EXPEDITION OF CHARLES VIII. 283 mischievous to himself, were bejond his strength to chapter control. Silva endeavoured to inflame still further ■- — his jealousy of the French, who had already given him many serious causes of disgust ; and, in order to detach him more effectually from Charles's inter- ests, encouraged him with the hopes of forming a matrimonial alliance for his son with one of the in- fantas of Spain. At the same time, he used every effort to bring about a cooperation between the duke and the republic of Venice, thus opening the way to the celebrated league which was concluded in the following year.^^ The Roman pontiff had lost no time, after the appearance of the French army in Italy, in press- ing the Spanish court to fulfil its engagements. He endeavoured to propitiate the good-will of the sovereigns by several important concessions. He granted to them and their successors the tercias, or two ninths of the tithes, throughout the dominions of Castile ; an impost still forming part of the reg- ular revenue of the crown. ^^ He caused bulls of crusade to be promulgated throughout Spain, grant- ing at the same time a tenth of the ecclesiastical rents, with the understanding that the proceeds 37 Zurita, Hist, del Rey Her- ^8 Mariana, Hist, de Espana, nando, lib. 1, cap. 35. — Alonso torn. ii. lib. 26, cap. 6. — Salazar de Silva acquitted himself to the de Mendoza, Monarquia, lib. 3, entire satisfaction of the sovereigns, cap. 14. in his difficult mission. He was This branch of the revenue yields subsequently sent on various others at the present day, according to to the different Italian courts, and Laborde, about 6,000,000 reals, or uniformly sustained his reputation 1,500,000 francs. Itineraire, torn, for ability and prudence. He did vi. p. 51. not live to be old. Oviedo, Quin- cuagenas, MS., bat. 1, quinc. 4.
