7 ^ 2r ^he Travels of an 
of green Genoua Marble, with brafs Bafes and Capitols 
gilt. On the Gofpel-fide of the Altar lie inter’d the 
Bodies of Charles V. Philip II. Philip III. and Philip IV. 
and on the other Side fuch of their Queens as brought 
them forth IfTue, fuch as die without being not admit- 
ed to be buried here, but in another Sepulchre allotted 
for the Branches of the Royal Family. The Pantheon is 
enlightened by a curious Branch of Brafs gilt, with 
twenty four Lights \ the Floor is cover’d with the 
iame Stone as the Walls, and wrought into the Figure 
of Stars. 
_ The Convent has no fewer than five Cloyfters, the 
biggeft being no lefs than eight hundred Foot fquare, 
painted all about with the Life, Death, Refurredion and 
Afcenfion of our Saviour. The old Chapel affords 
three excellent Pieces, that of St. Lawrence on the Grid- 
iron in the Middle, and on both Sides the Offering of 
the three Eaftern Kings, and Chrift’s Sepulchre, both 
by Titian^ befides divers other Originals of facred Hif- 
tory of the beft Mafters : They boaft here of one of the 
Innocents Bodies entire, of one of the W^aterpots in 
which Chrift turn’d Water into Wine at the Wedding 
of Canaan^ and of one of the Bars of the Gridiron on 
which St. Lawrence was broil’d ; but thefe are not to 
be feen by Hereticks. In the Refectory you fee a cele- 
brated Piece, by Lilian, of the Lord’s Supper, brought 
hither from England during the Exile of King Charles II. 
and pawn’d for 15,000/. Sterling. 
I had no Opportunity of feeing the Royal Palace, 
which is not very large, and was told it contain’d little 
of Moment except the Paintings •, but the Library 
muft be own’d a noble lofty Strudlure, two hundred 
Foot long and thirty fix high, the Stalls of the Books 
(which are all letter’d on the Back) being of Cedar 
and other precious foreign Woods : it has feven Pillars 
of the Dorick Order, the Floor is cover’d with white 
and grey Marble, and the Ceiling with curiousPaint- 
ings reprefenting the Arts and Sciences, and the moft 
celebrated Authors, by Perugrino ; but thofe Hiflories 
of Arts and Sciences you fee under the Cornifhes, are 
of the excellent Hand of Bartholomew Carducho. In 
the Middle of the fame Room ftand feven Tables of 
Jafper and Marble, and two of Porphyry, with Globes 
and Spheres placed upon them. They preferve alfo 
feme ancient Medals and Writings on the Bark of 
Trees j their moft valuable Manuferipts are. Be Bap- 
iifmo Puerorum of St. Au§iirP% own Writing, a Piece of 
Sc. Chryfoftom, Apocalypfis de San^e Amadeo, four Books 
writ by St. Therefa, a Letter of St. Vincent, the Original 
of St. Lewis Beltram of the Conception of the Virgin 
Mary, with divers other Pieces of St. Gregory, St. Anaf- 
taje, and St. Chryfoliom. 
The moft excellent Paintings on the Ceiling of the 
Church, and over the great Stairs, by that great modern 
Artift Luca Giordano a Neapolitan, and but lately finifli’d 
at the late King’s Expence, are no fmall Addition to 
the Beauty and Glory of this ftupendious Fabrick, which 
I was told contain’d, with every Thing belonging to 
it, above thirty-fix Leagues in Circuit ; certain it is 
that there belong to this Strudture fifteen Cloyfters, 
eleven Courts, twenty-five Fountains, thirteen Statues of 
Stone, and thirty eight of Brafs gilt; the Number of 
original and other choice Pidures is computed at 1602, 
befides 540 more on the Walls ; the Copies of Land- 
fkips, Fruits, arc not to be number’d : It has befides 
this nine Refectories, five Infirmaries, two fine Apart- 
ments for the Reception of Strangers, and mnt Kitchens ; 
it was twenty-four Years before it was finifhed, and coft 
King Philip II. fix Millions wanting only two thoufand 
Ducats, unto which adding the Charge of the Pantheon 
and other additional Buildings, and the Reparations 
made after the Fire happen’d in 1671, the whole 
Charge has been computed at no lefs than eight Mil- 
lions of Ducats. I have nothing to add to the De- 
feription of this wonderful Piece, except the curious 
Walk of double Rows of Elm-trees, leading from the 
little Town below to this Royal Foundation. 
