. Life in Morocco and glimpses beyond . y the central court and thegreat doors, the present somewhat gloomy areawould have been bright and pleasant as a realgrove, with its bubbling fountains, and the soothingsound of trickling streams. I take the present sky-lights to be of modern construction, as I never sawsuch a device in a Moorish buildinsf. Most of the marble columns are the remains ofearlier erections, chiefly Roman, like the bridge overthe Guadalquivir close by, restored by the builderof the mosque. Some, indeed, came from Con-stantinople, and others were brought from the southof Franc
. Life in Morocco and glimpses beyond . y the central court and thegreat doors, the present somewhat gloomy areawould have been bright and pleasant as a realgrove, with its bubbling fountains, and the soothingsound of trickling streams. I take the present sky-lights to be of modern construction, as I never sawsuch a device in a Moorish buildinsf. Most of the marble columns are the remains ofearlier erections, chiefly Roman, like the bridge overthe Guadalquivir close by, restored by the builderof the mosque. Some, indeed, came from Con-stantinople, and others were brought from the southof France. They are neither uniform in height norgirth—some having been pieced at the bottom, andothers partly buried ;—so also with the capitals,certain of which are evidently from the same sourceas the pillars, while the remainder are but rudeimitations, mostly Corinthian in style. The originalexpenses of the building were furnished by a fifth ofthe booty taken from the Spaniards, with the sub-sidies raised in Catalonia and Narbonne. The. A SHRINE IN CORDOVA MOSijUK THE MOORS IN SPAIN 341 Moors supplied voluntary, and European captivesforced labour. On Fridays, when the Faithful met in thousandsfor the noon-day prayer, what a sight and what amelody ! The deep, rich tones of the organ mayadd impressiveness to a service of worship but thereis nothing in the world so grand, so awe-inspiringas the human voice. When a vast body of malesrepeats the formulae of praise, together, but justslightly out of time, the effect once heard is neverforgotten. I have heard it often, and as I walkthese aisles I hear it ringing in my ears, and canpicture to myself a close-packed row of white-robedfigures between each pillar, and rows from end toend between, all standing, stooping, or forehead onearth, as they follow the motions of the leader beforethem. A grand sight it is, whatever may be onesopinion of their religion. In the manner they siton the matted floors of their mosques there wouldbe room he
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