CHAPTER X.

THE SHADE OF DON QUIXOTTE-CONCISE ACCOUNT OF MADRID-ANECDOTE OF MAHONI AND GENERAL STANHOPE -THE ESCURIAL-ACCOUNT OF THE CONVENT OF THE CARTHUSIAN ORDER.

NOTHING of moment, or worth observing, met I with, till I came near Ocanna; and there occurred a sight ridiculous enough. The knight of the town I last came from, the ever renowned Don Quixotte, never made such a figure as a Spaniard I there met on the road. He was mounted on a mule of the largest size, and yet no way unsizeable to his person he had two pistols in his holsters, and one on each side stuck in his belt; a sort of large blunderbuss in one of his hands, and the fellow to it, slung over his shoulders, hung at his back. All these were accompanied with a right Spanish spado, and an attendant stiletto, in their customary position. The muleteer that was my guide, calling out to him in Spanish, told him he was very well armed; to which, with a great deal of gravity, the Don returned answer, By Saint Jago, a man cannot be too well armed in such dangerous times!

I took up my quarters that night at Ocanna, a large, neat, and well-built town. Houses of good reception and entertainment are very scarce all over Spain, but that, where I then lay, might have passed for good in any other country. Yet it gave me a notion quite different to what I found; for I imagined it to proceed from my near approach to the capital. But instead of that, contrary to all other countries, the nearer I came to Madrid, the houses of entertainment grew worse and worse; not in their rates do I mean (for that with reason enough might have been expected), but even in their provision, and places and way of reception. I could not, however, forbear smiling at the reason given by my muleteer, that it proceeded from a piece of court policy, in order to oblige all travellers to hasten to Madrid.

Two small leagues from Ocanna we arrived at Aranjuez, a seat of pleasure, which the kings of Spain commonly select for their place of residence during the months of April and

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May. It is distant from Madrid about seven leagues and the country round is the pleasantest in all Spain, Valencia excepted. The house itself makes but very indifferent appearance; I have seen many a better in England with an owner to it of no more that 500l. per annum; yet the gardens are large and fine; or, as the Spaniards say, the finest in all Spain, which with them is all the world. They tell you at the same time that those of Versailles, in their most beautiful parts, took their model from these. I never saw those at Versailles; but, in my opinion, the walks at Aranjuez, though noble in their length, lose much of their beauty by their narrowness.

The waterworks here are a great curiosity; to which the river Tagus, running along close by, does mightily contribute. That river is let into the gardens by a vast number of little canals, which, with their pleasing meanders, divert the eye with inexpressible delight. These pretty wanderers, by pipes properly placed in them, afford varieties scarce to be believed or imagined; and which would be grateful in any climate, but much more where the air, as it does here, wants in the summer months perpetual cooling.

To see a spreading tree, as growing in its natural soil, distinguished from its pining neighbourhood by a gentle refreshing shower, which appears softly distilling from every branch and leaf thereof, while nature all around is smiling, without one liquid sign of sorrow, to me appeared surprisingly pleasing. And the more when I observed, that its neighbours received not any the least benefit of that plentiful effusion; and yet a very few trees distant, you shall find a dozen together under the same healthful sudor. Where art imitates nature well, philosophers hold it a perfection; then what must she exact of us, where we find her transcendant in the perfections of nature?

The watery arch is nothing less surprising; where art, contending with nature, acts against the laws of nature, and yet is beautiful. To see a liquid stream vaulting itself for the space of threescore yards into a prefect semi-orb, will be granted by the curious to be rare and strange; but sure, to walk beneath that arch, and see the waters flowing over your head, without your receiving the minutest drop, is stranger, if not strange enough to stagger all belief

The story of Actæon, pictured in water-colours, if I may

so express myself, though pretty, seemed to me but trifling to the other. Those seemed to be like nature miraculously displayed; this only fable in grotesque. The figures indeed were not only fine, but extraordinary; yet their various shapes were not at all so entertaining to the mind, however refreshing they might be found to the body.

I took notice before of the straightness of their walks; but though to me it might seem a diminution of their beauty, I am apt to believe to the Spaniard, for and by whom they were laid out, it may seem otherwise. They, of both sexes, give themselves so intolerably up to amouring, that, on that account, the closeness of the walks may be looked upon as an advantage rather than a defect. The grand avenue to the house is much more stately, and composed, as they are, of rows of trees somewhat larger than our largest limes, whose leaves are all of a perfect pea-bloom colour, together with their grandeur, they strike the eye with a pleasing beauty. At the entrance of the grand court we see the statue of Philip II.; to intimate to the spectators, I suppose, that he was the founder.

