travels through spain

8/8/2019 Travels Through Spain

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TRAVELSTHROUGH

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL,IN I774;

WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE

SPANISH EXPEDITIONAGAINST

ALGIERS,in 1775:

By Major WILLIAM DALRYMPLE .

- f - -1- 1 -inn 1 "- - - n - - - - -

The Characters of Nature are legible j but it is difficult for thofe who run,to read them. Burke.

LONDON:Printed for J. Almon, oppofite Burlington-Houfe, Piccadilly.

M,DCC,LXXVII.


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PREFACE.1 SHALL not pretend to give my reafons for offering thefetravels to the world, or make many apologies for the performance ; I mall only obferve, that the following meetsare compofed from my journal, and the letters I wrotewhilft upon my journey, which, in their homely garb, arehere prefented to the public.

Since I have taken upon me to publilh this work, it maybe expected I make known, what were my inducements forundertaking fuch an expedition.In garrifon at Gibraltar, I fe t out, without any other mo

tive than curiofity, to vifit Madrid ; when there, I enlargedmy views, refolved to extend my original plan, and purfueatrad:, little beaten by former travellers. O' Reilly's newlyformed military academy, at Avila, became m y firft object ; my next was the university of Salamanca, on my wayto Ferrol, the great marine arfenal of the ftate : I then determined to return by Oporto and Ljfbon ; and was thus drawnfrom one objecl: to another, untiil I completed my tour*which was made in five months *

The narrative on the journey, I am afraid, will provedry and tedious, as the road was dull and dreary ; but it

2 will


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( ir )will fcrve to mew, how very far behind the reft of Europe,is this nation in improvements, and convenience for travelling. Many of my remarks may appear trite : thecharacter ,of a people is often rendered confpicuous by mi-nutice. I have dwelt little upon buildings or pictures : de-fcriptions give but faint ideas ; Ciceroni and catalogues areto be had wherever fuch objects are to be found. I haveendeavoured to dip a little into the ftate of government ; toobferve, in particular, on the military eftablifhments ; tonotice the cuftoms and manners of th e people ; and to remark upon other tranfient particulars : how far I m ay havefucceeded, I muft leave tb my more judicious and candidreaders to determine,

"Page 4, line 1 8, read, Iwasfilent.8, 4, read, hadjltten down.12 , 26, read, the inn being very,22, 9, read, Seguidillas.34 , 2, dele, for an injlant.53> 7, read,y#s//.54, 30 , read, walls.

ERRATA.Page 57 , line 9, read 0 ' Reilly,58, 9, read 0 ' Reilly.108, 24, after way to it, inftead of ; put .

109, 12 , read, "Jacinto.129, 2, after confiderably, inftead of: put;131, 27, dele at, before Redinhe.169, 1, dele if.

T R A-


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TRAVELSTHROUGH

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL .S^SSSSSSSSSSSsSti

LETTER I.

My Dear Sir, Cordova, June 29th, 1774.I Take th e earlieft opportunity to give you an account ofmy arrival here. Various are the fcenes I have paifed fmce Ihad the pleafure of feeing you ; by recounting them at large,you will find how neceifary is perfeverance to get through thisworld of difficulties. I fhall tranfcribe my journal for you,which, though not fo agreeable to th e reader, is much more1eafy to th e writer ; and I flatter myfelf, you will readily par**don this incorrect method, when I inform you, I have verylittle time to fpare. B Having


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2 TRAVELS THROUGH

Having got the proper paffports from th e Spanifh generalat SanRoque, I fet out on the 20th of June, at two o'clockin the morning, accompanied by th e courier, with--whom -I travelled the fiift day. A t feven o'clock, by the fide of the Gua-diaro, we refrefhed ourfelves fo r a few minutes, and then pur-fued our journey. The verdant banks of the river, with th eIndian corn in th e vallies ; the little hills, riling here and there,fome cultivated with wheat and barley, others covered with freesand (hrubs ; and the prodigious mountains towering behind, concurred to render our travelling agreeable, until th e fun becametroublefome, and made all profpects, except the Pofada,* un-pleafant. A t length, after being near eleven hours on horfe-back, going what is called fix leagues, arrived at Gaucki.-,

W e paned two little wooden croffes on the road : thefecroffes indicate that people have been interred on the fpotswhere they are placed : in general, they are fixed where murdered perfons have been buried : when once erected, they areufually perpetuated by th e inhabitants -% fo that the murdersmay have happened a century back".

On our arrival atTihe Pofada, our conductor took care to - inform the Pofadera,f- that we were Englifh, fhe, like moilother women , happy to communicate her knowledge^ fpreadthe information through th e village ; and, though at fo frnall adiftance from Gibraltar, all the inhabitants flocked to fee us.The Pofada had not the moft favourable appearance. It wasa long building, with a fire-place at one end, and a ftable atthe other ; there was a fmall intervening fpace, which fervedthe traveller to place his baggage, and repofe his wearied

* An inn. f Landlady-limbs ;


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 3limbs j two little rooms apart, one for the ufe of the family,and the other for fuch guefts as chufe to pay for it ; the latterfell to our lot, as no traveller of any confideration had arrivedbefore us ; otherwife, we mult have taken up our quarters inthe other part of th e Pofada. Our apartment, which had aflagged floor, was furnifhed with two broken chairs ; a fmalltable j and a picture of Our Saviour on th e crofs ; there was afquare hole cut out of th e wall, that ferved to le t in the lightand air ; there were two pieces of old deal put together, andintended for a fhutter ; but did not cover half th e fpace : thisfumptuous lodging, together with the ufe of a few kitchenutenfils, and ftraw for the cattle, were all the comforts wehad to expect in th e Pofada. We had brought a ham alongwith us, and th e village afforded a few eggs, a light white-wine, with barley for our cattle.

Gaucin is fituated on the top of a high hill, which we weretwo hours afcendirig, on a very rough road, like fleps of flairs zThe Moors had formerly a fort there, that commanded th e entrance to the pafs of th e Sierra de Ronda.* There is now achurch built amidft the ruins of th e fort, called Nino de Dios,where miracles are wrought, and recounted by the inhabitantsof the village. The fort commands an extenfive profpect tothe S. and S. E. the mountains on every other fide are moilfublime.

The evening was fo cold, that the women wrapped them*-felves in their mantillas^ and the men in their cloaks, asif it had been th e midft of winter. We were obliged to layitraw upon th e floor for our beds, and cover ourfelves with our

* Mountains of Ronda. f Mantilla is a woman's cloak.B 2 great


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4 TRAVELS THROUGHgreat coats ; for bedding was not to be had. The night wasextremely fharp, owing to the north wind, and elevatedfituation of the place. At five th e next morning we purfuedour journey, though not without reluctance, I affure you ; fo rhad I not been awed by ridicule, I would have certainly returned to the more comfortable fcenes of Gibraltar.

June 2 1 . This day went over very high mountains ; faw manyvines, till about half way to Ronda ; fome corn here and there,:in fuch lands as had been lately taken in ; and a few droves ofcattle : when within a league of th e city, came to the debouchureof th e defile, which is extremely narrow ; paffed feveral villages jfive croffes j and, having travelled eight hours, going what iscalled five leagues, arrived at Ronda.

The firfl appearance of the Pofada was rather favourable ;but when I was fhewn

my apartment, I found myfelf almoftas badly fituated for comfort as at Gaucin : I told the Pofaderathat it was very bad, and afked for a better ; "If you don'tlike it," fays fhe, " you may feek for a better elfewhere." Ifilent, and obliged to be contented.

Whilft my fervant took care of the cavalry, I wen t uponth e forage to get fomething to eat ; for nothing but ftraw wasto be had at the Pofada. After fome trouble, I got a fowl :it was immediately prepared ; but when juft ready to beferved, th e woman of th e houfe perfuaded the fervant that Ihad ordered oil to be put into th e fauce ; I fortunately camein, and flopped her hand, juft as fhe was lifting up the lampto pour it in.** In thL country they ufe oil, which they do no t like if it has- not a ftrong tafte, witfcalmoft all their cookery. Ronda


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL, 5Ronda is fituated on a hill, in a fmall plain, almoft fur-

rounded by flupendous mountains : one fide of the city is exceedingly fleep. The river Guadiaro, which divides the oldfrom the new town, takes its courfe through a chafm formed inthe hill j and, on th e weft fide, falling a confiderable height,makes a moft beautiful cafcade. The huertas, or gardens*are confiderable, and abundant in fruits.

This city has been ftrongly fortified ; but the walls are nowlying in ruins..

In this, as well as in moft other towns of Andaluffa, theftreets are narrow and irregular : it appears populous, thoughthere is no manufacture in it, and little trade : there is anannual fair kept here in th e month of May, which is muchfrequented : I obferved the women in the houfes, fitting, likethe Moors, on mats upon the floor crofs legged.

2 ad. Refted here till th e next day at twelve o'clock, whenwe purfued our journey : for a couple of miles went througha country tolerably cultivated with vines and olives ; but afterwards wafle land. At about a league from Ronda, afte*crofling a rivulet, we loft our way : not a houfe or a creaturenear : at length, we efpied an old fellow on a burro ;* Igreeted him with cavalier0 ; as foon as he had replied, *\Va U.M . con Dios, to my falute ;\\ I afked him, if we were on theroad to Alcala del Valle ? he eyed us with concern, and toldus, that we muft crofs the country to the left, till we came toa white houfe, and then take th e left hand road to Alcala :

* A jack afii. f God go with you.]| Through all Spain, I am told, it is the cuftom, when perfons meet upon the road,

to ialute each other. Various are the terms rsadeufe of on this occafion.V,'t


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6 T R A V E L S THROUGHwe followed his advice, with many .thanks, arrived at the directed fpot, and purfued our journey in th e fineft afternoonthat can be imagined .

