Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/122

96 96 INSANITY OF JOANJJA. PART II. Her illness and forti- tude. of her people, whose welfare was to be committed to such incompetent hands. These domestic griefs were still further swelled at this time by the death of two of her ancient friends and counsellors, Juan Chacon, adelantado of Murcia,^^ and Gutierre de Cardenas, grand commander of Leon.^^ Thej had attached themselves to Isabella in the early part of her life, when her fortunes were still under a cloud ; and they afterwards reaped the requital of their services in such ample honors and emoluments as royal gratitude could bestow, and in the full enjoy- ment of her confidence, to which their steady devo- tion to her interests well entitled them.'^ But neither the domestic troubles which pressed so heavily on Isabella's heart, nor the rapidly de- clining state of her own health, had power to blunt 14 " Espejo de bondad," mirror of virtue, as Oviedo styles this cav- alier. He was always much re- garded by the sovereijjns, and the lucrative post of contador mayor, which he filled for many years, enabled him to acquire an immense estate, 50,000 ducats a year, with- out imputation on his honesty. Quincuagenas, MS., bat. 1, quinc. 2, dial. 2. 15 The name of this cavalier, as well as that of his cousin, Alonso de Cardenas, grand master of St. James, have become familiar to us in the Granadine war. If Don Gutierre made a less brilliant fig- ure than the latter, he accjuired, by means of his intimacy with the sovereigns, and his personal quali- ties, as great weight in tlie royal councils as any subject in the king- dom. " Nothing of any impor- tance," says Oviedo, " was done without his advice." He was raised to the important posts of comendador de Leon, and contador mayor, which last, in the words of the same author, " made its pos- sessor a second king over the pub- lic treasury." He left large es- tates, and more than five thousand vassals. His eldest son was cre- ated duke of Maqueda. Quincua- genas, MS., bat. 1, quinc. 2, dial. 1. — Col. de Ced., torn. v. no. 182. i" Peter Martyr, Opus Epist., episl. 255. — Gomez de Rebus Ges- tis, fol. 45. — For some further ac- count of these individuals see Part I. Chapter 11, note 10. Martyr thus panegyrizes the queen's fortitude under her accu- mulated sorrows. " Sentit, licet constantissima sit, et sujjra fa>mi- nam prudens, has alapas fortunte saM-ienlis rcgina, ita concussa fiuc- tibus undique, veluti vasta vupes, maris in medio." Opus ICpist., loo. cit.