the unseen world and other essays-第36章

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n…Barneveldt；　and　St。　Aldegonde。　He　instructed　Alva　to　execute　sentence　of　death　upon　the　whole　population　of　the　Netherlands。　He　is　partly　responsible　for　the　martyrdoms　of　Ridley　and　Latimer；　and　the　judicial　murder　of　Cranmer。　He　first　conceived　the　idea　of　the　wholesale　massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew；　many　years　before　Catharine　de'　Medici　carried　it　into　operation。　His　ingratitude　was　as　dangerous　as　his　revengeful　fanaticism。　Those　who　had　best　served　his　interests　were　the　least　likely　to　escape　the　consequences　of　his　jealousy。　He　destroyed　Egmont；　who　had　won　for　him　the　splendid　victories　of　St。　Quentin　and　Gravelines；　and　〃with　minute　and　artistic　treachery〃　he　plotted　〃the　disgrace　and　ruin〃　of　Farnese；　〃the　man　who　was　his　near　blood…relation；　and　who　had　served　him　most　faithfully　from　earliest　youth。〃　Contemporary　opinion　even　held　him　accountable　for　the　obscure　deaths　of　his　wife　Elizabeth　and　his　son　Carlos；　but　M。　Gachard　has　shown　that　this　suspicion　is　unfounded。　Philip　appears　perhaps　to　better　advantage　in　his　domestic　than　in　his　political　relations。　Yet　he　was　addicted　to　vulgar　and　miscellaneous　incontinence；　toward　the　close　of　his　life　he　seriously　contemplated　marrying　his　own　daughter　Isabella；　and　he　ended　by　taking　for　his　fourth　wife　his　niece；　Anne　of　Austria；　who　became　the　mother　of　his　half…idiotic　son　and　successor。　We　know　of　no　royal　family；　unless　it　may　be　the　Claudians　of　Rome；　in　which　the　transmission　of　moral　and　intellectual　qualities　is　more　thoroughly　illustrated　than　in　this　Burgundian　race　which　for　two　centuries　held　the　sceptre　of　Spain。　The　son　Philip　and　the　grandmother　Isabella　are　both　needful　in　order　to　comprehend　the　strange　mixture　of　good　and　evil　in　Charles。　But　the　descendants　of　Philiptwo　generations　of　idiocy；　and　a　third　of　utter　impotenceare　a　sufficient　commentary　upon　the　organization　and　character　of　their　progenitor。

Such　was　the　man　who　for　two　generations　had　been　considered　the　bulwark　of　the　Catholic　Church；　who；　having　been　at　the　bottom　of　nearly　all　the　villany　that　had　been　wrought　in　Europe　for　half　a　century；　was　yet　able　to　declare　upon　his　death…bed　that　〃in　all　his　life　he　had　never　consciously　done　wrong　to　any　one。〃　At　a　ripe　old　age　he　died　of　a　fearful　disease。　Under　the　influence　of　a　typhus　fever；　supervening　upon　gout；　he　had　begun　to　decompose　while　yet　alive。　〃His　sufferings；〃　says　Mr。　Motley；　〃were　horrible；　but　no　saint　could　have　manifested　in　them　more　gentle　resignation　or　angelic　patience。　He　moralized　on　the　condition　to　which　the　greatest　princes　might　thus　be　brought　at　last　by　the　hand　of　God；　and　bade　the　Prince　observe　well　his　father's　present　condition；　in　order　that　when　he　too　should　be　laid　thus　low；　he　might　likewise　be　sustained　by　a　conscience　void　of　offence。〃　What　more　is　needed　to　complete　the　disgusting　picture？　Philip　was　fanatical　up　to　the　point　where　fanaticism　borders　upon　hypocrisy。　He　was　possessed　with　a　〃great　moral　idea；〃　the　idea　of　making　Catholicism　the　ruler　of　the　world；　that　he　might　be　the　ruler　of　Catholicism。　Why；　it　may　be　said；　shall　the　charge　of　fanaticism　be　allowed　to　absolve　Isabella　and　extenuate　the　guilt　of　Charles；　while　it　only　strengthens　the　case　against　Philip？　Because　Isabella　persecuted　heretics　in　order　to　save　their　souls　from　a　worse　fate；　while　Philip　burnt　them　in　order　to　get　them　out　of　his　way。　Isabella　would　perhaps　have　gone　to　the　stake　herself；　if　thereby　she　might　have　put　an　end　to　heresy。　Philip　would　have　seen　every　soul　in　Europe　consigned　to　eternal　perdition　before　he　would　have　yielded　up　an　iota　of　his　claims　to　universal　dominion。　He　could　send　Alva　to　browbeat　the　Pope；　as　well　as　to　oppress　the　Netherlanders。　He　could　compass　the　destruction　of　the　orthodox　Egmont　and　Farnese；　as　well　as　of　the　heretical　William。　His　unctuous　piety　only　adds　to　the　abhorrence　with　which　we　regard　him；　and　his　humility　in　face　of　death　is　neither　better　nor　worse　than　the　assumed　humility　which　had　become　second　nature　to　Uriah　Heep。　In　short；　take　him　for　all　in　all；　he　was　probably　the　most　loathsome　character　in　all　European　history。　He　has　frequently　been　called；　by　Protestant　historians；　an　incarnate　devil；　but　we　do　not　think　that　Mephistopheles　would　acknowledge　him。　He　should　rather　be　classed　among　those　creatures　described　by　Dante　as　〃a　Dio　spiacenti　ed　ai　nemici　sui。〃

