"I have sold to him, at as high a price as I could," said Perez, "the magnanimity with which your Highness had sacrificed, on that occasion, a private object to his service." The minister held the same language, when writing, in a still more intimate and expansive style, to Escovedo.

"We must avoid, by a thousand--leagues, the possibility of the King's thinking us influenced by private motives," he observed; "for we know the King and the delicacy of these matters.

The only way to gain the good-will of the man is carefully to accommodate ourselves to his tastes, and to have the appearance of being occupied solely with his interests." The letter, like all the rest, being submitted to "the man" in question before being sent, was underlined by him at this paragraph and furnished with the following annotation: "but you must enlarge upon the passage which I have marked--say more, even if you are obliged to copy the letter, in order that we may see the nature of the reply." In another letter to Escovedo, Perez enlarged upon the impropriety, the impossibility of Don John's leaving the Netherlands at that time.

The King was so resolute upon that point, he said, that 'twas out of the question to suggest the matter.

"We should, by so doing, only lose all credit with him in other things.