The Alhambra. Conquest of Granada - Forgotten Books [PDF]

T

HE

AL HAMBRA

WASHI N G TO N

gu tb ut

’

fi

B z fii s zh E n i t iun

NE W YO RK : 46 E

TH O MAS

Y

.

I RV I N G

A

S T 1 4T H

.

ST RE E T

C R O WE L L

B O STO N : 1 00 P

U RC H

A

SE

.

S T RE E T

.

CO .

.

.

P RE FACE

TO THE RE VISE D

E D ITION

.

R O U G H drau ghts of som e of the foll o w i n g tale s an d e ssay s we re actually writte n durin g a re siden ce i n the Alhambra ; othe rs were subse que ntly added foun de d on n ote s an d o b s e r v a t i o n s m ade there C are was taken to m aintain local colorin g and veri si militude ; s o that the whole m i ght pre se nt a faithful and livin g pictur e of that m icrocosm that sin gular little world i nto which I had bee n fortuitously thrown an d about which the exte rnal world had a very imperfe ct idea It was my endeavor scru pulou sly to d epict its h alf Span i sh half Orie ntal characte r ; i t s m ixt u re of the heroic the poetic and the grotesque ; to revive the trace s of grace an d beauty fast fadin g from its walls to re c or d the re gal an d c hivalrous tradi t ion s con ce rn in g th ose w h o on ce trod its c ourts ; and the whi m sical an d superstitiou s le ge nds of the m otley race n o w burrowin g am on g its ruin s The papers thu s rou ghly sketched out lay for three or four years i n my p o rt fo li o u n t i l I found my self in London i n 1 8 3 2 on the e ve of return in g to the U n ite d State s I the n e n d e a v ore d to arran ge the m for the pre s s but the preparation s for departure d i d not allow su fficie nt leisure S everal we re thrown aside as in c omple te ; the re st w ere put to gether s o me what hastily an d i n rathe r a crude and chaotic m anner I n the present e dition I have revise d and re arran ge d the whole work e nlar ge d som e parts an d adde d oth ers includin g the papers ori ginally om itte d ; an d have thu s e n de avore d to re nder it m ore complete an d m ore worthy of the indul gent reception with which it h a s bee n favore d W I SU NN Y S ID E 1 8 5 1 ,

,

.

,

.

“

,

,

.

,

,

,

_

.

,

.

.

-

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

.

C O NTE NTS

.

THE J O UR NE Y

P A L ACE O F T HE AL HA M B R A IM P O RT AN T N EGO TI A TI ON S —

THE

AUT HO R S U CCEE D S T O T HE

O F BO AB DI L I NHA B IT AN T S O F T HE AL H AM B R A TH E HA LL O F AM B A SS A D O R S TH E J E S U I T s L I B R A R Y AL HAMAR T HE FO U N D E R O F T HE AL HA M B R A Y U S E F AB U L HAG I G T HE F I N I S HE R O F T HE AL HA M B R A THE MY S T E RI O U S C HA M B E R S P A NO R A M A FRO M T HE TO WE R O F C O M A RE S THE TRU AN T THE BA L CON Y THE AD V EN TUR E O F T HE M A S ON THE C O URT O F L I ON S THE AB ENCE R R AGE S M E M EN T O S O F BOAB DIL P U B LI C FET E S O F G R AN A D A L OCA L T RA DITI ON S T H R ON E

.

’

,

,

THE G E N E R AL I F E

L EGEN D

L OV E

O F P RI NCE AH M E D A L

KA M E L

,

O R T HE P IL G RI M

CO N TE N TS

6

.

P

A M ONG T HE HILL S L EGEN D O F T HE MOO R S L E GAC Y THE TO WE R O F L AS I N F AN T A S L EGEN D O F T HE T H R EE BEA UTIFUL P R I N CE SS E S L EGEN D O F T HE RO S E O F T HE AL HA M B R A TH E V E T E R AN THE G O V E R NO R AN D T HE N O T ARY G O V E R NO R M ANCO AN D T HE S O LDI E R A FET E I N T HE AL HA M B R A L EGEN D O F T HE Tw o D I S C R E E T ST A TU E S THE C RU S A D E O F T HE G R AN D M A S T E R O F AL C AN T A R A SP AN I S H RO M ANCE L EGEN D O F D O N M U N I O SAN CHO D E HI NO J O S A P OE T S AN D P OE TR Y O F MO S L E M AN D A LU S AN E X P E DITI ON I N Q U E S T O F A D I P L O M A TH E L EGEN D O F T HE E NCHAN T E D S O LDI E R THE AUT HO R S FA R E W E LL To G R ANA D A A RAM B L E

’

’

A

GE

A L H A M B RA

TH E

.

E T H F O H E S C T K E D S E N E S EL T F ll SERIES O MOORS END SP HNIERD S .

THE

J O U RN E Y

.

I N the sprin g of 1 8 29 t h e author of th is work W ho m curi m ade a ramblin g e xpeditio n o s i t y h ad brou ght into Spain fro m Se ville to G ranada in company w ith a frie nd a m e mbe r of t h e Russian E mbassy at Madrid Accident had thrown us to ge ther from distant re gions of the globe an d a si m ilarity of taste led u s to wan de r to ge t her am on g the ro m anti c m ou ntain s of An dalusia Should the se pa ges me et his eye W here ve r thrown by the dutie s of his station whethe r m in glin g i n the pa geantry of courts , or meditatin g o n the true r glorie s of n ature may they recall the s cen e s of our adventurous com i n whom n i o n s h i p an d w ith them th e recolle ction of one a p n eithe r tim e nor distan ce W il l obliterate the rem e m b rance of 1 h i s ge ntle ne ss an d worth An d here before settin g forth let m e i ndul ge i n a f e W p revious re marks on Span ish sce nery an d Spanish travellin g Many are apt to pi c ture S pain to their im a ginat ion s as a soft southern re gion , d ecked out W ith the lux u riant charm s of v o l u p t u ou s Italy O n the contrary thou gh there are exception s i n som e of the m aritim e provin ce s yet for the greater part it is a stern melancholy country with ru gge d m ountain s an d ,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

1

ll

com p an

P

er s i a .

,

,

N o t e t o t h e Revi s ed E d i t i o n

t ra v e i n g C o u rt o f

,

,

i on w a s t h e

P

.

ri n

l

lb

T h e Au t h o r fe e s a t i e r t y t o m e n t i o n t h a t h i s c e D o l go ro u ki , a t p r e s e n t u ssi an m i n i s t er a t t h e

R

AL HAMBRA

THE

8

.

i bably plain s destitute of trees an d I ndescr lon g sweepin g i tary partakin of the sava e an d sol g silent and l onesome g i ne ss i i hara te r of fri a What adds to th s S lence and lonel A c c c c on sequence of t h e the absence of sin in birds a natural is g g want of grove s and hed ge s Th e v ulture and the eagle are seen wheelin g about the m ounta i n c l i ffs and soar i n g o ver the p l ains and groups of s h y bustards sta l k about the heaths but the myriads of sma ll er b i rds wh i ch an i mate the W hole f ac e of other c ountries are met w ith m but f e w p ro v 1 n c e s In Spain and in those c hiefly amon g the orchards and garden s whi c h surround the habitations of man I n the interior provin c es the traveller occa s Ion ally trave rse s rea tra c ts c u l tivated with grain as far as the eye can reach t g wavin g at times with verdure at other times n ake d and s u n burnt but he l ooks around in vain for the hand that has tille d the soil At len gth he per c eives some villa ge on a steep hill or ru gged c ra g with mou l derin g battlements and ru i ned wat c h tower ; a stron gho l d in o l d times a gain st c i vi l w a r or Moor i sh inroad ; for the c ustom amon g the peasantry of c on gre gat i n g to gether for mutual prote c tion is still kept up i n most parts of Spain in c onsequen c e of the m a ra u d i n gs of rovin g free hooters But thou gh a great part of Spain is de fi c ient in the garn i ture of groves and forests and the softer c har m s of orna mental cultivation yet its s c enery is noble in its severity an d in unison W ith the attributes of its people ; and I think that I better understand the proud h ardy fru gal and abstem iou s Spaniard hi s manly de fi ance of hardships and conte mpt of effeminate indul gences sin c e I have seen the country he inhabits There i s somethin g too in the sternly simple feature s of the Spanish l ands c ape that impresses on the soul a feelin g of sub l imity The i mmen se p l ain s of the C astiles and of La Man c ha extendin g as far as the eye c an reach derive an interest from their very nakedness and immensity a n d pos sess in some de gree the solem n grandeur of the ocean I n ran gin g over these boundle ss wastes the eye catches si ght here and there of a stra gglin g herd of cattle attended by a lonely herd sman motionless as a statue W ith his lon g slende r pike taperi n g up l ike a lance into the air ; or beholds a lon g train of mules slowly movin g alon g the waste like a train of c amels in the desert ; or a S in gle horseman arm ed with blun d erbuss a n d stiletto and prowlin g over the plain Thu s the country the habits , the very look s of the people , hav e ,

,

,

,

.

,

.

-

,

,

,

,

,

.

0

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

'

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

THE

JO URNE Y

9

.

s omethin g of the Arabian character The ge neral in security of the country is evince d i n the unive rsal u se of weapon s The herds ma n i n the field the shephe rd i n the plain has his m usket and his kn ife The wealthy villa ger rarely ven ture s to th e marke t to wn without hi s trabuco and pe rhaps a servant o n foot with a blun derbuss on h i s S houlder ; an d the most pet t y j ourney i s u ndertake n w ith the preparation of a warlike enterprise The dan gers of the road produce als o a m ode of travellin g re se m blin g on a di m in utive scale the caravan s of the E ast The arrieros or c arriers con gre gate i n con voys an d s e t o ff i n lar ge and well arme d train s on appoi nte d days ; while additional travellers s w ell the ir nu mbe r an d c ontribute to the i r stren gth I n this pri mitive way is the com merce of the country carrie d on The muletee r i s the gen eral me diu m of traffi c a n d t h e le giti m ate traverse r of the land cros sin g the pe nin sula fro m the P yre nee s an d th e Asturias to the Al p u x a r ra s the Se rrania de Ro nda an d e ve n t o the gate s of Gibraltar He l ive s fru gally and hardily : hi s alforj as of c oarse cloth hold his s c an ty stock of provision s ; a leathern bottle han gin g at his saddle b o w contain s w ine or wate r for a supply across barre n m ountain s an d thirsty plains ; a m ule cloth S pread up o n the ground i s his bed at n i ght an d his pack saddle his pillow Hi s low but clean limbed and s ine wy form betoke n s stre n gth ; hi s com plexion i s dark an d s u n burnt ; his e y e re solute but qu iet i n its e xpre ss ion e xcept whe n kin dle d by sudde n e m otion ; h is de m eanor is frank manly and courte ous an d he n e ve r passe s you W ithout a ” “ D ios gu arde a u ste d ! Va uste d con grave salutation ” ” “ “ Go d guard you ! Go d be with you D ios C aballe ro ! ” C avalier ! As these m e n have often the ir whole fortun e at st a k e upon the burde n of the ir m ules they have the ir weapon s at hand slun g to the ir saddles an d ready t o be s natche d out for de sperate defen ce but the ir united numbers re nde r the m secure a gainst petty bands of m arauders and the solitary b andolero arm ed to the teeth an d m ounte d on his Andalusian steed hovers about the m like a pirate about a m e rchant convoy without darin g to assault The S panish m uletee r has a n inexhaust ible stock of son gs an d ballads with which to be guile his ince ssant wayfarin g The airs are rude a n d s im p le con sistin g of but fe w i n fle ct i o n s These he chants forth with a loud voice and lon g drawlin g cadence , seated s ide ways o n his mule w h o see m s t o .

.

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

-

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

,

-

-

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

AL HAMBRA

THE

10

.

l isten with in finite gravity and to keep time W i th h l S pac es to the tune The c oup l ets thus chanted , are ofte n old trad i ,

.

i nt roman es about the Moors or some le end of a sa c g t i on al or some love ditty ; or what is st i ll more frequent som e ballad about a bo l d c ontrabandista or hardy bandolero for the smu ggl er and the robber are poetical heroe s am on g the u letee r I s ommon people of Spain ften the son of the m O g c c omposed at the instant and relates to some local scene , or some in c ident of the j ourney Th i s tal ent of S i n gi n g and 1 m i n 1 is frequent in Spa i n and s sa d to have bee ro v i s i n g p inherited from the Moors There I s someth i n g Wl l d l y pleas i n g in listenin g to these ditties am on g the rude and lonely s c enes they i ll ustrate ; a cc ompan i ed as they are by the o ccasional j in gl e of the mule bell It has a most picturesque effect also to meet a tra i n of muleteers in some mountain pass First you hear the bells of the leadin g mules breakin g with their simple melody the stillness of the airy hei ght ; or perhaps the voice of the mu l eteer admonishin g some tardy or wanderin g animal o r c hantin g at the full stret c h of his lun gs som e traditionary bal lad At len gth you s e e the m ules slowly windin g alon g the c ra gged de fi l e sometimes des c endin g pr ecipitous cli ff s s o as to present themselve s in full relief a ainst the s k g y sometimes toi l in g up the deep arid chasm s bel ow you As they a p proach y o u descry their gay de c oration s of worsted stuffs tasse l s and saddle c l oths while as the y pass by the ever ready trabu c o s l u n g behind the packs and saddle s give s a hint of the inse curity of the road The an c ient kin gdom of Granada into whi c h we were about to penetrate is one of the most m ountainous re ions g of S pa i n Vast S ierras or chain s of m ountain s de stitute of shrub or tree and mottled with varie gated m arbles an d i gran tes elevate their sunburnt summits a gainst a deep blue S ky ; yet in their ru gged bosom s l ie in gulfed verdant an d i fert le valle y s where the desert and the garde n strive for m astery a n d the very ro c k i s as it were compelled to yield fi the g t h e oran ge and the citron and to blossom with the myrt l e and the rose In the wild passes of these mountain s the si ght of walle d towns and villa ge s built like ea gl es nests amo n g the cli ffs and surrounded by Moorish battlements or of ruined watch towers per c hed on loft y peaks c arries the mi nd back to c i the h valric days of C hristian and Moslem warfare and to the romant i c str u ggle for the c on quest of Granada I n trave rs ,

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

-

.

-

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

, ,

.

