CHAPTER XIV.
TOLEDO, AND TALKS ABOUT SPAIN.
Toledo is about fifty–six miles from Madrid. Asthe principal had laid out a large day’s work, itbecame necessary to procure a special train, as the firstregular one did not reach Toledo till after eleveno’clock. The special was to leave at six; and it wasstill dark when the long line of small omnibuses thatconveyed the company to the station passed throughthe streets.
“What is the matter with that man?” asked Sheridan,attracted by the cries of a man on the sidewalkwith a sort of pole in his hand.
“That’s a watchman,” replied the doctor.
“What’s he yelling about?”
“‘_Las cinco y medio y sereno_’ is what he says,” addedthe surgeon. “‘Half–past five and pleasant weather’ isthe translation of his cry. When it rains he calls thehour, and adds ‘_fluvioso_;’ when there is a fire heinforms the people on his beat of the fact, and givesthe locality of the conflagration, which he gets fromthe fire–alarm. In some of the southern cities, as inSeville, the watchman indulges in some pious exclamations,‘Twelve o’clock, and may the Virgin watch overour good city!’ It used to be the fashion in some ofthe cities of our country, for the guardian of the nightto indulge in these cries to keep himself awake; and Ihave heard him shout, ‘One o’clock and all is well’ inPittsburg.”
“I have walked about the _Puerta del Sol_ in the evening;but I have not seen a watchman,” added Sheridan.
“Probably they do not use the cry early in the night,in the streets where the people are gathered; at least,there seems to be no need of it,” replied the doctor.“But I suppose there are a great many things yet inMadrid that you have not seen. For instance, did younotice the water–carriers?”
“I did,” answered Murray. “They carry the waterin copper vessels something like a soda–fountain, placedupon a kind of saddle, like the porters in Constantinople.
“Some of them have donkeys, with panniers in whichthey put kegs, jars, and glass vessels filled with water.These men are called ‘_aguadors_,’ and their occupationis considered mean business; the _caballero_ whosehouse we visited would be too proud to be a water–carrier,and would rather starve than engage in it.”
The tourists left the omnibuses, and took theirplaces in the cars. As soon as the train had started,as it was still too dark to see the country, the doctorand his friends resumed the conversation about thesights of Madrid.
“Did you go to the _Calle de la Abada_?” asked Dr.Winstock.
“I don’t know: I didn’t notice the name of any suchstreet,” replied Sheridan; and Murray was no wiser,both of them declaring that the Spanish names weretoo much for them.
“It is not unlike Market Street in Philadelphia,twenty years ago, when the middle of the avenue wasfilled with stalls in a wooden building.”
“I saw that,” added Sheridan. “The street led toa market. All the men and women that had anything to sell were yelling with all their might. Theytackled every person that came near.”
“I saw the dirt–cart go along this same street,” saidMurray. “It was a wagon with broad wheels asthough it was to do duty in a swamp, with a bell fixedon the forward part. At the ring of the bell, thewomen came out of their houses, and threw basketsof dirt into the vehicle, which a man in it emptied andreturned to them.”
“I was in the city in fruit time once, and saw largewatermelons sold for four and six _cuartos_ apiece, a_cuarto_ being about a cent,” continued the doctor.“The nicest grapes sold for six _cuartos_ a pound.Meat is dear, and so is fish, which has to be broughtfrom ports on the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay.Bread is very good and cheap; but the shopsyou saw were not bakeries: these are off by themselves.”
“They don’t seem to have any objection to lotteriesin Madrid,” said Sheridan. “I couldn’t move in thegreat streets without being pestered with the sellersof lottery–tickets.”
“There are plenty of them; for the Spaniards wishto make fortunes without working for them.”
“Many of the lottery–venders are boys,” addedMurray. “They called me Señorito.”
“They called me the same. The word is a title ofrespect, which means master. The drawing of a lotteryis a great event in the city, and the newspaper is sometimesfilled with the premium numbers.”
“I did not see so many beggars as I expected, afterall I had read about them,” said Sheridan. “But Icould understand their lingo, when they said, ‘For thelove of God.’”
