecuted, defpoiled, 'burned, or con
verted arid baptized by thoufands, they were at
length driven from the kingdom in the reign of
Philip III.  • '
Such are the moft ftriking revolutions to which
Spain has been fubjedted ; my intention was
merely to relate them according to the order in
which they are found in hiftory; where their
caufes and progrefs muft be fought. One only
reflection

OF SPAIN. jgg
reflection occurs to me from this long courfe of
unfuccefsful wars and revolutions, which is that
Spain feems exhaufted, the inhabitants enervated,
and the foil without cultivation from a want of
vigorous hufbandmen : the Spaniards have no
more domeftic enemies to conquer, and their
vigor is loft. The reign of Charles V. was among
the glorious times of Spain ; the fucceeding reigns
differ not from each other except in the degrada
tion and languor by which they are charadterifed ;
the conquefts in the new world and the gold of
Mexico and Peru have accelerated the period of
her imbecility.
Spain is at prefent divided into fourteen pro
vinces, which are Navarre, Bifcay and the Anu
rias to the north ; of which Bifcay is fubdivided
into the provinces of Alva, Guipufcoa, and Bif7
cay properly fo called : to the weft are Galicia
and Eftramadura : to the fouth upper and lower
Andalufia and the kingdom of Murcia : to the
eaft that of Valencia, Arragon, and Catalonia:
and, in the middle of the monarchy, the king
dom of Leon and the two Caftiles.

ENTRANCE into SPAIN by
CATALONIA.
THE fine roads of France terminate a few
leagues from Perpignan. Two pillars which
ferve as fupporters, wie to the arms of France,
the other to thofe of Spain, mark the frontiers of
each kingdom. The Caftle of Bellegarde, which
commands thefe fterile hills, is the laft French
place, and at the diftance of a few hundred paces, upon

jyo THE PRESENT STATE
upon a good road, is a ftony path which leads to
La Jonquiere, a little ill-built village ot only a
fingle ftreet. At this boundary the traveller muft
change his tafte and manner of thinking. In the
fpace of. half a league he meets with another Ian-,,
giiage, and manners and cuftoms totally different.
Nothing can more powerfully excite in the mind
of a traveller both melancholy and interefting;
-fefledlions than the paffage from one kingdom to
another. The influence of government, which
extends from the center to the extremities, fre
quently caufes a greater difference between one
man and another, than foil and climate can pro-*
duce in plants, trees, and ftones.
At La Jonquiere the ilranger is vifited by the
officers of the revenue. It is neceffary to know-
that fnuff, muffin, and every kind of cotton are
abfolutely prohibited, and theffmuggling of thefe
commodities rigoroufly punifhed. A prudent
traveller fhould not depend upon the indulgence.
of cuftom-houfe officers, who are not delicate as
to the means of fatisfying their avarice.
After leaving La jonquiere the road becomes
better ; but the only pr: ifpedt from it confifts of
uncultivated lands, which, from their nature,
feem deitined to remain foT The neighbouring
hills, until we arrive within a league of Figuera,
a fmall town of which the environs are tolerably
well cultivated, are covered with fortifications,
which appear, to be ufelefs and neglected, The
officers of the revenue here prtfent themfelyes a
feopnd time.
Farther within the province of Catalonia, the
country becomes more ple^fknt and fertile ; al
though from Figuera to Girona nothing is feen
from the road but a few old barns and miferable
villages, except that of Sarria, which is not con
fiderable, Girona is a city built at the coriflui ence

O F S P A I N. ,7I
ence of the Onhar and the Duter, which, join
ing their waters, form a wide and magnificent
channel. The fortifications appeared to me to
be in a bad ftate, and I did not fee a fingle fol-
dier at the gates. The great ftreet which croffes
it from one end to the other is full of fhops, and
workmen of every kind. This city was formerly
called Gefunda; the cathedral church, dedicated
to the Virgin, is extremely rich, and contains a
ftatue of folid filver of its patronefs. Girona is
the principal place of a confiderable jurifdidtion,
in which are comprehended the towns of Ampu-
rias and Rofes. It is the refidence alfo of a
bifhop, whofe diocefe contains three hundred and
thirty-nine parifhes .
A few leagues from Girona tbe road croffes the
wood of Tiona, which, for the fpace of two
hours, prefents at different diftances the moft
agreeable points of , view ; but the road is ex
tremely bad, efpecially after rain, becaufa the
furface is a fine and very tenacious clay which
adheres to the wheels of carriages and feet of the
mules, rendering their progrefs very flow and
difficult. The only comfort alter paifing this road
is a ,folitary inn,, called the Grepota : the travel
ler has afterwards to crofs marfhes and feveral
ftreams ; but a road embellifhed with tufts of
poplars, and fields well cultivated, recompence
him for paft fatigues. Malgrat, the next village",
is rather confiderable; and after about an hour's
journey further, we arrive at Acaleilla ; and, as
we advance into the country, habitations become
more frequent. The villages of Tamppul, Canet
and Haram, furrounded with trees and gar
dens, are a few hundred yards from the lea;
fifhermens barks, and even fome pretty large
tartans

IjZ THE PRESENT STATE
tartans * are built there. The women in all thefe
villages have a frefh complexion, and are, in ge
neral, very handfome; and as they Only labour
at the eafy and quiet employment of lace-making,
their beauty is preferved : the men are for the moft
part fifhermen. I have feen but few profpedts
' more agreeable than thofe upon this coaft. Frorn
Canet to Mataro it is edged with little hills, which
are continually to be afcended and defcended, fo
that the road becomes fatiguing; but a. view of
the fea and a fine country enlivens and aroufestbe
traveller. Mataro is a fmall town, induftrfous and weU
peopled, and the environs abound in vineyards,
which produce wine much famed for its flavour.
It likewife contains feveral manufactories, and is
confidered as one of the richeft and moft active
towns in Catalonia. The view of the fea cond-.
nues from Mataro to Barcelona ; the fides of the
roacUare ornamented with country houfes which
might have been built with more tafte, but they
enrich and animate the landfcape; the fteeples,
towers, and ramparts of Barcelona are feen at a
diftance, and the road to it is, in general, ' toleiv
ably good. But before I fpeak of that city, J
think it Is neceffary to give fome account of the
province of which it is the capital,

C A T A.L O N I A,
CATALONIA is about twenty leagues
in length from eaft to w:eft; and from forty to
forty-eight in breadth. This Province has nearly
eighty
* A kind of bark ufed in the Mediterranean for fiftiing
and carriage. It has only a main-mait and a mizen; and
¦whcuafquaiefail is put up, it is c^led 1 sail o? fOrttjn:?,.

OF SPAfN. m
eighty leagues upon the Mediterranean. It de^
rives its name from that of the Goths and Alans
united in the word Gothaltmia, eafily changed into
Catalonia. It is bounded on the north by the Py
renees, to the eaft and fouth by the Mediterranean,
and to the weft by the kingdom of Valencia and
a part of that of Arragon.
The principal cities are Barcelona the capital,
Tarragona, Girona, Urgel, Vic, Lerida, Tortofa,
Rofes, Splfpnna, Cervera, Cardona, Palamos,
Ampvmas, and Puicerda. The province is di
vided into fifteen jurisdictions.
Amongft the rivers by which it is watered, the
moft confiderable is the Ebro, which runs only
through a fmall part of it, and falls into the fea
fix leagues from Tortofa. The others are the Frtfn-
coli, which is loft in the fea below Tarragona ;
the Lobregat, the fource . of which is in Mount-
Pendisj and reaches the fea with the Befos near
Barcelona ; the Ter, which rifes between Mount-
CanigOi and- the Col deNuria, and After running
from the north-eaft: to the fouth-weft, turns to
wards the eaft and empties its waters into the fea
near Tor-oella, a few leagues from Girona ; and
the Fluvia, the mouth of which is below Ampu-
rias. Befides thefe there are others lefs confider
able, which lofe their name and add to thofe I
have mentioned.
The air df Catalonia is healthy, and the cli
mate upon the coaft temperate ; but the northern
part is cold on account of the mountains. 1 hefe
are numerous in this province, but they are not
fo barren as thofe in other parts of the kingdom;
the mountains of Catalonia are covered vitb.
wood and verdure. Among the trees are the pine,
the ehefnut, the beech, fir, and green -oak: the
fine and well cultivated plains of Tarragona, Cer-
dagna,

174 THE PRESENT sTATi:
dagna, Vic and Urgel produce abundance of
corn, wine, and vegetables of every kind.
The two wonders of Catalonia are Mont-
Serrat, and .the mountain near Cardona, called
the Salt-Mountain. Thefe equally attract the at
tention of the devotee and the naturalift.^ The
traveller from Lombardy has given a very circum-
fta.ntial defcription of the monaftery and cells in
the famous folitude of Mont-Serrat. Nothing
can be more pidturefque than this mountain; it
is fo lofty that when you are on the top the
neighbouring mountains appear to be funk to a
level with the plain, it is compofed' of fteep
rocks, which, at a diftance, feem indented, whence,
it is faid, it received the name Mont-Serrat, from
the Latin word Serra, a faw ; as probable and
well-founded an etymology as many others which
have been well received in the world. It is im
poffible to defcribe the beauty, richnefs and va
riety of the landfcapes difcovered from the moft
elevated point. They fatigue the eye, and muft
undoubtedly humble every thinking man; it is
fufficient to obferve, that the iflands of Minorca
and Majorca, which are at the diftance of fixty
leagues, are difcovered from this elevation. It is
upon this famous mountain that adoration is paid
to the ftatue of the Virgin, difcovered by fome
fhepherds in the year 880.
Ihe monaftery in which fixty monks live, ac
cording to the rules of Saint Benedict, is at tbe
foot of a fteep rock. It was there Saint Ignatius
devoted himfelf to penitence, became the knight ,
of the Virgin, and formed the idea of founding
the too celebrated fociety of Jefus. Upon one of
the walls we read, B. Ignatius £ Loyola hie multti
precefeluque Deo fe Virgmiquedevovit ; hie tanquarh,
annis fpiritualibm J'acco fe muniens .pemocl'avit ; him
fid'fbcietatem'Jefu fundandam prodiit anna, 1522, And

-Of s pa i N. I75
And it was undoubtedly in the fame place that he
was infpired with the thought of copying the ex-
.ercifes of Mont-Serrat, to make them become
thofe of his fociety; an anecdote but little known,
and which here deferves a place.
' 'The venerable father Cifneros, Coufin to the
famous cardinal Ximenez, reftored when abbot of
Mont-Serrat, the Cenobites confided to his care to
their primitive fimplicity, and to guide them by a
eonflant rule in the paths of reformation, com
pofed a book, intituled Exercifes rf the Spiritual
Life, which was printed in fomewhat barbarous
Latin, as well as in Caftilian, , at Mont-Serrat in
the year 1500. Thefe ¦ exercifes were received
with veneration, and read with great edification in
all the monafteries in Spain governed by the rule
of Saint Benedict. Cifneros died in 15 10, and
was fucceeded by the famous Peter de Burgos,
who was fuperior of Mont-Serrat when Saint Ig
natius, directed by the grace of God, came into
that folitude. The venerable abbot recommended
to him the reading of the exercifes ; and it was the
happy ufe he made of thefe which operated his con-
verfion. He was fo convinced of their excellence
and utility, that having conceived the idea of found
ing a religious fociety he transcribed them word
for word, making a trifling change in the order :
fo that it is not true that they were communicated
.to ham by infpiration, or any other means, from
,the Virgin ; nor is there any inftance of an igno
rant man like Saint Ignatius compofing fo admir-
¦ able a book. Ihe Jefuits undoubtedly knew the
origin of the exercifes written by their founder,
becaufe they never produced the text, and put
nothing but tranflations or commentaries by Pin-
amonti, de Seneri, and feveral others, into the
hands of their novices, and that by degrees the
copies of the exercifes of Cifneros, and of thofe
• written

I76 THE PRESENT STATE
written by Saint Ignatius, were taken from the
libraries. The learned Navarro having had the
work of CifnerOs re-printed at Salamanca in ifli,
the Jefuits found means to obtain an order to
feize the whole edition from the printer ; and to
be revenged of Navarro, they injured him fo
much at court, that he loft a bifhopric which had
been promifed him, and was certainly due to his
uncommon merit. It is therefore improper to fing
at- the celebration of the feaft of Saint Ignatius,
mirabilem cwnpofuit exercitiorum librum, he compofed
an admirable book of exercifes.
I fhall not fpeak of the immenfe riches: the
piety of devout perfons has accumulated1 in the
church of Mont-Serrat, nor of the prodigious
number of gold and filver lamps which burn be
fore the holy effigy. The moft interefting part of
the mountain is the defert, in which are feveral
hermitages that are excellent afylums for true
philofophy* and contemplation. Each of thefe
iblitary retreats, which at a diftance feem deftfc
tute of every thing, has a chapel, a cell, a well
in the rock, and a little garden. Ihe hermits
who inhabit them are moft of them perfons of
fortune or family, difgufted with the world, who
have retired thither to devote themfelves to medi
tation and filence.
1'he traveller is furprifed to meet with delight
ful valleys in the midft of thefe threatening rocks,
to find fhade and verdure furrounded by fterility,
and to fee. natural cafcades rufh from the fteepeft
points of the mountain, and no farther difturb the.
filence which reigns in that afylum than to render
it more interefting.
The mountain of Cardona is an inexhauftible
quarry of fait. This mineral is there of almoft
every colour, fo that when fhone upon by the
rays of the fun the mountains refemble thofe of
diamonds,

OJ SPAIN, tH„
diamonds, rubies and emeralds, which we read
of in the fanciful defcriptions of Fairy-land.
Vafes, urns, and many valuable productions are
made from this fait : imitations of every kind of
preferved fruit are fo perfedtly wrought in it, that
the eye aids the hand to deceive ; there is no form
that cannot be given to the fait, which is eafily
cut, although it has fufficient folidity j but pro
ductions which can receive no injury from time,
would quickly be diffolved in water. The prin
cipal colours of the fait are orange^ violet, green
and blue; one of the particularities, and not the
leaft important, of this mountain is, that it is in
part covered with fhrubs and plants : the top fe
ihadedby aforeft of pines, and the environs pro
duce excellent wine.
Several quarries of marble, jafper, alabafter,
and mines of filver, lead, iron, tin, alum, fait
and vitriol are found in the mountains of Cata-*
Ionia.

BARCELONA.
BARCELONA is the only city in Spain,
which at a diftance announces its grandeur and
population. . The traveller, when half a league
from Madrid, would fcarcely fufpedt he was ap-
prpaching a great city, much lefs the capital of
the kingdom, were it not for the high and nume
rous fteeples which feem to rife from the midft of
a barren foil; whereas, in the environs of Bar
celona, an immenfe number of country-houfes,
carriages and paffengers prepare us for a rich and
commercial city.
: Vol. II. N Barcelona,

ryg THE PRESENT STATE
Barcelona, called by the^ ancients Barcino, is
faid to have been built by the Carthaginian Ha*.
milcar, father of '¦ Hannibal, two hundred and
fifty years feefote Chrift, at an hundred and twenty
p^ees from the fea- The founder.would not now
k#pw H again, for it is become one of the largs&
surd handfomeft cities in Spain ; its population is
in proportion to its fize, and the induftry of the
inhabitants far exceeds that of thofe in any part
of Spain. The citizens are all merchants, tradefc
men or, manufacturers. The ambition and th©
thirft of gain of the Catalans are foeyondiespiefET.
on , fi&rcelon?. .contains fhops of every art and
trade, which are e xereifed there to greates per'
fe&ipn than in any other city of the kingdom.
The jewellers form a rich and numerous body,
and thfc only defect in their jewellery is a Htde
Want of that tafte which in France is carried, to.
a. ridiculous extreme, both in fbrnituise; and jewels,:
and too generally preferred to folid value and
utility. Barcelona carries on an extenfive trade in its
own fruits and mamjfaetures, and foreign mer
chandize. The harbour is fpacious, commodi
ous, and always full of veffels, but it is fome
times dangerous; it daily fills up, and requires
continued care, and an immenfe expence, to keep
the entrance open ; the fea vifibly retires, and if
the clearing of the harbour were neglected for a
few years, Barcelona would fooa be at a diftances
from the fhore.
This city is well fortified, and has for its de-,
fence a magnificent rampart, a citadel, and the
caftle of Mont-JPui'; but Barcelona is top extent
five to be eafiiyguarded aad defended,- on which
account it has always been taken when attacked,'
and the rebellious difpofition of the inhabitants
feverely checked. However, thefpirit Of mutiny ftill

Of spai'N. ,^
ftill exifts, arid government, for what reafon I
knoyv not, endeavours to encourage it. It is no
uncommon thing to hear the Catalans fay, the
king pf Spain is riot their fovereign, and that in
Catalonia, fris Only title is that of count of Bar
celona- Yet the minifter favours- all their enter-
prizes, and they daily obtain prohibitions and
privileges contrary to the interefts of the reft of
Spain. At Madrid they have active fblicitors,
whofe fecret intrigues tend to procure an exclu
five contraband commerce. I Wifh not to be the
advocate of arbitrary reftridtions and flavery, but
I '' would have governments adt with fome little
confiftency. • > '
Barcelona contains feveral' fine edifices ; that
called the Terfana, or the arfehal, is of a vaft
extent, and in every refpedt worthy ;of attention.
A prodigious gallery, containing twenty-eight
forges, has lately been e'redted in it : the nunier-
pUs workmen continually employed, the noife of
the hammers, the red hot iron piled up, and the
flame which on every fide feems to envelop the
building, form a wpnderfuland an interefting
ffcene. Tlie foundry of cannon in all its parts is an
object ftill more .deferying notice; Spain owes id
M> Marifz, a Swifs, a very fimple and convenient
machine for boring of cannon and mortars : his
probity and tafents have acquired him fome en-
viphsi rivals, and many enemies, ft was very
contrary to the wifhes of thefe th^t he conftrudted;
a^ enormous balance in which wrought and un-:
wrpught ore might be weighed^ a balance fp
exactly poifed, that a fingle grain fuffices to give
it jin inclination. ' I faw in this foundry feveral
fine pieces of cannon newly caft and bored, and
others which were under the latter operation;
they were turned, moved and placed with as
N 2 much

jgo TH£ PRESENT STATE
much facility as a dexterous turner would give
the form he pleafed to a piece of ivory? The
cannon when boring is horizontally fufpended; a
great fteel piercer of the bore intended to be
given to the cannon is applied to its mouth ; a
fingle workman, by means of a wheel, gives ac
tion to the fpring which preffes upon the borer,
and the cannon, put into a motion of rotation,'
bores itfelf; the matter feparated from it natu
rally falls out by the motion communicated, and
the infide of the cannon remains as fmoofb, and
polifhed as a piece of glafs. The fame metho(|i
except a very trifling difference, is followed with
the mortars. The enormous pans in which the
metal is melted are three in number, and con
tain a quantity fufficient to caft four grea^ pieces
at a time. The magazines are ftored with wood,
grenades, bullets, and other inftruments of death,
proper for the attack or defence of a place.
The fame M. Maritz has put the foundry of
Seville into the beft poffible ftate ; he conftrudted
there an elegant vaulted edifice, with ten furnaces,
and furnifhed with all the machines of his inven
tion, to lift up and remove heavy maffes, and for
the boring and engraving of cannon. But an
object ftill more important to Spain is the copper
refinery that he eftablifhed in the fame arfenal,
by which he has found means to feparate the
copper from all heterogeneous matter, and bring
it to the higheft degree of perfedtiori ; fix thou
sand quintals are annually refined in the place he
has conftrudted for that purpofe.
Notwithftanding. the great improvements of M,.
Maritz, the old method of cafting cannon had
ftill partifans in Spain, who, being interefted in
the continuation of it, formed a dangerous affo-
ciation againft him. A decifive experiment be
came neceffary; four pieces of cannon, twenty- four

OF SPAIN. tQt
lour pounders, two caft according to the method
of M. Maritz, and two after the old method were
fent to Ocana, a fmall town near Aranjuez : the
two firft were fired twelve hundred times without
becoming unfit for fervice ; the latter, after the
firings of both amounted to nine hundred, be
came intirely ufelefs; and were thrown afide.
This anfwer of M. Maritz to his enemies was
cortclufive ; his method prevailed, and fourteen
hundred pieces of ordnance have already been
caft in the arfenals he founded. Three hundred
cannon or mortars may be annually furnifhed
from the arfenal of Seville, and two hundred
from that of Barcelona. M. Maritz has alfo
eredted in Catalonia and Bifcay feveral melting
houfes, in which eight million quintals of balls
are caft every year. He left Spain in 1 774, with
the rank of field-marihal and'a well earned pen
sion; he now refides in the neighbourhood of
Lyons, and has been fo obliging as to furnifh me
with fome particular information relative to the
arfenals he founded and directed.
The cathedral of Barcelona is very ancient ;
the roof is extremely lofty, and fupported by a
great number of columns which have a good ef
fect : the infide is fpacious but gloomy ; the en
trance is by twenty fteps, each of the whole
length of the front, which is not yet begun ; for
nothing is feen from the ftreet except an old wrall
blackened by time and the weather.
The palace of audience is a magnificent edifice ;
the architecture is equally nobfe and elegant : the
infide is ornamented with marble columns, and
in a great hall are found the portraits of all the
ancient counts of Barcelona.
The exchange, which is not yet finifhed, is op-
pofite the governor's palace, and will be one of
the fineft monuments in the city ; fome of the
halls

r82 THE PRESENT* STATE
halls or chambers are occupied by tbe Junto pf
commerce, and others ferve for drawing fctrpok
like thofe pf Paris, where the art of drawing is
taught gratis. They were founded by the coin-
pany of merchants for the improvement^ art$
and trades, and already coniift of eight hundred
ftudents. A collection is. making of the heft
models in plafter of the fineft. pieces of antiquity,
and a choice will fhortly be, made, ampng. the
fcholars, of thofe defigned to become artiftsj whp
will be taught to draw after Nature: the others
will be inftrudted in the different arts and trades
exercifed in that induftripus city.
The mu&um of M. .Salvador^ an apotheeary
at Barcelona,. is equally famed and valuably:, bis
collection of fhells is remarkably curious ; and
complete; < The: minerals are but few in number;
but there is a fine choice df the different kinds of
Spanifh marble, feveral Vafes, urns, and antique
lamps, valuable medals, and an extremely large
herbal, pr, hortus Jiccus, carefully compofed Re
cording to the fyftem of Tournefort, and a ni*-
merpus collection of all the books which ttreat
of natural philpfophy, " medicine, botany: arid
natural hiftory'; ;fu£h are the. contents pf this
cabinet, of which tlie polite and modeft proprie
tor does perfectly well the honors, whenever the
curiofity of a ftrang^r leads him to fee it." /
The collection was begun W 1 708, and brought
nearly to the ftate of perfection in which it now
is, by John Salvador, grandfather to the prS&nt
proprietor, & mart of confiderable learning, arid
! called by Tournefort, '\ht' Phoenix of Spain.
He had travelled through many Countries, and
contracted' a friendfhip with fnpft of the. -learned
men pf his time, with whom he correfpdnded
until his death; which happened in 1726. There
is a great eulogium on his mufeum in the HifiotVe
Naturelle

OF SPAIN. jg3
Naturelk des pierres et des cpquilles, written by the
members of the Royal Society of Montpellier.
During my- refidence kt- Barcelona, (in April,
1779) I was witnefsto a fact which proves the
degree of power the Morf&s. ftill have in Spain,
and that they are certain 'of ereapirtg with i-mv
puriity whatever may We their crimes. The bare-
looted Carmelites having furprifed a poor wretch
whb Was robbing their church, took him into
euftodyi arid a*fked him, whether he would ji refer
fuffering the punifhment they ftibufld inflict Upon
him to being given up to regular juftice. Thfe
unhappy man, undoubtedly relying on their hu
manity, arid the vow of charity made by his
judges, gave therfi the preference, arid they in
ftantly condemned him to receive a fevete difci-
pline. The wretch was'ftripped-'ann tleddptori
itrpen a table;* feveral of the Mohks beat him
from head' to foot With their leathern girdles1,
bribed with an iron buckle, until oVercome with
infupportable pain, he Cried out in the moft
frightful manner, and fainted; ": The1 reverend fa
thers then gave him a little relaxation; but after
he was teffofed arid refreshed, they continued
their cruelty, until a part of the flelh was torn
from the bones of the miferable fofferer, and then
turned him out of the convent. The hofpital
being near at hatrd, he crawled to it as well as
he could, ^nd died there in fix hours afterwards.
This barbarity Went unpunifhed, but it excited
general indignation. The begging brother of the
order having had the imprudence to fay, that it
was better the man had fo been fcourged than
for him to have been hanged, would have, been
torn to pieces, had not an alcalde delivered hifti
'from the hknds of the people.
ROAD

l8^ THE PRESENT STATE
ROAD prom BARCELONA to.
MORVJEPRO.
THE road from Barcelona is wide and magr
tiificent, bordered with poplars, elms, and orange
trees, and ornamented with handfome houfes,
fountain^ and villages. Two leagues from the
city, near an hamlet called Los Molinos, del Rey,
the King's Mills, you pafs the Lobregat over a
jnpft b,eautiful bridge about four hundred paces
in length. ^ The caufeways and parapets, and the
four pavilions by which it is terminated, are of a
fppcies of red granite. The fame width and
goodnefs of road continue until you arrive at a
bridge of a particular conftrudtion, a work wor
thy pf the Romans, and which w#,s projected to
unite two high mountains. It is compofed of
three, bridges one abpve anpther. , The firft, in
the form of a terrace, was intended for foot paf
fengerp; the fecond, for beafts of burthen; the
uppermoft, for carriages, The work was almoft
finifhed whjen the principal arches fell in. No
thing of it remains but tfie firft platform,' and the
enormous pillars which fupported the two upper
bridges. The platform refts upon eight arches,
fix{ fathoms Wide; each pillar, is about two and
an half thick; however, the conftrudtion of the
joad and the bridge is difcontinued, pn account
of a law-fuif between the architect and the under
takers, which has been brought before the cpun-
pil of Caftile,
Villa Franca, a little city furrounded by w^lls,
is twp leagues from the bridge. It is fuppofed to
be the Carthago Vetus of the ancients. The fine
roads of Catalonia terminate here, but beyond
the city are feveral villages agreeably fituated; and
£be country about them has a pfeafing appearance. The

OF SP A IN. jgc
The principal villages are Arbouen, fituated upon
an eminence whence Mont-Serrat is feen from its
fummit to the bafe, and Vendrell, to which water
runs from every quarter. Three leagues from
this village the road paffes under a triumphal
^rch, a Roman monument almoft deftroyed by
time; the frize, by which it is terminated, bears
an infcription in large characters, but fo much
effaced that it was impoffible for me to, read it.
You afterwards pafs through the villages of |Tor-
rade Embarra and Alta-Fouilla, and foon have
no other road than that you trace out for your
felf upon the fand of the fea. The waves break
againft the feet of the horfes, and often wet the
traveller. This view of the fea, ever new and
ftriking, is here embellifhed by a fine country,
and a diftant view of Tarragona. The walls of
]this city feem to rife from the bofom of the wa
ters, and the houfes are built upon high ground.,
which commands the whole country.
Tarragona is one of the moft ancient cities in
Spain, and faid to have been built by the Phoe
nicians, who gave it the name of Tarcon, of
which the Latins made Tarraco. It gave its name
to one of the moft confiderable parts of Spain,
called by the Romans Tarraconenfis : the city was
fortified by Spipio, who made it a place of de
fence againft the Carthaginians.
Ihe inhabitants built a temple in honour of
Auguftus, and were the firft who burned incenfe
before his ftatue; an homage which that empe
ror, although one of thofe the moft flattered,
thought ridiculous.
Tarragona has but few remains of its ancient
grandeur ; infcriptions almoft deftroyed by time,
fpme coins, and a few ruins give but an imper-
fe.dt idea of what it formerly was, It

185 THE PRESENT STATE
It is now depopulated, and of but little im
portance. The harbour is dangerous, and not
much frequented ; there ate a few baftions in bad
repair, which were formerly built for its dfefencei
The waters of the Francoli, which falls, into
the fea a quarter of a league from the city, are
famous for the fine luftre they give to linen which
Js wafhed in them.
Tarragona is the metropolis of Catatonias and
difpntes with Toledo the primacy of Spain. Tlie
eftablifhment of the fee is faid to have been in th§
firft ages of the church ; the fucceffion of arch-
bifhops was interrupted by the Moors, and re?
mained fufpended until the eleventh century.
The cathedral is worthy of attention for its
vaft dimenfions, the elegance of its gothie archie
lecture, and a magnificent chapel, built* with rich
marble and jafper, in honour of Saint Thecljj.
tutelar faint of the chuich.
After leaving Tarragona, you pafe the Francoli
oyer a ftone bridge : the toads are tolerably good,
the lands well cultivated, and the country is en
livened by feveral hamlets and villages. The
principal of thefe are Villafeca and Cambrilis,
which have a confiderable trade in wines made
in the neighbourhood, and brandies. The En
glifh and Dutch take in cargoes of them in the
road called the port of Salo. Several Of the
towers which at different diftances formerly fefved
to defend the whole coaft ftill remain, but are
falling very fa-ft into a ftate of ruin.
My feelings were frequently wounded in thefe
diftridts, by feeing women employed in the la
bours of the field. Their hands Were not made
for the fpade and pick-a.\e. N ature has prepared
them more eafy occupations at home ; the Women,
thus employed, have not that beauty and fine
complexion

OF' SPAIN, jg„
complexion which we admire in thofe who weave
lacfe in the northern part of Catalonia.
The fcene changes after you have left Cam--:
hrilis; the country is a vaft folitude covered with
bufhes, and terminated by the fea. You meet
with fome remains of fortifications, called Hojpi-
ialet. The part of it in the beft prefervation ferves
at prefent for an inh: there is a Latin infcription
in gothic 'characters upon a piece pf white marble
over the door of the higheft tower. I cotfld not
decypher many of the words. On each fide of
and over the infcription are feveral efctitcheons,
One of which is fertiee of ' jleurs de Us. This fort
feems to; me to have beeh built after ; the expulfion
of the Moors from Catalonia ; it f§ within an hun
dred paces of the fea. ' ,»' -
I here cannot avoid mentioning a reflection I
have frequently made in travelling. ; I have beeh
furprifed at feeing in provinces inriched byarts,
commerce and agriculture, the people appear
moire wretched than in thofe in which a kind of
mediocrity reigns. Is not this becaufe commerce
and the arts naturally produce an inequality of
fortune^ and increafe population ; and that work-
meni hereby becoming more numerous, are poorer
and wp'rfe paid ? Catatonia is certainly the pro
vince which, in Spain, prefents to view the great
eft activity artd population ; the toads are full of
travellers ; and women who feldom go abroad,
and work but little, in the two Caftiles and Anda
lufia, here meet upon the road ; they feem to be
affected by the change of place, which commerce
and m^nufadtures require ; yet both men and wo-
mem1 of the lower claffes, are badly cloathed ;
the latter are generally without fhoes and ftock
ings; whilft- in Andalufia, where the mifery of
the people is more real, the men and women have
the appearance of a fufficiency. It is in the houfes only

jgg THE PRESENT STATE
only where bfoken furniture, the worft of food
and difgufting filth, folly difcover the hideous face
pf poverty,
I return to my route from which this digieffion
has made me wander. Two leagues from the
Hofpitalet we arrive at the Col de Balaguer; this
name is given to a narrow paffage between two
mountains, and to a caftle, tolerably well fortified,
which commands the fea, and at the fame time
defends the paffage of the mountains; it has
within thefe few years been repaired and almoft
rebuilt, The king has now a garrifon in it.
Fort Saint George, and fome towers flanked
with cannon, are feen from the fide of a fteep
mountain by which the road defcends : the bob.
torn is hollow called el Barranco de la Horca, or
the Valley of the gallows, on account of a fcaf-
fold formerly erected there, inftantly to hang,
without ceremony, the robbers who infefted thij
coaft. Thefe uncouth downs are uninhabited, and the
traveller meets with no places of entertainment
except miferable huts, in which he is obliged to
take refrefhment, The country becomes more
and more frightful ; the mountains feem to grow
out of each other, yet they are covered with
plants, lhrubs and verdure, which is fome recom-*
pence for fatigue and thixft ; the latter is often felt
feverely, water being extremely fea rce throughout
the whole diftridt.
The limits of this uncultivated foil are at a
little village called Perello, the pooreft and moft
frightful place in Catalonia : the king has ex
empted the inhabitants from every kind of tax.
The whole country is deftitute of water, and,
when a few weeks pafs without .a fall of rain, the
people are obliged to go in fearch of it to the dif
tance of feveral leagues.
Two

OF SPAIN. rg9
Two leagues from this village the load becomes
better, the country more fertile, and .we foon
afterwards arrive at the agreeable and fhady val
ley of Tortofa.
The city of this name is ancient and ill built ;
it is faid to have been founded two thoufand years
befoie the Chriftian sera : but the proofs of this
illuftrious origin are unfortunately loft: Scipio
gave it the name' of Dordofa, and made it a mu
nicipal city.
Among the numerous and trifling combats be
tween the Spaniards and the Moors, there was
one in which the women of Tortofa fignalized
tjberofelves. They courageoufly mounted the ram
parts of their city, and performed fuch prodigies
of valour, that Raimpnd Berenger, the laft count
of Barcelona, inftituted for them, in 1170, the
military order of the Hqcha, or flambeau. They
merited and obtained the. fame day feveral ho
nourable privileges, which exift riot at prefent;
they have, however, preferved the right of pre
cedency in matrimonial ceremonies, let the rank
pf the men be ever fo diftinguifhed.
Tortofa is four leagues from the fea, and fix
from the mouth of the Ebro; this -river wafhes
the ramparts of the city, which at prefent ferve
but for ornaments. The^moft remarkable edifices
are the cathedral and the caftle : the, cathedral is
vaft, and built in fine proportions; the principal
front is of the Corinthian order, and equally no
ble and magnificent: the firft body only of the
building is finifhed; a veftry is now finifhing,
which is ornamented with the fineft .jafpers of the
country, but the heavy architecture anfwers not
tp the expence.
Devout perfons and connoiffeurs admire in the
old veftry feveral interefting objedts; the foimer
revere a ribbon or a weft of thread, of which the
Virgin

i0<*; THE PRESENT STATE
Virgin made a prefent with her own hands to that
cathedral. A canon, in his ftole, took a bit of
thisrelick, enihrined in gold and diamonds, and
applied it to the forehead, temples apd lips of the
fpedtators who Were upon their knees ; I Was of
the number, and mOdefty fubmitted to every thing
he thought proper to do; Thofe who have a tafte
for the arts fee with pleafure a triumphal arch in
filver, which weighs two hundred and fifty pounds.
The architecture is fine and noble, and the arch
ferves as art Qfenfoir in the proeeffions of the Fete
Dieu. There is alfo a fine golden chalice deeo*
rated with enamel which belonged to Peter de
Luna, an anti-pope, known by the name pf Bene
dict XIIL who, during the long quarrels ! pf the
church, went to refide in Penifeola, his native
place ; the patine Or cover, as well as the chalice,
which is" very heavy, are ornamented with the
moft beautiful miniatures. The baptifmal font is
pf porphyry} and well finifhed after the maimer
of the ancients ; it formerly ferved as a fountain
in the gardens of the fame pope.
The caftle is upwards of a mile fquare, and is
now in a ftate of ruin ; it however ferves as an
habitation to a governor, who is old and lame,
and to' a young and- charming woman who is his
wife ; the lady feemed diffatisfied with her elevated
abode, and very glad to have afew moments con
verfation with me and my companion,' whom fhe
very courte-oufly invited to her apartments. She
has much wit and a very fine figure, and was by far
the molt pleating objedt I faw in the caftle- It
muft, however, be remembered, that the Ebro
decorates the whole country with verdure and
flowers, and that the moft. delightful landfcapes
are difcovered from this elevation : there are alfo
fome precious remains of antiquity; amongtt' others,

OF SPAIN. idt
others, the following infcription to the god Pan,
the ancient tutelary deity of Tortofa.
PANI. DEO. TVTELAE
OB. LEGATIONES. IN
CONCILIO. P. H. C.
APVT. ANICIENVM
AVG. PROSPERE
GESTAS
M
It is an acknowledgment made to the god Panf-
by the colony of Tortofa, . for having obtained
what they afked by their deputies in an affembly
of the farther provinces of Spain, Amcienum Au-
gufium was a city of the GaulSj now called Puy-
cerda; but as it is not to be prefumed that the af
fembly was held fo far from Tortofa, the learned
are of opinion, that there was then in Spain acify
of the fame name.
The curious in ruins will find a confiderable
number -of them in the efplanade of tbe caftle.
There are alfo feveral fubterraneous caverns which
refemble themafmoras of Granada ; they are fup
pofed to have been prifons conftrudted by the
Moors, b.ut appear to me to be more ancient, and
feem to have been public granaries like thofe of
Burjafol near Valencia.
Several- Roman infcriptions are ftill found in
Tortofa ; two are incrufted in the wall of the ca
thedral, and fome are v placed without order and
mixed with gothic infcriptions, which, form the
corner of 'the:houfe of a player upon the guittar:
Fmeftr.es has given an account of them.* Too
* Sylloge infcriptlonum Romanarum, qnae in principatu
Catalauniae, vel exiftunt, vel ali'quando exftiteiunt a t). D.
Joftplio Finefires, M.D.CC.LXII.

I9a THE PRESENT STATE
Too much Cannot be faid in praife of the beau
tiful environs of Tortofa; the country is fertile in
wines and fruits, and contains great quantities of
marble, jafper and alabafter. The Ebro abounds
there with fifh, artd is covered with a great num
ber of little barks, which give to the city an ap
pearance of commerce and population.
You go out of Tortofa over a long wooden
bridge, much admired in the country, but which
is not one of the wonders of the world; the road is
one of the moft agreeable I met with in Spain :
and the good effects of cultivation are difplayed
in the moft lively verdure. The traveller foon ar
rives at la Venta de los Frames, a rich domain which
belongs to the fathers of La Merci, where toler
able good lodging may be had at an eafy ex-
pence. Two leagues from this Venta is the little town
of Uldecona ; the principal ftreet is long, and a
part of the great road ; the houfes are fupported
by a colonade, or more properly fpeaking, pillars
of granite. The chuich, and fome of the houfes,
have a lefpedtable gothic appearance ; the win
dows of art ogive form, and the flender columns,
by which they are divided, give to this laft vil
lage of Catalonia an air of antiquity always
pleating to the eye of the curious. It is neceffary
to remark, that in this province the diftance from
one place to another is not reckoned in miles ; the
computation is made by the time neceffary to go
over it. The Catalans fay, we have fo many
hours travelling to go to dinner, &c. a manner of
counting which, to me, appears more natural
than that of our leagues, which are longer pr
ihorter in different provinces.
Benicarlos, the firft city upon this road in the
kingdom of Valencia and famous for its wines, is
a. few

O F S P A I N. j9£
a few leagues from Uldecona. After having paffed
through another confiderable town the road leads
to the fea fide, near to which are high mountains
covered with pines, fhrubs and fine verdure, and
to which numerous flocks are driven to feed.
When I faw this beautiful landfcape the fea was
calm and majeftic; but the winds by which it is
agitated muft fometimes make confiderable ravage
in the neighbouring part of the country. I ob
ferved, that the branches of all the trees ttpon the
coaft projected towards the mountains, and pre
fented nothing but their naked trunks tovthe fea.
At life feet of thefe mountains the road which be
comes evert rUris by the fide of the Mediterranean,
and the country is more fertile. Villareat, Noules,
and other villages in the neighbourhood, all fiii1-
rounded with ramparts, were formerly fo many
ftrortg holds; but they were feverely punifhed for
having taken the part of the competitor of Philip
V. in the ftruggle for the crown of Spain. Gene
ral Las I'orres pillaged and burned them, arid put
the inhabitants to the fword; fparing none but
women and children; thefe devaftatiorts, which
political reafons may Command, and which may
be carried into execution in a moment, require
the induftry of ages to be repaired ; but the ftrong
never reafon, and arguments and oppreffion have
ever fallen to the lot of the weak. The remains
of Saguntum are ftriking proofs of the truth of
thefe obfervations*

Vol. II. O MORVIEDRO.

j.g^ THE PRESENT STATE
MORVIEDRO.
THIS city is the famous Saguntum defttoye^
by Hannibal, and which fell a victim to its fide*
lity to the Romans. According , to Livy, it had
acquired immenfe riches * by interior and
exterior commerce, and by juft laws and a
good police; but the treafures fell not into the
hands of the conqueror. The inhabitants made
a refiftance of eight months, and5i not receiving
the fuccours they expected from their allies, fed
upon the flefh and blood of their children, and
afterwards turned their rage againft themfelves;'
they erected an immenfe pile of wood, and, after
letting fire to it, precipitated themfelves, their
women, flaves, and treafures into the flames; fo
that inftead of a lucrative conqueft Hannibal
found nothing but a heap of afhes. About the
eighth year of the punic war the Romans rebuilt
Saguntum, but never Could reftpre it to its primi
tive fplendour.
The city of MofHedro is full of the remains of
its antiquity ; the walls of the houfes], the city
gates and doors of the churches and inns are co
vered with Roman infcriptions. The poet Argent
fpla truly fays,
Con marmoles de nobles infcripciones,
Theatro un fiempo y ar.as en Saguntha,
Fabrican hoy tabernas y mefones.-f "- The
. * In taritas hrevi creverantopes, feu maritimjs, feu ter*
refiribus fruclibus, feu multitudinis incremento, feu fan&i-
tate difciplinse, qua fide focialem ufque ad perniciem fuank
coluerunt. Liv.
t Vile public houfes are now built, with marble, coveredt
with noble infcriptions, which formerly iii Saguntum,.deS0*
rated the a]tar and the theatres

OF SPAIN. !0>
The moft curious monuments in Morviedro are
the caftle and the theatre ; the former contains
heaps of ruiris whichbelonged to the monuments
of ''feveral centuries, and are at prefent upwards
of a quarter Of a league in extent. Moft of the
towers and edifices, of which the remains only
are now feen, appear to have been conftrudted by
the Moors with the materials left them by the
Romans ; all the works of the latter, except a
few arcades in good prefervation towards the
fouth of the caftle, have totally difappeared.
The caftle covers almoft the whole top of the
mountain Upon which it is fituated; it is of an ir
regular formj and corififts Of five divifions ; that
in the middle ftill contains a magnificent cifterri
two hundred feet lortg, andj although half filled
up with rubbiih, eighteen feet deep. The roof
by which it was covered, was fupported by twenty*
one pillars • thefe are compofed of a cement which
time has made harder than ftone;
, At a little diftance from the cifterri, towards
the principal gate of the caftle, leading to the
theatre, are three fteps that feem to have been at
the entrance of fome temple of which the plan
ftill remains vifibles The temple was fupported
by enormous^ pillars; this appears from fome of
their bafes which ftill remain ; the diftance from
one column to another was about eight feefc
This part is furrounded with walls and tOWers
of Moorifh conftrudtion, and which form the
fquare called Saluquian. Here, as well as in many
other parts of the caftle, are feveral infcriptions,
in which the names of Emilius, Fabius, Acilius,
the Galphurnian family, and feveral other illuf
trious perfons of ancient Rome are mentioned.
I- fhall give all thefe infcriptions, and thofe found,
in the ftreets and fquares of Morviedro, fome of
which are in unknown characters, at the end of
this chapter.
O a The

jq6 THE PRESENT STATE
The theatre is fituated at the foot of the moun
tain upon which the caftle ftands; from the cofi*
fufed remaining traces of it, and the mutilated
forms it prefents, we rather imagine than fee what
it muft once have been. A few years ago govern>5§
ment had the good fenfe to forbid the inhabitants
of Morviedro," and the environs, from building
houfes with the ftones of this monument : had the
fame prohibitory order been made, and rigoroufly.
obferved, a century and a half fooner, this fa
mous theatre would ftill have been almoft entirej
for it has been more deftroyed by men than time.
Don Emanuel Marti,* dean of Alicant, and
one of the moft learned men in Spain, having
given, in a letter to the nuncio, Antonio Felix
Zondadari, at Madrid, a very exact defcription of.
the theatre of Saguntum, I fhall prefent the reader
with a fhort abftradt of the letter, adding, to it
fome reflections of my own, fuggefted by the re
mains of the monument. ,:/
Though the theatre is in a valley, its fituation,
equally agreeable and healthy, is fufficiently ele
vated to command a view of the fea, and a part
of the adjacent country ; the, environs are rural,
and watered by a little river. A mountain by
which it is commanded, apd, if I may: for fpeak,
furrounded, fhelters it from the fouth and weft:
winds ; in a word, the fituation is fuch as Vitro-,
vius particularly recommends as the moft healthy}
the. theatre is alfo conftrudted in fuch a manner as
to render it very fonorous ; a map placed in the
concavity of the mountain, eafily makes himfelf
heard by perfons at the oppofite extremity, and the
f He is the author of twelve volumes of Latin lettets,
wliich were printed at. Madrid, and in 1738 reprinted at-
Amfterda'm; alfo a treatife upon the paffions, left unfinifliedj
lemarks upon Pliny the naturalift,- which are in manufcript,'
&c. &c.

OF SPAIN. IgU
the found inftead of diminifhing feems to increafe,
I. made this experiment ; one of my friends, ftand
ing upon the place where the ftage formerly was,
recited a few verfes from the Amphftrion of Plau
tus : I was in the moft elevated part of the thea
tre and' heard him very diftindtly. Thefe rocks
may" be faid to have a voice, and one five times
ftronger than that of a man; fo much energy
does it receive from the cavities made by art in
the mountain.
The femicircle, which the people called the,
Perimetre, is about four hundred and twenty-five
feet in circumference ; its height from the orches
tra tp the moft elevated feats is-an hundred feet,
and to the end af the wail behind them an hun*
dred and ten; the diameter of fhe orcheftra,
from the center of which everv admeafurement
fhould be taken, is feventy-two feet. The word
orcheftra fignified, with the Greeks, a place for
the performance Of dances and pantomimes;
among the Romans it had a different life and
meaning, at leaft after Attilius Seranus and L,
Stribonius Libo wete sediles curules ; they fol
lowed the advice pf Scipio Africanus, and allot
ted the orcheftra to be the place for the fenators.,
At firft there was in the orcheftra a place of
diftindtion, a kind of throne upOii which tlie
prince was feated, and in his abfence, the praetor;
the bafe of the throne ftill remains. Thefenators
took their places after the veftals, pontiffs and
ambaffadors. r In order that the laft row£ might
not be deprived of {a fight of the reprefentaion,
the pavement was gradually and infenfibly eleva
ted from the feat of the praetor to the laft benches
behind where the knights were placed. The en
trance and departure were facilitated by particu
lar paffages round the perimetre' for the different
claffes of citizens. According to the laws Rofcia and

|q8 THE PRESENT STATE
and Julia made for the regulation of the theatres,
there were fourteen feats allotted for the .knights,
towards the feventh were two entrances or cavi-,
ties called Vomitoria, and this feat was rather
wider than the Others, in order that the fpectatprs
might get to their places with greater! facility.
The hardnefs of the rock was undoubtedly the
reafon why. two entrances were not given, to, the
places of the knights ; but this deficiency was
fupplied by forming on each fide of their benches'
a kind of ftair-cafe, the fopt of which is in, the
^center of the pit,
The PrcecinBio, which the Greeks called Diazona,
pr girdle, V kind OI" band, longer and wider than
that by which the other feats were bordered,
is ftill " vifible upon the laft benches allotted
to the equeftrian order; it fervedi to diftinguif)i
at firft fight the different orders of the ftate, pa
tricians, knights and plebeians. It alfo prevented
all communication between them; the feats or
benches ihe fartheft from the orcheftra, the mpft
elevated, and twelve in number, were called Sum
ma Cayea; thefe were for the people; whp had
different doors tp enter at, either by inner arches
cut in the rpck^ and which ftill exift, or by a por^
tico at the bottom pf the theatre, which ferved
two purpofes ; one of giving the people a place
of retreat in cafe of hidden rain or bad weather;
the other of fheltering the feats from the fall of
water pr dirt. The portico contained fixteen
doors, which maintained a current pf air, by
which the theatre was, kept cool, and the air
within prevented from becoming 'corrupt ; feven
ftaircafes terminated at thefe doors.
On each fide of the portico was a fpace of
twenty-eight feet, filled up with four rows of
feats. It is reafonable to fuppofe thefe were for
the lidtors, public criers and other officers of the
magiftrate,

OF Spain: ,9^
magiftrate, that they might always be ready to
receive his orders, and prevent or terminate the
quarrels of the people; a regulation obferved in
Athens as the commentator of the Peace of Arif-
tophanes has fufficiently proved: and what with
me feems to give more weight to the fuppofi tion is,
that from thefe places there were paffages by fecret
jftaircafes to the prifons ; one of which is ftill
remaining, where are found the iron ring and
ch ins by which the perfons of offenders were
fe| ired.
Several ranges of feats were placed oyer the
portico, but it is difficult to fay for what kind of
perfons they were intended; if I may be per
mitted to 'Con jecture, I fhould think it was from
thefe the flaves, flower girls, and men and women
of ill-fame faw the performance; for, according
to a law of Auguftus, perfons Of this defcription
were not permitted to be prefent at theatrical per
formances, except in the moft elevated places.
The fiaircafe by which thefe depraved claifes got
to their places was fupported by the mountain.
There are fquare modillions, eight feet from
each other, all round the exterior walls.
The remains on each fide of the theatre atteft
its ancient magnificence. Several of the arcades
ftill remain ; fome half gone to ruin, others en
tire. Thefe ferved to fupport the covering of the
ftage ; this roof or ceiling is intirely deftroyed,
not fo much as a trace of it is to be found.
If we allow fourteen inches to each place, the
theatre might contain feven thoufand four hundred
and twenty-fix perfons, without reckoning thq
feats Over the portico, or the places of the fena^
-tors in the orcheftra; fo that it may be faid, With-.
out exaggeration, to have contained about nine
thoufand fpectators. The

2Qo THE PRESENT STATE
The ftage was about twenty-one feet long from,
the orcheftra : nothing now remains of it except
the bafe of that part which in our theatre is the
place of the foot lights; this was rather lower,'
than the ftage, as appears by the little wall by
which they were feparated,. , '
The plan OI" 3. fmall femi-circular fpace,: in
which flood a curved wall, and which was called
Valva Regia, on account of its' magnificence and
the ornaments which ferved to decorate it, is feen
Oppofite to the centre of the orcheftra. The
Greeks, according tp Pollux, called this little in-
clofed fpace Bafilwn, or the royal habitation ;
this kind pf arch Was placed between two doors
of the fame form, called Hofpitalid, becaufe they
were the places for ftrangers. who came to fee the
performance. Some veftiges of that on the left
fide yet remain- Upon the pediments Of the doors
were placed different paintings fuitable to the re
prefentation, which were varied like, fcenic deco?
rations; for a comedy they were public fquares.;
ftreets and houfes ; for a tragedy porticos, coloi-
nades, and the ftatuesof heros; for fatire or. farce,
grottos, fauns, gardens, and other rural objects..
' The fcenes and decorations rapidly changed,
and with great facility, according as the piece
required. Some of the walls which ferved to
fupport the. pullies and counterpoifes, by which
the machinery Was lifted up, have not yet quite
gone to ruin. The Bronteion was. a place behind
the ftage, whence, with goat fkins filled with little
pebbfes, and fhaken in the air, an imitation of
thunder was produced. To thefe divifions. of the
theatre muft be added the Choragia, which muft
have been fpacious for the difpofition of the eho-
rufes, arid keeping the dreffes., mafks, and diffe
rent inftruments proper to the ftage.
To

OF SPATN. a0|
To prevent the waters from injuring the theatre,
two walls were built with a canal, fo difpofed as
to contain and convey them to the precipices of
the mountain ; and the rain which fell within the
theatre ran to the centre of the orcheftra, and
thence* under the foot lights, where it was received
into a cittern which remains to this day.
The time when the theatre was built, and the
names of the magiftrates who prefided at the
building of it are unknown ; but on that account
it is no lefs a proof of the vaft genius of the Ro
mans who never in any of their works toft fight
pf pofterity. In all of them they knew how to,
join beauty of form to extent, folidity and ele
gance, and even in their pleafures were always.
great; whilft in the prefent age, public edifices
refemble the flender and elegant decorations with
which the heads ofv women are ornamented, and
will laft but for a feafon.
The place upon whi^h the convent of the Tri
nitarians now ftartshvwas formerly the fcite of a
temple dedicated to Diana. A part of the mate
rials ferved to build the church, and the reft were
fold to build San Miguel de los Reyes, near Va
lencia. There are feveral fepulchral ftones in the
exterior walls and the cloiiier, on which are the
following infcriptions :
SERGIAE M. F
PEREGRINAE
THEOMNESTVS. ETLAIS
ETDIDYMELIBERTI ANTON I A E. L. F.
• SERGILLAE VEGETVS LIBERT.

