MEDIAEVAL ROYALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 49

MEDIAEVAL ROYALTIES.

A Persecutor of Mankind. > Starting with falsehood as the very basis and foundation of his character, Philip II struck down free thought aad honest belie! wherever these were shown ; and using the infamous Inquisition as his tool and vassal, he crowded the many prisons of that accursed institution with multitudes of Mb suffering subjecte, no less than 6500 ol whom in Spain alone were, at the lowest computation, burnt at the stake in this reign. Think of the agony it is to have a finger scalded or an arm burnt, and yet thia man permitted — nay, even goaded on — the Holy Office to

TOBTUBE AND 'MANGLE its unhappy prisoners, and then barn them at tho terrible auto da fes. His evil influence stretched wherever floated the flag of Spain. He authorised the atrocities which his governor, the Duke of Alva, perpetrated in the Netherlands — atrocities which it makes the blood boil to read of — men, women, and. children being slaughtered like sheep, burnt and buried alive.

A* to his conduct to individuals of rank, his murders of Mons and MontJgny, of Egmont and Home, his lies to Elisabeth, his order* to Parma to go on deoeiving her with- false pretences of peace when hid Armada had aotaally sailed to invade Eng-' land — is not the history of these acts provea

beyond all doubt I He was a ruthless and Implacable tyrant, and whoever opposed or tbwartedhfm disappeared. HAUGHTY, MOROSE, AND SUSPICIOUS, Ills allies could not trust him, and hiß personal entourage but regarded him in their dull folly aB a species of demi-god whose actions were not to be judged as were those of other men. In vain, do we search the records of hiß life, to find that he ever gave voice to noble sentiment or enlightened thought, and look where we ■ may, not one redeeming point in his character can be discovered. He was not even bravo, that virtue that Bometimes clings to the worst of kings. It is doubtful if he ever was under fire, bnt he once wore armour, when he showed himself to the besiegers of St. Qaentin, and yet once again when Jie broke into HIS UNHAPPY SON'S ROOM, taking care even then not to approach Don Carlos until the way had been made clear for him. In every instance he used his subordinates to command bis armies in the Netherlands, in the insurrection at Arragon, in the conflict with the Moors, and in the conquest Of Portugal. An Old-Time Love Story. Isabella of Angouleme, the most beautiful queen who ever eat on the throne of England, was only 15 years of age when King John Baw and fell in love with her exquisite face. . Long before this meeting she had been solemnly betrothed to Hugh' de Lus'gnan, and even confided to his care for education, accordicg to the curious custom of the times. Isabella was the only child of the Count of Argouleme, and as his heiress was recalled to her home to assist him in doing homage to John as their feudal lord, and that kingly cur, attracted by her wonderful beauty, thought notbicg of her previous engagement. It appears, clear however, that he received prompt and great encouragement. The parents were ambitious for their child, the child was ambitious for herself, as her after career abundantly proves; and though she preferred Lusignan he could not give her a crown. Therefore Lusignan went to the wall. She married John; who was double her nge, at Bordeaux in* 1200, and her jilted lover filled the air with cries of deepair and rage. He did more, he challenged John, he took part with Arthur of firetagne, and finally fell into the hands of the English. And now comes the one strange feature of the story. King John, who was cruel as a tiger, who murdered his own nephew, and STARVED TO DEA"TH TWENTY-TWO KNIGHTS taken prisoners at the same time, actually spared the life of Lusignan, and as years passed on they became friends. So intimate, indeed, did the alliance between them grow, that Joanna — the eldest daughter of John and Isabella — was betrothed to the injured man, and delivered to him to be educated precisely as her mother had been. But there was to be a second chapter to this jilting story, and a second person jilted. Isabella acted with great energy in the interests of her son when King John died, but being offered no share in the regency, she retired in July 1217 to Angouleme, which was her own inheritance. Some three years later— probably while visitirjg Joanna — she again met the lover of her. youth, who was^now Count de la Marche, and the old f eelings'revived. Never, indeed, could any woman be to Lusignan what Isabella bad been, and she — if capable of love at all — bad always secretly inclined to him. The sequel may be guessed. The beautiful widow was countess in her own right, the brave Lusignan had just succeeded to his father's possession ; each, therefore, was a ruler in a petty S'.ate, and both were of full age and knew extremely well what they ■ meant and what they wanted. There was only Joanna between them, and the rights of a child of 10, of course, went for nothing. I So they married, and their after-life is full of dramatic interest. The rejected Joanna was sent back to England and married at York, 1221, to the King of Scotland, by which union peace was restored between the two countries, and she acquired the lovely name of "Joan Makepeace." She was beautiful in mind as well as person, bat died at the early age of 26.