mez and Espinosa in particular--who advised him to it.[1506]

Carlos now grew rapidly more feeble, having scarce strength enough left
to listen to the exhortations of his confessor, and with low, indistinct
murmurings to adore the crucifix which he held constantly in his hand.
On the twenty-fourth of July, soon after midnight, he was told it was
the Vigil of St. James. Then suddenly rousing, with a gleam of joy on
his countenance, he intimated his desire for his confessor to place the
holy taper in his hand: and feebly beating his breast, as if to invoke
the mercy of Heaven on his transgressions, he fell back, and expired
without a groan.[1507]--"No Catholic," says Nobili, "ever made a more
Catholic end."[1508]

Such is the account given us of the last hours of this most unfortunate
prince, by the papal nuncio and the Tuscan minister, and repeated with
slight discrepancies by most of the Castilian writers of that and the
following age.[1509] It is a singular circumstance, that, although we
have such full reports, both of what preceded and what followed the
death of Carlos, from the French ambassador, the portion of his
correspondence, which embraces his death has been withdrawn, whether by
accident or design, from the archives.[1510] But probably no one without
the walls of the palace had access to better sources of information than
the two ministers first mentioned, especially the papal nuncio. Their
intelligence may well have been derived from some who had been about the
person of Carlos. If so, it could not have been communicated without the
approbation of Philip, who may have been willing that the world should
understand that his son had died true to the Faith.

A very different account of the end of Carlos is given by Llorente. And
as this writer, the secretary of the Inquisition, had access to very
important materials; and as his account, though somewhat prolix, is
altogether remarkable, I cannot pass it by in silence.

[Sidenote: LLORENTE'S ACCOUNT.]

According to Llorente, the process already noticed as having been
instituted against Carlos was brought to a close only a short time
before his death. No notice of it, during all this time, had been given
to the prisoner, and no counsel was employed in his behalf. By the ninth
of July the affair was sufficiently advanced for a "summary judgment."
It resulted from the evidence, that the accused was guilty of treason in
both the first and second degree,--as having