to my memory on that account; but now, when I voluntarily refign to you what I might have ftill retained, I may well expect the warmest expreffions of thanks on your part. With thefe, however, I difpenfe; and fhall confider your concern for the welfare of your fubjects, and your love of them, as the best and most acceptable teftimony of your gratitude to me. It is in your power, by a wife and virtuous administration, to justify the extraordinary proof which I give this day of my paternal affection, and to demonstrate that you are worthy of the confidence which I repofe in you. Preferve an inviolable regard for religion; maintain the Catholic faith in its purity; let the laws of your country be facred in your eyes; encroach not on the rights and privileges of your people; and if the time shall ever come, when you fhall with to enjoy the tranquillity of private life, may you have a fon endowed with fuch qualities, that you can relign your fceptre to him with as much fatisfaction as I give up mine to you." As foon as Charles had finished this long address to his fubjects, and to their new fovereign, he funk into the chair, exhausted and ready to faint with the fatigue of so exiraordinary an effort. During his difcourfe, the whole audience melted into tears; fome from admiration of his magnanimity; others foftened by the expreffions of tenderness towards his fon, and of love to his people; and all were affected with the deepest forrow at lofing a fovereign who had diftinguished the Netherlands, his native country, with particular marks of his regard and attachment. SECTION XXVII. The fame Subject continued. A FEW weeks after the refignation of the Netherlands, Charles, in an affembly no lefs fplendid, and with a ceremonial equally pompous, refigned to his fon the crowns of Spain, with all the territories depending on them, both in the old and in the new world. Of all thefe vast possesfions, he referved nothing for himself, but an annual penfion of an hundred thousand crowns, to defray the charges of his family, and to afford him a fmall fum for acts of beneficence and charity. Nothing now remained to detain him from that retreat for which he languifhed. Every thing having been prepared fome time for his voyage, he fet out for Zuitburgi in Zealand, where the fleet had orders to rendezvous. his way thither, he passed through Ghent; and after stopping there a few days, to indulge that tender and pleafing melancholy, which arifes in the mind of every man in the decline of life, on vifiting the place of his nativity, and viewing the fcenes and objects familiar to him in his early youth, he pursued his journey, accompanied by his fon Philip, his daughter the arch duchefs, his fifters the dowager queens of France and Hungary, Maximilian his fon-inlaw, and a numerous retinue of the Flemish nobility. Before he went on board, he difmiffed them with marks of his attention or regard; and taking leave of Philip with all the tenderness of a father, who embraced his fon for the last time, he fet fail under convoy of a large fleet of Spanish, Flemish, and Englifh fhips. His voyage was profperous and agreeable; and he arrived at Laredo in Biscay, on the eleventh day after he left Zealand. As foon as he landed, he fell proftrate on the ground; and confidering himself now as dead to the world, he kiffed the earth, and faid, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked I now return to thee, thou common mother of mankind." From Laredo he proceeded to Valladolid. There he took a laft and tender leave of his two fillers whom he would not permit to accompany him to his folitude, though they entreated it with tears; not only that they might have the confolation of contributing, by their attendance and care, to mitigate or to footh his fufferings, but that they might reap instruction and benefit, by joining with him in those pious exercises, ta which he had confecrated the remainder of his days. From Valladolid, he continued his journey to Plazencia in Eftremadura. He had paffed through that city a great many years before; and having been truck at that time with the delightful fituation of the monaftery of St Juftus, belonging to the order of St. Jerome, not many miles dif tant from that place, he had then obferved to fome of his attendants, that this was a fpot to which Dioclefian might have retired with pleafure. The impreffion had remained fo ftrong on his mind, that he pitched upon it as the place of his retreat. It was feated in a vale of no great extent, watered by a fmall brook, and furrounded by rifing grounds, covered with lofty trees; from the nature of the foil, as well as the temperature of the climate, it was efteemed the most healthful and delicious fituation in Spain. Some months before his refignation, he had fent an arch On itect thither, to add a new apartment to the monastery, for his accommodation; but he gave strict orders, that the ftyle of the building fhould be fuch as fuited his prefent station, rather than his former dignity. It confifted only of fix rooms, four of them in the form of friars' cells, with naked walls; the other two, each twenty feet fquare, were hung with brown cloth, and furnished in the most simple manner. They were all on a level with the ground; with a door on one fide into a garden, of which Charies himfelt had given the plan, and had filled it with various plants, which he propofed to cultivate with his own hands. the other fide, they communicated with the chapel of the monaftery, in which he was to perform his devotions. Into this humble retreat, hardly fufficient for the comfortable accommodation of a private gentleman, did Charles enter, with twelve domestics only. He buried there, in folitude and filence, his grandeur, his ambition, together