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

’

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

JO URN E Y

THE

11

.

these lofty S ie rras the travelle r is ofte n o b li ge d t o ali ght and lead his horse up and down the s te ep an d j a gge d as c e nts and de sce nts rese m blin g the broke n steps of a staircase Som eti me s the road W inds alon g dizzy pre cipice s w ithout parapet to guard him from t h e gulfs below an d the n w ill plun ge down steep and dark and dan gerous de clivitie s Sometimes it stru ggle s throu gh ru gge d barran cos or ravine s , worn by wi nter torre nts th e obscure path of the contra bandista ; while ever an d anon the om inou s cros s th e m onu m ent of robbery an d murder erected on a m oun d of ston e s at some lonely part of the road adm on ishe s t h e travelle r that h e is am on g the haunts of banditti perhaps at that ve ry m om ent under t h e eye of som e lurkin g bandolero Sometim e s in windin g throu gh the n arrow valley s h e i s startle d by a h oarse bellowin g and be holds abo ve him on s om e gree n fold of the m ountain a herd of fierce An dalusian bull s de stine d for th e combat of the arena I have felt if I m ay s o expre s s it an a greeable horror in thu s con tem platin g n ear at han d the se te rrific an im als clothe d w ith trem e ndou s stren gth and ran gin g the ir native pasture s i n u n tam e d wildnes s stran ge rs alm ost to the face of m an they kn ow n o on e but th e s olitary he rdsm an who attends upon them an d even he at tim e s d are s n ot venture to approach t h e m The low bellowi n g of th e se bull s and the ir m en acin g aspect as they look down from thei r rocky hei ght give additional wildne ss to th e s ava ge scen ery I have be e n betraye d unco n sciously into a lon ger disqu isi tion than I inte nde d o n the gen eral feature s of S pan ish travellin g ; but the re is a rom ance about all the re collection s of the pen insula dear to the i ma gination As our propose d route to Gran ada lay throu gh m oun tain ou s re gions whe re the roads are l ittle better than mul e paths an d said to be frequen tly be set by robbe rs w e took due travelli n g pre caution s Forwardin g the m ost val u able part of our lu g ga ge a day or two i n advance by the arrie ros w e retain ed m e rely clothin g and ne ce ssarie s for the j ou rn éy a n d m o n ey for the expense s of the road ; with a little surplus o f h ard dollars by way of r ob b er p u rs e to sati sfy the gentle m en of the road sho u ld we be assaile d U nlucky is the too wary trav elle r w h o havin g grud ge d this pre caution falls into the ir c lutche s e mpty handed : they are apt to ive him a soun d g ribroastin g for cheatin g the m out of the ir dues C aballe ros like the m cannot a fford to scour the roads and risk the gallow s ” for nothin g A couple of stout steeds were provide d for our o w n moun t in g

~

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

AL HAMBRA

THE

12

.

a third for our s c anty lu gga ge and the con veyan ce of a sturdy Bis c ayan l ad about twenty years of a ge w h o w a s to be our guide our groom our valet and at all t i m e s our guard For the latter offi c e he w a s provided with a formidable trabu a gai st or carbine with which he promise d to defend us co n rateros or solitary footpads ; but as to powerful bands l i ke ” “ that of the sons of E c ij a he confe ssed they were quite beyond his prowess He made much vain glorious boast about h i s weapon at the outset of the j ourney ; thou gh to the (1 1 8 credit of his generalship it was suffered to han g unloade d behind his saddle Ac c ord in g to our stipulations the man from whom w e hire d the horses w a s to be at the expense of their feed a n d stablin g on the journey a s well as of the maintenance of our Biscaya n squire who of c ourse was provided with funds for the pur pose ; we took c are howeve r to give the latter a private hint that thou gh we made a c lose bar gain with his master it was al l in his favor a s if he proved a good man an d true both h e and the horses should live at our cost and the m oney pro v i d e d for their maintenance remain in his po c ket This u n e x p ooted lar gess with the occasional present of a ci gar won his heart completely He w a s in truth a faithful che ery kind hearted creature as full of saws and proverbs as that m ira c le of squires the renowned Sancho himself whose name b y the by w e bestowed upon him an d like a true Span iard thou gh treated by us with companionable familiarity he never for a moment in his utmost hilarity overstepped the bounds of respe c tful de corum Su c h were our minor preparations for the j ourney but above all w e l aid in an ample stock of good humor and a ge n u In e dis osition to be pleased p ; determinin g to travel in true c ontrabandista sty l e ; takin g thin gs as w e found the m rou gh i n g,

an

d

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

~

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

,

ountry i s it for a traveller where the most m iserable inn is s f u l l of adventure as an enchanted c astle and e v ery meal a 1 8 i n I tself an a c hievement ! Let others repine at the la c k of i turnp ke roads and sumptuous hotels and all the elaborate comforts of a country cultivated and civi l ized into tam enes s and c ommonplace ; but give me the rude mountain scramble ; the ro v m g haphazard wayfarin g ; the half W ild yet frank and hospitable manners whi ch impart such a true gam e flavor t o dear old romanti c Spain ! c

,

,

,

-

,

,

,

THE

J

O URNE Y

13

.

Thu s e quip pe d and attended w e cantere d out of Fair ” Seville city at half past s i x in the m ornin g of a bri ght May day in company w ith a lady a n d ge ntle man of our acquaint ance w h o rode a fe w m ile s w ith us i n the Spanish m ode of takin g le ave Ou r route lay throu gh old Alcal a de Guadaira l A c al a on the ri v er Aira ) t he be nefactres s of S e ville that ( supplie s it with bread an d wate r Here live the bake rs who furn ish Seville with that delicious bread for which it i s re n o w n e d ; here are fabricated those roscas well known by the w ell m erited appellation of p a n ale D i as (bread of Go d ) ; wi th which by the way we ordere d our m an Sancho to stock h Is alforj as for the j ourn ey W ell has this b e n e fi ce n t l ittle city ” “ been den om inated the O ve n of Se ville ; well has it bee n c a l l e d Al c a l a de los P anaderos (Al c al a of the bakers ) for a a n d the reat part of its inhabitants are of that handicraft g h i ghway hence to Seville is consta n tly traverse d by line s of mule s and donkey s lade n with gre at panniers of l oave s and roscas He re are I have sai d Alcal a supplie s S e ille with water v c o n s t ru c reat tanks or reservoirs of Rom an and Moorish g tion whence water i s conveyed to S eville by noble aque ducts The sprin gs of Alcal a are al most as mu c h vaunte d as its oven s and to the li ghtne ss s weetne ss an d pu rity of its wate r i s attribute d in some measure the delicacy of its bread Here we halte d for a tim e at the ruin s of th e old Moorish castle a favorite re sort for picnic partie s from S eville wh ere we had passed m any a pleasant hour The walls are of great extent pierced with loophole s enclosin g a hu ge square towe r or keep with the re mains of m a s m o ra s or subte rranean grana rie s The Guadaira winds its stream round the hill at the foot of the se ruin s wh imperin g am on g reeds ru sh e s and pond lilies and overhun g with rhodode ndron e glantin e yel low myrtle and a profusion of w ild flowers a n d arom atic shrubs ; while a l o n g i t s banks are grove s of oran ges citron s an d pom e granate s amon g which w e heard the early n ote of the n i ghtin gale A pictures que brid ge w as thrown acros s the little river at on e en d of which was the ancient Moori sh m ill of the castle defended by a tower of yellow stone ; a fi s h e rm a n s net hun g a gain st the wall to dry and hard by i n the rive r w a s h i s boat ; a group o f p e a s a n t wom e n in bri gh t colored d resse s crossin g the arche d brid ge were reflected i n the pl a cid stream Alto gethe r it was an adm irable scene for a landscape painte r “

,

-

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

-

-

,

,

,

,

.

'

,

,

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

-

,

,

,

.

,

'

,

,

,

.

,

’

,

,

‘

,

-

,

.

.

.

THE

14

AL HAMBRA

.

, mills ofte n found on s eclude d stream s o s The old Moorish i ve and su e st Spanish lan dscape g g n i ob j e ts c c aracteristi are ch In They are of stone and often times of old of the perilous loophole s and batt l e me nts capable of with the form of towers ,

,

,

.

,

refu e g some plac e of temporary place at andul where were the G a s w Ou r next haltin g Moorish castle w ith its ruined tower , a remain s of another ne st l in place for storks and comm andin g a V iew over a vast g a In or ferti l e pla n with the m ountains of Rond the i c a m pi fi a castles were stron ho l ds to protect the g distance These c plains from the talas or foray s to which they were subj e t when the fields of corn would be laid waste , the flock s and herds swept from the vast pastures and to gether w ith cap a cross the hurried off in lon cabal adas g g tive peasantry borders andul found a tolerable posada the ood folk s g ; e w At G could not tell us w hat time of day it w a s the clo c k only struck on c e in the day two hours afte r noon ; until that tim e o s a s w it was guess work We guessed it full tim e to eat ; ali ghtin g w e ordered a repast While that w a s in prepara tion we visited the palac e once the re siden ce of th e Marquis of Gandul All w a s gone to decay ; there were but t w o or three rooms habitable and very poorly furnished Yet here were the remain s of grandeur ; a terra c e wh ere fair dame s and gentle c avaliers may once have walke d ; a fi s h pon d an d ruined garden with grape vine s and date bearin g pal m tree s w h o ere we were j oined by a fat c urate H gathere d a bouquet of roses and presented it very gallantly to t h e lady w h o ac c ompanied us Be l o w the palace was the mill with oran ge tree s and aloe s in front and a pretty stream of pure water We took a seat in the shade and the mi ll ers all leavin g their work s at down and smoked with us ; for the Andalusian s are always ready for a gossip They were waitin g for the re gular vis it of the barber who ca me once a week to put all the ir chins in order He arrived shortly a ft e r w a rd s ; a lad of seve nteen mounte d on a donkey ea ger to disp l ay his n e w alforj as or saddle ba gs , j ust bou ght at a fair pri c e one d ollar to be paid on St John s day (in June ) by Whi c h time b e trusted to have m ow n beard s enou gh to put h i m in funds By the time the l a c oni c clock of the castle had stru c k two .

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

-

-

-

-

.

,

,

,

,

.

-

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

-

,

’

,

,

.

.

THE

16

AL HAMBRA

.

prote c tion of our redoubtable squire San c ho we were not afraid of all the ladrones of Anda l us i a While w e were suppin g with our drawcan s i r fr i e nd we heard the note s of a guitar and the cl i c k of c a s t a fi e t s and pre se ntly a c horus of voi c es sin gin g a popular air I n f a c t n nn e host had gathered to gether the amateur sin gers and us i c i ans and the rustic belles of the nei ghborhood and o n go i n g forth the h true Spanis 0 n i n ourtyard or patio of the pre sented a scen e c festivity We to o k our seats with m ine host a r 1 hostess and the c ommander of the patrol under an a r ch w a openi n g I nto I the c ourt ; the guitar passed from hand to h a n but a j o vial ‘ shoemaker w a s the Orpheus of the place He as a pleasant lookin g fello w with hu ge black whiskers ; his slee ve s were rolle d to his elbows H e touched the guitar with m as t e rly S kill u p and san g a little amorous ditty with an expressive lee r at the women with whom he was evidently a favorite He after wards danced a fandan go with a buxom An dalusian dam sel to the great deli ght of the S pectators B ut n one of the femal es present cou l d c ompare with m ine host s pretty dau ghter P epita w h o had slipped away and m ade her toi l ette for the occasion an d had c overe d her head with rose s ; and w h o distin guished herself in a bolero with a handsom e youn g dra goon We ordered our host to let wine and refre sh ment c ir c u l ate freely am on g the company yet thou gh the re w a s a mot l ey assembly of soldiers muleteers and villa gers no one ex c eeded the bounds of sober enj oyment The scen e w a s a study for a painter : the picturesque group of dancers the troopers i n their half military dresse s the peasantry wrap p ed in their brown c loaks ; nor must I om it to me ntion th e o l d mea gre Al gua z il in a short b l ac k cloak w h o took n o n ot i c e of anythin g goin g on but s at i n a c orner dili ge ntly wr i t i n g by the dim l i ght of a hu ge C O p p e r lamp that m i ght have fi gured in the day s of Don Quixote The fo l lowin g m ornin g w as bri ght and balmy as a May morn i n g ou ght to be ac c ordin g to the poets Le avin g Arahal at seven o c lo ck with all the posada at the door to c hee r us o ff w e pursued our w a y throu gh a fertile country covered with i ra n and beautifu ll y verdant but which in summer whe n the g harvest 1 8 over an d the fi elds p arched an d brown mu st be monotonous and lonely for as in our ride of ye sterday there we re ne ither houses nor people t o be seen The latter all con re a t e i n vi l la es an d stron ho l ds amon the hi l ls as if these g g g g g fert i le p l ain s were stil l sub j e c t to the rava ge s of the Moor At noon w e c ame to where there w a s a roup of trees beside g ,

,

.

,

,

,

.

m

,

,

,

,

“

.

,

‘

«

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

’

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

’

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

THE Jo URNE Y

17

.

He re we ali ghte d to m ake our m id day m eal It w as really a luxurious sp ot, am on g w ild flow ers and arom atic herbs , with birds sin gin g arou nd u s Know in g the scanty larders of Spanish i nns , and the hou sele ss tracts we m i ght have to travers e we had take n care to have the a l fo r j as of our s quire well stocke d with cold provis ion s , a n d h is bota, or leathern bottle , which m i ght h old a gallon , fille d to 1 the ne ck w ith choice Va l d e p efi a s wine AS w e depende d m ore upon the se for our well bein g than e ve n h i s trabuco w e e xhor t e d h im to be m ore att entive in keepin g the m w ell c h ar ge d ; and I must do him the j ustice to s a y th at h i s name sake the tre nche r lovin g Sancho P an za w a s n ever a m ore provide nt purveyor Th ou gh the alforj as an d the bota were fre quently a n d vi gorously assaile d throu ghout the j our ney they had a wonderful powe r of repletion our vi gilant s quire sackin g e verythin g that rem ai ne d from our repasts at the inns to supply the se j unketin gs by the road side , which we re hi s deli ght O n the pre sen t occasio n h e S pread quite a su mptuous varie ty of re mn ants o n the gree n s ward be fore u S grace d w ith an ex takin g h i s seat at c e ll e n t ham brou ght fro m Seville ; then a little distance he solaced h im self with what re m ain e d i n the alforj as A visit or two to the bota m ade him as m erry an d chirrupin g as a grasshoppe r filled with de w On my ’ com parin g his contents of the alforj as to S ancho s skim m in g of the fl e s h pots at the weddin g of C amacho, I foun d he w a s well ve rsed i n the hi story of Do n Quixote but like m any of t h e com mon pe ople of Spain , firmly bel ieve d it to be a true history “ Al l that happe ne d a lon g ti m e a go, s e fi or, said he , w ith a n in quirin g look ” “ A very lon g tim e , I re pl i e d I dare s a y m ore than a thousan d ye ars still looki n g dubiou sly “ I dare s a y not less Th e squire w a s s atisfie d N othin g ple ase d th e S i mple hearte d varlet m ore tha n m y compari n g h i m to th e re n own ed Sanch o for devotion t o the trencher ; an d he calle d him self by no other nam e throu ghout the j ourn ey a

b rook in a rich meado w

.

.

.

,

.

-

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

-

,

,

.

.

.

—

.

.

.

