Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/312

288 ^388 ITALIAN WARS. PART fidence and martial courage, the only virtues that __J___ he possessed, at the crisis when they were most demanded, had precipitately abandoned his king- dom while the French were at Rome, and taken refuge in Sicily, where he formally abdicated the crown in favor of his son, Ferdinand the Second. This prince, then twenty-five years of age, whose amiable manners were rendered still more attrac- tive by contrast with the ferocious temper of his father, was possessed of talent and energy compe- tent to the present emergency, had he been sus- tained by his subjects. But the latter, besides being struck with the same panic which had par- alyzed the other people of Italy, had too little in- terest in the government to be willing to hazard much in its defence. A change of dynasty was only a change of masters, by which they had little either to gain or to lose. Though favorably in- clined to Ferdinand, they refused to stand by him in his perilous extremity. They gave way in every direction, as the French advanced, rendering hope- less every attempt of their spirited young monarch to rally them, till at length no alternative was left, but to abandon his dominions to the enemy, with- out striking a blow in their defence. He withdrew to the neighbouring island of Ischia, whence he soon after passed into Sicily, and occupied himself there in collecting the fragments of his party, until the time should arrive for more decisive action.^' 48 Comines, M6moires, liv. 7, mirato, Istorie Fiorentine, torn, iii chap. IC. — Villencuve, Mdmoircs, lib. 2G. — Summonte, Hist, di Na- apud Petitot, Collection des M6- poli, torn. iii. lib. G, cap. 1, 2. moires, torn. xii. p. 260. — Am-