John, of Austria, 1547-1578; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
At the end of this time the valets heard a noise inside, and the loud,
manly voice of D. John of Austria, who shouted indignantly, "Keep there,
your Highness."
Frightened, they opened the door, and saw D. John, looking furious,
keeping the Prince at bay with his sword, who, livid with rage, was
trying to attack D. John with sword and dagger.
The valet's account says that, "after this scene D. John went to his
house." Perhaps D. John pretended to do so, to disarm D. Carlos's
suspicion, but it is certain that he went straight to D. Philip and told
him of the occurrence. The King then feared for D. John's life, and
would not let him leave the castle. He sent and had a room prepared,
where he made D. John sleep that memorable night.
Meanwhile D. Carlos, fearful that the King would wish to see him alone,
went to bed, pretending to be ill. He was not mistaken; for soon
afterwards D. Rodrigo de Mendoza brought an order from the King that D.
Carlos should go up to his room. D. Carlos gave his pretended illness as
an excuse, and, thinking the danger past, got up again at six o'clock;
putting on a long overcoat, without dressing, and sitting in the warmth
of the fire, he supped off a boiled capon. The mad Prince had not given
up his plan for a minute, and more than ever persisted in his project of
running away the next day at dawn.
For some time past D. Carlos had taken the most extraordinary
precautions for his personal safety, above all while he was asleep. He
had sent away the gentleman who, according to etiquette, should have
slept in his room at night, and secured his door inside with a curious
mechanism which he had had made by the French engineer Luis de Foix; it
consisted of a series of springs which prevented the door opening unless
D. Carlos pulled a long red silk cord which hung at the head of his bed.
He had also had an extraordinary weapon, which he himself had devised,
and the construction of which he superintended, made by the same
engineer.
He had read of the deed of the terrible Bishop of Zamora, D. Antonio de
Acuña, who broke the head of the Alcaide of Simancas with a stone which
he carried hidden in a leather purse, as if it were a breviary.
Enchanted with the idea, the Prince ordered de Foix to make a book
composed of twelve pieces of very hard blue marble, six inches long by
four inches wide, covered, as if they were bound, with two plates of
steel masked with gold.
D. Carlos always had this disguised arm at hand, ready to break the head
of anyone as the fancy might take him, an extra proof of the traitorous
and perverse nature of the unlucky Prince.
Besides this, there was always an arquebus at the head of his bed, and
an arsenal of powder and shot hidden in his wardrobe.
After supper D. Carlos looked through the letters and papers he had
prepared, and went to bed at half-past nine, leaving by the side of his
bed a naked sword and a loaded arquebus, and having an unsheathed dagger
under his pillow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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