.

l

l

j

k

q

I t m a y b e a s w e l t o n o t e h e r e , t h a t t h e a f o r a s a re s u a re p o c e t s a t e a c h e n d o f a o n g c o t h a o u t a f o o t a n d a h a f w i e , f o rm e b y t u rn i n g u p i t s e t r e m i t i e s Th e i e sa c l o t h i s t h e n t h ro w n o v e r t h e s a le o c e t s h a n g o n e a ch s i e e, an d th e I t i s a n Ar a i n v e n t i o n a gs Th e o t a i s a c a t h e rn b a g o r o t t e , o f p o r t y d i m e n s i o n s , w i t h a n a rr o w n e c I t i s a s o o ri e n t a e n ce t h e s c r i p t u ra c a u t i o n , w h i c h p e rp e e m e i n m y o y h oo , n o t t o p u t n e w w i n e i n t o o l d o t t e s

l

b

I

l

b

ddl

b

.

lx

l

d

b

k

.

.

d

l

d

b

d

p

k

l H .

l

b

b

l

.

x

d

l

lk

.

l

dd

THE AL HAMBRA

18

.

s repast bein fi nished we S pread our cloak on the O g i ous S i esta i n the reensward under the tree and took a luxur g Spanish fashion The c loud i n g up of the weathe r howe ve r warned us to depart and a harsh W i nd spran g up from the southeast Towards fi ve o clock we arrived at O suna a town o f fifteen thousand inhabitants situate d on the S ide of a hill with a church and a r u ined castle The posada was outside of the walls ; it had a cheerless look The evenin g be in g c old the inhabitants were crowded roun d a brasero i n a chi m ney corner ; and the hostess was a dry old woman who looke d like a mummy E very one eyed u s askance as we e ntered as Spaniards are apt to re gard stran gers ; a cheery re spectful salutation o n our part c a b all e ro i n g the m and tou c hin g our sombreros s et Spanish pride at ease ; and whe n w e took our seat amon g them lit our c i gars an d passed the ci gar box round amon g them our victory w a s c omplete I have n eve r known a Spaniard whateve r his rank or condition who w ould s u ff e r hi m self to be outdon e i n courte sy ; and to the co m mon Spaniard the present of a ci gar (puro) is irresistible C are howe ver must be take n never to offe r him a prese nt with a n air of superiority and condescension ; he i s to o much of a c abal l ero to receive favo rs at the cost of his di nity g Leavin g O suna at a n early hour the next m or n in g w e entered the sierra or ran ge of mountains The road wound throu gh picturesque scenery but lonely ; and a cross he re an d there b y the roadside the S i gn of a murde r S howed that we ” n o w were comin g amon g the robber haunts This wild an d intri c ate country with its silent plains and valleys i ntersecte d b y mountains has ever been famous for ban ditti It w a s h ere that O mar Ibn Hassan a robber c hief amon g the Mosle m s he l d ruthless sway in the ninth century disputin g dom in ion even with the caliphs of C ordova This too w a s a part of the re gi on s s o often rava ged durin g the rei gn of Fe rdinand an d I sab ella by Ali Atar the old Moorish alcayde of Loxa fathe r i n law of Boabdil s o that it was called Al i Atar s garde n an d ” here Jose Maria famous in Spanish bri gand story h ad his favorite lurkin g pla c es In the c ourse of the day we passed throu gh Fuente la P ie d ra near a l i ttle salt lake of the same name a beautiful S heet of water refle c tin g like a mirror the distant mountain s We now came i n S i ght of An t i qu e ra that old c ity of warlike rep u t at i o n lyin g in the lap of the great S ierra whi c h run s throu gh And a lu s ra A n o h le ve ga S pread out before it a picture of n ur

,

,

,

,

.

,

’

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

’

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

JO URNE Y

THE

19

a n d ga r e ntle rive r we approached the city betwe e n hed e s g g de ns i n which ni ghtin gale s were pourin g forth the ir e v en in g s on g About ni ghtfall we arrive d at the gate s E verythin g in this ve nerable city h a s a decidedly Spanish stamp It lie s too m uch out of the freque nte d track of fore i gn travel to have its old u sa ge s trample d out Here I observe d ol d me n still wearin g the m ontero or an cie nt huntin g cap once com m on throu ghout Spain ; while the youn g m e n wore the l ittle roun d crowne d hat with brim turne d up all roun d like a c u p turne d down i n i t s saucer ; while the brim was s e t o ff with lit t le black tufts like cockade s The wom e n too were all in m an tillas an d b a s qu i n a s The fashion s of P aris had not reache d An t i q u e ra P ursuin g our course throu gh a S pacious street we put up at the posada of San Fe rnan do As An t i q u e ra thou gh a c o n s i d as I observe d som e what out of the track of e r a b l e city i s travel I had anticipate d bad quarters and poor fare at the in n I was a gree ably disappointed therefore by a suppe r table amply supplied and what were still m ore acceptable good clean room s and comfortable beds Ou r man S an cho felt him self as well O E as his name sake whe n he had the run of the duke s kit c he n an d let m e kn ow as I retire d for the ni ght that it had bee n a proud tim e for the alforj as E arly i n the m orn in g (May 4 t h ) I strolled to the ruin s of the old Moorish castle which itself ha d be e n re ared on the ruin s of a Rom an fortre s s Here takin g my seat o n the r e main s of a crum blin g to we r I enj oye d a gran d an d varied landscape beautiful in itself an d full of storie d an d rom antic associatio n s ; for I w a s n ow in th e very heart of the country fam ous for the chivalrou s conte sts betwe e n Moor an d C hris tian B elow m e i n its lap of hills lay the old warrior city s o o fte n m enti one d i n chronicle and ballad O u t of y ou gate an d down yon hill parade d the band of Spanish cavalie rs of hi ghe st ran k an d brave st bearin g to m ake th at foray durin g t h e war an d con quest of G ran ada which e nde d in the lame nt able massacre am on g the m ountains o f Mala ga and laid all Andalusia in m ournin g B eyon d spread out the ve ga covered w ith garde n s and orchards an d fi elds of grain and e nam elle d m e a dows inferior only to the fam ous Ve ga of G ranada T o th e ri ght the Rock of the Lovers stretche d like a cra gge d promontory into the plain whence the d au ghte r of the Moorish alcayde a n d her lover whe n closely pursue d, thre w the m selve s in de spair The m atin pea l from church and conve nt below me ran g ,

.

.

.

.

,

,

,

,

'

,

,

.

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

’

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

.

'

AL HAMBRA

THE

20

.

s w eetly i n the m ornin g air as I d e s ce n The marke t place fi I n the be innin to thron with the populace who traf c w as g g g abundant produce of the ve ga ; for th i s i s the m art of an a gr i cultural re gion In the m arket p l ace were abu ndan c e of fre shly plu c ked roses for sal e ; for not a dame or damsel of Andalus i a thinks he r ga l a dress complete without a rose sh i n i n g l i ke a amon her raven tresses m e g g i i n returnin to the inn I found our m an Sancho h h n O g g h i s han ger o n ossip with the landlord and two or three of g s He had j ust been tellin g some marvellous story about Sev i lle whi c h mine host seemed piqued to match with one e qually marvellous about An t i qu e ra There was o n ce a fountain he said in one of the public squares , called I Z f u en t e d el t ar o the fountain of the bu l l because the wate r gushe d from the m outh of a bu l l s head carved of stone U n derneath the he ad w a s inscribed : E n f re n t e d el t oro Se h all en t e s o ro d ed

'

,

-

.

,

—

.

.

,

-

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

’

.

,

.

In front of the bull there is treasure Many di ed in front g g ) ( of the fountain but lost their labor and found no m on ey At last one knowin g fellow construed the motto a di ff erent way It is in the forehead (frente ) of the bull that the treasure is to be found said he to himself and I am the man to find it Acc ordin gly he came late at ni ght with a m allet an d kn ocke d the head to pieces ; an d W h at do you th ink he found ” P lenty of gold and diamonds ! c ried Sancho ea gerly “ He found nothin g rej oined m ine host dryly ; and he ” ruined the fountain Here a great lau gh w as s e t up by the landlord’ s han gers o n ; w h o c onsidered Sancho completely take n in by what I pre sume w a s one of mine host s standin g j okes A i n t u e r a at ei ht o clock we had a deli htful g q g g Leavin r i de alon g the l itt l e river and by garden s and orchards , fra grant with the odors o f S prin g and vocal with the ni ghtin gale O u r road passed round the Rock of the Love rs c l e fi o n de ( p los enamorados ) whi c h rose in a pre c ipice above u s I n the c ourse of the mornin we passed throu h rchidona situated A g g in the breast of a hi gh hill with a three pointe d m ountain tower i n g above it and the ruins of a Moorish fortress It w a s a great to i l to ascend a steep stony stre et leadin up into g the c i ty althou gh it bo re the en c oura gin g nam e of C alle Real de l L l ano (the roya l street of the plain ) but it was still a greater t o r] to descend from this mountain city on the other S ide .

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

‘

,

.

-

’

.

’

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

.

THE

JO URN E Y

21

.

At noo n we halte d i n S i ght of Archidona, i n a pleasant l it tle m eadow amon g h ills cove re d with olive tree s Ou r cloaks we re spread o n the grass , un de r an el m by the S ide of a bub bl in g rivulet ; our horses were tethere d wh e re they m i ght crop the herba ge an d San ch o was t old to p roduce his alforj as He had been unu sually sile nt this m ornin g e ve r S ince the lau gh raise d at his expen se , but n ow his counten ance bri ght e ne d , and he p i o d u c e d his alforj as with an air of trium ph ’ They containe d t h e contribution s of four day s j ourn ey in g but had bee n si gnally e nriche d by the fora gin g of the pre vion s e venin g in th e ple nteou s in n at An t i q u e ra ; an d this see me d to furnish hi m with a s e t off to the bante r of m in e host E n fr e nt e d e l t o ro S e h a ll e n t es or o -

.

.

,

.

,

'

-

.

would he exclaim , with a chuck l in g lau gh as he dre w forth the hetero geneous contents on e by one i n a se rie s which see me d to have n o e nd First cam e forth a S houlde r of roaste d kid very l ittle the worse for we ar ; the n an e ntire partrid ge ; the n a great m orsel of salted co d fi s h wrappe d in pape r ; the n the re sidue of a ham the n the half of a pulle t to gethe r w it h s everal rolls of bread and a rabble rout of oran ge s fi gs raisin s an d walnuts Hi s bota also had bee n recruite d with som e excelle nt w in e of Mala ga At every fresh apparition fro m his larde r he would e nj oy our ludicrous s urpri se thro win g hi m self back on the grass shouti n g w ith lau ghter an d exclaim i n g Fre nte del toro fre nte del toro Ah s e fi o rs they thou ght San cho a S impleton at An t i qu e ra ; ” but Sancho kn e w whe re to fin d the t es or o W hile we were divertin g ourselve s with h i s si mple drollery a solitary be ggar approach ed w h o had alm ost the look of a pil grim He had a ve nerable gray beard and was e vidently very old supportin g him self on a sta ff yet a ge had n ot bowe d hi m down he w a s tal l an d e re ct and had the wreck of a fin e form He wore a roun d Andalusian hat a S heep S ki n j acket an d leath ern breeche s gaiters an d sandal s Hi s dre ss thou gh old and patched , was dece nt hi s dem eanor m anly an d he addre sse d u s with the grave courte sy that i s to h e remarke d i n the lowest Spaniard W e were in a favorable m ood for such a vis itor : an d in a fre ak of capr ic iou s charity gave hi m som e silver a loaf of fine W heaten bread an d a gobl et of our choice win e of Mala ga He re ce ive d the m thankfully but without any grovellin g tribute of gratitude Tastin g t h e ,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

—

,

,

'

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

-

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

'

THE

22

AL HAMBRA

.

wine he held it up to the li ght with a S li ght beam of surprise i n his eye then q u a fli n g it off at a drau ght ; It i s m any ” “ years said he sin c e I have tasted such W i ne I t i s a ” i ordial to an old an s heart Then lookin at the beaut m g c “ “ fu l W heaten loaf b en d i t o s ea t a l p a n ! bles sed be su c h ” bread ! S o sayin g he put it in hi s wallet We ur ge d h i m ” “ to eat it on the spot the W i ne I N o s e fi o rs replied he h a d e ither to drink or leave ; but the bread I may take hom e ” to share with my family Ou r man San c ho sou ght our eye and readin g perm ission there gave the old man some of the ample fra gme nts of our repast on c ondition however that he should S it dow n and make a meal He a c c ordin gly took his seat at som e little distance fro m us and be gan to eat slowly and with a sobriety an d de c oru m that would have be c ome a hidal go The re was alto gether a measured manner and a quiet self possession about the ol d m an that made me think that he had se en better days : h is l an gua ge too thou gh S imple had occasionally som ethin g pi c ture sque and a l most poetical i n the phraseolo gy I s e t him down for some broke n down cavalie r I was m istaken ; it w a s nothin g but the innate courtesy of a Spaniard and the poeti c al turn of thou ght and lan gua ge ofte n to be found i n the lowest classes of this clear witted people For fifty years he told us he had been a S hepherd but n o w he w a s out of ” “ emp l oy an d destitute When I was a youn g man said he “ nothin g c ould harm or trouble me ; I was alway s well always gay ; but now I am seventy nine ye ars of a ge , and ” a be ggar and my heart be gins to fail me Sti ll he w a s not a re gular m endicant : it w a s not until r e ce n t l and he y that want had drive n him to this de gradation gave a tou ch i n g pi c ture of the stru ggl e betwee n hun ge r and pr i de when abj e c t destitution first came upon him He was r e t u rn i n f r o m Mala a without money he had not tasted g g ; food for some t i me and w a s crossin g one of the great plain s of Spa i n where there were but few habitation s Whe n al most dead W i th hun ger he applied at the door of a venta or c ountry i n n P er d o n u s t ed p or D i as h erm a n o I xcuse E us ( brother for God s sake ! ) was the reply the usual m ode i n “ ” said he i r e f u s m Spa n of a be ar I turned away with g gg , shame greate r than m y hun ger for my heart was yet too proud I cam e to a r i ve r w ith hi gh banks an d deep rapid c urrent and fe l t te mpted to throw myself in What should : s uch an old worthless ’ ? m a n wretched as I live for But ,

,

,

.

,

,

’

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

'

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

.

-

.

,

-

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

-

,

.

