But the Peace soon after being proclaimed, I received Orders to repair to Madrid, where the rest of the Prisoners taken at Denia had been carried; when I, by reason of my Wounds, and want of Health, had been left behind.  Others I understood lay ready, and some were on their March to Bayone in France; where Ships were ordered for their Transportation into England.  So after a Residence of three Years and three Months; having taken leave of all my Acquaintance, I left a Place, that was almost become natural to me, the delicious Sainte Clemente de la Mancha.

Nothing of Moment, or worth observing, met I with, till I came near Ocanna; and there occurred a Sight ridiculous enough.  The Knight of the Town, I last came from, the ever renown’d Don Quixot, never made such a Figure as a Spaniard, I there met on the Road.  He was mounted on a Mule of the largest size, and yet no way unsizeable to his Person:  He had two Pistols in his Holsters, and one on each side stuck in his Belt; a sort of large Blunderbuss in one of his Hands, and the fellow to it slung over his Shoulders hung at his Back.  All these were accompany’d with a right Spanish Spado, and an Attendant Stiletto, in their customary Position.  The Muletier that was my guide, calling out to him in Spanish, told him he was very well arm’d; to which, with a great deal of Gravity, the Don returned Answer, by Saint Jago a Man cannot be too well arm’d in such dangerous Times.

I took up my Quarters that Night at Ocanna, a large, neat, and well built Town.  Houses of good Reception, and Entertainment, are very scarce all over Spain; but that, where I then lay, might have pass’d for good in any other Country.  Yet it gave me a Notion quite different to what I found:  for I imagined it to proceed from my near Approach to the Capital.  But instead of that, contrary to all other Countries, the nearer I came to Madrid, the Houses of Entertainment grew worse and worse; not in their Rates do I mean (for that with Reason enough might have been expected) but even in their Provision, and Places and way of Reception, I could not however forbear smiling at the Reason given by my Muletier, that it proceeded from a piece of Court Policy, in Order to oblige all Travellers to hasten to Madrid.

Two small Leagues from Ocanna we arrived at Aranjuez, a Seat of Pleasure, which the Kings of Spain commonly select for their place of Residence during the Months of April and May.  It is distant from Madrid about seven Leagues; and the Country round is the pleasantest in all Spain, Valencia excepted.  The House it self makes but a very indifferent Appearance; I have seen many a better in England, with an Owner to it of no more than five hundred Pounds per Annum; yet the Gardens are large and fine; or as the Spaniards say, the finest in all Spain, which with them is all the World.  They tell you at the same Time, that those of Versailles, in their most beautiful Parts, took their Model from these.  I never saw those at Versailles:  But in my Opinion, the Walks at Aranjuez, tho’ noble in their length, lose much of their Beauty by their Narrowness.