The　abdication　of　Charles　V。　left　Philip　ruler　over　wider　dominions　than　had　ever　before　been　brought　together　under　the　sway　of　one　man。　In　his　own　right　Philip　was　master　not　only　of　Spain；　but　of　the　Netherlands；　Franche　Comte；　Lombardy；　Naples；　and　Sicily；　with　the　whole　of　North　and　South　America；　besides　which　he　was　married　to　the　Queen　of　England。　In　the　course　of　his　reign　he　became　possessed　of　Portugal；　with　all　its　vast　domains　in　the　East　Indies。　His　revenues　were　greater　than　those　of　any　other　contemporary　monarch；　his　navy　was　considered　invincible；　and　his　army　was　the　best　disciplined　in　Europe。　All　these　great　advantages　he　was　destined　to　throw　to　the　winds。　In　the　strife　for　universal　monarchy；　in　the　mad　endeavour　to　subject　England；　Scotland；　and　France　to　his　own　dominion　and　the　tyranny　of　the　Inquisition；　besides　re…conquering　the　Netherlands；　all　his　vast　resources　were　wasted。　The　Dutch　war　alone；　like　a　bottomless　pit；　absorbed　all　that　he　could　pour　into　it。　Long　before　the　war　was　over；　or　showed　signs　of　drawing　to　an　end；　his　revenues　were　wasted；　and　his　troops　in　Flanders　were　mutinous　for　want　of　pay。　He　had　to　rely　upon　energetic　viceroys　like　Farnese　and　the　Spinolas　to　furnish　funds　out　of　their　own　pockets。　Finally；　he　was　obliged　to　repudiate　all　his　debts；　and　when　he　died　the　Spanish　empire　was　in　such　a　beggarly　condition　that　it　quaked　at　every　approach　of　a　hostile　Dutch　fleet。　Such　a　result　is　not　evidence　of　a　statesmanlike　ability；　but　Philip's　fanatical　selfishness　was　incompatible　with　statesmanship。　He　never　could　be　made　to　believe　that　his　projects　had　suffered　defeat。　No　sooner　had　the　Invincible　Armada　been　sent　to　the　bottom　by　the　guns　of　the　English　fleet　and　the　gales　of　the　German　Ocean；　than　he　sent　orders　to　Farnese　to　invade　England　at　once　with　the　land　force　under　his　command！　He　thought　to　obtain　Scotland；　when；　after　the　death　of　Mary；　it　had　passed　under　the　undisputed　control　of　the　Protestant　noblemen。　He　dreamed　of　securing　for　his　family　the　crown　of　France；　even　after　Henry；　with　free　consent　of　the　Pope；　had　made　his　triumphal　entry　into　Paris。　He　asserted　complete　and　entire　sovereignty　over　the　Netherlands；　even　after　Prince　Maurice　had　won　back　from　him　the　last　square　foot　of　Dutch　territory。　Such　obstinacy　as　this　can　only　be　called　fatuity。　If　Philip　had　lived　in　Pagan　times；　he　would　doubtless；　like　Caligula；　have　demanded　recognition　of　his　own　divinity。

