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from moft men by an exemption from prejudices, he afcribes to himself a quality highly neceflary in forming the character of an entertaining and inftructive traveller.

Mr. Swinburne had, from the time of his departure from his native country, purpofed to publifh his travels through Spain. In my plan of inquiry (he fays) an exact investigation of the foil, cultivation, government, commerce, and manners of that kingdom, was to be the grand primary object; but what I was more confident of my ftrength in, and what I own, I found more fuitable to my own inclinations, was the ftudy of its antiquities, efpecially the Moorish; in that line, my own eye and labour were fufficient helps, to enable me to collect interesting materials for a publication.'

The Author formed a very proper judgment of his own abilities, which feem beft adapted to the defcription of ftill life. At the commencement of his Tour through Spain, he observes,

I am afraid we are come here a century too foon, or a century too late, and that the old original cast is worn off the character of the Spaniards, without their having thoroughly acquired the polish of France or England. This will render them a much lefs interefting race of people.'-This obfervation is both folid and ingenious; but the reader will be difappointed, if he expects to find any thing like the moral or political picture of the Spanish nation in the prefent performance.

The principal antiquities here defcribed, are the Moorish palace at Granada, and the mofque at Cordova. As a fpecimen of Mr. Swinburne's talent for compofition, we shall infert fome extracts from his account of the former, which is the most distinct and copious that we have any where met with:

This ancient fortress, and refidence of the Mahometan monarchs of Granada, derives its name from the red colour of the materials that it was originally built with, Alhambra fignifying a red-house.. -It ftands between the rivers, on a very high hill, that projects into the plain, and overlooks all the city; the road up to it, is through a narrow street, called Calle de los Gomeles, from a great family among the Moors. This brings you through a maffive gate, into the outward inclofure of the Alhambra. You then continue to afçend by a very steep avenue of elms, which foon increases to a wood, interfected in many directions, by wild, neglefed walks, where streams of clear water, finding their paffage obitructed by the rubbish of their old channels, spread over the whole road. A large fountain adorns the platform near the top of the hill. The water, diverted from its proper conduits, has been fuffered to run at random for fuch a length of time, that it has destroyed most of the iculpture and embellishments, which were in a very good tafte. Here you turn short to the left, and come under the walls of the inner inclofure. Its appearance is that of an old town, exhibiting a long range of high battlemented walls, interrupted at regular diftances by large lofty fquare towers. Thefe have one or two arched windows

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near the top, and a precipitate flope from the bottom into a dry ditch. The whole is built with round irregular pebbles, mixed with cement and gravel. Some parts are covered and smoothed over with a thick coat of plaifter; in other places, mortar has been laid in between the ftones, leaving as much of them uncovered as came to the level; then the trowel has been carefully drawn round, forming about them triangles, half moons, &c. Just before you ftands the prefent principal entrance into the caftle, a fquare tower, built by king Jufaf Abuhagiagi, in 1348, as an infcription informs us: from its being the place where juftice was fummarily adminiftered, it was ftyled The Gate of Judgment. You pafs through it under feveral arches, each of which is more than full femicircle, resting upon a fmall impoft, the ends of the bow being brought towards each other in the form of a horfe-fhoe. On the key-ftone of the outward arch, is fculptured the figure of an arm, the fymbol of ftrength and dominion on that of the next arch, is a key, emboffed, the armorial enfign of the Andalusian Moors. Above it, the wall of this partition is covered with a beautiful blue and gold Mofaic, in the middle of which, they have placed an image of the Virgin Mary. On the left is the cattle-wall, fupposed to have been built by the Phoenicians. I examined the work very narrowly, and found it confitted of a layer of cement, one or two inches thick, on which is placed flatwife, a ftone of the fame thickness, chiffelled on the face into a kind of a chequered defign: this is the regular method employed from top to bottom. This lane ends in the great fquare, or Plaza de los Algibes, fo named from the ancient Cisterns, that undermine it from end to end, and are conftantly fed by a fupply of running water. The profpect from the parapet-wall is wonderfully grand, over the vale of Dauro, the Albaycin, and down the Vega.'

