uy a few months' life, the respite of an hour.

And the author has striven to be impartial in the following pages. Once
in awhile his bitterness has escaped the pen, but be it plainly
understood that not one of his remarks is aimed against Spain, a country
and a people to be admired,--above all to be pitied, for they, the
people, are slaves to an arrogant Church, to a self-amusing royalty, and
to a grasping horde of second-rate politicians.

II

HISTORICAL ARABESQUES

The history of Spain is, perhaps, more than that of any other nation,
one long series of thrilling, contradictory, and frequently
incomprehensible events.

This is not only due to the country's past importance as a powerful
factor in the evolution of our modern civilization, but to the
unforeseen doings of fate. Fate enchained and enslaved its people,
moulded its greatness and wrought its ruin. Of no other country can it
so truthfully be said that it was the unwitting tool of some higher
destiny. Most of the phenomena of its history took place in spite of the
people's wishes or votes; neither did the different art questions,
styles, periods, or movements emanate from the people. This must be
borne in mind.

The Romans were the first to come to Spain with a view to conquering the
land, and to organizing the half-savage clans or tribes who roamed
through the thickets and across the plains. But nowhere did the great
rulers of the world encounter such fierce resistance. The clans were
extremely warlike and, besides, intensely individual. They did not only
oppose the foreigner's conquest of the land, but also his system of
organization, which consisted in the submission of the individual to the
state.

The clans or tribes recognized no other law than their own sweet will;
they acted independently of each other, and only on rare occasions did
they fight in groups. They were local patriots who recognized no
fatherland beyond their natal vale or village.

This primary characteristic of the Spanish people is the clue to many of
the subsequent events of the country's history. Against it the Romans
fought, but fought in vain, for they were not able to overcome it.

Christianity dawned in the East and was introduced into Spain, some say
by St. James in the north, others by St. Peter or St. Paul in the south.

The result was astonishing: what Roman swords, laws, and highroads had
been unable to accomplish (as regards the organization of the savage