Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/472

444 444 FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. PART II. had little relish for popular assemblies. He con- vened them as rarely as possible in Aragon,^^ and, when he did, omitted no effort to influence their deliberations.^^ He anticipated, perhaps, similar dijfficulties in Castile, after his second marriage had lost him the affections of the people. At any rate, he evaded calling them together on more than cue occasion imperiously demanded by the constitu- tion;^^ and, when he did so, he invaded their privileges, ^^ and announced principles of govern- 33 Capmany, however, under- states the number, when he limits it to four sessions only during this whole reign. Practica y Eslilo, p. 62. 34 See Part II., Chapter 12, note 7, of this History. — " Si quis ali- quid," says Martyr, speaking of a cortes general held at Monzon, by Queen Germaine, " sibi contra jus illatum putat, aut a regia corona quasquam deberi existimat, nun- quam dissolvuntur conventus, do- nee conquerenti satisfiat, neque Regibus parere in exigendis pecu- niis, solent aliter. Regina quotidie scribit, se vexari eorurn petitioni- bus, nee exsolvere se quire, quod se maxime optare ostendit. Rex imminentis necessitatis bellicce vim proponit, ut in aliud tempus quere- las diderant, per literas, per nun- tios, per ministros, eonventum pros- sidentesque horlatur monetque, et summissis fere verbis rogare vide- tur." 1512. (Opus Epist., epist. 493.) Blancas notices Ferdinand's astuteness, who, instead of money granted by the Aragonese with difficulty and reservations, usually applied for troops at once, which were furnished and paid by the state. (Mode de Proceder, fol. 100, 101.) Zurita tells us, that both the king and queen were averse to meetings of cortes in Cas- tile oftener than absolutely neces- sary, and both took care, on such occasions, to have their own agents near the deputies, to influence their proceedings. " Todas las vezes que en lo passado el Rey, y la Reyna doHa Isabel llamauan k cor- tes en Castilla, temian de las 11a- mar : y despues de llamados, y ayuntados los procuradores, ponian tales personas de su parte, que continiiamente se juntassen con ellos ; por escusar lo que podria resultar de aquellosayuntamientos : y tambien por darles a entender, que no tenian tanto poder, quanto ellos se imaginauan." (Anales, torn. vi. fol. 96.) This course is as repugnant to Isabella's character as it is in keeping with her hus- band's. Under their joint admin- istration, it is not always easy to discriminate the part which belongs to each. Their respective charac- ters, and political conduct in affairs where they were separately con- cerned, furnish us a pretty safe clue to our judgment in others. 3^ As, fur example, both when he resigned, and resumed the re- gency. See Part II., Chapters 17, 20. 36 In the first cortes after Isa- bella's death, at Toro, in 1505, Ferdinand introduced the practice, which has since obtained, of admin-