The Emperor was pleafed with the Reply, and, whilft he waited for his Company, fell into Difcourse with the old Man, afking 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, fays 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; fo that we poor Countrymen are quite beggared. The Emperor, finding the Fellow was in carneft, began to plead his own Cause, the beft he could without discovering himself, till his Company came up; when the Countryman, feeing the Refpect they fhewed him, faid, It were pleasant, if it should prove to be the King, but had I known it, I should have faid much more: And the Emperor was fo far from being difpleafed with the Difcourfe, that he gave the old Man a Sum of Money, and fettled a Portion on his Daughter.

Second, His Imperial Majefty 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, roaft him a Pullet, get him fome 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 Truft, gave him his warm Bed, prepared the Refreshment, and accommodated him as well as he could; for all

which

The Emperor refigns his Domi

nions to his Son. 1556.

which he was well paid: But the Emperor refolved never to go without Money afterwards. This Emperor, though he met with fuch Succefs, and was poffeffed of fo large Dominions, in the Year 1556, voluntarily refigned his Crowns to his Brother and Son, and retired into a Monaftery 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 fee him in his Monaftery, poor, humble, folitary, fickly, and forfaken by his own Confent. The Monastery of Jufte, Monks of St. Jerome, to which his Imperial Majefty withdrew himself, is in a folitary but pleafant Place, feven Leagues from Valencia ; the nearest Town, called Coacos, containing 500 Houfes, is within a Quarter of a League of it, and yet not feen from it, by reafon of a Hill that rises between them.

*

Retires to a

Monaftery.

His Manner of

a mean State.

The Emperor lived here in fo 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 faid the Divine Office ; and,

* So that we here fee the Emperor at laft in as low a Condition (tho' with this Difference, by his own Confent) as Cardinal Wolfey was reduced to; and likewife fpent the laft 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 Inftability of human Affairs; which the other Part, the arrogant Favourites of Fortune, as often forget. Let them therefore gaze on thefe Pictures, and reflect what their Greatness at last may come to, and then it is hoped their ufual Vanity will abate.

and, if Sickness obftructed, his Confeffor faid it in his Prefence. Upon all Holidays he heard High Mass, and every Day Low Mafs: Tho' he was not able to rife, he had a Sermon after Dinner, and when that failed a Leffon was read to him out of St. Auguftin. He loved Mufick, 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 Monaftery, unlefs there was need of him to oppose them. He would never hear the Arguments of the Lutherans, whom he called Hereticks, faying, he was no Scholar, therefore they might inftil fome Errors into him, which would be afterwards hard to remove.

In this Manner the Emperor spent the Remainder of his Life; his laft Hours drew on, the Gout had left him for feveral Days, the Ague took him, and, by degrees growing worfe, about two o' Clock in the Morning, when all was very ftill, he faid, It is now Time; but, though he was fo fpent, four Men without Difficulty could not ftir 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 fpeaking a Word, but then, with a Voice fo loud that it could be heard in the other Room, he fay'd, O JESUS! and gave up the Ghoft. He died on the 21ft of Sept. His Death and 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.

IN