to the religious creed of his countrymen excited the
enmity of the imans or priests against him, and afforded a pretext for
the animosity of all whom his genius inspired with envy. He was
accused of heresy before the {221} Emperor of Morocco; and the
punishment decreed against him was, that he should do homage at the
door of the mosque, while every true Mussulman who came thither to pray
for his conversion should spit in his face. He submitted patiently to
the humiliating infliction, merely repeating the words _Moriatur anima
mea morte philosophorum_ (_Let me die the death of a philosopher_).

E, page 106.

_And broke the chains, &c._

This King of Navarre was Sancho VIII., surnamed _the Strong_. It was
in commemoration of the chains broken by him at the battle of Toloza
that Sancho added the chains of gold to the arms of Navarre, which are
still to be seen on the field of gules.

F, page 111.

_Cousin-german of St. Lewis, &c._

Blanche, the mother of St. Lewis, was the daughter of Alphonso the
Noble of Castile. She had a sister named Beringira, who became the
wife of the King of Leon, and the mother of Ferdinand III. Several
historians, among others Mariana and Garibai, maintain that Blanche was
older than Beringira. If it were so, St. Lewis was the rightful heir
to the throne of Castile. France long asserted the pretensions thus
created. It is surprising that historians have not settled this
disputed point. One thing, however, is certain: the claims of
Ferdinand, sustained as they were by the partiality of the Castilians,
prevailed over those of his cousin.

{222}

FOURTH EPOCH.

A, page 132.

_Alphonso the Sage, &c._

Alphonso the Sage was a great astronomer: his _Alphonsine Tables_ prove
that the happiness of his people occupied his attention as much, at
least, as his literary pursuits. It is in this collection that this
remarkable sentence occurs--remarkable when it is considered that it
expresses the sentiments of a monarch of the thirteenth century: "_The
despot uproots the tree: the wise sovereign prunes it._"

B, page 135.

_In the hope of being elected emperor, &c._

ALPHONSO THE SAGE was elected Emperor of Germany in the year twelve
hundred and fifty-seven: but he was at too great a distance from that
country, and too much occupied at home, to be able to support his
claims to the imperial throne. Sixteen years afterward, however, he
made a voyage to Lyons, where Pope Gre