It Has, However, A Disagreeable Sound, Owing To
A Cleft In Its Side.
Toledo could once boast the finest pictures
in Spain, but many were stolen or destroyed by the French during
the Peninsular war, and still more have lately been removed by
order of the government.
Perhaps the most remarkable one still
remains; I allude to that which represents the burial of the Count
of Orgaz, the masterpiece of Domenico, the Greek, a most
extraordinary genius, some of whose productions possess merit of a
very high order. The picture in question is in the little parish
church of San Tome, at the bottom of the aisle, on the left side of
the altar. Could it be purchased, I should say it would be cheap
at five thousand pounds.
Amongst the many remarkable things which meet the eye of the
curious observer at Toledo, is the manufactory of arms, where are
wrought the swords, spears, and other weapons intended for the
army, with the exception of fire-arms, which mostly come from
abroad.
In old times, as is well known, the sword-blades of Toledo were
held in great estimation, and were transmitted as merchandise
throughout Christendom. The present manufactory, or fabrica, as it
is called, is a handsome modern edifice, situated without the wall
of the city, on a plain contiguous to the river, with which it
communicates by a small canal. It is said that the water and the
sand of the Tagus are essential for the proper tempering of the
swords.
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