CATHOLIC GRANADA 69 



Very different are the actual resting-places 

 of the sovereigns so gorgeously commemorated 

 in stone above. Descending to a narrow vault 

 beneath the cenotaphs, we find five rude coffins, 

 with iron bands. Herein repose the remains 

 of Ferdinand and Isabella, of Juana and Philip, 

 and of their son, Prince Juan. Ferdinand's 

 coffin may be identified by the letter F. " Here," 

 writes Pi Margall, " lie together in the dim light 

 fathers and sons, monarchs of three dynasties 

 united in less than a century for the greater 

 glory of the fatherland ; here lie the last princes 

 of the Mediaeval Age, and those who at its close 

 inaugurated the Modern Era. Here they lie 

 heroes and fathers of heroes kings who never 

 retreated before the face of danger, and queens 

 whose lives were consumed in the fire of profound 

 love ; fortunate ones who, returning from the 

 battle, found rest and refreshment in the arms of 

 their beloved ; and unhappy souls who drained 

 the cup of suffering, without finding in the dregs 

 even that lethargy which the excess of grief 

 procures for some. Who can enter this murky 

 precinct without feeling his heart swayed by con- 

 trary emotions without inclining with reverence 

 before the lead which covers the men who rescued 

 the nations from the anarchy of feudalism ? 

 While a tear may drop on the bier of that great 

 princess [Isabella], who can restrain his pity for 