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

’

—

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

‘

,

,

,

THE

24

AL HAMBRA

.

to fortune but was doomed never to ge t un der the sam e roof I have remarked that the stories of treasure burie d by th e Moors s o popular throu ghout Spain are most current amon g the poorest people Kind nature con soles W i th shadows for the lack of substantials The thirsty m an dream s of foun tains and runnin g streams ; the hun gry man of banque ts an d the poor m a n of heaps of hidden gold : noth i n g certa i nly i s more O pulent than the ima gination of a be ggar O u r afternoon s ride took us throu gh a steep and ru gged de fil e of the mountains called P uerte del Rey the P ass of the Kin g ; bein g one of the great passes into the territorie s of G ranada and the one by which kin g Fe rdinand conducted hi s army Towards sunset the road windin g around a hill brou ght us in si ght of the famous little frontier c ity of Loxa which repulsed Ferdinand fro m its walls Its Arabic n am e i m plie s uardian and su h it was to the Ve a of G ranada bein on e c ; g g g of its ad van c ed guards It was t h e s tron ghold of that fiery veteran old Ali Atar father i n l a w of Boabdil ; an d here it w a s that the latter c ollected his troops and sall i ed forth o n that disastrous foray which ended in t h e death of the O l d a l From its commandin g positio n ca y d e and his o w n captivity at the gate as it were of this m ountain pass Loxa has not unaptly bee n termed the key of Granada It is wildly p ic t u re s q u e ; built alon g the face of a n arid m ountain The ruins of a Moorish al c azar or citadel crow n a ro c ky m ou n d whi c h rises out of the c entre of the town The ri ve r Xcuil washes its base windin g amon g rocks and grove s an d ga r d e n s a n d meadows and c rossed by a Moori s h brid ge Above the c i ty all is sava ge and sterile below i s the riche st v e geta t i o n and the freshest verdure A S imilar contrast is pre sented by the r i ve r above the brid ge it is placid and grassy refle ctin g groves and gardens ; be l o w it is rapid noisy and tum ultuou s The S i erra N evada the royal mountains of Gran ada crowned W i th perpetual snow form the distant boundary to this varie d lands c ape one of the most c harac teristic of romantic Spai n Al i ght i n g at the entrance of the city w e ave our horse s g to San c ho to lead them to the inn while we strolled about to en j oy the S i n gular beauty of the e nviron s As we crosse d the br i dge to a fi ne alameda or public walk the bells tolle d the hour of orat i on At the soun d the wayfarers whether o n b u s n i e s s or p l easure paused took o ff their hats crosse d the m s e l ves ib el l and repeated evenin prayer pious custom a , g i ; st i ll r i gi d l y observed i n re t i red parts of Spain Alto ether g ,

.

,

,

.

.

.

.

’

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

.

-

-

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

'

,

.

THE

JO URNE Y

25

.

it w a s a sole m n an d beautifu l e ve nin g s ce n e an d we wan dere d o n as the e ve nin g gradually closed an d the ne w m oon b e gan to glitte r betwee n the hi gh elm s of the alame da W e w ere roused fro m this quiet state of e nj o y m e nt by the voice of o u r trusty s quire hailin g u s from a distance He came up to u s , ” e l pobre Sancho n o out of breath Ah s e fi o re s cried he ” h e s nada s i n Don Quixote A s e i i o r s poor San cho is noth ( i n g without Don Quixote ) He had bee n alarme d at our n ot c om in g to the in n ; Loxa w a s such a wild m ountai n place full of c o n trabandistas e nchanters an d i n fi e rn os ; he did not well know what m i ght have happen ed an d s e t out to seek us , in quirin g afte r u s of e very pers on he m et u ntil he trace d us a c ros s the brid ge , an d to his gre at j oy cau ght si ght of u s strollin g i n the alameda T he in n to which he conducte d u s was called the C orona or C rown an d w e found it quite i n ke epin g with the characte r of the place the i nhabitant s of which see m s till to retain the bold fie ry spirit of the olde n time The hoste s s w a s a youn g an d handsom e Andalus ian widow , whose tri m b a s q u i fi a of black silk frin ge d with bu gle s s e t O ff the play of a graceful form and roun d pliant limbs He r step was firm and elastic ; he r dark eye was full of fire and the Coquetry of her air an d varie d orname nt s of her person showe d that s h e was accus t o m e d to be adm ired She w a s well mat c he d by a brother n early about he r o w n a ge ; they were perfect m odels of the Andalus i an Maj o an d Maj a He was tall V i gorous an d well form ed w ith a clear O live complexion a dark beami n eye an d curlin che stnut g g wh iskers that m et u nde r his c hin He w a s gallantly dre sse d i n a short gree n ve l ve t j a c ke t fitte d to his shape profusely decorate d with silver buttons with a wh ite handkerchie f in e a c h po c ket He had breeche s of the sam e , with rows of b u t ton s fro m th e hips to the knee s ; a p in k s ilk handkerchie f round his neck gathere d throu gh a rin g o n the bosom of a neatly plaited shirt ; a sash roun d the waist t o m at c h ; botti nas or spatterdashe s of th e fine st russet leathe r ele gantly worke d and O pe n at the c alf to S ho w his stockin gs an d russe t S hoe s , settin g o ff a well S hape d foot AS he w a s standin g at the door a h orse m an rode u p an d e ntered into l o w and earne st conversation with him He w a s dre sse d i n a S i m ilar style an d alm ost with e qual finery ; a m an about thirty square built w ith stron g Rom an featu re s handsom e thou gh sli ghtly pitte d with the s mall pox ; with a fre e , bold and some what darin g air Hi s p owe rf ul bl ack ,

,

.

.

.

,

,

,

‘

,

,

.

.

,

'

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

-

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

-

.

,

.

,

,

-

,

,

-

,

,

.

AL HAMBRA

THE

26

.

horse w as de c orated with tassels and fanciful trappin gs and a couple of broad mouthed blunderbusse s hun g beh i n d the sadd l e He had the air of one of those c ontraband i stas I have seen i n the mountains of Ronda and evidently had a good unders t andin g with the brother of m ine hoste ss ; n ay if I mistake n ot h e w a s a favored adm ire r of the W i dow In fact the whole inn and its inmates had somethin g of a c o n t ra b a n d ista aspe c t and a blunderbuss stood in a c orne r h e s i d e the uitar The horseman I have mentioned passe d h i s evenin g g in the posada and san g several bold m ountain rom ance s w ith A u r i an s put reat spirit two poor st A S w e w ere at supper g They had i n in distress be ggin g food and a n i ght s lo d gin g bee n waylaid by robbers as they came from a fair am on g the mountains robbed of a horse which carried a l l the ir sto c k in trade stripped O f their money and most of their apparel beaten for hav i n g offered resistance and left almost nake d in the road My c ompanion with a prompt gen erosity n atural to him ordered them a supper and a bed an d gave them a s u m of money to help them forward towards their hom e AS the evenin g advanced the d r a m a t i s p ers on ce thick ened A lar ge man about sixty years of a ge of powerful fram e came strollin g in to gossip with m ine hostess He w a s dre ssed i n the ordinary Andalusian costume but had a hu ge sabre tu cked under his arm ; wore lar ge mustaches and had some thin g o f a lofty swa ggerin g air E very one seem ed to re gard him with great deference O u r man Sancho whispered to us that he w a s Don Ve ntura Rodri guez the hero and champion of Loxa fam ous fo r his prowe ss and the stren gth of his arm I n the tim e of the Fren c h invasion he surprised s i x troopers w h o were a sleep : he fi rst secured their horses then attacked them with h i s sabre ki ll ed some and took the re st prisoners For this exploit the kin g al l ows him a p eseta ( the fi fth of a duro or dollar ) per d a y and has di gnified him with the title of Don I w a s amused to behold his swellin g lan gua ge an d dem eanor He w a s evidently a thorou gh Andalusian boastful a s brave Hi s sabre w a s always in his hand or under hi s arm He carrie s i t alwa s about with him as a c hild d oes her doll calls it his y “ Santa Te resa and says Whe n I draw it the earth tre mble s tiembla la tierra ( ) I s a t until a late hour listenin g to the varied them e s of thi s mot l ey group w h o min gled to gether with the unre serve O f a S p an i sh p osada We had c ontrabandista son gs storie s of rob b ers guer i lla explo i ts and Moorish le ends The las wer t e g ,

-

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

’

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

JO URNE Y

THE

27

.

fro m our han dsom e la n dlady w h o gave a poetical account of the In fi e rn o s or in fe rnal re gion s of Loxa dark cavern s in whi c h subterranea n stream s a n d waterfalls m ake a mysteriou s sound The com m on people s ay that there are m oney coiners shut up the re from th e tim e of the Moors and that the Moor ish kin gs kept the ir tre asure s i n those caverns I retired to be d with m y im a gination excited by all that I had see n an d heard i n this ol d warrior city S carce had I falle n aslee p whe n I was arou se d by a horrid din an d u proar that m i ght have confounde d the hero of L a Man c ha h i mself whose e xpe rie n c e of Spanish inn s w a s a continual uproar It see m ed for a m om e nt as if the Moors were on ce m ore bre ak i n g into the town or the I n fi e rn o s of which m ine hoste s s talked had broken loose I sallie d forth half dre sse d to reconnoitre It was nothin g m ore nor le ss than a charivari to celebrate the nuptial s of an ol d m an w ith a buxom dam sel Wishin g hi m j oy of hi s bride an d his serenade I returne d to my m ore quiet bed an d slept sou ndly until m ornin g While dre ssin g I amuse d myself in re con noitrin g the p o p u lace fro m my win dow The re were group s of fi n e lookin g yo u n g m en in the tri m fanciful Andalusian costu me w ith brown cloaks thrown about the m i n tru e Span is h style which cannot be im itated and little rou nd m aj o hats stuck on with a pe culiar k n owin g air They had th e sam e galliard look which I have rem arke d am on g the dandy m ountaineers of Ronda I ndeed all thi s part of An dalusia abou nds with such gam e lookin g chara c ters They loite r about the town s and villa ge s ; “ see m to have plen ty o f ti m e an d ple nty of m oney ; horse to ” ride and weapon to we ar G re at gossips ; great s moke rs ; apt at touchin g t h e guitar s in gin g c ouplets to their m aj a belle s and famou s dance rs o f the bolero Throu ghout all Spai n the m en howeve r poor have a ge ntle man l ike abundance of le isure se e m in g t o conside r it the attribute of a true caba llero neve r to be i n a hurry but the Andal u sian s are ga y as well as leisurely , an d have n one of the squalid a c c o m p a n i m ents of idle ne ss The adve nturous contraban d trade which prevail s throu ghout these m ountain re gions and alon g th e m ariti m e borders of An dalusia is doubtle ss at the botto m of this galliard characte r I n contrast to t h e costu m e of the s e group s was that of two lon g le gge d Valen c ians conductin g a donkey lade n with article s of merchan di se ; their m usket slun g cross w ise o ve r hi s back ready for a c tion They wore roun d j ackets (j ale cos ) wide li n e n b ra gas or drawers scarce reachin g to the knee s an d ,

,

,

,

-

.

.

.

,

.

,

.

.

.

,

.

,

-

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

-

,

.

,

,

.

-

,

.

,

THE

28

AL HAMBRA

.

l o okin g like kilts red faj as or sashes swathe d ti ghtly round their waists sandal s of e spartal or bass weed colore d k er chiefs round their heads som e what in the style of turban s but l eavin g the top of the head uncovered ; i n short, their whole appearance havin g much of the trad i t i onal Moor i s h stamp i leavin Loxa we were j oined by a caval er well m ounted n O g t r m o e e u s co s e well armed and followed on foot by an or an d p He sa l uted us c ourteously and soon let u s into h i s k e t ee r quality He w a s chief of the customs or rathe r, I Sh ou l d suppose c hief of an armed company whose b u s m es s i t 1 8 to patrol the roads and look out for contraband i stas The e sco peterc was one of his guards I n the course of our m orn i n g s ride I drew from him some particulars concern in g the smu g h o have risen to be a kind of m on grel chivalry in l e r w s g Spain They c ome into Andalusia he said from va rious parts but especia ll y fro m La Mancha ; sometim e s to re ceive oods to be smu led on an appointed ni ht acros s the line g g g g at the plaza or strand of Gibraltar ; sometim es to meet a ve ssel which is to hover on a give n ni ght off a certain part of the coast They keep to gether and travel in the n i ght In the daytime the y li e quiet in barrancos gullies of the m ountain s or lonely farm houses ; where they are generally well receive d as they m ake the fam ily liberal presents of their smu ggle d wares Indeed much of the finery an d trinkets worn by the wive s and dau ghters of the mountain hamlets an d farm houses are pre sents from the gay and open handed con ,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

.

.

.

,

.

’

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

-

,

.

,

-

-

t ra b a n d i s t a s

.

Arrived at the part of the coast where a ve ssel is to m eet

them the y l ook out at ni gh t from some rocky point or head l and If they des c ry a sail near the shore they m ake a con c e r t e d si gnal ; sometimes it con sists in suddenly d i s l a v i n a g p l antern three time s from beneath the folds of a cloak I f the S i gnal is answered they des c end to the shore an d prepare for qu i c k work The vessel runs close in ; all her boats are busy land i n g the smu ggl ed goods m ade u p i n to snu g pack a ge s for transportat i on on horsebac k These are hastily thrown on the beac h a s hastily ga thered up and pa cke d on the horse s and the n the c ontraband i stas clatter off to the m ountain s They travel b y the rou ghest wildest and most soli t ary roads where i t I S almost fruitless to p ursue them The custom hou se guards do not attempt it : they take a different course Whe n they hear of on e of the se bands returnin g full frei ghte d throu gh the mountain s , they go out i n force some time s twelve ,

.

“

.

,

.

,

.

.

,

,

'

.

,

,

,

-

.

.

,

THE

29

J o URNE Y

.

infan try an d ei ght horse m en an d take their station where the m ountai n defile open s into the plain Th e infantry , w h o lie i n ambus h some distan ce w ithin the defile suffer the ban d to pas s the n rise and fire upon the m The contraban distas dash for w ard but are m et in front by the horse m en A wild S kirmish en sue s The contrabandistas if hard pre ssed becom e de spe rate Some dis moun t u se their horse s as breastworks an d fire ove r their ba c ks ; others ou t th e cords let the pack s fall off to delay the e ne my and e ndeavor to e scape with the ir steeds S om e ge t o ff i n this w a y w ith th e loss of the ir pack a ge s som e are taken horse s packa ges an d all ; others aban don e verythin g an d m ake their escape by scram blin g up the ” “ mou ntains An d then , crie d S an cho Wh o had bee n liste nin g s e h a cen l a d ron es l e i t i m os w ith a gree dy e ar and the n g they becom e le gitim ate robbers I could n ot help lau ghin g at San ch o s idea of a le gitim ate callin g of the kind ; but the chie f of custom s told m e it w a s really the case that the smu gglers whe n thu s reduce d to e xtre mity thou ght they had a kin d of ri ght to take the road an d lay travellers unde r contribution until they had colle cted funds enou gh to m ou nt and e quip the m selve s in contrabandista style Towards noon our wayfarin g co mpanion took le ave of u s an d tu rned up a s tee p defile followe d by his e s c o p e t e ro ; an d shortly after w ards w e e m er ged fro m the m ou ntains , and e ntered u pon the far fam e d Ve ga of Gran ada O u r last midday s repast was taken under a grove of olive tree s on the border of a rivulet W e we re i n a cl as sical nei ghborhood ; for n ot far o ff w ere the grove s an d orchards of the S oto de Roma This accordin g to fabulou s tradition w a s a retreat founde d by C ount Julian to con s ole h is dau ghte r Florinda It was a rural re sort of the Moorish k in gs of Granada ; an d has i n m ode rn time s bee n granted to the Duke of W ellin gton O u r worthy squire m ade a half m elan choly face as he dre w forth , for the last tim e , the contents of his alforj as lam e ntin g that ou r e x p e d i t i o n w a s drawin g to a c lose for with such cavaliers , he said he could travel to the world s e nd Ou r repast howeve r w a s a gay one m ade un de r such deli ghtful auspices The day w as W ithout a cloud The heat of the s u n was tempered by cool bre eze s fro m the moun tain s Be fore us extende d the glorious Ve ga I n the distan ce was romanti c Gra n ad a surm oun te d by the ruddy towers of the Alhambra whil e far above it the snowy su mm its of the Sie rra N e vada shon e like silve r ,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

'

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

—

,

,

.

