Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/275

DEATH OF HENRY IV. 131 ished by the incessant wars in which he had been chapter . . IV engaged, that he was not only unable to recruit his ^ — army, but was even obliged to pawn the robe of costly fur, which he wore to defend his person against the inclemencies of the season, in order to defray the expense of transporting his baggage. In this extremity, finding himself disappointed in the cooperation, on which he had reckoned, of his an- cient allies the dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, he again summoned Ferdinand to his assistance, who, after a brief interview with his father in Bar- celona, proceeded to Saragossa, to solicit aid from the estates of Aragon. An incident occurred on this visit of the prince Ferdinand's _ _ ■*■ summary worth noticing, as strongly characteristic of the onustic". lawless habits of the age. A citizen of Saragossa, named Ximenes Gordo, of noble family, but who had relinquished the privileges of his rank in order to qualify himself for municipal office, had acquired such ascendency over his townsmen, as to engross the most considerable posts in the city for himself and his creatures. This authority he abused in a shameless manner, making use of it not only for the perversion of justice, but for the perpetration of the most flagrant crimes. Although these facts were notorious, yet such were his power and popu- larity with the lower classes, that Ferdinand, de- spairing of bringing him to justice in the ordinary way, determined on a more summary process. As Gordo occasionally visited the palace to pay his re- spects to the prince, the latter affected to regard him with more than usual favor, showing him such