It often happens, that thofe who think themfelves moftfecure, are the neareft deftruction. At feven o'clock, I began:to fufpect we had again loft our road : eight o'clock, a large,hill before us: : the place of our deftination is called Alcaladel Valle, and there is no appearance here but mountains :we muft certainly be out of the way : I think it were betterto halt here all night : accordingly, we ported ourfelves undera few trees, at a little diftance from the road ; difpofed of ourbaggage ; tethered our cattle ; took out of th e alforjas^ afmall remains of ham, with a little bread ; finifhed a dropof wine that was in th e hota ;\ and, after this flender repaft,covered ourfelves with our cloaks, and laid down to reft : ourflumbers were not the moft tranquil ; not the ruftling of abufh, nor th e falling of a leaf, but alarmed us : never wasfemale more agreeable to th e eyes of the moft ardent lover,than Aurora was to us : at the firft dawn of day we prepared to depart, and refolved to go back : in an hour, we.defcried a boy with a herd of goats, who directed us to thevery white houfe whence we had departed, by our old goodfriend's advice, the day before ; with all poffible expedition wereturned ; and being fhewn our road, arrived at Alcala without meeting with any more difficulties.

From the time we loft our way, we travelled through a.country little improved ; fcarcely any inhabitants ; fome cornin fpots of land lately taken in ; and a great deal of wood,

* Havrefack, % A leathern bottle, or bag. chiefly


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 7- chiefly cork trees ; faw fome few droves of cattle ; fomeflocks of fheep ; and paffed three croffes.

The^ fight of the town, after our misfortunes, gave usgreat joy ; but it was foon damped by the appearance of th ePofada : there were only ftables for the cattle ; a fire-place forth e guefts ; and a very fractious uncivil hoftefs. We got a feweggs, fome bread, cherries, and white wine ; all the food wecould procure.

There was a travelling pedlar lately come from Seville,who had taken up his refidence, with his fmall wares, in th ePofada; we found him the very contrail of the landlady ; hewas all urbanity and good humour; in him, the advantagesof having feen the world were confpicuous. In th e eveninga carrier with three mules came in and joined us : my friend,the merchant, was more entertaining with a third perfon ; hecracked his jokes with fome humour on the Muleteer ; andevery now and then, told us fome facetious ftory, well lardedwith proverbs, which were poured forth on every occafion.

When my companions found me preparing to reft, theybegan to make ready alfo : they fpread their blankets upon thefloor, laid themfelves down, and covered themfelves withothers : I thought it more comfortable to fleep in a chair :Thus, after putting a log of wood on th e fire, we all wentto reft.

At twelve o'clock, we were much alarmed with a violentknocking at the door uein es f fays the landlord-IJahelde San yuan, replied a voice : he got up, lighted th e lamp,and opened the door, when five or fix fturdy fellows, armedwith fuzils, and as many women came in : one of themen, feated himfelf directly oppofite to me : awaked out of

2 my


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8 TRAVELS THROUGHmy fleep abruptly, I was fomewhat alarmed, and afked myman for the piftols ; he, not in the leaft behind hand in fear,replied, he had them in his hand. From the inftant theSpaniard had fate down, my fervant had prepared for theattack, and was now confirmed it would immediately begin ;concluding, from the converfation I had heard, that theywere come to murder us ; but they foon relieved us from ourfears ; after eating a little bread, and drinking fome aquaardente,* they took their leave ; and we found, that it beingthe eve of Saint John, they were a fe t of merry girls, withtheir cortejos,\ going round the village to congratulate theirfriends on th e approaching feftival. On their departure, weturned ourfelves to reft again ; finifhed the remainder of th enight in peace ; and left this inhofpitable fpot, th e 24th, atfive o'clock in th e morning.

Alcala is a village fituated in a beautiful little vale, fur-*rounded with trees, and much corn.We took fomewhat more pains to-day to enquire our roadbefore we left the inn, which would have been of little

confequence, had we not fortunately overtaken an old man ,who had fe t out from the village earlier than ourfelves ; andwho directed us th e way to a convent, where we got furtherinformation. The length of this day's journey, together withmy horfe tiring, concurred to fatigue me exceedingly. Wehad no conveniency to carry water, and both men and cattlewere expiring for want of fomething to drink. As we de-fcended into the flat country, we came to a rivulet ; and inthe momen t we expected to be relieved from our diftrefs, we

* Brandy. f Lovers.found


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 9found the water both bitter and fait. Thus deceived, wewere obliged to wait with patience till we got to our journey'send. After being on th e road, without flopping, for twelvehours, going, what is called, five leagues, arrived at Offuna.

Paffed this day two villages ; a great deal of wood ; wafleland ; fome corn ; and many vines. We obferved five crofles ;and, in this whole day's journey, except in th e villages, wefaw only three perfons.

On our arrival, we found the inhabitants employed in to rturing a poor unfortunate bull. The paflion of the peoplein this province fo r bull-fighting, is furprifing : at this place itwas a very irregular thing. A bull was tied by a long rope,and led about th e town : the men, many hundreds, hootingand hollowing, with their cloaks on their arms, teaming th e pooranimal to attack them, and then wounding it with a dart, afork, or a lance, which enraged him to madnefs. Thoughno accident happened on this occafion, this fpoit often provesfatal. to . fome of the tormentors.

The cleanly afpect of th e Pofada furprifed me exceedingly,and I concluded I mould be well ferved; but, alas! it was thefame tale ; nothing but water and ftraw was to be had in th ehoufe : we got a few eggs in the town, with which we wereobliged to be contented. A t night we were provided withclean beds and platforms ; more than we had met with hitherto.

Offuna isfitjuared in an extenfive plain.G There


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. nplain, when we compounded th e affair. In every Pofada,there are eftablifhed rates, which th e Pofadero is obliged toproduce, if required ; though often concealed, to impofe upon th e unwary traveller. It is th e cuftom, in general, forth e guefts to provide every thing, except ftraw fo r their cattle : the inn-keeper will caufe their meat to be dreffed, orfurnifh utenfils fo r that purpofe, and for which a ftipulatedfum is to be paid. In all the inns I have hitherto been, thelandlords think that you are obliged to them for even allowing you to fpend your money in their houfes ; they willfcarcely ftir to get any thing for you ; yet, if they find youignorant, they will produce a heavy charge on your departure, and make you believe it is your duty to pay it.

I find th e fame mode of getting th e harveft home prevailsthrough this province : though you cannot be unacquaintedwith it, in general, fome particulars may have efcaped yournotice ; I fhall therefore defcribe it to you. After cuttingdown th e corn, it is brought in carts, drawn by oxen, yokedby the head, to different fpots of ground, each fpot beingcalled la era : every proprietor brings his corn to one ofthefe places, where it is trod out by mares, fix or eight tiedtogether to a longe, a man working them in a circle : themares, on this occafion, are fhod with circular rough fhoes :this method breaks the ftraw to pieces ; but that is no dif-advantage, as the cattle are fed w ith it : the grain is thenlodged in bulk, in granaries. The crops are very plentifulthis year. I have been told, that the beft lands, in a goodfeafon, will produce, in wheat, from fifteen to twenty forone.

C2 26th,


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12 TRAVELS THROUGH26th. Left Offuna, and travelled to Ezija, five leagues r

The country, an entire flat, was covered, on each fide the road,with wheat and barley, as far as the eye could reach : I never faw fuch an exuberance of grain. We overtook a youngfellow, who intreated me to allow him to put his havrefackon my horfe, to which I confented : he entertained1 mewith th e various robberies and murders committed m Arid a -lufia. " And of what country are you, friend ?" " Soi deCajtilla," replied he,

"they are quite

another fort of peoplein that province. And pray," fays he, " of what nationare you ?" I thought I was far enough from the diftrict ofGibraltar to pafs for an Englifhman ; hitherto I had calledmyfelf an officer of the Irifh brigade, " Soi Ingles." " Ihear," fays he, " that the Englifh are very good feamen,but bad foldiers." I immediately fpufred My liorfe, tellinghim, I would leave his havrefack at the Pofada, and' on wewent , arriving at Ezija in five hours.

Ezija is a city fituated on the Xenel, over which there is aflone bridge : It is fariious for having the fineft breed ofhorfes in Andaltifia. Here we got into th e great high roadto Madrid. I only flopped to dine, and then purfued myjourney to the Garlotta, three leagues, which we travelled ii ithree hours, through a country abundant in corn, vines, andolives ; paffed a great many farm and country houfes, and faw1four croffes. Here we fpent an agreeable evening, theinn very commodious.

The Carlotta is a colony of Germans, eftablifhed abouteight years ago, of which I mail endeavour to give you afarther account hereafter. The town is fmall, but prettilydefigned, and feated in the midfl of the colony ; there is a3 church


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 13church for the emigrants, and a German Francifcan friar fortheir pallor.

27th, We fet out from the Ctarlotta. On leaving th e fet-^t lement went for a few miles through a country little cultivated ; afterwards fome corn and pafture ; faw feveral drovesof horfes and other cattle; croffed a rivulet, called Guadal-horce, over which there is a flone bridge. When with in a couple of miles of this place, we had, from a height, the moftbeautiful profpect imaginable of the city, th e river Guadalquivir, and the plain through which it takes its courfe. Wewere five hours travelling five leagues, when we -arrivedhere, and put up at a Fonda, oppofite the cathedral, wherewe are dirtily lodged, but well ferved.

Having brought you thus far, I fhall now take my leave,,until a future occafion, being, with great truth,Yours, &c.