We omit, for the fake of brevity, our Author's defcription of the fuperb palace erected here by the Emperor Charles V. This edifice was never finifhed; which Mr. Swinburne feelingly laments, and with reafon ;-for, according to his account, the architect difcovered, in this work, a moft tranfcendent genius, grandeur of ftyle, and elegance and chastity of defign, very different from all that has been done, for a century paft, in this kingdom. We return, therefore, to his furvey of the fplendid ruins of the palace of the Moorish kings,-in which are apartments, indisputably the most curious, fays our Author, of any that exist in Spain,-perhaps in Europe.

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Paffing round the corner of the Emperor's palace, you are admitted at a plain unornamented door in a corner. On my firft vifit, 1 confefs, I was ftruck with amazement, as I flepped over the threfhold, to find myself, on a fudden, tranfported into a fpecies of fairyland. The first place you come into, is the court called the Communa, or common baths: an oblong fquare, with a deep bafon of

* We suppose the Author means the taftelefs, bigotted Spaniards; who have, herein, acted as wifely as the Parisian flatuary, who wanted to drefs out an Alexander the Great in a bag wig and folitaire. clear

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clear water in the middle; two flights of marble fteps leading down to the bottom; on each fide, a parterre of flowers, and a row of orange trees. Round the court runs a peryftile paved with marble; the arches bear upon very flight pillars, in proportions and ftyle, different from all the regular orders of architecture. The cielings and walls are incruftated with fret-work in ftucco, fo minute and intricate, that the most patient draughtfman would find it difficult to follow it, unless he made himself mafter of the general plan. This would facilitate the operation exceedingly, for all this work is frequently and regularly repeated, at certain distances, and has been executed by means of fquare moulds, applied fucceffively, and the parts joined together with the utmost nicety. In every division are Arabic fentences, most of them expreffive of the following meanings, "There is no conqueror but God." Or, "Obedience and honour to our Lord Abouabdalla." The ceilings are gilt or painted, and time has caufed no diminution in the freshness of their colours, though conftantly expofed to the air. The lower part of the walls is Mofaic, difpofed in fantafic knots and feltoons: a work fo new to me, fo exquifitely finished, and fo different from all I had ever feen, afforded me the most agreeable fenfations, which, I affure you, redoubled, every step I took in this magic ground. The porches at the ends are more like grotto work, than any thing else I can compare them to. That on the right hand opens into an octagon vault, under the Emperor's palace, and forms a perfect whispering-gallery, meant to be a communication between the offices of both houfes.'

The Author next defcribes the Court of the Lions; fo called, from twelve figures of thofe animals, which fupport on their backs an enormous bafon, out of which a leffer arises; from whence (while the pipes were kept in order) a great volume of water was thrown up; and which, falling down into the bafons, paffed through the mouths of the beafts into a large refervoir, whence it communicated by channels with the jet d'eaus in the apartments. This fountain is of white marble, embellished with many feftoons and Arabic diftichs, of which Mr. Swinburne has given tranflations. He has alfo given an elegant drawing of this great and magnificent apartment, from which the reader will conceive a much more adequate idea of the form and beauty of the place, than could poffibly be conveyed by words.

We are next conducted to a circular room, in which the men ufed to drink coffee, &c. A fountain in the middle refreshed the apartment in fummer. The form of this hall,' fays Mr. Swinburne, the elegance of its cupola, the cheerful

In another place, our Author takes notice of the anathema denounced by the Koran, against all reprefentations of living creatures; and obferves, that thefe lions fhew, that the Granadine princes, as well as fome of the oriental Caliphs, who put their own effigy on their coin, ventured, fometimes, to place themselves above the letter of the law.

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diftribution of light from above, and the exquifite manner in which the ftucco is defigned, painted, and finished, exceed all my powers of defcription. Every thing in it infpires the most pleafing, voluptuous ideas.'

Two other rooms, which are fuppofed to have been audience chambers, are next opened to our view; and then we are led to the Tower of the two Sifters, fo named from two very beautiful pieces of marble, laid as flags in the pavement. Of this tower, &c. the following defcription is given; but alas! we cannot tranfcribe the very fine copper-plate reprefentation of the delightful view of the entrance:

This gate exceeds all the reft in profufion of ornaments, and in beauty of profpect, through a range of apartments, where a multitude of arches terminate in a large window, open to the country. I employed much time in making an exact drawing of it from the fountain, and hope it will help you to comprehend what I am labouring to explain by my narrative.

