The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-09-13
The EAcurial.

pulilSC Oli SlS " itiIIcul W ~.
II rs sltualed amons the Wild. s"nnbre
scenery of the old Casti.ian mountains,
about twenty lwu niles frum Aladrld.-
TINS enormous aace, 40 feet III length
by $50 teeI IN breadth, was reared ~
Philip III. IN The middle OF lhe sixteenth
ccniury, Ill All expense OF nb ut tiiy All
hons OF do lars. Philip, ausiere, 3 .Uoiny
iaualICal, sc.ected lh.s Wild aud si' o.Lv
E.slnrss lis the site If his palace and reIi-
ed the regal nai.si II in the form OF
grtdirOn, IN C0nmemo alton Of the IN
slrument Of the martyrdom OF 81. Law
renee. The embellishments OF more
modern kings, and the luxur anl foliage
| VI trees and shru bbery, have Eow nVeS
ted even this uncoulh order of archilcc-
ture with hIud of venerable beauty.
Four towers al lie angles represented the
| legs OF the grIdlron. The spanish des-
Crypt on of This structure furns ii large
qurrto ,olum.e. 1t is stated that there
are eleven thousand doJr>. This may bc
aggeratiUn; and yet the enormous edI-
flee, with It's cupUla, Its dOmrs, lis towels.
lis chapal. library painting gallery aud
college monsoleum, cioslers, regal s,.-
! looms, apartments for dymesl.cs and arIi
Zans, It's parks, gardens, walks and toun-
talnS, constitute almost ii CITY by itself. -
\ statue Of 1t Lawrence is over The
grand entrance, with gilt grdlron IN
his nand.
I Spac. .ous reservoirs, constructed uIon
the neigbulIns mountains, collect the VA
ter, conveyed b. acquedu, Is, 10 supply
ninety Two iCun;aluS. \ wy b auuiul
road, about lnlie IN length. trmgcd with
Io.t, elms and ind rs. IS Ike avenue 10
this Inasmlh cent p.!tcr, and Il >uolei ra-
uran RI dor oi equal lenyt archeL with
stone, cUnncClS The edItce with Inc neg III
burng village.
Undern> alh the building is the subtcr
rane;tn chamber called The Pantheon, the
buryIng pace # the royal family. Il is
a very magn hcenl apartment, circular III
Its iorn, thirty SIX feet IN Diameter, It's
walls entrusted with the must brautI. ul
and h 3 ly polished marble. Here re-
pose Tie uOuIdcriug remains of the Span
I>h mouarchs. Tue.r bodies he. in ma bIe
tohbs, one ab ,ve another. A long archrd
stairway lined w'h polished m.rb!r,
ueauLliuIly ve.nrd, colduCIS 10 this matt
>oleuu, far below the sur.ace Of The earth.
: A u,it.m. tceml chandelier, susI ended
, from the ceiling Is lIghted -upo' Extra r
4 lumary occasions, aud sheds monday brl
lance upon this shrnd yrt oonny nrat'-
; son oithe dead. Tne lanor ot many years
was devoted 10 the construction ol this
Sepulchre.
=, For nearly 800 years The domes and
, towers OF tnIS monument Ct Span. .sh
grandeur and superstition have wIthsl0o1
THE storms which have swept The summer
aId w.ccked The winters sky. Many
q, neratIous OF kings with their accu.1ld-
: lated lhrUng CUurlIerS. have, like ocean
.Ides, ebbrd aud flowed through these
! halls But mow the E ,curia is uut me-
: moral OF thr past, neS 'ccted aud tur9ot-
ten Two hundred monks, like the sp.r
lis Uf dead ages, creep no. oeies>iy thru"e
lis cioIslere, and The pensive melody OF
their m.,tIms aud vesperS floats mourI,ul-
lly through Their deserted halls. Here
nav,. been witnessed scenes Oi tanilIcIs.n
the s. Irit of sincere though inISguIded
pit.Iy, aud the spirit of rrChlrssn, S. and
heaVen-drfyIng CRIME. such us lew eat
,1lv ubodes have ever exhibited. The
tuunia us still throw up Their beautiful
Jets, but the naughty caviiiers and the
IhIghborI nlaidens aud DANES wEo once.
pcusIvc trIar, aa ckCIoth anu kchpcn gr-
die sits IN solitude up II The m sSS. own
! ) sione. he blaze of Illum nutious once
! yleamed from those windows aud CORR
dOrs, and my III WAS lurnvd TO day as
songs aud dances reSounded throu h hall
and cover, and gr We. Now midnight
comes with III duIyat silence. and solitude
land gloom; and ndugh is 10 be Seen but
here and there The gImmer OF some t., H.
taper fro.n the Gel where soh.c penltent
monk keeps b 5 painful vlgi.s. he
Jewel and III. flounting robes # fashion
aud the r::erry pea!s which have usher, d
in he bridal party, have passed away.
and now the convent bill but calls woili
rencuncing joyess hearts 10 the hoar OF
prayer, ort,lls the knell, ,.as. IN the shades
of night, the remains of some depratrd
are borne, with twlnklng torches aud
funeral chants, 10 Their burial. And yet
how many are there. weary OF The word,
with crushed heats and dead holes. who
would gladly find. IN those dim clusters,
il refuge from the storms of lie. Here
som beneath this marble canopy th. body
of the helpless Isabella WILL nioulder to
the dust May God grant that when the
trump of the archamgel shall awake her
from the Ling sleep of the grave. she
may raise TO sit upon more exalted
throne. and 10 wear brig hter crown than
mortal mind hath ever conce we'd. -.96-
bots Kings and Queens.