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Article THE LIFE OF XIMENES, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO. ← Page 9 of 12 →
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The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
the communion and solitude of a reli gious course ; that he had a still more urgent reason to excuse himself from the care that her Majesty imposed on him , and of Which he was incapable- ; that in the life of Kings , however regularly spirit , there were always certain circumstances , demanding not only a confessor of good intentions- , but of enlarged capacity and confirmed experience ; and that , lastly , it
was a dangerous thing to answer before God for the consciences of those , who aie to answer to him for the conduct of so many people . The Queen listened to him peaceabl y , and said , with a smile , that to her his reasons were not convincing . God , who once called him to the life of a recluse , now called him " to a court : he should take upon him the direction of her conscience , and that she would answer for the choice she had made .
He then accepted the employ ; but upon the condition , that he should not be obliged to follow the court , and that he should attend there only at the Queen ' s confession : neither the rules of politeness nor the prevalent force of custom could induce him to alter his resolution . The Princess was so satisfied , that she repeatedly informed the King and her principal ministers , that she had found a man of admirable and
prudence piety . Peter Martyr , who has related many particulars of the rei gn of Ferdinand and Isabella , says that Ximenes entered the court with a countenance , a habit , and demeanour attesting the austerity of his life ; and that the courtiers regarded him as one of the ancient penitents of Egypt , or of Thebais . The Queen placed in him such confidence , that nothing of importance to the kingdom was carried into effect without his advice .
Some time after , it happened , that the chapter of his order being assembled , and the Provincial having resigned his situation , Ximenes , with common consent , was elected in his room . However averse he had always shewn himself to a desire of any dignity among his brethren , he received this with pleasure , because it gave him less occasion to frequent the court . The Queen , who confided to him not only her affairs of conscience , but those secret or public dissatisfactions which commonly temper the pride of human greatness , often stood in need of his consolations and counsels .
. ns ne was ouugea to visit tne convents of his own order in New and Old Castille , to examine various matters , and to write frequentl y , he sought after a priest of a strong constitution , in whose company , and from whose assistance , his labours mi ght be mitigated . The guardian of Alcala pointed out to him a probationer novice , in whom he had remarked a quick understanding , a vigorous health , a modest chearfulness , and an excellent disposition ; who had finished his studies at Toledoand te
, wroexceedingly fast , and verv fine . The Provincial sent for this young man , named Francis Ruyz ; who , afterwards , became the companion of his visits , and was of service to him , during the remainder of his life , in affairs of importance . He , some days after , set out with him to visit the monasteries of his province . A little mule carried their few necessaries : the companion sometimes mounted the beast . Ximenes / unless sickness prevented VOL . x . w
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
the communion and solitude of a reli gious course ; that he had a still more urgent reason to excuse himself from the care that her Majesty imposed on him , and of Which he was incapable- ; that in the life of Kings , however regularly spirit , there were always certain circumstances , demanding not only a confessor of good intentions- , but of enlarged capacity and confirmed experience ; and that , lastly , it
was a dangerous thing to answer before God for the consciences of those , who aie to answer to him for the conduct of so many people . The Queen listened to him peaceabl y , and said , with a smile , that to her his reasons were not convincing . God , who once called him to the life of a recluse , now called him " to a court : he should take upon him the direction of her conscience , and that she would answer for the choice she had made .
He then accepted the employ ; but upon the condition , that he should not be obliged to follow the court , and that he should attend there only at the Queen ' s confession : neither the rules of politeness nor the prevalent force of custom could induce him to alter his resolution . The Princess was so satisfied , that she repeatedly informed the King and her principal ministers , that she had found a man of admirable and
prudence piety . Peter Martyr , who has related many particulars of the rei gn of Ferdinand and Isabella , says that Ximenes entered the court with a countenance , a habit , and demeanour attesting the austerity of his life ; and that the courtiers regarded him as one of the ancient penitents of Egypt , or of Thebais . The Queen placed in him such confidence , that nothing of importance to the kingdom was carried into effect without his advice .
Some time after , it happened , that the chapter of his order being assembled , and the Provincial having resigned his situation , Ximenes , with common consent , was elected in his room . However averse he had always shewn himself to a desire of any dignity among his brethren , he received this with pleasure , because it gave him less occasion to frequent the court . The Queen , who confided to him not only her affairs of conscience , but those secret or public dissatisfactions which commonly temper the pride of human greatness , often stood in need of his consolations and counsels .
. ns ne was ouugea to visit tne convents of his own order in New and Old Castille , to examine various matters , and to write frequentl y , he sought after a priest of a strong constitution , in whose company , and from whose assistance , his labours mi ght be mitigated . The guardian of Alcala pointed out to him a probationer novice , in whom he had remarked a quick understanding , a vigorous health , a modest chearfulness , and an excellent disposition ; who had finished his studies at Toledoand te
, wroexceedingly fast , and verv fine . The Provincial sent for this young man , named Francis Ruyz ; who , afterwards , became the companion of his visits , and was of service to him , during the remainder of his life , in affairs of importance . He , some days after , set out with him to visit the monasteries of his province . A little mule carried their few necessaries : the companion sometimes mounted the beast . Ximenes / unless sickness prevented VOL . x . w