LETTER


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 15cool and agreeable ; though to an Englifhman it has a veryodd effect, to make a vifit in a dark room, where he muftbe fometime before he can difcover th e perfon whom he vifits.Some of the Titulos de Cajlilla, an order of nobility, of whomthere may be about ten or twelve families, from one to threethoufand pounds a year, that conftantly refide here, havevery good houfes, in which there are handfome fuites of apartments ; but their furniture is by no means adequate : wefind elegant mirrours, rich filk hangings, and matted bottomchairs, in their principal rooms. Moft of thefe families havetortullas or affemblies : I was at that of th e Gondeffa deVilla Novas, who had lately loft a near relation : the company appeared in mourning ; every female, on entering theaffembly, after paying her refpects to the miftrefs of th ehoufe, went round the whole circle, took each lady by thehand, muttered fome compliments, of which they have greatabundance, and then fat down. When all th e companywas affembled, fervants came in , dreffed alfo in mourning,with glaffes of iced water and fugar bifcuits ; afterwards withchocolate, cakes, fweetmeats, and, to conclude, more icedwater. Thefe refrefcos are the chief entertainment of thenatives, fo r the pleafures of the table are fcarcely knownamongft them : they feldom dine or fup together, except ona marriage, th e birth of a firft fon, or fome other feftive oc-cafion : the company

fat and converfed together, fo r onthefe melancholy occafions, there is no card-playing, making little focieties of converfation till towards eleven o'clock,when they all retired ; th e ladies going through th e fame ceremony on leaving as coming into the room. The etiquetteof thefe affemblies, and indeed of all others through the country, are extremely tirefome ; though they are polite enoughto make allowances for ftrangers.

Thefe


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16 TRAVELS THROUGHThefe nobles have very coftly equipages, gaudy, and over

loaded with ornaments ; but they make their appearanceonly on gala or flate days, which are ftrictly obferved here,as at court. Their carriages are drawn by mules, whichcome from La Mancha.

I was carried about two miles out of town, in the Marqui?of Gabrignani's carriage, to the bifhop's alameda* which isfhewn as a great effort of human fkill. The late bifhop improved this fpot of ground, which may be about a mile inextent, by planting and inelofing it . It might have beenmade very beautiful, as it is on the banks of the Guadalquivir, where there is a gentle declivity to the river ; but he hasfhewn his tafte, in making long alleys of trees, clofed byhigh hedges.; and fhutting out the water entirely, by planting and hedging clofer on that fide than any where* elfe-- : atthe extremities of the alleys, there is a fmall houfe, and nearit there are a few ponds, with jets d'eau, though th e river iswithin fifty yards of them ; a labyrinth, and fome little parterres with myrtle trees cut out in various forms and fhapes.On our arrival, we found the Bifhop there, to whom I wasprefented, when he defired I might make the houfe my own,as both it and the gardens were at my fervice : and here Imuft obferve to you, that this is a common Spanifh compliment ; fo r if a Spaniard's fword, watch,ring, or any thingelfe belonging to him be praifed, he immediately offers it withwarmth, though nothing would difappoint him more thanto accept of it.

* Alameda is a walk planted with trees : though this place goes by the fame name, it is-more properly a villa.

Whilft


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. i7Whilft we were walking in the gardens, the Marquis took

out of his pocket a little bit of tobacco, rolled it up in a pieceof paper, making a cegar of it ; and gave it to one of hisfootmen to light : the fervant took out his flint, fteel andmatch, which every man carries about him, ftruck a light,took two or three whiffs, and then returned it to his mailer :it was afterwards offered to me, and the reft of the company ; I declined the favour, but th e others fmoaked about.This is a common practice with every perfon, in almoft everyplace.

On our return, before we got within th e gates, the pofti-lion took off two of the mules, as we could not drive in townwith fix ; no one but the Bifhop having that privilege.

The theatre here was but very indifferent, and the actorsbad : the piece I faw was wretchedly performed. The ladiesgo to the boxes in the French drefs ; but the men oftenerappear in th e capa and Jhmbrero,* as they feem to be under agreat reftraint in the other ; and only wear it at tertullas,and th e like formal occafions. Since the infurrection atMadrid in 1766, government has endeavoured to preventthe men from wearing the flapped hat and cloak ; but it willbe long before it can be accomplifhed in th e provinces, as itis a convenient drefs for gallantry, and people will not readilygive up what contributes to their favourite amufement. Thewomen who are in the Spanifh drefs, are lodged by themfelvesin a gallery over the boxes, which is called the cazuela, wherethe men, during the reprefentation, are not allowed to go ;but they have various figns, by which they communicate with

* Cloak and large hat,D each


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 19and other Roman buildings : Roman fculpture is as vifiblein their capitals, as Moorifh in the fuperftructure ; they areof Jafper, and various other fine marbles, placed, as I was told,for I was not at the trouble to count them, in forty-fixranks, croffed by twenty-four. The Moors had fo muchveneration for Cecd, which was the name it bore; whencethat fpeecfi of Sancho's in Don Quixote, Dexadnos de andarde Ceca en Meca ; that they wfed to come on pilgrimage to itfrom Barbary, and the other parts of Spain they inhabited,as the Turks now go to Meca. There are twenty canonsbelonging to this cathedral, who have confiderable revenues ,

This town is famous fo r fine horfes : th e king keeps ftal-lions, and breeds for his own ufe ; there were between thirtyand forty colts in his flables, wlych were to fet out for Madrid in a few days. The Barbary breed, which is peculiarto this province is ftill preferved by focieties of gentlemen,called Maeftranza, formed into communities at Seville, Granada, Ronda, and Valencia ; each fociety having a differentuniform, which is worn on ftate days, &c.

Every man of fortune has a riding -houfe, where heamufes himfelf an hour or two every day ; fo r the Spaniarddelights much in horfes.

The Alcazar, or Moorifh palace, is ftill extant : it is nowmade ufe of for th e inquifition.

This town has been famous for its leather, whence theEnglifh word cordwain from Cardovan : there is alfo a confiderable filk manufacture carried on here.

D2 The


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 21

LETTER I I I .

Amigo mio, Carolina, July 7, 1774.IN th e midft o f th e Sierra Morena, like a n o t h e r Cardenio, It a k e th e opportunity o f a leifu re h ou r to give y o u a detail o fm y exploits fince I left Cordova, w h i c h w as on th e 3d inf ta nt.Travelled two leagues through a flat country, palling a b u nd a n c e o f o l i v e trees a n d corn, a n d a rriv ed in two h o u r s at aventa? near an old bridge over th e Guadalquivir : he r e w eo v er to o k thiity colts, belonging to th e king, going to M adrid ; e a c h horfe h ad his particular attendant, befides riding-mafters, farriers, & c.

T h e ventero vf~ w as very prolix in telling every perfon w h ocame into th e venta o f th e w o n d e r f u l floods c a u f e d t h e r e byth e fwelling o f th e river ; a n d o f th e amazing ftrength o f th ebridge, which, hefaid, w as b u ilt e ithe r by th e Moors, or, asf o m e w o u l d h a v e it, by th e R o m a n s ; a n d h ad it no t b e e nparticularly ftrong, it ne ve r c o u l d h a v e refilled fuch torrentsas h e h a d feen : th e flones o f it were remarkably large, a n d itappeared to be o f R om an architecture.

L e f t th e venta at f o u r o'clock : went through a countryfertile w i t h c orn a n d olives : paffed five croffes this a f t e r n o o nw i t h i n th e fpace o f a league, a n d ar r iv ed at th e venta delCarpio : t h r e e leagues in t h r e e h o u r s.

* Venta is an inn, fituated generally by itfelf, on th e high-road ; it is ufually placedin fuch a manner as to divide th e ftages b e t w e e n th e towns or villages as are at too great adiftance from each o th er.f Landlord o f th e venta. T h e


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22 TRAVELS THROUGHT h e village o f Carpio is fituated on a rifing ground, a b o u t

two h u n d r e d yards from th e venta ; near it are f o m e o il mills,but, being late, I co u ld not fe e t h e m . W e h ad provided ouralforjas w i t h provifions, othe.rwife we fhould h a v e fared indifferently ; fo r nothing b u t eggs a n d fallad were to b e h a d .I n th e evening, feveral o f th e youth from th e village were.af-fembled before th e door o f a fmall houfe, in w hic h lived th ebarber w h o attended th e venta ; amongft t h e m was a y o u n gwoman, w h o touched th e guitar, an d fangfeguidellas

* a g r e eably ; feeing me a t t e n t i v e to th eir mufic, they offered me achair, a n d th e nymph w h o fang af k ed me if I underf toodth e couplets ; if n o t , fh e w o u l d explain them, w h i c h fhe d idw i t h o u t th e mu f ic. T h e evening was mild a n d ferene, a n dt h u s th e c o m p a n y a m u f e d themfelves till e le ve n o'clock, w h e nthey b r o k e u p . I re tu rn e d th e fair Cecilia t h a n k s fo r h e reourtefy, a n d fh e left me w i t h a fmile, a n d an Adios, c a v a lie r o Ingles, killing h e r h a n d m a n y t i m e s . A f t e r t h u s paflmgtwo h o u r s m o f t pleafantly, I prepared m y bed, w h i c h wastwo benches, fo r no bedding was to be had, fpread m y cloak,a n d retired to reft.

A t midnight we were difturbed by th e a r r i v a l o f th eking's horfes : th e conductors, ufing th e privilege o f theirp o w e r , t h r e a t e n e d to hamftring all th e c a t t l e t h a t flood int h e i r w a y : notwithftanding t h e r e were flables enough toc o n t a i n a b o v e a h u n d r e d horfes, they t u r n e d out every b e a ftt h a t was in t h e m . I was obliged to exert m y p o we r, ufurp-ing m y o ld character o f an officer in th e Irifh brigade, a n dmenace th e conductors for th eir infolence ; w h e n m y c a v a lry were again admitted, a n d t a k e n m u c h be tte r care o f t h a nthey w o u l d h a v e been otherwife. T h e reft o f th e guefts, w ho* A kind o f Spanifh poetry, fe t to mufic, very animated.

chofe %


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 23chofe to be very fubmiflive, alfo got admittance ; but one ob-flinate fellow, who pleaded and urged his right with a manlyfpirit, was obliged to feed his mules at the door of the venta.After this fracas> I returned again to reft, and fe t out at fiveo'clock.