“That is their universal cry. You will see enoughin the south to make up the deficiency of the capital,”laughed the doctor. “They swarm in Granada andMalaga; and you can’t get rid of them. In Madrid,as in the cities of Russia, you will find the most of thebeggars near the churches, relying more upon thosewho are pious enough to attend divine service thanupon those in the busy part of the city. They comeout after dark, and station themselves at any blankwall, where there are no doors and windows, and addressthe passers–by. By the way, did you happen tosee a cow–house?” asked the doctor.
Neither of the two students knew what he meant.
“It is more properly a milk–shop. In the front youwill see cups, on a clean white cloth on the table, forthose who wish to drink milk on the spot. Behind abarred petition in the rear you will notice a number ofcows, some with calves, which are milked in the presenceof the customers, that they may know they get thegenuine article.”
“Don’t they keep any pump–handle?” asked Murray.
“I never saw any,” laughed the surgeon. “Thecustomers are allowed to put in the water to their owntaste, which I think is the best arrangement.”
“I saw plenty of cook–shops, like those in Paris,”said Sheridan. “In one a cook was frying somethinglike Yankee doughnuts.”
“If you got up early enough to visit the breakfast–stallsof the poorer people, you would have been interested.A cheap chocolate takes the place of coffee,which with bread forms the staple of the diet. But theshops are dirty and always full of tobacco–smoke. Thehigher classes in Spain are not so much given to feastingand dining out as the English and Americans.They are too poor to do it, and perhaps have no tastefor such expensive luxuries. The _tertulia_ is a kind ofevening party that takes the place of the dinner tosome extent, and is a _cosa de España_. Ladies and gentlemenare invited,—except to literary occasions, whichare attended only by men,—and the evening is passedin card–playing and small talk. Lemonade, or somethingof the kind, is the only refreshment furnished.
“They go home sober, then,” laughed Murray.
“Spaniards always go home sober; but they do noteven have wine at the _tertulia_.”
“I have heard a great deal said about the _siesta_ inSpain; and I have read that the shops shut up, andbusiness ceased entirely, for two or three hours in themiddle of the day,” said Sheridan; “but I did not seeany signs of the suspension of business in Madrid.”
“Very many take their _siesta_, even in Madrid; andin the hot weather you would find it almost as youhave described it,—as quiet as Sunday,” replied thedoctor.
“Sunday was about as noisy a day as any in Madrid,”added Murray.
“I meant a Sunday at home or in London. WhenI was here last, the thirty–first day of October came onSunday; and it was the liveliest day I ever saw inSpain. The forenoon was quiet; for some of thepeople went to church. At noon there was a cock–fight,attended by some of the most noted men inSpain; and I went to it, though I was thoroughly disgustedboth with the sacrilege and the barbarity of theshow. At three o’clock came a bull–fight, lasting tilldark, in which eight bulls and seven horses were killed.In the evening was the opera, and a great time at allthe theatres. I confess that I was ashamed of myselffor visiting these places on the sabbath; but I was inSpain to learn the manners and customs of the people,and excused myself on this plea. Monday was thefirst day of November, which is All Saints’ Day. Nota shop was open. The streets were almost deserted;and there was nothing like play to be seen, even amongthe child
ren. It was like Sunday at home or inLondon, though perhaps even more silent and subdued.On this day the people visit the cemeteries, and decoratethe tombs and graves of the dead with wreathsof flowers and _immortelles_. I pointed out to you thecemetery in the rear of the _Museo_. I visited it onthat day; and it was really a very solemn sight.”
“I wish I had visited the cemetery,” said Sheridan.
“I am sorry you did not; but I did not think of itat the time we were near it. It is a garden surroundedby high walls, like parts of those we saw inItaly. In this wall are built a great many niches deepenough to receive a coffin, the lid of which, in Spain,as in Washington, is _dos d’âne_, or roof–shaped; and thecell is made like it at the top. Besides these catacombs,there are graves and tombs. As in Paris theseare often seen with flowers, the toys of children, portraits,and other mementos of the departed, laid uponthem.”
“I saw a funeral in Geronimo Street yesterday,”added the captain. “The hearse was an open one,drawn by four horses covered with black velvet. Ifollowed it to a church, and saw the service, which wasnot different from what I have seen at home. Whenthe procession started for the grave, it consisted mostlyof _berlinas_; and its length increased with every rod itadvanced.”
