was Simon Joseph, the favourite Jewish Physician, and Astrologer to the King, whom he kept constantly about his person.

"Sayest thou so, good Joseph!" said Don Pedro; " and who shall gainsay thee, when thou hast read the Stars? But what brings thee hither, at this hour?”

"I came to tell thee, Sire, that this evening, as I drew thy Horoscope, I read the prediction of strange events. Danger, and contest, but, at the same time, triumph and victory were foretold there; aye, and Love was mentioned in the starry prophecy. Yon planet Jupiter is now Lord of the ascendant; Mars and Venus are in conjunction; and Saturn, dull and dim, is quenched beneath their overwhelming influence."

"Thou read'st strange riddles, Simon Joseph," said Don Pedro; "but a part, at least, of thy prophecy is true: for I hold here letters, which inform me, that the sons of Leonora de Guzman are in arms; and defy me from behind the strong walls of Gijon. What would'st thou have me do?"

"On to the fight, Sire!" said the Astrologer, and then added, pointing to the planet Jupiter, "before that Star sets behind the western hills, let the King be on his march to battle, and to conquest. Don Pedro, do not hope for ease and quietness, but thy reign shall be long and prosperous. Victory shall wait upon thy banners,

and new kingdoms shall be added to Castile." Thus saying, and drawing his robe more closely round him, Simon Joseph left the Terrace, and the King and his Minister speedily followed him. Don Pedro, amongst whose vices cowardice could not be numbered, determined to adopt the advice of the Astrologer. Although he scoffed at all idea of Religion, he was a fervent believer in the occult Sciences, and never entered upon any pursuit of importance without consulting the Stars. That very evening, accordingly, saw him at the head of as many troops as could be mustered at so short a notice, depart from Valladolid, having left instructions for a formidable force to follow him.

In a few days the King of Castile, with a numerous Army, had sat down before the Gates of Gijon. They had already had various skirmishes on their march with detached parties of the enemy; and on their first attack upon the town they carried the most important outpost; so that ultimate success now appeared certain. In the mean time, however, the heart of the Monarch had surrendered at the first summons to the charms of a beautiful young female, of a noble family, named Maria de Padilla, in the suite of Madame d'Albuquerque, who had followed her husband to

the army. This young lady possessed numerous attractions, both of mind and person. Although not tall, she was exquisitely formed; and her whole form and manner were equally graceful and bewitching. Her complexion was of the most dazzling fairness; her eyes black and sparkling ; and her features of a regularity, in which the most fastidious connoiseur in beauty could find nothing to object to. She possessed an infinite fund of wit, and was of a gay and lively temper; but she was, at the same time, vain and ambitious; and a perfect mistress of every species of dissimulation. Obdurate and sanguinary as was the disposition of Don Pedro, he became deeply fascinated with the charms of Maria; "and Love," say the Historians of that age, "held in his bosom divided empire with cruelty." She, dazzled by the splendour of royalty, and the prospect of power and greatness, turned a deaf ear to the remonstrances of virtue; and after a very feeble and ill counterfeited resistance, became the Mistress of the King of Castile. Don Pedro was now as eager to conclude the war, as he had been to commence it; and having made terms with the revolted Princes, he disbanded his forces, and retired with Maria to Torrejos, a little town near Toledo.

It is necessary to state here, that previous to

the occurrence of these events, Don Pedro had asked in marriage the hand of the beautiful Blanche de Bourbon, Sister of the Queen of France, and the Duke of Burgundy; who, during the King's absence on his expedition to Gijon, had arrived in the city of Valladolid, and was there awaiting the celebration of the nuptial contract. To that city the other Princes repaired on the cessation of hostilities, and the King commended his bride to the especial attention of Don Henry; Count of Trastamare, until his own return. The Count, on his arrival, found that the French Princess, of whose beauty and accomplishments the most glowing accounts had been generally circulated, far surpassed all that rumour had spoken, or imagination had portrayed. She was of a majestic figure, tall, and finely formed. The mild but glowing Suns of France had given a dark tinge to her cheeks, which well matched with the intense deep blue of her eyes, and the jetty ringlets which fell in rich clusters down her neck. Her pale high forehead and drooping eyelids, spoke of pensiveness, and perhaps melancholy; but the smile which frequently illuminated all her features,

"As though her veins ran lightning,"

was full of benevolence and sweetness; and told,

not falsely, the goodness of her heart. Her voice was low and gentle, but it's tones went to the heart of the listener; and her stately step, and majestic gait, while they befitted the high station which she filled, were unmingled with the slightest indication of arrogance, or pride.

As Don Henry gazed upon this enchanting being, he could not but lament that she was destined to become the bride of a man, who, although of high talents, and of handsome and even majestic person, was stained with almost every vice under Heaven. Still he indulged a hope, and that hope was shared by many, that the beauty and virtues of the Princess, could not but have a genial effect on the disposition of her Husband, and be productive of important benefits, both to him and to the nation. The Queen Mother had received her with the most flattering distinction; the Grandees in Valladolid took every opportunity of testifying their devotion; and, whenever she appeared in public, she was greeted with the warmest acclamations of the populace. Still, however, the King remained at Torrejos, in the society of Maria de Padilla; and had not even had the courtesy to send any communication to her, or to the Queen. He would not listen to any intelligence of his betrothed bride, or even attend to