Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 62.djvu/185

Rh father or mother. Both of Philip's marriages were from the biological point of view extremely unwise, the first being worse than the second, as Mary was a daughter of John III. of Portugal, who was weak and bigoted, in fact, a man much like Philip himself. Philip's wife was doubly related to him, being both first and second cousin, and this relation coming by way of the insane ancestors. So what wonder that the child of this union, Don Carlos, should have been one of the most despicable and unfortunate specimens of humanity in modern history?

The following pedigree of Don Carlos shows his chances of inheriting the inbred neurosis:

Here if there had been many children instead of one I should say that in a rough way extreme degeneration would be likely to be present in somewhat more than half the number. It is significant to notice that the two worst characters in all modern royalty, Don Carlos and Peter 'the Cruel,' are also the two who have the worst pedigrees.

Don Carlos, it will be observed, though a great-grandson of Joanna 'the Mad' and Philip 'the 'Weak,' has almost exactly the same blood. Ferdinand and Isabella extend right across the chart. Emanuel I. takes his origin from a root almost identical with both Ferdinand and Isabella, and this root we have seen is the reign in which the insanity must have originated.

I do not see how Philip could have planned it better if he had wanted this son whom he really so much despised.

The son by Philip's only other productive marriage was Philip III. Here again we have a close inbreeding, though through a somewhat "better route. Anne was his own niece and even more closely related than a niece, as her father was Philip's own cousin. The only outside blood was distant, by Ladislaus. King of Hungary. This blood was presumably healthy though not distinguished. Philip was a man of very low mental calibre (about grade 2). Hume says he was not