“I was told, that, when a person dies in Spain, thefriends of the family send in a supply of cooked food,on the supposition that the bereaved are in no conditionto attend to such matters,” continued the doctor.“But it is light enough now for us to see the scenery.”
The country was flat and devoid of interest at first;but it began to improve as the train approached Aranjuez,where the kings have a royal residence, whichthe party were to visit on the return from Toledo.
“What river is that, Dr. Winstock?” asked Murray.
“_El Tajo_,” replied the doctor, with a smile.
“Never heard of it,” added Murray.
“There you labor under one of the disadvantages ofa person who does not understand the language of thecountry in which he is travelling; for you are asfamiliar with the English name of this river as you arewith that of the Rhine,” replied the doctor.
“It is the Tagus,” added Sheridan. “I know thatToledo is on this river.”
“Who could suspect that _El Tah–hoe_ was the Tagus?”queried Murray.
“You would if you knew Spanish.”
“There is a Spanish _caballero_, mounted on a mule,”said Murray, calling the attention of the party to apeasant who was sitting sideways on his steed.
“All of them ride that way,” added Sheridan.
“Not all of them do, for there is a fellow straddlinghis donkey behind two big panniers,” interposed thesurgeon.
The train continued to follow the river till it reachedToledo. The students got out of the cars, and weredirected to assemble near the station in full view of theancient city. The day was clear and mild, so that itwas no hardship to stand in the open air, and listen tothe description of the city given by Professor Mapps.
“Toledo, as you can see for yourselves, is situated on a hill, or a series of hills, which rise to a considerable height above the rest of the country. Some of the old Spanish historians say that the city was founded soon after the creation of the world; but better authorities say it was begun by the Romans in the year B.C. 126, which makes it old enough to satisfy the reasonable vanity of the citizens of the place. Of course it was captured by the Moors, and recaptured by the Spaniards; and many of the buildings, and the bridge you see are the work of the Romans and the Moors. Under the Goths, in the seventh century, Toledo became very wealthy and prosperous, and in its best days is said to have had a population of a quarter of a million. It was made the capital of Spain in 567. Early in the eighth century the Moors obtained possession of the city, and made many improvements. In 1085, after a terrible siege, Alfonso VI. of Castile took it from the Moors, and it was again made the capital. The historians who carry the founding of Toledo almost back to the flood say that the Jews fled from Jerusalem, when it was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, to this city. Be this as it may, there were a great many Hebrews in Toledo in ancient days. They were an industrious people, and they became very wealthy. This people have been the butt of the Christians in many lands, and they were so here. They were persecuted, and their property confiscated; and it is said that the Jews avenged their wrongs by opening the gates of the city to the Moors; and then when the Moors served them in the same way, and despoiled them of their wealth, they admitted the army of Alfonso VI. by the same means. It has since been retained by the Christians. It was the capital and the ecclesiastic head of the nation. The archbishops of Toledo were immensely wealthy and influential.
“One of them was Ximenes, afterward cardinal, the Richelieu of Spain, and one of the most famous characters of history. He was the powerful minister of Ferdinand the Catholic, and the regent of the kingdom in the absence of Charles V. He was a priest who continually mortified his body, and at the same time a statesman of the highest order. He was the confessor of Isabella I. When he was made archbishop of Toledo and head of the Church in Spain, he refused to accept the high honor till he was compelled to do so by the direct command of the pope. When he appeared at court in his monkish robes, looking more like a half–starved hermit than the primate of Spain, the courtiers laughed at him; but he meekly bore the sneers and the scoffs of the light–hearted. He was required by the pope to change his style of living, and make it conform to his high position. He obeyed the order; but he wore the haircloth shirt and frock of the order to which he belonged under his robes of purple. In the elegant apartments of his palace, he slept on the floor with a log of wood for a pillow. He led an expedition against the Moors into Africa, and captured Oran. As regent he maintained the authority of the king against the grandees, and told them they were to obey the king and not to deliberate over his command. By his personal will he subdued the great nobles.
