The New York herald., 1879-01-06

nearest approach that the makers Of the Escuria per-
mitted in the way OF human PRIDE ! suppose II is
hardly fair to call it pride. for certainly there is
moral in these efigios moral to all who worship
that king is mighty but that he must kneel be-
fore God kneel and plead for his soul like the mean
est beggar who sprawls on the clay. t -.r
THE SANCTUARY RELICS.
You will remember that this gracious King, who
now rests with God, and whose bones now
mouldering in the vaults beneath our feet had a
passion for relics. The bone Of saint delighted
him more than the capture of citadel. and he felt
moro JOY over the possession Of remnant of the
cross than the victory of Lepanto Kings must
have their whis. and after building this church to
tile glory OF ST. Lawrence and his grdiron Philip re-
solved to have of the most precious relics
i'll the world In those days tho way to royal favor
was the bone of saint. and spaniards who wished
to rise in Philips grace possessed themselves with
holy things. The relic closet was shown u.s..
and many the objects of interest But it is not
what Philip left. The French were here. wanting
money like Bismarck before Paris. and nothing was
available but Philips relic collection and enriched
by his pious successors. To show his respect for
the relics Philip encased them in gold and silver
II he had sheathed them in lead or iron they would
have lost of their value nementoes; but
only gold and silver would do. And when the
French treasure seekers came with their axes
tho irresistible logic Of events took them into
this relic closet. No knows what havoc
they made. There were hundred sacred vessels in
gold and silver All were taken. There was a
special statue of the Virgin in silver-an object
precious to the faithful but it precious the
French because of the silver and the gems. 1t was
melted into ingots, and the gems found place on
profane bosoms. Mournful. too. the fate of the
statue of St. Lawrence-a full length figure, weighing
45O pounds-of pure silver. In the hund the image
held one of the real bars of the gridron on which
the saint suffered. This bar was set in gold. All
have vanished all but the iron Silver and gold went
into the melting pots, the iron was saved by some
miracle and still remains at the Escural comfort to
believers. 1t is said that fourteen wagons
quired to carry off relic plunder to Madrid. This
shows how war has advanced; for Bismarck carried
his plumber in value than that of twenty relic
closets in the folds Of handbook 1t sad enough
lose all this gold and silver but the relics lost their
value The bones became mixed for the rapaciois
French, intent only the gold and silver and gems.
gave heed to the holy remnants. So when
the heartbroken priests came to their own again
nothing remained but the bones, all heared and
strcwn. Some were savcd-among them the precious
bar OF the gridiron, which ii had shed its gold
castings OF value to French eyes. As collec-
ton of relics the treasure of Philip more and
the of the loss still remains in the Escural All
of which should be taken lesson, that when you
have relic keep free from the dross Of the money
craving world Philip lost his relics because he de-
based them with silver and gold
THE ToAIBs OF THE KINGS.
The Escurial is something more than palace. It
is a school. church and tomb. When Charles v.
build royal tomb worthy of the kings Of Spain.
So Philip combined two VOWS, to his father and
the other to St. Lawrence of the Gridiron, and the
result is the Escurial. Under the church-directly
under the altar that when the priest raises the
host at the moment the elevation he stands
diatey the sepulchre-this tomb was built. Our
way down was over smooth steps OF marble and
jasper SO smooth that We were warned to
walk warily. The room is dark. and the attendants
carry tapers. which. throw q glimmering light 1t
Philips idea to have the tomb severely plain. in
keeping with the Escurial. but his son added marbles
and bronzes and other decorations, and you note
that the room is of splendor. 1t is octagon.
thrtysix feet in diameter and thirty feet high
There is chandelier, bronze angels, large crucifx
quite life size, and altar before which lamp
burns. The monarchs rest in shelves. four shelves
in the other. each range separated from
the other by double columns in bas-reief with CO.
rinthian caps The decorations elaborate out Of
keeping with the Escurai, and not seeMy in a tomb.
There were twenty compartments all OF them filed
with collins, but many Of the collins wanting in
cupants. The cofins ready, and if the monarchy
lasts there enough for generations Of kings un-
born. Kings and queens reigning. and the mothers
of rcigning sovereipns alone admitted The cos.
fms are Of black marble with spaces followed out
for the shells of the dead sovereigns. Tho first
is Charles v. His name is engraved his coffin in
plain Roman letters. He rests in tho top compart-
,ncnt, tho LETT Of the crucifx. The queens are
ranged in order the left Here repose the ashes Of
al the Spanish sovercigns since Charles with the
exception Of Philip v. and Ferdinand VI. They pre-
fered to sleep elsewhere not caring to have the
pany in death, of the Austrian sovereigns. The
remains not brought here until years after
decease They kept in another part of the Escural
known the place of putrcfaction, In this
place. which we passed came down.
are the remains Of Don Carlos. Of whom Schiller
wrote; Don John Of Austria, who famous in
his day, and the Duke of yend6me whose name is
given to the Napoleon square in Paris. within the
present year two have died. whose place will be in
this Pantheon-Christina. queen of Ferdinand VII,
grandmother OF the King. and grandmother too, of
the hapless young Mercedes, queen of Alfonso,
moon. During the Republic commission opened
the coifn Of Charles v. The body had been dead
for over three centuries. but It was so well
preserved that even in its decay You
could trace the features which the pencil of Titan
has made immortal. This coffin had been opened
once before. nearly a hundred years after DEATH
Philip ~ was prompted to hold ghastly intercourse
with his great ancestor. He found the body well
prescrvcd-so found the story in print-and after
looking for some time turned to his conrtcrs. "Don
Luis. great mans" "Yes my lord. very great" 1t
was here that Charles H. after lie lost his fair
young queen. Ho looked at her fixed and fad-
ing form. and rushed out in tears, ex-
claiming. 'She is gone, and shall
soon be with her." Very he was brought down
the marble and Jasper steps, ani dlc slghtscors tap
his coffin with cane, the very coffin where he has
slept for hundred and eighty years Not long sincc
says ono Of our attendants, a spanard came in
and knelt at the altar asking to bc alone little while
that he might pray for the repose of the ustrious
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