fcendants fev.eral years afterwards propagated fables, to
prove their great antiquity in Spain, and in order to lef-
fen the reproaches thrown on them by the Spaniards,
they gave out, that they were not defcended from thofe
Jews who crucified our Saviour (a) ,
(a) Sandoval, biihop o f Pamplona, relates, that when king Alfonfo conquered the
city .of Toledo, he found it full of Jews, who ihewed to that monarch two letters in Hebrew
and Arabic, fent from the fynagogue o f Jerufalem to that of Toledo, giving them an account
o f Jerus Chrift, and aiking their opinion whether they Ihould put him to" death.J . alTo -
the arrfwer o f the Toledo Jews, diflijading them from it, Thefe letters were ordered to be
tranflated from Hebrew into Arabic by Galifre king of Toledo, and into Latin and Spaniih
h y king Alfonfo, and were preferved in the archives o f Toledo till 1494. They were translated
by Julian, archprieft o f St. Juft, and were afterwards in feveral hands. The anftver o f
the Spaniih Jews is dated Toledo 14th of the month Nifan, asra o f Csefar 18, and o f Auguftus
O&avianus 71. I know nothing further concerning the authenticity of this letter, fays
«the bifhop -of Pamplona, than that it was found in the archives -of Toledo, and in the
fame ilyle and language in which I have given it. Hiftotia -de ios Reyes d e Caftilla y Leon
por Don fr. Prudencio de Sandoval obiljpo de Pamplona. En Pamplona 1615*
L E T T E R
L E T T E R IX.
Defcription o f the baths and mineral paters o f Trillo.
T^^TO country abounds fo much as Spain with hot
baths and moil excellent mineral waters, and they
are now beginning to inveftigate their qualities. Thofe
o f Trillo have o f late particularly engaged the attention
o f government, and we have been more accurately informed
o f their virtues and properties. The village o f
Trillo, in New Caftile, is feventeen leagues from Madrid,
by the new road lately made to that place, fituated
on the north banks , of the Tagus, two leagues fouth o f
the city of Siguenza. The village o f La Puerta is about
a league to the eaftward, and the town o f Gualda much
about the fame diftance to the weftward. The country is
hilly, and-affords little com or fruit, fome few vineyards,
and plenty of game. The Tagus abounds in fifh, fuch
as trout, eels, and barbel ; has a ilo-ne bridge o f one
arch over it, o f a fohd ftru&nve, and confiderable antiquity
, being there when the firft inveltigations were
made about this place in 1558^). A little river runs
,oi .by. Amlj'rofio Morales. Antiquedades de las
Ciudaaes de Efpana. Alcala d r Htifafes^ j 575. ‘ •
M from