History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain Part 54 (1/2)

”Lors il appella les seigneurs Espaignols qui estoient pres de luy et leur dict qu'il falloit desormais...o...b..ier toutes les coustumes d'Espaigne, et vifvre de tous poincts a l'Angloise, a quoy il voulloit bien commancer et leur monstrer le chemin, puis se fist apporter de la biere de laquelle il beut.” Amba.s.sades de Noailles, tom. III. p. 287.

[103] According to Sepulveda, Philip gave a most liberal construction to the English custom of salutation, kissing not only his betrothed, but all the ladies in waiting, matrons and maidens, without distinction.

”Intra aedes progressam salutans Britannico more suaviavit habitoque longiore et jucundissimo colloquio, Philippus matronas etiam et Regias virgines sigillatim salutat osculaturque.” Sepulvedae Opera, vol. II. p.

499.

[104] ”Poco dopo comparve ancora la Regina pomposamente vest.i.ta, rilucendo da tutte le parti pretiosissime gemme, accompagnata da tante e cosi belle Principesse, che pareva ivi ridotta quasi tutta la bellezza del mondo, onde gli Spagnoli servivano con il loro Olivastro, tra tanti soli, come ombre.” Leti. Vita di Filippo II. tom. I. p. 232.

[105] The sideboard of the duke of Albuquerque, who died about the middle of the seventeenth century, was mounted by forty silver ladders!

And, when he died, six weeks were occupied in making out the inventory of the gold and silver vessels. See Dunlop's Memoirs of Spain during the reigns of Philip IV. and Charles II. (Edinburgh, 1834,) vol. I. p. 384.

[106] Strype, Memorials, vol. III. p. 130.

[107] Some interesting particulars respecting the ancient national dances of the Peninsula are given by Ticknor, in his History of Spanish Literature, (New York, 1849,) vol. II. pp. 445-448; a writer who, under the t.i.tle of a History of Literature, has thrown a flood of light on the social and political inst.i.tutions of the nation, whose character he has evidently studied under all its aspects.

[108] ”Relation of what pa.s.sed at the Celebration of the Marriage of our Prince with the Most Serene Queen of England,”--from the original at Louvain, ap. Tytler, Edward VI. and Mary, vol. II. p. 430.--Salazar de Mendoza, Monarquia de Espana, tom. II. p. 117.--Sandoval, Historia de Carlos V., tom. II. pp. 560-563.--Leti, Vita di Filippo II., tom. I. pp.

231-233.--Sepulvedae Opera, vol. II, p. 500.--Cabrera, Filipe Segundo, lib. I. cap. 5.--Memorial de Voyages, MS.--Miss Strickland, Lives of the Queens of England, vol. V. pp 389-396.

To the last writer I am especially indebted for several particulars in the account of processions and pageants which occupies the preceding pages. Her information is chiefly derived from two works, neither of which is in my possession;--the Book of Precedents of Ralph Brook, York herald, and the narrative of an Italian, Baoardo, an eye-witness of the scenes he describes. Miss Strickland's interesting volumes are particularly valuable to the historian for the copious extracts they contain from curious unpublished doc.u.ments, which had escaped the notice of writers too exclusively occupied with political events to give much heed to details of a domestic and personal nature.

[109] Holinshed, vol. IV. p. 62.

[110] Ibid., p. 63.

[111] The Spaniards must have been quite as much astonished as the English at the sight of such an amount of gold and silver in the coffers of their king,--a sight that rarely rejoiced the eyes of either Charles or Philip, though lords of the Indies. A hundred horses might well have drawn as many tons of gold and silver,--an amount, considering the value of money in that day, that taxes our faith somewhat heavily, and not the less that only two wagons were employed to carry it.

[112] Holinshed, ubi supra.

[113] Relatione di Gio. Micheli, MS.

Michele Soriano, who represented Venice at Madrid, in 1559, bears similar testimony, in still stronger language, to Philip's altered deportment while in England. ”Essendo avvert.i.to prima dal Cardinale di Trento, poi dalla Regina Maria, et con piu efficaccia dal padre, che quella riputatione et severita non si conveniva a lui, che dovea dominar nationi varie et popoli di costumi diversi, si mut in modo che pa.s.sando l'altra volta di Spagna per andar in Inghilterra, ha mostrato sempre una dolcezza et humanita cos grande che non e superato da Prencipe alcuno in questa parte, et benche servi in tutte l'attioni sue riputatione et gravita regie alle quali e per natura inclinato et per costume, non e per manco grato anzi fano parere la cortesia maggiore che S. M. usa con tutti.” Relatione di Michele Soriano, MS.

[114] ”Lasciando l'essecution delle cose di giust.i.tia alla Regina, et a i Ministri quand'occorre di condannare alcuno, o nella robba, o nella vita, per poter poi usarli impetrando, come fa, le gratie, et le mercedi tutte; le quai cose fanno, che quanto alla persona sua, non solo sia ben voluto, et amato da ciascuno, ma anco desiderato.” Relatione di Gio.

Micheli, MS.

[115] Letter of Nicholas Wotton to Sir William Petre, MS.

[116] See the remarks of John Elder, ap. Tytler, Edward VI. and Mary, vol. II. p. 258.

[117] ”Nella religione,.... per quel che dall'esterior si vede, non si potria giudicar meglio, et piu a.s.siduo, et attentissimo alle Messe, a i Vesperi, et alle Prediche, come un religioso, molto piu che a lo stato, et eta sua, a molte pare che si convenga. Il medisimo conferiscono dell'intrinseco oltra certi frati Theologi suoi predicatori huomini certo di stima, et anco altri che ogni di trattano con lui, che nelle cose della conscientia non desiderano ne piu pia, ne miglior intentione.” Relatione di Gio. Micheli, MS.

[118] Ibid.

[119] Ibid.

Mason, the English minister at the imperial court, who had had much intercourse with Pole, speaks of him in terms of unqualified admiration.

”Such a one as, for his wisdom, joined with learning, virtue, and G.o.dliness, all the world seeketh and adoreth. In whom it is to be thought that G.o.d hath chosen a special place of habitation. Such is his conversation adorned with infinite G.o.dly qualities, above the ordinary sort of men. And whosoever within the realm liketh him worst, I would he might have with him the talk of one half-hour. It were a right stony heart that in a small time he could not soften.” Letter of Sir John Mason to the Queen, MS.

[120] If we are to credit Cabrera, Philip not only took his seat in parliament, but on one occasion, the better to conciliate the good-will of the legislature to the legate, delivered a speech which the historian gives _in extenso_. If he ever made the speech, it could have been understood only by a miracle. For Philip could not speak English, and of his audience not one in a hundred, probably, could understand Spanish.

But to the Castilian historian the occasion might seem worthy of a miracle,--_dignus vindice nodus._