Charles took "all men's opinions, but reserved his judgment," and acted on it, when matured, with irresistible energy; Philip was led by others, was vacillating in forming decisions, and irresolute in executing them when formed.
Philip, then, was not considered, in that warlike age, as likely to shine as a warrior.

His mental capacity, in general, was likewise not very highly esteemed.

His talents were, in truth, very much below mediocrity.
His mind was incredibly small.

A petty passion for contemptible details characterized him from his youth, and, as long as he lived, he could neither learn to generalize, nor understand that one man, however diligent, could not be minutely acquainted with all the public and private affairs of fifty millions of other men.

He was a glutton of work.
He was born to write despatches, and to scrawl comments upon those which he received.
[The character of these apostilles, always confused, wordy and awkward, was sometimes very ludicrous; nor did it improve after his thirty or forty years' daily practice in making them.