A ré deste processo de bigamia era a mulher de Bartolomeu da Costa, Madalena Francisca, natural de Lisboa e aí moradora, vendedeira de peixe na Ribeira. À data do processo, Madalena tinha mais de cinquenta anos e casara-se pela primeira vez havia 25. Após cinco anos de casamento, o marido tinha ido ao Brasil e no regresso a Lisboa foi "tomado cativo pelos mouros", os quais o levaram para Argel. Segundo a mulher, o marido escreveu-lhe duas vezes de Argel: uma dizendo que ela o resgatasse comprando um cativo turco, outra dizendo que tal já não seria possível porque iria partir para Túnis. Como entretanto, nove anos depois, lhe tinham garantido que o marido morrera em Túnis, a mulher voltou a casar, agora com Francisco Antunes, igualmente homem do mar. Passaram-se onze anos, e foi então que recebeu a carta aqui transcrita, que reconheceu "pela forma", se bem que o marido não soubesse escrever. Madalena Francisca separou-se então do segundo marido e apresentou-se voluntariamente à Inquisição. Foi absolvida.

Inglês:

Translation by Rita Marquilhas

Translation of a letter sent to his wife, a fishmonger, by a Portuguese sailor captive of the Turks. From Rhodes to Lisbon. 15/12/1662

To maDanela francisca in the city of Lisbon in the district of san stevão Dalfama. In her absence to anna farya. She sells at rybeyra do Peyxe. Letter from a poor captive, may God show the way to the one who shows this letter the way. It goes from Turquey.

The peace of Christ may be with you.

Sister in the soul.

I hope you will be in good health in the company of your mother and all the people in our household. May heaven keep it for many and happy years it is the wish of this poor captive. I am in good health at present, thank God, going through many miserable ways and troubles in this miserable captivity where my sins brought me 20 years ago. Absent from your sight but managing to keep my faith in Christ as a faithful Christian should. Now I shall tell you all about my miserable life. Since I left Argel 18 years ago I am inside a galley with a thick chain in my foot passing through many troubles and miseries which I could not tell in a letter. I work continuously which means I don’t have one hour of rest neither by day nor by night, dying of thirst and hunger and dressed in rags, not to mention the infinite stick beatings I take since there’s no lack of that inside a galley. However I thank God our Lord for all the mercies he has been giving be for so many years, he has given me patience to keep going in spite of so many troubles and he kept me alive although I am dead in this world to you. But I have hope that God our Lord and the Holy Virgin will give me freedom and let me see you before I die because after all I am a man, and men are supposed to suffer troubles in this world. I do regret, though, having no news neither yours nor from our household so I beg you, sister in the soul, since I brought you such misfortune, do try to find in that town some way to write me to the east since there are many knights in Malta coming from that town. Send me some news by them: it is the best and the safest way to write. And don’t you think that because I am in Turquey there is no remedy for my freedom. So I beg yoy, if you have some means and someone to help you with my ransom, you can do it by sending the order by Lord joão de Sir joão de souza de vasComselos Comendador das Comemdas de santarey AlCayde mor de Palmela ecause the said lord will send it to Malta to friar jaComo P(erei)ra Loureyro Camareyro do grão mestre de malta born in vyla do Comde because they exchange letters and it will arrive here in a better and cheaper way. And all you can do for my freedom, tell it to me by letter sent through the said lord because that way I could go by Malta. Tell me all about you and our household, about who is alive and who is dead because from now on my eyes will be looking above to heaven hoping to get news from you. The carrier of this letter is a man from setuvele called manoel rodrygues married in matozynhos. Try to speak to him if God will take him safely to that town because he will give you many news from me and my miserable life. And now may God our Lord allow us to see each other once more before we die. To my mother-in-law, if she is alive, give her my regards and to everyone in our household.

Today, from Rhodes, the 15th of December 1662

From this brother in the soul bertolameu da Costa

To francisco guasPar, if he is alive, give him my regards. I’m not writing to him because there is no time.