thirty-five years over Castile and twenty over Leon. [99] Pablo de Espinosa, _Grandesas de Sevilla_, fol. 146. _Cronica del Santo Rey_, c. 78. _Corona Gothica_, T. 3, p. 166. Two days after his death he was interred in his royal chapel in the Holy Church, in a sepulchre of alabaster, which still remains. It is asserted by grave authors that at the time of putting his body in the sepulchre, the choir of angels again was heard chanting his eulogium, and filling the air with sweet melody in praise of his virtues.[100] [100] Argote de Molina, _Nobleza de Andaluzia_, L. 1, c. 21. Tomas Bocio, _Signales de la Iglesia_, L. 20. Don Rodrigo Sanchez, Bishop of Palencia, pt. 3, c. 40. When Alhamar, the Moorish king of Granada, heard of his death, he caused great demonstrations of mourning to be made throughout his dominions. During his life he sent yearly a number of Moors with one hundred wax tapers, to assist at his exequies, which ceremony was observed by his successors, until the time of the conquest of Granada by Fernando the Catholic.[101] [101] Pablo de Espinosa, fol. 146. [Illustration] [Illustration] SPANISH ROMANCE. [Illustration] [Illustration] SPANISH ROMANCE. _To the Editor of “The Knickerbocker”:—_ Sir,—I have already given you a legend or two, drawn from ancient Spanish sources, and may occasionally give you a few more. I love these old Spanish themes, especially when they have a dash of the Morisco in them, and treat of the times when the Moslems maintained a foothold in the peninsula. They have a high, spicy, oriental flavor, not to be found in any other themes that are merely European. In fact, Spain is a country that stands alone in the midst of Europe—severed in habits, manners, and modes of thinking from all its continental neighbors. It is a romantic country; but its romance has none of the sentimentality of modern European romance; it is chiefly derived from the brilliant regions of the East, and from the high-minded school of Saracenic chivalry.