142 Memoirs of the Prince of Peace 
there remained no alternative to fave the 
country, but by making peace. This the 
fhort-ighted Duke thought could not be 
bought too dear under the circumfances, 
and confequently made a treaty, the folly 
of which pofterity will lament. By this 
treaty the Spanifh territory was curtailed ; . 
$t. Domingo and Leuifiana were delivered 
up to France; and an article was conclud. 
ed, by which Spain was to furnifh France 
with fo many fhips of the line; well equip- 
ped, whenever the latter power thould be 
at war; and alfo te pay, fupport, and clothe: 
45,0006 French fildiers to proteét Spain, 
whether in war or peace. For this treaty 
the befotted Charles 1 V.made our heroPriz- 
cipe de la Pax, y Capitan General de los Ex- 
ercitos Efpannoles por Tierray por Mar; giv- 
ins him atthe fame time new domains, and 
the revenues of {everal ruined monafteries. 
Hitherto the impropriety of the Prince’s 
condué feems the natural confequence of 
his ignorance ; but as his power and titles. 
increaled, his charaéter appears marked 
with traitsof treachery, cruelty, and tyran- 
ny, which can never be eraied. I allude to 
his treatment of Don Gafper Melchior de 
Hovellanes* ; a man of tafte and genius ; 
a philofopher, ftatefman, and agriculturift, 
not inferior to «ny other in Europe. He 
originally courted, admired, and became 
the affumed friend of this philofopher, and 
afterwards, without any other caufe than 
his fuperior talents, which were uniformly 
direéted by wifdom and penetration to the 
renovation of his unhappy country, became 
his moft crue! and invetcrate enemy, con- 
demning him caulelefSly to a miferable 
. prifon in Mallorca, where he was precipi- 
tated from the firft fecretary-of- ftatefhip, 
denied a!l communication with his friends, 
(even witb his wife) and the ufeof pen, ink, 
and ;aper, and where he ftill drags out a mi- 
ferably folitary exiftence. Thecrueland un- 
jué fufferings of th.s moft worthy man will 
for ever ftain the charaéter of our hero with 
infamy and deteftation. His conduct to 
two other refpectable charafters, but of 
jeis notoriety, was equally criminal and 
ferocious, falfely accuing them of parti- 
ality tu'the Engiith, 
Abou: this period, his whimfical mar- 
Fiage with ene ot the Princefles Royal 
teck place. His power now being abfo- 
lute, and quite independent of the Queen, 
his contempt for -her increafed daily; 
which fhe perceiving, and- never. being 
able to difcover whether he was married, 
propoted to her Manuclito (adiminetive of . 
great tenderne’s in Spasith), in the public 
Ph The Spanith write jz, but pronounce it like 
an Englifa &. Pie ae of 
~ 
{March 1, 
levee, to marry one of the Princeffes, then 
prefent; to.whom fhe pointed. The- 
Prince anfwered, ‘‘ that he was always 
ready to. receive the favours of her Ma- 
jetty; and the then Archbifhop of To-*' 
ledo (an Italian) being prefent, the nup- 
tials were celebrated immediately. This 
was the completion of his power. 
- At the re-eftablifhment of the Pope, he. 
obliged the Bifhops of Spain, who had 
enjoyed the authority of Popes in their 
refpective diftriéts, during the interreg- 
num, to tender their oheifance to the new 
Pope, who in return conftituted him ¢* Pro- 
teétor of the holy Catholic Faith ; and the 
Archbifhcp of Toledo, who celebrated his 
nuptials, was tranflated to Rome, witha 
Cardinal’s hat. The prefent Archbifhop of 
Toledo.and Primate of Spain, Louis de 
Bourbon, is his matrimonial uncle. On 
the declaration of the unprovoked and un- 
ju war.againft Portugal, our hero placed 
himfelf at the head of thefoldiers, as Ge- 
neralifimo of the army; but his princi- 
pal and only achievement was breaking up 
fome convents of women, and difpeifing 
the nuns throughout the country; a con- 
duct not very confiftent with a Proteétor 
of the Catholic faith. . 
Whilft we view his political charaéter, 
we behold it tiffued with errors, crimes, 
and, occafionally, traits of benevolence ; 
but from his private charaGter we fhrink 
with horror and difguft, at his endlefs and 
unlimited debaucheries, unparalleled in 
any Cbrifian age or country. By amour 
he acquired his power and honours, and 
by amour he is determined to hold them. 
Fathers, mothers, hufbands, brothers, 
will chearfully condué& their daughters, 
wives, or fiiters, if fomewhat handfome, 
to the attention of our Prince, in order to 
precure places and penfions from govern- 
ment. Every Spaniard expects a place or 
a peoficn, and he conceives, with juftzels, 
fuch means are the moft likely to fucceed, 
A hand‘ome woman, of addiefS, indeed, 
feldom fails to procure either her facher, 
hufband, brother, or other relative, a 
place: but at what a price!!! -It is 
common to fee fix or feven of thefe haplefs 
victims in his faloon every morning, with 
whom, in proportion to their beauty or 
charms, he regales himfelf in fucceffi.n, 
Th sis a melancholy pi&ture, but is not 
the lefs juft. It is, however, a lamenta- 
ble proof of the danger of fatire; and 
had Cervantes never written his inimitable 
Don Quixotte, a Queen would never have 
dared @ difyatch her emiffaries to fearch 
for gailants, much lefs a Prince have dared 
to eftablifh a feragiio in’ the ‘capital of 
~ Spain; — 
i 
7 
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