Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/200

174 174 ILLNESS AND DEATH OF ISABELLA. PART life eternal with her God in heaven. I write this," II. he concludes, " between hope and fear, while the breath is still fluttering within her."^ nat'ioll"'^'^'' '^^^ deepest gloom now overspread the nation. Even Isabella's long illness had failed to prepare the minds of her faithful people for the sad catas- trophe. They recalled several ominous circum- stances which had before escaped their attention. In the preceding spring, an earthquake, accom- panied by a tremendous hurricane, such as the oldest men did not remember, had visited Andalu- sia, and especially Carmona, a place belonging to the queen, and occasioned frightful desolation there. The superstitious Spaniards now read in these portents the prophetic signs, by which Heaven an- nounces some great calamity. Prayers were put up in every temple ; processions and pilgrimages made in every part of the country for the recovery of their beloved sovereign, — but in vain.^ Isabella, in the mean time, was deluded with no false hopes. She felt too surely the decay of her bodily strength, and she resolved to perform what temporal duties yet remained for her, while her faculties were still unclouded. Her testa- Qtt thc 12th of Octobcr shc executed that ccle- ent. 1504. brated testament, which reflects so clearly the pe- culiar qualities of her mind and character. She begins with prescribing the arrangements for her 7 Opus Epist., epist. 276. bay, Compcndio, torn. ii. lib. 19, 8 Bernaldcz, Reyes Cat61icos, cap. 10. — Zufiisa, Annalesde Se- MS., cap. 200, 201.— Carbajal, villa, pp. 423, 421. Anales, MS., ailo 1504. — Gari- iiient. 15 Oct. 12,