o Alvarez, two
brothers, to whom he granted the place. After their death it reverted to
the crown of Castile, and continued to be royal property until Juan II.
gave it to his favourite Don Alvaro de Luna.

This grandee was known to have amassed great treasures in the castle;
and on the confiscation of his possessions at the period of his final
disgrace, the king marched an army to take possession of the fortress;
but the countess held out successfully, and obliged the royal troops to
raise the siege. On a second attempt, made after Don Alvaro's execution,
his widow considered she had no further object in maintaining it, and
lost no time in coming to terms. The conditions of the surrender were,
that the treasure should be divided into three equal parts, one for the
king, another for herself, and the third for her son. The son was
likewise allowed to inherit the castle, and by the marriage of his
daughter, it came into the possession of the Marquis of Villena, D.
Lopez Pacheco, created Duke of Escalona by Henry the Fourth. The family
of Fellez Giron, proprietors of Montalban, were descendants of this
duke. At present the castle of Escalona belongs to the Duke of Ossuna.
It is not only the most considerable of the numerous ruins disposed over
the territory of Toledo, but one of the most interesting historical
relics of Spain, having filled an important place in the annals of
several of the most stirring periods. The unfortunate Blanche, Queen of
Pedro the Cruel, was its inmate during several years; as also her rival,
Maria de Padilla, at a subsequent period.

The best excursion from Toledo in point of architectural interest, is
that to Torijos, a small town situated rather to the left of the direct
road to Escalona, and five leagues distant. Immediately before arriving
there, the castle of Barciense is met with, situated on an eminence
which commands an admirable view, extending south and west to a
semi-circle of mountains, composed of the Sierra del Duque, and the
chain called the mountains of Toledo, and for a foreground looking down
on a perfect forest of olive-grounds, surrounding the town of Torijos,
two miles distant. The ruin of Barciense consists of a lofty square
tower, and the outer walls of a quadrangle. There is nothing worth
notice, with the exception of a bas-relief, which occupies all the upper
half of the tower on the east side. It consists of a solitary lion
rampant; probably the largest crest ever emblaz