ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 
even seen her. He told me at the 
same time that he had very lately 
taken upon himself to remonsirate 
upon this want of curjosily, aud 
‘having suggested to his exccellency 
how possible it was for him to order 
his equipage to the door, and per. 
mit him to introduce him to this fair 
creature, whom he knew only by 
report, and the bills she had drawn 
upon his treasurer, the duke gra- 
ciously consented to my friend’s 
proposal, and actually set out with 
him for the gallant purpose of tak- 
jag a cup of chocolate with his hi- 
therto invisible mistress, who had 
notice given her of the intended vi- 
sit. ‘Lhe distance from the house 
of the grandee to the apartments of 
the gipsey was not great, but the 
lulling motion of the. hagé state. 
coach, and the softness of the velvet 
pusbions, had rocked his excellency 
into so sound a nap, that when his 
equipage stopped at ihe lady’s door, 
there was not one of his retinue 
bold enough to undertake the in- 
yidious task of troubling his repose. 
The consequence was, that after a 
proper time was passed upon, the 
halt fur this brave commauder to 
have waked, had nature so ordained 
it, the coach wheeled round, and 
his excellency having slept away his 
curiosity, had not at the time when 
I left Madrid, ever cast his eyes 
upon the person of the incompara. 
ble Viranna. 1 take for granted 
my friend Picira Santa drank the 
chocolate, aud his excellency en. 
joyed the nap. I will only add, 
‘in confirmation of my anecdote, that 
the good abbe Curtis, whe had the 
honour of having educated this illus- 
tious sleeper, verified the fact.’ 
Journey from Madrid. 
66 Madrid, which may be consi- 
dered as the capital of Spuin, 
1081 
though it is not a city, disappoints 
you if you expect to find suburbs, 
or villas, or even gardens, when you 
have passed the gates, being almost 
as closely environed with a desart, 
as Palmyra is in its present state of 
ruin. The Spaniards themselves 
have no great taste fur cultivation,” 
and the attachment to the chace, 
which seems to be the reigning pase 
sion of the Spanish sovereigns, con- 
spires with the indolence of the peo. 
ple in suffering every royal resi- 
dence to be surrounded by a savage 
and unseemly . wilderness. ‘Lhe 
Jands which should contribute to 
supply the markets, being thus deli- 
vered over to waste and barrenness,. 
are considered only as preserves 
for game of various sorts, which in- 
cludes every thing the gun can slay, 
and these are as much res sacree as 
the altars, or the monks who serve 
them. ‘his solitudo anée ostium 
did not contribute to support our 
spirits, neither did the incessant 
jingling of the mules’ bells relieve 
the tedium of the road to Guada- 
rama, where we are agrecably sur- 
prised by the counts Kaunitz and 
Pietra Santa, who passed that night 
in our company, and next morning, 
with many friendly adieus, departed 
for Madrid, never to meet again— 
Animas queis candiiliores 
Nusquam terra tulit— 
‘ The next day we passed the 
mountains of Guadarama by a 
magnificent causeway, and entered 
Old Castile. Here the country 
began to change for-the better: the 
town of Villa Castin presents a very 
agreeable spectacle, being new and 
flourishing, with a handsome house 
belonging to the marchioness of 
Yorre-Manzanares, who is in part 
proprietor of the town. ‘This il. 
justrious 
