The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

250
HISTORY OF THE POPES.
the Cortes suggested a reform of the Order, Philip conceived
a far-reaching plan. His ambassador in Rome, Requesens,
was instructed to ask that the king might appoint visitors ;
until they had completed their work, and new rules had been
published for the Order, no more novices were to be accepted,
and after the visitation new superiors were to be appointed ;
it was also provided, as part of the proposed reform, which
was to be carried out under the supervision of the archbishops,
that all the small houses were to be suppressed, and the
superiors were only to remain in office for three years.
All these proposals were shipwrecked, partly on account
of the protests of the French king, and partly because of the
opposition of the superiors of the Orders. When he went as
legate to Spain in 1565,^ Cardinal Boncompagni took with him
briefs for the reform of the Trinitarians, Franciscans, Car-
melites, Augustinians and Isidorians, but he made no use of
his powers because, at the death of Pius IV., which occurred
soon afterwards, he returned hurriedly to Italy.
Better days for the reform of the Spanish Orders came with
the accession to the throne of Pius V. Even in the first days
of his reign the new Pope said to the Spanish ambassador that
in this matter he would grant the king more than he had asked
for ; let them send him from Madrid their proposals as to how
the necessary faculties should be drawn up, but let them at
the same time keep the matter secret, because in such cases
passions were likely to be sharply divided, and the Orders had
their agents everywhere.^ In spite of this, however, the sending
of the necessary briefs was delayed for a time. In Rome
they were convinced that the reform could never be carried
into effect without the co-operation of the civil power, but
at the same time it seemed dangerous to give such wide powers
over ecclesiastical affairs to the king and his nominees. Pius
v., moreover, did not wish to place the reform of the Orders
^ Ibid. XXX seq. For Calatrava cf. ibid. I., 306.
2 See Vol. XVI. of this work, p. 334.
^ Corresp. dipl., IV., xxxiii ; cf. I., 9.
* Requesens to Philip II., January 25, 1566, ibid. I., 112.