$04 THE PRESENT STATE
L. ANTONIO L. F GAL
NVMIDAE PREFECT
FABRVM TRIBVNO MILIT.
LEG. PRIMAEITALICAE
L. RVBRIVS POLYBIUS AMICO

SERGIAE M.F.
PEREGRINAE
L. IVLIVS AGTIVS
ET PORGIA MELE TS

ANTONIAE L. F
SERGILLAE
L. TERENTIVS FRATERNUS
AD FINI

Thefe five infcriptions, very well preferved, are
inferted in the wall on each fide of the church
door of the Trinitarians,
The infcription following is in the cloifter.
The characters are unknown; I copy them fuch
AS they are.

OF. SPAIN. $0j
following are found in the caftle.
C. LICINIO
%F. GAL
CAMPANO
AEDILT II VIRO
FLAMINI EX DB
AVLO AEMILIO
PAVLI F. PAL
REGILO XV VI
SAGRIS -FACIENDI
PREFECfO VRB.
IURI DIGUND
QUESTORI
TI. CAESARIS AV.
PATRONO
C^FABIO CN. F,
GAL GEMINO •
PONTIF SALIO
J)D .
DIS MAN
GEM IN. MYRINES
ANN XXX
L. BAEB PAROUS
OMNI BONO
DE SE MERITS
FECiT

^ THE PRESENT STATE
M CALPVRNIO M. F,
GAL LVPERCO
AED IL VIR. PONTIFIcI,
.<MANLIA CN. F'

P. BAEBIO L. F.
GAL MAXIMO.
IVLIANO AED, FLAM
POPILIA AVIiA,
EX TESTAMENTO
C. POPILlI CVPITI
PATRIS
M, ACILIO M. FC
... FO PROCVRA.
•CAESARVM CON
YEN TVS tarrachon;

The three following are near the great churchy
The characters of the laft are fimilar to thofe/
found in the cloifter of the Trinitarians.

C. VOCONIO C, F
GAL. PLACIDO AED
II. VIRO II. FLAMINI. II,
QV E S T O R I
£ALIORTJM MAGISTRQ

OF SPAIN.
POPILIAE L. F.
RECTlNAE AN XVII.
C LICINIVS C. F.
: GAL. MARINUS
VOCONIVS ROMANVS
VXORI.

N¥f$VP*TJV

The wall adjoining to the city gate is covered
with fragments of infcriptions : the following are
intire.

D> M.
BxEBIxENICE FELIX VXO
DULCISSIM

FABIA O^L. HIRVNDO
AN XXX

£06 THE PRESENT' STATE
V . F
G. GRATTIVS
HALYS SIBI-E
GRATTIAE mY^SINI
VXORI KARISSIM
AN XXXXVII
SIBI ET SUIS

Upon- a column of white marble, to the left^
on entering the.city, we read,

DEO
AVRELI ANO

The moft curious of all thefe infcriptions is
that found'by the fide of the houfe door of M.
Jean Duclos.

M. ACILIVS L. F .
FONTANVS
ERIPVlT NOBEIS VNDE VICENSVMVS ANNVS
INGRESSVM 1VENEM MILITIAM CVPIDE
PARCAEFALLVNTVRFONTANVMQVEARAPVERVNT CVM SIT PERPETVO FAMA FVTVRA VIRI.

Father Flores, in the fecond part of his Trea-
tife on the Coins of the Colonies and municipal
Cities of Spain, has collected moft of thofe
which belonged to Saguntum. Three pieces of
a battering

OF SPAIN. ^
a battering ram are preferved in Morviedro : I
faw one in the caftle, which I fhould have fuf-
pedted to have been the axle-tree of fome enor
mous carriage made to carry the materials em
ployed in that vaft edifice.
Morviedro does not at prefent contain more
than from three to four thoufand inhabitants; the
environs are fertile, and produce filk, wine, oil,
hemp and corn ; thefe productions would ftill, be
increafed were not the river Toro dry the greateft
part of the year.

208s THE PRESENT STATE

Of the KINGDOM of VALENCIA.

THE kingdom of Valencia extends from
north to fouth, and is about fixty leagues in
length: its greateft breadth does not exceed
twenty-five leagues. It is bounded on the foutli
and eaft by the Mediterranean ; on the Weft by
New Caftiie,. and the kingdom of Murcia; and
on the north by Catalonia and Arragon. It was:'
formerly inhabited by the Celtiberians, the Tur-
detani, the Lufoni, &c. &c.
This kingdom is watered by thirty-five rivers,
all of which run toward the eaft : the principal
of thefe are the Segura, which has its fource in
Andalufia in the Sierra de SegUra, whence it
takes its name ; its courfe from the fouth to the
north is about forty leagues ; after having croffed ;
Murcia it wafhes the walls of Orihuella, and falls
into the fea at Guardamar. The Xucar, which
rifes in New Caftile, waters the kingdom of Va
lencia through its whole extent, and is loft in the
fea near Cullera, which gives its name to a neigh
bouring Cape. The Guadalaviar, which in
Arabic fignifies clear water, and called by the
Romans Turks, has its fource near that of the
Tagus in Arragon ; the mouth of it is not far
from Valencia. This river is not deep, but has
an abundance of fifh, and its banks are coveted
with fhrubs, flowers and verdure.
Valencia is, in proportion to its extent, one of
the beft peopled provinces of Spain ; it contains
feven principal cities, fixty-four great towns, and
upwards of a thoufand villages; it has fourfea-
ports, the moft confiderable of which is that of
Alicant; the foil is extremely fertile, although
divided by mountains. I'hefe contain mines of
finopica,

OF SPAIN, W£
finopica*i iron and allum: There are alfo found
quarries of marble, jafper, plafter, lapis cala-
minaris, and potters clay, of which different
kinds of earthen veffels are made.
-• Several authors have written of the city and
kingdom of Valencia ; the moft diftinguifhed of
them are Viziana, Beuter, Efeolano, and Diago.
This fmall province contains eight hundred thou
fand inhabitants ; it annually produces nearly a
million weight of filk ; an hundred thoufand ar-
robasf of hemp, an hundred and thirty thoufand
arrobas of oil, and three million Cantaros § of
wine ; fo that its active commerce with France,
England and Holland, is confiderable; it is cal
culated at ten millions of piaftres per annum,
which make about forty million of French livres
(above fix hundred thoufand pounds fterling.)
This eftimate, however, appears to be rather
exaggerated*

Of the ENVIRONS of VALENCIA.
AFTER leaving Morviedro, oh our way to
Segorbe, we perceive to the right a kind of cir
cular boundary which inclofes a valley in which
are a great number of villages; the principal are
Almenera, BeneGalaf, Faura, Canet and Bene-
diten. Vol. II. P We

* Found in the New Jerfeys alfoj and there called by the
people blood-ftone, from the itaining the hands of a bloody
colour. T
t The arroba weighs twenty-five pounds.
§ A meafure which contains fixteen pints.

aro THE PRESENT STATE
: We afterwards arrive at Torres Torres, a fmall
tpwn which fome writerspretend was the ancient
Turdeta,. the capital of Turdetania ; if this be
true, the hatred its inhabitants fwore againft thofe
of Saguntum, and which was revenged by the
Romans, may be faid ftill to exift in all its force*
for were they not fubjedts to the fame prince they
would be in a ftate of perpetual warfare. Their
difputes and antipathy arife from the waters
which ferve to overflow the Country in dry fea-
fons, and who knows, fays the Abbe Pon£, but
their ancient quarrels had the fame foundation ?
Farther on upon the road we come to a duller
pf mountains, in the bofom of which is a cele*.
brated* chapel, called the chapel of Nuefra Senom
de la Cueva Santa (our lady of the holy grotto.)
The concourfe of people at this chapel is incre
dible, , efpecially on the 8 th of September, which
is the feftival. The image of the virgin is placed
at the bottom of a deep grotto, to which the de
vout defcend by a wide ftaircafe. . The virgin
performs many miracles, and if, as it is faid, the
image be of plafter, and has been preferved two
centuries in that damp place, this is a miracle
fufficiently remarkable, becaufe figures made of
the fame materials are diffolved there in two days.
The duties of the chapel are peiformed by priefts*
who live in a large houfe built by the fide of the
grotto, and Which, at the fame time, ferves for a
vicarage artd an inn.
^ Segorbe is two leagues from this folitary chapel
Some of the hiflorians of Spain infift, and others
deny, that Segorbe was the ancient Segobrica:
Diago fays, with fome appearance of truth, that
modern Segorbe was formerly the capital of Cel-
tiberia, and that it is the city mentioned in in
fcriptions and ancient coins. In its prefent ftate
it contains not more than from five to fix thou fand

D F SPA IN. fiII
fend inhabitants. It is furrounded by well cul
tivated gardens; the climate is mild, and the
country abounds in every kind pf fruit.
The Jefuits had a college in SegOrhe; their
houfe has beeh converted into an epifeppal femin-
ary. The tomb pf Peter Miralles, the founder
pf ^bje .college, is to the right of the great altar,
JVfiiraiks left Bexis, the place of his birth, when
beafts v^ry ^ypung, and after ferying his fpye-
reign with much reputation and fuccefe, both in
fSjurppe and the Indies, returned very rich to his
cpuntry, with the intention of employing an
hundred and fixty thoufand piaftres, about fix
hundred and fome thoufand livres (twenty-fix
thoufand pounds) in founding a. college, an afy?
lum for poor orphans, and a convent of reformed
Auguftin monks : he had at firft refolved to make
¦thefe foundations in Bcxis, but his countrymen,
for fome reafon now unknown, oppofed him in
Ms defign. His ftatue of ftucco, as large as life,
fcndin a kneeling pofture, is upon the urn which
contains his afhes; and round it the principal
actions of his life are reprefented in fix has-reliefs..
The whole work is very well executed.
The greateft. curiofity in Segorbe is .the foun
tain ; which even at its ' fource furnifhes water
fufficient to turn two mill-wheels, and water all
the neighbouring country. Ihe water is whole-
fome, clear, .and well tafted ; it does not breed
either reptiles or flies, and becomes not corrupt
by being Jkept '; :.but its moft remarkable property
is that of petrifying s t^e roots and branches of
the trees which grow by its fide, and even the
channels through which it paffes. It is neceffary
to obferve, that the. greater or leffer quantity of
; the ftrong fediment it depofits, which then be
comes hard (and may be;compared'to the pumice
ftone, is in proportion as its courfe. is more or lefs
P a rapid.

2r2 THE PRESENT ST AT£
rapid. Notwithftanding this, the' inhabitant's of
Segorbe are not more fubjedt to the ftone and
gravel than thofe of any other part of the world*
Xerica is two leagues from Segorbe, and fitu
ated upon the banks of the Palencia, at the foot
of a mountain, upon which are the remains of a
Caftle which appears to have been formerly a place
of great ftrength. The chief productions of the
neighbouring country are wine, wheat and Indian
corn, and the foil abounds in excellent pafturage
for cattle. This city has been the fubjedt of
many difputes among antiquarians; fome affert-'
ing that it was' the ancient Ociferda or Etobefa;
others that it was called Laxata, afterwards Lax-
eta* which at length became Xerica.
There are a few fragments of Roman infcrip
tions in Xerica and in Vivel, which is at the
diftance of half a league, but they appeared to be
lefs deferving of attention, and not more likely to
pleafe the greateft lovers of antiquity than a mo
deft infcription, which is modern and found on
the bridge over the Palencia, between Segorbe
and Xerica. JOANNES A. MVN ATONES
EPS. SEGOBRICENSIS VIATO
RVM PERICVLI5 PROS
PICIENS HVNC PQtfTEM
A FVNDAMENTIS: EREXIT
ANNO 1570.
The road from Xerica to Vivel runs by tbe
fide of gardens delightfully fhaded. The town
of Vivel is fituated on the Palencia; it is faid to
have formerly been a city of Celtiberia, called
Bel-Sinum,

OF SPAIN. , 2I5
Bel-Smum, and afterwards Vivarium, which by
corruption is now become Vivel: at prefent it
does not contain more than three hundred inha
bitants, who are all employed in the cultivation
of their lands, which are well watered and fer
tile. 'Efcolano .and Diago give feveral infcrip
tions found in the town ; fome of thefe afford
reafon to conjedture that different branches of the
family of Porcia were eftablifhed in this part of
Spain, and that they went thither with M. For
tius Cato. In others we find the names of Agri
cola, Ddmitian, Emilius, and the family of Cor
nelia. Two leagues from Vivel we arrive at Bexis, a
xonfiderable town fituated upon a little eminence,
and furrounded by high mountains. The coun
try is watered by a river called Toro, from the
name of the village near which it has its fource ;
it is the fame river which falls into the fea near
Morviedro ; in one part of it, for the diftance of
two or three leagues, it fiirnifhes excellent trout.
Several antiquarians place at Bexis an ancient
: city named Bergh, The prefent town is the chief
place among the .towns, villages and hamlets be
longing to the order of Calatrava.
• After leaving Bexis, the road defcends into a
deep valley and becomes delightful ; it lies through
the bofom of mountains covered with pines,
verdure and aromatic plants ; the vine alfo is
cultivated there in fituations properly expofed to
the fun. The Canafen rolls its waters through
this delightful abode, and the road afterwards
croffes the mountains, the higheft of which is
called la Vellida; From the top of this moun
tain the eye takes in an immenfe country, a vaft
extent of fea, the city of Valencia, and the plains
by which it is furrounded. Canales, a little vil-
. lage, where the ice, fo neceffary to the people of
Valencia

$14. THE PRESENT STATE
Valencia is depofited, is but at a little diftance
from la Vellida.
The road from Canales defcends for the fpaefc
of a league, and in a deep bottom we difcover
Andilla. This town merits celebrity ort account
of the fine paintings contained in its Church*
The great altar is ornamented with ten Corin
thian columns of the mPft juft propprti©b8i and
between which are feveral bas-Teliefs reprefentiag
the myfteries of the incarnation of Chrift: thfe
crown is compofed of feveral angels, who hold
the different inftriiments of his death. The altar
is fhut in by great doors, which are more to be
admired than any thing contained in the church.
They were painted by Ribalta, whilft his g?©tt
abilities retained their full vigour. The fubjeftB
are taken from the lcriptures, and executed in the
moft ftriking and ttikfteriy manner ; the correct-
nefs, colouring and compofition of thefe paintings
are not to be futpafTed.
The inhabitants oi" Andilla have great merit in
having preferved thefe precious productions in
ftead of imitating thofe of feveral Other villages
who, to decorate their churches after tbe Ktodem
manner, have deftroyed feveral maftet-pieces of
art. The former, however, are blameabfe for
having ufelefsly expended a fum pf money for tbe
purpofe of building a high tower by the fide of
their church ; fince, cOnfidering the fituation ef
their village, which is entirely furrounded by
Very high mountains, had they r-aifed their tower
to four times the height it has, it Would never
have been feen at a diftance, nor could any thing
have been difcovered from it ; this luxury is be
fides lhame'ful in two hundred inhabitants at the
bottom of a deep valley : the money might un
doubtedly have -been better employed. From

OF SPAIN. 2I5
From Andilla the road almoft continually af-
cends for two leagues, at the end of which we
arrive at Alcublas, and, after paifing over a plain ,
of four leagues, at Liria. This city was famous
in antiquity; it is nniveffally allowed to have
been the antient Edeta, built hy the firft inhabi
tants of Spain. A ftone with fome Roman cha
racters was difcpvered in 17593 near the public
fountain. Don Jofeph Rios, vicar of Cullera,
(explained the characters in the following manner,
in a differtation full of erudition.
Templum Nympharum G^ Serforius Eupatiftu^
Sertorianus &? firtoria fefta a folo, ita ufi fculptum
t^ in hworem, edetanorum & patronorum fuorums

And lower down,
Su4 pecunia ficerunf.
Liria is fituated between two little mountains,
and contains about fixteen hundred inhabitants,
moft of whom are employed in agriculture ; the
front of their church exhibits fome fine arehi*
tecture : Martin de Olindo was the architect.
The Carthufian monaftery of Fqrtaceli is two
leagues from Liria, and Valencia four from the
monaftery,

^VALENCIA

ai6 THE PRESENT STATE
VAL EN C .1 A.
MOR E has been written upon Vatenciaihan
upon any other city in the kingdom pf Spain;
Efcolano, Viciana, Beuter, Efclapes and Diago,
all of die kingdom of Valencia, have left annals
and hiftpries of that capital, and! am not fur^
prifed at what they have done ; Valencia was, for
a long time, the city ' in which a greater number
of books were printed than in any other in all
Spain. Its ancient name is unknown ; but, it is faid to
have been taken and fortified by Scipio,, deftroyed
by Pompey, and rebuilt by Sertorius. It was
taken from the Romans by the Goths, and from
the latter by the Moors, who, at twice, poffeffed
it two hundred and thirty-nine years ,- for it was,
taken in 1094 by the famous Cid-Rui-Diaz de
Vivar, and bore, during four years, the name of
Valencia of the Cid. The Moors re-tpok it, but
it was finally conquered in 1238, by the king
Don Jayme, and embellifhed as well as enlarged
by; Don Pedro IV. king of Arragon. It is about
h*lf a league in circumference, and the walls are
built for ornament rather than defence.
Mariana the hiftorian fays, that in Valencia
cbearfutnefs enters at the doors and windows;
the defcription he gives of this city is in many
refpects devoid of truth, and fuch that the author
proves himfelf more a, poet than an. hiftorian..
Several geographers who have had implicit faith
in Mariana, have even exaggerated his account
of Valencia, and faid, the houfes here are all pala
ces, on which account the name of Bella was
given to the city, an epithet difficult to reconcile
with narrow, crooked and unpaved ftreets, im-
paffable after rain ; and ia which there are but
two

OF SPAIN- 217
two or three houfes built with tafte, and a few
churches diftinguifhed by their architecture. Ia
a word, it is a city built by the Moors, who, for
reafons of policy, jealoufy or religion, affociating
but feldom with each other, and fhut up with
their women, confidered ftreets as nothing more
tiian neceffary paths, little capable of embellifiV
ment, and gave their whole attention to the inte
rior of their houfes, which were airy and fpacious,
but in general inconvenient and badly diftributed,
Befides, the luxury of carriages had not yet been
introduced. But 'the Spaniards, fince their con-
queft of the kingdom, might eafily have reme-?
died a defect which at prefent is fo confiderable,
and not have followed in their new buildings the
injudicious plan traced by the Moors.
Burjafot, a village a league from Valencia,
ftands on an eftate belonging to the College of
Corpus Chrifti in that city.
Efcolano derives the name of Burjafot from
the Arabic words borg which fignifies tower, and
fot rendered by wood, whence the word foto, which
in Caftilian means the fame thing. In the mid
dle of the wood that furrounded Burjafot was an
oak, which with its branches covered as much
ground as a man with a yoke of oxen. could
E lough in a day ; the branches, fourteen in num-
er, each of which would have made a great
tree, were eighty paces diameter. They were
fupported by pillars, which gave to the inclofure
the appearance of a rural cloifter. Efcolano
faw this tree and gave a defcription of it. In
1670, it was thrown down by lightning.
Burjafot ftill prefents monuments much more
important, and which the city of Valencia takes
great care to keep in repair ; thefe are the public
iubterraneous granaries, conftrudted by the. Ro
mans, and mentioned by Columella, Plhiy, Varro, and

2Ig THE PRESENT STATE
•and Suidas, who call them Silos, or Sires*; and
which in the Valencian language are now called
las Sichas or Siches de San Roque.
The monument of Frances rAdyenant, the
moft famous adtrefs Spain ever had, is in the old
church of Burjafot. She died a few years iince
at the age of twenty-two, by the exeefs of hej
debaucheries: her epitaph, written by a prieft,,
one of her friends, is filent upon this head,v

O mors, quam amara eft;
memoria tua !
A qui jace
Francifc*
l'Advenant
de edad de veinte y dos annos
y ocho dias, immortal
por fu agudiffimo
talento, y admi-
racion unica en ftt

* Sed id genus horrei quod fcripfimus, nifi fit in fieea
pofitione, quamvis granum robuiliifimum corrumpit fitu }-
qui fi nullus adfit poffunt etiam defciffa frumenta fervari;
ficut tranfmarinis quibufdam provinciis ubi puteorum in
jnodum, quos appellant Siros, exhaufla humus, editos a fe
fru&us recipit. Coin mel. lib. I. cap. 6. n°. 15.
Quidam granaria habent fub terris, fpeluncas quas vocant
Seiros, ut in Cappadocia ac Thracia; alii, ut in Hifpania
ciieriore puteos, ut in agro Carthaginienfi & Ofcenfi. Vari^
de Re Ruft. lib. 1. cap. 57.
Suidas, torn. ii. p. 734 and 744.
Plin. Hift. Nat. lib. 18. cap. 30.
Quint. Curt. lib. 7. cap. 4. n°. 24, &<?.

OF SPAIN. 2J9
fu profeffion, mu-
rip en onze de abril 1772,
dando efpeciales
mueftras de fer-
vorofa contri-
pion ; ruegen a Dios
poy ell*
Dum procere%
primi,
fummi Iacryrnantur
et imi ;
poft vitam fumus,
pulvis *E umbr*
fumus*.

From Burjafot the excellent figs, called at Mar
feilles Figues Bsurjafotss, derive their name, and
not from Alexander VI,. of Borgia, aftchbifhop of
Valencia before he was pope, as Menage pre
tends in his Italian etymologies under the word
Fico Erogioiio : it is true they were tranfplanted to
Italy

* 0 Heath how Utter k the remembrance of thee ! Here lies
Fiances 1'Advenant aged twent.y-lwo years and eight days.
immortal by her tare talents, and the greateft prodigy of her
profeffion. She died 11 April, 1772, after having {hewn
marks of the moft fervent contrition. Pray to -God for her.
Whilft the great, the .rich, the powerful, and the people
Ihall regret h^r lofs and lhed tears at her fate, let us not
forget, that, after this lifti -we are but iinoke, {hado-.y ani
duft.

£2$ THErPRESENT STATE
Italy by this luxurious pope, and there made!
known by him to the nice palates of that country!;
A few years ago a ftone with the following int
fcription was found in the Guadalaviar, in the
ibnvirons, of Valencia ;
SODALICIUM
, VERNARVM
COLENXES ISID:::?
It is placed upon the road not far from where
it was difcovered : and hag above it another ftone,
in the center of which is a crown of laurel, a
cornucopia, and the following characters as a
legend i CO. IV. IT, VAL ENT A
After placing the two ftones, the following in
fcription was put over them — Sifte antiquitatis
amator: diu-focii in alveo fepulti lapides A.D,
MDCCLIV. inventi, fiequenti in hunc proxinriorem
locum pontic die ubi, die quando primum eredti,
Moft of the hiftorians who have' written1 upon
Valencia maintain it to have been the firft city in
Spain, in which the art of printing was known ;
and in the fuppofition that it was not introduced,
into that kingdom before the year 1474, they
mention a Salluft printed at Valencia in 1475, an^
a Latin dictionary, intitled Compreheripnufti, at
the end of which is read as follows : Prcefehs hujus
Comprehenforii prceclarum opus Valentjce imprejfuin
anno MCCCCLXXV. Die vero XXIII mmp'
februarii finit feliciter. This work is in the library
of Don Gregory Mayans, who refides at Valencia'^
and who has one' of the moft valuable collections of

OE SPAIN. 2iI
of books in the kingdom. He may be called the
Neftor. of Spanifh literature. Although eighty
years of age, moft of his time is devoted to let
ters, and thus the laft moments of a life, celebrat
ed by a great number of works, are confecrated
to the inftrudtion of his countrymen. Voltaire
has juftly given him the title of famous. Dr.
Robertfon confulted him upon his hiftory of
America, and he maintains a correspondence with
all the learned' men in Europe. He gives the
moft polite reception to vifitors, and was pleafed
to place me in the number of thofe whom he hon
ours "with his friendlhip. I was not lefs fatisfied
with his brother Don Antonio Mayans, a man
well acquainted with the antiquities of Spain,
and who, among other works, has given the hif
tory of Elche, formerly Jlici.
During my ftay at Valencia, I was prefent at
the celebration of a feaft given by the fociety de
la Real Maejlranza, on the birthday of Charles
III. This name is given at Valencia, Granada,
Seville, Zamora, artd fome other cities, to a fo
ciety compofed of fome of the firft nobility of
the country. The Maeflrantes, in different cities,
have a very rich uniform, and enjoy, by grant
from his majefty, feveral honourable privileges.
They march to the field under his banners, and
are followed by feveral companies compofed of
their vaffals. This prefents an image of the
feudal fyftem.

ROAD

ftfta THE PRESENT STATE
ROAD from VALENCIA to
ALICANT.
I LEFT Valencia about one o'clock on tht
2 2d of January, in a Vdlante* ; the weather :-was
extremely fine, the fun clear and very warm, and
the country as beautiful as inthemojjtfh of April.
The road at firft is good, and paffes through feve
ral villages, but afterwards becomes fuch as it
probably wras at the creation ; fand «p to the
axletree, and an immenfe defert full of the high
thorny and ftrpng plant which the people of the
country call Pita ; the aloe of America, of which
the Spaniards make cordage. The Catalans fpin
it fo finely, that the thread is ufed in makingof
blonde. Algemifi is the firft town upon this road..
The Spanifh traveller fays, the faqade of -the
church is in a good tafte, the great altar of fine
architecture, and that in the infide of the church
there are feveral pieces of fculpture well executed,
and fome paintings by 'Ribaita. Alcire, two
leagues from Algemefi, is a confiderable town,
well fituated. The Moors call it Algecira, which
figriifies Ifland; and, in fact, it is one, being fur-
Tounded by the river Xucar, which you pafs over
a ftone bridge. The country about Alcire pro
duces rice, fruits, and grain: the.fugar cane was
formerly -cultivated', there with fome fuccefs, but
fince fugar has been brought, cheaper and of a
better quality, from America, this cultivation
has been negledted.
The road from this town to San Felipe is, in
general, tolerably good; fometimes commanded by
# A light open carriage, as I may fay, continually blown
*bout by the wind.

OP SPAllf. 223
By high and barren mountains, at others croffed
by different ftreams.
Three quarters of a league from San Felipe
you pafs over the Widow's bridge. A mother
who had the misfortune to lofe her only fon in the
river over which the bridge is built, caufed it to
be erected, that the fame misfortune might not
happen to any mother in future.
San Felip£ was called Setabis in the time of the
Romans; and, when in the poffefliort of the
Moors Xativa, a name ftill given it by the com
mon people; it was deftroyed at the beginning
of this century for having refilled the arms oi
Philip V.
The caftle was formerly the prifon of the duke
of Galabria*.
Between San Felipe and Mogente, the tra
veller, in lefs than two hours, twelve times
croffes a river called Barranjo de Mogente; the
laurel rofe, fo carefully cultivated in our gardens in
* Ferdinand of Arragon, duke of Calabria, eldeft fon of
Don Fadrique of Arragon, king of Naples, born in Andria
in 1488. His father having been deprived of his ftates by
Ferdinand V. called the Catholic, and Louis XII. of France ;
Ferdinand, who was his prefumptive heir, fhut himfelf up
with fonre troops in Tarentefia, where, unable to defend
hiinfelf long, he Was obliged to furrender to the great cap
tain Gonzalo Fernandez,, who treated him well and fenthim
into Spain, whilft his father, mother and brothers were in
France. King Ferdinand imprifoned him in the caftle of
Xativa, where he remained ten years, after Tfcrhich Charles V.
gave him his liberty, and received him at Valladolid, where
the court then was; he married him to the queen Urfula
Germainei widow of his grandfather, daughter to the count
de Foix.and niece to Louis XII. he afterwards named him
viceroy of ' Valencia. Having loft his wife, he married
Donna Mencja de Mendoza. He died at the age of 66
years and fome months, and was interred by the fide of his
firft wife in the church of San Miguel de los Reyes, near
Valencia, in a monaftery of Jeronymites, which he-had
founded.

224 THE PRESENT STATE
in Fiance, grows, naturally upon its banks. He
next arrives at Villena, a fmall town of new
Caftile.
Not far from Villena is the little village of Biar,
called by the Romans Apuirium, on account of its
excellent honey, which was as white as fnow.
It is ftill famous for the fame valuable produc
tion. '
To the ieft of Villena is Alcoy, a handfome
little town, fituated upon the river of that name*
Iron mines were difcovered in the neighbourhood
in 1.504; but it is more remarkable for a foun
tain called by the inhabitants-ifor^e/; they fay,,,
that it throws up an abundance of water during;
the fpace of fourteen years; that it afterwards
becomes exhaufted, and that it iuns and dries up,
periodically. The mountains in the neighbour
hood of the village of Contentaina are, famous
from the great quantity of rare and medicinal
plants found upon them.
, Altea, rich in wine, filk, flax, and honey, is
by the fea-fide. >;.->
Denia, an ancient city founded by the people
of Marfeilles in honour of Diana, lies to the
north of Aitena ; it was called by the founders;
Artemifum, from the Greek name of that deity.:
the Romans gave it the appellation of Dianeum,
whence the name it now bears. Sertorius made
an advantageous ufe of this place, and it is hot
,« long fince the inhabitants ftill called it Atalaya de
Seriorio, the obfervatory of Sertorius. It ftands
at the foot of Mount Mongon, and has a com
modious harbour ; the foil is fertile, and abounds
in corn, wine and almonds.
Between Denia and Altea, the land forms a
promontory, called Cape Martin, but the inha
bitants of the country ftill call it Artemus. This

OF SPAIN. 22$
This cape feparates the Giilph- of Valencia from
that of Alicahti

ALICANT.
• ALICANT was, for a long time, only a fmall
Village: Viciana fays, that in 1519, there were
but fix houfes upon the ground ori which the city
how ftands ; but in 1562 the number amounted
to upwards of a thoufand; The circumftances
which moft contributed^ " this prodigious in.
Create^ were the means made ufe of by the inha
bitants to fecure themfelves from the enterprizesi
and ravages of the corfairs. They employed a
part of their property in making ftrong fortifiea-'
tiond by the fea fide. Severaf famous pirates,
fopported by the Moors, then cruized in the
Mediterranean; Dragut and Barbardffe fpread
univerfal terror. Alicant, become a place pf
fafety, and capable of defence, induced the
merchants of Garthagena and the environs to
eftabfifh themfelves there. Thefe were followed
by feveral other ¦ merchants from Milan and
Genoa ; and the concourfe of natives and ftran-
gets foon gave both fame and profperity to the
city.' -v ' ->•¦ •
It is now well built and peopled ; the bay is
fafe and much frequented ; it is Sheltered on the
eaft by Cape de la Huerta, and to the weft by
Cape Saint Paul and the Iftand of Tabarca.
Veffels anchor about a mile from the mole in fix,
feven, eight and- ten fathom of water, and may
enter and go out with any wind. The mole
is large and commodious, but not yet finifhed.
: V01. IL Q^ One

aa6 THE PRESENT STATl
One of the circumftances which has moft contra
buted to the riches and commerce of Alicant, i*
the duties of entry being lefs there than at Valen
cia and Carthagena; this diminifhed the com
merce of thefe two cities in favour of the former^
from which all the veffels that carry on the trade
between Spain and Italy are fitted out.
The commerce of Alicant confifts in barilla,
antimony, allum, anifeed, cummin, and the
wine much efteemed in Europe, called Vino tinto
(tent wine.)
Within four leagues of the city there is a kind
of refervoir, or ciftern, between two mountains/)
called El Paniano, in which the water that falls
from all the neighbouring mountains is received j
and which, in cafe of a want of rain, ferves- to
fupply the whole diftridt for a year. The walls
of the bafon are two hundred feet high; apdj at
the bafe, upwards of forty feet thick.
, The foil of tbe whole, country between Alicant
and Guardamar is entirely faline. Guardamar is
faid to be the ancient Alone, fo called on account
of the great quantities of fait found in the envi
rons. Thefe fait pits have been famous in hiftory for
two thoufand years. The Genoefe and the tra
ders from Pifa and the Levant formerly came there
to load their veffels, and took great care to infert
in their treaties of peace, an article whereby full
liberty was granted them to fetch fait from Gua>,
damar. The bay of Alicant is faid to have formerly
been the famous gulph of Ilici, a Roman colony,
now the city of Elche, but the declining ftate of
the port of Ilici, and the improvement of that of
Alicant, gave to the bay the name it now bears:
it begins at. Cape St. Martin, and terminates at
Capepalos. The

OF SPAIN. 22T
The Waters of Bbuffdt, a village within a few
leagues of Alicant, are faid to be of ufe in obftrue-
liOns and venereal cafes ; people go to drink them
in the month of May, but they find there no kind
of lodging, and the fick who remain are obliged
to have fmall tenements erected for their accom
modation. The roferrtary plant thrives fo well in
this neighbourhood, that it frequently grows to
the height of fix feet.
* The fituatibri of Alicant is top fine for that part
pf the coaft to have beeh neglected by fti-angers
who landed in Spain ; and, it is fuppofed, not
without fome reafon, that there was formerly a
city, of which the name is now unknown, in the
environs of the fpot on which Alicant now ftands.
Several fragments of infcriptions, and ruins of
columns and ftatues, found towards that part of
the bay called La Gala, fupport this conjecture.
Some entire infcriptions, difcovered in the fame
quarter, have been preferved in the neighbouring
country-houfes ; amongft others are the follow
ing : ;'
M. va'lerio. SOLANI'A
NO. SEVERO. MVRE
NAE. F. MAG,
M. POPILIUS ONYXS
IIIIII. AVG. TEMPLVM. D.S..
P. R. I. CvP.
Mario Valeria Solaniano Severo, Murence families
magijler, Marcus Popilius Onyxsfextum augur, tern-
plum, defuapecunia re/iituit ipfeque pofuit,
VARRO. ANN XVIII
H. S. E. S. T. L.
Q^ 2 Varro

±&fr THE PRESENT STATE
Varta annorum Qclodecim hie fepulftis eft: ft tefra
levis.
DIIS MANIBVS
PRI AMI.GENIA
SINPONIACA ' AN. XXV.
A feal or fignet, of the form . following, waS*
found near the fame place :

ABASCANTI

It had a ftrong little handle that it might he
forcibly preffed': Abajcimtus is faid to hkve beed
a Roman colledtor ; and Beuter quotes an inferior1
tion in which mention is made of a perfon of that
name. 0^ SERTORIUS. Cv LIB.
ABASCANTVS SE VIR AVG.,
D.S. P.F.G.TDEM QVE
DEDICAVIT > '
The infcriptioris and coins, discovered in this
( neighbourhood, prove that the' city or colony ex-
ifted before, andin, the time of the' emperors*

ROUTE

OF SPAIN. 2^
ROUTE from ALICANT to MURCIA.
TWO leagues from Alicant the traveller finds
a foreft of palm trees ; a kind of tree which has a
noble and fimple, yet, in general, a melancholy
appearance : however, when they are found in
fuch numbers, as in the environs of Elche, their
effect is very agreeable. I imagined myfelf tranf
ported to the plains of Alexandria or Grand Cairo :
I faw, with a pleafure new to me, the golden and
tufted grape and the date, fufpended by the fide of
each other ; art horizon infinitely varied, green
valleys interfedted by a thoufand rivulets, and a
clear and brilliant fky, which enlivened the fcene,
and rendered it one of the moft interefting I had
ever beheld.
Between Alicant and Elche there are feveral
deep and covered citterns, the water of which is
excellent. They are the precious remains of the
religion of the Moors, who neglected no means of
facilitating ablutions and the observance of the fa-
lutary precepts of their law, The citterns are
now going to iuin, andin a few years will be tor
tally filled up. -
Elche, fay antiquarians, is the ancient Ilici, a
very famous" colony, which had the furnames of
Julia, Ccejar'tana, and Augufla ; but all the remains
of its ancient magnificence are a great number of
ruins, and fome infcriptions: one of the latter is
engraved upon a piece of a jafper column in the
convent of Nueftra Sgnoru de la Mifericordia : the
..words are : AUGVSTO DIVI. F.
DECIVS. CELER
PEDICAVIT. The

230 THE PRESENT STATE
The column was brought from Alcudja in the
environs of Elche ; and, by the ruins found near
that place, it appears to have beeS more confide
rable than the latter.
The follpwing infcription is alfo found in FlT
che.
D- M.
VLP. MARIANAE ,
VIXIT AN. XXX
L. CASSIVS. IVNTANV-S
MARITAE*
KARISSIMAE.

Elche had formerly a port called Illicitano, from
its name Ilici; it was ftill reforted to in 1418, but
is, at prefent, abandoned, and not even a trace
of the city, to which it belonged, is now to he.
found. The city was undoubtedly diftindt from
Ilici, becaufe Elche is a league from the fea.
There are yet fome remains of a road from Car-
thagena to the port of Ilici, and the natives called
it, by tradition, the Roman road.
It is alfo faid, that the road made by the Gre-4
cian Hercules, when after conquering Geryon,
near Cadiz, he continued his way to the Pyrenees
to go into Gaul and Italy, paffed through Elche>
This city was early converted to the Chriftian
faith ; the name of the firft bilhop of it was John ;
there ftill remains a letter of compliment, written
to him by pope HoruuTdas in 517 ; but the fee
was deftrpyed by the invafip.n of the Moors.
Elche was famous in the time of the Arabs,:
the fituation was delightful, the climate mild, and
the environs fertile ; it was for them, a delightful retreat
* The -word Marita, inftead of Uxor, is frequently,
iound in Horace and Ovid.

OF SPAIN. 2«r
retreat, in which they cultivated arts and letters
in the midft of pleafures. It gave birth to feveral
celebrated men, among whom one of the moft dif
tinguifhed was Ifa Ben Mahomed Alabderita, a
very pleafing poet ; who fiourifhed about the year
913 of our sera.
Mahomed Ben Abdalrhaman enjoyed the great
eft confideration amongft his fellow citizens ; he
deferved to be celebrated for his knowledge and
piety. The Spaniards have his annals of Spain,
and a hiftory of the illuftrious men of that king
dom ; he died in 1 2 13.
Abu Abdallah Mahomed Ben Mahomed Ben
Hefcham was fo wife and juft a judge, that the
King of Granada, after receiving repeated proofs
of his knowledge and equity, ' gave him full
power to govern in his place : he died in this em
ployment in 1304.
Elche was taken from the Moors by Peter the
Cruel, in 1363, and has ever fince remained un
der the dominion of the Spaniards; it belongs to
the houfe of Arcos,
Orihuela, four leagues from Elche, is an an
cient and well fituated town, furrounded by high
mountains, and, like all this coaft, enjoys a per
petual fpring. The country is fo fertile as to be-
corae a proverb : llueva- 0 no llueva, trigo en Ori
huela ; whether it rains or not there is always corn
in Orihuela.
The Romans called it Orcelis, and Ptolemy
reckons it among the cities inhabited by the Bafte-
tani. One of the firft bifhops of this city fent depu
ties to the fecond council of Aries, in the fourth
century, the time of Gonftantine the Great. The
fee was afterward united to that of Carthagena,
and not feparated from it Until the middle of the
Sixteenth century. , .'¦¦'¦'*
Orihuela,

g32 THE PRESENT STATE
Orihuela has an univerfity, which was. founded,
in 1555. Tbe college, built upon a high mpuri,
tain, has a magnificent profpedt, and is in itfelf an
object of curiofity. ¦ , <
The cathedral is dark, fmall, j*nd ornamented
in a bad tafte.
The country, from Orihuela to the environs of
Murcia, has the appearance of a vaft defert.
Of the KINGDOM oe MURCIA.
THIS kingdom is the leaft of thofe which con*;
pole the monarchy of Spain ; it; is , but twenty-
five leagues in length, and about twenty-three in
breadth. The moft confiderable cities are Mm?:.
cia, the capital; Carthagena, and Lorca; Alrr^.:
caron, fix ' leagues : frpm Carthagena, which is,
properly fpeaking, no more than a fortrefs upon
the fea coaft, and principally diftinguifhed on ac
count of great quantities of allum found in the
neighbourhood ; Mula, fituated in a fertile plain;
Caravaca, famous for a crofs prefented to it by
angels, and which1 cures all the lick within ten
leagues round; Lorgui, Calafpara, and Cieza,
which by fome is thought to be the ancient Carteia.
The two principal rivers by which this kingdom
is Watered, are the Segura, formerly called tbe
ifevebm, and the Guadalentin, which, riling in
the kingdom of Granada, waters that of Murcia
from Weft to eaft, wafhes the walls of Lorca, and
falls into the Mediterranean, near Almacaron.
The kingdom of Murcia produces a great quan-..
tity of filk. The Moors, when they conquered
Spain, are faid to have brought thither the muV,
berry-tree, and to have taught the Spaniards the
manner of cultivating it, as alfo how to prepare
?nd weave the filk. The foil of Murcia is fo fa
vourable to this tree, that it more eafily grows there.

O F S P A I N. g^j
there than in any other part of Spain. The little
kingdom of Murcia is faid to contain three hun
dred and fifty-five thoufand five hundred mulberry-
trees, and to produce annually forty thoufand
ounces of the grain of the filk worm, the refult of
which is two hundred and fifty thoufand pounds
of filk.
The lands watered in the kingdom of Murcia
are divided into feventy-three thoufand eight hun
dred and ninety-feven tabullas. A tahiilla is a
fquare, each fide of which is forty varas; and
confequently contains fixteen hundred fquaie
•varas*. Every kind of fruit produced in Spain
is found in Murcia; it furnifhes Caftile, England
and France with oranges, lemons, figs, &c. The
mountains are covered with fhrubs, reeds and
odoriferous and medicinal plants.

MURCIA.

SEVERAL volumes have been written upon
the antiquity of this city. In the earlieft ages it is
faid to have been called Tadmir, that is, produc
tive. of palm trees; that, afterwards, rebuilt by
the Morgetes, it took the name , of Murgis, and
after thefe people was at different times called Bi-,
gaftro, Oreola, and Ormela ; but Cafcales mairh
tains it had never any other name than that of
Murcia. Thefe difputes are but of little confe-:
quence ; its antiquity is fufficiently proved by in
fcriptions,, fome of which are quoted by Appian
in his defcription of Spain, and the reft ftill ie_
main in Murcia. In
* Thirty-two inches make one vara.

2«4 THE PRESENT STATE
In its origin Murcia was, like every other city
near Carthagena, only a fmall village. The lat
ter eclipfed them all until it was conquered by
Scipio. The Romans no fooner came to the vil
lage of Murcia, and obferved its agreeable fitua-
tion, the natural cafcades of the river, and the
banks covered with myrtle, where this fhrub ftill
fiourifhes more than in any^ther part of Spain,
than they refolved to confecrate it to their Venus
Myrtia, who delighted in, myrtles, waters and
fountains!-, they addedana only to the name, which
was Murci. '
It was in the fields of Murcia that Scipio, re
turned from his conqueft, celebrated the obfequies
of his father and uncle. The celebration confifted
in games and combats of gladiators, and accord
ing to Livy they were not flaves who were forced
to combat, but brave champions, who voluntarily
Came to give proofs of their valour. Murcia re^
mained fix hundred and fixteen years under the
dominion of the Romans.
It was taken, difmantled, and facked by the
Goths, who poffeffed it three hundred and ten
years. The Moors, in their turn, came to befiege it,
after having conquered Cordova, Malaga, Gra
nada, and Jaen ; and the inhabitants went to
meet and fight them. The two armies met in a
plain ftill called Sangonera, on account of the
bloody battle that followed, in which the Mur-
cians behaved fo gallantly, that moft of them re
mained upon the field, In this extremity the go
vernor of the city ordered all the women to be
clad in armour, and drawn up on the rampart,
whilft, in the charadter of an ambaffador, he
went to the Mooiifh general to capitulate. The
Moors, believing the city to be ftill ftrong and
full of foldiers, granted him very " advantageous terms

OF SPAIN. 23«
terms ; but what was their aftonifhment, when,
upon entering the gates, they found only an army
of women ! The fame circumftance is related of
the taking of Orihuela. 'At length, after five
hundred and twenty-feven years poffeffion, the
Moors loft it in 1241, to Don Ferdinand, fon of
Alphonfo the wife, and it has ever fince remained
under the dominion of Spain.
Murcia ftands in a plain, which from weft to
eaft is twenty-five leagues in length, and a league
and half in breadth. Segura runs by the fide of
the city. This river is decorated with a fine
Itone bridge, and has a magnificent quay.
The principal front of the cathedral is beauti-:
ful, but overcharged with ornaments. The three
principal doors are of reddifh marble, and of
the Corinthian order ; they are ornamented with
thirty-two ftatues as large as life. The Arabian
fculpture which ornaments the pillars is well ex
ecuted, and in a good tafte.
The infide of the Cathedral is fpacious ; the
pillars by which the roof is fupported have no ap
pearance of gothic lightnefs ; but ^re much more
ftrong than elegant. The beauty, lightnefs and
elegance of gothic architecture are found in the
chapel of the marquis de los Veles, which ap-r
pears more ancient and is higher than the cathe
dral ; the form is an hexagon, terminated by a
cupola, ornamented with all the tafte of the go
thic ages, and the exterior of the chapel is as well
finifhed as the interior.
The altar of the cathedral is of maffive filver,
and the fteps which lead to it are covered with
the fame metal.
The tomb of Alphonfo X, furnamed the Wife,
is in this church. That monarch,' who, in an
age of ignorance, diftinguifhed himfelf by his
great knowledge of hiftory and aftrology, left, at
his

g36 THE PRESENT STATE
his death, his heart and bowels to Murcia, as an
acknowledgment for the good reception given
him by that kingdom after abdicating the empire
he had accepted in prejudice to Richard king of
England, Sancho, his fon, would have excluded
him from his ftates.
The tower of the cathedral is fquare, and built
in imitation of that of Seville, but it is larger,
and, when finifhed, will be more lofty. The af
cent to the fummit is fo eafy, that a horfe might
go up it without being much fatigued. In thf
center of this tower, at about half way up, is a
fpacious apartment, which ferves as an afylum to
fuch as from intereft, enmity or fudden anger,
have1 had the misfortune to ftain their hands with
the blood of their fellow creatures. They there
live beyond the reach of the laws, and have no
other inquietude than that of their remorfe.
The bafe of the tower is ornamented with Co
rinthian pii afters, and fome niches not yet filled
up ; the following infcription proves it to have
been begun above two hundred and fifty years
ago- Anno Dni MCCCCCXXI die
XVIIII OSobris
inceptum eft hoc opus fub.
Leone "Kfummo
Pontifce, fui pantifcatus
anno VIII,
Caroh imperatore cum
Joanna metre
regnantiuus in Hifpania Ma$e%

OF SPAIN. %*«
Matheo fantli Angeli diacono
cardi-
nale Epifcopo Carthaginenfe*
Murcia contains fix parifh churches, endowed
by Alphonfo the Wife, ten convents of Monks,
and fix nunneries. Among the convents that of
the Cordeliers is the moft diftinguifhed. It has a
good library, but ill taken care of, in which are
the portraits of feveral great men who have ren
dered themfelves famous by arms, letters and the
art of governing. The Moorifh palace flood for
merly upon fhe ground now occupied by the con*
Vent of the Dominicans.
Murcia is furrounded by charming public
Walks, of which the Malecon is the principal. ,
This city, although confiderable and well peo
pled, has not one inn ; theonly lodging to be had
in it is as wretched as thofe found upon moft of
the great roads of Spain in the places called inns,
generally kept by Gitanos or Gipfies.
The baths of Archena are fourt leagues from
Murcia, upon the road to Madrid, and take their
name from a neighbouring tittle village : they have
their fource in a rock not very high, but which is
commanded by very lofty mountains. Thirty
paces from theSegura a canal, upon which three
kind of baths are conftrudted, has been made from
this fource ; the firft bath is for the men, the fe-
cond for the women, and the third for the poor.
The firft is within ten or twelve feet of the fource,
and the water is fp hot that it is impoffible to fup
port the heat of it, even, with the hand, for more
than a fecond ; before it is bathed in, it is beaten
for a confiderable length of time. This water is
of a blueifh caft, very heavy and bad tafted ; the
froth or fcum at the fource takes fire like fulphur or

$38 THE PRESENT STATE
or brandy. Thofe who drink the waters muft Ufe
a good deal of exercife to carry them off. They
are efteemed ufeful in all infirmities proceeding
from the humours, but are prejudicial, in venereal-
cafes. Their great effedt is a violent and conti
nued tranfpiration, and it fometimes happens that
peifons who have bathed in them are obliged to
change their linen .five or fix times in the day.
There are about fifty fmall huts near the baths
where lodging may be had, but provifion muft be
carried thither in cafe of a few days refidence. *
The roads from Murcia to Carthagena are hor
rid, and in the high mountains, over which they
pafs, are fuch as, the waters have made them.

CARTHAGENA.
CARTHAGENA is announced at a dif-
tance by villages, farms, country-houfes and fe
veral pleafant walks. The principal founders of
this city were, we are told, Teucer and Afdrubal ;
but a large city called Contefta, from the name of
Tefta, king of Spain, by whom it was built, is
faid to have flood upon the fame ground 14 1 2
years before Chrift. The greateft part of the
province alfo was called Conteftania. Teucer
came next in the reign Of Gargoris, and began to
embellifh and fortify Carthagena, but did not
complete his work ; till, at length, Afdrubal find
ing its fituation delightful, made it a magnificent
city, and the rival of Carthage in Africa,
Carthagena remained in the poffeffion of the
descendants of Afdrubal until the year 208 before
Chrift, when it was conquered by Publius Scipio and

OF SPAiN. ma
and Caius Lselius. It was at that time governed
by Mago, the laft Carthaginian chief.
Livy tells us, that at the arrival of Scipio in
Spain, Carthagena was, after Rome, one of the
richeft cities in the world ; and full Of arms and
foldiers. Notwithftanding all its refoUrces Scipio
took it, and delivered it up to pillage. He car
ried away vi ith him fixty-four military banners,
two hundred and feventy golden cups, and eigh
teen thoufand three hundred marks of filver, be
fides veffels of the fame metal ; forty thoufand
meafures of wheat, and an hundred and fixty
thoufand meafures of oats : in a word, he acquired
there fuch immenfe riches, that, the hiftorian fays,
the city itfelf was the leaft thing the Romans
gained by the expedition. Ut minimum omnium
inter tantasopes bellicas Carthago ipfafuerit.
It was after this conqueft that Scipio fet the
great example of temperance and generality, fo
much celebrated in that and the prefent age. We
learn from hiftory, that fome foldiers having
brought to him a young female captive of noble
extraction, whofe -beauty attracted the eyes and
admiration of the whole camp ; Scipio being in
formed that fhe had been promifed in marriage by
her parents toAllucius, prince" of the Celtiberians,
and that the two lovers had a great affection for
each other, fent for the young prince, and reftored
to him the lady, forced him to take, as a marriage
portion, the fum of gold herTriends had brought
for her ranfom, and offered them, at the fame time,
the friendfhip of the Roman people.
Carthagena was a long time the Indies of the
Romans ; and there are ftill filver mines in the en
virons. Philip II. had fome of the filver melted
toeftimate the expence of working, and the pro
duce., Ihe lead mines in the village of los Aluns-
bres are, very rich ^ amethyfts and other precious

&46 T#£ PRESENT STATE
ftones are found near Cuevas de Porman, and not
far from Hellin there is a very confiderable mine"
of fulphur.
The country, round Carthagena was formerly
called Campo Spartario, and the appellation of
Spartaria was alfo given to the city on account of
the great quantities of Spartum, or Spanifh brobnlj
found in the plains and mountains. \
Carthagena was totally deftroyed in the wars of
Atanagilda with Agila king of the Goths in Spain i
feveral antique ftones with infcriptions have been
found among the ruins. One of thefe is now in a
garden in the town of Efpinardo, near Murcia^
It has onone,fide the fternof a fhip, and on the
other the figure of Pallas holding an olive branch j'
at her feet are a cornucopia, and the cadUceUs of
Mercury. Cafcales, for what reafon I know not,
attributes this monument to Julius Csefar, and*
fuppofes it to have been erected by him at the
time when he formed the defign of fubjugating
the world and his country.
On the land fide, Carthagena is defended by a
mountain formed by three hills ; one of which
was formerly called Phefto, another Aleclo, and
the third Chrono. In the middle of the city is a
high hill, with a fort, now almoft in ruins : it waa
anciently called Metcurius Theutates, undoubtedly
from a temple eredted there in honour of that
deity. The harbour is fpacious, and fo deep that fhips
may moor clofe to the land. It is a bafon hollowed
by Nature, which feems to have fhelteredit from
the winds by feveral hills placed round it at equal
diftances ; fo that from the triple nothing but the
entrance of the harbour and the bafon are to be
feen. ISo port in the world can be compared to
this for fafety apd regularity. Virgil wifhing td
give, at the landing of jSneas in Italy, the de
fcription

OF SPAIN. Ht
fcription of a pprt as perfedtas art and nature could
make it, feems to have taken for his model the
harbour of Carthagena.
Eft in feceffu longo locus : infula pcrtum, &c.
The entrance is defended by two redoubts which
are not yet fortified: the mole is protected by
twelve pieces of cannon.
The arfenal is extremely large, and provided
with every thing that can facilitate the building
and fitting out of a fhip. Every requifite is there
in fuch readinefs, that a fhip of the line may be
got ready for fea in three days. At the pleafure
of the builder the water fills, the magnificent bafons
which ferve as ftocks, and the fhip Aides of itfelf
into the fea. Each fhip has in this arfenal its par
ticular ftorehoufe, which contains all the riggirtg
neceffary to it: the provifion of fmall timber is
confiderable, but great pieces are fcarce as well
as malts. It is faid, that the king of Spain, or
his contractors, procuring timber and rigging at
the third hand, pay a fourth more than the value
for them. There are great numbers of workmen,
Moors and galley-flaves, in the arfenal ; they are
divided into companies, and diftributed in the
docks, magazines, rope-yards -and forges.

