tory declaring for the knight,
whose name unfortunately does not figure in the legend,--he assembled
the peasants, and had his enemy's carcass borne in triumph to Toledo,
where he made a present of it to the convent.

While on the subject of traditions, it is worth while adverting to a
cavern, the entrance of which exists in this part of the town; and which
is said to extend to a distance of eight miles, passing under the Tagus.
It is related that somewhat less than a century back, the government
ordered this cavern to be explored; but the exploring party was met at
the commencement of the descent by so violent a gust of wind, as to
extinguish all the torches, and the courage of the explorers, for the
attempt was never resumed. The failure by no means contributed to
diminish the mysterious qualities attributed to the cavern, on the
subject of which the wildest notions are currently entertained.

A worthy and excellent native of Toledo, to whose antiquarian enthusiasm
(a quality doubly valuable here from its scarcity) I am indebted for
some information and much entertainment, undertook one day to enlighten
me with regard to the origin of this subterranean curiosity. Commencing
by warning my credulity against the innumerable fables current on the
subject, and which only resembled each other in their absurdity and
impossibility, he added, "The real fact is this,--the cavern is the work
of Hercules, who excavated it for the accommodation of the assemblies of
the people, whom he instructed in the elements of magic."

The convent of Santiago, or of Santa Fe, or of Las monjas santiagistas,
or Las cavalleras, occupies the portion of the ancient Moorish alcazar,
remaining from the site of the two last-mentioned buildings. It is built
round two courts, one of which is divided into planted parterres,
intersected with brick-paved walks. The architecture of this first court
is very simple; it consists of a plain arcade of semicircular arches
supported on square piers, and a repetition of the same on the first
story. From this court opens the parlour of the Commendadora or abbess,
and the choir, which forms a continuation of the public chapel. There is
also under the arcade a folding door, which, when opened exhibits a
collection of small pictures attached to it, as on the leaves of an
album, and others suspended against the portion of wall it encloses. The
centre painting of these last represents the Mater dolorosa weeping over
th