licia, and of the Virgin del Pilar in Zaragoza, drew
together immense crowds of devotees, not only of the Peninsula and other
Spanish dominions, but from all parts of Europe; and the offerings which
were made to the images in those temples, in money, and in jewels, and
other precious things, amounted in value to sums which would, if named,
be considered fabulous. In the present day, however, that zeal has
considerably cooled, although the practice of attributing to those
images, and others called _Milagrosas_, the cure of all human disorders,
is not exploded, but still prevails. Whenever cases occur in which an
individual believes that he has been restored to health by means of the
_Milagro_, it is customary for him to deposit, in the chapel of the image
he venerates, a small model or representation of that member or part of
the body restored to health by the prodigy. These objects in great
abundance adorn the walls of such edifices, where may be seen innumerable
arms, legs, eyes, mouths, and so on, of silver or of wax, according to
the circumstances of the persons so favoured. People, who have been
cured of their lameness, leave in the chapel the crutches which they made
use of during the continuance of their infirmities.

The processions _del Viatico_ are worthy of note in this chapter. These
are of two classes, and may be thus described. When a sick person is
threatened with approaching death, the priest of the parish carries to
his house, in his hands, the consecrated host. This he does with the
greatest solemnity, preceded by a procession of great numbers of devout
people, bearing in their hands large wax candles; and when the patient
happens to be a person of distinction and rich, the procession is
accompanied by a band of music. Before this group goes a number of
people who are constantly ringing a bell. All persons who meet this
concourse kneel down and take off their hats as it passes; and if a
body-guard happen to be in the route, the troop immediately forms and
goes through certain evolutions peculiar to such occasions, which consist
in every soldier bending his knee and inclining his arms to the ground,
whilst the drums beat the royal march. A piquette is then detached from
the troop and follows the priest and escorts him to the church. If the
procession in its route meets a carriage, no matter how high a personage
may be in it, he cedes his place at once to the priest, who goes in it to
the sick p