RQAD from CARTHAGENA to
GRANADA.
THE country, for about two leagues from
Carthagena, is very beautiful, but foon afterwards
abounds in mountains, which, though not very
Voi. II. R fteep,

fi+!J THE PRESENT STATE!
fteep, are difficult of accefs. The roads become
narrow and ftony, and continue fo to Fuehte el
Alomo, formerly a confiderable village, but now
almoft in ruins. Barilla .is cultivated in all thefe
diftridts, and at Totana it is the riches of the la
bourer. This village is confiderable, and belongs^
to the knights of Saint Jago. The roads after-
wards become better, and are ftill more agreeable
as we approach Lorca. This city is faid to be
the ancient Eliocroca of the itinerary of Antonine.
The G'uadalentin runs by the walls, and feparates
it from a large fuburb. It was very famous in the
time of the Moors, but at prefent is inhabited by
labourers. Near two hundred thoufand quintals
of barilla are annually gathered in the neighbour^
hood, upon eachpf which the king has laid a dutp
of a ducat, about two livres fifteen fols (two
fhillings and threepence halfpenny); this duty is
confined to the barilla gathered near Lorca.
The cathedral is built on the higheft ground in
the city. It is fmall and not much ornamented,
but contains fome excellent paintings.
Lorca is fix leagues from the fea. Colmenar
fays, the inhabitants are principally new Chrif
tians, or converted Moors. " I do not know that
they are new" Chriftians, but there are in Lorca
many of the people, called gipfies, who are thieves
and cheats, and employ all their arts to rob and
injure you.
The road from Lorca to Lumbreras is tolerably
good. It was here I faw the inns of Spain in all
their nakednefs and poverty. A Pofada, or Spa
nifh. inn, merits a particular defcription?« The
firft room in the houfe is often a great ftable full of
affes and mules, through which you muft take your
way if you wifh to afk for and obtain a lodging.
It is with confiderable difficulty that you get to
the kitchen, which is a round or fquare room, the
cieling of which terminates in a point, and is
open,

OF SPAIN. 243
•open at the top to leave a free paffage for the
fmoak. Round this great chimney is a broad
ftone bench; which, at night, ferves the family
for a bed ; but in the day time offers a commodi
ous feat to travellers, coachmen, and muleteers,
who, feated without diftindtion with the hoft and
hoftefs, deprive the air of a part of the fmoak by
fwallowing it. The fire, which is in the center of
this wretched hovel, is often made with cow dung
mixed with ftraw; and ferves to cook for each
perfon in turn, fuch provifions as he may have
taken care to bring with him. The whole inven
tory of the kitchen utenfils confifts in feveral great
ifi-ying pans, and every thing you eat is fried in
bad oil. It is true, this is not fpared, and abun-
, dance is joined to badnefs of quality to take away
the appetite. The corner of the fire-place is ge
nerally Occupied by fome newfmonger, wrapped
up to his eyes in the cape of his cloak; or fome
blind mufician, who fings through his nofe and
ftrums his guittar, and the children of the hoftefs,
both boys and girls, whofe only cloathing is a
fhort fhirt or fhift, altho' of an age to be more
modeftly covered. When you have refrefhed and
warmed yourfelf, and wifh to retire, you are con
ducted to a damp corner, called a chamber, and
furnifhed with two chairs, commonly very high if
the table be low, and very low if the table be
high, becaufe every thing here is contrary to all
reafon or proportion. Amattrefs, a foot fhorter
than it ought to be, is thrown upon the ground :
the fheets are not much bigger than large napkins,^
and the counterpane, if by chance you find one,
fcarcely covers the fides of the wretched pallet.
On this bed of voluptuoufnefs is the traveller to
repofe after the fatigues of the road, to wait agree
able d reams, or form new projects of peregrina
tion.' The wprft inns are thofe kept by the Gita-
R 2 nos,

,244 THE PRESENT STATE
nos, orgipfies; you would be fafer in a wood;
your eye muft be kept upon every thing, and not
withftanding all the precaution you can take, you
feldom leave them with all your baggage.
All the inns belong to the lords of the foil,
who erect them into farms, and take care their
number fhall not be great ; fo that the farmer
is under the neceffity of fleecing paffengers
to make up the enormous rent he is obliged to
pay. Befides, by a law for which no reafon can
be now given, every inn-keeper is forbidden from
keeping and felling eatables. If bread, meat,
oil, Or wine be wanted, tbe traveller and the inn
keeper are obliged to have recourfe to the perfon
who has the exclufive privilege of felling them.
It muft indeed be acknowledged, that without-;
this law, odious as it feems, feveral villages in the
inland parts -of the country would have wanted
neceffaries. The law is at prefent, however, al
moft unneceffary, and might be advantageoufly
modified. At Lumbreras I found the fpacious chimney
furrounded with muleteers, and upon the fire an
enormous frying Pan, in which rice, faffron, long-
pepper and ftock-fifh were boiling up together ; I
was conducted to a chamber open to every wind '
that blows, in which, as the weather was cold,
fome lighted coals were thrown, without cere.
mony, upon the floor ; and by the fide of thefe a
kind of mattrefs, without fheets or covering. My
gipfy hoft, after wifhing me a good night, afked
me for fomething to drink.
The roads from Lumbreras to Veles el Rubio
are frightful ; you travel five leagues in a Rambk,
or channel of a torrent, feeing nothing but de
ferts, and naked rocks, and furrounded by high
mountains, which early in the winter are covered
with fnow. Veles el Rubio is a confiderable vil
lage

O F S P A I N. 24C
lage fituated at the entrance of the kingdom of
Granada. It has ftill fome remains of Moorifh
fortifications. The road from this villagers lefs
frightful and dangerous ; but entirely compofed
of fand. The firft village after Veles el Rubio is
Chirivel, which has a very wretched appearance.
Cullar de Baza, a village built at the foot of a
mountain, is four leagues from Chirivel; the
roads are tolerable, but the country is unculti
vated, and offers nothing agreeable to the eye.
The fides of the mountain at Cullar de Baza are
hollowed and full of habitations. Thefe are real
dens, inherited from the Moors, in which three-
fourths of the inhabitants of the village now' live :
the inn is kept by a Frenchman, who does all in
his power not to deviate from the cuftoms of the
country. Upon one of the hills in the neighbourhood of
Cullar there is a gallows, ornamented towards the
middle with a large knife. Thefe are the remains
of the times, when the lords of the foil had the
power of life and death over their vaffals ; a pri
vilege of which the kings of Spain have deprived
them. Hemp is the cnief produce of the lands
of Cullar. Some individuals gather more than a
thoufand arrobas every year. Of this harveft the
church takes the tithe, but the king alfo claims
his fhare in the following manner. In every vil
lage or diftridt there are, according to its extent,
two or three houfes, that are Called Cafas excufadas,
or privileged houfes, and they are commonly the
richeft in that part of the country. Thefe pay
the tenth to the king, who has the power of chang
ing them every year, and removing the privilege
to that where the crop has been moft abundant.
From Cullar to Baza the road lies for the moft
part in the bofom of the mountains. The latter
town is faid to be the Baftioi the itinerary of An
toninus,

24.6 THE PRESENT STATE
tomnus, and is built at the foot of a high moun-f
tain, which, during the greater part of winter,
is covered with fnow. Baza was famous in the
time of the Moors, and governed by feveral va-;
liant Alcades ; moft of the houfes and edifices are>
of Moorifh conftrudtion, that is, of brick or a
hard cement, The greateft curiofities here are
nine old iron cannon, which aided Ferdinand
and Ifabella in conquering the city from the
Moors. I was not able to judge of their bore,
becaufe they ferve as pillars to the front of the
market-houfe. On the firft of thefe proud columns
is the following infcription : Eftos tiros fon los con
que los Reyes Dam Ferdinando y Donajfabella ganarm
efta Ciudad fobre los Mauros, anno 1489, en el dia
ide Santa Barbara, patrona de efta Ciudad. " Thefe
cannons are thofe with which the fovereigns Don
Ferdinand and Donna Ifabella conquered this city
from the Moors, in 1489, on the feftival of St
Barbara, patronefs of this city.
The road from Baza is a good one, but it paffes
over high mountains and an uncultivated foil. I
croffed feveral forefts, mpftly covered with green
oak, apd obferved many numerous herds of
fwine. The flefh of thefe is, during three-fourths
of the year, almoft the only food of the inhabi
tants, on which account they have the following
proverb, no hai olla fin t.ocino ni fermon fin Auguf-
tino; "there is no good foup without lard, nor
good formort in which Saint Auguftin is not quot
ed." You defcend with great difficulty to the
Venta de Guor, efpecially after lain has fallen; it
is furrounded by high mountains, but as foon as
you have gained the top of thofe on the oppofite
fide, the road is wide and good to Guadix.
This city is ancient and was formerly called
Actio* Colonia Accitana. The neighbourhood of
the mountains makes the air colder tliere than in
the

OF SPAIN. 2 , j
the reft of the kingdom of Granada ; fo that neither
orange nor olive trees grow in that quarter.
It is an epifcopal fee, and, what appears
fingular, the Bifhop of Guadix is fuffragan of
Seville, which is upwards of fixty leagues from
it. Guadix was taken from the Moors, in 1252,
by Alphonfo the Wife, who eftablifhed there the
Chriftian religion. The Moors got poffeffion of
it a fecond time, and it was not until the year
1489 that they were driven out by Ferdinand and
Ifabella. .
The village of Pellena, the houfes of which
are for the moft part in the fides of the hills, is a
league from Guadix. The roads become ex
tremely fatiguing and are very dirty. One of
my carriage wheels breaking, at a confiderable
diftance from any habitation, I arrived on foot,
wet and fatigued, at the village of Ifnallos, which
js five leagues from Granada,

Of this KINGDOM of GRANADA.
THE kingdom of Granada made a part of the
ancient Baetica, and was inhabited by the Baftuli,
the Sexitani, &c It is about fixty leagues in
length and forty in breadth.
The principal rivers are: the Genii, formerly
called Singulis, which has its fource a little above
Granada, and enters Andalufia, after having wa
tered the country round Loxa; the Guadalentin,
which rifes in the environs of Guadix, and has its
fingular courfe from weft to eaft; the Rio Frio,
fo called from the cohinefs of its. waters, which rifes

248 THE JPRESENT STATE
rifes in the mountains of Alhama, in the middle
of the kingdom of Granada, and falls into the
Mediterranean near Puerto de Torres ; and the
GuadalquMrejo, or Little Guadalquivir, which
rifes at Munda and falls into the fea at Malaga.
The kingdom of Granada is interfedted in every
diredtion by very high mountains, which form
delightful valleys. Among the mountains, thofe
called Alpuxarras are fo lofty that the coaft of
Barbary and the cities of Tangier and Ceuta are
difcovered from their fummits; they are about
feventeen leagues in length from Veles Malaga to
Almeria, and eleven in breadth, and abound
with fruit trees of great beauty and a prodigious.
fize. In thefe mountains the wretched remain?
of the Moors took refuge, fo that they are covered
with villages and extremely populous. The
mountaineers feem to have preferved the a&ive
andinduftriousfpiritof their anceftors ; they cul
tivate the vine and almoft every kind of fruit
tree, the produce of which they fell at VelesMa*
laga, and on ali the coaft.
Granada is one of the moft healthy and tem
perate provinces in Spain, It contains an abund
ance of fprings which water the whole country,
and cover it with flowers and verdure.
The celebrated baths of Alhama, extremely
beneficial in difeafes proceeding from cold hu
mours, are a league from Granada; and four
leagues from thence are thofe of Alicun, which
ieem to be of a nature oppofite to that of the
former, as they are principally efficacious in the
cure of difeafes proceeding from the fharp hu
mours of the blood.
The water of the Darro is faid to cure animals
. which

OF SPAIN. 249
which drink of it of all forts of difeafes. The
natives call it the Salutary Bath of Sheep.*
Whilft Granada was in poffeffion of the
Moors it was one of the beft cultivated countries
in the world; the number of inhabitants was
immenfe, and the valleys and mountains were
covered with vines and fruit trees; but its prefent
ftate is widely different. Depopulation is a ter-1
rible fcourge to every country. ' In many parts
of Granada the lands have no other ornament
than the plants with which Nature has covered
them. It is ftill, however, one of the moft fer
tile provinces in Spain, and produces wine, oil,
hemp, flax, fugar, cinnamon, oranges, almonds,
figs, and lemons in great abundance. The mul
berry tree is cultivated there with great fuccefs,
and the filk it produces is faid to be finer than
that of the kingdom of Valencia.
The mountains of Granada contain feveral
quarries of fine tranfparent jafper, black, green
and red marble, and mines of granite, amethyfts
and other precious ftones.
The principal cities are; Granada, the capital;
Guadix, Baffa, Guefcar, Loxa, Santa Fe, Al
hama, Antequerra, Eftepa, Veles Malaga, Al-
meria, and Malaga.

GRANADA.
THIS city is fituated at the foot of the Sierra
Nevada, or the fnowy mountain, and ftands upon two
* Vulgo autem balneum pecoribus faluiifcrum dicilur, eo quod,
liac aqua omnia morborum genera in animalibus curat. Defcrip.
of Granada, by George Bruin, and Francis Hogenberg, in
a work intitled ; Gvitates crbis Urrarum. Cologne, 1576.

a^O THE PRESENT STATE
two hills feparated by the Darro. The Genii-
runs under the walls,- and thefe two rivers are
formed fromthe melting of the fnow with which
the mountain is conftantly covered. The Darro
is faid to carry with it fmall particles of gold, and
its name, derived from dot aurum, may be alleged,
as a proof of this: the Genii, in like manner,
rolls with its ftream little pieces of filver. When
Charles V, came to Granada, in 1526, with the
emprefs Ifabella, the city prefented him with a
crown made of gold gathered from the Darro.
Several authors give to;Granada the title of il-.
luftrious and famous, and fome affert that it is.
ftill the greateft city in Spain. The country round
it is a terreftrial paradife, but extremely ne,
gledted. The Moors are faid to regret nothing but Gra
nada, amongft all the loffes they have fuftained in
Spain; they mention it in all their evening
prayers, and fupplicate heaven to reftore it to
their poffeffion. The laft Moorifh ambaffador
who came into Spain obtained permiffion of the
king to fee Granada; he fhed tears on entering
the Alhambra,, and could not refrain from ex
claiming, that the folly pf his anceftors had de
prived them and their pofterity of that delightful
country, Granada had formerly twenty gates : the firft,
that of Elvira, which ftill remains ; the fecond,
that of Bibalmazar, pr pf conference, becaufe,
with the Moors, it was a kind of. place 'of refort
where they converted on affairs ; the third, Viva-
rambla, fo called from its leading to a grand
fquare which ftill bears the fame name; the
fourth, Bib Racha, or of provifions; the fifth,
Bibataubin, or the gate of the heimits, which led
to different folitudes, the abodes of dervifes;
the fixth, Bibmitie, or Biblacha, the firft gate; the

O F S P A I N. 25 r
the feventh, the mill gate; the eighth, that of
the fun, becaufe it opened to the eaft ; the ninth,
the gate of the Alhambra, called by the Moors
Bib Luxar, the tenth, Bib Adfcm, or the gate
of the bones of Adam; the twelfth, Bib Ciedra,
the gate of the nobles; the Moors kept this gate
fliut for a long time, becaufe it had been pre
dicted that the .enemies, which fhould one day
take the city, would enter by that gate ; the thir
teenth, is that of Faxalauza, or of the hill of
almond trees; the fourteenth, the lion gate, ; in
Arabic, Bib Elecei ; the fifteenth, the coaft gate,
called by the Moors Alacabar ; the fixteenth, Bib
Albonut, or the gate of the Banners, at prefent
the magdalen gate ; the feventeenth, that of the
Darro; the eighteenth, that of theMofayca; the
nineteenth, that called the gate of Ecee Homo; the
twentieth, that by the fide of the Alhambra.
The Moors have left more monuments in Gra
nada than in any other city in Spain. From the
great number of infcriptions in and about the
city, and the fine edifices of the Alhambra and
the Generalif, it might, be fuppofed thefe people
intended to make Granada the great depolitory of
their religion, manners, cuftoms and magnificence.
There is not a wall which does not bear fome
marks of their power ; but, notwithftanding this
abundance of monuments, the reign of thelVIoors
in Spain is ftill buried in confufion and obfcurity.
The ignorance of the Spaniards, their fuperftition,
and the hatred they bore the Moors, have much
contributed to this darknefs; they have either
deftroyed, or fuffered to be effaced by time, every
thing which bore the mark of mahometanifm, in
ftead of preferving the monuments of antiquity,
which at the fame time were thofe of their own
glory ; and it may be feid, that chance alone,
and the folidity of their conftrudtion, much more than

zcZ THE PRESENT STATE
than curiofity or a love of the arts, has preferved
thofe which ftill exift, although daily going to
rain. What information might not hiftory have
derived from them; and how many fables would
have been refuted and erafed from our writings ?
But we muft here do juftice to the corporation of
the city of Granada, who, many years ago, caufed
all the Arabian infcriptions in that city to be
faithfully copied, and an authentic tranflation
to be made, and depofited among the public re
cords. I fhall firft fpeak of the monuments within the
city. The moft diftinguifhed is the edifice called
the Mint, founded by king Abi-Abdallah, as an
hofpital for the infane. Some have thought the
Arabian infcription over the gate contained a re
ference1 to a mint, others maintain that it was
neither a mint nor a houfe for the reception of
infane perfons, but an hofpital for the poor. The
date of the foundation is in the 778th year of the
Hegira, or the year 1376 of the Chriftian aera.
The purpofe for which it was intended may be
judged of by the following infcription :
a Praife be to God. This hofpital, an afylum
" of mercy, was built for the benefit of poor and
" tick Moors, a work, the piety and utility of
" which, no tongue can fufficiently praife. It
*' ftands a monument of the faith and charity of
*e the founder, and will be his recompence when
" God fhall inherit the earth, and all that it con-
" tains. The founder is the great, the renowned
" and the virtuous Abi-Abdallah Mahomad, may
" he profper in God; the zealous king, the friend,
*' and benefactor of his people; who employs
" his miniitcr for the glory of his religion and of
" God ; the courageous prince, the propagator
*' of pious works ; the prince protected by an-
fc gels; the pure foul, the protector of the laws
" and

OF SPAIN. 253
" and of morality, the worthy emperor of the
" Moors ; may he profper in God. He is the fori
" of our Lord, the juft king, the high and pow-
*' erful, the conqueror, the fortunate, the pious
" governor of the Moors. Abialhageg, who
" bears witnefs to the law, fon of the renowned,
" of the fublime Abi Algualid, the deftroyer of
" thofe by whom companions are given to God ;
" fon of Nazar the privileged, happy in his
" works, and in every thing which is refolved in
" the decrees of God for his fervice and with
" him ; he projected this edifice from the moment
" the Moorifh nation became fovereign of this
" city, and thus made a provifion of merit. He
" filled his arch with charity and good works,
" and his whole intention was directed in the
" prefence pf God. God is he who infpires
" good thoughts and who communicated to him
*' his light, that it might be communicated to
" thofe who fhould come after him ; and for the
" day when riches and anceftors will avail us
" nothing, and when nought will remain to us
" but that which God in his mercy fhall have
" given us. The plan of this hofpital was drawn
" in, the ten days of the middle of the month
" Moharram, in the year 777, and finifhed ia
"the. tpn days in the middle of Xaguet, in the
" year 778. May God preferve the pious work
" of the founders, and never leave, without re-
" compence, the meritorious labours pf thefe il-
" luftrious princes. God be with Mahomet and
" his adherents forever."
This houfe is at prefent inhabited- by an indi
vidual. In the firft court there is a, fine refervoir,
and two lions, rudely fculptured" in marble,
through which the water runs into the refervoir.
The edifice is not remarkable except from the
long and pompous infcription juft given.
The

254. THE PRESENT STATE
The architedt of the cathedral was a perfon of
the name of Siloe, who died before the building
was finifhed. The principal' front is noble and-
fimple. The date of the building and dedication
are placed over the little door, which opens to
the ftreet of the prifon ,• and above are two well
executed figures reprefenting Faith and Juftice,
with the following infcription :
Poft feptingentos, Mauris dominantibus, annos
Catholicis dedimus populos hos regibus, ambce
Corpora condidimus hoc templo, animafque locamus
In ccelis, quia juftitiam coluere fdemque.
Pontifcem dedimus Ferdinandum nomine primum,
" Dotlrina, morum, vitceque exemplar honeftce.
The architect in building the cathedral is faid
to have taken the human body for his model: the
great chapel is the head, the breaft and ftomach are
leprefented by the nave, the two collateral naves
are the arms, and the reft of the. choir form the
feet. .' I confefs, that in examining this magnifi
cent Building, I could not perceive thefe refem-
blances. The dome over the great altar is fup
ported by twenty-two Corinthian columns, in
great and majeftic proportions. Gilt 'coloffal
ftatues of the twelve apoitles are placed upon the
architrave, and, between the columns of the fe-
cond order, are feveral paintings which repfefent
the life of the Virgin Mary. In a word, the
whole of this dome is magnificent : it is an hun
dred and fixty feet high, and eighty in diameter,
the choir is as many in length and about fifty in
breadth. The moft fenfible defect of this edifice
is the breadth not being proportioned to the
length, which arifes from the royal chapel and the

O F S P A I N. 25S
the pariih church, or Sagrario, having been taken
into the cathedral ; by which means three churches
have been made into one. The length of the
whole is four hundred and twenty-five feet ; the
hreadth only two hundred and forty-nine ; it has
five naves, divided by twenty detached pillars ;
thofeof the principal nave are twelve feet in dia
meter, the others but eleven.
The chancery, or court of juftice, has z. front
equally elegant and majeftic ; it were to be wifhed
the infide correfponded with this fine exterior.
The infcription upon the pediment is by the fa
mous Ambrofe Morales, hiftoriographer to Phi
lip IL Vi rerum qua hie gerun-
tur magnitudini non om-
- nino impar effet tribuna-
lis majeflas, Philippi II re
gis providentia
Regiam banc litibus dijui-
dicandis amplifcandam
£sf hoc digno cultu exor-
nandam cenfuil, anno
MD, LXXXVIL Domino Fer
nando Nino de Guevara
prajide.
Martin Diaz Navarro 2nd Alonfo Hernandez,
were the architects of this front ; to which was
added, in 1762, a fecond body of building
which accords but little with the firft.
There are but two chanceries in Spain, before
which, in cafe of appeal, come all the caufes that

256, THE PRESENT STATE
that are judged in the kingdom ; from thefe, in
cafes forefeen by the law, they are carried before
the council of Caftile. One of the chanceries is
at Valladolid and the other at Granada.
The gate of the Alhambra is near the court of
juftice, and leads to a delightful walk in which
there is a fountain,, built in the reign of Charles
V. It is ornamented with imperial eagles, and
bears a fimple infcription in the Roman ftyle and
tafte. CAESARI IMPERATORI CAROLO
V. HISPAMARVM REGI. Four bas reliefs,
half deftroyed by time, accompany the infcrip
tion; one reprefents Hercules in the moment of
his killing the hydra, and has this motto: non
memorabitur ultra; another the rape of Europa,
with the words : imago myftica honoris; the third,
Apollo purfuing Daphne, with the following
legend: a fole fugante fugit ; the fourth, Alexan-^
der on horfeback compleatly armed, and thefe
words ; non fufficit orbis. In a few years nothing
of thefe bas reliefs will remain. ;
The principal entrance of the caftle of the
Alhambra is afew paces from the fountain ; this
gate, now called that of the Guard, on account
of a few invalids polled there, is a ftrong tower,
built by the king Jofeph Abulhaggehg, as the
Arabian infcription indicates.
" This gate, called the gate of the Judgment
" or Tribunal, (may God caufe it to promote
" the happinefs of the Moorifh people, and per-
" petuate it to the end of nations) was built by
" our lord the emperor and king of the Moors,
" Jofeph Abulhaggehg, fon of the juft and war-
" like Abigualed, fon of Nazar; God give a
" happy end to his works for the good of the
" Muffulman nation, and profper the edifice
" built for its defence. It was. finifhed in the
" month of Maulen Almnadam, in the year feven
"¦ hundred

OF SPAIN; ^
" hundred and forty-nine. God render it lafting
* upon its foundation, and perpetuate, in the
" memory of men, the epocha of its comple-
" tion/'
' The year 749 of the Hegira, and the month
Maulen Almnadam, correfponded with the 4th
of April, 1338 -, of our serai This gate was
built to ferve as a tribunal, according to the
cuftom of the Arabs and the Hebrews, who
erected their tribunals at the gates of their cities $
and from this ancient CUltom in Afia, the court
of the grand feignor is called the Porte (or gate)
by way of diftindtioni
,-«.- On each fide of the infcription is a piece of
^marble, Upon which are the following fentences
in Arabic.
" Praife be to God. There is no other God
K but God!, and Mahomet is his prophet. There
" is no ftrength but from God."
A key and art open hand are placed over the
infcription ; thefe are the two great fymbols oi
the Mahometan religion* The Alcoran conti
nually fpeaks of the almighty hand of God which
conducted the faithful in the way of righteouf-
nefs : and of the key of God* which opened to
them the gates of the world and of religion.
The key among the Muffulmen is nearly what
the crofs is with Chriftians : the chief fign of the
faith. Among the Arabians it had much the
lame fundtions arid power as the keys of Saint
Peter with us; the power of binding and loofen-
ing, and of opening and fhutting the gates of
heaven. We read in the Alcoran : " Is not God
?* almighty merciful in favour of men who be-
" lieve hi him and write ? Did not he give to his
" legate the power of heaven which is above,
" and of fire which is beneath ? With the key,
" did not he give to him the title and power of a
Vol. 11/ S " porter,

*$8

¦*¦

THE PRESENT STATfe

"\ porter, that he may open to thofe whom he*
"• fhall have chofen ?" The key was, befides, the
armorial ertfign of the Andalufian Moors. As1
foon as they entered Spain, they bore it on their"
ftandards and Ghiblaltaih, now Gibraltar, the
name given it by the Moors, and which fignifies<|
the mountain of the entry, was thus named, be- :
caufe it was looked upon as the key of the ftrait'
through which the ocean enters into the Mediter
ranean; and for the Moors, it was the gate alfo
through which they , found an entry into Spain.
Therefore the key over the gate of the Alhambra'
may be takert in feveral acceptances, either as &->
fymbol of the Mahometan faith, or as a fimplei;
armorial enfigm , *i
The hand near the key had, amOng the Moors,.
three myfterious fignificatiorts. It was a defigna-
tion of Providence*1 and the prototype or rather"?
abridgment of the law^ ; The hand is compofed*'
of four fingers and a thumb, and each finger has
three joints ; the thumb but two ; but all are
combined in the unity of the hand, which ferves
as the foundation. The law of the Mahometans
contains five fundamental precepts : the firft is/
'' to believe in God and. in his prophet; the fecond,
to pray; the third, to give alms; the fourth, to faft
during the month ofRahmadan; the fifth, to vifit the
temple of Mecca and that of Medina?1 Each of
thefe dogmas or precepts has three modifications,
except, the firft which has but two, and anfwerS
to the thumb; thefe are the heart and works*
Words are ufelefs in the law of Mahomet; all-
its doctrines and .their derivatory precepts are
founded on the profeffion of their faith in the
unity of God, which the/Muffulmen have conti
nually in their mouths, La allah illah allah;
" there is np Gp& but God;" and confequently
the whole of Mahometanifm may be confined within

O F S P A I N. 259
within the hand, the fite fingers, and the fourteen
joints. The third fignification is purely fuperftitious.
The Arabs ftill believe, that the hand, by its
form, being an abridgement of their religion,"
became a powerful defence againft the enemies of
the law, and might operate miracles by knowing
how to give it certain figures, and changing them
according to the courfe of the ftars, planets, and
conftellations. Reprefented open, like that over
the gate of the Alhambra, it had, faid they, the
power of weakening the ftrength of the enemy.
The hand was honoured with equal refpedt
amongft us, during the ages of ignorant credu
lity : it has been made the foundation of the idle
dreams of fortune-tellers. The profeffors of chi
romancy have pretended, that every man carries
in his hand the marks of his deftiny. The Linea
ments Nature has traced there, and others occa
fioned by accident, have furnifhed a fubjedt for
many learned volumes. The Spanifh women
ftill put round the necks of their children a kind
of collar, made with little hands, of box, ebony
or ivory, to preferve them from enchantments ; a
fuperftition which they have received from the
Moors. The firft edifice within the walls of the Alhambra
is the famous palace of Charles V. The architect
by whom the plan was formed and the building
begun, was the celebrated Alphonfo Berruguete,
born in the village of Par#des de -Navas, near
Valladolid. It was continued by Machuca, ano
ther Spaniard, pupil to Raphael, who, in . his
turn, left the undertaking to Siloe, the architect
of the cathedral, a Spaniard like his predeceffors,
and born at Burgos. This palace was built with
the money the emperor had the art to obtain
from the Moors, under the pretence of allowing
, S 2 them

«6r> THE PRESENT STATE
them liberty of confcience. They advanced at
two payments fixteen hundred thoufand ducats,
for which they received nothing but promifes J
for in the end they were ruined, converted and
perfecuted.* This
. * The means employed by the Spaniards, fo convert the
Maors of Granada, may be judged of by a letter, which ftill
remains, of the famous Aben Humeya 5 in which he conjures*
his fubjeas, his brethren, to perfevere in their religion, and ter
wait for more happy days. We might imagine we hear Sainj
Paul, or the fathers of the primitive chuich* exhorting the
faithful, and fupporting them under perfeeutions, fo muck do
the paths of error refemble thofe of rruth. The letter carmot be
dffpleafrhg, I have therefore tranflated it intirely.
** The unhappy the forrdwful Molefina, defpoiled of the king*
" dom which belonged to him, as the only remaining hranch of
" the face of the kings, the defender's of the nation arid the law,
" Melefma, who took pleafore in ihe labours of a fovereijjs,
" without lofing fight of juftice and religion, Aben Humeyaj
"' fon of Thali, and defeendant of the high* mighty and faitfi-
" ful Muley Hacen, to the honorable and zealous MufTulmeft
u his brethren of Granada* health arid beflediflion.-
" We *eep and flied bitter tears at the dffgrace and misfor*
'* tones which the faithful Muffulman Ab- Hami has feen fall
" upon you, and we rejoice to learn with what fiftwrefs youreCft
" the importunate rntreaties, and eruel threats and perfecutions
" of thofe wbo wifh to make you renounce the truth, wrercfeed
" men that they are.- If the voices of two or three of the
'' Chriftian Imams be a torment to us, what muft yow fuffer who
" ate expofed to fo great a number of their Imams,- who daily
*' preach to, furround yoiy and even enter your houfes? We
" know that the moft fevere among thefli are the? who, with
*' their profane mofqutj are placed in a eollefted'bodji in the
" midft of you. Thjefe Qte the perfons who moft defame out
" patienqe and courageous fidelity. We congratulate ourfelves
" upon the means you employ to k,eep them at a dlffance, and
." efpecially to prevent their deffru&ive potfon front infefting
" the tender minds, of your feeble children. Fear nothings
" arm yourfelves with new ftrength; power will nianifeft itfelf
" to deftroy this race of infidels; and we fball one day pofTefs
** this poweY. He who, with a fteady eye, watches over us
" and oirr works is Almighty} he will multiply his Faithful
" and zealous fervants like the fhus of heaven) and the fand qf
" the

O F S P A I N. 2^
This palace was abandoned at the death of
Charles V. It is a perfect fquare of two hun
dred and twenty feet. No greater extent was
given it, that the Mborifh palace might be pre
ferved, which was defigned for a fumimer refi
dence. The principal gate is of grey marble, and of
the doric order. The frieze is ornamented wifh
this fimple infcription :
IMPERATORI CES.'KA-
ROL. V. HISP. REG.
Near the houfe called that of the Contador (the
receiver) not far from the palace, is an ancient
elm, which, if tradition be believed, ferved as a
throne to the chief of the Mahometan religion, to
give audiences, and to interpret obfcure points of
the law? thus, among the Jews, we find the tri
bunal of Deborah under a palm tree.
TThe firft court of the Moorifh palace, called
the Caftle of Alhambra, artd which is adjoining
to the palace of Charles V. was called the Mefuar:
the Spaniards now call it Las Array Janes, It is
paved with great fquares of white marble, that
?tre now broken and covered with grafs and mofs,
In the middle is a kind of bafon, narrow and al
moft as long 3$ the court j at the two extremities are
" the fea, In the' midft of all the evils with which you are fur*
" rounded, you are happy^ fince you have before your eyes
" that fplendid city and the flowery fields, which were the na-
*' tive country of our forefathers ; may they enjoy peace and re-
*' ceive the benedi&iort of heaven. Time preffes ; negleft not
*c the education of your children, that throughout their lives
" they may know the truth. We are become opprobrious in
" the eyes of our neighbours, the flaves and objefts qf
•' mockery to thofe by whom we are abhorred. Be firm, and
«' hope for every thing from time and from God ; he is merci-
,«' ,fiil and almighty,"

262 THE PRESENT STATE
are four gothic columns, which fupport a charm
ing gallery. The whole extent is decorated -with
ornaments, ferving to join feveral Arabic letters,
which, united, form different infcriptions. Some
of thofe the moft frequently repeated are,
" God is the fovereign good, the univerfal fup-
" port ; he is full of goodriefs and mercy for com-
" paffionate hearts."
" God only is the conqueror."
" Honour and happinefs to our lord Abd-
« Allah.V Above the two principal cornices are feveral
feftoons, well finifhed, with Arabic charadters
forming the following infcription, which occu
pies the greateft part of the wall at the entrance,,
of the tower of Comares.
" Let God be extolled; he has given to the na-
" tion a governor who has brought it to the higheft!;
" degree of glory and renown. Oh! from how
" many and from what herefies has he delivered
*' the people! He has affectionately conducted
" them to their inheritances ; but they who have
" fhut their eyes againft his Hght have been re*
" duced to flavery, and made ufeful to the welfare
" of the kingdom. With his fword and invincible
" courage has he reduced nations to obedience,
'" and conquered provinces. Thou, Nazar, haft
" atchieved heroic deeds before unheard of.
" Thou didft enter and conquer twenty renowned
" cities; thou didft return crowned with vhStory
" and immenfe riches, with which thou haft re-
" warded thy brethren and- people. If they
" kriOw how to direft their prayers, when their
" foul becomes elevated, they will afk of the
" great, the fublime, and the only God length of
" days 'for thee, and for thy ftates duration and
" profperity. O Nazar, although born in the midft
" of greatnefs, thou fhineft by thine own luftre
" like

OF SPAIN. gg3
ci hke the ftar of heaven; thou art our fortrefs,
*' our fupport, and our arm of vengeance ; thou
<e guideft us like a flambeau, which% diffipates
" darknefs from before us. The f tars fear thee in
" their courfe, the great ftar of heaven lights thee
•" with refpe£t, and • the higheft tree which can
" bend gains by thy fide."
Over the door of the fame apartment, but on
the outfide, is a circle filled by the following in
fcription :
" If thou admireft my beauty without thinking
" of God, who is 'the author of all things, I
" warn thee that it is a folly, becaufe thou
" nfighteft make thy admiration turn to thy pro-
f fit, and God may bring thee to death. O ye,
" who look upon this marble of perfed work-
i" manfhip and beauty, watch over its defence,
" and that it may be lafting, protect it with your
" five fingers and your hand.* .
This infcription feems to indicate that there was
formerly a ftatue, bas relief, or fome precious
marble over the gate.
The tower of Comares took its name from tbe
Moorifh architect by whom it was built. But
Marmol and Pedraza, who have written the hif
tory of Granada, fay that Comares is derived from
Cammarragia, the proper name of the Perlian or
nament with which the principal hall is embel-
iifhed. The architect, whoever he was, after
building his tower, made an experiment upon it ;
he

* See what has been faid upon the- fingers and the hand,
and the opinion of the Moors on this fubjec^. The manner
of employing the hand as a defence againft f'afcination, at
ftill received in Spain, is to fhut it, and pafs the thumb i»
the form of -a crofs between the middle and the ; fore fingers,.
In this manner a young and handfome woman imagines fhe
Screens herfelf and pr^ierves her children from the malicious
looks of an old one.

g6-f THE PRESENT, STATE
he meafured' the height as foon as the building
was finifhed, and haying meafured it a fecond
time the year after, found the tower to have funk
three feet. It is the higheft and moft magnificent
tower of the Alhambra. ¦ -_ • ¦ -V
The door of the, great hall is an arch, in a
good tafte, embellifhed with feftoons, whiqh are
in ftucco. On each fide of the dopr are two little ,
niches, in which perfons- who entered left their
fandals. This hall is worthy the attention of the/
curious by its height, the boldnefs of its arched
roof, and the ornaments and infcriptions it
contains. '
The walls and cornice are? covered with. fef
toons and Arabic characters ; thofe of the cornice ;
are a repetition of the following words : <f Celef-j
*c tial cheerfulnefs, eafe of heart, and eternal;
" delights to all believers." The cornices were^
undoubtedly, caft in a mould, in which the words
were engraved ; whence it comes that moft of the
herders of the doors and windows are but a con
tinued repetition of the fame phrafe.
The ihferiptipn round the cabinet, to the left ¦_
on entering, is as follows : $'j
" Obferve, that all the kings who have been
" and now are in this palace render juftice to
'< Abu Nazar, and take pride in him ; he is en-
« dowed with fuch majefty, that, placed in the
«' heavens, he would have obfeured the planets
*', and the figns of the zodiac. His looks ftrike
£: terror into the. niinds of kings; -but, without
" violence, he attradts them to him, and protects/
% them by his own glory/ for tp. his terrible look
1' he always joins greatnefs of mind and bene*
" volence; he ferved not Arabian and Andalu-
" fian kings only, but all the fovereigns of the
« earth." ' • This

OF SJAIN. 2g-
This Abu N&zar is, undoubtedly, the famous
Miramolin who reigned in Africa, and in whofe
name the conqueft of Spain was made.
The other cabinet has alfo an infcription,
which is longer, more elegant, and better written.
" Glory of the kings who have difappeared
4? from the earth, honour of thofe by whom thou
<' fhalt be fucceeded, wert thou compared to the
" ftars they would be humbled ; were fplendour
*' and nobility wanting to thy dignity thy perfon
" would give it fufficietit luftre. Thou art tbe
" depolitory of the books which have purified
" the fe<5t*, and which will be fuch evidence as
** notie fhall ever contradich How many former
'' nations, how many of thofe which now exift,
^ have been faved by thy zeal ! Thou concealeft
fc fublime ideas, and thy virtues are fo neceffary
" that thy end ought never to come ; they have
f ' all chofen an afylum in thy breaft ; but efpe-
" cially clemency and oblivion of injuries."
The following infcription is upon the window
in the middle of the hall.
" Oh, God ! haften to my affiftance. May he
H whoftqnes the demonf be with Mahomet and his
v generation,

f When the famous Ximenes de Cifneros came to Granada
to co-operate with the firft archbifhop of that city, Fernando
4e Talavera, in the converfion of the infidels, it is faid, they
collected a million and twenty-:five thoufand copies of the
Alcoran, which were burnt in the public fquare; fevera}
works of tafte and erudition,, worthy of defcending to pof
terity, were confounded with the law of the prophet, and
partook its fate : the pre&j upon which this infcription is
Written, probably contained the Alcoran.
* This expreffion originates from a tale told by Mahomet
to the inhabitants of Mecca. He perfuaded them that a
mountain in the neighbourhood of the city, called Hod Hud
Ar Aram, was the Mount Moriah to which Abraham led
his fon to facrifice him, and that the demon, jealous of the
progrefs of true religion, came every night to haunt the
mountain.

$66 THE PRESENT STATE.
." generatiori, let him keep us from the wrath
fC andfnares of the evil fpirit, that we may make
'' war With hell ; may he deliver me from the adr
fl verfities which are followed by misfortune*
" and may he avert the evil which the envious is
" about to do me in the moment of his envy.
" -There exifts no other divinity than that of God;
-" Praife be to the father of all ages and of the
?' world ; eternal praife,"
Over the window to the right is written :
"lam like unto the fweet exhalation of plants;
?' which fatisfies, captivates, and enchants thy
fC fenfes. Behold the vafe I fupport, and, in its
" purity, thou wilt fee the truth of my Wordsi
" If thou fhouldft defire to give me one like it,
^ thou canft find it no where but in the Moon,
*' when at the full; and Nazar, who is my?j
** mafter, is the ftar which communicates to me
-" its light : as long as he watches over me, I fhall
" never be eclipfed."
This infcription is undoubtedly an eulogium on
the court and bafon upon which the window-
opens. The following is over the window to the left
in the hall :
" WeU
Mountain, and do fome evil to the real believers; but that
the angel Gabriel had taught Abraham certain words, by
repeating which, walking feven times round the mountain,
and throwing ftones at the devil, the evil fpirit would run
not' only from that place, but from every otherwhere the
fame religious acY fhould be performed. Hence arofe the
cuftom of the pilgrims to Mecca; who never fail to roll a
ftone every night round the mountain, and to flone the
devil : many indulgences are attached to (his nodurnal cere
mony, and the power of ftoning the demon is in an efpeciaf
manner attributed to God.
* The explanation of this idea is found in the fecond
volume of the letters of M. Guis, upon Greece, in which,.,
he comments upon the Greek proverb which is fo philofo-) : ;
phical ; Q misfortune, if thou comefl alonex thou art 'welcome, [ ^

O F S P A I N. 267
CT Well may a fublime name be^ given to me,
?' for I am fortunate and magnificent. This
" tranfparent and liquid refervoir which prefents
" itfelf to thy view,, will, if thqu pleafeft, quench
"thy thirft; but were the water to flop in its
" courfe, and never more to fill up thefe fortu-
'? pate banks, it would not lefs teftify the praifes
" of Nazar, the man, liberal beyond meafuip,
?' whom no one leaves with the want which
?' brought him into his prefence."
The little cornice above the window is not
without its mfcription ; it has the following
: words : -.
" Praifes tp God, to the Prophet, to Nazar
" who gave empires ,• and to our king Abi-Abd-
" Allah, peace, elevation and happinefs*."
The frame of the principal door contains the
following words :
" By the fun and its fplendour, by the moon
^' which partakes of it, by the day when he pre-
f fonts himfelf with all his pomp, by the night
" by which we are deprived pf hint, by heaven
" and h;m by whom it was created, by the earth
*' and him from whom it received its extent, by
" the foul and him by whom it was predeftjned,
" there is no other God than God*."
r On each fide of the entrance there is a fhort
. Jnfcriptfon : that on the right is as follows :
" My
. ^ This infcription proves {hat NazaT, who is mentioned
in the preceding infcriptions, is the fame with Miramolin
Jacob Almanzor, whom feveral hiftorians call Nazar, a
name of greatnefs and dignity, like Augtflus among the
Romans, and Pharaoh with the Egyptians.
* Thefe Arabic verfes are taken from the beginning of the
ninety-firft fura of the Alcoran, the title of v/hich is the
ftm. This fura is one of the moft elegant and poetical of
¦the whole book. The infcription quoted contains feven
* eries.

s68 THE PRESENT STATE
" My peace is with God, to him have I at*
« tached myfelf; I have put my truft under ; his
*' protection." And to the left :
" There is no real grandeur but in God, the
*' great being and the lover of juftice."
The little niches alfo, in which the fandal?
were placed, have their maxims,;
" God is our ftrength in tribulation ; the npu*
f c rifhment contained in our food comes to us from
« God." And round the niches are thefe words :
" Vigour and length of days to our lord Abuh
" gaghegh, king of the Moors; may God guide
fs his fieps and give'Iuftre to his empire."
And over them, " Praife be to God" is three
times repeated*.
In examining this abode of magnificence, the
obferver is every moment aftonifhed at, the new
and interefting mixture of architecture and poe*
try. The palace of Alhambra may be called a
collection of fugitive pieces; and whatever dura,"
tion thefe may have, time, with which every thing
paffes away, has tpo much contributed to confirm
to them that title. If the fimplicity of early .ages,
ideas frequently fublime, although exprelfed with
emphafis, and manners not our own, and marked
with the ftamp of ¦ feveral centuries, can excite the
curiofity of thofe by whom my book may be read,,
they will not blame me for having tranfmitted to
them the minu^eft details of this kind; they will re?
* The reigns of Abulgaghegh and of Abi-Abrl-Allah aredif-
tinft and feparate, fo that it may be conjectured from the eulogN
urns of thefe kingi tranlinicced to us by the inferiptians, that the
edifice was begun by one and rmifhed by the other : or that Abi-
Abd- Allah, who reigned after the former, had a great affeftion fot
Abulgaghegh, whofe reign had been glorious, and wifhed to partake
of tlie cu-ldgiums given him, as aU his predeqeffors had partaken
ef diolc beftowed on Nazar.

OF SPA1U. i69
gret with me my inability to preferve the full blown
flowers of the imagination of a valiant and volup
tuous people, with all their frefhnefs artd natural
elegance. Over the window to the left, on the outfide of
the hall, we read*
" Praife be to Godi becaufe my beauty vivi-
" fies this palace, and I attain from this circle
" with which I am crowned, the elevation of the
" higheft plants. My "bofom contains fpr Jugs of
" pure water. I embellilh. thefe fcenes, pleafing
" of themfelves. They who inhabit me are pow-
" erful, and God protects me. I have preferved
" the remembrance of the great actions of men
" who believe in God,, and whom he calls to
<' himfelf. The liberal hand of Abulghaghegh
" has ornamented my outlines; it. is a moon in its
" full, the clearnefs of which diffipates the dark*
" nefs of heaven, and, at the fame time, achs
" upon the whole extent of the earth."
The characters in the infide of the fame win
dow fignify.
" Praife to God only, who by his five powerful
" fingers puts- away every thing, that might do
" harm to Jofeph; and fay with me that God pro-
" teCts lis from the effects of his anger. Praife
" be to God. Let us return thanks to God."
Over the other window is written ;.
" Praife be to God: my architect has elevated
"^rae to the height of glory. I furpafs in beauty
" the bed of the bridegroom, and am fufficient to
" give a juft idea of fymmetry and conjugal love.
" He who Comes to me with the complaint of an
"Injury finds in me art immediate avenger. I
" yield myfelf to fuch as defire my table. I re-
" femble the bow in the heavens, and, like it,
" am decorated with the colours of beauty. My
" l.ight is Abulghaghegh, who, in the paths of the'
" world,

£y<5 THE PRESENT STATE
" world, continually watches over the temple.of
" God, encourages pilgrims and loads them with
" gifts*." ,
The infide of the window is filled up with the
following words.
" Praife be to God: praife him by whom
" Jofeph was delivered from peril with the five,
" precepts, and God thus delivered me from his
" wrath, praife be to God -(••"
A modern little ftaircafe leads from the hall of
Comares ; the old one, which correfponded to the
beauty of the edifice, having being deftroyed. At
the top of the ftaircafe is a gallery, a part of
which is inclofed with an iron railing; this kind
of cage is called the prifon of the queen. It was
here the wife of the laft king of Granada was im
prifoned. The Gomels and Legris, two families!
of diftinCtion, bore falfe witnefs againft her vir
tue, and occafioned the deftru&ion of the greateft'
part of the Abencerrages, another powerful and
numerous family of Granada of whom they were
jealous. As the whole of this hiftory is intereft
ing, I fhall prefent it to my reader: it is indeed
neceffary to the underftanding of the feveral faCts
relative to the Alhambra.
In the year 14.91, Abdali, furnamed the Lit
tle, ftill reigned in Granada; but this city was
upon the brink of ruin, for the principal families were
* TI.e expreffion, Ifirpafj in beauty the bed of tbe bridegrcm,
alludes to the cuftom of the great among the Moors, of being
married in the prefence of the king. In all tlie royal manfions
th:re was a hall deftined to this ceremony. The poet, to cele-
biate the beauty of the hall of Comares, comnares it to the bed
of a bridegroom, ornamented with flowers and garlands.
-(• The Jofeph here mentioned is the patiiarch to whom Ma
homet gives adiflinguifbcd parr in his Alcoran. We are told in
this Book, that Jofeph being upon the point of committing a fn,
Gud reveakd.to him five word:., !>y meani of which lie acquired
ftrength fufficient to refill the tenpution.