Among other parks about Aranjuez, there is one entirely preserved for dromedaries; an useful creature for fatigue, burthen, and despatch; but the nearest of kin to deformity of any I ever saw. There are several other inclosures for several sorts of strange and wild beasts, which are sometimes baited in a very large pond, that was shown me about half a league from hence. This is no ordinary diversion; but when the court is disposed that way, the beast, or beasts, whether bear, lion, or tiger, are conveyed into a house prepared for that purpose; whence he can no other way issue than by a door over the water, through, or over which, forcing or flinging himself, he gradually finds himself descend into the very depth of the pond by a wooden declivity. The dogs stand ready on the banks, and so soon as ever they spy their enemy, rush all at once into the water, and engage him. A diversion less to be complained of than their tauridores, because attended with less cruelty to the beast, as well as danger to the spectators.

When we arrived at Madrid, a town much spoken of by natives, as well as strangers, though I had seen it before, I could hardly restrain myself from being surprised to find it only environed with mud walls. It may very easily be

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imagined, they were never intended for defence, and yet it was a long time before I could find any other use, or rather any use at all, in them; and yet I was at last convinced of my error by a sensible increase of expense. Without the gates, to half a league without the town, you have wine for twopence the quart; but within the place, you drink it little cheaper than you may in London. The mud walls, therefore, well enough answer their intent of forcing people to reside there, under pretence of security, but, in reality, to be taxed; for other things are taxable as well as wine, though not in like proportion.

All ambassadors have a claim or privilege of bringing in what wine they please tax-free; and the king, to waive it, will at any time purchase that exemption of duty at the price of five hundred pistoles per annum. The convents and nunneries are allowed a like license of free importation; and it is one of the first advantages they can boast of; for, under that license, having a liberty of setting up a tavern near them, they make a prodigious advantage of it. The wine drank and sold in this place is for the most part a sort of white wine.

But if the mud walls gave me at first but a faint idea of the place, I was pleasingly disappointed as soon as I entered the gates. The town then showed itself well built, and of brick, and the streets wide, long, and spacious. Those of Atocha and Alcala are as fine as any I ever saw; yet it is situated but very indifferently: for, though they have what they call a river, to which they give the very fair name of La Mansuera, and over which they have built a curious, long, and large stone bridge; yet is the course of it, in summer time especially, mostly dry. This gave occasion to that piece of raillery of a foreign ambassador, That the king would have done wisely to have bought a river before he built the bridge. Nevertheless, that little stream of a river which they boast of, they improve as much as possible; since down the sides, as far as you can see, there are coops, or little places hooped in, for people to wash their linen (for they very rarely wash in their own houses), nor is it really any unpleasing sight to view the regular rows of them at that cleanly operation.

The king has here two palaces; one within the town, the

other near adjoining. That in the town is built of stone; the other, which is called Bueno Retiro, is all of brick. From the town to this last, in summer time, there is a large covering of canvass, propt up with tall poles, under which people walk, to avoid the scorching heats of the sun.

As I was passing by the chapel of the Carmelites, I saw several blind men, some led, some groping the way with their sticks, going into the chapel. I had the curiosity to know the reason; I no sooner entered the door, but was surprised to see such a number of those unfortunate people, all kneeling before the altar, some kissing the ground, others holding up their heads, crying out Misericordia. I was informed it was St. Lucy's day, the patroness of the blind; therefore, all who were able came upon that day to pay their devotion: so I left them, and directed my course towards the king's palace.

When I came to the outward court, I met with a Spanish gentleman of my acquaintance, and we went into the piazzas; whilst we were talking there, I saw several gentlemen passing by, having badges on their breasts, some white, some red, and others green; my friend informed me, that there were five orders of knighthood in Spain. That of the Golden Fleece was only given to great princes, but the other four to private gentlemen, viz., that of St. Jago, Alcantara, St. Salvador de Montreal, and Monteza.

He likewise told me that there were above ninety places of grandees, but never filled up, who have the privilege of being covered in the presence of the king, and are distinguished into three ranks. The first is, of those who cover themselves before they speak to the king; the second, are those who put on their hats after they have begun to speak; the third, are those who only put on their hats, having spoke to him. The ladies of the grandees have also great respect showed them. The queen rises up when they enter the chamber, and offers them cushions.

No married man, except the king, lies in the palace; for all the women who live there are widows, or maids of honour to the queen. I saw the Prince of Asturia's dinner carried through the court up to him, being guarded by four gentlemen of the guards, one before, another behind, and one on each side, with their carbines shouldered; the queen's came next, and the king's the last, guarded as before; for they