CHARLES. 



151 



grave of Luther, and said, " I do not war with the 

 dead : let him rest in peace : he is already before his 

 Judge." The landgrave of Hesse Cassel, one of the 

 heads of the Protestants, was compelled to sue for 

 mercy : notwithstanding his promise, Charles depriv- 

 ed liim of his freedom. After having dissolved the 

 league of Smalcalden, the emperor again occupied 

 hinoselfwith the plan of unitingall religious parties,and, 

 for this purpose, issued the Interim (q. v.), so called, 

 which was as fruitless as the measures proposed by 

 him at the diet of Augsburg. Neither was he suc- 

 cessful in securing the imperial crown to his son. 

 Discord still agitated public sentiment, and a new 

 war broke out against him. Maurice of Saxony, 

 whom he had invested with the electoral dignity, 

 formed a league, which was joined by Henry II., king 

 of France, the successor of Francis. The prepara- 

 tions had been made with the greatest secrecy. 

 Charles was at Inspruck, superintending the deliber- 

 ations of the council of Trent, and meditating great 

 plans against France and Turkey. He was expect- 

 ing the aid of Maurice, when this prince tlirew off 

 the mask, appeared suddenly at the head of an army, 

 and invaded the Tyrol in 1552, while Henry II. en- 

 tered Lorraine. Charles was near being surprised in 

 Inspruck, in the middle of a stormy night. Torment- 

 ed by the gout, he escaped alone, in a litter, by diffi- 

 cult roads. Maurice abandoned the imperial castle 

 to plunder, the council of Trent was dissolved, and 

 the Protestants dictated the conditions of the treaty 

 of Passau, in 1552. Charles was not more successful 

 in Lorraine. He was unable to recover Metz, de- 

 fended by the duke of Guise. In Italy, he lost Sienna, 

 by a revolt. He withdrew to Brussels, where, hard 

 pressed by his enemies, and suffering from the gout, 

 he became gloomy and dejected, and, for several 

 months, concealed himself from the sight of every 

 one, so that the report of his death was spread 

 through Europe. His last exertions were directed 

 against France, which constantly repelled his assaults. 

 The diet of Augsburg, in 1555, confirmed the treaty 

 of Passau, and gave the Protestants equal rights with 

 the Catholics. 



Charles saw all his plans frustrated, and the num- 

 ber of his enemies increasing. He resolved to trans- 

 fer his hereditary states to Ids son Philip. Having 

 convened the estates of the Low countries at Lou- 

 vain, in 1555, he explained to them the reasons of 

 his resolution, asserted that he had sacrificed himself 

 for the interests of religion and of his subjects, but 

 tliat his strength was inadequate to further exertion, 

 and that he should devote to God the remainder of 

 his days. He then turned to Philip, who had thrown 

 himself on his knees, and kissed the hand of his fa- 

 ther; reminded him of his duties, and made him 

 swear to labour incessantly for the good of the peo- 

 ple. He then gave him his blessing, embraced him, 

 and sunk back exhausted on his chair. At that time, 

 Charles conferred on Philip the sovereignty of the 

 Netherlands alone. Jan. 15, 1556, he conferred 

 upon him, in like manner, the Spanish throne, reserv- 

 ing for himself merely a pension of 100,000 ducats. 

 The remaining time that he spent in the Nether- 

 lands, he employed in reconciling his son with France, 

 and effected the conclusion of a truce. Having made 

 an unsuccessful attempt to induce his brother Fer- 

 dinand to transfer the imperial crown to the head of 

 his son, he sent a solemn embassy to Germany, to 

 announce to the electors his abdication ; after which 

 he embarked at Zealand, and landed on the coast of 

 Biscay. It is said that he threw himself on the earth 

 on landing, kissed it, and exclaimed, " Naked I left 

 tlie womb of my mother, and naked I return to thee, 

 thou common mother of mankind." He had selected 

 for his residence the monastery of St Justus, near 



Placensia, in Estremadura, and here he exchanged 

 sovereignty, dominion, and pomp, for the quiet and 

 solitude of a cloister. His amusements were con- 

 fined to short rides, to the cultivation of a garden, 

 and to mechanical labours. It is said that he made 

 wooden clocks, and, being unable to make two clocks 

 go exactly alike, was reminded of the folly of his 

 efforts to bring a number of men to the same senti- 

 ments. He attended religious services twice every 

 day, read books of devotion, and, by degrees, fell 

 into such dejection, that his faculties seemed to suffer 

 from it. He renounced the most innocent pleasures, 

 and observed the rules of the monastic life in all 

 their rigour. In order to perform an extraordinary 

 act of piety, he resolved to celebrate his own obse- 

 quies. Wrapped in a shroud, and surrounded by his 

 retinue, he laid himself in a coffin, which was placed 

 in the middle of the church. The funeral service 

 was performed, and the monarch mingled his voice 

 with those of the clergy, who prayed for him. After 

 the last sprinkling, all withdrew, and the doors were 

 closed. He remained some time in the coffin, then 

 rose, threw himself before the altar, and returned to 

 his cell, where he spent the night in deep medita- 

 tion. This ceremony hastened his death. He was 

 attacked by a fever, of which he died, at the age of 

 fifty-nine years, Sept. 21, 1558. 



Charles had a noble air, and refined manners. He 

 spoke little, and smiled seldom. Firm of purpose ; 

 slow to decide ; prompt to execute ; equally rich in 

 resources, and sagacious in the choice of them ; 

 gifted with a cool judgment, and always master of 

 himself, he steadily pursued his purposes, and easily 

 triumphed over obstacles. Circumstances developed 

 his genius, and made him great. Although his want 

 of faith was notorious, he imposed, by the semblance 

 of magnanimity and sincerity, even on those who had 

 already experienced his perfidy. An acute judge of 

 men, he knew how to use them for his purposes. It, 

 is improbable that it was his intention to establish a 

 universal monarchy. In misfortune he appears 

 greater than in prosperity. He protected and en- 

 couraged the arts and sciences, and is said to have 

 picked up a brush, which had fallen from the hand 

 of Titian, with the words, " Titian is worthy of be- 

 ing served by an emperor." By his wife Eleonora 

 daughter of Einanuel, king of Portugal, he had one 

 son, afterwards Philip II., and two daughters. He 

 had, also, several natural children. Charles V. is 

 one of the most remarkable characters in history. 

 He exhibited no talents in his youth, and, in after 

 life, when his armies in Italy were winning battle 

 after battle, he remained quietly in Spain, apparently 

 not much interested in these victories ; but, even in 

 his early youth, his motto was, not yet (nondum.) It 

 was not till his thirtieth year, that he showed himself 

 active and independent ; but, from this time to his ab- 

 dication, he was, throughout, a monarch. No minis- 

 ter had a marked influence over him. He was inde- 

 fatigable in business, weighing the reasons on both 

 sides of every case with great minuteness ; very slow 

 hi deciding ; unchangeable of purpose ; so that he 

 once said to a courtier, who praised him for his per- 

 severance and firmness, that he sometimes insisted 

 upon things not right. Granvella was the only per- 

 son who possessed his entire confidence. (See Gran- 

 vella.) Wherever he was, he imitated the customs of 

 the country, and won the favour of every people ex- 

 cept the Germans. Among them he was not liked, 

 owing to his want of the frankness which they ex- 

 pected in their emperor. Charles was slow in pun- 

 ishing, as well as in rewarding ; but, when he did 

 punish, it was witli severity ; wlien he rewarded, it 

 was with munificence. His health early declined. 

 In his fortieth year, he felt himself weak. His suf- 



