John, of Austria, 1547-1578; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
"The Meninas, which are a set of ladies of the nature of ladies of
honour in that (the Spanish) Court, children in years, but higher in
degree (being many of them daughters and heirs to Grandees of Spain)
than ordinary ladies of honour attending likewise that queen."—From
Heathcote MSS., page 236. _Vide_ the 1907 edition of "Memoirs of Ann
Lady Fanshawe" (Translator's note).
But vainly amid this brilliant throng or in her allotted place D. John
sought for his lady love, Doña Maria de Mendoza, which upset him very
much, partly, no doubt, because he could not see her, and, perhaps, even
more that she should not see him, so smart, and fine and honoured, as
happens at his age and on similar occasions.
That night Doña Juana gave a ball in her apartments, in honour of her
goddaughter's christening, and, to add to D. John's anxiety, neither
Doña Maria de Mendoza nor the Princess de Évoli appeared there either.
He no doubt heard there from Doña Maria Ana de Aragón, daughter of the
Conde de Rivagorza, who was one of the Queen's ladies, and a great
friend of Maria de Mendoza, that she had gone several days before to the
house of her relative, the Princess de Évoli, which redoubled D. John's
anxiety, not only for the fact itself, but for not having been told so
by Doña Maria.
His sister Princess Juana then called him apart, and begged him, with
all the goodness of her kind heart, to make the young men improvise a
"camisada," with the double purpose of celebrating the Infanta's
christening, and of stopping, if only for one night, while the King was
at Court, the strange walks of Prince Carlos, who, at those hours, used
to visit alone the houses of ill-fame in Madrid, an arquebus in his
hand, and disguised by a false beard.
D. John agreed with the good grace he always showed in pleasing his
sister, and arranged the "camisada" with the two Archdukes Rudolph and
Ernest, the Prince of Parma, and all the young lords of the Court; but
no one succeeded in recruiting Prince Carlos, who, as usual, had slipped
away to his strange and dangerous adventures, which at that time were
the scandal of the Court.
It was already past midnight when the "encamisada" collected together in
the little square of Santiago, in front of D. John's house. This
singular amusement consisted of a large cavalcade, in which all the
riders wore white shirts over their ordinary clothes, and had their
heads disguised by picturesque turbans, plumed helmets, or queer caps
with ribbons and feathers. Each carried a lighted torch in his left
hand, and kept the right arm out of the shirt to display his lady's
colours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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