the unseen world and other essays-第49章

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　with　a　surfeit　of　underdone　pork。

Whatever　may　be　said　of　the　father；　we　can　hardly　go　far　wrong　in　ascribing　the　instincts　of　a　murderer　to　the　son。　He　not　only　burned　heretics；　but　he　burned　them　with　an　air　of　enjoyment　and　self…complacency。　His　nuptials　with　Elizabeth　of　France　were　celebrated　by　a　vast　auto…da…fe。　He　studied　murder　as　a　fine　art；　and　was　as　skilful　in　private　assassinations　as　Cellini　was　in　engraving　on　gems。　The　secret　execution　of　Montigny；　never　brought　to　light　until　the　present　century；　was　a　veritable　chef　d'oeuvre　of　this　sort。　The　cases　of　Escobedo　and　Antonio　Perez　may　also　be　cited　in　point。　Dark　suspicions　hung　around　the　premature　death　of　Don　John　of　Austria；　his　too　brilliant　and　popular　half…brother。　He　planned　the　murder　of　William　the　Silent；　and　rewarded　the　assassin　with　an　annuity　furnished　by　the　revenues　of　the　victim's　confiscated　estates。　He　kept　a　staff　of　ruffians　constantly　in　service　for　the　purpose　of　taking　off　Elizabeth；　Henry　IV。；　Prince　Maurice；　Olden…Barneveldt；　and　St。　Aldegonde。　He　instructed　Alva　to　execute　sentence　of　death　upon　the　whole　population　of　the　Netherlands。　He　is　partly　responsible　for　the　martyrdoms　of　Ridley　and　Latimer；　and　the　judicial　murder　of　Cranmer。　He　first　conceived　the　idea　of　the　wholesale　massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew；　many　years　before　Catharine　de'　Medici　carried　it　into　operation。　His　ingratitude　was　as　dangerous　as　his　revengeful　fanaticism。　Those　who　had　best　served　his　interests　were　the　least　likely　to　escape　the　consequences　of　his　jealousy。　He　destroyed　Egmont；　who　had　won　for　him　the　splendid　victories　of　St。　Quentin　and　Gravelines；　and　〃with　minute　and　artistic　treachery〃　he　plotted　〃the　disgrace　and　ruin〃　of　Farnese；　〃the　man　who　was　his　near　blood…relation；　and　who　had　served　him　most　faithfully　from　earliest　youth。〃　Contemporary　opinion　even　held　him　accountable　for　the　obscure　deaths　of　his　wife　Elizabeth　and　his　son　Carlos；　but　M。　Gachard　has　shown　that　this　suspicion　is　unfounded。　Philip　appears　perhaps　to　better　advantage　in　his　domestic　than　in　his　political　relations。　Yet　he　was　addicted　to　vulgar　and　miscellaneous　incontinence；　toward　the　close　of　his　life　he　seriously　contemplated　marrying　his　own　daughter　Isabella；　and　he　ended　by　taking　for　his　fourth　wife　his　niece；　Anne　of　Austria；　who　became　the　mother　of　his　half…idiotic　son　and　successor。　We　know　of　no　royal　family；　unless　it　may　be　the　Claudians　of　Rome；　in　which　the　transmission　of　moral　and　intellectual　qualities　is　more　thoroughly　illustrated　than　in　this　Burgundian　race　which　for　two　centuries　held　the　sceptre　of　Spain。　The　son　Philip　and　the　grandmother　Isabella　are　both　needful　in　order　to　comprehend　the　strange　mixture　of　good　and　evil　in　Charles。　But　the　descendants　of　Philiptwo　generations　of　idiocy；　and　a　third　of　utter　impotenceare　a　sufficient　commentary　upon　the　organization　and　character　of　their　progenitor。