’

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

’

.

.

,

,

.

.

,

'

,

,

’

.

,

,

,

.

.

.

.

.

,

.

AL HAMBRA

THE

30

.

an d took our last O u r repast finished we spread siesta a l f r es co lulled by the humm i n g of bees amon g the W i flowers and the note s o f dove s am on g the ol ve tree s hen A the sultry hours were passed w e resumed our j ourney fter i a time w e overtook a pursy little man S haped not unl ke a i on W i th onversat c toad and mounted on a mule He fell into i de us u ndertook to u g San c ho and fi ndin g we were stran gers n d i to a good posada He was an es c r i bano (notary ) he“ sa d a i h A i h s knew the c ity as thorou ghly as own pocket D os ! what a city you are oin to se e Such stre ets g g e s ! Se ii o r su c h squares such palac es ! and then the wom en ah Santa Maria purisima W hat women But the posada you talk of ” said I are you sure it is a good one G ood Santa Maria the best in ranada Salone s ! G randes col c hones de plum a (grand saloons c a i uas de luxo g luxurious Sl eepin g rooms beds of down ) Ah s e fi o r e s you wi l l fare like k in g C hi c o in the Alhambra “ c how will my horse s fare ried Sancho n d A o llos p a r a b “ Like kin h c n l e e o e a l t e hico s horse s co h o C y gC ” cho c olate and milk with su gar cak es for break a lm u er z a ( fast ) givin g the squire a knowin g w ink and a leer m fter such satisfactory ac ounts nothin ore was to be c A g desired o n that head So we rode quietly on the squab littl e notary takin g the lead and turnin g to u s every m om e n t with so m e fresh e x c l amation about the grandeurs of Granada an d the famous times w e were to have at the posada Thus escorted we passed betwee n hed ge s of al oe s an d Indian fi gs and throu gh that wildernes s of gardens w ith whi c h the ve ga is embroidered and arrived about sun set at Ou r o ffi c i o u s little con ductor conveyed t h e gates of the c ity us up one street and down another until he rode into the court yard o f an inn where he appeared to be perfectly at home Summon i n g the landlord by h i s C hristian nam e he c omm itted us to h i s care as two c aballeros de mu c ho valor worthy of his best apart ments and most sumptuous fare We were in stantly rem i nd ed of the patronizin g stran ger w h o introduced Gi l Blas W i th su c h a flour i sh of trumpets to the host an d hoste ss of the m m at P e n n a flo r o rd e ri n g trouts for his supper an d eat i n g vor ac i ously at h i s expen se You know not W hat ” “ you possess c ried he to the innkeeper and his wife You have a treasure in y our house Behold in this youn g ge ntle man the e i ghth wonder of the world nothin g in thi s hous e is too go od for Se fi o r Gi l Blas of Sa n t i ll a n e w h o de se rves to ” b e e nterta i ned l i ke a prin c e o u r c l o a ks

,

,

-

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

'

.

,

,

.

—

—

,

,

.

.

.

’

.

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

.

ALHAMBRA

THE

32

.

e l th e palace on ce more became desolate Sti l the plac u re maintain ed with some military state The overnor held g was it im mediately from the crown its j urisdiction exte nde d down into the suburbs of the city and w a s independ ent of the cap tain ge nera l of Gra n ada A considerable garr i son w a s kept up the governor had his apartments i n the front of the old Moorish pal ace and never des c ended i nto G ranada W i thout some military parade The fortress i n fact w a s a l i ttle town of itself havin g sever al streets of houses W i th i n i t s walls to gether with a Fran c is c an c on vent and a paro c h i a l church The de sertion of the c ourt however Was a fatal blow to the n d som e of a l hambra Its beautif l halls be c am e desolate u A the m fe ll to ruin the gardens were de stroyed and th e foun tains ceased to play By de grees the dwel l in gs becam e fi lle d with a loose a n d lawless popu l a t ion ; contrabandistas w h o availed themselve s of its independent j urisdiction to carry on a wide and d arin g course of smu gglin g and thie ve s an d ro gue s of all sorts w h o made this their p l ace of refu ge whence they mi ght depredate upon Granada and its vicinity Th e stron g arm of governmen t at len gth interfered ; the whole co m m u was thorou hly S ifted none were suffered to re main but n it ; g y such as were of honest character a n d had le gitim ate ri ght to a resid en c e ; the greater part of the house s we re dem olishe d and a mere hamlet left with the paro c hial church an d the Franciscan convent Durin g the recent troubles in Spain whe n Granada was in the hands of the French the Alham bra was garrisoned by their troops and the palace w a s oc c asionally inhabited by the Fren c h com mander W ith that enli ghtened taste whi c h h a s ever distin guished the French nation in the ir conquests this monument of Moorish ele gan c e and grandeur was re s c ued from the absolute ruin and desolation th at were overwhe l min g it The roofs were repaired the saloon s and galleries prote c ted from the weather the garden s cultivated the watercourses restored the fountains once m ore m ade to throw up t heir sparklin g showers ; and Spain m ay thank he r invaders for havin g preserved to her the most beautiful and interestin g of her histori c al m onuments O n the departure of the Fren c h they blew up several towers of the outer wall and left the forti fi cations scarcely tenable Since that time the m ilitary i mportance of the post is at an end The garrison is a handful of i nvalid so l diers whose pr i nc i pal duty is to guard some of the outer towers which serve occ asionally as a prison of state ; and the governor abandonin g the lofty hill of the Alhambra reside s in the ce ntre .

'

.

,

,

-

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

P AL A CE

OF

AL HAMBRA

THE

33

.

of Granada for th e m ore conven ient de spatc h of h is official dutie s I cannot conclude this brief n otice of th e state of the fortre s s without h e a ri n g testim ony to the h on orable e xertion s of its prese nt com mander Do n Francisco de Sern a w h o i s taskin g all the lim ite d resource s at his com man d to put the palace in a state of rep a ir an d by his j udicious precaution s Ha d hi s h a s for som e tim e arreste d its too certai n d e cay predece ssors dis c har ged the dutie s of the ir station w ith e qual fidelity the Alhambra m i ght ye t have re maine d i n almost its pristine b eauty : were governm en t to se cond hi m w ith m ean s e qual to his zeal thi s rel ic of it m i ght still be pre se rve d for many gene ration s to adorn the land , and attract the curiou s an d enli ghte ne d of e very clime O u r fi rst obj e ct of cou rse on the m ornin g after ou r arrival was a visit to th is tim e honored edifi c e it has be e n s o ofte n however an d s o m inutely de scribe d by travellers that I S hall not undertake t o give a com prehe n sive an d e laborate accou nt of it but m erel y occasional sketche s of parts with th e in c i dents and associations co nne c te d w ith them Leavin g our posada an d traversi n g the ren owned squ are of the V i v a r ra m b l a once the s c ene of Moorish j ousts and tour n am e n t s now a crowde d m arket place w e proceeded alon g the Z a c a t i u the m ain stre et o f what i n the t im e of the M oors was the great Bazaar an d where s m all sh ops an d narrow alleys still retain the oriental character C rossin g an O pe n p l a c e in front of the palace of the captain ge ne ral we ascen d e d a confined and W in din g stre et the nam e of w hich re m inde d u s of the chiv a lric days of G ran ada It i s calle d the C alle or street O f the Go m e r e s from a Moorish fam ily famous i n chron i ole an d son g This stre et le d up to the P uerta de las Gran a das a m assive gatew a y of Grecian archite cture built by C harle s V , form in g th e e ntran ce to the domain s of the Al hambra At the gate were two o r thre e ra gged supe ran nuate d s o l diers dozin g on a ston e bench the su c ce ssors of the Z e gr i s an d the Aben cerra ge s ; while a tall m ea gre varlet whose rusty brow n cloak w a s evidently inte nde d to conceal the ra gge d state of h i s nethe r garm en ts was loun gin g in the sun shine an d gossipin g with a n ancient sentin el on duty He j oine d u s as w e e ntered the gate and o ffe re d his services to S ho w u s the fortre ss I h ave a traveller s dislike to o ffi ci ou s ciceroni and did n ot alto gether like the garb of the applican t “ You are well a c quainte d w ith the place I pre sum e ,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

-

,

.

,

.

’

,

.

,

THE AL HAMBRA

34

.

A o s in uno pue s hij o de la lhambra r o fi s e m as y N g ; ! A n o s obody better in fa t I am a of the lhambra r i S ) c N ; ( Spaniards have c erta i nly a m ost poet i cal way The c ommon ” “ ! A son of the l hambra the A of ex p re ssin g themselves appe l lation c au ght me at on c e ; the very tattere d garb of my w as e m n a quaintan e assumed a d n ty i my ye s I t i i c c g n ew e i tted the pro ge ny e of the fortunes of p l ace and bef h t b le m a t i c of a ruin I p u t some farther questions to h i m and foun d that h i s tit l e w a s l e gitimate Hi s family had lived in the fortre ss from generatio n to generation eve r s ince the tim e of the c o n ” quest Hi s name w a s Mateo Ximenes Then perha ps said I “ you may be a descendant from the great C ard i nal e fi o r Dios Sabe kn ows S It m ay be o d G Ximenes r is t i h i n r a C lh a b A i n We are ldest fam ily the h e O t so a n os Vi ej os o l d C hristians W ithout any taint of Moor or Je w I kno w w e bel on g to some great family or other but I for get whom My father knows all about it : he has the c oat o f arm s ” han gin g up in his cotta ge u p i n the fortress There is not any Spaniard however poor but has some c lai m to hi gh pe di ree The fi rst title of this ra ed worthy howe ve r had g g g c ompletely captivated me so I gladly accepted the service s of ” “ the son of the Alhambra w e now found ourselve s in a deep narrow ravine fille d with beautiful groves with a steep avenue and various foo t paths W indin g throu gh it bordered with stone seats and ornamented with fountains To our left we beheld the towers of the Al hambra beetlin g above us ; to our ri ght on the opposite S ide of the ravine w e were e qually dom in ate d by riva l towers on a ro cky eminen c e These we were told we re the Torres V e r m e j o s or vermilion towers so c alled from th eir ruddy hue N o one knows their ori gin They are of a date mu c h anterior to the Al hambra : som e suppose the m to have been built by the Roman s others by some wanderin g c olony of P hoeni c ians As c endin g the stee p and S hady avenue we arrived at the foot of a hu ge square Moorish tower formin g a kind of barbi c an , throu gh whi c h passed the main entrance to the fortress W i th i n the barbi c an was another group of vet e ran i nval i ds one mou n tin g guard at the portal W hile the rest wrapped in their tatter e d c l oak s S le p t on the stone ben c hes This porta l i s c a ll ed the Gate of Justice from th e tr i bunal held within its por ch durin g the Mosle m domi nation for the i mmed i ate trial of pett y cause s : a custom common to the or i ental natio n s and oc c asiona ll y alluded to i n the Sacre d “

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

-

-

.

—

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

P AL A CE Scripture s t h y ga t es , ”

THE

OF

AL HAMBRA

.

“

.

Jud ge s an d o fficers shalt thou m ake the e i n a l l and they shall j ud ge the people with j ust j ud g

m e nt The great vestibule or porch of the gate i s forme d by an im me nse Arabian arch of the horse shoe form w hich S prin gs to half the hei ght of the towe r O n the key ston e of this arch is e n grave n a gi gantic hand Withi n th e ve stibule on t h e keystone of the portal is sculptured in like m ann e r a gi gan tic key Those w h o prete nd to som e kn owled ge of Moham m edan symbols a fli rm that the han d is the em ble m of doctrin e ; the fi ve fin gers desi gnatin g the five prin cipal comm andm e n ts O f t h e creed of I slam fastin g pil gri m a e a m s ivin ablu i g g g tion a n d w a r a gainst i n fi d e l s Th e key s a y they i s th e e mble m of the faith or of power th e key of Daoud or David “ tran sm itted to the proph et An d the key of the hou se of David will I lay upon hi s S houlder ; s o he sh all ope n a n d none shall shut and he shall shut a n d n on e shall open Isaiah xxii The key w e are told w a s emblazon ed on th e ( standard of the Mosle m s in opposition t o t h e C hristian em ble m of the cross whe n they subdued Spain or Andalu sia It b e He toke n e d the con q uerin g powe r inve sted in the prophet that hath the key of David h e that O peneth an d n o m an S hut teth ; and S hutteth an d no m an open eth Re v iii ( A di ff ere nt explanation of th ese e m ble m s howeve r w a s h ive n by the le itim ate of the A l am bra and on e m ore in on s g g unison with the notion s of the c om m on pe ople w h o attach somethin g of mystery an d m a gic to e ve rythin g Moorish an d have all kinds of supe rstition s conn ected with thi s old Mosle m fortre ss Ac cordin g to Mateo it w a s a tradition h an de d d own fro m the olde st inhabitan ts an d w hich h e had from h i s fathe r and grandfathe r that the han d and key we re ma gical device s on which the f ate of the Alhambra depended Th e M oori sh kin g who built it was a great ma gician or a s som e believe d had sold him self to the de vil an d h ad lai d the whole fortre s s u nde r a m a gic S pell By this m ean s it had re m ained stan di n g for several hundred ye ars i n de fi ance of stor m s and eart h quake s while al most all othe r buildin gs o f the M oors had falle n to ru i n an d disappeared This S pell the tradition went on to s ay would last u ntil the han d on the oute r ar c h should reach down and grasp the key whe n th e whole p ile would tu mble to piece s and all the treasure s buried ben eath it by the Moors would be re vealed N otwith standin g this om in ous pre diction we ve ntured to pass thou gh the spell bound gate way fe elin g some little a s .

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

.

,

.

.