“The Moors brought to Toledo, from Damascus, the art of tempering steel for sword–blades; and weapons from either of these cities have a reputation all over the world. There is a manufactory of swords and other similar wares; and, while some contend that the blades made here are superior to any others, more insist that those made in England are just as good. When the capital was removed to Valladolid, Toledo began to decline; and now it has only fifteen thousand inhabitants. In the days that are past, the Jews and the Moors have been driven out of Spain to a degree that has retarded the prosperity of the country; for both the Hebrews and the Moslems were industrious and thriving races, and added greatly to the wealth of the nation. In religion Ferdinand and Isabella would be considered bigots and fanatics in our time; and their statesmanship would confound the modern student of political economy. But they did not live in our time; and we are grateful to them for the good they did, regardless of their religious or political views.
“The large square structure which crowns the hill is the _Alcazar_, or palace. It is in ruins, but what remains of it is what was rebuilt for the fourth time. It was occupied by the Moorish and Gothic kings, as well as by those of Castile and Leon. The principal sight of the city is the cathedral. It is three hundred and seventy–three feet long, and a little less than two hundred in width. The first church on the spot was begun in the year 587. Among the relics you saw in the Escurial was the entire skeleton of St. Eugenius, the first Archbishop of Toledo, who was buried at St. Denis; and his remains were given to Philip II. by the King of France. He presided at a council held in the original cathedral, which was also visited, Dec. 18, 666, by the Virgin (the hour of the day is not given); and it appears that she made one or more visits at other times. The present church was begun in 1227, and completed in 1493, the year after the discovery of America. One of its chapels is called the Capilla Mosarabe; and perhaps a word about it may interest you. When the Moors captured the city, certain Christians remained, and were allowed to enjoy their own religion; and, being separated from those of the faith, they had a ritual which was peculiarly their own. When the city was res
tored to the Christians, these people preferred to retain the prayer–book, the customs and traditions, which had come down to them from their own past. The clergy objected, and all efforts to make them adopt the Roman forms were useless. A violent dispute arose, which threatened serious consequences. It was finally decided to settle the question after the manner of the times, by single combat; and each party selected its champion. They fought, and the victory was with the Mosarabic side. But the king Alfonso VI. and the clergy were not satisfied, and, declaring that the means of deciding the case had been cruel and impious, proposed another trial. This time it was to be the ordeal by fire. A heap of fagots was lighted in the _Zocodover_,—the public square near the cathedral,—and the Roman and the Mosarabic prayer–books were committed to the flames. The Roman book was burned to ashes, while the Toledan version remained unconsumed in the fire. There was no way to get around this miraculous decision; and the people of the city retained their ritual. When Ximenes became archbishop he seems to have had more regard than his predecessors for the old ritual, called the Apostolic Mass; and he not only ordained an order of priests for this especial service, but built the chapel I have mentioned. I will not detain you any longer, though there is much more that might be said about this interesting city.”
Though the walk was rather long, the omnibuses werescarce, and most of the students were obliged to foot itinto the city. The doctor and his travelling pupils preferredthis, because they wished to look at the bridgeand the towers on the way. They spent some time onthe former in looking down into the rapid river, andin studying the structures at either end. The originalbridge was built by the Romans, rebuilt by the Moors,and repaired by the Spaniards.
“You have been in the East enough to know that theOrientals are fond of baths and other water luxuries.The Jews brought to Toledo some knowledge of thehydraulics of the Moslems; and they built an immensewater–wheel in the river, which Murray says was ninetycubits—at least one hundred and thirty–five feet—high,to force the water up the hill to the city throughpipes,” said the doctor, as he pointed out the ruins ofa building used for this purpose.
“I said it was ninety cubits high?” exclaimed Murray.
“I ought to have said ‘Ford,’ since he prepared thehand–book of Spain that goes under your name.”
“I accept the amendment,” laughed Murray,
“And now there are no water–works in Toledo,except such as you see crossing the bridge before us,”added the surgeon, as he indicated a donkey with onekeg fixed in a saddle, like a saw–horse, and two othersslung on each side.