(Jf Spain. ^t
Were divided againft each other. The Moors had
carried their arms againft Jaen, and had been
bravely repulfed. Abdali was confolrng himfelf
in one of his pleafure houfes for the ill fuccefs of
his enterprize, when the Zegris, who long had
been the fecret enemies of the Abencerrages,
took the opportunity of this defeat, to reprefent
them to the king as rebellious fubjeCts, who em
ployed their immenfe riches to gain the favour of
the people and dethrone their fovereign. They
accufed Albin Hamet, the moft rich and powerful
among them, of having an adulterous commerce
with the queen, and produced witneffes, who af
ferted they had on a certain feftival feen, at Gene-
ralif, under a bower of rofe trees, Albin Hamet
in the arms of that princefs. The fury of Abdali
may eafily be imagined; he fwore the deftruClion
of the Abencerrages. But the Zegris, too prudent
to let his anger break forth, advifed him to diflimu-
late, and not to fuffer it to be known to that
numerous and powerful family that he was in
formed of their perfidy. It will be better, faid
they, to entice them into the fnare, and, before
they can unite and put themfelves into a ftate of
defence, revenge upon their heads the infult of
fered to the crown. This advice was followed:
Abdali went to the Alhambra, having ordered
thirty of his guards to arm themfelves, and the
executioner to attend. The Abencerrages weie
fent for one by one, and beheaded as foon as
they entered the hall of the lions, where there is
ftill a large vafeof Alabafter, which was quickly
filled with the blood and the heads of expiring
bodies. Thirty-five heads had already been
ftruck off, and all the Abencerrages would have
died in the fame manner, had not a page, who
had followed his malter* and remained unpei-
ceived in the hurry of the execution, tr^ken a:i
opportunity

2%2 TttE PkESENT STATE
opportunity of withdrawing and giving informa*
tion to the reft of the unhappy family of what
had paffed. Thefe immediately aflembled their
friends in arms, crying out through the city of
Granada, Treafon! Treafon! Let the king die!
He unjuftly puts to death the Abencerrages! The
people with whom they were favourites, did not
hefitate in affifting them : fourteen thoufand men
Were, foon found in arms, and immediately pro*
ceeded towards the Alhambra, fhouting all the
Way, Let the king die! Abdali, furprifed his,
fee ret fhould have been fo foon difcovered, and
feverely repenting of having followed Lhe pernio
cipus councils he had received, ordered the caftle
gates to be fhut ; but they were prefently fet ort
fire. Muley Hacen, who had been forced to abdi*
cate the throne in favour of his fon, hearing the
tumult of the people, had one gate opened, and
prefented himfelf to appeafe the rage of the citi
zens; but he no fooner appeared than he was
lifted up by the multitude neareft the gate, who
cried out: Behold our king, wre will have no other*.
long live Muley Hacen; and leaving him fur
rounded by a ftrong guard, the Abencerrages, and
other Nobles, entered the caftle, accompanied by
Upwards of art hundredfoldiers. But they found
the queen only, with her women, and in the ut
moft confternation at the fudden revolution of
which fhe knew not the caufe.- They afked for the
king, and being informed he was in the hall of
the lions, entered it furioufly, and found him de
fended by the Zegris and the Gomels, and, in lefs
than two hours killed upwards of two hundred of
them. Abdali had the good fortune to efcape.
The bodies of the beheaded Abencerrages were,
laid upon black cloth, and carried to the city.,
Muza, brother to Abdali, and who, by his
great aCtions, had gained the favour of the peo ple

OF SPAIN. Zy^
pie, feeing the Abencerrages were revenged, found
means toappeafe them; andhaving learned that the
king had taken refuge in a mofque near the moun
tain now called Saint Helena, went. and brought
him back to the caftle of Alhambra. For feveral
days nothing but fighs and groans were heard
throughout the city. Abdali fhut himfelf up in
the caftle, and refufed to fee the queen. Thofe
who had accufed her of adultery, however, per-
fifted in their falfe accufation, and faid, they
would maintain, with arms in their hands, againft
all who* fhould contradict them, that the queen
was guilty. The unhappy princefs was impri
foned, and the day arriving on which fhe was to
perifh by the hands of the executioner, wheri
none among the Moors offering to defend her, fhe
was advifed to commit her caufe to fome Ghriftiart
knights, who prefented themfelves. at the time
appointed, and 'conquered her falfe accufers, fo
that fhe was immediately fetat liberty. The tak
ing of Granada foon followed this combat; Muza
and the Abencerrages having, it is faid, facili
tated the conqueft of it by Ferdinand and Ifabella.
To the account I have given of the death of
the Abencerrages, I fhall add the following tranf-
lation of an Arabic manufcript of the year 1492,
by which they are juftified from the accufation
brought againft them. The manufcript is curious
for its fimplicity of compofition.
" In the name of God who is merciful and in-
" fpires mercy. Praife to the moft high: there is
" no other GodthanGod; he will exalt the good,
*c he protects them ; he will purfue the impious :
*' he abhors falfehood and the evil man does to
'*¦' his fellow creature. Good proceeds from God,
?c evil originates from the tempter : he infufes his
(.c fuggeftions into the heart of man, who fuffers
<c himfelf to be feduced by them, and then does
V©l. II. T "the.

2*4 THE PRESENT STATE .
« the work of the demon, who operates in him
" and has his wilt in the will of man; fuch a roan
" is man in bis external figure only. God gave
" wifdom to his creature, and endowed him with;
" a fpirit of wprightnefs; and iff man be not
" blinded by pride and envy he will know the
« truth. The demon put envy into the heart of
«s ZuJein Zegri, becaufe he law the virtue of
" Mahomed Aben Zurrah exalted in the eyes, of
*' his mafter. He faw with an eye of hatred the
" defcendants of Aben Zurrah, who, were bene.-
** ficent, rich and powerful, and whofe virtue
«' fhone forth like the ftars in a fine night in fum.
" mer. Aben Zurrah was conftantly. in the pxei
" fence of our, lord the king; the queen called
" him her council, and had the greateft confidence
" in his words, becaufe his lips never departed)
«' from truth. Zulem Zegri and Hacem Gomel
M came to the king, and Taid to him ; O king,
** knaweft thou not that the queen difhonours
*' thy bed with Mahomed Aben Zurrah, and that
«£ he confpires- againft thy throne? Put away
** therefore tbe queen if thou wouldft not he de-
" prived both of thy Crown and thy life. The
" king fpoke not of this to the queen, but called
u Mahomed Aben Zurrah, with thofe oi his km-,
A dred, and in one day beheaded eighty-fix of
ts them; and not one would have been left alive
tc had hot God' protected the innocent. The
"¦ queen entrufted her defence to the hands of
" Chriftians, and the moft noble ' and valiant
" Chriftian knights came and fought before the
tf king and the queen, and before us and the peo-
" pie. They fought valiantly againft the accufers
" of the queen, they fought for truth, and God
" infpired their fouls with courage, and gave
" fttength to their arms. Each overcame the ac-
** cufer with whom he combated, and the van-
1 " quifhed,

OF ?PAIN. 9-.
*' quifhed, ready to render up their iniquitous
« breath, defired to be carried near to the king
" and the queen, to whom they difcovered the
f truth, declaring, that by reafon of envy which
fc empoifoned - their minds, they had invented
«' *nd fupported falfhood: they teftified truth of
?f the family of Aben Zurrah and expired. The
K Chriftians were in danger of being taken, but
<c God delivered them; and the king, fhedding
" tears of repentance, approached the queen, and
*' befought her to reftorehim to her affeCtion; but
fc this Ihe refufed and feparated from him, We
f* were defirous that thefe events fhould not be
'* forgotten, for which reafon we have related
f thefe particulars, we who have here fubfcribed
" our names-. -. u j j. u. Adalid Mufach, Selim Hazem
f* Goml. Mabhamuth. Aben, Amur."
The iron railing of the queen's prifbn and the
eoridor appears modern compared to the reft of
the palace, and feemed to me to have been of the
time of Charles V- The gallery leads to four a-
paitments, built under the fame emperor, on a
bafe of Moorifh conftruCtion, The following ini?
tial letters are often repeated there :
I. C. K. V- H. R. A. P. F. I. which fignify, Impera,
tar Catfar Karoius V. \ Hifpaniarum Rex, Auguftus,
Pius, Felix, InviStm.
A fuperb cabinet called the queen's Toilet,
joins thefe empty apartments. It is a room fix
feet fquare, having a profpeCt on every fide, and
furrounded by a terrace three feet wide: the floor
of the cabinet and that of the gallery, by which
it is furrounded, are flagged with red marble, and
the terrace is fupported by white marble pillars.
In one of the corners of the cabinet there is a
^arge piece of marble perforated in feveral places,
T 2 which

2-<y6 THE PRESENT STATE
which is faid tp have ferved as a perfuming pan;
through the fmall apertures in it iffued the fweefc -
exhalations with which the; Sultana was per
fumed*. However thofe who are fkilled in the
Arabic, from the infcriptions which decorate this
charming recefs, fay, it was intended for prayer,
pr, in a word, for the oratory of the palace.
Another proof of which is, that the principal
profpeCt from the cabinet is toward the eaft. The
Infcription upon the cornice is as follows :
" In the name of God who is merciful. God be
" with our prophet Mahomet. Salvation and
" health to his friends. God is the light of hea-
" ven and earth, and his flight is like himfelf; it
" is a luminary of feveral branches and many
¦" lights, but which produce but one only brigh£§
" nefs : it is the lamp of lamps, a brilliant cori-
" ftellation fed with eternal oil. This conftella-
" tion is neither to the eaft nor to the weft; once
" lighted up it gives light for ever, without
fc being renewed, and God with this light con-
fe ducts him whom he loves; and gives proverbs to
" nations. God is wife in all his works t.v
The court moft to be admired of the Alham
bra, is that called the Court of the lions ; it is or
namented with fixty elegant columns of an ar
chitecture which bears not the leaft iefemblance
to any of the known orders, and might be called the
* It is certain that this cabinet ferved for the toilet of the em-;
prefs, wife to Charles y. and fince that time was made ufe o£
for the fame purpofe by the queen Ifabella.
t The expreflion, be is a luminary effevrral branches, &C,.
has induced fome tranflators to think the pafTage alluded to the
Trinity : yet Mahomet has faid, in his Alcoran, O ye followers^
of tbefriplures, fay not three. The firnfle of light feems to the/
more applicable to the attributes of the Divinity.

OF SPAIN, Zyy
the Arabian order*. The court is paved with
white marble, and at the extremities are two fine
Mofaic cupolas; painted in gold colour and azure,
and fupported by feveral groups of columns.
Portraits of feveral of the Moorifh kings are pre
ferved; under a kind of vaulted ceiling, at one
end df the court. The Cicerone of the Alhambra
fays, they are thd hiftory of the king Chico, or
the Little, when he imprifoned the queen accufed
of adultery; Near this place is a crofs painted
upon the wall to indicate the place where the
firft mafs was fung in the caftle of the Alhambra,
after it was taken by Ferdinand.
1 This- magnificent court is furrounded by bafons
of white marble, which form a kind of cafcade,
Ornamented with, jets d'eau ; but its principal mo
nument, and that from which it took its name,
is an alabafter cup, fix feet in diameter, fupported
by twelve lions, which is faid to have been made
in imitation of the brazen fea of Solomon's tem
ple. The cup is of one fingle piece, ornamented
with Arabian figures, and bears an infcription
compofed ot twenty-four verfes in that language.
" O thou who examineft thefe lions, fixed iri
" their places, confider they want nothing but
" life to be perfeCt ; and thou who inheriteft this
" kingdom and this palace, receive them from
" the hands of the nobles without employing
" Violence. May God fave thee by the new
"work with which thou haft embellifhed me,
" and may thine enemy never be revenged of
" thee:

* Architecture, like all other arts, owes its origin to Na
ture. The Goths, & northern people, inhabited caves. The
Arabs and Saracens, fpread over the country, lived under
tents -. hence that difference in the architecture of thefe na
tion?. The Goths had flat ceilings-, thofe of the Arabs
were terminated in a point, as is feen in molt of the apart
ments of the Alhambra.

2«g THE PRESENT STATE
" thee : may the moft defirable praife fall from
" the lips of him by whom thou art bleffedi; O
" Mahomad, our king, for thy mind is brnai
" mented with the moft amiable virtues I God
" forbid, that this charming orchard, the image
" of thy amiable qualities, fhould be furpafted
" or equalled by any other in the world. But it
" is I who embellifh it; it is the clear water
" which fhines in my bofom, and bubbles like
" melted filver. The whi'tenefs of the ftone, and
" that of the water it contains, are unequalled.
" Examine well this cup, if thou wilt diftinguiffi ;
" the water which runs from it; for it willfirjft
" feem to thee, either that both run together, or
4t that they remain immoveable. Like, one of
'.' Love's captives whofe face is bathed with the
" tears which the envious have caufed him to
" fhed, fo the water feems jealous of the ftond
" by which it is contained, and the cup, in its
" turn, appears to be jealous of the limpid
" ftream. Nothing but the generous hand Of
" Mahomad can be compared to that which
" rufhes from my bofom and Bies impetuottfly
" into the air. A lion is not fb ftrong and cou-
" rageous as Mahomad is liberal*"
The walls of the court bear feveral fhort in*
fcriptions frequently repeated, which may be
called the Litanies of Mahometanifm*, fuch as
" There is. no other conqueror than God." " I
" hope in God." " Praife be to God for the good
" of the fea," &c.
The hall called Las dos Hermanas, or the two
filters, and that of the Abencerrages, with a third
. lefs
* The name of JUtany fee'ms applicable to certain prayers
of the Arabians. One cries aloud, " There h no other Gcd
" than God",; the reft anfwer, " PTaife be to God" ; the for
mer adds, " He is great"; and the a-nfwer is always, " Praife
" be" to God". In this manner they repeat all the attributes
of the Divinity.

OF SPAIN. 27q
lefs remarkable, are in the fame court. Upon
the edge of the Wall towards the north of the
fit ft, you read; " A kfting reign, the efteem and
" aid of God to my mafter."
At the entrance is the following poetical in
fcription :
" The garden which thou feeft gives thee life.
" Tlie harmony which proceeds fiom thefe fliuubs
" joins with the perfume-of the flowers to enchant
" the foul. And thou, charming vafe which em-
'" bellifheft it, thou fhalt be compared to a Mng
" decorated with golden chains and crowns."
This infcription is the eulogium of the gardeh
called Lindaraxa, upon which the windows of the
teilfopen; but by -being n%gle<&ed, it has loft its
-greateft beauties.
Iii the two circles to the right, as you enter the
fame hall, is the following infcription, full of
Jelegatice, tafte and poetry.
" I am t?be orchard of pleafure, an affembkge
" of charms ^nd graces. There is no work can
" he ^compared to me for beauty ; a fingle glance
" is fufficient tb difcover the delights I afford.
" The tranquil heart can find no frefhnefs fweeter
*l than mine; I • contain a precious alcove of
" which the purpofe *nd the principles are pure.
H The fign of 'Gemini alone can give an idea of
" the peife& fy-mmetry of my workmanfhip.
" The moon in the firmament embellifhes me with
" luftre, and by her influence the moft lovely of
" the fex are attracted unto me. Should the ftar
" of the day ftop his courfe to enjoy the fight of
" my •charms, it would not be to be wondered
" at. Simple apartment as I am, every thing
" that is beautiful may receive from me new at-
" tractions, and he who cosffcmpktes me may
" do it without fatigue : for I offer him a feat of
" "vohiptiioufaefs S -am Jornamented with white and

28p THE PRESENT STATE
" and, precious pillars of the moft elegant and
" delicate form ; the fhadow they put forth may
" be compared to the light, and they are covered
" with dailies not to be equalled. He who ereCt-
" ed me cannot find his equal ; his glory and
'" magnificence have exalted him above the reft Of
" mankind. If the fun at fetting; fpreads over
" me his rays, you fee me covered with diamonds,
" of which the fplendour and form are found no
" where but in me. But ftill more delicious is
" my abode from the zeal of the faithful which
" refpires in my bofom, and in this confift all my
" charms."
And between the two circles :
" The perfection and beauty in me proceed
" from Mahomad, my lord : he furpaffes in vir-
" tue beings who have difappeared and others
" who come. In five ftars there are three which
" may yield to him the fuperiority. If the air
" be condenfed, it may obtain lightnefs from my
" mafter. The ftars of heaven die with love of
" him, and he can Communicate to them the
." agreeable odour of plants and virtues: they
" would come to him were they not afraid of
" fofpending their functions, which- is to enlighten
" the horizon. The ftones, at his command,
" receive a fublime bafe ; by his influence they
" are embellifhed with delicate workmanfhip^
" and by his virtue remain immoveable. The
" marble is foftened at his voice ; and the light
" reflected from, his eyes diffipates darknefs.
" Where can a more lovely garden be found ? it
" furpaffes in verdure and perfume all that exift,
" and fpreads its frefhnefs to the center of this
" palace."The alcove of the fame hall is not without its
infcription. " . Thou furpaffeft in beauty the beds of the '
" moft

OF SPAIN. 28,
¦" moft voluptuous ; thou haft fo many attractions
" that feveral might be borrowed from thee with-
" out diminiihing thy powers; and the moon,
" when fhe penetrates where thou art, knows fhe
" has nothing that can equal thee."
, From over the window, the hall itfelf feems to
fpeak in its turn :
" I am not alone, I join to an orchard, which
" to me is a field of light. It communicates this
" to me fo inceffantly that fhade is never per-
*' mitted to approach me. All thisi admirable
" work proclaims the praife of Nazar, who has
" Continually gained friends to the prophet and
" to the Alcoran."
The two windows by the fide, of the great
door have their little pieces of poetry. That of
the Iargeft runs thus :
" The frefhnefs of the air, embalmed with
" perfumes, penetrates this enclofure, and, with
" its delicious odour, infpires health."
" This orchard, by the pleafures it affords,
" announces itfelf to be the work of a juft, ii-
" beral, and magnificent mafter."
And upon the other window :
" Obferve the beauty of this glafs, and be-
" hold how it colours and furpaffes clearnefs ;
" with -.what perfection it reprefents the figures
" and their attractions. At fight of it you would
" fay, that light and colour were the fame
" thing."The hall of the Abencerrages is thus called
from the unhappy incidents already related of that
family.'1' .
The infcriptions which cover the walls arefnort
fentences and eulogiums already recited.
The fhut door, which is feen in the ball, com
municates with the habitation of the vicar of
Alhambra.

~Z^2 THE PRESENT STATE
Alhambi-a. He is lodged in a kind of fortrefs, of
which fnrprifing things are related.
The hall of the Baths is preceded by a coridor;
$he cabinet has alfo an infcription trivial enough
in itfelf, but as it relates to an amufmg circum
ftance in the hiftory Of Mahomet, I fhall hef^give
it a place : it is repeated on each of the walls.
" He who puts his confidence in God 'Will
*' have a good iffue for his undertakings ; there
" is neither ftrength nor breath in creatures which
" proceed not from God* the mbft high, the great,
" he who covers the juft with verdure*."
From this hall of the Baths a gallery leads to
that of the Nymphs, fo called from the two female
figures of white marble, icutpt&red with much art
and exaCtnefs. The fubterraneous chamber, in
which they are placed, contains feveral la*gef
urns that formerly contained the treafures of the
•Moorifh kings. The archbifhop of Granada -has
lately forbidden thefe ftatues to be feen, left their
fine proportions and nakednefs fhould be pernici ous
* To underftand the laft expreffion, it is firft neceffary to
know that by the ju/t the Mahometans underftand-Maibomet * and
afterwards to read the following' paffage, tranflated fron; the life
of the prophet by Japbi M'u Ibrahim.
" Cottada his faid, Abin-rara has faid, Ahu Horeira has'feid :
we have feen him with our own eyes the fevotited of God* the
quantity of his food was fuch as would have been more than
fufficient for three men, and his drink the fame. And God- gave
him fo quick and eafy a digeftion, that he was obliged to give
courfe to the refufe 'oThls body every three hours. And, he -laid,
we being prefent, I will fettsfjy the call-s^of nature,; and he found
no fecret place becaufe he was in a plain and open-field.; but as
he fought about he found 3 tree, to which he faid, " came wifk
-me" : -the-tree inftantly left its place and followed hthv: he foon
afterwards found a fecondtree, and faid again, " follow ine" :
the tree obeyed and follovired the other. At length, (landing
ftill, the two trees joined their trunks, and covered him with
their verdure, whilft 1ft fatisfied the Wants of Nature. After
wards he commanded the trees to return to their places; they 0-
beyed his voice and went and flood where they were before. '

OF SPAIN. 283
ous to good morals: he has taken away the key of
the cafe in which they are. Opinions are divided
concerning the fculptor,- fome think them re
mains of Roman antiquities, but they are gene
rally fuppofed to be the production of an Arabian
artift*. Before I take leave of Alhambra, I muft beftow
fome notice on the monuments of which tradition
and the zeal of the anions have preferved the re
membrance. The convent of the Francifcaiis,
near the palace of Charles V. is built upon Moor
ifh ruins ; it was ereCted when Philip V. and the
queen Ifabella Farrtefe, his wife, came to Gra
nada. The Monks without any refpeCt for the
noble marble which attefted the ancient magnifi
cence of their mafters, have confounded it with
the vile materials by which a voluptuous palace
Was transformed into a number of indolent Cells.
Among the infcriptions, which were buried or
mutilated, the two following are worthy of being
preferved : " God
"* Two Engliffcmen, who were at Granada in 1775, wrote on
the wall, Bear the hall of the nymphs, fix verles, which though
not very good, are fufficiently expreffiveof the -enthufiafm with
which the palace had ini'pirfd them. Woe to their religion had
ikij th that moment been cffired the Turban. /
O moft indu-lgent prophet to mankind,
If filch on earth thy paradife we find,
What mnft in heaven thy profnjled raptures proVe,
Where black-eyed fiouris breathe eternal love ?
Thy faith, thy doctrine fure were moft divine,
And though much water, yet a little wine.
fiisTegurh, hen! nirftis infelicium, deliciis mSftum tale dix-
efurttv T. G. H. S. Angli,
Kal. Jan. 1775, dieprocapta ufbe Gtanata triumohali.

2&£ THE PRESENT STATE
" God be with my king Abulgagegh, and with-
" thee Jofeph my king, my guardian and mafter;
" partake of the eulogiums which the beauty,
" grace and perfection of my work infpire; In
ct former times I ferved as a place of pleafure to
" thy noble anceftors; and fhall I be lefs delight-,
" ful in thy eyes? My fame and my charms are
" increafed, and I am embellifhed with new or-
tc naments. 1'hou haft put fear away from me,
" thou haft made me a rampart by which I am
" protected^ thy glory daily increafes, time "more
" deeply engraves thy illuftrious deeds ; thou art
" called the great triumphant; kings and poten-
" tates ftrive to pleafe thee, and each fhelters him-
" felf under the wing of thy pofterity; and I
" more than they all. I ftriile at the projects
" thou formeft to embellifh me, becaufe I become
" a witnefs of thy magnificence. It was thou, O
" Jofeph^ who knewefthow to embellifh me; the
" treafures of thy imagination were poured upon
" me, and thou haft rendered me the objeCt of ge-
" neral eulogium. 'Ihy clemency and thy bounty
" conftitute my glory: from my fountain rufhes
"pure and odorous water; it feems to fly up in
"• the air, artd its murmur is a foft and tender
" melody ; its fall is an humiliation for thee, the
**¦ fhiverings I feel are figns of refpeCt; they mark
" to thee my fear, but it is not to fly from thee.
" Jofeph is my fupport, he is my defender ; in e-
" very thing I fay to my honour, reafon is my
" guide. I pleafe them by whom I am feen, and
" the fight of me is to them a recompence. O
" ye nobles, grant me your admiration ! and ye,
<c brave and valiant knights, be not lefs zealous
" to give me praife whilft you behold me. Let
' my eulogium be fublime, becaufe every
" thing I contain is fublime. O Jofeph, my ford
" and my king, the living image of the prophet, s/ thou.

OF SPAIN. 2g5
" thou haft accomplifhed with me thy promifes,
'- and haft fhewn me all thy affeCtions.
The fecond runs thus :
" I am the place of delight, and am pleafed
p with places which refemble me; they would
" excite my envy were they as perfect as I am.
?' Obferve that refervoir which embellifhes me,
" and thou wilt there fee more luftre than in the
ft polifhed and enamelled fteel. To my beauty
" are joined the favours of Jofeph; his affeCtion
" fpreads round me that pure and cheering air
" which thou refpireft. This bafon refembles a
" handfome cup, finifhed by the hands of art,
f Whence the mouth of beauty draws the liquor
" by which it is refrefhed and embellifhed ; but
" the water rifes with a fpring, and fpreads in un-
" dulated fheets; the brilliant drops prefs each
" other and conceal a myfterious heart, which
" contains wonderful fecrets; and thou Jofeph,
" purifier of the feCt and of the faith of believers;
" thou, the fublime point around which every
" kind of glory is aflembled; thou, who livelt
" like the beft of kings; as the fetting fun haftens
" towards the horizon, and afterwards rifes again
" in the heavens with renewing fire, fo thy name,
" which was declining, has regained its luftre in
*c this garden. All nations have come to admire
" my magnificence, which for ever fhall laft. O
" Jofeph ! O my Mafter ! thou art the file of tbe
" law, and the afylum of fuch as obferve it ; thou
" art a fertile orchard, which, with its abundant
" juices, nourishes and gives life to plants and flow-
" ers, thou art a tuft of aromatic herbs ; thou giveft
" the enjoyment of life and happinefs."
The Arabs never loft an opportunity of bellows
ing a eulogium upon water ; there are bafons and
cafcades in moft of the halls of the Alhambra,
fp that, during the fummer, it muft have been a
delightful

ggg THE PRESENT STATE
delightful abode. Water by its clearnefs and pu
rity is always taken in the Afooran for the fytabel
pf a fincere and docile heart. In the Sura, of
the cow it is faid, " I gave you a heart, which
like water might refleCt my revelation, and receive*
the words of my meffenger;" and it is from, this
pomparifon of the heart with water, which we
meet with alfo inholy writ, and in the writings of
the Rabbins, that in drinking water out of a glafs
of which another perfon has juft drank, you are
faid to know his fecrets.
The church of the Francifcans was formerly a
mofque; as appears from a marble on the an
cient walls of the convent which contained the
following Arabic infcription.
" Say, there is no other God than God: let
" thefe words he in thy mouth as well as in thy t
«* heart. God, in thy favour, and at the prayer
" of hi* prophet, abridged the number* ; di-
«' minifh it not, pardon is in the place of prayer."
E jom the Alhambra you enter the Generalif by
a low gate, which favoured the eieape of Abdali,
when Ferdinand took Granada. Generalif figni-
fies, as I am told, in Arabic, "The houfe of
" love, of dance and pleafure." It was built by
a prince of the name of Omar, who was fo fond
of mufic that he retired to this palace, entirely to
* In the Sura, joutney. by night, Ifahomet relates to his,
followers his esttatic virions ip hea,ven, and tells them that
God delivered to him as a precept, that true believers fhoula
j>ray an hundred times a day: but'that. he, by the adyice of
Moies, made feveral reprefentations to God, to prevai'l, upon
him to diminifh this great number of fupphcations i, till ai;
length God was pleaied to reduce them to, four, of which
the appointed times are at fun rife, noon, furi fetj and mid
night. To this (he expreffion in the inscription relates ; and
the meaning is, fince the numbe of prayers has been di
minifhed, let Muffulmen be exacl and faithful in the per
formance qf thofe which are prefcribed.

QF SPAIN. 28j
to give himfelf up to that amufement. The Ge-
neralif is the moft pleafing fituation in the envi
rons of Granada. It is built upon a very high
mountain whence waters rufh from every fide,
which efcape in torrents, and fall in beautiful
cafcades in the courts, gardens, and halls of that
ancient palace. The gardens form an amphithe
atre, and are full of trees, venerable from their
antiquity. I fat down at the feet of two cypref-
fes of which the height and whitepefs attefted the
number of centuries they had flood there : they
are ftill called the Cypieffes of the Queen, be.
caufe it was near them the perfidious, Gomel im
peached the virtue of that princefs, and the hon
our of the Abencerrages. I admired them with
a fentiment not to be infpired by monuments of
ftone. The writers of romances have never ima
gined a fcene equal to this. How much did I
regret fo beautiful a fituation fhould be inhabited
by infenfible proprietors ! I fighed to behold the
fiiperb and natural terraces of thefe inchanting
gardens laid out in apartments ; and this place,
formerly tbe center of Afiatic luxury, reduced to
fimple reeds and the fteril retreat of a cloifter of
capuchins. The pure air of the Generalif, the
fimple and Moorifh ftrudure of the edifice, and the
clearnefs and abundance of the waters, called to
iny recolledion the time when Granada was one
of the fineft cities in the world. At prefent it is
melancholy and deferred ; a defeat, different
manners and another government have annihilated
its glory.
In the Corridor, or covered gallery, which in
the palace leads to the apartments, is this long
infcription :
' " God be my aid againft the devil the tempter ;
M God is great and wife, powerful and a lover
" of juftice. He will torment both men and
" women

288 THE PRESENT STATE
" women who multiply God and render him de-
" formed ; he will throw them into the abyfs and
fe there leave them for ever. Believe in God and
fC in his meffenger, he is font that you may praife
f and honour him day and night. Sing his
fe praifes. To them by whom you fhall be fa-
cc luted render falutation, and in the name of
*c God touch your beard*, and let it be with af-
" feCtion ; and may the tranquillity of him whofe
" defire fhall be to difturb yours be alfo difturbed ;
" and he who fhall add to the duties prefcribed!
ft to him by God fhall receive a great reward." *
In the firft hall there are two infcriptions over
the window ; the following is on the right:
" Ifmael is the major, the great, the privileged,
" God gave him a reputation and an eftablifh-
*z ment; if thou contribute to his v grandeur thou,
*e fhalt be honoured like all the kings defcended^
" from him. He gives life to fuch as are thirfty,
" he unites and fupports the feCtf."
" The window at the entrance of this delight-
*c ful palace is deftined to the pleafures of the
" nobility. The charming view from it inchants
fC the eye and elevates the mind. Let us return
f£ thanks to God. That fountain difcovered from
" the window is pleafed when looked upon by its
" king and thereby feems to be embellifhed."
Tbe Arcades in the court, called the Court of
the Pond, are ornamented with one of the beft
infcriptions in its kind, # Charming
? The cuftom of touching the heard in falutiog is very an
cient amongft the eaftern nations, joab, general of David,
when he killed Amafa, the general of Abfalom, approached
him, and touched his beard with his right hand faying, God
fave thee, my brother, while with the left he run him through
with his fword. This fad is thus related in the fecond book
of Samuel, chap. xx.
t The thirft Ifmael fuffered when a- child is well known, ^
the Arabs btlieve ihemfelves defcended from him,

O F S P A I N. 2g^
« Charming palace, thou prefenteft thyfelf with
cc majefty; thy fplendour equals thy greatnefs,
" and thy light fhines upon every thing by which
*« thou art furrounded; Thou art worthy of
" every eulogium, for thy ornaments have in
" them fomething divine. Thy garden is embel-
" lifhed with flowers which repofe upon their
" ftalks, and exhale the fweeteft perfumes : frefh
" air agitates the orange tree and fpreads afar the
" fweet odour of its bloffoms. I hear volup-
" tuous mufic joined to the ruftling of the leaves
" Of thy groves. Every thing around me is har-
" monious, green, and flowry. Abulgali; the
" beft of kings, proteCtor of believers and of the
" law, thou art the objeCt of my efteem. God
" fave thee and confirm thy noble hopes ; thou
" knoweft how to ennoble the leaft of thy works.
" This apartment, which is dedicated to thee,
" poffeffes fuch perfection and folidityj that its
" duration may be compared to that of the faith
" itfelf: it is a triumph, a prodigy of art."
The Moors had academies and a univerfity in
Granada which produced feveral good phyficians,
famous aftrblogers, celebrated botanifts, accurate
mathematicians, excellent painters and able fculp-
tors ; but the fcience in which the Arabs made
the greateft progrefs was theology, becaufe that
requires nothing but imagination.
I have detained the reader too long on the fub-
jeCt of the magnificence and luxury of the Moors,
and the wild flights of the Arabian poets; a
more refpeCtable objeCt now claims his attention,
and invites him to go with me over the tombs of
the firft martyrs of Spain.
The road which leads to the facred mount is
delightful; it runs by the fide of high mountains
covered with houfes, fountains and verdure.
Some of thefe heaps of earth, plants and rocks
Vol. II. U are

2qo THE PRESENT STATS
are fkilfully dug, and ferve as a refidende and
fhelter to the gardeners who cultivate them to
their tops ; they are, if I may ufe fo bold a figure*
animated pyramids. The Darro runs in the val
ley; the banks of this river are equally varied
and agreeable, and form, with the mountains,
one of the moft enchanting profpeCts I ever be*
held. After having paffed the facred Wood, Ott which
feveral croffes announce the chapel, you approach,
by a fteep afcent, a confiderable edifice. But it
Will here be neceffary to go a little back into the
hiftory of paft times. Aftronomers, and amongft :
others the famous Johannes Regiomontanus had
predicted that the year 1588 would be remarka*
ble throughout the world. They faid it was the.
ciimaCterical year of the univerfe; and during
the courfe of it a prodigious number of extraor
dinary events came to pafs. five new ftars were
difcpvered in the heavens, and the fun was ob*
fcured in the middle of a fine day of the month
of June. The famous Roman Obelifks were
fourtd, and in Granada the foundations of the
tower, called Turpiana, were difcovered^ Don
Juan Mendes de Salvatierra was then archbifhop
of that city. The workmen employed in digging
in the foundation difcovered a long and fquare
cafe of lead, which was taken out and opened.
It was varnifhed within and without. This kind
of bier contained a bone, a piece of white linen
of a triangular form, and a great fcroll of parch
ment filled with characters of different languages.
The tower exifted long before the Romans came
to Granada; for as long ago as the fecond year
of the reign of Nero, we find it filled a very an-.
cient tower.
The name of Turpiana was not known till the
plates of lead in the facred mount were found.
,.. A ftatue

OF SPAIN. 2 x
A ftatue of a Roman foldier upon its bafe was
alfo difcovered at a little village, called Peligros.
On the bafe was a long infcription, whiah began
with thefe words: Cuio Antiftio Turpioni, This
Turpio having repaired the tower, or defended,
or taken it, might probably have given it his
name ; but the form and materials of the remains
of the edifice feem to leave no doubt that it was
originally a work of the Phoenicians.
',. The parchment having been examined by the
moft able antiquarians, was declared to be ex
tremely ancient, and that it was neither made of
the fkin of a fheep, goat, or that of any other
known animal ufed for the fame purpofe. At the
top was a crofs, formed by five little croffes ; af
ter which was a long writing, in the Arabic lan
guage, on the fubjeCt of which the pope, under
pain of excommunication, commanded the moft
rigorous filence. Under the writing was a long '
figure formed of feveral fquares, in each of which
was a Roman character, the reft were Greek.
But what appears ftill more fingular is, that when
the Roman characters were united, they formed a
.prophecy, in Spanifh, concerning the end of the
. world ; and the language was as pure as that now
fpoken at court. Each of the Greek letters was
followed by two Arabian characters ; but the fig-
nification of thefe is a myftery which cannot be
revealed. Afterwards came the fignature of
, Saint Cecil, Cecilio Obifp'o de Garnata. Saint Cecil
and his brother Saint Tefiphon were Arabians.
The firft, after his converfion, was called Ceicel-
leyah, which means the preacher, and from which
Cecilius has been formed. The parchment con
cludes with the declaration of Patricius the prieft,
as follows :
" The fervant of God, Cecil, being in Iberia,
" and feeing the end of his days approach, faid
U a "to

Sg2 THE PRESENT STATE
u to me in fecret, that he was affured of his mar-
" tyrdorti. But as he was extremely fond of his
" treafure of relics, he recommended it to me,
" and befought me to conceal it, that it might
" not fall into the hands of infidels ; he obferved,
" that he had travelled both by fea and land to
H procure it, and that this treafure would remain
" hidden until it fliotild pleafe God to make it
" manifeft ; and I, to do what I thought was beft,
** concealed it in the place where it is depofited,
" having fupplicated God to take it under his
" protection. The relics are: A prophecy of
'" Saint John the Evangelift concerning the end
" of the world ; the half of the linen with which
" the Virgin Mary wiped away her tears at the
* paiion of her fon : and a bone of Saint Ste-,
" phen, the firft martyr. Let us return thanks
" to God."
The bone and the linen are prefbrved' in the
¦cathedral of Granada, and upon certain days of
the year are expofed to the veneration of the
pious. Philip II. wifhed to fee thefe facred rari
ties. The City of Granada deputed to him a
canon, and the king having accidentally fallen
ill, negfeCted not fo excellent an opportunity to
Obtain a oure ; he applied the linen to the part
affeCted, and finding it a fovereign remedy, ftole
from it a thread, which he had enfhrined, and
placed amongft the relics <of the Efcurial.
But to return to the facred mount: three men
went to this mountain with intent to dig in fearch
of a- treafure; but not having difcovered any
thing, after three days fatigue, they were upon
the point of abandoning the undertaking, when
the principal among them going to the church of
our Lady to pray, heard a voice within, which
" faid to him, "Sebaftian, go not away, but
" return again to the mountain and continue to
" dig."

OF SPAIN. 2'93
** dig." He communicated this revelation to his
affociates, who, animated with new courage, con
tinued their feareh, and at the end of two days
found a piece of lead, eighteen inches long, and
two inches wide, covered with characters, which
after having exercifed the patience of antiqua
rians, were at length decyphered in the following
lnanner :
" The burned body of Saint Mefiton; who
f ' fuffered martyrdom in the reign of the emperor
" Nero."
The work was continued, and three pieces of
the fame metal were found, of like dimenfionsi,
and infcribed with characters fimilar to thofe of
the firft. The latter mentioned the martyrdom of
Saint Cecil, Saint Tefiphon his brother, and fe*-
veral other faints.
It may be fuppofed the archbifhop then inter
fered. The bodies of the martyrs were found in
a calcined mafs; except that of Saint Mefiton,
which was only half burned. They were taken
away by the priefts, and a provincial affembly
was fummoned, at which the moft able divines of
'Spain and feveral bifhops were prefent : the relios
were declared genuine, and worthy of veneration,
by a judgment pronounced after high mafs, on
the 30th of April, 1600.
On the facred mount the maffes in honour of the
firft difciples of Saint James are ftill celebrated ,*
the difciples were feven in number, and burned in
the grottos, which are now converted into chapels,
and called the facred furnaces.
A valuable difcovery was made in thefe furnaces
qj? grottos of feveral Arabian manufcipts, en
graved on plates of lead, concealed in hollow
ftones, elofed up by a very hard cement.
During the excavations made in the grottos, one
of the ftones rolled down, broke in pieces, and dis
covered

204. THE PRESENT STATE
covered its contents ; fo that every other . ftone
which refembled this was carefully examined.
There vere found twenty-one manufcripts of a
round figure and compofed of feveral leavesriof
lead. They are all written in Arabic, except
one, of which the language cannot be difcovered,
becaufe the characters are unknown ,- but this is
fuppofed to be Arabic alfo, and that it will one
day be deciphered. The Iargeft of thefe manu
fcripts is but feven inches in diameter. The bull
of pope Innocent XI. permits no more to be faid
of them; for it muft be obferved, that all the
manufcripts were carried to Rome, and his holi«
nefs forbade, under pain of excommunication,
all perfons from fpeaking of what paffed at the
time of the difcoyery until he fhould have de
cided what might be faid concerning it. But as
this decifion has net yet been pronounced, the
canons or priefts of the facred mount, with whom
I converfed for a confiderable time, communicate
their conjectures with much referve.
The reader will undoubtedly be curious to know
the titles of the manufcripts. The firft is the hif
tory of the eftablifhment of the church ; the fecond
treats of the eflence of God, and is faid to have
been written by Saint Tefiphon ; the fubjeCt, of the
third is the ordination of Saint James, fon of the
apbftle Zebedee'; the fourth, is an apology or
harangue, written by the fame Saint James; the
fifth, treats on the preaching of the apoftles ; and
the fixth of the tears and repentance of the apof-
tle Peter the vicar. The reader will excufe me if
I exprefs myfelf with the fimplicity of the times
in which the titles of Saint and Pope were un
known, and according to the titles of the manu
fcripts of which I am now fpeaking. - The feventb,
contains the life, a&s and miracles, of oUr Savi
our; the eighth, treats of the certifying of the
glyrious

OF SPAIN. 2g-
glorious book of Evahgelifts ; the ninth, of the
rewards promifed to thofe by whom the certifying
of the Evangelifts is believed ; the tenth, of oc
cult myfteries, though, in faCt, I know no myfte-
ries Which are not occult. This is the fhorteft of
the manufcripts, and is full of feals and a kind of
hieroglyphics. The eleventh, is a relation of the
great myfteries feen by Jacob or James on the holy
mount. The twelfth, the foliloquy of the Holy
Virgin: this is a kind of apocalypfe. The thir
teenth, a book of maxims concerning the law,
and the moral conduCt of fife, by means of which
may be obtained fecurity, and the gift of peace,
The fourteenth, the hiftory of the famous feal of
Solomon, concerning which the reader may refer
to what has been written on it by Kircher. The
fifteenth and fixteenth, treat of Divine Pro
vidence. The feventeenth, of the nature of
Angels and their power. The eighteenth has
for its title, " Of the Houfe of Paradife and of
" Hell." The nineteenth and twentieth, contain
the life of the apoftle James. The twenty-firft, is
called the Mute '; it is hoped that fome time it will
be made to fpeak. I could give a long catalogue
of thefe manufcripts, but the bull obliges me to
be filent. They were all declared apocryphal,
becaufe they were found to contain feveral expref-
fions from the Alcoran : fuch as, " if one pf the
**• virgins who are in Paradife fhould fpit but once
<e into the fea, the fweetnefs of her faliva would
" be fufficient to fweeten the waters." Sjx per
fons, Ae moft famous for their knowledge of the
oriental languages, were appointed to examine
thefe books of lead: they were the celebrated
Athanafius, Kircher, and John Jatino, Jefuits;
father PeCtorano, Anthony de Aguila, father Phi.
lip, Guadagnolo, and the illuftrious Abraham
Eccelenfis. Louis Maracero was the fifcal or ad
vocate

2nf$ THE PRESENT STATE
yocate general of this little council. They each
made a tranilation feparately ; and, after having
compared them, cbofe one which they allfigned
as the beft and moft faithful. This occstiipned
many difputes, becaufe each pretended to the
preference. At length, pope Innocent XI. de?
Glared, that on report of the arbitrators named,
he condemned the twenty-one manufcripts ; but,
what is aftonifhing, the relics difcovered near
thefe books received the approbation of his hofi-
nefs. The church 0? Nueftra Sehora de las Anguftias^
ox our Lady of Sorrows, at Granada, is famous,
not on account of the architecture, but pf the
altar which is admirable, and the -chapel of the
Virgin which contains immenfe riches ; precious
marble, gold and filver, are there accumulated.
in great abundance.
The church was formerly a fimple hermitage,
In the environs is a pleafant walk on the banks of
the Genii, where, a few years ago, flood an an*
cient elm which the axe fhould have refpeCted ;
they who ordered the deftruCtion of it were defti
tute of every finer fentiment or veneration for
antiquity; this tree was ftill alive, and might
have ferved as a monument, fince it was at the
foot of it "that mafs was celebrated pn the ad of
January, 149 23 the day of the taking of Granada.
The field of Martyrs is fo called, becaufe
Ferdinand the Catholic, who there received the
keys of the Alhambra, dedicated it to the Chrif
tians who died for the faith in the Mafmorras, or
fubterraneous caverns of that field, which, as 1
have already obferved, I do npt believe were in*
tended for dungeons- The barefooted Carme
lites petitioned for a fmall enclpfure, ' near the
field, to build a chapel, of which they have
made a confiderable convent. In their capitulary hall

O F S P A I N. 29-
hall there is a painting done at the time, which
reprefents the capitulation of the caftle of the
Alhambra. and the furrender of the keys to Fer
dinand. An infcription at the bottom of the
painting, relates the circumftances. ,
The monksof S^int Jerome have a magnificent
convent in Granada, founded by Ferdinand
Gonfalves, furnamed the Great Captain. The
following infcription is found on the walls pf the
church: Gonzales Fernando a Corduba, magno. Hijpa-
riiarum duci, Gallorum ac Turcarum terrori. " Tq
" Gonzales Fernand de Gprdova, the great Cap-
# tain of Spain, the terror of the French and the
" Turks." He is interred in the church, land on
his tpmb is bis ftatue in a kneeling pofture.
The Carthufians have alfo a fiiperb houfe with
out the \city, the cellars pf which are famous for
the very old and excellent wine they contain.
Grartad^ was formerly called Siberia, and
founded, if we will^believe fome writers, by Li
beria, a great grand-daughter of Hercules, and a
daughter of Hifpan, and wife of Hefperus, a
Grecian prince, and brother to Atalanta. Others,
who fupport their afferticps by prcpfs to the foil
as fatisfaClpry, maintain that it was founded by
Iberus, grandfon of Tubal, and that it took the
name of Granada, or Garnata, from Nata the
daughter of Liberia; this word being compofed
pf Gar, which, in the language of the time, figT
nified grotto, and Nata, that is, the grotto of
Nata, becaufe that princefs ftudied aftrology and
patural hiftory, artd delighted in the country. It
|s certain that fuch a perfon as Nafa or Natayde,
exifted in the firft ages of the foundation of Gra
nada, and that in the place where the Alhambra
now ftands, there was a temple dedicated tp Nati-
vala. The date of the foundation of Granada is faid
to be 2808 years before Ckriffc We know that in
the

go& THE PRESENT STATE
the time of the Romans it was a municipal cor
fony- A defcription in L^tin of Granada, fuch as it
was, in 156.0, written by a Merchant at Antwerp,'
narrted George Hofnahel, who travelled into
Spain, is to be found in the work, entitled Civita-
fcs orbis ter r arum, printed at Cologne in 1576.
This Book alfo cpntams a good plan of the city
pf Granada,

ROUTE mow GRANADA to CADIZ, by
ANTEQJJERA and MALAGA.
AFTER leaving Granada, we crofs the famous
Vega, or flat country. This is a plain eight
leagues wide, twenty-feven in circumference, and
furrounded by high mountains which ferve it as
ramparts. It is watered by the Genii, the Darro,
the Monachil, the Vagro, the Dilar and thirty-
fix fountains. There are few plains in the world
upon which more human blood has been fhed,
fince it was, during feveral centuries, the great
theatre of the obftinate wars between the Spa*
niards jind the Moqrsf
There is a proverb in Granada which fays, a
quieu Dios le quip bien, en Grenada, le dio de comer*,
Which may be faid" to be true, as far as refpeCis
the beauty of the country, and temperature of the;
climate, and the charming fituations of which na-r
ture has been prodigal. '< Santa
* In Granada God gives all the neceflaries of life to thofe
by whom he is beloved.

OF SPAIN. 29g
Santa Fe, built by Ferdinand and Ifabella, is
two leagues from Granada. Whilft the Spaniards
befieged that city, their camp having taken fire,
they refolved to form another more durable and
not liable to the fame accident. The new camp
has become a little city, which contains only two
long ftreets. The road is agreeable, edged with
great trees, and enclofed by green and pleafant
hills. Loxa, a confiderable town built upon the banks
of the Genii, and at the foot of a mountain, is one
day's journey from the capital. Loxa, like all the
towns built by the Moors, has a good appearance
from without ; it is in a ftrong fituation and furT
rounded by inacceffible rocks, We ftill fee the
remains of a caftle which ferved for its defence,
and is now become the peaceful abode of a her7
mit. The Moors did not forefee that moft of their
palaces and fortreffes would one day ferve as reT
treats to Chriftian Cenobites : fuch, however, has
been the fate of the edifices they have left ; the caftles
of Morviedro, Saint Philip, Granada, Loxa, &c.
are inhabited by monks and hermits.
The environs of Loxa are very fertile, and pro
duce excellent fruits ; the mountains are covered
with pafturage and cattle.
After leaving Loxa, you crofs Mount Orofpeda ;
and in the neighbourhood of Archidona, a city
built in the midft of rocks, you difcover the Pena
de los Enamoradfis: a rock which ha§ been rendered
famous by two lovers.
A young and handfome French knight was
made prifoner by the Moors at the time they ftill
poffeffed Granada. His fine perfon and politenefs
made fuchan impreffion on the Moorifh fovereign
that he granted him his liberty, and, for fome time,
retained him near his perfon thathe might enjoy'the
pleafures of the court, 'fhe king had a daughter,
who

jOO THE PRESENT STATE
who could not fee the youthful ftranger without
feeling for him the moft violent paffion. He per
ceived the unpreffion he had made upon her, and
the charms of the young princefs equally aCted
upon his heart, They found feveral opportunities
of meeting and declaring their love for each other;
but their happinefs was not lafting, their mutual
affeCtion was difcovered, and fearing to become
victims to the rage of the Moorifh monarch, they
refolved to efcape the fame night, and go to be
united among the Chriftians. They left the place
together, and were foon purfued; having no time
to lofe, they climbed up a rock extremely high, but
the people fent in purfuit of them prefently came
up to the place and furrounded it. The young
couple, feeing no hope of efcaping, fell into each
pthers arms, and threw themfelves from the top of
the rock, which is ftill called the Lovers Rock.
After travelling four leagues over mountains and
&Jong a very bad1 road we arrive at Antequera, a
"vexy ancient and confiderable city, fituated half
in the^ plain and half upon a mountain. The
ftreets arelarge and the houfes well built,
Antequera was founded by the Moors on the
ruins of the ancient Singilia ; the neceffity they
were under of fortifying themfelves againft the ene
mies by which they were furrounded, and of always
chufing fituations where art might eafily fecond
nature, induced them to build at the extremity of
this city a caftle which they ftrengtbened as much
as they could by means-of feveral towers and iron
barriers. Several kinds of antique arms collected
by the Moors are ftill preferved in this caftle;
there are alfo helmets, fiiits of armOur, and iron
fhields of excellent workmanfhip; fome of thqm
are trebly covered with leather. There are alio a
great number of pikes, javelins, and bows and
arrows.

OF SPAIN. 3QI
In the firft church I entered at Antequera I
heard from every part of it the finging of birds.
I endeavoured to difcover the habitation they had
been able to provide themfelves in.this holy and
frequented place, when I perceived feveral cages
fufpended in the different chapels, in which larks,
and canary-birds ling praifes to the lord.
The principal church of the city has nothing
remarkable but a bad figure reprefenting Chrift in
thjs mount of Olives; it would be difficult to af-
certain the number of hearts, arms, feet and thighs
of filver fufpended near the ftatue.
Antequera is famous from having been a long
time the refidence of Solano, a fimple, honeft,
and ignorant man, but who by the obfervations
he had made upon the pulfe, had acquired know
ledge fufficient not only to predict the crifis of a
difeafe, but to determine the nature of it, and the
hour when it was to be expected.
Solano was born in the year 1685, at Montilla,
a fmall town of Andalufia, fix leagues from Cor
dova ; he ftudied phyfic in Granada, whence he
went to gain practical knowledge to Illora, where
he married at twenty feven years of age. His
fame having reached Antequera he fettled there
as a honorary phyfician of the city ; a place he
held until his death, which happened on the 31ft
of March, 1738. Solano had fifteen children, fe
ven of whom were males ; he publifhed his ob
fervations upon the pulfe, in one volume in folio,
entituled Apollinis Lapis Lydios, or the Touch-ftone
of Apollo. This work long remained unknown
in Spain, until falling into the hands of M. Ni-
hell, an Englifh phyfician, who 1 elided at Cadiz,
he conceived fuch an efteem for the author that he
made a journey to Antequera on purpofe to fee
him; he flayed there two months, faw Solano's
praftice according to the new theory, which was the

£02 THE PRESENT STATE
the intent of his obfervations, and was aftonifhed,:
as he himfelf declares in the Englifh tranflation
he gave of the work, at the truth of his prognof-
tics and the admirable cures he daily performed,
folely from the knowledge he had acquired of the
pulfe. He knew the Crifis of every diforder, the
hour it would happen, of what nature it was to
be, and the peculiar mode of treatment it required. ,
A relation of thefe faCts may be found in the
work of M. Nihell, and in the letters of.Feijoo.
The work of Solano became a new sera in the hif
tory of phyfic; and prepared the way for the ufe
ful refearches of M. Bordeu, Cox, Flemings, and
fouquet. Some phyficians however have ftill
their doubts as to- the infallibility of Solano's me
thod, but the importance of the fubjeCt certainly
requires that all who profefs the art of healing^
fhould take the trouble to examine its merits.
Antequera was taken from the Moors by the
Infant Don Ferdinand, and at the fiege of it he
employed gun powder, or thunder, as it is called
by the ancient hiftorians. It is faid, that the
Moors, after all fupplies of water had been cut
off from them, digging in a fountain in the city,
found written upon' the firft ftone to which they
came, quando eftapiedrafe quitara, entoncesfe ganara
Antequerra de Lhriftianos, " when this ftone is dif
covered Antequera fhall be conquered by the
Chriftians." After the capitulation two thoufand
eight hundred and fifteen perfons were all who
went out OI" the city.
Two-leagues from Antequera there is a foun
tain, the water of which has theproperty of cur
ing feveral diforders, particularly the gravel : the
following infcription difcovered near the place,
proves that the virtue of the water was known in
antiquity,
FONTI

O F S P A I N. „03
FONTI DIVINO ARAM
L POSTVMIVS. STATVLIVS
EX VOTO D. D. D.
It is now called, la Fuente de lapiedra, the foun
tain of the ftone.
The road from Antequera to, Malaga lies prin
cipally over high mountains which prefent nothing
agreeable to the eye, and after travelling four
leagues upon the back of a mule, for there is no
carriage road, you arrive at an Inn. The coun
try now becomes agreeable, lefs mountainous,
and more cultivated. The next ftage from the
venta, or inn, is Malaga.
This is a fmall but ancient city. The Phoeni
cians built it feveral centuries before Chrift, and
called.it Malacha*, on account of the great quan
tities of fait fifh fold there. Ptolomy and Pliny
give it the name of Malaca, and the latter adds
that it belonged to the allies of the Romans, Ma*-
laca cumfavio fcederatorum. Antoninus in his Iti
nerary defcribes a road from Caftelon to Malaca,
and another from Malaca to Gades, or Cadiz.
Strabo fpeaks of it as a Carthaginian colony,
very commercial and famous for its faked provi
fions. It is at prefent a handfome city, at the foot of
a high mountain : the port is fafe,* and the mole
ftately fupported by a magnificent quay. The
commerce of Malaga is at piefent confined to the
wines made in tbe country, and known and ef-
teemed throughout Europe, the fruits of the foil,
and brandies.
It is the feat of a very ancient bifhopric, fuffra
gan to Granada. The firft bifhop known of it
was Patricius, who in the year 300, affifted at the
council
. * rh-n (Malacb) Salt.