Such　was　the　man　who　for　two　generations　had　been　considered　the　bulwark　of　the　Catholic　Church；　who；　having　been　at　the　bottom　of　nearly　all　the　villany　that　had　been　wrought　in　Europe　for　half　a　century；　was　yet　able　to　declare　upon　his　death…bed　that　〃in　all　his　life　he　had　never　consciously　done　wrong　to　any　one。〃　At　a　ripe　old　age　he　died　of　a　fearful　disease。　Under　the　influence　of　a　typhus　fever；　supervening　upon　gout；　he　had　begun　to　decompose　while　yet　alive。　〃His　sufferings；〃　says　Mr。　Motley；　〃were　horrible；　but　no　saint　could　have　manifested　in　them　more　gentle　resignation　or　angelic　patience。　He　moralized　on　the　condition　to　which　the　greatest　princes　might　thus　be　brought　at　last　by　the　hand　of　God；　and　bade　the　Prince　observe　well　his　father's　present　condition；　in　order　that　when　he　too　should　be　laid　thus　low；　he　might　likewise　be　sustained　by　a　conscience　void　of　offence。〃　What　more　is　needed　to　complete　the　disgusting　picture？　Philip　was　fanatical　up　to　the　point　where　fanaticism　borders　upon　hypocrisy。　He　was　possessed　with　a　〃great　moral　idea；〃　the　idea　of　making　Catholicism　the　ruler　of　the　world；　that　he　might　be　the　ruler　of　Catholicism。　Why；　it　may　be　said；　shall　the　charge　of　fanaticism　be　allowed　to　absolve　Isabella　and　extenuate　the　guilt　of　Charles；　while　it　only　strengthens　the　case　against　Philip？　Because　Isabella　persecuted　heretics　in　order　to　save　their　souls　from　a　worse　fate；　while　Philip　burnt　them　in　order　to　get　them　out　of　his　way。　Isabella　would　perhaps　have　gone　to　the　stake　herself；　if　thereby　she　might　have　put　an　end　to　heresy。　Philip　would　have　seen　every　soul　in　Europe　consigned　to　eternal　perdition　before　he　would　have　yielded　up　an　iota　of　his　claims　to　universal　dominion。　He　could　send　Alva　to　browbeat　the　Pope；　as　well　as　to　oppress　the　Netherlanders。　He　could　compass　the　destruction　of　the　orthodox　Egmont　and　Farnese；　as　well　as　of　the　heretical　William。　His　unctuous　piety　only　adds　to　the　abhorrence　with　which　we　regard　him；　and　his　humility　in　face　of　death　is　neither　better　nor　worse　than　the　assumed　humility　which　had　become　second　nature　to　Uriah　Heep。　In　short；　take　him　for　all　in　all；　he　was　probably　the　most　loathsome　character　in　all　European　history。　He　has　frequently　been　called；　by　Protestant　historians；　an　incarnate　devil；　but　we　do　not　think　that　Mephistopheles　would　acknowledge　him。　He　should　rather　be　classed　among　those　creatures　described　by　Dante　as　〃a　Dio　spiacenti　ed　ai　nemici　sui。〃

The　abdication　of　Charles　V。　left　Philip　ruler　over　wider　dominions　than　had　ever　before　been　brought　together　under　the　sway　of　one　man。　In　his　own　right　Philip　was　master　not　only　of　Spain；　but　of　the　Netherlands；　Franche　Comte；　Lombardy；　Naples；　and　Sicily；　with　the　whole　of　North　and　South　America；　besides　which　he　was　married　to　the　Queen　of　England。　In　the　course　of　his　reign　he　became　possessed　of　Portugal；　with　all　its　vast　domains　in　the　East　Indies。　His　revenues　were　greater　than　those　of　any　other　contemporary　monarch；　his　navy　was　considered　invincible；　and　his　army　was　the　best　disciplined　in　Europe。　All　these　great　advantages　he　was　destined　to　throw　to　the　winds。　In　the　strife　for　universal　monarchy；　in　the　mad　endeavour　to　subject　England；　Scotland；　and　France　to　his　own　dominion　and　the　tyranny　of　the　Inquisition；　besides　re…conquering　the　Netherlands；　all　his　vast　resources　were　wasted。　The　Dutch　war　alone；　like　a　bottomless　pit；　absorbed　all　that　he　could　pour　into　it。　Long　before　the　war　was　over；　or　showed　signs　of　drawing　to　an　end；　his　revenues　were　wasted；　and　his　troops　in　Flanders　were　mutinous　for　want　of　pay。　He　had　to　rely　upon　energetic　viceroys　like　Farnese　and　the　Spinolas　to　furnish　funds　out　of　their　own　pockets。　Finally；　he　was　obliged　to　repudiate　all　his　debts；　and　when　he　died　the　Spanish　empire　was　in　such　a　beggarly　condition　that　it　quaked　at　every　approach　of　a　hostile　Dutch　fleet。　Such　a　result　is　not　evidence　of　a　statesmanlike　ability；　but　Philip's　fanatical　selfishness　was　incompatible　with　statesmanship。　He　never　could　be　made　to　believe　that　his　projects　had　suffered　defeat。　No　sooner　had　the　Invincible　Armada　been　sent　to　the　bottom　by　the　guns　of　the　English　fleet　and　the　gales　of　the　German　Ocean；　than　he　sent　orders　to　Farnese　to　invade　England　at　once　with　the　land　force　under　his　command！　He　thought　to　obtain　Scotland；　when；　after　the　death　of　Mary；　it　had　passed　under　the　undisputed　control　of　the　Protestant　noblemen。　He　dreamed　of　securing　for　his　family　the　crown　of　France；　even　after　Henry；　with　free　consent　of　the　Pope；　had　made　his　triumphal　entry　into　Paris。　He　asserted　complete　and　entire　sovereignty　over　the　Netherlands；　even　after　Prince　Maurice　had　won　back　from　him　the　last　square　foot　of　Dutch　territory。　Such　obstinacy　as　this　can　only　be　called　fatuity。　If　Philip　had　lived　in　Pagan　times；　he　would　doubtless；　like　Caligula；　have　demanded　recognition　of　his　own　divinity。

The　miserable　condition　of　the　Spanish　people　under　this　terrible　reign；　and　the　causes　of　their　subsequent　degeneracy；　have　been　well　treated　by　Mr。　Motley。　The　causes　of　the　failure　of　Spanish　civilization　are　partly　social　and　partly　economical；　and　they　had　been　operating　for　eight　hundred　years　when　Philip　succeeded　to　the　throne。　The　Moorish　conquest　in　7