The　miserable　condition　of　the　Spanish　people　under　this　terrible　reign；　and　the　causes　of　their　subsequent　degeneracy；　have　been　well　treated　by　Mr。　Motley。　The　causes　of　the　failure　of　Spanish　civilization　are　partly　social　and　partly　economical；　and　they　had　been　operating　for　eight　hundred　years　when　Philip　succeeded　to　the　throne。　The　Moorish　conquest　in　711　had　practically　isolated　Spain　from　the　rest　of　Europe。　In　the　Crusades　she　took　no　part；　and　reaped　none　of　the　signal　advantages　resulting　from　that　great　movement。　Her　whole　energies　were　directed　toward　throwing　off　the　yoke　of　her　civilized　but　〃unbelieving〃　oppressors。　For　a　longer　time　than　has　now　elapsed　since　the　Norman　Conquest　of　England；　the　entire　Gothic　population　of　Spain　was　engaged　in　unceasing　religious　and　patriotic　warfare。　The　unlimited　power　thus　acquired　by　an　unscrupulous　clergy；　and　the　spirit　of　uncompromising　bigotry　thus　imparted　to　the　whole　nation；　are　in　this　way　readily　accounted　for。　But　in　spite　of　this；　the　affairs　of　Spain　at　the　accession　of　Charles　V。　were　not　in　an　unpromising　condition。　The　Spanish　Visigoths　had　been　the　least　barbarous　of　the　Teutonic　settlers　within　the　limits　of　the　Empire；　their　civil　institutions　were　excellent；　their　cities　had　obtained　municipal　liberties　at　an　earlier　date　than　those　of　England；　and　their　Parliaments　indulged　in　a　liberty　of　speech　which　would　have　seemed　extravagant　even　to　De　Montfort。　So　late　as　the　time　of　Ferdinand；　the　Spaniards　were　still　justly　proud　of　their　freedom；　and　the　chivalrous　ambition　which　inspired　the　marvellous　expedition　of　Cortes　to　Mexico；　and　covered　the　soil　of　Italy　with　Spanish　armies；　was　probably　in　the　main　a　healthy　one。　But　the　forces　of　Spanish　freedom　were　united　at　too　late　an　epoch；　in　1492；　the　power　of　despotism　was　already　in　the　ascendant。　In　England　the　case　was　different。　The　barons　were　enabled　to　combine　and　wrest　permanent　privileges　from　the　crown；　at　a　time　when　feudalism　was　strong。　But　the　Spanish　communes　waited　for　combined　action　until　feudalism　had　become　weak；　and　modern　despotism；　with　its　standing　armies　and　its　control　of　the　spiritual　power；　was　arrayed　in　the　ranks　against　them。　The　War　of　the　Communes；　early　in　the　reign　of　Charles　V。；　irrevocably　decided　the　case　in　favour　of　despotism；　and　from　that　date　the　internal　decline　of　Spain　may　be　said　to　have　begun。

But　the　triumphant　consolidation　of　the　spiritual　and　temporal　powers　of　despotism；　and　the　abnormal　development　of　loyalty　and　bigotry；　were　not　the　only　evil　results　of　the　chronic　struggle　in　which　Spain　had　been　engaged。　For　many　centuries；　while　Christian　Spain　had　been　but　a　fringe　of　debatable　border…land　on　the　skirts　of　the　Moorish　kingdom；　perpetual　guerilla　warfare　had　rendered　consecutive　labour　difficult　or　impracticable；　and　the　physical　configuration　of　the　country　contributed　in　bringing　about　this　result。　To　plunder　the　Moors　across　the　border　was　easier　than　to　till　the　ground　at　home。　Then　as　the　Spaniards；　exemplifying　the　military　superiority　of　the　feudal　over　the　sultanic　form　of　social　organization；　proceeded　steadily　to　recover　dominion　over　the　land；　the　industrious　Moors；　instead　of　migrating　backward　before　the　advance　of　their　conquerors；　remained　at　home　and　submitted　to　them。　Thus　Spanish　society　became　compounded　of　two　distinct　castes；the　Moorish　Spaniards；　who　were　skilled　labourers；　and　the　Gothic　Spaniards；　by　whom　all　labour；　crude　or　skilful；　was　deemed　the　stigma　of　a　conquered　race；　and　unworthy　the　attention　of　respectable　people。　As　Mr。　Motley　concisely　says：

〃The　highest　industrial　and　scientific　civilization　that　had　been　exhibited　upon　Spanish　territory　was　that　of　Moors　and　Jews。　When　in　the　course　of　time　those　races　had　been　subjugated；　massacred；　or　driven　into　exile；　not　only　was　Spain　deprived　of　its　highest　intellectual　culture　and　its　most　productive　labour；　but　intelligence；　science；　and　industry　were　accounted　degrading；　because　the　mark　of　inferior　and　detested　peoples。〃

This　is　the　key　to　the　whole　subsequent　history　of　Spain。　Bigotry；　loyalty；　and　consecrated　idleness　are　the　three　factors　which　have　made　that　great　country　what　it　is　to…day；the　most　backward　region　in　Europe。　In　view　of　the　circumstances　just　narrated；　it　is　not　surprising　to　learn　that　in　Philip　II。's　time　a　vast　portion　of　the　real　estate　of　the　country　was　held　by　the　Church　in　mor