^4 *"aE PRESENT STATE
council of Iliberis ; he had fucceffors until the
Moors conquered Malaga. They kept poffeffion
of the city until the year 1487, when it was taken :
from them by Ferdinand V, who reduced it by fa
mine. The Cathedral is fpacious, well built, and ele
gant, but the figures of the apoftles, in the kind
of dome which covers the great altar, are in a
very bad tafte.
The facade, which is moftly of blue and red
marble, would be tolerably handfome were not
it difhonoured by a fhabby bafs relief of white
marble. The inhabitants of Malaga are extremely afta*
ble. .
After leaving this city you are obliged to return
to Antequera, and to crofs the immenfe plains
you had already paffed. Sterne is right in fayingJ
that a traveller knows not what to do with a plain,
but it is ufeful to a labourer. It is true he reaps
the fruit of his induftry, and under this point of
view it becomes interefting to a man of fenfibility.
A few leagues from Antequera you arrive at
Roda, a little village well fituated, and afterwards
at Pedrera a confiderable town. The road is even
and agreeable, and the country well cultivated as
far as Offuna. • I never faw trees with fuch plea
fure as the firft* I met with after palling through Pe-
•drera, fo melancholy had I become in the dreary
plains of Antequera.
Offuna is a feigniory, and has not the title of a
city; it is, however, very ancient, and well peo--'
pled. It is faid to have been formerly ftrong, lefs
by its ramparts than by a fountain in the middle
of it, which furnilhes water to the inhabitants,
whilft the whole country, for eight miles round, is
totally deprived of that neceffary' article. Csefar
befieged Offuna, and was obliged to bring his pro
vifions,

OF SPAIN- w
vifions, water in particular, from a great dif
tance. From Offuna to Puebla de Cazalla, nothing is
to be. feen but uncultivated and ma rfhy plains.
The road is a league wide, which gives the tra
veller a great choice of -ground. The fituation of
the Puebla is charming.
From Puebla the road is but little raifed, and
lies through marfhy plains, in which there is not
fo much as a cottage, and the eye meets with no
thing to repofe on except dirt and thiftles, until
you arrive at El Harrahal, a fmall town tolerably
Well built. TJtrera, a confiderable and well peo
pled town, is four leagues from El Harrahal; and
the road, like that from Puebla to the latter, lies
through an uncultivated country. The road to
its calvary is delightful ; fhaded on one fide by an
alley of great trees, planted without^ order, and
on the other adorned by a bank of flowers and
verdure. I paffed an hour in it, flopping at each
crofsto gratify my ferife of fmelling with the per^
fumes which were fhed upon the facred road. I
afterwards went to fee the principal church, de
dicated to Saint James ; it ftands upon a kind of
hill, furrounded by a terrace, agreeable from its
fituation ; but it is ornamented in .art abfurd man
ner, fuch as with death heads and menacing in
fcriptions againft tinners. In truth, I know not
What to think of certain hypochondriacal en thu-
fiafts ; life is a cup full of bitternefs, and they
fear, left it fhould not have a fufficient quantity
of gall.
The common church is very ordinary ; but
contains feveral chapels richly decorated, and,
among others, that of the Santijfimb Chrifto, the
altar of which is of filver. 1 faw many people;
proftrate before this chapel ; to fuch a degree does
a filver altar infpire devotion.
Vol. II; X Utrera

306 THE PRESENT STATE
Utrera has a magnificent fquare, furrounded
with elegant houfes, all the windows of which
have iron balconies.
The fame plains continue , from Utrera to Las-
Cabezas : but become much more dangerous, ef*
pecially in winter, by the deep marfhes with which
they are covered.
Cabezas is a confiderable Village, built on a
hill at the beginning of a chain of mountains. It
contains feveral ruins, which fufficiently prove it
muft have been formerly a great city. The device
of the village is: nonfe hace nadanel confejo del rey
fenza Cabezas: nothing is done in the king's coun
cil without good heads ; a motto alluding to the
name of the village, Cabezas, or heads, but not
always true. A little farther on is the Venta of
Alcantarilla, near a village whence it takes its*.
name. Not far from this inn the Romans built a
bridge, whidh is ftill remaining, to pafs the marfhes,.
formed by the Guadalquivir. It was fhut in at
each end by a gate, over which were two high
towers. This bridge is faid to have been former- '-.
ly ornamented with magnificent columns of green
jafper, which at prefent decorate the great altar
of the cathedral of Seville.
Two leagues from Alcantarilla the marfhes dif
appear, and the road to Xeres de la Frontera lies
through a fertile and well cultivated country.;,
Xeres is a confiderable city, fituated upon the
bank of the Guadalete, contains about fifteen
thoufand rinhabi tan ts, and is in general well built.
Antiquarians fay, it was the ancient AftaRegia;
but it feems more probable that it was built upon
the ruins of that city .
The country is extremely fertile and famous for
its white wine, much efteemed throughout Eu
rope, and of which a great quantity is fent to the
Indies. In the city there are a great number of
nobility,

OF SPAIN. 3o^
nobility, and feveral very eminent commercial
houfes. Near Xeres, in 171 2, the famous battle
which decided the fate of Spain, was fought and
loft, by Roderie, the laft king of the Gothic race.
The battle was fo decifive, that it occafioned the
total ruin of that people, and left Spain, during
feveral centuries, in poffeffion of the conquerors.
Two leagues from Xeres is Port Saint Mary,
a town fituated in a very pleafant plain, at the
mouth of the river Guadalete. It is a large,,
rich, and populous place, but without any kind
of fortification . the ftreets are wide and contain
many elegant houfes. It may be faid to be one
of the handfomeft towns in Spain. The prkici-
: pal church is a beautiful building, adorned with
feveral ftatues of bronze, finely fculpUired. The
environs are extremely pleafant, and perfumed by
the fragrance of the orange groves. The walk,
called the Alanceda, is planted with trees impene
trable to the rays of the fun, and embellifhed
with feveral fountains. The fprings of port Saint
Mary are excellent, and furnifh fupplies to the
city of Cadiz, of which the water is fo brackifh
it is unfit to drink. The frefh water of Saint
Mary is fent to Cadiz in boats, and when the
north wind prevents thefe from venturing out,
that city is deprived of one of the principal ne-
ceffariesof life.
Port Saint Mary is fituated oppofite Cadiz, and
from the mole the town and the bay may be dif-
tinCtly feen, as the diftance is only about two
leagues. Boats, however, are frequently loft in
pafling; and the failors never fail, when they
reach the bar, to pray the fouls in purgatory to
intercede for them, which prayer is always follow
ed by a collection.
The mole of Saint Mary is large. It is a mag
nificent terrace of wood, near a hundred feet
X , 2 fquare,

gb8 THE PRESENT STATE
fquare, projecting into the fea, and furrounded
by a baluftrade, and commodious feats. You de-
fcendto the water by three large fteps, and here
embark for Cadiz, after having been fearched;
which fearching is repeated when the boat or
veffel has gotten fome hundred paces out at
fea ; ' notwithftanding which, the traveller is
again fearched on entering the bay, and again,
for the fourth time, on his arrival at the gate
of Cadiz. This Vexatious praCtice is no where
more frequent than in Spain, and efpecially
at Cadiz. Government keeps in pay a number*
of wretched mercenaries, who, for the value of
half a crown, would fuffer all the fmugglers on
earth to pafs them unnoticed, while ' they are
fcrupuloufly careful to empty the pockets of every
honeft man. In all the towns in Spain this tax is*
impofed on delicacy, both on entering and leaving
them. The traveller muft not refufe a prefent
to the guards of the cuftom-houfe, if he wifhes
to avoid being fearched, infulted, and delayed..
The moft infolent among thefe greedy retainers to
fhe revenue are thofe of Cadiz ; they have the im
pudence, if you only pafs the gate of the city to
go to the pier, to afk you for fomething to drink,
in a tone and manner which very plainly fignifies,
" give, or we will fearch you." The government
ought to pay attention to this petty tyranny and
extortion, which is the more ofienfive fince it is
exercifed by the Very dregs of the nation.

CADIZ.

OF SPAIN. 309
CADIZ.
CADIZ was not lefs famous in antiquity
than after it became the general ftaple of com
merce from Spain to the Indies.
The Phoenicians had no fooner landed in Spain
than they founded a city, which they named Ga-
tfez, (or enclofure) upon that tongue of land
which the Greeks believed to be the weftern
extremity of the wprld.
This place became very powerful under the
empire of the Romans. They embellifhed it with
feveral temples, and, if the ancients may be be
lieved, -the ceremonies and dogmas of religion
had there a more fublime meaning than in the reft
of the world : altars were dedicated to the year,
the months, to induftry, the divinity of com
merce, and, what is ftill more furprifing, in a city
founded by the love of gain, Gades contained the
ftatue and temple of poverty. The temple of
Hercules, built by the Phoenicians, was the moft
famous; it was there he vanquifhed the triple
Geryon, The great antiquity of the temple gave
rife to fabulous tales. Among the numerous co
lumns with which it was decorated there were
two of brafs, upon which unknown characters were
engraved. Some authors affert, that thefe cha
racters only recorded the fum of money expended
in building the temple. According to the Ro
man hiftorians, it was near the fame place that
Julius Csefar found that ftatue of Alexander,
which infpired his ambition with fuch bitter com
plaints. No facrifice of animals was made in
this temple.; nothing but incenfe was burned
within the walls : and by an inftitution, not re
markable for politenefs and difficult to be ex^
plained, women and fwine were forbidden to en- ter

3IO THE PRESENT STATE
ter it. The prieft, who offered up the faeiifice,;
was to be chafte, to have his head fhayed, his
feet bare, and his robe tucked up. Some authors ;
pretend there was no ftatue in the temple, hot
even that of the Divinity, to which it Was dedi
cated. By Hercules the Phoenicians meaned'to
indicate the almighty power of the Supreme
Being.* The fmall peninfula op which Cadiz is fituated;
embraces a very confiderable extent of the fea,
and with its two extreme points, called Los Pun-
tales, forms a noble bay, the work of Nature,
which is about three leagues long and two broad.
Its entrance is in breadth a fhort league, or ac
cording to father Labal, only five hundred toifes.
The two points, appear contrived exprefsly to de-j
fend the bay.
The town of Cadiz occupies the northern part
pf this projection of land, and is at prefent much
larger and handfomer than when father Labal
faw it. He compares it to Bayonne for fize, but
for populoufnefs it cannot enter into comparifon
with this latter city. Its form is nearly fquare,
and Nature feems particularly to have defigned
it for a place of ftrength. On the fouth fide it is
rendered inacceffible by the fea, from the height
and fteepnefs of the fhore: on the land fide it
is defended by two ftrong baftions ; and to the
north, by feveral fand banks and very dangerous;
rocks. The point which runs out toward the
weft, and which was called the World's End, is
defended by a fort, named Saint Sebaftian, which
covers the entrance of the bay ; and on the eaft
fide it is protected hy the caftle of Saint Philip. The
* Sed nulla effigies fimulacraque nota deorum,
Majeftate locum et facro implevere timore. Sil. Itai.

OF SPAIN. -r j
The ftreets of Cadiz are broad, ftraight, and at
prefent almoft all paved with a large white and
fmooth ftone, which care has been taken to cut in
fuch a manner as to prevent the horfes and mules
from flipping. The houfes are large, commodi
ous, cool, and well contrived ; and the number
of merchants of the moft extenfive connexions
and immenfe property, who refide there, can
fcarcely be imagined ; in faCt, the whole city , is
engaged in trade.
Cadiz contains feveral regular fquares; the
Iargeft is that of Saint Antonio ; but what is,
perhaps, equally remarkable, is the church of
that name, which formerly was only a fimple
hermitage. But during the plague of 1648, the
ftatue of the faint having frequently been at the
trouble of leaving his niche to go and heal the,
fiek in the city, the grateful inhabitants thought
they could do no lefs than build him a handfome
church, which is now become the church pf one
of the parifhes.
The Francifcans, or Recollets, fettled them
felves at Cadiz in the year 1608. They had at
firft only a very fmall houfe in the fquare de la
Verde Cruz, (or of the green erofs) but they have
now given their name to the ftreet which they
inhabit. Their prefent flourifhing ftate is to be
afcribed to the Holy Virgin and a French mer
chant, named Peter Ifaac, who entered into part-
nerfhip with the queen of heaven for the manage
ment of a bufinefs by which he gained fourteen
thoufand ducats. Ifaac was honeft enough to
carry to the Francifcans tbe fhare due to the Vir
gin, and afterwards made them a prefent of his
pwn part of the profits, for the pleafure of being
buried in the church of thefe good fathers, who
jfius obtained the whole fum.
^ SEVILLE.

3!2 THE PRESENT STATE
SEVILLE.
THE ancient name of this city was Hifpalis,,
which rtame was preferved to it by the Latins.
The Goths from Hifpalis made Hifpalia ; hut the
Arabians, who came after them, not pronouncing
the p, called it Ixbilla, of which the Caftilians
have made Sevilla. Arias Montano derives the
name Hifpalis from the Phoenician word Spala or
Spila, which in that language fignifies plain or
field of verdure, whenc e the feveral names Hif-
pal, Ifpalis, Spalis, and Spalenfis, given to Seville,
are derived. The Romans granted it the privi
leges of a Roman colony, and called it Julia
Romula, or little Rome.
Hercules is faid to have been the founder of
Seville, and the opinion is fo general, that it is
current among the common people by long tradi
tion ; it is even infcribed on the gates of the city ;
it is true Csefar is given to Hercules as a compa
nion. Over the gate called the Came, becaufe
it leads to the fhambles, is the following infcrip
tion; Condidit Alcides, renovavit Julius urbem,
Reftituit Chrifto Fernandus tertius heros.
Thefe two latin verfes are paraphrafed in the
Caftilian tongue, over the gate of Xeres.
Hercules me edifco,
Julio-Cejar me cerco
de muro y torres altos
y el rey fanto me gano
,con Garci Perez de Vargas.^ Over.
* Hercules founded me. Julius Caefar furrounded me
with walls and high towers. The holy king conquered me
with Garci Perez de Vargas.

OF SPAIN. ,T,
Over an ancient painting of Seville were thefe
wprds :
JJb Hercule et Cafare
nobilitas,
A fe ipj'a fdelitas.
There ftill remain in Seville feveral ftatues of
Hercules and Csefar, befides that fupported by
two antique columns at the Alameda. Of the
forty-three Hercules, mentioned in hiftory or
fable, two came into Spain ; one was a Lybian,
the other from Thebes. The latter came to Cadi?
with the Argonauts, and went thence to Gibral
tar, where "he founded a city, which he called
Heraclea. This Hercules came about a thoufand
years after the other, fo famous, for his twelve
labours, his ftrength and courage. It remains to
be known which of the two founded Seville.

C O R D O IJ A,
THE city of Cordoua is very ancient : it was
illuftrious in the time of the Romans, and known
by the name of Corduba and Colonia Patricia; the
name of Patricia only was frequently given to it,
as appears from feveral coins, and from an in
fcription on an antique marble, now a holy water
pot in the church of Saint Marina.
D. M. S.
M. LVCRETIVS. VERNA. PATRI
CIENSIS. ANN. LV.
PIVS. IN SVOS. H.E.S. SIT. T.T.
LEVIS. This

^14 THE PRESENT STATE
This city has preferved nothing of its ancient
grandeur, except a vaft enclofure filled with'
houfes half in ruins; and the famous mofque,
built by Abdahahman in the eighth century,
This monument is really worthy of the attention
of the curious. After the conqueft of Cordoua
it was converted into a cathedral, and not more
than half of it now exifts; but fuch as it is, no
thing would equal its magnificence were the
height proportioned to the extent.
As I was walking in tbe cathedral, I obferved
a grave newly dug, which was not more than a
foot and a half deep, I was curious to know for
whom it was intended, and foon heard the tinging
of priefts, and perceived a few lights, and a long
cafe covered with a black cloth. The bier was
opened, and within it I faw a corpfe covered with
rags, and the feet in a pair of torn fhoes : in this
ftate it was put into the grave. I was aftonifhed
that a perfon apparently in fuch wretched cir
cumftances fhould be interred in the cathedral,
and ftill more fo, that in a climate fo warm as
that of Cordoua, the body fhould be laid no
deeper than a foot and a half from the furface of
the earth. With refpeCt to his poverty, I was
told that > he died at the hofpital; but, being of
the confraternity of fouls, he had a right to be
interred in that place ; and as to the fhallownefs
pf the grave, it was the cuftom.
Tbe ancient palace of the Moors has been con
verted into ftables, in which an hundred Anda-
lufian horfes are ufually kept. Their genealogy
is carefully preferved ; the name and age of each
is written over the place in which he ftands, and,
as the horfes are very fpirited, their hinder feet
are faftened down to iron rings fixed to a ftaple in
the- ground; but' notwithftanding this confinement
they fhew all their vivacity. The mares are kept

OF SPAIN. g T 5
in the environs of Cordoua, and, in the proper fea
fon, the horfes are taken to them; the foal'always
receives the name of the dam. Among the An-
tlalufian horfes, thofe of the kingdom of Jaen,
and efpecially the environs of Baeza are moft ef
teemed- The horfes of Andalufia are naturally
chafte, and there is nothing to fear in putting
them near mares; but after they have once known
them, they are very difficult to reduce to obe
dience. All who have written on Cordoua have called
it the mother of men of genius. In the firft ages
after the foundation of this city, it poffeffed a uni
verfity, in which all the fciences were cultivated ;
Strabo fays, the ancient books of the Turdetani,
their poetry and their laws, written in verfe, were
here preferved.
Under the Romans this univerfity was not lefs
celebrated for philofophy, morality, and the art "~
of oratory :• it had alfo a Greek pvofefforfhip.
The elder Seneca, who wrote the art of perfuafion ;
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, preceptor to Nero ; Gal-
lio, a famous orator ; Acilius Lucanus, celebrated
for his eloquence, grandfather to the poet Lucan ;
Portius Ladro, whofe art of rhetoric rendered
him as famous in Rome as in Cordoua, and of
whofe works there iemains to us only one ha
rangue; Manelus, mafter of the elder Seneca;
Lucan, well known by his Pharfalia ; Seneca,
furnarned the tragedian, to diftinguifh him from
the philofopher ; and Seneca, the hiftorian, who
wrote the abridgement of the Roman hiftory,
known by the name of the Epitome of Horus,
all ftudied there. Cicero, in his oration for the
poet Archia, mentions feveral famous poets of
Cordoua who went to Rome, and among others
Sextilius Henna", of whofe writings there remains but

ji6 THE PRESENT STATE
but one elegy, in which he laments the death of
the Roman orator.
The Moors preferved to the univerfity of Cor
doua the -reputation it had acquired; Avempace*
and Algazel, philofophers, pf whom Saint Tho
mas t makes mention, profeffed morality there,
Aliaibohacen and Aliaben-Ragel, men 6f pro
found erudition among the Arabians, were
brought up in it. Abenzual, furnamed the Wjlfe,
a great aftrologer, philofopher and. phyfician,
took leffons there, and it was within the fame walls
that the thirty philofophers and phyficians, who
compofed and put in order the works known un
der the name of Avicenna, were formed : this is
confirmed by Garalai, by which prince they were
fuppofed to have been written, becaufe they were
dedicated to him. Amongft the learned Moors,
to whom Cordoua gave birth, were Albermarcar,
Abramo and Mefalco, phyficians, aftrologers and
philofophers: Rafhez Almanzor, known by a
number of curious medical works, and the hif
tory he wrote of the conqueft of Spain ; Averroes,
called, by way of eminence, the Commentator;
and Aben Regid, who wrote the work, intitled,
Qf the divifion and conqueft qf Spain.

LA MANCHA,
,THE firft village in this country famous for*
the amours and adventures of .Don Quixote, is
El Vizo. The firft women I faw there appeared
to me handfome and well made, and I obferved
that the drefs and manners, which Cervantes has
fp well defcribed in his inimitable work, are ftill to

O F S P A I N. 3I7
to be found in this diftriCt. There is no labourer
nor young female peafant who is not well ac
quainted with Don Quixote and Sancho; and in
the Venta of Q^iefada, there is a well which ftill
bears his name, that being the place where the
valorous knight is fuppofed to have paffed the
whole night under arms. Such is the fate and re
ward of men of genius : their works acquire fame,
and have their monuments even in the country of
the authors.
ElVifo is a confiderable village. The young
women are employed in fpinning the fineft wool
of the country, and, after getting the yarn died
of feveral colours, make it into garters extremely
Well wrought, and ornamented with witty devices.
Val de Penas, ' four leagues from Vifo, is another
confiderable village famous for its red wine,
Which is the beft and moft wholefome in Spain : it
ismuchefteemed in Madrid,and ferved at the king's
table. The environs of this village, are well
cultivated, and the road is good and even to Man-
z2nares, a little village, in which I remarked the
livelinefs for which La Mancha is fo celebrated.
This is the moft chearful country in Spain ; the
inhabitants, are affable, and great lovers of mufic
and dancing: the women are tall, well made, and
have handfome features. A player upon the guit-
tar, and a finger of feguidillas are perfons in great
requeft in this part of the country. The girls,
young men, and married women affemble at the
firft found of the inftrument • the concourfe is gene
rally at the Pofada, as the moft convenient andexten-
five place ; the beft voices fing feguidillas, and the
blind accompany them upon their inftruments. The
ftranger is aftonifhed at feeing a labourer in the
drefs of Sancho',' and wearjzig a broad leathern
girdle, become an agreeable dancer, and perform
all his fteps with grace, precifion and meafure.
The women befides have a Memo, as it is called, or

3jS THE PRESENT STATE
or a certain rapid movement, a flexibility, a yield-;.
ing attitude, fuch voluptuous poftures and fteps
fo languifhing, graceful, varied and juft, that
while feeing a pretty woman dance, a philofopheri
would find his wifdom troublefome.
La Mancha is the province of Spain in which
the inhabitants fing and dance the moft: their
fongs and feguidillas are peculiar to that part of
the kingdom ; and it is to be remarked, that to
finging and dancing the Manchegans add the merit
of poetry. The Seguidillas compofed in French
are much in efteem thioughout all Spain. Moft of
them are voluptuous, and turn on the fubjeCt of
foveor abfence. Some are fatirical. The fentir
ments of feveral which I have heard repeated were.
delicate and poetically expreffed.
The cinnabar mine of Almaden, which, accord
ing to Mr. Bowles, is the richeft of the kind yet
found, the moft curious for itsproperties, and one
of the moft ancient that ever has been worked, is
in La Mancha. The church, and a great part of
the village of Almaden, which contains upwards. ;
of three hundred houfes, were built from the pro
duce of the cinnabar, and all the inhabitants
fubfift by the mine. The exhalations of the mer
cury are not dangerous to men, animals, or plants,
as has been fuppofed: the galley flaves fent to
work the mine, are robuft and healthy, though
feveral among them are wicked enough to feign
being ill of the palfey. Each of thefe cofts the
ftate twenty-pence a day, and there is not a la
bourer in Almaden who has not offered to do more
work for half the price.
The direction of the mountain is from north-
eaft to fouth-weft. M. de Juffier has given a very
good defcription of the furnaces ufed to extract
the mercury; which is inferted in the memoirs of
the Academy of Sciences for the year 1 7 19. The,
invention

OF SPAIN. 3Ig
Wentiort of thefe furnaces is due to a Spaniard,
Don Juan Alfonfo de Buftamante, and they are
at prefent ufed in Hungary. Five or fix thoufand
quintals of mercury are annually produced from
the mine of Almaden, a part of which is ufed in
extracting filver from the mines of Mexico. The
Spaniards firft difcovered and employed this fim
ple and ingenious means in 1566, in the diftriCts
where wood was fcarce. It is true, that before
that time, the gold mines of Hungary were worked
with amalgama. The Spaniards contrived to
render a mineral ftone, in which the metal was
imperceptible, into palpable powder, and to form
from it maffes of twenty-five quintals ; afterwards
to mix it with green copperas and lime, reduced
alfo to very fine powder, a certain quantity of
Water, and thirty pounds of mercuiy, in diflinCl
portions, and not all at once. The mafs formed
of thefe different fubftances is frequently itirred,
and the fixed alkali of the lime being diflblved by
the motion, aCts upon the acids of the fait and
copperas. This aCtion produces a fermentation
and violent heat, which deftroy the particles of
iron or copper that may be in the mine, and the
imperceptible particles of filver efcape from the
prifon'in which they are fhut up, and "unite with
the mercury, which amalgamates with them.
Tins' mixture forms the pafte which in Mexico is
called Pina. By thefe means about two ounces of
filver per quintal are extracted from the mine,
which in the common method would, not produce
a fufficiency to pay for the working. The exaft
quantity of mercury loft in the operation is not
ascertained; the moft probable opinion is, that as
many ounces of mercury are loft as there are
ounces of filver extracted, and the pound of mer
cury delivered at Mexico cofts nearly as much as
an ounce of filver. At

320 THE PRESENT STATE
At a few leagues from Manzanares is the little
village of Villa-Harta, where it has been pre*
tended that the river Guadiana runs under ground
for feveral miles, and that the road lies over it,
which it is afferted gave occafion to a Spaniard*
who was a flave in Africa, to fay, that his king
was one of the moft powerful monarchs in the
world, and that among other wonders to be found
in his dominions, there was a bridge feven leagues
long. But this bridge is a mere fable, according
to the beft geographers, who affure us that the
Guadiana does'not really flow underground, but
only runs between the windings of fome high
mountains which conceal it from the fight for a
confiderable diftance, after which it' again ap
pears at the lakes called Lortjos de la Guadiana, ot
the eyes of the Guadiana.
At the diftance of a league from Toledo there
is a charming meadow on the banks of the Tagus,
planted with feveral groups of trees ; the meadow
is called La Huerta del Rey, the king's garden.
The Moorifh kings when they were in poffeffiott
©f Toledo, had a pleafure houfe there.

TOLEDO.

THE origin of Toledo is uncertain. Accord
ing to Silva in his enquiry concerning the manner
in which-Spain was peopled, fome Jews eftablifhed
themfelves^ in the place where Toledo now ftands
540 years before Chrift, and called tlie city they
founded Toledath,- which in their language ligni
tes mother of the people. This origin is equally/
noble and doubtful,
, We

OF SPAIN; p,v
- We know that Toledo was a Roman colony,
and made the depolitory of the treafures fent to
Rpme. From the Romahs it paffed under the dominion
of the Goths, Leovigild refided there, and embel
lifhed the city, which became more confiderable
Under his fucceffors;
The Moors took Toledo in 714, and reigned
there till 1085, when.it was taken from them by
Alphonfo VL who filled himfelf emperor of To
ledo, whence it took, and has preferved the title
of royal and imperial.
The town houfe called del Ayuntamienlo is near
the palace of the archbifhop : its elegant architec
ture, faid to be by Dominico Greco, is not in
any refpeCt inferior to that of the fineft edifices in
Toledo. The columns are doric and ionic, and
the towers arid the ornaments by which they ate
accompanied, are worthy the examination of con-
noiffeurs. • The following verfes are infcribed on
the wall of the flair-cafe;
Nobles difcretos var ones
Qge gobernais a Toledo;
En aqueftos efcalcnes
Defechad las af clones-,
Codicias, amor, ymiedo;,.
Por los comunes provechos
Dexad los particulares :
Pues votfizo dios pilar es
De tan altifjimos techos*
Eftadftrmes y derechos,*
Vol. II. Y Toledo,
* Noble and judieious men who govern Toledo, leave
your paffions on the itair-cafe ; leave there love, fear, and
defire of gain. For the public benefit forget every private
?ntereft, and ferve God; he has made you the pillars of this
>uguft palace, be ever firm and upright.

y2,% THE PRESENT STATE
Toledo, as is well known, was formerly famotM
for the exquifite temper of the fword blades made
there ; and the genuine ones that ftill remain are
fold at an exorbitant price. It is faid, that the
fecret of hardening them has been again re
covered, and experiments have been made with
blades lately fabricated there, which feem to
jitftify this affertion. When one of theie" has un
dergone the operation of tempering, if it is in
theTeaft notched by ftriking with it feveral vie-
lent blows on an iron head-piece it is rejected.
Almoft all that are made here, it is faid, willftand
this proof.
Two centuries ago Toledo contained more than-j,
two hundred thoufand inhabitants, but at prefent*
it fcarcely has thirty thoufand. When a houfe
falls it is never rebuilt; and in twenty years more
this city Will be little elfe than a heap of ruins.
Toledo is built upon rocks, and commanded by
eminences, which feem to prefent the image of
fterility; yet, in the midft of thefe precipices, the
traveller finds, to his furprife,-. feveral fertile and:
charming fitUations; murmuring ftreams, and ver
dant retreats, impenetrable to the burning rays
of the fun. Thefe places are called Cigarrales;
the road to them is rough and fatiguing, but
when we have furmounted the difficulties of arriv
ing at them, we are not eafily induced to quit
them. From Toledo it is a day's journey to Madrid.
The toad lies through feveral large towns, of
which Getafa is the laft and the moft confiderable.

MADRID.

OF SPAIN. 323
MADRID.

MADRID was long only an obfcure town,
appertaining to the archbifhops of Toledo; but
while fo many flourifhing and illuftrious cities,
enjoying every advantage of fituation, have funk
into deferred villages, this town, built in a fterile
and ungrateful foil, has become one of the fineft
cities in Europe.
On approaching Madrid, nothing announces to
the traveller that he is near the capital of the
Spanifh monarchy; The inns within two leagues
of that city are equally dirty and deftitute of all
conveniencies with thofe in every other part of
the kingdom. The foil appears barren and with
out either trees or verdure. But on arriving at
the banks of the Manzahares, a fiiperb and ex
tremely neceffary bridge, though it has been ridi
culed by the queftion, " where is the river?"
notifies the vicinity of the royal refidence. This
bridge is about a thoufand pacesin length*, and, at
the beginning, afjout twenty-two in breadth, thou gh
it narrows towards the center, where it is not more
than twelve. It is built of cut ftones, and has
a parapet breaft high. The gate of the city which
leads to it is called the gate of Segovia, from
which the bridge has taken its name. It was
built under Philip II, after the defigns of the fa
mous John de Herrera. The bridge of Toledo,
which is much more modern, cannot compare
Y 2 with
* Mille pa^; Mr. Twifs fays, it is fix hundred and ninety-
five feet long, and thirty-two broad; it has nine arches.
The bridge of Toledo, which, according to the fame travel
ler, is ihe fineft, has alfo nine arches, and is three hundred and
eighty feet long, and thirty-fix broad.

*£4. THE m PRESENT STATE
with it for beauty, as it is ornamented in an ei*
travagant tafte with arches, as are the greater
part of the bridges of Spain.
Almoft all the ftreets of Madrid are ftraight,-
wide, clean, and well paved. The Iargeft and
moft frequented are the ftreet of Alcala, that of
Atocha, that of Toledo, and the Calle grande, or
great ftreet. Madrid has alfo feveral fquares*
which, in general, are not very regular. The
principal are thofe of San Joachim, Sol, Lafganitas,..
San Domingo,. La Gevada, and the Plaza Mayor.-
Thelatter efpecially deferves notice forks fpaciouf*
nefs artd regularity, and the elegant and lofty houfes
it Contains. It is fifteen hundred and thirty-fix
feet in circuit. The houfes, of which there are a
hundred and thirty-fix, are of five ftories, orna--
mented with balconies, the firft of which, fup-*J
ported by pillars, form a piazza round the fquare,"
where the inhabitants may walk under cover. In
the middle of the fquare a market is kept.
The ftreets and fquares of Madrid, except the
Plaza Mayor, which I have juft defcribed^ are
ornamented with fountains in a very ill tafh%
Thofe moft to be diftinguifhed in this particular,
are the fountain of the fmall irregular, fquare called
Plaza di Antonio Martin, and that of the fquare
named Puerta del Sol. The others are not more
magnificent though lefs ridiculous. The water of
all thefe fountains is excellent; and the air of
Madrid, though the weather be variable and un
certain, extremely pure. It was this purity of
the air and excellent quality of the water which
induced Philip II, and his fuccefiors to fix their
refidence in this city.
The houfes are, in general, built of brick;
there are feveral which are large and handfome ;
but I found few that are to be compared to the
elegant

OF SPAIN. 32-
elegant edifices of the Rue Grenelle, or the Faux,
bourg St. Honore, at Paris,
The city of Madrid contains fifteen gates, eigh
teen parifhes, thirty-five convents of monks, and
thirty-one of nuns ; thirty-nine colleges, hofpi-
tals, or houfes of charity ; feven thoufand three
hundred and ninety-eight dwelling houfes, and
about a hundred and forty thoufand inhabitants.
The Lombard traveller, father Caimo, tells us,
fthat fifty thoufand fheep, and twelve thoufand
pxen are annually confirmed there ; to which his
editor has added a ludicrous eftimate of the onions
and leeks devoured there, which he fays, amount
to 970COO0O00000000000000000000000045. But
this writer would not at prefent have any reafon
to complain of the difagreeable fmells of the
ftreets, nor would he find all the perfumes of
Arabia neceffary to defend himfelf from them.
The environs f Madrid prefent the traveller
with nothing agreeable except the banks of the
Manzanares, where he finds fhade, coolnefs, and
verdure ; for what is called Las Delicias (the de
lights) on the fide of the gate of Atocha, is little
deferving of the name, as the moft offenfive fmell
'continually exhales from a ftagnant canal, called
the canal of Manzanares, which has long been
begun, but is not yet near finifhed. It cannot be
denied but it would be of confiderable utility for
the facilitation of conveyance, and would work
feveral mills which have been built on its banks ;
but its waters will always have fo little motion
that there is too much caufe to fear they might
give birth to fevers and putrid difeafes in the four
or five leagues of country through which they are
tQ take their languid courfe.

ACADEMIES

326

THE PRESENT STATE

AG A D E M I E S.

There are four academies in Madrid; The
firft is the Spanifh academy founded in 17 14, in
imitation of the French academy, and confifting
of twenty-four members, including the president-
Its device is a cmcible on burning coals, with
the motto, limpi'a, fxa, y da efplendor ; it purifies,
fixes, and gives luftre. Its firft object was the
compilation of a dictionary of the Spanifh lan
guage, which was publifhed in fix volumes folio,
and of which a new edition is now preparing.
The letters A and B have already appeared, and
contain four thoiffand more words than- in the
former edition ; and the letter C will receive ftill
greater additions. The fame academy is alfo:
employed on a fuperb edition of Don Quixote,
adorned with elegant engravings, . and cplkited
with all the former editions.
The fecond is the academy of hiftory, which
owes its origin to a fociety of individuals, the
bbjeCl of whofe meetings was to preferve and il-
luftrate the hiftorical monuments pf the kingdom
Of Spain. Their labours met the approbation pf
Philip V. who, in 1738, confirmed their ftatutes
by a royal cedula. This academy eonfifts of
twenty-four members, including the prefident,
fecretary, and cenfor. Its device is a river at its
fouree; and the motto, In pairiam populumque-
fuit. The other two academies are the academy of
the fine arts, painting, fculpture, and architecture;
and the academy of Medicine. The latter is
held in no great efteem. '
The Englifh reader may not, perhaps, be dif-,
pleafed with a relation of what paffed in the aca
demy of hiftory at Madrid, on the fubjeCt of Dr.
Robertfon's

OF SPA I ft 3^
Robertfon's Hiftory of America. This work was
received in the manner it deferved, and great
praifes were bellowed on the author for having
fpoken with more moderation than others of the
cruelties exercifed by the firft Spaniards in the
new world. A tranflator was chofen from among
the members of the academy, that the hiftory of
Dr. Robertfon might be known throughout the
; whole kingdom of Spain, and become, if I may
fo fpeak, a national book. M. Campomanes was
v«defired to write to this refpeCtable hiftorian in the
name of the academy, and to inform him that he
was admitted a member, as a proof of their ac-
.knowledgement, and of the efteem they had for
his work. M. Campomanes, accordingly wrote
to Dr. Rohertfoq, the following letter.

« Mui

328

THE PRESENT STATE

v Mm Senor mio, feria inutil eftender me en
manifeftar a V. S. quanta efitimation hacen los
Efpanoles literatos de fus obras, y los motivos
que me obligan a efcrivir efta carta. Defpues de
haver efcrito a V. S. la hiftoria de fu patria con
tanta concifion y acierto, emprendro la de Carlos
V. en la mas delicada crifis de Europa ; defempeno
la V. S. con admiration comun, penetrando las
mayores arcanos de la confiitucion de nueftra
Monarchia Efpagnola. Pero que mucho a villa
de fu excellente difcurfo fobreel gobierno feu
dal defde la decadencia del imperio Occidental
hafta el tiempo del mifmo Carlos ? En el fe ven
defembueltas por otro afpeCto aquellas particu-
lares coftumbres que mefclaron la Barbarie
Tartara con un defprecio alto de los vencindos ;
y un defcuido de todas las clafes de los pueblos,
a excepcion de pocas privilegiadas. Ningun,
verdadero amor a las artes, y un general aban-
dono de las in veftigaciones utiles, fubftituyendo
en fo lugar las fotilezas efpolafticas, diCtadas
en las celdas de los folitarios o cenovitas, y
trafladadas defpues a las Univerfidades litera-
rias. Es cierto que los nuevos defcubrimientos
del Oriente, y del Occidente, fueron parte para
facar la Europa del efpiritu feudal. V. S. da a
eftos defcubrimientos en fus dos piimeros tomos
de la America aquella ferie, y enlace de la
hiltorie antigua y moderna, a que pueden al-
canzar pocos hombres. Yo he leydo el primer
libro con admiracion, y un gufto indecible.
El mifmo he advertido en la celebre contraver-
fia del obifpo de Chiapa, cuya difputa refuelve
V. S. con un juicio fuperior. Yo penfava ef
crivir a V. S. por mas eftenfo ; ahora me re-
duzco a remitir a V. S. el titulo de academico.
que la real Academia de la hiftoria, con uni-
" verfal

OF SPAIN. g2Q

SIR,

" IT appears to me unneceffary to Inform you
f of the folid and merited efteem which every
?e Well informed Spaniard has for your works, or
f of the motives by which I am induced to write
fc to you. After having wiitten with precifion,
•" truth, and an accuracy equally admirable and
f worthy of you, the hiftory of your own coun-
" try, you undertook, in that of Charles V. to
" defcribe the moft delicate crifis in which
^ Europe ever was fituated; In this work yon
;,fc acquitted yourfelf in fuch a manner as to gain
"general admiration; you penetrated the moft
" profound fecrets of our monarchy. But what
f fhall I fay of your excellent difcourfe on the
" feodal government, from the decline of the
*' empire of the weft to the age of Charles V ?
*' In this we fee new light thrown upon thofe
" peculiar manners which the Barbarians in their
^ proud contempt for the vanquished introduced
" into Europe, ' and their extreme indifference,
" relative to' every city except the fmall number
<c. of thofe which Were privileged. At that time
" there was no real love of the arts ; the moft
" ufeful difcoveries in the fciences were aban-
'«' doned, and their place fupplied by the fubti'-
" ties of the fchools,' firft' confined to the obfcure
ic and folitary receffeS of cloifters, but foon af-
\l terwards brought to light in literary univer-
" fities. " It is eertain that the difcoveries in the eaft
", and weft were among the caufes which deli-
" vered Europe from the feodal fpirit. You give
f to thefe difcoveries, in the two firft volumes of
' " your hiftory of America, an Order, a continu-
" ation, and connexion fo natural between an-
" cient

«3<> THE PRESENT STATE
fc verfal acclamacion, me ha encargado de dirk
f* girle por mano de My lord Grantham. Ek
" pero en breve, y fegun lo permitan los mucho$
" negocios que me rodean, remkir a V. S. algunas.
" obfervationes ; y la primera acerca de fi el
fc derecho y efpiritu feudal han tenido propia-
f mente lugar en Efpana. La tradueion que fe
?' efta haciendo por don Ramon de Guevara de
Cl la hiftoria de los defcubrimientos de America,
fc a vifia de la Academia, tiene una fraze; que
" parece original; y al parecer exprime con
** mucha propriedad la fiuidel, y la eloquente
fe diccion del autor original. Yo, en mi parti-
te cular, dpy a y. S. gracias por las hpnras que
" me hace en fus efcritos. Mis occupaciones
" fon tales que no me dejan tiempo para vacar
£C feriamente a quellas detenidas comparaciones
" de las edades, ' de las coftumbres, de la diver-
f( fidad de los goviernos, y de las caufas que han
f influido en las cataftrofes politicas de las na-
" clones mas dignas. Efto es lo que fave defend
" penar V. S. defde fu gavinete, como fi eftubiera
f entre nofotros, fin declinar en parcialidad. Yo
cc me ofrefco a v*. S. con todas veras, y puedo
" afegurarle fin lifonja que pocos libros han po-
(t dido grangear una eftimacion tan folida entre
" las gentes de letras de efte pays entre tanto.
" Pido a Dios guarde fu vida muchos anos.
* Madrid y feptiembre 29 de 1 777."

QF'SPAIE 33^
f{ cient and modern hiftory, that I know but few
f: men capable of doing it with equal fuccefs. I
ci have read the firft book with pleafure, and an
11 admiration which I cannot exprefs. I alio felt
f the fame, fentiments from the relation of the
" celebrated difpute of the bifhop of Chiapa,
" which you have explained with fo much art
" and ability. I at, firft imagined 1 fhould be
" able to write to you more fully ; but, for the
" prefent, I find myfelf confined to fending you
" the title of Academician, which the Royal
*' Academy of Hiftory have unanimoufly charged
*? me to convey to you by means of lord Grant-
<c ham. I flatter myfelf, if the numerous affairs
" with which I am overwhelmed will permit me,
« that I fhall foon be able, to tranfmit to you
.,,«' feveral obfervations; the firft of which fhall be
" upori the following queftion : Have the fpirit
" and rights of feodality ever had place in Spain t
" The tranflatiort which Don Ramon de Gue-
" vara is writing, under the infpeCfion of the
" academy, of your hiftory of America, is truly
" in an original ftyle, and appears to me to ren-
" der, with great propriety, the elegance, ardour
" and energy of your diCtion.
" I make- you my perfpnal acknowledgements
" for the honour you have done me in your
" writings. " My occupations are fuch as do not leave me
" fufficient leifure to refleCt fo ferioufly as I could
ft wifh upon the difference of ages, manners and
" governments, and the caufes which have had
" an influence on the political cataftrophes of the
" moft ' celebrated nations. This you know as
" well how to do in your clofet, and as uninflu-
" enced by partiality, as < if you were in this
" country. I fincerely avow to you, on my own
" part, and can affure you without flattery, that
» " but

OF SPAIN. 333
" but few1 books have acquired, amongft the
" learned of my countrymen, fo folid a reputa-
" tion as yours poffefs;
(i I pray God to preferve you for a great
" number of years. Madrid, 29 September,
« 1777.
Dr. Robertfon's anfwer to this letter was in
.Spanifh, and as follows :

En

334 THE PRESENT STATE
Eft el Colkgio de Edimhufgd'a % de\
Enefb de l^B.
«* MtJl SENOR mio, Milord Grantham ha'
" tenido la bondad de remetir me la carta que
" V. S. illuftriffima fe tomo la moleftia de efcrivet
" me, participando me la fingulariifima e inef-
" perada honra que fe ha feryido difpetifar me la
" real Academia de la Hiftoria. El' concepto
" favorable de los hombres de difcernimenfo, y
" candor, es una de las mas guftofas recompenfaS
" que puede confeguir Un autor por fus tareas
" literarias; quanto mas lifonjera y apreciable-
" fera una fenal de aprobacion de un cuerpo tan
" juftamente diftinguido por el merito y talento
" de fus individuos !
" Quando me fue neceffario reprefentar en mi v
" hiftoria de Carlos V la antigua conftitucion de
" la Monarquia Efpagnola, y defpues quando
" me he aventurado a bofquejar la planta, y
" govierno interior de las cofonias de Efpana en
" el nuevo mundo, he reconocido plenamente las
" muchas defventajas con que por necefidad tra-
" baja un eftrangero en femejantes inveftigaciones.
" Peio procure compenfar las bufcando con pro-
" lixa diligencia la.verdad en los autores origi-
" nales, y en las leyes pubiicas de efte pays;
" precediendo con mucha cautela, y precaviendo
" cuidadofii mente contra las preocupaciones
" faciles de formarfe en el efpiritu de un hombre
" oriado bajo una forma de gobierno, y un fyfte-
" ma de religion mui diftintos de los de la nacion
" que emprende defcrivir. El haverfe dignado
" la real Academia autorizar con fu aprovackm
" mis obras,-me hace efperar que o avre incurrido
" en menos en ores de los que recelava, o que los
" fugetos refpeClables que me han favorecido con
" admiracion

OF SPAIN;

$5§

College qf Edinburgh,
January 3, 1778.
"SIR,
" LORD Grantham has had the goodnefs to
" forward the letter which you took the trouble to
•'" Write to me, by .which I am informed of the
" fingular and unexpected honour the Royal
" Academy of Hiftory has been pleafed to con-
" fer upon me. If the favourable opinion which
" men, in whom candour and learning are united,
,, " conceive of an author be one of the moft plea-
" fing rewards of his labour, how much more
" flattering is it to him to have the unanimous ap-
" probation of a fociety fo juftly diftinguifhed by
" its merit, and the talents of the individuals of
*' whom it is compofed !
• " When in my hiftory of Charles V. I was
" obliged to retrace the ancient Conftitution of
" the Spanifh monarchy, and afterwards when I
" Ventured to develop the plan and interior go-
" vernment of its colonies in the new world, I
" perceived all the difficulties which a ftranger
" muft neceffarily have to encounter in a work of
" fuch a nature. I endeavoured to remove them
" by carefully feeking the truth in the original
" authors, and the public laws of the country;
" and, at the fame time, guarding as much as
" poffible againft the prejudices, which too eafily
*' arife in the mind of a man borrt under a go
vernment, and in a religion, greatly different
" in form and fyftem from the ftate and manner
" of worfhip of the nation I had undertaken to
" make known to my countrymen. Ihe favour
" the academy has done me, by approving of
" my work, perfuades me that fewer errors than
" I was at firft afraid of have efcaped me, or that
" the

336 THE PRESENT STATE
" admiracion en fu gremio, avran mirado m&
" faltas con ojos indulgentes, en confideracioh ai
" efmeio con que trabaje por evitarlas.
" Si V. S. illuftriffima tuvieffe la benignidad de
" indican me de que modo podre contribuir en
" algo a los loables e importantes fines del inftituto
" academico, me gloriare de cooperar a elfos con
" femejantes companeros, y me tendre por diehofo
" en confeguir nuevasoportunidades de manifeftar
" mi celo por el honor de Una nacion que yo he
" refpetado masque algunos efcri tores eftrangeroS,
" por lo mifmo que me delique a conocer la
" mejor. " Permitame, V. S. illuftriffima, manifeftafle
" quanta fatisfaccion efperimento, reflexiortandoi
" el honor que disfrutoahora en haver contraido,
" tan immediato enlace con V. S. illuftriffima, y,
" en hallar me bajo la immediata diieccion del
«c una perfona cuyos talentos admiro, tiempod
" hace; yde cuyos efcritos he facado muchas in-1
*' ftrucciones. " Sirvafe, V. S. illuftriffima, anadir a fus de*
" mas finezas la de comunicar atodos los miem-,
*' bros de efe real cuerpo, los ardientes afeCtos de
" refpeto, eftimacion, y gfatitud que les profefo.
lc Tengo el honor de fer con la devida atencion
" illuftriffimo Senor, et mas obediente, y rendido
" fervidor de V. S. illuftriffima.
" Guiilkrmo Robertson."

OF SPAIN. 33M
" the refpeCtable perfons who have been pleafed
" to affociate me with them, have paffed favoura-
" bly over my faults in cpnfideration of the ef-
" forts I made to avoid them.
" If you will have the goodnefs to inform me
" in what manner I can co-operate with the praife-
" worthy and important wotks Of the academy,
" I fhall think it an honouif to contribute to them,
" and efteem myfelf happy in a new opportunity
" of manifefting my zeal in favour of a nation,
" for which, if I have had more refpeCt than
" Other authors, it Was becaufe I endeavoured to
" know it better. ,
" Permit me to exprefs to you all the fatisfac-
" tion I feel in reflecting upon the honour I re-
" ceive in the new connexion I form with you,
" and in finding myfelf under the immediate di-
" reCtion of a perfon whofe talents I have long
" admired, and from whofe writings I have ga-
" thered fo riiuch information.
" Be pleafed, Sir, to add another obligation to
" the goodnefs of which you have been fo liberal
" to me ; which is, to communicate to all the
" members of the academy my fentiments of gra-
" titude, refpeCt and efteem.
" I have the honour to be, &c.M*

* Should this tranflation fall by accident into the hands of
Dr. Robertfon, he will have the goodnefs to believe that the
tranflator contents himfelf with admiring the Doctor's ftyle,
and by no means pretends to imitate it.

Vox. II. Z A year

THE PRESENT»STATBi
A year after this anfwer from Dr. Robertfbo;
(in the month of January !779) government!
thought proper to prohibit the book which ha&
given him a feat in the academy. Orders were"'
fent to all the euftoni-houfes to prevent its being
received into the kingdom iri any language what-
foever, and to the Academy of Hiftory to name
two of its members -to attack and eriticife the
Work ; the academy offered compliance, pro
vided it might be permitted fo chufe two others^
to make its defence. The traftflat-ion which was,
going to prefs, was included iri the profcriptiori/

O F SPAIN: a„.
EPITAPHS on the TOMBS of
CHARLES V. and PHILIP IL
In thk ESCURIAL.
On that of Charles V.
D. 6. M:
Carolo V. Roman. Imp. Augufio, Hot.
Regnorum Utr. Sic. & ESerufalem Regi
Archiduti Auft. Optimo Parenti
Philippus Filius.
Jacent fimul EJizabetha Uxor & Maria
Fzlia Imperatrices & Eleonora &-
Maria Sorores. Ula Franc. Had
Vngaria, Regime.
Hunc locum, ft quis pofterorum Carol. V. habitarn
gloriam rerum geftarum fplendore fuperaveris, ipfe
Solus eccupato, cateri revefenter abftineie.
Cdroli V. Romanorum Imperatoris Stemmatageh*
tHicia paterna> quod locus cepit anguftior, fuh gradibus
diftinda &.ferk.
Provida pofteriiatis citfa, in liber orum nepotumque
gratiam atque ufum, relicJiis locus poft longam an-
norum feriem, cum debitum naturae perfolverint, occum
pandus.
Z a On

34Q THE PRESENT STATE
On that^>f Philip II.
D. O. M
Philippus II. omnium IPifp- Regnof.
Utriujque Sicilies & Hierus. Rex. Cath.
Archidux Auftr'ue in hac facra cede
quam afundam. extruxit fibi. V. P,
Qgiefcunt ftmul Anna Elizabetha
Et Maria uxores cum Carolo Princ.
Filio primogen*
Hie locus digniori inter pqftefos, illo, qui ultro
ab eo abftinuit, virtuti ergo ajfervatur, alter imrmi\
nis ejloi
Solerfi liberofum ftudio pofterifque poft diutind
fpatia ad ufum deftinatus locus claris, quum natura
concefj'erint, monumentls decorandus,
Philippi regis catholici ftemmata gehtiUtia paternal
qtiod locus cepit anguftior, fuis gradtfm diftincla, &
ferie.

