ALLIANCES AND DEATHS. 353 On her passage to Spain, in mid winter, the chapter fleet encountered such tremendous gales, that part ^^' of it was shipwrecked, and Margaret's vessel had tueTet."* wellnigh foundered. She retained, however, suf- ficient composure amidst the perils of her situation, to indite her own epitaph, in the form of a pleasant distich, which Fontenelle has made the subject of one of his amusing dialogues, where he affects to consider the fortitude displayed by her at this awful moment as surpassing that of the philosophic Adrian in his dying hour, or the vaunted heroism of Cato of Utica. ^' Fortunately, however, Margaret's epi- taph was not needed ; she arrived in safety at the port of Santander in the Asturias, early in March, 1497. The young prince of the Asturias, accompanied Marriage or J o r '1 John and by the king his father, hastened towards the north Margaret. to receive his royal mistress, whom they met and escorted to Burgos, where she was received with the highest marks of satisfaction by the queen and the whole court. Preparations were instantly made for solemnizing the nuptials of the royal pair, after the expiration of Lent, in a style of magnificence such as had never before been witnessed under the present reign. The marriage ceremony took place on the 3d of April, and was performed by the arch- bishop of Toledo in the presence of the grandees 18 Fontenelle, CEuvres, torn. i. more suited to Fontenelle's habitual dial. 4. taste, than the imposing scene of Gate's death. Indeed, the French " auede^Si^T^n'olrt'st'Sue." «f/in^t was SO averse to scenes of all kmds, that he has contrived to It must be allowed that Marga- find a ridiculous side in this la.st act ret's quiet nonchalance was much of the patriot Roman. VOL. II. 45
