The Republican journal., 1900-06-14

| greater extent than the portion now
standing would lead one: to suppose.
The gOSSiping Moorish chroniclers never
weary of relating its wonders They tell
us that in King Golafre's day there was
a lake in the centre of the grounds, and
in the middle of the lake an island. and
in the heart of the island a summer
house, constructed entirely of stained
glass, covered with golden and jewelled
inscriptions. Fountains were set all
around it, so arranged that the water
could be turned on at will from inside,
when their sprays played over and COM
pletely enveloped the house, cutting it
off from the outer world until the mas
ter chose to press the button which
stopped the flow of water. Here, cooled
by the artificial cascade. whose drops
refracted the rays of the sun and dis
played the softened hues of the rain
/ bow through its transparent roof, the
monarch took his Siesta, reclining upon
damask cushions, famed by female
slaves-the very impersonation of SEN
sual luxury 1t is sad to see that What
is left of the mansion of the Hours
| is now stable, its elegant Moorish
windows walled up. its artesonddo cell
ing fallen in-but their mosaics vet glow
| like jewels amid the filth that covers
| them. Soldiers have occupied it. Dutch,
| French, Portuguese and English and for
many years its noble reception hall serv-
| ed as a barrack-kitchen. But though
SCOT and CRIME have marred its grace
full arabesques, they have not by any
means destroyed their beauty
| On the very crown of this height,
near the edge of the escarpment,
stands the now ruined Alcazar-the
| Atalaya of Tolaitola. the "Amalekite
| kassabah' which since the days of the
| Moors has done double duty as palace
and fortress. Enlarged by Charles V.
about the year 154O). altered again and
| again and yet again by Philip H., Alonzo
VI. and Alvardo de Luna-to say
| nothing of innumerabe additions and
| alleged improvements at later dates-it
presents an odd conglomeration of ar
chitectural styles, in which the original
design is wholly lost. The once-splendid
| palace of Caesar has had as hard
! fate as most of the crowned heads that
have occupied it. Burned by the Dutch
at the beginning of the last century,
| and again by the French at the begin
| ming of this, it has since been degraded
bic. After the War of Succession, the
good Cardinal Lorenzana, who devoted
| his whole life and income to charitable
works, repaired the Alcazar, converted
it into a Casa de Carload and filled it
| with paupers whom he employed at silk
weaving. When Soulters' army invaded
| Toledo, they elected the paupers, con-
| tscated the funds of the institution and
| stabbed their horses in the former house
| of kings, and when compelled to evacu-
ate the city. they set fire to it as a part
| ing legacy. Then it lay waste for many
years: until at length the rubbish was
cleared away and at enormous cost the
| building was converted into Military
| Academy, designed to stand forever as
the West Point Of Spain, in which a
thousand cadets might be ALWAYS in
| training to officer the spanish army
| But the gods. or the ghosts of the
! Moorish builders. seem to have harbor-
ed special spite against the old palace.
| and again it was Quilted by tire, leaving
| little but the bare walls and the four
corner towers: and now Spain is too
poor to rebuild it. III the rooms over
| looking the Tagus the notorious widow
of Philip V. was imprisoned during the
minority of Charles |. AS every read
er of Spanish history knows, she was
| first the tool of the low adventurer.
Nithard, and afterwards of an equally
! despicable lover, Nalenzuela. Her
mode of life has been graphically de
scribed by Madame d Aulay, i'll a little
| book which cannot be recommended us
| family reading
From the -Alcazar you move with
slow steps, for the view is too entranc-
| ing to be- passed in haste. Perhaps You
sit upon stone. fallen from the walls
of some medieval home, and feast your
eyes upon the prospect Two thousand
feet below, on the banks of the yellow
Tagus, stood the earliest Roman city.
Even from this elevation you can plain
| ly trace the outline Of its ancient am
phitheatre. If the gladiators who
fought in it We're suddenly resurrected
and wished to prepare for combat,
they would not have far to go for
weapons. for only few rods away
stands the arsenal where the famous
Toledo blades are made Time was
when this hilltop was completely COW
cred with palaces ard converts, all of