The party passed through the _Puerta del Sol_, whichis an old and gloomy tower, with a gateway through it.It is a Moorish structure; and, after examining it, theycontinued up the slope which winds around the hill tothe top, and reached the square to which the professorhad alluded. To the students the city presented a dull,deserted, desolate, and inhospitable appearance. Itlooked as though the people had got enough of theplace, and had moved out of town. Though full oftreasures for the student of architecture and of antiquity,it had but little interest to progressive YoungAmerica.
The party went at once to the cathedral. There isno outside view of it except over the tops of thehouses, though portions of it may be seen in differentplaces. The interior was grand to look upon, but toogrand to describe; and we shall report only some ofDr. Winstock’s talks to his pupils.
“This is the _Puerta del Niño Perdido_, or the Gate ofthe Lost Child,” said he as they entered the church.“The story is the foundation of many a romance ofthe olden time. The clergy accused the wealthy Hebrewsof crucifying, as they did the Saviour, a Christianboy, in order to use his heart in the passover serviceas a charm against the Inquisition. The gate takesthe name from a fresco near it, representing the scenewhen the lost child was missed. The Jews were chargedwith the terrible deed, and plundered of their wealth,which was the whole object of the persecution.”
The party walked through the grand structure,looked into the choir in the middle, where a servicewas in progress, and passed through several chapels,stopping a considerable time in the _Capilla Mayor_,where are monuments of some of the ancient kingsand other great men.
“This is the tomb of Cardinal Mendoza,” said thedoctor. “He was an historian, a scholar, and, likeXimenes, a statesman and a warrior. The marble–workin the rear of the altar cost two hundred thousandducats, or six times as many dollars.”
“One hundred and twenty schoolhouses at tenthousand dollars apiece packed into that thing!”exclaimed Murray.
“And Mr. Ford calls it a fricassee of marble!”laughed the doctor, as they walked into the next chapel.“This is the _Capilla de Santiago_. Do you know who hewas?”
“Of course we do. He was the patron saint ofSpain,—St. James, one of the apostles,” replied Sheridan.
“Do you remember what became of him?”
“He suffered martyrdom under Herod Agrippa,”answered the captain.
“The Spaniards carry his history somewhat fartherthan that event. As they wanted a distinguishedpatron, and Rome had appropriated Peter and Paul,they contented themselves with James the Elder, the sonof Zebedee, and the brother of John. When he wasdead, his body was conveyed by some miraculous agencyto Jaffa, where it embarked in a boat for Barcelona,the legend informs us. Instead of going on shore, likea peaceable corpse, it continued on its voyage, followingthe coast of Spain, through the Strait of Gibraltar,to the shore of Galicia, where it made a landing ata place called Padron; or rather the dead–boat gotaground there. The body was found by some fishermen,who had the grace to carry it to a cave, where, asif satisfied with its long voyage made in seven days,beating the P. and O. Steamers by a week, it restedpeaceably for eight hundred years. At the end of thislong period, it seems to have become restless again,and to have caused certain telegraphic lights to beexhibited over the cave. They were seen by a monk,who informed the bishop of the circumstance. Heappears to have understood the meaning of the lights,and examined the cave. He found the body, and knewit to be that of St. James; but he has wisely failed toput on record the means by which he identified it. Achurch was built to contain the tomb of the patronsaint; but it was afterwards removed to the church ofSantiago, twelve miles distant.”
The party crossed the church, and entered theChapel of San Ildefonso. This saint, a primate ofToledo, was an especial champion of the Virgin, andso won her favor, that she came down from heaven,and seated herself in his chair. She remained duringmatins, chanting the service, and at its close placedthe church robes on his shoulders. The primate’s successorundertook to sit down in this chair, but wasdriven out by angels, which was rather an imputationupon his sanctity. The Virgin repeated the visit severaltimes. St. Ildefonso’s body was stolen by theMoors, but it was recovered by a miracle. The sacredvestment the Virgin had placed upon his back wastaken away at the same time; but no miracle seems tohave been interposed to restore it, though it is said tobe in Oviedo, invisible to mortal eyes. In anotherpart of the edifice is the very stone on which theVirgin stepped when she came first to the church. Itis enclosed by small iron bars, but the fingers may beinserted so as to press it; and holes are worn into itfrom the frequent touchings of the pilgrims to thisshrine.
