'Aquí llegó el día de san Juan vn griego llamado Juan Vergecio, de quien Vuestra Magestad puede ser que tenga memoria, porque ha estado aquí y en Flandes en la corte de Vuestra Magestad. Trúxome vna carta del Señor de Chantonay de recomendación sobre vn negocio que dezía tenier aquí con vnos mercaderes. A la segunda vez que me habló, entendí que venía a negocios de Roma y disimulado. Estúuelo yo con él hasta que entendí más particularmente que su venida era a negocio destos obispos presos y a darles algo. Parecióme que, si yo callaua, pudiera este ombre – aunque no es indiscreto – hazer algún yerro, de que se siguiesse al Papa desauthorizamiento y a estos obispos más mal de que tienen y al él mismo perder la cabeça. Por lo qual me determiné a dezirle que yo entendía a lo que venía, y que mirasse lo que hazía, porque andaua desalumbrado. Confesóme luego de verdad, y díxome más, que traýa comissión de darme parte de su negocio después de hauerse informado de algunas cosas. Aduertido de quán peligroso andaua, se me encomendó pidiéndome que yo le auisasse de la forma que se podría tener para repartir entre estos catholicos hasta m/XII [= 12,000] ducados.
Yo quisiera apartarme del negocio, por parecerme que la manera de tratarle no es de tanto secreto y cautela como se requiere, estando como está lo de aquí; pero por remediar que a éste no le succediese algún desastre, teniendo yo la commissión que tengo de Vuestra Magestad en esta materia, no quise dexar de dezirle lo que Vuestra Magestrad me tiene mandado, y de ofrecerle de hazer lo que Su Santidad mandasse quanto al repartimiento del dinero, con la cautela que conuenía. Aduertiéndole tra esto que mirase lo que hazía, porque yo sabía que no hallaría ombre en todo este reyno que se osasse encargar desta comissión, aunque le diesse quanto hauía en el mundo, si no era para burlarle; porque esto es tenido aquí por caso de trayción, por el qual se pierde la hazienda y la vida, y no hauría quien quisiese ponerse a este peligro por nada.
El dize que no ha hablado a nadie, ni piensa ya hazerlo, visto lo que pasa. Ha ydo a hablado a la reyna, que dize ser su conocido, y a presentarle vnas medallas con vna carta del embaxador Fragmorton en su recomendación, al qual dió a entender en París que venía solamente a visitar a la reyna y a darle vn presente. Yo le doy toda la prisa que puedo para que se vaya, y pienso que lo hará dentro de tres días, bien informado de lo mucho que Vuestra Magestad fauoresce a los cathólicos en este reyno.
He estado deste negocio con cuydado, y lo estaré hasta ver a éste fuera del reyno. Y si no fuesse la extrema necessidad desta pobre gente y lo mucho que importa remediarlos, yo disimulara, cierto; per por el bien destos pobres, y porque el Papa entienda que Vuestra Magestad no ha dexado de mandarme lo que en este negocio se prometió aý a su Nuncio, he querido no retirarme. Y pensaría hazer lo que el Papa dessea sin mucha dificultad y sin peligro, porque ya yo he dicho a la reyna algunas vezes que pienso que no recibirá deseruicio de que yo dé algunas limosnas a estes poures cathólicos, y ella ha mostrado que no le pesa dello. Vuestra Magestad será seruido de tornarme a mandar en esto lo que deuo hazer, porque hasta tener nueva orden no pienso hazer más que este cumplimiento que he hecho, para embiar de aquí a éste.' (Gutiérrez 2000, pp. 110-13, document 633; Burnett 2020b, pp. 50-2)
['Here there arrived on St John’s Day [25 June] a Greek called Juan Vergecio, of whom Your Majesty may have memory, for he has been here and in Flanders at the court of Your Majesty. He gave me a letter of recommendation from the Lord of Chantonay on a business which he said he had here with some merchants. The second time he spoke to me, I learnt that he came on business from Rome and had pretended. I stayed with him until I understood in more detail that his coming was for the business of these imprisoned bishops and to provide something for them. It seemed to me that, if I were to be silent, this man could—although he is not indiscreet—make a mistake, as a result of which he would be disowned by the Pope, that these bishops would be worse off than they are and that he himself would lose his head. As a result I resolved to tell him what I understood of what he had come for, and that he should look at what he was doing, because he had been misled. He then confessed the truth to me, and furthermore said to me, that he had instructions to give me a part in his business, after he found out certain things. Being aware of how dangerously he was proceeding, he entrusted himself to me, asking me to help him in the manner in which he could best distribute among these Catholics a sum of up to 12,000 ducats.
I would like to have withdrawn from the business, because it seemed to me that his way of dealing with it is not with as much secrecy and caution as is required, things being as they are here. But to remedy matters in such a way that no disaster would happen to him, having the commission I have from Your Majesty in this matter, I did not want to stop from telling him what your Majesty has commanded me, and from offering to do what His Holiness instructed in regard to the distribution of the money, with appropriate caution. Advising him further that he should look at what he was doing, for I knew that he would find no man in this whole kingdom to whom he would dare entrust this commission, even if he would give him everything in the world, unless he wanted to make a fool of him. Because it is regarded here as a case of treason, for which one loses one’s livelihood and life, and there is no one who would put himself in such danger for anything.
He says that he has not spoken to anyone, and does not think of doing it, having seen what is happening. He has gone to speak to the Queen, who he said is known to him, and to present to her some medals with a letter of recommendation from Throckmorton, which is why he gave it to be understood in Paris that he came only to visit the Queen and to give her a gift. I hurried him up as much as I can so that he will go away, and I think he will do it in three days, being well informed how much Your Majesty favours the Catholics in this kingdom.
I have been into this business with care, and will continue to do so until I see this one out of the kingdom. And if it was not for the extreme need of these poor people and how important it is to help them, I would indeed keep a pretence, definitely; but for the good of these poor men, and so that the Pope hears that Your Majesty has not stopped intructing me to do in this matter what he promised to his Nuncio, I have not wanted to hold myself back. And I would think of doing what the Pope wants without much difficulty and without danger, because I have already told the Queen a few times that I think she will not make an objection to me giving some help to these Catholics, and she has shown that she does make a lot of it. Your Majesty will be pleased to reply to me and command me what I must do in this, because until I have new instructions I will not consider doing more than the conclusion of what I have done, to get from here to this.' (translation from Burnett 2020b, pp. 51-2)]