17, I left Madrid, Bee. 3, 1694, and lodg’d the firft 
Night at Valdemore, whence I turn’d fomewhat out of 
the Road the next Day to go to Aranjeuez^ moved 
Englilh Gentleman Book II. 
With a Curiofity to view the King’s Palace there, the 
Situation of which among Woodlands (a Rarity fcarce 
ever to be met with in this Country) put me in Mind 
of my native Country England. For the reft/the 
Houfe IS but ordinary for a Royal Palace, the Gardens 
and Walks not very large, yet better contriv’d than any 
I ever faw either in Spain or Portugal ; here are many 
excellent Statues and Fountains, brought hither from all 
Parts by the Emperor Charles V. and thofe that are 
more modern are very good ones ; the great Number 
of thefe Statues, of Brafs and INdarble, together with 
the pleafant Fountains all along the fhady Walks and 
Arbours of large Elms, and fome Oak and Afh, (great 
Rarities, here as well as in Portugal) render this Place 
very delighful, its Situation being between two Hills, 
upon the very Banks of the River Lagus^ from whence 
fome Walks run up the Hills for a League toge- 
ther, yet the Air is efteemed not extraordinary health- 
ful. Here the King keeps his beft Male Aftes for 
Breeding. 
I lodged the next Night at Ocanno, a Place noted for 
the beft Cafiile-Soap, ■a.nd the following Night at Corral 
de Almogner. As the Road betwixt Madrid and Alicant 
is paffably good for a Coach, fo the Country is gene- 
rally fertile in Corn, Oil and Wines, and the rocky 
Parts produce Abundance of Rofemary, Thyme, and 
fuch-like Sweet-herbs, wherewith they feed their Sheep 
and Goats, The next Place I came to was Albarzete^ 
noted for good Knives, Daggers, and Scififars ; not- 
withftanding this the extream Poverty of the Country- 
People, and confequently the ill Accommodation one 
meets with upon the Road, (where you are oftentimes 
deftitute of Provender for your Horfes, a Bed, nay. 
Bread and Wine) renders Travelling very difficult and 
tedious in Spain ; however, I got at laft fafe to Alicant.^ 
the 13th of Becemher, after a Journey of ten Days in 
a Calafh. 
18. The Town of Alicant is pleafantly feated betwixt 
Hills along the Sea fide, where there is a continual Paf- 
fage of Ships bound to or from the Mediterranean ; ic 
fuffered much m the late War with the French, who 
with three Bomb-Veffels threw in about 4700 Bombs, 
and deftroy’d fix hundred Houfes ; they told it as a 
great Miracle, that above three hundred of the French 
Bombs fell upon the Cathedral dedicated to St. Nicholas^ 
of which one only pierced through the Roof, whereas 
the whole Miracle was only to be attributed to the 
ftrong Cupola^?, and Arches which cover it. The French 
bombarded the Town with incredible Dexterity, 
throwing their Bombs even over the Caftle, that ftands 
a good Way above the Town, upon fo high an Hill, 
that I had enough to do to get up to it, though when 
I came there I found nothing worth the Trouble I had 
taken, except a fineProfped, the whole Spanijh Gd^vh^on. 
confiding of only five or fix Guards, and perhaps as 
many Guns. Alicant is of no Strength, and the People 
fo unfit to defend it, that at the Time of the French 
Bombardment they all retir’d into the Mountains, noc 
excepting the Officers themfelves, and had certainly de- 
ferted the Place, had not one Mr. Newland, an Englijh 
Merchant, ply’d the French with two Guns from the 
the Mole, and by his Example encourag’d fome of them 
not to leave the Place to the French. 
19. The Gentlemen here of Valentia, both in their 
Drels and Actions, much more imitate the French than 
the Cajiilians ; they are of a hafty, vain and bafe Tem- 
per, and fo bigotted to their foolifti Niceties, or Spanijb 
Punclilio^s, that upon a very flender Occafion they will 
either murther one another themfelves, or hire others to 
do it, there being many of that Sort of Mercenaries in this 
Country, who will facrifice any Man for a few Pieces 
of Eight, which they commonly perform by Shooting. 
Thefe Murthers produce fometimes no fmall Diforders, 
the Friends of the murther’d Party thinking themfelves 
oblig’d to revenge his Death, go in ftrong Parries, 
fome a hundred in a Body, arm’d each with five Guns, 
fone Fufee, and four lefler ones in the Girdle) and fo 
going into the Field, furprize one another wherever they 
can, it being their Principle not to attack their Enemy 
but upon a manifeft Advantage ; I was told there were 
at 
» 