“Here are the portraits of all the cardinals, from St.Eugenio down to the present time,” said the doctor asthey entered the Chapter House. “Cardinal Albornezdied in Rome, and the pope desired to send his remainsto Toledo. As this was in 1364, there was no regularline of steamers, or an express company, to attend tothe transportation: so he offered plenary indulgencesto those who would undertake the mission of conveyingthe body to its distant resting–place. There wereplenty of poor people who could not purchase suchfavors for their souls; and they were glad of the jobto bear the cardinal on their shoulders from town totown till they arrived here.”
“Where is the chapel the professor told us about?”asked Sheridan.
“We will go to that now.”
This chapel, though very rich in
church treasures,and one of the most venerated in the cathedral asbuilt to preserve the ancient ritual, contained nothingthat engaged the attention of the students, and Mr.Mapps had already told its story. They hardly lookedat the image of the Virgin, which is dressed in magnificentcostume, covered with gold and jewels, whenit is borne in procession on Corpus Christi Day.
“I have seen enough of it,” said Murray, as theyleft the cathedral, and walked to the _Alcazar_.
The old palace was only a reminder of what hadbeen; but the view from its crumbling walls was thebest thing about it. The party decided not to visit thesword–factory, which is two miles out of the city; andthey went next to the church of _San Juan de los Reyes_.It was a court chapel, and was erected by the Catholicking to commemorate a victory. It is Gothic; but thechains that are hung over the outside of it were all thatchallenged the interest of the students.
“Those chains were the votive offerings of captiveswho were released when Granada was taken by Ferdinandand Isabella,” said the doctor, when his pupilsbegan to express their wonder. “There are some veryfine carvings and frescos in this church.”
“I don’t care for them,” yawned Murray: “I willwait here while you and Sheridan go in.” But thecaptain did not care to go in; and they continued theirwalk to _Santa Maria la Blanca_ and _El Transito_, twochurches which had formerly been synagogues. Theywere very highly ornamented; but by this time the studentswanted their dinner more than to see the elaborateworkmanship of the Jews or the Moors. Theywere tired too; for Toledo with its up and down streetsis not an easy place to get about in. Some of the boyssaid it reminded them of Genoa; but it is more likeparts of Constantinople, with its steep hills and Moorishhouses.
The party dined in various places in the city; and attwo o’clock they took the train for Aranjuez, andarrived there in an hour.
“The late queen used to live here three months ofthe year,” said the doctor, as they walked from thestation to the palace. “The town is at the junction ofthe Jarama and the Tagus, and it is really a very prettyplace. There is plenty of water. Charles V. was thefirst of the kings of Spain to make his residence atAranjuez. A great deal of work has been done heresince his time, by his successors.”
The students walked through the gardens, and wentthrough the palace. Perhaps the camels kept herewere more interesting to the young gentlemen, gorgedwith six months’ sight–seeing in all the countries ofEurope, than any thing else they saw at the summerresidence of the kings of Spain.
At the station there is a very fair hotel with restaurant,where the party had supper. But they had fourhours of weary waiting before the train for _Ciudad Real_would arrive; and most of them tried to sleep, for ithad been a long day.
“Better be here than at the junction of this roadwith that to Toledo,” said the doctor, as he fixed himselffor a nap. “The last time I was here I did notunderstand it; and, when I came from Toledo, I got offthe train at the junction, which is Castillejo, ten milesfrom Aranjuez.”
“I noticed the place when we went down this morning,”replied Sheridan. “The station is little betterthan a shed, and there is no town there.”
“The train was late; and I had to wait there withoutmy supper from eight o’clock till after midnight. Itwas cold, and there was no fire. I was never more uncomfortablefor four hours in my life. The stations inSpain are built to save money, and not for the comfortof the passengers, at least in the smaller places. Butwe had better go to sleep if we can; for we have tokeep moving for nearly twenty–four hours at the nextstretch.”
Not many of the party could sleep, tired as theywere, till they took the train at eleven o’clock. Thecompartments were heated with hot–water vessels, orrather the feet were heated by them. The studentsstowed themselves away as well as they could; andsoon, without much encouragement to do so, they wereburied in slumber.