The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-03-10
Mt9reIII It's.
c. A L d E r on
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I.
THE trag c-comedy of court intrigue, which has
cv'r found its principal theatre IN spain since the
accession Of The House OF Austria TO the throne,
vas represented with singular complication Of in
cldcnt and briI'iancy Of performance du;ns the
reign Of Philip the Third. That monarch, weak,
indoent and superstiOus, left the reias OF govern
mchl in the hands Of the Duke Of Lerma The
Duke of Lerma, in his turn, mild, easy, os,cn,a-
tious, and shamefuy corrupt, resigned the au-
'horlty he had thus received 10 Rodegigo Cadcron,
an able and rcsoutc upstart, whom nature and
fortune seemed equally to avonr and endow.-
But not uore TO his talents, which were grea. than
10 the policy of religious persecution which he had
Supported and enforced, Rodeligo Caldcron owed
his promotion. The king and tie in1uisiion had
some years before our story opens, resolved upon
The general expulsion of the MoIcog, the wealth.
set, the mos, active, the most industrious portion
the population.
y would sooner said the bigo,ed king-and his
words were hallowed by the enthusiasm of the
1harch-'depOpulnc my kingdom than suffer it to
hlboGr single nGdel.'
The Duke de Lcrma entered into the scheme
That los, 10 Spain many of her most valuable sub
IccIs with the zeal of a pons Catholic, expeciant
NJ the cardinals hat which he aliorwatd obtained.
Put to this scheme Caderon brough, an energy, n
decision, yehemcncc; and sagaciy ofhaucd that,
savonred more of personal vengeance than re.
s'ous persecution. His perseverance in this good
work established him iiln.!y in the kings favour.
ara IN this he was supported by the friendship not
only oil Lermn, but of Fray Louis dc Aliaga, II
renowned jesuit, and confcssor to the king. The
disasters and distress accustomed by this barbarous
crusade, which crippled the royal revenues and Sc
nous'y injured the estates Of the principal barons,
if'm whose lands the industrious and intelligen,
Morl'cos were expelled, ultimately concentrated n
deep and general hatred upon Caderon. But hi,
os.oordinory address aud vigorous cnerries, his
= fest mastery of the science of intrigue, not only
''''a'ned but continued to augment his power
i.oash the king was yet in the middle age. bis
i'al'h was in'irm and his life precarous. Cade,on
lid contfiycd, while preserving the c,your If III.
r''sning monarch,to establish himself as the friend
and companion Of The heir apparent. In this, in.
deed he had affected 10 yield 10 the policy Of The
bns himself; for Philip the Third had n whole
'ome terror of the possible ambition hi. son IS bo
c'T'y cvlnced talents which might have been for
midabie, but for passions which urged HIM into tho
'0st VICIOUS pleasures and the most ex,rayapan,
o'oess"s' The croft of the king was satisfied BY
''e device of placing about the person orihe infant
'ae devoted to himself; nor did his conscience,
Gus as he was, revolt a, pronigacy in which his
ilvorc was said to participate, and, PERHAPS, 10
encourage; since, the less popular the prince, the
more powerful the king.
But all this while there was forming powerrul
cable against both the duke of Lerma and Don
RodeTiso Ca!deron in quarter when i, miah, have
least been anticipated. The cardinal duke ,na,ur.
ally anxious to cement and pcrpclra,c his cuihori.
t., had placed his son, the Duke d'uzeda. in n
post that gave him constant access to the moporch
The prospect oTpower madeUzeda eager 10 seize n,
oncr upon all It's advantages; and it became the
object of his life 10 snppani his father. This would
INV ON' N''y eHOHSH Dul ltI tue genius and yigl-
lance of Calderon, whom he hated as rival. d.
dalned as an up'an, and dreaded as n foo
Philip was soon aware of the contest between Tho
two factions; but, in the spirit of Spanish kim.
crait,he took care TO play one against the other
Nor could Caderon, powerful as he was. dare
openly to seek the ruin of Uzeda, while J-zod,
more rash, and, perhaps, more ingenious. en,e,ed
into thousand plots for the downfall of The pruo
fayorc.
Inc lfeqnon, missions, principally into PORTUGAL
IN whch OF late CalderOn had been employed had
allowed Uzeda 10 encroach more and more up,n
the royal confidence; while the yerv meaps which
Don Roderigo had adopted to perpetuin,e hi, in.
huence, by attaching himsclfto the priDco roo
essary distracted his attention from the ;,,r;.uo
OF his rival Perhaps, indeed, the greatness 81
CnIderOns abiIi'iesmnde him arrogan,lv de,ni,e II.
Vaccinations ofrhe duke, who, though no, with