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"as quietly fettled, as if he had been King these "twenty years there; for the whole country fell fuddenly to him, not one town ftanding out. "When the King of Spain told the Count Olivarez of it firft, he flighted it, faying, that "he was but Rey de Havas, a Bean-cake King (a King made by children on Twelfth-night)."

Segrais fays, They give the Cardinal de "Richelieu too much credit, who fuppofe that he inftigated the Confpiracy of Portugal. He had

nothing to do with it. It is true, indeed, that "when the Confpiracy had broken out, he sent "affistance to the new King, the Duke of Braganza; but he never thought of a revolution. The Confpirators were ten thousand perfons in number, who kept their secret so well, that the "Court of Spain had not the leaft knowledge of "their intention till it was publicly known. "Count Olivarez thought to make light of it, by "telling his Sovereign (Philip the Fourth), Sire, "that foolish fellow the Duke of Braganza is

going to make you a prefent of three or four "Duchies, and to take poffeffion of a Kingdom " which he can never keep."

ALPHONSO THE FIFTH,

KING OF ARRAGON,

[1416-1458.]

THIS Prince came to the throne of Arragon in 1416, and conquered that of Naples in 1441. He was one day afked, who were the Counsellors he liked the beft, and who gave him the most excellent advice. "My books," replied he; "because they tell me without paffion, and without any view of intereft, what is requifite for me to know."

st

Being blamed by fome one for appearing in public without guards, as not paying fufficient attention to the fafety of his perfon, "Alas," replied he, "how can a Prince who has never "done any thing but good to his fubjects, have any thing to fear from them!"

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The Duke of Anjou once preffing him to give battle, when there was no great chance of fuccefs, and nothing, perhaps, of confequence to be gained by fuccefs; he replied, "My Prince, the duty "of a good General is to conquer, and not to

While he was making the fiege of Gaeta, he would not permit fome of the inhabitants to be driven back into the town, who had quitted it from fear of famine.. He was told, that his clemency would prevent his taking the place. "Alas," replied he, "I have more regard for "perfons so distreffed as those poor people are, "than for an hundred towns like Gaeta !"

"The word of a Prince," said Alphonfo nobly, "fhould be as facred as the oath of a private "perfon. Thofe," added he, "who pre" tend to give advice to Princes, to prevent "their fuffering their own interests from inter

fering in that which they give, fhould either "be Sovereigns, or poffefs the hearts and the ❝ minds of Sovereigns."

"I wifh," faid he often, " from the bottom of

my heart, that every one of my Subjects had "been a Sovereign for a few days; they would "then be better acquainted with the inconveni❝ences and embarrassments of royalty than they << are, and they would ceafe to be fo importunate " in their requests."

FERDINAND THE FIFTH,

OF SPAIN.

[1479-1504.]

PHILIP the Second used to say of this Prince, "The Spanish Monarchy owes every thing to "him." America was discovered in his reign. He married Elizabeth of Caftile, and by that marriage procured and joined the kingdom of Castile to that of Arragon. He conquered the Kingdoms of Granada, Naples, and Navarre, and poffeffed himself of Oran, and of part of the Coast of Africa. Yet how great was his ingratitude towards his two Minifters, Ximenes and Gonfalvo, to whom he owed the major part of all his acquifitions! The Pope gave him the name of "the Catholic King," not so much on account of the fincerity of his faith, as on account of his perfecutions, he having expelled the Moors from Spain. Such indeed was the opinion entertained of his religious faith by those who knew him beft, that a contemporary Italian Prince faid of him, "Before I can rely upon his oaths, I must "firft know in what God he believes." Of himfelf he faid, when reproached with having twice broken his word with Louis the Twelfth, "Twice "only, does the blockhead say that I have broken my

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r word with him? He is an arrant liar, I my "have broken it more than ten times." The completest account of the tortuous policy of Ferdinand is to be met with in a very elegantly-written French book, called "Politique de Ferdinand "le Catholique, par VARILLAS," 1688. 4to.

This Monarch was a striking comment on the celebrated fentiment of Ovid

-dicique beatus

Ante obitum nemo fupremaque funera debet.

Who then shall be call'd happy by the wife,
'Till the laft fcene fhall close upon his eyes?

He loft his fon in the latter part of his life. His daughter Jeanne, who married Maximilian, was nearly an ideot, and was ill treated by her husband; and Catherine, who married Henry the Eighth, King of England, was divorced from that Monarch. This latter calamity, however, he did not live to fee. According to a Spanish writer, he never figned any treaty without this mental refervation, "with the advantages and benefit for "myself, the danger and expences for my "allies."