[Page 79.]—1.[{79-1}] For the life and works of "Fernán Caballero", see [pages ix-x] of the Introduction. The text of Obrar bien... que Dios es Dios is taken from the Otras completas de Fernán Caballero, Cuadros de Costumbres, Tomo II, Madrid, 1902.
2.[{79-2}] labrarían; cf. [page 2], note 3.
3.[{79-3}] árabes. The Mohammedan Moors and Arabs entered Spain from Africa in 711 and conquered most of the peninsula. It was only after seven centuries of warfare that the Spaniards were able to reconquer the entire country. Toledo was taken from the Moors in 1085, Cordova in 1236, Seville in 1248, and finally Granada in 1492. The peaceful Moors (Moriscos) who had remained in Spain after the reconquest were expelled at the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is needless to say that the Moors left a deep impress on the Spanish race.
4.[{79-4}] sería; note that sería is equivalent to probablemente fué.
5.[{79-5}] que puede fuese, which was perhaps. Note the omission of que before fuese, to avoid repetition.
6.[{79-6}] lo que sí sabemos, what we do know.
[Page 80.]—1.[{80-1}] expulsión de los árabes; this refers, not to their final expulsion from Spain, but to their earlier expulsion from the provinces of Cordova and Seville. See Santo Rey in the Vocab.
2.[{80-2}] se le veía; note this use of se, which is nearly equivalent to the French indefinite pronoun on or the German man.
3.[{80-3}] Cual la = como la vista.
[Page 81.]—1.[{81-1}] le ... hombre; le is indirect, and hombre direct, object.