and that she should reside at Court. Her letter
throughout shows that at the time she was in deep despondency and anger at
her treatment; and especially resentful of Puebla, whom she disliked and
distrusted profoundly, as did Dona Elvira Manuel. The very elements seemed
to fight on the side of the King of England. Ferdinand was, in sheer
desperation, struggling to prevent his paternal realms from being merged
in Castile and the empire, and with that end was negotiating his marriage
with the French king's niece, Germaine de Foix, and a close alliance with
France, in which England should be included, when Philip of Austria and
his wife, Juana of Aragon, Queen of Castile, sailed from Flanders to claim
their kingdom at Ferdinand's hands. They too had made friends with France
some time before, but the marriage of Ferdinand with a French princess had
now drawn them strongly to the side of England; and as we have seen, they
were already in full negotiation with Henry for his marriage with the
doubly widowed and heavily dowered Archduchess Margaret.

The King and Queen of Castile were overtaken by a furious south-west gale
in the Channel and their fine fleet dispersed. The ship that carried
Philip and Juana was driven by the storm into Melcombe Regis, on the
Dorset coast, on the 17th January 1506, and lay there weather-bound for
some time. Philip the Handsome was a poor sailor, and was, we are told by
an eye-witness, "fatigate and unquyeted in mynde and bodie." He doubtless
yearned to tread dry land again, and, against the advice of his Council,
had himself rowed ashore. Only in the previous year he had as unguardedly
put himself into the power of the King of France; and his boldness had
succeeded well, as it had resulted in the treaty with the French king that
had so much alarmed and shocked Ferdinand, but it is unlikely that Philip
on this occasion intended to make any stay in England or to go beyond
Weymouth. The news of his coming brought together all the neighbouring
gentry to oppose or welcome him, according to his demeanour, and, finding
him friendly, Sir John Trenchard prevailed upon him to take up his
residence in his manor-house hard by until the weather mended. In the
meanwhile formidable English forces mustered in the country around, and
Philip began to grow uneasy; but Trenchard's hospitality was pressing, and
to all hints from the visitor that he wanted to be gone the reply was
given that he really must wait until