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Article THE LIFE OF XIMENES, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO. ← Page 8 of 12 →
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The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
succeeded to the archbishoprick of Seville , and , since , to that of Toledo , b \ -the favour of the Catholic Kings , who made use of his councils in the government of the state , and in their private concerns . He was particularly esteemed by the Queen , and honoured with her confidence . She liad returned to Caslille , after the capture of the city of Grenada , and was embarrassed in the choice of her confessor . Father Ferdinand de ' Talaveraa monk of the order of St .
Jeromebe-, , ing nominated Archbishop of Grenada , could no more perform the functions of his office . His residence in this new church , on account of the number of infidels who were to be converted , was more particularly desired . The Princess , pious in the extreme , from a delicacy of conscience , communicated to her confessors not only the secrets of her mind > and of the state
but the affairs also that regarded the security peace . She wanted a person whose piety might conduct her own , arid whose enlightened understanding mig ht wisely direct her determinations in matters that concerned the government . The Cardinal , perceiving the Queen ' s anxiety , proposed Father Francis Ximenes , whom he had known in his bishoprick of Siguensa . He knew him _ in his . retreat , and regarded him as a skilful politician , and a practical divine .
But it was to be apprehended , lest the love of repose and religious tranquillity might surmount every attempt to withdraw him from retirement and obscurity ; especially as the tenor of his life was antiquely severe , and regularly exact . From the portrait ofXimenes ' s character , the Queen found , in the delineation of his mind , the qualities she sought after ; and her curiosity was raised to see and converse with him in private : she
commanded his presence at court . The Cardinal , under pretence of business , immediately wrote to him to request his attendance . With reluctance he obeyed ; not without the fear that custom mi ght interrupt him-in " his " solitude . The prelate received him with affection , entertained him some time with hospitality , and , as it were by accident , led him to the Queen ' s apartment . Discernment and
investigation were peculiar to this Princess ' s character ; she wished to be personally acquainted with those of whose services she designed to avail herself : she put several questions to Ximenes ; his answers to which were replete with wisdom and modesty . His humble but confident demeanour ; his grave but noble expression ; his discourse , made up of sentiments of justice and religion , amply assured Isabella , that the Cardinal ' s recommendations were not adequate to the merit
he patronized . The Queen sent for him in a few days , intreated him to take care of her conscience , and commanded his attendance in quality of Confessor . Such an order excited Ximenes ' s surprise ; he replied , however , with much recollection , that respect for her Majesty forbad him to refuse the honour that she conferred upon him : but he supp licated her to consider , that he ha . l been called to the cloister , to work out his own salvation : to engage him , in the midst of the world , was to withdraw him from his vocation ; that he had left the convent at Toledo , purposely to avoid those directions which trouble
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
succeeded to the archbishoprick of Seville , and , since , to that of Toledo , b \ -the favour of the Catholic Kings , who made use of his councils in the government of the state , and in their private concerns . He was particularly esteemed by the Queen , and honoured with her confidence . She liad returned to Caslille , after the capture of the city of Grenada , and was embarrassed in the choice of her confessor . Father Ferdinand de ' Talaveraa monk of the order of St .
Jeromebe-, , ing nominated Archbishop of Grenada , could no more perform the functions of his office . His residence in this new church , on account of the number of infidels who were to be converted , was more particularly desired . The Princess , pious in the extreme , from a delicacy of conscience , communicated to her confessors not only the secrets of her mind > and of the state
but the affairs also that regarded the security peace . She wanted a person whose piety might conduct her own , arid whose enlightened understanding mig ht wisely direct her determinations in matters that concerned the government . The Cardinal , perceiving the Queen ' s anxiety , proposed Father Francis Ximenes , whom he had known in his bishoprick of Siguensa . He knew him _ in his . retreat , and regarded him as a skilful politician , and a practical divine .
But it was to be apprehended , lest the love of repose and religious tranquillity might surmount every attempt to withdraw him from retirement and obscurity ; especially as the tenor of his life was antiquely severe , and regularly exact . From the portrait ofXimenes ' s character , the Queen found , in the delineation of his mind , the qualities she sought after ; and her curiosity was raised to see and converse with him in private : she
commanded his presence at court . The Cardinal , under pretence of business , immediately wrote to him to request his attendance . With reluctance he obeyed ; not without the fear that custom mi ght interrupt him-in " his " solitude . The prelate received him with affection , entertained him some time with hospitality , and , as it were by accident , led him to the Queen ' s apartment . Discernment and
investigation were peculiar to this Princess ' s character ; she wished to be personally acquainted with those of whose services she designed to avail herself : she put several questions to Ximenes ; his answers to which were replete with wisdom and modesty . His humble but confident demeanour ; his grave but noble expression ; his discourse , made up of sentiments of justice and religion , amply assured Isabella , that the Cardinal ' s recommendations were not adequate to the merit
he patronized . The Queen sent for him in a few days , intreated him to take care of her conscience , and commanded his attendance in quality of Confessor . Such an order excited Ximenes ' s surprise ; he replied , however , with much recollection , that respect for her Majesty forbad him to refuse the honour that she conferred upon him : but he supp licated her to consider , that he ha . l been called to the cloister , to work out his own salvation : to engage him , in the midst of the world , was to withdraw him from his vocation ; that he had left the convent at Toledo , purposely to avoid those directions which trouble