4th, Travelled through a country rather hilly ; but the hills-cultivated to the top with corn and olives, the fineft grain,.and in the greateft abundance imaginable : faw two or threeflocks of fheep in fome few fpots that were not in corn : paff-ed a village ; and in four hours, travelling three leagues, arrived at Aldea del Rio, which, on our approach, with the country around it, appeared very pleafant. In this town they fabricate a great deal of coarfe woollen cloth.At five o'clock we purfued our journey along th e vale,

through which the Guadalquivir runs, covered with corn andolives : paffed two croffes : croffed the Guadalquivir, over aflone bridge, which has been formerly defended by a tower atthe end of it, and arrived at And ujar :. near five hours travelling four leagues.This town is fituated on a riling ground, about a quarter of

a mile from the bridge : it has been fortified, and commandsthis paffage of the Guadalquivir.There were fome mufidans, with two violins, two guitars,and a bafs, who came to th e door of the pofada, and played

fo r a couple of hours, for which we rewarded them with afew quarts.* Here we were fupplied with bedding, and got

* A quart is a copper coin, eight and a half making a real vellon..3 fome


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24 TRAVELS THROUGHfome excellent red wine. On paying the bill, we were taxedwith, what is called, the eflaca, a' duty of three quarts leviedon each beall that lies all night at the inn. At this placethere is alfo a fabric of coarfe cloth. Here we found the mon-tera again in ufe.

5th, Left Andujar at eight o'clock in th e morning. Thecountry much the fame ; corn and olives for two leagues,when we entered the Sierra Morena? and faw a number ofolive trees ; afterwards, poor foil, wafte land, and cork trees.Paffed one of th e German fettlements ; it did not appear tobe fo fa r advanced in improvement as theCarlotta. We werefive hours travelling four leagues, when we arrived at Baylin,a very indifferent town : near it are lead mines.

Purfued our journey at four, palling a very poor, uncultivated country, fo r a league, entered upon the new fettlements,and carried them along with us for three leagues further to thisplace : four leagues in four hours : here we found a tolerablepwfada, kept by a Frenchman.

About eight years ago thefe fe ttlements were eftablifhed :emigrants from Alface, French Flanders, Lorrain, &c. weretranfported hither to populate, cultivate, and improve thismoft inhofpitable country : for want of previous preparation,fo r want of proper knowledge of colonization, many of thefirft fettlers perifned a little after their arrival ; and moft ofthe remainder have been fince deftroyed by the climate : theywere crowded into barracks infufficient againft the heavy rainsthat fall at certain feafons in this part of the kingdom, whichproduced diforders and killed many ; moft of thofe who fur-

* The brown mountain of Don Quixotte.4 vived,


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 25!vived, brought from a colder clime, obliged to work, expofedto th e rays o f this m u c h h o t t e r fun, in an uncleared countryand unw hole f om e foil ; th e a ir fraught w ith vapours, a n d th ee a r t h w i t h al l kinds o f minerals ; bringing along w i t h them,a n d following th e cuftoms o f their own native land, h a v e f i n c eexpired ; befides, m a n y amongft them, unaccufcomed to ti llage, manufacturers o f all kinds, expecting, on" their arrival,to find w e a l t h inftead o f hard labour, perifhed r a the r t h a n toilat w h a t they could not underftand : however, there h as beena f e c o n d a n d third emigration, befides a n u m b e r o f Catalansto carry on th e project, w h o h a v e been more fuccefsful, efpe-cially th e latter, as they are a people inured to th e climate,a n d remarkably diligent a n d laborious : but, to promote h u f -bandry in an y great degree, o t h e r kinds o f induftry m u ft beencouraged, an d a ready c o m m u nic a tio n m ade throughoutth e kingdom, t h a t t h e r e m a y b e a m u t u a l exchange w i t h th eproduce o f one part fo r th e commodities o f a n o t h e r ; w h e r eby, th e fuperabundance o f one territory, m a y fupply th e deficiency o f a n o t h e r : government feems not to h a v e t a k e nfuch an extenfive v i e w o f things : h ad th e river Guadalquiv ir been m a d e navigable from th e fea to Andujar, previous toth e eftablifhment o f thefe colonies, they w o u l d h a v e been ina m u c h more flourilhing ftate t h a n they are at prefent, or arelikely to be.

I h a v e been informed, that, at th e period w h e n thefe fettlements were made, ten thoufand inhabitants o f Galicia, m igrating into Portugal, were immediately received a n d fent offro th e Brafils : if this be t r u e , it was a great overfight in g ov e r n m e n t , in not encouraging thofe people to h a v e formedthefe colonies.

E Each


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26 TRAVELS THROUGHEach colonift, on his arrival, had his portion of ground

allotted him, when he was employed to clear it, and preparematerials for building, &c. being allowed a real a day, witha ration of bread fo r the firft three, and to be exemptedfrom taxes for ten years : when th e houfes were built, and thecolonifts put into poffefliori of them, they were fupplied withutenfils for hufbandry, feed for fowing, half a dozen fowls,two cows , &c. and, from time to time, th e intendant furnifhesthem with whatever may be wanting ; though they all complain of their rulers, as this, like every other governmentwork, is made a job of.

The town is fituated on a rifing ground, and handfomelydifpofed : the road for about half a mile, leading in a ftraightline to it, is planted with trees, on each fide of which is apath fo r foot paffengers, and the ground without the pathinclofed, and laid out in gardens ; th e ftreets cut each otherat right angles, with a market place in th e middle of the town ;and th e church at the extremity of the principal ftreet. Tofhew the rage of this nation for bull-fighting, they have built ahandfome hexagon, which is to ferve fo r a plaza de toro. Thehoufes are of flone, covered with lime, whitewafhed and tiled :they told me, there might be between three or four hundredin this colony. The foil here is not fo favourable forcultivation as at th e Carlotta, though th e lands are much improved : this year there is a great deal of corn. There arecomplaints, that th e funds appropriated to the fervice of thefefettlements are very deficient. There is a filk manufacturehere ; and fome catalams of confideration, are about to efta-blifh a fabric of coarfe woollen cloth, with a view to cloathe allth e troops in the province. However this project may havebeen badly conducted or mifmanaged in its infancy, it was3 certainly


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 27certainly m o f t eligible in government to promote th e population a n d improvement o f a wa f t e tra c t o f country fo r fo man y miles ; by wh i c h means a free road o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n hasbeen m ade b e tw ee n th e capital an d more remote parts o fth e kingdom, t h a t before was infefted w i t h thieves a n d robbers ;wh e r e m u r d e r was frequently c o m m i t t e d ; a n d w h e r e it wasimpoflible to travel in fafety, w i t h o u t a confiderable poffe orfafeguard.

I n this colony, I obferved, a change in th e manner o f threfh-ing th e corn (if I m ay be allowed th e expreflion) inftead o fmares treading it out as before, they m a d e u fe o f a trillo, t h a tis, three pieces o f thick w o o d joined together by th e fide o fe a c h other, a n d m a d e full o f holes, in w h i c h are placed fmallfharp pointed ftones ; atone end a m u l e is put, a n d a perfonfitting on th e m a c h i n e to prefs it on th e grain, drives th e m u l ein a circle ; this, as in th e o t h e r m a n n e r , breaks th e ftraw intopieces ; b u t that, as I obferved before, is o f no confequence,as th e inhabitants feed their cattle with it t h u s b r o k e n . I h a v enothing more to fay at prefent, b u t to le t yo u know, t h a t I amgoing to reft, in order to purfue m y journey early to-morrowmorning, an d to bid yo u adieu.

E 2 L E T T E R


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28 TRAVELS THROUGH

LETTER IV .

My Dear Sir, Madrid, July 14, 1 774.1 AM juft now come to town, and lodged at the Fonda ofSt. Sebaftian. As I propofe not to ftir abroad this day, I fhalltranfcribe to you my journal from the Sierra Morena, throughAranjuez, which I hope will afford you fome entertainment.

July 8. Set out from th e Carolina early in the morning% andcarried th e colony along with us for about a league, when wecame into a moft mountainous and uncultivated country. Paf-fing the Venta de Miranda, we entered, what is called, el pu-erto * del rei : on the fummit of one of the mountains we fawa little fhed, wherein were placed two images of faints, withinfcriptions, which informed us, that the Archbifhop of. Toledogranted eighty, and the Bifhop of Valencia forty days indulgence, to thofe who faid a prayer before each of them. Weobferved two good Chriftians taking the advantage of their dif-penfing power. There the jurisdictions of the prelates, and theboundaries of the provinces were afcertained. About half waythrough the puerto, came to th e Venta del Marquis, where anofficer of the aduana or cuftoms, demanded a toll, each horfepaying three quarts, and carriages in proportion ; but on te lling him I was a foldado, he granted me an exemption. Notbeing able to get any thing to eat at th e venta, we purfued ourjourney through th e mountains, which having paffed, and de-fcending into the plains, faw fome olive trees, a little cultiva-

* The paries in mountains are called puertas. tion,


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 29tion, and a great number of fheep -folds. Travelled fix leaguesin feven hours, and arrived at El Vifo, th e firft town in La Man-cha, at the foot of the Sierra Morena.

