runk, and the chivalrous honour of its proprietor, never saw
its contents until shown them by the latter on the repayment of the
loan: they were then discovered to consist of stones and fragments of
old iron.

One is disappointed on finding in this cathedral no more durable
_souvenir_ of the Cid than his rat-corroded wardrobe. His remains are
preserved in the chapel of the Ayuntamiento; thither we will
consequently bend our steps, not forgetting to enjoy, as we leave the
church, a long gaze at its elegant and symmetrical proportions. It may
be called an unique model of beauty of its particular sort, especially
when contemplated without being drawn into comparison with other
edifices of a different class. Catalani is said, on hearing Sontag's
performance, to have remarked that she was "la premiere de son genre,
mais que son genre n'etait pas le premier." Could the cathedral of
Seville see that of Burgos, it would probably pronounce a similar
judgment on its smaller rival.

The profusion of ornament, the perfection of symmetry, the completeness
of finish, produce an instantaneous impression that nothing is wanting
in this charming edifice; but any one who should happen to have
previously seen that of Seville cannot, after the first moments of
enthusiasm, escape the comparison which forces itself on him, and which
is not in favour of this cathedral. It is elegant, but deficient in
grandeur; beautiful, but wanting in majesty. The stern and grand
simplicity of the one, thrown into the scales against the light, airy,
and diminutive, though graceful beauty of the other, recalls the
contrast drawn by Milton between our first parents; a contrast which,
applied to these churches, must be considered favourable to the more
majestic, however the balance of preference may turn in the poem.

LETTER V.

TOMB OF THE CID. CITADEL.

Burgos.

The Ayuntamiento, or Town-hall, presents one facade to the river, and
the other to the Plaza Mayor, being built over the archway which forms
the already mentioned entrance to the central portion of the city. The
building, like other town-halls, possesses an airy staircase, a large
public room, and a few other apartments, used for the various details of
administration; but nothing remarkable until you arrive at a handsomely
ornamented saloon, furnished with a canopied seat fronting a row of
arm-chairs. This is the room in which the municipal body hold their
juntas. It contains several p