people--Striking cathedral--Splendid outlines--Desecration--The new
cathedral--Senseless tyranny--One of the most interesting of
towns--Crowded market-place--Picturesque arcades and ancient
gateways--Wine-pressers--Good offer refused--Another
revelation--Wonderful streets--Amongst the immortals--Our
Boot-cleaner in Ordinary again--Thereby hangs a tale--His
story--Blind wife--Modest request--Nerissa--Charming room--Little
queen in the arm-chair--Faultless picture--Renouncements but no
regrets--"All a new world"--Time to pass out of life--Back to the
quiet streets--H. C. contemplative--Proposes emigration to Salt
Lake City--Lerida glorified by its idyll.

A greater contrast than Lerida in the morning and Lerida at midnight
could not be imagined. Last night had by no means prepared us for the
charms of to-day.

Little as one hears of it, it is the second city in Catalonia, with an
historical and eventful past that has submitted to constant wars and
sieges. In the far-off days it was occupied by the Romans, and the
present bridge is built on Roman foundations. It was held by Pompey in
the first century B.C. and these were unsettled times for Ilerda, as it
was then called. In very early days it became a university town, but so
little esteemed that the students of Rome were sent here when
rusticated. As the centuries rolled on it grew in favour, though the
trail of the rusticated Romans must have remained upon it, for two of
its most famous students were Vicenti Ferrer the inquisitor and Calixtus
III. the wicked pope.

The Goths had much to do with Lerida, and in 546 it became a Bishopric.
It fell under the influence of the Moors, but was destroyed by the
French at the end of the eighth century.

For the next 400 years little is heard of Lerida; but in 1150 it was
restored by Ramon Berenguer, and quickly became popular and important.
In the seventeenth century during the great Catalonian revolt, Lerida
chose Louis XIII. for king; upon which Philip IV. came down upon them
and defeated La Mothe, causing him to raise the siege. Four years
afterwards, in 1644, the French again tried to take it but were again
defeated. The Grand Conde opened another siege, and caused a number of
violins to play before the town to encourage his soldiers. But this also
had the effect of encouraging brave Gregorio Brito, the Portuguese
Governor, who sallied forth with his army, silenced the f