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

THE

36

AL HAMBRA

.

su ran c e a gainst m a gic art in the protection of the V i r gi n a statue of W hom w e O bserved above the portal c an w e ascended a n arrow fte r passin throu h the barbi A g g a de c windin betwee n wa l ls an d ame on an ope n e splan la n e g P A ithin the fortress calle d the laza de los l ibe s or lace P g w of the C isterns from great reservoirs whi c h underm ine it cut i n the livin g rock by the Moors to receive th e water brou ght by conduits from the Darro for the supp l y of th e fortre ss Here also is a well of imm ense depth furn ishin g the pure st and coldest of water ; another monumen t of the deli c ate taste of the Moors w h o were indefati gable i n their exertions to obtain that element in its c rystal purity In front of this esplanade is the splendid pile com me nce d by C harle s V a n d intended it is said to eclipse the re s i de n c e of the Moorish kin gs Much of the orie ntal e di fi c e i ntended for the winter season w a s dem olished to m ake w a y for this massive pile The grand entrance w a s blocke d up ; s o that the present entran c e to the Moorish palace is throu gh a S imple and almost humble portal in a corner With all the mass ive grandeur and architectural merit of the palace of C harle s V w e re garded it as an arro gant intruder a n d pass i n g by it with a feelin g almost of scorn ran g at the Mosle m porta l While waitin g for adm ittance our self impose d ciceron e Mateo Ximene s informe d us that the royal palace w a s i n trusted to the care of a worthy old maiden dam e calle d Do ri a Antoni a Molina but w h o ac c ordin g to Spanish c ustom we nt by the more nei ghborly appellation of Tia Antoni a (Aunt Antonia) w h o m aintained the Moorish halls an d garden s in order and S howed them to stran gers While we were talkin g the door w a s O pened by a plump little bla c k eyed An dalusian damse l whom Mateo addressed as Dolore s but w h o fro m he r bri ght l ooks and c heerful disposition evidentl y m e rite d a m err i er name Mateo informed me i n a Wh i s p e r t h a t Sh e was the n iece of Tia Antonia and I found s h e w a s the good fairy w h o w as to c onduct u s throu gh the en c hanted pala c e U n de r her gu i dan c e w e c rossed the threshold an d were at on c e transported as if by ma gi c wand into other time s an d an oriental realm a n d were treadi n g the s c ene s of Arabian story N oth i n g could be i n re a t e r ontrast than the unprom isin c g g exter i or of the p i le W i th the scene now before us W e foun d ourselves in a vast patio or court one hundred and fifty feet in len gth and upwards of ei ghty feet in breadth pave d with wh i te marble and decorated at each end with li ght Moorish ,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

.

.

.

.

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

‘

-

,

,

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

b

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

P AL A CE

THE

THE

OF

AL HAM B RA

37

.

pe ristyle s one of wh ich supporte d an ele gant galle ry of frette d ar c hitecture Alon g the m ouldin gs of the cornice s and on various parts of the walls were e scutcheons an d ciphe rs and c u fi c and Arabic characters i n h i gh relief repeatin g the piou s m ottoe s of the Mosle m m on ar c hs the builde rs of the Al h a m bra o r e xtollin g their gran d eur and m u n i fi c e n c e Alon g the centre o f the court e xte nded an i m me nse basin o r tank (e S tan que ) a hundre d an d twe nty four fe et in len gth twe nty seve n in br eadth and five i n depth rece ivin g i t s water from t w o m arble vases He n c e it is calle d the C ourt of the Alberca l rkah fro m a B e e the rabic for a pon d or tank reat A G ( ) n u m bers of gold fi s h were to be see n gleam in g throu gh the waters of the basin and it was bordered by hed ge s of rose s P ass in g from the court of the Alberca u nder a Moorish ar c h w a y, w e e ntere d the re nown e d C ourt o f Lions N o part of the edifice give s a more complete ide a of i t s ori ginal b eauty than this for n one has suff ere d s o l ittle from th e rava ge s of t ime I n the c entre stands the fountain fam ous i n son g an d story The alabaster basins still she d the ir diam ond d rops ; the twelve lion s whi ch support them an d give the court its nam e still cast forth crystal stream s as in the day s of B oabdil The lion s however are un worthy of their fam e be in g of m is crable sculpture the work probably of som e C hristian c a p tive The court i s laid out i n flo w e r beds i nstead of its ancient and appropriate pave m e nt of tile s or m arble ; the alteration an instance of bad taste was m ade by the Fren ch whe n in posse ss ion of Granada Roun d the four S ide s of the court are li ght Arabian arcade s of O pe n fili gre e work s u p porte d by sle nde r pil lars o f white m arble which it i s s u p pose d we re ori ginally gilded The architecture like that i n most parts of the interior of the palace is characterize d by ele gance rath e r than grande u r ; be speakin g a delicate an d graceful taste and a disposition to in d ole nt e nj oy m ent Whe n one looks upon the fairy trace s of the pe ristyle s and the appare ntly fra gile fretwork of the walls it i s di fficult to believe that so much has survive d the wear an d tear of centu ries the S hock s of earthquake s the viole nce of war an d the quiet thou gh n o le ss baneful pilferin gs of the tasteful trav e ller : it i s al m ost sufficient to excuse the popular tradition that the whole is protected by a m a gic charm O n one side of the court a ri c h portal O pen s into the hall of the Abencerra ge s ; s o calle d from the gallan t cavalie rs of that i llustrious line w h o we re he re m assacred The re rfi d i o u s l e p y are som e w h o doubt the whole story but our humble ciceron e ,

.

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

,

, .

.

,

-

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

-

.

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

THE

38

AL HAMBRA

.

Mateo pointed out the ve ry wi c ket of the portal throu gh whi c h they were i ntrodu c ed one by one i nto the C ourt O f Lions and the white marb l e founta i n i n the centre of the hall b eside whi c h they were beheaded He showe d us also f i r O ertain broad ruddy stains on the pavement trace s the c b l ood whi c h a c c ordin g to popu l ar bel i ef c a n ne ve r be e ffaced Findin g we liste ned to him apparent l y W i th easy fa i th he added that there was O ften heard at n i ght i n the C ourt of Lions a low c onfused sound rese mbl i n g the murmur i n g of a mu l titude ; and n o w and then a faint tinkl i n g l i ke the d i stant These sounds were m ade by the S p i rits of c lank of c hains the murdered Aben c erra ge s ; w h o n i ghtly haunt the scene of their su fferin g and i nvoke the ven geance of Heave n on thei r destroyer The sounds in question h a d no doubt been produ c ed as I had afterwards a n O p portun ity of as c erta i ni n g by the bub bl in g c urrents and tinklin g fal l s of water c onducte d un de r the paveme n t t h rou gh pipes and c han nel s to supply the foun tains ; but I w a s too considerate to intim ate su c h an idea to the humble c hroni c l er of the Al hambra E n c oura ged by my easy credulity Mateo gave m e the fol lowin g as an undoubted fact which he had from his gran d fathe r : There was on ce a n invalid soldier w h o had char ge of the Al hambra to show it to stran gers : as he was one e ven in g about twi l i ght passin g throu gh the C ourt of Lion s he heard footste ps on th e ha l l of the Abencerra ges ; supposin g som e stran gers to be lin ger i n g there he advan c ed to atten d upon them when to his astoni shment he beheld four Moors richly dressed with gi l ded cuirasse s and c i m e t e rS and pon iards They were walkin g to and gl itterin g with pre c ious stones fro with so l em n pace but paused and be ckone d to him The old soldier however took to fli ght and could ne ver after wards be prevai l ed upon to enter the Alhambra Thus it i s t h at men sometime s t u rn t h e i r backs upon fortune ; for it i s the fi r m opinion of Mateo that the Moors i n tended to re ve al the plac e where their treasures lay buried A suc c essor to the invalid soldier was m ore knowin g ; he c ame to the Al hambra poor ; but at the end of a year went off to Mala ga bou ght houses s e t up a c arria ge and sti l l lives there one of the r i c h est as well as o l dest men o f the pla c e ; all whi c h Mateo sa gely surmised was in consequen c e of his findin g out the go l den se c ret of these phantom Moors I now per c eived I had made an invaluable a c quain tan c e in .

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

'

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

AL HAMBRA

THE

40

.

abundant supply o f water brou ht from the mountains g An the palace hrou hout t ir ulates c c c by Ol d Moorish aquedu ts g i th i n i t s sparkl n j ets W n i i g supplyin g its bath s and fi s h p o ol s ha ll s or murmurin g in c hanne l s alon g the marb l e pave m e nts Vi S i t e d i t s i Whe n it has paid its tribute to the royal p l e and i ardens and parterres it flows down the lon g avenue lead n g g i i i n to the city tinklin g in ril l s gushin g founta ns and ma n tainin g a perpetual verdure in those grove s that e mbower and beautify the whole hill of the Alhambra Those on l y who have soj ourned i n the ardent c l i m ate s of i c the South c a n appre c iate the deli ghts of an abode ombin n g the breezy c oolness of the mountain with the freshnes s and verdure of the va ll ey While the c ity be l o w pants with the noontide heat and the parched Ve ga tre mb l e s to t h e eye the de l i c ate airs from the S ierra N evada play throu gh these lofty hal ls brin gin g with them the s weet n es s of the surroundin g ardens verythin invites to that indolent repose the E g g bliss of southern c lime s ; and while the half shut eye looks out from shaded bal c onie s upon the glitterin g lan ds c ape the ear i s lulled by the rustlin g of groves and the murmur of r u n nin g stream s I forbear for the present however to de scribe the othe r de l i ghtfu l apartments of the pala c e My obj ect is m erely to c tion into an a bode W here if ive the reader a eneral introdu g g s o disposed he m ay lin ger and loiter with m e day by day u nt il w e gradually become familiar with all its localitie s ,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

O

M O RISC O ARC HITE C TU RE

N TE O N

wh i h d f if l r b q l i gh t r l i v h t b t v r t h w ll f t h Al h m b t h v b l ur d y p pp d wi t h m i t d p t i t l b xh t i bl ri t y f d t i l i h d i i h t i f d m f i t l l d m i t h t ; g y y g y y g t h h i f h i ll d l l wr m y b i t h t d w t g p y p h l k h y mb k w ith t l t it d t wh i h d p f tw Th mi g i t i d t h b eh ld r w i t h t h f y f th i p tt hm t t h w v r wh it i d i d t h t t h i i ll t u f pl t w k ; pl t i d f P t i m ld d k i l f ll y j i t f rm p t t f v y i d f m Th i m d f d i p i g w ll w th d t i g th b q lt w i th g t t w k w i v t d D m wh m M r i M t ; h t h i gh l y i m p v d b y h h t tu S w it m Th t gr f l d f if l d t i l ll t h i f i y t b y wh i h ry w p r d d w i ly i p m pl T h w ll i i t t k d t t w d v d d l i i ff i b i g y i h i r gh t rt i t wr gl pyi g pi t ; v r th d w i f i t ti g f t f ir l id By t h gm th th rt s t ld w rk wi t h l i t y d t i t y d fr m t h

To

co

es

a

is

co

en

as o n i s

ce a ses ,

o

e

o

e

as er o

a

e rn s o

es

u es an

e

n

n

en

,

s z e

er

an

n

r ca c

a re

a

s

s

o

ou

con

c

e rn s

e

.

cc o

s

s a

s

so a s

o n e

u

e o

a

.

an

n

s

a

e r

o

s an

.

c

an

e a

o

e

s

en

e

e

a s on

o as ,

c

u es

es

e va

es a n

ou

or

scu

s c o v e re

s

a r s , cas

ee n

ru

n

cu

s a ac

,

a a

au s

es

an

s

e

n e

o

on

s ee

e

a

o

o r, a n

e v au

or

ro s

e

a es o

or

ar

o

e sa

o

a

an

or

s , or

e

ou n

en

ea r

u

an c

os a n

e

ra a

a

e an

ec a

-

on e

e

o

un

e

a

e

n u

e n e ra

a

e ye t h e

s o

a

,

e

i

a

e

e

an

p ra ct i s e

un

an

d

.

s

a

er n

.

a ra

i

in

as c u s

a

u

a ra c e n i c a rc ro c e s s

s

e

e

.

an

i

ra

n

es e

ro

ec

i

re

c

a

a

n

es , s u c

a

a

i

s

o

es

s n a

o

co u

a

s s

n

s a e

u se

n

n

ro

e

se

ce e r

e

n

en

a

s o

an

n

o ro cco ,

o

an c

o

as

as

or

n

an

as

co

o-

oo s

a ce u

ra c e

e rs e c

o

t

os

s

e

s

e

a r

s

as

s u c ce s s o n

e

e vau

s u c co n

,

u ce

as

o

n es

c u re

c

c es

ce r a n

o

s

e a

u

e

n

g

c

en

o

,

an

e

.

ou s

en

c rO s s n ese

a

e

.

e

o

a

e e o

e

IM

P OR TAN T

41

.

u rve d l i n e s a ro s e t h e i nte rm i n a bl e va ri e t y o f p a t t e rn s n era l u n i fo rm i t y o f t h e i r c h a ra c t e r 1 Much gi ld i n g w a s us e d i n t h e s t uc co wo rk e s p ec i a ll y o f t h e cu p o l a s a n d t h e i n t e r s t i ce s we re d e l i c a t e l y p e n c i ll e d w i t h b ri ll i a n t c o l o rs s u c h a s ve rm i l i o n a n d l a p i s l a z ul i l a i d o n wi t h t h e wh i t e s o f e ggs Th e p ri m i t i ve c o l o rs a l o n e we re u s e d s a y s Ford b y t h e E gyp t i a n s G re e k s a n d Ara b s i n t h e e a rl y p e r i o d o f a rt ; a n d t h e y p reva i l i n t h e Al h a m b ra w h e n e ve r t h e a r t i s t h a s b e e n Ara b i c o r Mo o ri s h I t i s re m a r k a bl e h o w m u c h o f t h e i r o ri gi n a l b r i ll i a n c y r e m a i n s a f t e r t h e l a p s e o f s e v era l c e n t uri e s T h e l owe r p a rt o f t h e wa ll s i n t h e s a l oo n s t o t h e h e i gh t o f s e ve ra l f e e t i s i n c rus t e d wi t h gl a z e d t i l e s j o i n e d l i k e t h e p l a t e s o f s t u c c o w o rk s o a s O n s o m e o f t h e m a re e m bl a z o n e d t h e e s c u t c h t o f o rm v a ri o us p a t t e rn s t ra v e rs e d w i t h a b a n d a n d m o t t o e o n s o f t h e Mo s l e m k i n gs Th e s e gl a z e d t i l es (a z ul e j o s i n S p a n i s h a z z u la j i n Ara b i c ) a re o f O ri e n t a l o r i gi n ; t h e i r c o o l n e s s c l e a n l i n e s s a n d f re e d o m f ro m ve rm i n re n d e r t h e m a d m i ra b l y fi t t e d i n s ul t ry c l i m a t e s fo r p a v i n g h a ll s a n d f o u n t a i n s ; i n c ru s t i n g b a t h i n g ro o m s a n d l i n i ng t h e wa ll s o f c h a m b ers Fo rd i s i n cl i n e d t o e a t a n t i qu i t y F ro m t h e i r e m i t h v r v l n l r r e i r e i s a o c o s a h i e an d g g p g pp bl u e h e d e d u c e s t h a t t h e y m a y h ave fo rm e d t h e k i n d o f p a ve m e n t s a ll u d e d t o i n t h e s a c r e d Sc r i p t u re s Th e re w a s u n d e r h i s f ee t a s i t we re a p ave d wo r k o f a s a p p h i re s t o n e (E x o d xx i v a n d a ga i n “ Be h old I wi ll la y t h y s t o n e s wi t h f a i r c ol ors a n d la y t h y f o u n d a t i o n s wi t h s a p ph i res (Is a i a h li v Th e s e gl a z e d o r p o rc e l a i n t i l e s we re i n t ro d u c e d i n t o Sp a i n a t a n e a rl y d a t e b y t h e Mo s l e m s Som e a re t o b e s e e n a m o n g t h e Mo o r i s h ru i n s wh i ch h ave b e en t h e re u p wa rd s o f e i gh t c en t u ri e s Ma n u fa c t ure s o f t h e m s t i ll e x i s t i n t h e p e n i n s ul a a n d t h e y a re m u ch u s e d i n t h e b e s t Sp a n i s h h o u s es e s p e c i a ll y i n t h e s o u t h e rn p rov i n ce s f o r p a v i n g a n d li n i n g t h e s u m m e r a p a rt m e n t s Th e S p a n i a rd s i n t ro d u c e d t h e m i n t o t h e N e t h e rl a n d s wh e n t h e y h a d a n h a n t r h eo e o f H o u T l ll d a d o p te d t h e m w i t h i o n f t t co e os s e s s o y p p p a v i d i t y a s wo n d e rfull y s u i t e d t o t h e i r p a s s i o n f o r h o u s e h o ld c l e a nl i n e s s ; a n d t h u s t h es e O ri e n t a l i nv e n t i o n s t h e a z u l e j o s o f t h e Sp a n i s h t h e a z z u la j o f t h e Ara b s h av e c o m e t o b e co m m o n l y k n own a s D u t ch t i l e s m e re i n t e rs ec t i o n

l

N E G O TI A TI ON S

th e p ain a n d t h e ge

of

d

an

c

.

