Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/145

 1920 REVIEWS OF BOOKS 137 Many, on the other hand, from the archives of Vienna, Brussels, and Lille, are here published for the first time. But, whether the letters are fresh or not, their cumulative effect as they harp one after another on the same topic, and are read at the same sitting from a single book, gives a much more intimate impression of Ferdinand's aims, difficulties, and character. Family letters, indeed, they scarcely are in the ordinary sense, for only a few show personal feeling, and most were doubtless read by the ministers of the sovereign either wiiting or addressed. Ferdinand has to warn Charles to remind his secretaries of the original meaning of their title, for extracts had oozed out to persons to whom reference was made before the letters had reached himself. It may be remembered that the acquain- tance of Ferdinand with Charles, with his young sister Mary, and with his aunt Margaret was extremely slight. Nevertheless the difference of tem- perament between the brothers is clearly seen even in the correspondence of a semi-official character. Charles is serious and cautious, always predisposed to delay decision, to enjoy, according to his later favourite phrase, the benefit of time. A good example of his caution may be found in his long letter of 23 November 1526, with which he forwards the investi- ture of Bohemia, for which Ferdinand had asked. He warns him to make sure that his new subjects will not take it ill before he uses it, since some would have it that the kingdom was exempt from imperial suzerainty. Ever since the mimmer of 1524 Charles kept repeating that he would come to Italy and be crowned, and then extirpate la mauldife secte of Lutherans, but his own marriage, the fresh outbreak of war with France, the danger of the sea passage, the humiliating inadequacy of his forces in Italy, kept deferring action much to Ferdinand's chagrin. His letters are not without quiet touches of domestic humour. He assures his brother on 4 February 1525 that la demoiselle de fievre ne me fait grand mal ; to Ferdinand's complaints of indebtedness he replies that arrears were an epidemic malady of which he too had had his share ; in announcing that he had entered the marriage estate he adds that he finds it suits him very well. In contrast to Charles Ferdinand is full of impulse and impatience, changing his views rapidly, and eagerly impressing the need of immediate action. After the victory of Pavia he urged Charles to throw all his force upon the French and destroy their power ; then, shortly afterwards, in view of fresh troubles, he implored him to make peace with Francis at almost any price, and not risk Austria and Germany for such a bagatelle as the duchy of Burgundy. Ferdinand, indeed, considering his purely Spanish upbringing, very rapidly adopted a German point of view. He clearly thought that Charles was slow in appreciating the Lutheran danger ; he pressed this upon him in November 1522, and on 12 June 1524 implored him to prendre la chosse a cuer, come il est hien hesoin et la raison le requiert. It is interesting to find him in favour of a policy of family federation in Germany which Charles later adopted. On 13 June 1524 he begged him to marry Eleanor to her former admirer Frederick of the Palatinate instead of to Bourbon or Francesco Sforza, whose fortunes were as insecure as their morals were suspect, and to give Catherine, not to the king of Portugal, but to the nephew of the elector of Saxony, or the heir of Joachim of Brandenburg : this, he wrote, would be of more value for uniting