Letter #421
Alfonso de VALDÉS to Ioannes DANTISCUSToledo, 1529-01-16
English register:
Valdés remarks that Dantiscus has no reason to make excuses for leaving without saying goodbye because people of their standing shouldn’t worry about empty ceremony. He is glad Dantiscus is counting on his help; he loves him no less than his own father. Not just Valdés but also all his friends liked Dantiscus’ epigram about Lalemand. At Dantiscus’ request, Valdés recounts the Lalemand affair: he was accused of betraying state secrets to the French, willfully making substantial changes in a document of imperial privilege and committing a few other deeds worthy of the highest punishment. At first he denied everything, then, in the face of Ronquillo’s testimony, he admitted to some of the charges but not to treason. It’s not clear yet what his punishment will be. He has many friends who are trying to secure his release, but also many enemies, so most likely he won’t avoid punishment. Valdés puts Lalemand in the same class as the crooks from the lives of Roman emperors – Turinus from the life of Alexander Severus and Zoticus from the life of Heliogabalus, also described by Erasmus in his Adagia. He encourages Dantiscus to write an epitaph for Lalemand if he would find it appropriate to honor a living person in this way. Valdés informs him that the chancellor [Mercurino Gattinara] returned before the Feast of Epiphany [January 6]. There has been no news from Italy or other regions. The emperor is sticking to his plan of traveling to Italy in spring even though almost everyone around him is against it. Valdés trusts the matter to Divine Providence. He sends Dantiscus new prints concerning the French. He has stopped the printing of his own text because he awaits the emperor’s opinion. He hasn’t finished the dialogue yet, maybe Dantiscus will receive it before he leaves Spain. Valdés is impatient to know when Dantiscus will send him Pasquillus and other texts of his. He sends regards from his friends who were exceptionally amused by Dantiscus’ letter, in particular from the Regent [Sigismondo Loffredo?], Longus, Valdés’ brother Diego, and also Suares. He asks him to give his regards to Isabel [Delgada] and the children [Juana Dantisca and Juan Dantisco], he will gladly fulfill any requests Dantiscus may have regarding them. Valdés sends Dantiscus the document confirming the rank [eques auratus] the emperor has granted him. He realizes that Dantiscus has no such ambition. If there’s anything missing from the document, he asks to have it back for correction.
Manuscript sources:
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Prints:
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Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus
Salutem plurimam.
Quasi quisquam me magis a caeremoniis abhorreat, ita te apud me purgare voluisti, quod insalutato hospite abieris, immo eo in genere (ut ingenue fatear) nihil mihi gratius facere potuisti, quare absint omnino a nobis hae vulgares caeremoniae, cum nihil minus professioni nostrae correspondeat, quam vulgus ms. vulgum(!) ⌈vulgusvulgus ms. vulgum(!) ⌉ sequi. Quod tantum de me tibi polliceris BK 222, No. 50, p. 193 quodque hunc animum exploratum habes, vehementer gaudeo atque ita gaudeo, ut huic laetitiae nihil addi posse videatur. De te tantum mihi persuasi, ut non minus a te, quam ab ipso, qui me genuit, patre, me amari sciam; verum de his satis.
Epigramma, quod ad Lalemantum mihi misisti, non mihi solum, sed amicis omnibus placuit. Utque tibi,
quemadmodum iubes, historiam narrem: accusatus est hic bonus vir,
primum quod secreta caesaris Gallis prodiderit, deinde quod privilegium caesaris vitiaverit
nonnullis verbis mutatis, atque huiusmodi alia ultimo supplicio digna
patravit. Ille prius constantissime negabat fere omnia, deinde vero,
postquam accessit praetor Ronquiglus ms. Ponguiglus(!)
⌈RonquiglusRonquiglus ms. Ponguiglus(!)
⌉,
aliqua fatetur, alia negat, veluti proditionem, quae vix probari
poterit; iam in hoc ms 2 res pendet,
ms 1 respondet⌈res pendetms 2 res pendet,
ms 1 respondet⌉, an omissa proditione ob alia flagitia debeat poenas dare et quas. Non desunt illi fautores et amici, qui
hominem quo iure quaque iniuria liberare student, non quod illi bene velint, sed multos diversa trahunt studia. Attamen vix credo hominem evasurum. Legebam nuper vitam Alexandri Severi imperatoris in eaque inveni Turinum quendam fumi venditorem fumo necatum. Cuius
Turini vitia si sceleribus Lalemanti conferas, nihil vidisti
similius, nisi quod hic noster aliis pessimis artibus Turinum
superavit atque etiam Zoticum ms. Zolirum(!)
