Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/409

MONASTIC REFORMS. 385 V. formlj discharged this trust with the most consci- chapter entious impartiality, conferring the honors of the church on none but persons of approved piety and learning. ^^ In the present instance, she was strongly solicited by Ferdinand, in favor of his nat- ural son Alfonso, archbishop of Saragossa. But this prelate, although not devoid of talent, had neither the age nor experience, and still less the exemplary morals, demanded for this important station ; and the queen mildly, but unhesitatingly, resisted all entreaty and expostulation of her hus- band on his behalf. ^^ The post had always been filled by men of high family. The queen, loath to depart from this usage, notwithstanding the dying admonition of Mendoza, turned her eyes on various candidates before she determined in favor of her own confessor, whose character presented so rare a combination of talent 25 "De mas desto," says Lucio 26 Quintanilla, Archetypo, lib. 1, Marineo, "tenia por coslumbre, cap. 16. — Salaiiar de Mendoza, que quando avia de dar alguna dig- Cron. del Gran Cardenal, lib. 2, nidad, o obispado, mas mirava en cap. 65. virtud, honestidad, y sciencia de This prelate was at this time only las personas, que las riquezas, y twenty-four years of age. He had generosidad, aiin que fuessen sus been raised to the see of Saragos- deudos. Lo qual fue causa que sa when only six. This strange muchos de los que hablavan poco, abuse of preferring infants to the y tenian los cabellosmas cortos que highest dignities of the church las cejas ; comencaron a traer los seems to have prevailed in Castile ojos baxos mirancfo la tierra, y an- as well as Aragon ; for the tombs dar con mas gravedad, y hazer of five archdeacons might be seen mejor vida, simulando por ventura in the church of Madre de Dios at algunos mas la virtud, que exerci- Toledo, in Salazar's time, whose tanr/o la^ (Cosas Memorables, united ages amounted only to thir- fol. 182.) " L'hypocrisie estl'hom- ty years. See Cron. del Gran Car- mage que le vice rend a la vertu." denal, ubi supra. The maxim is now somewhat stale, like most others of its profound au- thor. VOL. II. 49