saludando con gritos ó blasfemias las inesperadas vueltas de la
fortuna, personificad a en los dados del cubilete, los otros
repitiendo en coro el refrán de un romance de guerra, que entonaba un
juglar acompañado de la guzla; los de más allá comprando á un romero
conchas,[2] cruces y cintas tocadas en el sepulcro de Santiago,[3] ó
riendo con locas carcajadas de los chistes de un bufón, ó ensayando en
los clarines el aire bélico para entrar en la pelea, propio de sus
señores, ó refiriendo antiguas historias de caballerías ó aventuras de
amor, ó milagros recientemente acaecidos, formaban un infernal y
atronador conjunto imposible de pintar con palabras.

[Footnote 1: el alcázar. The Alcazar (Arab, _al qaçr_, 'the castle')
"stands on the highest ground in Toledo. The site was originally
occupied by a Roman '_castellum_' which the Visigoths also used as a
citadel. After the capture of the city by Alfonso VI the Cid resided
here as 'Alcaide.' Ferdinand the Saint and Alfonso the Learned
converted the castle into a palace, which was afterwards enlarged
and strengthened by John II, Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V, and
Philip II." (Baedeker, 1901, p. 152) It has been burned and restored
several times. The magnificent staircase is due to Charles V, whose
name the Alcazar sometimes bears.]

[Footnote 2: conchas = 'shells.' During the Middle Ages pilgrims
often ornamented their clothing with shells, particularly with
scallop-shells, to indicate doubtless that they had crossed the sea
to the Holy Shrine in Palestine; for this reason the scallops were
known as "pilgrim shells." See the _Encyclopedia Americana_
("Shell"). According to one of the legends the remains of St. James
were brought to Spain in a scallop-shell; hence the use of that
emblem by pilgrims to his sanctuary.]