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antagonist； however；the Philip whom God for some inscrutable purpose permitted to afflict Europe during a reign of forty…two years；accompanies us nearly to the end of the present work； dying just in time for the historian to sum up the case against him； and pronounce final judgment。 For the memory of Philip II。 Mr。 Motley cherishes no weak pity。 He rarely alludes to him without commenting upon his total depravity； and he dismisses him with the remark that 〃if there are vicesas possibly there arefrom which he was exempt； it is because it is not permitted to human nature to attain perfection in evil。〃 The verdict is none the less just because of its conciseness。 If there ever was a strife between Hercules and Cacus； between Ormuzd and Ahriman； between the Power of Light and the Power of Darkness； it was certainly the strife between the Prince of Orange and the Spanish Monarch。 They are contrasted like the light and shade in one of Dore's pictures。 And yet it is perhaps unnecessary for Mr。 Motley to say that if Philip had been alive when Spinola won for him the great victory of Ostend； 〃he would have felt it his duty to make immediate arrangements for poisoning him。〃 Doubtless the imputation is sufficiently justified by what we know of Philip； but it is uncalled for。 We do not care to hear about what the despot might have done。 We know what he did do； and the record is sufficiently damning。 There is no harm in our giving the Devil his due； or as Llorente wittily says； 〃Il ne faut pas calomnier meme l'Inquisition。〃
Philip inherited all his father's bad qualities； without any of his good ones； and so it is much easier to judge him than his father。 Charles； indeed； is one of those characters whom one hardly knows whether to love or hate； to admire or despise。 He had much bad blood in him。 Charles the Bold and Ferdinand of Aragon were not grandparents to be proud of。 Yet with all this he inherited from his grandmother Isabella much that one can like； and his face； as preserved by Titian； in spite of its frowning brow and thick Burgundian lip； is rather prepossessing； while the face of Philip is simply odious。 In intellect he must probably be called great； though his policy often betrayed the pettiness of selfishness。 If； in comparison with the mediaeval emperor whose fame he envied； he may justly be called Charles the Little； he may still； when compared to a more modern emulator of Charlemagne；the first of the Bonapartes；be considered great and enlightened。 If he could lie and cheat more consummately than any contemporary monarch； not excepting his rival； Francis； he could still be grandly magnanimous； while the generosity of Francis flowed only from the shallow surface of a maudlin good…nature。 He spoke many languages and had the tastes of a scholar； while his son had only the inclinations of an unfeeling pedagogue。 He had an inkling of urbanity； and could in a measure become all things to all men； while Philip could never show himself except as a gloomy； impracticable bigot。 It is for some such reasons as these； I suppose； that Mr。 Buckleno friend to despotsspeaks well of Charles； and that Mr。 Froude is moved to tell the following anecdote： While standing by the grave of Luther； and musing over the strange career of the giant monk whose teachings had gone so far to wreck his most cherished schemes and render his life a failure； some fanatical bystander advised the Emperor to have the body taken up and burned in the market…place。 〃There was nothing；〃 says Mr。 Froude； 〃unusual in the proposal； it was the common practice of the Catholic Church with the remains of heretics； who were held unworthy to be left in repose in hallowed ground。 There was scarcely； perhaps another Catholic prince who would have hesitated to comply。 But Charles was one of nature's gentlemen。 He answered； 'I war not with the dead。' 〃 Mr。 Motley takes a less charitable view of the great Emperor。 His generous indignation against all persecutors makes him severe； and in one of his earlier volumes； while speaking of the famous edicts for the suppression of heresy in the Netherlands； he somewhere uses the word 〃murder。〃 Without attempting to palliate the crime of persecution； I doubt if it is quite fair to Charles to call him a murderer。 We must not forget that persecution； now rightly deemed an atrocious crime； was once really considered by some people a sacred duty； that it was none other than the compassionate Isabella who established the Spanish Inquisition； and that the 〃bloody〃 Mary Tudor was a woman who would not wilfully have done wrong。 With the progress of civilization the time will doubtless come when warfare； having ceased to be necessary； will be thought highly criminal； yet it will not then be fair to hold Marlborough or Wellington accountable for the lives lost in their great battles。 We still live in an age when war is； to the imagination of some persons； surrounded with false glories； and the greatest of modern generals＇32＇ has still many undiscriminating admirers。 Yet the day is no less certainly at hand when the edicts of Charles V。 will be deemed a more pardonable offence against humanity than the wanton march to Moscow。
＇32＇ This was written before the deeds of Moltke had eclipsed those of Napoleon。
Philip II。 was different from his father in capacity as a drudging clerk； like Boutwell； is different from a brilliant financier like Gladstone。 In organization he differed from him as a boor differs from a gentleman。 He seemed made of a coarser clay。 The difference between them is well indicated by their tastes at the table。 Both were terrible gluttons； a fact which puritanic criticism might set down as equally to the discredit of each of them。 But even in intemperance there are degrees of refinement； and the impartial critic of life and manners will no doubt say that if one must get drunk； let it be on Chateau Margaux rather than on commissary whiskey。 Pickled partridges； plump capons； syrups of fruits； delicate pastry； and rare fish went to make up the diet of Charles in his last days at Yuste。 But the beastly Philip would make himself sick with a surfeit of underdone pork。
Whatever may be said of the father； we can hardly go far wrong in ascribing the instincts of a murderer to the son。 He not only burned heretics； but he burned them with an air of enjoyment and self…complacency。 His nuptials with Elizabeth of France were celebrated by a vast auto…da…fe。 He studied murder as a fine art； and was as skilful in private assassinations as Cellini was in engraving on gems。 The secret execution of Montigny； never brought to light until the present century； was a veritable chef d'oeuvre of this sort。 The cases of Escobedo and Antonio Perez may also be cited in point。 Dark suspicions hung around the premature death of Don John of Austria； his too brilliant and popular half…brother。 He planned the murder of William the Silent； and rewarded the assassin with an annuity furnished by the revenues of the victim's confiscated estates。 He kept a staff of ruffians constantly in service for the purpose of taking off Elizabeth； Henry IV。； Prince Maurice； Olden…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 decla