Chap. IV. through 
but never put them into it, and ufe them to take away 
Aches, ftrengthen the Stomach, keep the Feet warm, 
Wc. Well heated on both Sides, they will keep warm 
for twenty four Hours. Amongft this red Salt there is 
a kind of Selenitis (which fome call Ifmg-glafs^ and the 
Italians^ Gejfo, from the Lalin Word Gyffum, fignifying 
Chalk, becaufe when burnt, it is turned into a white 
Calx) which naturally roches \x\io par allelipifeda^ of the Fi- 
gure of a L.ozenge. Of which Sort of Stones are found 
in feveral Places of our Nation. About thefe Moun- 
tains of Salt grows great Plenty of Halimiis and L/- 
tnonium. 
Cardona is a Dukedom, containing three or four Vil- 
lages befides the Town. The Duke thereof is one of 
the richeft Grandees of Spain, having three Dukedoms, 
four Marquifates, two Earldoms, The Name of 
his Family is Folke. He lives, for the moft Parr, at 
Madrid, but fends every three Years a Governor. The 
King of Spain hath nothing at all to do with this City, 
and the Duke never impofes any Taxes, but enjoys only 
all' the Tithes of the Corn, Wine, (^c. There is a 
Council of Thir.y-fix, changed every Year, and he 
that has been of the Council, muft wait three Years 
before he can be chofen again. The laft Thing the 
Council does is, to chufe a new Council for theYear fol- 
lowing. This new Council is divided into four Ranks, 
not equally, but as the old Council fhall think fit, and 
their Names are put into four Boxes •, out of every Box a 
Child takes out one to be Conful. He that is drawn out 
of the firfl Box is the firft Conful, and fo in Order. Near 
the Town is a Caftle, and in the Caflle a Tower, faid 
to be built by Charlemagne. Every Duke hath an Oath 
given him by the Confuls, wherein is an Article, that 
he muft refide in the Caftle, which is never kept. 
5. September 9. We pafled through Kalah, and lay at 
a lone Inn a League and a half further, four Leagues 
and a half diftant from Cardona. On the loth we 
pafied through St. Columha, Rocoafort, and lay at Sir- 
real, five Leagues and a half. Sept. ii. We pafled by 
Pobla, a famous ancient Monaftery, about two Leagues 
diftant from Sirreal. In the Church, there are a great 
many Monuments. They told us thirteen Queens and 
eleven Kings lay interred there. Then we paffed 
Praves, and lay that Night at Coulnouvil, five L.eagues. 
All over Catalonia they reckon a League two Hours, 
and make Account that lour Catalonian Leagues are 
equal to fix French. We heard that there were Ame- 
thyfts alfo found about Praves. 
On the 1 2th, we paflfed by Falfot, two Leagues from 
Coulnouvil, where are a great many Lead Mines. The 
Ore is very rich, and they melt it juft as it is taken out 
of the Mine, without beating it to Powder. They fell 
the Ore for forty Reals of jlrdif the Quintal, a Quintal 
being 122 Pounds. Five Quintals of Ore ufually yield 
four Quintals of Lead. This Town, and the Mines 
about it, belong to the Duke of Cardona. They told 
us, that the Vein of Metal lay always Eaji and Wejl. 
The beft and fineft of this Ore they grind to Powder, 
and thereof make Varnifh to lead earthen Pots and 
VeflTels with, fprinkling the Powder upon the Pots. This 
Night we lay at Pivifa, four Leagues. On the 13th 
we paflTed Venu-falet, Pivians, and lodged at Portofa, 
fix Leagues. All along the Way we faw a great deal 
of Palma hwnilis Hifpanica non fpinofa. The Fruit 
grew up in Bunches out of the Ground, like the Ber- 
ries of and was not much bigger. Thofe that 
were ripe were of a reddifti Colour, of an oblong Fi- 
gure, and divided into four Quarters thofe that were 
iefs ripe were yellowiflh ; the Skin and Pulp very thin, 
and did but juft ferve to cover the Stone. It hath the 
Smell and Tafte of Dates. The Stones being broken, 
are not at all hollow, but have a hard white Kernel or 
Pearl within them. We obferved alfo Abundance of 
Garoffus (as they call it) i. e. Caroba Jive Siliqua dulcis, 
the Cods whereof they give their Mules inftead of Pro- 
vender. The Spanijh Soldiers, at the Siege of Barcelona, 
had nothing but thefe Siliqua Water to live upon. 
All over Catalonia the People are generally poor. They 
ufe neither Glafs nor Paper in their Windows, but only 
Shutters of Wood. 