⌈ZoticumZoticum ms. Zolirum(!)
⌉, fumi venditorem apud Heliogabalum
imperatorem. Hos Turinum et Zoticum ms. Zolirum(!)
⌈ZoticumZoticum ms. Zolirum(!)
⌉ Erasmus in
adagiis
celebravit, quibus ego ms 1 Lalamantum,
ms 2 Lalemantum⌈Lalamantumms 1 Lalamantum,
ms 2 Lalemantum⌉ addidi, ut haberemus tantae pestis triumviratum, et quemadmodum
Turinus fumo ms 1 necatus,
ms 2 necatus necatus⌈necatusms 1 necatus,
ms 2 necatus necatus⌉ est, quod ms 1 fumos,
ms 2 mos⌈fumosms 1 fumos,
ms 2 mos⌉ vendiderit, ita noster Lalemantus proditionis fumo traduci meruit, etiamsi nihil
ms 1 prodiderit,
ms 2 proderit⌈prodideritms 1 prodiderit,
ms 2 proderit⌉. De hac peste plura scribam. Nunc scribendum erit
epitaphium, ni tu etiam viventem eo honore dignum iudicaveris.
Cancellarius rediit ante festum Epiphaniae. Italia silet, hoc est nihil ab ea parte habemus novi neque ab alia etiam. Caesar in ea sententia perstat, ut proximo vere ad Italiam transeat, idque refragantibus ac repugnantibus suis fere omnibus. Ego autem quid dicam, nescio, nisi quod cor regis in manu Dei est. Fata viam invenient nosque interea veluti e speculo rerum exitum, si tamen umquam BK 222, No. 50, p. 194 futurus ms. futurum(!) ⌈futurusfuturus ms. futurum(!) ⌉ est, spectabimus, utpote quibus animus datus est ab his fluctibus liber.
Quod de Gallis excussum est, en tibi
mitto. Quod vero ego scripsi, neque excussum neque typographo adhuc
commissum est, voluit enim caesar rem videre neque adhuc, quid sibi
decretum sit, aperuit. Ego autem sileo, nihil hinc praeter invidiam
venaturus. Meus dialogus dormit neque in lucem prodire audet, neque
supremam illi manum imposui. Habebis eum fortassis, antequam
discedas. Exspecto avidissime a te Pasquillum et alia, quae scribis,
non enim, ni tua sint, mihi poterunt non esse gratissima. Salutat te
totum collegium amicorum, quod tuis litteris mirum in modum
exhilarasti, et praesertim dominus regens, A(ntonius) Longus,
frater meus Iacobus, quos per me salvere voluisti, nec non Suares noster, qui tot tibi mittit salutes, quot ipse prae manibus habet aegrotos. Tu vicissim dominae Isabellae ms. dominam Isabellam(!)
⌈dominae Isabellaedominae Isabellae ms. dominam Isabellam(!)
⌉ plurimum ms. plurimam(!)
⌈plurimumplurimum ms. plurimam(!)
⌉ meis verbis salutem ms 2 imperti,
ms 1 impeti⌈impertims 2 imperti,
ms 1 impeti⌉ una cum prole,
quibus si quid mea opera opus est, facilius impetrabis, quam petes.
Dignitatis tibi a caesare commissae testimonium ad te mitto. Scio te huiusmodi ambitionis insignia non morari, sed quid facias? Quando
inter caecos videndum est, oportet interdum caecitatem simulare. Si
quid in eo desiderabis, remittito et fiet ms. faciet(!)
⌈fietfiet ms. faciet(!)
⌉ ms 2 statim,
ms 1 statem⌈statimms 2 statim,
ms 1 statem⌉,
quod petes.
Vale.
Toleti, die ms 1 XVI,
ms 2 decima sexta⌈XVIms 1 XVI,
ms 2 decima sexta⌉ Ianuarii ms 1 1529,
ms 2 millesimo quingentesimo vigesimo nono⌈1529ms 1 1529,
ms 2 millesimo quingentesimo vigesimo nono⌉.
Tuus, quicquid est, Valdesius