1 was furprized to find th e difference a few leagues had made-in the appearance of th e people : an old man was feated at the.door of th e pofada, who was dreffed in a dark-coloured cloth;waiflcoat and breeches ; th e breeches tied at the knee, andhanging over the tie to th e calf of his leg ; black flockings andmontera , with a cloak of the fame coloured cloth of his waiflcoat ; he had a thin face, fallow complexion, long black hair,,and. a grizly beard of fome three weeks growth; his deportment was grave and folemn, and his countenance penfive and.Jevere ; though he was th e landlord of the inn, he paid little-attention to m e, and it was with fome trouble I got him to.enter into converfation ; however, at length, I found him veryconverfant in th e affairs of th e village, but his ideas did notcarry him many miles beyond it. Moft of th e men of th e towmwere cloathed in th e fame manner, with this dark coloureddoth, which is made of th e undied wool of black fheep, eachfamily fabricating a- furhcient quantity for -its own. ufe: thewomen wore jackets and aprons of the like fluff, with a kind oflinfey woolfey petticoat ; red flockings ; beads and many trinkets about their necks ; with their black hair tied behind ; thefmarter girls wearing filver combs : every one feemed to have amore fedate appearance, and more myfterious air, than I hadfeen.in Andalufia. I have been told before, and I find it true,.that to read Don Quixote with fatisfa&ion, a man-mull vifit thisprovince; for the people are almoft as romantic now as in his.days . Here we were indifferently fupplied with provifions : badbread, and no other meat but goat's flefh : wTe got a. few eggs,,and tolerably good wine.

This


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30 TRAVELS THROUGHThis village belongs to the Marquis of Santa Cruz. The

alcalde, or magiftrate of the town, fent me word, if I wouldregale him, he would fhew me the Marquis's palace ; I em-rbraced his offer and went to fee it . It is a large fquare edifice,and has been very handfome, but is now going to ruins ; it wasoriginally decorated by Italian artifts, as the infide is much inthe tafte of many palaces at Genoa. The exploits of the famous predeceffor of this family againft the Moors, are paintedin frefco ; many trophies, taken from them, are ftill treafuredup here.

The houfes of this village are low and poorly built, chiefly ofclay tiled ; but in general were clean. The pojfadero informed me, that numerous flocks of fine wooled fheep came heretofeed annually ; that Don Luis, the king's brother, and princeMaferano, have tracts of land round th e town, which theyle t to the pallors, who arrive here from the northern parts ofth e kingdom, with their flocks, about St. Andrew's day ; pafsthe winter, and then fet out again on their fummer migrationth e beginning of May, returning to th e mountains of Old Caf-tile for that feafon.

Immediately around the village, a great deal of corn, chieflybarley.9th, Set out early in the morning from El Vifo : left SantaCruz de Mudela on the left, whence the Marquis takes his title :the ground lies moft agreeably : we carried little hills alongwith us, on the fummits of which there were generally fheep-folds ; a good deal of corn in the flat country ; the highgrounds chiefly in pafture ; not a houfe or a tree to be feen ;

fome little huts fcattered here and there, intended for th e refi-dence


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 31dence of th e different fhepherds : faw feveral droves of mules,for which this country is famous : travelled four leagues in fourhours, and arrived at Val de Penas.

In this town there is the beft bread I have ever feen ; andth e wine is remarkably good. The people and houfes havemuch the fame appearance as at El Vifo. The Marquis, whois alfo proprietor here, has eftablifhed a fabrick of woollen cloth,but it is of no great confideration.

In this flat country the water is bad, which, together withth e great heat, and poverty of the inhabitants, concur to givethem a moft ghaftly appearance. We only ftopt to dine, andin th e afternoon purfued our journey through a country, foflat, that we had a horizon before us the fame as at fea in acalm : paffed a great many vines and fome olives for above aleague from th e town : defcried the fteeple of th e church atManzanares, where we were to lie, above three leagues beforewe came to it : left a village on th e right : faw feveral flocksof fheep, and a great deal of corn, chiefly barley, till nearManzanares, where we paffed fome olive trees. In four hourswent four leagues, when we finifhed this day's journey, andfound a tolerable pofada.

On hearing that three companies of the brigade of Carabi-niers were quartered here, I determined to reft myfelf th e nextday, and fe e them. This brigade is compofed of twelvetroops, of fifty men a troop ; the captains have th e rank ofcolonel, th e lieutenants of captain, and the enfigns of lieutenant ; the men are feledled from th e other corps of cavalry ;th e horfes ufed formerly to be recruited in the fame manner,but now they r emoun t in Andalufia : I faw but few young

men


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3a TRAVELS THROUGHmen amongft the troopers; the non-commiffioned officershad the appearance of butchers and cheefe-mongers ; thehorfes, in general, were good," and I 'fa^v a few very fine:as this brigade never ftirs out of La Mancha, but on particular occalions ; and as there is no great fpirit of difciplineamongft them, it is much rufticated.

This town had nearly the fame appearance with the reftwe had paffed. I had the curiofity to count the little ornaments my landlady wore about her neck, when I foundno lefs than the heads of twenty-fix different faints, flampton little bits of filver, faflened to beads, which made amoft brilliant appearance : here we got incomparably goodbread, and th e Valdepenas wine.

ioth. Left Manzanares at four o'clock in the afternoon :travelled two leagues, when we flopt and drank at the VentaQuefeda ; but it by no means anfwers the defcription givenby that humourous novelift, Cervantes : near th e venta,the river Guadiana makes it appearance, after running under ground for near feven leagues.

Purfued our journey through a country not fo much improved as before, and arrived at Villaharta in four hours,five leagues : a poor village : we were badly lodged, for theregiment of Montefa, cavalry, on its march had taken up thepofadas.

There is a morafs on th e north fide of the town, whichrenders it very unhealthy in fummer.nth. Left this abominable hole at four o'clock : croffedthe morafs on a flone caufeway : the wind coming from

4 the


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 33the northward, over fome mountains that were juft beforeus, made it fo extremely cold, that we were obliged ,to wearour great coats : travelled two leagues, and came to thePuerto Lapiche, mentioned in Don Quixote, as famous forthe adventure of the Bifcayner : little and indifferent cultivation till we paffed the Puerto ; afterwards a great deal of barley and fome olives : arrived, and dined, at Camunas, a poorvillage, every perfon we faw afked alms : purfued our journey, after dinner, through a country abundant in barley,fo flat, that we had a horizon as fair as at fea : did notmeet a creature, or fee but one houfe, for five leagues ;when we arrived at Temblequer, which is fituated in ahollow way.

The town is large ; has a kind of manufacture of filk andthread flockings, which were very indifferent, and verydear.

Here the pofada was bad ; but it afforded us an adventure,very fimilar in its nature, to that. of Don Quixote and Mari-tornes ; our fair one was not quite fo ugly as Cervantes's ;but fhe was fully as amoroufly inclined. We got a quarterwith a recefs, wherein two beds were placed ; as it was extremely hot, and the recefs flunk of all kinds of bad fmells,I drew the mattrafs off the platform, and placed it in themiddle of the floor ; now it happened that our quarter wasa paffageroom, atone end of which was a little apartment,taken up by a Calazero, going with an empty chaife toToledo ; he retired early to reft, and we wTere not longafter him : at what hour the devil difturbed the repofe ofthe Calazero, I cannot determine ; but in the mid ft of amoft profound deep, I was awaked, and almoft crufhed to

F death,


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34 TRAVELS THROUGHdeath, by an amazing weight falling acrofs me ; fo foon asI could fpeak, I roared out luftily, fo r an inftant, when I wasrelieved from my burthen, and faluted by a hollow and deep-toned voice, with Perdon U. M. Cdvallero, which was repeated fevera l times : I was too much flurried to think ofSpanifh execrations ; but I curfed moft heartily in Englifhat laft, recollecting myfelf, I afked, %ue quiere U- M. ?Nada, replied th e voice, Voi a mi quarto Senor. Va U.M. al Demonio, fays I, and then turned myfelf to fleep;when I was again difturbed by a naked foot, which gaveme a flap in th e face : ^uien es, fays I, loudly ; a femalevoice replied, Hu-Jh I then, in a lower, and more gentle tone, afked, Quiere V. M. algo f at the fame time putting my hand out of bed, to feel whether it were a fubftanceor a fhade, that had thus accofted me ; I perceived a glimmering light coming towards me, held out by the witch ofEndor, in a yellow petticoat. The girl was fairly caught,and all th e powers of eloquence could not prove th e contrary. The picture was a good one : the old beldam, witha thin, fhrivelled, yellow countenance, and clamorousvoice, expofing, by th e dim light of a half extinguifhedlamp, Maritorne's charms, which were concealed by thefhift only ; with fuch a fhift, and fuch charms ! the mafterfitting up in bed, endeavouring to vindicate his conduct;and the fervant, awaked out of his fleep, with a blue handkerchief tied about his head, in amazement at the fcene.It being now three o'clock, it was in vain to reft again, fowe fed our cattle, the Calazero his mules, and at four wefet out ; th e latter foiled in his intrigue, of which I had onlythe reputation. Thus we left th e poor difappointed girl tobe feverely lectured by th e jealous Jezabel her miftrefs,who was fo old, that fhe had quite forgot th e tim e when3 fhe


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 35fhe ufed to play the fame pranks. Sport on, ye amorousCaflilians ; nor let the ill-judged caution of a gloomy Eng-lifhman, deprive you of thofe tranfports he cannot enjoy.

1 2th. Went fo r about a league and a half through a veryflat country, which brought us to a hollow way ; along thiswe travelled, chiefly chalky land : paffed a caufeway overa morafs, when we came to La Guardia, a village curiouflyfituated ; it has been originally a fort, on th e point of aconical rock, to defend the entrance of this pafs ; we fawfome remains of other forts to the right. Two fhort leaguesfrom La Guardia, is Dos Borrios, another village, fituatedat the extremity of this pafs, where we left La Mancha;here we got again to the level of th e plain ; a country covered with barley as before, and fome of th e finefl olive-trees I had feen : faw Oceana at about a league before lis,where we arrived at ten o'clock.

