ila, now returned to his confidence, and engaged in a new series of intrigues for the disposal of the hand of Doña Isabel, who, as heiress of Castile and Leon, was sought for in marriage by many of the great Princes of Europe. Don Juan Pacheco obtained the grand mastership of Santiago; and the Archbishop of Toledo was again trusted. Of the various alliances, which offered, that of the house of Aragon, as uniting the two great fragments of Spain, it was the interest of every true patriot to promote; and thus it was viewed by the Archbishop. But Don Juan had reasons of personal interest for opposing this, and managed to gain exclusive control of the movements and purposes of the King. They endeavored to compel the Princess, by threats of imprisonment, to marry the King of Portugal, a widower, far advanced in years, and wholly unsuitable as a husband of the fair and youthful Isabel. This hopeful scheme failing, they fixed on Charles, Duke of Berri and Guienne, brother of Louis XI. of France. Don Fadrique Enriquez, Admiral of Castile, and Don Mosen Pierres de Peralta, ConStable of Navarre, were the coadjutors of the Archbishop in furthering the proposals of the young Ferdinand of Aragon, who had a still more powerful partisan than either in the growing tenderness of Doña Isabel.

In fact Isabel, like a discreet and prudent lady as she was, had been playing, under the rose, a game of her own, quite as cunningly as the politic

nobles and astute churchmen of her brother's court. She privily despatched her chaplain, a man of entire trust, called Alonso de Coca, with instructions to repair to France, and seek the Duke of Guienne, and carefully make inquiry concerning him, and then, returning, to do the same with regard to Don Fernando, the Prince of Aragon, so as to bring back a full and faithful report to his mistress. He gave Doña Isabel a complete account of the appearance and habits of both princes, relating in how many things the Prince of Aragon excelled the Duke of Guienne. Don Fernando, he said, was in countenance and proportion of person very handsome, and of noble air and manner, and apt in every knightly exercise or princely deed. The Duke of Guienne, on the contrary, was weak and effeminate, with legs so small as to be altogether deformed, and with weeping eyes already sinking into blindness, so that ere long he would stand more in need of a page to lead him by the hand, than of a horse and lance for the battle field or tourney. Doña Isabel instantly came to a right conclusion upon what cause to pursue, resolving to bestow her virgin heart and young affections upon a prince worthy of her choice, instead of giving up her person to caducity or deformity to accommodate the ambitious projects of scheming statesmen.The Archbishop having a perfect understanding with the gentlemen of her household, Don Gonzalo Chacon and Don Gutierre de Cardenas, a private

correspondence with Isabel was commenced, and carried on for some time unsuspected, and she finally accepted a rich collar of gems and pearls sent her by Don Fernando, with other suitable presents, and consented to become his bride.

Doña Isabel resided at this time at Ocaña, whither she and the King had been conducted by Don Juan Pacheco, in order that they might be completely in his hands, it being a place subject to his control as Master of Santiago. Hither Don Enrique summoned the Cortes in order that the compact of Los Toros de Guisando might be carried into effect, and Doña Isabel recognized by the estates of the realm as heiress of Castile and Leon. Beginning, however, to fluctuate in his intentions, and receiving tiding of disturbances in Andalusia which rendered his presence necessary there, he left Ocaña before any thing was done, after compelling Doña Isabel to swear that she would undertake nothing new respecting her marriage.' As Doña Isabel had already engaged to espouse Don Fernando, although Don Enrique knew it not, her clerical counsellors persuaded her that she might conscientiously swear to undertake nothing new respecting her marriage, and that she ought to do so, to lull the suspicions of Don Enrique and the Master. But no sooner had these last departed from Ocaña, than the conspirators, if so they may be termed, proceeded with all possible despatch to conclude the marriage, and thus place themselves beyond the resentment of the King.

Doña Isabel was first conveyed to Madrigal, where her mother then lived, it being given out that her object was to remove her brother's body from Arevalo, and superintend the interment of it in Avila. Uneasy at her leaving Ocaña, and suspecting all was not right, the Master now took measures for seizing her by force; but the Archbishop and Don Fadrique, getting intelligence of his design, mustered a strong party of their followers, and conducted her in all haste to Valladolid, which was wholly at the devotion of the Admiral. As the Marquess of Villena was now on his guard, and ready to take any desperate step to secure the disputed prize, the friends of Doña Isabel saw that no time was to be lost in deliberation. Every thing had been previously arranged preliminary to the marriage, a dispensation having been procured from the Pope, and Don Fernando having been raised by his father to the dignity of King of Sicily, to make him better worthy of Doña Isabel. Nothing remained but that Don Fernando should come to Valladolid, and espouse the Infanta; and this was a task of greater difficulty than at first sight it would seem.

The management of this affair was entrusted to Don Gutierre de Cardenas and Don Alonso de Palencia, the latter a gentleman attached to the Archbishop. They counted upon the Bishop of Osma, Don Pedro Montoya, to furnish one hundred and fifty lances, and Don Luis de la Cerda, the

Count of Medinaceli, five hundred, which, with three or four hundred more to be procured from other sources, they deemed a sufficient escort to ensure the safety of Don Fernando. But when Cardenas and Palencia reached Osma, on their way to Zaragoza, they learnt to their consternation that the Bishop and the Conde de Medinaceli, with the usual levity of the Castilian nobles of that day, had deserted the party of Doña Isabel, and joined that of the Master. The whole frontier was held by the powerful lords of Mendoza, who occupied with their retainers and connexions all the castles along the line from Almazan to Guadalajara. Cardenas and Gutierre became convinced that it was now impossible for Don Fernando to enter Castile openly, and that unless they could succeed by some ingenious stratagem, the whole object, for which they had labored so long and so earnestly, would be utterly and perhaps forever defeated. They determined to make a bold push to overmatch the machinations of their enemies.

Concealing their immediate purpose, which they could easily do by Cardenas passing for the servant of Don Alonso, who frequently had occasion to go to and fro on business of the Archbishop, they hastened forward to Zaragoza, and proposed to Don Fernando to repair to Valladolid in disguise and without attendance. Cardenas communicated to the Prince the loving messages of Doña Isabel, with her maidenly complaints that he had not yet vis