the principle that might makes
right. Then came the French as conquerors, who expelled the lawless
intruders, perhaps themselves quite as deserving of the title; but they
did a good work by clearing what had become an Augean stable of its
worst filth, and partially restoring the choicest work of the Moorish
builders. To-day the Spanish government guards with jealous care a
monumental treasure which cannot be equaled in historic interest
elsewhere in the kingdom.

Visiting the Court of the Lions on the last day of our stay at Granada,
watching its beautiful shadows, columns, and fret-work, with its mammoth
vase of Oriental alabaster fed by water brought from the mountains
through the old Moorish aqueduct, it seemed as if so much of tangible
poetry could nowhere else be found. Over a hundred light and graceful
columns of marble surround this one court, supporting arches of perfect
loveliness, and a Moorish arcade of aerial lightness and beauty. The
rich stucco and the arabesque decorations of the inner walls and
ceilings, finished in gold and blue, the original colors still there
after centuries of exposure, together form perhaps the gem of the
Alhambra. Yet one hesitates to pronounce any one hall, chamber, or court
as excelling another where all are so transcendently beautiful. The
characteristic embodiment of the architecture seemed to be its perfect
harmony throughout. There are no jarring elements, no false notes, in
the marvelous anthem which it articulates. It does not impress one as
representing power or grandeur, but rather sensuousness and human love.
The inspiration it imparts to the thoughtful beholder is less of awe
than of tenderness, and exquisite poetical delight, causing one, as he
gazes upon its accumulated loveliness, almost to tremble with excess of
gratification.

Many of the outlying towers of the main structure, now partly isolated
by the crumbling of the connecting walls and passages, are well worth
attention. We visited them with great satisfaction, but they have been
too often described to require special mention here. The guide related a
legend connected with one of them which was new to us. It related to
that known as La Cautiva, the inner walls of which are famous for their
Moorish tracery. Here, it seems, a lovely Christian maiden was
imprisoned, whom Yousuf I., then reigning monarch, desired to add to his
harem. In vain were her pleadings, and her assurance that she was the
affianced bride