John, of Austria, 1547-1578; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
"Great Lord: After kissing the earth Y.H. treads, that which
this poor and miserable orphan wishes to make known to Y.H., Her
Lord, is to tell you how grateful I am for the favour you have
done to all of us, not only in giving liberty to Alhamet, our
servant, but by sending him to give us news, that after the
death of my father and the destruction of the Armada, my poor
orphan brothers remained alive and in the power of Y.H., for
which I pray to God to give Y.H. many years of life. What
remains to us, My Lord, to me and all of us, is to beg Y.H. to
do us the favour and charity by the Soul of Jesus Christ, by the
life of Y. Royal H., by the head of your mother, by the soul of
the Emperor, your father, by the life of the Majesty of the
King, your brother, to give liberty to these poor orphans. They
have no mother, their father died at Y.H.'s hand. They are under
your sole protection. But if you are the courteous gentleman
people say, so pious and generous a prince, pity the tears I
shed for hours, and the affliction in which my brothers find
themselves, and concede me this mercy. Of the things I have been
able to get here, I send Y.H. this present, which I beg you will
be willing to receive. I well know that it is not worthy of
Y.H.'s greatness, which deserves greater things, but my
resources are small. Do not look at the smallness of the
service, but, like a great lord, accept the good-will with which
it is made. Again, My Lord, I beg Y.H. by the Soul of Jesus
Christ to do me the charity of giving liberty to my brothers, as
in doing this good, even to enemies, you will gain a renown for
liberality and piety; and, thinking of their tears, you were
pleased to send Alhamet, to say that they were alive and of the
good treatment Y.H. gave them (which all this Court thinks very
noble and does nothing but praise the virtue and greatness of
Y.H.), for you have ended in gaining this title from everyone,
there remains nothing but that Y.H. should grant this mercy, of
giving them liberty.
"Your slave, the poor sister of the sons of Ali Pasha, kisses
the feet of Y.H.
"FATIMA CADEM."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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