. The land of the Dons. f educating or humanizing the natives orcolonists of the New World was irrecoverably , indeed, though easy-tempered when unop-posed, was no humanitarian. As a soldier, theSpaniards admired him, being themselves a nation ofwarriors ; but they never loved him. They had beenthe cherished, almost the spoiled children of Isabella :they were her grandsons merest vassalage. The Emperor did much to cripple and debasethe Spanish character. He was the first of thoseautocrats who helped to ruin the commonwealth byencroaching upon its actual rights. Ferdinand andIsabell
. The land of the Dons. f educating or humanizing the natives orcolonists of the New World was irrecoverably , indeed, though easy-tempered when unop-posed, was no humanitarian. As a soldier, theSpaniards admired him, being themselves a nation ofwarriors ; but they never loved him. They had beenthe cherished, almost the spoiled children of Isabella :they were her grandsons merest vassalage. The Emperor did much to cripple and debasethe Spanish character. He was the first of thoseautocrats who helped to ruin the commonwealth byencroaching upon its actual rights. Ferdinand andIsabella had curbed the arrogance of the nobles, butthe civil and popular liberties were scrupulously re-spected. Charles trod the latter underfoot uponthe field of Villalar, and the temper of the people,crushed by the iron heel of the despot, became atonce more selfish and more sly. The colonists who flocked to the New World,infected with this general vitiation, changed also forthe worse. A lower, meaner class of men set sail. CTo face p. 246.) {.From a photograph by Morow, from the portrait by Pantoju.^ CHARLES THE FIFTH. THE PAST OF THE PRESENT. 247 for those possessions. In older days the efforts ofthe expeditionists had been, comparatively speaking,honest, or at least invigorating, for the physicalenergy required to open up the country and subduethe natives restrained them from the mischief ofinaction. They now became a greedy gang oftraffickers in slaves and bullion. Wherever theyworked or wandered it was for gold alone. In thistheir interest coincided with the Emperors, forCharles, embroiled in conquests or campaigns allover Europe, was ever in need of money. Mine aftermine was struck, in Boriquen, in Tierra Firme, inVeragua. Silver and gold ; gold and silver ! Howstrong is their contamination ! The more his subjectsfound, the more the Emperor demanded ; the decreesof the Consejo de Indias were travestied into a vulgarbatch of bonds ; and the soids of the Indians—ac-cording t
Size: 1219px × 2050px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1902
