CHAP. XVIII. GOLD AND SILVER IN SPAIN. 



moment when the gold and silver of America 

 reached the country. Whoever has read the hi- 

 stories of the early invaders of America must have 

 remarked how profuse Columbus and his followers 

 were in vows of presenting such offerings, and 

 will readily believe that many of such vows were 

 duly performed. Several of the most magnificent 

 and costly cathedrals of Spain owe their construc- 

 tion to the zeal of the period, whilst others of 

 more ancient date received images, crucifixes, 

 pattins, chalices, and other vessels, in the room of 

 such as had been seized by the Moors, or as had 

 been converted by the Christian into money to 

 furnish the means for repelling or subduing the 

 unbelievers 1 . The domestic peace which Spain 

 enjoyed from the time of the conquest of Granada 

 must have tended to increase the mineral treasures 

 which the church drew to itself, and no strong 

 motives presented themselves to cause any abstrac- 

 tion of those treasures. 



In Italy, also, much had been appropriated to 

 similar purposes in Rome, as well as in the other 

 cities ; but the frequent wars of which it was the 

 theatre probably tended to withdraw much of it 

 from sacred purposes, and to convert it into the 

 more current form of money. We have already 

 noticed the treasure seized by the army of Bour- 



1 The twenty volumes of the work of Don Antonio Ponz, 

 entitled " Viage de Espaha" contain particular relations of 

 the decorations of the churches about this date. 



VOL. II. F 



