[1617]. Carta de António Álvares Cardoso, padre, para Fernando de Ataíde Vasconcelos.

Complaint letter, dictated, from António Álvares Cardoso, priest, to Fernando de Ataíde Vasconcelos.

The author shows his alarm because of the lack of news of a third party, referred to as Cunha.

The files 2388 and 4203 of the Lisbon Inquisition are related, since their defendants ‒ Antonio Álvares Cardoso and Alonso Carrillo de Albornoz, respectively ‒ were denounced by the same person, Fernando de Ataíde Vasconcelos, an accusation that also involved Mariana Galindo and António de Cáceres. They were among the various members of a group that was said to practice witchcraft, and exchanged correspondence with each other. Fernando de Ataíde Vasconcelos was invited to one of their meetings, in March 1617. Since then, some of the letters were also sent to him, being later included in the files as criminal evidence against the people he denounced. Father António Álvares Cardoso was arrested in 1618. Alonso Carrillo de Albornoz, Spanish, resident in Lisbon and a professional comedian, who signed his letters as Martim Lopes, was also found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to exile for eight years to the island of Príncipe.

«I'am out of my mind. You gave order for Cunha to leave here the money you told him, and to tell him to appropriate the houses for three months, and I told him so. And, to avoid any obstruction, if he didn't want to appropriate them for three, he should appropriate them for six. And since Cárceres, who went to see the houses with him, was here, he didn't leave any money: he was sure to return here again and then he would leave the money, which he didn't, and I haven't heard from him again. And seeing this and knowing that the moon was on Saturday, and I'm at home with the foundlings and the keys, lacking news from you or from Castelhano, I did this writing to you, that follows this one, thinking you were not gone yet and the money would still be with the Castelhano. You were gone, after all, so I wrote to Castelhano about my complaints. He sent me that writing you'll see here. Seeing this, I wanted to send it by the servant. But Cáceres arrived, and he volunteered to go and he must be the holder. Please see what we can do and why the money wasn't left, or if you made any other deal; this situation has been making me even sicker than I was. And may Our Lord be with us, etc. Your captive, the father António Álvares Cardoso. Send me good news of your health and of Madam Violante.