her Majesty seated with the Infanta by her side. After paying his respects to the Queen, Charles turned to address his mistress. It had been intended that he should confine himself to the few formal words which had been set down beforehand, but in the presence in which he was, he forgot the rules of ceremony, and was beginning to declare his affection in words of his own choice. He had not got far before it was evident that there was something wrong. The bystanders began to whisper to one another. The Queen looked annoyed at the daring youth. Charles hesitated and stopped short. The Infanta herself appeared to be seriously displeased; and when it came to her turn to reply, some of those who were watching her expected her to show signs of her dissatisfaction. It was not so very long ago that she had been heard to declare that her only consolation was that she should die a martyr. But she had an unusual fund of self-control, and she disliked Charles too much to feel in the slightest degree excited by his speeches. She merely uttered the few commonplace words which had been drawn up beforehand, and the interview was at an end.1 Nevertheless, Charles was in no way disconcerted. In writing home he declared that the Infanta was even more beautiful than he had expected.2 "Doppo molte consulte fu gratiato, il giorno dietro Pasqua di cumplire con essa per l'uso dell' annuntio delle SSme. Feste, accompagnandolo il Rè con seguito di tutti li Grandi et comitiva de' Cavalieri nell' appartamento della Regina, appresso la quale pose a sedere il Prencipe, et il Rè a canto alla sorella. Annuntiato che hebbe felicità alla Regina si approssimò il Prencipe alla Infanta, et gli espose complimento assai lungo, et con maniera affettuosa, di che si susurrava nella stanza, et perciò finì prima dele suo gusto vedendo anco certi segni della Regina, et che si annoiava la Infanta qual rispose compitamenta et con la puntualità prescrittale di pochissime parole d'ufficio, et si notò per osservatione prencipale che ella si tenne tanto composta et senza minimo segno di mutatione, che tutte gli astanti rimasero stupidi, parlandosene con maraviglia universale, perchè è certissimo che ella ha una estrema antipathia et timore di queste nozze, non si consolando con altro se non col dire che morirà martire.' Corner to the Doge, April 13, Venice MSS. Desp. Spagna, As might be expected, Bristol passes over the Prince's repulse. Bristol to Calvert, April 8, S. P. Spain. 2 Copy of Caron's letter, Madrid Pa’ace Library, 1623 DISCUSSION AT ROME. 31 The unlucky termination of this visit did not hinder Olivares from making one more attempt upon Buckingham's religion. Fresh attempts to convert Bucking. Before Easter week was over, he invited him to a second disputation. Seeing that the friar's eloquence produced but little effect, Olivares himself came to ham. the rescue, and took part in the argument. Of course it was all in vain, and no further assault was made upon the conscience of the magnificent Englishman.' Such were the expedients by which Buckingham hoped to occupy the attention of the Spanish ministers till the dispensa He expects to return soon. tion arrived. He could not now, he thought, have much longer to wait. On April 18 he wrote to England, to countermand the sending out of some horses for tilting, which had been ordered for Charles. Before they could possibly reach Spain the Prince would have left Madrid. On the same day he wrote to Conway, informing him that he had been privately assured that the dispensation had been conceded at Rome.3 Buckingham's information was correct. The news of the Prince's arrival in Spain reached Rome on March 15. There, too, as at Madrid, it was the universal opinion that March 15. Discussions he intended to become a Roman Catholic, or at least at Rome, to grant extraordinary concessions to the professors of that religion. On the 19th, the question was solemnly discussed by the Congregation of Cardinals. Under the impression caused by the Prince's journey, they resolved not to be content with the articles to which James had signified his assent in January, and though they no longer pressed their original demand for public liberty of worship, they put forward several by no means unimportant amendments of the treaty. These questions, however, were very far from forming their chief difficulty. Though even before Pastrana arrived, care had been taken to let the cardinals know that Philip had no real wish to have the dispensation granted, it had been ! Francisco de Jesus, 58, * Buckingham to Graham, April 8, S. P. Spain, • Buckingham to Conway, April 8, Harl. MSS. 6987, fol. 65. impossible for them to look upon the question with Philip's eyes. No one who was not a Spaniard could imagine that if Charles returned without his bride, he would return otherwise than filled with indignation against those by whom his disappointment had been caused. Nor, on the other hand, was the comfortable arrangement by which Olivares proposed to discharge that indignation upon the broad shoulders of the Pope likely to be received with much favour at the Vatican. If James were led to understand that his failure was owing to April. the obstinacy of the Pope, he would be sure to vent his displeasure upon his Catholic subjects. It would sibility of a breach to be be better, therefore, so to arrange matters that his quarrel-if quarrel there was to be-should be a personal one with Philip.' The respon cast on Philip. With amusing gravity, therefore, which recalls the wellknown formula with which the clergy were wont to hand over offenders to the secular arm, the cardinals proceeded to wash their hands of the whole business. They were shrewd enough to suspect that, as soon as Charles was safe in England with his