A R A 
they, in their turn, attacked by troops of thefe fame in¬ 
fers, who fur round them in prodigious numbers, and at 
length overpower them. * 
The figure at letter /, in the Plate, fhews the under part 
of the fame Ipider, which, it may be obferved, is of a 
brown colour, and the rings of the feet alternately white 
and red. The extremities of the feet are fmooth, and 
large, like the toes of a dog. It is aflerted that thefe fpi- 
dem from time to time throw, off their fkin, the fame as 
the tarantulas. 
Tht 1 aculeata, is a very fm'gular fpecies of aranea, which 
is found in the ifland of Curafoa, in America. In the 
figure at g, of the annexed Plate, may be feen the upper 
part of this fpider; and at h , the under. It is brown, 
marked on both Tides w ith an orange Ipot, or, as the inha¬ 
bitants call it, cranje. It is found in the fields, under the 
roots of plants, or even in the houfes in the country, but 
feldom or ever in towns. What is remarkable in its ftruc- 
ture is, that it lias but fix feet, and a fmall mouth fur- 
nilhed with two teeth, like thofe of the avicularia, deferi- 
bed above. It is faid to have this fatal property, that, 
after having bitten a (beep or cow, if thefe animals drink 
water when wounded, it inevitably kills them in the (pace 
of twenty-four hours, and they expire in terrible convul- 
fions. When a man is bitten, the cure is very diificult, 
and it is a chance if his life is faved. For they dare not 
give him any thing to quench his third; but decoffion of 
tobacco, urine, or fpirit extradfed from fugar, which has 
been hitherto found to be the bell remedy. During the 
malady, the perfon is attacked with convullions, delirium, 
and other fymptoms of a burning fever. We obtain this 
information from D. A. L Muller, phyfician in the ifie 
of Curagoa, who made a prefent of this infect to the cu¬ 
rious cabinet of the celebrated naturalift G. W. Knorr. 
Medicinally confidered, fpiders are found to contain a 
great deal of volatile fait; in confequence of which they 
are fometimes ufeful in agues, if taken inwardly. A fcruple 
of the fpider’s web, it has been faid, in many infiances 
hath proved fuccefsful, given an hour before the fit of an 
ague, and an hour after it. This produces no fenlible ef¬ 
fect, and may be given when the bark is not fafe. Motkerby. 
ARA’NEOUS, adj. [from aranea> Lat.] Refembling 
a cobweb. 
ARANJUEZ', a town in the province of New Caftile, 
where the king of Spain has a villa and gardens, called 
the palace of St. Ildefonfo. This place is twenty-five 
miles from Madrid, by a noble road, planted on each fide 
with trees, lately made, at the expence of 120,000k fter- 
ling. It is delightfully lituated at the conflux of the rivers 
Tagus and Jarama; which run through the gardens, and 
add new beauty to this charming fpot, w'here art and na¬ 
ture feem to go hand in hand with the molt plealing and 
rural (implicit)’. On one fide, fine avenues of ftately oaks 
and lofty elms convey the trueft ideas of magnificence, 
while,they afford the molt reviving (hade; on the other, 
the fudden tranlitions to lawns and vvildernefs, the cascades 
of water breaking through the thickets, the tuneful longs 
of numberlefs birds Iheltered in thefe cool recedes, the 
occafional appearance and paffage of the monarch attended 
by the grandees of his kingdom ; all thefe objects united, 
and concentrated in one point, fill the imagination with 
plealing ideas, and imprefs the mind of a traveller with a 
thoufand agreeable fenfations. 
The lituation is in an extenfive plain, furrounded with 
large hills, of a mod difagreeable alpett indeed, but leldom. 
