Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/459

THE SPANISH ARABS. 315 those constructed by the Arabs ; and the traveller, as he wanders amid their desolate, but beautiful ruins, ponders on the destinies of a people, whose very existence seems now to have been almost as fanciful as the magical creations in one of their own fairy tales. CHAPTER VIII. is this fidelity that constitutes the peculiar value of Conde's narra- tive. It is the first time that the Arabians, at least those of Spain, the part of the nation which reach- ed the highest degree of refine- ment, have been allowed to speak for themselves. The history, or rather tissue of histories, embodi- ed in the translation, is certainly conceived in no very philosophical spirit, and contains, as might be expected from an Asiatic pen, lit- tle for the edification of a Eu- ropean reader on subjects of poli- cy and government. The narra- tive is, moreover, encumbered with frivolous details and a barren mus- ter-roll of names and titles, which would better become a genealog- ical table than a history. But, with every deduction, it must be allowed to exhibit a sufficiently clear view of the intricate conflict- ing relations of the petty princi- palities, which swarmed over the Peninsula ; and to furnish abun- dant evidence of a wide-spread in- tellectual improvement amid all the horrors of anarchy and a ferocious despotism. The work has alrea- dy been translated or rather para- phrased into French. The necessi- ty of an English version will doubt- less be in a great degree super- seded by the History of the Spanish Arabs, preparing for the Cabinet Cyclopaedia, by Mr. Southey, — a writer, with whom few Castilian scholars will be willing to com- pete, even on their own ground ; and who is, happily, not exposed to the national or religious pre- judices, which csn interfere with his rendering perfect justice to his subject.