Syntactic Trees

Family letter from Catarina Escolástica de Almeida de Amaral to her cousin, Manuel Viegas Lobo.

The author expresses her solidarity towards the cousin and asks him to help her, since she has two girls to raise.

Manuel Viegas Lobo, the addressee of this letter, was accused of commiting bigamy. He was also accused of having promiscuous relations and being involved in acts of sodomy and "other crimes". He was sentenced to exile more than once.

«Dear cousin. I’ve been feeling sorry for your unrest as much as my family tie obliges me to. May Our Lord solve your troubles and give you the success I wish for my own things. You can believe that the fact that I have failed to do what I should was not due to my lack of will, but you know very well the improprieties that constrain me. Dear cousin, some days ago I wrote you a few lines, from which I got no answer. I would be very sorry to know that you didn’t receive it. There I asked you to remember that I have two girls, moreover poor, and that, seeing the generous way you treat other unrelated girls, I’m pretty sure you would spend some money with me, because, despite your troubles, you still have a lot. May Our Lord give you great success in everything, as I wish. May Gog keep you.

Your cousin, Escolástica d’Almeida»