On the 10th of Nov, died Pope Paul the IIId, and was fucceeded by John Maria, Cardinal de Monte, a most virtuous Man, who took the Name of Julius the IIId. Paul the IIId dies, and is fucceeded by Julius the IIId. 1548. The Emperor continually at War. In short, the Emperor was no sooner rid of one War, but he was engaged in another, to the Time he abdicated the Throne. And Historians say of him in general, that he was a Bigot in Religion, but otherwife a Prince of great Wisdom and Penetration, and, to shew he was a Prince of Humour, they relate some of his Determinations and Adventures, particularly his deciding a Controversy between two great Ladies in Point of Ceremony after the following Manner. He determines Suit very merrily. a Madam de Berg and Madam de Brederode, who had quarrelled in the Church for Precedency, brought their Cause to be tried before the Council of State, where, in Confideration of the great Quality of both Parties, they were declared equal; but, not being fatisfied, appealed to the Emperor's Judgment, who, to humble their Pride, gave Sentence in these Words, Let the maddest go foremost, or, the greatest Fool go first. To this give us leave to add two of his pleasant Adventures. Two odd Adventures that befel the Em First, Being eager in the Pursuit of a Stag, he loft his Company, and killed the Stag two Miles from Madrid; when an old Country Fellow happened peror. to come by with an Afs and a Load of Wood, he offered to give him more than the Wood was worth, if he would carry the Stag to Madrid; and the Countryman merrily answered, By the Lord, Friend, I believe you're a Fool; you see the Stag is heavier than the Afs and the Wood together, and yet you would have the poor Afs carry him; it were better that you, who are a young lusty Fellow, should carry them both. The The Emperor was pleased with the Reply, and, whilft he waited for his Company, fell into Difcourse with the old Man, asking him, How many Kings he had known? The Peasant answered, I have lived under five Kings, John, his Son Henry, King Ferdinand, King Philip, and this Charles. Which of them, Father, says the Emperor, was the best, and which the worst ? There is no Doubt to be made, replied the old Man, but Ferdinand was the best and who the worst, I shan't say; but he we have now is bad enough, always rambling to Italy, Germany, and Flanders, carrying all the Money out of Spain; and, though his Revenues are great enough to conquer the World, yet he is always laying new Taxes; so that we poor Countrymen are quite beggared. The Emperor, finding the Fellow was in earnest, began to plead his own Cause, the best he could without discovering himself, till his Company came up; when the Countryman, seeing the Respect they shewed him, faid, It were pleasant, if it should prove to be the King, but had I known it, I should have said much more: And the Emperor was so far from being displeased with the Discourse, that he gave the old Man a Sum of Money, and fettled a Portion on his Daughter. Second, His Imperial Majesty another Time, lofing himself a hunting, came after Midnight to a little Village, almost starved with Cold, and, knocking up the Curate, defired he would let him go into his warm Bed, roast him a Pullet, get him some good Wine, and he would pay well for it. The Curate was contented, but asked for Money to fend for the Wine and Pullet, because he had none himself. The Emperor told him he had none about him, but his Man would come in the Morning and pay all Expence. Neither having Money, the Curate fent out upon Trust, gave him his warm Bed, prepared the Refreshment, and accommodated him as well as he could; for all which he was well paid: But the Emperor refolved never to go without Money afterwards. The Emperor refigns his Dominions to his Son. 1556. This Emperor, though he met with such Success, and was poffefsed of fo large Dominions, in the Year 1556, voluntarily refigned his Crowns to his Brother and Son, and retired into a Monastery of Monks of the Order of St. Jerome. In the former Part of his Life, we beheld him environed with the Glory, Wealth, and Power of the World; here we see him in his Monastery, poor, humble, solitary, fickly, and forsaken by his own Consent. Retires to a Monastery. The Monastery of Jufte, Monks of St. Jerome, to which his Imperial Majesty withdrew himself, is in a folitary but pleasant Place, seven Leagues from Valencia; the nearest Town, called Coacos, containing 500 Houses, is within a Quarter of a League of it, and yet not seen from it, by reason of a Hill that rises between them. The Emperor lived here in so mean a Manner, that only the Room he lay living there in in was hung with fome old black Cloth; and in it he had only a one-armed decayed * Chair; his Habit always black, tho' indifferent; he had indeed a little Silver Plate, but it was quite plain. It is faid, in the Exercises of Prayers, Reading, and Meditation, he far out-did the most of his religious Function. He said the Divine Office; and, His Manner of a mean State. * So that we here see the Emperor at last in as low a Condition (tho' with this Difference, by his own Consent) as Cardinal Wolfey was reduced to; and likewise spent the last Days of his Life, in as edifying and penetential a Manner as that great Prelate had done before him. As to the experienced, thinking Part of Man kind, they often rightly confider the Instability of human Affairs; which the other Part, the arrogant Favourites of Fortune, as often forget. Let them therefore gaze on these Pictures, and reflect what their Greatness at last may come to, and then it is hoped their usual Vanity will abate. : and, if Sickness obstructed, his Confeffor faid it in his Prefence. Upon all Holidays he heard High Mass, and every Day Low Mass: Tho' he was not able to rife, he had a Sermon after Dinner, and when that failed a Lesson was read to him out of St. Augustin. He loved Musick, and had an excellent Ear, yet would have none but the Friars to fing in the Choir. His Zeal for Religion was fo great, that, being told of the apprehending of Cazalla, and other Hereticks, he faid, Nothing could draw him out of a Monastery, unless there was need of him to oppose them. He would never hear the Arguments of the Lutherans, whom he called Hereticks, saying, he was no Scholar, therefore they might instil fome Errors into him, which would be afterwards hard to remove. In this Manner the Emperor spent the Remainder of his Life; his last Hours drew on, the Gout had left him for feveral Days, the Ague took him, and, by degrees growing worse, about two o' Clock in the Morning, when all was very still, he said, It is now Time; but, though he was so spent, four Men without Difficulty could not stir him in his Bed, yet he turned upon his Side as readily as if he had ailed nothing: Taking the Crucifix in one Hand, and the Candle in the other, he continued a while looking on the Crucifix without speaking a Word, but then, with a Voice so loud that it could be heard in the other Room, he say'd, O JESUS! and gave up the Ghost. He died on the 21st of Sept. 1558, aged 59 Years and five Months, Burial. 1558. having reigned 43 Years and been Emperor 38. His Body was put into a Leaden Coffin; then into one of Chefnut Tree Planks, and was buried under the High Altar at the Monaftery, where he died. His Death and INTHE INDEX. A A CTS passed in the 8th Addison's Character of Lord So- Africans beat by the Emperor Angus, Earl of, threatens Sir Anne, Queen of England, restored Anftis, Mr. his Opinion on Pil- Athol, Duke of, 177. B Bacon, Francis, Viscount Veru- Banks, Mr. mistaken in his Play Barrymore, Thomas and David, Bedel, Thomas, one of Erasmus's |