In  the  year  1656  John  IV. departed  this  life,  and  immediatelr
thereafter  died  also  the  Crown  Prince  Theodosius,  so  that  the
neglected  Alfonso  came  now  to  the  throne ;  being,  however
under  age,  the  widowed  Queen,  Donna  Louisa,  a  bom  Guzman
of  Medina  Sidonia,  undertook  his  guardianship,  as  well  as  the
government,  and  certainly,  under  this  regency,  the  Jesuit  Fathers
had  also  no  reason  to  complain. Female  monarchy  was,  as
history  testifies,  always  favourable  to  the  priesthood,  and  the
rule  of  Donna  Louisa  proved  to  be  fully  so. She  previously  had
for  Father  Confessor  a  Capuchin  monk ;  as,  however,  the  above-


THE    POWEEFUL   INFLUENCE    OF    THE    JESUITS. 183

mentioned  Anton  de  Bieira  had  already,  during  the  lifetime  of
her  husband,  called  the  Jesuit  Father  Johann  Nunnez  to  the
Court,  she  would  not  hear  any  more  of  any  other  ecclesiastic,
but  confided  the  welfare  of  her  soul  to  the  latter  only. Ah  !  he
indeed,  was  a  real  saint. He  lacerated  himself  so  cruelly,  in  the
sight  of  all  the  Court  ladies,  that  the  blood  ran  in  streams  from
his  bare  back ;  and,  besides  this,  who  could  pray  so  earnestly
with  his  confessants  as  Nunnez  ?  The  new  Father  Confessor
thus  soon  became  all-powerful,  and  things  were  carried  so  far
under  his  rule  and  governance  that  hardly  any  single  situation
in  the  whole  country  was  to  be  obtained  except  through  the
intercession  of  the  Jesuits. They  formed,  indeed,  the  Alpha  and
Omega,  the  beginning  and  end,  to  gain  all  favour,  and  in  order  to
avoid  getting  into  disgrace  everyone  worshipped  them  without  mea-
sure. In  short,  all  people  bowed  slavishly  in  the  dust  before  them,
"  the  Apostles,"  as  they  were  designated ;  and  the  proof  of  this-
was  that  when  Nunnez  came  to  die,  of  course  under  the  odour  of
sanctity,  he  was  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  first  nobility  of
the  land  into  the  funereal  vault,  where  he  was  interred  with
princely  splendour. The  guardianship  and  government  of  Donna
Louisa  was  now  conjpletely  in  the  hands  of  the  Jesuitical  fraternity,
A  severe  blow  to  the  Order  was,  however,  threatened  as  soon  as-
the  heir  to  the  throne  became  of  age,  and  ascended  it  under  the-
title  of  Alfonso  VI. 