with all thofe vaft projects, which, during half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe; filling every kingdom in it, by turns, which the terror of his arms and the dread of being fubjected to his power. In this retirement, Charles formed fuch a plan of life for himself, as would have fuited the condition of a private perfon of a moderate fortune. His table was neat, but plain; his domeftics few; his intercourse with them familiar; all the cumbersome and ceremonious forms of attendance on his perfon were entirely abolished, as deftructive of that focial eafe and tranquillity, which he courted, in order to footh the remainder of his days. As the mildness of the climate, together with his deliverance from the burdens and cares of government,procured him, at first, a confiderable remiffion from the acute pains with which he had been long tormented, he enjoyed, perhaps, more complete fatisfaction in this humble folitude, than all his grandeur had ever yielded him. The ambitious thoughts and projects, which had fo long engroffed and difquieted him, were quite effaced from his mind. Far from taking any part in the political tranfactions of the princes of Europe, he restrained his curiofity, even from any inquiry concerning them and he feemed to view the bufy fcene which he had abandoned, with all the contempt and indifference arifing from his thorough experience of its vanity, as well as from the pleafing reflection of having difantilalmfelf from its cares. : 1. .. + Daar: and after topunder and pleafing * Le mod u every man in the A c f as acvity, and miru im in his early 21:3 come accompanied by his fon Le te mes as inters the dowa. Is at ang. Mamitan his fon-inA mene Femih nocility. Bevar e finder them with marks of diet & ras, and ng leave of Philip with de there's after w:0 encraced his fon for me, te e al mercy of a large fleet of St., Demih, and Layth hiss. Ho voyage was probes and agreeable; and he ar ed at Laredo in Buicar, on the eleventh day after he f: Zealand. As foon as he landed, he fell proftrate on Je ground; and condering bimet now as dead to the world, he killed the earth, and faid, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked I now return to thee, thog common mother of mankind." From Laredo he proceeded to Valladolid. There he took a laft and tender leave of his two fillers whom he would not permit to ac company him to his folitude, though they entreated it with tears not only that they might have the confolation of contributing, by their attendance and care, to mitigate or to bench his fufferings, but that they might reap inftruction mind benefit, by joining with him in thofe pious exercises, to which he had confecrated the remainder of his days. From Valladolid, he continued his journey to Plazencia in Fitremadura, He had palled through that city a great many years before and having been truck at that time with the delightful fituation of the monaftery of St Juftus, belonging to the order of St. Jerome, not many miles dif tant from that place, he had then obferved to fome of his attendants, that this was a fpot to which Dioclefian might have retired with pleature. The impreffion had remained (trong on his mind, that he pitched upon it as the place of his recreat fested in vale of no great extent, Watered A nd furroun rifing of the Toil ras ef Spain. itect thither, to add a new apartment to the monaftery, for his accommodation; but he gave ftrict orders, that the ftyle of the building fhould be fuch as fuited his prefent station, rather than his former dignity. It confifted only of fix rooms, four of them in the form of friars' cells, with naked walls; the other two, each twenty feet fquare, were hung with brown cloth, and furnished in the most simple manner. They were all on a level with the ground; with a door on one fide into a garden, of which Charics himfelt had given the plan, and had filled it with various plants, which he propofed to cultivate with his own hands. On the other fide, they communicated with the chapel of the monastery, in which he was to perform his devotions. Into this humble retreat, hardly fufficient for the comfortable accommodation of a private gentleman, did Charles enter, with twelve domestics only. He buried there, in folitude and filence, his grandeur, his ambition, together with all thofe vaft projects, which, during half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe; filling every kingdom in it, by turns, which the terror of his arms and the dread of being fubjected to his power. In this retirement, Charles formed fuch a plan of life for himself, as would have fuited the condition of a private perfon of a moderate fortune. His table was neat, but plain; his domestics few; his intercourse with them familiar; all the cumbersome and ceremonious forms of attendance on his perfon were entirely abolished, as destructive of that focial cafe and tranquillity, which he courted, in order to footh the remainder of his days. As the mildness of the climate, together with his deliverance from the burdens and cares of government,procured him, at first, a confiderable remiffion from the acute pains with which he had been long tormented, he enjoyed, perhaps, more complete fatisfaction in this humble folitude, than all his grandeur had ever yielded him. The ambitious thoughts and projects, which had fo long engroffed and difquieted him, were quite effaced from his mind. Far from taking any part in the political tranfactions of the princes of Europe, he restrained his curiofity, even from any inquiry concerning them and he feemed to view the bufy fcene which he andoned, with all the contempt and indifference n his thorough experience of its vanity, as well pleafing reflection of having difentonalm cares. |