Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/248

222 THE REGENCY OF FERDINAND. PART II. Reach Co- ruiia. for nearly three months. During this time, Henry the Seventh availed himself of the situation and inexperience of his young guest so far, as to extort from him two treaties, not altogether reconcilable, as far as the latter was concerned, with sound pol- icy or honor. ^^ The respect which the English monarch entertained for Ferdinand the Catholic, as well as their family connexion, led him to offer his services as a common mediator between the father and son. He would have persuaded the latter, says Lord Bacon, " to be ruled by the counsel of a prince, so prudent, so experienced, and so fortunate as King Ferdinand;" to which the archduke re- plied, " If his father-in-law would let him govern Castile, he should govern him."®^ At length Philip, having reassembled his Flemish fleet at Weymouth, embarked with Joanna and his numerous suite of courtiers and military retainers, and reached Coruna, in the northwestern corner of Galicia, after a prosperous voyage, on the 28th of April. A short time previous to this event, the count of Cifuentes having passed into France for the pur- pose, the betrothed bride of King Ferdinand quitted that country under his escort, attended by a bril- 31 Bernaldez, Reyes Catolicos, MS., cap. 204. — Carbajal, Anales, MS.,ano 1500.-81. Gekiis, Hist, de Loiiys XII., p. 180. — Bacon, Hist, of Ilciiry VII., Works, vol. V. pp. 177-171). — Giiicciardini, Istona, HI). 7. — IJyiner, Fccdera, torn. xiii. pp. 123 - 132. One was a commercial treaty will) Flanders, so disastrous as to be known in that country by the name of " malus intercursus " ; the other involved the surrender of the unfortunate duke of Sufi'olk. •■i2 Bacon, Hist, of Henry VII., W^orks, vol. V. p. 179.