- 
1809, ] 
serving the cathedral and all the others for 
their own use. Many inscriptions in Ara- 
bic remaining from their times, particular- 
ly ona number of round pillars resembling 
Roman miiliary columns, standing in va- 
rious parts of the town, were examined, 
copied, and translated, some years ago, by 
the ambassador from Morocco, on his 
way to Madrid. The church of Santa 
Maria la blanca, formerly employed as a 
Synagogue, while the Jews were tole- 
rated in Spain, likewise presents a num- 
ber of inscriptions in Hebrew. 
The bridge over the Tagus on the en- 
trance from Aranjuez was either founded 
or considerably improved by the Moors, 
as appears from an inscription preserved 
in the gate at the end next the town, there 
placed when the bridge was repaired in 
1258, when it and many others thrueghout 
Spain were carried away by very extraor- 
dinary floods in the rivers. This inscrip- 
tion states, that the bridge was construct- 
“ed in 988: it is very lofty and narrow, con- 
sisting of a single arch about 180 feet in 
eee through which the whole water of 
the. Tagus passes, with a small arch at 
each end. In the original construction 
or in posterior repairs, Roman materials 
have been employed ; cne bears an inscrip- 
tion to the memory of a Lady in these 
words Caecilia Murcelia H. S. LE. 
On the Sovth side of the town is another 
bridge of five arches; and near it are the 
ruins of a third, supposed to, have been 
erected by the Goths. 
Besides the pretection afforded to Tole- 
do from its situation, its walls, and its 
castle, it had likewise a fortress seated on 
the hill to the eastward, commanding the 
plain on that side. The origin of this 
work is unknown; but it was repaired in 
1399, and now presents a small rectangu- 
lar court inclosed by walls of moderate 
thickness, and defended by round towers 
at each angle, with a large one in the mid- 
dle of the north side, which overhangs the 
river. 
The Tagus or Tajo (pronounced Taho) 
formerly renowned for its golden sands, 
was subsequentlycelebrated for the temper 
its waters gave to the sword-blades made 
on its banks; so thata Toledo was synony- 
mous with a sword of the first quality. 
Tt does not however appear that any iron 
was ever discovered in this quarter of 
Spain; on the contrary, we are constantly 
told that the material was drawn solely 
from the mountains of Biscay, where espe- 
cially in the environs of Mondragon it is 
still found in great abundance and of the 
best kinds. And from this circumstance 
were derived the names of the little river 
Account of recent Travels in Spain. 
121 
now forming the harbour of Bilbao, called 
in ancient history Cholybs, aud uf the ine 
habitants of the environs called Chalybes, 
The manufacture of sword-blades was, 
until within these five and twenty years. 
carried on at Toledo by private artists : 
but about that period the king removed 
all who wished to continue in that branch 
of industry to a spacious new building 
erected on the north bank of the river a 
little below the town, there te be employ- 
ed at the public expence; it was however 
the general opinion that the swords pro- 
duced trom this public establishment, 
were ‘far inferior in quality te those for- 
merly inanufactured by the same persons 
hag private, 
A propos of swords—At a celebrated 
convent of Hieronymites near ‘Toledo was 
shown the very identical blade which was 
used in the decollation of St, Paul at Rome 
under Nero. This sword having been 
carefully preserved in that city until the 
beginning of the 16th century was then 
presented by the sovereign pontiff to 
Cardinal Albornos, who carried it to 
Spain and deposited it in the hands of 
the Hieronymites. 
The convent is situated in one of the 
most barren, bleak, and rugged spots that 
can easily be found, and offers nothing 
attractive to the vulgar traveller excepting 
this same sword, which had it been ge- 
nuine and really a Roman sword, must 
have been truly a curiosity, nearly | may 
say unique; the only certain rival being, I 
believe that preserved in the king of Na- 
ples’ museum at Portici. I must be un- 
derstood in so speaking to allude to Ro- 
man swords of iron; for others of harden= 
ed copper and mied metals are far from 
rare inmany collections; at the same time 
itis to be observed that these‘last swords 
are very uncommon in Italy where the 
Romans certainly lived and fought,-but 
very common in the northern parts of 
Iurepe where the Romans never appear- 
ed. The weapon however preserved at 
Ja Sisla, the convent before mentioned, 
must depend on evidences of its authen- 
ticity very different from those drawn 
from its form and substance: for it is sha- 
ped like a modern cutlas with one convex’ 
cutting edge ending in. a sharp point. 
The blade and hilt seem to be of one 
piece, but the iron eross has been tixed on. 
The blade I imagine to be of hardened 
copper from the fine glossy rust with: 
which itis covered : and on each side to- 
wards the back are vestiges of an inscrip= 
tion, in Roman capitals of a golden colour, 
alluding to the beheading of St Paul ; the 
words on one side being Paulus... . 5 
capites 
