The Last Look | Page 4

condemned to do penance on the occasion, and among them was the
once celebrated preacher, Dr Egidius, whose crime was being true to

his Lord and Master. The high conical cap and yellow robe in which he
appeared could not make him ridiculous in the eyes of many of his
fellow-citizens, even of those who did not sympathise with his opinions.
At length he was liberated, and once more mixed with his friends at
Seville. It was necessary, however, for him to be very cautious, lest, as
his movements were watched, he should draw suspicion on them. Soon
after he was released, he set out for Valladolid, where his wounded
spirit was much refreshed by finding the progress the Gospel had made
in that city and its neighbourhood. Over-fatigued by his return journey,
he died shortly after his arrival in Seville. God, however, did not leave
His Church in Seville without a minister. Constantine Ponce de la
Fuente, on the death of Egidius, obtained the post of Canon-Magistrate
in the Cathedral of Seville, previously held by him. This made him the
principal preacher in the place, and gave him great influence, which he
used in spreading the truth of the Gospel. He published numerous
evangelical works suited to the understanding of the least educated of
his countrymen. His system was not so much to attack the errors of
Rome, as to bring the light of the Gospel to shine on their minds
through his addresses and writings. In Valladolid and the surrounding
towns and villages, men of talent and eminence were equally zealous in
spreading Protestant opinions. They were embraced by the greater part
of the nuns of Santa Clara and of the Sistercian order of San Belem,
and converts were found among the class of devout women, called in
Spain beatas, who are bound by no particular rule, but addict
themselves to works of charity. One of the most active propagators of
the reformed doctrines in the surrounding country was Don Carlos de
Seso, who had for important services been held in high honour by
Charles the Fifth, and had married Dona Isabella de Castilla, a
descendant of the royal family of Castile and Leon. These few
examples are sufficient to show the progress made by the Reformation
at that time among the highest and most intelligent classes of the
community in Spain--made, too, in spite of the ever-watchful eyes of
the officers of the Inquisition, and notwithstanding the almost certain
death with torture, and by fire, which would be the lot of any
denounced by its familiars.
In Spain, in those days, as at present, it was the custom for ladies of

rank to receive guests at their houses on certain days of the week. Dona
Mercia de Cisneros was holding such a reception one evening. Guests
of all opinions came. There were a large number of Protestants; they
knew each other to be Protestants, but to the rest of the guests their
opinions were unknown. Among the guests were two young men who,
though apparently strangers to each other, were attracted by the same
object--admiration for Dona Leonor, the youthful daughter of the house.
Don Francisco de Vivers, the elder of the two, was an inhabitant of
Seville, of considerable wealth and excellent family. He was considered
amiable and generous; and was, moreover, handsome and agreeable in
his manners, dressed well, and possessed a house and equipages
surpassed by few. He was not at all insensible of his own qualifications
for winning a young lady's heart, and was, therefore, greatly puzzled at
discovering that Dona Leonor seemed insensible to them. Don
Francisco loved the world and his wealth far too much to give his heart
to God; and Dona Leonor had resolved not to marry any one who
would not make up his mind to do so. Possibly too, he might scarcely
have heard of the reformed doctrines; he was a firm Roman Catholic. It
was a faith which exactly suited him. He found it so easy for a person
of his wealth to clear off any sins which might trouble his conscience.
The other young man who has been spoken of seemed to be a stranger
in the place, though several affectionate greetings which he received
showed that he was not so altogether. He was dressed in black, the
usual costume of a lawyer in those days, and though not so handsome
as Don Francisco, his broad forehead, clear eye, and firm mouth,
showed that he was far his superior in intellect. Dona Leonor no longer
turned away her head when he approached her, as she had done when
Don Francisco drew near, but received him with a friendly smile, while
an acute observer might have discovered that a blush suffused her
cheek while he spoke. Don Francisco