MANNERS,

OF SPAIN. 9Ar
34-*
MANNERS, CUSTOMS, DRESS
POPULAR ERRORS, .USAGES
and CHARACTER of the SPAaISH
NATION.
, SPAIN was by turns inhabited . and con
quered by different nations.; and with the chains
of the conquerors received a part of their cha
racter. The reigning tafte of the Spaniards for
certain fpeCtacles, an tournaments, and. tbetilt-
ings of the Maeftranza; the love of pomp oil?
titles ; as endlefsi Eft of names ; their gallantry,
and their great refpeCt for the fair fex ; thefe arid
ithe language pf metaphor and hyperbole they re
vived from the Moors.. They inherited gravity
of countenance in converfatioH, and the jealoufy
irhich renders- them fufpicious and vindictive,
Irom the African Berebs. Erom the Goths, and
(their anceffors, they derived iVanknefs, probity,
fand courage, virtues which were their own.
phe Romans, and the Goths alfo, gave them the
pnthufiafm of patriotifm, the love of great things,
and fuperftition. To what a degree the Romans
were fuperftitious may- be learned from -Plutarch,
The fuperftition of Italy is changed in nothing
,but its objeCt ; and there, as well as in Spain, its
nature is ftill the fame.
The Spaniards have been frequently defcribed
to us, but each province has its particular cha
racter, and there feems to exift between them a
moral as well as a phyfical divifion. The pro
vinces, which were formerly almoft as many
kingdoms, appear to have preferved the fpirit
of hatred to a greater or leffer degree, in pro
portion to the diftance theyare at from each other.
* The

'34*

THE PRESENT STATE

The Catalans aire the moft induftrious, aCtive,
and laborious amongft the Spaniards; they confU
der themfelves as a diftinCt people,; are a^way^j
ready to revolt^ and have more than once formed
the projeCt of ereCung their country into a re
public. Eor fome centuries paft, Catalonia has,
been the nurfery of the arts and trades of Spain;
which have acquired there a degree of perfection,
pot found in any other part of the kingdom.]
The Catalan is rude, vulgar, jealous, and "felf,
interefted, but open and friendly.
\ The Valencian is fubtile, falfe, and milder in
his manners : he is the moft idle and at the fame,
time the moft fupple individual that exifts. All
the tumblers and mountebanks of Spain come)
from the kingdom of Valencia. '*¦
The Apdalufian has nothing of his own, not
even his language, and may be compared to the
Gafcon for extravagant exprefiiphsi vivacity, and
vain boafting : he is eafily diftipguiihed amongft
an hundred Spaniards. Hyperbole is his favorite
language; heembellifhes, and exaggerates every
thing, and offers you his purfe and perfon, in as
little time as he takes tp repent of it. He is a
hully, an idler, lively, jovial, attached to the,
ancient cuftoms of * his country; nimble, well
made, extremely fond pf ytoirten, and'loves danc-j
ing, pleafure, and gopd cheer.
The Caftilian is haughty, gr^ve in his counter
pance, fpeaks but little,' and feems wrapped in,
contemplation- His politenefs is cold, but free
from affectation; he is miftruftful, and gives not
his friendfhip until he has long ftudied the- characif
ter of the perfon on whom it is to be conferred.' ;
fre has genius, ftrength of mind, a profound andi
folid judgment, and is fit for the fciences. When-*
ever he is cheerful it is almoft the effeCt of deli' |
Deration. -- , ¦•_

OF SPAIN. ^
The inhabitant of Galicia may be compared
to the native of Auvergne : he quits his country
and is employed in the reft pf Spain in much the
fame manner as perfons of the fame clafs from
Auvergne and Liirioufin are in France.*
Moft pf the fervants are Afturians: theyare
faithful; not very intelligent, but exaCt in the
performance of their duty,
In general the Spaniard is patient and religious;
he is full of penetration, but flow in deciding ;
he has great difcretion and fobriety, and his ha
tred againft drunkennefs takes date from the
higheft antiquity. Strabo tells us of a man who
threw hhnfelf into a fire becaufe fome one had
caUed him a drunkard. Oxidant ad ebriqs vocatus
in rogumfe injeat. He is faithful, open, charita
ble, and friendly : he has his vices, and where is
the man who is without them ? Man is comppfed
of vices and virtues, and a nation is an affem-
hlage of men. When therefore, in any nation,
the virtues and focial qualities overbalance the
vices infeparable from conftitution, climate, and
character, that nation is juftly deferving of our
.warmeft efteem,
I can truly fay, that except a fupinenefs which
has hitherto been lefs the,efleCi of climate than of
caufes which perhaps" will foon have ap end; a
fpirit pf vengeance, of which the effects are fel
dom feen ; a national pride, which, well direCted^
might produce the moft beneficial effects ; and a
confummate ignorance, proceeding from a want
pf a proper education, arid which has its fource
in that tribunal ereCted to the fhame of philofo-
phy and human underftandirig. I have feen in
|he Spaniards nothing but virtues. Their
* In fweeping chimnies, cleaning fhoes, &c. &r.

244 THE PRESENT STATE
Their patience in the wars of Italy and Portu
gal was matter of aftonifhment to the French.*
The Spaniards were whole days without bread,
water, Or beds, and not the leaft murmur was
heard in their camp : there Was not the fmaffeft
fymptom of mutiny, but always the nioft ftriCt
obedience. V- '
They haye ever been much attached to their
fovereign. It was not without concern that the
Spaniards faw Philip V. form a company of body
guards. The Count de Aguilar, a brave noble
man, took the liberty to fpeak of it to the king.
" If your majefty," faid he, " had refolved to
" fieep in the great fquare of Madrid, you would
" have been there in perfect fafety;. the market
" would not have begun before nine o'clock, and
" all the Caftilians would have ferved yOu as
" guards during the night." ' ~
Accuftonied from their infancy to credulity,
and the ceremonies of religion, they are fuperfti-
tious without knowing it, and really devout.
Even in their debaucheries they preferve the ap
pearance of devotion. '¦ The Spaniard, in the
midft of his moft -violent paflions, feems to pre
ferve his tranquillity ; and whilft his mind is in
flamed, his countenance retains its^ accuftomed
gravity. •'>' '-" " ¦• ¦.•>¦-¦¦, ..; '- • ¦ - ;
He has not that heedleffnefs, nor is he addicted
to that noify loquacioufnefs fo commonin France ;
neither has he, in, his manner, ¦< the fneer and
cauftic fatire of the Englifh, or the humble, falfe,
and flattering tone of the Italians. - He is ferious.;
his politenefs is haughty but decent; his profef-
fions of good-will are not always lively; but
they are often affectionate. •• •¦ . ¦•¦•,
¦-- • ;-:'- ¦'¦"-¦=, . His

* And, at the fiege of Gibraltar^, to every nation

in

O F S P A I N. »45
His national vanity, a prejudice much in favour
of a government wfiich knows how to turn it to
advantage, is carried to an exceffive degree.
There is not a Spaniard who does not think his
jcountry the firft in the world- The people have a
proverb which fays, Dcnde efta Madrid calle el
mundo, where Madrid is, let the world be filent.
One of their authors has written a book which
has' for its title, Solo Madrid es forte, there is no
other court than that of Madrid. A preacher, in
a ferrrion on the temptation of Chrift, told his
.audience, that the devil, according to holy writ,
took" the Saviour to the top of a high mountain
Whence all the kingdoms of the earth were dif
covered; 'he "fhewed him,' added he, France,
England, and Italy; but happily for the Son of
God, Spain was hidden from' his fight by the
Pyrenees. Fathers of families, when at the point
pf death, have been known to congratulate their
children on their happinefs in living in Madrid,
and have taught them to confider that advantage
as the greateft benefit of which they could leave
them in poffeffion. v
- The refidence in cities; efpecially* in the capi
tal, leaves the country deferred. A Spaniard
riever lives in the country; he cannot like it be
caufe he knows not what it is, and he who is
obliged to refide there does not think of making
improvements. The lively defcriptions of the
ipeauties of the country, of the varied fcenes of
nature, 'which iri the midft of the pleafures of the
city infpire us with the defire of leaving them, the
enthufiafm of Gefner, Thomfon, and Saint Lam
bert, are unknown in Spain.
""A living author, Don Francifco Gregorio de
Salas," has given fome views of the country, and
he is the only one. His tafte ^wili be judged
of by the fiift twenty or thirty verfes of the
firft part of his Ruftic Obfervatory, This is
what

346 THE PRESENT STATE
what he puts intothe mouth of a phjlofopher : I
tranflate literally.
'' My nifHe cabin proipifes me the happy coin-
"'pletibnof mydefires: ftretched out under the
" little fhade it furnifhes me, I perceive in the
fe furrows, lately traced by the plough, the hungry
fe fparrows feeking for infeCts* and the f'potfgfi
f gold-finch,' which, lings perched upon a flender-
" thiftle, lulls my tranquil mind. ' The fimple
" laundrefs falutes me, and h.aftily looks at the
ff height of the fun ; fhe fneezes, and with a dili-
" gent finger wipes her nofe. A goatherd Ues
?' ftretched but by my fide and enjoys profound
f fleep,' until "he ; is awakened by fnoring: he
?' Opens his ejes, yawns as he unfolds his arms,
11 and gives himfelf a fhake. The imprudent
<e beggar, without either fhelter or care, mends,
f his fhii-t, and laughs at every thing he fees,
" The labourer fits down and relates to me his
" toils and' domeftic griefs : he pulls down his
" fpatterdafhes" and; tranquilly' fcratches his
" legs,*" &c. &c. -This beginning feems to m^
fufficient tofatisfy the curiofity of the moft intrel
pid reader. May not the want of aptitude in the
' Spaniards^,
* Salicio filofofo, defde una prequena cafa, a la villa de,
lacoite, dice all: " ' v ' ' '"' ''"
Mi ruftica cabana me promete.
El termino felix de mi defeo ;
Solo defde ella veo,
- A fu pequena fombra recoftado,
En los recientes furcos del arado
Ambrieptos pajarillos, >
Que bulcan los pequenos infeftillos ;
Y al nianchado gilguero,
Sob.re un cardo ligero,

OF SPAIN. 34f
Spaniards, for all fentimental writings, be found
in their difguft for the country? The climate un:
der which they live is, fcorchfng, and dries and
offifies the fibres. Had the Spaniards more fenfi-
bility they would be fonder of the country : but
theyare attached to ckies, and in their wprks of
literature there is tnothing but imagination, and
paffipn and gallantry are the effence pf their
amours. Their ignorance is in general extreme , moft of
them make no diftinCtion between other nations,
and many will maintain that a Frenchman, al
though a Chriftian, is not a Catholic, Their
readirigis confined to comedies, arid their prayers
fo a recital of the chaplet. I beg the reader to
remark,
Que cantando le mece,
Y mi tranquillo fpiritu adormecg.
La fimple labandera me faluda,
Mira al fol preforufar y, eftornuda.
Y luego con 'los de dos diligente
Enjugala nariz fencillamente.
TJn cabrero con migo fe recuefta,
Y alii duerme lafiefta
Con defcanfo cumplido,
Hafta que le defpierta algun rcoflguidQ
Abre luego los ojos, y bofteza,
Y eftirajidq los brazos fe efpereza.
El incauto mendigo,
Sin refguardo, ni abrigq,
Remienda la camifa
Y todo quanto pafa ve conrifa.
El labrador fe fieota,
Y fus afanes ruflicos me cuenta ;
Las polainas fe baja prefurofo
Y las piernas fe rafca'con reppfof

348 ' THE PRESENT STATE
remark, that I fpeak generally ; for iri Spain there
are many men of learning to whofe merit I wifh
I were capable of v doing juftice.
Their bravery in War is., but momentary; and,,
?tmong the troops, figns of the greateft cowardice
have been feen to fucceed the moft valiant aCiions.
Seyeral corps which would fhew abundance of
Courage in an attack in the day-time,, fhrink and[
are feized with a panic terror during a march by
night. They are fometimes cruel in battle, which
is a confequence of their phlegmatic difpofition j
and when once heated their rage knows no bounds.
It was feveral times remarked in the wars of Italy,
that they were in the habit of ill-treating their
prifoneis, and even of wounding them when they
fell into their hands unhurt; they called this mak
ing fure of the prifoner, afegurar elprijbnero.
They have often been accufed of carrying the,
paffion for vengeance too far; but in this refpeCt
the nation feems to be entirely changed. I dp
not think the Spaniards have loft that energy and
vigour of charaCter by which they were at 'once,
incited-tOr great actions, and -became a prey to the.
moft dangerous' paffions; but reflection and a
more juft idea of honour have moderated its vio
lence, and that, vindictive fpirit, which hurries
them even to affalfination, is confined to the. foweri
claffes. of the people. The "afyfom afforded Dy
churches, although at prefent limited to one in
each city, will for a long time preferve that fure
means, of getting rid of an enemy.
The Spaniard is in general fhort, thin, and well
proportioned; his complexion is olive ;: his, man
ner grave ; he has facility of expreffion, ¦ and fpeaks,
well; he has graces." Under his cloak which'he
wears, and handles^ with dexterity, he carries a,
long fword to defend himfelf. He ftill retains a
great partiality for the large round hat; and as
fopn

OF SPAIN. 240
foon as he is in a country where this is not prohi- •
bited, he quits with pleafure the hat with three
corners, of the French hat, as it is commonly
called in Spain. His favourite colour in drefs is
black. When he quits the Spanifh drefs for the
military habit (for this the Spaniards call the
French drefs) he makes choice of the moft lively
colours; and it is not uncommon to fee a Common
mechanic, fifty years of age, dreffed in red or
fky-blue filk ; in this particular there is no dif-
tinCtiOn of rank. The Spaniard loves to make
an -appearance, and fpends, without either reflec
tion or calculation, every thing he has, and after
wards lives how he can.
One of the moft commendable qualities of the
Spaniards is their neveir difcharging a domeftic by
whom they have been well ferved; the fon keeps
thofe of his father with his own, and fhe women
Who ferved his mother, and they all die under the
roof of their mafter. On this account, in the
houfes of the great, it is cpmmon to fee a prodi
gious number of fervants.
I muft not forget the moft interefting clafs of the
natiori, that, which every where cOnfoles us, ele
vates our minds, cohftitutes our happinefs, and
has no. vices except fuch as we communicate.
Nothing is moreengaging than ayoung female Spa
niard, at fifteen years of age, fuch as I have feen
many in the country part of the kingdom. A
face' perfectly oval; hair of a fine clear auburn,
equally divided on the forehead, and only bound
by a filk net ; large black eyes ; a mouth full of
graces ; an attitude always modeft ; a fimple ha
bit, of neat black ferge, exaCtly fitting the body,
and gently preffing the waift ; a little hand per
fectly , proportioned ; in fine, every thing charms
in thefe youthful virgins. They recall to our
recollection the foftnefs, beauty, drefs and fim-
plicity

£ij0 THE PRESENT STATE
plicity of the young Grecian females, of whoni
antiquity has left us fuch elegant models: the
angels, in Spanifh comedy, are always reprefented
by young girls.
The countenance of the Spanifh women is ex
tremely fenfible and fuill of vivacity. They are
highly fatisfied with a perfon who thews them
marks of affeCtion, very defirous of being flat
tered and courted, always ingenuous, and but
feldom timid. They exprefs themfelves with fa
cility, and have a feducing volubility of fpeech;
they are hafty, opinionated and paffionate; but have
a good heart, and eafily yield to reafon when it is
poffible to induce them to liften to it. They havefa
fingular palfion for drefs, efpecially for jewels ;
and, without choice or moderation, cover their
fingers with plain and diamond rings. The poor as
well as rich never go from home without abafquina,
or a great black mohair or filk petticoat, put over
their other drefs, which is frequently very , rich.
On this account they haften to take off their pet
ticoat as foon as they enter either their own houfe
or that of a friend. The fmall-pox makes fewer"
ravages in Spain than in France ; it is- rare to fee
a woman there marked with it. The Spanifh
women in general have eyes fo lively, expreflive
and intelligent, that had they no other charms;
they wouhl ftill be thought handfome.
What travellers have related of the extreme
care the Spanifh ladies take to conceal their feet,
is no longer obfervable; and a woman who fhews
you her foot is not always ready, as thefe travel
lers fay, to grant you every favour irt her power.
The length of their petticoat is lefs an effeCt of
coqueftry than of decency; and the folds fpoken
of by father Labat, Which were in the middle of
the petticoat, to lengthen it at pleafure are now
out of ufe. ...The proportion which the men have
affigned as the true ftandard for the foot of a wo
man, is more variable in Spain than elfewhere, on
account

(3l SPAIN. All
Account of the. nature and heat of the climate,
and the early maturity of the Spanifh women : but
thefe are futilities which exift iri the brain of only
a very few; Spaniards. A Spanifh wOmart feldom,
gives you her hand to touch and kris; art Englifh
or French woman is familiar with none but her
friends ; and thefe rules of decericy are common
to every nation.
, The moft gerieral devotiori ambrig the Spaniards
is that which they pay to the Virgin Mary ; and
this, as a juft acknowledgment for all the favours
Ihe has conferred upon them.
It would be difficult to exprefs the veneration
they have for her, and the two prefents fhe has
made to mankind, the feapulary and the rbfary*
Few women go but of doors, walk, play or toy
without a rbfafy in their hand. The men are ne
ver without orie hung roiirid their riecksi In their
comedies, if the devil, be chained, it is with a
rofary; arid he then makes a dreadful hOwling, by
whicli the good people are much edified.
Equally remarkable is their refpeCt for the dead,
apparitions, and fepulchres ; the latter they ftrew
over with flowers; and water with holy water*
Each drop of holy Water, fays their prielh that is
fhed upbrt the tomb of the dead, extinguifhes k
part of the fire in purgatory. Who would not
filed over them all the water in a river ? The
diligent young girl waters the grave of her father
and brother: may fhe riever fprinkle that of her
lover !
The devout defire to behent departed fouls is
univerfal in Spain. The people know the day a
foul, is to be taken out of purgatory, and you fre
quently fee an advertifemertt againft the doors of
churchesi Hoy fefacd anima ;'to day a foulis delivered.
¦ After the death of &ny perfon the maffes are
without end: however poor the relations may be,
they muft deprive themfelves of every thing for
the

£tj2 THE PRESENT STATE
the repofe of the foul of their departed friend;
Themaffes' a man appoints to be faid for him af
ter his death are privileged; his foul is preferred
to his creditors Philip V. ordered, by his will,
all the priefts of the place where he fhould die, td
fay mafs the fame day for the repofe of his foul :
befides which they were to celebrate during three
days, before privileged altars, as many" maffeS as
poffible ; and, that he might not fail in his purpofe,
he farther commanded an hundred thoufand maffes
to be faid in his behalf, the furplus of as many as
were neceffary to conduct him to heaven, reverfi^
ble to poor folitary fouls, concerning whom no
perfon beftowed a thought.
The blind refpeCt the Spaniards have for priefts;
is derived to them from the Goths. The monks,
priefts and bifhops were infallible in the eyes of
that people ; they became the only judges irt civil
as well as ecclefiaftical matters. The inferior
clergy were looked upon by the prelates as a band
of flaves; and the fame prejudice now. exifts in
modern Spain. The pages, land and houfe flew*
aids, and fervants of a bifhop are ecclefiaftics.
The Spaniards were fo infatuated with monks,
that Alphonfo the warrior, king of Arragon, left,
by will, his ftates to the order of the knights temp
lars. The grandees of the kingdom paid no atten
tion to this ftrange bequeft ; they, however, eleCted
a monk for their fovereign, Don Ramiro, brother
to the deceafed monarch. The templars had the
impudence to claim the crown, and, by way of
accommodation, received a gift of certain lands
in the kingdom.
The zeal of the Spaniards for religion extends
to the minifters of it. A Prieft is an objeCt of ve
neration topunifh whom civil juftice has no pow
er, let him have committed ever fo great a crime.
A ftriking inftance of this was feen a few years
ago in Andalufia. A monk of the order of
barefocted

OF SPAIN.
barefooted Carmelites, had conceived a violent
palfion for a young girl to- whom he was confef-
for. He had undoubtedly attempted in vain to
explain to> her his wifhes; becaufe, learning from
heTfelf that fhe was going to be married, and jea
lous tha another fhould poffefs her whom he ido
lized, he became frantic ; and one day, after the
young woman had made her confeffion to him, .re
ceived the facrament from his hands, and heard
him fay mafs, he lay in wait for her at the churck
door, and>, notwithftanding the cries of the mo
ther, and the aftonifhment of all prefent, with
three ftrokes of a poniard laid her dead at his feet.
He was taken into cuftody, but the King being in
formed he was a prieft, and certainly wifhing to
,give him time to repent, condemned him to live
at Porto Rico as a prefidiary or galley-flave.
In order to form a proper idea of the manners
or laws of any country, an obferver fhould col-
leCt and compare facts, and examine the different
jiidgments pronounced in fimilar cafes. A canon
of the cathedral of Seville, affeCted in his drefs,
and particularly curious in his fhoes, could not
find a workman to his liking. An unfortunate
fhoemaker, to whom he applied, after quitting
many others, having brought him a pair of fhoes
not made to pleafe his tafte, the canon became
furious, and feizing one of the tools of the fhoe
maker, gave him with' it fo many blows upon the
head as laid him dead upon the floor. The un
happy man left a widow, four daughters, and a
fon, fourteen years- of age, the eldeft of the indi
gent family. They made their complaints to the
chapter; the canon was profeCuted, and con
demned not " to appear in the choir for a year.
The ybtmg fhoemaker having attained to man's
eftate, was fcarcely able to get a livelihood, and
overwhelmed with wretchednefs, fat down on the
Vol. II. A a day

35-4- ***E PRESENT STATE
day of a prpceffion at the' door of the cathedral
of Seville, in the moment the proeefliort paffed by^
Amongft the other, canons he perceived the mur
derer of his father. At the fight of this man, filial
affection, rage and defpair got fo far the better of
his reafon, that he fell furioufly upon the prieft,
and ftabbed him to the heart. The young mail
was feized* convicted of the crime, and immedi
ately condemned to be quartered alive. Peter,-
whom we call the Cruel, and whom the Spaniardsy
with more reafon, call the Lover of Juftice, was
then at Seville. The affair came to his knowledge j
and, after learning the particulars, he determined
to be himfelf the judge of the young fhoemaker.-
When he proceeded to give judgment, he firft an
nulled the fentertce juft pronounced by the clergy;
and, after afking the yoUng man of what profef
fion he was, " I forbid you," faid he, to make
ff fhoes for a year to come/'
The Spaniards never carry light into an apart
ment wkhout faying, Bleffed be the holy faerament
qf the altar* The byeftanders anfwer, For ever*
Their falutation is, God keep youj Their farewell-
at feparating, Go with God, with the Virgin.- When
they enter a houfe, the firft words are, Deo gra-
tias, Ave Maria. The company anfwer, Sin p'e-
cado eoncebida, conceived without fin.- This fubjeCt
of fo many difputes is made a form of compli
ment in Spain. Never we're God, the virgin, and
the faints fo much fpoken of as in that kingdom. \
Eafter week is the fonfce of a thoufand facri-
leges', which are the .confequence of billets of con-
feffiori. The priefts of Spain have a maxim equally
falfe and cruel; they fay, that men fhould, by
every poffible means, be accuftoriied to do their
duty, and that perfuafion comes fooner or later.
A few days before the holy-week, the vicar of
each parifh, accompanied- by a regifter, makes a
vifit

6 F S P A I N. 35e
vifit to his flock, and carefully takes down their
names ; fifteen days afterwards he repeats his vi
fit, arid all his pariihiohers are obliged to produce
to him, not only a billet of confeffion, but ano
ther of communion. How many abufes refult
from this monftrous cuftom ! The holy-days are'
fcarcely begun before a facrilegious traffic is made
of that for which religion teaches us the higheft
'veneration. Proltitutes are feen to communicate
in every parifh church, and fell to their impeni
tent lovers the billets they have received. Priefts,
unworthy of the name, pay with the fame money
the favours of thefe wretches. Many perfons, to
fpgre the expence of a billet, become facrilegious ;
and if any onej led aftray by his paffions, has pre
ferved piety and decency enough to forbear having
recourfe to thefe horrid means, and on the day
the curate makes his vifit has not a billet of com-
;; munion to prefent, he becomes the object of ec-
clefiaftical cenfure ; his name is fhamefully pofted
up in the moft public places ; and if, in the time
given, he does not fulfil the precept, he receives
corporal punifhment. Thus the man, perhaps
the moft religious amongft his brethren, is the
moft defamed; and falls a victim to his fcruples and
love of truth.
Few of the Spaniards, the women efpecially,
are bled in the arm ; this operation is generally
performed in the hand or foot. They are all very
partial to bleeding. It is common to hear them
fay, fuch a one has been indifpofed; he has been
bled four times and is now better. Moft of the
women are bled three or four times a month, by
way of precaution. I am perfuaded that the great
number of blind perfons in Spain is produced as
much by the frequency of bleeding, as by the burn
ing fands with which feveral parts of that kingdom
are covered. A a % Perfons

^56 THE PRESENT ^TAT*
Perforts whom, you; fee. but feldom when iii,
health, fail not to make you frequent vifits when
you are confined by illnefs'. A Spaniard feldom;
negfeCtS exterior focial duties. You will receive,
his vifit on your birth-day ; but during the reft Of
year you muft not expect to fee him.
Such are the obfervationsj have made on the
character of the. Spanifh nation ; were I to, fay. more
upon the fubjeCt,, I fhould but repeat what others
the have faid much, better before; me- .

LITERA T U £ E;
A/T prefect I mean only to give a flight fketch .
of Spanifh literature, as I intend to treat that
fubjeCt more fully in a diftinCt work, in which I
fhall fpeak pf all the ancient booksprin ted inSpainy
and give a catalogue of the men of letters who
have diftiriguiihedthemfelves in that country, and
rendered it illuftrious by their works, I have al
ready collected fuch materials as are neceffary to
enable me to treat of Spanifh poetry, hiftory, co
medies, romances, and myftieal authors. Thefe
ftriCtures fhall foon follow my effays*.
I muft here obferye, that the Spaniards had
trariflatioris of Plutarch, Seneca, and die beft
Greek and Latin hiftorians before the end of the
fifteenth, century, which, was fooner than thefe au
thors were tranflated in France : their language
hkd already made a confiderable progrefs, and-
was beqome copious, full of, harmony and poeri* ,
cal. Spain owed this advantage to Alphonfo fur named
* M. Peyron died before thefe ft-ere finifhed.

OF SPAIN. „,*
furnamed the wife, who, in 1360, ordered all
the charters, privileges, and public aCts to be
tranflated from tlie Latin into the^Caftilian tongue.
It was in this language that he digefted and haa
compofed Las Pdrtidas, Which were and are ftill
in a great meafure the laws of the kingdom. He
had feveral foreign manufcripts tranflated, and as
Toledo Was at that time the center of fine tafte,,
and the city in which the "beft language was fpoken,
tvhen any difficulty arofe, either relative to the
pronunciation or meaning of a word, he ordered
"recourfe to be had to the purifts of Toledo,
The Spaniards have written hiftory with fuffi
cient exaCtnefs and fimplicity, and are fcarcely to
Ibe reprpached with any thing, but rather too much
national vanity apd partiality.
One of their beft hiftorians is father Mariana;
his ftyle is admirable, and his narrative oraa-
"merited without being turgid : he flatters neither
kings nor his nation; but he is accufed of having
fometimes departed from truth, and of appearing
too credulous relative to certain prodigies. He is
peverthelefs a good hiftorian, but, his hiftory goes
no far ther than the reign of Ferdinand the G^tholie.
The continuation of it by father Miniana has ac
quired fome reputation, but the7 obfcurity and
drynefs whicH reigns throughput the whole work,
fenders it difgufting.
The chronicles of Ferreras de Saavedra are ip
great eftimation. The hiftory of Catalonia, by a
bifhop of Lerida, is written in the ftyle of Livy.
The beft niemoirs which Spain has produced,
are thpfe of the Marquis of Saint Philip, on the
war of the fucceffion; they are accurate, and writ
ten in an agreeable ftyle ; the French tranflation of
them is greatly inferior to the original.
The hiftory of Mexico, by Antonio , Solis, is
tranflated into • every European language, The
Spaniards

ggg THE PRESENT S,TATE
Spaniards accufe him of being too florid and af
fected in his ftyle, and he fometimes departs fo fa?
from truth that his book may be cohfidered as a
romance. This author did not fpeak like a phjlo
fopher, when he faid, the maflacres committed
by' the Spaniards were fo many' means made ufe of
by God to convert the infidels. However partial
the reader may be to Fernando Cortes, the hero
of the hiftory, and to the Spanifh nation, he can
not perufe the work of Solis without fhuddering
with horror.
The conqueft of Peru, by Garcillaffo. de la
Vega, is dry and uninterefting ; but more exaCt
than the former.
The general hiftory of the Indies by captain
;Gonzalo Herhartdes de . Oviedo y ValdeS, gor
vernor of the fortrefs of Saint Domingo, printed
at Seville in 1535, iswritten with an admirable fimr
plicity, of which there is no other example in the
fame century. " The fourteenth chapter of his
hiftory begins with thefe remarkable words :
•' Since a great part Of the gold of the Indies
" has been carried into Italy " and France,
" and fome of it fallen into the hands of the
" Moors', and the enemies of Spain, it is but juft
" that, after having profited by the fweat of our
" brows, they fhould partake of our pains and
-" fatigues, to the end that ] whether becaufe of
*' gold, or by means of their fufferings, they may
" not forget to . return thanks to God, and that
" either in pairi or in the' midft of pleafures, they
«' may have recourfe to the patience of job, who,
", when rich, was not proud, nor impatient, when
" fick and poor, but always gave his humble
" thanks to God his Sovereign Lord.' I frq-
" quently laughed, w^hen, in Italy, I heard the
" Italians fpeak of the French difeafe, and the
" French of the Neapolitan; they would have
" given

OF SPAIN. m
* given it its true name by calling it the difeafe of
« the Indies*."
Avery curious work is that entitled, De los vi-
entey un libros rituales, y monarchia Indiana con el
'wigen, yguerras delas Indias Occidentales, defuspob-
lationes, defcubrimiento, conquifta, converfeon, y otras
cqfas maravillofas de la mi/ma tierra. i. e. Twenty-
one books of Indian rites, and the monarchy oi
the Indies, with the Origin and wars of the Weft
Indians ; and the population, difcovery, conqueft,
converfion, and other wonderful things of the
fame country. This work is by F. Jean de Tor-
quemada, of the order of Saint Francis. It is in
three volumes folio, and is extremely curious on
account of' its treating of the Dynafties anterior
to the conqueft, and of the Mexican kings who
preceded Montezuma. If we poffefs but little
knowledge of that interefting and long unknown
part of mankind, the fault refts with the monks,
and the firft bifhop of Mexico, Don Juan de
Cumarraga, who burned the Indian hieroglyphical
books which were taken by thefe ignorarit priefts
for the depofitories of idolatry.
The number of myftical authors which Spain
has produced is prodigious; one of the moft
e fteemeddf thefe is Fray Luis, of Granada. All
thefe
* Pues que tanta parte del oro de eflas Indias ha paffado a
Jtalia, y Francja, y aun a poderaffi mefmo de los Moros, y
enemigos de Efparia, y portodas las otras partes del mundo;
bien es que como han gozado de nueftros fudoresles alcance
parte de jjueftros dolores y fatigas, por que de todo o alo
jnenos por la iina^ o por la otra manera dei oro, o del trabajo,
fe acuerden a dar muchas gracias a Dios. Y en lo que le
diere plazer o pefar, fe abrae'en con la patiencia de Job ; que
ni eftando rico fue foberyio, nifeyendo pobre y clagado im-
paciente': l^empre did gracias a aquel fobbrano Dios nueltro.
Muchas vezes en Italia me reya, oyendo a los Italianos deair
el malFrafccez, y a los, Franceses clamar el mal deNapoles:
y en la verdad los.-unos, y los nt,rof le acertaran el nombre fi
}e dixeran el mal de las Indias.

36o THE PRESENT STATE
thefe pious reveries were collected in Holland un
der the following title ; DialeSica y Eloquentia de
los Salvages de Europa : Logictand Rhetoric of the
Savages of Europe.
The Spaniards have been particularly fuccefsfol
in compolitions of gallantry, in fables; and inge
nious fictions. The Arabians taught them the ait
of narration, and their imagination fupplied the
reft; they excelled before we did in this kind of
writing, which we have fince improved, whilft
they have made no farther progrefs. Don Quixote
will be read with pleafure as long as men poffefs
wit, tafte, and judgment.
Spain has produced many poets, but moft of
them are unknown, becaufe their works were
never printed, and thofe which have been pub-
lifhed are become very fcarce. The moft efteemed
amongft the poetical writers of this country are,
Ercilla, Garciiaffo dela Vega, Fray Luis deLeon,
Onevedo, Lopes de Vega, ' and Villegas.
The moft ancient Caftilian poet known, is
Gonzalo Berceb, born at Berceo, and a monk in
the monaftery of Saint Millan ; he fiourifhed in
1 2 1 1. : Ihe fubjeCt of one of the poems he has
left us, is the life of the glorious confeffor Saint
Dominic of Silos. ' His ftyle may be judged of by
the two firft ftanzas of this poem.
En dnombre del padre, quefzo toda cofa,
Eldedonjefu-Chrifto, fi de ia Gloriofa,
El del Spiritu-Santo que egual dellos, pofa
De un confeffor fanblo qidero fer una profa.
Qgierofer una profa en Roman Paladino,
En qualfuele elpueblofablar afuvetino, Ca

O F S P A I N. 36l
Ga no fon tan lettrado por fer otro Latino,
Bieti valdra, come creo, un vafo de buen vino*.
Velafquez, and the famous father Sarmientp,
wrote ori the origin of Caftilian poetry, and hav'e
left, on that fubjeCt, fome curious details. I fhall
give an account of them when I come to treat pf
Spanifh literature at large, the productions of
which are confiderable in quantity, and difplay
perhaps more' imagination than that of other
European nations, but little reafonirtg, tafte, or
profundity : thefe -neceffafily depend upon a cer
tain degree of liberty and will return with it.

Of the SPANISH THEATRE.
THIS theatre was the firft which had any fuc
cefs in Europe ; the Italians, the French, and the
Englifh imitated and pillaged it for a confiderable
time without indicating the fource whence they^
drew improvement. The Spaniards had about
twenty-four thoufand comedies: it is true they laid
facred and profane hiftory, miracles, fable, and
prodigies, all under contribution. Every thing
beneath the pen of their authors, but little con
fined by tafte or rules, became a fubjeCt for co
medy. The leaft probable incidents, the whole Iii
* In the name of the Fat' er w'10 made all things, and oi
Jefus Chrift, Son of the Virgin, and of the Holy Ghoft who
is equal to them, I will make verfes on a holy confeffor.
I will make verles in the ftyle of the romance, the fame as
is ufed in fpeaking in the city, fpr I am not fcholar enough to
employ other Latin, and for this purpofe I think a glafs* oT
-.good wine -will be fufficient.

3£2 THE PRESENT STATE
life of a hero, fieges, battles, gallantry, and- the
means it infpires in a jealous nation to enjoy the;
beloved objeiSt, furnifh the fubjeCt of moft of the ;
Spanifh theatrical pieces. The Spaniards are
^commendable for having reprefented, on the ftage,
the principal events of {heir hiftory; a merit
fney have in common with the Englifh, but wliich
the rules of the French theatre prevent that nation
from imitating.
The Spaniards have felt and expreffed all the
degrees of moft of the great paffions ; they have
defcribed ambition, anger, jealpufy and revenge
in the nioft energetic manner. But they had too
much imagination to fpeak the language of love ;
to this palfion they have moftly fubftituted gallani
try, and we pwe to them the infipidities which for
along time have vitiated our theatre; thofe love ..
jfcenes which disfigure Corneille, and fometimes,
Racine. The language of their. lovers is mere
jargon, a confufed heap of ridiculous figures and
comparifons, equally cold and exaggerated. Their
tender declarations, are befides, in .general, of
fuch length as to exhauft the moft exemplary
patience. The artlqffnefs and variety of their intrigues,
^ndfome of their denouements have been juftly ad
mired j thefe Imbroglios are the refult of ancient
Spanifh manners. The imagination of comic aii-
thors muft have, been exhaufted in bringing two
lovers together, and uniting them in a cototry
where women are very difficult of accefs; whilft
|n France, where fociety is in general more at li
berty, authors have employed their whole art in
prolonging delicate and tender conversations.
Thedifference of manners therefore has produced.
too much action and intrigue in Spanifh comedy,
and too mkny words without aCtion, in that o('
France. A Spanifh woman of quality reading
* '"" th*

QF SPAIN. 36«
the romance of Calprenede, and fatigued by the
too long and languifhing converfations, faid,
throwing down the Book. What a deal of wit ill
employed! To what purpofe is all this dialogue fines
$ey a?e together?
The father of the Spanifh theatre was Lopes
de Rueda, a native of Seville, and a gold-beater
by profeffion. Cervantes, who in his youth had
feen him perform, fpeaks highly of his pieces.
" My tafte, fays he, was not then fufficiently
formed to judge of hisverfes; but by thofe which
have remained in my memory, and upon which
I reflected at a maturer age, I am not afraid to
^.ffert, that Lopes was as good an author as he
was an aCtor. We were not then acquainted with
the machinery now neceffary, nor with the chal
lenges the Moors gave to the Chriftiarts, and which
are now fo common; we faw no figures rifefrom
under ground, by means of a hole in the ftage,
nor angels, borne upon clouds, to come to vifit us;
the fimple ornament of the theatre was an old cur
tain, behind which, two or three, muficians, fung
yith accompaniments fome ancient romance.35
Lopes de Rueda imitated, in his pieces, the fa-
tirical manner of Plautus, and the fimplicity of
Terence; he was highly applauded by- his co-tem
poraries, and dying at Cordova, was interred, as
a man °f diftinguifhed talents, in the cathedral of
that city. I have four of his comedies printed in
.1567: the editor obferves, that feveral paffages,
which gave offence by their freedom, have been
erafed from them; which, with fome other ci rcurn-
..ftances, feems to prove this impreffipn of his works
to have been given afew years after his death.
There was but little art in thefe firft pieces of
the Spanifh theatre; but the language is natural,
and is remarkable for a pleafing foftnefs and fim-
.pjicity. ¦ The

364 THE PRESENT STATE
The titles of the four comedies of Lopes de
Rueda are, Eufemia, Armelina, Los Enganados, (the
deceived) and Medora. ¦ The fame volume- conT
tains dialogues and paftorals, the place of which
is now occupied by what is called el entr ernes, or
the interlude.
Juan Timoneda, and Alonfo de la Vega, were
the fucceffors and imitators of Lopes de Rueda.
They alfo wrote with fimplicity, but admitted
too much intrigue, and too large a portion of the
marvellous, into their comedies. Timoneda in
troduced feveral allegorical perfons intp his
Marie, in which he treats of the birth of Chrift,
and the conception of the Virgin. The poet Vega
employed enchantments. Their works' are very
fcaree, and thofe I faw of them w^ere imperfect.
The four cprriedies entitled, Florinea, Selvagia,
Celeftina, and Eafrofine had already appeared.
¦The two laft I have read, the others are very
fcaree. 'Celeftina has been tranflated into Latin,
and into French under the title of Califti et Meltbee.
Thefe pieces were not written for reprefentation^
Celeftina has twenty-one aCts, and contains fcenes
admirable for their fimplicity, truth of character,
and morality; the latter would be excellent were
it not fometimes expreffed in top free a manner,
Eafrofine Was tranflated froiri the Portuguefe into
Caftilian; the edition I faw was of 1735; in
which the piece is corrected. It wearied me by
the great number of proverbs with which it is,
filled. The beft edition is that of 1566, and ex:
tremely fcaree.
After Lopes de Rueda, Cervantes names Na-
harro, a native of Toledo, as one of the re-
ftorers of the theatre. He was efpecially famous
in the character of a poltroon or a knave. He
added a variety of embellifhments to the ftage,
and brought the mufic from behind the curtainby which

OF SPAIN. 363
Which it was hidden, and placed it in front of the
theatre; he made the aCtorslay afide their mafks,*
and the falfe hair and beards with which they co
vered, their heads and chins; he invented ma
chinery, dfccocationss clouds, thunder and light-.
ning, and was the firft who introduced battles
and challenges into theatrical reprefentations.
Comedy then loft its primitive fimplicity. Cer
vantes acknowledges that he himfelf wras one of
the firft to adopt this vitiated tafte ; he had ne-
verthelefs written feveral pieces which might have
ferved as models to his countrymen, and were
more perfect than any by which they were preced
ed. Complicated intrigues, and. an unexpected
denouement, were the delight of the people, and
Cervantes faw, when it was too late, that a cor
rupted tafte had taken very deep root.
He had corrected his nation of its eagernefs for
extravagant adventure, and by his Don Quixote
had thrown indelible ridicule upon the knights of
chivalry: perhaps he may be reproached with
having enervated the heroic fentiments, energy
of character and greatnefs of mind, by which the
Spanifh nation was diftinguifhed. It is. fome
times a misfortune to open the eyes of a people
and deprive them of their ehthufiafm. He wifhed
to correct tbe theatre alfo. He compofed feveral
pieces quite unconnected, and without tbe leaft
regard to the rules which probability requires,
but fo fimilar in every thing to the pieces which
were then reprefented, that they were received
with applaufe. The irony and inftruCtion were
foft to the age in which he lived. The theatre
was, at that time, in high reputation, and the
poets in vogue had fuch powerful proteCtors, that
Cervantes dared not to explain himfelf in terms
lefs equivocal ; he was already perfecuted for pof-
elfing fenfe and judgment, and fo poor that he
was

365 THE PRESENT STATE
was afraid truth, too frequently repeated, fhould
aggravate his misfortunes.
The theatre is no unimportant objeCt; it is a
general and national tafte which, on one hand,
is furioufly attacked; and, on the other, obfti-
nately defended. We have feen mufic at firft pro
duce witticifms, and afterwards libels and abufe.
Sounds, more or lefs, grave or acute, have filled
the too fufceptible mind of a philofopher with
bitternefs, and produced endlefs difputes. There
is not an Englifhrnan who would not defend
Shakefpear as he would his houfhold gods; and
the French, worthy of eulogium, for the good
reception they have always given to ftrangers,
did not receive, as they ought to have done, this
hero of the Englifh ftage, when' he appeared
amongft them, cloathed in all the graces of the
French language, to take his place by the fide of
their tragic poets. Our taftes and pleafures are a
part of our manners : they muft be fuffered to
fink into difufe before they can be fuccefsfully
combated, and then they are no longer danger
ous. Cervantes feeing that his indirect attack had
not fucceeded, chofe rather to palliate what he
could not correct. He introduced in one of his
pieces two allegorical perfonages, Comedy and
Curiofity. A part of the dialogue between thefe
was as follows :
Curiofity. " Comedy.
Comedy. " What defireft thou of me ?
Curiofity. " I wifh to know why thou haft
" quitted ' the fock, bufkins and mantle ? For
" what reafon haft thou reduced to three, the five
" aCts which formerly made thee fo grave, noble
" and ftately ? I fee thee pafs in the twinkling
" of an eye from Spain into Flanders ; thou con-
" fonndeft time and places, and art no longer " the

OF SPAIN. «5#
«' the fame perfon. Give me fome account of
" thyfelf, for thouknoweftl was ever thy friend.
Comedy. "lama little changed by time, whicli
" wifhed to improve me. I was formerly a good
" creature enough: and, if thou confidereft me
" well, thou wilt find I am not now a bad one,
" although I may have wandered a little from
" the paths traced out for me by Plautus, Terence*
" and all the ancients with whom thou art ac-
" quainted. I defcribe a thoufand events, not
" by my words as formerly, but in aCtion, and
" for this purpofe it is fometimes neceffary for me
" to remove from one place to another. I am
" like a map of the world, in which London is
*' within a finger's breadth of Rome. It is of
" little confequence to perfons who fee and hear
" me, whether or not I go from Europe to Afia,
" provided I do not leave the theatre. Thought
" is agile, and can follow me wherever I lead
" without being fatigued or lofing fight of me."
Beneath this irony Cervantes endeavoured to
Convey inftruction to his cotemporaiies: but the
neceffity he was under of pleafing, and efpecially
of living, forced him to compofe as pthers did.
vBad tafte was perpetuated, for that Monfier of Na
ture, as Cervantes calls him, the famous Lopes de
Vega, who filled the world with comedies, then
made his appearance. He wrote upwards of
eighteen hundred theatrical pieces ; but the moft
whimfical and incongruous incidents, the moft
extravagant language, a jargon alrrioft unintelli
gible, and the moft difgufting bombaft compofe
the greateft part of the whole. However, the
facility of certain thoughts, and the happy man
ner in which they are exprefled, are aftonifhing;
Vet ftill the offences committed againft true tafte
m every line, render the reading of this author
difficult

^63 THE, PRESENT STATii
difficult, and make us pay dearly for a' few
ftrokes of genius.
It muft not be imagined that all the Spaniards
are enthufiafts in their admiration of Lopez de
Vega. He has, amongft his countrymen, more
than one learned and judicious critic, Who has
endeavoured to circumferibe within the rules
which Nature feems to dictate, the invention of
comic authors, and the tafte of the publie.
There never was a more fertile pen than that of
Lopes de Vega. " According to a calculation made
of his works, what he wrote amounted to five
fheets each day, counting from the day of his
birth to that of his death .
Calderon, although 'extravagant, feems to me
lefs fo. than Lopes de Vega : his intrigues are
more fimple, and his ftyle purer and lefs embar-
raffed ; he wrote only about fix or feven hundred
theatrical pieces ; fo that he could bellow more
eare on his cqmpofitions.
Notwithftanding the glaring defects of Lopes
deVega and Calderon, they merit fome eulogiums.'
Nature endowed them with a very uncommon
imagination. ,
Auguftin Moreto holds the third rank among
the Spanifh Dramatic poets : had bis genius been
as fertile as that of his predeceffors, critics might
have been tempted to place him above them. He
has fhewn more judgment in the management of?
his pieces, which are thirty-fix in number, and
all contain great beauties. After thefe three
poets, the moft efteemed comic authors are Guil
len de Caftro, Francis de Roxas, and Anthony
de Solis. Their pieces are in general more regu*
lar, and have neither the great defects nor the
ftriking paffages of thofe pf Lopes de Vega, Cal
deron and Moreto ¦; but the public will ftill prefer
the latter. Regularity will always pleafe men of

OF SPAIN. , 359
of tafte ; and they who are amufed by the flights
and extravagance of genius will join in opinion
with the people.
, At prefent the Spaniards have none but trans
lators ; they have turned into profe feveral good
French comedies. They represent Nanine under
the title of the AffeSed Margaret, but it produces
no effeCt. As the name of Voltaire is odious in
Spain, they give his pieces to an Italian. The Le-
gataire of Regnard has had more fuccefs, becaufe
it is more comic. They have alfo tianflated a
few French tragedies.