bride, he would forget all the promises which he had made in Spain, and they entirely refused to be in any way responsible for the consequences. All they had to say about the matter was, that Charles must give some sort of security for his fidelity to his engagements. What that security ought to be it was not The passage, part of which has been already quoted at p. 24, goes on as follows :-"Ma stimandosi qui pregiu icialissimo à Cattolici, che questa tardanza fusse tutta caricata al Pontifice, perchè ciò levarebbe dall' animo del Rè della Gran Bretagna qualche inclinatione ch' egli tiene alla sede Apostolica, et havarebbe potuto venir a qualche severa risolutione contra li Cattolici che si trovano sparsi per l'Inghilterra che sono infiniti; per il chesi risolvi sua Santità," etc. Soranzo and Zen to the Doge, July 5, Venice MSS. Desp. Roma. That the belief that Pastrana had a secret mission really prevailed at Rome is shown from a decipher of an extract from a letter of his which I found on a scrap of paper at Simancas : — "Entráron en recato de que los queriamos por disculpa, y no para facilitar el negocio; y este fué la razon de aprocurar la dispensacion pasada, sin aguardar á que yo llegase, porque dessean siempre quedar bien con Ingla. terra." Simancas MSS. 1859, fol. 21. 15 1623 THE DECISION OF THE CARDINALS. Terms on which the dispensation is to be granted. 33 their business to judge. All such questions must be referred to the consideration of his Catholic Majesty. The dispensation would be placed in the hands of the Nuncio at Madrid, who was to have orders not to part with it till Philip had sworn, in his own name and in that of his successors, that the promises made in accordance with the treaty would be faithfully observed by both parties; and that neither his Catholic Majesty, nor the King of Great Britain, nor any of their successors, would 'do or execute anything, nor consent that any should do or execute anything to the contrary; though it should concern the conservation of their kingdoms.' Moreover, within one year, so concluded this strange proposal, the King of Spain'shall send unto his Holiness the said capitulations, approved, confirmed, and assured by the King of Great Britain, and also allowed and received by his Councils and Parliament; and, besides this, his said Catholic Majesty shall promise and swear that he and his successors in that Crown shall always be ready with their arms, army, and armadas, to the end that, so soon as any of the conditions shall be broken, without any delay he oppose himself with all his power and force against that Prince or King which shall break it, or not observe it.' Olivares tells the Prince. Cardinal Ludovisi at once wrote to De Massimi announcing the decision. The dispensation, he informed him, would shortly be sent, though it would be accompanied by the news to certain conditions, upon which he was at all hazards to insist. The letter, immediately upon its arrival, was imparted by the Nuncio to Olivares, with the strictest injunctions to secrecy; but, much to De Massimi's disgust, the Spaniard could not resist the temptation of currying favour with Charles, by being the first to acquaint him with the news. The Prince was soon overwhelmed with congratulations on every side, as if all difficulties had now been surmounted.2 ' Cardinal Ludovisi to De Massimi. Translation in Cottington's handwriting. Harl. MSS. 1583, fol. 297. ΙΟ * Corner to the Doge, May Venice MSS. Desp. Roma; De Mas 20 simi to Olivares, April 14, Bibl. Nat. MSS. Harl. 228, 16 fol. 183; the King to the Prince and Buckingham, March 17, Hardwicke S. P. i. 408. VOL. V. It is only by conjecture that we can penetrate the secret feelings of Philip when he learned that the long intrigue had. finally broken down, and that the Pope had refused to stand between his sister and her unwelcome lover. The only symptom of his agitation which came to the surface was one more desperate attempt to convert the Prince. A third theological discussion, in which Charles himself was to take part, was fixed for the evening of April 23. That day, St. George's Day, the Prince and Buckingham dined in state. Some weeks before, his father, in one of his St. George's garrulous letters, had encouraged them to keep the festival of the patron of England with unusual mag Day. nificence. "I sent you,” he wrote, "your robes of the order, which ye must not forget to wear on St. George's Day, and dine together in them, if they can come in time, which I pray God they may, for it will be a goodly sight for the Spaniards to see my two boys dine in them." The Spaniards, however, did not appear to appreciate the display. They had been thoroughly disgusted by Buckingham's proceedings with respect to the religious conferences, and they now began to take it for granted that it was by his arts that the Prince's conversion had been hindered. Before the day ended a violent quarrel had broken out between the English favourite and Don Fernando Giron, a member of the Council of State, and the angry disputants were only pacified by an assurance that the misunderstanding had been caused by the ignorance of an interpreter. As soon as the evening came, Charles and Buckingham were carried off to the appointed conference. The King him Another religious discussion. self accompanied them to the place, though he withdrew immediately on the plea that it was unfit for a King of Spain to listen to a single word directed against his religion. One friar had been thought sufficient to confront Buckingham. No less than four were summoned to convince the Prince. For some minutes after Charles had taken his seat, there was complete silence. At last one of the friars asked 1 Corner to the Doge, May 10, Venice MSS. Desp. Spagna. |