"The tragedy began in Cardinal Zapata's house, where there is a niece
of his, daughter of his sister the Countess de Valenzuela, a very fine
lady, and exceedingly well beloved by her uncle, {269} who married her
about two years ago to the eldest son of the Count de Sevilla, with
whom she lived about a year, and, being left a widow, returned to the
protection of the Cardinal, her uncle. In the house there lived a
favourite servant of the Cardinal, one Joseph Cabra, who had entered
the service at Zaragoza as a page, but now occupied the post of highest
trust in the household. The Count of Sevilla's son was jealous of this
man before he died; but since his death the Count his father has
proceeded criminally against the young Countess and Cabra, for living
in adultery together and murdering the husband. It is now certain that
since she became a widow she lived with Cabra and had a child by him,
which made them resolve on a secret marriage. This was concealed for
some months, and divulged at last through a slip of Cabra's, who failed
to pay sufficiently handsomely the officers of the church where they
were married. The whole business then came out. Cabra fled to his own
country, where he thought he would be safe; and there he published
something vindicating his quality. There was no reason, he argued, why
his marriage with the Countess should be considered strange. Others of
greater inequality had been married before; for instance, the Duchess
of Peñaranda and her steward Avellaneda. He knew this, he said, by his
having had access to the secret books of Toledo Cathedral. The Duchess
of Peñaranda was a younger daughter of the Cardinal Duke of Lerma; and
she was known in her youth to have been free, but all passed under her
high spirits. The Duke of Lerma had a page called Avellaneda, who,
{270} being a favourite, was appointed to wait upon his daughter in
those liberties she assumed, and to be the instrument of justification
to her and him. The Duke of Lerma having died, the page was appointed
steward, and although he was already married, she (the Duchess) had a
child by him, who is now five years old. Eighteen months ago,
Avellaneda's wife died, and the Duchess married him. When the bans
were published, her son, the present Duke of Peñaranda, happened to be
present; but the names being common ones he did not suspect, though he
mentioned the matter to his mother as a curious coincidence. This
marriage being discovered by the disclosures in Cabra's pamphlet, threw
all the town in a turmoil. The Duke of Peñaranda assembled in the
house of his sister, the Marchioness of Villena, his confidential
kindred, to consult them as to what had to be done. There it was
decided that he must first kill Avellaneda. When this news reached the
palace, the King sent for the Duke of Peñaranda, and ordered him to do
nothing as he (the King) would take the matter into his own hands. He