Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/41

Rh. It was the second time that the supreme political and ecclesiastical power had been vested in one man, and, as the benevolence and sagacity of Guerra were recognized, his inauguration June 19, 1611, created wide-spread joy. This was not to be of long duration, however. Guerra had for some time been an invalid, a fall from his carriage being one of the causes, and soon a cold caught during an exposure to rain laid him low with fever. The phlebotomy so prevalent among doctors of the time tended to weaken him; and when an operation was demanded on an abscess he sank under it February 22, 1612, at the age of fifty-two. Manifestations of grief were both general and profound, and the obsequies surpassed in solemnity any that had so far been conducted in New Spain. A description may prove interesting.

The embalmed body, arrayed in pontifical robes of purple taffeta garnished with gold and silver, rested in the chapel on a catafalque, covered with black gold-bordered velvet, and surrounded with candles. The interior of the chapel was draped in black. The head of the corpse reclined on a black velvet cushion, ornamented with gold and silver, and bore on the brow a mitre. Close to it rose the guidon of the captain-general, a rank held by the deceased in virtue of his office as viceroy. At the left shoulder rested the pastoral staff, and in the right hand the archiepiscopal cross; at the feet were two royal maces of gilt silver, and between them the prelate's hat.

For three days a constant stream of visitors appeared at the chapel to give a last look at the beloved face, while friars and clergy held vigils, masses, and chants