Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/107

83 SURRENDER OF THE CAPITAL. 33 completion of the ceremony, the new knight con- chapter ferred the honors of chivalry in like manner on " several of his young companions in arms. * In the following autumn, Ferdinand repeated his Ferdmand'b ° ' -"^ policy. ravages in the vega, and, at the same time appear- ing before the disaffected city of Guadix with a force large enough to awe it into submission, pro- posed an immediate investigation of the conspiracy. He promised to inflict summary justice on all who had been in any degree concerned in it ; at the same time offering permission to the inhabitants, in the abundance of his clemency, to depart with all their personal effects wherever they would, provid- ed they should prefer this to a judicial investiga- tion of their conduct. This politic proffer had its effect. There were few, if any of the citizens, who had not been either directly concerned in the conspiracy, or privy to it. With one accord, there- fore, they preferred exile to trusting to the tender mercies of their judges. In this way, says the Curate of Los Palacios, by the mystery of our Lord, was the ancient city of Guadix brought again within the Christian fold ; the mosques converted into Christian temples, filled with the harmonies of Catholic worship, and the pleasant places, which for nearly eight centuries had been trampled under the foot of the infidel, were once more restored to the followers of the Cross. A similar policy produced similar results in the 4 L. Marineo, Cosas Memora- les, torn. iv. cap. 85. — Cardonne, bles, fol. 176. — Pulgar, Reyes Hist. d'Afrique et d'Espagne, torn. Oat61icos, cap. 130. — Zrrita, Ana- iii. p. 309.