Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-12-11
The EgcOrtni,

of w ltllam Ii. PrescOtts History OF Philp
the Second" which will 10 published by
Phillips, Sampson l. Co., carly IN D4cem Ter.
"Ctiucs have greatly ffered RON each
other ia their ldgtpeots .! the E,eoriai.-
Few foreigners nave Heen found to a:q !IeSca
IN the uud.luted pauegyrie .! those C-.tii'
ians who pronounce 1t the eighth wonder OF
tae world. Yet II cannot be deGled that !ew
foreigners are qualified 10 decide Oh the
merits of u work, 10 Judge Of winch correct
" requires q perfect understanding Of che
character Of the country 10 which 1t WAS
built, and Of toe monarch who Quilt it. The
traveller " no gazes 90 lis long lines of cold
gray stVnO, scarcely broken By an ornanent,
feels a dre4ry sens atom creeping over him,
while he contrasts IL with tlo Hgnter ana
N re graceful edihcGS t. wnich h's eyes nave
teen accustomed. Bat be may read IN this
the true axpres non OF the founders charaj
Ter. Pmhp did not aim st tue beautiful,
much less at the festive and cheerful. Inc
ie lings which be desired to raise IN the spec
tator were Of that solemn Indeed somure
complexion, wulcn correspondent best %lth
bis Own religious faith.
Whatever defects may bs charged on the
EscJ rlsl, it Is impossible 10 view 1t from u
distance, and 200 the mighty pile as II
energies from the gloomy depths OF the
mountains, without feeling how perfectly Ii
conforms IN its aspect TO the wild sod melau-
chyly scenery Of the sierra. Nor can one
enter the consecratei precincts, without con,
Tossing the genius Of the place, and exper.
ienciog sensations Of mysterious awe, - ne
xauicrs through the desJi halls, which tan.
cy peoples with the solemn images Of the past.
TIE architect OF tne fulfilling was em5lr.
raised by more than one d lheulty OF a very
peculiar Kind. IL ls not SIMPLY monastery
that he Wa. to build. The same edIfce, a.
we have se3n, wds TO comprehend at once "A
convent, n palace a3I q tomb. Ii was 10
easy problem 10 reconcile objects 50 dIscor-
dant, and ihtuse into them a common priDci.
pie Of uuity. /, is no rcprOach to the build
er that De did Mt perfectly succeed 10 tbl-,
and that ihs palace should impair the pre-
dominant tone of feeling raised by the other
prs VI the structure, Looking 10 tact like 40
eXGrescence, rather than AZ !uLesrai portion
Of the edihcc.
An9tber difficulty, OF more whimsic i
uature, imposed On the architect, Was the re-
ces-ity OF sccom,n dating the plan Of the
buiiiinz 10 the form OF a grdlrOu-as typi-
cal OF the klnd OF marfyrdOm suffered by the
patron SAINT of the E-cUrIdi. Thus the
long lice OF ciglSters, with their in!err, q ing
courts. servei Tor the bars OF the Instrument.
The four lofty spires at the corners OF EDe
monastery, represented It's leg. Inverted; aud
the palace, extending Its slender length on
the East iuruished tue awkward handle.
Ii Is lmpOssibie Tor language TO convey any
adequate idea OF work OF art. Yet archl.
arts U! desisn, that the mere statement O. the
dimensions helps Us iruGh informing u con
ceptlJn Ut the 1Jrk. 4 few IF these d!,aeG-
slons will serve 10 give an idea OK tie uagui
tude vi toe editicn. They are reported 10 Us
by Los Santos, JerOOymlte monk, who ha,
lett one Ci the hes! accounts Of the EscUrIal
Tho main building, or monastery, ne est!
mates at seven bundled and forty Castlian
feet in length, By five bundled 6nd eighty III
breadth. Is greatest hoIght, measured so
TIE central cross above the Gome vi tue sreaE
church, Is three hundred and hitCen teet.--
Inc wnGia circumference OF the + corral, 10.
ciui!ng lhe palace, he reckJne at Two tUJus-
aad MAE hendred ami eighty feet, or nesr
v u
tells u tIere wcra no less thar twelve tnouS-
and doors and windows IL toe buliiiDli tna.
tbs Weight OF the Keys alone amounted TO
fifty GyrOJttS, or twelve bundrrd aud htty
pounds; anu, finally. thHt there wore sixty
eight fountains playing III the halls aud
courts OF this enormous pile.
The Gust o! its construction sui interior
decoration, We are informed by Father 81.
gueDcl, amounted 10 very Dear Elk millions
o ducats. S.gue ca was PRIOR OF the mJn
as;ery, and had Access, Il course, 70 the best
SOURCES nf information. That be did not OK
az .eralc, may be inferred from the fact that
lie was desirous to relieve tue 5o;ding irom
toe iTruratlOn Of any e&Gess!'c expenditure
incurred IN It's erec:io"--I COMMON theme o!
Gon piaibt, it seems, and Que that was urged
with strong marx OF GIccGutcIt ty c0uteD-
yorary writers. Prubatiy no slGglc dee
ever Contain, ruCa M amount aud variety
Of luestImabIe treasures AZ the E~cCria go 50
many pa!Gtiugs and scu! ptuge. by tir great
est maate:s-sO many articles u exquisite
workmanship, RposCd 81 tho Nos. preci'
Gus materials. IL Won d be u mistake TO
SUPPOSE tbat, when the building was ubiSh-
ed. the labo;s OF Pb'iIp were at All enf -
One might almost sag they were tut hezun.
rue cnSket was cU:mpIetcti bat the remaInder
Of he days Mas 10 lie passed III II ling II
" TIA the TAta.t aud rlcheE5 EeW-. Tn, y a.
a labor never to be completed Il Was ~ b.
bequeaihed 20 bis successnrr, .ho, with more
IT less ta.to, tut with the rcsenues VI the
lTuics az their disposal, contInucd ~ lsV.sh
them on the embelishmeDt Of the EscvrIal
Philip the Second set the ex mpie. lie
omitted nothing which could eve value,
real or imaginary, 10 bis mu-eum. lie
gathered, ut al immense cost, several hua-
d,ed cases Of the bones OF saints aud mar.
tyre, depositin. them rich silver snrlGes,
of elaborate workmanship. lie collected
tour thuusand volumes. in various languages
especially the Oriental as the basis OF the
tine library Of the EscJrial
The care Of successive princes, VINO cor.
tnuei 10 spend there a part Of every year,
.rc-ersed the ralace monastery aud IT. con
tents ifcm the rude touch OF tune. But
VITA. the hand OF Tune had srsred, the hand
If violence destroyed. The French, Who In
the early par; Of the present century sTept
ike horde of EsndAls over the Peninsula,
Odd DOT overln-k the E,cprlal. For 10 1t Il" y
saw The monument ie-gued to cOmmemo-
tate their Own Illuminating defeat body
Of jrlsoons under Ia II u5s.ye burt INTO
the mUaastery Ia tie Water Il i5pS; and
the rayages vi iew days demolished v az
it bid cost years and the highest effort o.
art IN Construct The anprehPn-IOT Of SINH