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The firt hall is the concert-room, where the women fat; the muficians played above, in four balconies. In the middle is a jet d'eau. The marble pavement, I take to be equal to the fineft exifting, for the fize of the flags, and evenness of the colour. The two fifers are flabs that meafure fifteen feet by feven and one half, without flaw or ftain. The walls, up to a certain height, are Mofaic, and above are divided into very neat compartments of ftucco, all of one defign, which is alfo followed in many of the adjacent halls and galleries. The cieling is a fretted cove.'

From this hall, you pafs round the little myrtle garden of Lindaraxa, and through an additional building made to the eaft end by Charles V. to a little tower called the dreffing-room of the Sultana. It is a fmall fquare cabinet, in the middle of an open gallery, from which it receives light by a door and three windows; the look-out charming. In one corner is a large marble flag, drilled full of holes, through which the smoke of perfumes afcended from furnaces below and here, it is prefumed, the Moorish queen used to fit, to fumigate and sweeten her perfon.'

From hence, you go to the hall of Ambaladors, which is magnificently decorated with innumerable varieties of Mofaics, and the mottos of all the kings of Granada. This antichamber opens into the Communa on the left hand, and on the right into the great audience-hall, in the tower of Comares, a noble apartment, thirty-fix feet fquare, thirty-fix high up to the cornice, and eighteen from thence to the centre of the cupola.-The whole hall is inlaid with Mofaic, of many colours, difpofed in intricate knots, ftars, and other figures. In every part are repeated certain Arabic fentences: the principal of which are tranflated by our attentive traveller, and accurate observer.

Having completed the tour of the upper apartments, we defcend, with our Author, to the bed-chambers, and fummerrooms, on the lower floor:

The most remarkable room below, is the king's bed-chamber, which communicated, by means of a gallery, with the upper ftory. The beds were placed in two alcoves, on a raifed pavement of blue and white tiles.-A fountain played in the middle, to refresh the apartment in hot weather. Behind the alcoves are doors that conduct you to the royal baths: thefe confift of one fmal! clofet, with marble ciferns, for washing children, two rooms for grown up perfons, and vaults for boilers and furnaces, that fupplied the baths with water, and the floves with vapours.

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Hard by is a whifpering-gallery, and a kind of labyrinth, faid to have been made for the diverfion of the women and children.'

Our Traveller defcribes fome other apartments, which brevity obliges us to pafs over; from the fame confideration alfo, we have omitted many circumftances in his accounts of the rooms, &c. which we have introduced into this abftract.

Mr. Swinburne concludes his defcription of the Alhambra, by obferving: How admirably every thing was planned and calculated for rendering this palace the moft voluptuous of all retirements; what plentiful fupplies of water were brought to refresh it in the hot months of fummer; what a free circulation of air was contrived, by the judicious difpofition of doors and windows; what fhady gardens of aromatic trees; what noble views over the beautiful hills and fertile plains! No wonder the Moors regretted Granada! No wonder they ftill offer up prayers to God every Friday for the recovery of this city, which they efteem a terreftrial paradife.'

The above specimens fhow, that the Author's ftyle is eafy and unaffected, though neither remarkably elegant, nor perfectly accurate. Much commendation, however, is due to him, for the pains he has taken to give the English reader an idea of the Moorish antiquities in Spain, which are not defcribed in any other book in our language. Indeed, every attempt to explain the ftate of that country is particularly meritorious, on account of the facrifice of money, ease, and health, which a man muft make, in order to obtain the necessary information. Mr. Swinburne has given a table of Spanish coins and measures, with their relative proportions; but without comparing them with the English, or any other ftandard with which he supposes the Reader acquainted. In the itinerary prefixed to his work, he mentions the names of the places, and the inns at which he ftopped, as well as the time employed in travelling from one place to another. He forgets, however, to tell us his rate of travelling, or whether he travelled uniformly.

ART.

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