[10] “In Spain,” said Bowles (Hist. Nat. de Esp., p. 498), “are found two species of rock crystal. The one, occurring in clusters, are transparent, six-sided, and always have their source in rocks. There are great quantities all over the kingdom, and at Madrid they are found near the hills of San Isidro. The other species are found singly, and are rounded like a pebble. I have seen them from the size of a filbert to that of my fist. Some were covered with a thin, opaque integument…. The river Henares abounds with these crystals, and as it passes San Fernando, at two leagues' distance from Madrid, sweeps some of them along which are the size of the largest ones at Strasburg, though very few are perfect.”
[11] A veritable cryptogram awaited the decipherers of these legends. When King Swinthila's crown was brought to light, four of the letters only were in place, thus:—
☩ ...... I ... V.R .... F ....
Eight of the others were recovered shortly after; two more, an E and L, appeared at a later date, and eight continued to be missing. The inscription dangling from the crown of Recceswinth arrived at Paris in this eloquent form:—
☩ RRCCEEFEVINSTVSETORHFEX
[12] Amador de los Ríos, El Arte latino-bizantino en España y las Coronas Visigodas de Guarrazar, p. 121.
[13] E.g. Sommerard: “Une collection sans égale de joyaux les plus précieux qui, par la splendeur de la matière, le mérite de l'exécution, et plus encore, peut être, par leur origine incontestable et par leur étonnante conservation, surpassent tout ce qui possédent d'analogue les collections publiques de l'Europe et les trésors les plus renommés de l'Italie.”
[14] Toledo and Madrid; p. 16.
[15] Ajbar Machmua. Lafuente y Alcántara's edition; p. 27, note.
[16] Account of the Conquest of Spain, published, with an English translation and notes, by John Harris Jones. London, 1858.