Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/127

101 liNVASION OF SFAIiN. 10 | at the prospect of a speedy encounter with the chapter enemy, whose defeat, whatever glory it might re- '- fleet on her own arms, could be purchased only at the expense of Christian blood. She wrote in earnest terms to her husband, requesting him not to drive his enemies to despair by closing up their retreat to their own land, but to leave vengeance to Him, to whom alone it belonged. She passed her days, together with her whole household, in fasting and continual prayer, and, in the fervor of her pious zeal, personally visited the several reli- gious houses of the city, distributing alms among their holy inmates, and imploring them humbly to supplicate the Almighty to avert the impending calamity. ^^ The prayers of the devout queen and her court Ferdinan.vs i •' * successes. found favor with Heaven.^^ King Ferdinand reach- ed Perpignan on the 19th of October, and on that same night the French marshal, finding himself unequal to the rencontre with the combined forces of Spain, broke up his camp, and, setting fire to his tents, began his retreat towards the frontier, having consumed nearly six weeks since first opening 22 Peter Martyr, Opus Epist., greatly to replenish their coffers, epist. 263. as well as those of their faithful and The loyal captain, Ayora, shows loving subjects." See this grace- little of this Christian vein. He con- less petition in his Cartas, carta 9, eludes one of his letters with pray- p. 66. ing, no doubt most sincerely, "that 23 "Exaudivit igitur sanctse re- the Almighty would be pleased to ginae religiosorumque ac virginum infuse less benevolence into the preces summus Altitonans." (Pe- hearts of the sovereigns, and incite ter Martyr, Opus Epist., epist. them to chastise and humble the 263.) The learned Theban bor- proud French, and strip them of rows an epithet more familiar to their ill-gotten possessions, which, Greek and Roman, than to Chris- however repugnant to their own tian ears. godly inclinations, would tend