the hills between the valley and the road to Banos, and
finally thofe of Tornavacas, whofe high tops are always
covered with fnow.
The villages belonging to the valley are Afperilla, Cafas
del Caftanar, El Torno, Valde Aftilla, Cabrero cl Rebollar,
Navaconcejo, Cabezuela, Badillo, and Xerte,which
gives name to the river, as Tornavacas * does to the Puerto,
but at prefent every branch of cultivation is at the low-
eft ftate, without even the appearance of an orange or a
lemon tree, if we except two or three blighted ones at
the convent of Santa Cruz de Tabilla, where the country
is a defart: and what is ftill worfe, the mountains and
paffes are filled with affaffins and robbers, to the great terror
of the inhabitants and travellers. The Vera is no
better, and affords the mod melancholy afpe<ft imaginable
; amongft the various experiments to deftroy the
worms that ruin the chefnut trees, fire was the laft expedient,
in fo much, that the trees, fcorched and half
burned, now refemble the oaks ftruck by the thunder of
Jove, inftead of the golden age of the poets, and their
whole agriculture is reduced to the fowing a few peas,
with fome miferable fcraps of a vineyard. The villages of
the Verazxe. Piornal, Barrado, Garguera, Arroyomolinos,
Pafaron, Gargantalolla, Xarandilla, Gijo de Arandilla,
Xarais, Robledillo, Aldeanueva de la Vera, Viandar, Villanueva,
El Ofar, and Cuacos : This laft being near to
Jufte,
Jufte, and diftinguiihed by the favage difpofition and ferocity
of its inhabitants ; to fuch a degree as to overcome
the patience of that great perfonage who lived in
their neighbourhood, by offering him every affront their
low ftation would permit, taking his cows if they happened
to ftray into their diftricl, and ftealing the trout
referved for his ufe ; and to crown all, flinging ftones
at Don John of Auftria, the Emperor’s fon, whenever he
ventured to tafte of their cherries.