Syntactic Trees

Private letter written at the request of João Mendes Bulhão, carder, to Jerónimo Gomes.

The author makes veiled threats to the recipient, and asks him for help because the hardships he is suffering in prison.

This letter had been written at the request of an inmate of a jail in Estremoz, who lost it during the transfer to the prison of the Evora Inquisition. The prisoner was João Mendes Bulhão, a half new christian, teaseler, 46, born and resident in Estremoz, who was accused of Judaism. The Inquisition archives contain, apart from the around 40 thousand individual proceedings ("processos"), a collection of scattered charges, for which the Inquisition "Promotor" had to decide whether or not to prosecute. Complaints, confessions, letters by the commissioners or about different stages of each proceedings are some of the document types that can be found in these books. This letter has been kept among such documentation.

«I suffer from great hardships here in this house, because António Gomes wants me here, perishing for no reason. However, I remind you that Francisco Teles de Pina will take me to Évora, because I have what to blame myself for, and this will take the whole week, if God wants it. And then I'll come back with António Gomes and the rest of the gentlemen with whom I have obligations. But I remind you that it shall be sooner than you expect. I won't bother you with this no longer. May God keep you. João Mendes Bulhão, grandson of Joan Mendes Ramela. Please send me some help, because I suffer great hardships and I perish here in this house, for the love of God.»