We
were near eighty persons in company, and five coaches. As soon as we
were arrived there, the Prior sent two of his chief friars to welcome
us to the Escurial. The friar who met us by command a league before,
at a grange house of his Majesty's, and accompanied us to the
Escurial, being returned, these friars from the Prior brought us a
present of St. Martin's wine and melons, a calf, a kid, two great
turkeys, fine bread, apples, pears, cream, with some other fine things
of that place. On the 28th, being St. Simon's and Jude's day, we all
went early in the morning to see the church, where we were met by the
Prior at the door, with all the friars on both sides, who received us
with great kindness and respect, and all the choir singing till we
came up to the high altar; then all of them accompanied us to the
Pantheon, which was, for that purpose, hung full of lights in the
branches; there saw I the most glorious place for the covering of the
bones of their Kings of Spain that is possible to imagine. I will
briefly give you this description.
The descent is about thirty steps, all of polished marble, and arched
and lined on all sides with jasper polished; upon the left hand, in
the middle of the stairs, is a large vault, in which the bodies of
their Kings, and Queens that have been mothers of Kings, lie in silver
coffins for one year, until the moisture of their bodies be consumed.
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