'Lo que después ay de nuevo es que Vergecio fue a visitar a la reyna, y le presentó sus medallas, y a Sicel las suyas; con lo qual fue acariciado y muy bien tratado, y se partirá mañana en vna haca que la reyna le á mandado dar a trueque de las medallas.
Yo le é acariciado quanto é podido; y después que por la de Vuestra Señoría Illustrísima é entendido la sospecha que el abad Mantinengo tenía de lo que se haze aquí, é caýdo en que la venida deste deue de aver sido el mismo jaez, porque aurán querido entender si aquí nos engañáuamos. Por lo qual é hecho de manera que el Vergecio ha entendido todo que buenamente se le podía hazer entender, no solamente de mí pero de otros a quien él á oýdo hablar en lo que aquí passa, que es tan notorio, que en los mesones puede hauerlo sabido. Y si él á de referir lo que aquí á visto, no dexará Su Santidad de conoscer lo mucho que el rey nuestro señor á hecho y haze en estos negocios por el bien de la Sede Apostólica; de lo qual va éste lleno hasta los ojos.
[H]ele dicho en lo destas limosnas, que aduiertan de no embiar más a nadie, ny pensar de negociar aquí por vías secretas de particulares, porque harán cosa que sea la ruyna total destos pobres hombres y del negocio. Todo lo qual él conoce ser assí, y jura que, si supiera lo que passaua, no se ariscara a venir por quanto el Papa pudiera darle. Muéstrase muy devoto del seruicio de Su Magestad y muy gran seruidor de Vuestra Señoría Illustrísima, y afirma todavía que tráya comisión de darme parte deste negocio, no hauiendo otro remedio, porque dize que en Roma deseauan dar a los ministros de Su Magestad la menos pesadumbre que pudieran en este negocio, no por desconfiança por comedimiento.
Hame rogado que le dé vna carta para el cardenal de Carpi, lo qual yo é hecho por no muestrar de estrañarme; de la qual embío copia a Vuestra Señoría Illustrísima. No sé si é errado en ello, pero yo lo é hecho por no mostrar descontento y escándelo desta su venida. Por ventura de aquí adelante tendrán menos desconfiança de nosotros.
[note 1 on p. 579 of Kervyn de Lettenhove (not included by Gutiérrez): A cette lettre était jointe la note suivante, qui était vraisemblablement la reproduction de ce que l’évèque écrivait au cardinal de Carpi:]
Haviendo inteso dal Vergecio la causa de la venuta sua, me ne sono in vero consolato assai, parendomi che quel che si fara in questo suo negocio, sara non solamente molto opportuno, ma anco necessario per esser questi buoni huomeni chi sono prigioni, stranamente affliti et molestati et ridotti ad extrema inopia e miseria, onde sara stato molto ben considerato il provedersi pur che questo si facei in modo che non possi col tempo nuocerli: del qual modo ho parlato col detto Vergecio a pieno et informatelo altresi di quelle cose ch’o pensato necessarie che costi siano intese, al che sara stata la sua venuta molto profittevole, havendose egli governato tanto destramente che solo non è stato sospetto, ma accareziato et honorato assai. Non replico qui quel che gli ho detto, perche si potra intender da luy. Resta etc.' (Kervyn de Lettenhove 1883, pp. 577–9, document 776; Gutiérrez 2000, pp. 122–4, document 639; Burnett 2020b, pp. 52-3)
['What later is new is that Vergecio went to visit the Queen, and presented her medals to her, and his to Cecil; for which he was favoured and very well treated, and he will leave tomorrow on a pony which the Queen has ordered to be exchanged for the medals.
He has indeed been favoured as much as possible; and since Your Most Illustrious Lordship has heard the suspicions that the Abbot Mantinengo has of what he has be doing here; he fears that the coming of this man must have been of the same sort, because he wanted to know if we are deceiving ourselves here. Therefore it has done in such a way that Vergecio has learned everything that he could enable himself to learn easily, not only from me, but also from others whom he has heard talk about what is happening here, which is so obvious that it can be learned in the pubs. And if he shall report on what he has seen here, His Holiness will not fail to know how much the king our lord has done in these affairs for the good of the Apostolic See; which is right in front of everyone’s eyes.
He said that, as regards these contributions, which they were advising should not be sent any more to anyone, he did not think of conducting here matters in secret with certain individuals, because they will do something that may be the total ruin of these poor men and the business. All of which he knows to be true, and he swears that if he knew what was happening, he would not risk coming for how much the Pope could give him. He showed himself very devoted to the service of Your Majesty, and a very great servant of Your Most Illustrious Lordship, and even asserts that he has a commission to give me a role in this business, if there is no other solution, since he says that in Rome they wish to give the ministers of Your Majesty the least grief that they can in this business, not out of distrust but out of restraint.
He has asked me to give him a letter for Cardinal Carpi, which I did so that I should not appear to back out; of which I am sending a copy to Your Most Illustrious Lordship. I do not know if it is an error on my behalf but I have done it so as not to appear unhappy and annoyed at his coming. From now on they will have less distrust in us.
[To this letter was added the following note, which was probably the copy of what the bishop wrote to Cardinal de Carpi:] Having gathered the reason for his coming from Vergecio, I was really much comforted, as it seems to me that what is being done in this business will not only be very appropriate, but also much needed for all these good men who are imprisoned, unfairly afflicted and tormented and living in extreme poverty, so it will be very sensible to take care of this situation to prevent them from being harmed in the future. I talked about this with Vergecio in full and informed him further about the things that I thought necessary to be arranged, so that his visit will prove most useful, as he managed this one so well that not only was he not suspected, but even very much praised and honoured. I will not report here what I said to him, because you will learn it from himself. Regards.' (translation from Burnett 2020b, pp. 52-3)]
