the sobriquet of Fray
Mortero, as some say from the form of his face, added to the
unpopularity which he shared with the two other favorites of Ferdinand
and Isabella,--the Duke of Maqueda, and Cardinal Ximenes, with whom he
figured in a popular triplet which at that period circulated throughout
Spain,

Cardenas, el Cardenal,
Con el padre Fray Mortero,
Fraen el reyno al retortero.

which may be freely translated thus:

What with his Grace the Cardinal,
With Cardenas, and Father Mortar,--
Spain calls aloud for quarter! quarter!

The concise inscription seen on the tomb, was probably meant as an
answer to this satire, and to the injurious opinion generally received
respecting his character.

I returned from Toledo by way of Madrid and Saragoza. The diligence
track from Toledo to Madrid was in a worse state than at the time of my
arrival: a circumstance by no means surprising, since what with the wear
and tear of carts and carriages, aided by that of the elements, and
unopposed by human labour, it must deteriorate gradually until it
becomes impassable. Since my last visit to the Museo the equestrian
portrait of Charles the Fifth by Titian has been restored. It was in so
degraded a condition that the lower half, containing the foreground and
the horses' legs, presented scarcely a distinguishable object. It has
been handled with care and talent, and, in its present position in the
centre of the gallery, it now disputes the palm with the Spasimo, and is
worth the journey to Madrid, were there nothing else to be seen there. I
paid another visit to the Saint Elizabeth in the Academy, and to the
Museum of Natural History, contained in the upper floor of the same
building. This gallery boasts the possession of an unique curiosity; the
entire skeleton of a Megatherion strides over the well-furnished tables
of one of the largest rooms. I believe an idea of this gigantic animal
can nowhere else be formed. The head must have measured about the
dimensions of an elephant's body.

From Castile into Aragon the descent is continual, and the difference of
climate is easily perceptible. Vineyards here climb the mountains, and
the plains abound with olive-grounds, which are literally forests, and
in which the plants attain to the growth of those of Andalucia. In
corresponding proportion to the improving country, complaints are heard
of its population. Murders and robberies form the subject of
conversations;