Vol.il N^ CXVIL 
Spain. ^97 
Portofa is a very poor and defolate Town : There is 
a Bridge of Boats over the River Jberus, now called 
Ebro, in Sight of which we rode all along frorii Pivifa 
hither. At Portofa they were wont to make Salt- 
fellers, Mortars, Bowls, Beads, i^c, of a Kind or 
Marble of a mingled Colour, red and yellow, found 
near the Town, which they call Jafper, and of another 
greenilk Marble fpotted with black, brought from 
Genoa. 
We went to the Jafper Mine, about two Miles froni 
the Town, with one of the chief Workmen. We 
law there vaft Pillars hewn out and wrought for a 
Church in Palermo. He told us, that all the Veins of 
Marble, Jafper, L?<r. went from Eaft to Weft that 
they fawed thofe Stones to make Tables, L)V. with 
only Water and Sand ; that when there was not enough 
red in the Stone, they made little Holes, and fet in 
red Stones ; that the Cement they ufed for all Stones 
in Mofaick Work, was made of one half Maftich and 
one half Greek Pitch ; that in building, they joined the 
Stones together v/ith ordinary Lime, but on the Out- 
fide they filled up the Chinks with a Cement made of 
the Powder of the Jafpar mingled with Sulphur and 
Mangra to make it more white they put in more 
Sulphur •, to make it more red, they put in more Mah- 
gra. The Jafper was hewed out with Chizzles and 
Hammers, juft as Stone in our Stone Pits : It is after- 
wards polifhed with Armoril, i.e. the Powder they ufe 
to polifti Armour with, and to give it a Luftre, fo that 
one may fee his Face in it with the Powder of the 
Cinders of the beft Tin. This Day we fet out towards 
Valence, pafling Ebro by the Bridge of Boats, and 
lodged at Galera, a .fmall Village two Leagues diftant 
from Portofa. 
6. Sept. 16. We paflTed by Pregera, whereabouts 
feemed to be the Ruins of an old Roman Way, Mat- 
theau, Salfandail, and lay at Lefcouvas, feven Leagues 
Near Lejcouvas w'e found Store of Oleander with a red 
Flower. On the 17th we paflfed Cabanos, Pobletta, 
Buriol, Villareale, Annules, feven I,eagues. This Jour- 
ney we faw a great many Rivers quite dried up, and for 
above a Month together had fcarce any Rain, that 
little that was always came juft from the Sea. On the 
1 8 th, we paflTed Chinees, Almenara, Moulvedere, Majfa, 
Magril, Ahalade, and arrived at Valence feven Leagues. 
Near Valence the Country is very populous, and well 
cultivated j Abundance of Mulberry-trees are planted 
in Rows all the Fields over. As we paffed through the 
Market-place at Valence, all the People houted at us, 
and threw Parings of Melons, iAc. on our Cloaks. It 
feems they are not ufed to fee Strangers and Travellers 
there. This was the firft Place in Spain where we were 
fearched. In this City is an Univerficy. I heard aPro- 
feffor read Logick. The Scholars are fufiiciently in- 
folent and very difputacious. One of them asked me, 
^id eP Ens univerfale ? and whether I was of Phomas 
Aquinases Opinion Another, ^id eji Genus ? None 
of them underftood any Thing of the new Fhilofophy, 
or had fo much as heard of it : None of the new 
Books are to be found in any of their Bockfellers 
Shops : In a Word, the Univerfity of Valence is juft; 
where our Univerfities were an hundred Years ago. . 
In the Kingdom of Valence the King of Spain is not 
abfolute •, but to impofe Taxes, raife Soldiers, kAc. he 
muft have the Confent of the three Eftates, i.e. i. the 
Clergy, 2. the Nobility, 3. the Cities and Villages j 
and if one of thefe refufe to confent, nothing can be 
done. Thefe three Eftates have fix Deputies, two for 
each, who are changed every third Year. Of the two 
for the Cities, one is for the City of Vodentia, and the 
other for all the reft. Each City chufing a Syndic, one 
is taken, by Lot to be a Deputy. Th.e fix Deputies 
have the Care and Government of the Militia. Upon 
any urgent Occafion, the Deputies muft affemble the 
three Eftates, i. e. the chief of the Clergy, the Nobi- 
lity, and the Syndics of the Cities. The City of Va- 
lence is governed by Six Jurats or Confuls. They are 
taken by Lot out of fix Urns or Burfes, two out of 
each : In the firft Urn are the Names of ail the beti;er 
Sort of Nobility that have the Title of Dons, in the 
8 P Second 
