The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-05-31

outrage so incensed the Jews, ad-
ded to their other wrongs, that
they called upon the tribes of Bar
barry and Egypt to avenge them.
There is no doubt that in ear
liest times many Hebrews did fly
to this the "uttermost part of the
earth" to escape Assyrian tyranny
and until their expulsion in the
fifteenth century, the influence of
the thrifty race was very marked
in Spain. The laws of the Goths,
barbarous in severity, condemned
all Jews to slavery, prohibited
their worship, left their property
at every mans mercy and en-
couraged the violation of their
homes under circumstances of
most cruelty. Schooled to pa
tience by centuries of oppression,
the long-suffering Jews endured
Gothic persecution until it became.
even to them, intolerable. Their
trading propensities had connected
themselves closely with the wan
dering tribes of the desert; and
history comedies that the sudden
seizure of the Peninsula by Mo-
hammed's followers was due, in
great measure to an extensive
conspiracy of Spanish Jews, which
had been Matching for years. Un-
der the Moors the Hebrews were
treated with distinguished con-
sideration, not only by the Kha-
lifs, but also by the Kings of To-
ledo, after the city was declared
independent. They held posts of
high influence and authority, like
Joseph and Mordecai, administer
ing the offices of an alien govern
ment, to the advantage Of the
rulers and of the people-and al
ways, with characteristic thrift. to
their own enrichment.
AS we know, the Moors held
sway $50 years-Toledo's golden
age, of substantial building and
enlightened government, which
left and indelible impression upon
all future generations. During
the first years of Castillian su-
premacy, the Jews were equally
fortunate in Toledo, owing to a
conciliatory policy that at first
prevailed among the conquerors-
though prejudice limited them to
distinctive costume and confined
their dwellings and curious syna-
gogues to certain quarter of the
city. But the Castilians soon
broke faith with Moors and Jews
and everybody else. The terms
fthe capitulation were violated;
mosques were turned into churches
and the property of the Moors,
which had been secured to them
by treaty, was taken from them.
An example of how the Jews were
treated is shown in the case of
Levi, the treasurer of Pedro the
Cruel. The Jew served his royal
master faithfully; but he was frugal
and at the same time prospered
himself, and so the royal miscreant
had him tortured until he sur
rendered all his worldly goods,
and then put him to death.
Ferdinand and Isabella, not con-
tent with expelling the Moors,
next turned against the Jews and
issued an edict that no one of that
ancient people who was unbaptized
should be permittad to live in
Spain. By this expulsion Spain
lost upwards of 40, 900 of her best
population, who carried with them
a large part of the industry and
wealth of the kingdom. This BAN
ishment bore with especial Sc
verify upon Toledo, for the Jews
were its richest inhabitants and
many historians date the decline
of the city from this suicidal de.
cree. At the beginning of the
seventeenth century it had popu.
lation of $50, 1000. 1t was the
Sheffield and the Birmingham Of
the Middle Ages, and a "Toledc
Blade" was famous throughout