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II.

Isabella of Castile.

"She had all the royal makings of a queen."-SHAKSPEARE.

ISABELLA of Spain-The Catholic, as she was called -stands before the world, as a model of queenly and womanly excellence. In her, the energy of manhood, the wisdom of the statesman, the devout rectitude of a saint, and the tenderness and grace of woman, were more perfectly combined than in any female sovereign whose name adorns the pages of history.. Far as the east is from the west, and distant as their several periods, is the character of this renowned Castillian from that of the passionate and cunning Cleopatra. The beautiful conscientiousness of the former, her firm adherence to conviction, her delicacy and mercy and sweet humility, are a proof of the moral superiority resulting from the prevalence of Truth, however perverted or obscure it be, in the place of utter delusion, whatever of classic attraction it may have. Oblivion has veiled her faults, if any belonged to her intrinsic being; she is left perfect to the eye of posterity, ex. cept it be in her almost inevitable failure to assert at all times, her own manifest and better instincts, over those

influences of her life and time which go far to excuse the few blamable acts that may be charged upon her.

And such a picture of character, fair as her own lovely countenance, is framed in the most picturesque era of modern history. The scenery and romantic associations of Spain, the conquest of the splendid Moorish kingdom of Grenada, the gorgeous evening of the day of chivalry and the morning of great discoveries, heralded by Columbus, were the fit setting for the jewel of queens, or rather an appropriate scene for the display of her noble qualities. The disappointments she endured in the latter part of her life, the cruelties of which she was the unwitting or unwilling abettor, the bigotry that took advantage of her piety, and the despotism established by her husband, the artful Ferdinand, are the clouds that darken the narrative of a reign, else bright and beautiful.

Spain was originally divided into four kingdoms: Castile, Arragon, Navarre, and the Moorish possessions, the latter comprising the most luxuriant districts and the most important strongholds upon the coast. Castile and Arragon were nearly alike, both governments being monarchial, yet in spirit republican. The king had little power, separate from the assembly or parlia ment, consisting of the grandees, nobles of the second class, representatives of towns and cities, and deputies of the clergy. This was evident in the oath of allegiance taken in this form: "We, who are each of us as good as you, and altogether more powerful than you, promise obedience to your government, if you maintain our rights and liberties: but not otherwise!"

Many of the nobles were, in fact, petty kings, owning vast and populous territories, which yielded them richer revenues and larger armies than the monarch himself could command. The continual jealousies and feuds existing among them, kept the kingdom in constant turmoil, and thus originated the confusion, revolts and successive tragedies, that darkened the chronicles of Castile and Arragon, previous to the accession of Ferdinand and Isabella.

While John II. occupied the Castillian throne, his subjects laid aside for a time the ferocious and warlike spirit that had previously marked the national character, and imitated the refined taste of their sovereign, whose love of letters and utter disinclination for business, induced him to neglect even the most important affairs of the kingdom, leaving all in the hands of favorites, and often signing documents at their option, without taking the trouble to examine the contents. The nobles finally became disgusted with their poetizing king and jealous of the arrogant favorites who, raised from an humble origin, assumed the dignity and magnificence of royalty, and presumed to direct the affairs of the kingdom. A revolt ensued, and Henry, the young son of the king, was placed at the head of the disaffected party. This storm was quelled at the accession of a new queen, a woman of strong and resolute character, who obtained such ascendency over the ease-loving monarch as to cause the downfall and final execution of the principal and most obnoxious favorite, Alvaro de Luna.

John's regret for this step, induced a melancholy

that aggravated the disease which terminated his life. soon after. He left, by his first wife, one child, Henry, whom he appointed his successor, and guardian of the two young children by his second wife-Alfonso, then an infant, and Isabella, afterwards Queen of Castile, who was born April 22d, 1451, at Madrigal. She was but four years old at the time of her father's death, and was soon after removed, with her mother, to the little town of Aravelo.

Henry IV. was welcomed to the throne amidst unfeigned expressions of joy from a people wearied with the long, inglorious reign of his father. They hoped for a vigorous government, and the prosecution of the war against the Moors, which for years had been in contemplation. It required but a short time, however, to unfold the worthless character of the new king, who, without a corresponding taste for intellectual pursuits, inherited all his father's aversion to business. At once indolent, profligate and imbecile, he gathered about him courtiers who, like himself, sought only frivolous or debasing amusements, till, without shame, they indulged in open vice, boldly boasting of their exploits.

The low state of morals was not improved after the arrival of Joanna of Portugal, whom Henry espoused, having repudiated his first wife, Blanche of Arragon, after a union of twelve years. The new queen was accompanied by a brilliant suite, and her arrival was signalized by the festivities and pageant due to royalty in those days of chivalry. Being young, beautiful, and vivacious, she fascinated the Castillians, and by her wit and raillery, overcame the punctilious etiquette

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