1696. Carta de Matias Rodrigues Simões para o seu primo, Manuel Vieira, familiar do Santo Ofício.

Family letter from Matias Rodrigues Simões to his cousin, Manuel Vieira, familiar of the Inquisition.

The author tells his cousin the story of a family member who is a bigamist, and asks for his help on order to catch him and send him to prison.

Manuel Dias, also known as “o Gatinha”, was a skipper in Santarém, his hometown. He was accused of bigamy, since he got married in Ceuta, while his first wife was still alive. Maria da Cunha and Manuel Dias met in Ceuta, where they got married. Then they moved to Cádis, since Ceuta was considered a dangerous city, under a siege ordered by the Alawite sultan, Moulay Ismail. After two years without news from him, however, his wife's family decided to investigate his whereabouts, contacting his family in his hometown. During the fair of Virtudes, a village in Azambuja, António Gomes met Manuel Dias and asked him if he knew Maria da Cunha. Manuel Dias was unable to lie and ended up recognizing his crime of bigamy. Two letters were handed in by Manuel Vieira, familiar of the Inquisition, and were included in this Inquisition file. The identity of the participants in the letter PSCR0388 is conjectured.

Sir cousin Manuel Vieira.

First of all, I wish you’re in good health, as well as all the family and my godmother, to whom I send my best wishes, in case she is alive, and to father José as well. As for me, I’m in these lands in good health and ready for anything you need, for sure. Sir Peres, the letter holder who volunteered to do the trip to Lisbon, and who said he would send this to you, insisted on having news from you and all those men. And may God keep them. And this friend also asked me whether I knew someone in Santarém. Since I knew you, I offered myself to this deal, which I hope you will keep the way I believe. It happened that Manuel Dias, a navigator, married in the village of Ribeira, disappeared from Santarém and, according to him, he was a short man, with a bulky body, small moustache, and he is missing a front tooth from the upper edge. And this man, being married, left to Ceuta ten or eleven years ago and got married in Ceuta, claiming to be single. And, at the moment, he is absent from that village and there are no news from him, and people claim he has two married daughters in Santarém. And he sails from Santarém to Lisbon with his sons-in-law because someone from here was with him in Lisbon, in the pier of Santarém and while they were talking, the sons-in-law arrived and Manuel Dias took his finger to his mouth so that the man became quite. And this man came to Cadis, where Manuel Dias left his wife and mother-in-law and a son named Bartolomeu. His wife’s name is Maria da Cunha, daughter of António da Cunha and Violante Fernandes, and they are all staying in the house of one of Manuel Dias sons-in-law, whose name is Miguel da Cunha and the house is in front of the Agostinhos Descalços and the Cruz Verde, in the city of Cádis. What I ask you is that, in case you are able to and you receive news from this deceiver, arrest him, as he deserves to be punished. In case you need documentation, send a warning and it will be sent. And this Manuel Dias claimed in Ceuta that he had a fellow who was some beneficiary brother and perhaps you can get some information from him. I count on you to do me this favour, as I know you will. In case the holder of the letter, sir António Gomes, passes by, please provide him whatever he asks and let me know if you have received from João Vieira. It concerns the money from the rent about which I sent you the letter of attorney. And this being done, you can hand it in to António Gomes, when he passes by. I don’t want to bother you anymore, I’ll be waiting for your good news soon.

From Tavira, today, 26th November, 696 years. From your cousin and friend who loves you very much.

Matias Rodrigues Simão