Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/62

 24 Readings in Europe art History 234. Guic- ciardini's report on Spain (1513). Meager population of Spain. Fertility of the land. IV. Spain at the Opening of the Sixteenth Century In 15 12 the republic of Florence dispatched one of its most distinguished citizens, the historian Guicciar- dini, 1 to Spain with orders to learn all that he could of the country and of the character and projects of Ferdi- nand the Catholic, king of Aragon, who had been inter- fering for years in Italian matters. Guicciardini remained in Spain for toward two years, and prepared for his government a brief but very careful report, in which he describes the general condition of the country, the tem- perament of the people, and the court of Ferdinand. If his observations are trustworthy, it is clear that Spain was not in a flourishing condition on the eve of Charles V's accession, and that it is small wonder that, with the perverse policy of its kings in undertaking foreign con- quests and in persecuting the industrious Moors at home, the kingdom should have declined rapidly when the money from the American mines began to give out. Spain is thinly populated, so that towns and burgs are rare, and between one great town and another scarcely a house will be found. In short, the inhabitants are few. There are some fine cities, like Barcelona, Sargossa, Valencia, Granada, and Seville ; but they are few for such an impor- tant kingdom and for so great an area of country. Aside from these principal centers, most of the towns are small and have rude buildings, of which the greater part, in many places, are built of mud and are, moreover, full of filth and dirt. The land is fertile and yields abundantly, since more grain is raised than is necessary for use at home. The same may be said of the wine, which is sent by sea to Flanders and England. Oil, too, is exported in great quan- tities every year to the countries mentioned above and to 1 See below, p. 30.