There we found a tolerable good pofada : we only flayedto dine, and again purfued our journey : the country became more irregular : we defcended into a hollow way,which we carried with us to Aranjuez. From Oceana toAranjuez is a royal road, very fine, and well made ; flonesare erected at every half-league : faw fome barley, andvery indifferent olive-trees, till within a league of it, whenthe country became quite uncultivated ; nothing but rabbetburrows : after travelling two leagues, finifhed this day'sjourney, and found a good fonda.Aranjuez is a real Jitio,* where the court refides from a

little after Eafter till the latter end of June. It is fituated* A royal country palace. F 2 in


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 37ftrait lines of the alleys, is difagreeable, and, after a fhort.time, tires.

In th e fummer, it is a very unwholefome place, th e people are all fubject to the ague : it was extremely hot the dayI was there, and th e inftant I went into the gardens, theircoolnefs gave fo fudden a check to the perfpiratibn, that Ifcarcery got the better of it all day.

The town is prettily laid out ; the houfes are particularlybuilt, one ftory with garrets ; they are all painted on theoutfide : hxyufe-rent is fef extremely high, that the travellerbecomes very heavily taxed ; though indifferently ferved,we were exorbitantly charged.

r'3th. Left Aranjiiez at five o'clock in- the evening ; paffed th e bridge over the Tagus, and entered the great royalroad, which is an avenue fifty feet broad, planted with fourrows of elms ; this avenue continues for above a league ina ftrait line, when we paffed a flone bridge, of twenty-fouror twenty-five arches, acrofs the Jarama, where we paida toll of feven and a half quarts each liorfe : the road wasonly planted for about half a league further, but wasequally good to Baldemoro, three leagues, where we arrivedat eight o'clock, and lay all night.

Set out at four o'clock this morning : paffed feveral villages on each fide of the road, fome corn, a few vines, andarrived here at eight o'clock ; four leagues in four hours.As the court is noW at this place, I propofe to refide herefo r fome time. If you have any commands, I fhall behappy to execute them, being, with great truth, &c.

LETTER


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38 TRAVELS THROUGH

LETTER V.

My Dear Friend, Madrid, July 29, 1774*FROM a fhort refidence at a metropolis, little material intelligence can be expected ; however, I fhall venture, as well asthofe who have gone before m e, to give my remarks and ob-fervations on this court and villa ; if they afford you th e leaftentertainment, your fatisfaction will more than compenfatemy labour.

Madrid is fituated on feveral little hills, at th e foot of whichruns th e Manzanares, a poor rivulet, at this time almoft dry.

The town is furrounded with a kind of mud wall, withgates at different avenues ; it is inclofed, with a view to prevent the introduction of th e various articles of fubfiflence, &c.without paying the impoft.

I rode round the town, at two different times, and thenceconclude it to be about feven miles in circumference : it is whatth e F rench call bien percee : fome of the ftreets, fuch as theCalle de Atoche, Carrera de San Geronimo, Galle de Alcala, &c.are fpacious and handfome ; particularly th e latter, the entrance of which is near two hundred feet broad ; they are keptperfectly clean, are well paved and lighted, lamps being placedat every fifteen or fixteen yards,

The


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 39The police, upon the plan of that of Paris, is well regulated :

the town is divided into a number of diftricts, each diftrict beingagain fubdivided into many inferior ones ; there is a fuprememagiftrate to each fuperior diftrict, who decides and punifhesall frivolous difputes and fmaller crimes.

The new palace muft be efteemed a magnificent building, though connoiffeurs fay it is heavy : It is a large, fquareflone edifice, fituated on a riling ground, at th e weft end of thetown ; in th e defign there are two wings, but they are not yetbegun, nor, moft probably, ever will : the approach to it isvery indifferent, as it is not feen till clofe upon it : th e entranceand flair-cafe are handfome : th e great faloon of flate is a moftfumptuous room, about ninety feet by thirty-fix ; the ceiling ispainted in frefco, with figures as large as life ; th e walls hungwith crimfon velvet, embroidered elegantly with gold, adornedwith large mirrours : in th e apartments is a collection of paintings by the firft mafters : th e famous Mengs, who has paintedmany of the ceilings, &c. is now employed by th e King, witha great falary : the numerous noble performances here are wellworthy the attention of the curious. The chapel is a moftcomplete and elegant piece of workmanfhip ; in it is fome ofthe fineft marble in th e country.

The Retiro is at the eaft end of the* town, but is an indifferent palace : there are ftill fome good paintings remaining in it -tbut the beft have been removed. The gardens are fpacious,a great part of which is inclofed, and kept entirely for theking's fport ; there is little worth notice in them, except a fineequftrian ftatue of Philip IV . and a large piece of water , whichbeing on a height, has been brought there at a confiderableexpence.

The


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4 T R A V E L S THROUGHThe Gafa delCampo, acrofe the Manzajnares, ahout a

mile out ,o.f town, is but a hovel for a .prince ; and there .isnothing ftriking in the park or inclofure, which is kept forthe King's fport.

In the King's armoury are many antient weapons of war,and fuits of armour, kept in great. order. In his library,every perfon has free accefs, may call for what books he.pleafes, and the moft profound filence is kept, to prefervethe attention of the readers.

Notwkhftanding the amazing fortunes of fome of thenobity, there are few houfes that have a fplendid externalappearance. The Duke of Medina Coeli has a moft exten-fiye palace ; but there is neither magnificence without, orelegance within ; th e apartments are low, badly decorated,andGothicly furnifhed ; indeed, there are fome very hand -fome rnirrours from the King's fabric at San Ildephonfo : hehas an armoury, in which are many valuable pieces of arr-tient armour, and antique bulls : he has alfo a public library, which is open for a certain number of hours everyday.

The houfes here are chiefly brick ; thofe of the nobilityare plaiftered and painted on the outfide : the veftiges ofjealoufy are ftill to be feen ; rejas, or large iron grates, areplaced at every window. Some of th e houfes are very lofty,five, fix, or feven flories, particularly in th e plaza major,which is a large fquare, where the royal bull-feats are held ;at other times, th e green market, &c. The middling peoplelive on feparate floors, as at Edinburgh, which renders theone common entrance to

many families very dirty and difa-greeable


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 41greeable : the portals are the receptacles for every kind offilth ; and as the Spaniard has more mauvaife honte thanMadame de Rambouillet, he performs th e like offices of nature concealed behind the gate of th e portal, that fhe openlydid in the fields : this is a ftrong remnant of Moorifh manners. When a houfe is built, the firft floor belongs to theKing, but fo r which th e owner generally compounds.

The cuftom-houfe and poft-office are new and handfomebuildings.

The churches here, as in every other part of th e country,are tawdry, and overloaded with ornament; befides, thereare ftrong remains of Moorifh tafle throughout ; little fpiresand diminutive domes disfigure all their temples. TheCapucins, though a beggarly race, are building a moftenormous church, that has, and will, coft an immenfe fum.The clergy by fap, and the prince by florm, pillage andplunder the whole commonalty. The convent of the Sale-zas has a neat little chapel ; the altars of fine marble, andelegant fculpture. There are about thirty-fix convents ofmen, and as many of women here.

There are two churches in this town, that are afylumsforrogues, thieves, and murderers : this was a point theclergy carried, when the fame privileges were taken from

every other church.

Though the clergy muft have confiderable power inthis, as well as every other country, yet it has beenmuch reduced of late years. The edict to prevent the ad-miflion of noviciates into the different convents, without

G fpecial


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42 TRAVELS THROUGH

fpecial perrnifliom, has, and will reduce the monaftic orders.It is computed, there are now 54,000 friars, 34,000 nuns,and 30,000 fecular clergy in the kingdom-

The environs of Madrid are not very agreeable : thereare no villas or country houfes; no places of recreationaround it : th e Prado, a public walk, planted with trees,at the eaft end of the town, is the chief fummer evening'samufenient ; a great deal of company affemble there everyafternoon, both in carriages and on foot*.

I was feveral times at court, during its refidence here : allthe royal family dine publicly in feparate rooms ; and it isthe etiquette to vifit each apartment whilfl they are at dinner ; a moft tirefome employ fo r thofe who are obliged tobe there, and it would be thought particular, if th e foreignambaffadors were not conftantly to attend : Don Luis, theKing's brother, who is the loweft in rank is firft vifited ;he is the ftrangeft looking mortal that ever appeared,, and hisdrefs is not more peculiar than his perfon -y ever fince hewas a cardinal, he has detefted any thing that comes nearhis neck, fo his taylor has been particularly careful, to bringthat part, which mould be th e collar of his coat, no higher than halfway up his breaft ; this prince is of a moft humane difpofition, and is univerfally efteerned. The next inturn, is the Infanta Dona Maria, who feemed to be a very in-offenfive little woman. Then to the two Infantes, Don Gabriel and Don Antonio : At the King's library, I faw anedition of Salluft, in Spanifh, faid to be tranflated by theformer ; the type, in imitation of manufcript, and th e engravings very fine. Thence to fhe prince and princefs ofAfturias, th e latter is of the houfe of Parma, and feems tobe


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 43be very affable : the Prince looks like an honeft, plain man ;it is faid, he has an utter averfion to every perfon and thing,Italian or French ; but the Princefs having contrary fentiments,it is moft likely, in the end, fhe will prevail on him to changehis mind : as an inflance of his diflike ; th e French ambaffador exclaimed loudly, that the Prince always converfedwith him in Spaniih ; it coming to the Prince's knowledge,he afked the Frenchman, in what language the Dauphinfpoke to the Spanifh ambaffador at the court of Verfaiiles ?On being told, in French, he continued, without takingany further notice, to converfe with the ambaffador, as before, in his own tongue. The laft vifit is to th e King, whohas a very odd appearance in perfon and drefs ; he is of diminutive flature, with a complexion of th e colour of mahogany ; he has not been meafured for a coat thefe thirtyyears, fo that it fits upon him like a fack ; his waiftcoat andbreeches are generally leather, with a pair of cloth fpatter-dafhes on his legs. At dinner, pages bring in the differentdimes, and prefenting them to one of the lords in waiting,he places them upon the table ; another nobleman ftands onthe King's fide, to hand him his wine and water , which hetaftes, and prefents on his knee ; the primate is there to faygrace ; th e inquifitor-general alfo attends at a diftance, onone fide, and the captain, who has the guard, on the other ;the ambaffadors are in a circle near him, with whom heconverfes for a fhort time, when they retire into a room behind his chair ; th e reft of the court form in a fecond circle,without the ambaffadors, at the end of the room; when heriles from table, all who are to be introduced to him areprefented ; and the governor of Madrid, having receivedthe parole, he enters the room to the ambaffadors : he

G 2 goes


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44 TRAVELS THROUGH

goes ou t a fporting every day of the year, rain or blow, whilftat Madrid, once a day, in th e afternoon ; but in the country,at the ftios, morning and evening : he often drives fix or fevenleagues out, and back again, as hard as the horfes can go ; itis a moft fatiguing life fo r his attendants, and it is no uncommon thing to hear of the Guardia de Corps getting diflocatedfhoulders, broken arms, legs, &c. by falls from their horfes :the country all around his palaces is enclofed fo r his fport.