Of the MILITARY and RELIGIOU.S
ORDERS INSTITUTED in SPAIN.
THE kings of Spain, during their continual
wars againft tbe Moors, created a great number
of orders of knighthood to reward or encourage
their fubjeCts. Moft of thefe orders are become
extinct, but I think it neceffary to give fome ac-i-
coiint of them before I fpeak of thofe which at
prefent exift. Among the- former are :
The order of the Green Oak, founded by Gar
cia Ximenez ; that of the Fleur de Lys, by Sanchp
IV. kipg OI" Navarre, and the order of the Holy
Saviour, by Alphonfo VII. king of Arragon :
thefe fhort lived orders are fcarcely worth remem
brance. But the order of the Flambeau is more
deferving of notice : it was inftituted in 1150, by
Ramon Berenger, laft count of Barcelona, in fa
vour of the women of Tortofa, as a recompence
of the valour they fhewed in 1 149, in defence of
the city when attacked by the Moors. The
Vol. II. B b order

3^6 THE PRESENT STATi
order no longer exifts, but the women of TOrtdfi?
ftill enjoy feveral privileges granted to them at
that time.
f The order of Truxillo was founded about the
year 1 190, but it is riot knoWfl by whom : Al
phonfo IX. incorporated it in 1 196, with the or
der Of Calatrava, arid that Of Alcantara now
enj'oys moft of the property which it poffefied.
The order of Saint Mary of Spain, irtftitu'ted
by Alphonfo, furnamed the Wife, in 1270'; this
appears by two charters preferved at Ucles,
amongft the archives of the order of Saint James,
but no mention is made of it in the hiftory of
Spain. The knights enjoyed' great revenues, and
were to defend the kingdom of Seville againft the
Moors. The order of the Scarf, perhaps, gave rife to
all our blue, red, and green ribbons. Alphonfo
XII. king of Caftile, founded, it in the city of
Victoria in 133 2, and gave it, as a diftinguifhing
badge, a ribbon Of the breadth of three fingers,
Which the knights wore over the right fhoulder.
The king arid his fons became knights of this or
der. Ten years military fervice were a qualifica*
tion to be admitted.
The order of the Dove, created in 1383, in
the cathedral church of Segovia, by John I. king
Caftile. The eriiblem was a white doVe Within a
glory, fufpended by a golden chain, v
The fame monarch founded the order of Reafon,
and, what, is aftonifhing, proof of noblity was
required as a qualification to be admitted. Ihe
diftinguifhing mark of the order was a folded
little enfign, which was hung to the mantle by
means of a chain.
The order of Burgundy is reckoned in the num
ber of thofe which have exifted in Spain, becaufe
Charles V. returning from his expedition to Tunis,
inftkuted

OF SPAIN. g^
inftkuted it in his ftates in memory of that con
queft. The infignia of the order was a Crofs of
Burgundy, compofed of two knotty ftaffs, above
which was the word Barbaria. Spain ftill bears
this crofs in her flag.
The prefent orders of Spain are thofe Of Al-
"cantara, Calatrava, Santiago or Saint James,
Montefa, the Golden Fleece, and that of Charles
III. The order of Alcantara was called the No
ble; that of Calatrava, the Gallant ; and that of
Santiago, the Rich.
f Th'e order of AlcanfaYa was ftiled, at its firft
inftitution, that of Saint Julian, and was founded
in 1 156, under the aufpices of Don Suero Fer-
handes and Don Gomez FernandeS Banientos,
two gentlemen of Salamanca. Thefe two bro
thers refolved to take Up arms, and to affociate
With themfelves fome nobles of their country in
their project againft the infidels. Ordono, bifhop
of Salamanca, confirmed their plan, got it ap
proved Of by pope Alexander III. and enjoined
the knights to the obfervance of the rules of Saint
Benedict. . It was not until the year 12 19, that
their principal houfe was transferred to Alcantara,
when they gave that name to their order. Al
phonfo VII. promifed them poffeffion of every
thing they fhould take from the infidels. This
Order is not by much fo rich as formerly, but it
ftill poffeffes thirty-three commanderies, four Al*
Caydies, and four priories, which annually pro
duce eighty thoufand ducats.
The order of Galatrava had its beginning in
Caftile, under the reign of Sanchez III. That
king proclaimed to his court that he would give
Calatrava, and its dependencies, to the perfon
who fhould undertake to defend that city againft
the Moors, and that the property fhould defcend
by right to his heirs* No individual, whatever
Bb z the

»»£ THE PRESENT STATE
the editors of the chronological abridgment of
the hiftory of Spain may fay to the contrary,
thought himfelf fufficiently rich and powerful for
the undertaking, The knights templars, at that
time very powerful, were the only perfons who
generouily came and offered to defend the place.*
Sanchez at firft refufed them, but at length was
prevailed upon to confent, and the templars, de
firous of being aided in their enterprize by a
confiderable number of gentlemen, after haying
taken poffeffion of the city, propofed to the king
to found the military order of Calatrava. It
was inftituted the fame year, that is, in 1158,
with the fole intention of Combating the Moors
and oppofing their conquefts.
The popes, Alexander III. Gregory VIII. and
Innocent III. approved of the order; the knights '
adopted, the rule of Citeaux, affumed a uniform-
proper for military expeditions, and fulfilled their
duty in an exemplary manner. The order at
prefent is neither religious nor military, but has
anriexed to it thirty-four, commanderies and eight
priories, the revenue of which are eftimated toge
ther at an hundred and twenty thoufand ducats
per annum. The crofs differs from that of the.
order1 of Alcantara in colour only ; the latter is
green, and the former red.
The military order of Saint James had its origin
in Galicia, in the year 1 1 70, under the reign of
Ferdinand II. king of Leon. There was in the
environs of Saintiago a convent of regular canons,
of the order of Saint Auguftin, governed by a
prior elected by themfelves. , Several of the no
bility, at the head of whom was Pedro Fernando
de Fuente Encalada, having refolved to form a
military order, under the title of the order of
Saint James, were extremely anxious to execute
their projeCt, and imagined they fhould never be
able

O'F.SPAIN. 3„3
able to live in the orderly and decent manner
worthy of knights, if they had not priefts who
fhould take the charge of their confciences. It
feemed to them fitting, the better to fucceed in
their enterprize, that they fhould become united
to the prior and canons of the monaftery of
Loyo, becaufe thefe led a very regular life, fuch
as the knights themfelves had propofed. They
.communicated their intentions to Don Celebruno,
archbifhop of Toledo, and to Don Pedro Mar
tinez, archbifhop of Santiago, by whom they
were approved of. The pope's legate confirmed
the affent of the two prelates, and the order was
eftablifhed under the rule of Saint Auguftin. The
knights wear a medal, upon which is a red fword,
at the button hole of their coat. This order has
eighty-feven commanderies in' the kingdoms of
Caftile and Leon, which annually produce two
hundred and feventy-two thoufand ducats.
The order of the Golden Fleece was inftkuted
by Philip II. duke of Burgundy, count of Flan
ders, and furnamed the Good. His defire to add
to the fplendor of- his marriage with the Infanta,
Ifabella, daughter of John I. king of Portugal,
infpired him with the idea of this inftitution.
The ioth of January, 1429, the day of his mar
riage, was that alfo of the foundation of the
order : he fixed the number of knights at twenty-
four, and named Saint Andrew for their patron.
Charles V. afterwards increafed the number to
fifty-one. T'o be received a knight of the order,
it is neceffary either to be a prince, a grandee of
Spain, or diftinguifhed by great and fignal fervices.
According to its conftitution,. the grand-mafter
is to be the head of the houfe of Burgundy, fo
that fince the marriage of the archduke Philip I.
with the Infanta Jane, heirefs to the catholic
kings, and mother to. Charles V. the kings of
Spain

n-A THE PRESENT STATE
Spain have poffeffed the grand-mafterfhip of the
order, and perpetuated it in their ftates ; and
fince the time of Charles V. they have alfo en
joyed the revenues and title of grand-mafter of
Alcantara, Calatrava, and Santiago.
The royal order of Charles III. wa& inftituted
by that monarch the 19th of September, 177 1,
to celebrate the birth of an infant, who is fince
dead. Charles III. placed his order under the
protection of the Virgin, and the myftery of her
immaculate conception. The principal rules of
the conftitution of the order are, that vsdl^ the
kings, his fucceflbrs, fhall be the grand-mafter^
of it, and have the fole right of appointing thei
knights. Thefe are of two kinds : thofe of the Great
Crofs, and the Knights Penfioners : the number
of the former is fixed at fixty, and that of the
latter at two hundred. Perfons who are received
into the order of the Great Crofs muft be twenty-
five years of age ; but thofe of the royal fa
mily and foreign princes are exempt from the
rule. • • "

AGRICULTURE.
THE caufes of the depopulation of Spain, and
the neglect of- agriculture in that kingdom, are fo
well known as to make it unneceffary for me here
to enumerate them. : Government, better under-
ftanding its real interefts, feems difpofed to pay
attention to every thing which regards political
ceconomy. The favour it fhews to the different
focieties eftablifhed under the name of Amigos del
Pais;

OF SPAIN. 373
Pais, friends to their country, is a proof of this,
fince their end is to encourage induftry, and ani
mate and improve agriculture, but the progrefs
,they have hitherto made has been but very flow.
A few years of vigilance, and encouragement,
have not been fufficient to repair the evil caufed
by feveral centuries of indolence. Befides, one
of the chief obftacles with which the zeal of the
focieties will meet for a long time to come, is lefs
the want of population, for it is proved that the
population of Spain hasencreafed one third within'
thefe thirty years, than the too great diftance be
tween one village and another. Moft travellers
who have gone through the kingdom muft have
obferved that but few lands, except thofe at the
diftance of a league or more from the cities and
villages, are cultivated, and it is not poffible to
clear fuch as are more remote, fince, in fome
places, there is not a fingle habitation in the fpace
of four, five, or fix leagues. The intermediate
lands feem to be facred, and. would be profaned
by the plough or hoe, and fome villages become
, poor and wretched, becaufe they are too great
and populous. The'firftcare of government ought
to be, to fix the limits of all the towns, villages,
and hamlets ; and inftead of fuffering them to ex
tend, to oblige them to feparate. Men would
then cover a greater fpace, and the wafte lands
would obtain a value. Spain affords a proof of
this in the kingdom of Valencia and the Sierra
Morena. In countries not peopled in proportion to their
extent, the oeconomy of men and cattle fhould be
well underftood ; yet it is not uncommon, in Spain,
to fee, in a field of only an acre, ten or twelve
pair of oxen, which one after the other follow the
fame furrow, and are guided by as-many labour
ers ; whilft in a neighbouring enclofure, ten or
fifteen

376 THE PRESENT STATE
fifteen men, arranged in the fame manner as the
oxen, are provided with fpades, .and fcarcely.
fcrape the land. Many inconveniences arife from
this mode of cultivation. The firft is undoubtedly
that of ufelefsly employing too many hands ; but
the moft dangerous one is, that the earth, not be
ing fufficiently opened, does not communicate to
the plants and grain the vital principles they
ought to receive from it. The fogs and dews,
which are always ahundant in Spain, not penetrat
ing the earth, are too foon exhaled by the fun,.
The plants wither, and the rain, if it be heavy,
roots them up ; the winds alone are fufficient to
make confiderable ravages in lands fo cultivated.
Yet notwithftanding the difadvantages of this very
defective mode of cultivation, it has been remarked,
that, upon an average, the harveft furnifhes, in
corn, the fubfiftence of a year and a half for all
Spain. What would be the produce were all the
lands well cultivated?
It may be fuppofed that in confequence of this
abundance, were there a few public graneries*
there ought never to be a want of corn in Spain:
yet a fcarcity frequently happens in fome pro
vinces, becaufe exportation is there badly under-
ftood; bread is alfo much dearer there than in
France. It is true the Spanifh peafant is unao-
quainted with the black and difgufting bread
which the French labourer frequently eats ;• the
whiteft bread made from the beft wheat is eaten
by every clafs of perfons. The Caftiles and Eftra-
madura are the moft fertile provinces in corn, and
to thefe efpecially government ought to turn its
attention. Several remedies might be applied to the great
fterility complained of in Spain. The firft, whence
a double advantage mult be derived, would be to
plant trees. Travellers have the fatigue of croffing the

OF SPAIN. 3?7
the immenfe plains of Caftile without meeting with
the fmalleft fhrub. Moft of the provinces are well
fupplied with fprings, but thefe difappear in very
• hot weather. Were care taken to plant trees by
the fides of rivers and rivulets, the effect of the
fun would be confiderably leffened ; and were
others planted in the country, rain water would
remain longer upon the earth.
The foil of the country between Madrid and
the Sierra Morena, and from Talavera to BadajoS
has a fuperficies of a foot and a half of fand,
under which the earth is clayey and ftrong ; thus
nature herfelf has furnifhed upon the land what is
proper to mix with it, and nothing remains to be
done but to fupply it with moifture ; and this, as
I have already obferved, might be effected by pro
perly flickering the fprings from the heat of the
fun.' When we recoiled- that in Spain there are up
wards of an hundred and fifty rivers, fix of which
are large ones, and numerous fprings in the moun
tains, the want of moifture in the earth muft ap
pear to proceed from the indolence of the inha
bitants ; fince the climate of Spain, notwithftand
ing the great heat, is fo favourable to the natural
fertility of the lands, that even thofe moft expofed
to the fun, fometimes produce an hundred fold.
One of the firft reforms to be made for the be
nefit of agriculture in Spain, fhould be to prohibit
the too general ufe of mules *. The horfe, confi-
/ dering his beauty only, undoubtedly deferves the
preference ;

' .* A fet of horfes are feldom feen in that kingdom. Not
withftanding the prohibition, which has been feveral times
renewed, of being drawn by mules, or making any -ufe of
them in travelling, none but women and ecclefiaftics being*
exempt from the law, the old cuftom has conftantly prevail
ed. Thefe prohibitions were made becaufe the breed of
horfes began to be loft.

s^8 THE PRESENT STATE
preference ; but while we grant to the mule all the
fuperiorkyof ftrength and frugality fuppofed in
him, his incapability of multiplying his fpecies
ought to be decifive for his exchifion. Ignorance
of the art of agriculture and an ill judged luxury
alone fupport rite national prejudice in favour of
mules, moft of which are bought from other coun
tries at an extravagant price. If in fome parts of
Spain thehorfe be not ftrong enough to fuppOrt the
climate in thofe places, let the ufe of mules be
continued ; but wherever horfes can be fafely em
ployed they feem under every point of view to
merit a preference.
The great number of bulls likewife, which are
kept in indolence, and at a great expence to the
public, to be deftroyed for a cruel amufement
ought to be diminifhed. If the people be fo at
tached to bull-fights as not to be fatisfied without
them, the number of victims might be reduced ;
and inftead of twenty bulls, which in thofe butch
ering diverfions are torn to pieces alive, the fa-
crifice of four fhould be fufficient. Agriculture
would gain confiderably by fuch a reform.
Mr. Bowles who, in his Introduction to the
Natural Hiftory and Geography of Spain, gives the
moft fatisfaCtory proofs that he has well examined
the productions of that kingdom, affures us, that
neither Befon or Rauwolf mention any plant in
the environs of Jerufalem which he has not found
in this country.
I do not think it altogether ufelefs to give fome
idea of certain plants, trees, and fhrubs found in
Spain. The turpentine tree is rather common ; it is
pricked by ah infect to depofit its eggs, and the
punCture produces a gall nut, of the colour of
coral ; and as the nut, inftead of becoming more
round, lengthens out upwards of half an inch, and
takes

Q F S P A I N. s«q
takes the form of the horn of a goat, this kind of
turpentine tree is vulgarly called Cornicabra. The
roots, frequently thicker than the trunk, produce
a very hard wood, handfomely veined, and which
takes, in the lathe, all the forms the artift wifhes
to give it. It is fufceptible of a fine polifh, and
at Orihuela great quantities of it are made into
fnutf-boxes,' known by the name of wood of Ori,
huela. But the workmen are not ingenious; very
few of the boxes I faw made in the country had
(either elegance or neatnefs.
The Indian fig tree (Opontia) is very common
in the eaftern and fouthern parts of Spain, and
although this fhrub be originally from the Indies,
it grows every where without cultivation, in the
openingspf the rocks, even where it fcarcely finds
earth enough to take root. Its flower is almoft
the fize of a common carnation, but more tufted,
of a very red colour and without thorns, but the
leaves, by which it is enveloped whilft yet in the
bud, are armed with lharp prickles. The fruit
which fucceeds the flower refembles the common
fig ; it ftains with red the urine of fuch as eat ,of
it. It was by chance difcovered in England, that
the bones of a pig, kept in the houfe of a dyer,
and which had been fed with madder, were ftained
with red. The experiment was repeated and con
firmed by the academy of fciences at Paris.
The great palm tree grows in all the fouthern
provinces of Spain ; but is found in the greateft
abundance in the kingdom of Valencia, in the
environs of the Elche, where the plain is covered
with it as far as the eye can reach It is faid there
are upwards of fifty thoufand trees, two-thirds of
which are at leaft an hundred and twenty feet high,
and form a magnificent foreft. The dates they
produce hang in clutters of from fifteen to twenty-
five pounds weight, at the top of the tree. They are

5§o THE PRESENT STATE
are lefs fweet and not fo good as thofe of the Le^
vant ; but this I am of opinion depends in part on
the preparation of the latter, which corrects the
hufk of the fruit, naturally rather four.
There are feveral kinds of oak in Spain- The
Ilex aculeafa cocciglandifera is that under the prickly
leaves of which is found the kermes, or the worm
known by the name of the Gall-infeCt, ufed in the
dying of fcarlet, and which was very valuable
to the ancients : but the ufe of it is now lefs fre
quent on account of the abundance of the infeCt
called Cochineal, brought from America. This
kind of oak is called in Spanifh Co/coxa.
The Saber or Alcornoque is the kind of oak which
produces cork; its acorns are bitter. Every fouE
years it is defpoiled of its bark as far as the cuticle ;
Were this injured the tree would decay. After
this operation the tree produces a kind of liquor
which congeals in the air, and in four or five years
forms the new cork.
The real oak, called in Spartifh Encina, is a
very high tree, with a thick foliage, and wood ex
tremely hard: die roots are more porous and
flexible. This oak produces very large acorns of
an oblong fhape, and fo palatable, that they are
eaten in phe manner of chefnuts. There is a va
riety of this kind pf oak, the leaves of which
are fmooth and glittering, but the acorns are
neither fo large nor fo good as thofe of the
former. The northern mountains of Spain produce
white oak, very fit for fhip-building ; the leaf is
very broad and indented, and falls in winter. This
tree produces bitter acorns
The beech alfo grows in the northern pro
vinces, upon the tops of the mountains, where
the oak cannot fupport itfelf; it grows in the
plains,

OF SPAIN. 3g,
plains likewife, and produces fruit of a triangular
form. The walnut tree is common enough in fome
parts of Spain. It is aftonifhing that this tree
has not been planted in other parts of the kingdom,
where it would thrive extremely well.
Moft of the olive trees are, if I may fo fay,
nothing but bark ; this arifes from the bad me
thod of planting them, which confifts in taking a
branch from the tree, fplitting it into four parts
at one end, and putting it into the earth, fo that
the water and heat rot the infide. Spain pro
duces, in general, an abundance of oil; but for
>the moft part it has a bad fmell, and is deteftable
to the tafte, whilft it might be rendered as
good as that of the fouthern provinces of
France. Andalufia abounds with olive trees ; thofe of
Lucena and the environs produce a round little
olive of a good quality for making of oil. The
Olives of Seville are as large as a pigeon's egg, and
are excellent for preferving.
The apple tree in Bifcay feems to be in its na
tural climate ; the fpecies of it in this province
are exceedingly numerous. The rennets are com
mon, with a little variety amongft them : the
cherry tree grows to the height of an elm : the
peaches are delicious, and in the fame province are
found the four beft kinds of pear.
The people of. Valencia pretend that their filk
is finer, lighter, and more fmooth than that of
Murcia, becaufe they lop their mulberry trees
every two years, and the Murcians lop theirs
only once in three years, which makes the leaf
ftronger and more four. But to this may be
oppofed the example of the inhabitants of Gra
nada, who never lop their trees, and mayjuftly boaft

382 THE PRESENT STATE
boaft of producing the fineft and fmootheft filk iti
Spain, The cultivation of the mulberry tree iri
the kingdom Of Granada is indifputably the
beft. The kingdom- of Murcia contains forefts of
orange and lemon trees, artd all other fruits of
this kind are found therein the greateft abundance:
The oranges of Murcia are in general larger and
fweeter than thofe of the kingdom of' Valencia;
Catalonia and the reft of Spain.
The plant the Spaniards call the Pita, is the
aloe of America; The kind of grafs they call
EJparta is very common, for it covers a great part
of Spain. It ferves to make ropes, mats, and
feveral ufeful articles. Mr. Bowles fays, he counted
upwards of forty methods of employing it. A
few years fince the Spaniards found the means of
fpinning this plant like hemp or flax, and making
it into very fine linen. Charles III. rewarded the
perfon whd made this truly valuable difcovery;
and granted him feveral privileges. -
The Spaniards efteem the faffron which grows'
in La Mancha to be the beft in Europe. All the
provinces of Spain produce more or lefs hempi
and flax : but there are diftriCts more favourable!
to them than others, as Murcia to flax, and Arra^
gon to hemp.
Tbe cotton plant is not uncommon in Valencia;
and it feems extremely furprifing the inhabitants
fhould now neglect it, as it was formerly cultivated
there with great fuccefs.
Along the coaft from Malaga to Gibraltar there
are upwards of twelve manufactories of fugar i
the little village of Motril contains fotir, which
have exifted from time immemorial, and, accord-
ing to tradition, Spain is indebted to the Moots
for the fugar-cane, and the manner of preparing it.

O F S P A I N. gg j
it. This cultivation might in that kingdom be
more extenfive ; the fame diftriCts are proper for
the ananas alfo, and many other plants and fruit
trees of America. Spain alfo produces cinnamon,
but it has neither the tafte nor balfamic flavour of
that brought us by the Dutch.
Spain has received from Nature a climate the
moft favourable to every kind of cultivation, and
will become one of the moft flourifhing countries
of Europe, whenever fhe fhall remedy certain er
rors and abufes which have hitherto proved
moft deftruCtive both to population and induftry.

Appendix.
hifiruSionsfor the Office of the Holy In-quifition, given
at Toledo in 15 6 1, and in which thofe of the Tear
1484 are included*

W E Don Ferdinand de Vald:s, by life divine
mercy, archbifhop of Seville, apoltolical inquifitor
general for the extirpation of heretical perverfity
and apoftacy throughout all the kingdoms and
territories of his catholic majefty, &c.
By thefe prefents notify to you the reverend
apoftolical inquifitors againft heretical perverfity
and apoftacy in all the faid kingdoms, territories
and dbmains, that we are informed, although it
be provided and eftablifhed by the inftruCtions of
the holy office of inquifitiod, that the fame pro
ceedings fhould be obferved in all the inquifitions,
there are fome in which they are not fo properly
obferved as they ought to be; and in order to
ptovide that in future there may be no difference
between them in this refpeCt, after repeated dif-
cuffions and conferences in the council of the in-
Vox.. II. C c quifition
* This paper muft appear the more valuable and curinuSj
as copies of .thefe inftructions for the i oly office were be
come exceedingly fcaree, and thus the darknefs which fur
rounded that dreadful tribunal became increafed, on which
account it would gladly ha, e prevented the reprihting of
them. See Vol. I.

,86 THE PRESENT STATE.

0 )

quifition general, it has been determined that
the following orders fhall be obferved in all the
ihquifitions. Examination x>f the charge.
• When the inquiiitors fhall affemble to examine
the evidence refulting from a vifit, or from any
other means whatfoever, if there be found per
fons fufficiently convicted of a crime of which
the holy office has cognizance * learned and con-
fcientious theologifts, and fuch as are provided
with the requifitequalifications, fhall be confulted
thereupon, and fhall give their advice in writing,
figned with their names. II.
Information or impeachment.
The inquifitqrs having been fatisfied by the de-
cifion of the theologifts, that the matter relates to
the faith, that the ceremonies in ufe among the
Jews or Moors are in queftion, or herefy, or ma-
nifeft and inconteftible adherence to herefy, the
fifcal fhall impeach the perfon or perfonsin quef
tion, requiring that they may be arrefted on the
prefentation of the depofitions, and the opinion
which declares their crime. III.
Decree qf imprifonmenf.
The inquifitors, after having together feen the
information, if they be both prefent, fhall order
imprifonment
* The tranflator has not confined himfelf to a literal ex-
aftnels ; he has avoided repetitions, and contracted the dif-
fufc

OF SPAIN, gg>,
imprifonment. It feems that this decree would be
more authentic were it concerted with the coun.
fellors of the inquifition, were there no inconve
nience in doing it, and that the inquifitors thought
it neceffary and proper ; and that whatever thefe
fhall agree fhould form a. record in the procefs.
IV.
A perfon againft whom there are not fufficient depofitwns
fhall neither be fummonedjior examined.
In cafe the depoiitions againft any perfon
Charged with the crime of herefy fhall not be
fufficient to juftify his imprifonment, no other ri
gorous meafures fhall be taken againft him ; thefe
would only ferve to put others upon their guard.
It will therefore be better to wait for. new proofs,
or new indications.

Appeal to the council, if opinions be divided and the
matter ferious.
If the inquifitors agree relative to the imprifon
ment, they fhall proceed to execute it in the man
ner determined upon; and in cafes in which the
affair is of a ferious nature, feeing that it may af
feCt perfons of qualitvy or. for other motives, they
fhall
fufe ftyle of thefe iriftrueYions. Note cf the French trar.fahon
from the Spanifh.
The ting, by a mandate publifbed in T770, ordered the
inquifitor general to recommend- to the inquiiitors to confine
themfelves to the > cognizance of the crimes of herefy- and
apoftacy, without dishonouring the fubje<3s by imprifon
ment before they had previoufly obtained againft them the
moft evident proofs. Note of the Spanifh editor. „

^88 THE PRESENT STATE
fhall confult the council,* before, they execute their'
fenteiice; and' if opinions differ, the fentence
fhall be fent to the faid council to be finally de
termined on. VI.
Order for imprifonment and fequeftratioh,
•- The inquifitors fhall fign the order of imprifon
ment, which fhall be given to the alguazil of the
holy office, and to no other perfon, unlefs it be to
One legally employed. The imprifonment fhall
be accompanied with fequeftration' Of property,
conformable to the inftruCtions of the holy office.'
Not more than orte perfon fhall be -named in the
warrant of imprifonment, in order that if it be
rieceffary to communicate it to a perfon who is a
ftranger to the holy office, the names of the others
may remain fecret; andto the end that the order
of arreft againft each prifoner may be entered in
his particular procefs. The fequeftration of pro
perty is to take place when the imprifonment is
for formal herefy, and not in other cafes, in which
the inquifitors have a power to imprifon ; and in
the fequeftration, the property in the poffeffion
only of the perfon to be arrefted fhall be intended,
and hot that in the hands of another which may
belong to him. The decree which fhall pronounce
the imprifonment Of. the criminal, fhall be inferted
in the procefs, and the day in which the decree
fhall have been paffed, and the perfon to whom
it fhall have been given fhall be therein exprefsly
mentioned; Who
* The fupreme council of the iriqui&ion, called La.
Suprema.

OF SPAIN-

389

VII.
Who are to be prefent at the execution of the arreft.
The receiver of the inquifition, or his deputy
(if the former be employed in the duties of his
office) with his alguazil and the notaryof the fer
queftrations, fhall be prefent at the execution of
the arrefts made by the inquifition, that the re
ceiver may approve of the perfon whom the ah
guazil fhall name to receive the fequeftration ; and
that in cafe he fhould not approve of him, he may
require another more properly qualified for the
purpofe. VIII.
The manner in which the fequeftration is to be
made.
The notary of the fequeftrations fhall take the
moft particular account of the above fequeftration,
that when the receiver takes poffeffion of the pror
perty, or the fequeftration is taken away, an exaCt
ftatement of it may be prepared, taking care to
exprefs at the beginning, the day of the month,
and to have it figned at the bottom by him, or
thofe, to whom it fhall be confided, jointly with
the alguazil, in prefence of witneffes, and requir
ing fufficient fecurity of him to whom it fhall be
entrufted. This perfon fhall receive from the no
tary a fimple copy, without expence, of the fe
queftration; but if any other perfon fhall require
a copy, the notary fhall not be obliged to give
him it, without a certain fee.

£qq THE PRESENT STATE
IX.
Wjiat the alguazil is allowed to take from thefequeftmd
property.
Ihe alguazil fhall take from the fequefter'ed
property the money which fhall to him feem ne
ceffary to conduct the criminal to prifon, and fix
or eight ducats more for the expences of the latter,
• and his food, but what the beafts of burthen*
which carry him, his bed and effects, fhall con-
fume, fhall be at his own charge. If no money
be found among the things fequeftered, the algua
zil fhall feil a part of them, feleCting the leaft ufe
ful, as far as the amount of the above fum; and
he fhall exprefs and fign at the bottom of the fe
queftration' what he fhall have received ; and fhall
pay, in prefence of the notary of the fequeftrations,
who lhall infert in the procefs, the furplus, to the
offioer charged with the expence of the prifohers;
and an account of all fhall be rendered to the in
quifitors, in prefence of whom the latter fhall re
ceive what is to be put into his hands,
X.
Conducl to be obferved by the alguazil with refpetl to
the prifofzers.
The criminal being arrefted, the alguazil fhall
imprifon him in fo fecret a manner as to prevent
his being feen or fpoken to by any perfon, or re*
ceiving advice, either verbally or in writing; and
he fhall take the fame meafures with all the other
prifoners, between whom he fhall prevent all com
munication, unlefs the inquifitors fhall have in
formed him that no inconvenience can arife from
permitting it. He fnall leave them neither arms,
papers, money nor jewels; he fhall afterwards con-
duCt

OF SPAIN. 3gI
duCt them to the prifon of the holy office, and
deliver them into the cuftody of the alcaydes, who
fhall certify, on the warrant of imprifonment,
brought him by the alguazil, that he has received
the prifoners, adding the day and hour of their
being committed into his cuftody, that the ftate
Of their expences may be properly regulated. The
warrant fhall be inferted in the procefs, and the
alguazil fhall immediately give an account to the
inquifitors of the execution of their orders. The
alcayde fhall obferve all thefe formalities with re
fpeCt to each prifoner, before he locks him up, ex
amining all his clothes, left Ite fhould introduce.
-any of the things above-mentioned into the prifon,
or any thing dangerous; all which is to be done
in the prefence of one of the' notaries of the holy
office. Whatever is found upon the prifoner fhall
be ftated in the fequeftration, and depofited with
fome perfon whom the inquifitors fhall name.
XI.
Injunclion to fhe alcayde.
The alcayde fhall not put the prifoners together,
nor fuffer them to communicate with each other,
unlefs it be in confequence of a' pofitive order from
the inquifitors. XII.
Tbe fame.
He fhall alfo keep a regifter in which he fhall
enter all the linen and clothes brought by each
prifoner, which regifter fhall be figned by himfelf
and the notary of" the fequeftrations. He fhall
obferve the fame method relative to every thing
he fhall receive during the imprifonment, giving
account

3Q2 THE PRESENT STATE
account of thefe, before he accepts them, to the
two inquifitors, that he may obtain their per miffiori
fo to do ; he fhall carefully examine them to affure
himfelf that they conceal nothing, and fhall give
then! to the prifoners according as their wants
fhall require. XIII.
Firft audience, and, queftions to be afked by the inqui
fitors.
The prifoner being already in, prifon, the in
quifitors, when they, fhall think proper, fhall have
him brought before them, and, in prefence of a
notary enjoined to fecrecy, after having adminis
tered to him an oath, fhall afk him his riariie, age
and profeffion, his former place of abode, and
how long he has been a prifoner. The inquifitors
fhall treat the prifoners with humanity according
to their rank;, preferving over them a proper au
thority, without endeavouring to irritate them.
Prifoners are commonly fea ted upon a bench or a
low chair, that they may give their anfwer more
at their eafe ; but they ftand to hear the accufa
tions againft them. XIV.
The fame.
Immediately afterwards, they fhall be ordered
to declare their pedigree for as many generations as
theyare acquainted with it, beginning with their
father and mother, and proceeding to their grand
father, &c. and naming all their collateral rela
tions as far as they Can recollect, ftating what have
been their p'rofeffions^ and indicating their places
of abode; to whom they were married ; whether tbeX

© F SPAIN. 3g„
they be dead or living, and what children they
haVe left ; to whom they themfelves are or have
-been married; how many times they have entered
that ftate ; the children they have had, how many
of them are living, and their age ; and the notary
fhall take down in his notes this account of their
pedigree, placing the name of each perfon at the
beginning of the line, and expreffing whether or
not any one of their family has been punifhed by
the inquifition. XV.
Admonitions to be given to the accufed.
This done, the accufed fhall be afked where he
was brought up, and with whom ; if he has ftudi
ed any profeffion ; if he has ever been out of the
kingdom, and with whom? And when he fhall
have anfwered to thefe queftion?, he fhall be afked
in general terms, if he has any knowledge of the
caufe of his imprifonment ; and according to the
anfwer he fhall give, other queftions, relative to
his cafe, fhall be put to him ; and it fhall be ob
ferved to him, that he muft confefs the truth, con
formable to the ftyle and inftruCtions of the holy
pffice, in giving him three admonitions upon dif
ferent days, and after fome interval of rime. The
notary fhall ftate in his papers what the accufed
fhall have confeffed, and every thing that fhall
have paffed during the audience. The prifoner
fhall likewife be queftioned concerning prayer
and the chriftian doctrine ; he fhall be afked
where, when, and to whom he went to confeffion,
and the inquifitors are cautioned to take care nei
ther to be too preffing nor negligent in their en
quiries, not to omit thofe which are effential, and
fo afk no queftions irrelevant to the information of
which

394 THE PRESENT STATE
which they are in poffeffion, unlefs the accufed
gives room for fuch by his own confeffion ; and,
whilft he is giving his anfwers, they are to let him
fpeak freely, without interrupting him, unlefs he
fays improper things.
XVI.
Advice to the inquifitors.
In order that the inquifitors may be enabled to
fulfil thefe conditions, and judge with juftice, they
ought conftantly to be on their guard againft be
ing led into error, as well in the depofitions as in
thecortfeffions; and it is with this precaution they
fhall examine and impartially decide the caufe
. conformable to truth and juftice.
XVII. ,
The inquifitors, except in the exercife qf their fun8ions,
jhall have no communication with the accufed.
The inquifitors fhall neither communicate with
nor fpeak to the accufed, neither during nor after
the audience, except concerning things relative to
the bufinefs in queftion. The notary, in prefence
of whom the audience fhall be given, fhall write
down every thing the inquifkor or inquifitors fhall
fay to the prifoners, and the anfwers of thejatter;
and, the audience being finifhed, the inquifitors
fhall order the notary to read all he has written,
that the prifoner may, if he thinks proper, add
or correCt any thing, and that his anfwers once
finifhed and taken down, it may no more become
neceffary to hear witneffes on the fubjeCt.
XVIII. Accufation

OF SPAIN. sgf.
XVIII.
Jjxufatien of the fifcal.
The fifcal fhall be careful to explain the charges
againft the accufed in the terms prefcribed by the
mandate, charging him with herefy in general,
and of every other offence of which information
lhall have been given in particular, whether by
the depofitions of witneffes, or the confeffions the
accufed fhall have made ; and although the inqui
fitors can have no cognizance of crimes uncon
nected with manifeft herefy,, if the witneffes have
depofed againft him in other matters, thefe fliall
alfo form a part of the accufation of the. fifcal ;
not that the inquifitors may punifh him for it, but
to aggravate his crime of herefy, to prove his
want of Chriftianity, or his perverfe life, and
thence to draw information relative to the matters
of fakh in queftion.
XIX.
He who confeffes, is to be accufed, that he may be
brought to trial.
Although the accufed may have confeffed what
the witneffes have depofed, the fifcal is to accufe
him in form, that the profecution may be pro
ceeded upon according to his requeft, as it is be
gun upon his information, and that the judges
may pronounce more freely the pain or penitence
they are to inflict; experience having proved, that
a different form may produce inconvenience. XX. tbe

396

THE PRESENT STATE

XX.

The accufed is always to declare what he has to fay upon
tbe oath he has taken.
The accufed having, at the beginning of the
profecution, fworn to fpeak the truth, he is to be
put in mind of his oath every time he appears at
the audience, that the oath may always precede
the depofition ; a precaution of great effeCt , when
he is to fpeak of other perfons.
XXI,
The fifcal is to require that the accufed may be put to
the torture.
At the end of the accufation, it feems convenient
and ufeful, that the fifcal fhould demand, in cafe
the intention of the accufed be not clearly proved,
and that it appears neceffary, that tbe torture
fhould be applied, becaufe, as he ought not to
fuffer it but upon the requifition of , the public
profecutor, and not without its being^riotified tp
him, it cannot be given at a part of the profecu
tion which furnifhes him lefs opportunity to pre
pare for it, ox when he would be thereby lefs
affeCted. XXII,
Admonition to the accufed. An advocate to be
allowed him.
The fifcal fhall prefent the accufation to the in
quifitors ; the notary fhall read the whole of it, in
prefence of the accufed ; the fifcal fhall take the
ufual oath, and the audience fhall immediately
terminate. The accufed fhall anfwer article by
article in prefence of the inquifitor or inquifitors, before

0 F S P A I N. 397
before whom the accufation >fhall have been laid*
and, to avoid confufion, the anfwer. fhall be writ
ten in the fame form although the accufed may
have anfwered in the negative to all the articles;
XXIII.
Sentence qf proof, without fixing a term.
The inquifitor or inquifitors fhall obferve to the
accufed of what confequence it is to him to tell
the truth; and this done, they fhall name tomake
his defence, the advocate ox advocates of the holy
qfficex deputed for that purpofe ; and in prefence of
any one inquifitor whatfoever, the accufed fhall
have communication with this man of the law,
and according to his advice, fhall anfwer verbally
or in writing to the .accufation ; and the man of
the law, before he charges himfelf with the de
fence, fhall fwear to defend him well and faith
fully, and to keep fecret all that he fhall fee apd
come to the knowledge of; and although he was
fworn when he was received in the holy office as
a man learned in the law, he ought, as a chriftian,
to exhort the accufed to tell the truth, and to afk
for punifhment if he be culpable. His anfwer fhall
be notified to the fifcal; and the parties being pre
fent as well as the advocate, the caufe being terminated,
the proof fhall be received. In this fentence it is net
the cuftom to fix a certain term, nor to fummon the
parties to be prefent at the path of the witneffes, becaufe
neither the accufed nor any perfon in his behalf are then
to be prefent.
XXIV.
What is to be communicated to the advocate.
That the man of the law may better advife
and defend the accufed, the confeffions made dur ing

39g THE PRESENT STATE
ing the profecution are to be read in his prefence,
provided they regard no third perfon ; but if the
accufed will continue his confeffions, theadvocate
fhall be obligeclto retire. XXV.
If the accufed be under twenty^five years of
age, he fhall be provided with a guardian in form,
before he anfwers to the accufation, and fhall
confirm the confeflion he has made; and the pro
fecution fhall be carried on againft him under the
authority of the guardian, who may not be one
of the mirtifters of the holy office, but either the
advocate himfelf, or any other perfon of a good
confcience and worthy of credit.
XXVI.
FunBionsof the fifcal after the fentence of proof.
The fifcal fhall afterwards, in prefence of the.
accufed, produce the depofitions and proofs
againft him, as well there in the procefs as in the
regifters and writings of the holy office. He fhall
require the anfwers to be examined, that the wit
neffes may, according to form of law, ratify their
depofitions ; and, this done, that the depofitions
be publifhed, and that what the accufed or his
advocate may have- to fay be inferted in the pro
cefs. XXVII.
New accufation to be brought againft the criminal upon
what may afterwards arife.
The parties having been prefent at the reading
of the evidence, if in any part of the profecution
new incidents come to light, oi the accufed fhould
commit

OF SPAIN. 3g9
commit a new crime, the fifcal fhall accufe him
a-new. The accufed fhall anfwer in the form al
ready prefcribed, and the profecution fhall be
continued; although in cafe the new incident be
COnneCled with the chief crime, it feems fufficient
to inform the accufed that another proof is ob
tained againft him. XXVIII.
Audience to be granted to the accufed whenever £fc>
fhall defire it.
As there is generally fome delay between the
fentence of proof and the publication of the
depofitions, every time the prifoner demands an
audience he fhall be fent for by the alcayde (as is
the cuftom). The audience ought to be granted
him as well becaufe it is a confolation to the ac
cufed to be heard, as that it often furnifhes them
an opportunity of adding fomething to their jus
tification, and that thefe delays may give them
new ideas.
XXIX.
Ratification qf evidence.
The inquifitors fhall immediately proceed to
the ratification of the evidence, and every thing
which the fifcal fhall have further demanded, to
prove the crime and come at the truth.
XXX.
Form to be obferved in the ratification qf evidence.
F ¦ The parties being received at the ratification,
the witneffes fhall confirm their depofitions, ac
cording to the forms of law, before two ecclefiaf- tics

40O THE PRESENT STATE
tics properly qualified, chriftians of an ancient
race, who fhall fiave been fworn to fecrefy, and
who fhall bear a good character with refpeCt to
their morals and manner of life. In their prefence
the witneffes fhall be told that the fifcal prefents
them.as fuch ;. they fhall be afked if they recol
lect to have faid, before a judge, things relative, to
the faith ; and if they anfwer in the affirmative
they fhall repeat the lubftance of what they have
faid ; and, if they have no remembrance of it, they
ftiallbe afked fuch generalqueftiohs as may bring it
again to their recollection: If the witnefs requires
what he has already faid to be read to him, his re
queft muft be complied with, whether he be one
of the prifoners or any other perfon. The notary
fhall wi ite down what paffes, and the fituation of
the witnefs ; whether or not he be a prifoner, and
if he be,, upon what account ; whether he be ill
or well ; whether he has been heard iri the au
dience chamber or in a room in his prifon ; and
the reafon Why he was hot brought to the au
dience ; the whole to be inferted iri the procefs of
the perfon againft whom he fhall have depofed,
that the procefs may contain every thing relative
to itfelf.
XXXI.
Publication of evidence.
The evidence having been ratified in the mari^
ner before mentioned, every thing relative to the
fame fhall be literally .publifhed, conformable to
the depoikion of the witneffes, omitting nothing
but that which might difcover who they were ;
and if their depofitions be long, and capable of
being feparated, they fhall be divided into articles, that

O F S P A I N. 4DI
that the accufed may anfwer thereto more parti
cularly, article by article, after having been
fworn. All the depofitions mttft not be read to
him at One time, neither the whole of that of each
witnefs, if each of them have given his particular
( depofition in articles or chapters. The inquifitors
mail take care to "give the publications briefly,
and hot to keep the accufed long in fufpence, tell
ing them, or giving them to underftand, that the
depofitions againft them contain things they have
riot cohfeffed; this to be obferved even though the
accufed fhould deny them*
XXXII:
The inquifitors fhall give the publications figned with
their names and additions.
The inquifitors, or one of them, fhall make the
publication, either by reading to the notary what
he is to write, or by writing it themfelves, and
figriing the inftrument according to the mandate;
and as this is of great confequence it is not to be
confided to any other perfon ; the month in which
the depofitions of the witneffes were made fhall be
exprefled therein, the day being omitted if there
beany inconvenience in mentioning it. The place
and time of the crime fhall; as circumftances ap
pertaining to the defence of the accufed, be men*
tioned in the publication ; and the depofition of
the witneffes fhall be rendered as literally as pof
fible to the accufed. It muft moreover be ob
ferved that although the witnefs fpeaks in the firft
perfon when he declares he has had fuch and fuch
connexions with the accufed, his depofition in the
publication is to be given as coming from a third
perfon, who fhall fay that he has feen and been
informed that the accufed has had that connexion
with a certain perfon.
Vol. II. D d XXXIII. Injhrudim

402 THE PRESENT STAT&

XXXIII.
Inftruclions concerning the publications in what regards
accomplices,
If an accufed perfon has at firft fpoken of a
great number of other perfons and is afterwards
defirous of giving to what he has faid a general
and indefinite turn, fuch a depofition is not to be
inferted in the publication, as the' accufed may,
have eafily been miftaken in his expreffions, iri
not declaring in particular what each of. the per
fons may have faid, and fince his evidence is not
Valid without this form. , Therefore whenever
this happens, the inquifitor fhall oblige the ac
cufed to partiealarife, as much as it fhall be pof
fible for him fo to do, without vaguely referring
to his former confeffion.
xxxiv.
The publication to' take place, although ihe accufed
fhould have confeffed.
The depofitions fhall be communicated fo the
accufed although the latter fhould have acknow
ledged the accufation, that they may be con
vinced they have hot been imprifoned without in
formation ; that they may look upon themfelves as
convicted ; that fentence may thereupon be pro
nounced againft them ; arid that the liberty of the
judges may be lefs reftrained ; for an accufation
not publifhed cannot lie againft them, efpecially
fince by the nature of the caufe they can neither
be prefent when witneffes- take the oath nor know
Who they are.
XXXV. The

OF SPAIN. -^
XXXV,
the advocate of ihe accufed to fee the publication in the
prefence of the inquifitor.
The accufed having, thus replied, fhall confult
Upon the publication with his advocate in the fame
irrianner as Upori the accufation ; for he is not to be
fuffered to communicate either with his lawyer or
any other perfon, except in the prefence of the
inquifitors and the notary, who are to certify
what paffes, and the inquifitors are to take care
that neither relations, friends, nor other perfons
fpeak to the accufed, were it even to perfuade
him to COrtfefs his faults. If however this were'
neceffary' arid fhbuld feem Convenient, it may be
permitted to fome learned and religious perfons to
fpeak to him with that intent, but ftill before the
inquifitors and the notary; for neither the inqui
fitors themfelves, nor any other officer of the tri
bunal, except the alcaydes, are permitted to fpeak
in private to the prifoners, or to enter the priforti
although it be eftablifhed by the mandate that an
attorney fhall be allowed to the accufed, this
however muft be withheld from them; experience
having proved that great inconvenience may refult
therefrom, neverthelefs it fometimes happens in
cafes of great neceffity that full power is given to
the advocate,
, XXXVI,
tn what man,her paper is to be given io ihe accufed.
If the accufed afks for paper to write what re
lates to his defence, fheets counted and marked
by the notary fhall be given to him ; the number
of them fhall be expreffed in the papers of the
D d a procefs,

404 THE PRESENT STATE
procefs, and they fhall be counted when he re
turns them, fo that none may remain in his pof
feffion; the ftate in wilich he renders them fhall
be fpeclfied. When he afks for his advbcate, he
lhall be conducted to him ; he fhall communicate
to him whatever he may think proper, and give
him the papers relative to his defence but not any
thmg elfe, and his advocate, when he fhall have
received the neceffary order, fhall come with the
accufed, and prefent him at the audience. The
accufed, to prOve the articles of his interrogato
ries, fhall name for each a great number pf wit
neffes, that fuch of them as are moft able and
worthy of credit may be examined. It fhall be
intimated to him not to name any of his relations
or fervants, and that thefe. witneffes muft be
chriftians of the ancient race, if it be not that
the circumftariees are of fuch a nature as not to
he proved by . other perfchs except the former^
and if the prifoner wifhes to fee the defence which
his lawyer has drawn up before the latter prefents
it, his requeft may be complied with. The in
quifitors are to take care that neither the lawyer
nor any other perfon converfes with the prifoners
upon any fubjeCt except what relates to their de
fence, and that they do not bring them any infoi*
mation from without, becaufe no good can accrue
from fuch a communication, and evil frequently
refults from it to the perfons and caufes of the
prifoners. The advocates are not to keep a copy
of the accufation, the publication, or the reafons
for excepting againft certain witneffes, but fhall
return all in prefence of the inquifitors.

XXXVII. The

OF SPAIN. ^
XXXVII.
The fifcal is to fee fhe papers pf the procefs after the
audience.
In every part of the procefs the fifeal, each
time a prifoner comes from the audience, fhall
fee the account of what has paffed. If the ac
cufed has confeffed, he fhall accept the confeffions
as far as they may be in his favour. The fifcal
fhall write in the margin his notes upon thofe con
feffions, and upon every thing proper to clear up
the affair, and the above acceptance fhall be made
judicially,
1 XXXVIII.
Proceedings relative to the audiences.
The inquifitors fhall immediately take meafures
to receive the defence which the accufed fhall
have defired to prefent, examining the validity
of the evidence, and what hie fhall have to alledge
againft it. They fhall take care to neglect no
thing which may tend to exculpate him, as it was
alfo their duty fo do ito prove his crime, confider-
ing well that the accufed in prifon is prevented
froth taking fuch meafures of defence as he would
adopt, provided he were at liberty to purfue his,
caufe, .'"''"
XXXIX.
Admonition to the accufed before the con&lufion,
After having received the principal materials
of the defence, the inquifitors fhall have the ac-
Gufed brought before them, with his advocate, and
lhall certify to him, that the defence he had called
to his aid has been made ; therefore he may, if he
pleafes, conclude, by adding what he has farther
4 to

436 THE PRESENT STATE
to fay. If he does not afk fo be farther heard,
the caufe is to be concluded. It is, however^
more prudent that the fifcal fhould' not conclude;'
for befides his hot being Obliged to do it, he there
by .remains in fituation to demand a- new fuch or
fuch meafures to be taken as may be agreeable to
the accufed. But if the latter demands the copy
and publication of his defence, his requeft is not
to be complied with, as he might thereby acquire
a knowledge of the witneffes who have depofed
againft him. - '
XL.
Examination qf the proceedings. Tbe order qf voting.
The caufe having been brought to this ftate,
the inquifitors fhall affociate with them the ordi
nary and counfellors of the holy office, to whom
they fhall communicate all the proceedings, omit
ting' nothing effential.1 When the' neceffary' per
fons fhall have been made fully Acquainted with
them, the matter fhall be, put to the vote, each
Voting according to his confcierice; firft the coun
fellors, then the ordinary, and afterwards the in
quifitors, who fhall vote in prefence of the coun
fellors and the ordinary, that all may know their
motives ; arid that in cafe they fhould be of a dif
ferent opinion; the counfellors maybe convinced
that the inquifitors act according to law, and not
from caprice. T^he notary fhall Write down the
opinion of each voter in the regifter of votes,:
whence they fhall be taken to be added fo the pro
ceedings^ The inquifitors fhall leave to the coun
fellors full liberty of voting, and fhall not fuffer
arty perfon fo fpeak out of his turn ; and, as among
the officers of the inquifition, there is no reporter,-
theoldeft inquifitor fhall ftate the' queftion, with
out giving his opinion, and the notary fhall imme
diately

OF SPAIN. 40^
diately read his report.' The fifcal fhall be prefent,
feated below the counfellors, and fhall leave the
gffembly before the queftion is put to the vote.
XLI. :
Thofe who ferimtfly confefs fhall be reconciled:
If the accufed candidly and ferioufly confeffes,
and his confeffion be of a proper nature, the ii>
quifitors, the ordinary,- and the counfellors fhall
admit him to a reconciliation with confifcation of
property conformable to law. He fhall be cloathed
in a penitential habit, which fhall be a fambenito
of linen or yellow cloth, with a red Saint Andrew's
crofs, and he fhall be conducted to the prifon,
palled perpetual or the prifon of mercy. There are,
however, with refpeCt to the confifcation of pro
perty and the colour of the drefs, fome rights,
privileges, and cuftoms, in feveral parts of the
kingdom, of Arragon, to which it is neceffary to
conform, faving the regulation of that which re-
latesto the drefs and the prifon, according to the
iffue of the profecution ; and if for fome reafon
the form of the drefs feems to them arbitrary, they
fhall leave the decifion of it to us, or to the in
quifitor general, and not fo the, will of the inqui
fitors. This relates to perfons who are not re-
lapfed ; for as to them, it is decided by the law,
that being convicted or having confeffed, they
are to be delivered over to the hands of juftice ;
and the inquifitors cannot reconcile them when
they are not really, but difemblingly relapfed, in
abjuring" de vehemenfi.

XLII. Abjuration.

4og THE PRESENT STATE
XLII.
Abjuration.
The abjuration which the accufed fhall make
fhall be placed under the fentence, referring tothe
mandate according to which they have abjuredl
If they can write they fhall add their fignatures ;
and if riot, the inquifitors and the notary fhall
fign ; and as this formality is public, the, fignature
cannot be added irithat place, but fhall be made
the following day in the audience chamber.
XLIII.
Negative and by contumacy.
If the accufed denies the charge, and be legally
proved to have been guilty pf the, crime of herefy
of which he is accufed, or be an bbftinate heretic,
it is manifeft, according to the law, that he is to
be delivered over to the tribunals and the fecular
poweri But in fuch ' a cafe, the inqujfitors ought to
fake every means tp convert him, that he may die, at
leaft, with the knowledge of ' God ; and with this intent,
they fhall doeiiery thing they can do as Chriftians.
XLIV.
Advice concerning perfons who confefs before the fecular
tribunal.
The inquifitors often determine to deliver over
to juftice perfons who deny ; and when they be,-
coihe converted, arid confefs their faults before
the fentence, the inquifitors admit them to recon
ciliation and fufpend the decifiori of their caufe ^
but this is a thing very dangerous, and'itought to'
be fufpected that their converfion proceeds rather from

OF SPAIN. 4c9
from a fear of death, than from true repentance.
This therefore fhould but feldom take place, and
for very particular reafons. If any one of the
criminals on the eve of the Auto, when it is no
tified to him that he ought to make his confeffion,
becaufe he is going to die, judicially avows his
faults, in whole Or in part, fo that it may appear
convenient to fufpendthe execution of the fentence,
he fhall not be conducted to the fecular tribunal,
his caufe not being yet decided. There is even
great inconvenience in taking him there who has
accomplices, becaufe he hears the fentences pf
all, and remarks the condemned and the recon
ciled, and has time to arrange his confeffion as he
pleafes. Befides, much credit is not tp be given
to what fuch perfons may fay of another ; and
even what they fay againft themfelves, ought to be
confidered as very doubtful, on account, of the
fear with which death infpires them.
XLV.
He who denies, to be put to the torture, in caput alie-
num, and this to be declared in the fentehoe:
If the criminal denies the charge, and there be
witneffes againft him and his accomplices, and he
fie delivered over to juftice, he fhall be put to the
queftion in caput alienum: and if he triumphs over
the trial he undergoes, not that he may avow his
own faults already .fufficiently proved, he fhall be
equally delivered Over to it, if he does not confefs
and afk fqr mercy ; but if he afks for it, attention
fhall then be paid to what the law prefcribes. The
inquifitors ought to examine with the greateft at
tention in what cafe the queftion is to be given.
Sentence fhall be pronounced, expreffing therein the

4ro THE PRESENT STATE
the reafon forgiving the torture, that the accufed
may know he fuffers it as a witnefs and not as
a party. XLVI.
When complete proofs are wanting, pecuniary penalties
and abjuration are to be impofed.
When the proofs of the crime are not complete,
and the indications againft the accufed are fuch as
not to permit his being abfolved, the law furnifhes,
in that cafe different remedies, as abjuration de
•vehement! or de levi, a remedy the objeCt of which
rather feems to intimidate the guilty for the future
than to punifh them for the paft ; with a view to
the latter, pecuniary penalties are impofed upon
perfons who abjure : they ought at the fame time
to be reminded of the danger to whichthey will
be expofed in cafe of ficla relapfia, feigned relapfe,
if they be again found guilty of the crime of he
refy ; and they who abjure de vehementi, ought to
fign their names to their abjurations; (Although
hkherfo this has not been miich in ufe) which fhall
be done with the formalities prefcribed with refpeCl
to the reconciled. XLVII,
Compurgation,
Compurgation is another remedy to be applied
according to the form of the mandate, and with
the number of perfons the ordinary inquifitors arid
couhfellors, fhall judge convenient ,• upon which
it only remains to be obferved, that the wickednefs
of men in the prefent age renders this remedv
dangerous, that it is not much in ufe, and that it
is tq be had recourfe to with much caution.
XLVIII. Torture

4» ,F S P A J N. 4^ t
XLVIII.
Torture or queftion.
The third remedy is the torture ; which confi-
jierihg the different degrees of bodily ftrength,
and the characters of men, is efteemed by the law
infufficient and dangerous; and, as no certain
tule Can be given thereupon, the confidence and
decifion of the jridges, conformable to right and
reafon, muft be confided in. When fentence of
torture is pronounced, the ordinary arid all the
inquifitors mail be prefent, as well as when the
torture is adminiitered, becaufe cafes may then
happen in which the fuffrage and opinion of all
may be neceffary ; although, according to the in
ftruCtions of Seville, of the year 1484, it be per
mitted to delegate the inflicting of the torture,
What is. herein prefcribed appears convenient,
except fome one of the judges excufes himfelf on
account of illnefs. s '
XLIX.
Admonition to the accufed before he is put to the
torture.
Previous to pronouncing the fentence of torture,
the accufed fhall be particularly informed of the
reafon for which he fullers it ; but the fentence
Once pronounced, nothing fhall be particularized
to him ; none of thofe who appear criminated or
indicated in the profecution fhall be named to him,
becaufe experience has proved, that the accufed
fay every thing in this crifis which is fuggelted
to them, whertce prejudice tefults to others, an4
they themfelves gain an opportunity of revokihg
what they have confeffed, and other inconveni-
encies. L. Appeal

Itf THE PRESENT STATE

Appeal from the fentence qf torture.
, The inquifitors ought to be very careful that the
fentence which condemns to the torture be well
explained, artd is authorized from legaj evidence,
If in this refpeCt they have any doubt or fcruple,
as the wrong may be irreparable, and that in cafes
of herefy, there is room for appeal from interior
cutory fentences, they, fhall grant an appeal to
the party wifhing to make fuch an appeal ; but if
they be fatisfied, from the proofs before them,
that the fentence which condemns to the queftfon
is legal, the appeal ought then to be confidered
as frivolous, and the inquifitors tp proceed with
out delay to infliCt the torture. Let them, how
ever, obferve, that in cafe pf doubt they axe to
grant the appeal ; and let them not pronounce
fentence of torture, nor proceed to the execution
of it, before the conclufion of the caufe, and un
til they have received the defence of the accufed.
LI,
)When an appeal is granted in criminal cafes, the records
qf the profecution are to be fent fo the council, without
informing the parties.
And when the inquifitors fhall think proper tq
grant an appeal in criminal cafes, they fhall fend
the proceedings to the council, unknown to the
parties, and without the knowledge pf any perfon
out of the prifon. If the council be of a different
opinion upon any particular queftion, they may
alfo provide for the execution of its orders.