-

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

-

,

,

.

,

.

—

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

”

.

.

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

IMP

.

THE AU T HO R S U C O RT AN T N E GO TI ATI O N S C E E D S TO THE T HRO NE O F BO ABD I L —

.

day was nearly spent before we could tear ourself f ro m thi s re gion of poetry and rom an ce to de scen d to the city a n d return to the forlorn realitie s of a Span ish posada I n a vis it of cerem ony to the G overnor of the Alham bra to whom we had brou ght letters w e dw elt with e nthusiasm on the scen e s w e had w itne ssed and could not but expre ss surp rise that he should re side i n the c ity whe n he had such a paradise at h i s com m and He pleaded the inconven ie nce of a reside n ce in the pala c e from its S ituation on the crest of a hill di stant THE

.

,

,

,

.

,

1

Se e

Uq r

u h a rt s ’

Pi ll

a rs o f

H

e rc u le s

,

B

.

iii C 8 .

.

.

THE

42

AL HAMBRA

.

inte r c ourse from the seat of business and the resorts of so ial often need of astle a d h h o w c c did very well for monar hs It “ But se nors ” c walls to defend them from their own subj e ts i “ ded he sm ilin if you think a residence there so des rable ad g ce are at your servi my apartments in the Alhambra c

.

,

,

.

o

,

,

,

.

This house i s casa e s sie m pre a la d i s p o s i ci o n de ” i t c f a a l ways at the comman d of your Grace In anyth n g of i s I t ff whi h you admire is immediate l y o ered to you c i h s i t ; c equa ll y a mark of good breedin g in you not to ac ept so of the ourtes of the c y w e merely bowed o u r ack n owled gments i m c overnor in offerin u s a royal pala e We were staken G g You will fin d a however The Governor was in earnest “ ” ramblin g s e t of empty unfurnished room s said he ; but Tia Antonia who h a s char ge of the palace m ay be able to put the m in som e kind of order ; and to take c are of you while w it h her you are there If you c a n make any arran ge ment for your accommodation and are c ontent with scanty fare in a ” royal abode the pal a c e of Kin g C hico is at your service We took the Governor at his word an d hastene d up the steep C all e de los Go m e re s and throu gh the Great Gate of Justi c e to ne gotiate with Dame Antonia ; doubti n g at time s if this were not a dream and fearin g at time s th at the sa ge W e kne w D u e fi a of the fortress mi ght be slo w to c apitulate w e had one friend at least in the garrison wh o wou l d be in our favor the bri ght eyed little Do l ores wh ose good gra c e s we had propitiated on our fi rs t visit ; a n d who haile d our return to the pa l ace with h er bri ghtest looks All however wen t smoothly The good Tia Antonia had a little furniture to put in the rooms but it was of the c om mon We assured her we could bivouac on the floor S he e s t kind we c ould supply our table ; but only in her own sim ple w a y wanted nothin g better He r niece Dolores would wait upon and at the word we thre w up our hats and the b ar gain u S w a s c omplete The very next day we took up our abode in the palace an d never d i d sovere i gns share a divided throne with m ore perfe c t harmony Several d ays passed b y like a dream when my wo rthy associate bein g summoned to Madrid on diplom atic dut i es w as compe l led to abdicate leavin g me sole mo n ar c h of th i s shadowy realm For myself, bein g in a m ann er a hap hazard lo i terer about the wor l d and prone to lin ger in its pleasan t place s here have I been sufferin g day by d a y to steal Vm

.

,

.

.

,

.

,

.

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

,

-

.

.

,

,

,

.

.

—

,

.

,

—

.

,

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

IMP

OR TAN

N E G O TI A TI ON S

T

43

.

away unheeded s pell boun d for au ght I kn ow in this old e nchante d p ile Havin g al w ay s a compan ionable feelin g for my reade r an d be in g prone to live w ith hi m on confide ntial term s I shall m ake it a point to co m m unicate to hi m my reve rie s and re searche s durin g this s tate of deliciou s t h ra l dom If they have the power of i mpartin g to hi s im a gination any of the W it c hin g charm s of the place he will n ot repin e a t lin gerin g with m e for a season i n the le ge ndary halls of the Alham bra An d firs t it is proper to give hi m som e idea of my dom e stic arran ge m ents ; they are rathe r of a si mple kind for the oce n pan t o f a re gal palace but I trust they will be le s s liable to disastrou s reverse s tha n those of m y royal prede ce ssors My quarte rs are at on e e n d of the G overn or s apartm ent a suite o f e m pty chambers i n fron t of the pala c e lookin g out upon th e great e splan ade calle d l a p la z a d e l os a lgi b es (th e p l a c e of the ciste rn s ) the apartm en t i s modern b u t the e nd O pposite to my sleep in g room com mu ni c ate s w ith a cluste r of little c hambers partly Moorish partly S pan ish allotte d to the I n con sideration of c h d t e l a i n e Do n a Antonia an d he r family keepin g the palace in order the good dam e i s allowed all the perqu isite s rece ive d from visitors an d all the produce of the arden s exceptin that she is expe cte d to pay an occasio al n ; g g tribute of fruits an d flo w ers t o the G ove rnor He r fam ily c on sists of a n ephe w a n d n iece the childre n of two di ffe re nt brothers The n ephe w Manuel Molina i s a youn g m an of ste rlin g worth an d Spanish gravity He had serve d i n the army both in S pai n an d the We st I ndie s ; but i s n ow studyin g m edicine in the hope of on e day or other becom in g physician to the fortress a post worth at least one hundred an d forty d ollars a ye ar T he n ie ce i s the plu mp little black eye d Dolore s alre ady me n tione d ; an d who it i s said will on e day inher it all her aunt s pos se ss ion s consistin g of c e rtain petty tene m ents in the fortre ss in a so mewhat ruinous con diti on it i s true but which I am privately assure d by Mate o Xi me n e s yield a revenu e of nearly on e hundre d an d fifty dollars ; s o that she is quite an heire s s i n the eye s of t h e ra gge d s o n of the Alhambra I am also informe d by t h e sam e observant a n d authe nti c person a ge that a quiet courtsh ip i s goin g on bet w ee n the dis c reet Manu el an d hi s bri ght eye d c ousin and that n oth i n g i s wantin g to enable the m t o j oin their hands an d expe cta tion s but his doctor s diplom a and a dispensation from the P ope on a c count of the ir con san guinity The good dam e Antonia ful fi ls faith fully he r c ontract i n -

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

.

’

,

,

,

,

-

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

-

.

,

,

’

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

’

,

.

AL HAMBRA

THE

44

.

re gard to my boar d and lod gin g ; and as I am easily pleased I i my fare excellent whi l e the merry hearted l ttle Dolores fin d ; keeps my apartment i n order and o fii c i a t e s as h a n d i n a i d at m ea l times I have also at my c ommand a tall stutter i n g yellow haired lad named P epe who works in the garden s and would fain have a c ted as valet ; but in this he was fore stalled ” “ by Mateo Ximenes the s o n of the Alhambra This alert and o ffi c i o u s W i ght has mana ged someho w or other to stick by m e ever since I fi rst encountered him at the outer gate of the fortre ss and to weave himself into a l l my plan s until h e h as fair l y appointed and insta ll ed him self my valet c icerone uide uard squire and I have bee n n d historio graphi c a ; g g ob l i ged to improve the state of his wardrobe that h e m ay not dis grac e his various fun c tions ; s o that he has cast his old brown mantle as a snake does his skin an d now appears about the fortress with a s mart Andalusian hat and j a c ket to his in fi nite satisfa c tion and the great astonishment of his co m rades The chief fault of honest Mateo is an over an xiety to b e useful C onscious of havin g foisted him se l f into my employ and that my simple and quiet habits ren der his situa tion a sine c ure h e is at his w it s ends to d evise m odes of makin g himself important to my welfare I am in a m ann er the vi c tim of his o ffi c i ou s n e s s ; I c annot put m y foot over the thresho l d of the pala c e to stroll about the fortre ss but he i s at m y elbo w to exp l ain everythin g I s e e ; and if I venture to ramb l e amon g the surrou ndin g hi l ls he insists upon atte n din g m e as a guard thou gh I vehemently suspect he wo uld be more apt to trust to the l en gth of h i s l e gs than the stren gth of h i s arms in ca s e of attack After a l l however the poor fellow is at times an amusin g c om panion ; he is sim ple mi nded and of in fi nite good humor with the loqua c ity an d gossip of a V i lla ge barber and he knows all the small ta l k of the p l ace and i t s environ s ; but what he chiefly values himself on is hi s sto c k of l o c al information havin g the m ost marvellous storie s to re l ate of ev ery tower an d vault and gateway of the fortre ss i n all of wh i c h he p l aces the most i mp l i c it faith Most of these he has derived ac c ordin g to his own account from h i s grandfather a little le gendary tai l or who lived to the a e of i i e a rl y a hundred years duri n g whi c h he m ade but two g m i grat i ons beyond the pre c in c ts of the fortress Hi s s h O p for the greate r part of a c entury w a s the resort of a knot of v e n c rab l e gossips where they wou l d pass ha l f the n i ght talkin g about o l d t i me s and the wonderfu l e vents and hidden se c rets of the plac e The whole livin g movin g t h i n ki n and a c t i n ,

-

,

-

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

’

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

-

,

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

‘

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

or

g

IMP

OR TAN

N E G O TIA TI ON S

T

45

.

of this historical little tailor had thus be e n bounde d by the walls of the Alha m b ra ; within the m he had bee n born w ithi n the m he l ived breathed and had hi s be in g ; withi n the m he died and was burie d Fortunately for poste rity , hi s tra The authe ntic Mateo whe n d i t i o n a ry lore died not w ith hi m an urchin use d to be an attentive listene r to the narrative s of his grandfather an d of the gossip group as se mble d roun d the shopboard ; and is thus posse ssed of a sto c k of valuable kn owl e d ge concernin g the Alhambra not to be found i n books an d we l l worthy the attentio n of e ve ry curiou s travelle r Such are the persona ge s that constitute my re gal hou se hold ; a n d I questio n whethe r any of the potentate s Mosle m or C h ristian who have prece ded m e i n the palace have bee n waite d upo n with greater fidelity o r e nj oye d a sere ner s way Whe n I rise i n the m ornin g P é p e the stutte rin g lad fro m the garde ns brin gs me a tr ibute of fre sh culled flowers which are after w ards arran ge d i n vase s by the skilful hand of Dolores who take s a fe mal e pride i n the decoration s of my chamber My me als are made wh ere ver caprice dictate s ; someti me s i n one of the Moorish halls so m eti me s unde r the arcade s of the C ourt of Lio ns s urrounde d by flo we rs and fou n tain s an d w he n I walk out I a m con ducte d by the a s s i d u o u s Mate o to the m ost romantic re tre ats of the mountain s an d delicious haunts of the adj ace nt valleys not one of which but i s the scen e of som e wonde rful tale Thou gh fond of passin g the greate r part of m y day alon e yet I oc c asionally repair i n the e ve nin gs to the little domestic circle of D o i i a Antonia This i s gene rally held i n an old Mooris h chamber wh ich se rve s the good dam e fo r parlor kit c hen and hall of au die nce an d which must have boaste d o f so me sple ndor i n the tim e of the Moors if we may j ud ge from the trac e s yet re mai nin g ; but a rude fireplace has bee n m ade i n m ode r n ti m e s i n one c orne r the s m oke from which has discolored the walls and al m ost obl iterated th e ancien t arabe sque s A windo w w i th a balcony overhan gin g the valley of the Darro let s i n the cool e ve nin g breeze ; and here I take my fru gal suppe r of fru it and milk an d m in gle with the conversation of the fam ily There is a n atural tale nt or m othe r wit as it is called about the Spaniards whic h re nders the m intellectual and a gree able com panion s whate ver m ay be their condition in life o r ho we ve r imperfe ct m ay have bee n their edu c ation : add to this th ey are ne ve r vul gar ; nature has endo w ed the m with an i n here nt di gn ity of spirit The A ood Tia ntonia is a woman of stron g and intelli ge nt thou gh g ,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

q

'

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

'

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

THE

46

AL HAMBRA

.

un c ultivated m ind ; and the bri ght eyed Dolores thou gh s h e has read but three or fo u r books i n the whole c ourse of her life has a n en ga gin g mixture of na i vet e and good se nse and ofte n surprises m e by the pun gen cy of her artle ss sall i e s Sometime s the nephe w e ntertains us b y r e a d i n g s ome old i i s i c omedy of a l deron or Lope de Ve a to wh h he e v dently C c g prompted b y a desire to improve as well as amuse h i s c o u s 1 n Do l ores ; thou gh to his great m o rt i fi ca t i o n the l i ttle damsel e nera l ly fa l ls asleep before the fi rst act is complete d Some g times Tia Antonia has a l ittle levee of humble frie nds and dependents the inhabita n ts of the adj acent ham let or the wive s of the inval id soldiers These l ook up to he r w ith reat deferen e as the c ustodian of the pa l ace , an d pay their c g court to her by brin gin g the ne w s of the place or the rumors that may have stra ggl ed up fro m G ranada I n liste nin g to these evenin g gossipin gs I have picked up many curious fa c ts i l lustrative of the manne rs of the people and the pe culiaritie s of the ne i ghborhood These are simple details of simple pleasure s ; it is the nature of the pla c e al one that gives them intere st and i mpor tan c e I tread haunted ground and am surrounde d by rom an From earlie st boyhood whe n on th e banks t i c asso c iation s of the Hudson I fi rst p ored over the pa ge s of old Gi ne s P erez de Hita s apo c ryphal but c hivalresque history of the c ivil wars o f Granada an d the feuds of its gallant cavalie rs the Z e gri s and Aben c erra ges that c ity has ever bee n a subj e ct of my wakin g dream s and often h ave I trod i n fan c y the romantic hal ls of the Al hambra Behold for once a daydream realized ; yet I can s c arce credit m y senses or belie ve that I do indeed inhabit the palace of Bo abdi l and look down fro m its bal c onies upon chiva l ri c Granada As I l oite r throu gh these O riental c hambers a n d hear the murmur of fountain s and the son g of the ni ght i n gale ; as I inhale the odor of the rose and feel the influen c e of the balmy climate I a m al most tempted to fancy myself i n the paradise of Mahom et and that the plump litt l e Dolore s is one of the b ri ght eyed houri s , destined to administer to the happiness of true belie vers -

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

’

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

-

.

