John, of Austria, 1547-1578; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
There arrived also at the last moment four of Prince Carlos's gentlemen,
of whom one was afterwards the famous Marqués de Castel Rodrigo, D.
Christóbal de Moúra.
All this made Philip II think, and from that moment he gave up the idea
of forcing his brother into the Church, understanding that he would gain
more from D. John by using his prestige and courage in matters of war.
Meanwhile D. John was flying from the hat in search of glory, with such
bad luck that on arriving at Torija he had to stop, ill of a tertian
fever. He was cared for as well as they could manage in a castle that
the Conde de Coruña had there, and, more plucky than cured, he went on
his way to Frasno, five leagues from Saragossa. Here the fever returned
with such force that he could go no further. This place belonged to the
Conde de Rivagorza, the Duque de Villahermosa, D. Martin de Aragón, a
great gentleman who experienced shortly afterwards, in the person of his
eldest son, the most tragic disaster, perhaps, in all the history of the
Grandees.
This nobleman was the widower of Doña Luisa de Borja, sister of St.
Francis; after fighting in Flanders, and much distinguishing himself at
the battle of St. Quintin, he was then living in retirement with his
sons in the town of Pedrola. The Duke was told of the illustrious guest
on his property, ill in the miserable inn of Frasno, and he hastened to
send eighteen mules with everything necessary for the use of a prince,
even to beds and coverings, and a complete set of hammered plate.
Not satisfied with this, the Duke went to Frasno with two of the doctors
in his service, and pressed D. John to move to his country house at
Pedrola or to his castle of Benabarre, the principal place of the county
of Rivagorza, where he could be attended to and looked after with the
greatest care.
D. John had not time to accept the invitation of the first Grandee of
Aragón, because the Archbishop of Saragossa, hearing of his illness and
being at Frasno, at once sent the Governor of the town, with many other
noble gentlemen, to fetch D. John and carry him off to be well looked
after in his own palace.
This Archbishop was D. Hernando of Aragón, grandson of King Ferdinand
the Catholic, and was respected as much for his age as for his
illustrious lineage.
So D. John was moved with many precautions by mules and litters
belonging to the Duque de Villahermosa, who accompanied him with great
courtesy until he left him installed in the Archbishop's palace.
The Archbishop received him outside the palace, and the people ran to
see the Emperor's son, and to show by their applause their sympathy with
him in his youthful escapade.
D. Pedro Manuel had arrived in Frasno, and no sooner did he see D. John
a little better, than he hastened to give him D. Philip's order, adding,
on his own account, "that he could not go on unless he wished to make
the King angry, as the galleys in which he could have sailed had left
Barcelona."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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