I have been told, that, a little before I arrived, th e King hada fcheme to abdicate his throne, and retire to Cazerta near Naples ; but demanding a fettlement of fixteen millions of crowns ,the council of Caftille put a negative, as much as they could,upon his refolution ; by telling him, that the kingdom couldnot fupport the annual drain of fuch an immenfe fum of money, in confequence of which, he defifted ; but, it is faid, hehas the idea ftrongly impreffed on his mind.

The grandees had great privileges ; but fince th e acceffionof Philip V. who brought them to th e capital, they have in-fenfibly fallen under the tyranny of an abfolute monarch. Thereare many who are poffeffed of very confiderable fortunes : thepredeceffor of the prefent Duke of Medina Cceli had, on thedeath of his father, an income of 84,0001. a year, with fix millions of hard dollars in ready money ; in the courfe of twentyfive years he fpent the cafh, and mortgaged as much as hecould of the eftate : there is a flory told of him, that a comedy girl he kept, complaining to him, in the winter, of thecold, he fent her a filver brafero? filled with gold crowns.The prefent Duke purfues a different fyftem, yet the eflablifh-* A round veflel of metal, containing fire, ufually placed, by the Spaniards, in the mid

dle of their rooms in winter. men t


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 45ment of his family is very confiderable. All thefe great families have pages, who are gentlemen, fo r whom they provide,fometimes in th e army, &c. The cuftom of keeping buffoonsprevails ftill in this part of th e world : I often faw th e Duke ofAlba's, covered with ribbons of various orders, a fatire on fuchbaubles ! He attends his mafter in the morning, and th e inflanthe awakes, is obliged to relate fome facetious flory, to put hisGrace in good-humour : th e Duke requires fo much w it fromhim, that he is eternally upon the fcamper in fearch of it . Itis hardly poflible to divine how thefe people can fpend fuchamazing fortunes as fome of them poffefs ;. but refiding withthe court, never vifiting their eftates ; and, in general, thinking it beneath them to examine, or even enquire in to their affairs, their fiewards enrich themfelves to their ruin : befides,they are confifcated by horfes, mules, fervants, and dependants.I was told, that the Duke of Infantado's expencefor attendantsand penfioners, amounts to i2,oool. a year. When once afervant is admitted into a family, it is certain maintenancefor him during life, if he commit not fome glaring crime ; andeven his defcendants are taken care of. Women are anotherconfiderable expence : the conjugal bed is not held very facredby the men of fafhion ; and fmce the Bourbon family has beenfeated on this throne, jealoufy has loft its fling . The ladies arenot behind-hand with their hufbands : every dame has one cor-tejo at leaft, and often more ; th e cadets of th e guards are employed in this agreeable office, they are generally neceffitous,and are fupplied by the fair with means fo r their extravagance :amongft the people of rank, gratification is their object, andthey flop at nothing to accomplifh it : gallantry or intrigueare terms too refined for this people ; it is th e glaring vice ofvenery, uncontrouled, unreftrained, which brings difeafes into afamily, that are handed down from generation to generation.

3 The


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46 TRAVELS THROUGHThe Gallico is very common, and from the want of fkill, inpurfuing a proper method of cure, it often proves deftructivewhere it once takes root. I was prefented to a titulo, whowas almoft rotten with the diforder, having lingered underit for a confiderable t ime ; and his wife, a moft agreeablewoman, was dying by inches ; thus we fee half the nobility a difordered and degenerated race. The nobility arevery expenfive in their carriages, though they are yet in aGothic tafle ; they are loaded with a profufion of ornament ,and dazzle the eye with gilding : on gala, or Hate days,equipages appear, which coft amazing fums.

The people, in general, here, have adoped the Frenchdrefs ; none but the lower fort wear the cloak ; the womenwear the mantilla, or manta , when they walk the ftreet,or go to church. Since th e infurrection in 1766, no mancan wear a flapped hat in Madrid : to fhew the difpofi-tion of thefe people, and as a very particular circumftance,I mult infojm you, that at the t ime of that commotion,the mob regularly took their fejia, and then returned totheir different places of rendezvous ; government was alfofo very fleepy, that it did the fame ; fo that there feemed tobe a convention between adminiftration and the people fo ra few hours every day : the latter, for the laft time, I believe, carried their point, for guards are placed now at everycorner of th e town ; patroles of horfe and foot go regularlythrough the ftreets every night ; and th e famous O' Reilly isgovernor of Madrid : the former conduct of this general atNew Orleans, is fufficient to fhew how propeir a perfon heis, to execute the mandates of a tyrannic prince ; when Iwent to wait upon him, I found his addrefs moft arrogantand imperious ; th e hauteur with which he treated the fewofficers


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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 47officers who vifited him, did not correfpond with Englifhideas of fubordination. As this gentleman has made a confiderable figure in this part of Europe, I fhall, in a few words,give you his hiftory.

At the battle of Carnpo Santo, in Italy, he was wounded,and left in the field ; an Auftrian foldier was juft going to givehim the coup de grace, before he ftripped and plundered him,when he prevented it, by telling the foldier, he did not knowIns prize, fo r that he was the fon of the Duke of Arcos, agrandee of Spain ; this declaration held the plunderer's hand,and he conducted his imaginary treafure to Marfhal Brown,to whom the artful captive made himfelf known ; th e marfhal,pleafed with the deceit, ordered phyficians to attend him, andfenthim back w ith eclat to th e Spanifh camp : the Duchefsof Arcos hearing th e flory, ever after patronized him, andhurried him on to a company and majority : in the laft German war , he went a volunteer to the Auftrian army, but fpeak-ing too freely, was obliged to quit it; when he joined theFrench, and ferved under Broglio : on the breaking out ofthe Spanifh war, he returned to Spain, when he affumed a-good deal on his knowledge acquired in the German campaigns ; was made a colonel and brigadier : after the peace,was fent to take poffeflion of New Orleans, where his feats ofbafenefs and cruelty are recorded ; however, they only fervedto ingratiate him with the fovereign ; for his promotion hasbeen, from that time, moft rapid ; though amongft the youngeftof the major-generals, he was made a lieutenant-general, andinfpector-general of the infantry, over th e heads of many ofthe firft people in th e kingdom. Here we may fay, with Poly-bius, " that in an arbitrary ftate, th e zeal and courage of" mercenaries are rewarded with new advantages ; for a ty-

3 " rant,


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48 TRAVELS THROUGH" rant, in proportion as his fucceffes are increafed, has ftill" greater need o f fuch afliftance ; fo r by accumulating inju-" ries, h e adds to th e n um ber o f thofe w h o m he h as reafon to" fear. T h e very fafety, therefore, o f every tyrant, depends" wholly u p o n th e ftrength an d th e a t t a c h m e n t o f his foreign" foldiers." As h e has th e ear o f th e King, he does juft w h a th e pleafes in his line ; th e n u m b e r o f things he h as to give,caufe m a n y to p ay h im fulfome adulation ; b u t his imperiousbe ha viour m u f t m a k e h im h a t e d an d defpifed ; a n d fhould h eonce lofe th e fmiles o f th e prince, h e w o u l d foon be hurriedfrom this pinnacle o f honour, a n d precipitated into ruin, w i t h -a friend to confole h i m .

T h e civil an d criminal jurifdiction extends itfelf fo r fiveleagues r o u n d th e t o w n , w i t h an appeal to th e royal c o u n c i lo f Caftile ; b u t th e diftribution o f juftice here, is very dilatory,an d fubject to great venal ty.

T h i s flate is governed by th e Marquis o f Grimaldi, a refugee Genoefe, who, by his intrigues at th e court o f Verfailles,ro u te d th e C o n d e de Aranda, a n d got th e w hole p o w e r intohis own h a n d s : through this medium, Fra nc e rules th e councils o f this kingdom. Many o f th e principal departments, a n dfirft employments, are filled by foreigners, French, Italians,an d Irifh, w h o m th e Spaniards deteft, a n d very juftly, fo rthey h a v e no intereft, b u t to feed th e follies, a n d indulge th evices a n d extravagancies o f th e prince ; to enrich a n d providefo r their itinerant a nd neceflitous compatriots ; an d aggrandizethemfelves to th e oppreflion o f th e natives : b u t dans les paisdes aveugles, les borgnesfont rois.

