SPAIN. 



fubjugate them. The valour of the Catalonian is Taid to 

 be the mod intrepid ; that of the Aragonefe the molt con- 

 fiderate; that of the Andalufiaii the molt prefumptuous ; 

 that of the Caftiliaii the coolelt ; and that of tlie Bifcayan 

 more aftive amongll rocks than on the plain. The Spaniards 

 are reckoned to be, in general, very grave and relerved ; 

 and in their addrefs, cold and repulfive ; but blended with 

 tlieir gravity, they manifefl a degree of gaiety, particularly 

 fince the accefliin of the houfe of Bourbon, which is frank 

 and lively. Notwithftanding this occafional vivacity, the 

 .Spaniard is very tardy and (low in all his operations, refpeft- 

 ing not only bufiueis and politics, arts and fciences, but 

 eveti their amours and pleafures. That indolence and hatred 

 of labour which prevail in their national charafter, have pro- 

 duced an averlion for agriculture and commerce, the effefts 

 of which have been nationally injurious. It has been ob- 

 ferved, however, that this kind of apathy and indifpofition 

 to labour, folfly, or principally, prevail in thofe parts 

 where induflry is without a fpur, aftivity without an ob- 

 jecl, and commodities without a vent. The provinces near 

 the fea are all induHrious ; the inland provinces, deftitutc of 

 canals and navigable rivers, and, till of late, of roads, and 

 poflefTing no cheap or eafy mode of communication, have 

 no means of fupporting induftry. 



The Spaniards were formerly very jealous of their wives 

 and millrefles ; the women were fhut up in their own houfes 

 as in a kind of prifon, where thick lattices concealed them 

 from the obfervation of impertinent curiolity. They re- 

 ceived few vifits in the apartments to which they were con- 

 fined, and which no man could enter without great difficulty 

 and many precautions. They were placed under the guar- 

 dianfhip of one or more duenna?, and could not take a Angle 

 Hep, either in their own houfes or abroad, which was not 

 fubjeft to their infpeftion. Whenever they went out, a veil 

 concealed the face from every paffenger. 



Times are greatly altered ; hu(band.i are now much lefs 

 fufpicious — more reafonablc, or more eafy — and women 

 much more acceffible. Lattices and jealoufy have difap- 

 peared ; duennas only exifl in romances ; veils, under the 

 name of mantelas, have become an ornament which gives 

 effeft to beauty ; all houfes are thrown open ; the men," gal- 

 lant aud amorous as ever, are become lefs captious ; the wo- 

 men have recovered a liberty by which they are, perhaps, 

 lefs tempted to go altray than formerly, when their virtue 

 was entrutted to locks and grates, and to a fuperintendance 

 often faithlefs, and eafy to be corrupted. 



Both the men and women have gained by the change ; 

 the former have become lefs morofe, more frank and agree- 

 able ; the women more attraftively difclofe the many eafy 

 graces with which they were endowed by nature. 



Several of the games, diverfions, and public fpeftacles of 

 the Spaniards, are derived from the Moors, and to the fame 

 origin we may trace many of their cudoms, and even that 

 kind of drefs and mode of hving which were long prevalent 

 in this country. After the expuUion of the Moors, the 

 Goths and native Spaniards, blended together and forraino- 

 one nation, adopted the fame coltume and manners. On 

 the acceffion of Philip V. the Spanilh habit was neglefted 

 and difufed, and the French, which ftill prevails, fubilituted 

 for it. The Spaniards are now as luxurious in their drefs as 

 they wrere formerly fimple ; they make ufe of the richeft 

 fluffs and filks, as well as of embroidery in Clk, gold, and 

 filver. The mod varied and confpicuous colours have fuc- 

 ceeded to black, which was, for feveral centuries, the na- 

 tional coftume. The common people, however, in feveral 

 of the provinces, retain their ancient mode of clothing, with 

 ferae diverfity in different parts of the country. Different 



profefTions have their peculiar coftume in .Spain. Uniforms 

 are very numerous, and are not confined to the military. 

 The Spauifh nobility have an uniform for the holy week ; 

 they wear it at court and in town, and the kin^r and royal 

 family wear the fame. The coat is of black velvet, hned 

 with crim.fon fatin, with gold, or gold embroidered buttons, 

 and facings of gold brocade on a crimfon ground, or of 

 fatin of the fame colour embroidered with gold. The 

 waiftcoat is the fame as the facings, and the breeches are 

 black. This drefs is handfome and dignified. Among 

 the amufements of the Spaniards we rnay reckon the 

 feifivals of the church, which in feveral of the provinces, 

 particularly in Aragon, are attended with very brilliant and 

 magnificent decorations ; the fire-works, which are very 

 common in Spain ; the mafquerades, which were formerly 

 much in fafhion in Spain during the carnival, particularly in 

 Aragon ; and the bull-fights, which were the true na- 

 tional fpeftacle ; but this amufement was fuppreffed feveral 

 years ago. The amufements of people of rank chiefly 

 confift in dancing and cards ; and the theatre is much fre- 

 quented, though the plays and mufic do not correfpond in 

 excellence with the national refinement. 



The origin of nobility in Spain cannot be precifely afcer- 

 tained. Of this order of perfons no traces appear, whilft 

 the country continued under the dominion firll of the Car- 

 thaginians, and afterwards of the Romans. The rudiments 

 of it firll manifelled themfelves under the Gothic kings ; but 

 it was almolt totally annihilated by the Saracenic invafion. 

 After theexpulfion of the Moors, a regular order of nobility 

 began to grow up in the newly ellabliflied kingdoms of Spain, 

 with peculiar modifications in different dates. The only 

 method of acquiring nobility in this country is by a royal 

 grant, as it is not attached to the exercife of any office, civil 

 or military : and the price of a patent of nobility varies in 

 the different provinces. Of late years a didindlion has been 

 taking place, between the titled and untitled nobility. The 

 former are fo called becaufe they have obtained from the 

 king the title of grandee, of duke, of count, of marquis, 

 or of vifcount. Thefe titles of nobility are hereditary in 

 the families of thofe to whom they have been granted, and 

 defcend fird to the male^, according to feniority, and then 

 to the females, who have a right to transfer them to their 

 hufbands and to their children. The titled nobihty, unlefs; 

 they have been advanced to the dignity of grandee, enjoy 

 few privileges above thofe that are entitled. The gran- 

 dees, of whom there are feveral dalles, are at the head of 

 the Spanilh nobility, and at court take precedence of all 

 fecular dignities, except thofe of conllable and admiral of 

 Cadile. The mod valued privilege belonging to the gran- 

 dees is that of being covered in the royal prefence. The 

 number of titled nobility in the year 1787 was as follows ; 

 129 grandee.5, J35 marquifcs, counts, and vifcounts ; of 

 thefe latter, 142 habitually refided at court, and the reft in 

 the provinces. 



The mihtary orders in Spain were formerly eleven, all of 

 which are become extintl. At prefent there are feven dif- 

 ferent orders, viz. thofe of the Golden Fleece, of San Jago, 

 or St. James of the Sword, of Calatrava, of Alcantara, of 

 Montefa, of Charles III., and of Maria Louifa. Of thefe, 

 the fird has palled by fucceflion to the Spanilh crown, the 

 four next are the military orders properly fo called, and the 

 two lad are of modern inditution. (See Goldex Fletce, 

 St. James of the Sword, Calatrava, Alcantara, St. 

 George of yllfama.) For the four lail named military or- 

 ders the qualifications at prefent necefl'ary are eight years of 

 active fervice in the Spanilh army, and proofs of nobility of 

 four degrees, on the fide of both father and mother. The 



only 