THE

48

AL HAMBR A

.

He

a fi v e s court established at the foot of one of the towers b o a s t i n g of i s as poor as a rat but as proud as he i s ra gged i ch u l ar from wh i A house of g his des c ent from the i l lustrious ao a N i spran Gon z a l vo of C ordova the grand capta n y he g i i i i A bears the name of l onzo de u lar so renowned the A g t u a lly history of the conquest thou gh the graceless wa gs of the fort ress have given him the title of cl p a d r e s a n t o or th e holy father the usual appellation of the P ope wh i ch I h a d thou ght i too sa c red i i i the eyes of true C atholics to be thus lud c rous l y i n e n u r t f f o o app l ied It is a whim si cal c aprice to pre sent the a m e s a k e and de a i n rotesque person of this tatterdemal on g n A i A of the proud lonzo de uilar the m rror of A g n n t s ce d a i chivalry leadin g an almost me ndicant ex stence d alu s i a n about this once hau ghty fortress which his a n cestor aide d t o redu c e yet such mi ght have been the lot of the descendants of Agamemnon and Achille s h a d they lin gered about the ruin s of Tro y this motley community I fi nd the fam ily of my ossip g f O i n g squire Mateo Xi menes to form from their numbers at l east a very important part Hi s boast of bein g a son of the Alhambra is not unfounded Hi s fam ily has inhabite d the fortress ever since the time of the c on quest handi n g do wn an hereditary poverty from father to son not one of the m havin g ever bee n known to be worth a maravedi Hi s father by trade a ribbon weaver an d who su cc eeded the historical tailor as the head of the family is now near seventy years of a ge and lives in a hove l of reeds and plaster built by his own han ds j ust above the iron gate The furniture con sists of a c razy bed a table a n d two or three chairs a wooden che st c ontain ” “ i n g beside s his scanty clothin g t h e ar c hive s of the family These are nothin g more nor less than the papers of variou s lawsuits sustained by di fferent generation s by which it would see m that with all t heir apparent c arelessness an d good humor they are a liti gious brood Most of the suits have bee n brou ght a gainst gossipin g nei ghbors for questionin g the purity of the i r blood and denyin g their bein g C h r i s t i a n os vi ej os i e old C hristians without Jewish or Moorish taint I n fact I doubt whether this j ealousy about their blood has not kept them s o poor in purse : spendin g all their earnin gs on e seri banos and al guazils The pride of the hovel i s an e scutcheo n suspe n ded a gainst the wal l in whic h are emblazoned quarter i n gs of the arm s of the Marquis of C a i e s e d o an d of various other noble houses with whi c h this poverty stricke n brood c la i m affinity .

-

,

o

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

.

-

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

.

-

.

,

.

I N HABI TAN Ts

AL HAMBRA

THE

OF

49

.

As to Mate o him self who i s n o w about thirty fi ve years of a ge he has don e hi s utm ost to perpetuate hi s line an d c o n tinne the poverty of the family havin g a wife and a nu m erou s pro ge ny who inhabit an alm ost dism a n tled hovel i n the hamle t Ho w they m ana ge t o subs ist he only who see s i nto all my s t e ri e s can tell ; the subsistence of a Spanish family of the kind i s alway s a riddle to m e ; yet they do subsi st and what i s m ore appear to enj oy the ir e xisten ce The wife take s he r holiday stroll o n the P ase o of G ranada with a child i n he r arm s and half a dozen at her he el s ; an d the elde st dau ghter n o w ve r gin g into w om anhood dre sse s he r hair with flo w ers and dan c e s gayly to the e as t a fi e t s The re are two classes of p e ople to whom l ife seem s on e lo n g h oliday the very rich and the ve ry poor ; on e because they nee d do nothin g the othe r becau se they have n othin g to d o but the re are none who understan d the art of doin g n othin g an d livin g upon nothin g better than the poor c lasse s of S pain G ive a C lim ate doe s one half an d tem peram ent the rest Spaniard the s hade i n su m me r and th e s u n in winter ; a little bread garli c oil an d ga rb a n c e s an old brow n c loak an d a uitar an d le t the world roll on as it please s Talk of pov g It sits upo n hi m with a e r t y ! w ith him it has no dis grace H e randiose s tyle like h is ra e d cloak is a hidal go e ve n gg g whe n i n ra gs ” “ Th e son s of the Alhambra are an e m inent illustration of thi s practical philosophy As the Moors i m a gine d that the cele stial paradise hun g over this favored spot s o I am incline d at ti me s to fancy that a gleam of the golde n a ge still lin ge rs about this ra gged community They p os se s s n othin g they do n othin g they c are f o r n othin g Yet thou gh appare ntly idle all the w eek they are as obse rvant of all holy days an d sain ts days as the m ost laboriou s artisan They atten d all f ét es an d dan cin gs in Granada an d its vici nity li ght bonfire s o n the hills o n St John s e ve and d an ce away th e m oonli ht n i hts on g g the harve st hom e of a sm all field withi n the p re cincts of the fortress which yiel d a fe w bushel s of wheat B efore concludin g these rem arks I m ust mention on e of the amuse m ent s of the place wh i ch has parti c ularly struck m e I had repeatedly obse rve d a lon g lean fello w perched on the top of one of the towers m an oeuvrin g two or thre e fi s h i n g rods as thou gh h e were an gl in g for the stars I was for som e tim e perplexed by the e volution s of th is aerial fisherman and my perplexity increase d o n obse rvi n g others e mployed i n l ike m anne r on di fferent parts of the battle ments and bastions ; it -

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

.

.

,

,

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

’

,

.

,

’

.

,

-

,

.

,

.

-

,

,

.

,

THE

50 w as

AL HAMBRA

.

until I con sulted Mateo Ximenes that I solved the

n ot

mystery It seems that the pure and ai ry situation of th i s fortres s h a s re ndered it like t h e castle of Ma c beth a prolific bre edin g p l ac e for swallows and i n a rt l e t s w h o sport about i t s towers i n myriads with the holiday glee of urch ins j ust let loose from s c hool To e ntrap these birds i n their giddy circl i n gs w ith hooks baited with flies i s one of the favorite amuse ments of ” “ the ragged sons of the Alhambra w h o with the good for nothin g in ge nuity of arrant idlers have thus invente d the art of an glin g i n the s ky .

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

,

,

.

HALL OF AMB AS S AD ORS

THE

.

I N one of my visits to the old Moorish chamber , wh e re the ood Tia ntonia ooks her dinner and receive s he r company A c g I o b s e r ve d a m y s t e ri o u s door in one corner leadin g apparently into the ancient part of the edifice My curiosity bein g aroused I opened it and found myself in a narrow blin d ropin alon whi h I came to the head of a dark c orridor c g g g w indin g stair c ase l eadin g down an an gle of the tower of C o mares Down this stair c ase I descended darklin g guidin g myself by the wall until I came to a small door at th e bottom throwin g w hich open I w a s suddenly dazzled by e m er gin g into the brilliant antechamber of the Hall of Am bas sadors ; with the fountain of the court of the Alberca sparklin g before me The ante c hamber is separated from the court by an ele gant ga ll ery supported by s l ender columns w ith spandrels of ope n work in the Moris c o st y le At each e nd of the a n t e c h a m ber are al c oves and its c ei l in g is ri c hly stuc c oed and painted P assin g throu gh a ma gn i fi cent portal I foun d myself in the far famed Hal l of Ambassadors the audien c e c ham ber of the Moslem m onar c hs It is said to be thirty se ven feet square and S i xty feet hi gh oc c upie s the whole interior of the Tower of C omare s ; an d sti ll bears the traces o f p a s t ma gnifice n c e The wal l s a re beautifully stuccoed and decorated with Moris c o fan c i fu l ness ; the lofty c eilin g w a s ori ginally of the same favor i t e material with the usual frostwork and pensile ornam ents or stalactites ; which with the e mbel l ishments of vivid color i n g and gildin g must have bee n gor geous in the extre me U n fortunately i t ga v e w a durin an earthquake a n d brou ht y g g down W i th i t a n i mme nse ar c h whi c h traverse d t h e hall It ,

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

-

,

—

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

o

.

,

.

HALL

THE

OF

AMBAS S AD ORS

51

.

replace d by the present vault or dom e of larch or cedar with intersec t in g ribs the whole curiously wrou ght and richly colore d ; still O rie ntal i n its chara c ter re m indin g one of “ hos e ce ilin s of cedar and vermilion that we read of i n the t g ”1 prophets an d the Arabian N i ghts Fro m the great he i ght of the vault above th e w indows the uppe r part of the hall is almost lost i n obscurity ; yet th ere is a ma gnificence a s well as sole m nity in the gloom , as throu gh it we ha ve gleam s of rich gildin g and the brilliant tints of the Moorish pe ncil The royal throne was place d opposite the entrance i n a rece ss which still be ars an in scription intim atin g that Yusef I A the m onarch who com plete d the lhambra m ade this the ) ( E verythin g i n thi s n oble hall see m s t hrone of h i s e mpire to have bee n calculate d to surrou nd the thron e w ith i mpre ss ive di gnity and S ple n dor ; there was none of the ele gant v o l u p t u The towe r o u s n e s s which rei gns in othe r part s of the palace is of m assive stren gth domi neerin g over the whole edifice an d overhan gin g the steep hillside O n three sides of the Hall of Amba s sadors are W indo w s cut throu gh the i m m e n se thickne s s of the walls and co m mandin g exten s ive prospects The bal ny of the ce ntral windo w e specially looks down upon the co verdant valley of the Darro with its walks its grove s and arde ns To the le ft it enj oy s a distant prospe ct of the Ve a g g while directly in front rise s the rival hei ght of the Alb ay c i n , with i t s medley of stree ts and te rrace s an d garden s an d on ce crowne d by a fortre s s that vied in powe r with the Alhambra Ill fated the man who l ost all this ! exclaim e d C harle s V as he looke d forth from thi s window upon the e nchantin g scenery it com mands The balcony of the windo w where thi s royal exclam ation w a s m ade h as of late becom e one of m y favorite re sorts I have j ust bee n seated there enj oy in g the close of a lon g bril lian t day The s u n as h e sank behin d the purple m ou ntain s of Alhama se nt a stream of efful gence up the valley of the Darro that spread a m elancholy pom p over the ruddy towe rs of the Alhambra ; while the Ve ga covere d with a sli ght sultry vapor that cau ght the settin g ray se e m e d spread out in the distance like a golde n s e a N o t a breath of air disturbed the stillne ss of the hour an d thou gh the faint soun d of m usic and me rriment now and the n rose from the garden s of the Darro it but re ndere d m ore im pre ss ive the m onum e ntal silence of w as

,

,

,

.

.

.

,

.

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

.

-

.

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

,

1

Uq r

u h a rt s ’

P i lla

rs of

H

e rc u l e s .

AL HAMBRA

THE

52

.

the pile which overshadowed me It was one of those hours i and s c ene s in wh ich memory asserts an almost ma g cal powe r ; i and like the evenin g s u n bea m in g on these m oulde r n g towe rs .

,

,

As I s a t w a t ch i n the e ff e c t of the declinin g dayli ght upon this Moorish pile I wa s led into a conside ration of the li ght e l e gant and voluptuous character preva l ent throu ghout its interna l archite c ture ; and to c ontrast it with the gran d but l oomy solemnity of the Gothic edifice s reared by the S panish onquerors The very architecture thus bespeaks the opposite c and irrecon c ilable natures of the two warlike people w h o s o lon g batt l e d here for the mastery of the peninsula By de rees I fel l into a course of musin upon the sin ular fortu ne s g g g of the Arabian or Moris c o Spaniards whose whole e xistence is as a tal e that is told an d certainly form s one of the m ost anomalous yet S plendid episodes in history P ote nt an d dur able a s was their domin ion we scarcely kn ow h o w t o call them They were a nation witho u t a le gitimate c ountry o r name A re mote wave of the great Arabian inundation cast upon the S hore s of E urope they see m to have all the impetus of the fi rst rush of the torrent Their c are er of con que st fro m the ro c k of Gibraltar to the cli ffs of the P yren ee s was as rapid and brilliant as the Mosle m vi c torie s of Syri a and N a y had the y not been che ck e d on the plain s of E gypt Tours all Fran c e all E urope m i ght have been o verrun with the same fac ility as the empires of the E ast and the c re s c ent at this day have glittered on the fane s of P aris an d Lon don Repelled within t h e limits of the P yrenee s the m ixe d horde s of Asia and Afri c a that formed thi s great irruption ave up the Moslem prin ip l e of onquest and sou ht to c c g g estab l ish in Spain a peac efu l and perman ent dom inion As c onquerors their heroism was on l y equalled by their m odera t i on ; and i n both for a time they excelled the n atio n s with whom they c ontended S evered from their native hom e s they l oved the land give n them as they supposed by Allah and strove to embel l ish it with ever y thin g that could admini ster to the happ i ness of man Layin g the foundations of their power i n a system of wi se and e quitable laws dili gently culti v a t i n g the arts and s c iences and promotin a riculture m an g g u f ac t u re s a n d c ommerce , they radually forme d an e mpire g unr i val led for its prosperity by any of the empire s of C hris t e n d o m ; and dili gently drawin g round them the race s an d g re fi nements whi c h marked the Arabian empire in the E ast at