Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/432

406 406 XIMENES. PART II. Archbishop ofGranada. His mild policy. After the conquest, he exchanged the bishopric of Avila for the archiepiscopal see of Granada. Notwithstanding the wishes of the sovereigns, he refused to accept any increase of emohiment in this new and more exalted station. His revenues, in- deed, which amounted to two millions of maravedies annually, were somewhat less than he before en- joyed.^ The greater part of this sum he liberally expended on public improvements and works of charity ; objects, which, to their credit be it spoken, have rarely failed to engage a large share of the at- tention and resources of the higher Spanish clergy.^ The subject which pressed most seriously on the mind of the good archbishop, was the conversion of the Moors, whose spiritual blindness he regarded with feelings of tenderness and charity, very differ ent from those entertained by most of his reverend brethren. He proposed to accomplish this by the most rational method possible. Though late in life, he set about learning Arabic, that he might commu- nicate with the Moors in their own language, and commanded his clergy to do the same. ^ He pany, dancing, and the like heinous offences. The whole savours more of the sharp twang of Puritanism than of the Roman Catholic school. But bigotry is neutral ground, on which the most opposite sects may meet. ^ Pedraza, Aniiguedad de Gran- ada, lib. 3, cap. 10. — Marmol,lib. 1, cap. 21. Equivalent to 56,000 dollars of the present day ; a sum which Pe- draza makes do quite as hard duty, according to its magnitude, as the 500 pounds of Pope's Man of Ross. 5 Pedraza, ubi supr. — Oviedo, Quincuagenas, MS., dial, de Tala- vcra. The worthy archbishop's bene- factions on some occasions were of rather an extraordinary character. " Pidiendole limosna,"' says Pe- draza, " una muger que no tenia camisa, se entro en una casa, y se desnudo la suya y so la dio ; di- ziendo con san Pedro, No tengo oro ni plata que darte, doyte lo que tengo." Antiguedad de Granada, lib. 3, cap. 10. c Marmol, Rebelion de Moriscos,