Heredity of the Will. 99 



features, and was remarkably like his mother, Livia. His 

 thin, dry lips show his crafty and ruthless soul.' The mother 

 of Mark Antony belonged to the Julian family. 

 CHARLES THE FIFTH. There is a curious similarity between this 

 sovereign and Don Carlos. On comparing Don Carlos with 

 his celebrated grandfather, we discover such striking features 

 of resemblance between them, that we cannot but see here an 

 instance of reversional heredity, or atavism. 



Don Carlos was the son of Philip II. and Dona Maria of 

 Portugal. His mother, who died four days after giving him 

 birth, appears in history only as an insignificant personage. 

 As for the father, he was in nearly every respect the antithesis 

 of his sons. 1 The character of Don Carlos, his temperament 

 and his physical habit, are inexplicable unless we go back to 

 Charles V. 



Charles V. was slow in his development, and grew old early. 

 He was nearly twenty-one before he could grow a beard. 

 He was rather below the medium stature, his health was 

 feeble, and his face long and sad in expression ; he spoke 

 slowly, and stammered. The development of his intellect 

 was as slow as that of his body. He remained for a long 

 time absolutely dependent on Chievres, his tutor. His 

 phlegmatic temperament saved him from excesses, although 

 his gluttony is well known. ' Before getting up, a capon was 

 usually served to him, dressed with sugar, milk, and spice. He 

 dined at noon, off a large number of dishes. Soon after 

 vespers he took another meal, and for supper, later in the 

 evening, he would take anchovies, or other strong, gross food. 

 Even at the monastery of San Yuste he ate with avidity, 

 before the eyes of his physician, frogs' legs and eel pies.' 3 



Don Carlos, according to the account of the Venetian envoys, 

 and of the imperial ambassador at Madrid, 3 was a prince of 

 very inferior stature his features ugly and disagreeable. 

 His temperament was melancholy, nor had he any taste either 

 for study or for manly exercises. He spoke with difficulty 



1 See the contrast in Gachard, Don Carlos and Philippe 77, p. 237, scq. 



2 Prescott, Reigii of Philip 77., voL i. ch. 9. 



3 Gachard and Prescott, vol. iv. 



