Letter from D. John to the Prior Hernando de Toledo about the battle of Lepanto. From the Alba archives.
[13]. Pius V having just died.
[14]. Reformer of the Calendar (Translator).
[15]. Margarita of Parma carefully educated her niece, and kept her until the death of D. John. When this happened she did all she could to influence Philip II to recognise the child; but all she could obtain from the King was an order that Doña Juana should enter the convent of St. Clara at Naples, with a nun of noble birth to look after her and four nuns to wait on her. For this he obtained a brief from the Pope, and was always careful to commend the person of Doña Juana to the Viceroys of Naples. This lady was very bright and intelligent: she spoke several languages and wrote books in Latin which she dedicated to the King and his son, afterwards Philip III. When he came to the throne, persuaded that she had no vocation, he tried to arrange a marriage for her and at last succeeded in 1603, wedding her to Francisco Branciforte, eldest son of the Prince of Butera. Philip III gave her a dower of 60,000 ducats and an income of 3000 for pin-money. Doña Juana died at Naples on February 7th, 1630, when she was fifty-six, leaving an only daughter called Margarita, after the Duchess of Parma. This Margarita Branciforte, D. John's only grandchild, married Federico Colonna, Duke de Patrano and Constable of Naples.
[16]. These keys are still in the possession of his descendant the Marqués de Santa Cruz.
[17]. "Sir. With greater sorrow than I know how to express I have heard of the unhappy death of the secretary Escovedo, for which I cannot be consoled or ever shall be, as Y.M. has lost such a servant as I know; and I, that Y. M. knows; and though I sorrow over this as I do, above all I feel it that at the end of many years and services he should have ended by such an unworthy death, for having served his King with such faithfulness and love without other consideration or practices, such as are now in use. And though it is wrong to judge anyone hastily, I do not think I am falling into this sin now, as I mention no one; but I hold as a fact what I say, and as a man who has had so much opportunity, and who knows the frankness with which Escovedo treated Y.M.'s service, I fear where it may have come from. But, after all, I am not certain, or, not knowing, I will only say, by the love of Our Lord, I beg Y.M., with all the earnestness possible, that you will not permit such an offence to be committed in your city, or allow so great a one to be done to me, without using all possible diligence to ascertain whence it comes, and to punish it with the rigour it deserves. And although I believe that Y.M. will have already done so very thoroughly, and will have done so, being such a Christian and justice-observing Prince, all the same, I wish to beg you that, as a gentleman, I may defend, and allow to be defended, the honour of one who deserved it as much as Escovedo, and this because I am the more bound, as with good reason I can imagine myself to have been the cause of his death, for that which Y.M. knows better than another. Do not take it amiss if I beg not only to remember, and urge, as I shall do by each courier, about what concerns the deceased, until justice is done and his services remunerated; even if I should overlook the rest, that as a gentleman I must do.
"Again I pray Y.M., as humbly and earnestly as I am able, that it will be your pleasure to send me an answer to all these things, as I confess to Y.M. that nothing could happen to worry me more than his death has done, until everything relating to the deceased is settled.
"I do not know how he has left his affairs, so I can enter into no details, but I beg Y.M. to remember Escovedo's purpose, which was that of honour, and the sincerity with which he served you, and of the small comfort he leaves in his house, and do all the favours to those who remain in it that they deserve, especially to the eldest son, of those offices and emoluments which the father held, that Pedro Escovedo deserves them, and will go on deserving them more and more, if he is employed and favoured, Y.M. knows better than anyone. And because I think, according to what he was obliged to spend and the little he had, he may have left some debts which might pain his soul, and his children and wife here below, I will also beg Y.M. to order them to be favoured by the wherewithal to pay them. Although I chiefly beg that, being left like a father to the said eldest son, you will do me this signal favour of giving him in all everything his father enjoyed, because as to the debts I can easily pay the most of the food and dress, and what are obliged to be paid, which is the least I can do for the repose of him who worked for me till death, as he did, to help to enable me to do the best for Y. M.'s service in whatever passed through his hands, which he did, as I have claimed and shall claim all my life. Consider, Y. M., if these obligations deserve that he should have these offices, and if I can be confident that you will do this favour, that I ask in all that I beg, and shall beg for continually, until the justice and favour that the blood and services of the deceased cry out for, are gained."
[18].
... Which has no pain