Kings & rulers > History of the reign of the Emperor Charles V > Volume 2

TflE REIGN OF THE
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B. I.
tion with his mother, whofe name they appointed to be
placed before that of her fon, in all public acts. But when
they made this conceflion, they declared, that if, at any fu¬
ture period, Joanna fhould recover the exercife of reafon,
the whole royal authority fhould return into her hands. At
the fame time, they voted a free gift of fix hundred thou-
fand ducats, to be paid in three years, a fum more confidera-
ble than had ever been granted to any former monarch*.
Notwithflanding this obfequioufnefs of the Cortes to the
will of the king, the mod violent fymptoms of diffatisfac-
tion with his government began to break out in the king¬
dom. Chievres had acquired over the mind of the young
monarch the afcendant, not only of a tutor, but of a parent.
Charles feemed to have no fentiments but thofe which his
minifter infpired, and fcarcely uttered a word but what he
put into his mouth. He was conflantly furrounded by
Flemings; no perfon got accefs to him without their per-
milTion; nor was any admitted to audience but in their pre¬
fence. As he fpoke the Spanifh language very imperfectly,
his anfwers were always extremely fhort, and often deliver¬
ed with hefttation. From all thefe circumitances, many of
the Spaniards were led to believe, that he was a prince of a
flow and narrow genius. Some pretended to difeover a itrong
refemblance between him and his mother, and began to
uhifper that his capacity for government would never be
far fuperior to hers; and though they who had the bed op¬
portunity of judging concerning his charafter, maintained,
that notwithflanding fuch unpromifmg appearances, he pof-
i'effed a large fund of knowledge, as well as of fagacityf;
yet all agreed in condemning his partiality towards the
Flemings, and his attachment to his favourites, as unreafon-
able and immoderate. Unfortunately for Charles, thefe fa¬
vourites were unworthy of his confidence. To amafs wealth
* Miniana, Contin. lib. i. c. 3. P. Mart. Ep. 6c8. Sandov. p.
f Sandoval, p. 31. P. Mart. Ep. 635.