FRANCIS
214
FRANCIS
St. Francis Bokgia
By a second, contracted in 1523, he had five sons and
five daughters. The eldest of all and heir to the duke-
dom was Francis. Piously reared in a court which felt
the influence of the two Poor Clares, the mother and
sister of the reigning duke, Francis lost his own mother
when he was but ten. In 1521, a sedition amongst the
populace imperilled the child's life, and the position of
the nobility. When the disturbance was suppressed,
Francis was sent to Saragossa to continue his education
at the court of his uncle, the archbishop, an ostenta-
tious prelate who had never been consecrated nor even
ordained priest. Although in this court the Spanish
faith retained its fervour, it lapsed nevertheless into
the inconsistencies permitted by the times, and Francis
could not disguise
from himself the
relation in which
his grandmother
stood to the dead
archbishop, al-
though he was
much indebted to
lier for his early
religious training.
While at Saragossa
I'Vancis cultivated
mind and at-
tracted the atten-
tion of his relatives
by his fervour.
They, being desir-
ous of assuring the
Initune of the heir
of Gandia, sent
him at the age of
twelve to Tordesil-
las as page to the Infanta Catarina, the youngest
child and companion in solitude of the unfortunate
queen, Juana the Mad.
In 1525 the Infanta married King Juan III of Por- tugal, and Francis returned to Saragossa to complete his education. At last, in 152S, the court of Charles V was opened to him, and the most brilliant future awaited him. On the way to Valladolid, while passing, brilliantly escorted, through Alcald de Henares, Fran- cis encountered a poor man whom the servants of the Inquisition were leading to prison. It was Ignatius of Loyola. The young nobleman exchanged a glance of emotion with the prisoner, little dreaming that one day they should be united by the closest ties. The emperor and empress welcomed Borgia less as a sub- ject than as a kinsman. He was seventeen, endowed with every charm, accompanied by a magnificent train of followers, and, after the emperor, his presence was the most gallant and knightly at court. In 1529, at the desire of the empress, Charles V gave him in mar- riage the hand of Eleanor de Castro, at the same time making him Marquess of Lombay, master of the hounds, and equerry to the empress, and appointing Eleanor Camarera Mayor. The newly-created Mar- quess of Lombay enjoyed a privileged station. When- ever the emperor was travelling or conducting a cam- paign, he confided to the young equerry the care of the empress, and on his retiu'n to Spain treated him as a confidant and friend. In 15.35, Charles V led the expe- dition against Tunis unaccompanied by Borgia, but in the following year the favourite followed his sovereign on the unfortunate campaign in Provence. Besitles the virtues which made him the model of the court and the personal attractions which made him its ornament, the Marquess of Lombay possessed a cultivated musi- cal taste. He delighted above all in ecclesiastical com- positions, and these display a remarkable contrapuntal style and bear witness to the skill of the composer, justifying indeed the assertion that, in the sixteenth century and prior to Palestrina, Borgia was one of the cliief restorers of sacred music.
In 1538, at Toledo, an eighth child was born to the
Marquess of Lombay, and on 1 May of the next year
the Empress Isabella died. The equerry was conmiis-
sioned to convey her remains to Granada, where they
were interred on 17 May. The death of the empress
caused the first break in tlie brilliant career of the
Martiuess and Marchioness of Lombay. It detached
them from the court and taught the nobleman the
vanity of life and of its grandeurs. Blessed John of
Avila preached the funeral sermon, and Francis, hav-
ing made known to him his desire of reforming his life,
returned to Toledo resolved to become a perfect Chris-
tian. On 26 June, 1539, Charles V named Borgia
Viceroy of Catalonia, and the importance of the charge
tested the sterling qualities of the courtier. Precise
instructions determined his course of action. He was
to reform the administration of justice, put the finan-
ces in order, fortify the city of Barcelona, and repress
outlawry. On his arrival at the viceregal city, on 23
August, he at once proceeded, with an energy which
no opposition could daunt, to build the ramparts, rid
the country of the brigands who terrorized it, reform
the monasteries, and develop learning. During his
vice-regency he showed himself an inflexible justiciary,
and above all an exemplary Christian. But a series of
grievous trials were destined to develop in him the
work of sanctification begun at Granada. In 1543 he
became, by the death of his father, Duke of Gandia,
and was named by the emperor master of the house-
hold of Prince Philip of Spain, who was betrothed to
the Princess of Portugal. This appointment seemed
to indicate Francis as the chief minister of the future
reign, but by God's permission the sovereigns of Por-
tugal opposed the appointment. Francis then retired
to his Duchy of Gandia, and for three years awaited the
termination of the displeasure which barred him from
court. He profited by this leisure to reorganize his
duchy, to found a university in which he himself took
the degree of Doctor of Theology, and to attain to a
still higher degree of virtue. In 154G his wife died.
The duke had invited the Jesuits to Ciandia and be-
come their protector and disciple, and even at that
time their model. But he desired still more, and on 1
February, 1548, became one of them by the pronun-
ciation of the solemn vows of religion, although au-
thorized by the pope to remain in the world, until he
should have fulfilled his obligations towards his chil-
dren and his estates — his obligations as father and as
ruler.
On 31 August, 1550, the Duke of Gandia left his estates to see them no more. On 23 October he arrived at Rome, threw himself at the feet of St. Ignatius, and edified by his rare humility those especially who re- called the ancient power of the Borgias. Quick to conceive great projects, he even then urged St. Igna- tius to found the Roman College. On 4 February, 1551, he left Rome, without making known his inten- tion of departure. On 4 April, he reached Azpeitia in Guipuzcoa, and chose as his abode the hermitage of Santa Magdalena near Oiiate. Charles V having per- mitted him to relinquish his possessions, he abdicated in favour of his eldest son, was ordained priest 23 May, and at once began to deliver a series of sermons in Guipuzcoa which revived the faith of the country. Nothing was talked of throughout Spain but this change of life, and Onate became the object of incessant pilgrimage. The neophyte was obliged to tear himself from prayer in order to preach in the cities which called him, and which his burning words, his example, and even his mere appearance, stirred profoundly. In 1553 he was invited to visit Portugal. The court received him as a messenger from God and vowed to him, thenceforth, a veneration which it has always preserved. On his re- turn from this journey, Francis learned that, at the request of the emperor, Pope Julius III was willing to bestow on him the canlinalate. St. Ignatius prevailed upon the pope to reconsider this decision, but two
