[589] Bagdad, city on the banks of the Tigris, in Arabia. It was the capital of an important caliphate, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, and its name was synonymous with riches and wonders in the Moslem world.
[590] Toledo, city in Spain, famous for its Gothic cathedral, which contains many historical and artistic treasures. The metal industries of Toledo were justly renowned in the Middle Ages.
[591] próximos a, ready to.
[592] Salónica, city and port in northern Greece, captured from the Turks during the recent Balkan War (1912). When the Jews were expelled from Spain during the reign of Philip II, they took refuge in Turkish lands, particularly in Salonica, which to this day is largely populated by them. Their language, a form of Spanish corrupted by years of separation from Spanish-speaking peoples, is called ladino and can be easily understood by one speaking Spanish. In New York there is published to-day a ladino newspaper in Hebrew characters.
[593] Potosí, city in Bolivia famous for its silver mines.
[594] Midas, king of Phrygia about whom mythology has woven various legends. Besides the one referred to here, he is said to have irritated Apollo, who inflicted the ears of a donkey upon him.
[595] Vellocino, the Golden Fleece. Jason and the Argonauts, Greek mythological characters, went to Colchis and brought back the Golden Fleece, after slaying the dragon which kept guard over the fabled treasure.
[596] tierras de pan llevar, grain-producing lands.
[597] El Dorado. The early conquistadores imagined there existed a country marvelously rich somewhere in America, which they called El Dorado, i.e., The Golden.
[598] la famosa ciudad del Alto Perú, i.e., Potosí.