appearing, being hidden by the noble rows of trees that 
extend acrofs tire flat in every direction. The main body 
of the palace is an old building, to which have been lately 
added two new wings. The firff part of the building was 
erected by Philip II. who purchafed the effate, planted 
many of the avenues, and, in order to extend his chace, 
or to indulge his fplenetic dilpofition, had all the vines 
tiiat grew on the hills rooted up. By that means he drove 
away the inhabitants, and rendered the environs of his villa 
a perfect delert. The apartments are good ; but contain 
A R A 35 
nothing very particular to take off from the enjoyment of 
fo many fine objedts abroad. In one of the new wings is 
a playhoufe, and in the other a chapel. Part of the deling 
of the former was painted by Mengs, who was alfo fent 
to Rome to paint a holy family for the principal altar in 
the chapel. There are feven fine pictures of Luca Jor- 
dano in the apartment called El Cabinete Antiguo, and lix 
others in that of Los Mayordomos. The portraits of the 
grand duke and duchefs of Tufcany, by Mengs, are in a 
new apartment called the king’s drefling-room. In the 
chapel, over the great altar, there is a fine picture of the 
Annunciation, by Titian, prefented to him by Charles V. 
and brought from the convent of Jude, after the death of 
that emperor. The porcelain cabinet, where there are 
feveral large pieces of the king’s own manufactory, is allb 
an objedt of-curiolity to a traveller. 
As to the gardens, the whole of them may be throw® 
into three grand divifions, diftinguilhed by the names of 
La Huerta Valentiana, Los Deleites, and El Cortijo. In 
the Huerta Valentiana, agriculture and gardening are car¬ 
ried on in the fame manner as in that fruitful province, 
and they plough with horfes. In the Cortijo they ufe 
oxen, as in Andalufia ; and in other places they lcratch 
up the ground with mules, as is fiill pradlifed in fome 
parts of Spain. Which ever way one looks round, a con- 
ftant variety pleafes the eye, and enraptures the mind. At 
one moment the flurdy buffalo moves before you, drawing 
his heavy burden; foon after, the flow camel, with his 
ponderous load ; while the fwift zebra, with his ftriped 
garment, friIks over the plains. If you approach the farm, 
every objedf of convenience is consulted, and in the dairy 
every degree of neatnefs. The Dutch cow enjoys a luxu¬ 
riant pafiure, the brood mares greatly enliven the land- 
fcape, and the (fables are filled with the mod excellent 
horfes. An immenfe nurfery furnifhes all manner of trees 
and plants. The fine avenue, which (erves alfo for a pub¬ 
lic walk, called Calle de Reyna, has nothing equal to it 
at Verfailles. It is three miles long, quite lfraight from 
the palace gate, eroding the Tagus twice before it lofes 
itfelf in the thickets, where fome noble fpreading elms and 
weeping poplars hang beautifully over the deep fiill pool. 
Near this road is a flower-garden for the fpring, laid out 
with great tafte by Mr. Wall, during his minifiry. The 
gay variety of flowers at this time of the year is particu¬ 
larly plealing to the eye ; but its beauty foon fades on 
the approach of fummer. As the weather grows hot, the 
company that choofes to walk retires to a garden in an 
ifland of the Tagus, on the north fide of the palace. This 
is a heavenly place, cut into various walks and circular 
lawns, which in their primitive date may have been very 
(tiff and formal ; but, in the courfe of a century, nature 
has obliterated the regular forms of art ; the trees have 
fwelled out beyond the line traced for them, and deftroyed 
the enfilade by advancing into the walks or retiring from 
them. The fweet flowering (hrubs, inftead of being dipped 
and kept down, have been allowed to (hoot up into trees, 
and hang over the fiatues and fountains they were originally 
meant to ferve as humble fences to. The jets-d’eau da fir 
up among the trees, and add frefh verdure to the leaves. 
The terraces and ballufirades built along the river are now 
overgrown with rofes, and other luxuriant buff.es, hang¬ 
ing down into the fiream, which is darkened by the large 
trees growing on the oppofite banks. Many of the fiatues, 
groupes, and fountains, are handfome, fome mafterly, the 
works of Algardi: all are placed in charming points of 
view, either in open circular fpots at a diftance from the 
trees, or elfe in gloomy arbours, and retired angles of the 
wood. The banks of this wood, called the Ila, are alia 
enlivened by elegant yachts for the amufement of the royal 
family. 
The town or village formerly confided of the palace, its 
offices, and a few miferable lints, where the ambaffadors, 
and the attendants of the court, endeavoured to lodge 
themfelves as well as they could, but always very uncom¬ 
fortably; many of the habitations were vaults half under 
i ground. 