This


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SPAIN AND, PORTUGAL. 49This town fwarms with French and Italian manufacturers

and fhop-keepers. If one hears of an artift, one is fure to findhim a foreigner; for th e arts have made but little progrefsamong th e natives. There is a manufacture of tapeftry, thatwas eftablifhed here by Ferdinand VI. where there are abouttwenty looms going. There is alfo a porcelaine manufactory, but no one is admitted to fee it. Thefe fabricks havebeen imitatively eftablifhed, through, a puerile vanity ; whilftthofe ofmore real utility are never thought of: they are kept upat a confiderable expence by royal munificence ; fo r their produce cannot be purchafed but by th e opulent ; indeed, theyferve to . draw fome of the wealth from, the clutches of th eprince, which is diftributed among thofe, who would other-'wife, moft probably, be in want of employment.Religious bigotry and fuperftition ftill prevail here. The

Prince of Afturias' fon being extremely ill, and given over bythe phyficians, the bones, of a faint were fent fo r from Alcala,and brought in proceffion-to the. palace, to work his cure ; butunfortunately, the faint was not in humour to perform th emiracle, and th e poor infant died. Npfc a woman gets into acoach to go a hundred : yards, nor a poftillion on his horfe,without crofting themfelves ; even th e tops of tavern- bills, andthe directions of letters, are marked with croffes^ There areeternal procefhons in theftceets, which th e pepple are very fondof,, and the clergy, take care to encourage;

There is afbciety of'people-iQthis town, fctoe of whom goabout th e ftreets in the- evening* knock with their flicks uponthe pavement," toainfomC thole who-' have- any -lick in theirhoufes, to bring them forth, > when they are conveyed to anhofpital ; and. if any poor, or diftrefted perfons are lying in the

H ftreets,


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5o TRAVELS THROUGHftreets, they are alfo t a k e n care o f. T h e hofpitals a r e , in general, very clean, an d well attended ;. an d this mu lt ever b eth e cafe w h e r e th e attendance is given from a religious motive.

T h e r e were two bull-feafls during m y flay here ; th e amphith eatr e m a y contain, as near as I could compute, a b o u t 10,000people : at one o f them, the r e was a man an d five horfes killed.T h e rage fo r this a m u f e m e n t is very great ; though, I am told,th e ke e n edge is m u c h worn off here. T h e firft attack o f the.bull is fine, a n d th e refiftance o f th e man on horfeback, givesm o f t manly ideas ; b u t th e conclufion, or butchering part, isvery difagreeable.

I was feveral times at th e theatres, w h i c h ha ve nothing rem a r k a b l e in their conftruclion. Refined comedy has no placeu p o n this ftage ; ne ithe r is th e tragic mufe fupported by th eperformers ; diftrefs an d joy, in long a n d tedious fpeeches, arealike repeated, w i t h a compofed c o u n t e n a n c e , an d a d u l l monotony, t h a t lulls th e a udie nc e to fleep. Buffoonery, indeed,has its full force ; it is equally mixed with th e ferious an d com ic T h e graciofo an d graciofa are conftantly introduced, tod r aw th e atten tio n o f th e audience; by endeavouring to m a k ethem laugh w i t h grimace, jokes, and quaint expreflions. T h efarces, t h a t are reprefented between th e acts o f th e principalpiece, are fometimes humourous, though often lo w ; they aregenerally fcenes o f gallantry at an inn, on th e public walks, atan ice-houfe, & c. an d as th e great purfuit o f thefe people isintrigue, th e artful fchemes o f b o th fexes to accomplifh theirends, are ludicroufly introduced. T h e fafhionable vice o fcortejos, to married w o m e n , is conftantly lafhed. T h e to-nadillas, or mufical dialogues, of 3 compofition peculiar tothis


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S PA I N A NT) FOR TUGAL. 51this country, fung between th e acts, are lively and agreeable.The fandango ', alfo in troduced after the farces, is a lafciviousdance, brought from th e Weft Indies, of which the natives areas fond as th e Englifh ufed to be of the hornpipe : I imaginethis dance originally came from th e coaft of Guinea : I haveobferved at Tetuan, th e Emperor of Morocco's black foldiersdance, withcafnets in their hands, in a manner very fimilar.There is a kind of comic opera, reprefented in fummer, calledthe Zarzuela ; I was at one of them ; a tranflation of theFrench Roi & le Fermier, from th e Englifh Miller of Manf-field ; th e voices and mufic, in general, were but indifferent.I have been told that there are above 10,000 plays in theSpanifh language ; th e perfon who informed me faid, he hadfeen a lift of 8,000, amongft which, Lopez de Vega, and Cal-deron, are moft refpectable figures ; and I make no doubt, butin a more refined age, th e 'beauties, in the compofitions of th eformer, the celebrated cotemporary and correfpondent ofShakefpeare, will be cleared from the pile of rubbifh that nowconceals them, and by another Montague, held forth to immortalize his name.

On the 26th, the court fe t out for San Ildephonfo :the troops were under arms, lining th e road from th e palace,as fa r as they could reach ; exclufive of the horfe and footguards, there were three regiments of infantry, and one ofcavalry. The coaches were attended by the guardia de corps,and drove as hard as they could go. The court refides fromthe middle of January, till a l itt le before the holy week, at th ePardo ; then at Madrid till after Eafter, affifting at th e religious ceremonies of the holy week ; at Aranjuez till the middle of June ; again at Madrid, for three weeks or a month ;at San Ildephonfo till October ; at the Efcorial till December ;once more at Madrid till January, and fo on annually.H 2 There


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5s TRAVELS THROUGHThere is a weekly Gazette publifhed here, in which Lthe

news of other countries is well related ; but for the trarifac-tions of this kingdom, except it be the church and army promotions, and the movement of th e court, it is filent.

I was told, that there are 300,000 inhabitants in this town jbut I fhould imagine this:numberi much exaggerated.

It is computed, that in the time of Augiiftus, there werefifty millions of inhabitants in this peninfula ; in th e reign ofFernando el Catholico, nineteen millions, and at prefent, notmOre than between nine and ten.

I am afraid I fhall- be detained here, as I have made myfelfexceedingly ill, by drinking an extra quantity of iced water,which beverage at this feafon, and in this climate, is remarkably agreeable; however, ifpoflible, I fhall fet Out to-morrowmorning, on my way to that extraordinary pile of building,the Efcorial ; fo conclude with affutfances that I am , &c."&e.

LETTER


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54 T R A V ELS TRRO U;G Hi cappearance, at a diftance, leffened my ideas of it ; but whenI came near, I was furprifed to find it fuch a ftupendouswork : where it is placed, there is no more plain than barelyfufficient to contain the edifice ; fo that the principal front,which is to the weft, and faces the hill, is much confined : excepting the portal, where there are columns of the Doric pr-der, it is fimple and free from ornament : there are fomefpires on the top of it, at each angle, that, according tp myopinion, do not fuit with the dignity of fuch a ftructure : theftones, of which it is built, are of a fize wonderfully large.

Philip II. founded this edifice, from an injunction laid onhim by his father Charles V. to raife a maufoleum for hisbones, and thofe of his wife, the Emprefs Ifabeila, mother toPhilip ; and from a religious motive, on his victory at thebattle of St. Quintin in 1557 ' which being fought on St.Laurence's day, was the caufe of his dedicating it to thatfaint. It is remarkable, that this prince having begun fo im -menfe a work, when turned of thirty-three years of age,mould live to fee it finifhed, refide and end his days in it,nine years after it was compleated, which was in 1589.The profpect from it is Very extenfive, though not pleafant :there is no wood of any coniideration, or water, in view, norany thing to bound it agreeably : there is not any gardenin the leaf! fuitable to fuch a building ; there is a terrafs onthe fouth fide, with a fifh-pond, and fome fmall parterres offlowers ; on the north, at a little diftance, are houfes fo rthofe who attend the court when it refides here ; and on theeaft, a declivity from the plain on which it ftands : the churchand cloifter are th e moft magnificent ; the royal apartmentsare nothing extraordinary ; the walks of them are coveredwith the tapeftry of the Madrid manufacture. In th e con

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SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 55vent, which is inhabited by the Jeronymites, are fome of thefineft paintings in Europe ; a collection from th e beft matters : it is alfo rich in treafure ; images of gold and filver ;lamps, &c. Poms Viage de Efpana, a late publication atMadrid, gives a moft particular account of the pictures, &c.and a minute defcription of th e convent. The Pantheon, asit is called, under the great altar of the church, begun in16 17, and finifhed in 1654, is a moft beautiful work : it iscompofedof jafper, and other fine marble, adorned with giltbrafs, &c. around it, in receffes, are placed fepulchral urns,in fome of which the bodies of the deceafed kings and queensof Spain are repofited : it was fo very cold, that I was obligedto hurry out of it as foon as poflible. The principal library isa very fine room, in which is a numerous collection of books,and fome good portraits, particularly one of Philip II. Theceiling and walls are painted in frefco : in the upper library,is a very valuable collection of Hebrew, Greek, Roman andArabic manufcripts, many of which I was fhewn. TheKing has been at a confiderable expence to get cataloguesmade of them, which will prove of great ufe to the learned :they are not yet compleated.

To fee the works of magnificence arife, the liberal donatives of an induftrious, free, and flourifhing people, affect thegenerous breaft ; but when the extorfive power of tyranny,racks a whole nation, to gratify the folly or vanity of oneman alone ; fuch piles of fplendour bear heavy on the mind,and load it with indignation againft the Hydra IAuguft ift. Left th e Efcorial in the evening, and palling

th e mountains, came to La Cerezada, a poor village, wherewe obferved the women with long queues ; thence through a

moun-


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-6 TRAVELS THROUGHmountainous country, little inhabited or cultivated ; " travelledfive leagues in four hours, and arrived at Navas del. Marques,an indifferent village, belonging to th e Duke de San Eftevan,who has an old caftle there, lying in ruins. The people told me,they carried on a manufacture of woollen cloth, but it couldnot be very confiderable.

The pofada was moft wretched ; however, it ferved to fhel-ter us from a very violent fhower of hail : paffed th e nightthere, and fet out the next morning at four o'clock : the weather cold ; Reaumure's thermometer at nine o'clock, was at1 1 Q which, whilft I was at Madrid, was generally in thecourfe of the day, from 15 to 2

travels through spain

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