1775. Swinburne.
Travels through Spain
LETTER VIII ..
Barcelona., November 17, 1715.
I expected to have been by this time in the kingdom of Valencia; but the badnefs of the mountain-road having determined us to take the new one along the coaft, we laft Wednesday hired mules for Montferrat, which is not in the line of that lower route. This has retarded our departure for fome days.
For about five or fix miles the road is finifhed with a magnificence equal to the beft in France, but after that. it relapfes into its original ftate; however, though rough for carriages, it is very foft and pleafant for riding. The country up the Llobregat is well cultivated, but fubject to frequent inundations, that make cruel havock. As you approach the mountain, the number of vineyards diminithes, that of olive-grounds increafes.
At Martorel, a large town, where much black lace is manufaclured, is a vcry high bridge with Gothic arches, built in 1768, as we are informed by the infcription out of the ruins of a decayed one, that had exifted 1985 years from its erection, by Hannibal, in the 535th year of Rome. At the north end is a triumphal arch or gateway, faid to have been raifed by that general in honour of his father Hamilcar. It ist moft entire, well proportioned and fimple, without any kind of ornament, except a rim or two of hewn ftone. The large ftone cafing is almoft all fallen off.
After dinner we continued our journey through Efpalungera, a long village full of cloth and lace manufacturers; and about three arrived at the foot of the mountain of Montferrat, one of the moft fingular in the world, for fituation, fhape and compofition. It ftands fingle, towering over an hilly country, like a pile of grotto work or Gothic fpires. Its height is about three thoufand three hundred feet, above the level of the fea.
We afcended by the fteepest road, as fhat for carriages winds quite round and requires half a day’s travelling. After two hours tedious ride from eaft to weft, up a narrow path cut out of the fide of gullies and precipices, we reached the higheft part of the road, and turned round the eaftermoft point of the mountain, near the deferted hermitage of Saint Michael. Here we came in fight of the convent, placed in a nook of the mountain; it feems as if vaft torrents of water, or fome violent convulfion of nature, had fplit the eaftern face of Monferrat, and formed in the cleft a fufficient platform to build the monaftery upon. The Llobregat roars at the bottom, and perpendicular walls of rock., of prodigious height, rife from the water edge near halfI'lay up the mountain.. Upon thefe maffes of white ftone refls the fmall piece of level ground which the monks inhabit…