But however this may be, there is no doubt, that, mingled with something of the rudeness and more of the ungraceful repetitions common in the period to which they belong, there is a richness, an appropriateness, and sometimes even an elegance, in their turns of expression, truly remarkable. They show that the great effort of their author to make the Castilian the living and real language of his country, by making it that of the laws and the tribunals of justice, had been successful, or was destined speedily to become so. Their grave and measured movement, and the solemnity of their tone, which have remained among the characteristics of Spanish prose ever since, show this success beyond all reasonable question. They show, too, the character of Alfonso himself, giving token of a far-reaching wisdom and philosophy, and proving how much a single great mind happily placed can do towards imparting their final direction to the language and literature of a country, even so early as the first century of their separate existence.[77] [77] As no more than a fair specimen of the genuine Castilian of the Partidas, I would cite Part. II. Tít. V. Ley 18, entitled “Como el Rey debe ser granado et franco”: “Grandeza es virtud que está bien á todo home poderoso et señaladamente al rey quando usa della en tiempo que conviene et como debe; et por ende dixo Aristóteles á Alexandro que él puñase de haber en si franqueza, ca por ella ganarie mas aina el amor et los corazones de la gente: et porque él mejor podiese obrar desta bondat, espaladinol qué cosa es, et dixo que franqueza es dar al que lo ha menester et al que lo meresce, segunt el poder del dador, dando de lo suyo et non tomando de lo ageno para darlo á otro, ca el que da mas de lo que puede non es franco, mas desgastador, et demas haberá por fuerza á tomar de lo ageno quando lo suyo non compliere, et si de la una parte ganare amigos por lo que les diere, de la otra parte serle han enemigos aquellos á quien lo tomare; et otrosi dixo que el que da al que non lo ha menester non le es gradecido, et es tal come el que vierte agua en la mar, et el que da al que lo non meresce es como el que guisa su enemigo que venga contra él.” CHAPTER IV. JUAN LORENZO SEGURA.--CONFUSION OF ANCIENT AND MODERN MANNERS.--EL ALEXANDRO, ITS STORY AND MERITS.--LOS VOTOS DEL PAVON.--SANCHO EL BRAVO.--DON JUAN MANUEL, HIS LIFE AND WORKS, PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED.--HIS CONDE LUCANOR.