LIL Rnk

OF SPAIN. 4^

LII,

Rule to be obferved when any inquifitor is excepted
againft.
' If any inquifitor be objected againft by a pri
foner, and he has a colleague prefent, he ought
to abftain from taking cognizance of the" caufe^
and give advice thereof to the council, and his
colleague fhall take charge of the proceedings. If
he has no colleague, he fhall equally inform the
council of the objection, and fufpertd the proceed
ings until the council fhall have ptonOunced, after
examining the motives of exception. The fame
method fhall be obferved when it fhall happen that
all the inquifitors are objected againft.
LiiL
Ratification of the confeffion made during the torture.
Twenty-four hours after the queftion, the con-
feffions of the accufed are to be read to him ; and
if he revokes them, recourfe muft be had to the
remedies furnifhed by the law. The notary muft
mark the hour of the torture, and that of the ra
tification, that if the queftion be repeated the fol
lowing day, he may prove whether it be before
or after the expiration of the twenty-four hours.
If the accufed ratifies his confefftons, and the in
quifitors be fatisfied with them and his converfion,
they may admit him to reconciliation, although,
during the torture, he may have acknowledged
himfelf culpable. The inftraCtion of Seville of
the year I484, chap. 1$. ftates, that he who dur
ing the queftion confeffes himfelf guilty fhall be
reputed convicted, whence refults his delivery to
the fecular power ,r but what is herein eftablifhed is

Jp4 T^E PRESENT STAT^
is more conformable to cuftom. However, the
inquifitors ought to pay attention to their manner
of treating criminals of this clafs, and tp the, na
ture of the herefies of which they fhall have de*
clared themfelves guilty; whether they have
learned them from any perfon, or taught them to
ethers- The want of thefe precautions may be
attended with great inconvenience.
' LIV.
What remains io be done if the accufed, endures the
torture without confeffing.
If the accufed endures the torture arid makes nb
confeffionj the inquifitors ought to confider the
extent of the proofs* the nature and manner of
the torture* and the character and age of the per
fon who fuffers it, and whert, all thefe having beeri
properly weighed* it fhall appear that he has fuffi-
ciehtly cleared himfelf from the informations, they
ihaU ahfolve him from the accufation.; although,
if for any reafon, it appears to them the torture
was not fufficiently fevere (confideringthe abov^
mentioned circumftances) they may prefcribe him
the abjuration d? hviox de.vehemenik or any pecu
niary fine : this however, muft not bqi done but
upon mature reflection, and when the information
feems not fufficiently djfproved. The inquifitors'
ought to obferve, that when an accufed peffori
fhall have been fentenced to the torture, it muft
not at the fame time be determined what is after
wards to be done in cafe he confeffes or denies ;
as the torture may produce different refults. Thefe
deteiminations ought not to be made iintjl after
wards,

LV. Wk6

OF SPAIN.

LV.

4*£

Who are to be prefent at the torture ; and of the care
afterwards to be taken qf the criminal.
The judges, notary, and executioners are the
only perfons who are to be prefent at the infliction
of the torture : when it is finifhed the inquifitors
Ought ftrongly to recommend the curing of the
patient, if his perfon be any way hurt ; and great
attention is to be paid to thofe among whom he
is placed, until he has ratified his confeffion.
LVI.
the alcayde to have no communication with ihe accufed,
nor is he to be their folititor, defender, orfubftitute
to the fifcal.
The inquifitors are to be particular in their or
ders to the alcayde, forbidding him all communi
cation with the prifoners which may relate to their
caufe : he is neither to fpeak to them concerning
it, nor give them advice, but to leave each to his
own manner of acting j and the inquifitors fhall
punifhhim if they difcover that he difobeys them
in any one of thefe refpeCte, To prevent fufpicion
the alcayde muft not be the guardian or defender
of a minor, nor exercife the functions of the fifcal
in his abfence; he is to be permitted, and evert
ordered, in cafe a prifoner cannot write, to write
for him his defence, buf this after the prifoner's
dictating, without fpeakirtg to him upon the fubjeCt,
or adding any thing from himfelf.

LVII. Examination

4iG THE PRESENT STATE

LVII.
Examination of the proceedings after' the qutflion: ..
The proceedings being brought fo this flatey
the inquifitors fhall affemble with the ordinary,
^nd the counfellors fhail examine them again j
they fhall pronounce according to law, ,_and the
order before mentioned* The fifcal ihall affift at
the examination of the proceedings, that he may
take notes of the articles, then in queftion; but, as
it has already been regulated, he fhall retire be
fore the matter is put to the vote.
LVIIL
thofe who fhall be freed from imprifonment without
having been delivered up to juftice, fhall be examined
relative to the advice and communications they may
have received.
When the inquifitors fhall give a pfifprier his
liberty, in whatever manner it maybe, if be, has
riot beeh delivered tip to juftice, they fhall examine
him, upon bath, relative to the particulars he
may hive Obferved in the prifon ; whether or not
he has feeri or remarked any communication be^
tween the prifoners, or betweeri them and perfons
without doors ; hOw the alcayde has difcharged
his duty, and whether any prifoner has given him
information ; and if the thing be of confequence,
they fhall com marid hint, under fevere pains, to
keep it fecret, and to fay nothing of what he has-
obferved in the prifon. This formality fhall be
mentioned in the proceedings and inregiftered,
provided the prifoner confent to it. If he can
write, he fhall fign his name ; which will make
him ftill more fearful of violating the law he has
beeh enjoined to obferve. LIX. If

Sf SPAIN. jt?
lix:
If the prifoner dies, the profecution to be carried on
with his heirs.
If arty prifoner dies in prifon, before the profe
cution againft him be concluded, and if,. although
he may have confeffed, his confeffions do not fuf
ficiently correfpond with the depofitions df the
witneffes, fo "that he may be admitted to reconcU
liation, his children, heirs, or perfohs to whom
his defence belongs, fhall be informed of his death;
and if they Undertake to defend him, a copy of
the accufations and depofitions fhall be given
them, and all they fhall legally alledge in defence
of the deceafed fhall be admitted;
LXi
A guardian fhall be appointed tp the abcufed wfxfe
mental faculties fhall be deranged,.
If any accufed perfon fhall, whilft his cafe is in
the ftate above-mentioned, become deranged in
his mental faculties, he fhall be provided with a
guardian or defender ; but if, whilft he retains
his reafon, his children or relatioris wifh to al
ledge any thing in his defence, they fhall hot be
received as parties to the proceedings, becaufe
they are riot fo of right ; but the. inquifitors fhall
admit the allegation, and do, independently of
the profecution, every thing they fhall judge ne
ceffary to come at. the truth, without communi
cating their private proceedings either to the ac^
cufed or to the perfons who fhall have pleaded iri
his behalf

Vol. II. Ee LXI. Th

418 THE PRESENT STATE

LXI.
The manner of proceeding againft tbe memory and re*
putation of the accufed;
When it fhall happen that the memory arid re
putation of the deceafed are to be proceeded a-
gainft, after having obtained the proofs required
by the inftruCtions, the accufation of the fifcal fhall
be notified to the children or heirs of the deceafed,
and to other, perfons whom it may concern. To
this effect the inquifitors fhall endeavour to difco
ver whether Or not he has any descendants, that
they may be called upon to appear : after which
(that no perfon may make ignorance a pretext)
they fhall be fummoned by a public edict to appear
at a certain time, and after that, in cafe no one
appears, ,the inquifitor fhall name a defender,
and continue the proceedings according to the
forms: prefcribed by law. If any perfon prefents
himfelf, he fhall be permkted to defend the me
mory and character of the deceafed, arid the pro^
fecuf ion fhall be carried on wkb him as a party,
although he fhall be attainted of the crime of he
refy in the regiftersof fire holy office, for it would
be an injury to refufe him permiffion to make his
defence; he, befides, is not to be excluded fhould
he be confined in the fame prifon. In this cafe he
fhall be allowed to act by attorney, if he can, and
fhall appoint a perfon to take, iri his name, fuch
meafures as fhall be neceffary ; he ought to be per
mitted to leave the prifon to defend the deceafed.-
As long as neither one nor the other are as yet
condemned, they ought not to be deprived of thefe
means of defence, the furvivor being interefted
in the defence of his relation as well as his own.-
In fuch circumftances, although the proofs againft the

OF SPAIN. 41^

the deceafed be clear and fufficient, the fequeftra
tion of property is not to take place ; for this pro
perty being in the. hands Of other perfons, thefe
ought not to be difpoffeffed of it before the de
ceafed has been declared a heretic, and they
themfelves have evidently loft their caufe at
law. LXII.
the fentence which abjblves is to be read in a-
public Auto;
When the defender of the memory and reputa
tion of the defendant fhall have legally fuftained
his caufe, arid the deceafed is to be abfolved from
the charge brought againft him, the fentence or
decree fhall be read in a public Auto, in the fame
manner as the edicts were promulgated. His
effigy, hoWever, is not to appear at the Auto, nor
are the offences of which he has been accufed to
be particularifed, becaufe they have not been
proved; The fame caution is to be obferved with
refpeCt to perfons who having been accufed fhall
be acquitted, and have afked that favour.
LXIII.
If no defender appears, one fhall be appointed, by the
holy office.
No perfon prefenting himfelf to make the de
fence, the inquifitors fhall name, for defender, a
proper and able perfon, who is not an officer of
the inquifition, and prescribe to him the manner
in which he is to. obferve fecrecy, communicating
to him the accufations and depofitions concerning
which he is to confer with the learned of the
holy office, and not with others, wkhout a parti
cular permiffipn from the inquifitors'.
Ee 2 LXIV. Thefe

420 THE PRESENT STATE^

LXIV.
Thefe inftruclions to be obferved in pfofecutions againft
the abfent.
In profecuting the abfent the inquifitors fhall
Obferve the forms prefcribed by the inftruCtions ;
and above all they are to pay ftriCt attention to
the terms fixed by the edict, by lengthening or
fhortening the interval, according to what they
learn relative to the abfenCe of the accufed, tak-i
ing care that he be three times fummoned, and
that at the expiration of each term the fifcal acCufe
him of rebellion; a neceffary formality that the
proceedings may be complete.
LXV.
Corporal punifhment fhall not be infiicledin defeci of
pecuniary penalties.
The inquifitors frequently proceed againft ac
cufed perfons upon charges which render their
faith fufpicious, artd, confidering the nature of
the crime and the quality of the perfon, do not'
judge them heretics ; fuch as thofe who. contract
two marriages pr publicly utter blafphemies or ill
founding words ; and the inquifitors impofe ori
them different pains, according to the. nature of
their crimes, confulting the law, arid founding on
it their opinion ; but on thefe occafions, they fhall
not, ih defect of the fum of money Which they
fhall condemn the delinquent to pay, infliCt upon
him corporal punifhment, as whipping, the gaU
leys, &c. of other degrading pains, but they fhall
limply pronounce their fentences without condi
tions or alternative; • LXVL Reference

8P SPAIN. 42^

LXVI.
Reference to the council in cafe of difagreement between
. the inquifitors, or between them and the ordinary.
The fame thing in ferious cafes.
In cafes in which there is a difference pf opi
nion between the inquifitors and the ordinary, or
Between themfelves, in the decifion of the Caufe,
in any other part of the proceedings, pr in an in
terlocutory fentence, the caufe ought to be fent
up to the council ; but when the perfons above-
• mentioned are unanimous in their opinion, though
the majority of the council fhould think differently
from them, the decifion of the inquifitors and the
ordinary fhall be carried info execution: Never-
thelefs, in important cafes, the fentence of the
inquifitors, the ordinary, and the counfellors,
although they all may be of the fame opinion,
fhall not be executed without firft being communi
cated to the council, as is the cuftom and pre
fcribed by law. LXVlI.
the depofitions to b\e ftated in the proceedings againft
the accufed.
The confidential notaries are carefully to ftate,
in the proceedings againft each of the accufed,
all the depofitions" found in the records, and not
to refer -for them from one, procefs. to another ; a
contrary method would produce much confufion :
therefore the rule herein prefcribed muft be adhered
to, although it occafions more trouble to the no
taries, LXVIIL Whatever

422 THE PRESENT STATE

Lxvni.
Neceffary proceedings in cafes of communication, and
which are to beftatedin the general proceedings qf
the profecution.
If it be difcovered that prifoners have commu
nication with each other in the prifons, the inqui
fitors are to endeavour to find out who they are,
whether they be accomplices in the fame crimes,
and what has been the fubjeCt of their communi
cation, the whole to be ftated in the proceedings
againft them. Thefe comunications are to be im
mediately fuppreffed, as they cannot but render
fufpicious whatever the prifoners may declare
againft others, or even againft themfelves.
LXIX.
Whatever may be farther brought againft tbe accufed
during the profecution for the firft public offence, is to
be added to the proceedings. ,
* - ¦ '
When a profecution againft a perfon is decided,
or, without being finally determined, is poftpbned,
although it be not for formal herefy, yet, for other
reafons, within the jurifdidion of the holy office,
if proofs of new crimes be brought againft the
fame perfon, the charges muft be collected toge
ther, to aggravate the offence, and the fifcal is to
mention them in the accufation.
LXX.
¦%trfons not to be removed from one prifon to another
without fufficient caufe.
The prifoners who fhall have been once toge
ther in the fame chamber, are not to be feparately fent

OF SPAIN. m
fent to others : all intercourfe within the prifon
will thus be avoided ; for it is apparent that when
they change their companions they relate to each
other what they have feen. If, however, fuch a
change be indifpenfible, it fhall be mentioned in
the proceedings againft the perfon whom it con
cerns, that he may know the legitimate, caufe of
his removal; a thing of importance, efpecially
when a prifoner fhall have revoked or modified hi?
confeffions. LXXI.
Care to be taken of the fick, who are to be provided
with a confeffor if they require one.
If a prifoner falls fick, befides the inquifitor's
being obliged to take the greateft care of him,
and to provide him with every thing neceffary to
the re-eftablifhment of his health, according to
the advice of the phyficians who fhall have him
under their care, if he afks for a confeffor, One of
reputation and worthy of confidence muft be given
him, and who fhall be fworn to fecrecy, and that
if the penitent fbipuld in his confeffion tell him a
fecret, praying him not to fpeak of it in the world,
fie will not reveal it ; but if before or after the
confeffion the prifoner fhall communicate to him
any fecret, he fhall reveal it to the inquifitor, ob-
fe-rving to the penitent that feeing he was arrefted
as an heretic, and has been accufed, he cannot
be abfolved but by making confeffion of his herefy
according to juridical forms : every thing elfe muft
¦be left to the difcretion of the confeffor, who ought
to be a learned man, that he may the better know
how to act in fuch cafes* But if the prifoner in
good health demands a confeffor ; the fafeft me
thod is not to grant him one, unlefs he has con-
feffed to juftice and confirmed his depofitions; in
'-• - this

424 THE PRESENT STATE
this cafe it appears convenient to give him one
to comfort and encourage him ; but as he cannot
abfolve him from the crime of herefy until he has
been reconciled to the chinch, it feems the con
feffion would nOt have its whole effect unlefs the
prifoner he upon the point of 'being executed, of
a woman ready to be delivered of a child; in
which cafes what the law has provided fhall be
obferved" with refpeCt to therm If the prifoner
do not requeft a confeffor,. and the phyfician thinks
him in danger, means muff be taken to perfuade'
hun to confefs. When his confeffions, made ju
dicially, fhall have confirmed the depofitions; be
fore he dies he muft be reconciled in form, pro
nouncing the required abjuration ; and when he
fhall have been judicially abfolved, the confeffor
fhall abfolve him facramentally ; arid if it be not
found inconvenient, he fhall have Chriftian burial
in the moft fecret manner poffible.
LXXII. °
The witneffes fhall not be confronted with the accufed,
Although in the other tribunals the judges, the
better to come at the proof of crimes, are accuf
tomed to cOnfrontthe witneffes with the accufed,
fuch a proceeding, is and ought to be, nnufual in
the tribunal -of the inquifition; becaufe, befides
that thfe -fecret of the witneffes, ^which" ought to be'
kept, would thus be violated ; experience has
proved that if fometimes this has been practifed,
inconvenience rather than advantage h?is been
the refult.

LXXIII. Na

P F S P A I N. 42*
lxxiii.
No. perfons fhall be feized during the vifits of the inqui*
fitors, without the advice of the colleagues or coun
fellors, when it is not Jufpecled that thofe againft
whom depofitions have been received defign to efcape.
That the caufes relative to the holy office may
be treated with proper difcretion and authenticity,
wheri the inquifitors fhall make their vifits and re
ceive offers of depofitions, which may bring on
the confinement of the perfons againft whom they
are made, the imprifonment fhall not take place
without the confeht of the colleague and the coun
fellors refident in the diftriCt, except the perfon
"criminated be fufpeCted of having an intention to
efcape; in which cafe the inquifitor, to avoid
that danger, may, after confultation, order the
feizing of his perfon ; and, with all neceffary dif-
patch, he fhall fend the prifoner and the depofition
to the prifons of the inquifition where the profe
cution is to be carried on. This is not to be apr
plied to affairs lefs important, which commonly
are terminated without imprifonment, fuch as he
retical blafphemies which* are not fufficiently
characterized. Caufes of this nature may, accord
ing to cuftpm, be difcuffed by virtue of the full
power of the ordinary. But the inquifitor ought
in no manner to hold a prifon (lener carcel) to form
a profecution for the crime of herefy, becaufe he
Would neither have the minifters nor the meafures
which a fecret prifon requires, and from the omif-
fion of thefe circumftances inconvenience preju
dicial to the fuccefs. of the caufe might arife.

LXXIV. In.

£26 THE PRESENT STATE
LXXIV.
In what manner the time when the accufed began to be
a heretic is to be declared.
When the proceedings againft perfons to be de
clared heretics, with confifcation of property,
are to be examined, the inquifitors, the ordinary,
and counfellors fhall make a declaration of .the
jtime when they began to commit the crimes for
which they are declared heretics, that it may be
given to the receiver (receptor) if he fhould require
it, to prefent it in fome civil caufe. It fhall be
therein fpecified, whether the crime be proved by
their owrt cohfeffipns, the evidence of witneffes,
or by both thefe means, Under" this form it fhall
be given to the receiver, who, in cafe it be not
thus drawn up, may demand it of the inquifitors
aflembled, or, in their abfence, of the coun
fellors.
LXXV.
Provifions tp he given to the prifoners.
The fubfiftence the prifoners receive from the
inquifition fhall be rated according to the times
and the price of provifions ; but if the prifoner
be a man of quality who Is rich, and is defirous
of expending more than the ordinary allowance,
it will be proper tp give him whatever he pleafes,
which ' fhall feem convenient for him and his fer-
vants, upon condition that neither the alcayde,
nor the perfon charged with fumifhing the provi
fions, fhall profit by the furplus, which is to be
given to the poor.

-LXXVI. In

PF SPAJN. 42y
LXXVI.
In what manner the wife and children of the accufed
are to be maintained.
As the property of perfons who are imprifoned
by the inquifition is entirely fequeftered, if a
prifoner has a wife and children, who afk for food,
this fhall be communicated to him, that his wifhes
thereupon may be known. At his return to the
prifon, the inquifitors fhall call the receiver and
the notary of the fequeftrations, and fix the ali
mentary penfion according to the amount of the
property and the rank of the perfons. If the
children be of an age to earn their maintainance,
and of fuch a rank in life as not to make this morr
tifying to them, they fhall not be furnifhed With
provifions, If they be old, or very young, if
they be daughters, or if, for any other reafon., it
be not decent for them to live out of their own
houfes, neceffary fubfiftence fhall be affigned them,
fixing for each perfon a certain fum of money,
and not a portion of bread; but thefe appoint
ments ought to be moderate, feeing that the perr
fons to be maintained may reap benefit from their
own induftry.
' * ; ' • • LXXVII.
the day of the Auto fhall be agreed upon, and notified
to the chapters of the cathedral and the city.
When the opinions on the profecution againft
the prifoners fhall have been taken, and the fen
tence drawn up, the inquifitors fhall fix upon the
folemn day of celebrating the Auto-da-fe, which
fhall be notified to the chapters of the church and
to the city, in the places of audience, to the pre-
fidents and auditors who fhall be invited to be
prefent.

^2$ THE PRESENT STATE
prefent. The inquifitors fhall make the neceffary
regulations that the Auto may be celebrated at an
hour which will permit the execution of the peu-
fons delivered to juftice to take place in the day
time. All thefe regulations are to avoid confu-
fion. LXXVIII.
None but the eonfeffors to enter the prifons the night pre~
ceding the Auto,
As inconvenience would arife from fuffering
perfons to enter the prifon the night preceding the
Auto, the inquifitors fhall take care that none but
the eonfeffors be admitted, and whilft they are
there, the officers of juftice, into whofe hands the
prifoner? fhall be delivered, by virtue of an in-
ftrument in writing, figned before one of the no
taries of the holy office, that they may give an, ac
count of them. They who are to be delivered
over to juftice and the fecular power are excepted.
The officers, fhall not fuffer, on the road, or in
prefence of the triburiaV any perfon whatfoever
to fpeak to the prifoners, or communicate to thein,
any intelligence.
LXX1X.
Declaration to fuch perfons as are reconciled- of what is.
prefcribed them, and their commitment, to the cuftody
of the alcayde of the perpetual prifon.
The day following the inquifitprs. fhall order
the perfons who are reconciled to be taken out of
the fecret prifon, when they fhall declare to them
their fentences, and warn : them of the punifh
ment they will incur, if they are not found real
penitents; and after having examined them in
particular, and each apart, upon matters relative
to the prifon, they fhall deliver them to the al
cayde.

OP SPAIN. 429
Cayde of the perpetual prifon, recommending him
to guard them carefully, to obferve that. they fulfil
their penances, and inform them of their negli
gence, if they remark any; He ought alfo to
take meafures to affift them in procuring what
may be neceffary for their fubfiftence, and fur
nifh them with the means of working at their
trades or profeffions, thus, to increafe their eom-s
forts and alleviate their mifery.
LXXXi
Vifit to the perpetual prifon.
The inquifitors fhall vifit the perpetual prifon
feveral times in the year, to fee how the prifoners
are treated, and to be informed of the kind of
life they lead; As in feveral places where there
are tribunals of the holy office, there is no perpe
tual prifon (which is»neverthelefs vety neceffary)
houfes muft be bought and fet apart to this pur
pofe ; as for want of a perpetual prifon the man
ner in which the reconciled accoiriplifh their pen-i
knees cannot be knowri, nor what kind of care is
taken of fuch as may be in need of it*
LXXXI.
Where and how the fambenitos are to te renewed.
It is well known that all the fambenitos of the
Condemned, living or dead, prefent or abfent, are
placed in the churches of the parifh to which they
belonged at the time of their imprifonment, death
or efcape. The fame rule is ooferved with ref
peCt to fuch Of the reconciled as have compleated
their penances, and whofe fambenitos have been
taken from them, even when they have not had
thefe, except at the time they appeared before the
fecular

43d THE PRESENT STATE
fecular tribunal to hear their fentences read. This
cuftom is to be inviolably preferved, and no peri
fon has a right to alter it* The inquifitors are al
ways charged to place and renew them, efpecially
in the diftriCts in which they make their vifits, in
order that monuments of the infamy of heretics,
and their defcent, may always exift. The time of
their condemnation muft be therein expreffed, and
whether their crime be Judaifm, Mahometanifm,"
or relate to the more recent herefies of Martin Lu
ther and his feCtaries. But they who fhall have
been reconciled in time of grace fhall have no
fambenitos; becaufe firtce one of the articles, of
grace ftates that none fhall be put on them, and
that they had none when they were reconciled^
placing them in the churches wOuld be contradict^
ing the principle of the favour conferred.
T O the foregoing chapters, and each Of them^
we recommend and command your obfervation
in the affairs which fhall come before all the in
quifitors, notwithftanding fome of them may have
had contrary forms of proceeding; becaufe it is
thus fitting to the fervice of God our Lord, and to the
good adminiftration ofjuftice.ln teftimony of which
we have fent thefe prefents, figned with our name,
and fealed with our feal, and counterfigned by
the fecretary of the inquifition-general. At Ma
drid, September 22, 156 1. Fr. Hifpalen, by
order of M. Juan Martinez de Laflb.

OF SPAIN. ,„i
APPROBATION

O »• T li E

FRENCH CENSOR.
" I have read, by order of the lord keeper of
" the feals, a manufcript intitled Voyage en Efpagne,
" ou Tableau de FEtat aQuel de cette Monarchic. Ac-
" cording to the knowledge my employment has
'£ given me of that kingdom, and the care I have
" taken to allure myfelf of the accuracy of this
" new work, I can certify that its contents are
" exactly true, and prefent a perfectly correct
" picture of the prefent ftate of Spain. The cri-
" tical obfervations it contains are befides offered
" with fo much modefty, that they cannot but be
" acceptable to every nation that is a friend to
" truth, and which would not be offended but by
u an exaggeration of its defects. This work wa3
" wanting to the French to give them ajuftknow-
" ledge of Spain, and perhaps to the Spaniards
" themfelves, to enlighten them in the progrefs
" they have ftill to make before they arrive at
" that degree of improvement to which they
" tend. MENTELLE"
Paris,
xo July, 17S8.

INDEX.

The fmall Numerals denote the Volume, and the
Figures refer to the Page.

Abencerrages of Granada, Hif
tory of the, Vol. ii. Page
Academy of Fine Arts, i. 122,
ii. 326.
 of the Spanifh Lan
guage, i. 126. ii. 326.
 of Hiftory, i. 128.
ii. 326.
Agriculture in Spain, State of,
"•374-..
Aguazui, 11. 7.
Albacete, ii. 43. _
Alcabale, what, i. 191.
•Alcaldes, different claffes, i.
'43'
 de Cotte, i. 138.
Alcantara, Order, i. 58. ii.
37'-
Alcantarilla, 11. 371-,
Alcazar of Segovia, i. 18.
 of Seville, 11,62.
Alcire, ii. 222.

Aldea del Rio, ii. 54.
Algefiras, ii. 91, 95.
Alicant, ii. 225. Infcriptions
at, ii. 227. Trade of, i.
262. ii. 226.
Alhama, Baths of, ii. 249.
Alhambra,Defcription, ii. 256.
Infcriptions of, ibid.
Alicun, Baths of, ii. 248.
Almaden, Cinnabar Mine of,
ii. 318.
Almanza, ii. 42.
Almeria, i. 262.
Almojarifazgo, i. 184.
Almoradiel, ii. 50.
Alpuxarras, Mountains, ii. 248.
Altea, ii. 224.
Andalufia, ii. 91.
Andalufians, Character of the
"•342- .
Ander, St. 1. 14. 264.
Andrlla, ii. 214.
Anduxar, ii. 54. )
Antequera, ii. 300.
Aqueduftof Segovia, i. 18.
• p f Aranjuez.]

11

IND

X.

Aranjuez, Palace and Gardens
..ofj.L.jSg. .,
Archena, ii. 237.
Arevalo, ii. 121.
Arlancon, i. 12, 14.
Armeria, or Arfenal of Madrid,
i. 1T4.'
Army, ftate of the, in Spain,
1. '227. _
Arragon, i. 63.
.  Canal of,(i. n.
Arroba, a Spanifh Weight, i.
24. ii. 209.
Arfenal of Madrid, i. 114.
Artillery, Spanifh, Stite of-the
i.234. .
Artois, Count d' Reception ot
in Spain, when on his way
to the Camp before Gi
braltar, i. 42.
Aflufians, all Noble, i. 60.
* Character of the, ii. 34.3.
Atalaya de Sertorio, ii. 224.
Audiences, a kind of Tribu
nals, i. 139.
Auto de F6 of 1680, Ac
count of, a Defcription of
the, i. 159.
.  one celebrated at Ilerena
in 1763, i. 162.
Autos facramentales, i. 361.
/
B.
Balfein, i. 82,
Bank of St. Charles, account
of the Eftablifhment of, i.
206. Privileges granted, i.
211. Objections urged a-
gainfl; it, i, 215.
Barcelona, ii. 178. Anti
quity and Edifices of, ibid.
Trade of, i, 261.
Barilla, various Kinds and
Cultivation of, ii. 7.
Barranco de la Horca, ii. 188.
Barranjo de Magente, ii. 223.
Barretti, Mr. Character of his
Travels in Spain, ii. 157.

Battuecas, the ii. 118.
Bayler, iiVs3-
Baza, ii. 245.
Benefices, Difputes between
the kings of Spain and the
Court of Rome, concerning
the Nomirfation to, i. 149.
Benicarlos, ii. 192.
Benimamet, ii. 29.
Bexis, ii. 213.
Biar, ii. 224.
BidafToa River, i. 3.
Bifcay, Defcription of, i. 4.
Privileges of that Province,
i.6.
Bifcayners, Character and
Manners of, i. 5, 7, 9. All
ennobled by Philip V. i. 60.
Bleeding, partiality of the Spa
nifh for, ii. 355.
Bonache, i, 382.
BoufTot, Waters of, ii. 227.
Bribiefca, i. 12.
Biidgeof Segovia, i. 105.
— — of Toledo, i. 105.
¦ of Pajazo, i. 384.
Brifluega, Manufadtory of, i.
28.
Buen Retiro, Palace of, i. 1 14.
Gardens of, ibid. Paint
ings of, i. 115. Theatre
of, i. 1 16. China Manu
factory of, i. 1 17.
Bull of the Crufade, i. 193.
Bull Fights, i. 315.
Burgos, i, 13.
 Cathedral of, i. 13.
 . Miraculous Crucifix,
ibid.
Burgundy, Order of, ii. 370.
Burjafot, ii. 30, 217.
C.
Cabezas, Las, ii.. 306.
Cabinet of Natural Hiftory at
Madrid, i. 121.
'Cad'12, ii. 64, 309. Trade of

N D E

m

of, ii.76. Salt-pits of, ii.
83. Bnf\ ii. 63.
Calatrava, Order of, i. 58. ii.
37r-
Calderon, a Spanifh Dramatic
Poet, i. 350. ii. 368.
Camara, the, i. 142.
Campillo, i. 382.
Campo Flamenco, i . 37 1 .
Canal of Arragon, i. 1 1.
.  of Caftile, i. 14.
 of Guadarrama, i. 218.
—.  of Manzanares, i. 367.
 one projected from Port
St. Mary to Cadiz, ii. 73.
Cannon, Improvements of M.
Maritz, in the Manner of
cafting in Spain, i. 235.
Cantaro, a Sparrifh Meafure,
ii. 209.
Carlotta, La, ii. 58.
Carmelites, bare-footed, Anec
dote of the Cruelty of fome,
ii. 183.
Carmona, ii. 59.
Caracas, Company of, i. 8.
Caraque, ii. 71.
Cardona, ii. 176.
Carolina, La, ii. 52.
Carpio, Del, ii. 54.
Carrion River, i. 15.
Carthagena, ii. 238. Trade '
of, i. 262.
Cafrrt3 Dezmera, a kind of tax,
i. 1.95.
Cafas agraviadas, i. 50,
Caffiri, Dr. ii. 168.
Caftile, i. 12,
 Canal of, i. 14.
Catalans, CharaQer of the, ii,
342.
Catalonia, ii. 172. Deriva
tion of the Name of, ii.
173. Trade of, ii. 261.
Cavalry, Spanifh, State of the,
'•23V
Cavana, what, 1. 29.
Ciymo, Father, Chara&er of
hisTravels-in Spain, ii. 157.

Cazins, Villas, of the Infant
Don Gabriel and the Prince
of Afturias, i. 103.
Cedulas Bancarias, what, i.
151.
Cervantes, his Attempt to re
form the Spanifh Theatre,
ii. 365. Dialogue between
Comedy and Cariofity, from
one of his Dramatic Pieces,
ii. 336.
Chanceries- of Granada and'
Valladolid, i, 139.
Charles, St. Inftitution of the
Bank of, i. 206. Privileges
granted it, i, zn. Objec
tions urged againft it, i. 215.
Charles V. Epitaph on, in the
Efcurial, ii. 239.
.  III. late King of Spain,
regular Life of, i. 43.
¦ O'der of, ii. 374,

Chiclana, ii. 89.'
China,' Manufactory of, at
Buen Retiro, i. 117.
Chirimoya, a Kind of Fruit,
ii. 39.
Chiva, i. 385.
Cientos, what, i. 191.
Cigarrales, ii. 149.
Chulos,. what; i. 319,
Cloths, Spanifh, Qualities of,
i. 25.
Coche de CoIIeras, 1. 2.
Coins of Spain, i. 222.
Colde Balaguer.ii. 188.
Colmenar, Character of his
Travels in Spain, ii. 155.
Columbus, Tomb of, ii.fSi.
Comerly, Spanifh, Remarks on
the, i. 346.
Comedians, Spanifh, Charac
ter of the, 364.
Commerce, pf Spain, i. 254.
Conference, Ifle of, i. 3.
Corgofb, el, i. 382._
Coutaduria, Mayor, i. 182.
, de Val ores, ibid.
Copkery

IV

IN D E X.

Cookery of the Spaniards, i.
34'- .. „
Cordova, it. 5.6, 3,13.
Corral, ii. 46.
Corregidors, i. 144.
Cortejo del Mango Negro, ii.
57. Not cuftomary to milk
the Cows there, ibid.
Cortejos, i. 330.
Cortizo, i. 371.
Cortes of Spain, i. 61.
Corugna, i. 263.
Council of Caftile, i. 140.
Counfellor of State, Office of,
i. 64. ,
Court of Spain, Magnificence
of, ibid.
Cows, the Male Calves of
which never have horns, ii.
126.
Crucifix, a Miraculous one,
i. 13.
Cullar de Baza, 11. 245.
Cumberland, Mr. Remarks on
bis Anecdotes of Painters
in Spain, ii. 113. Eulo
gium on his Daughters, 114.
D.
Dancing, tafte and aptnefs 06
the Spaniards for, i. 336'.
Dat las Aguas, what, ii.. 26.
Debts, public, of Spain, i.
196.
Deer-hunting., annual, df th©
King of Spain, i. 79.
Delicias, las, i. 127.
Denia, ii. 224.
Dove, Order of the, ii. 370.
Dramatic Writers, Spanifh, ii.
365-
t)uennas, i. 15.
Duero River, i. 17.

Ebro River, i. 10.
Eeiija,. ii. 57, 112.

Ekhe,. ii. 229-. Antiquities
of, ibid.
Ency,ciop6die, Obftades to
the Publication of that Dic
tionary in Spain, i. 129.
Engravers, Spanifh, moft emi
nent at prefent, i. 126.
Epitaphs on Charles V. and
IJhilip, II. in the Efcurial,
ii. 339.
Erefma, River of, 1. 79.
Efcurial, i. 83. Church of
the, 85. Paintings., of,
88. Pantheon, of the, 89-.
Library, of the, 96.. Epi
taphs in, on Charles V. and
Philip II. it. 339.
Efcufado, a Species of tax, i.
195.
Efpart, Regulations concern
ing the Exportation of, ii, 9.
EfquavaJRiver, i. 15.
F.
Fandango, the i. 331.
Fafbions of France followed by
the Spaniards, i. 341.
Felipe, San, ii. 223.
Fernando, San, Cloths of, i.
' 26. ii. 1 13.
Finances of Spain, i. 183.
Figuera, ii. 170.
Figues Burjafbres, ii. 219.
Fifh, our Lady of the, a cele
brated Painting, by Raphael,
i. 369.
Flambeau, Order of the,, ii.
189.
Fiores de Avila, ii. 122.
Foreigners, great Offices that
have been held by. feveral in
Spain, i.
Fuente de la Piedra, ii, 303,
Fuente el Alomo, ii. 242.
Fuentiduennas, i. 381. G,

I N D

X.

G.
Gala Days, of the Court of
Spain, i. 46.
Galicians, Character of the,
ii.343. ,
Games and Diverfions of th$
Spaniards, ii. 337.
Gaufin, ii. 118.
Gautier, M. Improvements inT
troduced by him into the
Dock-yards of Spain, i.246.
-Gibraltar, ii. 95. Satyrical
yerfes on the fiege of, 97.
Mine hollowed by the Spa
niards in the Rock, ii. 100.
Gijon, i. 264.
Ginata, La, ii. 44.
Giralda, ii. 61.
Girona, ii. 170.
Gitanos. See Gypfies.
Giufti, i. 17.
Golden Fleece, Order of the,
*'¦ 373- '
Granada, Kingdom of, 11. 247.
.  , City of, ii. 249, 297.
— -. — , Cathedral of, ii. 254.
Grandees 'of Spain, Claffes,
Dignities and Privileges of;
i. 48. Difpute of Prece
dence between them and the
Peers of France, i. 53.
Grao of Valencia, ii. 12, 13.
Greer. Oak, Order of the, ii.
Gremios, Company of the, 1.
200.
Grcnota, ii. 171.
Guadalaxara, Manufadures of,
i. 25.
Guadix, n.247.
Gnardia, ii. 48.
Guarroman', ii. 53.
Guipofcoa, Company of,
Gypfies, Spanifh, Account of
the, i. 356.

H,
Hand, myfterious Signification
of the Figure of one among
the Mahometans, ii. 259.
Hat, that Term ufed in Spain,
to denote the Dignity of
Grandee, i. 50.
Hermandad, Holy, i. 181.
Hidalgo, who, i. 59.
Hofpital del Rey, i. 13.
Hol'pitalet. ii. 187.
Hofpitals of Madrid, i. 127.
 — of Toledo, ii. 145.
Huelgas, de la3, Convent aof,
i. 13. _
Huerta, 1. 371.

James, St. Order of, i. 58. ii.
372. _
Javalon, 11. 49.
Ignatius, St. Anecdote of, ii.
>74r
Ildefonfo, St. Environs and Pa
lace of, i. 32. Fountains
and. Gardens of, 3^. Enor
mous fums expended on, 41.
Paintings in the Palace of,
69. Manufacture of Look-
ing-GIaftes there, 74.
Inns of Spain defcribed, i, 2.
ii. 242.
Inquifition, Arguments for and
againft tbe, i. 157. In-
fiances of Punifhments in
flicted by the, i6r. At-
4 tempts to circumfcribe its.
Authority, 163. Profecu
tion of Don Pablo Olavide
by the, 165. Punifhment
inflicted by it on an Importer,
,' 173. Leather of fome French
Merchants feized by it, 178.
Tax received by it from
every Veflel entering any
Port

Tl

I N$ D

X.

Port in Spain, 180. In
structions for the, ii. 385.
K.
Key, myftic Signification of,
.among the' Mahometans, ii.
257*
Knighthood; Order of, in Spain,
i. 58. ii. 369. _
Knights- Simple, i. 59.

I/Advenant, Frances, Monu
ment of, ii. 218.
Labat, Father, Character of
his Travels in Spain, ii. 155.
Language, Spanifh, .Character
of the, i.
Lanzas, Duty of, what, i. 52.
Laws of Spain, i.
League, Spanifh, Length of
the, i. 42.
Liria, ii. 21 J.
Literature ofSpain, i. 343. ii.
356. _
Loeches, 11. 113.
Looking-Glafles, Manufactory
of, at St. Ildefonfo, i. 74.
Large fize of thofe made
there, 75.
Lopez de Rueda, Character of
the Dramatic Works of, ii.
363-
Lopez de Vega, 1. 350. ii.
365. Prodigious number
of Comedies written by, i.
350. ii. 366.
Lorcha, ii. 242.
Louifiana, La, ii. 58.
Louifiana, Regulations con
cerning the Trade of, i. 283.
Loxa, i. 299.
Lucar, St. Port, i. 263.
Lambieras, ii. 242.

M.
Madonna del Fez (our Lady of
the Filb) i. 95.
-Madrid, i. 106. ii. 323. Num
ber of the Inhabitants of, i.
-325-
Madridejos, 11. 48.
Maeftrantes, ii. 221,
Majorca Ifland, Trade of, r.
265.
Majos and Majas, who, i. 355.
Malaga, ii. 303. Trade of,
i. 263.
Mancha, La, Province of, ii.
316. Character of the In-
1 habitants of, 317.
Manufactures of Spain, i, 20,
132.
Manufcripts on Plates of Lead,
Difcovery of, ii.
Manzanares River, i. 105.
Maritz, M. Improvements of
in the Manner of cafting
Cannon in Spain, i. 235.
Marti, Don Emanuel, ii. 196.
Mary,- St. Port, i. 263,
Mataro, ii. 172.
Mayoral, i. 2.
Medias Annatas, i. 186.
Medina Sidonia, Duchy of,
ii. 91.
Mediterranean, Reflections of
the Author at Sight of the,
ii. 1.
Millones, what, i. 62.
Mines of Spain, i. 253.
 of Mexico, i. 274.
Minglanilla, Salt-pitof, i. 384.
Mintlter of Foreign Affairs,
Office of, i, 65.
¦ Marine, Office of, i.

65.

i. 66

of Finances, ibid.
of the Indies, i. 66.
of Favour and Juftice,
Minifkrs,

N D E X.

va

Minifters, Stability and In
duftry of the Spanifh, i.67.
Minorca Ifland, Trade, i. 266.
Miranda; i. 10.
Molinos del Rey, ii, 184.
Money of Spain, Value of the
different Pieces of, i. 222.
Court for the Regulation of
whatever relates to it, 225.
Montalva, i. 382.
Montferrat, ii. 174.
Moreta, Auguftin, Character
of the Dramatic Works of,
ii.368.
Morviedro. See Murviedro.
Murcia, Kingdom of, ii. 232.
 — , City of, ii. 233.
Murviedro, the ancient Sa
guntum, Antiquities of, ii.
31, 194. Ruins of an An
cient Theatre there, ii. 35,
195. Caftle of, ii. 195.
'Prefent Population of, ii.
207.
Mulic of tire Spaniards, ii.
338. N.
Navy of Spain, State of the,
i. 242, 251.
Nobles of Spain, Clafles and
Privileges of, i. 48. Du
ties paid tjy, on taking up
their title, 52. Prodigious
Fortunes of fome, 55. Ge
neral Character of, 57.
Nobility, Proofs requifite to
eftablifh, in Spain, i.6t.
O.
. Oca, Mountains of, 'ii. 161.
Ocana, ii. 48.
Olavide, Don Pablo, Profecu
tion of, by the Inquifition,
i. 165. Sentence of, 171.
Efcape of, 173.

Olivarez, i. 382.
Olla Podrida, i. 341.
Olmedo, is 16, 17.
Orders of Knighthood in Spain,
i. 58. ii. 369.
Orituela, ii. 231.
Ortiz, Manufactory of, i. 28.
OfTuna, ii. 304. P.
Painters mod; eminent at pre
fent in Spain, i. 126.
Paintings in the Palace of St.
Ildefonfo, i. 69. 'In the
Efcurial, 88. In the Pa
lace at Madrid, tog. At
Buen Retiro, 115. Al
Loeches, ii. 115.
Palace of Madrid, i. J08.
Paintings in the, 109-.
Palmeo, Duty of, what, i.
270.
Palomas, Ifle of, ii. 94.
Pancono, i. 12.
Pantheon of the Efcurial, i.89.
Parejas, what, i. 337.
Paffage, Port of the, i. 9.
Patriotic Societies, i. 136.
Paular, Monaftery of, i. 8r.
Pena de los Enamorados, ii.
299.
Penaranda, ii. 123.
Perello, ii, 188.
Pheaiants, Ifle of, i. 3.
Philip II. Epitaph on, in the
. Efcurial, ii. 340.
Philip V. Tomb of, at St. Il
defonfo, i. 35. Refpedt
paid to his Memory in Spain,
83- .
Philippine Company, 1. 291.
Arguments for and againft its
Eftablilhrnent, 292:
 Iflands, i. 228.
Piaftres, exclufive Right of ex
porting granted t-o the Bank
of St. Charles, i. 213. Piron,

*m

N & E X.

Piron, M. Epitaph on, ii.
140. .
Pifuerga River, i. 14..'
Pofada, or Spanifh Inn, De^
fcription of a, ii. 422-
Pofitos, what, j. 257.
Prado, the, i. 119.
Provenzio, Al, ii. 44:
Puertolapiche, ii. 48.
Puertos fecos, i. 185.
Pyrenees, ii. 161.
Quarte, ii. 3. Hofpitable Re
ception the Author met with
there, ibid.
Quintana de la Fuente, i. 14.
Quintanar, ii. 43.
Quintas, what, 1.229.
R-
Real, St. ii. 69.
Realgiros, what, i. 207.
Reafon, Order, ii 370.
Refrefcos, what, i. 338.
Regidores, i. 145.
Relator Venta del, i. 385.
Rents, genera', i. 184.
 — , Provincial, i. 184, 1S9.
Requena, i. 384.
Reynofa, i. 14.
Roa, La, ii. 44.
Robertfon, Dr. Letter of the
Spanifh Academy to, with
his Anfwer, ii. 328, 334.
Roch, St. ii. 95.

Sailors, Number of, in Spain,
i. 244.
Saint Mary of Spain, Order of,
ii. 370.
Sala, de Govierno, i. 137.
 de Mil y guinientos, i.
j 38.

Sala de Jnfticia, i. 138.
— — de Provincia, ibid.
 de Hijofdalgo, i. 139.
 de Crimen, ibid.
 deMillones, L 182.
 de la UnrcaContribucion,
i. 182-
Salamanca, ii. 128.
Salas, Francifco Gregorio de,
quotation from'a Poem, by
ii. 346.
SalluftV fplendid Edition of,
by Don Gabriel, i. 126.
Salt, Duties on, in Spain, i.
187.
Salt-petre, Manufactories oif,
ip Spain, i. 236.
Santa Cruz, ii. 50.
Santa Fe, ii. 299.
Santa Maria de Nieva, 1. 17.
ii. 120.
Santiago, Order of, i. 50. ii.
372.
Saynete, what, i. 353.
Scarf, Order of the, ii. 370.
Segorbe, ii. 210.
Segovia, i. 17. Cathedral and
Caftle of, i. 18. Military
School of, ibid. Aqueduct:
of, ibid. Decline of the
Manufactures of, 28.
Seguidiila, the, i. 338.
Seville, ii. 59, 312. Tobac
co Manufactory of, ii. 59.
Foundery of, ii. 60. -
Sheep, Spanifh, Management
of the, i. 20, 27. Number
of the travelling and fta-
tionary, 31. Shearing of,
i. 27.
Sierra Morena, ii. 51. Ac
count of the new Settle
ments in, ii. 52.
Silhos, what, ii. 30.
Silks, State of the Manufac
ture of, in Spain, ii. 17.
Method of winding and
preparing.

N D

Xc

is

preparing, ii. 21. Me
thod of watering, ii. 26.
Solano, Treatife of^ on the
Pulfe, ii. 301.
Soldiers, Spanifh, Character of,
i. 230.
Sovereign Authority, little li
mited in Spain, 1.61.
Spain, boundaries and extent
of", ii. 161. Divifion of,
into the Kingdom of Arra
gon and Ki ngdom of Cafti le,
i. 63. Government of, i.
63, 65. Revolutions of,
ii. 161.
Spanhrds, Charafter of the,
i. 305. ii. 34'-
Spolios y vacantes, wnat, 1.
151.
Sumiller de Corps, 1. 48.
Superftition of the Spaniards,
ii. 344, 351, 3,5-
T.
Tarragona, ii. iS;,
Tartan, what, ii. 172.
Taxes of Spain, i. 184.
 to which the Clergy are
fubjedt, i. 194.
Tembleque, ii. 48.
Tenientes de Villa, i. 14S- '
Tercias Reales, i. 192.
-Terfana, (Arfenal) of Barce
lona, ii. 179.
Tertulias, what, i. 338.
Theatre, Spanifh, State of the,
i. 344. ii. 361.
Theatres, Spanifh, Defcription
of, i. 363.
Tiona, Wood of, ii. 171.
.Titles of the Nobility of Spain,
i. 49.
 of Caftile, 1. 5 r.
Tobacco, Duties on, in Spain,
i. 1 88.
Tobofo, el, ii. 45.
Toledo, ii, 135, 320.'

Tonadilla, what, i. 338.
Toros de Guifando, ii. 1 16;
Tcrquemada, i. 14.
Torres Torres, ii. 2 10.
Tortofa, ii. 189. Caftle of*
ibid. Antiquities of, ii.
191. , , _
Trade of Spain, i. 254.
 coafting, of Spain, i.
260.
Trafhumantes, Sheep, what,
i. 22.
Tribunals of Spain, i. 137;
Trinidad, Regulations for the
Ifland of, i. 283.
Truxillo, Order of, ii. 370.
Turpiana Tower, ii. 290. ,
U.
Valdepenas, ii. 317.
Valdeftillas, i. 17.
Valencia, ii. 208. Afpefl of
the Country ,of, i. 384, ii. r.
 city of, ii. 6. Silk
Manufactures of, ii. 17.
 Harbour of, defcribed,
ii. 12.
Valencians, Character of the,
ii. 342. t
¦  Cathedral of, ii. 15.
Valladolid, i. 15. ' Cathedral
of, i. 16, Manufactures of,
ibid.
Vara, a Spanifh Meafure,
Length of the, ii. 235.
Ucles, Caftle of, i. 3S2.
Veles el Rubio* ii. 244.
Venta de los Fraynes, ii. 192.
Ventofa, ii. 126.
Vigonia, Cloths of, i., 27.
Villalta, ii. 4S.
# Villa Franca, ii. 184.
Villa Mannque, i. 381.
Villa Rulyo, i. 382.
Vi ilar del Sa?, i. 382.
J" '.3S4.

V.;l?.r.;oMo G .:

Victoria,

il N D r E X.

Vittoria, i. io.
Vivel, ii. 212.,
Uldecona, ii. 192.
Univerfities of Spain, i. 131.
Volante, what, ii.222.
Uffia Illuftriffima, Title of, to
- whom given, i. 52.
Utrera, ii. 306. W.
War, Council of, i. 227.
Women 6f Spain, > Character
of, i. 329. ii. 349.
Wools of Spain, i. 20. Quan-

. tity of, i. 24. Amount of
the Duties on, i. 25. Man
ner of fcowering, i. 30.
X.
Xativa, ii. 4r.-
Xenil River, ii. 58,
Xerez, ii. 62. 306.
Xerica, ii. 2 J 2.
Ximena, ii. 106.

Z.

Zagal, i. 2.

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